John
Melissa Berman/Herald
Coyne, volunteer and chairman of the food pantry at St. Joseph’s R.C. Church in Hewlett, stocks the shelves like a supermarket, organizing the food for easy ‘shopping’ access.
Once the generous donations from the holiday season come to an end, food pantries — including those in the Five Towns — suffer barren shelves, officials said.
From Thanksgiving to Christmas, there is an abundance of food to help feed individuals and families in need, but as the holiday spirit wanes, so do food pantry donations.
The pantries operated by three Catholic churches in the Five Towns — St. Joseph’s, in Hewlett, Our Lady of Good Counsel, in Inwood, and St. Joachim, in Cedarhurst — have found their shelves minimally stocked through the first three months of the year.
The volunteer effort at St. Joseph’s remains
strong, with assistance from Hewlett Elementary School students, who help serve 30 individuals or families every other week. The pantry receives assistance from Long Island Cares and Foodtown of Hewlett, along with other weekly food and monetary donations.
“There is always a need for donations — it provides variety,” John Coyne, volunteer and chairman at St. Joseph’s, said. “We just try to get simple and get safe, nutritious food options.”
The donations needed most at St. Joseph’s include rice and beans, health care products and toiletries.
“We do have a wonderful reputation,” Dianne Gabbola, a volunteer and organizer at St. Joseph’s, said, “because the ones that are
$1.00
Julia Igaunis, Yeraz Melconian and Zarina Wadiwala recently brought their research from the biotechnology classroom at Hewlett High School to Molloy University, emerging victorious at the Kathy Belton Science Fair.
The sophomore trio competed in the 19th annual science fair at the university’s Wilbur Arts Center on Hempstead Avenue in Rockville Centre on March 15. The students placed first in the biochemistry category, where they were up against five other teams from Copiague, Floral Park, Garden City, Kellenberg Memorial and Massapequa.
B“Being able to go to the competition and see all these amazing projects, while also showcasing our ability to the judges, was a really memorable experience.”
The trio studied the enzyme “target of rapamycin,” also known as TOR, which aids in the development of living things, with their focus being plants.
eing able to go to the competition and see all these amazing projects, while also showcasing our ability to the judges, was a really memorable experience.
ZARINA WAdIWALA
“We’ve only been in our biotechnology class and saw all the projects here, which was a limited number,” Wadiwala said.
They applied what they learned to ceratopteris richardii, a semi-tropical aquatic fern found in Florida, Igaunis said, and identified a unique form of the TOR gene, which they found to be essential in the plant’s development.
“It was very interesting,” Igaunis said. “We found a new form of the protein is in the fern that we studied.”
Terrence Bissoondial, the students’ mentor, teacher and sci-
Continued on page 11
Woodmere resident Benjamin Landa, who was previously a landowner of the Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Woodbury, will be required to pay $500,000 of the $2 million in restitution required by a court ruling.
The 588-bed nursing home will also is now required to have an independent oversight group take over patient care at in Woodbury.
The March 15 decision by Nassau County Supreme Court Judge Lisa Cairo stems from a lawsuit brought by state Attorney General Letitia James after an investigation that alleged understaffing resulted in harm to the patients.
It was alleged that patients weren’t bathed regularly and developed infections after sitting in their waste — examples that “clearly establish” the nursing home’s inability to meet quality of care standards required by the law, the judge ruled.
“The court’s order to appoint an independent health care monitor at Cold Spring Hills will substantially improve residents’ care and quality of life,” James said in a statement, adding that her office will review the decision, decide on future actions and continue to ensure nursing homes are held accountable for patient care.
James filed the lawsuit in December 2022, claiming Landa and a dozen other
people misappropriated more than $22 million, and redirected $15.3 million from Medicaid and Medicare programs into the organization that owns it, Cold Spring Realty.
“Absolutely the attorney general overreached, going after for the first time and asserting allegedly that a member of a real estate entity was responsible for the alleged wrong doings of an operation,” Fensterman said.
Fensterman noted that Landa had divested himself as an owner of Cold Spring Hills Center as of April 1, 2019 nearly a year before the Covid-19 pandemic, when the virus fatally struck nursing home residents.
The ruling is somewhat of a victory for Cold Spring Realty, as the rehab facility does not have to pay tens of millions in fines, have someone monitor the facility’s finances and have another owner, Bent Philipson, removed.
James’s lawsuit accused Cold Spring Realty of financial fraud, claiming the group pocketed $22.5 million through three illegal schemes with Medicaid and Medicare money that was intended to care for Cold Spring residents.
The legal action also claimed that Cold Spring paid $5.2 million to several other entities for what was described as “consulting,” and that another $2 million was part of a fraudulent promissory note
scheme.
“They tried to tie Landa with his daughter, Esther Farkovits, who is a fulltime resident of Israel and a passive investor,” Fensterman said, adding that all that information was disclosed to the State Department of Health, the entity that oversees nursing homes.
James initiated a crackdown on nursing homes with multiple lawsuits in 2022. The Fulton Commons Care Center Inc. in East Meadow pleaded guilty earlier this month to a cover up will pay up to $8.6 million after a settlement with the state Attorney General’s office, and agreed to install monitors to reform the nursing home’s health care and financial operations because of years of fraud and resident mistreatment.
“For years, residents at Fulton Commons endured despicable mistreatment that left them with traumatic injuries and humiliating living conditions while the owners and operator of the facility pocketed millions of dollars of taxpayer funds instead of investing in critical care,” James said previously in a news release.
There is another case pending involving Landa and Lawrence resident Bernard Fuchs concerning upstate Village of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center and the alleged redirection of $18.6 million from Medicaid and Medicare.
“The judge upstate is far less receptive to the attorney general,” Fensterman said, noting no motions or oral arguments are on the docket.
At least one of the issues most people, especially those who drive can agree on, is that road repair is important.
That realization drove several elected officials, including Assemblyman Ari Brown and State Sen, Patricia CanzoneriFitzpatrick to stump for increased funding for street and highway work in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget as the Stat Legislature debates with the April 1 deadline looming.
At Cedarhurst Village Hall on March 22, Brown and Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick led the rally voicing dissatisfaction that there was a $60 million reduction in what is CHIPS money for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program.
Brown proposed that the funding be raised to $798 million, reflecting the addition back of the $60 million and another $2 million.
“We all know we also must prioritize the critical needs of our local roads and bridges, which constitute 87 percent of the statewide road system,” he said. “The proposed executive budget includes reductions to vital programs such as chips and the state touring routes program, which are essential for maintaining the integrity of our local transportation network.”
Brown said the funds they are requesting would continue initiatives including extreme weather recovery, paving and
maintaining the safety and stability of local roads.
Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick voiced concerns about the increased cost of construction in relation to the budget cut.
“The Federal Highway Administration highway construction cost index found that (the cost of) constructing roads has increased by nearly 60 percent since 2022,” Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick said. “It’s inconceivable that our local governments are going to have such a substantial cut, while costs are increasing.”
Brown represents Cedarhurst, East Rockaway, Hewlett, Inwood, Island Park,
Lawrence, Oceanside, Woodmere and the barrier island from Atlantic Beach to Point Lookout. Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick represents the barrier island as well, along with East Rockaway, Elmont, Floral Park, the Five Towns, Franklin Square, Lynbrook, Malverne and Valley Stream.
Cedarhurst Mayor, Benjamin Weinstock, East Rockaway Mayor Gordon Fox, Hewlett Bay Park Mayor Anthony Oliviero and Island Park Mayor Michael McGinty and Lawrence Deputy Mayor Paris Popack attended in support of Brown and Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick’s efforts.
“We estimated that the 80 miles of road
in our village that we have to maintain into and repave, who cost the village more than $25 million, it’s a little bit over a million dollars a mile to repave those roads,” Weinstock said.
Samuel Nahmias, chairman of the Nassau County Bridge Authority, Guy Marino, deputy director of public works, Irving Kaminetsky, a commissioner of Sanitary District 1 and Bobby Tice, former fire chief at Island Park Fire Department also attended. George Pappas, Atlantic Beach mayor said in a statement that he applauds Brown’s “nonstop advocacy” for assembly district residents.
The State Legislature established CHIPS in 1981. Funding for municipalities, counties, cities, towns and villages is calculated based on local highway inventory mileage and motor vehicle registrations. After the state budget is enacted, the state Department of Transportation calculates funds and informs municipalities of their amount available.
Municipalities fund capital projects initially, but requests for reimbursements from the state for local cash expenditures for highway related capital projects could be made, being that the municipality requests for reimbursement is made during the specific time period necessary and this is a project with a 10-year service life or the project has to do with designated criteria set by CHIPS.
Have an opinion on the issue of road repair money? Send letter to jbessen@liherald.com.
small group, personalized instruction, all types (oil, acrylic, water color).
Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12-2pm, Hewlett NY (instructor's studio in home).
You can choose once or twice per week.
Contact Iris at 516-374-2789 or irisgorenberg@gmail.com if interested.
List
A nonprofit organization in Nassau County is seeking sealed bids to provide and install windows, PA system. This is an NYS Division of Criminal Justice grant-funded project. Small and minority businesses and women’s business enterprises are encouraged to apply. Selection criteria will be based on knowledge of security, adherence to work schedule and proposal requirements, prior experience, references, and project cost. Bids will be accepted until 5:00 PM on April 12, 2024. Bids are now being accepted. All interested vendors will be required to demonstrate preliminary qualifications and licensing for this work, acknowledge receipt of the proposal documents, and provide company name, business address, telephone, fax and email address, and primary contact name. Specifications and bid requirements can be requested by contacting us at revh245@gmail.com 1251163
want, the way you want, with the least amount of taxes and legal fees possible. These are the five steps to creating such a plan.
Step One: Understanding the Family Dynamics. Clients often overlook the inestimable value of getting to know the family dynamic. We are firm believers that the social goes first and the legal should serve the social. Too often it is the other way around. Once we understand who’s who and everyone’s interpersonal relations with each other, we are far better able to craft a plan that will work socially as well as legally. The failure to address the social aspects has led to many a plan tearing the family apart.
Step Two: Reviewing the Client’s Assets. IRA’s and other “qualified” assets (i.e. tax deferred) are treated quite differently, on death or disability, from “non-qualified” assets. The determination of the amount and value of all assets, who owns them, and whether they have named beneficiaries are of the utmost importance in planning correctly, including
At the understated and poorly attended Lawrence school district Board of Education meeting of March 18, the proposed 2024-2025 school year budget was unveiled.
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saving legal fees and taxes.
Step Three: Reviewing Existing Estate Planning Documents: Not having been prepared by an elder law estate planning attorney, clients’ documents rarely have adequate provisions to take advantage of the many benefits the law provides for our aging population. Wills instead of trusts have often been prepared either because the client was considerably younger and a trust was not needed or a trust was needed but the general practice lawyer was unfamiliar with the specifics of preparing a trust.
