Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald 04-18-2024

Colluras take stage at Cooking for a Cure

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

One year ago, Rachel and Ronald Collura participated in a diabetes research fundraiser not knowing that the disease would soon have a personal impact on their lives.

Whether dealing in the deli business, public safety, education, or philanthropy, the Collura family is well known for their willingness to step up in the spirit of service. Last week, East Rockaway’s Rachel and Ronald Collura, owners of Arata’s Deli and Caterers in Sea Cliff since 2003, were honored alongside their family at the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation’s 18th annual Cooking for a Cure Continued

Covid forced the formation of a new Lynbrook organization

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

After going out of business in 2020, Per Sempre Lodge 2344 in Lynbrook banded together with the its sister lodge and has become stronger than ever.

Among the many organizations that were forever changed from Covid was the Per Sempre Lodge no. 2344 in Lynbrook. Being hit hard by pandemic restrictions, they had to suspend large gatherings, fundraising events, and eventually close their home at 815 Sunrise Hwy. Through their lowest point, they joined with the Per Sempre Ladies Lodge and became reborn into the Order

Sons and Daughter of Italy in America, OSIDA, Per Sempre Lodge no. 2344. Per Sempre Lodge no. 2344 was instituted into the New York Grand Lodge, Order Sons of Italy in America on October 5, 1975. It began as an auxiliary to the Per Sempre Lodge, but became its own lodge on Feb. 2, 1977. Both lodges called the town of Rosedale home for over ten years. In 1998, they moved to the town of Cedarhurst, Long Island before moving again to Lynbrook in

our last installation of two separate lodges was March 2019.

RoBERT BAccARI

First vice president, OSIDA

2001.

Prior to 2020, both the lodges had their own separate personalities. The Per Sempre Lodge hosted events like cigar night and golf events. The Per Sempre Ladies Lodge hosted fashion shows, high tea parties, and craft nights.

Although both groups didn’t intertwine as much throughout the years, Robert Baccari — first vice president of OSIDA Per Sempre Lodge no. 2344 and member of the disbanded Per Sempre

Lodge no. 2344 — said that the ladies lodge was always there to help and vice versa. Baccari mentioned that the idea of merging the two organizations always floated around, but it never happened until the pandemic shook things up.

“Our last installation of two separate lodges was March 2019,” Baccari said. Baccari mentioned that in

2019 and prior, his lodge was involved with a lot of charity fundraisers. He said that his lodge raised money for organizations associated with cancer, autism, Alzheimer’s, and more.

“We raised $40,000 for cooley’s anemia,” Baccari said. “And with Covid, we weren’t allowed to do anything. How could you raise money if the state says, ‘Sorry, you can’t

Courtesy Collura Family

Rachel and Ronald Collura, center right, with their family at this year’s annual Cooking for a Cure fundraiser.

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This was the first year that the Malverne American Legion Auxiliary approached the Lynbrook auxiliary to host this collaborative event and raise money for the New York State VA.

Community members walk for homeless veterans

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

Local veterans held a Walk-A-Thon at Greis Park last Sunday to raise money for homeless veterans.

This was the first time that the Malverne American Legion Auxiliary approached their Lynbrook counterpart to join forces for this event. Participants of the walk were given the opportunity to donate as much money as they wanted and depending on how much they donated, they received an American Legion pin, pen, or other small trinkets. Afterwards, they walked around the field at Greis Park three times.

All of the money at the event was donated to the NY Veterans Affairs.

Carol Hassett, president of the Malverne auxiliary, explained that the money will help the rehab centers and nursing homes at the VA and help provide shelter to the homeless veteran population. Hassett noted that this event took place in Malverne for six years with some of the money also going towards the Sons of the American Legion.

The New York State American Legion Auxiliary kicked off this WalkA-Thon on March 1. The slogan of the event is “They Marched for Us, Let’s Walk for Them” and the goal is for $65,000 to be raised in total. Malverne and Lynbrook auxiliaries made sure to contribute with this year’s walk.

“The monies come in, we take nothing back, and we give it directly to the New York State VA’s and the sons,” Hassett said.

Hassett mentioned that the money will also go towards mental health strength training for the VA’s. She emphasized that veterans could be physically okay, but psychologically they may need help.

“And that’s our main purpose with the event,” Hassett said. “Sometimes we’ve gotten a lot of people, sometimes not, but people walk in and pay a dollar, $5, $10, $25 and it’s wonderful.”

The Malverne American Legion Auxiliary held its first Walk-A-Thon in 2018.

The amount of money raised has nearly doubled over the years. Hassett mentioned that one year they raised $600 and the next they raised $1,500.

The money that these Walk-A-Thons raise go towards the four NY Veteran Homes, operated under the NYS Department of Health and one operated by the State University of New York. Also, the funds were given to the 13 VA hospitals and 5 NYS veterans’ nursing homes.

Marie Marinaccio, president of the Lynbrook auxiliary, said that people can help homeless veterans by donating clothes to homeless veterans and veterans living in assisted living facilities. In Lynbrook, there are several opportunities to do so like during Oktoberfest where the money that was collected went directly to homeless veterans. This year’s Walk-A-Thon is just one of the many events that Lynbrook and Malverne host where neighbors can help local veterans.

Billy Harrison/Herald photos

Carol Hassett, president of the Malverne American Legion Auxiliary, speaking at this year’s Walk-A-Thon at Greis Park.

Marie Marinaccio, middle and president of the Lynbrook American Legion Auxiliary, speaking at the Walk-A-Thon last Sunday, which was hosted by both Malverne and Lynbrook auxiliaries.

Neighbors walking around the field at Greis Park three times, as they pay tribute to veterans.

Lynbrook firefighters on the scene at 25 Leach St. of a garage fire on April 9.

Firefighters extinguish stubborn garage fire

Lynbrook firefighters responded to a reported garage fire at 25 Leach St. shortly before 10 p.m. on April 9.

The chiefs of the department were first on the scene and Chief Danny Ambrosio broadcasted a Signal 10 for a working fire at that location.

With Chief Ambrosio notifying FIRECOM of a Signal 10, that put into motion an automatic response by neighboring fire departments to the scene or for them to stand-by to cover other Lynbrook alarms if necessary. Assistance was received by Rockville Centre, Valley Stream, Hewlett, and East Rockaway Fire Departments.

Man charged with distributing fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine

On April 4 at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Lynbrook resident Ryan Mueller was charged with distributing fentanyl that caused the death of a 49-year-old Elmont man.

Mueller was arraigned later that afternoon before Magistrate Judge Anne Shields.

tion, Defendant Mueller was also in possession of numerous illegal firearms in which he is also being charged with. Law Enforcement continues to work together to bring these criminals to justice, thus keeping our communities and neighborhoods safe. I would like to congratulate all of the dedicated law enforcement professionals and their agencies for a job well done.”

Firefighters were hampered by the amount of storage and other items piled high in the garage, which had to be removed to get to the back area where the fire originated.

The Nassau County Fire Marshal also responded to the scene to conduct a routine investigation of the cause of the fire. Firefighters were at the scene for about 90 minutes. There were no injuries.

— Contributed by Steve Grogan

Engine Company was first in, quickly followed by Truck Company. Engine Company took the hydrant up the block at Crab Avenue and brought one line up to the garage. A second line was also dropped and was also used on the side and rear of the burning garage.

Spousal Refusal - Just Say No

Spousal refusal is a legally valid Medicaid planning option in New York. By way of background, certain income and assets are exempt from Medicaid if there is a spouse. Generally, the spouse at home, known as the “community spouse” may keep about $3,850 per month of the couple’s combined income and up to about $150,000 of the assets or “resources”. Not included in those figures are any other exempt assets, such as a home (up to about $1,000,000 of the equity only) and one automobile. The spouse who is being cared for in a facility is known as the “institutionalized spouse”.

Many a spouse has advised us that they simply cannot afford to live on the allowances that Medicaid provides. This is where spousal refusal comes in. We start by shifting excess assets into the name of the “community spouse”. He or she then signs a document which the elder law attorney prepares and files with the county indicating that they refuse to contribute their income and assets to the care of the ill spouse since they need those income and assets for their own care and well-being. Note that you may not refuse your spouse’s own income over the $3,850 per month exemption as it is not coming to you.

Once the “community spouse” invokes their right to refuse, and all of the other myriad requirements of the Medicaid application are met, the state Medicaid program must pay for the care of the institutionalized spouse.

After Medicaid has been granted, the county may institute a lawsuit seeking to recover the cost of care from the refusing spouse. Nevertheless, there are a few reasons why spousal refusal makes sense, even in light of this risk. First, in many instances, the county never invokes this right. Secondly, these lawsuits are often settled for significantly less than the cost of care provided. Thirdly, the payment to the county can sometimes be deferred until the community spouse dies. As one county attorney told us when agreeing to such an arrangement, “the county is going to be around for a long time”. Finally, even though the county may seek recovery, it is only for the Medicaid reimbursement rate and not the private pay rate. For example, if the private pay rate is $18,000 per month, which is what you would have to pay, the amount Medicaid has to pay is generally a quarter to a third less. The county may only pursue you for the amount they actually paid.

“As alleged, the defendant purposely disguised fentanyl to look like prescription drugs and sold them to unsuspecting customers, leading to the poisoning death of a Long Island resident,” Breon Peace, United States attorney for the eastern district of NY, said in a release. “The defendant’s callous disregard for human life in pushing deadly drugs on to the streets of Long Island concealed as prescription drugs has contributed to the alarming opioid epidemic that has continued to harm communities in this district.”

“Today’s arrest shows the commitment the DEA and our law enforcement partners have in targeting those individuals who are poisoning our communities. Fentanyl is a lethal drug that dealers mix into their product knowing the harmful effects it presents to those using it, including death,” Frank Tarentino, DEA NY division special agent in charge, stated in a release. “We will continue to bring those responsible for this deadly distribution to justice.”

“Today’s indictment of defendant Ryan Mueller for selling Fentanyl, Heroin, Cocaine and Oxycodone to numerous individuals and lead to the death of a 49 year old Elmont man is a clear message that these crimes will never be tolerated.,” Patrick Ryder, Nassau County Police commisonner, said. “In addi-

According to court filings, over the last several years, the defendant conspired with others to sell several controlled substances, including heroin, cocaine, oxycodone, and fentanyl. The investigation revealed that in December 2022, a 49-year-old man died of a drugrelated overdose at his residence in Elmont. Additional investigation showed that the fentanyl that killed the man, which was in a pressed pill that made it appear to be oxycodone, was sold to the victim by the defendant. During the investigation, law enforcement officers recovered several kilos of fentanyl from the defendant’s home. Law enforcement also recovered multiple pill press parts from another location controlled by the defendant, including powder dryers, blenders, and grinders.

If convicted on the charges in the indictment, the defendant faces a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Long Island Criminal Division. Assistant United States Attorney Adam R. Toporovsky is in charge of the prosecution.

— Ben Fiebert

Courtesy Brian Grogan

American Legion honors officers, Diller

Members of Lynbrook American Legion Post 335 Auxiliary Unit presented a box of blue striped donuts to members of the Lynbrook Police Department in honor of their service and also to remember New York Police Department’s Detective Jonathan Diller, who was killed in the line of duty in March. From left, Marie Brignati, Debra Hunt, and Auxiliary President Marie Marinaccio.

Lynbrook police, fire attend funeral

Both Lynbrook police officers and Lynbrook firefighters joined thousands of police officers, firefighters, and private citizens at the funeral service of NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller on March 30 at St. Rosa of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Massapequa.

Imagine a home where every corner adds joy to your day. A game night in full swing, with board games and snacks scattered on the coffee table. A home that captures both the heart’s comfort and the eye’s admiration. Your home should be a reflection of life at its absolute best. Where memories are created, bonds are strengthened, and you live a life well-cherished.

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Courtesy American Legion Post 335 Auxiliary

— Steve Grogan

Photos courtesy Brian Grogan

SPOTLIGHT ATHLETE

GARRET GATES

North Shore Senior Baseball

GATES AND THE VIKINGS couldn’t have scripted a better start to 2024. In the March 25 opener, the hard-throwing southpaw who quarterbacked North Shore’s football team to the playoffs, pitched a perfect game against Herricks. Even more impressive was he needed minimal help from the defense, as he struck out 20 of 21 batters. An All-Conference selection last spring, Gates fanned 12 in his next start and blanked Manhasset over five innings.

GAMES TO WATCH

Thursday, April 18

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

Girls Lacrosse: Calhoun at MacArthur 4:45 p.m.

Softball: North Shore at West Hempstead 5 p.m.

Softball: Elmont at Lynbrook 5 p.m.

Baseball: Seaford at Clarke 5 p.m.

Baseball: Baldwin at V.S. Central 5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Baldwin at East Meadow 5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Oceanside at Long Beach 5 p.m.

