Long Beach
HERALD Also serving Point Lookout & East Atlantic Beach
A way to honor veterans
long Beach celebrates fall
Kids learn about fire safety
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OCTOBER 22 - 28, 2020
VOl. 31 NO. 43
Still looking for a place to park City Council raises an issue that’s been just that since the 1940s By JAmEs BERNsTEiN jbernstein@liherald.com
Courtesy Ryan Watson
An Olympic skill session U.S. Olympian Amanda Kessel joined the Junior Rangers Girls’ Hockey at the Long Beach Arena for a skills session on Oct. 16. Kessel is a key ambassador of the program. More photos, Page 24.
Apparently, Long Beach’s parking crunch dates back nearly 80 years. Back in the 1940s, the then city manager said that finding a parking spot was “tenuous,” at best, noted Rich Berrios, an assistant Long Beach corporation counsel, speaking at a recent City Council work session. Asked to describe the degree of difficulty of finding a parking spot in Long Beach — and particularly in the densely populated West End — Sam Pinto, a local civic leader, paused a
moment, and then said, “The problem is overwhelming.” At the work session two weeks ago, council members raised the issue of parking, and discussed the possibility of creating more spaces in town, or installing meters in the central business area. Long Beach has 11 municipal lots, containing just under 300 parking spaces. A permit for a space costs $50 a year. The lots along Park Avenue are commercial, and parking is timed. No permit is required. No decisions were made on what to do about the parking situation, but council members Continued on page 3
From L.B. apartment, producer uses pod-given talents By AlyssA sEidmAN aseidman@liherald.com
When Dar ren Paltrowitz explains his beginnings in the entertainment industry, an image of Cameron Crowe’s cult classic “Almost Famous” comes to mind. In 1997, at age 16, the Long Beach resident and Bellmore native started writing for Long Island Entertainment, a North Bellmore-based publication founded by John Blenn, the former editor of Good Times magazine. Although Paltrowitz, now 38, said it was considered “totally uncool” to be creative at John F. Kennedy High School in the late
’90s, he followed his dreams to tour with his musical heroes and document their journeys, just as Crowe’s protagonist, William Miller, did. “He was incredibly enthusiastic, confident and poised for a young man of his age,” Blenn said. “He was very plugged in to the third wave of Long Island and Queens artists that were coming up, and was very personable with the talent.” Kennedy faculty also praised the writer’s work ethic, he said. When Paltrowitz interviewed rapper Flava Flav in 1998, his 11th-grade English teacher, Todd Andrews, taped the article to the classroom door. And
when Paltrowitz’s band booked a gig at the American Legion Hall on Royle Street, his drama teacher, Sean Llewellyn, volunteered to run the sound. Throughout his career, Paltrowitz wrote and worked in the music industry — he served as general management for OK Go and They Might Be Giants, consulted up-and-coming artists and helped bands land record deals overseas. Having spoken to countless musicians, actors, athletes, comedians and celebrity chefs for a number of outlets over the years, he built a reputation as a prolific interviewer. And today, as touring and concert-going remain on hold amid
the coronavirus pandemic, Paltrowitz said he has not let Covid-19 kill his creativity. In the summer of 2018, the “Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz” debuted on Apple Podcasts, in partnership with V13 Media. Paltrowitz produces the biweekly program from his Long Beach apartment, each episode a reflection of his
expansive interests. “It’s high-brow and lowbrow,” Paltrowitz said. “I talk to people who make serious art, but on my show they come across as funny, relaxed, warm people. It’s a different sort of interview that’s quick, so listeners can delve into other interviews — they use me as a startContinued on page 3