Step Four: Developing the Elder Law Estate Plan. We are now in a position to determine which persons are best suited to handle your legal, financial and medical affairs on disability or death, what type of plan should be used and how the estate should be distributed -- keeping in mind the preservation of harmony in the family.
Step Five: Executing and Maintaining the Plan. Legal documents are explained and executed, assets are retitled and beneficiaries on assets changed in keeping with planning objectives. The client is called in to the law firm every three years to ensure the plan meets the client’s current wishes and conforms with any law changes.
If approved by district residents — voting is in May — it will be the sixth consecutive year of a 0 percent change in the tax levy, officials said there will no cuts to academic programs or staff. The opposite of that is happening in several districts across Long Island.
Capital projects are also on the way should the preliminary fiscal plan be approved, including adding a new roof and replacing the boilers at Lawrence High School, building a new equipment storage facility along with beginning the Federal Emergency Management Agency project. This is a $75 million project that includes construction of a seawall that will be built above the flood line elevation, surrounding the entirety of the school campus.
The tentative budget is $101.99 million, a 0.9 percent decrease from the current budget at $102.85 million. The tax levy — the amount of money the school district collects in taxes — remains the same at $85.95 million.
“Every year we receive a reduced capital line budget and our state aid is reduced, whatever increases we reduce elsewhere to keep the tax levy zero,” said Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Jeremy Feder. “If there wasn’t enough money for the accommodations we would find room to keep the budget within reduction.”
The budget development was driven by ensuring enrollment and staffing needs, the impacts of benefits including health insurance, transportation challenges and costs and navigating the provision of excellent education with an understanding of the tax impact, school officials said.
“We are not cutting any programs even with the ending of Covid funds and the loss of state aid,” said Superintendent Ann Pedersen.
The curriculum and instruction highlights include, maintaining successful
This is a photo from the 2024-2025
Lawrence Union Free School District budget slideshow. This photo highlights the budget numbers and tax levy.
education programs for the students, provide academic intervention and mental health support.
“We know that students need to be present both physically and mentally to learn,” she added. “We have a partnership with Northwell Health for a variety of supports in addition to having many mental health professionals on staff.”
An agreement with the Lawrence Teachers Association is creating academic intervention services. These are services to help students meet grade level standards reading, math help, extended day services. This program is for the students that didn’t pass classes in high school and need these classes to graduate. Their work is done after their school day and is under the direction of a teacher.
The mental health support, and academic intervention standards are at the forefront for this year’s proposed budget.
“Kudos to Ann and Jeremy for doing a great job balancing the budget this year, they worked very hard on it,” said Board President Murray Forman.
The next board meeting is scheduled to review the second budget presentation on April 15 in the cafeteria at Lawrence High School, at 2 Reilly Road, at 8 p.m. A budget hearing is scheduled for May 7 at the same venue and time. Voting on the budget is May 21 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Have an opinion on the proposed school budget? Send letter to jbessen@liherald. com.
Lawrence Union Free School District
An advocacy group determined to save local news in New York rallied in Albany in an effort to bring more lawmakers to their cause.
The Empire State Local News Coalition — a statewide advocacy group of more than 150 local news outlets — joined elected officials at the state capital last week to support the Local Journalism Sustainability Act.
OThe bill — sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner — is intended to provide tax credits to local news outlets that employ journalists in their communities. HoylmanSigal joined the rally, along with colleagues like Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, state Sen. Monica Martinez, and Assemblyman David Weprin.
ur local papers are here. They are objective. They provide information. And we need to preserve that.
“This is a full-blown crisis,” HoylmanSigal told those who gathered for the rally in the halls of the capital building. “We live in a deliberative democracy. That means our voters need to be informed to make wise choices. How are they informed? Largely through local news.”
The senate included the Local Journalism Sustainability Act in its One House budget resolution, which organizers describe as a major sign of the bill’s growing support in the legislature.
Both the senate and the Assembly release preliminary One House budgets in response to the governor’s own preliminary budget, which was released earlier this year. The state’s final budget is due April 1, and policies in the final budget almost always must be in one of the three preliminary budgets.
“It is time that New York state steps up and supports one of the most important industries — not just to our economic well-being, but to our democracy,” Hoylman-Sigal said. “The Local Journalism Sustainability Act, which is part of the senate One House budget, will assist in that regard.”
The rally was intended to signal growing pressure on lawmakers to offer much-needed benefits to the local news industry, which has experienced a significant downturn over the past two decades.
The state has lost hundreds of newspapers since 2004, resulting in the loss of not only thousands of jobs, but also thousands of stories that helped keep communities informed. In fact, there are a growing number of communities with little to no access to local newspaper coverage, according to coalition officials. More than a dozen New York counties are down to just one newspaper.
Capped at $20 million statewide, the Local Journalism Sustainability Act is a bill with bipartisan support that provides payroll tax credits for the employment of local news journalists.
News organizations would receive a 50 percent refundable tax credit against the first $50,000 of each newsroom employee’s salary — up to $200,000 per outlet.
The benefit would be limited to print and online newspapers and broadcasters, with 100 employees or less, that cover local community news. This, sup-
porters say, ensures that only truly local news outlets will qualify for this assistance.
“Someone once said that ‘newspapers are the textbooks of democracy, and the lifeblood of freedom,’ and that’s a responsibility newsrooms like ours take very seriously,” said Michael Hinman, executive editor of Herald Community Newspapers, which employs more than 30 journalists across 24 newspapers on Long Island and in New York City.
“Communities depend on their local newspaper, because there is nowhere
else you’re going to get the news about and for your neighborhood, written by someone who knows your neighborhood. Time and time again, it’s been proven that the best communities in America are communities with a strong, local newspaper. And if we don’t do something now, those great communities will be lost to history.”
But in order for this particular bill to move forward, it needs to be supported not just by the senate, but also by the Assembly and by Gov. Kathy Hochul, so that it is included in the final state budget.
“The fight to save local news is a fight to save our democracy,” said Zachary Richner, founder of the Empire State Local News Coalition and director of Richner Communications — the parent company of Herald Community Media.
“Hometown newspapers deliver the hyperlocal updates and investigations necessary to sustain a community’s civic and financial well-being. As local news declines, critical stories are lost, and communities become more polarized.
“We’re proud to have the senate’s support, and we call on Gov. Hochul and the Assembly to support this industry-saving bill and protect critical newsroom jobs.”
Michaelle Solages says she’ll continue to push for the bill’s inclusion in the final state budget with her colleagues in the Assembly.
“We’re continuing our work on Long Island making sure the local story — the story that matters to individual New Yorkers — are heard,” Solages said. “But we really need to make sure we are investing into our community, investing into local journalism, and combatting this growing social media that is spreading misinformation.
“Our local papers are here. They are objective. They provide information. And we need to preserve that.”
The Hofstra baseball team missed out on a chance to defend its conference title last year and is fueled for a return to the championship stage in late May this spring.
After reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history during a magical 2022 season, the Pride bats were driven back to earth in 2023 with an eighth-place finish that left the team just short of qualifying for its league’s sixteam double-elimination tournament held Memorial Day weekend.
This season the Pride were picked ninth in the 12 team Coastal Athletic Association and is looking to prove the doubters wrong to have an opportunity to once again compete for the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAAs.
“We got off to a slow start and then towards the end of the season we started playing better and we just missed out on making the tournament,” said third-year Hofstra head coach Frank Catalanotto, a former 14-year Major League Baseball player from 1997 to 2010 with the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets. “It’s a motivating factor for not only the coaching staff, but also for the student athletes to be ready to play these games.”
Hofstra began the 2024 season with two narrow losses to then 14th-ranked Virginia before taking two of three from Liberty and New Mexico on the road the following two weekends. The Pride entered the start of CAA with two close losses at Columbia and Fordham.
Senior catcher Matt Pelcher, a Merrick native, has emerged as one of Hofstra’s leading hitters this season with a .328 average entering the CAA schedule. Pelcher, who played high school baseball at the prestigious IMG Academy in Florida, hit a home run in an 10-8 season-opening loss at Virginia and went 3-for-4 in a narrow 3-2 defeat at St. John’s on March 8.
“He’s made big strides with his swing and has really bought into what we’ve been teaching,” said Catalanotto of
Pelcher, who registered an RBI double in Hofstra’s 12-8 loss at Columbia on March 19. “He’s a big part of what we do and his versatility helps us out quite a bit.”
Pelcher is among four starters hitting above .300, including sophomore Dylan Palmer at a team-leading .450 starting the conference schedule. He earned Second Team All-CAA and CAA All-Rookie honors as a freshman. Senior outfielder Alex McCoy and graduate student third baseman Santino Ross are also shining offensively so far with .364 and .386 batting averages, respectively.
Catalanotto is also hoping two of his other top hitters, Will Kennedy and Steve Harrington, can produce during the CAA schedule after hitting slumps in March.
The pitching staff is led by senior Michael O’Hanlon, who recorded seven strikeouts in a 9-1 victory against Manhattan College on March 15. O’Hanlon
has stepped into the ace role after serving as the closer the last two years.
The Pride has a number of pitching options out of the bullpen including Rockville Centre native Danny Kelleher, a former South Side High School standout who tossed three scoreless innings in a 9-6 loss at New Mexico on March 3. Catalanotto is hoping Kelleher can continue to make strides on the mound and live up to his full potential.
“He’s been doing a good job and he’s gotten much better from last year,” Catalanotto said of Kelleher. “He’s throwing a lot of two seam fastballs that sink and also a good change-up so he’s keeping the ball down and getting ground balls.”
Another local arm on the roster is freshman Nick Apollo, who earned All-
County accolades at Seaford High School last year and led the Vikings to a county title. The versatile Apollo, who Catalanotto sees potential in for a strong future, received playing time at first base in a 17-6 loss to Manhattan on March 16.
Hofstra travels to longtime CAA foe Towson this weekend before hosting Delaware in another critical three-game conference series from April 5-7. The CAA regular schedule concludes at home against Monmouth on May 18 before the conference tournament commences from May 22-28 at UNC-Wilmington.
“It’s a really tough conference,” Catalanotto said of the CAA, which added last year’s 22nd-ranked team Campbell this season. “We are going to have to bring our best every single game.”
Raising the existing building that houses Sunny Atlantic Beach Club and renovating the space to build a garage for storage was the focus of the primary hearing at the March 21 Atlantic Beach Board of Zoning Appeals hearing.
“The building that’s there is in terrible shape,” Gabby Tchilinguirian, the architect for the project said. “We’ve proposed to elevate the structure, because right now we are deficient by two feet to where it needs to be.”
