Long Beach Herald 05-11-2023

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Also serving Point Lookout & East Atlantic Beach

Gillen says she will run again Page 3

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King recovers from surgery

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School budget hearing is an oddly quiet one

By BReNdAN CARPeNTeR & JAMes BeRNsTeIN of the Long Beach Herald

School board budget hearings are often noisy, sometimes even raucous affairs. But at the Long Beach school board meeting Tuesday night, matters were quite different: No one spoke — for or against — the proposed $151.6 million budget, which has a tax levy increase of 1.5 percent.

“May 9, tonight, is the public budget hearing,” Michael DeVito, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance and operations, said at the hearing at Lido Elementary School. “It’s an opportunity for anyone in the community to come up and say

how they feel about it. They can express their feelings about the budget.”

But no one did, perhaps because they had no problems with the proposed spending plan, whose tax increase is well below the state cap. Or perhaps because they thought there was little they could do to change any of the proposals.

The district’s 2023-24 budget is smaller than the current year’s $151.9 million in spending.

“The increase in the tax levy … for next year, is about $1.6 billion, and we’ve rounded — we’re at 1.5 percent,” DeVito said. “That 1.5 percent increase is after two years of a zero percent

Continued on page 4

Porch Fest, a mix of neighborly performances, coming to L.B.

By BReNdAN CARPeNTeR bcarpenter@liherald.com

For years, there have been concerts throughout Long Beach — at the beach, in restaurants and at Kennedy Plaza, to name a few venues. Later this month, music will have a new home in the city: porches.

The first-ever Porch Fest, on May 20, will be an afternoon of live music performed on porches, in driveways and on front lawns. It was created as a way for residents to enjoy live music outdoors while supporting the arts and interacting with neighbors.

The event is being produced by the Long Beach Arts Council,

with support from the city government, the Kiwanis Club, and Artists in Partnership.

Katie Mitchell, who joined the arts council last year, noticed that the group organized a lot of visual art projects and public art displays, but she was interested in adding a musical component.

“Porch fests are actually something that has been gaining a lot of popularity around the country,” Mitchell said. “In our community especially, we have a really lovely, thriving live music community with a ton of musicians. It’s a really tight-knit community with many musician groups in town, and just a lot of talent.”

Mitchell said that porch fests became even more popular during the pandemic, giving people a chance to enjoy live music outside, instead of being crammed into bars and restaurants. And outdoor shows, she added, attract a larger spectrum of music lovers.

“The city does put on the summer beach concerts,” Mitchell said. “But sometimes local talent ends up playing in the bars and restaurants, which isn’t always a family-friendly option. So this is a really nice way to let people come and enjoy live music for free, and bring their families and be outside.”

The arts council distributed

homeowner applications, to get an idea of how many would be interested and available. Mitchell said that it sparked a great deal of interest, and more than two dozen homeowners submitted applications. Since this is the council’s first try at producing the event, however, members decided to keep it small, and to choose homes that were central-

ized in one area.

The bands will all be playing in a radius of a few blocks, from West Fulton Street to West Penn Street by Washington Boulevard, in the Westholme area. Performances will rotate from 2 to 5 p.m. The shows will take place at 565 Washington Blvd., 465 W. Fulton St., 160 W. Olive St., 128 and

Continued on page 7

Stamp Out Hunger returns, seeking food donations

Island Harvest Food Bank is joining forces with the National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service to once again Stamp Out Hunger this Saturday, May 13. Postal workers will collect food across Nassau and Suffolk counties, looking to provide muchneeded supplemental food support to more than 300,000 people facing hunger — a third of them children.

“Participating in Stamp Out Hunger is easy,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and chief executive of Island Harvest, in a release. “Generous Long Islanders are encouraged to leave nonperishable food items in a bag next to their mailbox before the regularly scheduled mail deliver on Saturday, May 13. Then, your USPS letter carrier will do the rest to help make sure that no one on Long Island goes hungry.”

Those non-perishable food items can include canned goods, cereal, pasta, rice, boxed juices, and shelf-stable milk. You should not include any food or juices in glass containers.

Also needed are personal care items like toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant and disposable diapers.

Everything donated on Long Island will help replenish Island Harvest’s network of food pantries and soup kitchens as well as emergency feeding programs in communities throughout Long Island.

“Every donation — no matter how small — helps our neighbors who are in the unenviable position of choosing between paying for such things as housing, transportation and medicine, or putting food on the table,” Shubin Dresner said. “I am confident that the past generosity displayed by our Long

Island neighbors will help make this year’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive one of the most successful.”

Since its inception in 1993, Stamp Out Hunger has collected more than 1.75 billion pounds of food in all 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin

Islands.

On Long Island alone, Stamp Out Hunger has brought in more than 519,000 pounds of food in 2019, before the event was suspended the last three years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Stamp Out Hunger’s national spokesman is Oscar-nominated actor Edward James Olmos.

“The National Association of Letter Carriers, and the men and women we represent on Long Island, are pleased to once again partner with Island Harvest in this year’s Stamp Out Hunger food collection,” said Tom Siesto, first vice president for NALC Branch 6000. “Our carriers often see firsthand the pervasive issue of hunger as part of their daily rounds, and they are eager to help give back to the community, and assist in helping Island Harvest Food Bank tackle this important issue.”

This year’s major sponsoring partners with Island Harvest include National Grid, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Amazon, Allstate, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Catholic Health, Nonna’s Garden, Long Island Federation of Labor, MCN Distributors, Dime Community Bank, and New York Community Bank.

All donations to Stamp Out Hunger are tax-deductible since all food collected benefits Island Harvest, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

To learn more, visit IslandHarvest. org/stamp-out-hunger.

Courtesy National Association of Letter Carriers ISlAnd HARvEST FOOd Bank and the National Association of Letter Carriers urges neighbors to leave a bag of non-perishable food near their mailbox on Saturday, may 13, to help those on Long Island struggling with hunger.

Laura Gillen announces plans to run again

Announcement comes as a surprise for the 4th Congressional District

By JAMES BERNSTEIN jbernstein@liherald.com

In a surprise announcement only months after losing her re-election bid to represent the Fourth District in Congress, Democrat Laura Gillen said Wednesday morning that she plans to run for the seat she lost to Republican Anthony D’Esposito. She came out with a blistering attack against D’Esposito, saying he is aligned with the extreme elements of the GOP.

Gillen, a Democrat who had been Hempstead town supervisor, lost to D’Esposito in November’s election in what was widely regarded as a Republican sweep on Long Island.

In an early morning statement Wednesday, Gillen said she is running “because public service can be a noble calling that makes people’s lives better; but too many in Washington care about political gamesmanship, sound bites and photo opportunities than actually making real progress for our families.”

Gillen, a lawyer, returned to private practice after her loss to D’Esposito, a former New York City police officer and Hempstead town board member. During the fall campaign, D’Esposito, like other Long Island Republicans, hammered on the theme that Democrats were soft on crime.

In a phone interview, Gillen said she had decided to run for several prime reasons including the continuing gun violence across the country and the Republicans’ position on the debt crisis. Republicans insist that President Biden reduce spending before they will agree to raise the debt ceiling.

In the brief interview, Gillen said D’Esposito had been “soft” on common sense gun control.

“You can’t be strong on crime and soft on control,” she said.

Despite D’Esposito’s fund-raising abilities so far, Gillen said she was certain she would be able to raise the money necessary to run for office.

She said she was entering the race early to be able top raise money, meet with voters and put forward her views on gun violence and the debt crises.

In her statement, Gillen noted that she is a lifelong resident of the 4th C.D., which includes Long Beach, Oceanside, and Rockville Centre, among other communities.

Gillen attacked D’Esposito, saying he “has aligned himself” with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, a Georgia Republican who persistently advances false theories that Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Gillen said D’Esposito “celebrates putting our economy on the brink of collapse and cutting critical national programs for public safety, veterans, seniors and our schools.”

Regarding the economy, Gillen was referring to ongoing talks between Biden and congressional Republicans about ways to resolve the national deficit.

“Historically,” Gillen said, “Long island’s congressional delegation had a long tradition of bipartisan representation where voices on both sides collectively advocated for residents from Atlantic beach to Montauk. We need to reclaim that tradition to ensure our concerns are addressed no matter the political landscape.”

D’Esposito may prove a formidable opponent. A veteran NYPD detective who boasted during the fall campaign of having “made 600 collars’ during his career on the force, he has raised over $500,000 already in preparation for a re-election campaign.

But Gillen said she had worked with a Republican majority on the Hempstead town board “and lowered taxes every year, refinanced the town’s debt to save taxpayers millions and passed historic ethics reform and transparency legislation for all town contracts and budgets.”

She also said “tirelessly work to finally pass common sense gun legislation that will protect our families.”

During the fall campaign, D’Esposito did not press for new gun legislation.

Matt Cap, a spokesman for D’Esposito, said, “Nassau County voters have already rejected Laura Gillen’s softon-crime policies as well as her record of support for raising taxes. Congressman D’Esposito loos forward to campaigning on his record of lowering taxes, slashing wasteful federal spending and protecting neighbors in New York’s 4th Congressional District.”

D’Esposito succeeded Kathleen Rice, representing most of southern Nassau County at the federal level, putting a Republican in the office for the first time since Daniel Frisa lost re-election to Carolyn McCarthy in 1996. McCarthy served nine terms before retiring in 2015, and Rice has represented the district ever since.

Aside from D’Esposito, Republicans elected George Santos to congress from the North Shore’s

Third District.

Above all, Republicans have attacked their Democratic opponents on the issues of crime and inflation, linking what they described as “liberal” bail reform laws on recent rises in crime, and blaming Democrats for the dogged inflation that continues to affect the economy.

D’Esposito focused his congressional campaign on affordability, promising more funding to local schools, increased access to health care, eliminating the cap on state and local tax exemptions, and combating congestion pricing.

Throughout his race for congress, D’Esposito also stressed the importance of a limited, fiscally responsible government. He said numerous times that he will cut wasteful spending in Washington, and that a small government approach will help correct inflation.

The campaign trail was not free of jabs back and forth. Democratic campaign literature portrayed D’Esposito as an extremist on issues like abortion and guns, claiming he might support a nationwide ban on abortion and allow weapons of war on New York streets.

D’Esposito denied to the Herald he would ever support a national abortion ban, but did attack New York laws the he claimed allowed free access to late-term abortion. On guns he asserted that the focus of government should not be writing new laws, but cracking down on illegally possessed weapons.

Republicans meanwhile linked Gillen to a number of national issues on which they portrayed Democrats as weak. Mailers from the New York Republican State Committee declared that Joe Biden and Laura Gillen were raising taxes, responsible for the recent national rise in crime, and allowed fentanyl to flood into Nassau County.

Gillen countered by citing her record as town supervisor, during which time she claimed to have cut taxes. Gillen has also insisted that a tough on guns approach can help to curb crime.

While Rice herself endorsed Gillen, D’Esposito boasted his own support from a long list of law enforcement groups and police unions.

Herald file photos

DEMocRAT LAuRA GILLEN said Wednesday morning that she plans to run for the seat she lost to Republican Anthony D’Esposito just last year for the 4th Congressional District.

GILLEN SAID ShE is running “because public service can be a noble calling that makes people’s lives better,” months after losing her re-election bid.

Voting to take place next Tuesday, May 16

increase. So we’ve had that tax levy number for three years, and now we’re now asking for a modest increase of 1.5 percent just to keep pace with inflation and some of the cost increases in the budget.”

Administration officials said that the proposal does not include any funding for capital projects, but there is a plan to spend $5.2 million from the capital reserve fund on work at Long Beach High School, the middle school and Lindell Elementary.

The funds would be used to replace and relocate water heating pipes at the middle school, and to install new uni-ventilators for fresh air heating and cooling there; to remove and replace four HVAC units at the high school; and to replace the kitchen sewer line and the sidewalk on the east side of the Lindell school.

“We had some problems in the middle school over the winter with pipes, and we fixed those pipes,” DeVito said. “Now we’re asking to put the remaining pipes that are still in the crawl space above in the ceiling, so that they don’t continue to deteriorate and we don’t have any problems at school next year. That’s the main issue. We have this $5.2 million request, but we’re asking the community for permission to spend it.”

The current budget includes nearly $4.3 million for capital projects.

District officials estimate that they will receive about $16.9 million in state aid, 4.8

percent more than this year. The district also plans to receive about $29.9 million from a LIPA payment-in-lieu-of-taxes plan next year, compared with $26.6 million this year.

School board candidates

School board President Dennis Ryan, Nora Bellsey and Pamela Banks are running for seats on the board. Incumbent Maureen Vrona is not seeking re-election.

Banks has served on several school committees, including the high school curriculum and health and wellness committees, and is a member of the State Education Department Curriculum and Instruction Committee. She was the high school PTA president for three years, and spent seven years as an elementary school board member.

Banks is also involved in the Long Beach community, a member of two civic

Where to vote

Lindell School Gymnasium

associations and the city’s Advisory Board for Seniors. She has been a regular attendee at school board meetings for five years.

Banks said that she wants to make the district one of the leaders in academic excellence. She said she would like to have individualized career path programs designed for students, to enhance the district’s mental health programs, and to keep budgets fiscally responsible without compromising programs.

Bellsey is a 48-year Long Beach resident, and raised her children, all Long Beach High School graduates, here. A retired educator, she said she believes the school board needs an educator’s voice, and that with her career experience, she

Middle

would offer great insight into the implementation of district curriculum and management of the schools.

