Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald 02-29-2024

By NICoLE FoRMISANo

They’re decades apart in age, but connected through sharing stories and having fun together. Members of the Key Club of Malverne High School spent a day with the seniors at the Atria Tanglewood assisted living facility.

Club is bridging generational divide Lynbrook seniors taught teens ‘Key’ lessons

By NICoLE FoRMISANo nformisano@liherald.com

The Malverne High School Key Club members fostered a connection with the elders at Atria Tanglewood, a senior living facility in Lynbrook, bridging a generation gap while learning valuable lessons.

“Not only are the seniors excited to have the high school students come in and spend some time with them,” said Robin Calcagno, the club adviser, “but to actually see the high school students excited to be there with the seniors as well — I don’t know who was more alight at the time.”

“They were excited to tell other people about their lives,” Malverne senior Isabella

Ramharakh said. “I think they just wanted to tell us more and more as we kept on talking to them.

“I think that us being there really connected with them.”

This is the first year since 2020 that the students were able to visit the senior home. The students and seniors played games, worked on puzzles, and even played a game of Jeopardy featuring ’50s and ’70s trivia. The students also showed a presentation that invited the residents to share their memories of the trends, sports and entertainment of their youth.

Talking with the seniors showed Nathaly Uribe, a junior in the club, the rich lives the

‘People’s Food Drive’ is off to a slow start

By NICoLE FoRMISANo nformisano@liherald.com

For the 13th year in a row, Rob Hallam is stacking his living room with boxes of food for his annual People’s Food Drive.

“It’s gotten so big,” Hallam, of Lynbrook, said. “I get checks from out of state. So any person involved with this in any way, it’s their food drive. That’s why I started calling it the People’s Food Drive.”

The idea for the food drive originated at the Community Presbyterian Church of Malverne, where Hallam and his wife, Mary, are members. The church is a longtime contributor to the Long Island Council of Churches food pantry — but the Hallams wanted to do more.

Gstrawberry boxes to store the donations. Countless neighbors have also pitched in.

The People’s Food Drive has no overhead cost, Hallam said, with every single donation — every cent, every can of soup — going directly to those who need it.

Every year, the food drive culminates in a Move the Food day, on which neighbors, elected officials and students come together to transport the hundreds of boxes from Hallam’s home to the LICC in Freeport.

od knows where these people are going to go.

RoBER t HALLAM Organizer of the People’s Food Drive

“If you believe in callings, I had a calling,” Hallam said. “I felt that God was telling me, ‘your church has done a great job collecting food here, but you’ve got to make this thing bigger. You’ve got to take it out of the church doors.’”

To collect food items and money donations, Hallam and his church have teamed up with local businesses — like his workplace, Nassau Door and Window, which started putting out collection boxes, and Cross Island Fruits, which provides

The first food drive, in 2011, gathered 998 combined food items and dollars. Their most recent, in 2023, amassed 23,556 donations, filling 719 strawberry boxes that were stacked from floor to ceiling in Hallam’s living room.

The pace has slowed in a major way this year, however. The drive has been underway for more than a month, but only 172 boxes have been filled. Though the drive often picks up speed toward the end, the results are nowhere near the turnout of past years.

Part of the problem, Hallam said, is that food insecurity is being misunderstood. Featured in news stories are homeless people living in the subways, and illegal immigrants who are ConTinued on pAge 8

Lynbrook firefighter injured in house fire

One firefighter was injured and a cat was saved from the burning attic at a Scranton Avenue home ablaze in the early morning hours on Feb. 20.

Lynbrook firefighters under the command of Chief Danny Ambrosio responded at 2:18 am on the morning of February 20 to a reported attic fire at 579 Scranton Ave. near Second Street in Lynbrook. Upon arrival, Ambrosio broadcasted a Signal 10 for a working fire, as huge amounts of smoke blanketed the area. Smoke billowed from the attic windows and roof of the nearly three-story built older home.

Engine Company 1 was the first engine on scene. They took the hydrant up the block and stretched an attack hose line and a second back up line. The attack line was taken in through the front door, up to the attic to attack the fire that was consuming the west side of the attic and quickly spreading through the top floor. Truck Company bucket arrived and set up in front of the building and put its bucket to the roof area.

Lynbrook firefighter Sean Suqrue carrying out a cat found in the burning attic.

Smoke billowing from the attic and roof of the 579 Scranton Ave. home last week on Tuesday morning. Firefighter seen in an attic window fighting the fire.

A firefighter rescued a cat found in the burning attic while another firefighter was injured in a fall. The firefighter was transported by the depart-

ment’s Emergency Medical Company to the hospital in stable condition. He was later released from the hospital. The cat was safely returned to the home owners.

Mutual aid companies from surrounding villages also responded to the fire scene and stood-by to cover other alarms. The fire was brought under control in about one hour, but firefighters were on scene for another

hour doing overhaul and putting out pockets of fire in the outer wall of the attic.

The owners of the home and their children escaped the fire before firefighters arrived. The Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office also responded. They are investigating the cause of the blaze.

— Contributed by Steve Grogan

instrument, the property shall pass to the estate of the grantor.

a. The intended use of the principal or income, of a trust for the care of a designated domestic or pet animal, may be enforced by an individual designated for that purpose in the trust instrument. Such trust shall terminate when no living animal is covered by the trust.

b. No portion of the principal or income may be converted to the use of the trustee or to any use other than for the benefit of a covered animal.

c. Upon termination, the trustee shall transfer the unexpended trust property as directed in the trust instrument or, if there are no such directions in the trust

d. A court may reduce the amount of property transferred if it determines that amount substantially exceeds the amount required for the intended use. The amount of the reduction, if any, passes as unexpended trust property pursuant to paragraph (c), above.

e. If no trustee is designated or no designated trustee is willing or able to serve, a court shall appoint a trustee and may make such other orders and determinations as are advisable to carry out the intent of the grantor and the purpose of this section.

If you are interested in setting up a trust for your beloved pet, please make an appointment to see us for a free consultation. Should you have no one to take care of your pet, try PetEstates.com, who will perform this service for you.

Photos courtesy Brian Grogan

They were among first black students in schools

Civil rights is living history — especially in local communities on Long Island

By NICOLE FORMISANO nformisano@liherald.com

Frederick Brewington still remembers that first day of school when he arrived at Lindner Place Elementary School as a 9-year-old. He was instantly met with a swarm of reporters. They stuck a microphone in his mouth. ‘What did your mother tell you?’ they asked him.

“Walk straight to school, and don’t step on anyone’s lawn,” Brewington, 67, remembered saying, “Because they don’t want you over there anyway.”

It was February 23, 1966, more than a decade after the Supreme Court ruled against segregation in schools — but Malverne, Lynbrook and Lakeview seemingly didn’t get the memo. The children of Malverne and Lynbrook, who were predominantly white, went to Davison Avenue and Lindner Place; the children of Lakeview, who were predominantly Black, went to Woodfield Road Elementary School.

When the district received a court order to desegregate, the community erupted. Protests against integration were vehement, Brewington said — white parents shouting ‘we don’t want you here’ and ‘go home.’ But kids in the classroom, he said, did not share their parents’ vitriol. Brewington was even elected class president from eighth grade through senior year of high school.

“Malverne turned into a great, wonderful learning experience,” Brewington said, “For so many people who may not have had the opportunity — or may not have taken the opportunity — to learn about the things that make us similar as opposed to the things that can separate us.”

Among the biggest problems in the district, said Robin Delany, 71, said was the lack of representation. The all-white board strongly resisted integration, and filed a lawsuit against the executive order to desegregate. There were only one, maybe two, Black teachers in Malverne High School. There were zero Black administrators.

“The guidance was terrible when it came to Black kids,” Delany said. “Their expectations were so low.

“I remember being in the guidance office and watching a fellow student being told by one of the guidance counselors that he should go into the military, because he couldn’t do anything else.”

Delany was among the group of students who presented the Board of Education with a list of demands. Among them: teach Black history; hire Black faculty; use the word “Black” instead of “Negro” in the school paper; acknowledge Martin Luther King Day as a holiday; change the name of Howard T. Herber Middle School, because it was named after a racist superintendent.

The board agreed to teach Black history and hire more diverse faculty in the future. All other demands were

ignored.

So the student activists — and a few parents — had peaceful marches through the community. They boycotted classes. Finally, they had a sit-in. Delany was among the 137 arrested for participating. The police then stripsearched the students. Delany was 15.

“We’re trying to encourage our kids to be civically engaged,” Jeanne D’Esposito, vice president of the Malverne school board, said. “We want our children to know that they have power.

“So if the board isn’t listening to them, we’re giving them the exact opposite message — that they don’t have a voice, that they don’t matter, that they shouldn’t even bother getting involved.”

Malverne today

Brewington became a prominent civil rights lawyer and community activist. Delany worked for the Federal Department of Justice for 25 years in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

During a high school reunion two years ago, she listened to what her former classmates have done in the last 50 years. One was a nurse. Another was going back to school at 69 years old for a Ph.D., and is running a nonprofit in Texas. Another became a pilot. Seeing classmates realizing their aspirations despite the racism they faced in school was striking, Delany said. She is similarly gratified by the Malverne school district’s success today.

“There’s a very high population of color there,” she said. “And those kids are excelling, and getting scholarships, and so on.”

Part of the benefit of Malverne isn’t just the education in the classroom — it’s the education from the classmates. Having a diverse school body is not a melting pot, Brewington said — rather, it’s a five-course meal. Appreciating the different tastes and smells and textures

‘vitriolic,’ Frederick Brewington said. But integration ultimately exposed him and his classmates to new food, music and friends that they wouldn’t have known otherwise.

is what makes a wonderful culinary experience.

“That’s what our community should be,” Brewington said. “We get the best from each other, and because of that we’re all better.”

But the struggle for equity on Long Island is far from over. A study by the civil rights group ERASE racism found that Nassau County is one of the most racially segregated regions in the country. They also found that “intense segregation” in the county’s school districts had more than doubled between 2005 and 2017.

