Oyster Bay Herald 04-14-2023

‘Cooking for a Cure’ event raises $100,000

By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com

Supporters in the fight to end diabetes in America met for the annual Cooking for a Cure event at the Crescent Beach Club in Bayville on March 29, which raised $100,000.

Spring is bursting forth in Oyster Bay

Now is the time to take a leisurely stroll or drive throughout the hamlet and the surrounding villages to see the beauty of spring. The grounds of Sagamore Hill have many blossoming trees. See photos of other locations not to be missed on Page 10.

Bill Bleyer’s new book focuses on tragic tale of the Lexington

By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com

Before the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history was the destruction of the steamboat the Lexington, which sank in 1840, with a loss of 139 lives. Although few now remember the tale of the Lexington, local author and former Newsday staff writer Bill Bleyer, of Bayville, hopes to change that with his new book, “The Sinking of the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound.”

The Lexington was a paddlewheel steamboat that transported passengers and cargo across the Sound starting in 1835. The ship was commissioned and designed by Cornelius Vanderbilt, the patriarch of the business dynasty, and was considered one of the most cutting-edge vessels of its time.

The ship’s smokestack caught fire on the night of Jan. 13, 1840, while it was sailing from New York to Stonington, Connecticut, with 143 passengers and crew, as well as 150 bales of cotton. All but four of the people on board were killed in the ensuing conflagra-

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The reception, held for the first time since 2019, featured dinner, drinks, music and raffle prizes, all with the backdrop of Bayville water views for an evening benefiting the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

The World Health Organization describes diabetes as a metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose, which leads to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves.

The WHO estimates that more than 37 million people in the United States have diabetes, and one in five don’t know they have it. It is the seventh-leading cause of death in the U.S., and in the last 20 years, the number

of adults diagnosed with it has more than doubled as the American population has aged and become more overweight or obese.

The life-changing disease affects people of all demographics. Dara Melnick, one of the event’s honorees, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes — formerly called juvenile diabetes — when she was 8 years old, in the early 1990s. Her symptoms started with weight gain, which led to a diabetic coma while visiting her grandparents in Florida. Melnick was hospitalized for a week.

Hearing her diagnosis, the first question she asked her parents was if she could still eat Oreo cookies. She was told she needed to change her lifestyle immediately, including her eating habits. She could no longer eat cupcakes with her fellow classmates, and instead, had to eat an apple. And Melnick was also prescribed five to eight insulin

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Elisa Dragotto/Herald

E ven if you’re not a diabetic, a lot of the life changes that come with this lifestyle are beneficial.

ALEX KENNEDY Sea Cliff

New research led to insights on Lexington story

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tion, drowned or died of hypothermia.

Bleyer said he first came across the story of the Lexington in the mid-1990s, when he was working on a series for Newsday on local maritime stories. While researching shipwrecks around Long Island, he said, he was amazed by the tragic tale and the dogged resilience of the four survivors.

“When I stumbled across the Lexington, I thought to myself, ‘Wow, this is a pretty amazing story,’” Bleyer recalled. “I actually did a full page in the series on the Lexington disaster; the fire and how the four people survived was so interesting.”

This isn’t Bleyer’s first time writing about the Lexington. He also mentioned it in his fourth book, “Long Island and the Sea,” a maritime history of Long Island, in a chapter on shipwrecks, but he knew even then he wasn’t done with the story.

It was during the pandemic that Bleyerwas able to tell the tale in its entirety. He had intended to write a book about Roosevelt landmarks on Long Island, but with libraries and avenues for research closed to him, he turned his attention to the Lexington.

“It dawned on me that I could probably do something else in the meantime, because this was not going to happen during the pandemic,” Bleyer said. “I called my editor at The History Press and I said, ‘While I’m waiting to do this other book, I think I have enough information now to do a whole book on the Lexington,’ and it turned out they

had a whole series of shipwreck books, so it fit right into that series.”

While he was writing about and researching the Lexington, Bleyer was able to find and incorporate previously overlooked documents and new research. One such example was the work of Ben Roberts, a scuba diver who helps find lost ships using side scan sonar. Roberts found the remains of the Lexington off the coast of Port Jefferson and recorded its dimensions and state.

Bleyer also found a copy of the coroner’s report of the legal battle that followed the sinking of the ship, when much of the blame for the disaster fell on the ship’s owners and crew. The destruction of the vessel was attributed mostly to the carelessness of the crew and the shortsightedness of the owners — Vanderbilt had sold the ship to another company three years before it sank — but Bleyer said he was amazed to find that the coroner’s account of the trial largely disproved these claims, and that the fire was accidental.

“The most interesting thing that I found was that people claimed it was an old, aging ship that wasn’t properly maintained and that the 150 bales of cotton weren’t safe cargo, which I actually had in the early drafts of the book,” Bleyer said, “but when I started doing the research, I found a lot of expert testimony that got ignored, and that there was really a lot of hysteria at the time, and a belief that people needed to be punished, basically knee-jerk blaming of the crew and company.”

Will Sheeline/Herald

‘THE SINKING OF the Steamboat Lexington on Long Island Sound’ is Bill Bleyer’s sixth book, and the third that focuses on maritime history on and around Long Island.

Whiskey plank placed in restored Ida May ship

By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com

The final plank has been placed in the hull of the restored historical ship the Ida May, marking a major milestone in the building process, and bringing the team of shipwrights and volunteers one step closer to finishing the project. With the hull complete only a few steps remain before the Ida May will once again be prowling the waters in Oyster Bay Harbor.

The original Ida May was built in 1925 as part of the fleet of Frank M. Flower & Sons. The ship was one of the first oyster dredges powered by an engine in the Sound and helped gather oysters in the harbor for roughly 75 years before it had to be retired.

Since 2009 local volunteers from the Christeen Oyster Sloop Preservation Corporation and professional shipwrights have been building a replica of the historic vessel. Now with the placing of the final plank of the outer hull, known colloquially as the “whiskey plank” because of how back in the day shipwrights would refuse to put it in place unless provided with whiskey by their employer, the final stages of the reconstruction process can be complete.

To celebrate the placing of the whiskey plank, a large crowd of the many volunteers and shipwrights who have worked on the vessel as well as their families and friends gathered to enjoy some snacks and drinks and watch the placing of the whiskey plank.

“The procedure here is that we have the last plank, known as the shutter plank, as well as the whiskey plank,” said George Lindsay, president of the Christeen Corporation’s Board of Director’s, “but we’re all going to have a chance to participate.”

Josh Herman, the head shipwright of the project, explained how he would be placing the whiskey plank, which he said he had been taught was called the shutter plank because, “it shuts the hull.” They invited the volunteers and their guests to right their names onto the dowels they would be using to secure the plank, so that their names would always be a part of the ship.

Herman also went on to explain more about the importance of placing the whiskey plank on the ship, as it is one of the final stages of the ship construction process. While the ship will not get on the water until May 3, much of the major infrastructure work is now complete, leaving only the painting and finishing of the interior before the Ida May will be seaworthy again.

“The moment this plank is in, the last one, the boat will float,” Herman said. “So it’s a big deal because it’s no longer a thing you’re building, it’s actually a complete vessel.”

Will Sheeline/Herald photos

WHILE THE HULL has been finished, there is still a lot of work to be done on the Ida May before it can get onto the water again.

HEAD SHIPWRIGHT JOSH Herman, above, explained the importance of the whiskey plank, or shutter plank as he called it, in the shipbuilding process.

GEORGE LINDSAY, PRESIDENT of the board of the Christeen Oyster Sloop Preservation Corporation, thanked attendees for coming to the momentous occasion.

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Raging fire destroys a house in Brookville

A fire ravaged a house in Brookville on Sunday, which destroyed the attic and the second floor before being put out by roughly 80 firefighters. The fire took roughly three and a half hours to put out, leaving two firefighters with non-life threatening injuries.

The East Norwich Fire Department was the respondent and therefore lead department battling the blaze, although 13 trucks from across 10 different departments showed up to help stop the flames from spreading.

Todd Cronin, East Norwich’s first assistant chief, said neither the homeowners or their two dogs were injured.

“Second Assistant Chief Sean Cronin was first on the scene, and he radioed back and let everybody know the roof and second floor were fully involved,” Cronin said. “From what I understand the family was home, but they did manage to get out of the house with their two dogs.”

The fire caused the attic and second floor to completely collapse within 25 minutes of the first truck’s arriv-

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al. With the unseasonably warm temperatures the area has been experiencing the last few months, dehydration was a serious concern for the firefighters.

“I mean we always worry about dehydration,” Cronin continued, “that’s why we have numerous ambulances on standby that do rehab with all the members.”

In addition to the firefighters on the scene, there were also Arson Bomb Squad detectives and a Nassau County Police Department investigator. According to a release from the NCPD, there is an ongoing investigation into the cause of the fire, although the release did not specify if they were considering foul play.

The release also added that the home’s chimney appears to have been faulty and led to the cause of the fire, but the investigation is still ongoing.

When asked if he thought that the house would be salvageable, Cronin expressed serious doubts that it could be saved owing to the loss of structural integrity from the collapse of the upper floors.

NEWS BRIEFS

Town offers paid internship opportunities for college students

The Town of Oyster Bay will once again be offering internship opportunities for college students who are looking to gain meaningful work experience through an internship program being for the 2023 summer season.

“Internships give students an advantage over other job seekers when it comes to work readiness, and I am proud that the town will once again provide that opportunity for our residents,” Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said. “This internship program provides an invaluable opportunity for students to receive mentorship and supervision from experienced government professionals.”

This federally-funded program compensates students at a rate of $18 per hour for work completed within various Town departments. Students will work 19.5 hours per week, and the program will run from June 1 to Aug. 9.

College students interested in internship opportunities must apply by April 17. Applicants must submit a resume with their application, available at oysterbaytown.com/internship.

Completed applications and resumes should be submitted to personnel@oysterbay-ny.gov.

For information, call (516) 797-4583 or email personnel@oysterbay-ny.gov.

Collection drive to support veterans

The Town of Oyster Bay will host a “Spring into Action” Collection Drive in support of the Northport VA Medical Center. During the month of April, residents are invited to donate toiletries and clothing.

“From hosting veteran appreciation events to recognizing their service with Hometown Heroes Banners in our parks, the Town of Oyster Bay is committed to honoring veterans for their service to our nation,” Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said. “Please join this mission to help bring the comforts of home to veterans living at the Northport VA Hospital by making a donation to our collection drive during the month of April.”

Needed items include: toiletries, clothing (men’s underwear size 2XL and 3XL, men’s sweat suits size 2XL and 3XL, socks, flip flops, pajamas and scarves), and entertainment (magazines, movies and CDs, especially greatest hits of the 1950’s and ‘60’s).

“When I learned that the Northport VA has a ‘Wish List of items their veterans need, I knew Supervisor Saladino and the town board would spring into action with me to help ensure these needs are met,” Town Clerk Rich LaMarca said.

The town’s collection drive will run through the month of April. Collection bins will be available on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at Town Hall North, 54 Audrey Ave., Oyster Bay.

Reince Priebus

Steve Israel

George Santos update

Rep. Santos opposes Donald Trump’s indictment

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

The New York Young Republicans Club organized a rally at Collect Pond Park on April 4 in support of former President Donald Trump, who sat across the street, in a Manhattan criminal courtroom, and pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of filing false business records.

Amid a small sea of “Make America Great Again” hats and “Trump 2024” flags were U.S. Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and George Santos — prominent Trump loyalists who have openly voted for and endorsed the former president.

“I stood by Trump from the moment he came down the escalator,” Santos said on Twitter. “I voted for him in the primary and twice for president in the general elections. Today I showed up, because that’s what real supporters do, they show up for your best and your worse days.”

Santos and Greene reportedly made quick exits after briefly appearing at the rally. Santos blamed the media for making it “unbearable” for him to stay. He was approached by “Daily Show” correspondent Jordan Klepper, who, in a video segment, jokingly said, “If anybody can get Donald Trump off today, it’s America’s lead defense attorney, George Santos.”

As Santos was swarmed by reporters, Klepper poked fun at the New York fabulist by asking him about his “volleyball career” and if Santos could talk

about his “law degrees.”

The New York Young Republicans Club, a citybased organization for those ages 18 to 40, is known for its staunch support of Trump. It made national news when it held a gala in December 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, before vaccines were widely available, at which masks and social distancing were not encouraged.

Santos was an honoree at the organization’s December 2022 gala, at which its president, Gavin Wax, told other Republicans and white nationalists in the room to brace for “total war” on the political left. Vish Burra, Santos’ director of operations, is the club’s vice president.

On Twitter, Santos made a Politico photo of him at the rally, surrounded by reporters and photographers, his account banner image. “Trump 2024” is also listed in his Twitter bio. He previously tweeted that he believed that every Republican in Nassau County should be calling on the Nassau GOP to “stop interfering in the presidential primary.”