The 2035 Ocean Blvd. structure is in what is considered an AE zone 15 Federal Emergency Management Agency flood zone. FEMA requires the first level of the home to be elevated by 17 feet. Tchilinguirian proposed bringing the elevation to 19 feet to prevent the need for future elevation and flooding, bringing the height of the structure, 16 inches outside of the standards for the Atlantic Beach Board of Zoning Appeals.
“In an effort to put the financial portion into the building, we want to make sure that we safeguard the building for many, many years to come,” he said.
FEMA, which reviews flood maps every five years, remaps districts if necessary. The last map change in Atlantic Beach was in 2009, which eliminated basements and elevated flood zones. Three years before Hurricane Sandy.
Tchilinguirian said typically, he has seen two-foot increases in the design flood elevation requirements when remapping occurs, so he wanted to preemptively raise the approximately 80-year-old space, to prevent future renovations.
“Currently, we have a tractor and maintenance equipment, so, we’re proposing a garage attached to the structure
and we will only be using it for maintenance vehicles, mechanical units and storage, again,” he said.
The proposed garage is in line with the current structure in place.
Tchilinguirian said that the facility is called the ‘beaches owners carriage house’ and the structure will remain owner occupied.
Board of Zoning Appeals Chairman George Cornish questioned the need for the two- foot elevation raise, and said that if he allowed a two-foot increase for Sunny Atlantic, he would have to allow that for every person requesting that in the village.
“Architecturally, I don’t see any reason or any of the hardship to go up and higher,” Cornish said.
“The extra height again for the storage would be meaningful for the club,” said Sunny Atlantic owner Howard Taub. “This past January, we had a little bit of a storm and my kitchen got flooded, so we have title surge now the beach has shrunk, as well, the conditions are not what they used to be so bringing this up a little bit higher, there’s more of a protection for the building.”
Lester Hill, who lives at 2064 Pacific Blvd., in Atlantic Beach, across from Sunny Atlantic asked for clarity on the total height the proposed building would be raised, to which the board and architect said 16 inches.
The board approved the garage, considering it a good way to clean up the space with a useful storage area. The request to go up to 19 feet elevation was denied. The board said the first floor must remain at 17 feet, which FEMA approves, contingent upon the structure remaining as an owner occupied structure.
Tchilinguirian said the beach club will now look for a contractor for the garage project.
Chabad of Hewlett
a
Israeli
Purim
the campus of Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on March 24, when the Jewish holiday took place.
Whether you are a child, teenager or adult there were activities and party fun for everyone from what was described as “exciting Israeli activities” to making your own Mediterranean spices, crafting Hebrew name bracelets, listening and dancing to Israeli music, eating Israeli food, fresh fruit squeezing, an Israeli fun booth and a henna artist who created unique patterns and skin tattoos with the black dye called henna. There was also a petting zoo.
Purim commemorates the rescue of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire when Esther and her cousin Mordecai led the Jews against the evil Haman, who plotted to annihilate their people. The entire story is recounted in the Megillah. When Haman’s name is mentioned it is drowned out by noise.
Children and adults also dress up as their favorite from the Purim story or other costumes as it is considered a joyous time.
— Jeffrey Bessen
ence research coordinator at Hewlett High School, was thrilled to hear of their feat, which earned them “bragging rights,” he said.
“It’s always very wonderful for them to see that as long as you come up with something innovative, how wonderful it is to do well,” he said.
The three students are enrolled in the science research course, which Bissoondial teaches for all levels, but Igaunis, Melconian and Wadiwala are in the sophomore specific class.
Bissoondial taught the class the foundation for biochemistry and molecular biology at the start of the school year and then developed research topics, which the students took on with his guidance.
“My job, after giving them the research problem, is mainly to make sure that there’s no harm, and they safely apply everything,” he said. “So, they are now executing the project — I help them in terms of getting supplies, making sure everything is properly disposed. Afterwards with their research, I help them with just showing them where they could find some resources.”
During the science fair, Igaunis, Melconian and Wadiwala presented their research to judges and answered questions about the TOR enzyme. Throughout the research process, Igaunis specialized in data analytics, Melconian in background information about TOR and Wadiwala on RNA sequencing of the enzyme.
“I feel like once we started getting in the groove of presenting to the judges and showcasing all the information we learned, I think it got sort of exciting towards the end to see those results of how everything turned out,” Melconian said.
Jodi Evans, chairperson and lab director for the department of biology, chemistry and environmental studies at Molloy, said judges follow specific criteria.
“We look at their hypothesis, we look
at their data, we look at their poster — how neat, how organized it is,” Evans said.
The School of Arts and Sciences at Molloy, established in 2018, hosts the 9thand 10th -grade Long Island-based science fair each year, along with debates, musical productions and a philosophy conference, among other events. This division of Molloy has various undergraduate programs, such as art, biology, chemistry, criminal justice, legal studies, psychology,
theology and religious studies.
“It continues to engage them in science — when they come you can see how they’re nervous but excited, they’re so enthusiastic about their projects,” Evans said. “It gives them the opportunity to learn how scientists disseminate the research of their work.”
Igaunis, Melconian and Wadiwala all plan to continue with research, with Melconian aiming to study topics related to engineering rather than biochemistry.
Courtesy Terrence Bissoondialcoming in have been coming for years, and we have fun with them while helping out.”
While the St. Joseph’s pantry caters to a smaller community, the pantry at St. Joachim serves more than 100 regulars, and the roster continues to grow. Topping the list of needs at St. Joachim are peanut butter, jelly and pasta.
“With our growing clients, we’re trying to maintain a good flow,” Mireya Jacobs, the pantry coordinator at St. Joachim, said. “It’s harder than previous years because the amount of food needed has increased due to the increase in clients. Donations are always welcomed and appreciated.”
Rising food costs haven’t helped, making it even more difficult for pantries to keep their shelves full. Those in need are also affected by cost-of-living increases, and find themselves relying on the pantries more than usual.
“With the prices of groceries increasing, we have more families needing help,” Jacobs said. “In previous years, our shelves would, for the most part, always be full, but this year our shelves are bare after we give out food.”
Each donation — big or small — makes a difference, officials said, adding that donors should make sure that food has not reached or passed its expiration date.
Like St. Joachim, Our Lady of Good Counsel also serves a large number of
Melissa Berman/Herald
Dianne Gabbola, volunteer and organizer at St. Joseph’s R.C. Church in Hewlett, places food on the shelves. She works with the women of the church, as well as students at Hewlett Elementary School, to create a warm and welcoming environment for those in need. Gabbola also includes recipes for the food they are giving out.
families, ranging from 70 to 90 every other week. The Inwood pantry is low on cereal, canned vegetables and tuna.
“There are big families in the neighborhood, and they go through a lot of food,” Lena Artusa, secretary at Our Lady of Good Counsel, said.
“There is always a need for donations,” Artusa added. “Our pantry fills up and empties out pretty quickly, especially during the (Easter) holiday, when kids are
home from school.”
All three pantries are all affiliated with the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Catholic Charities of Long Island is another resource that helps them out on a daily basis.
“Jesus has called upon us as Catholics to help our community no matter the faith or background,” Danielle Campbell, director of communications and development for Catholic Charities of Long
St. Joseph’s Food Pantry 1379 noel ave., Hewlett (516) 569-0834
Hours: 6 to 7:30 p.m., every other Wednesday
St. Joachim Parish Outreach 614 Central ave., Cedarhurst (516) 569-1845
9:30 to 11:30 a.m., first and third Wednesdays of the month
Email: joachimrcc@yahoo.com
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish Outreach
68 Wanser ave., inwood (516) 239-7025
Hours: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., monday to thursday
Email: olgcla@aol.com
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Melissa BermanIsland, said. “As Catholics we live the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Our duty is to help provide food for those in need, and support our community.”
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Happy Easter to you and your families! Thank you for your love for the inspired Word of God. Thank you for your love for the Resurrection appearances of our Lord in this Easter season and the way your lives are set on fire in your meditation and contemplation of these mysteries.
Thank you for your fidelity to the Eucharist and the Sunday Mass and your Catholic spirit of evangelization. Thank you for being instruments of Eucharistic Revival.
In The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis states:
storms of history” and we rely on the Risen Lord and his glorified wounds to touch the wounds in Ukraine, the Middle East, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Armenia and Azerbaijan, the region of the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and Sudan, as well as Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and so many other troubled areas of the world. We ask the Risen Lord and his glorified wounds to touch the wounds experienced in our own country.
ReveRend
John o. BaRRes“Christ’s resurrection is not an event of the past; it contains a vital power which has permeated the world. Where all seems to be dead, signs of the resurrection suddenly spring up. It is an irresistible force...Each day in our world beauty is born anew, it rises transformed through the storms of history ... Such is the power of the resurrection, and all who evangelize are instruments of that power.” (276)
We continue to live through “the
In The Everlasting Man, G.K. Chesterton captured the power of our Lord’s Resurrection experienced in the cycles of history. He wrote: “Christendom has had a series of revolutions and in each one of them Christianity has died. Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.”
This Easter and every Easter we celebrate this Everlasting Man who knew his way out of the grave and who invites us and the Catholic Church on Long Island to a great Resurrection.
Sincerely yours in the Risen Lord, Most Reverend John O. Barres
Under the big tent it wasn’t a circus but a retirement celebration for CEO of nine years, Gerard Walsh.
Throughout Walsh’s time at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway and Episcopal Health Services that oversees the medical facility, he faced adversity during the Covid-19 Pandemic, a push from New York state to change the facility into a “micro-hospital,” and oversaw an emergency room that underwent years of construction.
Walsh made an impact on the hospital and, according to colleagues and community leaders, will be remembered for his hard work and dedication to making St. John’s a better place to receive care.
Staff of all levels, nurses, doctors, union representatives, and political officials and clergy attended the celebration. The crowded tent was filled with laughter and tears as several people gave speeches and heartfelt congratulations to Walsh. Among the speeches was a video of colleagues and employees that included words of gratitude and appreciation for all he has done.
Walsh expressed a deep amount of gratitude and appreciation for his wife, Karen.
“She has been my support through three health systems, numerous roles, CEO jobs, moving to Maryland, coming back from Maryland, and she’s always
been there,” he said.
He said, looking at his wife, “you’re my world” and was met with a chorus of “awes,” from the guests.
“As you prepare to embark on your next journey of life, we the staff and 1199 delegates here at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital wish to extend to you our deepest appreciation and bid you a heartfelt farewell,” said 1199 SEIU representative Iona Folks.
Bishop Lawrence Provenzano, the EHS president and chairman, gave the opening remarks and presented Walsh with the Bishop’s Cross. Provenzano said that the Bishop’s Cross is only given to a handful of people who demonstrate extraordinary service in their community and make a contribution to the Ministry of the Diocese.