“Every time we push back,” Brewington said, “Every time we say ‘don’t teach Black history,’ every time we say ‘I don’t want to learn about that,’ every time we see a degradation of other individuals based on their race, religion, background, et cetera, we are creating an anti-learning process.”

More than anything, Delany wants to see the students of Malverne and Lakeview pick up where her generation left off. And most importantly, she said, they must know they can’t do it alone.

“If you don’t know that you can succeed when you come together, organiz-

ing and challenging injustice, then you’re less likely to do it again,” she said. “You want those examples, you want to understand that you can succeed, you want to understand what happened in your own community.

“You need to know what came before in order to understand what you should carry forward and what you need to change.”

It seems, though, that Malverne and Lakeview students are carrying that torch. The student-led project “What’s

In A Name?” saw Lindner Place — named for Ku Klux Klan leader Paul Lindner — renamed Acorn Way. School administration is partnering with the NAACP and the Lakeview Civic Association to plan a celebration for the 60th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. marching down Woodfield Road.

“We’ve been fortunate enough through the latter part of the 20th century into the 21st century to see change,” Brewington said. “But there is no time to rest, because people died so that we might be able to advocate and make the change.

“That’s who we stand on — we stand on their shoulders.”

Photos courtesy Robin Delany Robin Delany was arrested for participating in a sit-in, and then stripsearched by police. She was 15.

Courtesy Malverne Historical Society The Malverne, Lakeview and Lynbrook communities were divided over the courtordered desegregation. The protests against it, like this one in front of Malverne High School, were

Delany hopes young people today know the power of organizing against injustice.

Courtesy Frederick Brewington Frederick Brewington was 9 when schools first integrated. Today, he is a prominent civil rights lawyer.

Disco-themed ‘prom’ to take place in May

seniors led. To her, it was a lesson in perspective. During a recent visit to Atria Tanglewood, she said, there was a Ping-Pong tournament — and there was one woman who absolutely no one could beat.

“She was saying how Ping-Pong also created this relationship with her son, and it always reminded her of her son,” Uribe said. “And to me, that was so heartfelt. And I really saw the connection — that when she played Ping-Pong, she was always remembering her son as well.

“And with that, I kind of learned that with older people that — it’s kind of weird to say but, they had lives before talking to us right now. They led these full, entire different lives.”

Icial Key Club. Prior to connecting with Kiwanis this year, the club was a general community service organization. But they were still just as focused on giving back — they hosted blood drives and cleanups of Hempstead State Lake Park. Each event teaches the students something new. Uchie Alozie, a senior, said her personal favorite was the babysitting night they hosted for the community.

think that us being there really connected with them.

Isabella RamhaR akh MHS senior

Though the teens of the Key Club and the seniors of Atria Tanglewood were born in different eras, they found connection across the generational gap.

“We learned that they never stopped learning,” Coleene Elias, a junior, said. “They always give us good advice for our lives, but they also ask us for things that we’re interacting with, and things that we’re seeing, because they feel like even though they’re older, they can still learn from the younger generation.”

This is the club’s first year as an offi-

“I got to see almost two contrasting elements to community service, because I worked with kids and then I worked with some seniors,” Alozie said. “It really shows that no matter who you’re serving to, it’s still really important to do community service.”

This is only the beginning of the Key Club’s relationship with the elders at Atria Tanglewood. They’re hosting a “Senior” Senior Prom at Atria in May. The theme of the party? 1970s disco, by a unanimous vote from the seniors.

“Having a celebration like that, it gives them a chance to be more social,” said sophomore Dayami Guaman. “And also gives them the opportunity to go back in the day, where they’re able to have fun and just interact with other people and us high schoolers too.

“I just think it’ll be a really great

experience for them, it’ll just give them the opportunity to feel like teens again.”

In the meantime, the students continue to focus on other ways of helping the people around them, and encouraging others to do the same. They’re currently organizing a blood drive in March. The last one was an all-time high for participation, and they’re confident they can

The teens of Malverne High School’s Key Club played games and worked on puzzles with the seniors, and will throw them a ‘Senior’ Senior Prom in May. The elders unanimously voted on a ‘70s disco theme.

get more donors.

Key Club “really taught me that giving is so important,” Ramharakh said. “Helping others is a part of life that you have to do. And you don’t just do it for yourself, but you do it for others. You do it so that other people can experience the help that you want to give.”

A fatal vehicular accident involving a pedestrian occurred on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in Lynbrook.

According to detectives, a woman pedestrian, 71, was walking north on Broadway, crossing over Sunrise Highway, when she was struck by a 2019 Cadillac XT5 driven by a

54-year-old woman. The pedestrian was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead by hospital staff. The driver remained on the scene.

The investigation is ongoing.

— Ben Fiebert

Courtesy Malverne school district

Exhibit celebrates local Black Artists at Westbury Arts

By Anthony Johnson Special to the Herald

In celebration of the Long Island Black Artist Association’s 55th anniversary, Westbury Arts is the host of an exhibition that highlights more than five decades of talent from local artists.

Several members of the association from across Long Island were present Feb. 4 to commemorate the occasion and launch the exhibition.

Westbury resident Marcia OdleMcNair has been a member of the Long Island Black Artist Association for two years. She also sits on Westbury Arts’ board of directors, a position which allowed her to write a proposal for the venue to host the exhibition.

“There’s still lifes, representational art, abstraction, ink works, and watercolors,” Odle-McNair said. “There’s everything. We all come together.”

The association was founded in 1968 by artists James Counts, Ernest Snell, Raymond Miles and Charles Winslow. The organization aims to help local African-American artists find venues to exhibit their work.

The association’s art has been exhibited in places such as museums, universities, libraries and churches. Some work has been displayed internationally in continents such as Africa and Europe.

Galvin Bisserup Jr. is the current president of the Long Island Black Artist Association, which covers the counties of Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk. When holding meetings for the group, he positions all members to sit in a circle.

“Putting everyone in a circle allows people to recognize that they each have an equal space,” he said. “They each have something to offer, and we can share information and learn from one another.”

The art that is displayed in the exhibition has been influenced by the personal interests of different members.

Freeport resident Aaron L. Scott has

two pieces in the exhibition. One painting, titled “Winter Sunset,” was inspired by the former Oceanside School District art educators’ passion for nature.

“There’s something about winter that I’ve always liked,” Scott said. I just enjoy nature. I grew up in an area where we used to have lots of deer. There’s always been a lot of animals around, maybe less than there used to be. But there’s still those things that are part of nature that are around.”

Photos taken by Mary Rano, another Freeport resident, are also showcased. One of those pieces is titled “I-95 at Philly,” and focuses on an oil refinery that she observed while stuck in traffic.

“It was 7 in the summer, and the sun was going down,” Rano said. “The light was reflecting off of the metal and pipes. It struck me as really pretty. There was something beautiful about it.”

Members also shared their reflections on what 55 years of the Long Island Black Artist Association means to them.

“We’ve lasted the test of time,” OdleMcNair said. “What I really appreciate about this group is the fellowship. There’s no judgment.”

Bisserup Jr. talked about his hopes for the future of the association.

“Part of the joy is recognizing that I’m a part of something,” he said. “My main mission is to keep the artists engaged and keep our family unit together so that we can move as a unit when it comes to exhibiting the different artworks that we have mastered.”

The Long Island Black Artist Association’s 55 Years of Black Creativity exhibition runs through March 22 at Westbury Arts.

Anthony Johnson is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.

Photos courtesy Anthony Johnson

Aaron L. Scott, left, Marcia Odle-McNair, Mary Rano, and Galvin Bisserup Jr., all members of the Long Island Black Artist Association, at the 55th anniversary exhibition’s opening reception at Westbury Arts.

Blakeman defends banning trans athletes

By PARKER SCHUG

pschug@liherald.com

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman says he’s protecting athletes in his executive order last week banning some transgender participants in female-centric sports in county facilities. But the action also has raised concerns — and legal questions. Some of which were brought before the Nassau County Legislature on Monday.

We’re confident that as soon as this executive order comes before court, it will be shut down

BoBBy HodGSon director New York Civil Liberties Union

“An individual’s gender is defined as the individual’s biological sex at birth,” Blakeman wrote in his executive order, which demands any sport entities interested in using county facilities to first designate themselves based on male, female or co-ed categories, and then only accept athletes who meet that criteria according to the gender that was originally listed on their birth certificate.

There are nearly 100 facilities in the county that will be impacted, Blakeman told reporters last week.

But Bobby Hodgson — director of LGBTQ rights litigation at New York Civil Liberties Union — says those impacts may not be felt long.

“Were confident that as soon as this executive order comes before court, it will be shut down,” Hodgson said.

The executive order primarily targets athletes born biologically male, but who now identify as female, from participating in teams intended only for girls or women. Blakeman’s order does not require facilities to ban athletes born female and now identifying as male from joining male-centric teams.

Blakeman, however, was quick to add last week, that trans athletes identifying as females aren’t completely banned — they will still be able to participate in co-ed leagues as well as male competitive leagues.

Nassau County Legislator Samantha Goetz backed Blakeman’s directive, citing safety and integrity.

“This is about protecting our female athletes,” said Goetz, whose district primarily represents Oyster Bay. “This is about making sure they’re not denied opportunities for scholarships, or any type of opportunity that comes with playing sports, recognition and things like that.”

Eva Nordman, an 8-year-old who plays basketball, softball and soccer, said it was also about keeping sports equitable.

“Boys have different chromosomes than girls and that makes them stronger,” Nordman said. “It’s not fair if they

college, whether it’s high school, whether it’s just a community league — and it is an unfair advantage for someone who’s a biological male to compete against a biological female.”

Dawn Foster — a former deputy county attorney and an Oceanside resident — stopped by Mineola on Monday to speak out against Blakeman’s executive order in front of the county legislature on behalf of her family.

“In 2021, when I finally stopped fighting against myself and accepted that I was a woman and needed transition, we felt fortunate to live in Nassau County,” Foster said, calling the executive order unlawful, and condemning what she described as efforts to demonize trans women. “That feeling was shattered last week.

