Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald 01-12-2023

A neighborhood grill is sold

High costs affected McQuade’s in Lynbrook

By BEN FiEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

Jim McQuade sold his business, McQuade’s Neighborhood Grill, and things are going to get “ugly” in Lynbrook.

After 15 years of serving the Lynbrook community, McQuade sold his eatery to James Laurelli of Ugly Phil’s Brewing, who plans to transform the business later this year.

The news was shared on Facebook on Jan. 5. The post garnered reactions from hundreds of people who supported the restaurant. People were upset to see the business go, but wished McQuade the best of

luck on his future endeavors. McQuade’s reasoning to sell the business goes all the way back to the coronavirus pandemic.

“During the pandemic, restaurants took a huge hit and even after, people were still not going out to eat as often or booking parties like we were used to,” McQuade said.

“The restaurant was very large with two catering rooms and we cut back hours of operation due to staffing shortages and other Covid-related issues. Increasing costs, staffing shortages, wages and overall inflation coupled with the decrease in sales made us feel it was the right time to sell.”

After 15 years of running the restaurant,

All ages are welcome at dance center

By BEN FiEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

MaryAnn and Nanci Grasso’s business danced into the heart of Lynbrook.

MaryAnn Grasso founded Dance Workshop in 1979. She later took on her daughter, Nanci Grasso, as a partner in the business. The business was on Merrick Road for decades until the two decided to move to 16 Atlantic Ave. about a year ago.

“We loved our previous location, but it was time for a lease renewal,” Nanci Grasso said. “And we were in the middle of Covid so we thought it would be a good time to double down on our business.” She decided to expand the store to a much larger space on the second floor of 16 Atlantic Ave.

welcomed them with open arms.

“Our families and our community have been so supportive,” Nanci said. “Especially the other businesses on Atlantic Ave. like Vincent’s and Lynbrook Bagels. They’ve really welcomed us and hopefully we’re stimulating the local economy.”

Nanci pointed out the parents can drop their children off at the Dance Workshop and then go grab a bagel or run some errands. She said business has been great since moving, but business was successful before the move.

NANCi GRASSo

“I think it was meant to be,” Nanci said about moving her store. “It was the only space that we looked at and as soon as we laid eyes on it, we knew it was meant to be ours.” Since the move, the community has

The primary focus of the Dance Workshop is to offer dance classes for children and adults.

“We offer tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, lyrical, competitive dance,” Grasso said. “We’re also dancing at Brooklyn Nets games during halftime at the Barclays and put on performances at Hofstra University as well.”

Dance Workshop also puts on performances for the Christ-

Courtesy Jim McQuade

Jim mCQUAdE wiTh his four grandchildren, Luca, Sienna, Dylan and Madison.

we’ve been a mainstay for many decades and we continue to do that.

Schumer promises push for tech, environment

By JAMES BERNSTEIN jbernstein@liherald.com

Chuck Schumer has three goals for the new year: improve mass transit, ensure water and air quality are safe, and promote high technology on Long Island.

The New York Democrat who maintained his role as majority leader in the U.S. Senate after last year’s mid-terms, told more than 1,000 people attending last week’s Long Island Association breakfast in Woodbury that he has, in the past two years, secured federal money to help the Metropolitan Transportation Authority recover from the worst of the Covid pandemic, while still getting money earmarked to protect the Long Island Sound and even clean up aging lead pipes.

The event at Crest Hollow Country Club was LIA’s annual State of the Region gathering that attracted both movers and shakers, as well as elected leaders like the executives from both Nassau and Suffolk counties. Schumer’s participation comes after he was elected to a fifth six-year term in the upper chamber of Capitol Hill, defeating Joseph Pinion, a conservative columnist who claimed Schumer had been in office too long with too little to show for it.

But history is written by the victors, and Schumer had a lot of history to share.

“We had one of the most productive legislative sessions in years,” the senator

said, ticking off a list of legislative wins that included his role in shepherding through President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill, as well as securing $15 billion for the MTA, which operates the Long Island Rail Road.

“No one was riding the trains” during the pandemic, Schumer added.

“For the first time, New York state got back more money that it gave out,” the senator said, referring to the give-andtake of funding with the federal government. New York has traditionally been a “giving” state, meaning its federal dollars usually went to help other states. This past year, the state was more of a receiver.

How productive the next two years will be is a big question. Republicans took control of the U.S. House — but only by a slim margin. That might mean pushing through bills that could win over at least some moderate Republicans.

One of those efforts will focus on improving transportation. The MTA funding, for example, would pay for repairs and upgrades of cars, tracks and electronic systems. Money also would be directed to portions of the Sunrise Highway in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Another $5 million will build a transit hub in Ronkonkoma.

Schumer also budgeted $106 million to clean up Long Island Sound, and that’s just the beginning. He also plans to use $60 million to help remove some of the contami-

nants from the Long Island aquifer.

Yet, the Senator sounded most enthusiastic about a project to install electricitygenerating windmills off Long Island’s South Shore — likely within the next few years.

Equinor, a multibillion-dollar Norwegian conglomerate specializing in petroleum, hopes to build a wind energy farm just a few miles off the coast with a substation delivering power directly to Island Park — a plan that has aroused controversy with neighbors.

The $3 billion project must still pass a plethora of bureaucratic hurdles, however.

“Long Island will be the capital for offshore wind,” Schumer said, “not just in New York, but across the country.”

The senator also wants to promote two of Long Island’s largest high-technology institutions — Brookhaven National Lab and SUNY Stony Brook.

“Long Island can be the center for (microchip) production and manufacturing,” Schumer said. “BNL and Stony Brook are at the cutting-edge of technology.”

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, told the Herald there was more in the works for this part of Long Island as well. He’s heard chatter about a strong interest in securing a casino, possibly at the Nassau Hub.

But for that to happen, anyone developing it would need to make sure the facility is first acceptable to the community.

“We wouldn’t be interested in anything but a first-class hospitality venue with a casino,” Blakeman said.

Additional reporting by Daniel Offner.

Daniel Offner/Herald U.S. SEN. ChUCk Schumer told the Long Island Association last week he would seek to promote the environment, transportation and technology this term.

Returning to art, through a camera lens

East Rockaway resident makes a splash in the art world

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

Katelyn Reddy, an East Rockaway resident, helped curate an interactive art exhibit at Emerson College.

The exhibit, which was located at 25 Avery St. in Boston from Nov. 30 to Dec. 19., showcased art by different mediums, including photography, scripture, digital video, and animation. The exhibit was part of the college course, “Curating Contemporary Art.” Reddy along with 15 other undergraduate students were in charge of the entire exhibit.

“We were responsible for all aspects of the exhibition including loan agreements, exhibition design, educational materials, a website, social media, and press materials,” Reddy said. According to Reddy, “the exhibit challenges audiences to reconstruct the way we live with nature, through interactions, self-reflection, and observation.”

The class had a total of two months to prepare for this exhibit. “We brainstormed some general thematic ideas and once we received all of the submissions, we organized them under shared thematic elements,” Reddy said. The theme for the exhibit was voted in November where the class decided on “Human v. Nature.”

“While I helped in picking out the artists/artwork and theme, I was closely involved with the design group,” Reddy said. “We focused on the overall appearance of the exhibit and other visual elements like the print design for the brochures, graphic design for the assets used in social media and our title logo, and any vinyl decorations used throughout the gallery space of the exhibit.”

Reddy believes that the quote by her peer, Chenyue Yang, encapsulates the

theme. The quote is, “Humans can be giants of science, yet dwarfs of Mother Nature.” The creativity of this exhibit is what stood out to Reddy the most and drew her to participating in this project.

“I really especially loved our art exhibition because it was like a celebration of the natural world through creatives who truly appreciate life,” Reddy said. “We had diverse art, artists, and curators working on this.” Such artists included intersectional identities, different major, studies, varying backgrounds, and experiences.

Despite the success of the exhibit, Reddy and her classmates experienced some challenges along the way. “It was a bit stressful to get this completed, but also so exciting and rewarding,” Reddy said. “We had the first half of the semester to learn about curating and then the secondhalf to curate the exhibition. I can’t speak for everyone, but personally I wish we had more time.”

For Reddy, participating in the exhibit brought her great amounts of joy. “I’ve been creating art all my life and didn’t understand what art curation was until Fall 2022 when I took my college class,” she said. “The last interaction I had with art was in East Rockaway High School when I took AP Art and had to create two portfolios of artwork.”

After enrolling in Emerson, Reddy’s main focus has been on filmmaking so she was happy to get involved in art again. “In 2022 I’ve helped create 10 short films and 2 music videos so I’ve really been missing out on drawing and painting and just the arts in general,” Reddy said. “Although I didn’t create any art of my own, being surrounded by art and getting involved in the art world again felt so comforting.”

aN INTERacTIvE sculpTuRE presented at the Emerson art exhibit.

somE oF ThE art pieces displayed at the exhibit.

a TElEvIsIoN scREEN displaying digital artwork.

aRTwoRK dEpIcTIoNs, FRom the top down, of plastic waste being recycled, duck laying eggs, and the general public saying it’s okay to eat genetically modified foods.