Friday, April 19

Baseball: Malverne at Lynbrook 4:45 p.m.

Girls Flag Football: Lynbrook at West Hempstead 5 p.m.

Softball: Carey at Wantagh 5 p.m.

Softball: East Meadow at Calhoun 5 p.m.

Softball: V.S. Central at Uniondale 5 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse: Baldwin at Hewlett 5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Calhoun at Carey 5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Oceanside at Freeport 5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Somers at South Side 6 p.m.

Saturday, April 20

Softball: Freeport at West Hempstead 10 a.m.

Softball: Sewanhaka at V.S. North 10 a.m.

Girls Lacrosse: Seaford at Long Beach 10 a.m.

Girls Lacrosse: MacArthur at Oceanside 10 a.m.

Nominate a “Spotlight Athlete”

High School athletes to be featured on the Herald sports page must compete in a spring sport and have earned an AllConference award or higher last season. Please send the following information:

Name, School, Grade, Sport and accomplishments to Sports@liherald.com.

East Rockaway is rolling early

By ANDREW FANTUCCHIO sports@liherald.com

East Rockaway softball coach Joe Lores has had a lot to celebrate lately.

Firstly, the arrival of his third grandchild, a boy, who was born on the evening of April 10, and secondly, a torrid 7-2 start for the Rocks.

Through nine games, they’ve outscored opponents by a combined margin of 126-51.

However, Lores is keeping his expectations measured in the early going, given that East Rockaway has taken advantage of weaker competition during its first year down in Conference 5.

“Last year, we were always David playing Goliath. This year, we are Goliath,” Lores said. “We’re very competitive with the teams in our conference.”

It’s also been helpful for the Rocks that they’ve returned their entire roster from a year ago.

After taking home All-Conference honors as a freshman last season, sophomore shortstop Charlotte Webster is batting .650 at the top of the Rocks’ order. But of anyone, junior outfielder Isabella DeCunzo has benefitted the most, seeing her average balloon to .500 after barely eclipsing .200 last year.

“When you see the ball coming off the bat and going places, you tend to enjoy that,” said Lores of DeCunzo. “You tend to get confidence from that and tend to want to be up there. She’s experiencing that success, and that’s bringing about some confidence, which, again, brings more success.”

Along with her bat, DeCunzo has been strong in the circle, throwing a few innings in relief. She earned the win in East Rockaway’s latest victory, a 19-6 thrashing of West Hempstead, which also happened to come on April 10.

Another All-Conference selection, senior Sofia Ramirez, is the usual starting pitcher for the Rocks. Although the offense has been the main theme in East Rockaway, Lores doesn’t believe the team’s pitching should be overshadowed.

“Good pitching should shut down

good hitting,” Lores said. “You got to bring it every day to the hold good hitting teams now.”

One of the few seniors on the team, Ramirez’s leadership has been paramount for East Rockaway. She, along with first baseman Leah Ortega-Herrera and outfielders Gabby Martinez and catcher Maddy Netz, is providing a veteran voice for a team that will still have much of its corps intact, even after she’s gone. Netz and junior Angelina Stavropoulosio split responsibilities behind the plate.

“They’ve been here, and they’re the ones who have to show the others what the path is,” said Lores. “They look up

to them, especially the ones that are coming up. We have freshmen on the team who don’t really know what the varsity level is all about just yet, but they’ll learn from the older ones.”

Of East Rockaway’s first nine games, the closest was a 13-5 defeat at Wheatley. The Rocks managed at least 12 runs in each of their seven victories, including a 13-4 win over Locust Valley in which Ramirez belted two home runs and was the winning pitcher.

Lores and the Rocks will continue their schedule this week, starting with a matchup against Elmont before taking on the likes of Hewlett, Oyster Bay and Manhasset.

Sue Grieco/Herald Junior Angelina Stavropoulosio and the Rocks are off to a flying start, winning seven of their first nine while averaging 14 runs per game.

DeRiggi-Whitton eased Colluras’ worries

Continued from page 1

fundraiser.

“It was unbelievable, and I can’t express how much this event moved us,” Ronald said.

Back in 2022, Ronald was unfamiliar with diabetes and he did not know of anyone who had the disease. This changed after his grandson Giovanni was diagnosed with type 1, juvenile diabetes at the end of 2022.

“I went into the hospital for an operation. When I got out, Jonathan, my third oldest son, who is a cop in Nassau County Bureau of Special Operations, took me for my second checkup after the surgery,” Ronald said.

During the doctor visit, Ronald said Jonathan told him, “I don’t know what’s the matter with Giovanni. He wakes up in the morning and the bed is soaked with sweat.”

After Ronald’s grandson Giovanni went to the doctor later that week with the flu, he was rushed to the hospital, where the diagnosis of juvenile diabetes was made. Ronald mentioned that when children with diabetes get sick, they are often rushed to the hospital. This happened for Giovanni, as his vital signs were irregular.

“The doctors couldn’t give him insulin or anything because he was throwing up,” Ronald said

Soon after this diagnosis, Ronald had a conversation with Nassau County Legis-

lature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggiWhitton, who explained to him that this is a normal symptom of diabetes.

“This is a really big learning experience,” Ronald said.

To help ease Ronald and his family into this new chapter of their life, DeRiggiWhitton called Ronald’s daughter-in-law Victoria and assured her that Giovanni was going to be fine. This optimism comes from her own personal relationship with the disease.

IDuring Christmas of 2022, DeRiggi-Whitton’s daughter, now 27, was home for the holidays and she spent an hour and a half talking on the phone with Victoria to explain some of the things about the disease. Now, over a year later, DeRiggi-Whitton noted that Giovanni stole all of the attention away from the Collura’s and displayed how strong, healthy, and smart he is.

ter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was three. Soon after, she became familiar with the Diabetes Research Institute, which leads the world in cure-focused research. She noted that since being a co-host for the Cooking for a Cure event, she tries to find people to come to the fundraiser and share their personal story. This year, she chose to honor the Collura family.

t was unbelievable, and I can’t express how much this event moved us.

Ronald ColluR a Honoree at Cooking for a Cure

“He’s doing good. He’s 4 and full of energy. I babysit and watch the numbers. It’s all something new to me,” Ronald said about his grandson, adding that the experience brought an important new perspective for his family. “It opened up something new to me and my wife. We never looked at diabetes and, all of a sudden, I hear about it constantly.”

DeRiggi-Whitton said that her daugh-

DeRiggi-Whitton explained that Rachel and Ronald gave back to different charities over the years – the most recent one was for detective Jonathan Diller, who died last month in the line of duty. She wanted to show her appreciation for all the work that they do in the community by honoring them at the event.

“We just started getting involved with this recently and it’s new to us,” Ronald said. “Hopefully they will find a cure.”

DeRiggi-Whitton explained that the DRI is part of the University of Miami and there is a building there that is dedicated to finding a cure to diabetes. A lot of its funding comes from grassroots efforts like the Cooking for a Cure fundraiser.

“I really believe that they’re going to cure it,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “They’ve come up with some new medication that actually helps regrow islet cells, which is

the problem with type 1 diabetes.”

DeRiggi-Whitton, known as the face of the Diabetes Association in Nassau County to Ronald, has contributed a lot of her time to raise money and awareness of the disease.

“During the last two decades, it has been an absolute privilege to help the Collura family and so many others like them as they come to terms with a diabetes diagnosis in their family,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “By getting involved, sharing their stories, and giving back, the Collura family is serving as a beacon of hope and showing the world that there is tremendous hope to be found in the days ahead.”

The Collura family’s new role with DRI is a natural extension of their commitment to service. Ronald is an ex-captain of the East Rockaway FD and ex-President of the Kiwanis Club of East Rockaway.

In total, about 175 tickets were sold at this year’s event. A benefactor underwrote all the expenses of the dinner so every penny made went to the DRI. Fundraising was aided by about 60 raffle prize baskets.

Over the past 18 years, Cooking for a Cure has raised more than $1 million for the DRI. Research behind their BioHub, a bioengineered “mini organ” that mimics the function of the native pancreas, has seen great success in clinical trials. To read more about their efforts in curing the disease, visit DiabetesResearch.org.

The universal message of Passover PASSOVER

Passover, known as Pessach in Hebrew, transcends its origins in Jewish tradition to embody profound universal themes of hope and liberation.

At its core, Passover commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, a journey from bondage to freedom that holds timeless significance for all humanity.

The story of Passover speaks to the universal longing for liberation from oppression and injustice.

It reminds us that the struggle for freedom is not confined to a specific time or place but is an enduring aspiration shared by people of all backgrounds.

The rituals of the Passover Seder, such as the retelling of the Exodus story and the consumption of symbolic foods, symbolize the idea of spiritual renewal and rebirth.

This theme resonates universally, offering an opportunity for all individuals to reflect on areas of their lives where they seek renewal and positive change.

R abbi M ichel

S chle S inge R

The Israelites’ quest for freedom reflects the universal human desire to break free from personal constraints and societal limitations.

Passover invites each of us to reflect on our own paths to liberation.

Just as the Israelites faced obstacles and challenges on their journey, we too encounter barriers to our personal growth and fulfillment.

Passover teaches us the importance of perseverance, courage, and faith in the face of adversity.

Moreover, Passover underscores the concept of renewal and transformation.

The message of Passover extends beyond religious boundaries to inspire a vision of a more just and equitable world.

The call to remember and retell the story of the Exodus is a call to action against all forms of oppression and discrimination.

It challenges us to work towards a society where everyone can experience the dignity and freedom they deserve.

In essence, Passover is a celebration of resilience, hope, and the enduring human spirit.

It invites people of all backgrounds to unite in the pursuit of a better future — one marked by freedom, justice, and compassion.

As we commemorate Passover, let us embrace its universal message and strive to create a world where liberation and renewal are attainable for all.

NEWS bRIEf

Special visit with good news on weather

Kindergarten and first graders at East Rockaway’s Rhame Avenue School were treated to a visit by a special guest on March 13 who taught them all about weather.

News 12 Long Island Meteorologist Samantha Augeri joined the young science scholars for a lesson that amazed, inspired, and made them all want to be meteorologists when they grow up.

Augeri showed the students a wind machine, made a tornado in a bottle, and had pop-up books about severe weather.

— Ben Fiebert

Lodge finds new home at Knights of Columbus

have a congregation of more than 10 people in a room together and you got to stay 15 feet away from each other’? You can’t. It’s impossible.”

Baccari said that the Per Sempre’s location struggled to pay rent due to the lack of members attending the meetings and events. This led to the organization closing down. The membership didn’t shut down however, but the organization’s establishment closed a few months into the pandemic.

“When we merged with the ladies lodge on May 13, 2021, we established a new lodge, keeping the men’s lodge name,” Baccari said.

Together, both lodges found a new home in Lynbrook at 78 Hempstead Ave., the home of the Knights of Columbus.

“One of our members said, ‘let me go and ask them if we can rent their home for our meetings’,” Baccari said. “They needed the money too because of Covid and they said ‘absolutely’.”

Now, the lodge has a general membership meeting and a council meeting monthly at the Knights of Columbus Hall.

the night we had zeppole san Giuseppe, which is a pastry.”

Bacarri said that the Knights of Columbus support the lodge’s events and the lodge supports the Knights’ events. Recently, the lodge hosted a St. Patrick’s Day event and a St. Joseph Day celebration.

“I Never Finish Anythi…”

“I Never Finish Anythi…”

“For St. Patrick’s Day, we had corned beef, cabbage, and all its trimmings,” Bacarri said. “On the Italian side of the event, we had pasta dishes and at the end of

“I Never Finish

The men and women in the lodge sat down together, ate pastries, drank espresso, and commemorated the formation of the new lodge. Despite the name of the lodge being different, Baccari emphasized that everything from their commitment to charities to hosting fundraisers is still the same.

“We’re involved with New York State’s charity

called The Gift of Sight where we raise money for seeing eye dogs,” Baccari said. “We also raise money for glasses that people need. Plus, we do local, state, and national scholarships for children.”

Baccari said that the lodge plans on hosting more events in the future and he stays optimistic that the formidable strength of the new-formed lodge will continue to provide help to those in need.

“I Never Finish Anythi…”

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Photos courtesy Robert Baccari

What was unusual prior to may 13, 2021, is now the new norm. the per Sempre Lodge 2344 and the per Sempre Ladies Lodge joined forces to create the order Sons and daughter of italy in america per Sempre Lodge no. 2344. food being served at the lodge’s St. patrick’s day celebration last month.

E. Rockaway and Lynbrook students honored

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

Assemblyman Brian Curran and Congressman Anthony D’Esposito recognized a group of students from throughout Curran’s assembly district, as they were honored for their contributions to the community.