Santos currently faces federal investigations by the House Ethics Committee, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and the Nassau County district attorney.

“Weaponizing the justice system to target a political rival is a clear danger to our country and democracy,” Santos said on Twitter, before the rally. “If they can do this to President Trump, imagine what they will do to us.”

LIJ Medical Center is in the top 10% of hospitals nationally for oncology, according to U.S.News&WorldReport.

Our doctors are raising health by pioneering innovative approaches to cancer — from novel chemotherapy techniques to first-in- the-nation robotic mastectomies with minimal scarring. Because when it comes to cancer, there’s no status quo. There’s only “how far can we go?”

Herald file photo

U.S. REP. GEORGE Santos is not wavering when it comes to supporting former President Donald Trump’s re-election bid.

Diabetics share their life-changing stories

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injections daily until a new treatment, an insulin pump, became available when she was in her mid 20s.

“You’re doing the work as a diabetic what your pancreas does for everybody else that works,” Melnick said. “You are becoming your organ.”

Medical costs associated with diabetes are twice as high than for people who don’t have the disease, leaving people like Katheryn Paolillo, who was diagnosed at 18, angry about the cost of the lifesaving medication.

When Paolillo turns 26 later this year, she will no longer be eligible to be covered under her mother’s health insurance, forcing her to pay more than the $80 for a three-month supply of insulin. Paolillo wears a glucose monitor, which sends updates to her phone every five minutes.

Soon after Paolillo was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, she and the rest of her family and friends became involved in multiple events to raise money for the DRI Foundation, a passion that continues to grow as the Paolillos devote more of their time and energy to raising money and awareness so that a cure can be found.

Diabetes can be mistaken for other conditions, which nearly cost 25-year-old Sea Cliff resident Alex Kennedy his life. In December 2022, Kennedy felt his heart racing and saw his doctor, who suspected his increased heart rate was the result of a defective asthma inhaler. Kennedy couldn’t walk upstairs in his apartment without feeling exhausted.

In February, Kennedy underwent blood tests, and was told by his doctor the following day go to the emergency room. He was experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication from Type 1 diabetes where his blood produced excessive acid. He was hospitalized for 55 hours.

When Kennedy first received the diagnosis, he felt devastated, but said the diagnosis was a catalyst for living a healthier life. Organizations like the Diabetes Research Institute bring him comfort, he said, since he can talk with other diabetics about their experiences.

“It’s really not the end of the world by any stretch of the imagination,” Kennedy said. “So long as you’re willing to make changes and recognize that it’s for the better. Even if you’re not a diabetic, a

lot of the life changes that come with this lifestyle are beneficial.”

Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, a DRI Foundation board member and event co-chair, has her own personal connection to the

cause – her daughter Amanda was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 3 years old. Since then, she been an outspoken advocate for diabetes awareness, treatment and research, and remains a prolific fundraiser who has helped to

Facts about diabetes

■ 37.3 million people have diabetes, which is 11.3 percent of the U.S. population.

■ 8.5 million people who have the disease are undiagnosed

■ 96 million people 18 or older have pre-diabetes, which is 38 percent of the adult U.S. population.

■ 26.4 million people aged 65 or older have pre-diabetes

–Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

raise more than $1 million toward a cure.

“Like so many parents, when I first learned that my daughter had diabetes, I felt unsure where to turn or how to move forward but thanks to the amazing group of families at the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, we received the resources and support that helped my daughter thrive,” DeRiggi-Whitton said.

Tim Baker/Herald photos

THE TRIO CRAIG and the Good Causes performed at the fundraiser.

BILL, FAR LEFT, Carol and Kathryn Paolillo were among the evening’s honorees. They were joined by their friend Jonathan Capobianco to raise awareness of diabetes research.

Cameron Engineering merges with IMEG

In what is expected to bring together decades of experience and passion, one of New York’s leading consulting planning and engineering firms — Cameron Engineering — is merging with IMEG Corp. It brings Cameron into one of the nation’s largest engineering firms, allowing the Woodbury-based company a chance to bring its strong client base and presence in the greater New York region to IMEG’s 75 U.S. office locations spanning from Boston to California.

“This comes after 38 years of being totally independent,” said John Cameron, the company’s founder. The merger “positions us for growth for the future, and provides sustainability and a future for my succeeding leadership and all my people here.”

resides in Rockville Centre.

“I really have a great staff here, and empower them to show a little more of what they could do.”

Cameron will continue to manage the firm with Joe Amato, lead ing a team that includes experienced engineering professionals like Nick Kumbatovic, Mike Hults and Rich Zapolski.

“The company we’re merging with is 100 percent employee-owned,” Cameron added. “So, it also gives all my people an opportunity to own stock, and many of them are interested in that.

John Cameron

In fact, in the first week that we’ve merged, over 30 people have already signed on to purchase stock. So, it’s very exciting for me and for my people, too, and we’re all really looking forward to it.”

Cameron Engineering started off with a part-time secretary before growing over the next three decades to more than 100 people with not only headquarters on Long Island, but a major presence in Manhattan as well.

“It provides some security for everybody, and also enables me to sort of elevate the next tier of leadership and let them take more responsibilities,” said Cameron, who grew up in Long Beach but

That enthusiasm goes both ways.

“We are excited to continue our east coast expansion and add Cameron Engineering & Associates to our team,” said Paul VanDuyne, IMEG’s president and chief executive, in a release. “Their fullservice capabilities and market sector expertise align perfectly with IMEG, allowing us to serve more clients as a New York corporation.”

–Brendan Carpenter

Polypharmacy in Older Adults

According to the National Institute on Aging (NIA) polypharmacy is the use of multiple drugs to treat diseases and other health conditions. Polypharmacy is common in older adults, many of whom have two or more chronic conditions, and about a third of whom take five or more prescription drugs. Often, these different powerful drugs have been prescribed by different doctors. Some drugs mask or neutralize others, some are dangerously incompatible with others and some may worsen conditions that naturally occur in the aging population -- such as loss of appetite, less efficient digestive systems and increased cardiovascular risk.

Inappropriate polypharmacy -- the use of excessive or unnecessary medications -- increases the risk of adverse drug effects, including falls and cognitive impairment. Harmful drug interactions and drug-disease interactions may also occur, where a medication prescribed to treat one condition worsens or creates a new one.

Enter the new field of “deprescribing”. The NIA is developing a network of scientists to

advance the field of deprescribing to improve the quality of care and health outcomes for older adults. According to Parag Goyal, MD, “despite its role as an integral part of patientcentric and goal-concordant prescribing practice, deprescribing is not frequently incorporated into routine clinical practice”.

In seeking to view medications in a way that is more patient-centered and less disease-oriented and guideline-driven, the NIA advises talking to your doctors about deprescribing if you feel a drug is not working or is causing harmful side effects. Make sure to bring a list of all medications you are currently taking, prescription and over-thecounter. Ask if there are any that may not be necessary.

For the American Geriatrics Society’s (AGS) list of medications that older people should avoid or use with caution, google “Beers List”. The Beers List is recommended for assessing your medications, however AGS advises not to stop taking any medication without talking to your doctor first.

More pot licenses coming, but not so much here

By BRENDAN CARPENTER bcarpenter@liherald.com

There are nearly two-dozen more conditional cannabis dispensary licenses on their way to Long Island. But thanks to local pushback in a number of Nassau County communities, chances are very low one will pop up near you.

The state released the licenses as part of a broader effort that could lead to 100 more legal dispensaries across the state. For Nassau and Suffolk counties, the 23 planned licenses join the 13 already here.

The conditional licensees are only allowed to sell directly to a consumer.

Albany officials haven’t shared exactly where these dispensaries will end up, but at least one of the licenses was awarded to a Bay Shore husband and wife, according to Newsday. Where else they can end up is actually a small list. Right now, only five Nassau villages allow dispensaries: Oyster Bay Cove, Kings Point, Mill Neck, Plandome and Saddle Rock.

In Suffolk, communities permitting recreational marijuana dispensaries include Brookhaven, Babylon and Riverhead.

Long Beach, for example, has not approved a dispensary, although it has held a public hearing on the matter — a contentious issue in the city. Glen Cove and Oyster Bay, Valley Stream, Lynbrook and Freeport have opted out, among most other municipalities. Any of them are allowed to opt-in at any time, but once they do, “there is no going back,” said Phillip Rumsey, manager of intergovernmental affairs for the state’s cannabis management office.

The other conditional adult-use retail dispensary licenses include four for western New York, one for the central region, three for Brooklyn, and five for the Mid-

Hudson area.

There are now 165 approved licenses across the state, although many municipalities — like New York City are filled with hundreds of unlicensed establishments, meeting very little resistance from law enforcement officials.

As of now, the cannabis board has granted at least one license in each region, except for the Finger Lakes.

The conditional licenses are issued as part of the Seeding Opportunity Initiative introduced by Gov. Kathy Hochul last year. Through the initiative, business owners that were impacted by old drug laws will benefit first. Those convicted or related to someone convicted of a marijuana-related offense — or nonprofit organizations who support people imprisoned for such offences — are able to get the licenses ahead of others.

Tremaine Wright, chair of the Cannabis Control Board, said the new licenses “will allow entrepreneurs to fairly participate in the legal market while promoting innovation and creative diversity throughout New York’s ever-growing cannabis supply chain.”

New York lawmakers legalized recreational marijuana in 2021 for adults 21 and older. It grants them the right to possess up to 3 ounces of cannabis, or a small quantity of concentrated cannabis. The state also expunged nonviolent criminal records related to cannabis in the past.

Licensees are allowed to open dispensaries on Long Island, but still need sign-off on any specific locations. Storefronts need to be approved and cannot have any neon or bright signs advertising any of their products, such as a giant marijuana leaf.

Each dispensary also needs to have darkened windows, or otherwise prevent the activity and products inside from being seen from outside. They also cannot be placed closer than 200 feet from any house of worship, and 55 feet from a school.

Each one must also be at least 4,000 feet apart from another, which will prevent a “Starbucks effect,” with one on every corner, officials said.

Licensees can work with a social equity fund to find spaces in communities to open shop or find them independently. The Cannabis Control Board additionally approved one laboratory permit for Certainty Analytical Labs in Rochester, bringing that number up to 13.

Metro Creative

ThE sTATE’s CANNABis control board recently approved nearly 100 more conditional cannabis dispensary licenses, with 23 coming to Long Island. But don’t expect too many to pop up in your neighborhood — if any.

Letter from Liberty New York Water’s President

Dear Valued Customers:

Liberty has been the local water company serving Nassau County and Upstate New York for just over a year now. We value our customers and thank you for the opportunity to be your water service provider.

We are working hard to get to know and earn the respect and trust of our new customers and stakeholders; engage and support the communities we serve; and be open, transparent, and accountable.

To that end, we have completed or are making progress on several key initiatives (noted below) to positively impact our customers’ experience.

o Local Customer Call Center – Last year, Liberty hired and trained 16 local Long Island residents—many of whom live in the communities we serve—to staff our new call center, which went live last November. We believe it is important for our customers to engage with customer service representatives who are local and familiar with the areas we serve.

o Local Customer Walk-In Center – Liberty is on track to open a new walk-in customer center before year end. The walk-in center will be located at our Merrick Office and will provide customers opportunities to engage with our customer service team and other Liberty staff in-person.

o Public Outreach – Last year, we established a public outreach program to share information with and solicit feedback from our customers and stakeholders. So far, we have completed more than 60 meetings with stakeholders, local elected officials, and customers, including four customer town halls. In May, we will start another round of extensive public outreach throughout our service territory both to receive your feedback and explain ongoing regulatory efforts.

One of Liberty’s top priorities is to ensure our water service is safe and reliable. We would like to recognize our employees—many of whom are proud members of Utility Workers Union of America Locals 355 and 365—whose professionalism, commitment, and dedication make it possible for us to provide safe and reliable water service for our customers.

One of the biggest challenges for the water industry and Liberty today and into the future centers on replacing and upgrading critical, aging water system infrastructure, improving water quality, and keeping pace with emerging containments in our water supply. Over the last five years, our company made great progress, investing over $265

million in system improvements and replacements. In the next five years, Liberty plans to spend another $270 million in improving and upgrading our water systems. These capital investments are necessary to maintain safe, reliable, and compliant water service for our customers now and into the future.

Finally, Liberty recognizes that top of mind for our customers is affordable water service. To this end, we are doing everything possible to control costs, achieve efficiencies in our operations, and, where required, earnestly engage with key stakeholders interested in municipalizing portions of our water system. Moreover, we have launched the following key initiatives that, if successful, will provide direct rate relief to customers:

o Special Franchise Tax – Special franchise taxes continue to constitute approximately 25% of our customers’ monthly water bill. While these taxes provide funding to your local towns, villages, special districts, and public schools, they do not provide any direct benefit to the water service Liberty provides you. We are working with elected State officials, including the Governor, to advance several initiatives to provide rate relief to our customers by reducing the amount of the special franchise taxes our customers pay on their monthly water bills.

o Water Infrastructure Grants and Low Interest Loans –We are working with our regulators and elected officials to change State law so that Liberty and other private water companies are afforded the same opportunity and access that municipal water service providers have to taxpayer-funded grants and low-interest loans to finance needed water infrastructure and water quality improvements.