Photos courtesy Katelyn Reddy KaTElyN REddy sTaNdINg by the beginning of the art exhibit that she helped curate.

One way people can get the new tax year off to a good start is by checking their federal income tax withholding. They can do this using the Tax Withholding Estimator on IRS.gov.

Before using the Tax Withholding Estimator it can be helpful for taxpayers to gather applicable income documents including their pay stubs; Forms W-2 from employers to estimate their annual income; Forms 1099 from banks, issuing agencies and other payers including unemployment compensation, dividends, distributions from a pension, annuity or retirement plan; Form 1099-K, 1099-MISC, W-2 or other income statement for workers in the gig economy; Form 1099-INT for interest received; and other income documents and records of virtual currency transactions. These documents are not needed to use the estimator but having them handy will help taxpayers estimate 2023 income and answer other questions asked during the process. The Tax Withholding Estimator results will only be as accurate as the information entered by the taxpayer. People with only pension income should not use the Estimator. Those with wage income can account for current or future pension income. People with more complex tax situations should use the instructions in Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax. This includes taxpayers who owe alternative minimum tax or certain other taxes, and people with long-term capital gains or qualified dividends.

Brewery owner buys eatery

there are plenty of things McQuade is going to miss. “I will miss the day-today operations and seeing familiar faces,” he said. “I enjoyed getting to know people and seeing everyone especially after the pandemic kept many people away.”

The decision to sell the business was not easy, but as the costs went up, McQuade felt like it was the right time to sell.

“It was inevitable that prices would go up, but we didn’t want to lose our loyal customers who loved coming regularly with their families,” McQuade said.

Although this decision was difficult, he is honored to have the support of the community.

“Lynbrook is an amazing town,” McQuade said. “From the mayor’s office, to town hall, other local businesses, the police and the fire departments, we always have been thankful for those friendships and partnerships. We’ve partnered with the town over the

years for many fundraisers and events. We’ve also been honored several times as business of the year.”

Now that the business was sold, McQuade plans on taking it easy. He said he’ll be enjoying time with his family and relaxing a bit more. In the spring, he will get ready for golf season.

“Many of the staff were sad, but also looking forward to something new, McQuade said. “Several have stayed on.”

Steve Martinez, who frequented the restaurant throughout the years, said, “Everyone was always friendly. It was just a nice neighborhood place and it will definitely leave a void, but at least the new brewery thing sounds trendy.”

Without knowing much about the new business owners and what the restaurant will transform into, Martinez still has a positive outlook on the future of the establishment.

“Businesses come and go, but I’ll always hope for success to anyone who sets up shop in Lynbrook,” he said.

Another frequent patron, Laura Laria, says she visited the restaurant every other month. She said she was there for “many occasions like birthdays, and their Sunday brunch was great.” Laria also had her grammar school reunion in the back room of the restaurant a few years ago.

“The vibe and atmosphere was family-oriented and is what many places are missing and just don’t have the soul for the restaurant business,” Laria said. “People go not only for the food but the entire experience.”

According to Laria, the “family-oriented” atmosphere was due, in part, to the workers at the restaurant. “From the hostesses to the waitress’s and helpers, all were kind, engaging and made you feel welcomed,” she said. For this reason alone, Laria’s “heart sank” when she read the Facebook post about the restaurant being sold.

“I am not into the bar or brewery scene as I enjoy going to restaurants and eateries instead,” Laria said. “It will be a sad loss in Lynbrook.”

News brief

Dinner to honor outstanding people

The Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce is hosting An Evening of Excellence on Jan. 19.

The event will take place at the Coral House in Baldwin at 70 Milburn Ave. from 6-10 p.m. The event, which is sponsored by Daikan and Orlin & Cohen Orthopedic Group, promises dinner, dancing, and more. Several people will be honored.

Sean Murphy and John Donald, of the Lynbrook Police Department, will be among the honorees. Also receiving

recognition will be

merce.

As stated on the chamber’s website, “Our Evening of Excellence will showcase Lynbrook’s greatest contributors. Come out for a fun-filled evening of celebration and surprises.”

— Ben Fiebert

Courtesy Jim McQuade

Jim mcQuade with John Quiñones of ABC’s ‘What Would You Do?’ The show made use of the restaurant several times.

continued from front page

Frank Pignataro, of Rivermill Tavern; Harold Reese, for lifetime achievement; Lynbrook School District Superintendent Melissa Burak; and Cory Hirsch, the president emeritus of the Chamber of Com

Herald ScHoolS

West End Elementary scholars show off their cultural roots

The eclectic array of cultural backgrounds present at West End Elementary School was on full display as students showed off their carefully curated mini museums.

Cultures of countries from around the globe were represented in students’ displays made up of various artifacts and items. At home, students assembled a

wide variety of objects that were passed down through family generations, which represented their cultural roots. The cultural displays were presented inside decorated boxes sporting the flags and colors of their countries. Students also prepared information about their cultural background to be shared with visitors.

NewS brief

Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick sworn in to Senate

Newly-elected State Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick was officially sworn into office. Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick was ceremonially sworn in by her father, former Mayor of Malverne Joseph Canzoneri.

Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick was elected to the 9th Senatorial District seat in November with 56.1% of the vote. She is a former Malverne trustee, deputy mayor, budget director, police commissioner and fire commissioner.

Happy New Year to all!

There have been significant changes in the law in a number of areas as of January 1, 2023.

The gift tax exclusion, which many people still think is $15,000, is now $17,000, up from $16,000 in 2022. Each person may give up to $17,000 to as many people as they want to without incurring any Federal gift tax liability and without using any of their Federal estate tax exemption at death.

Speaking of the Federal estate tax exemption, that has been raised from $12,060,000 to $12,920,000. Since the exemption amount is adjusted for inflation, and inflation was high in 2022, there was a large jump. Same for the New York estate tax exemption which jumped from $6,110,000 to $6,580,000.

The higher Federal exemption is due to tax reform initiated by President Trump commencing in 2016. Fiscal restraints required that the higher Federal exemption expire after ten years. At the end of 2025 then the Federal exemption is slated to return to

New York levels. Since you can use any of your now almost $13,000,000 per person as a tax-free gift while you are living, many savvy clients have moved and are continuing to move family wealth to trusts for their children. Often, the parents choose to maintain control of these trusts, and they not only get the assets out of their estate while the getting is good, they also get all of the growth on those assets out of their estate.

Medicaid rates have changed so that an individual who needs care, either at home or in a nursing facility, may keep up to $28,133.00 in assets. If one spouse is at home, and the other spouse is in a nursing home, the spouse at home may keep up to about $150,000 in assets. The value of the home, up to $1,033,000 is exempt from Medicaid if a spouse is living there (while the other is in a facility) or for an individual receiving Medicaid for home care.

Finally, the age at which an individual must take their IRA required minimum distribution has been raised from age 72 to 73.

Photos courtesy Lynbrook Public Schools

From leFt, West End Elementary School students Adriana Matos, Alisha Khurram, Celeste Torero-Bazalar, Lily Elena and Ella Bosiacki shared their projects on their cultural backgrounds.

From leFt, livia Cavanagh, Grace Jiang and Rory O’Neil presented their cultural roots to their peers.

courtesy Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick state senator Patricia CanzoneriFitzpatrick with her father, former Village of Malverne Mayor Joseph Canzoneri.

Attorney advertising

spotlight athlete

Herald sports

Rocks defeat West Hempstead

By viNCeNt MatUla sports@liherald.com

A tight contest on Jan. 3 between West Hempstead and East Rockaway swung in favor of the Rocks as they pulled away in the second half, winning the Nassau Conference B girls’ basketball matchup by a final of 37-26.

JaMes DesiMoNe

Clarke Senior Basketball

a thiRD-YeaR vaRsitY starter, DeSimone is a major part of Clarke’s impressive 9-1 start. An All-County selection last season after earning a Nassau coaches award in the Covidshortened campaign, he’s averaging close to 16 points per game to go along with 4.4 assists. He’s scored in double digits in every game so far while hitting 21 three-pointers. He hit for a seasonhigh 23 against Long Beach on Dec 5.

gaMes to WatCh

Friday, Jan. 13

Boys Basketball: G.N. North at Sewanhaka 5 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Lynbrook at Plainedge 5 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Friends Academy at V.S. South 5 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Hewlett at Carey 5 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Long Beach at New Hyde Park 5 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Plainedge at Lynbrook 5 p.m.

Boys Swimming: Long Beach at Jericho 5 p.m.

Girls Fencing: Valley Stream at Hewlett 5 p.m.