In total, 19 young leaders were honored last Sunday for giving back to their communities and truly embodying what it means to be a leader. Those who were recognized were Nora Kane and Caiden Lung from Lynbrook; and Everette Gamache and Claire Harvey from East Rockaway.

“I was really excited about this and I think it’s a huge honor that this is something that I get to be a part of,” Harvey, eighth grade student at East Rockaway Jr./Sr. High School, said. “Initially, my main reaction was just pure shock because I was so surprised that my superintendent had nominated me for this, but I was also so grateful that I got to be the one that he chose for it.”

Some of the reasons why Harvey was nominated for this recognition by Curran and D’Esposito was because of her involvement in some of the student community events at the East Rockaway Public Library. Some of those events included a haunted house for young kids and the tree lighting.

“I helped volunteer at a lot of those events, where I got to meet a bunch of really young, amazing kids and do fun things for them,” Harvey said.

Harvey also worked with her student council. She was part of an initiative to make Halloween safe by hosting festivities at the high school, where parents were allowed to bring their children and trick or treat through the hallway as a safe alternative to Halloween.

“I also work with the Hewlett Point Yacht Club and help out with a lot of their parties for young children,” Harvey said. “I’m also volunteering with St. Raymond’s and we’re giving back to the community by making different baskets that are given to homeless shelters.”

At St. Raymond’s Church in East Rockaway, Harvey teaches the younger students and makes a lasting, positive impression on them. Harvey believes that it’s really important to give back to the community because the community is always there to help those in need.

“I think it’s really important that we’re able to give back to them and make sure that everything that they were able to do for us, we’re able to do for them,” Harvey said.

Lung, Lynbrook High School senior, said that he felt like all of his hard work paid off after being honored at Sunday’s event. He said that this event made him feel special inside and realize how thankful he is for everyone who helped him get to this point.

Lung is currently vice president of the National Honor Society and he helped organize various fundraisers throughout the year. He also tutors science and math and spends countless hours helping students at the high school in those subjects. In addition to that, he is a lacrosse player, who helps young athletes develop their passion of that sport.

“I have always helped out with the younger teams,” Lung said. “There’s something called the Lynbrook Lacrosse Camp that runs every summer and I always help out at that.

Lung said that it is extremely important to help out the community and people in need. He noted that the community is there for you with all the resources you need and in order to pay that back, you have to help the community in any way that you can.

“And overall, it’s just a nice thing to do,” Lung said. “It helps you with your morals, it helps you build character, discipline so I think it’s extremely important and it really shows a lot about who you are as a per-

son.”

Kane, senior at Lynbrook High School, said that she was proud of Lung, her close friend, and was happy to also be honored at the event. The main community involvement that Kane does is peer tutoring. She is one of the few students in her school that are willing or able to tutor AP physics.

“I have upwards of eight kids at a time that I am tutoring,” Kane said.

Also, Kane was honored because she qualified for the International Science and Engineering Fair last month after she won the New York State Fair. Since being a freshman, Kane was involved with the Math Honor Society and she is now currently the president of the club.

“I am studying physics at Caltech this fall,” Kane said.” And I am hoping to get involved with the local students there and possibly continue tutoring for local high school or middle school students in that community.”

Kane said that she wouldn’t be where she is today without the help of her community. She said that the mentors in her science research classes inspired her to be more involved in the Lynbrook community. She hopes to take this inspiration with her to California and continue to help others.

Jaci Zitman/Herald photos

Claire Harvey, East Rockaway student, being honored last Sunday for her community involvement.

East Rockaway student Everette Gamache being honored by Assemblyman Brian Curran, as he recognized 19 young individuals for their involvement in his district.

Nora Kane, Lynbrook High School senior, receiving a citation from Assemblyman Brian Curran, recognizing all of the hard work she has done in the Lynbrook community.

Lynbrook High School senior Caiden Lung was recognized for his extensive community involvement in Lynbrook last Sunday.

STEPPING OUT

Cultivating the future at Crossroads Farm

By Danielle Schwab

Vegetables, fruits, and honey, oh my!

Melissa Errico

With the growing season now upon us, Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s is ready to welcome visitors again. The historic 5.5-acre site hosts its annual season-opening event, next Saturday, April 27. It’s a day to enjoy being outdoors, and partake of family-friendly activities, delicious eats, farm-fresh items to purchase, and, naturally, a wealth of information on planting.

Crossroads Farms at Grossmann’s has a long tradition that’s been shared by generations of folks from throughout Nassau County and beyond. Since 1895, it’s been a go-to for produce, plants and related agricultural products. Owned and cultivated for more than 100 years by the Grossmann family, it was purchased by Nassau County through the Nassau Land Trust to preserve the acreage as an open farm space. It’s one of the closest farms to New York City.

“One of the big things for the Grossmann family was that Long Island Rail Road runs directly through the back of the farm,” Crossroads operations manager Michael D’Angelo says. “Back in the early 1900s, that was huge. Instead of having to use a horse and cart to go to Manhattan to sell their produce, they were able to load up onto the train that would then go right into the city.”

With more than 75 products offered, the farm produces diverse and beloved selection of organic produce for its loyal patrons. This includes best sellers like tomatoes and greens, along with turmeric, and even loofas — among the many items

Crossroads also showcases its crops at the Long Island Fair. Its tradition of excellence is evident with strong finishes in the agricultural competition.

“We put in like 50 entries last year, and 90 percent of our crops placed first, second or third,” adds Peter Notarnicola, Crossroads’ field

This year, Crossroads is doubling its production by planting on twice as much of its land. Anything that can’t be grown or produced in-house is obtained through a barter system with other farms and sold at the farm store.

Melissa Errico appears on the Landmark stage with pianistarranger Billy Stritch for her new show ‘The Life and Loves of a Broadway Baby.’ Errico sets her own life to the Broadway songs that she has sung and owned in this theatrical tour de force. She presents both a sensational set of beloved standards and a series of witty and sometimes wicked stories about an ingenue’s life passed on the Great White Way. Its sexy, sublime study of American songs — ranging from Cole Porter to Harold Arlen, Lerner & Loewe to Taylor Swift, with a substantial peek at Melissa’s new Sondheim album, ‘Sondheim in the City’ — with songs like ‘Everybody Says Don’t,’ ‘Take Me to the World,’ and ‘Being Alive.’ A woman of stage, screen and song, Errico has been acclaimed as ‘the Maria Callas of American musical theatre’ by Opera News, referencing both her silken voice and dramatic, expressive intensity.

Friday, April 19, 8 p.m. $63, $53, $43. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 7676444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

• Saturday, April 27, noon-4 p.m.

• $10 per person or $25 per family, kids younger than 3 free

• Farmstand hours: Tuesday and Friday, 1-6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

• 480 Hempstead Ave., Malverne

• XRoadsFarmLINY.com

either are first or second generation, or are foreign-born themselves. They ask for specific products that may be hard for them to find,” D’Angelo says. “And that is always exciting for us. We love hearing and catering to the way people cook different things.”

Crossroads also has a presence at local establishments. You’ll find Crossroads products incorporated into the menu at Malverne eateries such as Uva Rossa Wine Bar and Kookaburra Coffee Co.

While the season is just beginning, there will be no shortage of activities to occupy everyone on opening day. A ribbon-cutting ceremony kicks off the festivities, followed by entertainment, farm tours, hayrides and food vendors on hand with some tasty bites. Check out Rockin Roots, South Shore Brewery and Beach Barbecue, among the participating vendors.

Kids can keep busy visiting farm animals and taking in an ATV ride, along with puppetry and face painting. The youngsters can also gather around a maypole and chase down colorful ribbons.

Mike DelGuidice

Another popular product is the result of a collaboration with millions of special farm workers — worker bees that is. Their buzzy effort supplies the farm with rich tasty honey.

“It’s a family fun day to come down and just enjoy the farm,” D’Angelo says.

Crossroads is so much more than simply a place to visit. Its valued community partner can be relied up to support many endeavors.

“Fresh produce, fresh flowers, educational opportunities and entertainment space truly make Crossroads Farm unique” Maria Casini, Malverne Chamber of Commerce co-president, adds.

Among the projects she’s involved in with Crossroads, the farm has partnered with LIJ-Valley Stream Northwell Hospital to introduce a”Food is Health” program tackling nutrition and hunger.

“We got about a million ladies that work on the farm, and they’re the bees,” D’Angelo jokes.

is of buzzy jokes.

D’Angelo and Notarnicola are always on the go, planning and moving forward with new ideas — and crops. They maintain a close dialogue with visitors.

The farm also offers an interactive Sunshine program to introduce kids up to 11 to agriculture.

“A lot of people don’t know the process that it takes for food to get to their table,” Notarnicola says. “To see that hands-on, I think for someone who didn’t grow up with planting, is eye-opening.”

From a tiny seedling to your dinner plate, it’s a team effort to get it all there.

Mike DelGuidice, one of Long Island’s most celebrated singer/ songwriters continues his ‘residency’ at the Paramount. Mike DelGuidice and his band always give it their all, especially when playing the iconic Billy Joel songs. DelGuidice leads his band in a rousing concert that highlights the ‘Piano Man’s’ decades of hits. Like his idol, DelGuidice has become one of the area’s most celebrated performers, balancing his schedule between doing his own thing and touring with Joel all over the world. DelGuidice, as with Joel, grew up mastering several instruments, including bass guitar, guitar, piano and drums. He’s renowned for his encyclopedic knowledge of the Joel catalog, which caught the attention of Joel himself, who ultimately brought him on stage with him. DelGuidice and his band pack hit after charttopping hit, along with his own tunes in a high-energy show that’s always a crowd pleaser.

“We have customers from all different backgrounds, some who

Interested in become a part of the farm family? Crossroads Farms welcomes volunteers to help out. Various volunteering options include working in the fields planting and harvesting, or participating in education and fundraising programming.

Friday and Saturday, April 19-20, 8 p.m. $60, $40, $25, $20. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000. Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY. com.

beloved selection of organic produce for its loyal patrons. This you’ll find here. manager.

Michael D’Angelo, operations manager, is ready to reopen the popular farm for another busy season.

Photos courtesy Crossroads Farm Crossroads field manager Peter Notarnicola tends to his plantings.

THE Your Neighborhood

April 26

Chris Ruggiero

Experience the magic of Chris Ruggiero’s new show, “Teenage Dreams and Magic Moments.” The dynamic vocalist visits the Landmark stage, Friday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. Ruggiero is an old soul. Still in his 20s, the music that speaks to him is the music of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, breathing new life into the timeless classics that form the soundtrack of our lives. His approach to performing is more in line with that of a bygone era, bringing to the stage the panache of Frank Sinatra or Paul Anka, coupled with the energy of Jackie Wilson. Ruggiero first came to national attention when he performed in concert on a PBS coast-to-coast special and was featured on Good Morning America. Since then, he has traveled the country, delivering his unique brand of vintage rock and roll and sharing his passion for the classics.

On stage

Families will enjoy another musical adventure, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” ripped from the pages of Mo Willems’ beloved children’s books, on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Friday, April 19, 10:15 a.m. and noon; Monday through Friday, April 20-26, 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Back by popular demand after a sold-out 2023 run, see Pigeon, Bus Driver, and some zany passengers sing and dance their way to helping The Pigeon find his “thing” in this upbeat, energetic comedy based on four of Mo Willems’ popular Pigeon books.

On exhibit

He has shared the stage with artists such as Bobby Rydell, The Duprees and The Drifters. It seems almost preordained that the young man who loves the special sounds of an era is now performing on the same stages as those he admires most. The young singer was a 2020 East Coast Music Hall of Fame nominee and at the 2019 induction ceremony, he performed alongside Tito Puente Jr. singing the iconic song Tito’s father wrote, “Oye Como Va.” In his new show, “Teenage Dreams and Magic Moments,” Ruggiero tells his story by breathing ew life into the timeless music of the eras he loves, enhanced with a six-piece band and live brass. Songs like “Unchained Melody,” “My Cherie Amour,” “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “This Magic Moment” come to life with unique interpretations of these classics and more, with new orchestrations by Charlie Calello, arranger for the Four Seasons and known in the industry as “The Hit Man.” Chances are you’ll know every word of every song. $59, $49, $39. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Featuring a live band to bring Deborah Wicks La Puma’s jazzy score to life, audiences will thoroughly enjoy singing and flapping along with The Pigeon and friends. The audience is part of the action, in this innovative mix of songs, silliness and feathers. It’s an ideal way to introduce kids to theater and the humorous stories from Willems’ books. $10 with museum admission ($8 members), $14 theater only. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.LICM.org.