To earn such an honor, a person must have made a huge impact and Walsh drilled down on what he thinks his is.
“I think the biggest accomplishment is being able to say that the lives of the people in the Rockaway’s are better, and we brought quality healthcare back to the community, and that’s what saves lives,” Walsh said.
He expressed that he was “grateful for his team,” that is amazing. Walsh said.
When asked how he navigated running a hospital through Covid, Walsh said, “First, we all came in, we didn’t work from home. It was scary because no one has ever dealt with anything like that, and so we took it one day at a time.”
“It never waivered we were always present,” he added, referring to overcom-
ing the adversity everyone faced
In 2021, the state’s Department of Health pressed St. John’s Hospital, to convert the hospital to what they called a “micro-hospital,” dropping to 15 beds from 252.
Walsh said he was confident that he and his team would battle and prevail.
“I knew that it was never going to happen, and that’s not what the community needed and so we rallied the community, the staff, the union, we all came together as one,” he said.
The plan was dismissed and the hospital has been flourishing ever since, Walsh and other officials believe.
“Family is everything to people, and so
we’re going to get to do a lot more of that now,” he said.
In retirement, Walsh will be spending time as a “snow bird” down in Florida, enjoying time with family and joining the St. John’s foundation, he said. The hospital will be naming the new Ambulatory Pavilion after Walsh. The ceremonial ribbon cutting is yet to scheduled.
“It is with mixed emotions for me and especially all the members of today’s audience, and those who are unable to make it today, for us to say good luck in the next chapter of your life, I’m looking forward to remaining your friend and to sharing in your future,” said longtime friend Joe Caraccia, EVP of Jzanus.
Retiring celebrate St. John’s Episcopal Hospital’s CEO Gerard Walsh receives the Bishop’s Cross from the Rt. Rev. Lawrence Provenzano, who heads Episcopal Health Services.
Melissa Berman/Herald
Everyone has a golden ticket to the Chocolate ExpoBy Danielle Schwab
or the love of chocolate, there’s a sweet treat awaiting everyone at this year’s Chocolate Expo.
The popular event — proclaimed as one of the largest chocolate showcases in the United States — is back, ready to tantalize all on April 14.
Chocoholics will delight in the day-long food paradise. An array of 90-plus vendors — including those representing Long Island, New England and even international purveyors — will share their sweet and savory wares with the public during this unique food-centric festival at the David S. Mack Sports & Exhibition Complex at Hofstra University.
Robert Neary honors an icon with a tribute show like no other. With more than 35 years as a Broadway, television and film actor, Neary brings a special flair to his tribute show. With his powerful presence, from the moment he struts on stage wearing trademark black, gray, and silver sequined jacket, Neary, uncannily resembles Neil Diamond at the height of his touring career in the ‘90s and 2000s. His wit and mannerisms on stage are spot on, especially when he plays his guitar. When he speaks and tells the stories and trivia behind some of Neil’s most popular songs, his rich baritone gravelly voice can easily be mistaken for Neil’s own speaking voice. The title says it all. It is the quintessential Neil Diamond concert experience that concludes with a mind-blowing finale.
Saturday, March 30, 8 p.m. $49.50, $39.50, $35, $29.50, $25. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY. com.
“We have a wide variety of interesting products,” says Marvin Baum, the Chocolate Expo’s founder and creator. “It’s like going to a wine tasting. You’re trying something different and exploring. That’s really what it is, for people to come and explore all kinds of culinary delights. In this case, it’s with chocolates, baked goods, specialty foods, wines, cheeses and other products as well.”
Celebrate and indulge in delicious gourmet goodies — even treats for your beloved pooch. Of course, tasting is very much a part of the event, starting from the moment you enter.
• April 14, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• $20 adult, $10 ages 5-12 ($30 adult, $15 ages 5-12 at door); available from TheChocolateExpo.com
• Hofstra’s David S. Mack Sports & Exhibition Complex, Hempstead
The scrumptious combination of savory and sweet includes chocolate-covered pretzels, artisanal chocolates, bonbons, fudge, rum cakes, hot chocolate, and even chocolate-covered bacon.
And, certainly, no chocolate event would be complete without big chocolate fountains. Guests are greeted by fountains overflowing with dark, white and milk chocolates, which can deliciously drench a selection of fresh fruit, marshmallows pretzels and Rice Krispies Treats.
Visitors will surely enjoy another special treat: An appearance by actors from the original 1971 film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.” Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt), Paris Themmen (Mike Teevee), and Rusty Goffe (who in addition to playing an Oompa Loompa, has also been in five of the Harry Potter movies and in Star Wars ), are the festival’s special guests. Baum proudly proclaims this is the first Wonka cast reunion at a chocolate event.
“We found that there was a true emotional connection for a lot of people, between the movie and their own lives — whether it be with good memories with the family or as being part of an escape,” he says. “And so, for that reason, we think that a lot of people on Long Island are going to respond to and be really excited to see this get-together of the Wonka characters.”
If your palate reaches sensory overload, take a break to check out some of the many activities that round out the day. Shows and demonstrations include chocolate smashing, where participants can break a part of high-quality chocolate molds with hammers. There’s also a demonstration with DJ Chef, the first winner of Food Network’s “Cuthroat Kitchen,” known for spinning tunes while cooking.
The youngest “fun-sized” visitors will enjoy Kidz Zone, enticing them with face painting, balloon twisting and crafts.
The festival, according to Baum, has now taken on a life of its own.
“I said, ‘We need to do something where New York businesses can actually make some money. Instead of just doing tastings, let’s do something where we’re tasting and have sales.’ And basically, that became the first New York Chocolate Expo.”
Participating chocolatiers, bakers and related purveyors offer a mindboggling collection of goodies.
Among the enthusiastic local returnees, Wantagh-based Uncle Jeff’s Pecan Pies is not to be missed. Owner Jeff Church participated for the first time last year, and enthusiastically reports the response to his offerings was “beyond belief.” He’ll offer both his all-natural chocolate and regular pecan pies again this year.
“As soon as they opened the doors, people swarmed the tables saying ‘one of these,’ ‘one of those,’” he says. “It was insane.”
Another bakery, Valley Stream’s Chez Hedwidge, caters to folks with dietary restrictions. All products are gluten-free and soy-free, with vegan options available. Edwidge Oriol — who owns the business with her husband — has been involved with the Chocolate Expo for five years.
“Those who have these (dietary) challenges, they deserve a good treat,” she says.
Among the items Oriol will ll bring is her gluten-free chocolate tart, which won third place in a Culinary Federation of Long Island competition.
Whether you’re looking to grab your local faves or find a new delicious obsession, the expo is the place to indulge in some chocolatey fun.
“Everybody is welcome,” Baum says. “All the noise of day-to-day life, all that’s pushed to the side. We want to get together, have a good time, share memories, share some good food, and support local businesses.”
The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is recognized for fresh, brilliant interpretations of the world’s greatest orchestral music.
Formed by Sir Neville Mariner in 1958 from a group of London’s leading musicians, it’s become one of the world’s most respected orchestral ensembles. Joshua Bell, music director and Grammywinning violinist, has performed with virtually every major orchestra in the world, and is one of the most celebrated artists of his era. Led by violin virtuoso Bell, this performance showcases Mendelssohn’s deeply emotive Violin Concerto, with Bell himself taking the stage as both soloist and leader. The program also includes Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia Overture, and Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61. Set out with Bell and the orchestra on a passionate musical journey of passion and triumph as the extraordinary ensemble demonstrates their artistry.
Friday, March 29, 8 p.m. Tickets start at $80. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com or TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.
On exhibit
Join L.I. Cabaret Theatre for their latest performance, Saturday, April 6, 2 p.m., at the Elmont Library Theatre. In this spirited show music is on the menu as the cast travels back to different years in the past to find clues and knowledge to save the Melody Diner from demolition. A cast of 35 keeps the action moving along, with a live band. The singers and dancers performs current hits, oldies and also tunes from the Broadway stage. Free admission. Elmont Memorial Library Theater, 700 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont. (516) 3545280 or LICabaret@aol.com.
Bring your own project
Nassau County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, “Urban Art Evolution,” is a comprehensive exhibit featuring a diverse range of compositions from the 1980s through the present by creators who were based in the rough and tumble downtown area of New York City known as Loisaida/LES (Lower East Side/East Village) and close surrounding neighborhoods.
Artists pushed the boundaries of what was considered “art” with a primary focus on street/graffiti art.
the challenges of the first- and second-generation middle class U.S. immigrant experience: finding a new home, learning a new language, dealing with discrimination, pursuing the American Dream, and searching for ways to build bridges instead of walls. His Familia includes Mauricio Martínez, celebration of Latin talent includes special guests who are students from Long Island University’s the next generation of rising stars in the industry. The collaboration between these seasoned professionals and up-and-coming talents is sure to create a truly unforgettable experience for all who attend. “Songs by an Immigrant” is an inspiring celebration of the immigrant odyssey. Tickets start at $50; available at TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100. LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd.,
Bring your needlepoint, crochet or knitting supplies to Peninsula Public Library, Monday, April 1, 1-2 p.m., to work on your own current projects. Program leader Cheryl Fried leader will be able to assist and answer questions. Registration required. 280 Central Ave. Register at ShortURL.at/ tuxCY or call Roxanne Spodek at (516) 967-5777.
The exhibit’s scope, guest curated by art collector/gallerist Christopher Pusey, offers an even broader view from other creative residents, who worked inside their studios but still contributed to the rich fabric of the downtown art scene from different vantage points and aesthetics.
Works include sculpture, paintings, photography, music, and ephemera from many noted and influential artists.
Opens March 23, on view through July 7. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.
The North Shore Symphony Orchestra is joined by Broadway and New York cabaret stars for “Country Jukebox: Kenny, Dolly & Friends,” Saturday, April 6, 8 p.m., on Adelphi’s Performing Arts Center stage. Your toes will be tapping and your hands clapping during this evening of country classics from the 1950s to today’s hottest contemporary hits.
The dynamic performers, with North Shore Symphony, salute such greats as Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, The Judds, Carrie Underwood and more. Tickets start at $45, with discounts available to seniors, students, Adelphi alumni and employees. Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave., Garden City. (516) 8774000 or Adelphi.edu/pac.
The Retromen and a Lady, a 1960s British Invasion band, perform at Bagel Boss, Saturday, March 30, 9 p.m.-12 a.m. 1352 Peninsula Blvd. in Hewlett. To RSVP, visit AllanSpielman. wixsite.com/Hewlett-BagelBoss-c.
