Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald 12-08-2022

Career center provides services Page 3

Also serving Bay Park

lynbrook village tree lighting Page 11

Coffee truck opens to honor Cathy Turner

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

Tom Turner and his friend Matthew Gonyon opened up a coffee truck in honor of Turn er’s mom, Cathy, who passed away from multiple sclerosis.

Ben Fiebert/Herald

The two joined forces to cre ate the coffee company, Cathy’s Cafes. The East Rockaway busi ness is located in the Lidl park ing lot at 492 Atlantic Ave. With Turner’s seven-year experience in the food truck business, he and Gonyon quit their jobs to launch this new coffee truck.

The food truck opened in

September after Gonyon left his job in finance and Turner left his job working for a sus tainable coffee cart manufac turer. “We are fully commit ted,” Turner said. “I have a cousin who said we’re like the conquistadors. We burned our boots so there’s no going back.”

Turner, already in the coffee business, looked at similar businesses and felt confident that he and Gonyon’s truck will flourish. “We had seen some success with other companies in the mobile vending game and we’re like, ‘let’s give it a

Pedaling towards a greener future with more bike riding

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

The Village of Lynbrook used recent grant money to encour age community members to use green, emission-free transporta tion methods.

With a $4,475 grant from the PSE&G Main Street Revitaliza tion Program, the Village desig nated the funds to install eight new bike racks. Polly Talbott — who is on the Lynbrook Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce — came up with the idea to use this money towards increasing bike activity in the Village. She believes that bike riding will be more convenient

for community members com pared to walking.

“There’s a new apartment building on Sunrise, but it’s a lit tle bit of a walk to go to the vil lage,” Talbott said. “It seems to me that it would be great for peo ple to be able to ride their bikes, park, and then do their own thing.”

Talbott believes good loca tions for the bike racks will be by the new Cornerstone Yorkshire apartment building and a new apartment complex being built in replace of the Feather Factory.

Talbott has been in discussion with storeowners to see if they’d allow the bike racks to be placed in front of their business. Specif

Polly TalBoTT board member chamber of commerce

ic traits for potential bike rack locations that jump out at her include congestion of bikes and cars in an area.

“We have a general idea of where these racks will be,” Tal bott said. “There’s going to be bike racks along Atlantic Ave nue.”

Outdated bike racks were a

huge driving force in the deci sion making process behind the new racks.

“There are some bike racks under the railroad trestle, but they’re old,” Talbott said. Along with providing the town with updated bike racks, Talbott hopes that it also makes the vil lage look more pleasing. She said the bike racks will be green to

match the lampposts, benches, and planters.

“I thought that the new bike racks would not only be func tional, but also be a nice attrac tive addition to the community,” Talbott said.

Talbott compared these bike racks to Nordic countries like Amsterdam where biking is very

ToM TuRNER, lEFT, and Matthew Gonyon, right, standing in front of their coffee truck business, Cathy’s Cafes.

Lynbrook FD Christmas fire truck rides again

After a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19 restrictions, Lynbrook Fire Department firefighters will once again hold their Christmas fire truck rides for the children of Lynbrook Dec. 17 from noon-3 p.m. at the Earle Avenue parking lot, just north of Sunrise Highway.

Lynbrook firefighters have con tinued this tradition each Christ mas for nearly 70 years. Besides not holding the rides the past two years, there were only three other occasions in those 70 years that the rides were not held. Once was due to the gasoline shortage in the 1970s, and two other occasions were due to inclement weather.

After the children take a ride or two on one of the fire trucks, they can meet with Santa Claus and have hot chocolate and cook ies inside the Truck Company firehouse up the block on Earle Avenue.

Lynbrook Fire Chief Chris Kelly, on behalf of the 225 mem bers of the Lynbrook Fire Depart ment, wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

After the fire truck ride, children meet Santa Claus himself.

Lynbrook firefighters prepAre to take children on a fire truck ride for Christmas.

–Contributed by Steve Grogan

Photos courtesy Steve Grogan

One-stop shop for Hempstead job seekers

HempsteadWorks matches employers and potential employees with services

By MARK NOLAN mnolan@liherald.com

Searching for a new job at any stage of your career can be a daunting endeavor. Among the myriad challenges are cold calls, maintaining contact lists, constant ly updating your social media profiles and customizing your resume, and recruiting references. It’s enough to give even the most stalwart job hunter a feeling of timidity.

Job seekers often upload a resume on one or two readily known websites and cross their fingers. But there are resourc es available for Town of Hempstead resi dents through the town’s Department of Occupational Resources and its Hemp steadWorks office. HempsteadWorks pro vides assistance at all phases of a job search to help residents hunting for their next position.

Among those services are workshops on resume and cover letter writing; inter viewing strategies; social media sites such as LinkedIn; professional presence; computer skills; and training and certifi cation programs. The services are avail able for free to Hempstead and City of Long Beach residents.

“If someone doesn’t have computer skills, we help them,” Mary Drangel, a business services representative for HempsteadWorks, said. “Some don’t have a computer at home, so they can come in and use the computer resource room and work on their resume. We have interview ing skills workshops, a resume workshop, a LinkedIn workshop if you don’t know how to create a LinkedIn account.”

HempsteadWorks, Drangel said, offers services for a wide range of professions, from truck driving to engineering. “They are matched with a career counselor,” she said of job hunters, “and we find out what

their needs are and what career path they want to take, and from there we have all of the services that they might need.”

While unemployment rates nationally and locally remain near record lows, there are still plenty of people in need of jobs, or even a new job. HempsteadWorks helps not just the unemployed, but the underemployed as well.

“For the adults, we have training and workshops so they can get a certificate or credential in any field,” Drangel said.

HempsteadWorks is especially skilled at helping young and at-risk job seekers, Drangel said. The office offers programs specifically designed to help young people and those with criminal records. The Youth Services program is currently help ing 145 Hempstead youths with job train ing, as well also transportation and child care. It’s a comprehensive program

designed to eliminate any and all poten tial barriers to getting hired.

“We want them to be self-sufficient,” said Nene Alameda, another business ser vices representative who has worked side by side with Drangel. “Some of the youth we work with have been involved with the justice system. We find companies that are willing to give them a second chance. We try to identify barriers and mitigate them. We want to help them find a sus tainable wage to live on Long Island.”

The Youth Services program helps job seekers ages 18 to 24 who dropped out of high school, have a criminal record, are homeless, pregnant, or economically dis advantaged. HempsteadWorks also has a program designed to help those trying to escape from the influence of gangs.

“We have a pro-bono attorney to help them clean up their rap sheet,” Drangel

said.

There are also services for those with physical and learning disabilities, as well as English language learners. Job seekers must, of course, have a legal right to work in the United States.

Job searches would be fruitless with out jobs. Drangel and Alameda said that HempsteadWorks develops great relation ships with businesses to meet their needs, and not just the needs of those looking for jobs. A recent job fair in Freeport, Dran gel and Alameda said, attracted 1,500 job seekers and 70 companies.

“I always feel like we’re a bit of a pro fessional matchmaker,” Alameda said. “We work with companies to understand their needs, but we’re also working with participants who have workforce needs. How do we find that perfect fit?”

A change of leadership, not priorities

By MARK NOLAN mnolan@liherald.com

One of Hempstead Town’s most influ ential employment recruiters will soon find herself out of a job.

Mary Drangel will retire from Hemp steadWorks officially on Jan. 31 after an extraordinary career highlighted by help ing people.

Drangel, a resident of Oceanside, start ed with HempsteadWorks in 2008. She pre viously worked in purchasing and pro curement, the Hempstead Town Receiver of Taxes office, and real estate. Her pas sion has been helping people find a job, and she exudes excitement when talking about helping job hunters with hurdles.

“It has been challenging, but also rewarding at the same time,” Drangel said. “I have to say, I feel proud of what I’ve done here.”

Drangel plans on moving to Florida

Photos by Mark Nolan/Herald

HeMpsteAdWORKs eMpLOyees LiLy Dou, far left, Tamia Anderson, Maria Reed, Kurt Rockensies, Eric Mallette, Mary Drangel, Nene Alameda, Christopher DeRita and Jeanie Robano-Stocker provide comprehensive career services for Hempstead residents.

Mark Nolan/Herald

NeNe ALAMedA, Left, and Mary Drangel, review plans for upcom ing job fairs offered by the Hempstead Town Department of Occupational Resources through its HempsteadWorks Career Center.