“Blakeman and Goetz press conference was a total of repudiation of the humanity of trans people, implying that we are cheaters, liars and bullies.”

compete against us.”

Protesters gathered outside of Blakeman’s news conference last week led by Juli Grey-Owens, executive director of Gender Equality New York, chanting, “Trans kids are our kids.” They will get some support from the NYCLU — a notfor=profit legal right group — say they will consider taking Nassau County to court over what Hodgson described as a disregard of state human rights and civil rights laws.

An amendment to the state’s human rights law in 2019 outlawed gender identity and expression discrimination in employment, housing, places of public accommodation, and non-religious schools, according to state officials.

Hodgson is not alone. State attorney general Letitia James condemned Blakeman’s order, calling it “transphobic and

deeply dangerous.”

“In New York, we have laws that protect our beautifully diverse communities from hate and discrimination of any and every kind,” James said, in a statement. “My office is charged with enforcing and upholding those laws, and we stand up to those who violate them and trespass on the rights of marginalized communities. We are reviewing our legal options.”

But Blakeman told reporters last week he knew of no state policy that could threaten his executive order

“This is not precluding anybody from participating in sports,” Blakeman wrote in his executive order. “What it is, is identifying that there are women and girls who spent a tremendous amount of time and effort to excel and compete in their sports that are women’s sports whether it’s the WNBA, whether it’s

Foster already had support from some county legislators like Carrié Solages and Delia DeRiggi-Whitton.

“I have never, in my many years of government service, had a constituent or parent complain to me about this issue,” Solages said, “making it clear that this embarrassing and illegal order is just another attempt by County Executive Blakeman to distract from the many issues that plague Nassau County.”

But Blakeman is not going to let those efforts dissuade him.

“We are finding out, in the last few months, there was a movement for biological males to bully their way into competing in sports or leagues or teams that identify themselves — or advertise themselves — as girls, or female or women’s teams or leagues,” the county executive said last week. “We find that unacceptable. It’s a form of bullying.”

Parker Schug/Herald photos

Victoria Argueta, from left, Sophia Argueta, Eva Nordman, Julia Nordman and Jenna Nordman join Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman at a news conference, telling reporters he’s banning some transgender athletes from participating in female-centric sports in county facilities.

Juli Grey-Owens, executive director of Gender Equality New York, front, protests outside a Mineola news conference last week where Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced he was banning some transgender athletes from participating in female-centric sports in county facilities.

Coalition formed to advocate for local journalism

A statewide group of local news organizations — comprising of more than 100 newspapers across New York — have launched The Empire State Local News Coalition, a joint advocacy effort to advance a legislative package intended to deliver long-term sustainability to the sector.

The coalition launches at a watershed moment for the journalism industry as well as democracy. More than 3,000 newspapers have shuttered across the country since 2005, resulting in thousands of layoffs and countless communities losing essential platforms for sharing their stories.

In New York state alone, newspapers have declined 40 percent between 2004 and 2019. Since then, the number of journalists has halved, and there has been a 60 percent decrease in overall circulation.

There is a growing number of communities with little to no access to local newspaper coverage. More than a dozen New York counties are down to just one newspaper, and Orleans County in Western New York is the first with no local newspaper at all.

The decline of local journalism is a threat to the health of our democracy, as research from the Democracy Fund shows there is a direct correlation between the breadth of local media coverage and levels of civic engagement — an especially significant factor in an election year.

If newspapers continue to shutter, communities across the state risk being effectively disenfranchised, losing the ability to shape policy conversations, and hold local officials accountable.

“The Empire State Local News Coalition is dedicated to advancing a legislative package with bipartisan support aimed at providing a lifeline to newspapers across the state,” said founding member Zachary Rich-

More than 3,000 newspapers have closed across the country since 2005, resulting in countless communities losing essential platforms for sharing their stories. The Empire State Local News Coalition intends to reverse that by advancing new legislation and initiatives that would protect jobs, and incentivize small business to advertise.

ner — director of Richner Communications, the parent company of Herald Community Newspapers — in a release. “All New Yorkers deserve to have their voices heard, and hometown newspapers are key to that mission.

“We urge government officials and local stakeholders to rally behind us, safeguarding democracy, and bolstering the future of local journalism in New York.”

The Empire State coalition is championing what it describes as a robust legislative package intended to

But don’t just take my

ensure local papers survive through the 21st century and beyond. Key priorities include:

• The Local Journalism Sustainability Act (S.625B, A.2958C) — Sponsored by state Sen. Brad HoylmanSigal, the bill would provide tax credits to local news outlets for the employment of local journalists, while providing job stability and paving the way for more hiring opportunities, and an expanded workforce in the future.

• Incentivizing small businesses to advertise in local media — This win-win proposal, according to organizers, would encourage local businesses to advertise in local media, driving revenue for hometown papers, while connecting businesses with their customers.

“Democracy places a responsibility on citizens to be informed so they can effectively participate in the electoral process, and in local government,” said Bill Shumway, editor and publisher of North Country This Week in Potsdam, in a release. “A trusted local news source is essential for that to happen. Healthy communities need an unbiased news organization to connect, enrich and inform citizens.”

“The bottom line is that this proposed legislation would be a major game changer,” said Mark Vinciguerra, president of Capital Region Independent Media out of Clifton Park. “We would be able to increase the number and type of journalists we have on staff. It would allow us to cover more beats, do more video reporting, investigative reporting, and expand our ‘Good News’ initiative we have started.”

A 2022 analysis found more than 350 newsrooms across the state would benefit from the local journalism payroll tax credit. This includes 53 newsrooms in New York City, with 21 of them being ethnic media outlets.

To learn more about the efforts, visit SaveNYLocalNews.com.

This local nonprofit has nowhere else to go

being given money, he added. But that’s not where donations to the People’s Food Drive or the LICC are going.

“The Nassau County residents that need help are what we call the ‘working poor,’” Hallam said. “So they’re not homeless, living on the streets. They’re people that go to the same schools our kids go to. Most of them are working. A

every year, rob Hallam’s home is filled from floor to ceiling with food donations for the people’s food drive.

By Jonathan Wolfsohn MBA, CFP, EA, ATA

withholding enough from their pay to cover their taxes owed, especially if their personal or fmancial situations change during the year. To check withholding, taxpayers can use the IRS Withholding Estimator. If they want to change their tax withholding, taxpayers should provide their employer with an updated Form W-4. Changing withholding and having more withheld may lower their AGI and affect their tax bill or expected refund.

Make address and name changes. Notify the United States Postal Service, employers and the IRS of any address change. To officially change a mailing address with the IRS, taxpayers must compete Form 8822, Change of Address, and mail it to the correct address for their area. For detailed instructions, see page 2 of the fonn. Report any name change to the Social Security Administration. Making these changes as soon as possible will help make filing their tax return easier.

Save for retirement. Saving for retirement can also lower a taxpayer’s AGI. Contributing money to a retirement plan at work and to a traditional IRA also reduces taxable income.

lot of them are seniors on fixed incomes.”

More than 200,000 people — including nearly 70,000 children — across Nassau County are facing food insecurity.

Many families are living paycheck to paycheck and have a difficult time putting food on the table, when they are faced with other financial burdens, Hallam said.

“There needs to be a little bit of a better understanding of who these people are in Nassau County that our food pantry is providing to,” he said. “These are veterans, these are children, these are seniors.”

And those neighbors who need help may soon have nowhere to turn. The LICC has been helping those with food insecurity for 50 years. But at the end of March, its lease expires, and the organization is struggling to find a solution. Most other rent options are just out of reach for the 50-year-old nonprofit, which has nowhere else to go.

“It would be really, really sad to see that have to stop,” Hallam said. “God knows where these people are going to go.”

The LICC provided nearly 600,000 meals to neighbors last year alone. Food banks across Long Island are facing a strain because of increased need, Hallam said, and they’re reaching a point where they have to turn people away.

The LICC’s search for a solution isn’t

over yet, and the nonprofit has until the end of the month to figure something out.

“It’s really getting down to the wire right now,” Hallam said. “We’ve had so many what I’ll call small miracles over the years we’ve been doing this food drive.

“We’re hoping for a real big one here,” he added.

rob Hallam said he felt a calling to expand the food drive beyond his church.

News briefs

NCPD says goodbye to retired police K-9

The Nassau County Police Department said goodbye to Kai, a retired K-9, on Jan. 4. Kai was born on March 25, 2011, joined the NCPD in March 2012, and retired in early 2020.

K-9 Kai, alongside handler retired police officer Chris Peters, dedicated his life to the NCPD and its citizens. The hard work, endless training, and dedication of K-9 Kai and Peters led to numerous apprehensions and arrests of dangerous subjects during his career. In addition to apprehending criminals, K-9 Kai protected the citizens of Nassau County by conducting well over 100 bomb sweeps and aiding in locating missing persons.

When he wasn’t busy with his police responsibilities, he and Peters would visit and conduct demonstrations for various groups and people, including but not limited to school children, Boy and Girl Scouts, Police Explorers, and community Leaders.

K-9 Kai, to those who didn’t know him, looked as if he was all business at all times. But those who worked closely with him knew he was a mush at heart — except if you tried to take his “chuck it ball.” Those in the unit say they can still hear the whistle of that ball through the air as K-9 Kai gave chase.

The NCPD, along with County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Commissioner of Police Patrick Ryder, expressed their sympathy to Peters and his family.

The department is extremely grateful, they said, for the dedicated service K-9 Kai provided to the NCPD and the public. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten.

Photos courtesy Rob Hallam

Please explain why Dr. Zelinger writes books

By JEFFREY BESSEN jbessen@liherald.com

Since she was around 8-years-old, Dr. Laurie Zelinger kept a diary writing short stories and poems, and in the fourth grade she wrote a play her class performed.

Zelinger, 71, became a board certified psychologist who worked in schools for 40-plus years, including 10 in the Oceanside school district, and has had a private practice in Cedarhurst for more than 20 years, counseling children.