Bellsey said she is also concerned about school attendance, which has been an issue in the district recently. Administrators have acknowledged an absentee rate that at times has been as high as 30 percent, and have said they are working on ways to deal with the problem.

Bellsey also wants to focus on the postcoronavirus well-being of students, and to continue to expand vocational training while maintaining a strong college prep program.

Pamela Banks Nora Bellsey

Dennis Ryan

Student named with future medical leaders

James “Jack” Byrnes, a ninth grader at Friends Academy of Lido Beach has been named a Delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders. He will head over to the University of Massachusetts Lowell campus, just outside Boston, from June 21 to 23.

The congress is an honorsonly program for high school students who want to become physicians or go into medical research fields. The purpose of this event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country interested in these careers, to stay true to their dream and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal. Byrnes’ nomination was signed by Dr. Mario Capecchi, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine and the science director of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists to represent New York based on his academic achievement, leadership potential and determination to serve humanity in the field of medicine.

During the three-day congress, Byrnes will join students from across the country and hear nobel laureates and

National Medal of Science recipients, discuss leading medical research, be given advice from Ivy League and top medical school deans on what to expect in medical school, witness stories told by patients who are living medical miracles and learn about cutting-edge advances and the future in medicine and medical technology.

The academy offers free services and programs to students who want to become physicians or go into medical science. Some of the services and programs the academy offers are online social networks through which future doctors and medical scientists can communicate, opportunities for students to be guided and mentored by physicians and medical students and communications for parents and students on college acceptance and finances, skills acquisition, internships, career guidance and much more.

The National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists was founded on the belief that we must identify prospective medical talent at the earliest possible age and help these students

acquire the necessary experience and skills to take them to the doorstep of this vital career. Based in Washington, D.C. and with offices in Boston, the Academy was chartered as a nonpartisan, taxpaying institution to help address this crisis

by working to identify, encourage and mentor students who wish to devote their lives to the service of humanity as physicians and medical scientists.

–Brendan Carpenter

Courtesy Metro Creative

Jack Byrnes, of Lido Beach, has been named a delegate to the Congress of Future Medical Leaders, alongside other future medical researchers.

spotlight athlete

Football growth in Long Beach

By DaViD patalaNo sports@liherald.com

One of the rising varsity sports on Long Island is girls’ flag football.

This year, in its second season there will be a Long Island vs Westchester title game and a state championship in 2024. One of the programs leading the charge is Long Beach High School, coached by Rocky Butler.

MaDisoN alaiMo

Wantagh Senior Lacrosse

a tWo-tiMe all-CoUNtY selection and a 2022 All-American, Alaimo, a fouryear starter, has been one of Nassau County’s leading scorers over the past two years. Last spring while helping lead Wantagh to the Class C championship game, she netted 62 goals and dished out 43 assists. So far this season, the two-year captain and University of Virginia-bound star attack has 48 goals, including the 100th of her career, and 35 assists.

gaMes to WatCh

thursday, May 11

Baseball: Sewanhaka at V.S. Central 4:30 p.m.

Flag Football: Valley Stream at Freeport 4:45 p.m.

Baseball: Roosevelt at Lawrence 5 p.m.

Baseball: Malverne at West Hempstead 5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Uniondale at Baldwin 5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Manhasset at Wantagh 5 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse: Mepham at Seaford 5 p.m.

Softball: South Side at V.S. North 5 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse: South Side at Farmingdale 7 p.m.

Friday, May 12

Flag Football: Bellmore-Merrick at Syosset 5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Lynbrook at Floral Park 5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Seaford at Hewlett 5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Malv/East Rock at Clarke 5 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse: Wheatley at Sewanhaka 5 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse: Valley Stream District at Elmont 5 p.m.

Softball: East Meadow at Calhoun 5 p.m.

Softball: Oceanside at Kennedy 5 p.m.

Softball: Long Beach at Island Trees 5 p.m.

Softball: MacArthur at Clarke 5 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse: Kellenberg at Oceanside 6 p.m.

Softball: Lynbrook at East Rockaway 7 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: MacArthur at South Side 7 p.m.

“I think we have a great group of girls who are giving as much effort and focus as they can,” Butler said. “They’re learning a brand new sport. They’re super excited and super passionate about it.”

The Marines have 40 girls on their roster, which can be tough to navigate in 7-on-7 football, but that just shows how much interest there is in the program.

“We just continue to try to grow the program as much as we can, so down the road we can keep rocking and rolling,” Butler said. “I think next year we’re going to have a JV team, which will get even more girls involved so that’ll be great.”

This spring’s squad has a wealth of talent that includes starting quarterback Brooke Nielsen, returning starters Jocelyn Bravo and Stefania Robinson, as well as standouts Fabiana Boncina, Emma Larson, Zoe Conway, and Caitlin Reyes.

“We have a bunch of girls who each have their own individual specialties,” said Butler, who is assisted by Lori DeVivio. “I’m happy with what we got as far as the quality of girls on our roster.”

The team is led by defensive specialist Riley Roberts and Isabella Silvestri, who was actually a main proponent of bringing girls’ flag football to Long Beach.

“[Silvestri] was the one who kind of started the whole thing. She did such a good job that representatives from the New York Jets picked one person from each program and she ended up winning tickets to the Super Bowl last year, which was pretty awesome,” Butler said.

The sport is taking such big strides, that some girls on Long Island are even being offered scholarships to play flag football at the NCAA level.

Long Beach is currently sitting at 5-5

after a bit of an up and down couple of weeks, but the playoffs are very much still in play.

“We have to get at least two of these last three games to get us in the playoffs,” Butler said. “We have to check in on what the other schools are looking like as far as their record. There’s always a chance if we drop two games we still have a chance to get in.”

The hope is always to get into the play-

offs and make a run at the championship, but Butler wants to make sure the girls are taking it a game at a time.

“The game that’s in front of us, that’s one that we’re focused on. We’re just trying to focus on that one game at a time and seeing if we can put something pretty good together,” he said.

This week Long Beach takes on Lynbrook and East Rockaway in its quest for the playoffs.

Tony Bellissimo/Herald photo eMMa larsoN aND the Marines split their first 10 games this season and are clinging to playoff hopes with three games remaining.

Homes are newest concert spots in the city

continued from front page

226 W. Penn St. and 133 W. Beech St. Abbie Golding, another member of the arts council, will not only host, but also perform. Her house, the lone Beech Street site, will also feature her band, Last Licks. They’ll play starting at 3:45 p.m., finishing off the fest at that location.

“Our band is mostly Long Beach natives,” Golding explained. “Some of the guys even go back to high school here. So when we say natives, we really mean natives. I’ve been playing with them for the last four years.”

The band primarily plays rock music, starting from the 1960s. Golding is one of the vocalists.

The Long Beach Historical Society, at 226 W. Penn, also plans to be involved, hosting concerts of its own. Three groups are scheduled to play there during the three-hour period. The groups will play on porch outside the front door, overlooking the lawn.

“We’re really excited,” Sue Friedman, of the historical society, said. “We have a nice-size porch, and we’ll bring out some folding chairs. We’re looking forward to it.”

Friedman said she also hoped the fest would enhance the museum’s visibility, and attract more visitors. She said the society is still in desperate need of restoration, and added that she hoped the performances would bring people into the museum as well. “We have a lot of events going on,” she said, “and we’re hoping this will bring more people to our events as well.”

Porch fests, like one in Rockville Centre, above, have been gaining popularity around Long Island, and the country. the library, another musical spot in the city, frequently hosts concerts throughout the year.

Herald file photo

it’s a really tight-knit community, with many musician groups in town and just a lot of talent.

katie Mitchell arts council

Justine Stefanelli/Herald

Runners make history at L.I. marathon

East Meadow’s Eisenhower Park was abuzz with excitement this past weekend for what was both the starting and finishing line for the Jovia Long Island Marathon.

The weather was warm and sunny as some 1,900 participants lined up for their races.

Warming up in windbreaker wrappers and lightweight sweatsuits near the starting point not long after sunrise, the runners were exuberant, yet relaxed. Winning the race was less important than what they had already gained: endurance sufficient to run a 13-mile half marathon or a 26-mile full one. And then, of course, there was the wide fellowship of other runners.

Nearly 500 people ran in the full marathon, with another 1,400 looking to compete in the short race on Sunday. Spectators held signs and flowers, many yelling words of encouragement to the passing runners. The route started and ended in Eisenhower Park, but runners traversed outside to the surrounding communities as well.

Race director Corey Roberts was everywhere, greeting the athletes and answering questions. Nassau County Legislator Rose Walker, speaking from a temporary stage, recalled that the Long Island marathon started as the Earth Day Marathon at Roosevelt Raceway, directed by her late husband John.

Nassau County Parks commissioner Darcy Belyea, North Hempstead town supervisor Jennifer DeSena, and county legislator Tom McKevitt belted out words of encouragement as the start time approached.

Jordan Daniel, 28, of Westhampton, won the marathon portion with a time of 2 hours, 21 minutes. Jennifer Zopp, 38, of Westchester County, came in first for women with a time of 3 hours, 9 minutes.

Tim

a retired long-distance runner and Long Island native show her support for runners at the Jovia Long Island Marathon. The 84-year-old was the first woman to officially win the Boston Marathon back in 1972, and has run in more than 80 marathons in her lifetime.

dov Sternberg, 46, of Cedarhurst, going clockwise, couldn’t contain his excitement for finishing the half marathon portion of the marathon event that started and ended in Eisenhower Park over the weekend.

Jennifer Zopp, 38, of Westchester County, came in first for women with a time of 3 hours, 9 minutes.

dylan White, 23, from Wantagh, finished ninth among 19- and 24-year-old men at the Jovia Long Island Marathon last weekend.

Reine Bethany/Herald

Some 2,000 runnerS hit the pavement last weekend as part of the Jovia Long Island Marathon that started and ended at the center of Eisenhower Park.

Courtesy Sixto Sanchez Jordan danielS, 28, of Westhampton, was the winner of the Jovia Long Island Marathon. He clocked a time of roughly 2 hours, 21 minutes.

Baker/Herald nina KuScSiK,

–Mallory Wilson and Reine Bethany

Poet laureate gets grant for arts in Nassau

Money will be used to showcase talent across the county

By BRENDAN CARPENTER bcarpenter@liherald.com

Nassau County Poet Laureate Paula Curci has been awarded a $5,000 grant, made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by The Huntington Arts Council, Inc. Curci, an award-winning performance artist who also hosts Long Island’s premier poetry and arts radio program Calliope’s Corner, will use the funds to launch the first Nassau County-wide poetry festival: The Word — A Festival of the Spoken and Written Word: Celebrating All Voices.

“I feel so blessed to have received a grant that will allow me to showcase Nassau County’s diverse pool of musicians, performers, storytellers and poets,” Curci said. “The arts are making a comeback and I’m happy to be spearheading a part of it with this festival.”

The Word — A Festival of the Spoken and Written Word: Celebrating All Voices, is set to debut this fall. Details on the special event will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

Curci, 60, of Long Beach, has discovered a world of emotions and thoughts in a lifetime of writing poetry. Her talent and devotion to the craft has won her an award she has been striving for: On June 25 last year, she was named the Nassau County poet laureate. She had been nominated twice before.

After graduating from Adelphi University in 1984 with a degree in psychology and communications and

earning a master’s in school counseling from LIU Post, Curci spent over 30 years as a school counselor at Sewanhaka High School in Elmont. There she was also an adviser for the Poetry Club, where she “found poetry to be a great way for students to verbalize their feelings.”

Curci has also hosted two radio shows. Her first,

called “What’s the Buzz,” started just after she graduated from Adelphi, and she hosted the show on the campus radio station, WBAU, as a community volunteer. For the past two decades, though, she has been the host of “Calliope’s Corner” on Hofstra University’s station, WRHU. Curci said she uses the show to highlight local artists and poets.

She also asks listeners to send in their own poems so she can read and discuss them on air. “I do it so people can hear their own voice,” she said in a pst interview.

“Most of my work is audio,” Curci has said. “I’m a spoken word performance artist.”

She is a co-founding member of the Acoustic Poets Network, and has started a new genre of performance poetry, which she calls “Posics,” a combination of music and poetry. She has released three spoken word albums, “Emissary,” “Bittersweet” and “Done That: Poetry and Posics.” She also has several CD’s that feature her poetry.

“How I present my poetry is my performance,” she said in a past interview.

Curci has had ideas about bringing more poetry into local high school curriculums. One idea is “I am Poetry,” in which students would write poems about and to themselves to boost their self-esteem and selfawareness. Another is called “Hero Poetry,” in which students would write poems about their heroes, or their “go-to people,” because, Curci said, “everyone needs a go-to person.” She said she already has plans with some high schools for this.

With youth development as her fundamental goal, she has been working with some youth organizations to set up classroom visits to meet with students.

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Herald File Photo

Paula Curci at her affirmation, becoming the county’s poet laureate last year.

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County police swears in first Muslim chaplain

By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com

It was a historic moment for the Nassau County Police Department. For the first time in the department’s nearly 100-year history, a Muslim was sworn in as chaplain, set to provide emotional, moral and spiritual support to the department.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman swore in Rashid Khan at a ceremony at David Mack Center for Training and Intelligence in Garden City. Not only will Khan work with police officers and law enforcement staffers, but he’ll be one of six chaplains who may be asked to preside at a number of county events, giving religious and spiritual aid to communities.

“We have so many events here in Nassau County, and all of our chaplains are actively taking part in that,” Blakeman said. “Throughout the police department, they’re doing all kinds of chaplaincy work. But they also are in the community and representing our police department in the highest manner.”