Dish network agreement will

By MARK NOLAN mnolan@liherald.com

The Hempstead Town Board voted unanimously Nov. 22 to lease Dish Net work land for a telecommunications building that will provide the Levit town Water District $72,000 a year for five years.

The lease allows Dish Network to build a 100-square foot telecommunica tions facility at the Levittown Water District on Azalea Road. The lease, which will increase 3 percent each year, is effectively for 20 years as the town resolution states the lease will be automatically renewed for up to four additional terms of 60 months each term.

Dish Network will place three antennae on the existing town water tanks. The town already leases to sev eral wireless providers at several loca tions in the town. Verizon has a similar lease with Hempstead Town at the same Levittown location. The Verizon lease was signed March 13, 2017 and is for $5,000 monthly with a 3 percent yearly increase.

The Levittown Water District tank on Azalea Road is 120 feet tall. The

antennae will be approximately 6 feet in height atop the tower. Lease revenue from Dish Network will be used by the Levittown Water District to offset dis trict expenses, according to a Hemp stead Town spokesperson. Surveys con ducted as part of the town resolution declare that any construction as a result of the lease will not damage or impair wildlife, the quality of the neighborhood, or air and water quality.

“Partnering with telecommunica tion companies on this initiative is a win-win,” said Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin. “We’re able to keep cell service strong in our neigh borhoods while earning some revenue. Additionally, the antennas are placed out of the way, so they do not interfere with the everyday suburban quality-oflife we enjoy in America’s largest town ship.”

Hempstead Town currently has numerous leases with telecommunica tions companies at Greenfield Ceme tery in Uniondale, the animal shelter in Wantagh, and elsewhere. There are existing leases for the following water districts: East Meadow, Uniondale, Lev ittown, Lido/Point Lookout, and Roos evelt Field.

Fourth Battalion Firefighters Support Burn Center

The Fourth Battalion Fire District recently raised $17,000 to benefit the Nas sau County Firefighters Burn Center Foundation at its 16th annual fundraiser. The Fourth Battalion Fire District is com posed of the East Rockaway, Lakeview, Lynbrook, Malverne, and Rockville Cen tre fire departments. The Fourth Battal ion has raised nearly $200,000 for the

Burn Center Foundation over the years.

Presentation of this year’s checks to the Foundation was made at a Battalion meeting held in Lynbrook Nov. 30. The Nassau County Burn Center is located at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.

—Story

Attorney general probes Lynbrook fatal crash

The New York State Attorney Gen eral’s office is investigating the death of a 19-year-old Lynbrook man who passed away in a three-car crash Nov. 28.

Nassau County police said Nasir Reid was driving a BMW at around midnight on Nov. 28. He was traveling southbound on Ocean Avenue where the BMW collided with a Nissan Path finder. The BMW then struck a Dodge Ram truck after hitting the Pathfinder. Reid was pronounced dead at 1:25 a.m. after sustaining “extensive inter nal injuries,” according to the police. The drivers of the Pathfinder and the

Dodge Ram were transported by the Lynbrook Fire Department to local hospitals and treated for minor inju ries.

According to the Nassau Police Department, Reid was involved in an “encounter” with the Nassau Police prior to the crash. The attorney gener al’s office is looking into this case under 70-B where it authorizes the attorney general to investigate every incident where a police officer may have caused the death of a civilian “by an act or omission.”

— Ben Fiebert

and photo contributed by Steve Grogan

Courtesy Steve Grogan

Presenting checks for the Burn Center were, from left, ex-Chief and Battalion Treasurer Kevin Bien of the Lynbrook Fire Department; ex-Chief and Vice-Chairman Joe Mihalich of the East Rockaway Fire Department; Chief Dominic Pignataro of the East Rockaway Fire Department; Burn Center Foundation Director Barry Scheu; ex-Chief and Fourth Battalion Chairman Mark Murray of the Rockville Centre Fire Department; ex-Chief and Secretary James Lang of the Malverne Fire Department; and ex-Chief and Burn Center Director John Hennig of the Rockville Centre Fire Department.

Community concerns about bicycle safety prompt action

common there. “So many people rent bikes there and it’s so much better for the environment,” Talbott said. She is trying to bring the same energy to Lynbrook, but community members raise some con cerns.

Lynbrook Police Department hosts sev eral Bike Rodeo events in the summer showing bicycle riders how to prevent injuries and promote bike safety. Some community members expressed their dis appointed when they saw that new bikes lanes weren’t included in this grant money. Members of INFO @ Lynbrook Facebook group, like Steve Burger, ques tioned the need for these bike racks.

“Having or not having bike racks never factored into my decision to ride my bike somewhere,” Burger said in the group. “There’s always something around — a light post, telephone pole, etc. — to lock my bike to.”

Some members of the Facebook group were also concerned that these bike racks would take up the already limited parking spots in the town. However, the President of the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce, Cory Hirsch, reassured them that it would not. The bike racks “will be installed on sidewalks or on other village property,” Hirsch said. “No parking spots will be affected.”

Paul Hurwitz, an avid bike rider

throughout Lynbrook and West Hemp stead is a huge advocate for these racks. “Every town is in dire need of more cycling infrastructure,” Hurwitz said.

Hurwitz has first-hand experience as to why these bike racks are not only important, but also necessary. “Just today, I rode my bike from West Hempstead to Lynbrook to go to Card Shacks monthly raffle and had to leave my bike outside unlocked,” he said. Bikers like Hurwitz are eagerly awaiting the arrival of these new bike racks, which will be installed in about six weeks.

“They’ve been ordered and we’re all excited about it,” Talbott said.

Courtesy Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce this red bike rack is an example of how the new bikes racks will look, but the ones installed in Lynbrook will be green.

Clavin, Khzouz, Richner honored at gala

Money raised will help Nassau Community College feed the hungry

By ANDRE SILVA asilva@liherald.com

It was a night to remember, and a night to recognize the people and businesses that help make Nassau Community College what it is.

It was the annual gala of the Nassau Community College Foundation, taking place not far from the campus at the Cra dle of Aviation Museum in Garden City.

Among those honored were Hemp stead town supervisor Don Clavin, NICE Bus chief executive Jack Khzouz, NCC administrator Charmian Smith, and Richner Communications, the parent company of Herald Commu nity Newspa pers.

Adorned in their best suits, ties and dresses, guests were immediately offered cham pagne and given a chance to pose for photos in front of a red carpet display. From there, it was a tour of the model planes and his toric aviation displays before being invited to sit at their respective tables in the main dining room.

ChARmIAN SmITh interim VP, academic student services, NCC

Leading the night off was Donna Drake of her self-titled inspirational tele vision show introducing guests like Joy Dedonato, an NCC alum, and executive director of the NCC Foundation.

“I’ll never forget the people I met and the values I learned at Nassau Communi ty College,” Dedonato said. “This place taught me to hit the wall, where you can not go further, and then go further any way.”

NCC president Maria Conzatti then introduced the honorees, selected for their support. Like Clavin and Richner Communications, both of which publi cize important notices to students, while also providing advertising and market ing.

Clavin, in fact, is a staunch supporter of the college, Conzatti said, thanking him for what he has done as an elected official. Like helping to organize The Nest at NCC — a non-profit organization that aims to alleviate hunger for stu dents, employees and their families.

“Some people say it takes a village to raise a child,” Conzatti said. “And were proud that this village raised so many students who come back to support our college.”

Baldwin’s Charmian Smith is NCC’s interim vice president of academic stu dent services, telling the crowd she was honored to know her colleagues recog nized her in such a way.

“This gala helps to bring us all togeth

er after the years of the Covid-19 pan demic,” she said. “It’s a great time to cel ebrate each other, our accomplishments, the community, and our families.”

Clavin is an NCC alum, and has count ed some of the professors there as actual members of his family.

“So many of my friends started their lives at this institution,” the town super visor said. “To be recognized is just hum bling.”

Stuart Richner talked about the importance of providing well-rounded learning experiences.

“Educating young adults takes a team of professionals and advisers, which we understand,” the Herald Community

Newspapers publisher said. “Here at Richner, we work as a team to pro vide hyperlocal news to our commu nities.”

Khzouz described his being hon ored by the foundation “amazing.” NICE Bus employs more than 1,000 people, transporting more than 70,000 each day in 450 vehicles. That’s more than a million miles a month.

“We have a mission, which we live every day,” Khzouz said. “That mission is to make sure our bus services are an asset to Nassau County institutions and its citizens.”

And now NICE is celebrating 10 years

in Nassau County.

“We use large complex vehicles to drive through Nassau County and Queens at peak rush hour with impatient New Yorkers. What could go wrong?”