Girls Basketball: East Rockaway at Malverne 5:30 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Malverne at East Rockaway 6:30 p.m.

Boys Basketball: South Side at Garden City 6:45 p.m.

Boys Basketball: East Meadow at Baldwin 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Plainview at Oceanside 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Jericho at Calhoun 7 p.m.

saturday, Jan. 14

Wrestling: Baldwin Tournament 9 a.m.

Wrestling: V.S. Central Tournament 9 a.m.

Boys Basketball: Wheatley at West Hempstead 12 p.m.

Boys Basketball: V.S. Central at Port Washington 12 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Oceanside at Plainview 12 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Baldwin at East Meadow 12 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Farmingdale at Freeport 12 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Seaford at Carey 12 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Port Washington at V.S. Central 12 p.m.

A big reason for East Rockaway’s ability to close the game out late was the play of freshman Maya Motherway. She scored 11 of the team’s 13 points in the fourth quarter and played strong defense against West Hempstead’s All-County player Chance Mingo, holding her to just one point. Motherway continues to exhibit a strong work ethic in her second varsity season.

“Maya is a very hard working player,” Rocks head coach Cheri Poland said. “She puts a lot of extra time in. She’ll come before practice and stay after to get shots up.”

It was a dominant showing by Poland’s daughter, junior Emma Poland, who put together a triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks. Her and Motherway have been leading the way so far this season with their play on both ends of the court.

“They work well together and push each other to be better,” coach Poland said. “They’re more experienced than some of the other players, so they really have been able to put the team on their back.”

After leading by one at halftime, West Hempstead was outscored 22-10 in the second half after scoring 10 in the second quarter alone. The Rams got away from their strategy, but were not given many opportunities to score either.

“They mixed up their defenses and rebounded really well,” West Hempstead head coach Chris Van Kovics said. “We struggled offensively and didn’t get to the foul line much.”

The Rams were led by senior Gianna Cardillo’s seven points, but have been led by Mingo throughout the season. Mingo will look to be a big piece for West Hempstead down the stretch after being held in check by East Rockaway.

“She has to do a little bit of everything for us,” Van Kovics said. “We tried to give her as many looks as possible, but we struggled to do that.”

Only two other players scored for East Rockaway (Sophia Pappas and Sofia Tizio) in the contest. Along with Pappas and Tizio being key pieces going forward, the Rocks will also need others to be scoring options down the stretch, the coach said.

“We need more scoring from everybody,” Poland said. “I would like to be able to go deeper into the bench.”

Just one member on East Rockaway’s roster is a senior (Natalia Wilkerson), making this season a prime opportunity for the team to grow and build to be a true contender in Class B next winter.

“We’re working this year to build everything for next year,” Poland said. “I think next year we’re going to be in a really good situation.”

The Rocks have now won two straight after dropping nine of their first 10, while West Hempstead falls below .500 with a 2-3 overall record. The teams meet again at East Rockaway on Feb. 2.

Paul Grassini/Herald

FReshMaN MaYa MotheRWaY led the Rocks’ 37-26 road win at West Hempstead on Jan. 3 with 11 fourth-quarter points.

Healthy outlook for a healthy year

NResolve to achieve a better you in 2023

ew Year’s resolutions are full of expectations. Common goals like eating healthier or losing weight are admirable, but there are plenty of other goals you can set in 2023 as well, like upping your sleep regimen, talking with a friend every day, or going on more walks.

Since the emergence of Covid, it has become more essential than ever to take care of yourself and enhance your immunity. In addition to physical health, mental health is equally important. Many people make New Year’s resolutions that they soon forget. It can be due to a lack of commitment, self-doubt, or unrealistic goals.

So, start by making short-term and realistic goals you can achieve without putting too much pressure on yourself. Once you list what you want to achieve this year, stick to it and believe in yourself to accomplish them.

Exercise more

Much like changing a diet, exercising is often seen as a means to weight loss. While that’s a positive side effect of daily exercise, daily or frequent exercise is an all-around health benefit.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, exercise helps lower the risk of heart disease and hypertension by 40 percent while lowering the risk of depression by 30 percent. In addition, men and women with a family history of diabetes should know that regular exercise lowers their risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly 60 percent. So while exercise is a great means to losing weight, it’s even better at helping reduce the risk for serious disease.

When incorporating exercise into a daily routine, start slowly and gradually work your way up to more vigorous exercise regimens. Going full speed from the outset is a great way to increase risk of injury, and no one wants that.

Find 30 minutes a day to walk

Getting the recommended 30 minutes of exercise each day can be as simple as taking a walk. If you’ve got a busy schedule, take three 10-minute walks throughout your day.

“That’s 10 minutes before work, 10 minutes at lunch and then 10 minutes after work. Make it fun! Grab a partner at work to get you through your lunch routine. Then have a friend or family member meet you for an evening stroll,” suggests physical therapist Stacie Page.

Your diet matters: healthy and well-balanced is achievable

This year, promise to eat right. Choose whole foods instead of packaged ones. Crash diets and eliminating foods from your daily intake can deprive you of needed nutrition and may not be effective in the long run.

Keep your mental health in check

Mental health is as vital as physical health, and it needs attention. The daily stress of life and other factors may lead to serious health issues, including depression and anxiety. Mental health issues can make it hard for you to cope with everyday life and interfere with your work and relationships.

If you feel something is wrong, believe your instinct and get help. Practicing self-care techniques can also help combat mental health issues. Try to find the positives and adopt habits that can benefit your well-being, such as meditating.

Manage stress

Stress is a cause of many serious illnesses, such as heart disease. It can negatively impact your physical and mental health. Stress can become regular if you are always busy or have other problems related to finances or relationships. It is crucial to take steps to manage your stress. You can manage stress through meditation, exercise, or other relaxation techniques.

Sleep well

Improve the quantity and quality of your sleep. Getting enough sleep enhances your health by ensuring the smooth functioning of your body. It is also critical that you have a sound sleep. Regular interruptions can disrupt your sleep pattern, causing low energy and fatigue during the day. Getting a good night’s sleep is definitely something you should add to your 2023 checklist.

Limit social media usage and screen time

Just as you’ve decided to finish a task or go to sleep, you receive a social media notification alert. As you check the notification, something else catches your attention, and before you know it, you’ve spent an hour doomscrolling. Invariably, this leaves you feeling worse than before. If this resonates with you, you are not alone.

Social media, particularly when used for long hours, is reported to have contributed to an increased risk of a variety of mental health concerns like anxiety and low mood. This could be because of social comparison, isolation and cyberbullying. It also increases screen time, which can impact sleep and leave you less time to engage in other activities. Reducing your social media usage might help your anxiety, depression, loneliness, sleep problems and the fear of missing out.

Practise meditation and mindfulness

Meditation and mindfulness give you space to pause and reflect, allowing you to slow down and increase your emotional awareness, in a chaotic and bustling world. In fact, practising meditation and being mindful can help you in improving emotional regulation, reduce physical pain and alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. Meditation and mindfulness require consistent effort. Starting with mindfulness for even one minute every day can be helpful. You can slowly increase the time as you see fit. Mindfulness and meditation apps like have also proven to be useful in improving mental health.

Create (and keep) those resolutions

Taking a good, hard look at daily behavior is the key to setting realistic self-improvement goals

The early Babylonians believed that what people did on the first day of the year affected what they did for the rest of that year. Many of us see the New Year as a perfect opportunity to start over or to change bad habits.

According to several surveys, the most popular resolutions people make are related to health and fitness (eating better, losing weight, and exercising), reducing consumption of alcohol, caffeine, quitting smoking, and becoming more financially responsible by promising to spend less and save more.

Unfortunately, over 70 percent of resolutions are broken by the end of January, and this can leave a person feeling discouraged.

You might even consider New Year’s resolutions like romantic relationships: They’re easier to start than maintain.

One in four people who makes a New Year’s resolution will drop out within the first seven days, statistics show. About half jump ship within six months.

Resolutions are complicated, and being able to achieve them usually requires taking a hard look at our thoughts and behaviors. Setting goals keeps us on track, but stamping out old habits is difficult, and may even require the help of a professional for some.

But there’s hope.

Striving for self-improvement and setting goals for ourselves gives us a sense of purpose and hope for the future. Be sure to make your goals a priority, be specific, and work at them daily.

Your goal should be specific and measurable. Make your goal concrete, and if necessary, break it down into smaller steps.

Setting vague goals such as “I want to lose weight” can be ineffective. Instead, ensure your resolution is quantifiable. If your goal is to shed some pounds, identify the number you’d like to lose within a specified period of time. If your aim is to exercise more in 2023 set a specific objective for the number of hours you’ll work out each week.

Or, if your resolution is to consume fewer carbohydrates, resolve to eat carbohydrates only at one meal per day rather than resolving to eliminate carbohydrates entirely. Once you are successful, begin to decrease your consumption further.