TDR. LauRiE ZELiNgER

The writing gene has never left her and since 2009, Zelinger who shares her practice with her husband, Fred, has written books geared for children to ease their concerns about such topics as Alzheimer’s disease, terrorism and vaccines.

Her latest book, “Please Explain Divorce to me, Because My Parents are Breaking up,” with illustrations by Lynbrook resident Elisa Sabella, explains the breakup of a mother and

of a real life incident and her practice. Grandson Seth hurt his finger and Zelinger spontaneously made up a story related to the bandage and that became “Baby Bandage & His First Aid Family.”

“They are all researched and evidence-based so they are a trustworthy source for parents,” Zelinger said, about her books.

That is what drew Victor Volkman, the publisher of Michigan-based Living Healing Press, to publish Zelinger’s books.

“Her credential as a board certified psychologist is

has a deft touch knowing a child’s development and understanding what practical things make themselves understand the situation.”

Reading “Please Explain Divorce to me,” as an adult, it is a breezy 25-page read that provides simple but coherent insight into how children most likely will view the break up of their parents’ marriage.

Volkman noted that Zelinger writes from a personal perspective such as her book, “Please Explain Alzheimer’s to Me,” which came from her father having the disease.

“It speaks to the empathy with the subject she is dealing with and her desire to help provide practical solutions,” Volkman said. She researches her subjects in depth, has detailed, fully referenced theoretical approaches. She’s just a gem.”

Lynbrook resident Elisa Sabella has illustrated three of Zelinger’s books.

“I generally start designing the characters from a rough bunch of designs, then Laurie picks hair from one, the face of one, kind of Laurie’s rough ideas on the pages,” Sabella said, who added that sometimes she starts in pencil, but mostly works in Photoshop. “We try thumbnail sketches and narrow it down.”

For Sabella, “It’s fun, I love it.”

What Zelinger appears to love is helping her youthful patients and alleviate their anxiety.

“Children are really more afraid of divorce than death,” she said, recalling one time when working at a school there was a fire drill and of course everyone had to leave the building quickly.

“A girl had a lost a family member and she was afraid that all these people (who had died) fell out of the sky,” said Zelinger, noting that the feedback from kids before the books are published is genuinely positive.

Courtesy Barbara Alster

Valor Award recipients U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Commander Zachary Bowers, U.S. Marine Corps and Coast Guard Lt. Lars Anderson and U.S. Air Force Captain David C. Bennett and their spouses were recognized during the Nassau County American Legion Ball and Post Commander’s Night.

Nassau County vets honor active-duty aviators

American Legion Military Ball hosts the 69th annual Valor Awards

By DANIEL OFFNER doffner@liherald.com

American Legion veterans and auxiliary members all across Nassau County — including members of Post 303 in Rockville Centre — gathered at Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck on Saturday for the annual Military Ball and Post Commander’s Night.

This year’s celebration marked the first time that the American Legions of Nassau County hosted the 69th annual Valor Awards presentation for active duty service members of the American Legion Aviators’ Post No. 743.

The program also acknowledged several distinguished guests, including Department Commander Timothy Collmer, Vice Commander Michael Rodriguez, 10th District Commander James Trainor, Nassau County Commander Sean Hood, Suffolk County Commander Kenneth Dolan, Queens County Commander Casey Bileris and Nassau County Legionnaire of the Year Al Ficalora of Baldwin Post 246.

Members of the American Legion

Auxiliary — the world’s largest women’s patriotic service organization — the Sons of the American Legion and the American Legion Riders were also recognized for their contributions and service.

The first Valor Award was presented in 1953 to United States Air Force General Henry “Hap” Arnold for his leadership during World War II.

Since then, it has become an annual tradition to recognize military aviators who performed a feat of valor, as determined by the Chief of Staff of each of the U.S. Armed Forces.

In recognition of their accomplishments in the line of duty, this year’s Military Ball and Post Commander’s night event recognized three esteemed aviators for their distinguished acts of valor.

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Commander Zachary Bowers, a fleet standardization flight examiner and instructor pilot from Sacramento, California, was presented with the 2019 Aviator Valor Award for a Medevac rescue in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where he and his crew helped transport a 60-year-old man with respiratory failure and high-risk morbidly obese pregnant female who was at risk of bleeding out if she went into labor despite poor visibility, high winds, heavy rain and engine anti-ice failure. Both individuals were successfully transported to a hospital in Anchorage. The 60-year-old man was later diagnosed with tuberculosis. Had he not been transported to the hos-

East Rockaway American Legion Post 958 at the annual Military ball and Post Commander’s Night event two week’s ago.

pital, he would have died.

Lt. Lars Anderson served both the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard as a flight instructor pilot. He was presented with the 2020 Aviator Valor Award for a non-maritime Medevac rescue of two men in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Throughout the course of his military career he has accrued more than 5,500 flight hours and has received five Humanitarian Service Medals and numerous commendations for his service. He currently works as a commercial airline pilot and resides in Tennessee, with his wife, Kelly, and four kids Bengt, Hannah, Annika and Linnea.

U.S. Air Force Captain David C. Bennett, the operations flight commander of the 40th Helicopter Squadron at the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, is a UH-1N pilot in support of nuclear defense operations. He was presented with the 2022 Aviator Valor Award for a

search and rescue mission where he rescued an elderly man, who was suffering from a severe medical emergency in his remote mountain cabin. Bennett calculated an optimal fuel state to allow the crew to have largest amount of power to affect the rescue, which proved critical as whiteout and downdraft conditions in the landing zone required maximum torque available for takeoff. Coordinating with local emergency services, Bennett set up a transfer at the international airport, due to the inability to offload at Benefis Hospital. He has served as a resource advisor, chief of scheduling, executive officer and currently holds the rank of instructor pilot.

Hundreds of veterans and their families gathered around to celebrate the accomplishments of these three men, who in the face of danger, showed unparalleled bravery and expertise.

Lynbrook American Legion Post 335 celebrating legion veterans and auxiliary members in Nassau County.

Daniel Offner/Herald photos

STEPPING OUT

Her theatre life

Tony Award nominee Sheryl Kaller directs Off-Broadway’s ‘The White Chip,’ a play about alcoholism and recovery

By Iris Wiener

When Valley Stream native Sheryl Kaller was 12, she knew she wanted to be a director. It was 1973. She went to a Sunday matinee of “Pippin,” and Ben Vereen sang “Magic to Do,” immediately clinching her dream.

“I always knew theatre was the only place where we can authentically use our imaginations,” she says. “I had the Spidey sense of knowing that it was a collaborative art.”

It was the start to a journey that would lead her to a Tony nomination as she directed Broadway (“Next Fall,” “Mothers and Sons”) and Off-Broadway plays, including “The White Chip,” which follows a theatre director who finds himself spinning out of control with an addiction to alcohol. The play, exploring his journey to recovery, runs through March 9, at MCC Theater.

“Broadway and Off-Broadway always felt like my community,” Kaller says. “My parents were very vigilant about getting me in to see theatre all the time. It informed my exposure to the art and my love of New York City.”

As Kaller grew up in the Green Acres community of Valley Stream, she performed in community theatre with her mother, while her father — who repaired car seat covers for a living — would use his knowledge of sewing to design costumes for the shows. (“They were horrible actually,” Kaller says, laughing at the fond memories.)

In her senior year at Valley Stream South High School, Kaller got her first taste of directing. After landing the role of Rosie in “Bye Bye Birdie,” she realized a big number — “The Telephone Hour” — could use some major help.

“I said to the director, who was great, ‘With all due respect, may I redo (the number)?’ So I redid the whole ‘Telephone Hour.’ That’s when I knew I was much better at directing than acting, and it led me to go to Emerson College — as a director, not as an actor.”

In 2019, Kaller directed “The White Chip” at OffBroadway’s 59E59 with the support of acclaimed playwright Terrence McNally, who, much like the play’s narrator, was

• Now through March 9

• Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space, 511 W. 52nd St., Manhattan

• Tickets available at WhiteChipPlay.com

a recovered alcoholic. When McNally died during the pandemic, Kaller knew she had to bring the play back to the New York theatre community.

“In the world of Covid and in the world of losing community, we felt it was really important to bring it back because ‘The White Chip’ is a hopeful sobriety story, and a serio-comedy. There’s a lot of fun things in it,” she says of the play, which found its new home at the MCC Theater. “We are building community and doing service with this show, while entertaining at the same time.”

According to Kaller, after the pandemic, alcoholism in women doubled, while in men it was up a third.

“AA and addiction meetings were all on Zoom, and everybody kind of fractured,” she says. “This is a story that makes you laugh and cry. It also talks about how there’s no shame in being an addict. Shame touches everybody’s lives in one way or another.”

In deciding to take the piece on again, it didn’t hurt that Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford was at the show’s helm as producer.

“She’s very magical,” says Kaller of Ashford, who recently starred in Broadway’s “Sweeney Todd” opposite Josh Groban.

“The White Chip” has such an important message that it also boasts celebrity supporters and producers Jason Biggs, John Larroquette, Edie Falco and Hank Azaria. The pandemic even inspired playwright Sean Daniels to create The Recovery Project, an initiative working to heal the stigma of addiction and recovery through the development of new plays, theatre education programs, and outreach.

“All of our fancy producers are sober people,” says Kaller, of the importance of the play and the initiative. “Every producer who came on board financially was incredibly gracious. They don’t have the best deal in the world because a lot of the money is going into The Recovery Project. If you’re an actor, a designer, in the PR department, if you’re cleaning the toilets, you need resources. At all of our performances so far, at least one person has asked us for help. We have a QR code that gives them resources whether or not they have health insurance.”

The play continues to remind Kaller of the importance of community, a lesson that harkens back to her roots on Long Island.

“One thousand Long Islanders showed up to my dad’s funeral,” she recalls. “I grew up in such a beautiful community there. My heart will always be on the ‘Guyland.’ I got the wonderful suburban, great education at Valley Stream South, and yet I got to go into the city all the time. But I will always remember all of these people who showed up for my family.

