__________________ Merrick _________________
CoMMuNIty uPDAtE Infections as of March 22
7,216
Infections as of March 12 6,904
$1.00 $1.00
HERALD
Siblings help book vaccines
Middle-schooler wins contest
lidl opens in Merrick
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Vol. 24 No. 13
MARCH 25 - 31, 2021
Paving the way for women in wrestling by ANDREW GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com
Courtesy Robles family
tAlIA RoblES IS one of two girls to be the first females on the Wellington C. Mepham High School Pirates wrestling team. She is on the team along with her brother, Nicholas. Here, Talia was pictured at an off-season wrestling tournament.
A Wellington C. Mepham High School wrestler is paving the way for more women to join the sport. Talia Robles, a ninth-grader, is one of two young ladies currently on the team. They are the first girls ever to be Pirates wrestlers. One of their teammates is Talia’s brother, Nicholas Robles, a senior at Mepham. “It’s really fun being on the
team with [Nicholas], our friends and coaches,” Talia told the Herald. She has been wrestling for roughly four years now. She represents the changing face of a sport that has for decades been dominated by men. “I remember seeing Talia at tournaments [when Nick was younger], and I never put two and two together that Nick would be a senior and Talia would be a freshman,” Coach Continued on page 3
Restaurateurs look ahead to spring dining by ANDREW GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com
To say it has been a long year for Bellmore and Merrick’s restaurant owners would be an understatement. The industry, which faced forced closures to stop the spread of Covid-19 around this time last year, still faces hurdles: Long Island establishments must close by 11 p.m., but can now seat customers at 75 percent capacity. The loosened restriction on the maximum capacity for indoor dining began March 19, according to a news release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Beginning
April 5, the 11 p.m. curfew for casinos, movie theaters, bowling alleys, billiards halls, gyms and fitness centers will be lifted, but it will remain for food and beverage establishments. The 11 p.m. curfew will be evaluated in late April, according to a March 17 release. “We’re grateful, but there are a lot of onerous policies that are still affecting us, most namely the curfew,” said John Amaruso, owner of Bourbon & Brews in Merrick. “An 11 p.m. curfew seems a little arbitrary. If you’re serving people safely at 8 p.m., why can’t you serve them safely at 1 a.m.?
I
t feels like a bit of normalcy — and I think everyone is craving that.
MARIA CASSANo
Owner, American Beauty Bar & Grill It really makes no difference.” Despite the support that has kept Bourbon & Brews afloat, the spot took a hit under previous restrictions of 50 percent capacity and a
10 p.m. curfew. They rely on late-night crowds, but those guests must be “arbitrarily turned away” once the curfew hits, Amaruso said. American Beauty Bar & Grill in Bellmore was forced to close late last year and accept only private events because of declining revenue. Maria Cassano, who owns the business with her husband, Michael, and business partner, Skip Curth, said she hopes to fully reopen by April 1. “The 75 percent capacity certainly helps,” Cassano said. “Now with the increase, we’re able to do private events on top of regular business — and on top
of other events that we want to bring back, like Drag Queen Bingo and Hip-Hop Brunch. This will help immensely.” The Bellmore location of American Beauty is bigger than its sister counterpart, American Beauty Bistro in Massapequa, also owned by Cassano, making it the preferred spot for their usually popular events. “Everyone is just in a celebratory mood,” Cassano said of guests whom she has recently served. “There’s a lightness in the air — it feels like a bit of normalcy — and I think everyone is cravContinued on page 12