Don’t set unrealistic resolutions that will be impossible to keep. If you resolve to eat healthier by cutting down on desserts, switch to an alternative you enjoy rather than forcing yourself to eat a vegetable you’ve hated since childhood. For example, swap ice cream for Greek yogurt or fruit rather than raw cauliflower sprouts (unless you enjoy them, of course).

Be nice to yourself. Changing habits isn’t easy, so you’re likely to struggle at some point in your journey. Take it easy. Minor bumps are normal. The important part is jumping back on the bandwagon and continuing momentum forward.

Write your resolution down and put it somewhere where you can see it on a daily basis. This will help you to stay focused.

Keep it manageable. Keep the scope of your New Year’s resolution practical by working toward changing one or two behaviors at a time.

Have coping strategies in place to deal with obstacles that may arise along the way. For example, if your goal is to drink less alcohol you may consider skipping parties or events that involve a lot of drinking or bring a sober friend along to provide you with support and to help keep you on track.

On the bright side. Stay focused on the benefits of the change you’re making rather than what you’re giving up. Rally your mind around how much better you’ve been feeling instead of lamenting the loss of your daily chocolate-chip muffin.

Photo: Sometimes it’s the littlest things that make the biggest impact. Rather than setting a major health or fitness goal that takes you far out of your comfort zone, start the new year by committing to small changes here and there.

Hold yourself accountable and lean on others. Use a support network to help stay motivated. Discuss your resolution (and the accompanying struggles) with friends and family members. Consider joining a group with common goals, whether a collection of friends teaming up to quit smoking or an exercise class at the gym.

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Learn more at chsli.org

Wounded Warriors make presentation to Lynbrook firefighters

Lynbrook Fire Department Chief Chris Kelly accepted a framed photo of the military hospital, which was signed by wounded warriors and presented by Lieutenant Colonel Dan Farrell, second in command of the Soldier Recovery Unit at Fort Belvoir.

Lynbrook Fire Department was part of the Nassau County Firefighters Operation Wounded Warrior, which visited wounded warriors at Fort Belvoir in Virginia on Dec. 9 to bring them Christmas.

Local students earn college accolades

Dean’s List

Joseph Carinci of East Rockaway and Ciara O’Connell of Lynbrook both were named to the Dean’s List by Stonehill College in Massachusetts. To qualify for this honor, students must have a semester grade point average of 3.50 or better and must have successfully completed all courses for which they were registered.

Victoria G. Marzari and Brooke Elizabeth Viceconte, both of Lynbrook, were named to the Dean’s List by Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, an undergraduate student must be registered for at least 12 credits and have a minimum grade point average of 3.60.

Joseph Carlino , a SUNY Canton Emergency Management major from East Rockaway, earned Part-Time Honors during the fall 2022 semester. The college created this recognition for students who earned at least a 3.25 GPA in 6 to 11 credit hours of coursework.

Samantha Feldman of East Rockaway was named to the Dean’s List, School of Business, by The University of Wisconsin-Madison. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, students must complete a minimum of 12 graded degree credits in that semester. Each university school or college sets its own GPA requirements for students to be eligible to receive the distinction.

Casey Kaplan of East Rockaway was named to the Dean’s List, School of Education, by The University of Wisconsin-Madison. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, students must complete a minimum of 12 graded degree credits in that semester. Each university

school or college sets its own GPA requirements for students to be eligible to receive the distinction.

Degree earned

Aidan Ryder of Lynbrook, received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in modern languages and cultures, with a minor in international studies, from Virginia Military Institute. Ryder graduated with distinction by having a four-year cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) between 3.0 and 3.499.

Training completed

Kiernan Morgan of Lynbrook recently graduated from SUNY Potsdam’s Law Enforcement Training Institute.

Morgan completed his pre-employment training as part of his degree. Morgan won the Highest Academic Award.

Morgan was among a cohort of 19 pre-employment police cadets and three hired peace officer cadets who started training in August at SUNY Potsdam. The cadets celebrated their completion of the program with a ceremony on Dec. 16, attended by more than 200 family members, friends and law enforcement officials from across the state.

The 15-week program allows students to successfully complete Phase 1 of the New York State Municipal Basic Police Training, which includes 56 of the full 60 components. Phase 2, which comprises the final four components, can only be completed by recently hired officers. The hired officers will now start their field training with their respective agencies.

— Compiled by Mark Nolan

East Rockaway student earns Nassau BOCES Student of the Quarter recognition

East Rockaway High School student Michael Watson was named Student of the Quarter at Nassau BOCES GC Tech career and technical education high school. Watson is studying to become an Emergency Medical Technician.

Students of the Quarter are honored for their grades, attendance, work ethic and preparedness. These students have taken the initiative on class projects and are role models for their fellow students, in both the classroom and the workplace.

Nassau BOCES offers state-of-the-art programs for learners of all ages and abilities as well as costeffective services for school districts and municipalities. To learn more, visit NassauBoces.org.

Photo credit

MiChAEL WATSon, RiGhT, of East Rockaway being congratulated by GC Tech Principal Madelaine Hackett for being named Student of the Quarter.

Photo by Steve Grogan

ACCEpTinG A SiGnED photograph of the military hospital was Lynbrook Fire Department Chief Chris Kelly along with Assistant Chief Scott Bien, far left, Third Assistant Chief Clayton Murphy, Sergeant Major Blair Pierce, and Command Sergeant Major Brian Yost, far right. An unidentified soldier presented the framed picture.

STEPPING OUT

Culinary inspiration for a wintry weekend

By Karen Bloom

January is the ideal time to decompress and get into the kitchen and work on those “Top Chef” skills. It’s not that difficult with some great comforting — healthy — foods to nourish and warm our soul.

Experiment with new culinary creations that incorporate bold flavors for delicious results. Nothing pleases the senses quite like a hearty dish on a chilly evening. Try adding these recipes to your repertoire.

Rustic Roasted Winter Vegetable Chowder

• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch dice (about 2 cups)

• 3 medium parsnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch dice (about 1 cup )

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch dice (about 1 cup)

• 2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch dice (about 1 cup)

• 1/2 fennel bulb, quartered & sliced thin (about 1 cup)

• 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or coarse sea salt

• 2 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1 medium onion, diced (about 2 cups)

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 4 cups vegetable broth

• 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch dice (about 2 cups) 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs

Hearty Beef Stew

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 1/2 lb beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup Burgundy, Zinfandel or other red wine

• 3 cups beef broth

• 1 1/2 cups ready-to-eat baby-cut carrots

• 4 medium parsnips, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 1/2 pound small red potatoes, cut in half

• 2 dried bay leaves

• 6 sprigs fresh thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

In 4-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Cook beef in oil 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned.

Remove beef to bowl; cover to keep warm.

In Dutch oven, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook onion and garlic in oil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Return beef to Dutch oven. Sprinkle with flour; cook and stir 1 minute. Add wine; cook 1 minute, scraping to loosen any browned bits from bottom of pan. Stir in broth, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper.

Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover; simmer about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaves before serving.

• 1 cup milk or unsweetened plain almond milk

Additional salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

More pepper and thyme leaves for garnish

Heat oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl, toss the butternut squash, parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, and fennel with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast until tender and browned in places, about 40 minutes, turning a couple of times while roasting.

While the veggies are roasting, prepare the base of the soup. To a large saucepan over low heat, add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion along with a pinch of salt and a bit of pepper, then cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in the vegetable broth. Add the potatoes and thyme. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Remove from heat. Pick out the thyme stems and discard.

Stir in the roasted vegetables. Carefully transfer about 3 cups of the chowder to the pitcher of a blender. Puree until smooth. Return the pureed mixture to the pot and stir to combine. The soup should be thick, rich, and creamy.

Stir in the milk. Place the pot back on the burner, and, with the heat on medium-low, return to a simmer, stirring often to prevent burning.

Taste and add additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve garnished with an additional turn of cracked pepper and thyme leaves.

Lucky Chops

This big, brassy and unapologetically bold six-piece band comes at you with every hue in the rainbow. Their sound pays homage to New Orleans brass band tradition while incorporating eclectic rock, Caribbean, Arabic, Eastern European, funk, jazz, ska, gospel and EDM influences. Their irresistible groove is led by co-founder Josh Holcomb’s soulful trombone, Daro Behroozi’s soaring sax and Joshua Gawel’s powerful trumpet. Their high-energy brassy funk has attracted listeners since forming in New York City in 2006. Starting in the underground halls of subway stations, Lucky Chops went viral when a video of their mash-up of Lipps Inc.’s ‘Funkytown’ and James Brown’s ‘I Feel Good’ amassed hundreds of millions of views across social media, and led to an online subscriber base almost two million strong. They’re now back on tour for the first time since the end of 2019.