“I wish Long Islanders would start coming back to New York theatre because we really do build a lot of beautiful community in the city and it’s worth it. It is apparent with ‘The White Chip’ and with so much more.”

Tusk

Tusk goes their own way, with their dynamic tribute to Fleetwood Mac. Since forming in 2008, Tusk has prided themselves on being the ultimate tribute to the ‘70s supergroup. No fancy tricks, no gimmicks, just five musicians recreating the music of Fleetwood Mac to perfection with note-fornote renditions. Seasoned musicians who go back some 25 years, their attention to detail, talent and reverence of their subjects has been critically acclaimed, resulting in their accolades as the premiere purveyors of ‘Mac. Time, trust, and close friendship have cultivated an intimate familiarity with each other’s musical nuances, shaping every performance with precision. More than a band, they are a family. Made up of Kathy Phillips (as Stevie Nicks on vocals), Scott McDonald (as Lindsey Buckingham, guitar and vocals), Kim Williams (as Christine McVie, keys and vocals), Randy Artiglere (as John McVie, bass) and Tom Nelson (as Mick Fleetwood on drums) the five-piece band transports you back to the group’s glory days.

Friday, March 1, 8 p.m. $63, $53, $45. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 7676444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

The Irish Tenors

These gents will warm your soul with the beauty of Irish music. The Irish Tenors have been the acknowledged Celtic music kings since bursting upon the scene during a 1998 television special. With 10 bestselling albums to their credit, they share company with the likes of The Three Tenors and Andrea Bocelli as the biggest money makers PBS has presented. They’ve since become a part of the Irish movement in America, with plenty of talented Irish acts coming after them. They have stood the test of time — audiences of all ages love the Irish Tenors. Now comprised of classically trained tenor Anthony Kearns, doctor-turned-vocalist Ronan Tynan, and tenor Declan Kelly, their repertoire is wide-ranging and they also introduce — or reintroduce — their audiences to Ireland’s exquisite jigs, reels and ballads.

Friday, March 1, 8 p.m. Tickets start at $70. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com,TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

Crystal Dickinson, Joe Tapper, and Jason Tam star in playwright Sean Daniels’ autobiographical comedy, a wry theatrical journey of recovery.

Photos by Jenny Anderson

Sheryl Kaller in rehearsal.

THE Your Neighborhood

March 8

Janeane Garofalo

The comedianactress, who reigns as the queen of the alt-comedy scene, is eager to speak her mind on her current stand-up tour, when she visits the Landmark stage, Friday, March 8, 8 p.m.

Considered by many as an American institution since she first burst on the scene in 1992, the outspoken activist has plenty to say, in her own inimitable comedic style. Known for her incisive, cynical sense of humor, the SNL alum has branched out into many memorable film and TV roles, including “The Truth About Cats and Dogs,” “Wet Hot American Summer,” “Ratatouille,” “Steal This Movie,” “Reality Bites,” “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion,” “Mystery Men,” “The Ten” and “The Cable Guy,” along with including the final season of NBC’s “The West Wing.”

Garofalo’s informed opinions and unflinching honesty on topics ranging from everyday life to pop culture inspire laughs and strikes a chord with audiences everywhere. Often a lightening rod for controversy, Garofalo finds a way to get her point across with her trademark sense of humor. Known and respected worldwide, Garofalo was also instrumental in the successful launching of the first liberal radio network, Air America Radio, where she hosted her own talk show, “The Majority Report.” A lightning rod for controversy, her opinions and candor have inspired laughs, as well as striking a chord with the left, right and everyone in between. $33, $28. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. Tickets available at LandmarkOnMainStreet.org or (516) 767-6444.

Family theater

Inspired by L. Frank Baum’s stories, this clever adaptation puts the audience front and center, literally, on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Friday, March 1, 10:15 a.m. and noon, Saturday, March 2, 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, March 5-7, 10:15 a.m. and noon. Kids become cast members, singing dancing, and acting onstage alongside the professional cast.

One of our most interactive shows at LICM Theater, this production received rave reviews in its prior run. Going beyond the traditional telling of the Oz stories, “Journey to Oz” uses personal journal entries and historic newspaper headlines to bring the history of author L. Frank Baum and illustrator W.W. Denslow to life. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion take the audience with them on this lively, playful trip down the yellow brick road.

$10 with museum admission ($8 members), $14 theater only. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

Feb. 29

Breastfeeding Support Group

Mercy Hospital offers a peer to peer meeting for breastfeeding support and resources, facilitated by a certified breastfeeding counselor, every Thursday , 10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Bring your baby (from newborn to 1 year) to the informal group setting.

All new moms are welcome, regardless of delivering hospital. Registration required. Call breastfeeding counselor, Gabriella Gennaro, at (516) 705-2434 to secure you and your baby’s spot. Mercy Hospital, St. Anne’s Building, 1000 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre. For information visit CHSLI.org.

AI: What is it, and how does it work?

Discuss the basics of AI and its use in business, at the Chamber of Commerce workshop, Wednesday, March 6, 5:30-7 p.m., at The Bristal. Session includes market updates and demonstrates how AI data and analytics is being used in business. Register at LynbrookUSA.com. 8 Freer St., Lynbrook.

March 1

Nellie McKay performs

The effervescent multi-instrumentalist singersongwriter returns to My Father’s Place with music from her recently released album, “Hey Guys, Watch This,” Friday, March 1, 8 p.m. Recorded in Charleston, West Virginia with The Carpenter Ants and a roving retinue of musical compadres, her album traces the haunted sounds of Appalachia to a renaissance of revelry.

Doors open at 6 p.m., concert is at 8 p.m. 221 Old Northern Blvd., Roslyn. For tickets/ information, visit MFPProductions. com or call (516) 580-0887.

Defensive Driving Course

Empire Safety Council offers another session at Lynbrook Library, Saturday, March, 9, 10:15 a.m.-4:15 p.m. Participation in this six-hour course gives you a reduction of insurance fees for three years and can reduce points. Registration is required.

The fee for the class is $33 per person, and must be paid the day of the class by cash, check or money order payable to Empire Safety Council. Class size is limited. 56 Eldert St. Visit LynbrookLibrary.org or call (516) 599-8630 for more.

Adult Paint Night

Unleash your creative side with “Paint Night with Joan,”

Friday, March 1, 7-9 p.m. Participants will end this guided paint session with a beautiful, self-made work of art. It’s held at Side B of the Greis Park Recreation Center. $25. 55 Wilbur St. Register at Lynbrook.RecDesk.com.

Board of Education

Meeting

Whether you’re a student, parent or taxpayer, stop by the Lynbrook Board of Education meeting to stay up to date on what the school district is up to. The Board of Education next meets, Wednesday, March 13, 7:30 p.m., in the cafeteria of Lynbrook High School. 9 Union Ave.

HERJC Diamond Jubilee

Celebrate 75 years of the Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre, at the gala event, Saturday, March 2, 7 p.m. Black tie optional. Register at tinyurl.com/ HERJCDiamondJubilee. Email ExecDire@herjc.org with any questions.

Having an event?

Art explorations

Converse, collaborate and create at Family Saturdays at Nassau County Museum of Art, Saturday, March 2 and 9, noon-3 p.m. Get inspired by the art and objects in the galleries and then join educators at the Manes Center to explore and discover different materials to create your own original artwork.

Kids and their adult partners connect while talking about and making art together. A new project is featured every week. $20 adult, $10 child. Registration required. 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Village meeting

Keep up to date with the goings-on in Lynbrook at the monthly meeting with Mayor Alan Beach and the board of trustees, Monday March 11, 7 p.m., at Village Hall. 1 Columbus Drive in Lynbrook.

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.

Forest Bathing

Take a meditative Forest Bathing walk, led by certified guide Linda Lombardo, Sunday, March 10, 2-4 p.m. Based on the Japanese tradition of Shinrin-Yoku, 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. Registration required. Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road. For information, visit SandsPointPreserveConservancy.org or call (516) 571-7901.

On exhibit

Nassau County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, “Our Gilded Age,” examines the appearances and the realities of an era that mirrors our own in many ways. Like the nation’s economy, American art and literature flourished during the Gilded Age. The art of John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, Louis Comfort Tiffany and others adorned palatial residences designed by Stanford White and Ogden Codman Jr., architect of the museum’s own quintessential Gilded Age mansion.

Drawing heavily upon the local literary history of Long Island, including William Cullen Bryant, Mark Twain (who named the Gilded Age), Walt Whitman, Edith Wharton and others, the exhibition will include paintings, fashion, decorative arts including period silver and china, photographs, manuscripts, first editions and other historic memorabilia. The “Upstairs, Downstairs” approach to the life of a country house brings to life not only the storied conspicuous consumption for which the Gilded Age was infamous, but also the real lives of these many individuals who maintained the palatial estates where that lifestyle was enjoyed. On view through March 10 Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Catch up with Kiwanis

Lynbrook Kiwanis Club meets twice monthly. Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at Lynbrook Library, 56 Eldert St., and on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at Savino’s Restaurant and Wine Bar, 88 Atlantic Ave. For more information, visit Facebook.com/KiwanisLynbrook.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE OF VILLAGE TREASURER’S SALE FOR TAX LIENS ON REAL ESTATE IN THE VILLAGE OF LYNBROOK, NEW YORK

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE, that pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Real Property Tax Law, the Village Law of the State of New York, the Village Code of the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook, and pursuant to a Resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Lynbrook, Nassau County, New York, adopted at a meeting held on the 22nd day of January, 2024, the Treasurer of said Village will sell pursuant to Village Code §222-27(B) to the Village of Lynbrook, in the manner prescribed by law, on the 14th day of March 2024 at 10:00 A.M., each of the following parcels of real estate upon which Village taxes remain unpaid as will be sufficient to discharge the taxes, interest and charges thereon which may be due at the time of the sale. Such interest in real estate will be sold subject to any unpaid assessment thereon levied by said Village and any unpaid lien purchased and held by said Village, and all liens on property included in this sale are sold subject to the provisions of any federal or state law.

