Franklin Square/Elmont Herald 12-31-2020

2021 HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our readers

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Franklin Square/Elmont

HERALD 2020

YEAR IN REVIEW

DECEMBER 31, 2020 - JANuARY 6, 2021

VOl. 23 NO. 1

A leader in every sense of the word

What’s

INSIDE

By Melissa xx Koenig xx mkoenig@liherald.com

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Christina Daly/Herald xx/Herald

Island Harvest provided thousands xx of Elmonters with food in April.

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Christina Daly/Herald xx/Herald

Lawsuits against the Belmont Park xx project were dismissed in May. Page 0

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Melissa Koenig/Herald xx/Herald

Franklin Square residents showed xx their support for the police.Page 0

hen everyone was stuck at home under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s New York on Pause order in March, Nicholas Talamo, of Franklin Square, began worrying about all the disabled veterans who were struggling to put food on their tables.

He saw how his grandfather Vito Talamo, a blind U.S. Army veteran, was having difficulties amid the coronavirus pandemic, but was lucky enough to have the support of Nicholas’s family.

But not every disabled veteran was as fortunate, Nicholas realized.

“There’s a lot of veterans out there that are just at home” and don’t have families to support them, said the 17-year-old Talamo, a senior at H. Frank Carey High School and president of Venturing Crew 2718, a group of older Franklin Square current and former Boy Scouts sponsored by VFW Post 2718. But, he said, they shouldn’t have to go out shopping for food, either, because “we don’t want them to get sick.”

So Talamo spoke to his father and Charlie Grippaldi, the Venturing Crew leaders, about how the crew could raise money to feed local disabled veterans, and Operation Thank a Veteran was born. Each member of the crew chipped in $10, and Grippaldi worked to get the message out on social media, with a link for the public to donate money to help the teens purchase food for the veterans.

By the end of the summer, the Venturing Crew was providing nearly a dozen veterans in the Franklin Square and Elmont area two meals a day three days each week, and expanded its efforts to help the technicians who were fixing the ventilators at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, now NYU Langone Hospital–Long Island.

The crew continued to feed the veterans on the holidays, and is still providing food to one local veteran and his daughter

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NEWS

NicHolas TalaMo

‘

N

o matter what Nick takes on, he sees it all the way through and gives 110 percent.’

DeBra HaNseN

Assistant scoutmaster, BSA Troop 485

Infections as of Dec. 25

For BrEAKING go to liherald.com

HERALD PERSON OF THE YEAR

3,930

COMMuNITY uPDATE

Infections as of Dec. 20 3,752

each week.

For spearheading this effort, and thinking of others at such a difficult time in American history, the Herald is proud to name Talamo its 2020 Person of the Year.

A veteran Boy Scout

Nicholas got involved in scouting 11 years ago, when he joined Cub Scout Pack 372, under the leadership of his mother, Jeanna. A few years later he worked with his older brother, Andrew, who was in Boy Scout Troop 485 at the time, to organize a coat drive and raise money to feed the victims of Hurricane Sandy in Far Rockaway, Queens. The family made two five-gallon buckets of soup for the residents, many of whom had seen severe property damage in the storm, and served them hamburgers and hot dogs as well.

“Both Nick and his brother, Andrew, are kids who will hold the door open for anyone and wish them a good day,” said their father, Andrew Talamo Sr., adding that Nick will always stop and say hello to those he has helped in the past.

He joined Troop 485 in 2013, and became an Eagle Scout five years later.

For his Eagle project, Nicholas took part in the “Ready, Set, Engage” program, in which volunteers from the New York City Police Department’s 103rd Precinct loaded backpacks with school supplies for children in Jamaica, Queens, who were still displaced, years after Sandy. He set out to fill 50 bags with notebooks, loose leaf paper, pencils, crayons, rulers, glue sticks and markers for the precinct’s annual back-to-school event, but by the time it took place in August 2017, he had collected more than 100 bags of supplies, and handed them out to children in need.

“No matter what Nick takes on,” said Debra Hansen, an assistant scoutmaster of Troop 485, who served as his Eagle Scout project coach, “he sees it all the way Continued page 3 Courtesy Charlie Grippaldi

Nicholas Talamo began feeding local veterans in April, after he started the Venturing Crew 2718’s Operation Thank a Veteran.

December 31, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD

2

F.S. Chamber secretary died at age 79

State approved Belmont Advisory Board Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law a bill to create a Belmont Park Advisory Board, which would take effect immediately.

The bill was reintroduced by Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages and Sen. Anna Kaplan to establish a body that would give local residents a voice at Belmont Park, like those in place at Saratoga and Aqueduct racetrack.

The board would have 15 members.

The Nassau County executive would name five, four of whom must be from Elmont. The Town of Hempstead supervisor would appoint two additional Elmont residents. The New York Racing Association would appoint three members; the Village of Floral Park and Queens Community Board 13, two; and

the Village of South Floral Park, one.

As with the Saratoga and Aqueduct boards, the Belmont board would be able to present public endorsements or rejections of the latest developments at the racetrack, and must meet at least twice a year to discuss Belmont Park happenings and provide input from the local community to the state’s Franchise Oversight Board, which oversees NYRA. Members can discuss any issues that arise, according to Solages, a Democrat from Elmont. They can even discuss issues related to the construction of a new hockey arena at the park as it relates to the racetrack, she said.

Christina Daly/Herald

Elmont residents would be able to discuss issues relating to the Belmont Park racetrack as members of the Belmont Park Advisory Board.

The Franklin Square community came out in force on Jan. 13 to pay tribute to Larry Prendergast, who served as executive secretary of the Chamber of Commerce for 34 years and was a regular at community events.

He died suddenly of a heart attack on Jan. 7, at age 79.

Prendergast became the executive secretary of the Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce after he retired from the Morgan Guaranty Trust Company in Manhattan — where he had worked in the international banking division — in 1980. He retained that position until his death, and was instrumental in installing planters in front of businesses on Hempstead Turnpike and Franklin Avenue. He was also one of the driving forces behind the planning and funding of Franklin Square’s Christmas lights.

Additionally, Prendergast worked with chamber presidents writing emails, printing labels, greeting guests at events, ensuring a high turnout at every event and serving on the Getting to Know You Committee, which organizes an annual event for residents to meet their local business leaders.

“He was just so well-respected,” Chamber President Lisa DelliPizzi said, adding that Prendergast was known for carrying a camera and taking photos.

“When he came to an event or entered a room,” she said “he just did it with humor and professionalism.”

Courtesy Lisa DelliPizzi

Larry Prendergast served as executive secretary of the Chamber of Commerce for 34 years, until he died of a sudden heart attack on Jan. 7.

YEAR IN REVIEW JANUARY

Elmont superintendent announced retirement Elmont Superintendent Al Harper announced on Jan. 7 that he would retire after serving 25 years in the district, as an assistant principal and principal at Elmont Memorial High School before becoming the Elmont School District superintendent in 2005.

“I’ve had a tremendous 15-year run in this community,” Harper said of his time as superintendent. “I’ve made friends and relationships that will last forever.”

During his time as superintendent, Harper expanded enrichment programs to all students in grades three through six and, seeing how successful the high school’s Model United Nations club was, implemented a similar program for the elementary school students. They act as delegates to foreign countries and do a great deal of indepth research for the club, while also learning how the international commu-

nity acts on issues such as climate change, human rights, food insecurity, development and globalization.

“It’s unheard of to have an elementary school student doing such highlevel research,” Harper told the Herald, “but I knew our kids could do it.”

For his efforts, Harper was one of three distinguished African-Americans to speak in 2006 about student achievement at then-Sen. Barack Obama’s Educational Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C., after the district had been recognized by the state for raising proficiency levels the year before. At the time, 87 percent of students were listed as proficient on the English Language Arts exam, up from 50 percent in the 1998-99 school year, and 95.3 percent of students were proficient in mathematics, up from 70 percent.

F.S. residents strategized to revitalize downtown Franklin Square residents and business owners filled the public library’s meeting room and spilled outside the door on Jan. 14 to offer their ideas on revitalizing the area’s downtown.

The meeting was sponsored by the Ad Hoc Downtown Revitalization Committee, which Nancy and Bill Youngfert formed earlier this month to promote development in the community. It comprises Joseph Camolli, Carl Gerrato, Katherine Tarascio, Frank Culmone, Philip Malloy and Paul van Wie. But anyone can get involved with the committee, Nancy Youngfert said, and help strategize ways to revitalize Franklin Square’s downtown.

Tarascio suggested helping the historical society preserve the town’s history, and other attendees spoke about

what they would like to see changed in the community. Nancy Youngfert, for example, said she would like to see more trees line the street, and suggested dividing two-way roads with a patch of greenery to slow traffic and shade both sides of a street. She also noted that she would like to see additional parking, and previously told the Herald that a lack of parking sometimes discourages her from shopping at T&F Pork Store. John Randazzo, owner of Sandy’s Party Supply, then listed many former businesses in Franklin Square that he said closed due to a lack of parking.

Melissa Koenig/Herald

Bill Youngfert, second from left, led the meeting with, from left, Frank Culmone, Katherine Tarascio, Nancy Youngfert, Carl Gerrato and Joseph Camolli.

3

LIJ developed Covid protocols Long Island Jewish Valley Stream officials said in February that they are prepared to deal with any cases of the coronavirus, which was spreading through Europe and Asia at the time.

The hospital’s executive director, David Seligman, said his administration has already educated medical staff about the protocols that the hospital has in place to address the disease.

In cases in which patients arrive at the hospital with a fever, cough or shortness of breath, he said, a doctor would ask whether they have visited China over the past two weeks or if they know someone who has been diagnosed with Covid-19. If the patient answers ‘yes’ to either question, emergency room doctors are advised to call

the Nassau County Department of Health, which would direct them to test for the virus either by collecting a cheek swab or blood sample.

If the test is positive, the department may recommend that the patient be quarantined at the hospital, where he or she would stay in a negative pressure room. Under those conditions, the room’s atmosphere acts like a vacuum to contain any germs within. Anything in the room would then be filtered out, according to Salvatore Pardo, chairman of LIJ’s Department of Emergency Medicine.

Melissa Koenig/Herald

Dr. Salvatore Pardo, chairman of LIJ’s Department of Emergency Medicine, pointed out signs about the coronavirus in the emergency room’s entrance.

Business owners were unclear on plastic bag law Business owners could face a $250 A number of retailers in Franklin Square and Elmont were struggling to fine for violating the law and a $500 fine figure out how to meet the require- for doing so again.

