No shellfishing this weekend
School sports postponed
LVCSD ready for first day
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VOL. 122 NO. 36
SEPTEMBER 4 - 10, 2020
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Legislators focus on county map By LAURA LANE llane@liherald.com
Courtesy Office of Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Kevan M. Abrahams
MINORITY LEADER KEVAN Abrahams, center, was joined at his news conference focusing on the redistricting process by, from left, Legislators Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, Arnold W. Drucker, Josh Lafazan and Debra Mulé.
The Democrats in the Nassau County Legislature are asking for changes in how the county’s legislative map is drawn. They may be a little early, since redistricting will not be considered until 2023, but ensuring equal representation for every resident is on their minds, they say, and since they are in the minority, it probably is never too soon to at least start a discussion. “I can’t believe it’s almost 10 years since we did this,” Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, a Democrat from Glen Cove, said. “One map last time had me and Judy Jacobs in the same district. The one that ended up being used had me with Wayne Wink, but I got lucky. He ran for town clerk. I love my job, so I’m hoping for the best. I hope I can stay around.” The Democrats held a press conference on Aug. 12 at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive & Legislative Building to announce their ideas about fair redistricting. They said they would like to CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Roy Gier, ex-chief of Oyster Bay F.D., dies at 55 By LAURA LANE llane@liherald.com
The Oyster Bay Fire Department was Roy E. Gier’s second home. Once a member of the department’s Teddy’s Boys D r i l l Te a m , h e c o m p e t e d against other fire departments, and the team won year after year. For Gier, it was all about honoring his beloved OBFD, where he was part of a brotherhood that family and friends say he treasured. His fellow firefighters said he would do anything for the department and the community as well. The ex-chief died on Aug 30, at age 55, succumbing to heart f ailure after being ill for months. As the purple bunting was affixed to the firehouse, his lifelong friend Doug Flynn,
also an OBFD member, paused. He still couldn’t believe that Roy was gone, he said. Then Flynn apologized, saying he was in a fog. Gier, bor n and raised in Oyster Bay, belonged to three fire departments during his lifetime, North Bellmore, Syosset and Oyster Bay, which he came to serve in the early 1990s. He battled Suffolk Count y w i l d f i r e s, w a s a f i r s t responder at the Avianca plane crash in Cove Neck, where he helped save scores of the 158 passengers, and also helped his embattled community after the nor’easter, called the 100 year storm. His roots were in Oyster Bay, and like other youth in the hamlet, he played football and ran track, as a member of Oys-
Courtesy Janice Menke-Gier
ROY AND JANICE Menke-Gier at an OBFD event. ter Bay High School’s teams. Gier was popular, a talented athlete and always had leadership qualities, F lynn said.
They had been best friends since the third grade. Gier’s mother, Linda, said her son was the first to smile. “He was amiable and a happygo-lucky guy,” she said. “He felt things deeply but couldn’t say them, so he wrote letters telling me how much he appreciated his family.” He was the oldest of four children. When his father, Roy D. Gier, died in 2003, Gier became the protector of his youngest sister, Linda Beth Gier.
“My earliest memories of Roy are when I was very young, probably three. He took me to the sump to watch him play ice hockey,” Linda Beth recalled, then she laughed. “He’d come in at 6 in the morning singing that it was time to get up while holding a blow dryer. He was always joking around.” Gier was also his adopted daughter Claire’s protector. His wife, Janice Menke-Gier, said that she had adopted CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Saturdays on the Creek So much to see and do on Glen Cove Creek! From kayaking, boating, dining, sipping coffee, or savoring a craft beer, to enjoying all that the Farmers Market has to offer, there is so much to do on both sides of the Glen Cove Creek.
So many wonderful opportunities from our local businesses for families and friends to explore while social distancing. Join us on Saturdays and throughout the week for fun and relaxation.