Khzouz joked. “Yet, we prevail anyway.”

Proceeds from the gala will help The Nest at NCC food pantry. To make a dona tion, too, visit tinyurl.com/GiveNCC.

Tim Baker/Herald photos

ThE NASSAu CommuNITy College Foundation honored Hempstead town supervisor Don Clavin, NICE Bus chief executive Jack Khzouz, NCC administrator Charmian Smith, and Richner Communications, parent company of Herald Community Newspapers, during a fundraising gala last week.

mARIA CoNzATTI, pRESIDENT of Nassau Community College, honored Baldwin’s Charmian Smith during the Nassau Community College Foundation Gala last week.

SuppoRTERS AND INVITED guests gathered to celebrate four honorees at the Nassau Community College Foundation’s annual gala last week at the Cradle of Aviation Museum.

It’s a great time to celebrate each other, our accomplishments, the community, and our families.

Lynbrook man saved in time for holidays

Avid bowler Sal Panzarella had a heart attack on Nov. 8, but was saved by nurses at Mercy Hospital.

Panzarella, a Lynbrook resident got to work at 5 a.m. and by 7, he began to feel a tingling sensation in his shoulders. By 9 a.m., the feeling traveled down to his fin gers. He waited for his co-worker to arrive at 9:45 a.m. to cover his shift at his job in Brooklyn.

After driving himself home, his wife, Cynthia, immediately drove Sal to Mercy Hospital’s Emergency Department. In the ED, the triage nurse recognized that Sal could be having a heart attack and per formed an EKG within four minutes of his arrival. The team at Mercy activated a Code STEMI, which ensured that Panza rella received life-saving intervention as soon as possible.

In less than 20 minutes, Panzarella was in the St. Francis Hospital Cardiac Cathe terization Lab at Mercy Hospital where a team of doctors and nurses were ready for his arrival.

Panzarella received a bal loon angioplasty that cleared the blockage in his artery and reestablished blood flow to his heart. His door-to-balloon time of 38 minutes beats the national requirement by over 50 minutes.

“Time is muscle,” cardiologist Dr. Sid harth Yadav said. “Every minute that goes by is more heart muscle that is dying.” The fast door-to-balloon time

saved Panzarella a lot of muscle, accord ing to Yadav.

Panzarella considers himself relative ly healthy and active. He wants people to know that having a heart attack does not feel the same for everyone. “I wasn’t expe riencing crushing chest pain so I wasn’t

too worried,” Panzarella said. “Knowing what I know now, I’m beyond thankful for my wife for taking me to Mercy and to the staff for ultimately saving my life.”

Panzarella met with the nurses that saved his life on Nov. 22 at Mercy Hospital. He thanked them and expressed a lot of

gratitude. The nurses surprised Panzarel la with a blow-up bowling set, as he could not bowl during his recovery.

— Ben Fiebert

Photos courtesy Alida Almonte

Sal Panzarella taking a picture with the Mercy Emergency Department and Catheterization Lab team.

Sal Panzarella bowling with a blow-up bowling ball, as he was not able to bowl as he was recov ering from a heart attack.

Lynbrook spreads cheer with tree lighting

Despite having to reschedule due to inclement weath er, Lynbrook Village still held its annual Tree Lighting and Blessing of the Creche on Sunday, Dec. 4 with much holiday cheer for all.

Photos by Deliah Roberts/Herald

Performers from Dance Workshop tapped their toes with Frosty the Snowman.

chilDren enjoyeD Posing in front of the giant Christmas tree.

Expansion plans underway

shot’,” Turner said.

Turner and Gonyon’s main goal for this business was to make it community focused. According to Turner, that was the type of person his mom was as well as Karen Gonyon — Long Island Herald’s Person of the Year in 2019 for East Rocka way — who is Matthew Gonyon’s mother. Turner felt inspired by his mother, Cathy

“One of her friends had gifted her a beautifully knit blanket one year and immediately she was like, ‘I’m going to start a charity called Blankets Forming Hearts’,” Turner said. The goal of the charity is to collect blankets then go to various hospitals and nursing homes to give these blankets out as a gift during the holidays. Cathy Turner continued to do this even as she was wheelchair bound for

The re-birth of this foundation came with the start of Cathy’s Cafes. “Drop your blankets off at the truck,” Turner said. “Our hours are online and we’d love

With business going well, Turner and Gonyon have plans to bring more custom ers in. The truck is only in its “skeleton” form according to Turner, but its partner ship with Lidl will help with the expan sion plans. “I think Lidl sees a lot of value in us as a community-based organiza tion,” Gonyon said. “While they’re like a multinational German company that’s new to the US and trying to branch out to

According to Gonyon, Lidl supporting Cathy’s Cafes will greatly help develop the business down the line. “The ultimate goal is the expand not just the truck, but add coffee carts,’ Gonyon said. The cur rent coffee truck runs on compressed nat ural gas and Gonyon plans on having the carts run on renewable energy as well.

Gonyon explains that the winter is going to be a bit difficult because the busi ness is located outside, but he does have a way around this. “We have curbside pick up where you can pull your car up, call

o rder o nline!

For information, visit CathysCafes.com

our number, and we’ll get whatever you order to you,” he said. To expand on this, Gonyon and Turner hopes to turn the truck into a drive thru.

The coffee truck currently sells not only coffee, but pastries, sandwich wraps, and pizza as well. The most popular menu item has been the cafe’s specialty drinks. “Matt just crafted our holiday menu for the winter,” Turner said. “So we have egg nog drinks, peppermint drinks, and candy cane drinks.”

Gonyon views his contrasting perspec tives with Turner as a strength and not a weakness. “Tom and I come from com pletely different backgrounds and putting our heads together is how this coffee com pany is going to succeed,” Gonyon said.

News brief

Lynbrook village wins regional safety award

Lynbrook village won a Gold Award from AAA Northeast’s Community Traffic Safety Awards Program for efforts during 2021 to make roads safer for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestri

As Covid-19 restrictions lifted, many communities traffic saw an increase in traffic incidents. Lynbrook was award ed for stepping up and adjusting its many traffic safety efforts in 2021 to keep those incidents down. Those ini tiatives included conducting child car seat inspections/installations, as well as education to curb aggressive driv ing. Lynbrook also participated in a wide variety of enforcement programs such as Stop DWI, Click It or Ticket, and distracted driving check points, all contributing to safer driving.

Courtesy Matthew Gonyon a Box in front of Cathy’s Cafes used to collect blankets for Cathy’s foundation, Blankets Forming Hearts.

Courtesy Lynbrook Police Department

John Corlett, aaa Northeast vice president of public and government affairs presents a regional safety award certificate to Sgt. Eric Bruen, left, and Chief Brian Paladino of the Lynbrook Police Department.

STEPPING OUT

The festive tradition continues to delight arrives on local stages

By Karen Bloom

New

40th

of the holiday classic, presented in the style of the legendary George Balanchine, on the John Cranford Adams Playhouse stage at Hofstra University.

The dance theatre closely follows the Balanchine tradition — from storyline through choreography, as well as sets and costumes. It is the largest production on Long Island, according to new artistic director, — and dance theatre alum Nicole Loizides Albruzzese.

The dance theatre’s version keeps to the tone set by company founder Frank Ohman, which remains true to the spirit of New York City Ballet’s Lincoln Center production. As a former student and New York City Ballet soloist under George Balanchine, Ohman was one of a select few authorized to use the original pas de deux choreography of his mentor, which continues to distinguish this production.

Through the years, Ohman created original dances and scenes to enhance Balanchine’s iconic vision. Now Albruzzese — who was a student at the dance theatre’s Ohman School of Ballet under Ohman and performed most of the children’s roles in “The Nutcracker” during her time there — returns as a professional dancer in the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy before her international dance career, follows in her mentor’s footsteps in keeping to the Balanchine standard.

Special guest artists New York City Ballet principal dancers Indiana Woodward and Daniel Ulbricht take on the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, joining a cast of Ohman School students to bring the holiday classic to the stage.

With the elegant Christmas party scene, the battle of the toy soldiers and giant mice, the intense snow storm, and elaborate dancing in the Land of the Sweets, this “Nutcracker” is sparkling treat that maintains its enduring appeal.

Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 17-18, noon and 5 p.m. $42, $32 seniors and children 12 and younger. Hofstra University, John Cranford Adams Playouse, Hempstead. For tickets, call (631) 462-0964, or visit OhmanBallet.org.