But business owners in the commuments of a new plastic-bag ban, which was set to take effect statewide on nity said the state did not do enough to publicize the law. John Randazzo, owner March 1.

The Plastic Bag Waste Reduction Act of Sandy’s Party Supply and Balloon was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Brothers Co. in Franklin Square, said he Cuomo last April to help protect the spoke with five people about the new environment. State officials estimate law, but no one seemed to know what it that New Yorkers use 23 billion plastic entailed.

“This is a confusing world we live in bags annually, and nationwide studies show that about 50 percent of single- today,” he said.“When you come to New use plastic bags end up as litter. It York, you should get a handbook of encourages customers to bring their how to live your life.”

Randazzo had purchased paper own reusable bags by prohibiting busibags for the store, but said they were on nesses from distributing single-use plastic bags, unless they are used to back order across the state. carry food items, bulk items like fruits Melissa Koenig/Herald and vegetables, newspapers, prescrip- John Randazzo, owner of Sandy’s Party Supply & tion drugs, garments or trash.

Balloon Brothers Co., said the state did not inform retailers about the details of the plastic bag ban.

F.S. teenager helps feed local veterans in need Continued from front

his brothers in World War II and his younger brothers in Korea. through and gives 110 percent.”

Trovato is now having trouble taking care of Nicholas attained the Eagle rank in 2018, and helped other scouts in the troop fill out himself and his daughter, and in April he their Eagle paperwork.“ The paperwork can be reached out to Gina and Vincent Centauro, a lot for a teenager,” said Andrew Sr.“Nick found founders of the Franklin Square-based Rescuing Families Inc. about his need for essenit easy and made it fun.”

And he enjoyed learning new skills and tial items like masks, gloves, paper towels, toilet making new friends so much that he didn’t paper and cleaning supplies. When Gina want his time in scouting to come to an end. So dropped some of these items off at his house, she noticed that he didn’t have he worked with his father and much food.

Grippaldi to found Venturing Trovato didn’t want his home Crew 2718 in July 2019. Its memhealth care aides going shopbers, between ages 14 and 21, ping for him, fearing they might focus on outdoor activities — contract Covid-19 and bring it cooking, camping, hiking and OF THE back to him, and whenever he surviving in the wilderness — as went shopping, he told Centauro, well as sportsmanship and “there was nothing left for him.” learning how to handle firearms.

He struggles to walk, he The members of the VFW provide a space for them to meet and ensure that explained to the Herald, and must use a walker the leadership is following the guidelines of or canes to get anywhere.

Centauro got the community involved in a Boy Scouts of America.

In turn, Grippaldi said,“We’ve always helped “meal train,” cooking low-sodium meals for Trovato that she delivered to his house with out the veterans.”

“My youth members and adult leaders have notes from the people who made them. But a deep connection with our veterans,” he previ- when Grippaldi found out, he immediately got ously told the Herald,“and feel it’s important to Talamo and the Venturing Crew involved as help the men and women who fought for the well, and they provided Trovato with three days’ worth of meals every Tuesday. Grippaldi freedoms we enjoy in this country.” and the Talamos kept up that schedule through the summer, and continue to provide the Operation Thank a Veteran Trovatos with two meals a week.

The crew raised more than $500 in the first Trovato said that he didn’t have much faith week of its Operation Thank a Veteran food in many nonprofits anymore, but has “a lot of drive this year, and Nicholas and his father faith” in the Venturing Crew, which provided began handing out the food in April. They rang nearly a dozen veterans with boxes of food for veterans’ doorbells, Nick said, and left them Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. premade meals from local businesses such as Talamo’s efforts earned him a mention in Tulip Caterers and DaVinci Gourmet Market, in the Boy Scouts of America Theodore Roosevelt Franklin Square, Antonio’s Italian-American Council’s newsletter this year, as proof that Deli, in Malverne, and Patsy’s Pizzeria, in Queens. scouting“is still going strong in Nassau County,” “We think it’s for a great cause,” said Charlie according to Senior District Executive Brian Davi, co-owner of DaVinci Gourmet Market.

Gorman. Gorman described Talamo as “one of “Any time you get a chance to help people in the best Eagles I’ve seen come out of Franklin need, especially our veterans, it makes us feel Square in a while.” good and gives us a chance to meet some Nicholas will join the U.S. Coast Guard next great people along the way.” fall, where he will serve as a private E-2, a higher Davi and his father had started talking to rank than most due to his success in scouting.

Rosario Trovato, a 98-year-old World War II vet“I couldn’t be more impressed and proud of eran living in Garden City South with his one of my scouts,” Grippaldi said,“whom I con65-year-old developmentally disabled daughsider a great friend.” ter, because of the operation, Davi said, and Courtesy Charlie Grippaldi bonded over their shared Sicilian heritage.

Trovato, his father and his brothers all served in Talamo, above center, collected more than 100 backpacks the military — his father in World War I, some of filled with school supplies for children in need in Jamaica,

HERALD PERSON YEAR

Queens, for his Eagle Scout project.

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 31, 2020

YEAR IN REVIEW FEBRUARY

December 31, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD

4

Parents, students showed support for principal Shouts of “Let her speak!” broke out at the Central High School District Board of Education’s Feb. 25 meeting when board President David Del Santo cut off Sewanhaka Student Council Vice President Nia Stewart’s speech in support of Principal Christopher Salinas after he was denied tenure. Del Santo cited a board policy that prevents residents from speaking about personnel issues at a public meeting.

“We’re not trying to cut you off,” Bernadette Gallagher-Gaffney, the board attorney, explained. “You have to understand that anytime somebody gets up to talk about a student by their name, or maybe a parent has some-

School districts prepared for Covid

thing to say or somebody’s not happy with somebody who works in the district, we can’t have them come to the microphone . . . [and] we need to apply the rules fairly.”

Stewart and the almost 100 other Sewanhaka parents and students were there to show support for Salinas.

“He’s such a great guy,” Student Association President Judy Staiano said of Salinas, adding, “Students know they could go to him for anything.

District officials and Salinas declined to comment.

Melissa Koenig/Herald

Nia Stewart approached the lectern at the Feb. 25 Board of Education meeting, but was cut off by board President David Del Santo.

Franklin Square and Elmont school officials sent letters home to parents and guardians at the end of February, detailing the districts’ protocols at the time.

Franklin Square School District Superintendent Jared Bloom noted that the district had received permission from the school doctor to begin using alcohol-based sanitizers.

“While soap and water will continue to be the preferred method to wash hands, this will be available under the supervision of our staff,” Bloom wrote, adding that any parents who do not want their children to use hand sanitizers should contact their school principal.

In the Elmont School District, meanwhile, Superintendent Al Harper wrote that students would be asked to wash their hands when they arrive at school, after gym and recess, and after using the

bathroom. He also asked parents to keep their children at home if they exhibit mild or moderate flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough and difficulty breathing.

At a Board of Education meeting, Harper also suggested that the district might allow students to bring home their tablets to continue learning if they are quarantined, and in a later letter, he wrote that “while there is no indication that closing schools for an extended period at this time is a possibility in our region, the Elmont School District will continue to be proactive concerning the best ways to communicate with families and educate students if school closures become necessary.”

File Photo

A 42-year-old Uniondale resident had the first confirmed Covid case in Nassau County.

Bars, eateries closed Ann Angelillo spent $10,000 preparing for St. Patrick’s Day at Murph’s Restaurant on Hempstead Turnpike in Franklin Square, but feared that she would not be able to recoup that money after Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of more than 50 people, and may lose her business as a result.

“It might shut down my restaurant,” she said, adding that she was not entitled to unemployment insurance because she owns the business.

Under Cuomo’s executive order, which came only one day before the Irish holiday, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and casinos were ordered to close to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Takeout at restaurants — and even bars, distilleries and wineries —

YEAR IN REVIEW MARCH

will be allowed, however. The state’s liquor law is being temporarily changed to allow for off-premises sales of alcohol.

The order, though, may make it difficult to keep local businesses running. Elmont Chamber of Commerce President Paul Sapienza, who owns Sapienza Bake Shop, explained that some business owners may be able to take loans or use money they had in reserves to pay overhead — such as rent, electricity and gas — but many will have to lay off employees during the lockdown.

“In the next week or two, everyone’s really going to be hurting,” Sapienza said. “If they don’t have any money, they’ll have to close up.”

Franklin Square/Elmont

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Business owners offered support After he saw other pizzerias charge $15 for make-your-own pizza kits, Vito Cortesiano, owner of Salvatore’s of Elmont, decided to give families in need his homemade pizza dough for free while schools remain closed.

“This is a time people have to come together,” Cortesiano said, adding that as a father of two young children, he understands they are cooped up without much to do.

The dough doesn’t cost much to make — it’s just flour and water — and Vito’s wife, Anna, who helps out at the restaurant and works for the Board of Education, said it didn’t make sense for them to charge people for it.

“Why would you charge a family

that’s struggling?” she asked. “We just want to help out as much as we could.”

In their first day distributing dough balls on March 18, Anna said the couple gave nearly 80 to families in need. Some, Vito said, came into the Meacham Avenue restaurant with tears in their eyes, and others wanted to give money, but Vito would not accept it.

“We’re doing this from the goodness of our hearts,” Anna said, adding that every business owner should do the same.

Courtesy Vito Cortesiano

Salvatore’s of Elmont offered free homemade dough to families in need.

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Island Harvest gave away food Several thousand Elmont residents lined Elmont Road on April 17, when Island Harvest gave away 10,000 pounds of food to families in need.

More than 600 senior citizens in Elmont had trouble getting food at the time, according to State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, who tasked his staff and interns with calling seniors during the pandemic, and local officials and community activists said they feared that more people might have similar problems as businesses stayed idle and the unemployment rate soared.

According to data from the New York State Department of Labor released on April 16, nearly 60,000 Long Islanders filed for unemployment insurance the week prior, with more than 28,000 filing in Nassau County. That is up more than 4 percentage points over the same period in 2019.

Those people may have been able to survive on savings for the past few

weeks, said Allison Puglia, vice president of agency relations for Island Harvest, the nonprofit Long Island food bank, but as New York’s so-called pause continues, they may run out of resources.

“We saw that there was a need in the community,” Puglia said at the food distribution event, in the parking lot at the intersection of Elmont Road and Village Avenue. The organization held a similar event in Riverhead the week before, she said, and “had to turn away hundreds of people.”