Nassau County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, “Urban Art Evolution,” is a comprehensive exhibit featuring a diverse range of compositions from the 1980s through the present by creators who were based in the rough and tumble downtown area of New York City known as Loisaida/LES (Lower East Side/East Village) and close surrounding neighborhoods. Artists pushed the boundaries of what was considered “art” with a primary focus on street/graffiti art. The exhibit’s scope, guest curated by art collector/gallerist Christopher Pusey, offers an even broader view from other creative residents, who worked inside their studios but still contributed to the rich fabric of the downtown art scene from different vantage points and aesthetics.

Works include sculpture, paintings, photography, music, and ephemera from many noted and influential artists.On view through July 7. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Friday Night Dinner Hawaiian Style

Join NY Elks Lodge No. 1 hosts a Luau party, Friday, May 31, at 7 p.m. Dinner includes salad, kings Hawaiian rolls, pineapple chicken and rice, dessert, and coffee. The entree of pineapple chicken and rice will have you dreaming of the beaches of Waikiki. All foods will be made fresh with by ST Lisa Moldovan. With raffles. $20 per person. 57 Hempstead Ave. For more information, call (516) 599-1515.

Lynbrook Village Board Meeting

Lynbrook Village Board meets, Monday, May 20, at 7 p.m., at Lynbrook Village Hall. 1 Columbus Dr. For more information, call (516) 599-8300.

Baby shower for moms-to-be

Mercy Hospital hosts this free event for expecting moms-to-be, Saturday, May 11, noon to 2 p.m., in the lower level cafeteria. With raffles, giveaways for mom and baby, and meet and greets with physicians, lactation specialists, mother/baby nurses, games and more. For moms only. 1000 N. Village Ave. Email Elizabeth.Schwind@chsli.org to register. For more information, visit CHSLI.org/mercy-hospital or call (516) 626-3729.

Huckleberry Frolic

The Village of East Rockaway presents the 54th Annual Huckleberry Frolic, Saturday, June 8 , 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., in Memorial Park adjacent to village hall. Rain date is Saturday, June 15. The parade begins at 10 a.m. at the corner of Cammerer Avenue and Main Street, continuing down to Memorial Park. Save the date to celebrate the anniversary of the Haviland-Davison Grist Mill!

Anyone interested in being a vendor can call (516) 368-4157 or contact Village Hall at (516) 887-4157.

Applications are available on VillageOfEastRockaway.org.

Blood Drive

New York Blood Center needs blood donations. Donate on Wednesday, April 29, 3-7 p.m., hosted by Order of Sons and Daughters of Italy in America and Knights of Columbus Council 2228. 78 Hempstead Ave. For more information, call (516) 8872228.

Having an event?

April 20

Eglevsky

Ballet

Gala

Eglvesky

Ballet presents “Live from Studio 4,” an intimate evening of classical and contemporary ballets, Saturday, April 20, 7 p.m. The program features new and existing repertory works chosen to showcase the dancers unique ability to transfer from classical to neoclassical to contemporary with ease and mastery of their techniques. Eglevsky

Ballet Studio, 700 Hicksville Road, Suite 102, Bethpage. For information and tickets, visit Eventbrite.com/e/ live-from-studio-4-tickets859994295087?aff=oddtdtc.

East Rockaway Village Board Meeting

East Rockaway Village Board meets, Wednesday, April 24, at 7 p.m., at East Rockaway Village Hall. 376 Atlantic Ave. For more information, call (516) 887-6300.

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.

Spring Dog Festival

Enjoy the glorious grounds of Old Westbury Gardens with your pooch (leashed of course), Saturday and Sunday, April 20-21, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. With varied vendors and activities. Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information contact (516) 333-0048 or visit OldWestburyGardens. org.

Art explorations

Converse, collaborate and create at Family Saturdays at Nassau County Museum of Art, Saturday, April 20, 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 adults connect while talking about and making art together. A new project is featured every week. $20 adult, $10 child. For ages 2-14. Registration required. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. Visit NassauMuseum.org for to register or call (516) 484-9337.

Experience Lynbrook

Food, music, and friends create the perfect opportunity to present your business to Lynbrook and the surrounding communities at Experience Lynbrook, hosted by Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce. Don’t miss this special event to support local businesses and enjoy community camaraderie, Saturday, May 4, noon-3 p.m.

The entire village is invited, as well as outside communities to this business showcase, held at Lynbrook Library. This is the perfect opportunity for businesses to expand their customer base. Sponsorships are available. $25 per table for exhibitors; Chamber of Commerce membership required to obtain a spot. 56 Eldert St. For more information, visit LynbrookUSA.com.

Catch up with Lynbrook Kiwanis

Lynbrook Kiwanis Club meets twice monthly. Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the 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. All welcome. For more information, visit Facebook.com/ KiwanisLynbrook.

Lopez takes over county’s social services

By JOSEPH D’ALESSANDRO jdalessandro@liherald.com

Jose Lopez has stepped in as the new acting commissioner for Nassau County’s social services department, filling the absence left by Nancy Nunziata.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to serve, to work with the county executive,” Lopez said. “To work with all the employees at the DSS. And to build a team that has a sense of morale, and more importantly, a sense of trust that the administration understands that what they do is vital to everyone that we serve.”

Lopez has spent the last three years as the county’s labor relations director, settling more than 8,000 bargaining agreements with Nassau County employees. He also guided more than 40 county departments in their negotiations with unions, and even served a member of the county’s health care committee.

At DSS, Lopez is now responsible for a department focused on supporting local families with day care, housing and homelessness prevention. He also will oversee the county’s management of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, that assists low-income, disabled or senior citizen residents with needed financial support to purchase food.

“The role is to make sure that we serve the constituency of Nassau County, and to provide services that are very much needed,” Lopez said. “At the same time, you provide an opportunity for those working with the county to do their best.”

Lopez also will lead Child Protective Services, child support enforcement, and accommodating the Abandoned Infant Protection Act, which provides a safe way for those with unwanted infants to part with them. It’s with CPS Lopez would like to add more peo-

ple, including more than a dozen former cops to help manage the department’s ever-growing workload.

These new hires will assist caseworkers after undergoing a six-week training period — largely calling upon prior experience as first responders, according to reports.

CPS is responsible for investigating neglect and all kinds of child abuse. The service employs casework-

ers and court liaisons. Child victims are brought to Nassau’s Child Advocacy Center, where they share information and receive various support services from the Coalition Against Child Abuse and Neglect.

“Jose Lopez has demonstrated through his many assignments in government that he has the intellect experience and work ethic to take on important challenges,” County Executive Bruce Blakeman said, in a statement. “Protecting our neighbors in their time of vulnerability is of paramount importance to me as county executive.”

Nunziata, appointed in 2019 by then-county executive Laura Curran, abruptly resigned last month, according to reports, after she says she was asked to fire someone in her office from an official in the county executive’s office. Nunsiata left over a disagreement over policy with the county executive.

Blakeman had no knowledge of the request, according to Boyle, who told a news outlet the employee in question was later transferred to a different department. The county executive also said he received no communication from Nunziata about why she stepped down.

Lopez’s experience includes a decade as the human resources director for the Western Beef supermarket chain, where he oversaw more than 2,000 employees across 22 stores and three warehouses.

He’s also a former deputy commissioner of Nassau County Parks, Recreation and Museums, and also oversaw key functions of Eisenhower Park Aquatic Center, including staffing and event planning.

Lopez intends to reduce the amount of staff training occurring upstate, preferring to train them within Nassau instead. He also intends to broaden the services the department provides, although he has yet to share details.

Courtesy Nassau County

Jose Lopez is the new acting commissioner for the Nassau County’s social services department.

The things you love doing are more than just passions. They’re what make you “you.” This is why at The Bristal, our expert team members dedicate their time, attention, and energy to creating customized social activities that ensure each resident continues being the unique person they are. And, in the process, create the one-of-a-kind community we are, too. Schedule your visit today and see for yourself. THE BRISTAL AT NORTH WOODMERE | 516.246.6955

Fire departments rally to recruit new volunteers

By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com

“Firefighting is all about passion,” said Oyster Bay town supervisor Joe Saladino. “Do you have a fire in you?”

That’s the question being asked across Nassau County by the 69 volunteer fire departments that protect them. It’s all part of a renewed push from the Firefighters Association of the State of New York in its annual RecruitNY campaign to find more volunteer firefighters and EMTs.

To help support those efforts, County Executive Bruce Blakeman declared last week as a volunteer firefighter and ambulance worker recruitment week. That includes the launch of a new website, NassausBravest.com, providing information on volunteering in the county.

“Exactly 30 years ago in 1994, there were 10,000 firefighters here on Long Island. There are now 6.000, so we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Blakeman said. “It’s not just community service. That’s important, and it’s very rewarding to give fighters association.

Still, Klein will never forget how it was volunteer firefighters who responded to his father’s medical emergency. And it proves how important these types of services are. That’s why his statewide agency worked so hard to adopt more universal firefighting training methods.

“Anything we want to do, it’s going to cost money,” Klein said. “But the offshoot of that is that the volunteer fire service in the state of New York saves the taxpayers approximately $3.5 billion in taxes every year. We need to have trained people available to respond to emergencies.”

ries, which volunteers obviously do not collect. Departments also look to fundraise as ways to avoid tax levies needed for purchasing, maintaining and operating firefighting equipment.

But there are benefits to volunteering beyond just doing the right thing. Volunteers get free training and equipment, as well as tax breaks and insurance coverage. All of that is provided by the Volunteer Firefighter Benefits Law, first passed in 1957.

Those tax breaks could include income tax credits of $500 to $1,000 per year, as well as property tax reductions

ernments have opted in.

There also are possibilities to earn a pension, as well as tuition reimbursement and scholarships.

Eugene Perry first joined the Patchogue Fire Department in 1979, thanks to his father — even those he was never a firefighter himself.

“My uncles were both in the fire service, but my father … took me to one of the tournament drills they had in Patchogue, and it was something that piqued my interest and got me to come in the door,” Perry said. “I learned quickly after that, that that’s not the whole aspect of the volunteer fire service.”

Perry has been an administrative officer for many years and is involved in fundraising efforts for the fire department and companies and is hoping to help even more through efforts at the state level, encouraging, even more, to receive benefits from the fire service in more ways than one.

“I’m still an active interior firefighter,” Perry said. “It’s still the rush of being in a firehouse and getting on a fire truck and going to a fire trying to help somebody.”

And that’s a big reason why there is so much longevity in this line of work, Blakeman said.

“You have a built-in family when you join a firefighting service,” the county executive said. “You have friends that share a love of protecting the communi-

Kepherd Daniel/Herald Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman was joined by firefighters in Plainview to share how important these volunteer departments are — and why solid recruitment this month is vital, for residents of all ages.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR ACE SECURITIES CORP. HOME EQUITY LOAN TRUST, SERIES 2003-OP1, Plaintiff, Against DANIEL P. MULVEY JR. A/K/A DANIEL MULVEY A/K/A DAIEL P. MULVEY, ET AL.

April 18, 2024

Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 08/17/2023, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 on 5/1/2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 299 Peninsula Boulevard, Lynbrook (T/O Hempstead), New York 11563, And Described As Follows:

ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village Of Lynbrook, Town Of Hempstead, County Of Nassau And State Of New York. Section 0042 Block 00230 Lot 00120

The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $383,348.12 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 610938/2020

If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the then Court Appointed Referee will cancel the Foreclosure Auction. This Auction will be held rain or shine.

JOHN P CLARKE, Esq., Referee. MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC, 10 Midland Avenue, Suite 205, Port Chester, NY 10573 Dated: 2/20/24 File Number: 20-302674 SH 145724

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 38, Block 512 and Lot 126. Approximate amount of judgment is $782,870.47 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #004088/2015. Cash will not be accepted. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale. Malachy Lyons, Jr., Esq., Referee Knuckles & Manfro, LLP, 120 White Plains Road, Suite 215, Tarrytown, New York 10591, Attorneys for Plaintiff 145866

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC, Plaintiff AGAINST JAMES MANTHOS, LINDA MANTHOS, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered December 11, 2014, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on May 7, 2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 27 SECOND STREET, LYNBROOK, NY 11563.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, SECTION 38, BLOCK 241, LOT 25, A/K/A SECTION 38, BLOCK 241, LOTS 25-27.

Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine”. Ellen Durst, Esq., Referee

Gross Polowy, LLC 1775

Wehrle Drive

Williamsville, NY 14221 00-295303 79962 145814

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING, BUDGET VOTE AND ELECTION OF THE VALLEY STREAM UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT TWENTY-FOUR

TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD

AND NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS GIVEN that a public budget hearing of the qualified voters of the Valley Stream Union Free School District No. Twenty-Four of the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York will be held at the William L. Buck School on Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York in the District on May 8, 2024, at 7:30 p.m., prevailing time, for the transaction of business as authorized by the Education Law, including the following items:

1) To present to the voters a detailed statement (proposed budget) of the amount of money, which will be required for the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

2) To discuss all items hereinafter set forth to be voted upon by voting machines at the Budget Vote and Election to be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.