Curry’s interpretation at Tilles Center stars New York City Ballet soloist Miriam Miller as the Sugar Plum Fairy and New York City Ballet principal Tyler Angle as her Cavalier. Also of note, Fox Weather meteorologist (and Instagram and TikTok sensation) Nick Kosir joins the cast of more than 60 students and professional dancers as Dr. Stahlbaum, Clara’s father.

The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, under the baton of maestro David Bernard, performs Tchaikovsky’s glorious score.

“This year, I’ve taken some elements and changed them to keep the production fresh,” Curry says. “Our professional dancers, along with our incredibly talented academy students, have accepted the challenge of these new variations and character developments. I’ve enriched the production with more theatricality and many new dramatic elements.

“Having our guest artists from New York City Ballet and the wonderful Nick Kosir is like having a very sweet cherry on top of an already decadent sundae.”

Company member Briana Laman dances the role of Clara, with fellow company member Ryan Cavaline as Nutcracker Prince. For this production, Curry has reinterpreted the central first act pas de deux in the prelude to Waltz of the Snowflakes (usually danced by a Snow Queen and a Snow King) for Clara and the Nutcracker Prince.

“Having this pas de deux danced by these two characters intensifies the connection between the two,” he says. “We see the arc of their relationship and gives the opportunity for Clara’s dream to have a more poignant and personal effect on our audiences.”

Saturday, Dec. 17, 1 and 6 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 18, 2 p.m. Tickets are $89, $69, $59, $49. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post, Route 25A, Brookville. For tickets, call (516) 299-3100 or visit TillesCenter.org or EglevskyBallet.org.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

How real is what you’re seeing up on the big screen? Astrophysicistlecturer Neil deGrasse Tyson knows and he’ll clue us in, separating fact from fiction — in a new installment of ‘An Astrophysicist Goes to the Movies: The Sequel.’ Derived from yet another set of 30 films/television shows that range from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ to ‘Mary Poppins’ to ‘Game of Thrones’ to ‘Harry Potter’ to ‘The Lion King,’ this lecture is an entertaining and enlightening review of all the science that our favorite entertainment got wrong, combined with some of the stuff they got right. This lecture also incorporates the latest films as well as some classics that you may not have known had any science in them at all.

Friday, Dec. 9, 8 p.m. $250 (VIP), $100, $75, $50. $250 VIP ticket includes a post-show Q&A. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post, Route 25A, Brookville. (516) 299-3100, or TillesCenter.org.

Kenny G’s

The Miracles Holiday & Hits

Ring in the holiday season with smooth jazz saxophonist Kenny G. The crossover jazz icon has enjoyed phenomenal success across the pop, jazz and R&B charts for more than three decades. Known for his lyrical and emotive style, his music has garnered a devoted fan base and made him one of the biggest-selling instrumentalists of all-time. The sound of his sax is as iconic as his curly coif. Indeed, both are instantly recognizable. Expect an evening filled with a festive spirit and contemporary classics. A reprise of last year’s successful outing,’The Miracles Holiday & Hits Tour’ features a mix of holiday hits and fan favorites infused with his captivating and distinctive blending of genres. The tour follows the release of his 19th studio album, ‘New Standards,’ and the acclaimed HBO documentary ‘Listening to Kenny G.’

Thursday, Dec. 15, 8 p.m.

NYCB Theatre at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Road., Westbury. TheTheatreAtWestbury.com or LiveNation.com, or (516) 247-5200.

New York Dance Theatre’s ‘The Nutcracker’

York Dance Theatre offers its

season

Those sugar plum fairies and various figments of a young girl’s imagination come alive this month. The beloved holiday confection never goes out of style.

Courtesy New York Dance Theatre

Photo: Clara is enchanted with her nutcracker in the party that opens the ballet.

Eglevsky Ballet’s innovative ‘The Nutcracker’ Long Island’s professional dance company is known for its inventive staging of Clara’s delightful journey, featuring additional choreography by Executive Artistic Director Maurice Brandon Curry.

Courtesy Eglevsky Ballet

Photo: The enchanting snow scene is a shimmering showstopper.

THE SCENE

Shrek The Musical

See the uplifting tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey, presented by Nassau Community College Theater Department, now through Sunday, Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. All the beloved characters you know from the film are brought to life on stage for an incredible adventure that includes a wisecracking donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there’s one on hand — and that’s Shrek, of course. Nassau Community College’s Mainstage Theatre, Garden City. Tickets $18; NCC students free with valid ID; $15, veterans, alumni, seniors 60+, students and NCC employees. For tickets/information, visit NCC.edu or call (516) 572-7676.

Christmas Tree of Lights celebration

Mercy Medical Center Council of Leagues invites the community to its annual Christmas Tree of Lights celebration, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 5:30 p.m. Enjoy some of your favorite holiday songs sung by Mercy’s carolers and refreshments. The festivities take place in front of the hospital, 1000 N. Village Ave., Rockville Centre. Proceeds from the event will support the Endowment for Nursing Leadership and Education at Mercy Hospital. For information visit CHSLI.org/mercy-hospital.

Holiday fun

Visit the streets of 19th century London during the darkest days of the year, in this adaption of the classic “A Christmas Carol,” with the Experiential Theater Company, Thursday and Friday, Dec. 8-9, 10:15 a.m. and noon; Sunday, Dec. 11, 2 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 14-15, 10:15 a.m. and noon, on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage. Meet the Cratchit family, Mr. Scrooge, and the ghosts of past, present and future in this interactive show that weaves together music, humor, puppetry and collaboration. Celebrate the change of seasons through this beloved literary tale. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 2245800 or LICM.org.

LI Warriors Sock Hockey Clinic

Add some skills to your sock skating game with members of the LI Warriors recreational hockey league at Long Island Children’s Museum, Saturday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m.-noon. Learn about stick handling and passing as you master wrist and slap shots on the LICM “ice” in a hockey clinic for ages 3 and up. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM. org.

Sugar Plum Ball/ Galactic Gala

Bring the kids to celebrate the season at festivities hosted by the Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County, Sunday, Dec.11, noon-4 p.m., at the Chateau Briand in Carle Place. Kids ages 4-12, accompanied by their adult guest (Mom, Dad, grandparent, etc.), will enjoy a unique party featuring food, fun and some special guests including princesses, fairies and visitors from a Galaxy Far Far Away. With lunch, DJ, magic show, dancing, raffles, games, photo ops, and more. Cost is $75 per child, $100 per adult. Advance reservation only. All proceeds benefit CP Nassau. Register online at CPNassau.org or call CP Nassau at (516) 3782000 ext 651.

Having an event?

Veterans thrift shop

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

Poetry Showcase

Natalie S. Walker headlines a poetry event, Saturday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m., at Oulala Café and Lounge, 428 Sunrise Highway. Tickets cost $20.92 and are available online via Eventbrite. com.

Matinee time

Join crafty Jack Frost on a magical, musical winter adventure, in Plaza Theatrical’s production of “Jack Frost,” Saturday, Dec. 10, 11 a.m.; Sunday, Dec. 12, noon. The story, narrated by a groundhog name Pardon-Me-Pete, tells us about the immortal winter sprite, who falls in love with a human girl named Elisa after rescuing her. Tickets are $15. Bring the kids to the Plaza stage at The Showplace at Bellmore Movies, 222 Pettit Ave., Bellmore. For tickets, call (516) 599-6870 or visit PlazaTheatrical.com.

On exhibit

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.

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

Balloon Mission is up and away to save

In its early stages, nonprofit sets tone for future

By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com

Where do helium-filled bal loons go when they’re released into the sky?

Cynthia Seibold had that same question. And she discovered that the old axiom was true: What goes up must come down. But not in ways people might like.

The North Merrick resident with a background in insurance underwriting, spent a lot of time outdoors at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. She noticed, however, that among all the litter found in the various parks, preserves and beaches she visit ed, one category stood out: bal loons.

Or rather, shreds of bal loons. Seibold found their strings and what was left of their plastic or rubber bodies impacting trees and plants and, of course, wildlife — animals that could easily mistake bal loon pieces for food.

It’s not that bal loon releases — or how they poten tially threaten the environment — is something new. But the pandemic created a new surge of such helium-intensive events as a different way to share birth days, graduations and retirements.

“Balloons are (a) leading cause of pol lution in our waters and our air,” Seibold said. “They break down into microplas tics and nanoplastics. I kept saying to myself, ‘There has to be a better way.’”

She found it with her nonprofit, Bal loon Mission.