Enjoy the popular orchestra,as it continues its season,with special guests Deborah Lifton and the Adea Quartet, Saturday, April 6, 7:30 p.m., at the Madison Theatre. Program includes Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances,” Op. 45; Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” Op. 24; and Robert Schumann’s “Concertpiece for 4 Horns”, Op. 45. Molloy University, 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre. Tickets available at MadisonTheatreNY.org or (516) 323-4444.
Relax with friends playing a game or work on your ongoing craft project as part of Peninsula Public Library’s in-person Cozy Games & Crafts program, Monday, March 25, 2-4:30 p.m. Bring your own knitting, crocheting or other projects and material. Some games will be provided. No instructors. 280 Central Ave., Lawrence.
Converse, collaborate and create at Family Saturdays at Nassau County Museum of Art, Saturday, March 30, noon-3 p.m. Get inspired by the art and objects in the galleries and then join educators at the Manes Center to explore and discover different materials to create your own original artwork.
Kids and adults connect while talking about and making art together. A new project is featured every week. $20 adult, $10 child. For ages 2-14. Registration required. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. Visit NassauMuseum.org for to register or call (516) 4849337.
Chabad of the Five Towns welcomes all to its weekly Parsha class for men and women, Thursdays, at 7:30 p.m. Join R’Yanky Feder for discussion at the Levi Yitzchak Library. 564 Central Ave., in Cedarhurst.
Items on The Scene page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to thescene@liherald.com.
Sands Point Preserve offers another in its series of Forest Bathing walks, led by certified guide Linda Lombardo, Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m.-noon. Based on the Japanese tradition of Shinrin-Yoku, a wellness practice developed in the 1980s, the walk, on the grounds of the former summer residence of Howard Gould and later Daniel and Florence Guggenheim, inspires mindful connections with the natural elements of the woods for a range of healthful benefits. $40, $35 members. Registration required. Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road. For information, visit SandsPointPreserveConservancy.org or call (516) 571-7901.
Chabad of Hewlett invites the Hewlett community to the Gala dinner, Tuesday, April 9, at Sephardic Temple. The event is in celebration of Rabbi and Rivkie Tenenboim’s 40th birthdays and accomplishments of Jewish Kids Club of Hewlett, Hewlett High and Chabad and Shabbat Kids Program. Cocktails will be at 6:30 p.m. and the dinner and program at 8 p.m. $250 per person. 775 Branch Blvd., Cedarhurst. Call (516) 295-3433 for more information.
Lawrence District Board of Education meets, Monday, April 15, at 8 p.m, at Lawrence High School. 2 Reilly Road, Cedarhurst. For more information visit Lawrence.org/ Page/Meeting-Notice-Schedule.
National Council of Jewish Women, Peninsula Section and Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library present the film “Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island,” on Sunday, April 7, at 2 p.m. at Hewlett Woodmere Public Library. This documentary, featuring activist-actress Jane Fonda, is an hour and 17 minutes long. Heidi Hunter, film producer, speaks at the event. Tickets required. 1125 Broadway, Hewlett. Visit HWPL.org or call (516) 374-1967 for more information.
Temple Hillel hosts a two-day indoor yard sale, Saturday, April 6, 8:30-10:15 p.m.; Sunday, April 7, 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Browse among household items, clothing, furniture, electronics and more. at 1000 Rosedale Road, Valley Stream. Call (516-) 91-6344 for more information.
The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium is starting to take form in Eisenhower Park.
The temporary 34,000-seat venue will serve as one of the hosting locations for the 2024 International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup, set to take place this June in locations that also include Florida, Texas and the West Indies. And Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman emphasized Eisenhower Park’s involvement by joining ICC officials and renowned professional cricketers at a parade last week to officially bring the World Cup’s trophy “home.”
The trophy was displayed underneath an American flag arch, set up by the East Meadow Fire Department, and escorted by the Nassau County Police Department, dozens of emergency vehicles, bagpipers, and the county’s mounted unit to the stadium site.
“We are in the process of constructing this beautiful stadium that will be here for the duration of the tournament,” Blakeman said. “It’s going to be a great venue for everybody to enjoy cricket. There’ll be so many countries that will be here with their teams — we will have fans from all over the world.”
Eight games are slated for Nassau over the course of 12 days. Eisenhower Park will actually host one of the most highly anticipated games of the tournament — India vs. Pakistan — which both consistently fielding some of the best cricketers in the game.
The Cricket World Cup is the third-most popular sporting event across the globe, only behind the FIFA World Cup and the Tour de France.
“We call it the Super Bowl on steroids,” Blakeman said.
The stadium was designed by Populous, an architec
At
ture firm also responsible for creating Yankee Stadium, Citi Field and the UBS Arena, among others. The initiative is privately funded, and the stadium is being built in the open space behind the park’s aquatic center, adjacent to Field 6.
Tickets for games have been hard to obtain, but ICC officials say fans may still be able to secure some.
“The levels of interest in being part of the event are huge, with more than 3 million ticket applications in
the initial ballot,” Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s chief executive said. “I’m delighted to confirm today that we’ve worked closely with our partners to release more tickets to 51 of the 55 games of the event.”
For those unable to purchase tickets, Blakeman says the county will set up watch parties in various locations details of which will be announced at a later date.
Allardice also thanked the county and Blakeman for their support, saying the ICC had “found a true partner” that supports the council’s “vision and ambition.” The stadium had originally been planned for the Bronx, but moved to Nassau County after considerable resistance from neighbors surrounding Van Cortlandt Park there.
“It’s fantastic to stand here today and see our vision come to life,” Allardice said.
Ali Khan, a Pakistani-born American cricketer who plays for the United States, says he’s excited about returning home for the upcoming games.
“It’s really good to be here in Nassau County this morning — good to see all the people coming out,” Khan said. “We cannot wait to take the field here.”
Team USA will compete against India on June 12 in Eisenhower.
“That’s going to be a huge game for us as a host country,” Khan said. “I wish (that) a lot of people come, especially local supporters. Get your tickets now and come support your home team, Team USA.”
As part of county’s negotiations with the ICC, the stadium will be disassembled after the tournament, but the state-of-the-art cricket field will be left in place, along with practice facilities in Cantiague Park in Hicksville.
Local cricket teams and leagues will be able to use the fields when the tournament ends.
“Cricket,” Blakeman said, “is here forever now.”
LEGAL NOTICE
INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF LAWRENCE NOTICE OF SALE OF LIENS FOR UNPAID VILLAGE TAXES AND/OR ASSESSMENTS REMAINING UNPAID FOR THE YEAR 2023
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to the provisions of Village Code §187-17 and the New York Real Property Tax Law as applicable to the Village of Lawrence (“Village”), and pursuant to direction of the Village Board of Trustees, the undersigned Village ClerkTreasurer/Village Administrator will sell at Public Auction in the manner provided by law on April 10, 2024 at 10:00 am local prevailing time in the Village Hall, 196 Central Avenue, Lawrence, New York so much of each of the following parcels upon which Village Taxes and/ or Assessments remain unpaid for the year 2023 as will be sufficient to discharge the taxes and/or assessments, fees, interest and discharges which may be due thereon respectively at the time of such sale, and shall continue the same from day to day until the said sale shall be completed. The Village reserves the right to withdraw any property prior to the sale of its lien.
PLEASE ALSO TAKE NOTICE THAT THE VILLAGE OF LAWRENCE WILL PURCHASE ALL LIENS FOR SALE, AND NO PUBLIC BIDDING WILL BE PERMITTED.
Such real estate will be sold subject to any unpaid tax liens purchased and held by the Village. The purchase or purchasers of such tax sale will be required to pay the amount of their respective bids to the undersigned within TEN days after the sale pursuant to the provisions of Section 1454 of the New York Real Property Tax Law and Village Local Law #12-1994. THE VILLAGE DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE TO ANY LIEN PURCHASER REGARDING ANY ASPECT OF THE PURCHASE OF OR FORECLOSURE UPON ANY LIEN.
The following is a list or statement of the Real Estate upon which such Tax and/or Assessments are unpaid for the year 2023 with a statement of the amount of tax and/or assessments, fees, interest and charges thereon:
Lina
Ronald
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF TAX LIEN SALE VILLAGE OF ATLANTIC BEACH
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to Section 1452 and 1454 of the Real Property Tax Law of the State of NY that the following is a list of real estate tax in the Incorporated Village of Atlantic Beach upon which 2023/2024 taxes are unpaid as shown in the tax list on file with the Village Clerk, together with amounts of the tax, interest and charges thereon.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that on April 1, 2024 at 10:30 AM in the forenoon of said day, a lien on the aforesaid parcels of real estate will be sold at public auction in the Atlantic Beach Village Hall, 65 The Plaza, Atlantic Beach, NY, to discharge the tax, fees, interest and charges of aforesaid which may be due thereon at the time of such sale.
All parcels located in Section 58
BLOCK LOTS LEGAL ADDRESS
12 11 Chris McMahon, 139 Coronado St. $ 1,842.89
12 14-16 Chris McMahon, 139 Coronado St. $ 174.76
55 29 Mildred Wolf, 47 Fulton Avenue $ 1,677.89
75 34 Haci Alper Tutus, 2010 Park St. $ 192.84
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
EMILY SINISCALCHI, VILLAGE CLERK
HERBERT A. KLIBANOFF, TREASURER
DATED: MARCH 5, 2023
Publish 3/14, 21, 28
145372
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF SALE
EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK (BROOKLYN)
WINDWARD BORA, LLC.;
Plaintiff v. OSNAT
ZINNAR, et al;
Defendants
Attorneys for Plaintiff:
Hasbani & Light, P.C., 450 7th Ave, Suite 1408, NY, NY 10123; (212) 643-6677
Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale granted herein on 2/12/24, I will sell at
Public Auction to the highest bidder in the EDNY-Brooklyn, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, NY 11201. On April 4, 2024 at 9:30 AM.
Premises known as 965 Cedarhurst Street, North Woodmere, NY 11581 Section: 0039 Block: 00549-00 Lot: 00002
not be permitted on the front portion of any premises, for any required and/or permitted parking.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER
NOTICE that all interested persons will have an opportunity to be heard at said hearing.
Dated: March 27, 2024
Cedarhurst, NY
Benjamin Weinstock
Mayor Salvatore Evola
Village Clerk-Treasurer
By Order of the Board Of Zoning Appeals 145709
LEGAL NOTICE
VILLAGE of Lawrence
Legal Notice NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Building Design of the Incorporated Village of Lawrence will hold a work session beginning at 6:45 P.M. followed by a public meeting on April 15, 2024 at the Lawrence Village Hall 196 Central Ave Lawrence, New York 11559 beginning at 7:00 P.M. to conduct the following Public Hearings and to attend to such other matters as may properly come before the Board:
“ 47 Barrett Road, Elana Oved - New Fence “ 217 & 219
Juniper Circle S, Rachel Lowy - New Fence 225
Causeway, Miriam Hurwitz - New
Columns/Fence “ 335A Central Avenue, Michael Niscanov- New Store
Front Design “ 359 Central Avenue, Michael Niscanov- New Store
Village Hall, 196 Central Avenue, Lawrence, New York 11559, on the 11th day of April 2024, at 8:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time, and one (1) Public Hearing with respect to the following matter:
“ NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED 2023 - 2024 GENERAL BUDGET. In accordance with New York Village Law 5-508(3) the tentative Village Budget for the fiscal year commencing June 1, 2024 and ending May 31, 2025, a copy of which is available at the office of the Village Clerk where it may be inspected by any interested person during office hours.
