TIME TO FAll BACK
Daylight saving time ends this Sunday
Remember to set your clocks back, and change your smoke and CO detector batteries
Malverne/West Hempstead VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE
HERALDNOVEMBER 15 SUNDAY
AT 1PM
Band marches through adversity
RIGHT COLLEGE. RIGHT NOW.
Page 7
Page 11
Molloy.edu/OpenHouse
$1.00
OCTOBER 29 - NOVEMBER 4, 2020
1104323
Board members honored in W.H.
VOl. 27 NO. 44 MOL934_VirtualOH_Po
stIt_3x3.indd 1
9/24/20 4:36 PM
W.H. native becomes a Hall of Famer By MIKE CONN mconn@liherald.com
Courtesy Rosemarie Cartagine
JOANNA COMMANDER, lEFT, made it her mission to help generations of high school athletes, both male and female, starting with the women’s basketball team at Elmont Memorial High School in 1976.
West Hempstead native Joanna Commander has been inducted into the Nassau County High School Sports Hall of Fame. Commander’s decades of excellence as a teacher, coach and athletic director made her the ideal candidate for its 2020 class, Hall of Fame officials said. “I feel very blessed,” Commander said. “I feel very acknowledged . . . I love what I do, and to be acknowledged by your peers is just a very, very special thing, so I’m very appre-
ciative of the honor.” Commander, 72, who moved from West Hempstead to Glen Head in 2006, now lives with her wife, Rosemarie Cartagine. Commander said she pursued a teaching career in health and phys. ed. because she grew up when girls had few chances to succeed in sports. She loved playing any sports she could growing up, especially basketball, softball and field hockey. She was quite good at them, she said, noting her older brother always chose her first for neighborhood pickup games in their native West Hempstead. She Continued on page 3
Village plans to hold annual holiday events in December By NAKEEM GRANT ngrant@liherald.com
With the holiday season fast approaching, the Village of Malverne’s annual holiday festivities are expected to look a bit different this year. Several annual events, including Breakfast with Santa and the Historical Society’s holiday gala, have already been canceled, but community leaders are hoping to create new outdoor events for children in December. “We are desperately trying to have a holiday lighting this year,” said Village Trustee Lauren Touchard, who is a liaison to the Celebrations Committee.
“We’re hoping that it will pan out. It’s certainly going to be a scaled-down version.” The village’s annual Holiday Tree Lighting, on Hempstead Avenue, is one of its most popular events, typically attracting people of all ages. Touchard said the hope is that the tradition can continue, and that it will boost interest in local businesses. “We’re trying to come up with some creative outdoor events that will lead up to the lighting,” she said. “We’re really trying to make this work.” Kathi Monroe, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said that as the weather cools, it becomes even more important
W
e can’t do it without the help of residents. ANN MARIE CuOCCI Celebrations Committee
for residents to shop locally. While many businesses have reopened in recent months, Monroe said, they are still facing an uphill battle. “We did our best to keep things rolling, as far as activities to help our merchants during this time,” she said. “We’re not out of the woods yet, but we’re hopeful.”
Celebrations Committee member Ann Marie Cuocci said the group is planning to organize a holiday lights tour, in which residents will view the displays on homes throughout the village. Cuocci said that given the success of the Malverne Civic Association’s annual Garden Tour in August — which was relaunched in 2018 after a
nine-year hiatus — she was hopeful for a great turnout. “We can’t do it without the help of residents,” she said. “We’re hoping to have some special things for the kids at each one of these homes, almost like a scavenger hunt.” Cuocci added that whether the homes were decorated tasteContinued on page 14