“Our program is to collect balloons before they end up on the land and in oceans, reducing our carbon footprint and the harmful microplastics that are gener ated from balloons,” Seibold said. “And for every balloon that is sold and respon sibly collected, we feel it’s going to be one less piece of litter that’s harming our wildlife.”

Still, Seibold wants to make one thing very clear: She is not “anti-balloon.”

“This is a growing issue,” she said. “I think people need to know that there are options of ballooning responsibly. We’re not telling you to not have your balloons, but discard them in an appropriate man ner.”

Although the nonprofit is in its early stages, Seibold has already received a great deal of support while building rela tionships with local and statewide organi zations. That includes the Hempstead town sanitation department, and the state environmental conservation department.

One of Seibold‘s primary goals is to

the get the message out that Balloon Mis sion is collecting balloons with plans to set up collection bins as early as January so people can properly dispose their holi day balloons.

Those bins will be cardboard boxes with Balloon Mission signage, Seibold explained. Locations are still being deter mined, but she hopes to have them in community-oriented locations like fire houses, Veterans of Foreign Wars halls and libraries.

On a national level, Seibold said, peo ple are noticing the effects balloons have on the environment.

“There was actually a New York Times article that came out in March of 2022 that talks about this surge in balloon fren zy,” she said. “We couldn’t celebrate and we couldn’t do things when we were in lockdown.

“We did these big balloon displays, and they’ve gotten even bigger, and it’s not going away. People want this — they want a balloon collection. They want options. They want to feel like they’re part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

Through her research and communica tion with Hempstead town officials, Sei bold learned the municipality actually passed a local law prohibiting the inten tional release of balloons in 2019. Yet, bal loon releases still happen, she said, mak ing it important that signage goes up — perhaps sometime next spring — advising

against such activities.

Seibold is working closely with ACDS, an organization that offers lifetime services to people of all ages with intellectual disabilities. Formerly the Association for Chil dren with Down Syndrome, the organization has locations in North Merrick and Plainview.

Jane Cohen, the day habilita tion services supervisor at ACDS, says it’s important for her group to offer volunteers to various envi ronmental organizations, and that its members are excited about helping Seibold’s nonprofit.

“In January, we’re going to start collecting (balloons) from various pickup sites, and then we’re going to bring them back to our hub sites and sift through them,” Cohen said. Volunteers “can work on their office skills and note-taking, so they can feel like they’ve accomplished some thing. It’s very rewarding for our individ uals.”

ACDS plans to provide some 200 volun teers to Balloon Mission.

“We feel this is a symbiotic relation ship,” Seibold said, adding it “works in keeping with ACDS’s goal of increasing life and social skills, and work readiness for their participants.”

She also hopes to educate people on alternatives to balloons.

MANy ARE uNAwARE the helium-filled balloons they release can harm the environment. Sea turtles and other animals can mistake the balloons for food.

making that a practice of the past.

“I’m not looking to get rid of balloons — they make people light up,” she said. “I would like to start thinking of alterna tives. Can we blow bubbles? Can we send up a nice waft of smoke or sage into the air? It’s about finding these other ways of commemorating those moments in our life.”

Seibold hopes her nonprofit will get people thinking about ways to help find solutions.

“There are people that are smarter than me out there,” she said, “and I need those people in on the Balloon Mission.”

Photos courtesy Cynthia Seibold

CyNthiA SEiBOLD, fOuNDER and executive director of the nonprofit Balloon Mission, found an abandoned balloon at Lido Beach, a Hempstead town park. Seibold is on a quest to raise awareness about how damaging to the environment helium-filled balloon releases are, with hopes of

we’re not telling you to not have your balloons, but discard them in an appropriate manner.

CyNthiA SEiBOLD Founder, Balloon Mission

Lynbrook businesswoman honored at event

Hempstead Town Clerk Kate Murray, second from left, and Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll congratulated Denise Sclafani Daniels, center, of the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce during the 37th Annual Businessperson of the Year and

Legislative Breakfast, hosted by the Nas sau Council of Chambers of Commerce, Oct. 28 at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. Also attending was Lyn brook Chamber of Commerce President Cory Hirsch, far left.

CITY CELLAR AMERICAN MODERN

Courtesy Hempstead Town Clerk Kate Murray

Drangel helped create a dynamic workforce center

with her husband, Scott, who recently retired from the New York City Depart ment of Environmental Protection. Their son, Michael, is a Rockville Cen tre resident, and Mary’s mother and two sisters live on Long Island, so Mary and Scott plan on spending plenty of time visiting Long Island.

Drangel said she plans to continue her passions for nature photography and hiking.

Drangel’s replacement, Nene Alameda, a Farming dale resident, has worked with HempsteadWorks since June and is intimate ly aware of all the pro grams and resources the office provides. Still, she is only grudgingly celebrating Drangel’s retirement.

“When they invent the machine for downloading of brains, I want to con nect to Mary and keep downloading everything she knows,” Alameda joked. “Everything she touches turns to gold.”

Alameda has been largely responsi ble for HempsteadWorks’ social media campaign designed to attract younger job seekers. Alameda plans on continu

ing the work Drangel implemented while advancing new programs. Alame da implemented HempsteadWorks’ QR codes and created new flyers. “Our fly ers are very dynamic,” Drangel said. “When you look at them, you’re attract ed right to them. Nene is phenomenal at creating fly ers.”

Drangel emphasized that HempsteadWorks will be in great shape to help job seek ers and employers with Alameda as her successor, but Alameda was quick to credit Drangel for much of the program’s success, especially after covid-19. “I said, ‘Why don’t we just think out-of-the-box and do a job fair on Zoom?’ ” Dran gel said. “Kurt [Rockensies, Hempstead Town Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Occupational Resourc es] said, ‘How are you going to do that?’ I said, ‘I don’t know. I’ll figure it out.’ And it turned out that it really took off.”

“Who would have thought that a job fair online right after the pandemic started would take off,” Alameda said.

“I don’t want her to leave!”

Dowling most influential health care leader

Michael Dowling, who championed innovation to combat the Covid-19 pan demic as president and chief executive of Northwell Health, has been selected as America’s most influential leader in health care by Modern Healthcare magazine.

Dowling was cho sen as No. 1 as part of the magazine’s annual list of the 100 mostinfluential people in health care, putting him ahead of national brand leaders like CVS Health, United Healthcare, and Mod erna as well as Presi dent Joe Biden and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra.

The magazine’s ranking is deter mined by peers and the publication’s editors based on leadership and impact. Dowling has now appeared on the list 16 times, earning a second-place national ranking in 2020, and third last year.

Northwell is New York’s largest health care provider and private employer with 21 hospitals, 850 outpa tient facilities and more than 12,000 affiliated physicians.

It’s one that has worked to upend health inequalities Dowling has said were laid bare by the pandemic. One of those initiatives was the Center for Maternal Health, unveiled earlier this year, focused on under served communities addressing health con ditions that can occur before conception through the first year after a baby is deliv ered.

“This remarkable recognition truly is a reflection of the col laboration and work ethic elicited by thou sands of Northwell team members who deliver compassionate care to our patients each and every day,” Dowling said, in a release.

“Of course, our daily focus is on our sickest patients. But to serve our broad er community, we also look at health trends both looming on the horizon, and lurking under the cover of darkness.

“That’s why we’ve taken a stand against gun violence. That’s why we’ve opened Northwell’s Center for Maternal Health to reduce maternal mortality — especially among Black Americans.”

LIJ Medical Center is in the top 10% of hospitals nationally for oncology, according to U.S.News&WorldReport. Northwell.edu/NoLimits

Our doctors are raising health by pioneering innovative approaches to cancer — from novel chemotherapy techniques to first in the nation robotic mastectomies with minimal scarring. Because when it comes to cancer, there’s no status quo. There’s only “how far can we go?”

Michael Dowling

i have to say, I feel proud of what I’ve done here.

Mary Drangel, HempsteadWorks Business Services Representative

December 8, 2022 —

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN, that the Regular Scheduled Meetings of the Lynbrook Village Board of Trustees will be held on the following dates at Village Hall, 1 Columbus Drive, Lynbrook at 7:00 P.M. unless otherwise noted: January 23rd February 21st 5:00 P.M.(Grievance Day) March 13th March 27th

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

JOHN GIORDANO, VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR LYNBROOK, NEW YORK 135821

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS will hold HEARINGS and DECISIONS on Thursday, December 15, 2022 at 5:30 P.M. in the Court Room at the Village Hall, One Columbus Drive, Lynbrook, NY 11563, to hear the following cases:

PUBLIC HEARING - #1003 - Jose Medrano - 34 Manor Road, Lynbrook § 252-18 Side yards.