The following is a list of lots, pieces and parcels of real estate to be sold, and the total amount of the taxes, interest and charges thereon:

5-3-9 69

8-2-2

8-5-5.6 81 CHARLES

60-1-7

30-1-6

32-1-8

32-3-2 160

LEGAL NOTICE

AVISO ELECTORAL DEL PUEBLO DE 2024

A LOS ELECTORES DE LA ALDEA INC. DE

LYNBROOK, NUEVA YORK

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

LEGAL NOTICE

INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF EAST ROCKAWAY PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to the provisions of Article 14, Real Property Tax Law of the State of New York, and a resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, Nassau County, duly adopted at the Regular Meeting of such Board held on February 5, 2024, I, the undersigned Treasurer of the said Village, will sell at Public Auction in the manner provided by law on the 20th day of March, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. in the Public Meeting Room of the Board of Trustees in the Village Hall, 376 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, New York, so much of each of the following parcels of real estate upon which Village Taxes for the year 2023/24 remain unpaid as will be sufficient to discharge the tax, fees, interest and charges which may be due thereon at the time of such sale and shall conduct the same from day to day until the sale is completed.

The Purchaser or Purchasers at such Tax Sale will be required to pay the amount of their respective bids to the undersigned Treasurer within ten (10) days after the sale pursuant to the provisions the Real Property Tax Law of the State of New York.

The following is a statement of the real estate hereinbefore mentioned as shown and described on the Official Tax Map of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, New York, duly adopted, approved and filed as provided by law, a copy of which is on file and available for inspection in the Office of the Village Clerk of said Village upon which taxes are unpaid together with the amount of tax, fees, interest and charges to March 20th, 2024.

YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the Surrogate’s Court, Nassau County, at 262 Old Country Road, Mineola, New York, on MARCH 27, 2024, at 9:30 o’clock in the fore noon of that day, why the account of Nassau County Public Administrator, a summary of which has been served herewith, as Administrator of the estate of Arthur Irving Goldfeder, should not be judicially settled.

[X] Further relief sought (if any):

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

2. Allowing the commissions of the Petitioner in the amount of $ 36,596.06 pursuant to SCPA 2307(1) and the reasonable and necessary expenses of the office in the amount of $ 11,038.42 pursuant to SCPA 1207(4);

3. Fixing and determining the attorney’s fees and disbursements of Mahon, Mahon, Kerins & O’Brien, LLC attorney for petitioner in the amount of $ 65,271.42, of which $ 14,271.42 has been paid and $ 51,000.00 is unpaid;

4. Fixing and determining the accounting fees of Grassi & Co, CPA’s, PC in the amount of $11,250.00, of which $ 5,250.00 has been paid and $ 6,000.00 is unpaid;

5. Releasing and discharging the surety;

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

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

NOTIFICACIÓN SE DA, que la siguiente es una lista verdadera y correcta de los candidatos nominados, como se indica en las peticiones de nominación presentadas ante el Oficial Electoral del Pueblo, para que las oficinas se llenen en la Elección Especial del Pueblo que se llevará a cabo el martes 19 de marzo de 2024, de conformidad con las disposiciones de la Ley Electoral del Estado de Nueva York:

NOMBRE DEL CANDIDATO CARGO PÚBLICO LUGAR DE RESIDENCIA (PLAZO DE 4 AÑOS)

LYNBROOK NEW VISION PARTY

EMBLEM: STAR

Michael Habert Fiduciario 34 Chestnut St

AVISO SE DA ADEMÁS QUE el único lugar de votación, en el Lynbrook El Centro Recreativo estará abierto a votación a las 7:00 A.M. y cerrará a las 9:00 P.m.

JOHN GIORDANO, OFICIAL ELECTORAL DEL PUEBLO

LYNBROOK, NEW YORK

145125

Dated, Attested, and Sealed, FEBRUARY 7, 2024

Seal HON.

LEGAL NOTICE

CITATION SURROGATE’S COURT, NASSAU COUNTY

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK,

By the Grace of God Free and Independent

TO:Joy Taylor

Scott Taylor

Susan Lowenstam

Jasper Surety Grassi & Co.

Attorney General of the State of New York

and any and all unknown

persons whose names or parts of whose names and whose place or places of residence are unknown and cannot after diligent inquiry be ascertained, distributees, heirs-at-law and next-ofkin of the said Arthur Irving Goldfeder, deceased, and if any of the said distributees named specifically or as a class be dead, their legal representatives, their husbands or wives, if any,

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

144905

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU, COUNTY ACQUISITIONS

LLC, Plaintiff, vs. AMJAD

QURESHI, IF LIVING, AND IF HE/SHE BE DEAD, ANY AND ALL PERSONS

UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order

Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on September 5, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 26, 2024 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 1 Olive Place, Lynbrook, NY 11563. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Village of Lynbrook, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 42, Block 13001 and Lots 91-92. Approximate amount of judgment is $61,821.79 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 608033/2022. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse,

LEGAL NOTICE

2024 VILLAGE ELECTION NOTICE

rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale.

Ronald J. Ferraro, Esq., Referee

Robert Bichoupan, P.C., 175 East Shore Road, Suite 270, Great Neck, New York 11023, Attorneys for Plaintiff 144987

LEGAL NOTICE

Garda Holdings, L.L.C. formed the corporation filing the Articles of Organization with the Department of StateSecretary of State (“SS”) on September 9, 2023. The corporate office is located in Nassau County. SS shall be served with service of process and mail same upon Garda Holdings, L.L.C. located at 23 Carol Street, Lynbrook, New York 11563, for lawful purposes. 144995

LEGAL NOTICE

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook at its regular Board Meeting on March 11, 2024 at 7:00 P.M. in the Village Hall, will conduct a Public Hearing to consider projects to be funded by the Nassau County Office of Housing and Intergovernmental Affairs Community Development Block Grant Program for the fiscal year beginning September 1, 2024. All interested persons will be heard at the time and place aforementioned.

JOHN GIORDANO, VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR LYNBROOK, NEW YORK 145122

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

SEALED BIDS will be received by the Village Clerk of the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook on or before Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 11:00 AM, at which time they will be publicly opened and read for furnishing the following:

2024 ANNUAL SIDEWALK PROGRAM

TO THE ELECTORS OF THE INC. VILLAGE OF

LYNBROOK, NEW YORK

Specifications and contracts may be obtained at the Office of the Village Clerk, Village Hall, One Columbus Drive, Lynbrook, New York, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM Monday through Friday, or on the Village Website at www.lynbrookvillage.com

All bids must be submitted on the form supplied by the Village Clerk. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids if they are not in the best interest of the Village.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

John Giordano, Village Administrator Lynbrook, New York 145123

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF WORKSHOP NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS will hold WORKSHOP on Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 5:30 P.M. in the Board Room at the Village Hall, One Columbus Drive, Lynbrook, NY 11563, on the following cases:

PUBLIC HEARING #1009Christopher & Lisa Wagner, 99 Lenox Avenue, Lynbrook, #1010 - Steven Podlaski, 34 New Street, Lynbrook

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF ZONING

APPEALS, Ginger Fuentes, Chair Person of the Board of Zoning Appeals, Brian Stanton, Superintendent, Department of Buildings Lynbrook Publish 1X 145119

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook will hold a Public Hearing to consider the amendment of Section 252-58 of the Lynbrook Village Code to amend section 252-58(C)(l) which will restrict the parking of campers, mobile homes, motor homes, recreational vehicles, trailers, shipping containers, buses or boats; and under SEQRA Regulations, to determine whether the proposed use would constitute a significant negative

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the following is a true and correct listing of the nominated candidates, as indicated on the nominating petitions filed with the Village Election Officer, for the offices to be filled at the Village Special Election to be held on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, pursuant to the provisions of the New York State Election

Law:

NAME OF CANDIDATE PUBLIC OFFICE PLACE OF RESIDENCE (1 YEAR TERM)

LYNBROOK NEW VISION PARTY

EMBLEM: STAR

Michael Habert Trustee 34 Chestnut St

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN THAT the sole polling place, at the Lynbrook Recreation Center shall be open for voting at 7:00 A.M. and closed at 9:00 P.M.

JOHN GIORDANO, VILLAGE ELECTION OFFICER LYNBROOK, NEW YORK

145124

impact on the environment; said Public Hearing will be held at 7:00 PM March 11, 2024 at the Village Hall, One Columbus Drive, Lynbrook, New York. All interested persons will be heard during the Public Hearing at the time and place aforementioned.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

JOHN GIORDANO, VILLAGE

ADMINISTRATOR LYNBROOK, NEW YORK DATED: FEBRUARY 20, 2024

145120

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT

NASSAU COUNTY CV XXVIII, LLC, Plaintiff against AMJAD QURESHI, et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Stern & Eisenberg, P.C., 20 Commerce Drive, Suite 230, Cranford, NJ 07016 and 1131 Route 55, Suite 1, Lagrangeville, NY 12540.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered November 9, 2016, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on April 3, 2024 at 2:00 PM. Premises known as 1 Olive Place, Lynbrook, NY 11563. Sec 42 Block 13001 Lot 91&92. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Village of Lynbrook, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Approximate

Amount of Judgment is $681,400.38 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 002561/2015.