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Fresh locally grown produce, honey, farm fresh eggs, oysters, prepared foods and other locally made goodies. Advance online ordering available with Curbside Pickup. Saturdays 9 to 1 through October. 36 Garvies Point Road 516.318.5487 www.SeaCliffFarmersMarket.com
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Chic, casual, and comfortable gourmet waterside dining in the beautiful Sunset Summer Patio with a view of the docks looking like a forest of sailing masts. The best cuisines of land and sea available all day, or come for brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy a cocktail and bring your appetite. M–W 12–10, T–S 12–11, Sun. 12–9 74 Shore Road 516.676.1211 www.TheCoveny.com
Sunset cruises on Long Island Sound, excursions to the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan, or a picnic in a quiet bay aboard the Miracle, a 46 foot luxury yacht. View the mansions of the Gold Coast, have a swim in Oyster or Manhasset Bay—the itinerary is your choice. Maximum, six people. 516.456.4571 www.GlenCoveCruises.com
Vacation fun on Long Island. Open May to October for rentals of kayaks, canoes, stand up paddle boards, bicycles and more! Call or visit website to book special events, parties, guided tours, and SUP yoga classes. 128 Shore Road 516.801.2201 www.ShoreThingRentals.net
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September 4, 2020 — Oyster Bay Herald Guardian
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OBITUARY
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE Claire initially. Gier immediately fell in love with the little girl, who was 15 months old when he met her, when the two began dating seven years ago. After they married in 2016, Gier decided to adopt Claire. “He went everywhere with Claire and was the perfect father,” said Menke-Gier, adding that their 8-year-old was devastated. “Roy always told her that he would always be here for her. I keep telling Claire that her father is still here watching over her.” Popular among his fellow firefighters, Gier was equally beloved by people in general. His mother said everyone seemed to know her son, regardless of where they were. “It was like he was the mayor,” she said. “We went to the graduation from Marine boot camp in Parris Island for my grandson Steve [Brode] and even though there were thousands of people there someone yelled, ‘Hi Roy!’ from the stands. I couldn’t believe it.” Describing her son as a “goofball who loved to play jokes,” Linda said he was larger than life. “He was so handsome and such a good man,” she said. “I wish he had taken care of himself.” Gier’s sense of humor and desire to help others exemplified him, said Anthony DeCarolis, the first assistant chief at OBFD. “He was a very active guy and really believed in what he was doing here. People getting along and working to gether was the big thing for him,” DeCarolis said. “He’s one of the people that if you needed something you call him and he’s there.” OBFD Chief John Hambrook said Gier was a big presence and was kind. He knew what it was like to be a chief so he went out of his way to help Hambrook, who at 29 is an unusually young chief. Gier still remembered all of the challenges of being a chief, so he guided Hambrook. T hey spoke once a week, even when Gier was ill. John Bruckner, an OBFD firefighter, remembered Gier when he was growing up. He lived across the street from Bruckner. It was Gier’s father, also an OBFD member, wh encouraged Bruckner to join the Fire Department. “Roy was the kind of guy that would give you the shir t of f his back,” Bruckner said. “If you gave him a hard time and then asked him for something he’d still get it for you.” Gier, who worked as a corrections of ficer at Rikers Island for three years, had retired in October 2019 from his position as a corporal in the Nassau County Sheriff ’s Department. He had worked there for 33 years, Menke-Gier said. “After he retired he was not right,” she said. “He had a defibrillator for his heart put in in July and had asthma.” She had encouraged her husband
Courtesy Janice Menke-Gier
ROY GIER WITH the loves of his life, his daughter, Claire, and his wife, Janice Menke-Gier. to go to the doctor for a week before he died but said it was hard for him to accept people’s help. He was stubborn, she said, and would not go. In addition to his wife, daughter and mother, Gier is survived by brother Jeffrey and sisters Jackie Brode and Linda Beth Gier.
As an ex-chief and life member, Gier was given the honor of having his funeral visiting hours at the firehouse. A Firematic service was performed in his honor before a hearse carried him to the Locust Valley Cemetery for interment on Wednesday.
Courtesy Linda Gier
ROY GIER, ABOVE with his mother, Linda, and below. He was born and grew up in Oyster Bay.
Courtesy Janice Menke-Gier
KNOWN AS SOMEONE who loved to joke around, Gier spent a great deal of his time with his wife and daughter.