As a result, Puglia said, Island Harvest did not publicize the Elmont food giveaway as much as it had the one in Riverhead, in order to keep the turnout under control. But the April 17 event still attracted lines of residents stretching down Dutch Broadway.

Joseph Lewinger, a Franklin Square Board of Education trustee, died on March 28 of the coronavirus. He was 42 years old.

Lewinger was elected to the board in 2015, and served as president in 2016. According to Superintendent Jared Bloom, Lewinger supported the district’s preschool program and one-to-one iPad initiative, and helped improve many other programs for teachers, students and staff.

“Mr. Lewinger cared deeply about our district, he cared deeply about our community, [and] he believed in our kids,” Bloom wrote in a letter to parents the next day.

He also helped his fellow board members, according to Trustee Louis Curcio. When Curcio joined the board in 2016, he said, Lewinger took the time to explain how the board conducted busi-

YEAR IN REVIEW APRIL

Christina Daly/Herald

Island Harvest President Randi Dresner directed residents down the line of food tables.

ness and carried out its duties. “He was a great mentor to Steve Toto and I during our first year on the board,” Curcio recounted.

Lewinger worked at Mary Louis Academy in Queens as a history teacher, coach and assistant athletic director before becoming assistant principal of student life.

“I know we feel the need to come together, to console each other, to hug, cry, scream and say it’s not fair,” Principal Ann O’Hagan Cordes wrote in a letter to parents on March 28. “Sadly, the time for us for us to do that as a community has to wait. We will gather together at some point, when our city can come out of isolation to share our memories of Mr. Lewinger — J Lew — and there are many wonderful stories to share, but for now, we pray for the strength to get through this.”

Joseph Lewinger died of the coronavirus at age 42.

Residents looked to start a community garden

Covid testing site opened in Elmont A new rapid Covid testing site opened in Elmont, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced on April 28, following the opening of two other sites in Hempstead and Freeport the week before.

The site was accessible by the Nassau Inter-County Express system, Curran said, and provided residents with tests regardless of their insurance or immigration status. Multilingual translation services were also provided.

Additionally, Curran announced, all three rapid testing sites provided those who get tested with a free box of food.

“We want to make sure that every-

one who qualifies has access to testing,” Curran said in a video posted to Twitter that day.

The news came as Elmont continued to have one of the highest Covid-29 caseloads in the county. As of May 2, Elmont had 1,119 confirmed cases, the fourth-highest number in the county, behind Hempstead, Valley Stream and Freeport.

YEAR IN REVIEW MAY

Courtesy Nassau County Executive Laura Curran

A new testing site opened at the Federally Qualified Health Center in Elmont on April 28.

Valley Stream and Elmont residents petitioned town officials to let them develop the vacant property at the intersection of North Central Avenue and North Drive in Valley Stream into a community garden.

“We live here, and we’re asking for this,” Denise Riggio, a resident of the area for 50 years, said at a virtual community garden interest meeting on May 4. She had been working with the Cornell Cooperative Extension, which helps promote sustainability on Long Island, and State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, who proposed the idea of a community garden in the 22nd Assembly District in January and secured a $9,000 grant for its creation.

But the vacant lot on North Central Avenue wasn’t the only site being considered by nearly 40 Valley Stream and Elmont residents who are members of the 22nd Assembly District Community

Garden Coalition. Others in the virtual meeting suggested they build the garden in the Mill Pond area of Valley Stream, or in a vacant lot near the Pep Boys on Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont.

One member, Lorrie Sand, suggested Valley Stream’s Village Green, so gardeners could tap into the village’s water supply. But Solages said they could always use water barrels, and Mary Callahan, a coordinator for the Cornell Cooperative Extension, noted that an irrigation system could greatly reduce the amount of water necessary for garden maintenance.

Wherever they would choose, coalition members agreed that the site should be easily accessible, and Muhammad Tahir Vali said it should also be “scalable, so if the pilot program succeeds, we can develop it more.”

Google Maps

Valley Stream and Elmont residents are considering developing a community garden at this vacant lot on North Central Avenue in Valley Stream.

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 31, 2020

F.S. school board trustee died of Covid

December 31, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD

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Sewanhaka announced graduation plans Graduating seniors would be presented with their high school diplomas without an audience, Superintendent James Grossane announced on May 21.

The district’s traditional ceremonies, in which seniors line up and cross the basketball arena at Hofstra University to receive their diplomas in front of friends and family, were “not possible this year,” Grossane said, because Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive orders prohibit large gatherings, even if people are six feet apart. Instead, he said, on June 27 and 28, district seniors would have the opportunity to go to their respective high schools in their caps and gowns, cross the stage one at a time to receive their diplomas, and have their pictures taken by professional photographers.

Families would be given time slots for the students’ ceremonies, and two family members would be able to accompany each one.

A more traditional ceremony, complete with speeches and the reading of the graduates’ names, Grossane wrote in his announcement on the district website, would be recorded and broadcast on the website.

“While this year’s graduation ceremonies will look different,” Grossane wrote, “we have developed a plan, which honors traditions and celebrates the achievements of our students.”

A State Supreme Court justice dismissed on May 11 the Village of Floral Park’s and various Elmont civic associations’ lawsuits seeking to reverse state approvals of the Belmont Park redevelopment project. They had 30 days to challenge the ruling, which Elmont civic leaders did.

In his 13-page decision, Justice Roy Mahon noted, “The Court recognizes that the approval of the project goes against the village’s legitimate concerns with respect to the impact on its residents. Nonetheless, the Court’s review is limited to the evaluation of whether the determination was made in violation of lawful procedure, was affected by an error of the law or was arbitrary and capricious or an abuse of discretion.”

YEAR IN REVIEW MAY

Courtesy Sewanhaka Central High School District

The senior chorus sang at H. Frank Carey’s graduation ceremony in 2019.

Residents protested police violence Nearly 200 Elmont and Valley Stream residents gathered in the parking lot across the street from St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church on June 2 to create signs and share their thoughts about police violence against minorities before marching through the streets of Elmont and Valley Stream.

It was one of hundreds of demonstrations that sprang up across the country after a police officer killed George Floyd on May 25. Floyd, 46, an African-American man, died after Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes before he stopped speaking or moving. In a video of the incident, Floyd could be heard saying he could not breathe and pleading for the officer to stop.

The police, according to authorities, were responding to a report of a man attempting to use a counterfeit $20

Belmont Park lawsuits were dismissed

bill at a store.

At the protest, comprised mainly of young people, residents held up signs saying, “Black Lives Matter,” “I Can’t Breathe” and “No justice, no peace,” and listing the names of black people killed by police, while passing drivers honked to show their support.

“A lot of these people, it’s their first time protesting,” said Goldie Harrison, an Elmont resident who co-organized the rally with Christine Rivera, “and not only do we need to bring awareness to the black lives who have been lost to police violence, but also give people an opportunity to protest and see what that’s like.”

She added that she and Rivera “felt it was only right to organize something like this.”

Peter Belfiore/Herald

Nearly 200 Elmont and Valley Stream residents marched through the streets on Monday night to protest police violence, one week after a police officer killed George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Elmont and Franklin Square business leaders said their downtowns were slowly coming back on May 27, the first day of Long Island’s Phase One reopening of its economy, and hoped people would abide by social-distancing protocols to ensure that the economy stayed open.

The first phase allowed for construction and wholesale trade companies to restart operations, along with retailers for curbside pickup only.

It also allowed construction on the Belmont Park redevelopment project to continue.

“As Governor Cuomo said this week, New York has clearly transitioned to reopening, and supporting major projects that leave a lasting impact will be critical to building our economy back,” Eric Gertler, acting commissioner of the Empire State Development Corp., said in a statement last week. “The Belmont Redevelopment Project will create

YEAR IN REVIEW JUNE

“Accordingly,” Mahon wrote, “the petition is denied, and the motions to dismiss . . . are granted.”

Plaintiffs in the case have expressed their dismay with Mahon’s decision. “I think this is a disappointment to many of us in the community,” Aubrey Phillips, vice president of the Parkhurst Civic Association, in Elmont, said.

Floral Park Mayor Dominick Longobardi posted on the village’s website that village officials would “continue to monitor the development of the project as it moves forward and work tirelessly to ensure any effects on our quality of life are minimized to the greatest extent possible.”

Christina Daly/Herald

The Supreme Court justice’s decision allowed construction to continue on the Islanders arena.

Businesses started to reopen tens of thousands of jobs and generate billions in new revenue to support Long Island communities — and as the region enters Phase One, workers were back on site today preparing to resume construction in a safe environment that protects their health.”

But Lisa DelliPizzi, a real estate broker and president of the Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce, said that many local businesses had already reopened in some capacity. Under Cuomo’s executive order, curbside pickup was already allowed as long as orders were made online or over the phone and there was only one employee in the store fulfilling them, according to officials from ESD, the state agency that promotes development.

Melissa Koenig/Herald

Mohammed Refran, owner of the Real Discount Outlet in Elmont, said it had been difficult to tell people to maintain social-distancing guidelines and wear masks.

7

Nearly a dozen cars circled the Sewanhaka High School parking lot on June 30 to thank Dr. Christopher Salinas for his four years as principal on his last day of work in the district.

In February, the Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education denied Salinas’s request for tenure, which led nearly 900 parents and students to sign a Change.org petition asking the board to reverse its decision.

When those parents tried to read their remarks at the February Board of Education meeting, however, they were told that it was against board policy to speak about personnel issues at a public meeting.

Then, at the June 2 virtual school board meeting, the board named Assistant Principal Nicole Allen the

interim principal. Superintendent James Grossane said he would try to find a tenured principal for the juniorsenior high school “as soon as possible,” and added, “I’ve always felt good about appointing from within.”

Allen, Sewanhaka’s assistant principal since 2007, was previously the chair of the Social Studies Department in the Westbury Union Free School District and an assistant principal in Uniondale.

District officials declined to comment, and Salinas said only that he has always faced challenges as a school principal. “Life’s not a perfect affair,” he said.

Melissa Koenig/Herald

Incoming seniors Kayla and Julia Brodman decorated their car before the drive-by parade on June 30.

Seniors graduated at a distance Though the graduation ceremonies were not what Sewanhaka Central High School District seniors had dreamed of for four years, the students still had the chance to cross a stage and receive their diplomas on July 25.

The seniors walked onto their respective schools’ football fields to “Pomp and Circumstance,” then sat with their parents six feet from other families while wearing masks.Then they crossed a stage as district officials read their names and handed them their diplomas.