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

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that said Budget Vote and Election will be held on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., prevailing time, in the Four (4) Election Districts, described below, at which time the polls will be opened to vote by voting machine upon the following items:

1. To adopt the annual budget of the School District for the fiscal year 2024-2025 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District.

2. To elect one (1) member of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term commencing July 1, 2024 and expiring on June 30, 2027, as follows: a. One (1) member of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term to succeed Donna LaRocco, whose term expires June 30, 2024;

3. SHALL the proposed budget of expenditures of Valley Stream Union Free School District Twenty-Four, Town of Hempstead, Nassau County New York for the year 2024-2025 be approved in the amount of $39,282,476 and for the purposes shown in the statement thereof presented at the annual meeting, and that the sum be raised through a levy upon the taxable property in the Valley Stream Union Free School District Twenty-Four, after first deducting the monies from state aid and other sources as provided by law.

capital reserve fund for the purpose of completing capital improvements as follows: District-wide door holdopen installations & fire alarm upgrades.

7. SHALL the Valley Stream Central High School District be authorized to appropriate and expend the maximum amount of $2,550,000 as follows from fund balance for the purpose of completing capital improvements as follows: Renovate current District Maintenance Garage creating a Construction Trades Facility. All of the above to include labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs.

8. SHALL the Board of Education be authorized to appropriate and expend the maximum amount of $1,156,000 from the Capital Reserve Fund for the purpose of completing capital improvements as follows: Gymnasium window and operating system replacements at Memorial Junior High School, North Junior Senior High School and South Junior Senior High School.

year 2024-2025 for school district purposes, exclusive of public monies specifying the purpose and the amount for each, will be prepared and copies thereof will be made available to any district resident, upon request at the Office of the District Clerk, William L. Buck School, 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., prevailing time, on business days beginning May 7, 2024, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, at the Office of the District Clerk and at each schoolhouse in the District.

form corresponding as nearly as may be with the requirements of the Education Law and applicable law.

and

duly

on June 27, 2023 and an Order Appointing Successor Referee duly entered on October 17, 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 May 7, 2024 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 104 Union Avenue, Lynbrook, NY 11563. All

Approximate amount of judgment $756,633.90 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #013847/2013. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NASSAU County COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law, the School District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how much of the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted, identified by statutory authority, and show: (a) the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, expressed either as a dollar amount of assessed value or as a percentage of the total assessed value on the roll; (b) the cumulative amount expected to be received from recipients of each type of exemption as payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) or other payments for municipal services; and (c) the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted. The exemption report will be posted on any bulletin board maintained by the District for public notices and on any website maintained by the District.

4. SHALL the proposed budget of expenditures of Valley Stream Central High School District, Nassau County, New York for the year 2024-2025 be approved in the amount of $161,364,443 and that the sum be raised through a levy upon the taxable property in the Valley Stream Central High School District, after first deducting the monies from state aid and other sources as provided by law.

5. SHALL the Board of Education be authorized to appropriate and expend the maximum amount of four hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars ($425,000) from the capital reserve fund for the purpose of completing capital improvements as follows: A/C window unit installations and electrical costs for rooms in the Brooklyn Avenue Elementary School and Robert W. Carbonaro Elementary School.

6. SHALL the Board of Education be authorized to appropriate and expend the maximum amount of Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars ($800,000) from the

9. Shall the Board of Education of the Valley Stream Union Free School District No. Twenty-Four be authorized to establish a new Capital Reserve Fund, in accordance with the provisions of Section 3651 of the NYS Education Law, to pay costs of the construction, reconstruction, repair and rehabilitation of existing School District facilities, and the acquisition of original furnishings, equipment, machinery and apparatus required for the purpose of capital improvements including but not limited to, additions and reconstruction, roofing, asbestos abatement, heating / ventilation, masonry work, windows, and similar projects, in a maximum amount of $5,000,000, having a probable term of ten (10) years, and be authorized to raise $5,000,000 to fund the reserve in the current or future years with an annual contribution of any available funds, through various sources including, but not limited to, state aid reimbursement and cost saving measures resulting in unexpended funds or by the transfer of unappropriated fund balances from the general fund and the interest accrued on such funds over the term of the capital reserve fund, in amounts as determined annually by the Board of Education.

10. To vote on any other proposition legally proposed.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a detailed statement in writing of the amount of money which will be required for the fiscal

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the place in each election district where the annual election and vote will be held, and the description of each election district is as follows: Election District #1generally embracing the area of the District North of Sunrise Highway: the voting on budgets and voting for trustees will be at the South Corona Avenue Firehouse on the west side of Corona Avenue between Jamaica Avenue and Hawthorne Avenue; Election District #2generally embracing the area serviced by the William L. Buck School on Horton Avenue: the voting on the budgets and voting for trustees will be at the William L. Buck School; Election District #3generally embracing the area serviced by the Brooklyn Avenue School on Brooklyn Avenue and Fifth Street: the voting on the budgets and voting for trustees will be at the Brooklyn Avenue School; Election District #4generally embracing the area serviced by the Robert W. Carbonaro School on Hungry Harbor Road and Mill Road: the voting on the budget and voting for trustees will be at the Robert W. Carbonaro School. The boundaries of each such district by street, alleys and highways or otherwise, are contained in resolutions of the Board of Education, dated March 24, 1964, and amended on September 23, 1981, and July 12, 1990, and are available for inspection at the Office of the Clerk of the District.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the voting shall be on voting machines as provided by the Education Law and the polls will remain open on May 21, 2024 from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., prevailing time, and as much longer as may be necessary to enable the voters then present to cast their ballots. The District Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to have the necessary ballots printed for said voting machines in the

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that nominations for the office of member of the Board of Education of the Valley Stream Union Free School District No. Twenty-Four shall be made by petitioners which will be required to be signed by at least twenty-five (25) qualified voters of the District (representing the greater of 25 qualified voters or 2% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election). Such nominating petitioners shall be filed with the District Clerk of the Valley Stream Union Free School District No. Twenty-Four in the District Clerk’s office at 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, provided however that petitions shall not be filed later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on April 22, 2024. Such petition must state the name and residence of each signer, and must state the name and residence of the candidate and shall describe the specific vacancy for which the candidate is nominated, including at least the length of term of office and contain the name of the incumbent. Each vacancy upon the Board of Education shall be considered separate specific vacancies. A separate nominating petition is required to nominate a candidate to each separate office. A nominating petition may be rejected by the Board of Education if the candidate is ineligible for the office or declares his or her unwillingness to serve. Forms for nominating petitions may be obtained at the office of the Superintendent of Schools at the William L. Buck School on Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York and the office of the District Clerk of Valley Stream Union Free School District No. Twenty-Four.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the register shall include (1) all the qualified voters of the District who shall personally present themselves for registration; (2) all previously registered for any annual or special District meeting or election and who shall have voted at any annual or special District meeting or election held or conducted at any time within four (4) calendar years prior to preparation of the said register; and (3) all qualified voters of the school district permanently registered with the Board of Elections of the County of Nassau residing within said school district.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to § 2014 of the Education Law, the Board of Registration will meet on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., prevailing time, at the respective polling places, to prepare the Register of the School District to be used for all votes and elections to be held subsequent to Tuesday, May 21, 2024 and, persons may have their names placed on such Register provided that at such meeting of said Board of Registration, he/she is known or proven to the satisfaction of such Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the school election for which said Register is prepared, or any special district meeting held after

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that personal registration of voters is required either pursuant to Section 2014 of the Education Law or Article 5 of the Election Law. If a voter has registered pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law and has voted at an annual or special district meeting within the last four (4) calendar years, he or she is eligible to vote at this election. If a voter is registered and eligible to vote under Article 5 of the Election Law, he or she is also eligible to vote at this election. All other persons who wish to vote must register. The Board of Registration of this school district shall meet at the William L. Buck School, on May 16, 2024 at 5:30 p.m., prevailing time, for the purpose of preparing a register of the qualified voters of this district for said annual Budget Vote and Election, at which time any person shall be entitled to have his/her name place upon such registry provided that at such meeting the Board of Registration, he/she is known, or proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration, to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the annual Budget Vote and Election which such register is prepared. In order to register, each person must appear personally before the Board of Registration at the place hereinafter designated in the election district in which his or her residence is located at the time hereinabove stated. Each register, upon its completion, will be filed in the District Clerk’s office, and will be open for inspection from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on each of the five (5) days prior to the meeting or election for which it was prepared, except Sunday, and between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on Saturday (May 18, 2024), by appointment only, and at each polling place on election day.

Public Notices

Tuesday, May 21, 2024.

The Board of Registration shall meet for the purpose of conducting a continuous registration of all qualified voters of the District pursuant to Section 2014 of the Education Law at the Office of the District Clerk at 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., prevailing time, on school days, to add any additional names to the Register to be used at the aforesaid election, at which times any person will be entitled to have his or her name place on such Register, provided that at such meeting of the Board of Registration, he or she is known or proven to the satisfaction of said Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at such election for which the register is prepared.

During the months of July and August, in the office of the District Clerk, qualified voters may register between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The last day to register shall be May 14, 2024. The register so prepared pursuant to § 2014 of the Education Law will be filed in the office of the District Clerk at the William L. Buck School, Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the District, beginning May 16, 2024, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., prevailing time on weekdays prior to the vote, and between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, 2024, by appointment only, and at each polling place on the day of the vote.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the Valley Stream Union Free School District No. Twenty-Four by requesting and returning a registration application to the District Clerk in person, by mail to the Office of the District Clerk, 75 Horton Ave, Valley Stream, New York, 11581, by email to districtclerk@vs24.org,or fax sent to 516-256-0163. The request for the registration application may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the registration application by either mail, fax or email. Military voter registration application forms must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 25, 2024.

In such request, the military voter may indicate their preference for receiving the application by mail, fax or email A military voter must return the original ballot application by mail or in person to the Office of the District Clerk at 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York, 11581. In order for a military voter to be issued a military ballot, a valid military ballot application must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 25, 2024. Military ballot applications received in accordance with the foregoing will be processed in the same manner as a non-military application under § 2018-a of the Education Law. The application for a military ballot may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the military ballot by mail, fax or email.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, a military voter’s original military ballot must be returned by mail or in person to the office of the District Clerk at 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York, 11581.

Military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk before close of polls on May 21, 2024 showing a cancellation mark of the United States Postal Service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a date endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government; or received not later than 5:00 p.m. on May 21, 2024 and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is ascertained to be not later than the day before the election.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that applications for absentee and early mail ballots will be obtainable beginning April 22, 2024 during school business hours from the District Clerk, or by visiting the NYS Education Department’s website, or by contacting the District Clerk by email at districtclerk@vs24.org or phone at 516-434-2830. In accordance with Education Law §§ 2018-a and 2018-e, completed applications for absentee and early mail ballots may not be received by the District Clerk earlier than the thirtieth (30th) day before the election, i.e., April 22, 2024, and must be received by the District Clerk no later than seven (7) days

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that military voters who are qualified voters of the Valley Stream Union Free School District No. Twenty-Four may request an application for a military ballot from the District Clerk in person, by mail to the Office of the District Clerk, 75 Horton Ave, Valley Stream, New York, 11581, by email to districtclerk@vs24.org, or fax sent to 516-256-0163.

before the election, i.e., May 14, 2024, if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, i.e., May 20, 2024, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or the agent named in the absentee ballot application. Absentee and early mail ballots must be received in the office of the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. A challenge to an absentee ballot may not be made on the basis that the voter should have applied for an early mail ballot.

A list of all persons to whom absentee ballots have been issued will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the office of the District Clerk on and after May 14, 2024, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., on weekdays prior to the day set for the annual Budget Vote and Election, and on Saturday, May 18, 2024 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. by appointment only, and on May 21, 2024, the day set for the election. Any qualified voter may, upon examination of such list, file a written challenge of the qualifications as a voter of any person whose name appears on such list, stating the reasons for such challenge. Such written challenge shall be transmitted by the District Clerk or a designee of the Board of Education to the inspectors of election on election day.

Dated: March 27, 2024 BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

VALLEY STREAM UNION

FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. TWENTY-FOUR

TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD

NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK

Jennie L. Padilla, School District Clerk 145774

LEGAL NOTICE

AVISO DE AUDIENCIA

PÚBLICA, VOTACIÓN

PRESUPUESTARIA Y ELECCIÓN DEL DISTRITO

ESCOLAR LIBRE DE VALLEY STREAM UNION

VEINTICUATRO

CIUDAD DE HEMPSTEAD

Y CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK

SE DA AVISO de que una audiencia de presupuesto público de los votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar Libre de Valley Stream Union No. Veinticuatro de la ciudad de Hempstead, condado de Nassau, Nueva York, se llevarán a cabo en la Escuela William L. Buck en Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York en el Distrito el 8 de mayo de 2024, a las 7:30 p.m., hora prevaleciente, para la transacción de negocios según lo autorizado por la Ley de Educación, incluidos los siguientes elementos:

1) Presentar a

los votantes una declaración detallada (propuesta de presupuesto) de la cantidad de dinero que se requerirá para el año fiscal 2024-2025.

