Merrick
CoMMuNITy uPDATE Infections as of Dec. 7
2,327
Infections as of Nov. 30 2,155
HERALD
LOOk iNSide
Holiday Wrapping Paper Contest drawn by our young readers
Boy Scout helps last Hope
Things to do in Merrick this week
Chabad marks Hanukkah
Page 5
Page 8
Page 11
$1.00 $1.00
DECEMBER 10 - 16, 2020
Vol. 23 No. 50
Central preps for second Covid-19 wave John F. Kennedy High School — have closed temporarily for contact tracing. The Bellmore-Merrick CenAt the meeting, DeTommaso tral High School District Board said that administrative teams at of Education met each school begin virtually on Dec. 2 contact tracing 48 for an update from hours from the Superintendent time someone first John DeTommaso shows symptoms on where the disof Covid-19. In trict stands as the addition to seating coronavirus pancharts, busing and demic ramps up. c a r p o o l s, t h e s e The district teams monitor reopened its five “what’s happening buildings for full, outside of school,” in-person learning he said, “but it on Sept. 21 after becomes a little implementing a JoHN DEToMMASo more challenging hybrid lear ning Superintendent, to monitor events model during the BMCHSD that happen off first two weeks of campus.” classes. Since then, Last week, both three of its schools — Grand Mepham and Kennedy closed for Avenue Middle School, Welling- one day of contact tracing after ton C. Mepham High School and CoNTiNueD oN page 9
By AlySSA SEIDMAN aseidman@liherald.com
W
e need to continue to work together about what’s happening outside of school.
Courtesy Femy Aziz
A fEW MEMBERS of the Merrick Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors lit the community’s Christmas tree and menorah on Sunday night. The organization is working to continue another seasonal tradition — its annual Holiday Lights Program.
Keeping the lights on over Merrick Chamber raising funds for holiday program By AlySSA SEIDMAN aseidman@liherald.com
The Merrick Chamber of Commerce has started a GoFundMe page to keep its Holiday Lights Program lit despite the pandemic. Each winter, the chamber installs 70 life-sized snowflakes on utility poles that line the main streets in Merrick’s business districts, spreading holiday cheer in front of local businesses where residents may go gift-shopping.
But because the chamber’s annual Kids Fest and Fall Festival were canceled this year to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the lights are in danger of going out, according to past President Julie Marchesella, who owns Queen of Hearts, a plus-sized formal wear store, on Merrick Avenue. “We depend on the festivals to provide the money for the installation, repairs and storage of the lights,” Marchesella said. “Having a store
on Merrick Avenue with so many shopping online, the lack of lights gives more people a reason to not want to shop downtown — there’s no holiday flavor.” E a r l i e r t h i s y e a r, Merokean Joe Baker, who sits on the chamber’s board of directors, was named chairman of the Holiday Lights Committee. Each week he makes rounds to residents and business owners asking for donations for the fundraisCoNTiNueD oN page 3
Our COvid-19 traCker With the Covid-19 test positivity rate rising across the country, the Herald is adding a weekly coronavirus tracker to the upper-left corner of our front page to help you gauge what’s happening in your area from week to week. The number is an aggregate of the communities that this newspaper covers. Data is obtained from the Nassau County Covid-19 Dashboard, which provides the total number of cases reported in an area since the start of the pandemic, and is updated regularly.