Courtesy Linda Gier
Oyster Bay Herald Guardian — September 4, 2020
Committed to family and the O.B. Fire Department
Democrats want independent redistricting commission CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE see a temporary Independent Redistricting Commission draw new legislative district lines to promote equal representation and protect the sanctity of residents’ voting rights, irrespective of race, ethnicity, religion or socioeconomic status. After data from the 2020 census is finalized, the commission would use the results to adopt a redistricting plan, instead of the legislators from the two political parties, “specifying the boundaries of the county’s 19 county legislative districts.” “The majority will review the proposal from the Democratic minority as we do all bills,” said Chris Boyle, spokesman for the Republican majority. “It is difficult to understand why in the midst of a Covid-19 pandemic and fiscal crisis the minority chooses to focus their energy on changing the county’s redistricting process.” Legislator Josh Lafazan, an independent from Woodbury, participated in the press conference. He said when he ran in 2017 he pledged to work on redistricting. If elections are not fair, he said, people can serve for a lifetime. “Both parties are guilty of utilizing majority status to write the maps,” he said. “That’s why I favor term limits. We have strayed so far from the Founders vision for our country, which was citizen representation on a temporary basis.” When districts are not drawn in a fair way, Lafazan said, the people’s trust erodes. “To put partisanship aside would build trust among people,” he said. “This is an issue that will outlast all of us legislators. For the county to have an independent redistricting done would be a good legacy for us to leave.” When redistricting was considered in February 2013, legislators listened for six
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Temporary Independent Redistricting Commission ■ Nine unpaid members, with no more than four to be from one political party. ■ They must be registered with that party for three years. ■ Within the last three years none of the members could have served in or been a candidate for any federal, state, county, town or city elected office or be a registered lobbyist or political party official. ■ Three members would be appointed by the presiding officer of the Legislature and three would be appointed by the minority leader. ■ Three members would be appointed by both the presiding officer and minority leader. ■ Five or more votes are required for any action.
Courtesy Nassau County Legislature
THE CURRENT DISTRICT map for Nassau County was approved on Feb. 26, 2013. hours to a public comment session that included hundreds of county residents who vehemently opposed the Republican map. There were accusations of racism and gerrymandering, with some saying the map was merely a power grab by the Republican Party. Residents had said the map would split communities into separate districts. But Frank Moroney, the chairman of the redistricting commission at the time, said that the proposed map was designed to fulfill the constitutional requirements to create districts as close to the optimal population
as possible in order to meet the “one person, one vote” standard. He said the intent was to respect political subdivisions, community and minority interests and to keep districts compact and contiguous where possible. De-Riggi Whitton said she believed there should be a public hearing this time when redistricting is considered. Saying that she cannot fathom what Republicans can do to change the map, she added that it is pretty much in their favor now. Lisa Tyson, director of the Long Island Progressive Coalition, also took part in the
Aug. 12 press conference. “The last plan was horrible,” she said. “It separated and continued segregation on Long Island. The representatives don’t look like their community. It’s time now to make a change.” Tyson, who is not a member of either party, said the current map is unethical. It is unfortunate, she said, that most people do not know what redistricting is. “Real people” should be in office, she said. “The government needs to reflect the people.” Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams said that the creation of an independent redistricting commission would liberate Nassau County voters from decades of election districts that exist primarily to advance the political interests of politicians over people. “Because voters will have real choices in competitive elections, it will no longer be safe for elected officials to ignore the interests of large segments of Nassau County’s electorate,” Abrahams said. “To oppose this bill is to sacrifice the common good of the people in Nassau in favor of the selfish interests of the few.”