During the COVID-19 health emergency, Bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of the sale including but not limited to wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Should a bidder fail to comply, the Referee may refuse to accept any bid, cancel the closing and hold the bidder in default. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or

Fourth Battalion fire district gives $1,000 in scholarship money to four neighbors

For the second year, the Fourth Battalion Fire District — made up of the Malverne, Lakeview, East Rockaway, Lynbrook and Rockville Centre Fire Departments — presented $1,000 in col-

lege scholarships to battalion firefighters and children of firefighters who are attending college. The four winners, who each received $250, were recently presented with their scholarship award.

there are other health or safety concerns, then the Court Appointed Referee shall cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”

Peter Kramer, Esq., Referee File # 350.000003-1 (516) 510-4020 145150

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

COUNTY OF NASSAU INDEX # 613616/2023

Property: 139 Locust Street, Valley Stream, New York 11581

Supplemental Summons with Notice of Action to Foreclose a Mortgage UMB Bank, National Association, not in its individual capacity, but solely as legal title trustee for LVS Title Trust XIII, Plaintiff(s), against Unknown heirs at law of Compton I Wilson Jr., and if they be dead, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and

intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors; administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; Louanne V. Wilson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, The People of the State of New York, The United States of America, and “JOHN DOE #1,” through “JOHN DOE #12,” the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if

any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises being foreclosed herein, Defendant(s). WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE TO THE ABOVE-NAMED

DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff’s attorneys within 20 days after the service of this summons exclusive of the day of service or within 30 days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service hereof. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. NOTICE YOU

ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE

FOR

Courtesy Brian Grogan

From left, Battalion Secretary and Scholarship Chairman Kevin Bien, Lynbrook; ViceChairman James Lang, Malverne; Battalion Chairman Joe Mihalich, East Rockaway. The recipients were firefighter Ryan Acevedo, Lynbrook; firefighter Christopher Lucchese, East Rockaway; firefighter Timothy Neckles;l and Melissa Coyne, whose husband is a Rockville Centre firefighter. On the right is past Battalion Chairman Mark Murray, Rockville Centre.

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Our floor is expanding

Q. Last fall we had the walls removed between our living room, dining room and kitchen. We had a new kitchen installed with an island plus a wall of cabinets. Now the new flooring is rising at the seams, everywhere. We have a heated floor, and the flooring was specially chosen because it clicks together and “floats.” We were told that with the floor being able to move, it would be better with the heated floor. What caused this, and what can we do?

A. Your floor is expanding, and the ridges at the seams are rising, because the floor has nowhere else to expand to. This problem is common, and was caused by the floor being limited from expanding because the cabinets and island, along with heavy furniture placed over the finished floor, keep the floor from expanding when the heat is on. Wetting the floor to clean it also causes expansion, and should be limited or not done with water at all.

Solving this problem is easier said than done. Basically, anywhere the floor is unable to move defeats the purpose, and only by freeing up the floor will the problem work itself out. There’s a simple wall molding that our ancestors used that seems to be generally forgotten. Even though I include this detail in most of the drawings I prepare, I rarely see this last little strip of molding being installed. What the molding does is act like a gap cover, since properly installed flooring has a quarter- to halfinch gap at the edges of the floor, including around a fixed island and around the room’s perimeter. The whole perimeter will need to be cut so the trim molding will need to be added, unless the vertical trim board has been installed with a space, in which case the flooring has to be able to float (slide back and forth) under the vertical wallboard trim.

Our ancestors were very observant of nature, and skilled finish carpenters passed along their knowledge of the way materials behave. I worked for a finish carpenter while in high school, and learned that molding and trim weren’t just a finishing touch, but also a necessity to hide the places where materials needed room to expand and contract, at ceilings, floors, stairs and doors. Miracle materials have come along since then that were supposed to change the industry, like plastic moldings that are more temperature stable, but nature never disappoints. Natural or not, materials all have to work together, whether it’s the way they react to moisture, sunlight, heat or cold.

You’re going to need to get the contractor to organize the flooring installer and the finish carpenter to coordinate cutting the floor, and either install the shoe molding or space the vertical trim baseboard so the floor moves and adjusts underneath, even at the island and kitchen cabinet bases. Hopefully, the flooring was installed over a moisture-proof expansion membrane. Then enjoy your floor.

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Reflections on the special election

It isn’t often that a congressional race becomes the center of national attention. But that was the case in the campaign between Tom Suozzi and Mazi Pilip to succeed the disgraced George Santos in the 3rd Congressional District.

In less than 12 months in office, Santos became a joke — a very sick joke.

pETER KInG

After the House of Representatives voted to expel him in December, Gov. Kathy Hochul set a special election for Feb. 13.

Under state election law, candidates in a special election are selected by party leaders. Not surprisingly, Democrats selected Tom Suozzi, a seasoned veteran of the political wars who had represented the district in Congress for three terms before giving up his seat to make an unsuccessful gubernatorial primary run against Hochul in 2022.

Nassau GOP Chairman Joe Cairo set up a selection committee (that I was part of) that interviewed 22 potential candidates, and overwhelmingly recommended Pilip. Not wanting to repeat the Santos calamity, Cairo had Pilip vetted by several firms, and she passed with flying

colors.

Ordinarily it would be a gamble for a relative newcomer who had served barely one term in the County Legislature to run against a veteran like Suozzi, but Pilip personified the American dream. She’d escaped from Ethiopia to Israel with her family when she was 12, and served in an elite parachute unit in the Israel Defense Forces. She was highly educated, married a Ukrainian cardiologist, moved to the United States and raised seven children in Great Neck. She was the first Republican ever re-elected in the 10th Legislative District.

Isoldier, supported strong defense at a time when Israel was at war with Hamas, Russia had invaded Ukraine and China was threatening Taiwan.

Though the Democrats had a significant registration edge over Republicans, 39 percent to 28 percent, President Biden’s popularity was at record lows, and Suozzi was on record saying he supported Biden “100 percent.”

heard there was real concern in the Suozzi camp right up to Election Day.

Pilip was the new running against the old. She was coming off a solid victory against the odds in a Democratic district, while Suozzi had lost badly to Hochul in the primary. Pilip was the legal immigrant who supported strong border security, challenging the candidate of the party that had allowed more than 8 million illegal migrants into the country, many of whom were overwhelming New York City and the parts of Queens that fall in the 3rd District. She was the candidate who was endorsed by the Border Patrol Agents’ union, while Suozzi had recently boasted of throwing Immigration and Customs Enforcement out of Nassau County when he was county executive. Pilip, a trained

Pilip campaigned tirelessly, and was making strong inroads. Suozzi countered by separating himself from prevailing Democratic positions on immigration, border security and support for police and didn’t seek Biden’s endorsement.

In the campaign’s closing days, every published poll had the race within the margin of error. A Republican poll had Pilip up by 5 points. Suozzi never got above 50 percent in any poll, a bad sign for a virtual incumbent. Democratic sources and some friendly reporters told me there was real concern in the Suozzi camp right up to Election Day. When the numbers were in, though, Suozzi won, 54 percent to 46 percent.

It’s still early, but my preliminary thoughts are that:

■ The snowstorm on Election Day hurt Republicans, but not enough to make the

difference.

■ Suozzi effectively managed to separate himself in the eyes of the voters from the sins of his party on immigration and support for the police.

■ Democratic congressional campaign committees provided extensive financial support to Suozzi early on.

■ Though Pilip actually garnered a higher percentage of votes against Suozzi than former President Donald Trump did against Biden in 2020, she couldn’t overcome the built-in Democratic registration edge.

■ Cairo and the Nassau Republican organization worked hard and effectively, but Pilip didn’t receive financial support from national Republicans comparable to what Suozzi received from Democrats.

■ Pilip was handicapped by having to campaign against the backdrop of the antics of congressional Republicans like Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Green, who come across as a gang that can’t shoot straight.

Suozzi won. No complaints. No excuses. But Pilip ran an excellent and courageous campaign, and has an excellent political future.

Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Comments? pking@ liherald.com.

It’s time we find common ground on ‘Raise the Age’

Long Island has become the center of New York’s — and the nation’s — political conversation. In recent elections, state and local policies have had an enormous influence on Nassau and Suffolk County campaigns that ultimately played a decisive role in determining control of Congress.

CHARLEs LAVInE

But while politicians and party operatives struggle to find a political advantage in laws passed by Albany or our County Legislature, real people affected by these policies are waiting for those of us in office to find common ground on issues that should bring us together, not divide us.

Look at the Raise the Age law, for example. In 2017, I was proud to join both my Democratic and Republican colleagues in support of ending New York’s shameful status as one of the last two states to prosecute all 16and 17-year-olds as adults. Today, thanks to the law, a large majority of young people’s cases move through family court, where the goal is rehabilitation through effective intervention rather than criminalization.

Raise the Age is a crucial component in building a healthy, sustainable future. It allows young people to get the services they need to get their lives on track. It also allows them to access quality jobs and fully contribute to our society without convictions from when they were teenagers holding them back.

sContrary to false claims labeling family court a “slap on the wrist,” young people may face mandatory programs, supervision by law enforcement, pretrial detention, and placement in residential facilities. But when the system is working well, they are connected with a range of community-based services and resources, which aim to address the underlying factors that led them to commit crimes. And they can use of those services — and the opportunities they provide — without the burden of an adult criminal record.

ings with injuries from 2021 to 2023.

As a former public defender, I know firsthand how crucial services like SNUG are to the health and safety of our young people and their communities. By targeting the crux of the issue, they reduce recidivism and help struggling youth become wellfunctioning, productive members of their communities.

etting young offenders straight without burdening them with adult criminal records.

Since Raise the Age took effect, thousands of young people who would otherwise have spent months or even years of their childhood in adult jails and prisons have had access to services designed to help them improve their lives and avoid future interactions with the criminal legal system. For some, this is the first time they have had trusted adults whom they can rely on and turn to for guidance.

crimes perpetrated by those under 18 decreased by 12 percent in Nassau County and a stunning 57 percent in Suffolk. These statistics demonstrate the efficacy of, and critical need for, community-based programming to make our neighborhoods safer.

Despite Raise the Age’s success, its implementation has received a mere fraction of the funding state leaders promised. It’s been reported that as of 2022, only $270 million of the $800 million that was appropriated for it had been invested in community-based programs and services for young people around the state. Think of how much more successful Raise the Age could be if the state adequately funded it, and community-based organizations and service providers could apply for and receive that funding directly.

One such service is the SNUG Street Outreach program, which uses a public health model to reduce gun violence throughout the state by mediating conflict, mentoring youth, and working with local partners to make our streets safer. The 13 communities that are home to the program — including Hempstead — reported a 36 percent reduction in shoot-

In recent years, I’ve been disappointed by how many of my misinformed colleagues have attempted to blame Raise the Age for an increase in crime on Long Island, especially when the data say otherwise. This should be a law that unites us.