2) Discutir todos los puntos que a continuación se establezcan para ser votados por las máquinas de votación en la Votación y Elección del Presupuesto que se llevará a cabo el martes 21 de mayo de 2024.

3) Para tratar cualquier otro asunto que pueda presentarse ante la reunión de conformidad con la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York y los actos que la modifiquen.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, que de conformidad con la Sección 495 de la Ley del Impuesto sobre la Propiedad Inmobiliaria, se requiere que el Distrito Escolar adjunte a su presupuesto propuesto un informe de exención. Dicho informe de exención, que también formará parte del presupuesto final, mostrará qué parte del valor total de tasación en el registro de evaluación final utilizado en el proceso presupuestario está exenta de impuestos, enumerará cada tipo de exención otorgada, identificada por la autoridad legal, y mostrará: (a) el impacto acumulativo de cada tipo de exención, expresado como un monto en dólares del valor tasado o como un porcentaje del valor catastral total en la lista; (b) el monto acumulado que se espera recibir de los beneficiarios de cada tipo de exención como pagos en lugar de impuestos (PILOT) u otros pagos por servicios municipales; y (c) el efecto acumulativo de todas las exenciones concedidas. El informe de exención se publicará en cualquier tablón de anuncios mantenido por el Distrito para avisos públicos y en cualquier sitio web mantenido por el Distrito.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, que dicha Votación y Elección del Presupuesto se llevará a cabo el martes 21 de mayo de 2024, entre las 7:00 a.m. y las 9:00 p.m., en los Cuatro (4) Distritos Electorales, descritos a continuación, momento en el cual las urnas se abrirán para votar por máquina de votación sobre los siguientes elementos:

1. Adoptar el presupuesto anual del Distrito Escolar para el año fiscal 2024-2025 y autorizar que la parte requerida del mismo se recaude mediante impuestos sobre la propiedad imponible del Distrito.

2. Elegir a un (1) miembro de la Junta de Educación por un período

de tres (3) años a partir del 1 de julio de 2024 y hasta el 30 de junio de 2027, de la siguiente manera: a. Un (1) miembro de la Junta de Educación por un período de tres (3) años para suceder a Donna LaRocco, cuyo mandato vence el 30 de junio de 2024;

3. SE APRUBE el presupuesto propuesto de gastos del Distrito Escolar Libre de Valley Stream Union Veinticuatro, Ciudad de Hempstead, Condado de Nassau, Nueva York para el año 2024-2025 por la cantidad de $ 39,282,476 y para los fines que se muestran en la declaración del mismo presentada en la reunión anual, y que la suma se aumente a través de un gravamen sobre la propiedad imponible en el Distrito Escolar Libre de Valley Stream Union Veinticuatro, después de deducir primero los fondos de las ayudas estatales y otras fuentes según lo dispuesto por la ley.

4. SE APRUEBE el presupuesto de gastos propuesto por el Distrito Escolar Secundario Central de Valley Stream, Condado de Nassau, Nueva York para el año 2024-2025 por un monto de $161.364.443 y que la suma se recaude a través de un gravamen sobre la propiedad imponible en el Distrito Escolar Secundario Central de Valley Stream, después de deducir primero el dinero de la ayuda estatal y otras fuentes según lo dispuesto por la ley.

5. SE AUTORIZA a la Junta de Educación a asignar y gastar la cantidad máxima de cuatrocientos veinticinco mil dólares ($425,000) del fondo de reserva de capital con el propósito de completar las mejoras de capital de la siguiente manera: instalaciones de unidades de ventanas de aire acondicionado y costos eléctricos para las habitaciones de la Escuela Primaria Brooklyn Avenue y la Escuela Primaria Robert W. Carbonaro.

6. SE AUTORIZA a la Junta de Educación a asignar y gastar la cantidad máxima de ochocientos mil dólares ($800,000) del fondo de reserva de capital con el propósito de completar mejoras de capital de la siguiente manera: Instalaciones de puertas abiertas en todo el distrito y actualizaciones de alarmas contra incendios.

7. SE AUTORIZA al Distrito Central de Escuelas Secundarias de Valley Stream a asignar y gastar la cantidad máxima de $2,550,000 de la siguiente manera del saldo del fondo con el propósito de completar las mejoras de capital de la siguiente manera:

Renovar el actual Garaje de Mantenimiento del Distrito creando una Instalación de Oficios de Construcción. Todo lo anterior incluye mano de obra, materiales, equipos, aparatos y costos incidentales.

8. SE AUTORIZA a la Junta de Educación a asignar y gastar la cantidad máxima de $1,156,000 del Fondo de Reserva de Capital con el propósito de completar las mejoras de capital de la siguiente manera: Reemplazo de la ventana del gimnasio y del sistema operativo en Memorial Junior High School, North Junior Senior High School y South Junior Senior High School.

9. SE AUTORIZA a la Junta de Educación del Distrito Escolar Libre No. Veinticuatro de Valley Stream Union a establecer un nuevo Fondo de Reserva de Capital, de conformidad con las disposiciones de la Sección 3651 de la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York, para pagar los costos de construcción, reconstrucción , reparación y rehabilitación de las instalaciones existentes del Distrito Escolar, y la adquisición de muebles, equipos, maquinaria y aparatos originales necesarios para las mejoras de capital, incluidas, entre otras, adiciones y reconstrucción, techos, reducción de asbesto, calefacción/ventilación, trabajos de albañilería. , ventanas y proyectos similares, por un monto máximo de $5,000,000, con un plazo probable de diez (10) años, y estar autorizado a recaudar $5,000,000 para financiar la reserva en el año actual o futuro con una contribución anual de los fondos disponibles, a través de diversas fuentes, incluidas, entre otras, el reembolso de ayuda estatal y medidas de ahorro de costos que resultan en fondos no gastados o mediante la transferencia de saldos de fondos no asignados del fondo general y los intereses acumulados sobre dichos fondos durante el plazo del fondo de reserva de capital, en cantidades determinadas anualmente por la Junta de Educación. 10. Votar sobre cualquier otra proposición que se proponga legalmente.

William L. Buck, 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 3:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, en días hábiles a partir del 7 de mayo de 2024, excluyendo sábados, domingos y feriados, en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito y en cada escuela del Distrito.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, que el lugar en cada distrito electoral donde se llevará a cabo la elección y votación anual, y la descripción de cada distrito electoral es la siguiente:

Distrito Electoral #1generalmente abarca el área del Distrito al Norte de Sunrise Highway: la votación sobre los presupuestos y la votación para los fideicomisarios será en la Estación de Bomberos de South Corona Avenue en el lado oeste de Corona Avenue entre Jamaica Avenue y Hawthorne Avenue;

Distrito Electoral #2generalmente abarca el área atendida por la Escuela William L. Buck en la Avenida Horton: la votación sobre los presupuestos y la votación por los fideicomisarios será en la Escuela William L. Buck; Distrito Electoral #3generalmente abarca el área atendida por la Escuela de la Avenida Brooklyn en la Avenida Brooklyn y la Calle Quinta: la votación sobre los presupuestos y la votación para los fideicomisarios será en la Escuela de la Avenida Brooklyn;

Distrito Electoral # 4generalmente abarca el área atendida por la Escuela Robert W. Carbonaro en Hungry Harbor Road y Mill Road: la votación sobre el presupuesto y la votación para los fideicomisarios se realizará en la Escuela Robert W. Carbonaro. Los límites de cada uno de estos distritos por calles, callejones y carreteras o de otra manera, están contenidos en resoluciones de la Junta de Educación, fechadas el 24 de marzo de 1964 y enmendadas el 23 de septiembre de 1981 y el 12 de julio de 1990, y están disponibles para su inspección en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE

DA AVISO ADICIONAL que la votación será en máquinas de votación según lo dispuesto por la Ley de Educación y las urnas permanecerán abiertas el 21 de mayo de 2024 a partir de las 7:00 a.m. hasta las 21:00 horas., y tanto tiempo como sea necesario para que los electores presentes en ese momento puedan emitir su voto. Por la presente

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que se preparará una declaración detallada por escrito de la cantidad de dinero que se requerirá para el año fiscal 2024-2025 para fines del distrito escolar, excluyendo los fondos públicos que especifiquen el propósito y la cantidad para cada uno, y se pondrán copias de la misma a disposición de cualquier residente del distrito, bajo solicitud en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, Escuela

se autoriza y ordena al Secretario del Distrito que imprima las boletas necesarias para dichas máquinas de votación en la forma que corresponda lo más posible a los requisitos de la Ley de Educación y la ley aplicable.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que las nominaciones para el cargo de miembro de la Junta de Educación del Distrito Escolar Libre de Valley Stream Union No. Veinticuatro serán hechas por peticionarios que deberán ser firmadas por al menos veinticinco (25) votantes calificados del Distrito (que representen el mayor de 25 votantes calificados o el 2% del número de votantes que votaron en la elección anual anterior). Dichos peticionarios nominados se presentarán ante el Secretario de Distrito del Distrito Escolar Libre de Valley Stream Union No. Veinticuatro en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito en 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York, entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 5:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, siempre que las peticiones no se presenten después de las 5:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, del 22 de abril de 2024. Dicha petición debe indicar el nombre y la residencia de cada firmante, y debe indicar el nombre y la residencia del candidato y describirá la vacante específica para la que se postula al candidato, incluida al menos la duración del mandato y contener el nombre del titular. Cada vacante en la Junta de Educación se considerará una vacante específica separada. Se requiere una petición de nominación separada para nominar a un candidato a cada cargo por separado. Una petición de nominación puede ser rechazada por la Junta de Educación si el candidato no es elegible para el cargo o declara que no está dispuesto a servir. Los formularios para las peticiones de nominación se pueden obtener en la oficina del Superintendente de Escuelas en la Escuela William L. Buck en Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York y la oficina del Secretario de Distrito del Distrito Escolar Libre de Valley Stream Union No. Veinticuatro.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que se requiere el registro personal de los votantes, ya sea de conformidad con la Sección 2014 de la Ley de Educación o el Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral. Si un votante se ha registrado de conformidad con §2014 de la Ley de Educación y ha votado en una reunión anual o especial del distrito dentro de los últimos cuatro (4) años calendario, él o ella es

elegible para votar en esta elección. Si un votante está registrado y es elegible para votar bajo el Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral, él o ella también es elegible para votar en esta elección. Todas las demás personas que deseen votar deben registrarse. La Junta de Registro de este distrito escolar se reunirá en la Escuela William L. Buck, el 16 de mayo de 2024 a las 5:30 p.m., hora prevaleciente, con el propósito de preparar un registro de los votantes calificados de este distrito para dicha Votación y Elección Presupuestaria anual, momento en el cual cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se coloque en dicho registro siempre que en dicha reunión la Junta de Registro, se sabe, o se demuestra a satisfacción de la Junta de Registro, que tiene derecho a votar en la Votación y Elección Presupuestaria anual que se prepara para dicho registro. Para inscribirse, cada persona deberá presentarse personalmente ante la Junta de Registro en el lugar que se designe a continuación en el distrito electoral en el que se encuentre su residencia a la hora antes indicada. Cada registro, una vez completado, se archivará en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito y estará abierto para inspección de 9:00 a.m. a 3:00 p.m. en cada uno de los cinco (5) días anteriores a la reunión o elección para la cual fue preparado, excepto el domingo, y entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 12:00 p.m. el sábado (18 de mayo de 2024), solo con cita previa, y en cada lugar de votación el día de las elecciones.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que el registro incluirá (1) todos los votantes calificados del Distrito que se presentarán personalmente para el registro; (2) todos los que se hayan inscrito previamente para cualquier reunión o elección anual o especial del Distrito y que hayan votado en cualquier reunión o elección anual o especial del Distrito celebrada o realizada en cualquier momento dentro de los cuatro (4) años calendario anteriores a la preparación de dicho registro; y (3) todos los votantes calificados del distrito escolar registrados permanentemente con la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau que residan dentro de dicho distrito escolar.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA ADEMÁS que, de conformidad con la Sección 2014 de la Ley de Educación, la Junta de Registro se reunirá el martes 21 de mayo de 2024 entre las 7:00 a.m. y

las 9:00 p.m., tiempo prevaleciente, en los respectivos lugares de votación, para preparar el Registro del Distrito Escolar que se utilizará para todas las votaciones y elecciones que se celebren después del martes 21 de mayo de 2024 y, las personas pueden tener sus nombres colocados en dicho Registro siempre que en dicha reunión de dicha Junta de Registro, se sepa o se demuestre a satisfacción de dicha Junta de Registro que tiene derecho a votar en ese momento o en lo sucesivo la elección escolar para la cual se prepara dicho Registro, o cualquier reunión especial del distrito que se lleve a cabo después del martes 21 de mayo de 2024.