A resident of Valley Stream, Khan is the former vice president of the Islamic Center of the South Shore in Valley Stream, and has been in law enforcement himself for 25 years, volunteering as a Nassau County Police Department auxiliary officer. Khan owns a small cleaning business in Elmont, and has served as a court officer for the Valley Stream village court.

Nassau County legislator Bill Gaylor advocated for Khan’s appointment as a chaplain.

“I know he’s filling a void,” the legislator said, “and it’s much needed within the police department and our community.”

Several law enforcement agencies were on-hand at the county’s recently job fair ranging from patrol officers, to the probation department, fire marshals, corrections officers, and the sheriff’s department. The goal

was to emphasize to younger people the importance of law enforcement positions.

“I know Inspector Khan is going to be there for me, also to help us better police our communities and better understand our officers,” said Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. “It is clear that the county executive has put his stamp on both government and the police departments when it comes to diversity and the importance of it. I have eight police officers and a son now that are of the Muslim faith, and our chaplain will instruct our recruits about the faith and understanding of that religion.

“If you understand the community, you police that

community better.”

It’s creating a bigger tent for all faiths Blakeman hoped to emphasize with Khan now part of the chaplain corps.

“One of the things that I want to market and celebrate here in Nassau County is our diversity,” Blakeman said. “Our Muslim community is growing, and we’re getting more Muslim police officers. So, we need a Muslim chaplain. We have one of the most diverse counties in the United States, and one of the things that we are doing is we are going out into minority communities and recruiting police officers in those communities.”

with Michael and Suzanne Ettinger Attorneys-at-Law

Book Review: “Successful Aging”

by Daniel J. Levitin

In his best-selling book, “Successful Aging”, Daniel J. Levitin, Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neuroscience at McGill University (your writer’s alma mater), shows how the brain is formed and how it changes, in surprisingly positive ways, as we age.

The author notes that Freud said that the two most important things in life are healthy relationships and meaningful work.

Socialization is crucial to maintaining our mental acuity. “Navigating the complex mores and potential pitfalls of dealing with another human being, someone who has their own needs, opinions, and sensitivities, is about the most complex thing we humans can do. It exercises vast neural networks, keeping them tuned up, in shape, and ready to fire. In a good conversation, we listen, we empathize. And empathy is healthful, activating networks throughout the brain.”

If working is not a viable option then volunteering reduces mental decline.

“Volunteering at a local organization, community center, or hospital can have all the benefits of continuing to work: a sense of self-worth and accomplishment, and the daily interaction with others that causes the brain to light up. The data reveal that volunteering is associated with reduced symptoms of depression, better selfreported health, fewer functional limitations, and lower mortality.”

The author concludes “Gratitude is an important and often overlooked emotion and state of mind. Gratitude causes us to focus on what’s good about our lives rather than what’s bad shifting our outlook to the positive...psychology’s focus on disorders and problems of adjustment was ignoring much of what makes life worth living. Positive psychology has found that people who practice gratitude feel happier.”

Please note that a science background is helpful in understanding the four hundred pages that make up “Successful Aging”.

RAsHID KHAN wAs sworn in by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Nassau County Police Department commissioner Patrick Ryder as the first Muslim chaplain in the department’s history chaplain.

Kepherd Daniel/Herald

Nurses honored, appreciated for dedication

By KARINA KOVAC kkovac@liherald.com

Mount Sinai South Nassau’s conference center was packed from wall to wall and seat to seat on May 5 as the hospital joined by family and friends and state and local elected officials gathered to recognize, honor and thank the members of its’ nursing staff at the hospital’s Annual National Nurses Week Kickoff Breakfast celebration.

Each year, National Nurses Day, also known as National RN Recognition Day, is celebrated on May 6 and opens National Nurses Week. Nurses Week begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12, the birth date of Florence Nightingale. During this special week, nursing staff at Mount Sinai South Nassau are recognized for their dedication and commitment.

This year, the 2023 Daisy Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Margaret Hempstead, nurse manager of intravenous therapy, and the 2023 Daisy Leader Award to Lynn Bert, the nurse manager of pediatrics. She received the award in honor of her 44 years dedication to nursing through active mentoring, role modeling, advocating for their patients and promoting the positive image of nursing.

Bert received her award in recognition of her enduring and trademark work to

to provide standard-setting, compassionate, skilled care for patients and their families.

“Today we celebrate the flame of Flor-

Hinrichs, member of the hospital’s nursing holistic council, “that that same light be rekindled to burn brightly in our hearts. Let us take up our own lanterns of

brightly walk our own paths of service to the world, to more clearly share our own noble purpose with each other. May human caring become the lantern for the 21st century. May we better learn to care for ourselves, for each other, and for all creation.”

Other significant highlights included the recognition of Gretchen Kretkowski, a labor and delivery nurse, who was Mount Sinai South Nassau’s nominee for the 2023 Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council Nurse of Excellence Award; the awarding of the 2023 Daisy Team Award to the hospital’s Wound Care; a commemorative graduation ceremony for nurse staff members who recently earned a bachelor of science in nursing or higher degree; awards presentations to nurse staff members for clinical, service and quality excellence, and special recognition of nurses with 20 and 25 years of service.

“We appreciate the compassion you bring to our patients and the letters of compliments we get from patients and their families,” said Mount Sinai South Nassau president Adhi Sharma, “We appreciate the challenges that you face. Our daily huddle, we hear the code great report from the day before. And we appreciate the human toll your profession takes when we hear the debriefs of tragic cases. So, on behalf of the administration and the Board of Trustees, I want to thank you for all that you do today and every day.”

Courtesy Mount Sinai South Nassau NuRses At MOuNt Sinai South Nassau were thanked for their commitment to care during the hospital’s Annual National Nurses Week Kickoff Breakfast celebration.

Best way to treat hearing loss? Prevention

By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com

It’s easy for many to take for granted hearing everyday sounds. Listening to oncoming traffic when crossing the street. Enjoying birds chirping in springtime to lift our mood. Even hearing the sizzle of a frying pan could make us feel accomplished.

These familiar sounds often leave a big impact on our quality of life, and shape our relationships with friends and family. So losing such a vital sense like hearing can be devastating, and lead to other problems that impair cognition. Knowing when to seek medical attention and understanding the full effects of hearing loss is what those who tuned in to the recent Herald Inside LI webinar with Dr. Lawrence Cardano were looking for.

“Hearing loss is associated with cognitive decline, dementia and falls since the parts of our brains that are usually stimulated with sound start to decorate,” said Cardano, an audiology doctor, author, and certified dementia practitioner explained. “If you have trouble with hearing clarity, you’re putting a lot more mental effort into figuring out what people are saying. You don’t have as much mental resources left over to remember what the person is saying.”

When doctors solve hearing clarity problems, Cardano said, they investigate how the brain interprets sound. They first look at orientation between the ears and the brain, which helps the brain understand where sound is coming from. They also assess recognition of sounds that are like one another, along with how well patients focus.

“You can hear two people talking at the same time. And if you have normal hearing, you can decide on which person to focus on, and you can switch from one to another,” Cardano said. “But if you don’t do a good job treating hearing loss, you can hear their voices, but can’t focus on one or the other. You just hear a bunch of noise.”

Research from Johns Hopkins Medicine shows that mild hearing loss increases significantly with cognitive decline and dementia, and 50 percent of the connections between the inner ear to the brain don’t function properly. People with hearing loss are likely to become socially isolated since carrying conversations can become more difficult. The resulting cognitive overload, Cardano added, also increases the risk for dementia.

Over time, many develop cerebral atrophy — or shrinkage of the brain — from deteriorating neural connections, a hallmark of dementia.

Traditional hearing tests don’t provide enough insight into what causes most hearing loss, Cardano says, which greatly impacts treatment. He believes cognitive function screenings for those 55 and older are essential since they also assess the risk of cognitive decline and hearing loss. These tests evaluate memory, vision, executive function, reaction time and processing speed.

“If we use this as a baseline if a person has hearing loss and hearing clarity problems, repeating this screening six months later will typically see improvements in some of these parameters,” Cardano said. “Hearing loss is a progressive degenerative condition.”

Doctors are now using a deep neural network of artificial intelligence in hearing devices which can greatly improve a patient’s quality of life. The artificial intelligence learns sounds like how a child learns language — through trial and error.

But no matter how advanced the technology is, it needs to be verified and validated to assess the prescription.

Treatment for hearing loss is ongoing, and treatment must be adjusted and maintained over time. Since it’s a progressive condition, hearing clarity is going to gradually decorate over time.

But fortunately, as hearing clarity decorates, Cardano said, the technology to address it improves.

Roksana Amid/Herald DR. LAwReNce cARDANO, top, joined Herald Community Newspapers executive editor Michael Hinman to provide insight on hearing loss and prevention during a free webinar last week as part of Herald’s Inside LI. Cardano’s book, ‘The Hearing Clarity Solution,’ is what he calls a must-read for those looking to treat and understand hearing loss.

STEPPING OUT

Love sweet as a Celebrating mom on her

STEPPING OUT

Creative advocacy

By Karen Bloom

hose special ladies in our lives deserve a memorable day. Yes, a bouquet of flowers, cards, even that special breakfast, are all certainly welcome. But what could be better than surrounding her with blooms? Old Westbury Gardens is just the place to do that on Sunday, aka Mother’s Day.

By Karen Bloom

WHERE

– Thomas Moore

are the Walled Garden and the Primose Path.

Many ‘Seasons of Love’ for you

Stroll the 200 glorious acres of wooded walks and those amazing gardens that are displaying vibrant spring color. Explore Westbury House, the estate’s grand Charles II-style mansion, which is filled with art and furnishings. Pack some lunch for a delightful picnic among spring’s many blooms. Or enjoy a bite at the Café in the Woods.

the focus of our collective culture for centuries. Now as society navigates the complexities of modern life, art as a path for social change is at the forefront of artistic expression.

Some time surrounded by the season’s colors and scents is always uplifting — not just for mom, but for everyone. Perhaps more so than at any time of the year, Mother’s Day — for most people — is all about the flowers when visiting this grand estate.

“We’re really ramping up to almost peak season now,” says horticulture director — and interim director — Maura Brush. “With those warm days in early April, everything just burst forth. The lilacs, the wisteria, all are in full bloom.”

• May 14, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• 71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury

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

“The display in the Walled Garden is really high impact now,” Brush enthuses. There’s plenty to take in there, especially the Allium and tree peonies.

Pat McGann

A new rock musical by then little-known composer-playwright Jonathan Larson first came to the public attention in 1996. What happened next went beyond anything the musical theatre world could have imagined. Loosely based on Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera ‘La Bohème,’ it tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in Lower Manhattan’s East Village in ‘bohemian’ Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. ‘Rent’ became an international phenomenon and a cultural touchstone. Now it’s re-imagined and staged in a concert production at the Madison Theatre, directed by the Madison’s artistic director Angelo Fraboni. The professional cast includes Molloy alum Korina Deming, Danny Bae and Shiloh Bennett, with current CAP21 Musical Theatre Conservatory students.

Saturday May 13, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 14, 3 p.m. $40-$65. Madison Theatre, Molloy University campus, 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre. (516) 323-4444 or MadisonTheatreNY.org.

• For more information and program/events schedule visit OldWestburyGardens.org or call (516) 333-0048

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

“The tree peonies are just not to be missed,” she says. “They are really quite stunning. The blooms can be eight inches across 40 blossoms in size. They look like crushed tissue. The texture and color are outstanding. Also the Primose Path is looking spectacular, and the Cottage Garden is filled with showy perennials and biannuals.”

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

Curated by Alexandra Giordano — the museum’s assistant director of exhibition and collection — the exhibit underscores artists’ civic responsibility and influence.

Of course, the tulips are always a favorite. Seeing the tulips here, by the many hundreds, in the Walled Garden and Thatched Cottage Garden — and elsewhere — in myriad varieties and in a rainbow of colors, is almost overwhelming. The colors, the arrangements, are all carefully and creatively designed for maximum appeal.

“So much time is spent curating our bulb display,” Brush says. “Anyone can go anywhere and see a row of tulips. We’re so excited about our display. You won’t see it elsewhere.”

“It highlights the vital role that artists have in activating democratic values that promise equality and freedom, encouraging civic engagement, and cultivating unity,” Giordano says. “Artists often lead the charge and expose truths that may otherwise be ignored. The artists in this exhibition take a stand and call out injustices through their art and activism on issues such as immigration, gender, reproductive rights, mass incarceration, voting rights, racial bias, gun violence, and promises unfulfilled. They all combine the making of art with public service that has a grassroots approach in the hope of mobilizing their communities and the nation to ignite movement, create awareness, and inspire others to stand with them.”

The array of colors and blooms extends

This exhibit, which runs through July 28, is in conjunction with Hofstra’s

Guided tours are available throughout the day (no registration required). Take in the delights of Westbury House, the former home of financier John S. Phipps, his wife, Margarita Grace Phipps and their four children, at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Also examine those glorious blossoms on a garden highlights tour at 2 p.m., meeting at West Porch Beech next to Westbury House. And as an added treat, while supplies last, every woman 18 and older gets to take home a free lavender plant. Make sure to stop by the Plant Shop to obtain your plant.

“It’s such a pleasant way to spend Mother’s Day.” Brush says. “Come join us.”

Photos courtesy Old Westbury Gardens

Top: The magnificent and fragrant tree peonies are among the delights of the Walled Garden.

