_______ Lynbrook/east rockaway ______
HERALD Also serving Bay Park
VoL. 31 No. 27
Benedict breaks school record
Lynbrook man joins Peace Corps
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JUNE 27 - JULY 3, 2024
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Griffin ready for a rematch
east Rockaway’s Joe petraro, 11, graduated from penn Foster High School earlier this month.
Familiar opponent for Brian Curran By DANIEL oFFNER doffner@liherald.com
Courtesy Annie Petraro
E. Rockaway boy ‘broke down every barrier’ standing in his way Joe Petraro graduates from high school at age 11 By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com
Joe Petraro graduated from high school in the beginning of June, just like many of his East Rockaway neighbors. However, unlike most of them, Petraro became a graduate at age 11. Annie Petraro, Joe’s mom, noticed that her son, who was learning at a much faster rate than his peers, did not fit the mold of the public school system. She enrolled Joe in the Holy Name of Mary Catholic School, K12 International Academy and Penn Foster High School, where he rapidly progressed through each grade. After he graduated, Joe enrolled in Louisiana State University’s online program, where he will study sports
leadership. Joe said it felt good to graduate so young. He noted that his focus had shifted to LSU, where he is enrolled in a summer class. He will continue his online studies in the fall, and must visit the Baton Rouge campus twice a semester. Annie said she never would have expected her son to graduate from high school at this age. She explained that Joe has Tourette’s, and her experience with the public school system is that they put kids like him in a box. Joe was in special education in second grade, and Annie said she was confused by that, because of his high intellect. “He had switched to a Catholic school, and his teacher was like, ‘He’s a genius,’” Continued on page 5
Judy Griffin is ready to take back her old Assembly seat in November as she’s set to once again face off against Brian Curran in a battle that has volleyed the Albany seat back and forth between the two for the last several years. She did it with a decisive win over Patricia Maher in the Democratic priJudY mary where gRiFFin Griffin secured nearly 85 percent of the votes, according to early returns. “We took this race seriously,” Griffin told the Herald following her victory. “It’s important, and it’s important to get the right person in office. We had a decisive win, which is great. And now we’re gearing up for the general election.” Griffin has lived in Rockville Centre for more than 30 years, first working in the financial industry before taking on roles as a lifestyle coach and corporate wellness educator. She defeated Curran in 2018 to become the first Democrat to win this particular seat in more than 40 years. But after two terms, she lost a very narrow race to Cur-
ran, letting him get his old job back by a 138-vote margin. During her time in office, Griffin says she helped secure more than $8 million from the state to provide funding to local police and fire departments, schools, libraries, veterans halls, and non-profit organizations in the district. She also helped pass legislation like the Red Flag Gun Law, which is intended to prevent people who show signs of being a threat to themselves or others from purchasing or possessing any kind of firearm. She also backed the “teacher gun law,” intended to ensure educators would never be forced to carry weapons. If given a chance to return to Albany, Griffin says she wants to tackle the opioid crisis. That includes a bill known as “Death by Dealer,” intended to hold those responsible for providing opioids to be accountable for their overdoses. Curran — who calls Lynbrook home — was first elected to the Assembly in 2010, and stayed there until Griffin defeated him in 2018. He took his old seat back in 2022. Curran also was a legislative counsel to the Assembly, and would serve as a Lynbrook village prosecutor until he was elected mayor of Lynbrook in 2007.