Thursday, Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m. $33. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

America

The perennial classic rock favorite enters 2023 on the road again as founding members Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell celebrate the band’s 53rd anniversary. The pair (along with former band mate Dan Peek), who met in high school in London in the late 1960s, quickly harmonized their way to the top of the charts on the strength of their signature song ‘A Horse With No Name.’ More than 40 years later, these friends are still making music together, touring the world and thrilling audiences with their timeless sound. Yet beyond their impressive catalog of hits, listeners discovered there was always much more to America than surface perceptions. The combination of Beckley’s melodic pop rock and Bunnell’s use of folk-jazz elements, slinky Latin-leaning rhythms and impressionistic lyric imagery contrasted well with Peek’s more traditional country-rock leanings and highly personal lyrics.

Friday, Jan. 27, 8 p.m. $99, $79, $69, $59. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. (516) 299-3100 or TillesCenter.org.

ith the holidays behind us, cozy up to some comfy winter nesting. And, of course, it’s time to refocus on healthier eating now that we’re finished with weeks of festive over-indulgence.

THE SCENE

Art talk

Grab your lunch and join Nassau County Museum of Art Docent Riva Ettus for her popular “Brown Bag Lecture” live, via Zoom, Thursday, Jan. 19 , 1 p.m. She’ll discuss the current exhibition, “The Big Picture: Photography Now.” Participants are invited to ask questions at the end of the program. Also Feb. 23. Register at least 24 hours in advance to receive the program Zoom link. Also Feb. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Family Chess Club

Forest Bathing

Take a meditative Forest Bathing walk, led by certified guide Linda Lombardo, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2-4 p.m. Based on the Japanese tradition of ShinrinYoku, a wellness practice developed in the 1980s, the walk, on the grounds of the former summer residence of Howard Gould and later Daniel and Florence Guggenheim, inspires mindful connections with the natural elements of the woods for a range of healthful benefits. $40, $35. Pre-registration required. Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road. For information, visit SandsPointPreserveConservancy. org or call (516) 571-7901.

Branford Marsalis

The renowned saxophonist visits

winner

Friday, Jan. 20, 8 p.m.

musical polymath

campus,

Revis

has

this quartet one of the most revered and influential in jazz. After more than three decades of existence with minimal personnel changes, this celebrated ensemble is revered for its uncompromising interpretation of a kaleidoscopic range of both original compositions and jazz and popular classics. $40-$95. 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre. For tickets and information visit MadisonTheatreny.org or call (516) 323-4444.

Kids in grades K and up with caregiver can play chess at the Lynbrook Library, 56 Eldert St. Th ongoing group meets most Saturdays, next session is Saturday, Jan. 14. 2:30-4 p.m. Adult participation is needed to assist children. Future Saturdays TBD with group. To register, visit the date of the first session, which was Jan. 7 at the Lynbrook Library Calendar on LynbrookVillage. net/Calendar.

Veterans thrift shop

VFW Post 3350 in East Rockaway continues its veterans thrift shop at 164 Main St. The store’s schedule remains variable in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but aims be open daily, including Sundays. For thrift shop information or hall rentals, call (516) 887-8170, or visit VFWPost3350.org.

the Madison Theatre, on the Molloy University

with his quartet,

The NEA Jazz Master, triple Grammy Award

and

with his stellar ensemble — pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric

and drummer Justin Faulkner — bring the brilliance that

made

How psychic are you?

Join professional speaker, Shaman and Psychic Rev. Maria to help you determine your psychic abilities, Thursday, Jan. 12, 7-8 p.m. Location is ithe Lynbrook Library community room, 56 Eldert St. Discover what spiritual, psychic, metaphysical abilities you may have and how to utilize them. Rev. Maria D’Andrea says “We all have some ability, just like some people are artists, but everyone can draw.” Register at the Lynbrook Library Calendar on LynbrookVillage.net/ Calendar.

RVC Homemakers

Learn crafts, cooking, canasta and more while doing community service for local hospitals, veterans, women and children. RVC Homemakers meets every Tuesday at 10 a.m., at the Recreation Center, 111 North Long Beach Road, Rockville Centre. For more information call Karen Alterson at (516) 318-6771.

Having an event?

Free Style Friday: Board Games

Kids can enjoy after school board game fun at Lynbrook Library, Friday, Jan. 20, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Open to grades 4 to 8. Register at the Lynbrook Library Calendar on LynbrookVillage.net/Calendar.

In concert

David Alterman returns to the stage with Altzim, Friday, Jan. 13, at My Father’s Place supper club. Enjoy an evening of music that Alterman describes as “Dylan with a twist,” with special guest Cathy Rose Virgilio. Rich Demand and his band also appear. Doors open at 6 p.m., concert is at 8 p.m. The Metropolitan, 3 Pratt Blvd., Glen Cove. For tickets/ information, visit MyFathersPlace. com or call (516) 580-0887.

Let Freedom Ring with MLK

Artemis – the New NASA Program

Join Tom Lynch and learn all about Artemis NASA’s current program to eventually return to the moon and to go to Mars, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 7-8:30 p.m., at Lynbrook Library, 56 Eldert St. Register at the Lynbrook Library Calendar on LynbrookVillage. net/Calendar.

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.

Gentle Flow Yoga

Join Lisa Marie Ruggiero as she teaches adults and seniors yoga, Sunday, Jan. 15, 10:45 -11:45 a.m., at Lynbrook Recreation Center. Fee is $45 for adults, $35 for seniors (62+). Bring your own yoga mat! Register at Lynbrook. RecDesk.com.

Visit Long Island Children’s Museum for a workshop honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., Monday, Jan. 16. Families will learn about MLK beyond his “I Have a Dream” speech and gain a better understanding of his impact on the civil rights movement. Also participate in a gallery walk of images from the Civil Rights Movement and then create a bell to “let freedom ring.” $4 with admission, $3 members. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

On exhibit

Photography’s ascent in the art world is an international phenomenon. Nassau County Museum of Art’s star-studded exhibition spans the historical roots of the medium. View works by Ansel Adams and his generation and the thrilling, large-format color works of such contemporary masters as Cindy Sherman, Thomas Struth, James Casebere and Gregory Crewdson, among others. From the documentary to the painterly, images bear witness to the times. On view through March 5. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Drive, Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

New town redistricting long way from finish

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

Voters talked, but at least according to them, a committee tasked with drawing new boundaries for Hempstead town elected officials didn’t listen.

At least that was the takeaway during the latest public hearing last week over the state of redistricting in the town.

Yet, it was a meeting just before the winter holidays that took most of the attention — a meeting where a number of speakers during public comment demanded lines be redrawn for the six town districts in what they called a more balanced representation through the inclusion of three “minority-majority” districts. That is, where an overall ethnic minority would be grouped into a majority as a way to help diversify a leadership board like the town council.

That same week, new map proposals were released. Yet, after further review, critics of the earlier drafts claimed most of their recommendations were ignored.

“While I hope that the commission changes course on these maps, I doubt (they) will because (they) have to show us that (they’re) listening to what residents are saying,” said Amil Virani of Valley Stream.

But there were changes. For example, the committee has proposed grouping together Elmont, North Valley Stream, a portion of the Five Towns and Franklin Square into a single district. Baldwin — which went from three to two representatives on the latest maps — was split in half.

The idea, according to Hempstead town attorney John Maccarone, was to ensure villages were kept whole, in accordance with the law. However, hamlets like Baldwin don’t enjoy the same protections.

Elmont, Valley Stream and Franklin Square are per-

fect for this new district, said Elmont resident Mimi Pierre-Johnson, but it should also have included Bellerose, Bellerose village, South Floral Park, Floral Park and New Hyde Park.

“That would’ve been a perfect minority-majority,” she said. “Everyone in that district would have had a fair share of choosing their elected official.”

Baldwin has been split into three council districts since the 2010 census. The Baldwin Civic Association collected more than 400 signatures on a petition urging the committee to place the entire hamlet of Baldwin under the 11510 ZIP code and one Town of Hempstead council district.

“Again, (the redistricting committee) has cracked Baldwin,” Janet Poretsky said. “My vote in Baldwin Harbor won’t count, it will be canceled out by someone in Wantagh-Seaford. I don’t think that’s fair, and I have nobody who is really representing my area.”

The last time officials got together to redraw district lines, it was done to benefit legislators without any concern for the needs of Nassau County communities, said Karen Moskowitz, cochair of the League of Women Votgers of Nassau County’s redistricting committee — specifically communities of color.

The lATesT RedisTRicTiNg map for Hempstead town elected officials reveals little change to what a number of people asked for ahead of the revision last month. Their desire is to see a better chance of creating a more diverse town council by creating ‘minority-majority’ districts.

As a town where 40 percent of its residents are people of color represented by a council that is mostly white, Moskowitz added that the latest map proposals show this intention has not changed in Hempstead.