From the law’s implementation in 2018 through 2022, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, serious

It’s high time that we rise to the occasion and demand more for the most vulnerable members of our communities, and that starts by calling on Albany to invest in our youth by fully funding Raise the Age and supporting evidence-based strategies that create pathways for our young people’s rehabilitation, growth and opportunity. Let’s not let fear-mongering and political mudslinging talk us out of public policy that is proven to work — and that lifts all of us up.

Charles Lavine represents the 13th Assembly District.

HeraLd editoriaL

Let’s be sure we don’t relive some of our history

Black History Month is a chance for us to celebrate the many contributions African-Americans have made to the country. They’ve done this despite discrimination and oppression — something even Long Island, in the past, was not immune to.

For example, when we think of slavery, we think of the Deep South before the Civil War. In fact, slavery existed in New York until 1827, and the state had more enslaved people than all the New England states combined, many of them on Long Island.

At the start of the American revolution, there were roughly 10,000 enslaved Black Americans living on Long Island — nearly half of the state’s total enslaved population. While they were allowed more mobility and financial opportunities than their counterparts in the South, the claim that slavery wasn’t as bad in the North is largely inaccurate.

Throughout the 1700s, New York lawmakers created the Black Codes, which historian and author richard Moss — in his book, “Slavery on Long Island” — claimed were “the harshest criminal laws and penalties enacted by northern colonists.” Punishments for striking a white person included two weeks’ imprisonment and corporal punish-

Letters

Leave trans kids alone

To the Editor:

ment.

Enslaved people were forbidden from gathering in groups of more than three, and prevented from owning property. Children born to enslaved mothers were automatically enslaved at birth. And testimony by enslaved people was inadmissible in court.

One common practice at the time on Long Island and New York was shipping unruly African-Americans to the Caribbean slave colonies. Conditions on islands such as Barbados and Jamaica were particularly brutal, with less than a third of slaves surviving on some plantations.

Even after slavery ended in New York, discrimination did not. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the number of AfricanAmericans in the Town of Oyster Bay dwindled from roughly 17 percent to less than a half-percent as racist real estate practices and federal policies prioritized homeownership for whites while driving Black Americans — and other minorities — from the area through a mix of intimidation, legislation, and rising property rates.

When Levittown — long touted as the model of the modern American suburb — was created in 1947, non-whites were expressly forbidden from owning any of the 17,400 new homes, with the deeds

Bruce Blakeman couldn’t care less about girls’ sports.

By signing an executive order to ban teams that allow transgender girls and women from playing in Nassau County athletic facilities last week, Blakeman continued to distract from his shirking of responsibilities as Nassau County Executive.

Since his marginal win over Laura Curran in 2021, after campaigning on the promise of $128 million in tax cuts, Blakeman has rejected every cut in annual budget proposals.

In 2022, amid the highest rates of new Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in the county, he issued a series of orders against mask mandates in schools.

What has he been doing instead in his capacity as executive? Attacking the participation of the county’s small percentage of transgender girls and women in athletics, a right that is supported by experts in the field, including the National Women’s Law Center. Blakeman’s order does not mention transgender boys and men — instead he hides his under-researched and dangerous order behind a thin veil of Victorian-era patriarchal values and personal opinion.

“Part of good government is listening to your constituents,” Blakeman said in a recent interview. Listen to this constituent, Bruce: Do your job, and leave trans kids alone.

CArTEr ALLEN Garden City

themselves preventing ownership by “any person other than members of the Caucasian race,” according to a 2011 research paper by Baruch College Sociology professor robert Courtney Smith. robert Moses, the urban planner and public official who is best known today for creating Jones Beach State Park and the state parkway system, designed Long Island parkways to make them impassable for buses, frequently the only mode of transportation for non-white and lowincome families. While some latter-day historians question the validity of this claim, Moses was also known to have fought against integrating public swimming pools in the 1920s.

African-Americans have continuously defied the odds and obstacles set against them — whether it be Jackie robinson playing Major League Baseball, or mathematicians Creola Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson helping NASA put men on the moon. recognizing those contributions — and learning from our mistakes of the past can open the door for even greater accomplishments in the future, as we look to remove more barriers.

The late Maya Angelou once said that “history, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived. But if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”

last week, “It’s Library Lovers Month — borrow a book.” Libraries are the greatest thing. They open the world to anyone willing to look. Not everyone bothers to look, but those who want to have the opportunity.

The problems with bumper-sticker governance

Bumper-sticker slogans and politics have always been inseparable, like peanut butter and jelly. Throughout the history of campaigning, politicians have employed succinct, often widely known but ambiguous sayings to seek the approval of prospective voters. But these slogans’ recent transition from catchy phrases to foundational theories of governmental policy has had negative consequences, particularly in New York.

BrIaN CUrraN

Take, for instance, “Tax the Rich — Pay Your Fair Share.” As the son of a bus driver and a bank teller, I have never been, and likely will never be, a member of the “rich” club. The notion of millionaires and billionaires paying more taxes has an inherent appeal. In a progressive tax system, like New York’s, those with larger incomes pay a larger share of taxes. But the challenge lies in the undefined concept of one’s “fair share.” It’s effective as a bumper-sticker slogan, but it lacks the precision needed for sound governmental policy.

Politicians, driven by an insatiable desire to appease their constituents, inevitably expand municipal budgets

— which necessitates additional taxes.

On the surface, what solution could be more universally acceptable than increasing taxes on the rich to fill budget gaps? The problem arises when the gap remains unfilled, and the “rich” begin contemplating leaving New York. The exodus of a relatively few wealthy residents can create a massive budget hole.

wNew York, one of the highest taxed states, has witnessed a historic outward migration over the past two decades. In 2023 alone, the state lost over 100,000 residents, the most in the country. Since 2020, New York has bid farewell to 10 billionaires. Currently, the top 1 percent of taxpayers in the state contribute 42 percent of its tax receipts, with billionaires facing the highest income tax rate of 14.8 percent.

and increased fares for mass transit. The strategy attempts to make middleclass earners believe in the tax-the-rich slogan while in fact increasing their taxes and cost of living.

hen it comes to taxes, for instance, how do we determine our ‘fair share’?

Another problematic slogan is “New York is a sanctuary for all immigrants.” Along with several other blue states, New York declared itself a sanctuary state, directly conflicting with federal law. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo embraced this idea, branding Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “a bunch of thugs” and refusing to cooperate with the agency.

in other areas, such as state aid for public schools. Schools are being repurposed as migrant shelters, and health care funds are being diverted from veterans to migrants. New York City Mayor Eric Adams aptly declared that “the migrant issue will destroy New York City,” but it extends beyond the city, and may jeopardize the state and country.

Given Albany’s reluctance to seriously consider cutting spending, politicians are left with a delicate task: increasing taxes on the remaining wealthy without prompting further departures. So they may raise their taxes slightly while devising alternative means to generate revenue from the “little guy” — the euphemistically described “middle class.”

Examples of these alternative revenue sources include congestion pricing, commuter taxes, the home heating tax,

Letters

We need to keep that going, and not be controlled by closed-minded people.

You may not know that about one-third of Nassau County libraries allow adult patrons to borrow a telescope just like a book. I have been promoting the Library Telescope Program for almost eight years now, and I work with 17 Nassau County libraries so far.

Everything I do is free to the library. It just needs to buy the telescope and various accessories directly from vendors, totaling about $450. I help by modifying the telescope to make it easy to use and transport, and provide maintenance as needed. I also provide staff and patron training on how to handle and use the telescope, as well as periodic astronomy-related presentations. In March I will be doing eclipse presentations at eight libraries, and occasionally I do Moon Parties as well. All at no cost.

There are now over 1,000 libraries running the Library Telescope Program, mostly in the U.S. and Canada, but also in other countries.

TOM LYNCH Lynbrook

A neighborly winter surprise

To the Editor:

Looking out my bedroom window, noticing the snowfall had just about stopped, I decided to gear up and start the removal process. As I was clearing off the car, readying to start the shoveling, I noticed that part of my front walk has been cleared. Looking even closer, I saw a body working on the front entranceway. My neighbor has often started snow removal for me as I have done for him, so I thought for sure it was either him or one of his sons helping out.

As I got closer to the sidewalk, I realized for sure that this helper, a young man, was unknown to me. I asked why he was helping, and he said, “I got up early, noticed the snowfall and decided to do some shoveling.” He was finishing up the last section of sidewalk, so I went inside to grab some cash to give him, but when I came back outside, he was gone. Off to job No. 2, I suppose.

Whoever you are, thank you!

PHIL GRELLA Rockville Centre

While the policy was initially seen as “virtue signaling” by Democratic politicians, the consequences have been obvious. With a federal open-border policy and the governors of Texas and Florida transporting migrants to sanctuary states, New York now faces an unprecedented migrant crisis. New York City alone has received over 180,000 migrants, and, under a consent decree, is obligated to provide them with shelter and basic needs.

The fiscal implications of the migrant problem are staggering: It is projected to cost the city over $12 billion through 2025. Gov. Kathy Hochul recently proposed $2.3 billion in spending to deal with the crisis, making budget cuts

One more bumper-sticker slogan to consider is “Universal health care is a human right.” It’s a noble sentiment, but the reality is that universal health care is financially unsustainable, and could bankrupt any state attempting to implement it. Even Vermont abandoned its plan for universal health care in 2014, because it would have doubled the state’s budget and necessitated crippling tax increases.

A more pragmatic approach involves lowering health care costs for all by realistically addressing the overall cost of providing health care.

Obviously, slogans can’t serve as the foundation for workable governmental policies. While those like “No taxation without representation” and “One person, one vote” have led to meaningful policies, they’re the exception rather than the rule. Voters must be discerning, and ensure that candidates with bumper-sticker slogans comprehend the issues before they give them their support.

Brian Curran represents the 21st Assembly District.

Framework by Tim Baker