We value our customers and want our customers to know that we are working hard every day to improve their experience, keep their water service safe and reliable, and pursue opportunities to provide rate relief. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please contact our local customer call center at 1-877-426-6999 or visit our webpage, www.libertyenergyandwater.com

Sincerely,

Chris Alario President, Liberty New York Water

Spring evident all over town

The hamlet and surrounding villages have maintained the presence of flowering trees, unlike other parts of Nassau County where trees have been cut down due to their age or disease.

During the summer taking a drive on a tree-lined street is a treat on the North Shore, when so many trees are flowering. There are magnolias, cherry, dogwood

and crabapple trees to be discovered on leisurely walks or driving and they are right in your own backyard. And spring flowers are also abundant, sometime in the same area. On a recent drive through Locust Valley the tulips and daffodils were abundant. Take a drive this weekend or a walk in your hometown. It might just be the highlight of your weekend.

IT MAY BE hard for drivers to focus on the road when traveling on Feeks Lane in Locust Valley where the beauty of spring is everywhere.

Elisa Dragotto/Herald photos

THE THEODORE ROOSEVELT monument is even more stunning surrounded by blossoming trees.

BENCHES HAVE BEEN placed near a magnolia tree at Sagamore Hill where visitors can relax.

MANY KOI CAN now be seen in Koi Pond at the Planting Field’s Heather Garden.

STEPPING OUT

STEPPING OUT

Creative advocacy

on with the kids

Preschool fave Laurie Berkner goes solo

By Karen Bloom

he remains at the top of the children’s entertainment scene. Acclaimed as the “The Adele of the preschool crowd” or the “Queen of kindie rock,” Laurie Berkner is an industry unto herself. The first recording artist to perform in music videos on Nick Jr., her original songs, music videos, books, and three original off-Broadway musicals have made her ubiquitous in American households.

like it and whether I’m going to connect to them through it,” Berkner said. “I’m also thinking about whether I want to sing it over and over again, so I guess that’s the part that connects with adults. I guess I’m channeling my inner child.”

By Karen Bloom

Wish You Were Here

WHERE WHEN

• Sunday, April 30, 11 a.m.

The former preschool music teacher by day and indie rocker by night, Berkner started selling music out of her living

• Saturday and Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

• $30-$75, plus applicable fees; available at TheSpaceAtWestbury.com

room on her own label, Two Tomatoes Records.

struggling to cope in a world turned upside down.

And her outpouring of music continued throughout the pandemic. Berkner was a source of stability and much needed entertainment — in her comforting way — for her young audience through virtual concerts. Daily during the first months of pandemic lockdown — then monthly, which still continue — Berkner reached families struggling to cope in a world turned upside down.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” she says. “Families started watching. So many kids were not in school and not getting music time. It was very intimate and a way to get us through the pandemic. The comments I received were so special. Families would tell me: ‘We see you in our homes, now we want to see you in person.’”

The

That moment has arrived again — to the delight both Berkner and her fans. She performs a solo concert — only her second show postpandemic on Long Island — at The Space in Westbury on April 30.

Billed as a “Greatest Hits” concert, it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the release of her second album “Buzz Buzz.”

concert — only her second show postIsland comprised,” she adds. “So it took so

“Many of my fans are disabled and immunocomprised,” she adds. “So it took a while to be able to get back to doing live shows safely. It feels so good to be moving around again in-person.”

That’s a Laurie Berkner concert. She wants her young fans in the groove with her throughout the duration of the show’s 75 minutes. “I squeeze every ounce of energy I can out of these kids,” she says.

• The Space at Westbury,

• Emily Lowe Hall Gallery, South Campus, Hempstead.

“When We All Stand,” Hofstra University Museum of Art’s new exhibition, examines Curated by Alexandra Giordano — the museum’s assistant director of exhibition and collection — the exhibit underscores artists’ civic responsibility and influence.

“It highlights the vital role that artists have in activating democratic values that promise equality and freedom, encouraging civic engagement, and cultivating unity,” Giordano says. “Artists often lead the charge and expose truths that may otherwise be ignored. The artists in this exhibition take a stand and call out injustices through their art and activism on issues such as immigration, gender, reproductive rights, mass incarceration, voting rights, racial bias, gun violence, and promises unfulfilled. They all combine the making of art with public service that has a grassroots approach in the hope of mobilizing their communities and the nation to ignite movement, create awareness, and inspire others to

Now, the veritable dynamo is seemingly everywhere. In addition to her 15 bestselling, awardwinning albums, her off-Broadway musicals, Berkner helped develop the short-form animated musical preschool series “Sing It, Laurie!” on Sprout TV. She has created two Laurie Berkner’s Song and Story Kitchen series with Audible Studios, who released them as 10-chapter audio books through the Audible Originals brand. And, of course, they’ll be more to come.

“These projects are all great fun to work on,” she says.

This exhibit, which runs through July 28, is in conjunction with Hofstra’s 13th presidential conference on the Barack Obama presidency coming up in April.

“We were interested in the idea that the artist has a civic responsibility,” says museum director Karen Albert. “The initial idea for this exhibition was inspired by an Obama Administration White House briefing that took place on May 12, 2009, where more than 60 artists and creative organizers met with administration officials to discuss the collective power of the arts to build community, create change, and chart a pathway for national recovery in the areas of social justice, civic participation and

But the best part of it all, she says, is the ongoing connection with families. “I’m creating a memory that will stay with them and become part of their life. I have new parents who heard my songs when they were little and now bring their kids to see me. That feels really special.”

Finally, Berkner reminds her fans (who really don’t need a reminder): “Don’t forget bring your dancing shoes and an animal for your head!”

To that end, unlike other recent exhibits that showcased the museum’s permanent collection, Giordano reached out to contemporary artists who loaned the museum their selected works. Some 36 pieces are on view — representing all media — from Emma Amos, Molly Crabapple and the Equal Justice Initiative, For Freedoms, Miguel Luciano, Michele Pred, Hank Willis Thomas, and Sophia

Go over the moon with Wish You Were Here’s celebration of 50 years of the ground-breaking musical masterpiece ‘The Dark Side of the Moon.’ With the iconic album as its anchor, the 10-piece band, known as ‘The Sight and Sound of Pink Floyd,’ continues its 28-year tradition as a leading Pink Floyd tribute act, combining sight and sound to capture the mood, emotions and intensity of the Floydian theatrical concert experience. The show’s unique setlist includes Floyd classics and obscurities of all eras — from ‘Syd’ to ‘The Division Bell.’ The entire Pink Floyd canon is represented, including classic favorites from ‘Wish You Were Here,’ ‘Animals’ and ‘The Wall,’ along with showstopping deep tracks for the true Floyd fanatics. The spectacular multi-media stage production adds to the experience, with moving lights and lasers, vintage videos, flying inflatables, sound effects, wall bricks, and more.

Saturday, April 15, 8 p.m. $66, $46, $36. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville. Tickets available at TillesCenter.org, or (516) 299-3100.

Isaac Mizrahi

She’ll perform all the beloved tunes like “Bumblebee (Buzz Buzz)” and “Pig On Her Head,” along with such well-loved hits as “Victor Vito,” “We Are the Dinosaurs,” “Rocketship Run,” and “The Goldfish (Let’s Go Swimming).” And more recent fan favorites including“Superhero,” “Waiting for the Elevator,” and “Chipmunk at the Gas Pump.”

“The way our climate is now, this exhibit could not be more timely than

Among the highlights, she points to the series of prints from the collective For Freedoms. Their four large scale photos are based on Norman Rockwell’s 1943 oil paintings inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address that outlined what he considered the essential four democratic values freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. For Freedoms has interpreted these iconic works for our era.

From the get-go, her audience is fully in sync.“I draw everyone in — running, dancing, jumping. Almost every song choice has something the kids can do movement-wise. They can jump, spin, blast off. This is definitely not a ‘sit down and watch me’ show.”

energy I can out of these kids,” she says. She’ll perform all the beloved tunes in speaks to kids without talking down to them, charming youngsters

“It’s the same composition,” Albert says. “From 1940s America, these (works) show what America is today, our diversity and what we look

Berkner, based in New York City with her band, is acclaimed as the star of children’s music and the power behind the progressive “kindie rock” movement — less saccharine, more rocking music that is not dumbed down for children. What sets her apart? Her music speaks to kids without talking down to them, charming youngsters without boring grown-ups.

As always the museum offers additional programming to enhance the exhibit experience. Upcoming events include an artist panel on Feb. 23, which examines the role of the artist as activist, and a gallery tour with Alexandra Giordano, March 16.

But it wasn’t simply talent that helped create an entire genre and skyrocketed Berkner to the top of the kids’ music scene. It was an ability to gain parents’ enthusiasm for the songs as well.

“When I’m writing a song, I’m thinking about whether the kids will

His talent goes way beyond fashion. Adelphi University welcomes the famed designer and ‘Project Runway All-Stars’ judge Isaac Mizrahi to the stage. Fresh off his Broadway debut in ‘Chicago’ and his sold-out annual two-week residency at the legendary Cafe Carlyle, Mizrahi shares stories and songs from his 30-plus years in the entertainment industry, accompanied by his jazz band, led by Ben Waltzer. Mizrahi sings a range of tunes from the Great American Songbook classics to contemporary standards. Expect him to offer his hilarious musings on everything of the moment from politics to dieting to his latest Instagram obsessions.

Saturday, April 22, 8 p.m. Tickets start at $60, with discounts available to seniors, students, alumni and employees. Adelphi University Performing Arts Center Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave., Garden City. (516) 877-4000 or Adelphi.edu/pac.

Can art change the world? It’s a question that’s been at the focus of our collective culture for centuries. Now as society navigates the complexities of modern life, art as a path for social change is at the forefront of artistic expression.

Courtesy Hofstra Universally Museum of Art Four Freedoms are reinterpreted as photos by Hank Willis Thomas and Emily Shur in collaboration with Eric Gottesman and the Wyatt Gallery.

artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Sculpture: Hank Willis Thomas, Lives of Others, 2014, made from black urethane resin and standing 57 inches tall

250 Post Ave.,Westbury

Photos courtesy Jayme Thornton and Todd Owyoung

THE SCENE

April 22

Englishtown Project

Englishtown Project visits the Landmark stage with their tribute to rock history, Saturday, April 22, 8 p.m. This all-star jam band — featuring members of New Riders of the Purple Sage, Zen Tricksters, and Max Creek — recreates the legendary 1977 concert in Englishtown, N.J., headlined by the Grateful Dead, the Dead family’s New Riders of the Purple Sage and the good-time, southern rock Marshall Tucker Band. This extravaganza includes “healthy doses” of selections from each band’s sets that day with a relaxed, festivalstyle program. $35, $30. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet. org.

On exhibit

Nassau County Museum of Art’s new exhibition, “Eye And Mind: The Shin Collection,” highlights the extraordinary collection masterworks assembled by 31-year-old connoisseur Hong Gyu Shin, an internationally recognized figure in the global art world. He shares his treasures, including works by Whistler, Lautrec, Boucher, Daumier, Delacroix, Klimt, Schiele, Balthus, Warhol, de Kooning, Gorky and many other important names from art history provocatively juxtaposed with the painting and sculpture of our own time from both Asia and the West. On view through July 9. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Breastfeeding Support Group

Mercy Hospital offers a peer to peer meeting for breastfeeding support and resources, facilitated by a certified breastfeeding counselor, every Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Bring your baby (from newborn to 1 year) to the informal group setting. All new moms are welcome, regardless of delivering hospital. Registration required. Call breastfeeding counselor, Gabriella Gennaro, at (516) 705-2434 to secure you and your baby’s spot. Mercy Hospital, St. Anne’s Building, 1000 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre. For information visit CHSLI.org.

Library Walking Club

Participate in Glen Cove Public Library’s at-your-own-pace hour walk, every Thursday, at 10 a.m. All fitness levels are welcome and attendees are encouraged to walk at their own pace, 4 Glen Cove Ave., Glen Cove. Register at GlencCoveLbrary.org or call (516) 676-2130 for more information.

April 15

In concert

North Shore Community Chorus and the Nolleaster Symphony Orchestra perform Mozart’s Requiem, Saturday, April 15, at 8 p.m., at North Shore High School Auditorium. The Requiem, Mozart’s final work, is a monumental choral masterpiece which was only completed after his death. 450 Glen Cove Ave., in Glen Head, For more information, contact director Stephen Goldstein at (631) 470-6128.

Having an event?

Senior Lunch Program

Enjoy visiting friends, with a delicious lunch and chair yoga, at the popular senior program hosted by Mutual Concerns, every Tuesday, at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, at 253 Glen Ave., in Sea Clifff. Those iinterested in joining the lunch program can call Peggie Como at (516) 675-7239.