The 2020 census revealed a 12 percent drop in the town’s white, non-Hispanic population, according to supporters of the minority-majority district concept. At the same time, the Hispanic and Latino population grew 32 percent, while the Black population increased by 4

percent.

“The league takes positions on a variety of policy issues, but never supports or opposes any political party or candidate,” Moskowitz said. “Our review of the commission’s proposed maps reveals deliberate manipulation of district lines.”

Another redistricting meeting was scheduled for Jan. 9, and the town attorney confirmed more such meetings will be scheduled before the board votes on a new map.

Ana Borruto/Herald

A workshop that preserves the art of dance

mas and Menorah lightings. “We try to be involved in the community as much as we can,” Nanci said. “We love Lynbrook and we also have a studio in New York City.”

The two opened up a Dance Workshop location in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 2016. “Our second location in Manhattan, set in a brownstone on 64th Street and Lexington Avenue, will make you feel right at home,” stated on DanceWorkshopNY.com. “Our studio is a safe environment where children can develop friendships and memories that will last a lifetime.”

The original studio location was in Lynbrook and Nanci calls it a “labor of love.” She says that the Lynbrook location has a “New York City loft kind of feeling.” She described this modern feel as “elegant and really different.”

Dance Workshop’s mission is to “preserve the art of dance, teaching our dancers the value of marrying technique, and passion.” One patron of Dance Workshop, Nazia DeFrank, agrees with this mission statement.

“Many of my friends in the community have children who have used the Dance Workshop,” DeFrank said. “They rave about the owners who are a mother and daughter team that have years of experience. It’s a very different feel at the Dance Workshop because the classes vary from hip hop, ballet, jazz, and even musical theatre.”

DeFrank attended the grand opening of the new store location last April and was impressed by the look of the studio. “In the evening, there was a grand opening gala and that was nice because the studio upstairs has the feel and look of a Manhattan loft and it was amazing,” she said. “From the food to the drinks and the ambiance, this was one of the best grand openings I attended in the village of Lynbrook.

“I think the Dance Workshop is one of many robust businesses in the village and it is necessary because it not only teaches a lifelong skill, but it teaches confidence and how to work with a team. The younger classes are filled with amazing dancers and the children were motivated to learn more.”

Another patron, Val Schwartz, had a similar sentiment about the business.

“The team there is so professional, talented, and caring,” Schwartz said.

“Miss MaryAnn was my dance teacher as a young girl so clearly this is an environment with a strong history of teaching dance. The studio is clean and beautiful.

“It’s great to have a family-owned business in the area. It helps to feel so much trust and familiarity when you’re choosing a learning environment for your child.”

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST MARY LYNNE MIRVILLE, GENEVIEVE MIRVILLE, Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered May 16, 2018, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100

Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on January 26, 2023 at 2:00PM, premises known as 11 WILSON AVENUE, LYNBROOK, NY 11563. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Village of Lynbrook, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 37, Block 280, Lot 349. Approximate

amount of judgment $309,573.16 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #005156/2013. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NASSAU County COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the

time of this 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 foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine”. George P. Esernio, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 00-295927 74315 136297

Courtesy Nanci Grasso

Maryann, left, and Nanci Grasso, owners of Dance Workshop.

a Cake deCorated with the studio’s logo, above right.

under deadlines. For consideration, please send resume & salary requirements to: careers@liherald.com

CLEANING PERSON FT Needed For Local Cleaning Company. Will Train. If Interested Call Bill 516-678-5943

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS Assist General Contractor. Drivers License. Knowledge Of Construction. Call Mike. 516-887-8877.

DRIVERS WANTED

Full Time and Part Time Positions Available!

Busy Print Shop in Garden City is Hiring Immediately for Full Time and Part Time Drivers. Must Have a Clean License and BoxTruck Driving Experience.

EDITOR/REPORTER

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

BEFORE/AFTER SCHOOL

PROGRAM seeking mature individuals to supervise elementary school aged children from 2:45 pm to 5:00 or 6:00 pm weekdays. Experience helpful. If interested email merrickbasp@aol.com or call (516)379-4245

Hewlett

Spacious Side Hall Colonial Near All

Nestled in the prestigious school district 14, you will find this bright and airy Side Hall Colonial that also offers plenty of space. This home features 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a finished basement that provides additional living space for entertainment. The formal dining room and living room are perfect for hosting guests while the kitchen with an island allows for plenty of prep space when cooking up your favorite meals. The backyard deck and lush lawn provide a great spot to relax or entertain friends. You're also just minutes' walk from Grant Park - perfect for enjoying a beautiful day outdoors. This home is conveniently located close to transportation, shops, and restaurants. Don't wait - come see this wonderful home today! For a private tour contact us at 516.791.1313.

Adding to the attic

Q. A few contractors have looked at my attic so I can finish it for more bedrooms and a family room. The 1920s house has a very large attic with stairs to the second-floor landing. The attic stairs are much steeper and narrower, and the contractor says the walls will need to be taken down and wider and longer stairs put in. Is this necessary? The stairs are already there, and even though they’re steep, they work. Also, one of the contractors said that the horizontal 2x4s going across the attic, which are too low to walk around, could be removed or raised. Is that true? He said we could put them higher and add more so we can add finished wallboards to them. Do you agree, and is there anything I should know about doing this before we start?

A. Good thing you asked before you started. Instead of starting, you need to stop and take a few steps back. What you’re describing has multiple issues that you have to address.

Ask The Architect

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Monte Leeper

First, your state building code doesn’t allow the occupancy of a third floor in a single-family, woodframed dwelling. This is because of the many dangers involved in surviving a fire at that level. In the process of getting the permit to occupy a third story, which you left out of the description of your investigation, you would need to have a licensed architect or engineer prepare plans that include specific methods of escape, including the correct size and number of windows, distances to exterior and interior levels below to escape to, sprinkler locations along the entire path of travel to get out of the dwelling, heights of ceilings and fire-rated materials to be installed. This is because, as I have often written, the chances of surviving a fire in the third floor of a wood-framed dwelling are statistically remote, only 5 percent. That means you or your loved ones could be among the 95 out of 100 who will die from smoke inhalation or burns.

The plans for a finished third story are submitted to both your local building department, which will rightfully reject them, and to the State Codes Division for a public hearing, where your case will need to be represented by a code-knowledgeable professional. I have seen people represent themselves, which generally doesn’t go very well, since safety is the reason for the codes, and there are many laws and standards that the average owner is unaware of.

The stair access must be 3 feet wide, and the tread must be at least 10¼ inches, while the risers cannot exceed 8¼ inches. The horizontal 2x4s you described are collar ties, and they serve the important function of holding the roof together, especially in high winds and under snow loads. Moving or removing them can be dangerous. The higher up, the less effective, and without first calculating several factors, it should not be done.

© 2022 Monte Leeper Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.

ANTIQUE

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WISHES

OpINIONS LIRR to Grand Central Madison? We’re still waiting.

Once again, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has left coal in the stockings of Long Island Rail Road commuters.

Every Christmas since 2011, the MTA has failed to initiate the promised East Side Access to Grand Central Madison service. The original Federal Transit Administration capital investment — or New Starts — grant agreement with the MTA was approved in 2006.

time in the coming weeks.

The ESA project cost has grown to $11.6 billion. This doesn’t include debt service payments of $1 billion for borrowing costs buried in the MTA’s operating budget. There are also $4 billion worth of LIRR readiness projects to support the start of service — including such things as third-track construction and capacity improvements at Jamaica Station — which are separate from the official budget. Without these projects, the LIRR lacks the expanded operational capabilities to support the new service.

LARRY pENNER

It included a project cost of $6.3 billion, with the start of passenger service — including a promise to run 24 hourly trains on the LIRR’s 10 branches to Grand Central Madison during rush hour — in 2011. We still don’t know when that service will begin.

The temporary shuttle service that did not start last month, as promised, will come nowhere close to meeting this commitment. I can just imagine the overcrowding on shuttle trains between Jamaica and Grand Central Madison when this service begins — likely some-

Even when East Side Access service begins, thousands of potential new LIRR customers will continue to be out of luck in Hunters Point, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Elmhurst and Woodhaven, Queens because of limited or no service. The LIRR currently runs a handful of morning rush-hour trains westbound from Jamaica to Hunters Point and Long Island City, returning east in the evening rush hour. There is no rush-hour, hourly off-peak or evening bi-directional service to those other communities.

Another problem: Penn Station is a

24/7 facility. Grand Central Terminal is closed overnight from 2 to 5:15 a.m. Unlike the LIRR, Metro North provides no service in or out during that time period. The LIRR has the advantage, but Long Islanders who commute at odd times — or come home late from events in Manhattan that end well after midnight — and want to use Grand Central will lose that advantage to incomplete service. A simple analysis of the proposed schedules reveals that depending on your branch or station, there will be no LIRR service to or from Grand Central Madison for three to five hours overnight on weekdays or weekends.