The students had not been in the school buildings since the coronavirus pandemic began in March, and district officials originally planned to hold indi-

vidual graduation ceremonies at the end of June. By the end of May, however, Superintendent James Grossane announced that the ceremonies would be postponed to the end of July so the seniors could graduate together.

“Our students have advocated how important it is for them to graduate with their classmates,” Grossane said at the time, adding that he hoped restrictions would loosen enough by July 25 “so that we can provide the best possible experience for our students and families.”

Courtesy Janiya Deshommes

Janiya Deshommes with Elmont Memorial High School Principal Kevin Dougherty after her graduation ceremony on July 25.

YEAR IN REVIEW JULY

Sewanhaka school officials reviewed mascots Sewanhaka Central High School District officials will re-evaluate the mascots used at all five schools for potential racial insensitivity, they announced at a July 7 Board of Education meeting, after students questioned the district’s use of the Indian mascot at Sewanhaka High School.

“As a result of some community concern, the Board of Education and administration will be surveying each of the school mascots to gauge their appropriateness to the school and their community values,” Superintendent James Grossane said in a statement.

“We will be sharing updates on this matter at future board meetings.”

District officials previously refused to change Sewanhaka’s Native

American mascot after former State Education Commissioner Richard Mills called it “disparaging” in 2002, according to the New York Post.“No one wanted to change the school logo,” then-Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Edward Tronolone said. “We didn’t feel it was disrespectful in any way.”

But the National Congress of American Indians has been campaigning to end the use of Native peoples in sports brands since 1968, according to the organization’s website. Indian mascots, it says, continue to perpetuate negative stereotypes about America’s indigenous population.

Courtesy xx

Sewanhaka High School was built in the late 1920s, and has retained its Indian nickname ever since.

Elmonters complained of construction noise Several Elmont residents complaining of the “constant and disturbing” noise coming from the construction site at Belmont Park in June and July.

To fix this, Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages emailed Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office to ask if construction could be limited to 9 a.m., but had not heard back by the time the Herald went to press on June 29.

Representatives of Empire State Development and the project’s developers, New York Arena Partners, however, said they had not received any complaints from residents.

“The only active construction site is immediately adjacent to the Belmont grandstand, which is roughly 900 feet from homes in Elmont and is separated from them by Hempstead Avenue,” Matthew Gorton, a spokesman for ESD, said in a statement. “While there is no evidence of early morning construction, we have reminded all of our partners that they must abide by the requirements in the state’s Final Environmental Impact Statement.”

Source: Belmont Park Redevelopment Civic and Land Use Improvement Project FEIS. Map by Christina Daly/Herald

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 31, 2020

Students, parents said goodbye to Principal Salinas

December 31, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD

8

YEAR IN REVIEW AUGUST

Residents were without power for days following Isaias

LIJ Valley Stream nurses protested Nurses demanded safer working conditions and higher pay in contract negotiations with Northwell Health at a rally outside of Long Island Jewish Valley Stream on Aug. 12.

The 50 or so protesters gathered around noon, and many said that Northwell was not treating nurses at the hospital fairly, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. Some 45 nurses who work there have contracted Covid19, and one was still in critical condition in the intensive care unit, according to the New York State Nurses Association, the union representing LIJ’s nurses in the negotiations.

Despite the dangers posed by the pandemic, the NYSNA says, Northwell had yet to give nurses at LIJ a contract guaranteeing better pay and safer conditions.

“We aren’t asking for much, but we

want a better pension,” said LIJ nurse and NYSNA representative and Yasmine Beausejour. “Being a nurse is stressful, because we have people’s lives in our hands, but we are being excluded and we are being treated like second-class citizens.”

Contract negotiations were still under way, LIJ spokeswoman Andrea Mineo said. “Long Island Jewish Valley Stream values the unwavering commitment and care provided by our frontline nurses,” she said. “We continue to engage in positive and productive discussions with leadership from the New York State Nurses Association on a new contract, and hope to conclude those discussions in the near future.”

Nicole Alcindor/Herald

On Aug. 12, about 50 nurses and community members gathered in front of Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital for a protest, demanding safer staffing.

Elmont native’s organization came to New York “This march is for you,” Markeena Novembre told Elmont Memorial High School students on Aug. 30, as she led nearly 30 Black Lives Matter protesters down Elmont Road for the inaugural Breaking the Cycle’s New York chapter event.

Novembre, a 2014 graduate of Elmont High, founded the organization in January 2016 at Booker T.Washington High School in Atlanta, to help Black children succeed and give Black communities a voice. It has since expanded to include several statewide chapters, with some at a number of historically Black colleges and universities, and now that she has graduated from Clark Atlanta University and returned to New York, she decided it was time to form a chapter here.

“It’s about time that we make noise for Black lives,” said Novembre, noting that Elmont is a predominantly Black community.

The inaugural event was originally designed to honor Black women, she said, but after a Kenosha, Wis., police officer shot 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back seven times and left him paralyzed from the waist down, Novembre decided to turn it into a “Stop Killing Us March” for all the Black victims of police brutality.

Ben Vega needed to keep his cat’s insulin cold, but he struggled to do so after his power went out during Tropical Storm Isaias. He kept his essential items in a cooler with ice because “there isn’t much else to do,” he said, and “with the pandemic situation . . . it makes it harder to go to a family member’s house to ride it out.”

“It has been difficult so far,” Vega told the Herald on Aug. 6, after three days without electricity, adding that he lost a great deal of food during the outage.

He tried many times to contact PSEG via its automated systems and social media, and received a message on Thursday saying that power would not be restored to his area until that Saturday.

“I know it’s an overwhelming task with weather, but PSEG took over for LIPA after the Sandy fiasco,” Vega said. “They had plenty of time to improve on that.

Melissa Koenig/Herald

Melissa Koenig/Herald

Tree limbs fell on a resident’s truck on Washington Street during the storm.

H. Frank Carey mother died of cancer Balloons filled the air above Franklin Square on Sept. 19, as nearly 100 residents gathered at Rath Park to remember their friend Tracy McGrath and celebrate her life.

McGrath died of colon cancer on Sept. 13 at age 51, and was buried at Pinelawn Memorial Park on Sept 18, after a service at St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Franklin Square that residents waited hours to get into.

“She left a big hole in a lot of people’s hearts,” said her friend Rita Cammarata. “To know her was to love her.”

McGrath (nee Pfeifer) was born to Fran and John Pfeifer, also of Franklin Square. She grew up in Elmont with James “Jimmy” McGrath, whom she would later marry, and attended Sewanhaka High School.

YEAR IN REVIEW SEPTEMBER

Imani Murdock, president of Breaking the Cycle at Clark Atlanta University, left, and Chadiva Smith designed posters before the “Stop Killing Us” march on Aug. 30.

Their communications with customers like me is horrible.”

Nearly 50,000 Long Island customers remained without power on Aug. 10 according to the PSEG website, with more than 150 affected in the Franklin Square-Elmont area. The utility posted a message on its website the night prior, saying, “The backbone of the system — transmission lines and substations — has been restored, and we are hard at work restoring the distribution system that serves our neighborhoods. The damage to many of these circuits is extensive, and as these individual damage spots are assessed, estimated restoration times will be refined.”

Following her graduation, McGrath got a job as a manager at Group Health Incorporated in Garden City and Manhattan, where she worked with Patricia Pear-Bartley, who recalled that McGrath was always willing to help her get her work done.

Tracy married Jimmy McGrath in 1995, and the couple moved to Franklin Square, where Tracy became a stay-athome mother to Kimberly, Patrick, Kelly Ann and James.

Together, Tracy and Jimmy got involved in the community, cheering their children in a variety of sports at Carey and raising funds for the high school’s lacrosse program, which Jimmy coached for several years.

Courtesy Rita Cammarata

Tracy McGrath is survived by her children,, Kelly Ann, James, Patrick and Kimberly.

9

The Elmont School District announced that all of the students who have opted for the district’s hybrid program would begin attending school in person every day.

“As I promised to you during the many summer Zoom sessions,” Superintendent Kenneth Rosner wrote in a letter to parents on Sept. 22, “our goal would be to examine all possible avenues for eventually increasing in-person student attendance, while still following the most recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, New York State Department of Health and the Nassau County Health Department. Through careful planning and some creativity, we are confident that we can now safely accommodate all students in grades K-6 for five full days of instruction per week, while still maintaining a safe and

socially-distant environment.”

Under the new plan, the district would collapse some hybrid classes that had only five or six students, Rosner explained to the Herald, while also ensuring that classes remain small, with desks six feet apart.

Students would also continue to have lunch delivered to their classrooms, and the classes would continue to be divided, with one cohort learning core curriculum from the classroom teacher before lunch and receiving specialized instruction — enrichment activities, guided reading, writing assignments and projectbased learning assignments — in their classrooms in the afternoon, and the other cohort doing the opposite.

Courtesy Elmont Union Free School District

The district released a sample schedule for full-time in-person learning.

Franklin Square backed ‘the blue’ Hundreds of Franklin Square residents waved American and “thin blue line” flags as they marched in the inaugural Franklin Square Backs the Blue walk on Oct. 3.

The march wasn’t intended to be a protest or rally, the organizers told the Herald. “I would say it’s more on the lines of a spirit booster for them,” Howard said.“Just to let them know we still have their backs.”

In January, the organization Blue HELP, which focuses on police officers’ mental health, reported that 228 officers across the country died by suicide last year, up from 174 the year before.

New York state had the highest share

of police suicides, with 27.

“Coming together is really important right now,” State Assemblyman Ed Ra told the crowd before the walk, “because we need to show the men and women in law enforcement that they have our support.”

Melissa Koenig/Herald

Max Brunhuber rode his bike on the sidewalk during the inaugural Back the Blue walk.

YEAR IN REVIEW OCTOBER

Early voting came to Elmont Hundreds of Nassau County residents stood in a line snaking through the parking lot of the Elmont Memorial Library for up to five hours on Oct. 24, waiting for their chance to vote in the 2020 election.

Some even arrived before the library opened and voting began at 9 a.m., forming the line by the library sign, on Hempstead Turnpike.

“It was very well-organized and self-managed,” said Ann Butera, of Elmont, adding that everyone was trying to be respectful of one another, but it would have been helpful if Nassau County police officers had been on-site to manage the crowds.

Members of the library staff had to direct cars coming into the parking lot, according to library Director Jean Simpson, which limited the number who were available to sanitize the facility. The building opened for patrons at 11 a.m., Simpson said.