Spring Dog Festival

Enjoy the glorious grounds of Old Westbury Gardens with your pooch (leashed of course), Saturday and Sunday, April 15-16, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. With varied vendors and activities.

Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information contact (516) 333-0048 or visit OldWestburyGardens.org.

Firefighter Recruitment Drive

Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department holds its annual recruitment, Sunday, April 16, noon-3 p.m. Contact (516) 676-0366 for information.

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.

April 14

‘The Wizard of Oz’ JJourney down that Yellow Brick Road when the beloved story springs to life, presented Plaza Theatrical Productions, Friday and Saturday, April 14-15, 11 a.m; Sunday, April 16, 12 p.m. All the ingredients that have made this story a perennial favorite are here. Share Dorothy’s epic adventure with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion as they make their way to Oz not knowing what awaits them. Tickets $15. Visit the Plaza stage at The Showplace at Bellmore Movies, 222 Pettit Ave., Bellmore. For information/tickets, go to PlazaTheatrical.com or call (516) 599-6870.

On stage

Back by popular demand, families will enjoy a musical adventure, ripped from the pages of Mo Willems’ beloved children’s books, on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Friday, April 14, 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m; Wednesday and Thursday, April 19- 20, 10:15 a.m. and noon. Elephant and Piggie storm the stage in a rollicking musical romp filled with plenty of pachydermal peril and swiney suspense perfect for young audiences. Cautious Gerald and playful Piggie share a day where anything is possible in an imaginative exploration of of friendship. Together with nutty backup singers, The Squirrelles, the comedic duo even gets the audience involved in the action. $9 with museum admission ($7 members), $12 theater only. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

April 18

Woman’s Club of Glen Cove

The Woman’s Club of Glen Cove hosts its monthly luncheon, Tuesday, April 18, 11:30 a.m. The luncheon is at the View Grill, 111 Lattingtown Road, Glen Cove, Food items will be collected for a selected food pantry in Glen Cove. For further information call or text Yvette Menezes at (516) 673-1061.

Exhibit at Planting Fields Arboretum

Visit Planting Fields Arboretum for an exhibition guided tour, Saturday, April 15. Tours run hourly, 10:30 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. The exhibit, “Decisive Moments at Planting Fields: The Photography of Mattie Edwards Hewitt and Frances Benjamin Johnston,” highlights the work of these trailblazing female photographers, whom W.R. Coe engaged to document the Planting Fields’ Olmsteddesigned gardens, buildings and interiors in the 1920s, at 1395 Planting Fields Road. Oyster Bay. For more information,contact Katie Walsh at kwalsh@ plantingfields.org or (516) 9228680.

Show Mom Some Love!

HERALD

Mother’s Day PHOTO Contest

Enter the HERALD’S Mother’s Day Contest* for a chance to win some cool prizes for mom. Upload a photo with you and your mom, grandma, aunt, etc. to www.liherald.com/mom

It’s that easy! Five lucky winners will be selected at random. Winners will be announced in the HERALD’S Mother’s Day Guide which will be published on May 4, 2023. Enter from March 30 thru April 23, 11:59pm.

For more information call Amanda Marte 516.569.4000 ext. 249 or email amarte@liherald.com For sponsorship or advertising details call Linda Engel at 516.569.4000 ext. 305 or email lengel@liherald.com

Hundreds gather to remember Susan Giovanniello

By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com

The haunting and mournful sound of bagpipes could be heard outside St. Rocco Roman Catholic Church, in Glen Cove, on April 6, drawing attention to an unsettling reality — the death of teenager Susan Giovanniello, a volunteer emergency medical technician.

Hundreds of mourners, still in shock over the sudden and devastating loss, filled the church’s pews to capacity. Family members, first responders and local leaders gathered, listening intently to Susan’s older sister, Jessica Giovanniello, deliver her remarks.

The sisters both volunteered for the city’s Emergency Medical Services. Jessica always looked up to her younger sister as a source of inspiration.

“It didn’t matter what I was telling her about my shift with EMS,” Jessica said. “We always came to each other with questions about school, EMS, life, to rant, or when her or I had to write paragraphs to people. I had a built-in best friend.”

The 19-year-old volunteer EMT died suddenly on April 3, of an unspecified medical emergency. Although the exact cause of her death is unknown, the Nas-

sau County fire marshal determined her death was not suspicious.

Giovanniello became a member of the Glen Cove EMS Explorers when she was 16. She was dedicated to her community and being an Explorer gave her another outlet to continue to do so.

Also a beloved member of Glen Cove High School’s mixed chorale, she was a mezzo-soprano and the group’s secretary. An avid lover of theater, Giovanniello was also co-stage manager to Ed Norris, the high school’s chorale teacher, during the production of “Les Misérables.”

Norris said Giovanniello was everything and more that he could have asked for from a student leader. She would take the initiative handling tasks that others might not want to do. Norris said she never walked into any room without sharing her infectious smile.

“She was just one of those kids that stood out above the rest, and always did the right thing.” Norris said. “She led by

example, she didn’t have to tell you what to do. You looked at her and you knew what the right thing to do was.”

District Superintendent Maria Rianna said that Giovanniello, who graduated in 2021, was a talented student. Like many others, Rianna was devastated to hear about the former student’s death.

“It is with great sorrow that we received the news,” Rianna said. “She had a great personality and was a young lady with a lot of potential.”

Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck was attending church when she received the call about Giovanniello’s emergency admittance at Glen Cove Hospital. Panzenbeck said she didn’t expect the situation to be as dire as it was when she went there to comfort Giovanniello’s family and local EMS members. Panzenbeck remained at the hospital for two hours leaving when Giovanniello was in stable condition.

Ralph Comitino, a close family friend, who also works for the Glen Cove Depart-

ment of Public Works, remembers Giovanniello fondly. Comitino’s daughter and Giovanniello were classmates.

“I can’t bear what’s going on right now,” Comitino said. “It’s hard to digest, but it’s something that doesn’t go away.”

Glen Cove EMS Supervisor Christopher DeMetropolis knew Giovanniello since she became a volunteer with the city. He said that Giovanniello was hoping to advance her career in healthcare, saying that she wanted eventually to become a physician.

“She always wanted to learn, she always wanted me to show her new things and how we do things the right way,” DeMetropolis said. “And then she would adapt some of the things that I taught her to her best practices that she started to display.”

Glen Cove Assemblyman Charles Lavine said he was shocked when he heard of the death of the 19-year-old, whom he deemed an important member of the community.

“In the little city of Glen Cove, we are either related or interrelated,” Lavine said. “We stand together in moments of tragedy and grief. Sadly, this is just one of those moments.”

She led by example, she didn’t have to tell you what to do.

ED NORRIS chorus teacher, Glen Cove City School District

Summit takes new look at teen mental health

By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com

Teachers, school administrators, social workers and mental health advocates agree that, more than ever, teens need outreach and support when they battle negative thoughts and actions.

At the Nassau County Youth Wellness Summit — hosted by the New Jerseybased Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide — Long Island teens and school staffers received just that: crucial skills to help get through their toughest days.

Hosted once again by Brookside School inside the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, students and school leaders attended keynote presentations, panels, workshops, and even walked through a resource fair intended to connect them to mental health services.

The event was first brought to Nassau County by Bellmore’s Stacy Brief, a licensed social worker who attended Wellington C. Mepham High School in Bellmore, and currently works at Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick.

Brief went through her own difficult times in high school, struggling with anxiety and depression. Brief was eventually connected to the teen suicide society, and later would find herself volunteering and working with the organization.

Wellness summits had become a regular success in New Jersey, and Brief realized that same success could be brought to Long Island as well. She approached Mike Harrington, superintendent of Bellmore-Merrick’s schools, and asked if the district would be interested in helping her idea become a reality.

“Stacy was one of my standouts at Mepham,” Harrington said. “A tremendous, tremendous young lady. After graduating, I knew right away that she wanted to get into mental health and pursue a social work career.”

All for the idea, Harrington established a planning committee to create the summit, which kicked off for the first time in 2019, attracting students and professionals from 20 school districts. Last month’s summit attracted more than 30 schools from Nassau and Suffolk counties, including the first Catholic institution: Chaminade High School.

“Every year we try to feature a new coping skill workshop, just to be introducing the teenagers to new concepts, as far as what they can do to cope with stress,” Brief said. “Last year we did Movement Genius, and this year the students (did) a Tibetan singing bowl sound healing workshop.

“I think it’s something very different. They don’t often have access to something like sound healing.”

The keynote presentation was given by “Lead U,” a “high-energy, interactive assembly,” according to Brief. Created by a group of teaching artists, their presentations engage, educate and empower students of all ages to find leaders within themselves through interactive play and games.

Dawn Doherty, the teen suicide society executive director, described a correlation between mental health struggles and the

coronavirus pandemic. Social media, she added, also plays a huge role in how teens view themselves.

“There can be very positive aspects of it,” Doherty said. “But then, unfortunately, much of it can be negative, with the cyber-bullying and even just the comparison of yourself with everyone else.”

A point of emphasis, Doherty said, is the concept that your friends and others your age are often going through the same thing.

“If you’re struggling, that’s OK, because there are others who are struggling or have struggled,” she said. “We really use the day to enhance coping skills and strategies, and certainly educate on the resources available.”

The commitment to wellness doesn’t end with the summit. For example, the teen suicide society will again host a panel for parents later this year, teaching them to recognize the signs of mental health struggles and how to connect their kids to the appropriate services.

Brief also started another program on

Long Island last September called the Youth Council, open to high school students.

“I’ll be running monthly meetings where they’re going to develop more skills, insight, education and awareness on everything to do with mental health and suicide prevention,” she said. “That’ll be year-round, to develop leaders so they can take (what they learn) back to their communities and develop more structural change.”

Applications for the Youth Council opened immediately after the summit. For more information, visit SPTSUSA. org/NassauSummit.

Brief has come a long way from struggling with issues as a teenager, and now working to help others finding themselves in a similar predicament.

“We are just so proud of her for everything she’s accomplished personally and professionally,” Doherty said. “But really, (I’m)_just in awe of the success that she and the committee have really had with expanding the reach of this event.”

sOphiA BENNO AND Addison Soffer of John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore had a blast watching the keynote presentation, ‘Lead U,’ at the Nassau County Youth Wellness Summit.

stACy BRiEf, A social worker who brought the Nassau County Youth Wellness Summit to the local community, joined Dawn Doherty — executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide — to host the summit.

Tim Baker/Herald photos

J.D. WiLsON, fOuNDER of ‘Lead U,’ shepherded an energetic presentation at the Nassau County Youth Wellness Summit that incorporated students and the professionals who work with them.

CALhOuN high sChOOL sophomore Nicholas Senese watched the keynote presentation, ‘Lead U,’ at the Nassau County Youth Wellness Summit.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR TRANSPORTATION OF PUPILS

Locust Valley Central School District 22 Horse Hollow Road

Locust Valley, New York 11560

This Request for Proposals, including forms of proposals, certification, conditions, and specifications may be obtained from the Locust Valley Central School District’s Transportation Office at 22 Horse Hollow Road, Locust Valley, New York 11560 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays, commencing on April 17, 2023. Specifications may be requested via email khoroszewski@locustvalleyschools.org .

In all cases, it must be understood that the conditions and specifications set forth in the Request for Proposals issued by the Locust Valley Central School District shall apply. Sealed proposals will be received until April 24, 2023 at 11:00 am at the Locust Valley Central School District’s Business Office located at 22 Horse Hollow Road, Locust Valley, New York 11560, at which time and place all proposals will be publicly acknowledged. All proposals shall be clearly marked “Locust Valley Central School District Pupil Transportation Proposal - Do Not Open Until April 24, 2023 at 11:00 am.” The Boards of Education respectively reserve the right to reject all proposals, waive any informalities or technicalities in a proposal where the best interests of the School District will be served. In the event of snow, the proposals will be opened on the next day that the Locust Valley Central School District is open for business at 11:00 am.

Questions regarding this Request for Proposals will be accepted by Karen Horoszewski, School Business Administrator, Locust Valley Central School District until April 24, 2023 at 11:00 am and answers to all questions will be distributed in the form of an addendum to all potential proposers by April 21, 2023. Please submit your questions in writing via email to khoroszewski@locustvalleyschools.org.

Proposals for each transportation contract will be evaluated on a weighted system established by the School District for each of the categories to be reviewed. Any aspects of the service not addressed by the specifications are left for the proposers to address.

The School District reserves the right to consider experience, service, and reputation in the student transportation field, as well as the financial responsibility and specific qualifications set out herein of the prospective bidder, in considering proposals and awarding the contracts. The Board reserves the right to reject any or all proposals in whole or in part, when in its sole discretion it deems that it will serve the best interests of the School District to waive technical defects, irregularities, and omissions; and to select in its sole discretion which of two or more identical bidders shall be awarded the contract.