Bottom: Look carefully and Old Westbury Gardens’ resident fox may make throughout the landscape. Among the highlights an appearance.

The Guess Who and Orleans

Pat McGann is quickly rising as one of the sharpest stand-ups on the comedy scene. A relative latecomer to comedy, he began doing standup at 31 after realizing he was not very good at selling packaging. He hustled his way to become the house emcee at Zanies Chicago, where he distinguished himself as especially adept at working the crowd. A husband and father of three young children, McGann’s appeal stems from his quick wit and relatable take on family life and marriage. In 2017, McGann began touring as the opening act for Sebastian Maniscalco, moving with him from clubs to theater, to arenas, including four soldout shows at Madison Square Garden. McGann’s relatively short, but impressive resume, includes Montreal’s famed Just For Laughs Festival, Gilda’s LaughFest, The Great American Comedy Festival, and more. McGann still calls Chicago home.

Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. $40, $35, $30, $25. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

Yarn/Wire

Two great rock bands take to the Tilles Center stage for a great night of music. The Guess Who is a group that’s long connected with popular culture throughout an exultant hit parade spanning 14 Top 40 tunes, including ‘These Eyes,’ ‘Clap For the Wolfman,’ ‘Hand Me Down World,’ ‘No Time,’ ‘Star Baby’ and ‘Share the Land.’ Add in fellow classics and double sided singles like their No. 1 rock anthem ‘American Woman’ and ‘No Sugar Tonight,’ plus ‘Laughing’ and ‘Undun,’ and the Canadian-bred stateside conquerors are among music’s most indelible treasures, eternally entrenched in pop culture history. Together with pop-rockers Orleans, who are forever etched in our consciousness with ‘Still the One,’ ‘Dance with Me’ and ‘Love Takes Time,’ these songs still hold up today.

Friday, May 19, 8 p.m. $70, $60, $50, $40. LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville. TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

Now in its 18th year, Adelphi University’s ‘new music’ series welcomes Yarn/Wire. The intrepid New York-based piano-percussion quartet has forged a singular path with endlessly inventive collaborations, commissions and performances that have made a significant contribution to the canon of experimental works. The quartet features founding member Laura Barger and Julia Den Boer on piano and Russell Greenberg,

collective For Freedoms. Their four large scale photos are based on Norman Rockwell’s 1943 oil paintings inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address that outlined

what he

Can art change the world? It’s a question that’s been at

bends,

ove’

trueinstinct , backto thee!’

THE SCENE

Galway to Broadway

Acclaimed singer/ actor Ciarán

Sheehan and his friends visit the Tilles Center stage with an intimate musical journey, Friday, May 20, 8 p.m. Beautiful, soaring Broadway favorites balanced with lively, hearttugging Irish melodies and humor are on full display with Dublin-born Sheehan whose rich tenor voice and performances have been described as touching the soul. Sheehan made his Broadway debut in “Les Miserables,” (Babet, Marius), and shortly thereafter in “The Phantom of the Opera” (Raoul). After a year of playing Raoul on Broadway, he moved into the coveted starring role of The Phantom, which he sang in more than 1,000 performances. His performances easily capture an audience, with the requisite charisma and magnetic stage presence. Don’t miss this lovely evening of Broadway, Irish music and mirth! This concert will lift your spirits and have you humming along to your favorite tunes. LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville. Tickets are $59; available at TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

May 11

On exhibit

Nassau County Museum of Art’s exhibition, “Eye And Mind: The Shin Collection,” highlights the extraordinary collection masterworks assembled by 31-year-old connoisseur Hong Gyu Shin, an internationally recognized figure in the global art world. He shares his treasures, including works by Whistler, Lautrec, Boucher, Daumier, Delacroix, Klimt, Schiele, Balthus, Warhol, de Kooning, Gorky and many other important names from art history provocatively juxtaposed with the painting and sculpture of our own time from both Asia and the West. On view through July 9. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

City Council Meeting

The Long Beach City Council meets, Thursday, May 16, at 7 p.m., on the sixth floor of City Hall, in Community Hall.1 W. Chester St. It will also be streamed on YouTube. For more information, visit LongBeachNY.gov.

Art talk

Join Nassau County Museum Director Charles A. Riley II, for a Director’s Seminar, Tuesday, May 23, 4 p.m. He’ll discuss ‘Balthus and Neo-Classicism,” in a session that is keyed to Balthus, along with Derain and such figures as Nijinsky and Prokofiev, who were experimenting with the re-invention of classical forms and motifs, notably those of the Renaissance. A decadent in the manner of Wilde, an Old Master painter among the Cubists (Picasso considered him a great talent), Balthus also became associated with the fiction of Nabokov, a literary connection that will also be considered. Participation is limited; registration required. $40, $20 members. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. Visit NassauMuseum.org or call (516) 484-9337.

Breastfeeding Support Group

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

Jerry Herman tribute

A cast of Broadway and concert stars salute the life of the Broadway icon-lyricistcomposer on Adelphi University Performing Arts Center stage, Saturday, May 13, 8 p.m. Hear tunes from “Hello, Dolly!,” “Mame,” “La Cage Aux Folles,” “Mack and Mabel,” and more. Tickets are $45, with discounts available to seniors, students, Adelphi alumni and employees. Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave., Garden City. (516) 877-4000 or Adelphi.edu/pac.

Memorial Day Parade

The Joint Veterans Organization and the City of Long Beach hosts the annual Memorial Day Parade, Monday, May 29. This year’s parade will commence on from Ohio Avenue and West Beech Street at 10 a.m. The parade will proceed to Park Avenue down New York Avenue and march to City Hall. If your organization is interested in marching please email, LBEvents@longbeachny. gov.

Passion for Pride

Support PFY, a division of Long Island Crisis Center, at a 30th Anniversary Benefit celebration, Tuesday, June 13, 6-10 p.m. With drag bingo and performances by Ivy Stalls and Syn; also special guest honoree actor-author-activist Maulik Pancholy. The event, honoring PFY’s 30 years serving Long Island/Queens’ LGBTQ+ communities, is at Westbury Manor, 1100 Jericho Turnpike, Westbury. For more information and tickets, go to tinyurl.com/ pfyevent2023.

Having an event?

City Managers Race

Long Beach Department of Parks and Recreation holds the 46th Annual City Managers 10-Mile Race to Remember, Sunday, May 28. The race is dedicated to the memory of race founder Ralph Kaplan. Visit LongBeachNY.gov for more information and to register.

Beaches open

On stage

May 27

The Long Beach beaches are finally opening! The beach park will open for the first time this season, Saturday, May 27. Lifeguards will be on duty from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; the beaches will be open on weekends only until June 23. For more information, visit LongBeachNY.gov.

Taco Tuesday

The Cabana offers ts weekly taco Tuesday specials all day, Tuesday, May 16. Tacos available for $1, with a two-drink minimum, at 1034 W. Beech St. For more information, call (516) 889-1345 or visit TheCabanaLBNY.com.

Items on The Scene page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to thescene@liherald.com.

Back by popular demand, families will enjoy a musical adventure, ripped from the pages of Mo Willems’ beloved children’s books, on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Friday, May 12, 10:15 a.m. and noon; Saturday, May 13, 2 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday, May 17-19, 10:15 a.m. and noon. Elephant and Piggie storm the stage in a rollicking musical romp filled with plenty of pachydermal peril and swiney suspense perfect for young audiences. Together with nutty backup singers, The Squirrelles, the comedic duo even gets the audience involved in the action. $9 with museum admission ($7 members), $12 theater only. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

Whale of a Drink fundraiser

Support The Whaling Museum by participating in Sandbar restaurant’s Whale of a Drink, Whale of a Cause fundraising effort, now through June 21 Enjoy the Sandbar’s iconic cocktail, the Whalebone, and a portion of the purchase will be donated to the museum. A “mocktail” version is also available. To help promote the fundraiser, mixologist Dan Leopold will offer a mixology demonstration and Whalebone tasting at the Museum’s Whales & Ales event on June 3, 2:30-3 p.m. Funds will support the Whaling Museum’s community education programs during its 2023 summer season. 55 Main St, Cold Spring Harbor. For information, visit SandbarColdSpringHarbor.com.

Through June

Hundreds attend senior health expo

The Rockville Centre Recreation Center opened its doors to eager guests for the Herald’s Senior Health & Beyond Expo on May 5.

Presented by UnitedHealthcare and produced by RichnerLive, this is the second in a series of expos for 2023.

More than 35 diverse businesses — as well as innovative services — were on-hand to share their products and refined knowledge with Long Island senior citizens to improve wellness and heighten their lifestyle.

Free on-site health screenings and vaccines from Mount Sinai South Nassau were also available, plus hearing screenings from Dr. Lawrence Cardano of Hearing Center of Long Island — who was also one of the speakers on the expo’s

afternoon panel.

Goody bags and tons of raffles were also a plus.

The event was made possible thanks to Gold Sponsor Mount Sinai South Nassau, and the Gift Bag Sponsor, Primary Partner Care. Silver Sponsors were Verron Law Group, Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation, Long Beach Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Aetna, CenterLight and Hearing Center of LI.

Guests and vendors are looking forward to the next Expo happening Wednesday, June 28 at the Sunny Atlantic Beach Club, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information, visit RichnerLive.com,

1. Keynote speaKer Nancy Lebron from presenting sponsor UnitedHealthcare.

2. shaun rusKin from CenterLight discusses PACE eligibility.

3. innovation spine Medical P.C. engaging with an attendee.

4. nanci-sue rosenthal and Stacey Simens, licensed real estate salespersons from Berkshire Hathaway.

Tim Baker/Herald photos

–Alexa Anderwkavich

5. licensed real estate salesperson at Douglas Elliman, Tiffany Balanoff.

6. rhonda linzer from ClearCaptions.

7. panelist pablo Rendon, marketing associate of public affairs at Parker Jewish, at the health screening table.

8. the Mount Sinai South Nassau table, registered nurses Kathleen Kadel, and Abigail Fromm, and community education director administered Covid and flu vaccines.

9. MarK steMpel, left, and Jennie Katz from Blue Island Homes.

10. erin o’brien, far right, patient advocate, chronic care management at Primary Partner Care — the expo’s gift bag sponsor.

11. benjaMin robbinson from the Lynn Agency.

12. the owner of Natural Remedies, Long Island’s first CBD dispensary.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

ANUNCIO DE AUDIENCIA PUBLICA, VOTACION DE PRESUPUESTO Y ELECCION DEL DISTRITO ESCOLAR DE LA CIUDAD DE LONG BEACH, CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK

POR LA PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA que se llevará a cabo una audiencia pública sobre el presupuesto propuesto del distrito escolar el 9 de mayo de 2023 a las 7:30 p.m. en el Auditorio de la Escuela Secundaria de Long Beach, 322 Lagoon Drive West, Lido Beach, Nueva York, y también se puede ver de forma remota en https://www.youtube.com /channel/UCzst8qfrB66Ur

7JrZHfodyw/videos por la transacción de negocios según lo autorizado por la Ley de Educación, incluyendo los siguientes artículos:

1. Para presentar a los votantes una declaración detallada del monto de dinero, el cual será requerido para el año fiscal 2023-2024.

2. Para discutir todos los artículos que se establecen a continuación para ser votados por máquina de votación en la Votación y Elección del Presupuesto que se llevará a cabo el martes 16 de Mayo del 2023.

3. Para tramitar cualquier otro asunto que pueda presentarse adecuadamente ante la reunión de conformidad con la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York y las leyes que la modifican.

POR FAVOR TENGA EN CUENTA ADEMÁS que cualquier residente del distrito puede obtener una copia de la declaración de la cantidad de dinero requerida para el año siguiente para propósitos escolares (presupuesto escolar) sin incluir dinero público a partir del 2 de Mayo del 2023, entre las 8:00 a.m. 00 a. m. y 4:00 p. m., horario vigente, excepto los sábados, domingos o feriados en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, Nueva York, en la Biblioteca Pública de Long Beach, en 111 West Park Avenue, Long Beach, Nueva York , y en el sitio web de Internet del Distrito. Una copia de la declaración de la cantidad de dinero que se requerirá para los fines de la Biblioteca, sin incluir el dinero público, estará disponible en la Biblioteca Pública de Long Beach y en la oficina del secretario del distrito de la Biblioteca para el año que comienza el 1 de Julio del 2023.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA

ADICIONALMENTE que dicha Votación del Presupuesto y Elección se llevarán a cabo el Martes 16 de Mayo del 2023 en los distritos electorales

escolares que se indican a continuación, entre las 7:00 a. m. y las 9:00 p.m. Se abrirán urnas para votar por máquina de votación en los siguientes artículos:

1. Para Adoptar el presupuesto anual del Distrito Escolar para el año fiscal 2023-2024 y autorizar que la parte requerida del mismo se recaude mediante impuestos sobre la propiedad imponible del Distrito.

2. Para elegir dos (2) miembro de la Junta de Educación por un término de tres (3) años comenzando el 1 de Julio del 2023 y expirando el 30 de Junio del 2026, para llenar la posiciónes mantenida por Dennis Ryan and Maureen Vrona, cuyo término expira el 30 de Junio del 2023.