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Oyster Bay Herald Guardian — September 4, 2020
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September 4, 2020 — Oyster Bay Herald Guardian
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Rice proposes bill to combat impaired driving If signed into law, bill would establish annual $5M federal grant program U.S. Reps. Kathleen Rice, a Democrat from Garden City, and T roy Balderson, a Republican from Ohio, i n t ro d u c e d t h e b i p a r t i s a n D r u g Impaired Driving Education Act of 2020, which would establish an annual $5 million federal grant program for states to educate the public on the dangers of drug-impaired driving. The latest available data from 2018 indicates that impaired driving was a factor in roughly 11,000 traffic deaths nationwide, all of which were preventable, the Congress members said. Rice, who has fought drunken driving since her days as Nassau County’s district attor ney, introduced three pieces of legislation in 2019 to help end impaired driving. “Despite common misconceptions, drug-impaired driving is just as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol, and that’s why this bill to expand public education and awareness is so important,” Rice said. “I’ve been working on these issues for my entire career, and I have seen the immense pain and tragedy that they can cause far too many times. I thank Re presentative Balderson and the many advocacy groups who are supporting this legislation. We must keep working together until we can end i m p a i re d a n d d i s t r a c t e d d r iv i n g once and for all.” “When someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol gets behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, entire communities are put at risk,” Balderson said. “Sadly, this is a fact we know
“Too many Americans do not realall too well in the state of Ohio, where the opioid epidemic runs rampant. ize that driving under the influence of cannabis or prescripThis legislation takes critition medication impairs cal ste ps to educate our their ability to operate a communities about the vehicle safely, so efforts to risks associated with drugbolster information, educaimpaired driving, includtion and enforcement is ing those driving under the something we can all celeinfluence of opioids and brate,” said Michelle Kormarijuana.” smo, president and CEO of The Drug-Impaired Wine and Spirits WholesalDriving Education Act has ers of America. “WSWA been endorsed by Responremains steadfast in fightsibility.org, Wine & Spirits ing impaired driving in all Wholesalers of America, forms and commends Reps. the National Safety CounR i c e a n d B a l d e r s o n fo r cil, the National Organizatheir leadership and comtion for the Reform of Marmitment to the public on i j u a n a L aw s a n d t h e the health and safety of all National District AttorAmericans.” neys Association. “Impairment is a persisD a r r i n G ro n d e l , v i c e tent roadway safety issue, president of traffic safety and we know drugand government relations impaired driving is a growfor Responsibility.org, said, ing concer n,” said Lor“In Washington state, 44 raine Mar tin, president percent of drivers involved and CEO of the National in fatal crashes between Safety Council. “We need 2008 to 2016 tested positive public awareness and outfor two or more substancrage to move the needle to es, with alcohol and tetralives, and this bill hyd ro c a n n ab i n o l ( T H C ) KathLeen RiCe save [ wo u l d p r ov i d e ] i n i t i a l being the most common funding to this end. We combination. This legisla- U.S. representative appreciate Congresswomtion is a giant step forward an Rice’s ongoing leaderin helping the public to u n d e r s t a n d t h e d a n g e r s d r u g - ship and relentless commitment to impaired driving and multi-substance this important issue.” “Keeping our communities safe and impaired driving pose on our roadreducing fatalities on our nation’s ways.”
D
espite common misconceptions, drug-impaired driving is just as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol.
Nassau sees lowest infection rate since March Thursday, Aug. 27, marked the highest number of Covid-19 tests conducted in Nassau County since the beginning of the pandemic, with 9,814 test results reported by the New York State Department of Health, and 0.5 percent of tests were positive for the coronavirus. “Robust testing is key to successfully navigating the challenges we are set to face this fall,” County Executive Laura Curran said. “Nassau is still waiting for the federal Lauran government to provide the emergency aid required to prevent further economic catastrophe and gutting of essential services – including continued robust Covid-19 testing. I want to thank Governor Cuomo for
his leadership, including making sure New York continues to ramp up Covid-19 testing instead of slowing it down. We need more testing with quicker results – not less testing altogether. Nassau has the line on the coronavirus, with a 1 percent positivity rate, throughout the summer. “But,” Curran said, “September will be a new challenge. None of this is easy, but we have no choice bu t t o re m a i n v i g i l a n t against a virus that has Curran claimed the lives of 2,197 residents and now more than 180,000 fellow Americans. Let’s keep doing what has saved countless lives and allowed Long Island to reopen safely: wearing a mask and social distancing.”