The School District will evaluate each proposal from a responding contractor according to criteria established by the Commissioner of Education, which criteria shall include, at a minimum: (i) the previous experience of the contractor in transporting pupils, (ii) the name of each transportation company the contractor has been an owner or a manager, (iii) a description of any safety programs implemented by the contractor, (iv) a record of accidents in motor vehicles under the control of the contractor, (v) driving history of employees of the contractor, (vi) inspection records and model year of the motor vehicles under the control of the contractor, (vii) maintenance schedules of the motor vehicles under the control of the contractor, (viii) financial analysis of the contractor, (ix) documentation of compliance with motor vehicle insurance requirements, and (x) total cost of the proposal. Separate and independent proposals shall be submitted for each contract. Proposals will be evaluated and awarded based on the following criteria by the School District pursuant to Sections 305 and 3625 of the Education Law and Section 156.12 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. Category Weight

I(A)Previous Experience of the Proposer in School Transportation 15

I(B)Evaluation of Management in performance of contracts in School Transportation 10

II(A)Safety Programs implemented by Proposer (include supporting documents in proposal) 10

II(B)Record of accidents in motor vehicles under the control of the Proposer for the past three (3) years, if applicable. List insurance runs and ratio of injury vs. physical damage. 5

II(C)Driving history of employees of the company and driving practices. Include abstracts and driving records. 5

II(D)Inspection records and model year of the motor vehicles under the control of Proposer. Include NYSDOT Operator Profile for ALL Nassau and Suffolk locations. 10

II(E)Maintenance schedule of the motor vehicles under the control of the Proposer. List programs and preventive maintenance programs implemented and followed. 10

III(A)Financial analysis of proposer (include financial statements) 5

III(B)Compliance with the state and local insurance and bonding requirement. Include insurance certificate. 5

IVOverall cost of proposal over the period of time requested. Points will be awarded as a percentage of all proposers. 25

TOTAL 100

The above-referenced scoring of the criteria will be used for the following contracts:

(1) Home- to-School Transportation, including In and Out-of-District for Public, Private, and Parochial Schools (Large Buses), (2) Athletic Trips; (3) Field Trips and (4) Summer Transportation. for the term of the contract awarded under this Request for Proposals for transportation services.

Notwithstanding the provisions of any general, special, or local law or charter, a Board of Education, pursuant to rules and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner, may award a contract for the transportation of pupils involving an annual expenditure in excess of the amount specified for purchase contracts in the bidding requirements of the General Municipal Law in compliance with the bid law or subsequent to an evaluation of proposals submitted in response to a request for proposals prepared by or for the Board of Education. The Commissioner, in addition to his existing statutory authority to approve or disapprove transportation contracts, may reject any award of a transportation contract that is based on an evaluation of proposals submitted in response to a request for proposals if he/she finds that (1) the contractor is not responsive to the request for proposals or (2) the proposal is not in the best interests of the School District.

Security in the form of a bond or certified check payable to the members of the School District in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the first year of each contract is required to be submitted with a proposal. A performance and payment bond in a sum of 100% of the annual amount for each of the contracts will be required as set forth in the request for proposals.

Locust Valley Central School District 22 Horse Hollow Road

Locust Valley, New York 11560

138800

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCOUNTY OF NASSAU

U.S. BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR GSAMP

TRUST 2005-AHL2, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-AHL2, V. TRACY L. CASSANDRO, ET AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated January 12, 2023, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau, wherein U.S. BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR GSAMP

TRUST 2005-AHL2, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-AHL2 is the Plaintiff and TRACY L. CASSANDRO, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, NORTH SIDE STEPS, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on April 25, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 31 WESTWOOD LN, WOODBURY, NY 11797: Section 13, Block 115, Lot 10:

ALL THAT CERTIAN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS

THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING AT WOODBURY, IN THE TOWN OF OYSTER

BAY, COUNTY OF NASSAU, STATE OF NEW YORK

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 616865/2018. George Esernio, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

138206

LEGAL NOTICE

AVISO DE AUDIENCIA

SOBRE EL PRESUPUESTO Y ELECCIÓN ANUAL DEL DISTRITO DE MIEMBROS DE LA JUNTA DE EDUCACIÓN DEL DISTRITO ESCOLAR

CENTRAL DE OYSTER

BAY-EAST NORWICH Y DE LA BIBLIOTECA

PÚBLICA DE OYSTER

BAY-EAST NORWICH QUE SE REALIZARÁ EL 16 DE MAYO DE 2023

POR EL PRESENTE, SE NOTIFICA que la elección anual del Distrito Escolar Central de Oyster BayEast Norwich se realizará

en el ala de música de Oyster Bay High School, ubicada en 150 East Main Street, Oyster Bay, Nueva York, el martes 16 de mayo de 2023, entre las 7:00 a. m. y las 9:00 p. m. con los siguientes propósitos:

1. Votar sobre la asignación de los fondos necesarios para cubrir los gastos estimados del Distrito para el año escolar que comienza el 1 de julio de 2023, que se identificará en la boleta electoral como Propuesta n.º 1.

2. Votar sobre las siguientes propuestas:

PROPUESTA N.º 2 (Gastos del Fondo de reserva de capitales para Tecnología)

SE AUTORIZARÁ a la Junta de Educación del Distrito Escolar Central de Oyster Bay-East Norwich a gastar la suma de: $ 200,000 del Fondo de reserva de capitales para tecnología establecido el 15 de mayo de 2018, con el fin de realizar los siguientes proyectos: compra de iPads (kindergarten) y Chromebooks (3.º grado); compra de pizarras interactivas. Todo lo anterior incluirá toda la mano de obra, los materiales, los equipos, los aparatos y los gastos imprevistos relacionados con estos.

PROPUESTA N.º 3 (Gastos del Fondo de reserva de capitales)

SE AUTORIZARÁ a la Junta de Educación del Distrito Escolar Central de Oyster Bay-East Norwich a gastar la suma de: $ 750,000 del Fondo de reserva de capitales establecido el 16 de mayo de 2006 y enmendado el 17 de mayo de 2011, el 21 de mayo de 2013 y el 16 de mayo de 2017 con el fin de realizar los siguientes proyectos: muro para sentarse de la entrada principal; mejoras en el sonido y la iluminación del auditorio; iluminación de la cancha de tenis; reemplazo de la marquesina en Oyster Bay High School; climatización de la biblioteca y reemplazo del cielorraso y la iluminación (financiado parcialmente con la aprobación preliminar de una subvención); reparaciones concretas y diversas del establecimiento en Memorial Stadium; reemplazo de los sistemas de climatización en el Edificio Administrativo.

Todo lo anterior incluirá toda la mano de obra, los materiales, los equipos, los aparatos y los gastos imprevistos relacionados con estos.

3. Elegir dos miembros de la Junta de Educación por un período de cuatro (4) años que comenzará el 1 de julio de 2023 y finalizará el 30 de junio de 2027.

ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que la audiencia pública sobre el presupuesto con el objetivo de analizar el presupuesto propuesto de gastos de los fondos para

el año escolar 2023-2024 se llevará a cabo el 2 de mayo de 2023 a las 7:30 p. m. en el auditorio de Oyster Bay High School o a distancia, si está legalmente permitido. En cada escuela del Distrito, se preparará la versión resumida de la propuesta sobre el presupuesto y el texto de todas las demás propuestas que aparecerán en las máquinas de votación, como así también una declaración detallada por escrito de la cantidad de dinero que se requerirá para el año escolar 2023-2024 para fines escolares, que especifica los fines y la cantidad para cada fin; y habrá copias disponibles, previa solicitud, para cualquier residente del Distrito entre las 8:00 a. m. y las 4:00 p. m. durante los 14 días inmediatamente previos a la elección del 16 de mayo de 2023, excepto sábados, domingos y feriados, y también en la elección anual.

También se notifica que, de acuerdo con la Sección 495 de la Ley del Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles, el Distrito debe adjuntar un informe de exenciones al presupuesto sugerido. En este informe de exenciones, que también formará parte del presupuesto final, se mostrará cómo el valor total estimado de la lista de tasación final que se utilice en el proceso presupuestario queda libre de impuestos, se enumerarán todos los tipos de exenciones que otorgue la autoridad legal y se expondrá el impacto acumulativo de cada tipo de exención, el monto acumulado que se prevé recibir como pago en lugar de impuestos y el impacto acumulativo de todas las exenciones otorgadas.

ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que la elección anual de la Biblioteca Pública de Oyster Bay-East Norwich se realizará en el ala de música de Oyster Bay High School, ubicada en 150 East Main Street, Oyster Bay, Nueva York, el martes 16 de mayo de 2023, entre las 7:00 a. m. y las 9:00 p. m. con los siguientes propósitos:

1. Votar sobre la asignación de los fondos necesarios para cubrir los gastos estimados de la biblioteca pública para el año escolar que comienza el 1 de julio de 2023.

2. Elegir un miembro para que sea fideicomisario de la Junta de la Biblioteca por un período de cinco (5) años que comenzará el 1 de julio de 2023 y finalizará el 30 de junio de 2028. ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que las copias del presupuesto propuesto para la biblioteca se pondrán a disposición, previa solicitud, de cualquier residente en el mostrador de consulta de

la Biblioteca Pública de Oyster Bay-East Norwich, ubicada en 89 East Main Street, Oyster Bay, Nueva York, de 10:00 a. m. a 12:00 p. m., y de 1:00 p. m. a 4:00 p. m. durante los 14 días inmediatamente previos a la elección del 16 de mayo de 2023, excepto los sábados, domingos y feriados, y también en la elección anual.

ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que la votación se realizará mediante máquinas de votación, según lo estipulado por la Ley de Educación, y las urnas estarán habilitadas para votar desde las 7:00 a. m. hasta las 9:00 p. m. y durante el tiempo que sea necesario para que los votantes presentes puedan emitir sus votos. Por medio del presente, se autoriza e instruye a la secretaria del Distrito a imprimir las etiquetas de voto necesarias para dichas máquinas de votación en el formato que más se aproxime a los requisitos de la Ley de Educación.

ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que las nominaciones de los miembros de la Junta de Educación y del fideicomisario de la Junta de la Biblioteca se deberán realizar mediante una solicitud firmada por al menos 25 votantes calificados del Distrito, y se deberán presentar en la oficina de la secretaria del Distrito en el Edificio Administrativo en 1 McCouns Lane, Oyster Bay, Nueva York, entre las 8:00 a. m. y las 4:00 p. m., a más tardar el lunes 17 de abril de 2023 a las 5:00 p. m. Estas solicitudes deberán indicar la residencia de cada firmante, así como también el nombre y la residencia del candidato. Para la Junta de Educación, los dos candidatos que reciban la mayor cantidad de votos serán considerados electos para el cargo. Para la Biblioteca, el candidato que reciba la mayor cantidad de votos será considerado electo para el cargo. La Junta de Educación puede rechazar una nominación si el candidato no es elegible para el cargo o declara su falta de disposición para desempeñar las funciones.

ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que se permite el registro de votantes calificados de este Distrito para esta elección anual del Distrito en la oficina de la secretaria del Distrito ubicada en el Edificio Administrativo en 1 McCouns Lane, Oyster Bay, Nueva York, de 8:00 a. m. a 12:00 p. m. y de 1:00 p. m. a 4:00 p. m., de lunes a viernes, hasta el 11 de mayo de 2023 inclusive. El registro también se llevará a cabo en James H. Vernon School, 880 Oyster Bay Road, East Norwich, Nueva York y en Theodore Roosevelt School, 150 West Main

Street, Oyster Bay, Nueva York, de 8:00 a. m. a 12:00 p. m. y de 1:00 p. m. a 4:00 p. m., de lunes a viernes, hasta el 11 de mayo de 2023 inclusive. Se preparará y presentará un registro en la oficina de la secretaria del Distrito, y dicho registro estará abierto para que cualquier votante calificado pueda inspeccionarlo entre las 8:00 a. m. y las 4:00 p. m. durante los cinco días previos al día establecido para la elección, excepto los domingos, y el sábado 13 de mayo de 2023 con cita, como así también en cada lugar de votación el día de la elección.

ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que el registro incluirá:

(1) a todos los votantes calificados del Distrito que se hayan presentado personalmente para el registro; (2) a todos los votantes previamente calificados del Distrito que se hayan registrado con anterioridad para cualquier elección o reunión anual o extraordinaria del Distrito y que hayan votado en alguno de estos eventos realizados o llevados a cabo en cualquier momento durante los cuatro años calendario (2018-2021) previos a la preparación de dicho registro; y (3) a los votantes que estén registrados de manera permanente en la Junta Electoral del condado de Nassau.

ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que la Junta de Registros se reunirá durante el horario de votación en la reunión anual del Distrito el 16 de mayo de 2023 con el fin de preparar un registro para las elecciones o reuniones del Distrito que se realizarán después del 16 de mayo de 2023.

ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que las solicitudes de las boletas electorales por ausencia para la elección del distrito escolar y para la elección del fideicomisario de la biblioteca se podrán realizar en la oficina de la secretaria del Distrito. La secretaria del Distrito deberá recibir las solicitudes de voto por ausencia no antes de los treinta (30) días previos a la elección. Además, la secretaria del Distrito debe recibir esta solicitud al menos siete días antes de la elección si la boleta electoral se enviará por correo postal al votante, o el día antes de la elección si la boleta electoral se entregará personalmente al votante o a su representante designado. Al recibir una solicitud oportuna para enviar por correo una boleta electoral de voto por ausencia, la secretaria del Distrito enviará por correo dicha boleta a la dirección indicada en la solicitud a más tardar seis (6) días antes de la votación. Habrá una lista de todas las personas para las que se emitieron

Public Notices

votos por ausencia disponible en la oficina de la secretaria del Distrito durante los cinco días previos a la elección, excepto el domingo. La elegibilidad para votar mediante voto por ausencia se determinará de acuerdo con las disposiciones de la Sección 2018-a de la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York.

ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que los votantes militares que no estén registrados actualmente pueden solicitar registrarse como votantes calificados del distrito escolar. Los votantes militares que sean votantes calificados del distrito escolar podrán enviar una solicitud de boleta electoral militar. Estos votantes pueden indicar su preferencia de recibir un registro de votante militar, una solicitud de boleta electoral militar o una boleta electoral militar por correo postal, fax o correo electrónico en su pedido del registro, de la solicitud de boleta electoral o la boleta electoral. Los formularios de registro de los votantes militares y los formularios de solicitud de boleta electoral militar (esta última debe entregarse únicamente por correo postal o en persona) deben recibirse en la oficina de la secretaria del Distrito antes de las 5:00 p. m. el 20 de abril de 2023. Las boletas electorales militares no serán escrutadas, a menos que (1) la oficina de la secretaria del Distrito las reciba antes del cierre de la votación el día de la elección y tengan una marca de cancelación del servicio postal de los Estados Unidos o del servicio postal de un país extranjero, o un endoso fechado de recepción por parte de otro organismo del gobierno de los Estados Unidos, o bien (2) la oficina de la secretaria del Distrito las reciba antes de las 5:00 p. m. del día de la elección, y estén firmadas y fechadas por el votante militar y un testigo de ello, con una fecha asociada que no sea posterior al día previo a la elección.

ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que esta Junta establecerá una reunión extraordinaria a partir de ese momento, en las 24 horas posteriores a la presentación ante la secretaria del Distrito de un informe escrito de los resultados de la votación en el ala de música de Oyster Bay High School, con el fin de examinar y tabular estos informes del resultado de la votación y declarar ese resultado; que, por el presente y de acuerdo con la Sección 2019-a(2b) de la Ley de Educación, la Junta se designa a sí misma como un grupo de secretarios de mesa para emitir y escrutar los votos durante esta reunión

extraordinaria de la Junta.

Fecha: 14 de marzo de 2023

POR ORDEN DE LA JUNTA DE EDUCACIÓN DEL DISTRITO ESCOLAR CENTRAL DE OYSTER BAY-EAST NORWICH, CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK RITA BIZZARRO SECRETARIA DEL DISTRITO 138479

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING AND ANNUAL DISTRICT ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE OYSTER BAYEAST NORWICH CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE OYSTER BAY-EAST NORWICH PUBLIC LIBRARY TO BE HELD ON MAY 16, 2023

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Election of the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District will be held in the music wing of the Oyster Bay High School, located at 150 East Main Street, Oyster Bay, New York, on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 between the hours of 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM for the following purposes:

1. To vote upon the appropriation of the necessary funds to meet the estimated expenditures of the District for the school year beginning July 1, 2023 which shall be identified on the ballot as Proposition No. 1.

2. To vote on the following propositions:

PROPOSITION NO.2

(Technology Capital Reserve Fund Expenditure):

SHALL the Board of Education of the Oyster Bay East Norwich Central School District be authorized to expend: $200,000 from the Technology Capital Reserve Fund established on May 15, 2018, for the purpose of performing the following projects: purchase of iPads (Kindergarten) and Chromebooks (3rd grade); purchase of interactive boards, all of the foregoing to include all labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs related thereto.

PROPOSITION NO.3

(Capital Reserve Fund Expenditure):

SHALL the Board of Education of the Oyster Bay East Norwich Central School District be authorized to expend: $750,000 from the Capital Reserve Fund established on May 16, 2006 and amended on May 17, 2011 and May 21, 2013 and May 16, 2017 for the purpose of performing the following projects: main entrance seating wall, auditorium sound and lighting upgrades, tennis court lighting, replacement of the marquee at Oyster

Bay High School; library HVAC and Ceiling/Lighting replacement (partially funded with preliminary grant approval); Concrete and miscellaneous building repairs at Memorial Stadium; HVAC replacement at the Administration Building; all of the foregoing to include all labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs related thereto.

3. To elect two members of the Board of Education for a term of four (4) years each, beginning July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2027.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE, that the public budget hearing for the purpose of discussing the proposed budget of expenditure of funds for the school year 2023-2024 will be held May 2, 2023 at 7:30 PM in the Oyster Bay High School auditorium or remotely, if legally permissible.

The condensed form of the budget proposition and the text of all other propositions to appear on the voting machine and a detailed statement in writing of the amount of money which will be required for the school year 2023-2024 for school purposes, specifying the purposes and the amount for each, will be prepared and copies thereof will be made available, upon request, to any resident in the district at each school house in the District between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM during the period of the 14 days immediately preceding said election for May 16, 2023, excluding Saturday, Sunday and holidays, and at such annual election.

Notice is further given that pursuant to Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law, the District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted by the statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payments in lieu of taxes and the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that the Annual Election of the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Public Library will be held in the music wing of the Oyster Bay High School, located at 150 East Main Street, Oyster Bay, New York, on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 between the hours of 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM for the following purposes:

1. To vote upon the appropriation of the necessary funds to meet the estimated expenditures of the Public Library for the school year beginning July 1, 2023.

2. To elect one member of the Board of Library Trustees for a term of five (5) years beginning July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2028.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE, that the copies of the proposed library budget will be made available, upon request, to any resident at the Reference Desk of the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Public Library, located at 89 East Main Street, Oyster Bay, New York between the hours of 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon and from 1:00 to 4:00 PM during the period of the 14 days immediately preceding said election of May 16, 2023, excluding Saturday, Sunday and holidays, and at such annual election.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the voting shall be on voting machines as provided by the Education Law and the polls will remain open from 7:00 AM until 9:00 PM and as much longer as may be necessary to enable the voters then present to cast their ballots. The District Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to have the necessary ballot labels printed for said voting machines in the form corresponding as nearly as may be with the requirements of the Education Law.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE that the nominations for the Board of Education members and Board of Library trustee shall be made by petition subscribed by at least 25 qualified voters of the District, and filed with the District Clerk, Administration Building, 1 McCouns Lane, Oyster Bay, New York, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM no later than 5 PM on Monday, April 17, 2023. Such petition shall state the residence of each signer and shall state the name and residence of the candidate. For the Board of Education, the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes shall be considered elected to the office. For the Library, the candidate receiving the greatest number of votes shall be considered elected to the office. A nomination may be rejected by the Board of Education if the candidate is ineligible for the office or declares his or her unwillingness to serve.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE that the registration of the qualified voters of this District for said annual District election is permitted in the District Clerk’s Office, located in

the Administration Building, 1 McCouns Lane, Oyster Bay, New York, during the hours of 8:00AM and 12:00 PM and from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, up to and including May 11, 2023. Registration shall also take place at the James H. Vernon School, 880 Oyster Bay Road, East Norwich, New York, and the Theodore Roosevelt School, 150 West Main Street, Oyster Bay, New York, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM and from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, up to and including May 11, 2023. A register will be prepared and will be filed in the District Clerk’s Office and such register will be open for inspection by any qualified voter between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM on each of the five days prior to the day set for the election, except Sunday, by appointment only on Saturday, May 13, 2023; and at each polling place on election day.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE that the register shall include: (1) all qualified voters of the District who shall personally present themselves for registration; (2) all previously qualified voters of the District who shall have been previously registered for any annual or special District meeting or election and who shall have voted at any annual or special District meeting or election held or conducted at any time within four calendar years (2018-2021) prior to preparation of the said register; and (3) voters permanently registered with the Board of Elections of the County of Nassau.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE that the Board of Registration will further meet during the hours of voting at the Annual District Meeting on May 16, 2023 for the purpose of preparing a register for District meetings or elections to be held subsequent to May 16, 2023.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that applications for absentee ballots for the school district election and for the library trustee election may be applied for at the District Clerk’s Office. Applications for absentee ballots must be received by the District Clerk no earlier than thirty (30) days before the election. Furthermore, such application must be received by the District Clerk at least seven days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or his/her designated agent. Upon receiving a timely request for a mailed absentee ballot, the

District Clerk will mail the ballot to the address set forth in the application no later than six (6) days before the vote. A list of all persons to whom absentee ballots shall have been issued will be available in the District Clerk’s Office on each of the five days prior to the election except Sunday. Eligibility to vote by absentee ballot will be determined in accordance with the provisions of New York State Education Law §2018-a.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the school district. Military voters who are qualified voters of the school district may submit an application for a military ballot. Military voters may designate a preference to receive a military voter registration, military ballot application or military ballot by mail, facsimile transmission or electronic mail in their request for such registration, ballot application or ballot. Military voter registration forms and military ballot application forms (the latter of which is to be delivered only by mail or in person) must be received in the Office of the District Clerk of the school district no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 20, 2023. No military ballot will be canvassed unless it is (1) received in the Office of the District Clerk before the close of the polls on election day and showing a cancellation mark of the United States postal service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States government; or (2) received by the Office of the District Clerk by no later than 5:00 p.m. on election day and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is associated to be not later than the day before the election.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE that this Board shall convene a special meeting thereof within 24 hours after the filing with the District Clerk of a written report of the results of the ballot, in Music Wing of Oyster Bay High School for the purpose of examining and tabulating said reports of the result of the ballot and declaring the result of the ballot; that the Board hereby designates itself to be a set of poll clerks to cast and canvass ballots pursuant to Education Law §2019-a(2b) at said special meeting of the Board.

Dated: March 14, 2023 BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, OYSTER BAY-EAST NORWICH

CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, COUNTY OF NASSAU, NEW YORK

RITA BIZZARRO DISTRICT CLERK

138477

LEGAL NOTICE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCOUNTY OF NASSAU BANK OF NEW YORK

MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST, V. NANCY L. COLON, IF LIVING, AND IF SHE/HE BE DEAD, ET AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated January 5, 2023, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau, wherein BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST is the Plaintiff and NANCY L. COLON, IF LIVING, AND IF SHE/HE BE DEAD, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Nassau County Supreme Court, North Side Steps, 100 Supreme Court Drive Mineola, NY 11501, on May 9, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 156 SUGAR TOMS LANE, EAST NORWICH, NY 11732: Section 27, Block E, Lot 474: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS

THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING AT EAST NORWICH, TOWN OF OYSTER BAY, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 607305/2019. Roger H. Hausch, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

138636

LEGAL NOTICE

ASSESSOR’S NOTICE OF COMPLETION OF THE FINAL ASSESSMENT ROLL THE ASSESSOR OF THE COUNTY OF NASSAU HEREBY GIVES NOTICE that he has completed the 2023/2024 final assessment roll, which will be used for the 2024 levy of Town and County Taxes in the Towns of

Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay, and the City of Glen Cove and the City of Long Beach, and for the 2023/2024 levy of school taxes in such Towns and in the City of Long Beach.

A certified electronic copy of the roll was filed with the Department of Assessment on April 3, 2023. The electronic roll may be examined on public terminals located in the offices of:

DEPARTMENT OF ASSESSMENT

NASSAU COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING 240 OLD COUNTRY ROAD, FOURTH FLOOR MINEOLA, NY 11501 where the same will remain open for public inspection for fifteen days.

Dated this 3rd day of April, 2023.

MATTHEW R. CRONIN, IAO

Chief Deputy Assessor, Nassau County 138706

LEGAL NOTICE

VILLAGE OF UPPER

BROOKVILLE BOARD OF APPEALS

PUBLIC NOTICE

A public hearing and meeting will be held before and by the Board of Appeals of the Incorporated Village of Upper Brookville, Nassau County, New York at the Brookville Reformed Church, 2 Brookville Road, Glen Head, NY on April 26, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.