3. Para votar en la siguiente propuesta:

PROPUESTA DE GASTOS DE FONDOS DEL CAPITAL DE RESERVA

“DEBIERA LA JUNTA DE EDUCACIÓN ser autorizada a apropiarse y a gastar: una suma que no exceda los $5,200,000.00, representando dineros del Fondo de Mejoras de Capital del 2018 para los siguientes propósitos: reubicar y reemplazar las tuberías de agua caliente de la calefacción a través de los espacios de acceso en los bajos de la Escuela Media Long Beach; instalar nuevos Univentiladores para aire fresco, calefacción y refrigeración para lugares incluidos en la Fase 2; remover y reemplazar cuatro unidades HVAC en la Escuela Secundaria Long Beach; y reemplazar la línea de desagüe de la cocina y la acera en el lado este de la Escuela Primaria Lindell, así como otros costos preliminares e incidentales para?

(Debido a que los fondos que se expedirán provienen del referido Fondo de Reserva del Capital, la aprobación de esta propuesta no requerirá un gravamen fiscal sobre los bienes inmuebles a la propiedad del distrito.)”

4. Para adoptar el presupuesto anual de la Biblioteca Pública Long Beach para el año escolar 2023-2024 y autorizar que la parte requerida del mismo sea recaudada mediante impuestos sobre la propiedad sujeta a impuestos del distrito escolar.

5. Para elegir un (1) Fideicomisario de la Biblioteca Pública Long Beach por un término de cinco (5) años comenzando el 1 de Julio del 2023 y terminando el 30n de Junio del 2028.

TENGA EN CUENTA

ADEMÁS que, según la resolución de la Junta de Educación adoptada el 8 de Febrero del 2023, esta votación y elección se llevarán a cabo en los siguientes distritos

electorales escolares (la descripción precisa de los límites está archivada y puede ser inspeccionada en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, Edificio Administrativo, 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, Nueva York 11561:

DISTRITO ELECTORAL DE LA ESCUELA LINDELL

GIMNASIO ESCOLAR

LINDELL

601 LINDELL

BOULEVARD, CIUDAD DE LONG BEACH

Este distrito electoral abarca el territorio delimitado al oeste por una línea paralela y sesenta (60) pies al oeste de Malone Avenue, al norte por Reynolds Channel, al este por la línea central de Long Beach Boulevard y al sur por el Océano Atlántico.

DISTRITO ELECTORAL DE LA ESCUELA EAST

GIMNASIO ESCOLAR

EAST

456 NEPTUNE

BOULEVARD, CIUDAD DE LONG BEACH

Este distrito electoral abarca el territorio delimitado al oeste por la línea central de Long Beach Boulevard, al norte por Reynolds Channel, al este hasta la línea límite este de la ciudad de Long Beach y al sur por el Océano Atlántico.

DISTRITO ELECTORAL DE LAS ESCUELAS LIDO/MS VESTIBULO DEL AUDITORIO DEL COMPLEJO LIDO

239 LIDO BOULEVARD, LIDO BEACH, NEW YORK

Este distrito electoral abarca el territorio del área conocida como Lido Beach, delimitada al oeste por una línea que comienza al este de la ciudad de Long Beach, al norte por Reynolds Channel, al este por la línea fronteriza este de Point Lookout y al Sur con el Océano Atlántico.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que, de conformidad con la Sección 495 de la Ley del Impuesto sobre la Propiedad Inmueble, el Distrito Escolar debe adjuntar a su presupuesto propuesto un informe de exención. Dicho informe de exención, que también formará parte del presupuesto final, mostrará cómo el valor catastral total de la nómina final utilizada en el proceso presupuestario está exento de tributación, enumerará cada tipo de exención otorgada por la autoridad estatutaria y mostrará el impacto acumulado de cada tipo de exención, el monto acumulado que se espera recibir como pago en lugar de impuestos (PILOT) y el impacto acumulado de todas las exenciones otorgadas. Además, dicho informe de exención se publicará en cualquier tablón de anuncios mantenido por el Distrito para avisos públicos y en cualquier sitio web mantenido por el Distrito.

POR FAVOR TENGA EN CUENTA ADEMÁS que las peticiones de nominación de candidatos para miembros de la Junta de Educación y miembro de la Junta de la Biblioteca están disponibles en la Secretaría de dicho Distrito Escolar en su oficina en el Edificio de Administración, 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, Nueva York, 11561. Las peticiones de nominación deben ser presentado ante el Secretario del Distrito Escolar a más tardar el 26 de abril de 2023, entre las 9:00 a. m. y las 5:00 p. m., hora vigente. Las vacantes tanto en la Junta de Educación como en la Junta de la Biblioteca no se consideran cargos específicos separados; los candidatos corren en general. Las peticiones de nominación para el fideicomisario de la Junta de Educación deben dirigirse al Secretario del Distrito, deben estar firmadas por al menos 100 votantes calificados del Distrito; debe indicar el nombre y la residencia de cada firmante; y debe indicar el nombre y la residencia del candidato.

SE NOTIFICA ADEMÁS que las solicitudes de papeletas de voto en ausencia para las elecciones del distrito escolar deben completarse en un formulario prescrito por la junta electoral estatal y se pueden obtener visitando el sitio web del Departamento de Educación del Estado de Nueva York (http://www.counsel.nyse d.gov/common/counsel/fil es/absentee-ballotapplication-andinstructions-english.pdf; http://www.counsel.nysed .gov/common/counsel/file s/absentee-ballotapplication-andinstructions-spanish.pdf), o comunicándose con el Secretario del Distrito por correo electrónico a ldolan@lbeach.org o al 516-897-2108. El Secretario del Distrito debe recibir las solicitudes completas no antes del 17 de Abril del 2023 y al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección, el 9 de Mayo del 2023, si la boleta se enviará por correo al votante, o el día anterior a la elección, el 15 de Mayo del 2023, si la boleta se va a entregar personalmente al elector. El secretario del distrito debe recibir las boletas de voto en ausencia a más tardar a las 5:00 p. m., hora vigente, el Martes 16 de Mayo del 2023. Un listado de las personas a las que se les emitieron las boletas de voto en ausencia estará disponible para su inspección por parte de los votantes calificados del Distrito en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito a partir del Jueves 11 de Mayo del 2023, entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p. m.,

hora vigente, todos los días anteriores al día fijado para la elección anual, excepto el Domingo, y el 16 de Mayo del 2023, día fijado para la elección. Cualquier votante calificado que esté presente en el lugar de votación puede oponerse a la votación de la boleta por motivos apropiados, dando a conocer su impugnación y las razones por las cuales el Inspector de Elecciones antes del cierre de las urnas.

POR FAVOR TENGA EN CUENTA ADEMÁS que cualquier persona que no esté registrada bajo el registro personal permanente el 1 de Enero del 2018 o antes, o las listas de registro suplementarias proporcionadas por la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau, o que no haya votado en una elección del distrito escolar intermedio, debe presentarse o ella misma personalmente para registrarse para tener derecho a votar el 2 de Mayo del 2023 de 2:00 p. m. a 8:00 p. m.; en el vestíbulo del auditorio de la Escuela Media Long Beach, 239 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, Nueva York 11561.

POR FAVOR TENGA EN CUENTA ADEMÁS que cualquier persona que se haya mudado de un distrito escolar electoral en el Distrito Escolar de la Ciudad de Long Beach a otro, y que no se haya registrado en el nuevo distrito escolar electoral, y que todavía esté registrado en el distrito de donde proviene movido, puede votar en el distrito electoral en el que se registró. Dichas personas deberán informar, al momento de votar, a los inspectores electorales de su nuevo domicilio para corregir dicha inscripción.

POR FAVOR TENGA EN CUENTA ADEMÁS que solo aquellos votantes calificados cuyos nombres aparecen en los registros preparados para dicha elección del distrito escolar tendrán derecho a votar el Día de la Elección. El registro se archivará en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito y estará abierto a la inspección de cualquier votante calificado del distrito escolar de 8:00 a.m. a las 4:00 p. m. los días laborables del 2 de Mayo del 2023 al 16 de Mayo del 2023, y el Sábado 6 de Mayo del 2023, cuando estará disponible de 9 a.m. a las 12 del mediodía solo con cita previa.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que los votantes militares que no están actualmente registrados pueden solicitar registrarse como votantes calificados del distrito escolar. Se puede solicitar una solicitud de registro como votante

militar comunicándose con el secretario del distrito por teléfono (516) 897-2108, fax (516) 771-3944, correo electrónico ldolan@lbeach.org, correo a 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, NY, 11561, o en persona (durante el horario normal de oficina o entre las 8:15 a. m. y las 4:00 p. m.); la solicitud de registro debe recibirse en la oficina del secretario del distrito a más tardar a las 5:00 p. m. del 1 de Mayo del 2023. En la solicitud de registro, el votante militar puede designar su preferencia para recibir la solicitud de registro por correo, transmisión por fax o correo electrónico. Un votante militar que esté debidamente registrado puede solicitar una boleta militar solicitando un formulario de solicitud al Secretario del Distrito; para recibir una boleta militar, la solicitud de boleta militar debe recibirse a más tardar a las 5:00 p. m. del 2 de Mayo del 2023. En la solicitud de una boleta militar, el votante militar puede designar su preferencia para recibir la solicitud de boleta militar, y la boleta militar, por correo, transmisión por facsímil o correo electrónico. Todas las solicitudes de boletas de votantes militares calificados y boletas militares deben devolverse por correo o en persona. Las boletas para votantes militares se distribuirán a los votantes militares calificados a más tardar el 2 de Mayo del 2023. El Secretario del Distrito (1) debe recibir las boletas militares antes del cierre de las urnas, el Martes 16 de Mayo del 2023, y deben mostrar un marca de cancelación del servicio postal de los Estados Unidos o del servicio postal de un país extranjero, o debe mostrar un endoso de recibo fechado por otra agencia del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos; o (2) a más tardar a las 5:00 p. m. del día de la elección y estar firmado y fechado por el votante militar y un testigo, con una fecha que no sea posterior al día anterior a la elección. Una lista de las personas a las que se emiten las boletas militares estará disponible para su inspección por parte de los votantes calificados del Distrito en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito a partir del jueves 11 de mayo de 2023, entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p. m., hora vigente, todos los días anteriores al día fijado para la elección anual, excepto el domingo, y el 16 de mayo de 2023, día fijado para la elección. Cualquier votante calificado que esté presente en el lugar de votación puede oponerse a la votación de la boleta por motivos

apropiados, dando a conocer su impugnación y las razones por las cuales el Inspector de Elecciones antes del cierre de las urnas.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA ADICIONALMENTE que, de conformidad con una regla adoptada por la Junta de Educación de conformidad con la Sección 2035 de la Ley de Educación, cualquier referéndum o proposición para enmendar el presupuesto, o que de otro modo se someta a votación en dicha elección, debe ser presentada ante el Secretario de la Junta de Educación en la Oficina del Distrito, Edificio Administrativo, 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, Nueva York 11561, con tiempo suficiente para permitir que el aviso de la propuesta se incluya con el Aviso de la Audiencia Pública, Votación del Presupuesto y Elección requerida por la Sección 2004 de la Ley de Educación o antes del 17 de Abril de 2023, a las 4:00 p. m., hora vigente; debe estar escrito a máquina o impreso en el idioma inglés; debe dirigirse al Secretario del Distrito Escolar; debe estar firmado por al menos 25 votantes calificados del Distrito; y debe indicar legiblemente el nombre de cada firmante. Sin embargo, la Junta Escolar no considerará ninguna petición para presentar a los votantes ninguna propuesta cuyo propósito no esté dentro de los poderes de los votantes para determinar, que sea ilegal, o cualquier propuesta que no incluya una asignación específica donde el gasto de la proposición requiere dinero, o cuando existe otra razón válida para excluir la proposición de la boleta.

Fechado: Lido Beach, New York 21 de Marzo del 2023

Por Orden de la JUNTA DE EDUCACIÓN DEL DISTRITO ESCOLAR DE LA CIUDAD DE LONG BEACH Lido Beach, Nueva York Lori Dolan, Secretaria del Distrito 138458

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING, BUDGET VOTE AND ELECTION OF THE LONG BEACH

CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

NASSAU

COUNTY, NEW YORK NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing on the proposed school district budget will be held on May 9, 2023 at 7:30 P.M. in the Long Beach Lido Elementary School Multipurpose Room, 239 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, New York, and can also be viewed remotely at tinyurl.com/proudtobeLB; for the transaction of business as authorized by the Education Law, including the following items:

1. To present to the voters a detailed statement of the amount of money which will be required for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

2. To discuss all the items hereinafter set forth to be voted upon by voting machine at the Budget Vote and Election to be held on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

3. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting pursuant to Education Law of the State of New York and acts amendatory thereto.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a copy of the statement of the amount of money required for the ensuing year for school purposes (school budget) exclusive of public monies may be obtained by any district resident beginning May 2, 2023, between the hours of 8:00AM and 4:00PM, prevailing time, except Saturday, Sunday or holidays at the Office of the District Clerk, 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, New York, at Long Beach Public Library, at 111 West Park Avenue, Long Beach, New York, and on the District’s internet website. A copy of the statement of the amount of money that will be required for the Library purposes exclusive of public money will be available at the Long Beach Public Library and the Library’s district clerk’s office for the year beginning July 1, 2023.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that said Budget Vote and Election will be held on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at the school election districts indicated below, between the hours of 7:00AM and 9:00PM, prevailing time, at which time the polls will be opened to vote by voting machine upon the following items:

1. To adopt the annual budget of the School District for the fiscal year 2023-2024 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District.

2. To elect two members of the Board of Education

Public Notices

for a three (3) year term commencing July 1, 2023, and expiring on June 30, 2026, to fill the positions held by Dennis Ryan and Maureen Vrona, whose terms expire on June 30, 2023.