roads remains a top priority for prosecutors throughout the country,” said Nancy Parr, NDAA president and the commonwealth’s attorney for the City of Chesapeake, VA. “NDAA supports and endorses the Drug-Impaired Driving Education Act of 2020, which [would] provide vital federal funding to state and local governments, nonprofits, and law enforcement agencies to educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving and protect our citizens across the nation.” “With the majority of U.S. states now regulating marijuana sales for either medical purposes or for adult use, it’s important that traffic safety laws and practices comport with this new reality,” said Paul Ar mentano, NORML deputy director. “Both lawmakers and the general public can benefit from evidence-based messaging and strate gies reinforcing and strengthening responsible behavior.” Congress previously funded efforts to train authorities to better detect and deter dr ug-impaired driving, but there remains a need for public education and awareness of this g rowing problem, according to Rice. The new federal grant program established by the Drug-Impaired Driving Education Act would provide funding to states to address this specific need. The legislation is yet to be voted on by the House of Representatives, and must be approved by both the House and Senate and signed by the president to become law.
Town teams with Northwell on testing The Town of Hempstead and Northwell Health are launching three Covid19 mobile testing locations. The initiative, town and Northwell officials said, will provide increased testing to highrisk and minority communities within the town, which have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Each week, three to four testing sites will be available, free of charge, at different locations throughout the town. The testing facilities will be open Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. To find the nearest testing location, residents are asked to call (516) 821-2500. Town Supervisor Donald Clavin thanked U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer for helping to secure the federal funding needed for the testing sites. “This collaboration with Northwell Health is
one that the town is extremely proud of and will continue our region’s ability to keep driving the numbers of Covid19 cases down to the lowest we’ve seen since the start of the pandemic,” Clavin said. “We’re proud to partner with the Town of Hempstead to provide antibody and diagnostic Covid-19 testing and share prevention information at 16 sites within Hempstead town,” said Dr. Debbie Salas-Lopez, senior vice president of community and population health at Northwell Health. “Education and testing are the keys to fostering healthy communities and limiting the spread of Covid-19.” Walk-ins are accepted, but appointments are encouraged by calling 8212500. For more information, visit hempsteadny.gov/.
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Oyster Bay Herald Guardian — September 4, 2020
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September 4, 2020 — Oyster Bay Herald Guardian
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Councilman represents at GOP convention were there.” President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke with the delegates on the mornTown of Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blake- ing of Aug. 24. “Vice President Pence came to thank man, a Republican covering the 3rd District, got to us for our vote and thank us for coming down,” be a part of what he described as the most unusual Blakeman said. “Around 11 a.m., President Trump convention he has ever attended. came down to speak in an informal disHe was one of six New York state delcussion on his accomplishments and his egates at the 2020 Republican National vision for the next four years. EveryConvention, which took place in Charbody was energized by that, and the fact lotte, N.C., and the White House from that he detoured his plans to thank the Aug. 24 to 27. Originally there were to be delegates in Charlotte was a very nice 94 state delegates, but the number was thing.” pared down to six because of the coroThe convention moved to Washingnavirus pandemic. ton, D.C. on Aug. 27 as Trump concluded “There are two types of ways to the festivities with a speech on the become a delegate: You can run for it in White House’s South Lawn, which your congressional district, and then Blakeman attended. “The crowd was there are a number of delegates the energized and excited and were moved state chairman can appoint,” Blakeman by the stories we heard from some of said. “I was one of the elected delegates the speakers,” Blakeman said. “I from the state’s 4th Congressional Disthought the president was really good in trict. When it was restricted from 94 to his speech, and he touched on everysix, I lobbied to [Nassau County Repubthing he needed to.” lican Chairman] Joe Cairo that I wanted Coming out of the convention, Blaketo go, and the squeaky wheel wound up man said he is “cautiously optimistic” BRucE getting the oil.” about the presidential election. “I feel New York GOP Chairman Nick Lang- BlAkEMAn that a successful candidate always has worthy said he was pleased to have run as if they were 10 points behind Town of Hempstead to Blakeman as a state delegate. “Although so we can’t take anything for granted,” I wish we could’ve been celebrating the councilman he said. “There has been movement in president’s nomination with all of our the past two weeks for the president in 94 delegates, I was proud to have Counswing states, and I feel good about the cilman Blakeman as one of the six state delegates,” numbers moving in the right direction for him.” Langworthy said. When looking back on the convention, Blakeman The process for the delegates to enter the conven- said he would remember the relationships he tion began a week before the pandemic, when Blake- formed with fellow delegates from across the counman said he was sent daily health questionnaires try. “We spent our time talking about what life was and a Covid-19 test. “I got to Charlotte on Sunday like in our own communities and the election,” he night, [Aug. 23], and it was pretty closed down,” he said. “The convention was very different but great. said. “Everything was consolidated around the con- The fact that it was historic because it was so vention center, as the Westin Hotel was like an restricted made it special for me to be one of about armed camp since the president and vice president 350 delegates there.”