Required Side Yard: 5 ft, Proposed Side Yard: 3.3 ft, Required Side Yard Aggregate: 15 ft, Proposed Side Yard Aggregate: 14.3 ft

DECISIONS - #999Fowler Daly Owners Inc.40 Daley Place, , #1000Fowler Daly Owners Inc., 2 Fowler Avenue, #1002Mustafa Mahmoud, 68 Highland Boulevard, Lynbrook. All interested parties should appear at the Public Hearing and may view case files at the Building Department on Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00AM and 3:00PM. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS

Ginger Fuentes, Chair Person of the Board of Zoning Appeals, Brian Stanton, Superintendent, Department of Buildings Lynbrook Publish 1x 135817

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS-SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF NASSAU- DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR AMERIQUEST MORTGAGE SECURITIES INC., ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2003-9, Plaintiff,against- THE UNKNOWN HEIRS-AT-LAW, NEXT-OFKIN, DISTRIBUTEES, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS, TRUSTEES, DEVISEES, LEGATEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST AND GENERALLY ALL PERSONS HAVING OR CLAIMING, UNDER, BY OR THROUGH THE DECEDENTS RICHARD G. RANK AND EILEEN E. RANK, BY PURCHASE,

INHERITANCE, LIEN OR OTHERWISE, ANY RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST IN AND TO THE PREMISES DESCRIBED IN THE COMPLAINT HEREIN; GERALD R. RANK; DANIEL RANK; THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (EASTERN DISTRICT); NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; “JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #12” the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to the plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint; Defendants - Index No. 601882/2018 Plaintiff Designates Nassau County as the Place of Trial. The Basis of Venue is that the subject premises is situated in Nassau County. To the above named Defendants-YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s Attorney(s) within 20 days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. That this Supplemental Summons is being filed pursuant to an order of the court dated October 27, 2022.

NOTICE-YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME - If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR AMERIQUEST MORTGAGE SECURITIES INC., ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2003-9) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE

COURT. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Honorable David P. Sullivan .J.S.C. Dated: October 27, 2022 The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage and covering the premises known as 31 Carol Street, Lynbrook, New York 11563 Dated: November 4, 2022 Filed: November 4, 2022 Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP., Attorney for Plaintiff, By: Richard F. Komosinski Esq., 565 Taxter Road Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523 Phone: (914) 345-3020 135490

LEGAL NOTICE

INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF EAST ROCKAWAY PUBLIC NOTICE FOR REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

EVENTOKTOBERFEST-2022

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT proposals will be received by the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway prior to January 25, 2023 at the Village Hall, 376 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, New York:

Date/Event: September 22, September 23 and September 24, 2023

Overview:The Inc. Village of East Rockaway is seeking a vendor to provide rides (minimum of twelve), carnival games (minimum of ten), ticket booth, food trailer with “carnival” style food, such as Cotton Candy, Zeppole, Funnel Cake for an Oktoberfest event to be held at the Waterfront in East Rockaway.

Terms:Vendor will pay a percentage of the ride gross to the Inc. Village of East Rockaway. Tickets may be pre-sold, and pricing must be approved by the Village.

Vendor shall have a minimum of 10 years’ experience with outdoor events.

Vendor must provide references with contact information.

Vendor must provide a proposal on or before January 25, 2023.

Proposals will be reviewed on February 15, 2023.

Insurance:Vendor shall provide full indemnification to the Village and furnish proof of required insurance coverage naming the Village as an additional insured.

The Village encourages vendor/suppliers that are certified as a Minority or Women Owned Business Enterprise to participate in our proposal process. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, New York.

Patricia Renner, Village Clerk

December 8, 2022 135808

LEGAL NOTICE

INDEX NO.: 004123/2015 Date Filed: 11/01/2022

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS WITH NOTICE

MORTGAGED PREMISES: 13 Merrill Place, Inwood, New York 11096 SBL #: 40 - 57 - 229 Plaintiff designates NASSAU County as the place of trial; venue is based upon the county in which the mortgaged premises is situate.

STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF NASSAU Nationstar Mortgage LLC, Plaintiff, vs. Tracey Wallace, as Heir of the Estate of Jermarl Houston; Doreen Jackson; HSBC Mortgage Services Inc.; Liberty Mutual Insurance Company A/S/O Jeanette Robinson; New York State Department of Taxation and Finance; Unknown Heirs of the Estate Jermarl Houston, and all the heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid defendants, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid classes of person, if they or any of them be dead, and their respective husbands, wives or widows, if any, and all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to plaintiff, except as herein stated; United State of America o/b/o Internal Revenue Service; John Doe #1 through #6, and Jane Doe #1 through #6, the last twelve names being fictitious, it being the intention of Plaintiff to designate any and all occupants, tenants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises being foreclosed herein, Defendants. TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the attorneys for the Plaintiff within 20 days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT BY SERVING

A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE MORTGAGE COMPANY WHO FILED THIS FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT, A DEFAULT JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR HOME. SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY OR GO TO THE COURT WHERE YOUR CASE IS PENDING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO ANSWER THE SUMMONS AND PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY. SENDING PAYMENT TO YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY WILL NOT STOP THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure $416,000.00 and interest, recorded in the Office of the Clerk of Nassau on April 20, 2006, in Liber M 31532, Page 217, covering premises known as 13 Merrill Place, Inwood, New York 11096, SBL #: 40.- 57229 The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. The Plaintiff also seeks a deficiency judgment against the Defendants and for any debt secured by said Mortgage which is not satisfied by the proceeds of the sale of said premises. TO the Defendants Unknown Heirs of the Estate of Jermarl Houston, and all the heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid defendants, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid classes of person, if they or any of them be dead, and their respective husbands, wives or widows, if any,

and all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to plaintiff, except as herein stated, the foregoing Supplemental Summons with Notice is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Hon. David Sullivan of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Nassau, dated and filed October 17, 2022. Dated: November 22, 2022 /s/ Kyle Jacobs Kyle Jacobs, Esq. McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 840 New York, New York 10170 Phone: 347.286.7409 Fax: 347-286-7414 Attorneys for Plaintiff, Nationstar Mortgage LLC, HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE. The State encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Banking Department of Financial Services at 1-800-342-3736 or visit the Department’s website at www.dfs.ny.gov. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you

with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. 135770

within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you, unless the Defendant obtained a bankruptcy discharge and such other or further relief as may be just and equitable.

LEGAL

NOTICE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC, Plaintiff, -vs-

BRIAN SUGRUE; JESSICA ALVAREZ; MINOR HEIRS AND UNKNOWN HEIRS TO THE ESTATE OF CHRISTOPHER J. SUGRUE A/K/A CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH SUGRUE; INC. VILLAGE OF LYNBROOK; ETR INC. DBA EMPIRE TAX REDUCTIONS; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA O/B/O INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE;”JOHN DOE #1 5” and “JANE DOE #1 5” said names being fictitious, it being the intention of Plaintiff to designate any and all occupants, tenants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises being foreclosed herein, Defendants.

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Index No. 606420/2022

Mortgaged Premises: 117 WEST BOULEVARD EAST ROCKAWAY, NY 11518

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT(S): YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or

NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing an answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home.

Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property.

Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

NASSAU County is designated as the place of trial. The basis of venue is the location of the mortgaged premises. Dated: November 17, 2022

VICTOR SPINELLI, ESQ. FEIN, SUCH & CRANE, LLP

Attorneys for Plaintiff 1400 OLD COUNTRY ROAD STE 103N WESTBURY, NY 11590 Telephone No. 516/394 6921 XPNMN188 135773

EMPLOYMENT

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More complications from Superstorm Sandy

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Q. We purchased our home with minor damage from Hurricane Sandy, and were told that because there was little or no damage, just mold in the unfin ished basement and new boiler, the house was fine, no title problems. But when we tried getting a permit for a shed, we were told we needed a permit for stormrelated repairs, including proof of our home’s value. We decided not to get the shed because of this, but we got a letter saying we still need the storm repair per mit, regardless. None of the neighbors we spoke to ever got this permit. It seems we’re being punished for being honest and trying to do the right thing. Is there a way around this problem? What if we do nothing?

A. My answer may be as confusing as your situ ation. I have seen no con sistency in this dilemma as I go from one munici pality to another, and I’ve asked why some impacted jurisdictions don’t require as much paperwork and scrutinizing as others. The answer from officials was generally that each jurisdiction made assess ments of the specific properties, and then recorded which ones were uninhabitable compared to which ones had various levels of needed repairs.