But there were only three voting

machines for the hundreds of people who wanted to vote, which resulted in the excruciatingly long line. Simpson said she had asked local officials for more, and State Sen. Anna Kaplan — a Democrat from Great Neck who was running for re-election against Republican challenger Dave Franklin — said she had talked with the Nassau County Board of Elections about getting additional machines, and would request more state funding for them.

The Town of North Hempstead, she noted, did not have any early voting sites last year, when the law allowing early voting in New York state was passed, and she drafted legislation to ensure that every town would have polling places.The bill passed the State Senate, but was stalled in the Assembly.

Melissa Koenig/Herald

Myriam Moralesvega,of Uniondale, stood on line for almost five hours.

Pastor planned to donate 75,000 boxes of food The Rev. Danilo Archbold spent his Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings taking care of his wife, Melissa, who was recovering from surgery, and his afternoons handing out hundreds of boxes of food to those in need.

In Nassau County, 72,210 people were food insecure in 2018, according to Feeding America, a national hunger relief organization, or 5 percent of the population. Feeding America estimates that that figure has almost doubled, to 9.8 percent, in 2020, when many people have been laid off and are struggling to make ends meet.

An estimated 46,000 Town of Hempstead residents were unemployed in August, data from the state Department of Labor shows, and

Nassau County had a 10.7 percent unemployment rate. At the same time last year, the county’s unemployment rate was just 3.7 percent.

But, Archbold, the pastor of New Jerusalem Cathedral in Elmont, said, “That shouldn’t stop people from having decent-quality food.”

He partnered with the New York City-based 9 Million Reasons to hand out food every Wednesday in October in Elmont, every Thursday in the Village of Westbury and every Friday in the Village of Hempstead.

Melissa Koenig/Herald

The Rev. Danilo Archbold, pastor of New Jerusalem Cathedral unloaded skids of boxes from a truck.

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 31, 2020

Elmont switched to full in-person schedule

December 31, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD

10

YEAR IN REVIEW NOVEMBER

Crews installed south platforms at new Elmont LIRR station Metropolitan Transportation Authority completed the first major milestone in the construction of a new Elmont Long Island Rail Road Station, installing precast platform sections for eastbound trains in the North Lot of Belmont Park.

The station will serve riders on the Hempstead line, and will be halfway between the Queens Village and Bellerose stops. It will feature a pedestrian overpass, free Wi-Fi, digital screens, elevators, canopies, charging stations and shuttle buses for those heading to the new UBS Arena. One hundred fifty parking spaces at the station will be set aside for Elmont residents.

“The Elmont LIRR station will provide a critical public transit link for both neighborhood commuters and fans attending the new Belmont Park arena,” Jack Sterne, a spokesman for Empire State Development, a state agency that

promotes development, said in January.

“This will be the first new, full-time commuter LIRR station built in decades, and it will provide a real benefit for Long Islanders through an innovative publicprivate partnership.”

The development of the station was included in the state’s plans for the arena, and arena developers agreed to cover 92 percent of the cost of the $105 million project, with the state providing $8 million in funding.

Work on the station began in July, and crews were in the process of installing underground utilities, moving existing utilities, and building a structure to support a pedestrian bridge over the Cross Island Parkway in November, according to MTA officials.

Courtesy Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Sections of the south platform of the new Elmont LIRR station were installed.

Construction work started on Dutch Broadway After years of Elmont residents demanding safer conditions on Dutch Broadway, the Nassau County Department of Public Works crews began milling the road for repaving on Nov. 11. It was just the first step, county officials said, in a $522,000 effort to improve pedestrian safety on a road that sees roughly 10,000 cars a day.

The county also planned to install flashing lights at the intersection of Dutch Broadway and 238th Street, digital speed indicators at the road’s intersection with Astor Street, and a crosswalk at its intersection with 237th Street. Additionally, there were plans to eliminate a lane on Dutch Broadway between Elmont Road and Meacham Avenue, converting it into a two-lane road with separate turning lanes.

Residents had previously told the Herald that westbound motorists from

Queens often speed up when they enter Elmont on Dutch Broadway because it widens from two lanes to four. In January, Harold Lutz, the county’s director of traffic engineering, told Elmonters at a community meeting that the Babylon-based Greenman Pedersen Inc. — which the county hired in 2018 to study the road’s traffic flow — examined the effects of eliminating a lane and concluded that it would help make the road safer for pedestrians.

“It’s all about calming down the traffic [and] making people aware of how fast they’re going,” County Executive Laura Curran said, “Pedestrian safety,” she added, “is always my number one priority.”

Ronny Reyes/Herald

Nassau County Department of Public Works crews began milling Dutch Broadway on Nov. 11 to improve road conditions.

Elmont chamber president died Paul Sapienza, the longtime president of the Elmont Chamber of Commerce and the owner of Sapienza Bake Shop, died of a brain aneurysm at St. Francis Hospital, in Roslyn, on Nov. 29.

He was born on Oct. 2, 1952, and grew up in Elmont next door to his good friend Roseanne Golde, whom he later married. The two clicked from the start, playing games together and holding hands on their way to kindergarten at the Butler Boulevard School, now the Clara H. Carlson School. A teacher once even scolded Roseanne for holding Paul’s hand “too frequently” at such a young age, she previously told the Herald.

Sapienza went on to attend Chaminade High School, in Mineola, while Roseanne went to Sewanhaka High. He studied accounting at St. John’s University, and discussed taking over his family’s business with his good friend Antonino Scolieri. Scolieri eventually bought out his father’s bakery, on Meacham Avenue in Elmont, and in 1973 Paul took over his family’s Italian pastry shop, on Hempstead Turnpike.

He became president of the Chamber of Commerce in 2012, and helped the Elmont business community throughout the coronavirus pandemic and spoke out in support of the Belmont Park redevelopment project. He unsuccessfully challenged Carrié Solages for his seat in the County Legislature in 2017, running on an economic development platform, and was honored as the Nassau Council of Chambers’ Small Businessperson of the Year, the grand marshal of the Belmont/Elmont Parade and the St. Boniface Parish’s Man of the Year for his dedication to the community.

“The name Sapienza and Elmont are synonymous,” said Julie Marschesella, the chamber’s acting president.

“The Elmont community is greatly indebted to him.”

Men of Elmont produced police training video The Men of Elmont, a mentoring program that was founded by Principal Kevin Dougherty and Raymond Ramos, a school security guard, in 2016, was tasked with creating a video about its members’ experiences with police officers by county Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder as part of the county’s effort to expand community policing.

The video will be used in police cadet training.

“If we are ever going to change as a society and find common ground, we must listen to understand and respect each other’s opinions,” Ryder said in a statement, calling the NCPD “one of the finest in the country, the best trained and very engaged in our community.”

“However,” he said, “we can always look to do better. We owe that to our community and we owe that to our offi-

YEAR IN REVIEW DECEMBER

Sue Grieco/Herald

Paul Sapienza was president of the Elmont Chamber of Commerce since 2012. He gave the State of Elmont address last year.

cers.”

To do so, the students said in their video, police should be more present at events, and treat Black people more fairly. “They’re saying, ‘We, too, are human, and we, too, deserve respect,” Principal Kevin Dougherty said of the students featured, and they do not want Black men and women to be the victims of aggressive policing.

In fact, the video begins with the students lamenting to police officers, “For far too long we’ve asked you to see us in a positive light, not a negative one, and understand that all the people of Elmont are not bad and that Black Lives Matter.”

“It takes a village,” they said, “and you are part of the village.”

YouTube

Elmont High School students Akinwale Agesin and Andrew Candio share their thoughts about policing in a new video that will be used to train Nassau County Police Department cadets.

11

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 31, 2020

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H.S. spring sports cancelled

Elmont holds on for county title Top-seeded Elmont’s explosiveness, unselfishness, shooting ability and tenacious defense were all on display from the opening tip of the Nassau Class A boys’ basketball championship game, resulting in a 19-point lead in the first quarter of its 62-54 victory over No. 3 South Side on March 7 at Farmingdale State University.

The Spartans scored the first 15 points, including 11 in the opening minute, and held off a furious late rally by the Cyclones to capture their first county title since the 2016-17 season and third crown in five years. Senior Gus Louis poured in a gamehigh 21 points and junior Jonathan Maldonado added 12 for Elmont, which

finished the campaign 18-4.

“We couldn’t have planned for a better start and as it turned out, we needed every bit of it,” Elmont head coach George Holub said.“It was a great start but then we got into some foul trouble and never really got back into a rhythm.

“I’ve got to tip my hat to South Side,” he added. “They made some incredible shots and made us sweat a little bit.”

With most of the sports world still idle in the midst of Covid-19, horse racing grabbed the spotlight June 21 with the Belmont Stakes serving as the opening leg of the Triple Crown for the first time in history.

And, for the first time since 1882, a New York-bred earned its way into the Belmont history books. In striking distance throughout the 1 1/8-miles, Tiz the Law cruised past pacesetter Tap It to Win down the stretch and was never threatened by closers Dr Post and Max Player on the way to a 3 ¾-length victory in the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes.

“I was pretty confident by the time we hit the seven-eighths pole,” said Tiz the Law’s jockey, Manny Franco, who secured his first career Triple Crown race win. “He was so kind and relaxed for me,” he added. “He was so comfortable and never got keen, so I think that was the key.”

Franco, 25, the New York Racing Association’s leading rider the past two years, has piloted Tiz the Law to all four of his graded stakes victories, including three in a row.“It means a lot to me,” he said. “This is my home track. I’ve been riding here for about six years already.

One leg of the Triple Crown is the dream of any jockey. I’m happy with the

YEAR IN REVIEW SPORTS

H.S. sports delayed until 2021

Photo by Anthony Hughes/Herald

A blistering start propelled Elmont to the Nassau Class A boys’ basketball championship, 62-54, over South Side at Farmingdale State University.

Nassau County High School student-athletes will have to wait until 2021 to compete in sports.

At an emergency meeting held Aug. 26, Nassau school superintendents voted to postpone high school sports until Jan. 4, becoming the first of the state’s 11 sections to move its fall season. The following day, superintendents released a letter stating they may reassess the decision prior to Sept. 20.

“I believe other sections will follow and pull the plug, but I can’t speak for anyone else,” Section VIII (Nassau) Executive Director of Athletics Pat Pizzarelli said Aug. 26. “We felt strong enough to make this decision now,” he added.“We took the cautious route, but we believe it’s in everyone’s best interests. There are too many unknowns.