The hearing will be on the appeal of Theresa & William Muran, owners of a 5.004-acre parcel of land located at 2 Chestnut Hill Drive in the Village, designated as Section 24, Block E, Lot 1058 on the Nassau County Land and Tax Map, and located within the Village=s OP-1 (5-acre) zoning district. The Appellants seek a variance of Section 205-10F(1) and 205-10F(2) of the Village Code to permit the construction of a pool house/cabana which would be located within a steep slope, where no development is permitted. The Appellants also seek a variance to legalize a pre-existing tennis court which has a setback from Chestnut Hill Drive of 86.2 feet rather than the required 100 feet, and for which a certificate of occupancy had been previously issued.

The above application is on file at the office of Humes & Wagner, LLP, attorneys for the Village, 147 Forest Avenue, Locust Valley, New York where it may be seen by appointment during the regular hours of the usual business days until the time of the hearing.

All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at said time and place. If any individual requires special assistance to attend, please notify the Village

x232

Music Mutz offers a way to soothe your savage pup

By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com

Many dogs can suffer from anxiety, whether due to separation, loud noises or previous trauma. A company called Music Mutz in Locust Valley is seeking to address this issue with custom collars that play soothing music that the owners claim can keep dogs calm and relaxed without having to resort to medication.

The company was founded by and later owned by two friends, Kris Baggelaar (Milton) and Lisa Caputo, after her dog, a soft-coated wheaten terrier named Belle, was dealing with severe anxiety attacks during a thunderstorm. Caputo approached Baggelaar, an author who had met Caputo while doing research for a book, with an early prototype of the collar and a suggestion that they go into business together.

Baggelaar added that she had always loved dogs since she was a child, when her family’s collie Heidi Ho was her best friend and constant companion. Since then, she has raised five dogs, and dedicated 25 years to helping raise and care for seeing-eye dogs for the Smithtown charity the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind.

“The concept really grabbed me. Having volunteered for many years at the Guide Dog Foundation, I was well aware

of the therapeutic benefits that music can have for dogs,” Baggelaar said. “Not only is music therapy great for people, it works, and was already being implemented for dogs as well.”

Caputo has subsequently stepped away from running the company to address a personal illness. Baggelaar said that in Caputo’s honor the company also runs a charity organization, called Lisa’s Dream, which uses some of the funds raised by the collars to financially support rescue and animal-care organizations such as Mission K9 Rescue and the North Shore Animal League.

The Music Mutz dog collar is a simple, yet effective therapy device as described by Baggelaar, with a 14-hour battery while also being durable enough to handle the roughest of horseplay, or dog play in this case. The collar also uses a loud MP3 speaker, which Baggelaar and the company claims can be heard over the sound of fireworks, thunder, or anything else that may make a dog feel skittish.

Not just any music plays from the speakers either. Baggelaar said that they worked with professional keyboardist and composer Bradley Joseph to make sure that the music would have the proper soothing tones that appeal to a canine’s fine-tuned sense of hearing.

“We integrated nature sounds and

Public Notices

Attorney at 516-676-4600 at least 48 hours in advance of the hearing.

Philip H. Wachtler

Chairman Z-446

April 14, 2023

138801

LEGAL NOTICE

VILLAGE OF UPPER BROOKVILLE

BOARD OF APPEALS

PUBLIC NOTICE

A public hearing and meeting will be held before and by the Board of Appeals of the Incorporated Village of Upper Brookville, Nassau County, New York at the Brookville Reformed Church, 2 Brookville Road, Glen Head, NY on April 26, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. The hearing will be on the appeal of Albert Perzan, owner of a 2.13-acre parcel of land located at 9 Colony Road in the Village, designated as Section 22, Block 24, Lot 1 on the Nassau County Land and Tax Map, and located within the Village=s R-1 (2-acre) zoning district.

The Appellant seeks a variance to permit the construction of the following:

1. A two-story addition which would have a front yard setback from Linden Lane of 67.7 feet rather than the required 75 feet;

2. Off-street parking area which would have a front yard setback from Linden Lane of 41.9 feet and a front yard setback from Colony Road of 64.3 feet rather than the required 75 feet. The above application is on file at the office of Humes & Wagner, LLP, attorneys for the Village, 147 Forest Avenue, Locust Valley, New York where it may be seen by appointment during the regular hours of the usual business days until the time of the hearing.

All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at said time and place. If any individual requires special assistance to attend, please notify the Village Attorney at 516-676-4600 at least 48 hours in advance of the hearing.

Philip H. Wachtler

Chairman Z-447

April 14, 2023

138802

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU U.S.

BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE RMAC TRUST, SERIES 2016-CTT, Plaintiff AGAINST LAURA BENVENISTI AKA LAURA

A. BENVENISTI, AKA LAURA A. DELEOBENVENISTI, AKA LAURA DELEO, ET AL.,

Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered February 2, 2023,

I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on May 16, 2023 at 2:00PM, premises known as 11 JUNEAU BOULEVARD, WOODBURY, NY 11797.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected,

found the ones that were the most calming and seemed to work the best with classical piano,” Baggelaar continued. “The two most soothing instruments for both humans and dogs are the harp and the piano, so we chose piano music.”

When they were developing their collar, Baggelaar and Caputo reached out to friends and family to test their product on a wide range of dogs of all sizes, shapes, and temperaments. Different breeds can experience vastly different types of mental stress, and as any dog owner can tell you, every dog has its own unique fears and triggers, so Baggelaar said it was important to them that the collar would be able to help all types.

Her sister-in-law Sandy Baggelaar helped test one of the collars with her eight-year-old mixed-breed Gracie, a res-

cue. While she said that Gracie is not a very anxious or easily stressed dog, her canine companion has one trigger — for whatever reason, Gracie does not like going in the car.

Baggelaar tried the Music Mutz collar on Gracie, first in the house so the dog could get used to hearing sounds coming from it. After Gracie seemed to be comfortable with the collar on, Baggelaar tried it out in the car, where she said the effects were immediately noticeable.

“She really has only one type of anxiety, and that’s car sickness. She will literally throw up if she’s in a car without the collar,” Baggelaar said. “I think dogs that get anxious for any reasons, especially loud noises or that type of thing, it would be really helpful.”

ON THE ROAD WITH A TAKEOUT QUEEN

Upscale fast food

When I try to cook something, the same dish always tastes a lot better if I pick it up from a cafe. If I try an easy recipe, I don’t have the patience to wait for the microwave to ding. At the same time, when I’m hungry I crave gourmet-style foods. Preferably immediately. This month I lucked out. I found three new eateries around town, and one addition to a favorite restaurant, where you’ll be served upscale meals in a flash. If you never want to cook again, try these four eateries.

strawberry soft cakes. I left with a sweet potato loaf that was a lovely shade of lavender.

situate, lying and being at Woodbury, Town of Oyster Bay, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 13, Block 100, Lot 2. Approximate amount of judgment $1,867,966.80 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #011991/2013. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NASSAU County COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine”. Michael W. Alpert, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 17-001260 75538 138691

Gimme Burger (39 E Main St., Oyster Bay) Jesse Schenker, gourmet chef/founder of 2 Spring and FOUR in Oyster Bay, just opened this mini, casual café. The burgers are ground in-house every day. They’re a blend of chuck, brisket and short rib. The buns are made from scratch and baked in the café daily as well. When I grabbed my burger to go, it smelled so good I couldn’t wait to carry it to my car. I plopped down at an outdoor table and ate half of it. I ate the other half during the drive home. Three other dishes are offered: veggie burgers, crispy chicken sandwiches and grilled cheese. I’m sure they’re equally delicious.

No. 1 Pancake (602 Glen Cove Ave., Sea Cliff) In this eatery, your pancake will be freshly prepared on the spot and ready to go in a flash. Since it’s an authentic Chinese shop, the pancakes are simply made of two types of flour and eggs. Each pancake is folded in half and filled with everything from ham, pork, duck, lamb, chicken, cheese, or veggies. They’re topped with an original “brown sauce” created by the owner.

CATHI TUROW

While you’re waiting for your pancake, check out the desserts — especially the sugar crisps. You’ll bite into a crispy bun as the sweetest sugary syrup oozes from the center. I’m definitely going back for a green sugar pickle sandwich.

Tous Les Jours (41 Great Neck Rd., Great Neck) When you walk into this South Korean bakery, the pastel-colored pastries, breads, and desserts seem to say, “Yahoo! Come on in!” It’s such a bright, clean, welcoming place. The names of some of the elegant treats you’ll pick up or enjoy at an intimate table say it all. Imagine: mango cream croissants, cranberry apple cream cheese bread, sweet potato mini cakes, magic mocha cream bread, a loaf of green tea bread, and pink

Centro Cucina (43 Glen Cove Rd., Greenvale) In addition to serving dinner, this favorite Italian restaurant is now serving lunch. I loved the Katrina Salad — greens, sauteed mushrooms, lemon dressing. But the biggest news is a dining experience known as “Centro Taste.” I call it upscale “fast food” because you’ll be served 20 bite-sized, gourmet tastings, one after the next. Begin with antipastos, move on to two or three kinds of pasta, meat and fish dishes, and dessert. Three things to know: It’s $80 per person, offered on Mondays and Thursdays, and everyone at your table must enjoy Centro Taste together.

So, that’s it. If you hate to cook, you’re off the hook. See you next month!

Cathi Turow can be reached at:

cturowtakeout@gmail.com

N ot only is music therapy great for people, it works, and was already being implemented for dogs as well.

KRIS BAGGELAAR co-founder, Music Mutz

We’re going back to the moon, and it’s about time

We’re going back to the moon, or at least close to it, perhaps as soon as the fall of 2024.

We humans haven’t been near the place since 1972, when those of us who were around at the time were all wrapped up in Watergate and the Vietnam War. In the years since, we have had numerous launches of the space shuttle, and we continue to send astronauts to the orbiting International Space Station.

But last week, NASA announced the names of the crew members who will fly the Artemis II mission in November 2024, a 10-day flight that, at this point, is planned to send the three men and one woman farther than any human has ever traveled. After circling the moon — but not touching down on it — the spacecraft will return to Earth.

All this will pave the way for Artemis III, expected to launch in December 2025. The astronauts of Artemis III are

slated to walk on the lunar surface, the first time anyone will have done so in 53 years. Artemis III, NASA hopes, will kick off an effort to establish a permanent lunar outpost that will allow astronauts to live and work on the moon.

And that lunar outpost is supposed to help lay the groundwork for an eventual trip to Mars.

Should we be excited?

You bet, Andrew Parton, president of the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City, says. Museum officials are already thinking about some type of launch party to mark the Artemis II flight late next year. The museum, Parton said, might invite some astronauts, or other dignitaries, to the event. But a celebration of some kind is in the works.

America’s space program has always operated in fits and starts. It does some extraordinary things, including landing people on the moon for the first time in 1969, and then repeating that feat several times, until the program ground to a halt in 1972, as public interest waned and congressional funding dried up.

Nothing space-worthy happened

after that until 1981, when the first space shuttle was launched. But the shuttle program ended in 2011, with the last flight of the shuttle Atlantis, after two disasters. In 1986, the shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, killing all seven astronauts aboard, and in 2003, the shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it re-entered the atmosphere over Texas and Louisiana, killing seven more.

The first components of the International Space Station were launched in 1998, and sparked a great deal of interest. The ISS makes its way into the news every once in a while, when it is visible from Earth — or when students, as is the case now in Long Beach, are working on a science project that is to go aboard the station. But otherwise, it has become a ho-hum low-Earth-orbit presence.

Elon Musk and his SpaceX program generate interest, especially when he takes civilians into space, as he did for the first time in May 2020. But Musk has been getting mostly bad press lately

for the controversy that has surrounded his purchase of Twitter.

But here is a fresh start: NASA’s Artemis II, whose crew includes a woman and a Canadian, signals that our space journey is on its way again. “It should get a whole new generation interested in space,” Parton said.

“It’s so much more than the four names that have been announced,” Victor Glover, one of the crew members, said at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. “We need to celebrate this moment in history.” Glover’s crew mates are Christina Koch — a veteran of six space walks — Jeremy Hansen and Reid Wiseman.

Space is infinitely fascinating to so many, but alas, is the same old same old to many others. That, pretty much, is human nature. How much wonder is there anymore over how fast you can fly from New York to Tokyo?

We can hope that the eventual trip to Mars, and someday even beyond, will prove to be something else again, and ignite some passion for what is ultimately the destiny of humankind.

At least for a brief time.

James Bernstein is the editor of the Long Beach Herald. Comments? jbernstein@ liherald.com.

Thoughts for a grandson on his 18th birthday

Forget everything I’ve said up until now.

Over these 18 years, as you graduated from binkys to bigboy pants to bicycles to four-wheel drives, the advice to young men turning 18 has changed. (It has also changed for young women.)

It used to begin with, “You’re an adult now; you need to be thinking about work or college or military service.”

That pretty much isn’t true anymore.

The rollout to adulthood is different these days. And slower. The advice is less rigid because the path is less clear.