La Junta de Registro se reunirá con el propósito de llevar a cabo un registro continuo de todos los votantes calificados del Distrito de conformidad con la Sección 2014 de la Ley de Educación en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito en 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, en días escolares, agregar cualquier nombre adicional al Registro que se utilizará en la elección antes mencionada, en cuyo momento cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se coloque en dicho Registro, siempre que en dicha reunión de la Junta de Registro, se sepa o se demuestre a satisfacción de dicha Junta de Registro que tiene derecho a votar en ese momento o en lo sucesivo en dicha elección para la cual se prepara el registro. Durante los meses de julio y agosto, en el oficina del Secretario de Distrito, los votantes calificados pueden registrarse entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 3:00 p.m. El último día para inscribirse será el 14 de mayo de 2024. El registro así preparado de conformidad con § 2014 de la Ley de Educación se archivará en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito en la Escuela William L. Buck, Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York y estará abierto para la inspección de cualquier votante calificado del Distrito, a partir del 16 de mayo de 2024, entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 3:00 p.m., el horario prevaleciente en los días laborables anteriores a la votación, y entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 12:00 p.m. del sábado 18 de mayo de 2024, solo con cita previa, y en cada lugar de votación el día de la votación.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que los votantes militares que no están registrados actualmente pueden solicitar registrarse como votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar Libre de

Valley Stream Union No. Veinticuatro solicitando y devolviendo una solicitud de inscripción al Secretario del Distrito en persona, por correo a la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, 75 Horton Ave, Valley Stream, Nueva York, 11581, por correo electrónico a districtclerk@vs24.org, o por fax enviado al 516-256-0163. La solicitud de la solicitud de registro puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar para recibir la solicitud de registro por correo, fax o correo electrónico. Los formularios de solicitud de registro de votantes militares deben recibirse en la oficina del Secretario de Distrito a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m. del 25 de abril de 2024. Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que los votantes militares que son votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar Libre de Valley Stream Union No. Veinticuatro puede solicitar una solicitud para una boleta militar del Secretario de Distrito en persona, por correo a la Oficina del Secretario de Distrito, 75 Horton Ave, Valley Stream, New York, 11581, por correo electrónico a districtclerk@vs24.org o por fax enviado al 516-256-0163. En dicha solicitud, el votante militar puede indicar su preferencia por recibir la solicitud por correo, fax o correo electrónico. Un votante militar debe devolver la solicitud de boleta original por correo o en persona a la Oficina del Secretario de Distrito en 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York, 11581. Para que un votante militar reciba una boleta militar, se debe recibir una solicitud válida de boleta militar en la oficina del Secretario de Distrito a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m. del 25 de abril de 2024. Las solicitudes de boletas militares recibidas de acuerdo con lo anterior se procesarán de la misma manera que una solicitud no militar según la sección 2018-a de la Ley de Educación. La solicitud de una boleta militar puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar para recibir la boleta militar por correo, fax o correo electrónico.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE

DA AVISO ADICIONAL, la boleta militar original de un votante militar debe devolverse por correo o en persona a la oficina del Secretario de Distrito en 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York, 11581. Las boletas militares serán escrutadas si son recibidas por el Secretario de Distrito antes del cierre de las urnas el 21 de mayo de 2024 mostrando una marca de cancelación del Servicio Postal de los Estados Unidos o del

servicio postal de un país extranjero, o mostrando un endoso de fecha de recepción por otra agencia del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos; o recibida a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m. del 21 de mayo de 2024 y firmada y fechada por el votante militar y un testigo de la misma, con una fecha que se determina que no es posterior al día anterior a la elección.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE

DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que las solicitudes de boletas de voto en ausencia y por correo anticipado se podrán obtener a partir del 22 de abril de 2024 durante el horario escolar del Secretario del Distrito, o visitando el sitio web del Departamento de Educación del Estado de Nueva York, o comunicándose con el Secretario del Distrito por correo electrónico al districtclerk@vs24.org o por teléfono al 516-434-2830. De acuerdo con la Ley de Educación §§ 2018-a y 2018-e, las solicitudes completadas de boletas de voto ausente y por correo anticipado no pueden ser recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito antes del trigésimo (30) día antes de la elección, es decir, el 22 de abril de 2024, y deben ser recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito a más tardar siete (7) días antes de la elección, es decir, el 14 de mayo de 2024, si la boleta se va a enviar por correo al votante, o el día antes de la elección, es decir, el 20 de mayo de 2024, si la boleta se va a entregar personalmente al votante o al agente nombrado en la solicitud de boleta de voto en ausencia o por correo anticipado. Las boletas de voto ausente y por correo anticipado deben recibirse en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, el martes 21 de mayo de 2024. No se puede impugnar una boleta de voto en ausencia sobre la base de que el votante debería haber solicitado una boleta anticipada por correo. No se puede hacer una impugnación a un votante anticipado por correo sobre la base de que el votante debería haber solicitado una boleta de voto en ausencia.

Una lista de todas las personas a las que se han emitido boletas de voto ausente y por correo anticipado estará disponible para su inspección para los votantes calificados del Distrito en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a partir del 14 de mayo de 2024, entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 3:00 p.m., en días laborables anteriores al día establecido para la Votación y Elección Anual del Presupuesto, y el sábado 18 de mayo de

Local reps make meal packages for Long Island seniors in need

Hunger is a growing problem across the state, with Long Island being one of the areas hit hardest in the state. About 1 in 4 adults in New York indicated that they were always, usually, or sometimes worried or stressed about having enough money to buy nutritious meals in the past 12 months, according to the NYS Dept of Health.

Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, with other state senators, joined the volunteers and staff at Island Harvest on Feb. 15 to assemble boxes of meal packages for seniors who are low income. They utilized food purchased by the state through Federal funds in a program called the Commodity Supple -

2024 entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 12:00 p.m. solo con cita previa, y el 21 de mayo de 2024, día fijado para la elección. Cualquier elector calificado podrá, tras examinar dicha lista, presentar una impugnación por escrito de las calificaciones como votante de cualquier persona cuyo nombre aparezca en dicha lista, indicando las razones de dicha impugnación. Dicha impugnación por escrito será transmitida por el Secretario del Distrito o una persona designada por la Junta de Educación a los inspectores electorales el día de las elecciones.

Fechado: 27 de marzo de 2024 POR ORDEN DE LA JUNTA DE EDUCACIÓN

mental Food Program. Island Harvest provides 4,000 of these packages a month to seniors across Long Island.

“Food insecurity is a pervasive problem across Long Island,” CanzoneriFitzpatrick said, “And I am so grateful to organizations like Island Harvest who dedicate time and extensive resources towards combating this issue.

“Our seniors, in particular, are left behind when they often experience the most need. These meal packages will feed thousands of seniors this month alone and I am proud to have contributed in my own small way to the disbursement of these vital bundles.”

Courtesy office of Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick State Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, with other local reps, joined with Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest, and other volunteers to prepare meal packages for Long Island seniors.

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How can I earthquakeproof my house?

Q. Since the recent earthquake, I have looked all over my house and see some small cracks in corners and a few in ceilings. Some of the cracks were there before, but it made me concerned about whether my house is protected from earthquakes, and what can I do to make it safer. Of course, nobody can predict earthquakes or how strong they’ll be, but if there is anything you can suggest, please tell me.

A. I was surprised by the number of questions I got about this. Obviously, the unknown is scary, because people feel helpless against the power of nature. Your home, unless it’s made of extremely rigid masonry (concrete or brick) without any reinforcement, is already fairly flexible. Unfortunately, seismic design of residential structures isn’t very well understood, either by designers or builders, because there are very few threatening earthquakes in our region.

Ask The Architect

Our safety factor on Long Island is the ground we are built on, which is very sandy along the shorelines, and becomes a little more rigid moving inland, but not enough to put us in a more restricted category. There are charts and graphs in the New York State Residential Building Code that show what categories to follow when designing a building, and what restrictions and exceptions there are to various conditions.

If your home, for example, has interior walls that are perpendicular to exterior walls, bracing the exterior walls, and if the exterior walls are generally in the same plane, from foundation to roof, you have met some of the first requirements for strength in an earthquake. The exterior walls are sheer walls, and the interior perpendicular walls are brace walls that help resist inward and outward movement in a high-wind or an earth-shaking event.

Many people have opened up the interiors of their homes, making the kitchen, dining room and living room, for example, one big open space. In doing so, especially without the benefit of having included a trained professional architect or engineer in the design, they may have subjected themselves to problems with a lack of bracing or sheer design. Just having a beam connecting an outside wall where a wall used to connect to an interior wall across the room usually isn’t enough to resist extreme seismic or high-wind conditions. But because we rarely have either of these two events, most people ignore the possibility. That makes everything much more difficult when a licensed professional has to mop up the mess from when a homeowner only hired someone who didn’t know the whole scope of different regulations.

Cracks in walls and ceilings are often caused by movement, but there are multiple types of movement, from heating and cooling resulting in expansion and contraction, humidity and settling. There is little you can do to strengthen your home’s conditions without the knowledge of a trained professional, engineer or architect, because you may just be adding weight in the wrong places.

© 2024 Monte Leeper

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

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Migrants get more government support than veterans

Many corners of New York continue to deteriorate thanks to the left-wing policies instituted by radical ideologues in the White House, the governor’s mansion and City Hall — but prioritizing the financial well-being of migrants over American military veterans who served our nation should be a step too far, and a rallying cry for Empire State residents fed up with the status quo instituted by the Democratic “leaders” of New York.

Indeed, recent reporting has uncovered that in many cases, illegal migrants who have made their way to New York City are receiving more public assistance than disabled veterans. What’s even more jarring is that there seems to be no appetite for correcting this glaring misplacement of priorities among Democratic lawmakers.

Reporting by Newsweek revealed that “a family of four migrants in New York City receives more monthly funding than a family of four that includes a military veteran who receives disability compensation.” Many migrants who have arrived in New York City are receiving prepaid debit cards that can be used to cover a wide range of expenses. Indeed, many migrant families of four are receiving debit cards preloaded with $1,400 a month — courtesy of taxpayers. This dwarfs the amount received by a family of four utilizing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which averages $713 monthly.

Too many elected officials believe in open-border, pro-migrant policies.

The assistance for migrants is also higher than military veterans’ disability compensation in many cases: A veteran who has a 50 percent disability rating, a spouse and one child receives only $1,255 every four weeks, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

These infuriating statistics are just the latest iteration of New York’s proillegal migrant record. In fiscal year 2023 alone, the Big Apple welcomed over 175,000 migrants and shelled out

over $1.45 billion to shelter, feed and provide services to these lawbreakers. Thanks to New York City’s progressive “right to shelter” legislation, there is reportedly no end in sight to the droves of migrants consuming taxpayer resources at an unsustainable rate. Indeed, if the current rate of migration holds, the city alone could spend around $12 billion to support migrants by fiscal year 2025.

While President Biden, Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City progressives continue to facilitate the migrant cost crisis with their open-border and pro-migrant policies, over 35,000 veterans had no permanent housing in the United States in 2023, and the number continues to rise. It’s time we place the priorities of veterans, and all Americans, ahead of migrants whose first action in this country was breaking our immigration laws.

Correcting Democrats’ horrific migrant policies in New York will require a multifaceted approach, starting at the municipal level and ending at the White House. New Yorkers and all

Americans must elect leaders committed to ending the migrant crisis, and not merely “managing” it.

In Congress, I was proud to join my fellow House Republicans in passing a comprehensive border-security bill last year. This sweeping legislative package is the strongest bill in a generation, and would provide a large infusion of resources to support our Border Patrol agents and enhance security infrastructure along our southern border — tools that would end the migrant crisis. The Democratic majority in the Senate has refused to vote on the legislation, and instead attempted to sell the American people a bag of fake goods in the form of their “compromise” border security plan, which would have merely codified the current migrant crisis, not ended it.

We can stop the prioritization of migrants’ well-being over that of veterans and all Americans by rejecting the radical immigration policies of a Democratic Party that has been captured by its progressive base from the top down, and demanding that Democratic leaders join Republicans in placing the interests of Americans first once again.

Anthony D’Esposito represents the 4th Congressional District.

Spring cleaning: Forget the brooms and mops

My clothes closet is a throwback, a collection from a past life. Who bought all these clothes, I wonder. Whose life was dressed in these costumes? What woman, aside from the extravagantly shod Imelda Marco, could possibly think she needed so many pairs of shoes?