“It’s just not time to allow kids to play sports,” he continued.“And my first and foremost concern is the safety of

Tiz the Law captures Belmont Stakes

one of the areas most affected by this terrible pandemic, so both section VIII and Section XI have made this very difficult decision.”

Nassau County’s Athletic Council, which includes superintendents, principals and officials, met Monday night April 20 and was unanimous in its decision. Athletic directors met the following morning and agreed.

“It’s very sad for the seniors, but we are dealing with life and death,” Pizzarelli said. “We have to safeguard our students and communities. We waited as long as we possibly could to make this heartbreaking decision.”

our studentathletes.”

The decision came two days after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo issued guidance permitting lower-risk high school fall sports (soccer, tennis, swimming, field hockey and cross-country) to begin practice and play on Sept. 21, while noting football and volleyball could begin practice but not play.

However, Nassau’s superintendents did not consider the current conditions safe enough to conduct any fall sports.

Photo by J. Heck/Herald

Nassau County postponed fall high school sports from September to January.

Public Notices

LFRA1 1231

opportunity that I have right now.”

Owned by Sackatoga Stable and trained by Barclay Tagg, Tiz the Law, bred in the Empire State by Twin Creeks Farm, returned $3.60 on a $2 win wager, increasing his career earnings to more than $1.5 million. The final time was 1:46.53.

Photo Courtesy Joe Labozzetta/NYRA

Tiz the Law, the 4-5 favorite, became the first New York-bred to win the Belmont Stakes in 138 years.

LEGAL NOTICE TO THE TAXPAYERS of the Franklin Square & Munson Fire District, Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a resolution was adopted by the Board of Fire Commissioners, Franklin Square & Munson Fire District, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York at a special meeting thereof held on December 23, 2020 subject to Permissive Referendum as provided

by Town Law. An abstract of the resolution is as follows: BE IT RESOLVED THAT the

Board of Fire Commissioners of the Franklin Square & Munson Fire District, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, shall expend monies for the purchase and installation of a replacement generator for 713 and related accessories in an amount not to exceed, twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00).

Said funds to be expended from Capital Reserve for Equipment Repair and Replacement as authorized by Section 6-g of the General Municipal Law. This resolution shall take effect 30 days from the date hereof, unless within

30 days a valid petition, as provided for in the Town Law is filed with the Fire District Secretary requesting a Permissive Referendum.

BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS FRANKLIN SQUARE & MUNSON FIRE DISTRICT TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD Attest: Kerry Santina District Secretary December 23, 2020 124256

PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES… Printed in this publication can be found online. To search by publication name, go to: www.newyorkpublicnotices.com TO PLACE AND AD CALL 516-569-4000 x 232

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 Celina 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 124258

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 31, 2020

It was game over for public high school spring sports on Long Island for 2020. Any hopes for even a modified season were dashed April 21 when health and safety concerns led athletic administrators and school superintendents in Nassau and Suffolk counties to announced the cancelation of the spring sports season. Section VIII athletics conference governs Nassau County, and Section XI, Suffolk County.

“For the safety for our student athletes, Section VIII has made the difficult decision to cancel spring sports for our high schools and middle schools.”

Nassau County Executive Director Pat Pizzarelli said.“Long Island is

HERALD

Employment

CLASSIFIED

To pLACE your AD CALL 516-569-4000 - press 5

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

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

HERALD

RecRuiting a great sales team is Really simple.

Homes

Ronnie Gerber 516-238-4299 HAPPY & HeAltHY new YeAr!!

OPEN HOUSES BY APPOINTMENT SUNdAY, 1/3/21 e s t. 1 9 1 1

EAST ROCKAWAY

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

January 7, 14, 21, 28, 2021 4 p.m.

February 4, 2021 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

to join our outside sales team, contact Rhonda glickman. send your resume today. rglickman@liherald.com, 516-569-4000 x250.

WOOdSBURGH

HEWLETT HARBOR

$18.50 NYC, $16 L.I., up to $13.50 Upstate NY!

real local, real news

EMPLOYMENT Help Wanted $18.50 NYC, $16 L.I. & up to $13.50 Upstate NY! If you need care from your relative, friend / neighbor and you have Medicaid, they may be eligible to start taking care of you as a personal assistant under NYS Medicaid CDPA Program. No Certificates needed. Phone: 347-713-3553

DRIVERS WANTED

Full Time and Part Time Positions Available!

Busy Print Shop in Garden City is Hiring Immediately for Full Time and Part Time Drivers.

Must Have a Clean License and BoxTruck Driving Experience.

Hours Vary, Night Availability is a Must.

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

HANDYMAN WANTED

Must have clean driver's license.

Must be able to do light plumbing and carpentry. 4-day work week. $700 per week. 100% Medical & Dental, 401K, Uniforms, Paid Vacations, Sick and Holidays. Apply in person: MondayFriday between 9am & 7pm At: CALL-A-HEAD CORP. 304 Crossbay Blvd., Queens, NY 11693

OFFICE HELP WANTED FULL TIME

For Order Taking, Phones, Light Data, Commission, Entry, Will Train! $800.00 Per Week, Medical, Dental, 401K, 2 Weeks Vacation, Holiday Pay. Please Apply In Person MondayFriday Bet: 9AM and 7PM At CALLAHEAD CORP. 304 Cross Bay Blvd.

Queens NY 11693

ROUTES AVAILABLE AT CALLAHEAD Corp.

NO CDL required, 4 DAY WORK WEEK, (enjoy 3 days off). Run your own route. Year round No lay offs!

100% medical, dental, uniforms, 2 weeks paid vacation. 401K. Plus commission. Will train! 4am-2:30pm. .

Route driver $800.00 per week, includes $100.00 weekly bonus program. Plus 10-12 hours overtime. Apply in person Monday- Friday 9am-7pm at 304 Crossbay Blvd, Queens NY 11693

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

Phone: 347-713-3552

HERALD

Homes

To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 REAL ESTATE Open Houses EAST ROCKAWAY 101 Emmet Ave, NEW 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 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-429 HEWLETT HARBOR 3 Payne Circle, OPEN HOUSE BY APPT, 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 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman RE 516-238-4299 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 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

House For Sale

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

HEWLETT BAY PARK

NEW TO MARKET!! 10,000 Sq Ft Waterfront Property on an Acre of Parklike Grounds Tucked away in Cul de Sac. 5 BR, 5.5 Bth Contemporary. Soaring Ceilings. IG Pool, Hot Tub. 285' Vinyl Bulkhead Raised & Redone. Dock. 3 Car Garage............ $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

Now is the time to buy or sell a home.

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.

Call me for a free professional consultation.

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 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

Apartments Wanted

Mature - Single

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.

1113840

INC

liherald.com

If you need care from your relative, friend/ neighbor and you have Medicaid, they may be eligible to start taking care of you as a personal assistant under NYS Medicaid CDPA Program. No Certificates needed.

1112179

HERALD Community Newspapers

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

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 ....................................................................................... $899,000 185 Bay Dr, BA, 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

salary, commission, bonuses and benefits. must have own vehicle and valid driver’s license.

RICHNER

1113447

(We said it was simple. We didn’t say it was easy.)

1114158

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

We hire the smartest people who can solve the hardest marketing objectives with an arsenal of solutions and a smile through the journey.

1104975

December 31, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD

14

Melinda Beauchamp Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Mobile: 516.721.7805

mbeauchamp@coachrealtors.com mbeauchamp.coachrealtors.com

Melinda & Thor

314 Sunrise Highway Rockville Centre NY 11570

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

Helping you find a HOME or sell a HOME … a place to call your own.

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!

Your Hometown Newspaper

To Place an Ad Call: 516-569-4000 • Press 5

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

HOME OF THE WEEK

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

Q. I wonder why I can’t seem to get a fire to burn properly in my chimney. All I get is smoke in the room. I’ve had the flue checked and know that the damper is working correctly, even if it is a little rusty.

The worst part is that the house smells like smoke, even when we haven’t had a fire for months. Nobody can find anything wrong with it. What can I do?

Island Park

Island Bay Townhoue & Marina

T

his stunning 3 floor townhouse will captivate you with it’s breath taking water views. This home has 3 bedrooms (2 are masters and 1 is presently being used as den with fireplace and bar.) Every floor has views with either a patio or balcony to sit and enjoy. There are hardwood floors or tiles with radiant heat in the 1st floor bathroom. High ceilings in living and dining room, hardwood floors throughout and top of the line appliances.

There is a secluded and romantic master on the 3rd floor with huge bathroom and walk in closet. It has a laundry room, an attached garage and l2 parking spots. There is also a boat slip included. Taxes are grieved (owner won an additional $1992 off taxes for 2021.) Asking $774,999

Ask The Architect

M

Lisa Camarda Owner/Broker RE/Max Reliance 3305 Jerusalem Ave Suite 211 Wantagh, NY 11793 516-755-7595 office 516-428-8861 cell

Sherlock Sherlock Homes Homes

BUSINESS FOR SALE Tazzetto Italian Coffee

263 Sunrise Hwy, Rockville Centre Possible Franchise Opportunity Turn-Key Established Coffee Shop High Traffic, Heavy Growth Area Completely Renovated 2019 Unique Grab & Go Concept Imported Gourmet Foods $350,000

516-459-5379

Contact one of our hardworking professionals today for all of your real estate needs!

*If your property is currently listed with another brokerage, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the listings of other brokerages.

Residential • Commercial • Business Brokerage

1106049

“Going Above & Beyond to find your Dream Home”

JUAN JARA Licensed RE Broker Associate Cell: 516-318-0142 Juan@AllStarRealEstateBrokers.com

Rhonda Healy

CAMILLE GIARDINA Licensed RE Broker/Owner Cell: 516-318-1392 Camille@AllStarRealEstateBrokers.com

M: (516) 236-7269

We’re Keeping the American Dream Alive.

1109112

www.AllStarRealEstateBrokers.com

2949 Long Beach Road, Suite 8 • Oceanside, NY, 11572 Phone 516.766.8200

Real Estate Salesperson, abR, SRS E: Rhonda.Healy.VW@gmail.com Verdeschi & Walsh Realty 1025 W. Beech St. | Long Beach, NY

Rent Your Apartment through the Herald and PrimeTime Classified section. Call us for our great *specials. 516-5694000, press 5 for Classified Dept. *(private party only)

OneKey Multiple Listing Service

1110798

Broker/Owner

THINKING OF BUYING OR SELLING?