It may have been that at the time, when people were so devastated by their personal property loss es, it seemed like a bad policy to hurt homeowners further with permit requirements and lots of administrative paperwork. The concerns for peo ple’s emotions at that time have, seemingly, dimin ished. Your jurisdiction chose to notify people to submit estimates and property value statements, over a decade later, mostly when they apply for per mits for unrelated projects.

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MoneyTo Lend

I sat down to a Sunday-morning breakfast chat in a diner with the top elected official in your juris diction in February of 2013, four months after the storm, as a concerned citizen as well as a licensed professional and columnist. It was nice that they paid for breakfast, but I’m not sure they acknowl edged the level of problems I was seeing, from the lack of communication and enforcement with the public. I suggested that it was better to notify every one with specifics, not randomly ambush people when they applied for other things in the future, like you’re now experiencing.

I advised that everyone damaged by the storm could file basic repair letters, be contacted by block and lot numbers instead of all at once, and put the effects of the storm behind us all as quickly and painlessly as possible, but in a way that officially recorded people’s repairs in letter form and in a simple way. Building departments were extremely helpful in assisting people to get backup docu ments, and I saw an earnest effort to help the pub lic. But many homeowners ignored letters, did nothing and seem not to be affected by require ments.

Your story is an example of the result I predict ed. I wish I knew the answer. It may take another decade to figure this out. Good luck!

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

Ask The Architect

Monte Leeper

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opINIoNS

Facing life — and death — with peace and love

John Casciani died last weekend. You don’t know him, but trust me, he wouldn’t want anyone to fuss over him. He came into this world quietly 88 years ago, and I’m sure would prefer the same exit now.

But you can’t have such a profound effect on someone’s life — to the point that you almost single-handedly changed it for the better — and expect them to experience your passing as an afterthought.

Writing isn’t just a profession for me. It’s how I cope. And the moment I learned of Mr. Casciani’s passing, I put pen to paper, sharing an anecdote from the very first time I met this fascinating chemistry teacher and photography club adviser from my high school days, and how he introduced me to the magical world of the darkroom.

I talked about the value of teachers, who are key to our self-discovery of who we are. I even shared Mr. Casciani’s way of making even the most mundane interest ing, like when he would wager his chemis try classes he could drink a glass of boiling water — and then actually do it.

But the moment I typed the final words of that piece, I closed the document and then dumped it in the trash. Not that Mr.

Casciani doesn’t deserve to be remem bered, but because I simply don’t know how to express my sadness that someone who touched and transformed so many lives as a teacher over the years no longer shares the same plane of existence we do.

I was going through a bad time when I first met Mr. Casciani. We all remember being teenagers, and few of us can say it was easy. But Mr. Casciani truly changed my life. Not just teaching me the skills that helped me land my first newspaper job — the fact that I could devel op my own film and print my own pictures helped get me through the door of a daily newspaper when I was still in high school — but being someone who taught me it was OK to be fascinated by the world around us. That we shouldn’t be ashamed of that sense of wonder.

Yet I simply couldn’t find the words to express any of that. Outside of a few Face book interactions, I hadn’t had a direct conversation with Mr. Casciani since I graduated from high school in the early 1990s. But he would occasionally send me a note, usually asking me to help him remember some details about projects we worked on — like our school’s television program in the days when creating televi sion at the high school level wasn’t so easy to pull off — so he could reminisce.

He would sign each of those messages

with “peace and love” — something you always felt around him. Peace and love.

I can usually write a column like this practically in my sleep, but nothing seemed right to honor this man who did so much for everyone, yet didn’t want anyone to notice.

But then I remembered something else Mr. Casciani taught me. Strength doesn’t come from not needing to ask for help — it comes from seeking help when you need it. Something pride inter feres with all too often.

So, I sought that strength inside of me and asked for help. Marcie Schellhammer is the assistant managing editor of the Bradford Era in north-central Pennsylvania, about 30 miles from where I grew up. She’s written so many beautiful columns about people that I cite her work to my own reporters when we need examples of the best way to honor people with our words.

I did everything I was supposed to do. I shared a favorite memory, and how what I learned from it changed my life. I shared the moment my eyes opened, and even talked about how Mr. Casciani helped mold me into the man I am now. But it still wasn’t working.

“That’s because you wrote it to write a column,” Marcie told me. “You didn’t write it with your heart. At least that’s my pro cess. I can’t write a memorial column with out crying.”

So, that’s what I did. I cried. Tears of sadness. Tears of happy memories. Tears of who I am. Tears of what I might have been if it weren’t for Mr. Casciani.

As always, Marcie was right. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I couldn’t take the traditional approach in honoring Mr. Casciani. I can scream from the hilltops how important our educators are — and they indeed are. But the truest way to honor a man like Mr. Casciani is to put what he taught me into practice.

To admit when I’m struggling. To face it. To seek out help. And to never, ever be ashamed of it. I joke from time to time that Mr. Casciani would tell me the skills I was learning in the darkroom would be skills that would help me the rest of my life. And then, in my mid-20s, darkrooms went extinct in the shadow of digital pho tography.

But that has changed my life. I haven’t stepped inside a darkroom in about two decades, but the skills I learned there opened the doors at the beginning of my career that allowed me to sit here and write these words today. And for that, I will be forever grateful to Mr. Casciani.

We all have a Mr. Casciani in our lives. And we can never thank them enough for making the impact they did. So, if you can still thank them, please take a moment and do it now.

Peace and love.

Michael Hinman is executive editor of the Herald Community Newspapers. Com ments? Execeditor@liherald.com.

No, Gwyneth, I will not buy your face cream

In this season of marathon shopping, I started wondering why I buy what I buy. There are millions of choices when it comes to our cosmetics and cars and food and OTC meds and clothing and shoes and TV series and movies and furnishings and technology, and travel and education.

So why do I scan the shelves and pick out one sneaker among the many sports shoes for sale?

celebrity flogs a product, my avoidance mode kicks in. I love Matthew McCo naughey, but I’m not buying a Lincoln because he looks dreamy sitting behind the wheel in the TV commercials. I am not buy ing Gwyneth Paltrow’s skin cream thinking it will make me look like her.

does she know about shoes or me or the value of her product? As for the Kardashi ans, well, how much time do you have? Who are they, exactly, and how many of them are in the public eye, and what is their skill set?

ing crosses, and stigmata. After an outcry from religious groups, Pepsi canceled its ad.

My friends are my greatest influencers. I buy what they tell me to buy; I watch the TV that they suggest; I read the books they send my way.

I mean, why would I buy a Dior product because Charl ize Theron is their public face? She’s a gorgeous 8-foottall South African beauty. My life, inside this body of mine, bears no resemblance to her existence. Dior face cream will not help. I resist.

They endorse various hair products, and I imagine their pitch is to young people, but why? They are the most famous people who are famous just for being famous.

I also take seriously consumer reviews from reliable websites. I have found new doctors by reading online reviews.

We think we have the power of choice, but we are bedazzled by influ encers. Psycholo gists say that we are especially moti vated by celebrity endorsements that suggest we can acquire good looks, wealth, friends and celebrity itself by buying the car that George Clooney drives or wearing the ath letic shoes that Selena Gomez wears or drinking the Coke that LeBron James, Penelope Cruz or Michelle Kwan drinks. Various media put enormous money into advertising campaigns that feature celebrities touting their products. For me, it’s a waste of their time and money. When a

RANDI KREISS

I’m crazy about Reese Witherspoon and I love Crate & Barrel products, but I’m not buying a new couch because she’s their “brand ambassador.”

I can’t argue that celebrity endorsements don’t work, because apparently they pay off big time, or companies wouldn’t seek out famous people to push their products. I just don’t think it works for me, and I would urge others to look at their prospective pur chases in a clear-eyed way, setting aside the celebrity glam factor.

Drew Barrymore has associated herself with Crocs. What the heck? Should I buy a clutzy shoe because she tells me to? What

Epic flops and scandals have haunted the celebrity endorsement industry. Kanye West recently unraveled with his nonstop antisemitic rants. He lost Adidas, Balen ciaga, Foot Locker, Gap, and others. Michael Phelps was dropped by Kellogg’s years ago, after a photo circulated of him smoking marijuana. Today, with a net worth of some $80 million, he can boast associations with Intel, Sub way, Under Armor, Beats and Visa. The weed factor is passe.