“ AND THE OPENING OF SEALED BIDS FOR ELECTRIC WORK AND STREET LIGHTING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN
THAT copies of the proposed items described above are on file in the office of the Village Clerk of the Village of Lawrence, NY, where the same is available for public inspection during regular office hours.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER
NOTICE that all interested parties will be given an opportunity to be heard on all meeting matters at the place and time aforesaid. If anyone needs special accommodations for a disability, such person should contact the Village Clerk at least 5 days before the meeting.
NOTICE IS HEREBY
LEGAL NOTICE
NC. VILLAGE OF ATLANTIC BEACH MEETING DATE CHANGE
PUBLIC HEARING ON TENTATIVE BUDGET
REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held at the same date and place following the Public Hearing.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES VILLAGE CLERK EMILY SINISCALCHI VILLAGE OF ATLANTIC BEACH
March 22, 2024 145710
Approximate amount of judgment: $273,926.00 plus interest and costs.
Docket Number: 19cv-04533
Allan B. Mendelsohn, Esq., Referee 145274
All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York. As more particularly described in the judgment of foreclosure and sale. Sold subject to all of the terms and conditions contained in said judgment and terms of sale.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Section 5-508 of the Village Law of State of New York as amended, a Public Hearing will be held upon the tentative budget of the Village of Atlantic Beach on Monday, April 15, 2024 at 7:45 PM. All interested parties will be given an opportunity to be heard. The purpose of such meeting will be the consideration and passage of such budget. Said tentative budget is for the fiscal year beginning June 1, 2024 and ending on May 31, 2025. The tentative budget is on file in the office of the Village Clerk, 65 The Plaza, Atlantic Beach, NY, where the same may be inspected by any interested persons from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday. No compensation is proposed to be paid to the Mayor or the four Trustees.
BE FURTHER ADVISED the
LEGAL NOTICE
INC. VILLAGE OF CEDARHURST
LEGAL NOTICE
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE
THAT the Board of Zoning Appeals of the Village of Cedarhurst will hold a public hearing on 04/11/2024 at 7:00 PM in the Village Hall, 200 Cedarhurst Avenue, Cedarhurst, NY for the following:
Petition of KULANU
ACADEMY
Premises: 620 CENTRAL AVE
Sec/Blk/Lot 39/254/207
Case # 2024-003
Construct new 2- story office building in the r/o 620 Central Ave. (KULANU) to be designated as 124 Mc Glynn Pl. Variance from: 265-89 D. Height Two-story building: 24 feet zero inches to the high point of the roof above the mean level of the curb. A parapet shall not exceed three feet zero inches above the high point of the roof. 265-94 A. On-site parking. On-site parking, as hereinafter described, shall be provided for all new buildings, all existing buildings enlarged and/or increased in area and volume or use and all buildings used for residential purposes converted to business use in the general business area, however; the parking requirements of §§ 265-9 and 265-11A shall apply throughout the entire area; one parking space shall be provided for each 200 square feet of floor area. Floor area shall not include cellar area unless used for retail sales or office purposes. 265-96 F. Permitted offstreet parking. Off-street parking shall
Front Design “ 120 Ocean Avenue, Joel TatelbuamNew Fence
The order in which the listed applications are heard shall be determined the night of the meeting. The applications and accompanying exhibits are on file and may be inspected at the Village Office during normal business hours between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. If anyone needs special accommodations for a disability, such person should contact the Village Clerk at least 5 days before the hearing. All interested parties will have the opportunity to be heard
By Order of the Board of Building Design
Barry Pomerantz
Chairman Dated: March 25, 2024 145712
LEGAL NOTICE INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF LAWRENCE NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING, PUBLIC HEARING and OPENING OF SEALED BIDS PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that there will be a Regular Meeting of the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Lawrence, at Lawrence
GIVEN, pursuant to the requirements of the Open Meetings Law of the State of New York, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Lawrence will convene in public meeting at the place and time aforesaid for the purpose of conducting a regular meeting where general business will be conducted.
Dated: March 22, 2024
By Order of the Board of Trustees
Village of Lawrence, NY
Ronald Goldman Village Clerk/Treasurer 145711
LEGAL NOTICE INC. VILLAGE OF CEDARHURST
LEGAL NOTICE
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE
THAT the Board of Zoning Appeals of the Village of Cedarhurst will hold a public hearing on 04/11/2024 at 7:00 PM in the Village Hall, 200 Cedarhurst Avenue, Cedarhurst, NY for the following:
Petition of JOSHUA & TOVA ZERN
Premises: 390 OAK AVE
Sec/Blk/Lot 39/327/121
Case # 2024-005
REAR YARD WOOD DECK
Variance from: 265-38 c. Building area. The total building area, including all accessory buildings, shall not exceed 30% of the lot area.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER
NOTICE that all interested persons will have an opportunity to be heard at said hearing.
Dated: March 27, 2024
Cedarhurst, NY
Benjamin Weinstock
Mayor Salvatore Evola Village Clerk-Treasurer
By Order of the Board Of Zoning Appeals 145706
LEGAL NOTICE
INC. VILLAGE OF CEDARHURST
LEGAL NOTICE
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE
THAT the Board of Zoning Appeals of the Village of Cedarhurst will hold a public hearing on 04/11/2024 at 7:00 PM in the Village Hall, 200 Cedarhurst Avenue, Cedarhurst, NY for the following:
Petition of CHAIM & SHIRA LANGER
Premises: 427 CHURCH
AVE
Sec/Blk/Lot 39/189/50
Case # 2024-004
2.5 STORY ADDITION TO PRE-EXISTING RES. 1 FAM. DWELLING
Variance from:
265-38 C. Building area. The total building area, including all accessory buildings, shall not exceed 30% of the lot area.
265-40 A. Front yards. A front yard of 25 feet shall be required.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER
NOTICE that all interested persons will have an opportunity to be heard at said hearing.
Dated: March 27, 2024
Cedarhurst, NY
Benjamin Weinstock
Mayor
Salvatore Evola Village Clerk-Treasurer
By Order of the Board Of Zoning Appeals 145707
All residents wishing to attend via Zoom can visit www.hewlettharbor.gov for instructions. Residents wishing to speak via Zoom or in person must notify the Village Clerk in advance.
Dated: Hewlett Harbor, New York
March 22, 2024
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF HEWLETT HARBOR NICOLE GIACOPELLI VILLAGE CLERK 145702
To place
LEGAL NOTICE
INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF HEWLETT HARBOR
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning Board of the Incorporated Village of Hewlett Harbor will convene and hold a public hearing via ZOOM April 8, 2024, at 7:00PM. All residents and professionals wishing to attend are directed to contact Village Hall at 516-374-3806 for further ZOOM information/instruction or visit our website at www.hewlettharbor.gov. All interested parties will be given the opportunity to be heard on the following applications for relief:
1)
Mr. Dan Pulatani - 1069 Channel Drive Hewlett Harbor, NY 11557 has applied to the Planning Board for site plan, elevation plan and landscape design review for a new one family home, 2 car garage, and driveway.
2)
Olga Khakham - 1315 Harbor Road Hewlett Harbor, NY 11557 has applied to the Planning Board for site plan, elevation plan and landscape review for an addition, alterations and renovations of a one family home.
3)
Mr. Donato Nicolo - 1322
LEGAL NOTICE
INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF HEWLETT HARBOR
NOTICE OF MONTHLY MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE
that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Hewlett Harbor will meet in both public and via Zoom on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at 7:00PM, Eastern Standard Time, for the purpose of holding the Village’s regular monthly meeting.
An agenda for the meeting will be made available to the public on the Village Website.
Everit Place Hewlett Harbor, NY 11557 has applied to the Planning Board for site plan, elevation plan and landscape design review for a new one family home, 2 car garage, driveway and inground pool.
4)
Mr. Stanley Aronov – 207
Everit Avenue Hewlett Harbor, NY 11557 has applied to the Planning Board for site plan, elevation plan and landscape design review for a new one family home with 3 car garage and inground pool
At said hearing, all interested parties will be given an opportunity to be heard. Copies of the proposed application will be available at the Village Hall at least five (5) days before the public hearing and may be seen during the regular business hours.
Those persons planning to attend the meeting and who require special accommodations because of a disability are requested to notify the Village Clerk no less than 48 hours prior to the meeting.
Dated: March 22, 2024
Hewett Harbor, New York
BY ORDER OF THE PLANNING BOARD OF THE VILLAGE OF HEWLETT HARBOR
TED MAY Planning Board Chairman
Tommy Montemarano Building Superintendent
Steve Haramis Plan Review 145704
LEGAL NOTICE
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS IN TAX LIEN
FORECLOSURE-SUPREME
COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF NASSAU - SETH SCHREIBER and YAFFA
SCHREIBER, Plaintiffs, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DISTRIBUTEES OF THE ESTATE OF BERNICE FROHMAN, Defendants. Index No. 602539/23. To the above named Defendants -YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action within twenty days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service or within thirty days after service is completed if the summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. Plaintiffs designate Nassau County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the county where the property against which a declaratory judgment sought is situated. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to the Order of the Hon. Eileen C. Daly-Sapraicone, J.S.C., entered on March 18, 2024. The object of this action is to obtain a declaratory judgment declaring that Plaintiffs are the record owners of all rights, title and interest in Section: 39 Block: 577, Lots: 37 and 54 on the Tax Map of Nassau County, also
known as 52 Steven Dr., Hewlett, New York, vesting said property in Plaintiffs, free and clear of all liens.
Dated: March 18, 2024 BRONSTER, LLP, Attorney for Plaintiffs Seth Schreiber and Yaffa Schreiber, By: Leonid Krechmer, Esq. 156 West 56th Street, Suite 703 New York, NY 10019 (212) 558-9300 #101276 145730
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR MASTR ASSET BACKED SECURITIES TRUST 2006-WMC4, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-WMC4 Plaintiff, Against LUCRECIO AQUINO, ET AL, Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 12/24/2018, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on 4/30/2024 at 2:30PM, premises known as 46 Saint George Place, Inwood, New York 11096, And Described As
Follows:
ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town Of Hempstead, County Of Nassau, State Of New York.