Catherine Rinaldi is the first MTA official to serve as president of both the LIRR and Metro North. Those extrahours riders might want to ask her why the LIRR must be subject to the Metro North’s schedule shortfalls. Isn’t it time to make Grand Central, too, a 24/7 facility?

As well, whenever East Side Access service to Grand Central Madison begins, the LIRR will suspend virtually all direct, one-seat, ride-through service between Jamaica and Atlantic Terminal

Brooklyn. Thousands of LIRR riders bound for downtown Brooklyn, Wall Street, the World Financial Center, the World Trade Center or other destinations in downtown Manhattan via Atlantic Terminal Brooklyn will now have longer commutes. One rider’s gain in time savings — being able to get to Manhattan’s East Side via Grand Central Madison instead of Penn Station — will be a loss for another rider trying to access destinations via Atlantic Terminal Brooklyn. Was investing $12.6 billion in East Side Access worth it? The verdict is still out. It is doubtful, in a post-Covid-19 world, that there will be anywhere near the anticipated 160,000 daily riders using Grand Central Madison, as the MTA predicts. Time will tell if commuters and taxpayers will see all of the benefits from this project, which has been promised for decades by elected official and MTA and LIRR presidents. When it comes to East Side Access, the LIRR’s 1960s motto, “Line of the Dashing Dan,” should be changed to “Line of the Slow Moving Sloth.”

Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who worked in the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management for three decades.

Writing predictions in disappearing ink

As I look back on my New Years’ columns over these last many years, I might as well have been writing in disappearing ink. Pretty much nothing I expected came to pass, and a whole lot of stuff I never saw coming changed my life and yours, too. So why even try to predict? It’s in our DNA, I suppose, conferring the illusion of control when we have none.

ies is and will be zero.

With that as a caveat, let me hope rather than predict that we will not have a recession; that the markets will rally in 2023 and, somehow, all the thousands of people who are literally dying to get into our country will be matched with all the jobs that are begging to be filled.

Will Covid surge again? Will some new bug emerge from the virulent epidemic in China? I wonder if Kim Jung-un will hold on to his rockets or let them fly. When will Ukraine find peace, and will it be before Putin snaps? How will our children and teenagers recover from the grief and academic setbacks of the pandemic lockdown? When can we feel safe in our lives again?

No one, except for Bill Gates and some epidemiologists who were ignored, predicted the greatest catastrophe of our lifetime, the coronavirus pandemic, the more than 1 million deaths here at home and more than 6 million deaths worldwide.

Everyone predicted a huge Republican sweep in the midterms, and that didn’t happen. And with the MAGA loonies running the GOP, to predict what will happen in 2023 would be folly indeed.

Bullish? Bearish? Last week the big dailies posted predictions for the markets. Inflation, recession, deflation, higher mortgage rates? Columnist Jeff Sommer wrote in The New York Times: “It’s simply impossible to forecast the path of the markets six months or a year ahead with accuracy and consistency, as many academic studies have shown. That the financial services industry continues to label these unreliable numbers as forecasts is a triumph of breathtaking chutzpah — a technical term for shameless audacity.”

RANDI KREISS

In politics, too, the prediction business is bust. We — all of us — lived through the 2016 presidential election, in which pretty much everyone with an opinion, from columnists to people on the street to professional pollsters to Las Vegas bookies and even many supporters of Donald Trump, absolutely did not believe that he would or could win. How many times did we hear pundits say that his path to victory was slim to none? How much airtime and ink were wasted on the assumption of a Hillary Clinton victory and how that would play out? Folks thought DJT would ride that escalator into oblivion.

On New Year’s Eve we toasted 2023 with wishes for good health and peace on earth and peace of mind. Wishes. As hostages to fate and dysfunctional politics, that’s the best we can do. We humans have never tolerated the existential uncertainty of being a person alive on earth. So we turn to exit polls and Svengalis and any grifter who hangs out a palm-reading sign. The truth? I’m even down on Punxsutawney Phil.

I can’t and won’t believe anyone who ever again purports to know the future of an election or an economy or the course of a disease or the likelihood of an earthquake striking any particular location at any particular time.

We are in the game, and it changes day to day.

Yearning for a seed of certainty, yesterday I booked a hotel in Dallas for April 8, 2024, when a full solar eclipse will be seen for two minutes and 20 seconds. I predict, with 100 percent certainty, that it will occur.

Which leads me to predict that the value of their elaborate algorithmic stud-

The very least we could take away from that election was healthy skepticism. Pollsters, even the academic knowit-alls, have little success predicting the results of an election or anything else.

In our personal lives, it’s painful to accept that we cannot know what the future will bring. Life reads like a mystery, not an itinerary. We can’t know what comes next or if we’ll make an appearance in the next chapter.

The track record of clairvoyants is abysmal.

What isn’t sure is if I will get to see it. There may be clouds overhead, or clouds in my life. I am choosing to have faith that the eclipse will occur as scheduled, on April 8 in Dallas. I plan to be there. It’s a small thing, but I’m counting on it.

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

Life reads like a mystery, not an itinerary. We can’t know what comes next.

Multi Media Marketing Consultant oFFice 2 Endo Boulevard Garden City, NY 11530

Phone: (516) 569-4000 Fax: (516) 569-4942 Web: www.liherald.com E-mail: lyneditor@liherald.com

We all deserve a chance to pursue our dreams

the federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 an hour for 14 years — a time period during which mere adjustments for inflation would now have it over $10.

Congress isn’t expected to act on raising that wage anytime soon, so many municipalities and states — like New York — have taken matters into their own hands. New York City and Long Island both have a $15 minimum wage, as does Westchester County. Last week, upstate New York rose to $14.20.

In fact, 27 states raised their minimum wage at the beginning of 2023, according to the National Employment Law Project, with new baselines ranging from $9.95 in states like Montana to $15.74 in Washington state.

We hear a lot about the minimum wage. What we don’t ever talk about is something that many may not even know exists: the subminimum wage.

It’s real, and it has been since the Fair Labor Standards Act, which first established a federal minimum wage, was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938. Many have credited the law with helping to guide the United States out of the Great Depression. And the framework of the Fair Labor Standards Act — 40-hour work weeks, child labor restrictions, extra pay for overtime — fuels our labor economy to this day.

But if you look closely at the law — particularly at Section 14(c) — you might be surprised to learn that not everyone is eligible for the minimum wage. Even at $7.25. It allows employers to apply for a certificate from the federal government to pay less than minimum wage to workers with disabilities.

It’s an archaic law based on an archaic

way of thinking when it comes to people with disabilities.

When the legislation was first passed, “it was assumed that a worker with a disability was less productive than a non-disabled worker,” former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge wrote in a 2021 opinion piece in USA Today. “In retrospect, it was a flawed assumption. We want to be fair to the intent of the original legislation, which was to provide individuals with disabilities an opportunity to enter the workforce.”

When the former Pennsylvania governor wrote those words, he was nearing the end of a long chairmanship of the National Organization on Disability, an advocacy group for a class of people who are, more often than not, overlooked. Ridge described paying people with disabilities less than minimum wage as “no less than another critical civil rights issue.”

And he was right. Treating an entire group of people differently from everyone else simply because they have disabilities is a relic of the distant past that should stay in the distant past.

Yet efforts to eliminate this disparity over the years, by both Republicans and Democrats, have come up short on the federal level. Most recently, President Biden tried to remove the subminimum wage as part of the American Rescue Plan at the beginning of his administration, but never got it through Congress.

Since then, however, more than a dozen states have abolished the subminimum wage, according to the Association of People Supporting Employment First. But New York isn’t one of them. Not that our legislators haven’t tried — it’s just that none of their efforts have ever made it out of committee.

Closer to home, there are many who are trying to make a difference — like the Backyard Players & Friends of Rockville Centre, which describes its mission as seeking “unity without uniformity, and diversity without fragmentation.” The organization opened the Front Porch Market next to its headquarters on North Long Beach Road, conceived to provide creative work in a retail environment, treating everyone equally no matter what they bring to the table.

The market officially opens Jan. 17, and will feature crafters from around the community, classes on creating things like candles and soap, along with small retailers like Popcorn for the People and Smile Farms Hot Sauce.

The percentage of people with disabilities finding jobs is growing, but only 1 in 5 in that community is working. And of those, more are finding employment because they’re working for themselves rather than getting hired by someone else — a rate far higher than those without disabilities.

Even if the subminimum wage were finally abolished, there are many other hurdles that must be swept away for those with disabilities, and they can’t be ignored, either. But right now, hundreds if not thousands of our neighbors and community members aren’t getting the same consideration for pay as those without disabilities.

That must change. And if it can’t happen on the federal level, we need to focus our efforts much closer to home, blocking the availability of subminimum wages in our state.

Because as Tom Ridge made very clear, “all Americans should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams.”

letters

Elected officials should resolve to be transparent this year

To the Editor:

Many will start the new year with goals to exercise more, eat better and lose weight. January will also be when newly elected public servants or incumbents starting another term take office across New York state.