Years back, according to E-News, Madon na landed a one-year contract as the celebri ty spokesperson for Pepsi. A two-minute family-friendly ad premiered wherein the singer revisited her eighth birthday. But the next day, Madonna’s video for “Like a Prayer” debuted. The video featured burn

I have one friend whom I love who has mysterious powers over my purchasing decisions. When we’re together, we some times shop. I find myself buying what she tells me to buy — even the outsized blouse with a geometric print that makes my eyes burn. Sometimes there’s a pricey item I don’t need, but if she tells me I need it, boom, it’s in the shopping bag. I don’t know what it is. My only defense is not to go shop ping with her too often. Because if she tells me I need the striped balloon pants in neon green, it’s circus time for me.

As we go about our Christmas and Hanukkah shopping, it might be wise to consider who is influencing our purchases. One of the oldest and longest-running celeb rity endorsements was launched by Jell-O in the early 1970s, when they hired a 37-yearold actor named Bill Cosby. Presumably JellO has wiggled onward without him.

Copyright 2022 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

I can’t argue that celebrity endorsements don’t work. Apparently they pay off big time.

W e all have a Mr. Casciani in our lives, and we can never thank them enough.

MICHAEL HINMAN

Multi Media Marketing Consultant oFFice

2 Endo Boulevard Garden City, NY 11530

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

Roosevelt’s address to the nation, Dec. 8, 1941

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speak er, members of the Senate, and of the House of Repre sentatives:

Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliber ately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation, and at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor, looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japa nese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our secre tary of state a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese gov

ernment has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false state ments and expressions of hope for con tinued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many Ameri can lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported tor pedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area.

The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the impli

cations to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander-in-chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all mea sures be taken for our defense. But always, will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us?

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute vic tory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend our selves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph, so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.

letters

Taking the air out of balloon releases

To the Editor: Thank you to Senior Reporter Jordan Vallone for her well-written piece, “Balloon Mission is up and away: Planning initial projects, nonprofit sets tone for future” (Bell more and Merrick Heralds, Dec. 1-7, liherald.com/merrick/stories/bal loon-mission-is-up-and-away, 152602). And bravo to Cynthia Sei bold, of North Merrick, for using the pandemic to start a nonprofit group, Balloon Mission, committed to stopping the inane practice of releasing balloons into the environ ment as a form of celebration.

Balloons are made of rubber, latex or nylon fabric, which does not break down easily — a polyure thane balloon can take up to 450 years to decompose, according to the University of Melbourne. In the wild, balloons get caught in trees and underbrush, where they are shredded by branches. Over time, they appear to disintegrate, but what is really happening is the bal loons are further breaking down

into microplastics, which then become ingrained in soil and water systems. From there, they are ingest ed by animals and marine creatures — and then by we humans at the top of the food chain.

In 2019, the Town of Southampton passed a law

banning the intentional release of balloons — with a fine of $350 or imprisonment for up to 15 days for a first offense. Subsequent offenses would receive harsher penalties. The Town of Hempstead has a similar ordinance on the books, also passed in 2019,

opinions

The red wave that wasn’t, and the crime wave that isn’t

Despite expectations, Republi cans ended up underperform ing on Nov. 8. Although Republi cans narrowly captured the House, Democrats kept the Senate and even managed to flip multiple state cham bers blue, including capturing the gover nor’s office in Arizona, of all places.

ing on the good people of Nassau County. For their part, the Democrats, as usual, were yet again unable to show a spine and attack the Republican narrative. But at any rate, it seems the Republican assault on our collective psyche was successful.

your chances of being a victim of grand larceny are? About 0.002 percent.

So what can we do?

aDaricHev

Peculiarly, however, Republicans had one of their best nights in none other than the deep-blue Demo cratic stronghold of New York. They flipped a stagger ing one-fifth of all Democratic con gressional seats here, and nearly unseated Demo cratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

How did they pull it off? Fear of crime. While in most of the nation, inflation and preserving democracy were the top two issues, poll ing from New York City in May showed that the No. 1 issue on people’s minds was crime — and it wasn’t even close.

Leading up to the election, the Republi cans unleashed a barrage of fear-monger

Letters

There’s just one problem. There’s no actual crime wave.

It’s completely normal to be worried about crime; we all deserve to be safe in our neighborhoods. But the facts just don’t bear it out. Did you know that the num bers of murders, rapes and sexual crimes have all gone down this year compared with last, according to offi cial Nassau County Police Department data? Surpris ing, I know. And all things considered, we’re actually in one of the safest periods ever in our county.

There have been increases in crime, but they’ve been related to property, not violent crimes. And even with the increase in property crimes, it is still exceedingly rare for a Nassau resident to be a victim of such a crime. The most common crime defined as “major” this year was grand larceny. You know what

But I can definitely understand the claim that we all feel an air of crime here in Nassau. Blame the media: 2022 saw a spike in the media coverage of shootings in New York City that went far beyond the actual num ber of shootings.

It sickens me. You turn the page, a shooting. Anoth er page, a corpse. The third page, a guy arrested for beating his girlfriend. The media fills us with dread, all to make money. And I see how my neighbors increas ingly construct their own fortresses, replete with video cameras, dogs and floodlights, all out of fear of passersby.

This fear has serious consequences, increasing anxiety, social withdrawal, and unraveling the social fabric of neighbor hoods. This is no way to live.

At the same time, I don’t want to live in a county where we see an increasing number of desperate people turning to theft to survive. After all, if you can’t work, you go hungry, and stealing catalyt ic converters beats going hungry.

Let’s start with a price cap on gas in Nassau County, to fight inflation and bring relief to millions at the pump. Next, the county should put people to work at a good wage to finally fix these damn pot holes. And thirdly, let’s keep kids off the streets by fully funding schools, and lower violent crime by having Nassau replace our lead pipes, which contribute to lead poisoning, which researchers have tied to aggressive and impulsive behavior.

Too bad the Republican-led County Legislature won’t do any of that. In fact, when adjusted for inflation, Nassau’s 2023 budget actually has less funding for spe cial education and early-intervention pro grams. Nothing about lead pipes, or gas price caps. Don’t the Republicans care about preventing crime?

It’s OK to have a healthy fear of crime, and it’s OK to take measures to keep your self safe. But I implore my friends: Don’t let politicians and the media manipulate you. It is imperative that we do not fear our neighbor.

Matthew Adarichev is a public policy major at Hofstra University, a political activist and an aspiring journalist whose work has appeared in the Hofstra Chroni cle and the Anton Media Group.

Framework by Tim Baker

but the fine for intentional release cannot exceed $100, and there is no provision for jail time. I would like to see Hempstead pass an ordinance with stronger teeth.

As a town resident, though, I am heartened to see Hempstead working with Balloon Mission to educate the public about the myriad dangers that balloon releases present — particularly to the 17,000 acres and 180 miles of coastal waterways under the town’s jurisdiction.

Finally, each of us can play our part in helping to reduce plastics in the environment. When you see a plas tic bottle or rubber balloon on the street in your neigh borhood, pick it up and throw it away. I’m a runner. When you run and collect garbage, it’s called plogging, a Swedish fitness term. Hempstead would do well, though, to add more trash cans for recyclables at its parks, like those at the Levy Preserve in Merrick. This way, when folks are out collecting garbage, they could easily recycle plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

SCOTT A. BRINTON Merrick

Randi nailed it on air travel

To the Editor:

I really love Randi Kreiss’s columns in the Herald, and the one that I specifically liked was “Flying the notso-friendly skies” (Nov. 24-30), about JetBlue and the way they’ve changed their system so that they don’t really accommodate people very well.

I went on a trip about three weeks ago, and it was really hard to book a flight because I had a couple of problems, and, like you said, to reach somebody, it’s like reaching God. And yes, the snacks are pretty sad.

Thank you so much for your articles, Randi.

JuDITH WEITz Long Beach

Here’s hoping they’re bundled up out there — Sea Cliff Yacht Club

the numbers of major crimes in Nassau County have actually gone down this year.

mattHew

Buy a Brick

Celebrate or honor your loved ones this holiday season and give the gift of a lasting legacy in the Mount Sinai South Nassau garden, located at the corner of Oswald Court and One Healthy Way. Purchase an engraved brick, tree, or garden bench, or name the entire plaza and garden space that thousands of patients, visitors, and employees will see every year as they enter and exit the hospital’s front entrance

Honor a loved one or someone who made a di erence in your life. Remember a special person or celebrate a special occasion. Support Mount Sinai South Nassau’s mission and vision for a healthier tomorrow.