3. To vote on the following proposition:

CAPITAL RESERVE FUND EXPENDITURE PROPOSITION

“SHALL THE BOARD OF EDUCATION be authorized to appropriate and expend: a sum not to exceed $5,200,000.00, representing monies from the 2018 Capital Improvement Fund for the following purposes: replace and relocate hot water heating pipes throughout the crawl spaces of Long Beach Middle School; install new Uni-ventilators for fresh air, heating and cooling for locations included in Phase 2; remove and replace four HVAC units at Long Beach High School; and replace the kitchen sewer line and the sidewalk on the east side of Lindell Elementary School as well as preliminary and other costs incidental thereto?

(Because the funds to be expended hereunder are from the referenced Capital Reserve Funds, approval of this proposition will not require a tax levy upon the real property of the district.)”

4. To adopt the annual budget of the Long Beach Public Library for the 2023-2024 school year and authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the school district.

5. To elect one (1) trustee of the Long Beach Public Library for a five (5) year term commencing on July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2028.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE that, per resolution of the Board of Education adopted on February 8, 2022, this vote and election will be held at the following school election districts (the accurate description of the boundaries is on file and may be inspected at the Office of the District Clerk, Administration Building, 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, New York 11561):

LINDELL SCHOOL

ELECTION DISTRICT

LINDELL SCHOOL

GYMNASIUM

601 LINDELL BOULEVARD, CITY OF LONG BEACH

This election district embraces the territory bounded on the West by a line parallel to and sixty (60) feet westerly from Malone Avenue, on the North by Reynolds Channel, on the East by the center line of Long Beach Boulevard and on the South by the Atlantic Ocean.

EAST SCHOOL ELECTION

DISTRICT

EAST SCHOOL

GYMNASIUM

456 NEPTUNE

BOULEVARD, CITY OF LONG BEACH

This election district embraces the territory bounded on the West by the center line of Long Beach Boulevard, on the North by Reynolds Channel, East to the easterly bounding line of the City of Long Beach, and on the South by the Atlantic Ocean.

LIDO/MS SCHOOL

ELECTION DISTRICT

LIDO COMPLEX

AUDITORIUM LOBBY

239 LIDO BOULEVARD, LIDO BEACH, NEW YORK

This election district embraces the territory of the area known as Lido Beach, bounded on the West by a line commencing due east of the City of Long Beach, on the North by Reynolds Channel, on the East by the easterly boundary line of Point Lookout and on the South by the Atlantic Ocean.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS

HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law, the School District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value of the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted by the statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) and the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted. In addition, said exemption report shall be posted on any bulletin board maintained by the District for public notices and on any website maintained by the District.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE that petitions nominating candidates for Board of Education trustees and Library Board trustee are available from the Clerk of said School District at her office in the Administration Building, 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, New York, 11561. Nominating petitions must be filed with the Clerk of the School District not later than April 26, 2023, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., prevailing time. Vacancies on both the Board of Education and the Library Board are not considered separate, specific offices; candidates run at large.

Nominating petitions for Board of Education trustee must be directed to the District Clerk, must be signed by at least 100 qualified voters of the District; must state the name and residence of each signer; and must state the name and residence of the

candidate.

NOTICE IS FURTHER

GIVEN that applications for absentee ballots for the school district election are to be completed on a form prescribed by the state board of elections and may be obtained by visiting the New York State Education Department’s Website (http://www.counsel.nyse d.gov/common/counsel/fil es/absentee-ballotapplication-andinstructions-english.pdf; http://www.counsel.nysed .gov/common/counsel/file s/absentee-ballotapplication-andinstructions-spanish.pdf), or by contacting the District Clerk by email at ldolan@lbeach.org or 516-897-2108. Completed applications must be received by the District Clerk no earlier than April 17, 2023 and at least seven (7) days before the election, May 9, 2023, if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, May 15, 2023, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. Absentee ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. A list of persons to whom absentee ballots are issued will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the Office of the District Clerk on and after Thursday, May 11, 2023, between the hours of 8:00a.m. and 4:00p.m., prevailing time, on each day prior to the day set for the annual election, except Sunday, and on May 16, 2023, the day set for the election. Any qualified voter then present in the polling place may object to the voting of the ballot upon appropriate grounds by making his or her challenge and the reasons therefore known to the Inspector of Election before the close of the polls.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that any person who is not registered under permanent personal registration on or before January 1, 2018, or supplemental registration lists furnished by the Nassau County Board of Elections, or has not voted at an intervening school district election, must present himself or herself personally for registration in order to be entitled to vote on May 2, 2023 from 2:00pm to 8:00pm; at Long Beach Middle School Auditorium Lobby, 239 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, New York 11561.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that any person who has moved from one school election district in the Long Beach City School District to another, and who has not registered in the new school election district, and who is still registered

in the district from which he or she moved, may vote in the election district in which he or she registered. Such people must advise, at the time of voting, the election inspectors of his/her new address to correct such registration.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that only those qualified voters whose names appear on the registers prepared for said school district election will be entitled to vote on Election Day. The register will be filed in the District Clerk’s Office and open to inspection by any qualified voter of the school district from 8:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. on weekdays from May 2, 2023 to May 16, 2023, and Saturday May 6, 2023, when it will be available from 9 A.M. to 12 Noon by appointment only.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the school district. An application for registration as a military voter can be requested by contacting the District Clerk by telephone (516) 897-2108, facsimile (516)771-3944, email ldolan@lbeach.org, mail to 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, NY, 11561, or in person (during regular office hours or between the hours of 8:15 AM to 4:00 PM); the application for registration must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 pm on May 1, 2023. In the request for an application for registration, the military voter is permitted to designate his/her preference for receiving the application for registration by mail, facsimile transmission or electronic mail.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE that military voters who are qualified voters of the district may submit an application for a military ballot by requesting an application form from the District Clerk; in order to receive a military ballot, the military ballot application must be received no later than 5:00 pm on May 1, 2023. In the request for an application for a military ballot, the military voter is permitted to designate his/her preference for receiving the application for a military ballot, and the military ballot, by mail, facsimile transmission or electronic mail. All qualified military voters’ ballot applications and military ballots must be returned by mail or in person. Ballots for military voters shall be distributed to qualified military voters no later than May 2, 2023. Military ballots must be received by the District Clerk (1) before the close of the polls, on Tuesday,

May 16, 2023, and must show a cancellation mark of the United States postal service or a foreign country’s postal service, or must show a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government; or (2) not later than 5:00 pm on the day of the election and be signed and dated by the military voter and one witness, with a date ascertained to be not later than the day before the election.

A list of persons to whom military ballots are issued will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the Office of the District Clerk on and after Thursday, May 11, 2023, between the hours of 8:00a.m. and 4:00p.m., prevailing time, on each day prior to the day set for the annual election, except Sunday, and on May 16, 2023, the day set for the election. Any qualified voter then present in the polling place may object to the voting of the ballot upon appropriate grounds by making his or her challenge and the reasons therefore known to the Inspector of Election before the close of the polls.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to a rule adopted by the Board of Education in accordance with Section 2035 of the Education Law, any referenda or propositions to amend the budget, or otherwise to be submitted for voting at said election, must be filed with the Clerk of the Board of Education at the District Office, Administration Building, 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, New York 11561, in sufficient time to permit notice of the proposition to be included with the Notice of the Public Hearing, Budget Vote and Election required by Section 2004 of the Education Law or on or before April 17, 2023, at 4:00 p.m., prevailing time; must be typed or printed in the English language; must be directed to the Clerk of the School District; must be signed by at least 25 qualified voters of the District; and must legibly state the name of each signer. However, the School Board will not entertain any petition to place before the voters any proposition the purpose of which is not within the powers of the voters to determine, which is unlawful, or any proposition which fails to include a specific appropriation where the expenditure of monies is required by the proposition, or where other valid reason exists for excluding the proposition from the ballot.

Dated: Lido Beach, New York, March 21, 2023

By Order of the BOARD OF EDUCATION OF

THE

LONG

BEACH

CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Lido Beach, New York

Lori Dolan, District Clerk 138456

cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the auction.

MARK RICCIARDI, Referee. LEVY & LEVY, Attys. for Pltf., 12 Tulip Dr., Great Neck, NY. #100312 139293

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BY THE BOARD OF APPEALS

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT: NASSAU COUNTY. FERNANDO CUNHA, Pltf. vs. ANNIE BEST, et al, Defts. Index #614985/2021. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered March 8, 2023, I will sell at public auction on the north side front steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on June 6, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., prem. k/a 260 West Hudson Street, Long Beach, NY a/k/a School District 28, Section 59, Block 56, Lot 15. Approx. amt. of judgment is $8,045.25 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Foreclosure auction will be held “rain or shine.” COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing, cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the auction.

MARK RICCIARDI., Referee, BRONSTER, LLP, Attys. for Pltf. 156 West 56th Street, Ste. 703, New York, NY. File No. 307580.176- #100298 139295

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE OF THE BUNGALOW SERIES IV TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. TOWNE-HOUSE APARTMENTS AT LIDO BEACH CONDOMINIUM, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to New York State Town Law Article 16, New York State Public Officers Law Article 7, and the Town of Hempstead Building Zone Ordinance, NOTICE is hereby given that the BOARD OF APPEALS of the Town of Hempstead will hold a public hearing in the Old Town Hall, 350 Front Street, Room 230, Second Floor, Hempstead, New York on 5/17/23 at 9:30 A.M. to consider the following applications and appeals:

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NASSAU COUNTY. L & L ASSOCIATES HOLDING CORP., Pltf. vs. CLIVE MALCOLM CAMPBELL, et al, Defts. Index #607507/2022. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered Mar. 22, 2023, I will sell at public auction on the north front steps of Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on June 6, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. prem. k/a Section 34, Block 269, Lots 155-158. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale and the right of the United States of America to redeem within 120 days from the date of sale as provided by law. Foreclosure auction will be held “rain or shine.” If proper social distancing

Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 16, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on June 8, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 750 Lido Boulevard, Unit 85A, Lido Beach, NY 11516 a/k/a 750 Lido Boulevard, Unit 85A, Long Beach, NY 11516 a/k/a 750 Lido Boulevard, Unit 101, Lido Beach, NY 11516 a/k/a 750 Lido Boulevard, Unit 101, Long Beach, NY 11516. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being a part of the condominium near the City of Long Beach, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 60, Block 91 and Lot 4U together with an undivided 0.4106 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $316,559.88 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #007591/2016. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale.

Michael W. Alpert, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No. 202865-1 139214

THE FOLLOWING CASES WILL BE CALLED STARTING AT 9:30 A.M. 300/23. - 302/23. POINT LOOKOUT - Joseph & Lorraine Cifarelli, Variances, height, exceeds number of stories, lot area occupied, front yard average setback, side yard, side yards aggregate, rear yard, construct 3 story dwelling; Use variance, height, construct detached garage with storage above; Variances, lot area occupied, side yard, construct outside shower attached to proposed garage., W/s Inwood Ave., 375’ N/o Beech St., a/k/a 79 Inwood Ave. 303/23. - 305/23. LIDO

BEACH - Jean Surowiec, Maintain 6’ high fence forward of dwelling; Maintain masonry wall forward of dwelling varying in height from 3’8” to 5’4” high, which may substantially obstruct line of sight; Variance, side yard, maintain two (2) A/C units attached to dwelling., N/s Lido Blvd., 2,283.70’ E/o Buxton St., a/k/a 495 Lido Blvd. ALL PAPERS PERTAINING TO THE ABOVE HEARING ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION AT THE BOARD OF APPEALS, TOWN HALL, 1 WASHINGTON STREET, HEMPSTEAD, NY 11550. This notice is only for new cases in Point Lookout & Lido Beach within Town of Hempstead jurisdiction. There are additional cases in different hamlets, towns and villages on the Board of Appeals calendar. The full calendar is available at https://hempsteadny.gov/ 509/Board-of-Appeals

The internet address of the website streaming for this meeting is https://hempsteadny.gov/ 576/Live-Streaming-Video Interested parties may appear at the above time and place. At the call of the Chairman, the Board will consider decisions on the foregoing and those on the Reserve Decision calendar and such other matters as may properly come before it.

139433

Drivers adjust to toll hikes on A.B. Bridge

By HERNESTO GALDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com

When the Nassau County Bridge Authority raised its tolls on the Atlantic Beach Bridge at the beginning of the year, Robert Sanchez, a Long Beach resident and an Uber driver, changed his daily routine.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

Notice of formation of ELANA AXELROD LCSW, PLLC, a professional limited liability company, Arts. Of Org. filed with the Secretary of State of the State of NY (SSNY) on 11/30/2022. Office location: Nassau County. SSNY has been designated for service of all process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to the PLLC, 236 East Broadway, Apt 4P, Long Beach, NY 11561. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

139481

YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the Surrogate’s Court, Nassau County, at 262 Old Country Road, Mineola, New York, on June 14, 2023 , at 9:30 o’clock in the forenoon of that day, why the account of Public Administrator of Nassau County, a summary of which has been served herewith, as Administrator of the estate of Dorothy Stiehler , should not be judicially settled.

[X] Further relief sought (if any):

1.Releasing and discharging the Petitioner from all liability, responsibility and accountability as to all matters set forth in the account of proceedings;

and

7.Granting such other and further relief as to the Court is just and proper.

Dated, Attested, and Sealed, April 28, 2023

Seal HON. MARGARET C. REILLY

Margaret C. Reilly, Surrogate

/S/ Debra Keller Leimbach

Debra Keller Leimbach, Chief Clerk

Richard T. Kerins, Esq.