By MATTHEW FERREMI mferremi@liherald.com
T
he fact that it was historic because it was so restricted made it special for me to be one of about 350 delegates there.
Courtesy Bruce Blakeman
ToWn oF HEMpsTEAd Councilman Bruce Blakeman was one of six New York state delegates at the 2020 Republican National Convention.
County executive serves as DNC delegate By BRIdgET doWnEs bdownes@liherald.com
Over four days, elected officials and delegates from around the country attended the Democratic National Convention — including Nassau County Executive Laura Curran — but this time, virtually. Many people streamed footage of the convention, which took place Aug. 17 through 20. Joe Biden accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for president, and Kamala Harris, for vice president. “I think it would’ve been a lot more fun to do it the oldfashioned way, in a convention center with balloons and the crazy hats and everything,” Curran, of Baldwin, said. “It would’ve been a good experience; however, like everything else these days, we’re doing things a bit differently, so we did it over Zoom, virtually.” It was the county executive’s first time attending the convention as a delegate. She had attended in 1992, before she was involved in politics and government, when Bill Clinton accepted the party’s nomination for president. Curran said she attended some Zoom meetings throughout the four days in addition to delegate meetings, and watched parts of the convention via YouTube like other viewers. “There were some meetings that I would go to, organized by the State Democratic Committee,” she explained, adding that she and other delegates voted by filling out a form and e-mailing it in. “So it was easy in
that I didn’t have to go anywhere or really take time off. That was one plus.” It’s a strange election this year, Curran said, between Covid-19 changing the rules and the uncertainties around voting. “I would just encourage anyone who’s listening that no matter who you’re voting for — I’m not going to tell you who to vote for — just make sure that you don’t get turned off by the differences in this election and get out and vote, whether it’s absentee ballot or however you’re doing it,” she said, adding that it’s “so important for everyone to make their voices heard.” “Being able to participate in the convention, even remotely, really reminded me of that,” Curran continued, “how important it is to vote, because that’s the thing that keeps our democracy alive. It’s the thing that keeps elected officials accountable to the people.” She also urged voters to cast their votes in local races as well. “It’s so important that we participate in this democracy because in the course of human history, it is a rare and beautiful thing, and we should not take it for granted,” Curran said, noting that voting helps hold policymakers accountable. “The best and easiest way to do that is to vote.” “Whatever is going on in the world, whether we can be there in person or not, democracy is still happening,” she said. “It’s just happening in a new way. Democracy persists.”
Courtesy Alex Hanel DNCC
dEMocRATIc nATIonAl coMMITTEE Chair Tom Perez spoke at the Democratic National Convention — streamed to viewers remotely — on Aug. 19.