I stand in awe at the bizarre items hanging inside. I cannot connect to the life these clothes adorned. There is a floorlength, multi-colored, layer-cake skirt that I bought and last wore on a trip to Africa, when it was only marginally appropriate, even in Mozambique. Truth?

There are two of these skirts. I also have a bright, bright red, heavily embroidered Chinese jacket I bought in Shanghai in 2003. It’s lovely, and it fits, but it is so, so pre-Covid life.

I see shirts I bought 25 years ago, when big, padded shoulders were de rigueur. They still have paper stuffed into the sleeves from the last time I had

them cleaned, several decades ago.

It’s like wandering through Pompeii. Who was this person? I wonder. The big belts, the silk shawls, the long velvet pants for formal attire add to the sense of disconnection. A hot pink cocktail dress?

Today I could keep my wardrobe in a paper sack. Since the pandemic and the collapse of the social life we once enjoyed, I dress down. Way down. Still, there are four pairs of spiked heels on the shelf. A walk in those babies would be a suicide mission.

SOn another shelf in the closet is the crocheted blanket that I started with my mother-in-law, who has been dead 40 years. Any day now I guess I’ll take up crocheting again. The bejeweled handbag I bought in the gift shop at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore doesn’t go with my mom jeans.

perfect symbol of all that is tucked away, out of sight.

With that in mind, I want to springclean my mind of the addictive behaviors brought on by the deprivations and anxieties of the coronavirus. The superkiller is done, and we’re still standing. The virus, no doubt, is here to stay, but with the appropriate vaccines, we will go on. What remains is our pathological obsession with devices that intensified during the pandemic, and that needs to be treated.

ince the pandemic and the collapse of the social life we once enjoyed, I dress down.

You get my point. I hereby publicly vow to use this spring to fling out the old and give away the wardrobe of the woman who once lived a very different life from mine. My new life requires five hangars and a drawer.

There’s more. Closets are a metaphor, are they not? Clichéd, but still the

For example, I thought I had a clear mind when I sat down to write this. Then I glanced at an incoming text. My sister wanted a recipe, so I stopped writing and looked up the ingredients of sheet pan lasagna. But wait — as I searched, there was “incoming”: A new sale by Eileen Fisher, so I checked it out, and was about to buy a new T-shirt to stash in the aforementioned closet when, blip, there were notices from a dozen charities offering to match my donation today if I made them right now. I started to give my $25 to Planned Parenthood when, whoosh, there was a text from my granddaughter, who was turning in a paper in three

minutes that she wanted me to edit.

So, what was I doing? Writing my column — right, that’s it. But sister texted back, thanking me for the lasagna recipe, and then my husband texted to ask which lettuce to buy at the supermarket. I had to tell him romaine, right? Or he might come back with iceberg.

What did I sit down here to do? Oh yes, I want to focus on spring cleaning, but the news and the texts and the endless notifications are a disorienting sound-and-light show signifying nothing but distraction.

But, really, hold on a minute, can I afford to ignore a text from a company that will help me control upper-arm fat? Can I write about spring cleaning this week, when Donald Trump is possibly eating a puppy online in another magic MAGA moment? (Relax, I made that one up.)

What practical steps will I take to clean up the psychological and technological distractions? I will stop “notifications” and turn off my phone when I write. Next time. I really will do that, I promise, but first I have to check out two tiny must-read urgent news flashes: the best undiscovered beaches in Newfoundland and photos of an ancient worm that grew to 37 feet long.

Weaving a future of peace, harmony and justice

as the vibrant hues of spring emerge, so, too, do the sacred observances of Easter, Passover and ramadan — each offering a tapestry of traditions woven with threads of renewal, redemption and hope.

Christians and Muslims have completed their observances of Easter and ramadan, and now Jews are set to celebrate what they call Pesach — a holiday that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites in ancient Egypt, and their eventual exodus to the Promised land.

When it comes to the tapestry of humanity, however, all of these celebrations serve as poignant reminders of our shared quest for spiritual uplift and communal solidarity, transcending cultural boundaries and religious affiliations.

At the heart of Easter lies the profound narrative of resurrection, symbolizing the triumph of life over death, and the promise of renewal. Christians around the world gathered to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, finding solace in the belief that, through faith and redemption, new beginnings are possible.

Letters

There’s ‘my-partisanship’ far from D.C., Jerry

To the Editor:

Similarly, Passover holds a special place in the hearts of Jewish communities. Through rituals steeped in tradition, families gather around the Seder table to retell the story of Exodus, passing the torch of remembrance down from one generation to the next. Passover embodies the timeless themes of liberation and redemption, inspiring people to break free from the shackles of oppression and embrace the promise of a brighter future.

Amid the tapestry of religious diversity, ramadan shines as a beacon of spiritual devotion and self-discipline for Muslims worldwide. During this holiest month of the Islamic calendar, believers fast from dawn to dusk, engaging in prayer, reflection and charity. Through the rigor of fasting, Muslims seek purifications of the soul and a deepened connection with the divine — finding strength and solace in the collective journey of faith.

Despite their distinct cultural expressions and theological nuances, Easter, Passover and ramadan converge on the shared terrain of universal values and aspirations. Across these sacred seasons, the themes of renewal, redemption and hope serve as bridges that

unite humanity in its quest for transcendence and meaning.

In the tapestry of diversity, we find unity in our shared humanity, transcending the boundaries of creed and nationality. As we reflect on the timeless messages of these three observances, let us embrace the richness of our religious heritage, and celebrate the mosaic of traditions that adorn the fabric of our collective existence.

In the face of adversity and uncertainty, these sacred days remind us of the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of faith to sustain us through life’s trials.

Jerry Kremer’s good heart, I fear, is overly generous for our current moment (“Washington: where bipartisanship goes to die,” April 11-17). His desire for bipartisanship is currently unfashionable, not only in Washington but right here in Massapequa. Our former honorable representative and gentleman, Peter King, is now willing to pronounce on the political qualifications of mourners attending services for an NYPD officer lost in action.

The lawbreaking, felon-praising Donald Trump is noted for his “dignity” at Jonathan Diller’s memorial, while a rumor of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s being snubbed is pandered. Other notable Democrats are named and shamed with King’s party’s “anti-police” canard. Thus was Diller’s memorial stained with gratuitous my-partisanship. Bipartisanship is often a corpse, Mr. Kremer, before it departs for Washington.

BrIAN KEllY Rockville Centre

King praises Trump for attending a funeral

Together, let us embrace unity in diversity, forging bonds of understanding and compassion that transcend the barriers of ignorance and prejudice. And may we find strength in our shared humanity, and hope in the process of a brighter tomorrow.

As the spring sun rises, let us embark on a journey of spiritual renewal and communal solidarity, guided by the timeless wisdom of Easter, Passover and ramadan. In this tapestry of diversity, may we weave a future of peace, justice and harmony for generations to come.

breaking death of an NYPD hero”: As the proud daughter and sister of New York City policemen, I was outraged to read King’s praise of Donald Trump attending Jonathan Diller’s funeral. To say that Trump had “great dignity and respect” is a joke.

pray for his family. But where was Trump on Jan. 6, 2021, when the Capitol Police were being beaten and maimed by the insurrectionists while trying to defend the Capitol? Now Trump is saying that these thugs are “hostages” — and appearing at the funeral of this fallen officer was just part of his dog-and-pony show, as usual. The men and women in April

Of course the death of Officer Diller was a tragedy, and we all mourn him and

opinions

The silent killer of New York’s economy

as a proud representative of the great state of New York, I am deeply concerned about the ominous threat posed by the alarming trend of outmigration. The recent revelation by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Heather Briccetti Mulligan, president and chief executive of the Business Council of New York State, in an op-ed in the Daily News, sheds light on a crisis silently eroding the foundations of our state’s economic prosperity.

amid the throes of the coronavirus pandemic, New York lost 1 in every 100 personal income tax filers to outmigration, a rate four times higher than the prepandemic average.

The numbers are stark and undeniable.

Between July 2020 and 2023, New York recorded a loss of over 533,000 residents, a staggering exodus that directly impacts the state’s tax base. The personal income tax, the lifeblood of our revenue stream, has suffered a tangible blow. In 2020,

While the outmigration rate slowed in 2021, the departure of high-income earners and married tax filers remained troublingly high. The repercussions are profound, as our state continues to lead the nation in population decline for the third consecutive year, with over 101,000 residents leaving the Empire State in the year ending July 2023.

whas been said that there will be imminent proposals in the One House budgets that will look to punish highincome earners even further.

e’ve lost hundreds of thousands of residents, and with them crucial tax revenue.

Why should New Yorkers be deeply concerned? Because personal income tax constitutes the state’s largest share of tax revenue, contributing over $60 billion to its coffers in 2021. High-income earners, comprising a mere 1.6 percent of filers but accounting for 44.5 percent of the total liability, wield an outsized influence on our revenue stream. To make matters worse, it

Letters

Washington were heroes, and he shows them absolutely no respect, or remorse for what happened to them.

I stand with former Washington, D.C., Police Officer Michael Fanone, former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and all of those who worked so hard to defend our democracy.

ANNE DAlY Long Beach

I’m not praising Hochul for giving us our money back

To the Editor:

Upon learning that Gov. Kathy Hochul had decided to “allow” state school funding to remain status quo, I sent the following sentiments to my Board of Education as well as lobbyist/membership organizations that advocate for school boards, including the Nassau-Suffolk and New York State school boards associations.

The crime of this state aid funding game is that districts ran around in a frenzy and a state of panic for the past six weeks, each looking to make changes and cuts, all for nothing! This disturbing yearly exercise of dangling money like a carrot is getting old and tiresome. A new method must be put in place, immediately.

Perhaps it’s as simple as educating district boards with the understanding that they can run their budgets like a business. Not only can they, they

should! We are the fiduciary stewards of the taxpayers’ money. l et’s teach boards to be fiscally responsible.

The issue with most administrations, which is no fault of their own, is that they don’t earn the money they’re in charge of. Our schools are multi-million-dollar businesses, and there’s a very different understanding of how to spend money when you’re responsible for generating the business and chasing down the receivables. When you’re responsible for making payroll, and paying worker’s comp, insurance and all other fixed costs each week, you spend differently. When fixed costs rise, they eat into your profits, but in the educational world we just raise everyone’s taxes and ask for more. The mindset is vastly different.

The long and short of it is that the entire state just spent six weeks of budget season — the busiest time of year, when we’re planning for next year — wasting time, energy, manpower and productivity, only to be told, don’t worry, you really do have the money. It is counterproductive, cruel, bad business and a cycle that has become accepted by all! We succumb to this every year, praising the governor for giving us our money back.

Our leadership at the state level — the education commissioner, Board of Regents members and elected officials on both sides of the aisle — needs to start having hard conversations with the governor’s office about their modus operandi. This disaster needs to stop.

Any successful businessperson

The exodus is not confined to individuals; it has infiltrated the financial sector, a vital pillar of New York’s economic prowess. An October report from various institutions revealed that over $933 billion in assets has migrated from New York to other states in the past three years. The financial industry, representing 5 percent of our jobs and 16 percent of our gross domestic product in 2022, is witnessing an alarming erosion, jeopardizing the “multiplier effect” it has on our broader economy.

States like Texas and Florida have become attractive destinations, and siphoned off $9.8 billion in income from New York in 2021 alone. As representatives of the people, we must not turn a blind eye to the voices resonating from all corners of our state. Why wouldn’t

these states become the new destinations to raise families and grow businesses? It’s quite simple: Not having a state income tax, and putting hardworking American first, are attractive ways to draw new residents.

It’s now budget time here in Albany, and as policymakers, we must confront the challenge of maintaining New York’s attractiveness as an affordable place to live and do business. The op-ed by DiNapoli and Mulligan rightly points out the urgency of reducing the burden on businesses, to ensure a ripple effect that resonates positively across our state.

The time for action is now. Our policies must reflect the resolve to address this silent killer of New York’s economy. By fortifying our state’s appeal, by respecting the hard-working citizenry before those that have migrated here illegally, we can stem the tide of outmigration, preserving our vibrant communities and securing a prosperous future for all New Yorkers.

Ari Brown represents the 20th Assembly District.

Framework by Nicole Formisano

understands that when an organization is kept in constant crisis mode, it affects every operation. The perma-crisis in which this administration keeps our education system is slowly killing public education. So I’m not thankful that the governor let us “keep” our taxpayers’ money.

Personally I’m disgusted, and I’m waiting

for those who can to advocate for real change.

MARGARET MARCHAND President, Locust Valley Board of Education Founder, Coalition of New York State School Boards

Anticipating the show in the sky on April 8 — Watertown, New York