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When Property Taxes Go High We Go Low
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Vol. 99 No. 6
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All the news of the Five Towns
To mask or not to mask State mandate in place until March 2, as appeal continues the state’s mask order. The state appealed, and a stay was issued the following day later. ArguThe ongoing mask debate will ments in the Appellate Court linger for another month, after began again on Jan. 28. Monday’s appellate court ruling Hochul had extended the that Gov. Kathy Hochul’s mask mask mandate for most public mandate for indoor places such places to Feb. 10, and to Feb. 21 as businesses, stores for schools. The and schools will directive is expected remain in place to be reassessed until at least March every two weeks. As 2. of the press time, “I commend the Covid-19 indicators Appellate Division, were improving, but Second Department lifting the regulation for granting a full remains unwarrantstay to keep our ed, according to the masking regulations governor. in place for the dura“Covid cases are tion of our appeal,” YoURY down 86 percent Hochul said in a statewide, yet the TUNDIDoR statement. governor refuses to The wearing of Senior, Lawrence even tell residents, masks became more High School business owners, controversial last parents, students month, when Nasand school boards what metric sau County Executive Bruce must be reached to lift her Blakeman signed executive unconstitutional mandate,” orders lifting the mask mandate Blakeman said at a news conferfor all county agencies and in ence on Tuesday. “The governor public places in the county, and should adhere to the law, follow directing school boards to vote the science and allow local offion whether to require masks in cials to decide what is best for schools. That triggered legal their hometown communities. action, and on Jan. 24, Nassau Nassau is not in crisis, and County State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker lifted Continued on page 12
By JEFFREY BESSEN jbessen@liherald.com
Jeffrey Bessen/Herald
A simmering rivalry The Brandeis School held its inaugural chulent cook-off on Jan. 28, with eight teams of students competing. Story, more photos, Page 4.
Inwood seeks firehouse addition Tuesday vote on borrowing $4.8 million for 17 years By JEFFREY BESSEN jbessen@liherald.com
Planning for the future, the Inwood Fire District is asking its resident to approve two public referendums to borrow a total of $4.8 million for a proposed 2,900-square-foot expansion of the existing firehouse and a new 100-foot bucket ladder truck to replace the current 75-foot ladder truck. Both bonds would be financed over 17 years. Fire district officials presented information at a meeting on Jan. 27 on what could be the third renovation of a firehouse
that was built in 1927. Previous work was done in 1951 on the Doughty Boulevard side of the building. In 1995, a Wanser Avenue addition was constructed and an elevator was added, along with minor American with Disabilities Act-compliant changes. District officials and Melville-based architect Frank Relf detailed seven primary reasons for the $2.8 million firehouse expansion. New ADA-compliant restrooms on the building’s first floor would be built, making them readily accessible to firefighters and visitors. ADA-com-
pliant shower stalls would also be installed. More space is needed in what is called the apparatus room for the first-response ladder truck and the department’s larger vehicles. The current fleet includes two ambulances, two engines, two ladder trucks, a rescue boat and a five-ton Army truck housed in the annex building. More space is also needed for firefighters’ gear and equipment, which, according to fire district officials, would also create safer conditions for firefighters, with more room Continued on page 13
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believe that mask wearing at school should not be optional.