Section 40 Block 57 Lot
48
The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $466,857.24 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 16-008698
If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the then Court Appointed Referee will cancel the Foreclosure Auction. This Auction will be held rain or shine.
Bradley Marks, Esq., Referee.
MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC, 10 Midland Avenue, Suite 205, Port Chester, NY 10573
Dated: 1/31/2024 File
Number: 560-3388 CA 145726
Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway students sprang forward enthusiastically into March as they participated in an array of events. The school was buzzing with activity as students energetically debated in Model Congress, and others vigorously advocated for their cases in Mock Trial. Over at the Hawks Nest, spring fever was in the air, bringing excitement and anticipation for the upcoming sports season.
HAFTR prides itself on its variety of competitive teams and programs that encourage teamwork. On Feb. 25, HAFTR hosted schools from around the country in a competitive Yeshiva League Model Congress event. Students spent weeks preparing bills for their assigned committees, and then debated upon those bills with other members on that committee.
pants played a vital role in the success of the cases. As the Mock Trial season comes to a close, team members walk away with skills fostering public speaking, confidence, and a deeper understanding of the justice system.
All competitors worked extremely hard and did an excellent job in this tough competition. In addition to these presentations, participants heard advice and words of inspiration from speakers Elizabeth Savetzky, a pro-Israel activist, and Parker De Dekér, a national speech and debate winner.
HAFTR students continued to distinguish themselves not only at school, but also in the courtroom. The Mock Trial team experienced a strong season this year. Led by captains Stephanie Marcus, Sara Hersh, and Sara Wallach, the team took part in a simulated trial at the Supreme Court of Nassau County. Students assumed key roles in either defense or prosecution, including that of witnesses or lawyers. Students competed against local schools as they presented their case before a judge. With lawyers having the opportunity to present a direct examination and cross, and witnesses having the chance to testify and improvise on the spot, all partici-
Additionally, HAFTR’s spring sports are coming into play. With practices and games already underway, the HAFTR hockey, soccer, and tennis teams are ready to play and represent HAFTR for the spring season. The boys’ varsity soccer team already achieved a win this month, ending the game with a score of nine to four, and the junior varsity achieved two wins! We’re predicting a great season for all sports teams consisting of lots of teamwork, determination, and stellar performances.
The arrival of Purim brought much-needed cheer to March. Leading up to the holiday, students had a week filled with dressing up in various “costumes.” One memorable event was “Where’s Waldo Day” where everyone wore red and white, and students had to spot who was the real Waldo.
However, the most unforgettable day was “Dress as a Teacher Day.” Students dressed up as their favorite teachers, and teachers dressed as students. The halls were filled with an air of joy and celebration throughout the week. The festivities concluded on Shushan Purim, March 25, with students coming to school in costume, participating in a Purim carnival, and enjoying treats!
Overall, March was an exciting and engaging month for all HAFTR students. From the rigorous Model Congress and Mock Trial competitions that entailed hard work and public speaking skills to the spirit and enthusiasm for spring sports and the joyous celebration of Purim, the month had something for everyone.
In preparation for Purim, which was last weekend, Brandeis Hebrew Academy third through eighth grade students took part in a special workshop with published author and illustrator Andrew Galitzer of Torah Comics.
Also known as ANDiDREW, Galitzer is a modern Orthodox Jewish artist who is passionate about teaching the Torah through art. He first produced Torah Comics as a sixth-grader — educational comic strips for every Torah portion.
Two years ago, Galitzer realized his
sixth grade dream and published his Torah Comic book. Schools and shuls across the world use his comic book to teach the Torah.
He shared his journey with the students and helped them understand that frequently our dreams take effort and perseverance — but it’s crucial to never give up.
Students then sketched their own Purim comic strip with Galitzer’s guidance. To learn more about his work, go to TorahComics.com.
— Jeffrey Bessen
EMPLOYMENT
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Call 516-731-3000
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Only selected candidates will be contacted for interviews. Thank you for considering a career with us!
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Open Houses
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WOODMERE
Q. I live in the flood area, which happened during Sandy. I am required to lift my air conditioning unit. I was told it had to be at least 4 feet above the ground, and could be set on a platform or put on a bracket against the house. The platform seems to kill the space in my side yard, so I’m opting for the brackets. Now that I have discussed them with my neighbors, they told me the brackets, which will be on the outside of my bedroom, are going to make the air conditioner vibrations annoying, because I’ll hear them right through the wall. I don’t want that, but the platform would take up space and would be much more expensive to build. Is there another alternative, or can I prevent the noise from the vibrations from coming through the wall? It will drive me crazy if I’m awakened every time the unit goes on. What can I do?
A. This has been a problem addressed in different ways, either by dampening the unit or brackets, relocating the unit to a different place on brackets outside a room, such as a utility, laundry or storage room, building the platform or mounting the unit on a roof. The roof mounting is really a last resort, since the unit needs to be accessible and level. The only place I have designed roof-mounted units is on new homes where flat (low-slope) roof sections are planned. If you have a steeper-sloped roof with asphalt shingles, this method is not worth considering.
As for the less costly method, mounting brackets that are made for air conditioning outdoor condenser units have accessory dampeners and isolation cushions that can be installed, so obviously the industry recognizes the problem.
Comments I have gotten are that, over time, the brackets may wear down and screws and bolts may loosen. One person told me that he lessened the problem by tightening all the fasteners, but I believe this is temporary, and I don’t see the average homeowner climbing a ladder to tighten the connections unless they become completely frustrated. Only locating the condenser unit on a wall area of a seldom-used area of the home, like your utility, storage closet, garage or laundry room, will reduce this problem.
Otherwise, the separate tower is your best option, even though it will cost at least $1,000 more to do. I rarely hear of this problem, but it still does happen. The same thing occurs with washing machines and dryers located on a wood structure adjacent to bedrooms. In such cases, I design a separate, floating structure, isolated by gaskets and dampening shoes or pads. The other alternative is using concrete, but it still needs designed separation dampers. I hope you understand that moving or installing the unit is still costly with new wiring and refrigerant lines being installed to reach the relocated unit, whichever way you go. Good luck!
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Novena
PRAYER TO THE BLESSED MOTHER (Never Known to Fail)
Oh, most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this necessity. Oh, Star of the Sea, help me and show herein you are my mother.
Oh, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech thee from the bottom of my heart to succor me in this necessity. (Make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh, show me here. in you are my Mother. Oh, Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to thee (3x). Oh Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3x) Sweet Mother I place this cause in your hands (3x). Thank you for your mercy to me and mine. This prayer must be said for 3 days and after, 3 days your request will be granted, and the prayer must be published. Thanks for many favors! S.D..
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It has arrived. Baseball’s opening day.
When I was a kid growing up in Queens, this greatly anticipated moment was my reassurance that all was well with the world. Coinciding with the coming of warm spring weather and the sale of the new season’s edition of baseball cards, it focused the attention of my friends — whether Dodgers, Yankees or Giants fans — first on the upcoming pennant races, and then on the World Series.
pETER KInG
This was the golden age of baseball in New York. During the 11 seasons from 1947 to 1957, the Yankees won nine pennants; my team, the Dodgers, six; and the Giants, two. In every year but one, there was at least one New York team in the World Series, and both teams in the fall classic were from New York eight times.
As far as we were concerned, baseball was New York, and New York was baseball. There was nothing like going to Ebbets Field, Yankee Stadium or the
Polo Grounds and being struck by the colors of bright green grass, white baselines and players’ uniforms that were so intense compared with what we saw on our 12-inch black-and-white television screens. No other sport during that era generated such attention. The football Giants often played before a lot of empty seats in the Polo Grounds, and the Knicks actually played NBA championship games in a National Guard Armory because the circus was using Madison Square Garden.
My friends and I had to take the train to Flushing Meadow to play on grass.
Because there was no grass anywhere in our Sunnyside neighborhood, we adapted with our baseball simulations of stickball, curb ball, stoop ball and punchball or softball on the concrete field in the nearby city park. When we reached age 11, we formed our own team, enrolled it in the PAL and took the Queens 7 line train to Flushing Meadow, which had grass fields. The team’s equipment consisted of two bats and a catcher’s mask. Batting helmets were nonexistent, as were parents, or any adults at all. We were on our own. And if we lost or played badly, there was no one to console us.
Much had changed, of course, by the
time my son, Sean, started playing Little League ball at Seaman’s Neck Park in Seaford in the late 1970s: There were Opening Day parades, grass fields, uniforms, umpires, adult coaches, team batting helmets and stands filled with parents, grandparents and neighbors. That was all new to me, but made for great memories.
I really noticed the differences when, starting in 2013, my grandson Jack began playing, first in the Wantagh Little League and then on Long Island travel teams, including the Chiefs and Titans. The changes that struck me most were the equipment — individual batting helmets and customized bats — and the level of play — 11- and 12-year-olds routinely turning double plays and catching high fly balls. What was unchanged was the level of family support and community enthusiasm, with no Bad News Bears adult tantrums or boorishness.
Travel team baseball was a whole new experience. Not just the higher level of skill, but playing across Long Island and traveling to tournaments in upstate Cooperstown as well as Connecticut, Maryland and even South
Carolina. At every destination, the Long Island kids played well and distinguished themselves.
Now a new baseball season is upon us, from Little League to the major leagues. Much has changed over the years. The Dodgers and Giants abandoned us for California over six decades ago. Major League Baseball, which at one time never played west of St. Louis, has expanded from two eightteam leagues to 30 teams and six divisions, and plays regular-season games in Asia and Europe. There has been a diffusion of intense fan interest beyond baseball to the NFL, NBA and NHL. And there is now an overlap of sports seasons, with the NBA and NHL cutting into months of the baseball schedule.
At the local level, the travel team phenomenon draws away from Little League and high school play. Still, baseball remains strong in New York, with the Mets and Yankees, and especially on Long Island, with our outstanding facilities and, most important, supportive families and communities. I know I’m still enthused and ready. Play ball!
Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Comments? pking@ liherald.com.
Netanyahu is a supporter of one party: himself
Ihave known Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer since 1972. I have watched him grow from being a state assemblyman to one of the most powerful political leaders in the United States. Schumer is a serious and smart lawmaker, and he measures his every word with the greatest of caution. When he speaks, it is well planned, because he is conscious of the fact that the press will hold him accountable for his actions.
JERRY KREMER
Schumer’s recent call for new elections in Israel, and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down, was a do-ordie plea for peace in the Middle East. I have heard some of my friends call Schumer out for that plea, and describe it as dangerous, or even as a form of terrorism, and I have tried to tell them to consider all the facts before they speak.