1114046

Roger Hart

75 SEAMAN AVENUE, ROCKVILLE CENTRE o: 516.766.7900 | signaturepremier.com

We look forward to providing home buyers and sellers with the highest level of personalized service and support.

By Appointment Only

A. Set up an electric fireplace in front of the real one, or play the Yule log rerun on your TV. A client once complained of the same problem, and after much searching, I asked them to build a fire so I could observe their method. They started the fire too far forward, so the smoke climbed the walls onte eeper and smoked out the room, setting off the smoke detector. Rule No. 1: Make sure the fire is directly under the flue opening and centered in the fireplace.

There are many reasons why a fireplace doesn’t function. Some are obvious; some aren’t. Here are some possible reasons why yours doesn’t work. 1) The chimney is too narrow compared with its height. 2) The opening is too wide and not high enough. 3) The opening is too high and not wide enough. 4) There’s no fresh-air intake near the fire to draw air upward. 5) The flue has cracks that haven’t been detected. 6) The chimney isn’t two feet taller than the closest part of the roof within a 10-foot area, so breezes aren’t carrying smoke away, but instead a vacuum builds and forces air down the chimney. Winds rolling over your chimney from the upside roof slope also blow smoke downward in your chimney.

7) The flue has an angle bend in it that’s too sharp. 8) The wood selected isn’t properly seasoned.

9) Your fire starter is too wet or too dense. 10) The chimney has an animal living in it and must be cleaned out and capped. 11) The chimney is wet on the inside, either from openings in the exterior surface or the mortared crown or because it has no cap. This isn’t a likely reason for the smoke problem, but there’s a remote possibility.

Since a fire needs fuel, oxygen and heat to burn, these reasons are basic to why you haven’t had success. The formula for a great fire is the right type of starter (an easy-burning tinder) at the bottom, air space between everything of one-half to threequarters of an inch, and a dry, soft wood like pine above the tinder. Add oak or other hardwoods after the fire is going to create more brightness. Updraft is also essential. I’m certain that one of these reasons is causing your problem. Don’t use any treated or dressed lumber that can give off poisonous gases and creosote. Be safe and attentive. Good luck!

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.

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 31, 2020

Fireplace frustrations

Homes

HERALD

15

HERALD

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

Dave marlOWe Plumbing, inC. DBA BOB PHILLIPS PLUMBING

Over 100 Years Of familY Plumbing Oil to Gas • Toilets • Faucets • Repairs & Replacements Waste Piping • Water Piping

10% Off

If Your Plumbing STINKS

Call The WeNKS!

Sunday, August 02, 2020 11:27:28 AM

CAll JD PAINtING & reMoDelING CorP

516-889-3200

Father & Son Owned

Specializing in: • Interior/Exterior Painting • Kitchens • Bathrooms • Basements • Wall Paper Removal • Power Washing

jairorzc58@gmail.com

For New Customer Exp. 12/31/20

1105410

Switch To Electrolyzed Restructured Water It's Healthier For You, Your Family, And Your Pets!

conSuMer reportS:

licensed and insured

1.99 Per Gallon

$

lucy MenSAh Cell:

516-668-3607

Email: gaby1234@optonline.net to own the Enagic Ionizer Machine.

www.lucyluulivingwater.com

"No Job Too Small!" Get the Best for Less!

Over 15 Years Experience Licensed • Insured

FREE ESTIMATES

Kitchens • Bathrooms • Painting Roofing • Sheetrocking • Plumbing Electrical • Concrete • Powerwashing Carpentry • Basements • Baby-Proofing Ikea Furn. Assembly • Computer Repairs

HANDYMAN SERVICE

RYAN 516-695-4527 917-697-3647

Carpentry & Painting Specialist

Also specializes in ★ Kitchens ★ Bathrooms ★ Finished Basements ★ Flooring ★ Repairs ★ Woodwork/mouldings ★ Siding ★ Gutters

516-678-6641– Licensed & Insured Free estImates...call anthony romeo

1066253

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

CLUTTER

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"

CRAZY?

ALL CLEAR DRAIN & SEWER SERVICE

(516)409-9696 • (631)422-9696 Sinks • Tubs • Toilets • Sewer Lines

1078401

HEATING OIL

Residential and Commercial - All Phases

“Anthony & J Home Improvement, Inc.”

1109488

COMPLETE RENOVATIONS

AlkAline WAter Sold

1112012

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.

1110755

516-297-1885

OFF

Any Service Call

1110703

WeNK

PIPING & HEATING CORP.

ALFREDO’S CONSTRUCTION Specializing

HOME • COMMERCIAL

at

RELIABLE • 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE FAMILY OWNED FOR OVER 65 YEARS

CALL NOW FOR LOWEST PRICE

(516) 379-2727

CALL FOR MORE INFO No service in Long Beach

Se Habla Espanol

Licensed & insured

the

in

BLACKTOP

BeSt priceS in town

senior Citizen Discounts

Call For Winter Specials

• ConCrete • BriCk Patios • stooPs • stuCCo • Belgium BloCks • sidewalks • drainage ProBlems • Cellar entranCe • waterProofing • driveway sealing demolition • dumPster serviCe • Powerwashing • handyman rePairs

516-424-3598 516-807-3852

1113846

wenkpipingandheating.com

1103000

FREE ESTIMATES • 4 HR EMERGENCY SERVICE

1081114

• Oil to Gas Conversions • Hot Water Heaters • Boilers All Plumbing & Heating Work For House Lifts • Licensed and Insured!

Is Bottled Water Safer?

aboveallgutters.com

A Fresh CoAt For A Fresh stArt!

OWA_LessIsMore_BW_Bold

$25

516.431.0799

OffiCe: 516-766-4583 Call/TeXT: 516-840-9432

1113171

1114047

on labor only

• Permits & Legalizations • Certified NYS Backflows • Licensed Master Plumber • Insured • FREE Estimates

1112911

Safe Roof and Exterior Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Repairs, Installations

Mention this ad and get

1112267

December 31, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD

16

Free estimates

JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE...

JOBS, MERCHANDISE, It’s in the Herald Classifieds...

REAL ESTATE & MORE...

Call 516-569-4000 JOBS,To Advertise MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE...

JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... press 5

Stuff

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

FINDS UNDER $100 Finds Under $100

Adoption

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

) SLED-LIGHTNING GLIDER- Vintage Beautiful Patina 44" Long 13" wipe $35.00 516-705-4313

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.

MERCHANDISE MART

TV CABINET SOLID Oak: 4 Louver Doors. 42"Wx551/4"Hx24"Deep. Gorgeous. $99 516-292-0430

Handyman

Antiques/Collectibles

TV SONY 32" TUBE: Works Perfect. $25.

516-292-0430

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

VACUUM: SHARK ROTATOR Liftaway (corded) with six accessor ies. $95.

516-546- 7432

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

GLOCKENSPIEL, #A-440 2 Octaves with carrying case, shoulder strap and Mallets- Vintage $60/$70 516-705-4313

SERVICES

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

Check out our Service Directory for all your repair, decorating, party planning, cleaning or moving needs, and much more!

HErald

Crossword Puzzle

Home Improvement

CARPENTRY & PAINTING: Residential/ Commercial. All Phases. Licensed/ Insured. FREE ESTIMATES! Anthony & J Home Improvements 516-678-6641 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

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

NEED A CAR? Find it in the HERALD Classifieds.

Deals on Wheels

Miscellaneous 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.

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

AUTOMOBILE & MARINE

Autos For Sale 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 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

Want to sell your car, motorcycle or boat?

Have we got a deal for you! You can advertise your vehicle in the

Classifieds All for an amazing price! Your add will run until you sell your vehicle. Just call one of our expert classified account executives today and you will be on your way to making a great deal on your set of wheels!

516-569-4000 press 5, then 2

&/877(5 GULYLQJ \RX J\

CRAZY?

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Answers

to todAy’s puzzle

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 31, 2020

HERALD

17

18

For Advertising, call Rhonda Glickman,

vice president of sales, at (516) 569-4000, ext. 250.

The box at the far left side of the page is called the masthead. It contains the newspaper’s flag, or nameplate. The masthead offers important information about the paper, including the names of the staff members who are responsible for producing it each week.

Publisher Stuart Richner guides the business and news operations of the 18 newspapers in the Herald Community Newspapers group, including the Nassau Herald, which serves the Five Towns, and Heralds for Baldwin, Bellmore, East Meadow, Franklin Square-Elmont, Freeport, Glen Cove, Long Beach, Lynbrook-East Rockaway, Malverne-West Hempstead, Merrick, Oceanside-Island Park, Oyster Bay, Rockville Centre, Sea Cliff-Glen Head, Valley Stream, Wantagh and Seaford.

Each paper’s editor is responsible for the assignment, selection and placement of stories, most of which the editors and reporters write. The executive editor oversees news operations for all 18 papers in the group.

The production department is responsible for the papers’ design. The advertising and art departments produce the large, often illustrated display advertisements that appear throughout the papers. The classified department produces the smaller advertisements at the back of the papers.

The masthead also lists each paper’s age, the names of its founders, its address, email, and telephone and fax numbers, and it provides notice that all contents of the paper are copyrighted.

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December 31, 2020 — FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD

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Giving thanks in 2020

i

n a year when so much has gone awry — so many lives lost, businesses battered, jobs vanished — it strains the imagination to think what we might be thankful for, particularly as the nation enters its second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The coming months will likely be, as President-elect Joseph Biden has said, a “dark winter.”

Thanksgiving is, however, all about the audacious nature of hope.

The holiday, first celebrated in the fall of 1621, commemorates the struggle that the original Pilgrims faced and, against all odds, overcame in the New World — and the kinship they felt with the Native Americans who rescued them, helping to provide sustenance to a relatively small band of people who otherwise might have starved. The roughly 50 colonists at the original harvest celebration in Plymouth, Mass., were outnumbered by Native Americans two to one, according to History.com.

The 100 Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower had seen much death between 1620 and 1621: Some 78 percent of the women died during the first winter. Yet they persevered, and survived.

So shall the American people today — thanks in no small measure to our heroes

— the doctors, nurses, EMTS, firefighters, police officers, teachers, teachers’ aides, sanitation workers, railroad workers, subway and bus drivers, custodians, cooks, waiters and waitresses, supermarket employees and so many others — who have kept us safe, our education system up and running, and our economy moving. When many others were able to work from home, they put their lives on the line to do their jobs.

As a society, we should take a moment and reflect on their sacrifices over the past nine months.