Old habits are hard to change in people — and especially hard to change in government. The biggest issue in government today is the lack of trust the public has in their elected leaders. The best way to build trust as an elected official is through transparency.

Elected officials should begin 2023 by conducting the public’s business in an open and transparent way. To show their commitment to open government, elected officials serving on a village board,

Long Island’s energy future: vision vs. mirage

Follow the money. This adage never gets old.

For decades, gas pipelines and other delivery infrastructure have been a reliable cash cow for utility companies, which recover the costs of building their distribution systems from our utility bills, which give them a fat return on their investments.

This traditional utility profit model is now at odds with a climate-driven energy transition, creating all kinds of perverse incentives. And while hikes in heating costs are grabbing the headlines, the jostling over the future of heating isn’t getting much attention.

In order to succeed in the challenging but essential task of decarbonizing its economy in the coming decades — as mandated by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which it passed in 2019 — New York state will need to embrace an all-electric future and eschew fossil fuels, including natural gas. Utilities like Con Edison and the Long Island Power Authority, which together serve about 60 percent of the state’s electric customers, have endorsed this scenario. Many builders and households are already going all-electric, because gas fouls our homes and communities, and modern electric homes are cheaper and superior.

This is the approach espoused by almost all experts because, as the electric grid becomes cleaner, the rest of the economy will naturally follow. This is also the most cost-effective and energy-efficient decarbonization strategy for buildings, because electric heat pumps use only a fraction of the energy of their fuel-based counterparts.

Heat pumps and Long Island are a match made in heaven. With relatively mild winters, Long Island homes don’t need the top-gun units for efficient, reliable heating and cooling. LIPA’s electric load peaks at around 5 gigawatts in the summer, but barely makes it to 3 gigawatts in the winter. Adding winter load will spread the fixed grid costs over more usage and reduce per-kilowatt-hour prices.

In an effort to conserve their profitable gas distribution system, some utilities have floated their own “clean energy vision” involving green hydrogen and biomethane, marketed as renewable natural gas, or RNG — a so-called fossil-free duo that could supposedly flow through their pipeline network forever.

But consider the science and the economics of this vision. It took NASA months to fix hydrogen leaks on its recent Artemis 1 moon mission. Any proposal to pump highly explosive hydrogen, which

Letters

town board, City Council, community board or county legislature should introduce and pass a New Year’s resolution stating they will:

■ Post timely notice of all meetings at least one week prior to those meetings.

■ Post online meeting agendas and all meeting documents at least 24 hours before a meeting.

■ Post draft meeting minutes online, no more than two weeks after a meeting.

■ Allow members of the public to speak at the beginning of a meeting regarding agenda items and non-agenda items — whether they attend in person or remotely.

■ Livestream meetings by video and post the video recording online afterward.

■ Only conduct private executive sessions on rare occasions, in accordance with the New York State Open Meetings Law.

Just because you can hold an executive session doesn’t mean that you have to. A motion to hold an executive session to discuss “litigation,” “personnel” or “collective bargaining”

isn’t sufficient, as the Open Meetings Law requires motions to state more information when holding an executive session.

■ Agree not to hold private political party caucus meetings. There is no reason, at the local level, to hold private political party caucus meetings to discuss political business or public business. Secret meetings build a lack of trust among the public.

■ Have information regarding the Freedom of Information Law posted in a visible place on their websites. Proactively post documents online as much as possible so the public can access information without having to file a FOIL request. Post an easy fill-inthe-blank form that assists the public in filing a FOIL request by email on the website.

■ Commit to ensuring that all FOIL requests are acknowledged within five days, as required by law, and that information is provided to the public promptly.

PAUL WOLF Amherst

Wolf is president of the New York Coalition for Open Government.

has the tiniest molecules in the universe, through 50,000 miles of pipe in New York should raise serious doubts. Multiple studies have also warned of the risk of damage to the steel in pipes and appliances posed by gas blends with significantly more than 5 percent hydrogen.

Moreover, it shouldn’t take a NASA scientist to question the wisdom of heating homes by burning the stupendously expensive green hydrogen produced from renewable electricity, when that electricity can directly power energysipping heat pumps. Not surprisingly, expensive experiments and demonstration projects involving the use of hydrogen for heat, the kind of boondoggles being developed in the Town of Hempstead, are already being scrapped or failing in other parts of the country and the world.

Hydrogen’s partner in crime, RNG, is produced by capturing and refining the naturally produced biogas in landfills and wastewater treatment plants. But naturally derived biomethane can meet only a minuscule fraction of the home-heating demand, so much of it will need to be artificially generated from organic waste streams. Its global warming potential isn’t much lower than that of fossil gas because of inevitable releases and leaks of methane, which is much more destructive to the climate than carbon dioxide.

Framework

Fossil-free doesn’t mean emissionsfree, and the scheme doesn’t satisfy the science-based methane accounting methodology of New York’s climate law.

Produced naturally or intentionally, RNG is significantly more expensive than fossil gas, and its supplies will be limited by feedstock availability. Even the rosiest projections in the gas utilities’ own studies show that there won’t be enough of it for every possible use that those companies are touting it for, home heating being the least practical one.

The gas utilities’ so-called fossil-free clean-energy vision based on hydrogen and RNG is a mirage that doesn’t pass scientific, technical, economic or legal muster. To make matters worse, burning hydrogen would produce high levels of nitrous oxide, a health hazard, and RNG would cause indoor pollution from leakage and combustion akin to fossil gas, which is linked to myriad health risks, with the latest research attributing almost 19 percent of all childhood asthma in New York to gas stoves.

Pollution for profit shouldn’t have a place inside homes and businesses.

Anshul Gupta is a Steering Committee member of the Climate Reality Project’s NYS Coalition. Gordian Raacke is executive director of Renewable Energy Long Island.

by Tim Baker

At the Twin Lakes Preserve — Wantagh

ansHUL GUpta

GorDian raaCke

Re-Elect Alan Beach Mayor

• Resident of Lynbrook for 39 years.

• Married to his wife Rina for 43 years - they have two children: Alan (41), who is married to Mariana and Greg (34) who is married to Kristen. Alan also has five grandchildren Olivia (10), Penelope (8), and Alan (4) Robert (3) and Nora (1)

• First elected to the Village Board in 2007. Deputy Mayor from 2010 through 2017. Appointed Mayor in 2017, formally elected in 2019 and won re-election as Mayor in 2019.

• Retired as a Lieutenant in the NYC Fire Department after 26 years.

• Founding member of the original Lynbrook Excellence in Education Foundation. Founder and past president of the Lynbrook Roller Hockey League.

• Honorary member of Tally-Ho firehouse.

• Ten year member of the parish council of Our Lady of Peace and a member of the Knights of Columbus

• Past winner of the Mayor Scarpato Man of the Year Award, Lynbrook East Rockaway Rotary Club Service Above Self Award, Lynbrook PTA Honorary Life Membership and 2021 Knights of Columbus Man of the Year

Re-Elect Ann Marie Reardon Trustee

Re-Elect Robert Boccio Trustee

• Resident of Lynbrook for 18 years

• Married to her husband Keith for 23 years - they have four children: James (21), Keith (19), Matthew (18), and Grace (16).

• Appointed to the Village Board in 2015, formally elected in 2016 and reelected in 2019.

• Created the School Liaison position based on an identified need of coordination with the various school districts and pre-schools in the Village.

• Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Social Work from Adelphi University.

• Administrative Assistant at Kelenberg

• Member of the Christopher's Hemophilia Benefit Dinner Committee.

• Volunteer at Chaminade book store and a P.R.I.M.E parent at Kellenberg

• Past Co-President and member of the OLP Parents Association.

• Past Parent Volunteer coordinator for the OLP Marching Band.

• Past Parent volunteer of the OLP $10,000 Dinner Dance Fundraiser.

ELECTION DAY

MARCH 21, 2023

•Resident of Lynbrook for 17 years.

•Married to his wife Danielle for 18 years - they have two children: Brooke (15) and Bryce (12).

•Appointed to the Village Board in 2017, formally elected in 2018 & re-elected in 2019

•Bachelor's Degrees in Economics & English from New York University, Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia University and a J.D. from New York Law School.

•Partner at Vigorito, Barker, Patterson, Nichols & Porter, LLP since 2015.

•Adjunct Associate Professor of International & Public Affairs at Columbia University.

•Prior to being a Trustee, Rob was an Assistant Village Prosecutor, Chairman of Board of Zoning Appeals, and past Chairman of the Village's Ethics Committee.

• Strong advocate on behalf of the many Lynbrook Titans Athletics programs including Football, Wrestling, Lacrosse, Soccer (LERSC) and has been a long-time coach with both Lynbrook Titans Football and Lynbrook Little League.