Netanyahu has been playing political games for as long as I can remember. He
is not some well-meaning leader of a country who is being picked on. To begin with, Bibi, as he is often called, has been in and out of courtrooms in Israel for two years. He has been charged with various forms of corruption. In Israel, cases like his can drag on for years with no resolution.
For the past two years, Bibi has been hopeful that if he can change the way the courts work, his case will be dismissed. He has pushed for a change in the law that would give the country’s legislature, the Knesset, the power to run the courts and end any kind of judicial interference. His efforts to undermine the judicial system have split the country in half and have given rise to massive demonstrations calling for his ouster. To stay in power, he has forged alliances with right-wing leaders who have their own plans to change Israel from a democracy to a banana republic.
er, and has lost the confidence of the people, are 100 percent correct. As a congressional leader, Schumer has every right to speak out on Israel’s political challenges, because America sends billions of dollars to Israel each year and is Israel’s strongest supporter.
C huck Schumer was right: Bibi has lost the confidence of his people.
Schumer’s speech calling for new elections in another country may have stepped over the line, but his claims that Bibi is no longer the nation’s true lead-
If your best friend thinks you have lost your way, he or she has every right to tell you so, out of love, and not any other motive. Schumer has been Israel’s most loyal member of Congress, and has fought off other members who have questioned the need to provide so much aid to other countries.
Israel had every right to invade Gaza after Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, one of the most brutal assaults on any nation. The conduct of Hamas will go down in history as another Holocaust, and there had to be a response to such vicious conduct. Israel responded with an all-out war against a cruel and undisciplined mob that kills and steals from its own people.
The United States has asked Bibi what his plans are for Gaza when the
war is over and Hamas has been defeated, and he has no answer. As long as he stays in power, he can avoid having to face the possibility of going to prison. He has a plan, but it focuses on holding on to his job, even if his country no longer trusts him to be its leader. In the interim, he will try to hold on to power by playing partisan politics.
It’s no secret that Netanyahu has always embraced the American Republican Party. He worked against President Barack Obama, and came to Washington to promote Donald Trump on a number of occasions. He has every intention of holding on to his power in the hope that Trump will be elected again this year.
Bibi will do whatever it takes to keep his job. Schumer spoke out forcefully for one reason, which was to keep Israel a democracy. The world needs Israel to survive, and there is no question that under Netanyahu’s control, its very existence is threatened.
Jerry Kremer was an Assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? jkremer@liherald.com.
they’re good people. They’re strong. And they’re heroes.
That’s how people in New York describe volunteer firefighters, according to a survey conducted by the Firefighters Association of the State of New York. And nearly half of all people who were asked said they would love to become one of these strong, good heroes.
And now they have their chance.
Volunteer fire departments — like the one in your hometown — are opening their doors the weekend of April 13 to not only remind our neighborhoods of how important those fire departments are, but also to help bring more firefighters to the fold.
It’s called RecruitNY weekend, and leading up to it, the firefighters association is asking businesses, government buildings and anyplace else where exteriors are lit to make those lights red to show solidarity with our firefighters.
“The lights symbolize our commitment to a tradition of community help, and a need for more volunteers,” Edward Tase Jr., president of the association, said.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is doing his part, lighting the dome red on the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola in the first two weeks of April. The hope is that other major landmarks across the region and state will light up
To the Editor:
Long Island Rail Road riders have to ask why Phase 2 of the LIRR’s $168 million Jamaica Capacity Improvements wasn’t completed prior to the initiation of full-time service for the $11.6 billion East Side Access to Grand Central Madison in February 2023.
Phase 2 is scheduled to be completed by December 2026. The work will raise maximum allowable train speeds, increase train throughput — the number of trains that can pass through a section of line in a given time — as well as parallel routing capabilities, implement universal 12-car platform capacity and ensure a full state-of-good-repair throughout the Jamaica Station complex. It will include critical work on bridges carrying trains, and expansion of the Hall Interlocking.
Prior to this, there was the $450 million Phase 1 of the Jamaica Capacity Improvements, for which funding was approved in 2010, using grants from the Federal Transit Administration. It included capital improvements in and around the station, encompass -
red as well.
Being a volunteer fire department has been getting tougher. Membership has dropped, while calls have increased. And not because people don’t want to be firefighters — it’s just hard to make that commitment in our busy lives, amid a turbulent economy that requires many of us to work more than we may have in the past to pay the bills.
But there are benefits beyond simply making a difference — and potentially saving lives — to being a volunteer firefighter. And those are benefits worth considering. For example, volunteer firefighters get free training and free equipment, as well as tax breaks and essential insurance coverage — all provided by the Volunteer Firefighter Benefits Law, first passed in 1957.
Some of those tax breaks include income tax credits of $500 to $1,000 per year, as well as property tax reductions of up to 10 percent, assuming your local government has opted in.
And, depending on what individual departments have set up, there could be pension opportunities as well, established through the state’s Length of Service Award Program.
For younger people, there are scholarships and tuition reimbursement available, too.
Of course, becoming a volunteer firefighter isn’t about the financial incentives, although they help. What really
draws most people to serve is a chance to give back to the communities they love in ways they simply can’t do otherwise.
Volunteer firefighters play a crucial role in protecting their homes and neighbors from emergencies and disasters beyond simply putting out fires, although there is nothing simple about that. They are also there for medical emergencies and natural disasters like major storms, always contributing to public safety and well-being.
These days we see firefighters needed to respond to flooded basements, lithium-ion battery fires, downed power lines and car accidents.
Volunteers also get to fulfill a dream many of us have had since the moment we saw a firefighter for the first time. We knew that’s what we wanted to be, too. So why not do it?
Visit your local volunteer fire department next month. See what it’s like to be a firefighter, and how you can make a difference. And then ask where you can sign up.
President George W. Bush once said that “the willingness of America’s volunteer firefighters to risk their lives for others is a testament to the spirit of service that pervades our nation.”
Let’s continue prove him right. Find out how — and where — you can volunteer today. Visit FireInYou.org/volunteer.
ing tracks, signals, third-rail power and interlockings, designed to support increased operational capacity necessary for future service to Grand Central Madi-
son. When the FTA grants were approved, this proposed new service was many years away. Thirteen years was ample time to complete both Phase 1 and 2.
the American Jewish Committee recently released its annual State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report, which revealed that 63 percent of American Jews say the status of Jews in the U.S. is “less secure than a year ago” — a 22-percentagepoint increase in just one year, and a 32-point increase over two years.
Forty-six percent of American Jews say they have changed their behavior out of fear of antisemitism, a jump from 38 percent last year.
While these numbers are daunting and cause for concern, several of the key takeaways from the report, on Holocaust and antisemitism education, are positive.
state offer varying degrees of Holocaust education, in accordance with State Education Department regulations, and we also know that quality Holocaust education has been shown to reduce antisemitism and all forms of hate.
AJC’s report found that 92 percent of American Jews, and 89 percent of all U.S. adults in the Northeast, believe it is important for public schools to invest more resources in teaching age-appropriate lessons about the Holocaust to all students. There is also overwhelming support among both the Jewish community and the general public for teaching modern manifestations of antisemitism in public schools.
We know that schools in New York
Jewish students, however, should not be seen solely through the lens of the Holocaust. We should incorporate the Jewish community in any diversity efforts, and encourage the celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month in May, to promote awareness and appreciation of Jewish contributions to American society.
In addition, over the past several years, school districts across Long Island have implemented character education initiatives to address all forms of hate and racism, and help students understand the consequences of actions and words on others.
It is critical that we also teach about the modern manifestations of antisemitism, not just the historical ones. Since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel, we have seen a steep increase in antisemitic graffiti and incidents in Long Island public schools. This is on top of an already growing problem with anti-
Why wasn’t Phase 2 completed before the service to GCM began? And will its completion increase overall rush hour capacity, including additional Atlantic branch Brooklyn service, and reduce travel time between Jamaica and Penn Station, GCM, Flatbush Avenue, Hunters Point or Long Island City? LIRR commuters, taxpayers, transit advocacy groups and elected officials deserve a detailed explanation from MTA Chairman Janno Lieber and Acting LIRR President Robert Free for why this work was delayed so long.
LARRY PENNER Great Neck
Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a director of the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management.
Mistake-free Medicare?
You’re dreaming, Jerry.
To the Editor:
Re Jerry Kremer’s recent column “Check your Medicare statement carefully”: I think Jerry is naïve to think Medicare will have the time and manpower to investigate billing
semitism here and nationwide.
Given that antisemitism is often not well understood, education is crucial in fostering an environment with zero tolerance for anti-Jewish bigotry and all forms of hate. It is also critical to reassure Jewish families that districts see them in this moment, and are prioritizing their children’s safety and well-being. Several Jewish organizations, including AJC, offer training for students, teachers and administrators.
In these moments of uncertainty and anxiety for American Jewry, it is also important to consider what is being reported when Israel is in the news more than usual, as has been the case since Oct. 7. Criticism of Israel is not inherently antisemitic. In fact, it is a feature of its democracy, and Israelis do it all the time. But there are occasions when antiIsrael rhetoric can become antisemitic, including statements that deny the Jewish people’s right to self-determination.
sau and Suffolk counties, New York state and the federal government, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic, but, for example, “applying double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation” does cross that line.
The IHRA definition can be helpful in evaluating whether antisemitism exists in school settings. Establishing a system to report antisemitism and all forms of hate, reviewing and publicizing key school policies, including social media, and communicating with families when antisemitism and hate occur are also vital.
The more we all know about antisemitism, the more we can identify it, fight it and keep it on the fringe of society. When that happens, not only Jews will feel more secure, we all will.
scams, like the one he detailed involving catheters, when they are devoting resources to denying reimbursement for preventive services that are listed in their handbook. I will explain.
I recently had a PSA test whose reimbursement was denied because of a billing code error. I am 77 years old, and per Page 49 of the Medicare handbook, this is a preventive service to which I am entitled every 12 months.
I did not have this test for several years. I called Medicare to get the service reimbursed, and was told I had to get a letter from my doctor explaining the need for the service, and with that document to file an appeal. This meant the doctor had to send me a letter, and I had to fill out a claim form and mail it to Medicare. Medicare now has to evaluate the appeal and rule on it.
The request for an appeal for coverage of this preventive service couldn’t be approved with a phone call, even after I was transferred to two different people with hold times of roughly 20 minutes. Everyone I spoke to on the phone agreed that it didn’t make sense, but they had no authority to approve the service, even though it’s listed in their manual as one that’s covered.
LEWIS ALTMAN MerrickAs noted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Working Definition of Antisemitism, which has been adopted by the AJC and major American Jewish organizations, Nas-
Eric Post is the Long Island director of the American Jewish Committee. Bob Vecchio is the executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association.
Framework by Tim Baker