We can also be thankful for our family and friends. We may not be able to shower them with hugs and kisses as we might want, but we can keep them in our thoughts and close to our hearts.

And we can be thankful for the miracles of modern science. Only 100 years ago, the 1918 pandemic ran wild for two years, killing 50 million worldwide, including 675,000 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thanks to technology that allows many of us to work remotely and socially distance, to date we have seen a tenth of the 500 million cases that the world did in

1918-19, and because of modern medical technology, the death toll thus far is onefiftieth what it was then.

So, while the number of infections and deaths today is unacceptably high, it is not close to the level of suffering experienced a hundred years ago — and let us hope and pray that it remains that way.

Likely, it will. On Saturday, the innovative New York company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals received emergency-use authorization for its experimental antibody treatment for the coronavirus. President Trump received the treatment, and by all accounts it was highly effective. The drug is designed to prevent patients from becoming severely ill by imitating the body’s natural defense system. We can only say, wow!

If all goes well, the Regeneron treatment should prevent many deaths, enabling health officials to safely roll out at least one of the vaccines now in the pipeline without undue political pressure. By April, we could indeed round the corner on this terrible pandemic, says Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Yes, there has been much despair this year, but there is much hope as well.

County does right by small businesses

W

e are pleased that Nassau County Executive Laura Curran is once again promoting small businesses ahead of the holiday season — which is vital this pandemic year.

Last Friday, Curran and county Industrial Development Agency Chairman Richard Kessel came to Rockville Centre to promote an innovative contest, aptly titled the Shop Safe, Shop Local Scavenger Hunt, and we are encouraging readers to take part in it.

The contest, which will be held for one week starting Saturday, will work like this: Complete four of eight tasks in your community, like buying breakfast at a local eat-

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ery or making a purchase at a local shop, and take a photo of yourself — masked — at each location, along with the product you purchased and your receipt. Then email it to scavengerhunt@nassaucountyny.gov or share it on Facebook.

The first person who finishes all four tasks and registers them on each day of the contest will receive a $100 gift card.

All purchases must be made at small businesses in a single community on the day of the contest. Online and delivery orders are eligible. The complete set of

instructions can be found at www.nassaucountygov/shoplocal.

As we noted in last week’s editorial, “Remember to shop locally this holiday season”: “Despite the crisis, we encourage you to consider patronizing our mom-and-pop shops, many of which now offer their goods online. Abandoning our local businesses would be devastating on so many levels.”

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Each editorial cartoon provides a thoughtful and, we hope, humorous perspective on the major news of the week. Prize-winning cartoonists from across the country produce the cartoons, which do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Herald or its staff.

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letters More praise for doctor’s column To the Editor: As Bob Praver did in last week’s letters, I also applaud Dr. Eric Last’s column, “Surely we shouldn’t be fighting over wearing masks” (Nov. 12-18), on the urgency of wearing masks in fighting the coronavirus

Editor: Bridget downes

Long Beach

Franklin Square/ Elmont

HERALD HERALD HERALD HERALD Editor: Editor: Brian stieglitz Editor: Peter Belfiore alyssa seidman Life

pandemic. But while Last’s exhortation that we must “treat others as you’d want to be treated yourself ” was well-intentioned, I believe it would fall on deaf ears when directed not only at those who, at this late date, scoff at the wearing of masks and social distancing, but also those who deliberately promote and take part in large, illegal social gatherings with no consideration of taking measures to counter the spread

Editor: ronny reyes

Senior Editor: laura lane

HERALD Editor: Jim Bernstein

Lynbrook/ East Rockaway

HERALD

Senior Editor: miKe smollins

Malverne/ West Hempstead

HERALD Editor: naKeem grant

HE

Editor:

What are the editorial pages all about?

Who writes editorials?

How do letters and guest columns get published?

This week’s pages offer some answers to our readers.

We thank The Riverdale Press for the idea.

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Opinion columns We publish three columns every week.

Columns represent the views of the writers themselves, not of the Herald. Each writer works independently and chooses his or her own subjects.

Among our regular contributors are the Heralds’ executive editor, Scott Brinton, and the Nassau Herald’s former executive editor, Randi Kreiss, both of whom have won numerous awards for their opinion writing. We also feature columns by prominent political figures, including former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato and former State Assemblyman Jerry Kremer, both of whom are now consultants. And we regularly invite guest columnists to offer their views.

Opinion pages 21

opinions

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT HERALD — December 31, 2020

opi

T

he coronavirus pandemic has created a variety of hardships that have left families and children in distress. Social isolation. A mounting death toll. An estimated 8 million Americans falling into poverty. We have entered uncharted territory, and uncertainty continues as cases continue to rise across the U.S. Grief is a normal reaction — grieving not just the loss of life, but also the loss of normalcy and freedom when a disaster occurs. So what happens when we add even more stress to families sharon and their children, skariah particularly when schools close?

The trickledown effect of all this misfortune can dramatically weigh on kids, especially if they don’t have access to mental health resources at home. Typically, mental health symptoms are identified at school, by their teachers and peers, social workers and guidance counselors.

Children need a routine and consistency. Remote learning and social isolation will continue to uproot them. Children

with autism also face challenges with irritability, anxiety and behavioral disturbances. And the erratic nature of schools’ opening and closing (albeit temporarily) can have a lasting effect.

A recent study in JAMA Pediatrics showed that more than 22 percent of students in the Hubei province of China reported symptoms of depression, and more than 18 percent had anxiety symptoms, when schools closed for over a month. A second study, in the Journal of Pediatrics, determined that younger children (ages 3 to 6) were more inclined to show fear or clinginess, where older kids (6 to 18) were more likely to show inattention and persistent inquiry.

Clinging, inattention and irritability were the severe psychological conditions demonstrated by children in all age groups.

School closures — short or long — are unfortunately bound to happen until a safe and effective vaccine is available.

Prepare to take care of your child now.

First, children need outlets. In early childhood, play is important for development in the physical, verbal and emotional domains. Build that imaginary fort,

T

he trickledown effect of all this misfortune can dramatically weigh on kids.

LeTTers of the virus. The time for these selfish and greedy individuals to be reasoned with has long passed.

These people should be penalized for their actions, which continue to put the rest of us at even greater risk of acquiring the disease, and severe penalties should also be meted out to participants in these gatherings, not just their greed-bound organizers.

If anything, these miscreants should consider the 17th-century English poet John Donne’s poem, telling us not to ask “for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.” They might also be reminded that, indeed, “no man is an island,” as Donne wrote. It appears, though, that they do not realize or accept this concept, even though we are all in this fight — together.

ROBERT RUBALSkY East Rockaway

We must protect communities of color

Nassau

HERALD HERALD Life

Fourth — and most important — pay attention. Younger children can’t always express their distress, anxiety or fear.

Their behavior may regress. Look for the signs, which include an increase in crying or neediness, more temper tantrums or somatic symptoms (headaches, stomach aches) than normal. Older children may also show increased anger and irritability.

If you think your children or adolescents may need a mental health professional, don’t hesitate. They are acting that way because they need help. So watch out for them to verbalize any suicidal thoughts, ongoing sleep disturbances, a decline in overall functioning (hygiene, grooming), aggression or worsening substance use. If you see these signs, seek treatment.

Following these steps may help keep children mentally fit during one of our harshest times. Nothing can replace life as we knew it pre-Covid, but you can manage this new normal and keep your kids safe, too.

Special features The op-ed, or opposite the editorial, page features a weekly Framework photo, which is chosen by our photo editor. The Framework offers a creative, at times humorous outlet for our photography staff. In this spot, we also publish photos sent to us by readers, featuring them on vacation, reading the Herald at various international landmarks. We call it Herald Around the World.

At times, a correction box might appear on the op-ed page. We strive each week for the highest standards of accuracy and accountability. When we make mistakes in our reporting, we believe we must own up to them and correct the record.

Sharon Skariah, M.D., is the director of child and adolescent psychiatry for Zucker Hillside Hospital. She is also an assistant professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell.

Framework Courtesy Roni M. Chastain

the United States, and amid big treatment strides, the disease continues to ravage African-American and other minority communities with a particular vengeance.

Black, Asian, Native American and Hispanic patients still die far more frequently than white patients, even as death rates have plummeted for all races and age groups.”

As Covid-19 continues to spread aggressively nationwide, it is crucial that government officials at all levels — federal, state and local — address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on people of color. Immediate attention should be paid to issues such as the availability of testing facilities in communities of color, access to health care, inequitable treatment once access is provided and priorities for providing vaccines once they are available. The evidence is clear: Government owes it to all Americans to ensure fair and equal access to health care, regardless of race, in this pandemic — and always.

To the Editor: The Washington Post last Friday published a new analysis of the impact of Covid-19 on people of color. It reported, “Nearly nine months after the virus exploded in

Merrick

encourage storytelling, toast s’mores in your backyard. For adolescents, it’s important that they develop their own sense of identity but also explore peer relationships. Encourage this — in a socially distanced, safe way.

Second, seek normalcy. The goal is to foster continued development, even if your children can’t attend school in person. They want to feel safe — an important tool for parents to use during the crisis. Make sure you provide protection and consistency in an otherwise uncertain time. Talk to them about their feelings. Ensure their safety by creating an atmosphere of stability.

Third, adapt to the environment. Summer may be gone, but you can still enjoy the outdoors safely during the fall, and even on some nice winter days. When the extreme cold sets in, continue building on the elements of safety and fun you have already introduced. Have family game nights. Schedule a movie night. Cook and bake together as a family. Designate a reading hour.

Although it may be colder, it’s important to get exercise, so go for a walk or a hike or a brisk bike ride. There are also online exercises for kids, like yoga and others.

BALDWIN HERALD — November 26, 2020

We need to pay attention to children’s mental health Give thanks the election is

Letters to the editor We welcome readers’ letters to the editor and publish most that we receive. We believe these letters are critically important, because they reflect the shared voices of the communities that we cover.

Letters should be 250 to 300 words in length. Each letter must include an address and phone number. Our editors call all letter writers to confirm the authenticity of letters before publication.

We edit letters for length, grammar, spelling and foul language. We do not censor viewpoints.

If we believe a letter requires major revisions, we will send it back to the writer and ask that he or she change it so that meaning and intent are not lost.

Readers should send letters to the editors of their hometown newspapers. They can be sent by email (preferred), fax or mail. All contact information is listed on the masthead and on our website, liherald.com.

ELAINE GROSS President, ERASE Racism

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Wishing Everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!

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