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HERALD Post 1282 honors those who serve
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Vol. 25 No. 15
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for Friedrich, and a colleague there who served on the suicide prevention society board of The Bellmore-Merrick Cen- directors connected Stacy to the tral High School District wel- organization. “They suggested comed teens and educators from we check out one of their fund27 school districts across the raisers,” she recounted. “It realcounty to the second Nassau ly spoke to me — it helped me County Youth Wellness Summit make meaning of what I was on March 29. The attendees took going through.” part in panels and workshops Her entire family is now and listened to presentations involved with the given by educators organization, Brief and mental health said. “We had been professionals. volunteering and The summit, working with the which took place at society in Jersey, and the Brookside School we saw the impact it in Mer rick, was was having there,” hosted by the New SuSAN TElloNE she said. “I said, Jersey-based Society Clinical director, ‘Our community for the Prevention of could have this, and Society for the Teen Suicide and we could do it too.’” funded by Friedrich Prevention of Teen Brief helped Suicide Air Conditioning. assemble a commitStacy Brief, 24 of tee of mental health Bellmore, a 2016 professionals, educag raduate of Wellington C. tors and local school district Mepham High School, is a administrators to create a welllicensed social worker and a ness summit on Long Island. The therapist at the North Shore first one took place at Brookside Family and Guidance Center in in 2019, but due to the coronaviRoslyn. She also serves as Long rus pandemic, the event took a Island coordinator for the Soci- two-year hiatus. ety for the Prevention of Teen Four students and two staff Suicide. Brief told the Herald members from each participatthat she went through a difficult ing district attended this year’s time in high school, struggling summit, which was meant solely with anxiety and depression. for high school sophomores and Her father, John Brief, works Continued on page 4
By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Courtesy Carmela Gomez
Flood insurance rates could increase in Bellmore, Merrick Households in Bellmore and Merrick could see increased flood insurance premiums on policies that renew after April 1, due to the National Flood Insurance Program’s new system for setting prices. The new rating methodology, called Risk Rating 2.0: Equity in Action, ensures “flood insurance rates are actuarily sound, equitable, easier to understand and better reflect an individual property’s flood risk,” according to a release from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For new pol-
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Brookside School hosts countywide wellness summit
Anthony Gomez, with his mom, Carmela, at the Chop Your Locks For Charity event, which is hosted annually by Wellington C. Mepham High School. Gomez had his head shaved in honor of his friend Dylan Murphy, who died of pediatric cancer when they were in seventh grade. Story, Page 3.
jvallone@liherald.com
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Choppin’ locks and raising funds
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icies, this rating system has already been used since last Oct. 1. Risk Rating 2.0 compares rate changes with the legacy rating system that has been in place since the 1970s. “The comparison data debunks a huge myth held by many critics of the new methodology that under the old system, flood insurance rates were not subject to regular annual increases,” David Maurstad, senior executive of the National Flood Insurance Program, said in a FEMA news release. “The truth is rates have gone up every year for all policyholders and will continue to do so if no action is taken. Continued on page 12
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