Attrney Name Mahon, Mahon, Kerins & O’Brien, LLC

Firm

(516) 538-1111

Telephone

254 Nassau Blvd. , Garden City South, New York 11530

Address

V. JAMES S.H. LEE, ET. AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated December 16, 2022, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau, wherein U.S. BANK N.A. AS TRUSTEE ON BEHALF OF THE HOLDERS OF THE J.P. MORGAN MORTGAGE ACQUISITION CORP.

2006-FRE1 ASSET BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES

2006-FRE1 is the Plaintiff and JAMES S.H. LEE, ET AL. are the Defendant(s).

Sanchez, who has a degree in economics from Binghamton University, has always loved driving, and he applied to Uber in 2014 to see if it might be the career for him.

“Nobody knew about Uber when I started, so you really couldn’t do any business on Long Island,” he recalled. “You had to really commute into Manhattan if you wanted to get any business.”

For Sanchez, that meant using the Atlantic Beach Bridge. “The bridge is really the fastest way if you were starting off in the morning,” he said.

LEGAL NOTICE CITATION

SURROGATE’S COURT, NASSAU COUNTY

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK,

By the Grace of God Free and Independent

TO:

Bonnie Hibscher Hamilton Grassi & Co.

Jasper Surety Attorney General of the State of New York and any and all unknown persons whose names or parts of whose names and whose place or places of residence are unknown and cannot after diligent inquiry be ascertained, distributees, heirs-at-law and next-ofkin of the said Dorothy Stiehler, deceased, and if any of the said distributees named specifically or as a class be dead, their legal representatives, their husbands or wives, if any, distributees and successors in interest whose names and/or places of residence and post office addresses are unknown and cannot after diligent inquiry be ascertained

A petition having been duly filed by Public Administrator of Nassau County, who is domiciled at 240 Old Country Road, Mineola, New York 11501, United States.

2.Allowing the commissions of the Petitioner in the amount of $ 23,082.40 pursuant to SCPA 2307(1) and the reasonable and necessary expenses of the office in the amount of $ 6,434.60 pursuant to SCPA 1207(4);

3.Fixing and determining the attorney’s fees and disbursements of Mahon, Mahon, Kerins & O’Brien, LLC attorney for petitioner in the amount of $ 40,289.38, of which $ 4,289.38 has been paid and $ 36,000.00 is unpaid;

4.Fixing and determining the accounting fees of Grassi & Co, CPA’s, PC in the amount of $ 10,175.00, of which $ 4,175.00 has been paid and $ 6,000.00 is unpaid;

5.Releasing and discharging the surety;

6.Directing each of you claiming to be a distributee of the Decedent to establish proof of your kinship, and show cause why the balance of said funds should not be paid to said alleged distributees upon proof of kinship or deposited with the New York State Comptroller on account for the unknown next of kin of Dorothy Stiehler, decedent, should said alleged distributees default herein or fail to establish proof of kinship;

NOTE: This citation is served upon you as required by law. You are not required to appear. If you fail to appear it will be assumed that you do not object to the relief requested. You have a right to have an attorney appear for you, and you or your attorney may request a copy of the full account from the petitioner or petitioner’s attorney.

139479

I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the NORTH SIDE STEPS OF THE NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on June 13, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 146 SCHOOL LANE, LIDO BEACH, NY 11561: Section 60, Block 69, Lot 20:

ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING AT LIDO BEACH, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK

In January, tolls on the bridge rose from $2 to $3 for passenger vehicles, and from as low as $4 to as high as $16 for trucks. The cost of the popular annual decals issued by the Nassau County Bridge Authority increased from $130 to $199 for vehicles registered in Nassau County, and from $175 to $349 for those registered elsewhere.

On a typical day before the increases went into effect, Sanchez picked up riders in Long Beach, or across the bridge in Far Rockaway or other parts of Queens, and drove them into Manhattan. At the end of his shift, he came back across the bridge to get home.

ROBERT SANcHEZ resident

tems Integration, a service that specializes in electronic toll systems, to get E-ZPass up and running.

Sanchez doesn’t approve of E-ZPass for the local bridge, because of the jobs that will be lost. “Eventually they’ll get rid of the toll operators,” he said. “… The bridge is one of the few bridges that have live people.”

LEGAL NOTICE SUPREME COURT OF THE

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 604011/2018. Malachy Lyons, Jr., Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY

Now, when the day starts for him and he checks the Uber app in his apartment, he prioritizes Long Beach Uber riders and is less inclined to respond to those on the other side of the bridge. Over the course of his day, if he is headed to or from Manhattan, he goes the long way, taking Long Beach road and the Southern State and Belt Parkways in order to avoid the bridge, and the higher tolls.

Sanchez, who cannot purchase a yearly decal because his Toyota Camry is listed as a commercial vehicle, now buys a 20-trip card — whose prices jumped from $15 to $30 at the beginning of the year — every two to three months.

“I changed my driving habits completely,” he said. “I usually got the card every three to four weeks and spent $15 roughly a month.”

Along with the toll increases, the bridge authority also announced the implementation in mid-2023 of the E-ZPass system on the Atlantic Beach span. Last month, authority board commissioners told the Herald they had reached an agreement with TRMI Sys -

It remains to be seen whether the toll hikes will impact beach-bound traffic through the Five Towns, or nearby businesses on either side of the bridge, during the peak summer months. One employee at Atlantic Beach Café Deli, who declined to give his name, said that, so far, business had not suffered.

“Some people prefer to come through Oceanside instead of taking the bridge,” he said. “But some other people don’t mind and just pay to pass by, but it might affect people who won’t come in if the toll is so high.”

In February, two petitions were created on change.org that called on the bridge authority to rescind the toll increases, and make its financial statements public. More than 2,000 people have signed them.

The Herald reached out to the bridge authority for a comment but did not respond as of press time

One signee commented that the new tolls would prevent her from going to restaurants in Atlantic Beach. “I like to go to the restaurants over there like Beginnings,” Alian Spielman wrote, but “at that price, I’m not going to go anywhere.”

Have an opinion on the Atlantic Beach Bridge toll hikes? Send a letter to jbessen@liherald.com.

Herald file photo

TwO pETiTiONS wERE created on change.org that call on the Nassau County Bridge Authority to detail the reasons for the toll hike and to be transparent with its finances.

i changed my driving habits completely.

Courtesy Robert Sanchez LONG BEAcH RESiDENT and Uber driver Robert Sanchez, seen here outside the bridge authority headquarters, says the toll hike is unfair for him, and he has taken alternate routes to avoid the bridge.

H ebrew Academy of Long Beach seeks educators to join our exceptional school faculty in fostering a culture of academic exploration and excellence and dedication to spiritual, intellectual, and personal growth of all students. We are currently looking for candidates in the following divisions:

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To learn more about our school community, please visit www.halb.org. We look forward to hearing from you! Please send resumes or inquiries to resumes@halb.org

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EDITOR/REPORTER

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

The award-winning Herald Community Newspapers group, covering Nassau County's North and South Shores with hard-hitting news stories and gracefully written features, seeks a motivated, energetic and creative editor/reporter to join our dynamic (and awesome) team! This education and general assignment reporting position offers a unique experience to learn from some of the best in the business. Historically, reporters who have launched their careers with us have gone on to The New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, the New York Daily News, New York Post, CNN, BBC, NBC News and The Daily Mail, among many others. We look for excellent writers who are eager to learn, enhance their skills, and become well-established and respected journalists in our industry. To apply: Send a brief summary in the form of a cover letter describing your career goals and what strengths you can bring to our newsroom, along with a resume and three writing samples to mhinman@liherald.com

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LIBRARY CIRCULATION CLERK P/T

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

Call 516-569-4000 X286

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PRESS-ROOM/WAREHOUSE HELP

Long Island Herald has IMMEDIATE openings for a FULL-TIME Pressroom/warehouse helper in Garden City. We are a busy print shop looking for a motivated and reliable individuals to assist in various duties in the shop. Forklift experience is a plus and heavy lifting is required. Hours vary, so flexibility is key. Email resumes or contact info to careers@liherald.com

RECEPTIONIST - FULL TIME

Receptionist (full-time) needed for Publisher and Self-Storage Facility located in Garden City. The ideal candidate should have excellent communications and customer service skills, be professional, dependable and have reliable transportation. Candidate should have computer knowledge and working knowledge of MS Office. Candidate MUST be reliable, punctual and be able to work a CON-

SISTENT schedule:

Monday and Wednesday 8am to 4pm

Tuesday and Thursday 8am to 6pm Friday 8am to 5pm

Job Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Answering phones and greeting customers, assisting new customers by showing storage facility options and pricing, collecting payments from customers, contacting customers for late payments, applying payments and updating the customer files /data base and other general administrative responsibilities on an as needed basis. Hourly pay, plus eligible for Holiday Pay, PTO, Medical, Dental, 401k with company matching, plus other benefits. Qualified candidates should email their resume, cover letter and salary requirements. No phone calls please. Job Type: Full-time.

Salary: $15.00 /hour

Email your resume to: careers@liherald.com

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Gil Shemtov

The Tripodi Shemtov Team

Douglas Elliman Real Estate 30A W. Park Avenue Long Beach 516.835.3333

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Can our flat roof be fixed?

Q. My house, from 1963, has a flat roof we can walk on, stairs leading up to it and walls all around for safety. Over the years, we’ve noticed ceiling stains at the edges. Recently the stains spread to the middle of the room. We know it should be fixed, and three roofing companies over the past five years have told us they fixed it. There are deck boards lying on the roof. How do we solve this problem? One suggested he come back and use colored water in different spots until the ceiling stains turn color. Before we do such a thing, do you have any other ideas?

Ask

The Architect

A. Flat roofs are a special kind of system, with less room for error than an angled roof. There are several components, and each one is there to create a seal and work with natural conditions, such as expansion and contraction due to temperature changes and sun radiation bombardment; infiltration due to humidity, rain, snow and ice; wind uplift under extremes such as hurricanes and tornadoes, and, in your case, foot traffic. Unless all of these conditions are accounted for, the roof will potentially stretch and tear away from the exterior parapet walls you described, causing small linear rips or even gaping holes that let water seep in. The tiniest opening, even microscopic, will allow water to accumulate in your ceiling and walls below.

Water management must also be planned into the roof. Try to look at original plans of the house design to see specific details that may or may not have been followed. Other than details, look to see if slope arrows, showing which way the water is supposed to be directed, are on the plans, especially with very low-slope, nearly flat, roofs, then look to see if the drains are clear and in the right places according to the plans.

You may need to consult a design professional or roof system manufacturer’s representative to see if the system is installed correctly. They also look for seam details, the wall-to-roof connections, the drain flashings (to be sure they’re sealed and redundantly overlapping) and whether you have the right kind of roof material for the location.

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The school board: Not always polite, but indispensable

So you’re looking for a way to give back to your community?

Maybe burnish your resume for a future run for public office?

Look no further than your local education board.

Next week, on Long Island’s own “Super Tuesday,” every school district will hold a budget vote and school board trustee election.

It’s a big deal for schools and the communities — and aspiring politicians.

People who run for a seat on their school board are a different breed.

They have extraordinary drive, experience and altruism.

They’re uber-volunteers who spend any free minute with all manner of community nonprofits. They coach Little League, do homework with their own kids while cooking dinner, then race to a PTA meeting. They comb through agendas and scour budgets line by line. They’re on social media, plugging an upcoming fundraiser or highlighting a concern.

These folks are the backbone of a community. They deal with stuff like the rest of us — bills, grocery shopping, sick kids at home, deaths in the family — while donating their free time. It can be a rewarding experience to be directly involved in making your school a better place for kids.

But there should be a warning label on the trustee petition — a seat on an education board is a meatgrinder.

I’ve covered education on Long Island for almost two decades. I’ve been to more school board meetings than therapy could force me to remember.

There have been threats, tantrums, screaming, fistfights, secret recordings, security escorts — a bonanza of TMZ-worthy behavior. A former Long Island education board trustee had his car plastered with cupcakes for siding against sugary snacks in class.

Board meetings are open to the public and draw people from every corner of a community. Democracy’s strength is that every person is represented, and every person has rights. The strength of an education board — on Long Island, at

least — is direct and local control of schools. The state dictates an awful lot to schools, but districts have a lot of say in how they run them.

The openness of a BOE meeting, however, comes with risk. A few neighborhood cranks see a public meeting as their chance to flourish. They yell, hurl insults, smash furniture, post vitriol on social media. And for the most part, a trustee has to sit there and take it.

The work is admirable, and often overwhelming. There is no pay. You have to be a fiscal guru, an educational policy wonk, a legal expert, a skilled negotiator, and tireless at hours-long meetings and events.

Most trustees are well-meaning neighbors, but boards also draw aspiring political operatives. These are people who crave power and influence.

It’s no secret that an education board is a practice field for future politicians. No wonder political hacks come forward with wide grins and extended hands, the gleam of potential influence in their eyes.

Power, you say? As a volunteer on a

local school board?

Yes, sir. Boards control massive amounts of money. True, most of the budget is dedicated to predetermined salaries and retirement and health care obligations. But there are millions of dollars doled out through contracts. School officials try to spend that money locally, so local companies get rewarded with contracts — and school board trustees curry goodwill.

I truly laud people who sit on education boards — even those angling for political influence. Despite the negatives, every Long Island community needs a board with dedicated trustees.

It’s not thankless work, but at times it can devolve into pettiness, vendettas and innuendo. It takes a person with true desire to help the schools while being able to stomach the nastiness.