According to USA

Today, some 47 percent of young adults live at home with one parent or two. For all of you turning 18, the pandemic interrupted your lives, inflation is making single-person dwellings unaffordable, the job market is completely weird, and college isn’t necessary a launching pad to work but a time to continue growing up. That said, the rite of passage is signifi-

cant, because this is your moment. Some day you may be telling children or grandchildren what it was like when you were 18. Today you begin to write that story.

Once the day dawns on your 18th birthday, the following are all the things you can do that you couldn’t do the day before (legally, anyway). You can now, without parental permission:

Vote, join the military, buy a pet, get a body piercing or tattoo, change your name, book a hotel room, become a real estate agent, use a meat/deli slicer at a grocery store job, skydive, sign yourself out of high school, be called for jury duty, open a bank account, have sex legally with someone else over 18, get a Costco card, get married, buy a house, drive a taxi, get a license to drive a truck, go to the E.R. alone for treatment, file a lawsuit, adopt a child, create a will, buy a car, rent an apartment, rent an Airbnb, buy spraypaint, buy cough suppressants, or move out of your parents’ home.

Knowing you, I’d be surprised if the first thing you did was run out to buy spray-paint, but I’ve lived long enough to

know that you never know. I imagine you won’t be adopting a child. And it’s most unlikely that you’ll buy a house. You can move out of Dad’s house legally, but why in heaven’s name would you? Give up the morning strawberry smoothies? Pass up the exotic stir-frys and the mahi-mahi your dad catches on a regular basis? You may be 18, but you aren’t crazy!

Would you like to know what other 18-year-olds have done? No pressure, but Alexander the Great, who was born in 356 BCE, completed his studies with Aristotle at age 16 and ruled Macedonia. By 17 he had put down a revolt and founded the city of Alexandropolis. Life is different today, for sure, but people standing in the doorway of adulthood have few limitations on what they can accomplish.

Mark Zuckerberg was 19 when he founded Facebook, Wayne Gretsky was a professional hockey player at 19, Pele was 17 when he won the World Cup, and Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize when she was 17. These young people were outliers, of course. Most of us find satisfaction and peace of mind in

managing to live quite ordinary lives.

What we all have in common is the need for solid human connections and a determination to do our best in our time on earth.

You come from a clan of achievers who support one another in our interests and relationships and work. Not a bad launch pad.

I was a freshman in college when I was 18, and it was one of the most confusing times of my life. I had no idea what I wanted to do or how to do it. It was the first time, and not the last, that I sought counseling to help me figure out my path. Always ask for help when you need it.

You have the mixed blessing of no required set path, and I confess to being a bit envious. You will educate yourself, travel, enjoy friendships and explore relationships. There is no timetable. You can take any leap of faith that beckons to you. That must be so liberating, and scary.

What I know, as your grandma, is that you have a good heart, an athlete’s determination and a sharp mind. Happy, happy birthday. Enjoy being 18, and don’t go adopting any children or buying any houses, at least until you’re 19.

Copyright 2023 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

You have the mixed blessing of no required set path, and I’m a bit envious.

NASA’s plans for Artemis II and III signal that our space journey is on its way again.

JAMES BERNSTEIN

HERALD

Losing a hero way too soon

She always had the brightest smile in the room. She was always ready to offer a hand to anyone who needed it — whether it be for comfort, or simply for their own smile.

That’s how friends and colleagues described Susan Giovanniello, a volunteer EMT with Glen Cove Emergency Medical Services, who had a medical emergency of her own and died after a shift last week. While it’s tragic when we lose anyone who worked to make the world a better place, Susan’s passing was even harder, as she was just 19 years old.

“Susan, with her contagious smile and demeanor, put forth calm in stressful situations,” Glen Cove EMS said afterward.

“Her enthusiasm for training and teamwork with the corps will be greatly missed. She is a hero, and will live on in our hearts forever.”

It was no accident that Susan was doing exactly what she loved at such a young age. She was part of the Glen Cove EMS Explorers from a young age — a program started through the Boy Scouts of America that provides opportunities for young men and women to explore poten-

LETTERS

Let’s keep that new field clean

To the Editor:

Re “New turf field at T.R. Park” (March 30-April 5): It’s great to see that the Town of Oyster Bay put in a new artificial-turf field at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park in the hamlet for our young athletes. Now we only have to get them to pick up their empty water bottles, assorted clothing and other garbage on the field after they’re finished playing. Today there were eight water bottles left behind on the field. It’s a disgrace, and to the coaches who don’t have them clean up, shame on you guys.

PAUL AMUNDSON Oyster Bay

Enough about Santos already

To the Editor:

While I am not and will never be a supporter or someone who cares for George Santos, and truly wish he was not our representative in Congress, I must say that the Herald’s weekly Santos update is fast becoming overkill and, quite frankly, a snooze-inducing waste of ink.

I think most, if not all, Santos constituents will agree that his election was a mistake, and he represents the very worst of politics. That being said, what, exactly is the purpose of the weekly update?

To continue to hammer your readers over the head with Santos negativity has become tiresome and redundant and smacks of a political hatchet job by the Herald and the reporters who continue

tial careers in a number of fields, like those of first responders.

There are now more than 5,000 posts across the country serving more than 100,000 teenagers. Teenagers just like Susan Giovanniello.

We all have busy lives, so we don’t think about the importance of first responders much until we, or someone we love, needs them most. A single EMS responder can head out on dozens of calls on a single shift, and save more lives in a day than many of us could in a lifetime.

We might not think of EMS workers putting their health and safety on the line, as do, say, police officers or firefighters. But they do. According to Lexipol’s EMS1, Giovanniello was the eighth first responder to die in the line of duty this year.

There was Chad Tate, a firefighter in Sequim, Washington, who was found dead in his bunk. Ethan Quillen, who died after coming into contact with a live power line in Paw Paw, Michigan. Tiquita Miles, who was killed in a collision between her ambulance and an SUV in Atlanta.

Minton “Butch” Beach died from an apparent heart attack during training in

Oak City, North Carolina. Eddie Hykel was struck by a car in West, Texas. Matthew Madigan was also struck and killed by a car, in Detroit. Jay Miles, a firefighter and EMT, suffered a stroke while loading a patient in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania. Even since Giovanniello’s death, we’ve lost yet another one of these heroes: veteran Chicago firefighter Jan Tchoryk, who died after climbing 11 stories in a tower that was on fire.

These are people we never met, and likely never heard of while they were alive. But that’s what makes them heroes. They weren’t wearing fancy spandex or going by some eye-catching moniker. They were everyday people, like all of us, who simply wanted to leave the world a little better than they found it.

That’s exactly who Susan Giovanniello was. If you didn’t know her name before last week, that was perfectly fine. It was never about recognition for Susan — it was simply about being there when a perfect stranger needed her most. Offering the brightest smile in the room. Ready to offer a hand to anyone who needed it.

Susan Giovanniello was a hero. A hero we lost way too soon.

to cover him. We get it by now: He is not worthy of his constituents. Thank you. I would think by now, most Herald readers are very much aware of Santos’ extremely public shortcomings, professionally and personally. Save the updates for election time, when his fate will be determined at the ballot box. Until then, in the interest of making sure your readers aren’t bored senseless, please report on all of our representatives and how they are performing for us.

KEVIN J. MCLAUGHLIN East Norwich

There Randi goes again

To the Editor:

In her column “Writers will tell the story of our times” (March 9-15), Randi Kreiss referenced Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” which, as she put it, “speaks to the currents of evil that can sweep away

With Trump’s indictment, we cross a dangerous line

Ihave ridden through New York City in presidential motorcades with Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump. Looking out the window of the presidential limousine, I would wonder what was going through the minds of the onlookers lining the sidewalks, or the drivers and passengers in the cars and buses frozen in place as our endless stream of official vehicles made its way through the city streets.

A week and a half ago — on Monday, April 3, shortly before 4 p.m. — I found out. I was driving down Second Avenue in Manhattan, approaching 55th Street, when a New York Police Department officer climbed off his motorcycle, which had been traveling west, its lights flashing red, and halted all traffic just as I was about to cross 55th Street.

My first reaction was the thought, wrong place, wrong time. I was already running late for a WABC radio pre-show meeting at Third Avenue and 49th Street. But as I saw the long line of vehicles passing in front of me — the black SUVs, the marked NYPD cars, the unmarked heavyweapons Secret Service truck and the New York City Fire Department emergency vehicle — escorting former President Trump from LaGuardia Airport to Trump Tower, at Fifth Avenue and 56th Street, I realized that I was witnessing a moment in history. A sad moment, with lasting consequences not just for New York, but also for the United States and the world. Minutes later, as I walked from the parking garage on 48th Street and looked up at the NYPD helicopters whirring in the sky above the city’s giant skyscrapers, my sadness and concern heightened.

The first criminal indictment of a former president of the United States

LETTERS

an entire community.” She has no trouble at all vilifying DeSantis, Trump, and Marjorie Taylor Greene in this regard.

However, she conveniently omits Joe Biden and the destruction his administration has wrought on the entire country: a border crisis, rising crime, rampant inflation, supply chain disruptions, high gas and food prices, Covid mandates, no more energy independence, massive federal spending, banks collapsing, instability overseas — need I go on?

With the country currently circling the drain, Ms. Kreiss has successfully demonstrated once again that her irrational hatred for Donald Trump and conservatives takes precedence over current reality.

PAUL TUTHILL Glen Cove

Make Nassau County carbon-neutral by 2035

To the Editor:

I begin with a reminder about something that we too often forget here in Nassau County: that all 1.3 million of us live on an island.

And while living on this island, our exposure to climate change is a constant threat to our homes, our communities, our infrastructure, our drinking water, and our collective safety. In fact, Long Island ranks fourth among major population centers for its exposure to the physical and economic risks of climate change.

Reports show that we are especially vulnerable to warming temperatures, extreme weather, sea level rise and “water stress” from our reliance on a solesource aquifer. This underscores the need for collective urgency, and how the actions we take now will help protect Long Island for generations to come.

This view is not hyperbolic. Once-in-a-generation

crosses a line our nation has never before crossed — indeed, it is a 21st-century crossing of the Rubicon. I say this not as a supporter of Trump. Though I worked closely with him when he was president and saw firsthand his accomplishment in crushing the MS-13 gang here on Long Island, I am not supporting his current presidential run. This is not, and should not be, a partisan political issue. It should be of concern to all, especially to those who otherwise proclaim their fear that democracy is at risk, but are now supporting or silently enabling this indictment.

Politicizing criminal justice and criminalizing political opponents cannot be tolerated in a democratic society. Because I believe this so strongly, I was one of only two Republicans who voted against President Bill Clinton’s impeachment when I was in Congress. The false argument being used by Manhattan District Attorney

storms that once happened every century are happening every month. Recently, 26 people died in an extreme tornado in Mississippi. Thirty-seven people died this winter from extreme storms in Buffalo. And we can’t forget Hurricane Sandy, in which 44 New Yorkers lost their lives and 69,000 people suffered property damage.

Local governments are on the front line of this crisis, and we have the opportunity to transform our communities and make them healthier and more sustainable. That’s why I’ve introduced legislation to make county government operations carbon-neutral by 2035. The state has already set a timeline of 2050, and there’s no reason Nassau shouldn’t be ambitious in leading the way.

To be absolutely clear, my proposal relates strictly to county government and our municipal operations. So, while it would not establish new mandates for individual homeowners, all Nassau residents would be the beneficiaries of a cleaner environment.

Whether it’s improving the quality of our air, drinking water, beaches, buildings, or parks and preserves, we all benefit from a greener Nassau. And of equal importance, this bill would make the county “climate smart,” ensuring that state and federal grants offset the costs of these improvements so we don’t have to add a single dollar in taxes. In fact, going green would actually save taxpayers money by making our operations more efficient.

A bipartisan group of mayors representing 130 American cities have joined the initiative Cities Race to Zero to move toward a zero-emissions future. I’m calling on County Executive Bruce Blakeman and my Republican and Democratic colleagues in the Legislature to join them by passing this bill and making Nassau County the 131st participant. We don’t have any time to waste.

JOSHUA A. LAFAZAN Woodbury Nassau County legislator, 18th District

Alvin Bragg is that no one is above the law. That is a truism not bearing on this case or this indictment.

If Trump were to shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue, he should be indicted and prosecuted. But to indict him on a state misdemeanor charge whose statute of limitations has expired, and elevating it to a felony by attaching it to a federal election law on grounds that the Federal Election Commission has ruled do not constitute a crime, proves my good friend Judge Sol Wachtler’s dictum that a grand jury can indict a ham sandwich.

This is setting a harmful precedent for our republic. Do we want local district attorneys in red states going through convoluted contortions to indict and prosecute members of President Biden’s family? Donald Trump may not be the most sympathetic victim, but this indictment extends beyond him. It is the American justice system that is being put at risk — and that threatens us all.

Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

FRAMEWORK by Tim Baker

A wooden ursine sentry outside a home on Third Street — Glen Cove

Iwas one of only two Republicans who voted not to impeach Bill Clinton.

PETER KING