Long Beach
Community uPDate infections as of Dec. 16
1,471
infections as of Dec. 9 1,319
HERALD Also serving Point Lookout & East Atlantic Beach
new rabbi in long Beach
Covid vaccine comes to nassau
remembering Pearl Harbor
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DeCemBer 17- 23, 2020
Vol. 31 no. 51
Future of MLK Center remains up in the air As relations chill, meeting was set for Thursday to iron out differences public’s help in reopening the center and discussing its future. The City of Long Beach and “This is a blatant lie, seemrepresentatives of the Martin ingly intended to confuse and Luther King Ceninflame the pubter have been quilic,” the council etly holding onsaid in its stateand-off talks for ment, and called months aimed at on Moore to reopening the retract it. facility, which norLong Beach mally serves chiland MLK officials dren, adults and have lately been seniors but has discussing offerbeen closed since ing the center, on March for failing Riverside Bouleto provide a corovard, a lease n av i r u s s a f e t y arrangement that plan. would require it O n T u e s d a y, t o p ay m o d e s t however, relations rent. The center grew testy when uses the building, the City Council which is owned by a c c u s e d A n i s s a City CounCil the city, but has Moore, its former statement not been paying president, of rent. The officials “intentional fabriwere set to meet cations” and making an “outra- on Thursday in the hope of geous claim that the council finalizing an agreement. intends to convert the building Moore expressed outrage at into condominiums.” the council’s statements. She A few weeks ago, Moore said she had sent out a petition issued a petition asking for the Continued on page 3
By James Bernstein jbernstrein@liherald.com
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Christina Daly/Herald
Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel . . . The Dancing Dreidel Duo, Yaakov Shaul Weinfeld and Moshe Goodman, entertained the crowd with their moves while the menorah was lit at Kennedy Plaza in Long Beach on Sunday.
New top cop in Long Beach By James Bernstein jbernstein@liherald.com
The City of Long Beach made it official Tuesday night, saying it had hired Ron Walsh, a veteran Nassau County police official, as its next police commissioner. City Council President John Bendo announced Walsh’s hiring at the council’s regular meeting. Walsh, chief of support for the NCPD, replaces interim commissioner Phil Rag-
ona, who announced his departure last week. Ragona had come out of retirement five months ago to head the 60-member force. In all, Ragona had been with the Long Beach department for 34 years. He resigned when it became apparent that Walsh would be getting his job. “We extended an offer to a police commissioner candidate,” Bendo said at the virtual meeting. “Ron Walsh will be joining
us from the Nassau County Police Department. He will be our next police commissioner.” Bendo said that Walsh, 55, hadn’t even been added to the city payroll last week when he “sprang into action” after Long Beach’s computer systems were hacked, offering advice and support to get them working again. The City Council also voted to make use of more advanced Microsoft systems in the hope of Continued on page 3
nissa Moore made intentional fabrications and outrageous claims that the council intends to convert the building into condominiums.