So keep this in mind next Tuesday as you vote for your local school budgets and trustees. And, if you’re thinking of running for a seat on the school board next year, remember this sports adage: Go hard, or go home.

Mark Nolan is the editor of the Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald and the Malverne/West Hempstead Herald. He taught high school English for 11 years. Comments? mnolan@liherald.com.

As the virus ebbs, rules — and reporting — shift

Who says the coronavirus pandemic isn’t a global emergency anymore?

WHO says. The World Health Organization announced last week that the pandemic is officially no longer an emergency. In practical terms, that means that the intensity of monitoring will change in response to a declining number of cases worldwide.

WHO added, “The virus is evolving and remains a global health threat, but at a lower level of concern.”

spreading Covid, and some are hospitalized, and hundreds are dying, thought that’s down from thousands just a year ago. That’s very good news, unless you’re among those who catch the virus on its way out. The obvious but unstated caveat is that the virus is leaving a massive trail of loss and dislocation.

children and grandchildren were abruptly blocked, and education in any meaningful sense was altered. Did you see the recent reports on eight-graders’ knowledge of history? Are you reading about the absenteeism and school anxiety and behavioral problems as schools try to get back to business?

enough to carry without that fear. I don’t know that anyone has looked at a possible connection between the pandemic and the shooting epidemic, but both land on children as horrific and scary facts of life over which they have absolutely no control.

RANDI KREISS

Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said, “We fully expect that this virus will continue to transmit … In most cases, pandemics truly end when the next pandemic begins.” He acknowledged that that wasn’t an entirely reassuring observation. Our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it would curtail some of its monitoring and reporting on Covid-19, but would “continue to keep our eye on the Covid-19 ball,” according to Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDC’s principal deputy director. Every day, people are still catching and

The history of the pandemic in America is grim. In an ironic twist on American exceptionalism, we can claim to be the country where the coronavirus has been deadlier than anywhere else in the world. We lost more than 1 million of our family members, friends and neighbors. More than a million Americans who expected to grow up or grow old or find their life’s work or set out on adventures. More than a million mothers, fathers, grandparents, sisters and brothers died from a virus that wasn’t traveling the world five years ago.

We all want to move on, and pick up our school, travel and job plans, but I look over my shoulder and I see a million reminders that life is both precious and perilous.

As we move forward, I know we can’t go back to the future we expected. We have been changed by these three years of isolation and anxiety. The paths of our

Our children and our grandchildren are carrying stuff in their backpacks not appropriate for consumption by minors. Weeks and months of isolation from friends, classroom learning and school routines are losses that will burden them for some time.

We send these kids, whom we claim to love more than life itself, back to schools where they sat as second- or thirdgraders behind plastic shields. We expect them to somehow set aside the sounds and images of death and dying.

The mental health crisis among kids is well documented and well publicized, but I don’t see that it is being addressed in a robust way across the country. We need a national Peace of Mind Corps that will get out into our communities to offer mental health care where it is needed.

And yes, we must pass gun laws that would alleviate the daily threat of violence in our classrooms. Our kids have

Some people I know feel cheated by the pandemic. People in their 70s and 80s, approaching retirement and planning to use their free time to explore other activities, found themselves locked down for three years, and often locked away from family and friends. One friend said to me, “Losing three years of being out in the world is painful anytime, but losing those years when you’re older is sad.”

There are too many what-ifs surrounding Covid-19 to count. If then President Donald Trump had moved faster against the threat, we might have avoided the catastrophic losses. If officials hadn’t put politics before common-sense protocols like masking and universal vaccinations, lives would have been saved. If we hadn’t evolved into a society where science became suspect, more Americans would have survived.

But here we are. Even as we grieve our losses, we can support the agencies and services that provide mental health care to children and teens. We can do two things at once: honor the dead and support the living.

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

I look back and see a million reminders that life is both precious and perilous.

I’ve been to more board meetings than therapy could force me to remember.

Phone: (516) 569-4000

Fax: (516) 569-4942

Your school vote matters, so use it wisely

Next Tuesday, May 16, is the day that eligible voters across New York state can vote on school district budgets; on referenda that will direct money to capital projects or set aside funds to do so in the future; and for board of education trustees.

Do not waste this valuable opportunity to have your voice heard.

But there’s one vital caveat: Please understand what you are doing when you cast your ballot.

If you are concerned about how much money your district plans to spend, find out what the budget consists of before you vote. You can typically find information on the district’s website, or through reporting here in the pages of your local newspaper.

However you vote, understand that your decision has an impact.

Recently, a few parents in the HewlettWoodmere school district, along with parents in a couple of Suffolk County districts, were upset about personal questions, and some about politics, their children were being asked in classrooms. Some Hewlett-Woodmere parents threatened to vote “no” on the proposed fiscal plan. That, of course, is their choice.

letters

Loved the letter to D’Esposito

To the Editor:

I would like to applaud Claudia Borecky’s “Open letter to Rep. Anthony D’Esposito” in last week’s Herald. Borecky’s letter reflected good old-fashioned common sense as well as the outrage many of us feel toward those who allow mass shootings to continue under the “protection” of the Second Amendment.

I’m tired of listening to regular reports of mass shootings taking place all over the country. Assault rifles don’t belong in the hands of private citizens. If they want to defend themselves, their loved ones or their homes, let them get training and licenses to own simple pistols. Let’s make everyone’s safety a priority.

Will we see busloads of migrants?

To the Editor: Two wrongs don’t make a right. New

If a majority of voters reject a district budget, however, the district must either hold a second vote, offering the same spending plan or a revised one, or adopt what is called a contingency budget.

At one time, a contingency budget — then called an “austerity” budget — was restricted to a 4 percent spending increase.

Contingency budgets typically trim what is known as “low-hanging fruit” — funding for student activities such as sports, the arts — from music to theater — and clubs. Administrators, teachers, custodians and other district employees with union contracts are unaffected. The students — the ones mandated by law to attend school and receive an education, in the hope that they will become productive members of society — are the ones most severely impacted by a budget failure.

Are we saying don’t vote “no” on a school budget? In a word, no. But understand the implications of both a yea and nay vote.

Review the district literature. Read the local media. And remember that board trustees are elected. Connect with them and ask them questions — the ones running for re-election as well as the

candidates who are challenging them.

Remember, a key factor in this equation is that it’s your money. Your dollars, and those of other taxpayers, support the schools.

Do all you can to hold the trustees elected to represent you accountable, and to make sure they are holding the people they hire — superintendents, principals and other administrators — accountable as well.

When considering whom to vote for in contested — and even unopposed — trustee elections, learn about the candidates. How long have they been on the board? What have they done? What has a challenger done to illustrate his or her interest in this unpaid, volunteer position? What are the candidates’ views on important issues?

Know where you should go to vote. If you don’t, call your district, or consult its website.

School district budget votes and board elections might not attract the attention of elections at higher levels of government, but that doesn’t make them any less critical. In the days remaining before next Tuesday, do your part. Be an informed, intelligent and responsible voter.

Adams turns around to send some of the same illegal

immigrants to motels in Rockland and Orange counties, rented by the city. Will Adams soon do the same for Nassau and Suffolk counties?

York City Mayor Eric Adams criticizes Texas gov. greg Abbott for busing thousands of illegal migrants to New York. Now

My unexpected medical adventure

Ihad never spent more than one night in a hospital or been confronted by serious illness, so my recent surgery for stomach cancer and six-day hospital stay were a life-altering experience. Fortunately, it turned out well. I am all too aware that every day, many thousands of people have medical situations more serious than mine, and not all end well.

Mine began innocuously enough. In 2017 I developed acid reflux, something fairly common and usually very treatable. An endoscopy done by Dr. Michael Barth, a gastroenterologist and a good friend, turned up nothing.

As a routine update, we did another endoscopy in March. Going into it, I didn’t give it a second thought. Just another test that guys my age go through. Just checking the box. I was surprised when Barth told me he had found a protrusion in my stomach wall. He thought it was probably benign, but recommended that I see Dr. Arvino Trindade, a specialist at Northwell Health.

Trindade scheduled a biopsy for April 10, at Long Island Jewish hospital. I had to be there at 5:30 a.m. For Irish guys, hospitals are intimidating enough at any time, but especially in the early-morning dark. Melissa Zimmerman, a retired Nassau County police detective who was on my security detail when I was in Congress, offered to drive Rosemary and me to the hospital.

Before I was taken into the operating

room, Trindade told me he was pretty sure there was nothing there. The next thing I knew, I was waking up and he was telling me there was a tumor, and the odds were that it was malignant. That should have been shocking news, but he was professional and calm, assuring me it could easily be removed. Nothing to worry about.

A few nights later, I woke up at around 3 a.m., and it hit me that I probably had cancer. Then, four days after the biopsy, Barth and Trindade called to confirm it: The tumor was malignant, and the surgery would be done at LIJ by Dr. Matthew Weiss, a premier surgeon. Weiss called and told me all looked good for complete success. “Enjoy the weekend,” he said. That night, Rosemary and I had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Manhattan with Melissa and her husband, Lance.

The following Tuesday I met Weiss, who told me the surgery would be on April 24. He was confident that it would go well. It turned out that his college roommate was a son of Frank Macciarola, whom I’d gone to St. Francis College with and who later became president of the college. Small world. I took it as a good sign.

I went to pre-op appointments at Northwell, and saw my cardiologist in Manhattan to get clearance for the operation. With a day to go, I started on a liquid diet, Jell-O being the closest thing to solid food.

Once again, Melissa drove Rosemary and me to the hospital. The Northwell admissions people couldn’t have been friendlier. By 6:30 a.m. I was dressed in my hospital outfit, lying on a gurney with

an intravenous tube in my arm, answering questions from doctors and nurses, including the ones you’re asked 100 times: name, date of birth, surgery you’re there for. Sometimes I had to spell my name.

Then I was wheeled into the operating room, a science fiction-style enclosure filled with doctors, nurses, bright lights and a table with what seemed to be an endless supply of knives and scissors. An epidural was painlessly inserted in my spine, and an anesthesia mask placed over my face.

The next thing I knew, I was in the recovery room, and Rosemary was saying that Weiss had told her all had gone well. I felt pain across my stomach, but nothing severe.

Soon I was in my own room. There was no steady pain as long as I lay motionless, but any attempt to move, or even reach for something, was very painful. Every day, though, the pain receded. The day after the surgery, I was walking up and down the hall. I slept pretty well at night, despite being awakened every few hours to have my blood pressure taken and blood drawn.

Each morning began with a team of doctors coming through at about 6:30 to ask how I was doing and to take turns admiring the 9-inch-long scar from my chest to my navel. Their words of praise made me feel proud, almost as if I had something to do with it. Weiss came by several times, always upbeat and reassuring — a total pro.

Northwell chief executive Michael Dowling, whom I’m proud to work for as a Northwell consultant, visited me for almost an hour, and we chatted about

everything from my surgery to County Limerick’s hurling team in Ireland. Besides Rosemary, who was there for hours each day, visitors included my son, Sean, my daughter, Erin, my sister, Barbara (a nurse), NCPD Commissioner Pat Ryder, former Deputy Commissioner Bill Flanagan, the Zimmermans, and former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Fred Cambria. There were phone calls from Mets greats Ed Kranepool and Art Shamsky and getwell wishes from political luminaries including Joe Cairo, Bruce Blakeman, Al D’Amato and Jay Jacobs. The warmest conversation was with my grandson Jack.

The most unexpected call came from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Representatives Anthony D’Esposito, Andrew Garbarino and Nick LaLota, who had a layover in Shannon Airport, in Ireland, on a trip to Jordan and Israel. I almost felt as if I were back in Congress.

Five days after the operation, I walked out of the hospital unassisted.

I can’t say enough about the people at Northwell, especially the nurses and aides who did everything to make me comfortable and keep me relaxed. Northwell was top shelf before, during and after this entire process. (For those who might wonder, I was covered by Medicare and Rosemary’s insurance plan. I gave up congressional insurance 20 years ago. It was too expensive.)

Now I’m home and feel great. No real pain; just soreness. I’m eating well, and walking a few blocks each day. Weiss expected an almost full recovery in three to four weeks. There were some tense moments along the way, but I’m a lucky guy.

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

The real solution involves securing our southern border with Mexico. Under President Biden’s watch, millions of illegal immigrants have crossed. Now more are attempting the same at our Canadian border. Department of Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas has the nerve to claim the border is secure. With the ending of Title 42, which afforded us the opportunity to send many illegal immigrants back to their home countries, the situation will only grow worse. Regardless of how you feel about former President Trump, under his watch the flow of illegals was less and border security better.

We have spent billions to help Ukraine secure its border against the Russian invasion. It’s time we spend whatever it takes to secure our borders with Mexico and Canada.

LARRy PENNER Great Neck

Democrats favor felons over disabled veterans

To the Editor:

First our Democratic state government gave us bail reform, which puts the criminals back on the street before police officers complete their paperwork, and Democratic district attorneys lower felony charges or completely dismiss them.

Now the Democrats, who also decriminalized marijuana, have given over 200 licenses to open stores and sell marijuana to convicted felons who were mostly drug dealers. Not one disabled veteran has received a license. In the eyes of our Democratic elected officials, convicted felons are more important than disabled veterans.

STEvE GROGAN Lynbrook

Framework by Tim Baker

Grabbing an armload at Class Night — West Hempstead

the next thing I knew, I was waking up and being told there was a tumor.

Grogan is a retired federal agent, a former Lynbrook village trustee and a veteran.