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School districts react to school sports season postponement By TONY BELLISSIMO and JENNIFER CORR tbellissimo@liherald.com, jcorr@liherald.com
Nassau County High School studentathletes will have to wait until 2021 to compete in sports. At an emergency meeting held the morning of Aug. 26, Nassau school superintendents voted to postpone high school sports until Jan. 4, becoming the first of the state’s 11 sections to move its fall season. “I believe other sections will follow and pull the plug, but I can’t speak for anyone else,” said Section VIII (Nassau) Executive Director of Athletics Pat Pizzarelli. “We felt strong enough to make this decision now,” he added. “We took the cautious route, but we believe it’s in everyone’s best interests. There are too many unknowns. “It’s just not time to allow kids to play sports,” he continued. “And my first and foremost concern is the safety of our student-athletes.” And while Kayleigh Wieboldt, a senior Oyster Bay High School athlete, is disappointed that her volleyball season with her teammates will not be the same this year, she agreed that health is a priority. “It’s upsetting especially since it’s senior year and I’m not planning to go to college for sports,” Wieboldt said. “This is the last hurrah.” Courtesy Jenna Halpin And this year was also the chance for OYSTER BAY HIGH School may not see its homecoming this year because of the pandemic. her and her teammates to defend their position as county champions, which they begin and field hockey falls within the won last year. But, Pizzarelli told Newsday, the door low risk to moderate category” “I can’t imagine losing my senior seais being left open in the event that there is more scientific evidence that says it’s safe son because a small group of adults said to go back and start sports. “We’ll reas- it was unsafe when our governor came sess that position before Sept. 21,” he said. out and said it was safe,” Halpin added. The plan as it stands, Pizzarelli said, is “I miss sports and I really want to play so I hope they reconsider,” Wieboldt said. to play all three sports seasons between January and June, when, “I know they may figure out hopefully, the threat of Covidsomething where we can play 19 has decreased. He said Secnext year. It’s a tricky thing.” tion VIII will create its own The county’s decision contingency model and aim came two days after Gov. to limit season overlaps to Andrew M. Cuomo issued one week at the most. guidance permitting lower“We’ll look to get started risk high school fall sports Jan. 4 with the traditional (soccer, tennis, swimming, winter sports, including basfield hockey and cross-counketball and wrestling,” Pizzatry) to begin practice and play relli said. on Sept. 21, while noting footThe Locust Valley Central ball and volleyball could School District website stated begin practice but not play. that the district was preparHowever, the superintening to implement a condensed dents did not consider the season starting January 2021, cur rent conditions safe with winter sports taking enough to conduct any fall from January to March, sports. The seven-person PAT PIZZARELLI place fall sports taking place from committee of Nassau County March to May and spring officials voted unanimously (Nassau) Executive Courtesy Ryan Hedlund to postpone. Director of Athletics sports taking place from LOCUST VALLEY SENIOR athlete Jenna Halpin, left, said she is not happy to see that her April to June. Each season fall field hockey season may be postponed. “It was never a considerwill be 10 weeks. ation to try playing even the Each sports season will be condensed, dent athlete said, adding that the team is invested in the season and the team lower-risk sports,” Pizzarelli said. “Transrunning approximately nine weeks. The trying to organize a practice at the town goals and they’re just as disappointed.” portation is a big issue. There are a lot of “I think at the same we are realizing fall sports will be played in the second beach. “It’s hard now, but we try our best issues.” Locust Valley High School senior ath- season and spring sports would be third to keep the sport alive amongst us,” she the reality that we’re living in right now,” Trentowski said. “While it’s fruslete Jenna Halpin did not agree with Piz- as usual. Last year’s spring season was said. Oyster Bay East Norwich’s Athletic trating and disappointing and everyone zarelli, as her field hockey season hangs nixed March 16, after just one week of Director Kevin Trentowski said that is feeling upset, I think it was in balance in the balance. She also plays indoor track practice, due to coronavirus. For now, Wieboldt and her fellow coaches have been keeping in touch with the realization that we haven’t and spring lacrosse. “I spoke to my superintendent and my Board of Education teammates have been keeping positive by with their athletes. “They’re being the been in the building since March 13 and and they support us playing this fall,” she staying in contact to stay positive “espe- great people that they are, keeping spir- to have all of this happen at once would said. “Gov. Cuomo said that fall sports can cially in a small town like this,” the stu- its up and they’re people to, they’re put things into jeopardy.”
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e’ll look to get started Jan. 4 with the traditional winter sports, including basketball and wrestling.
Visit the Oyster Bay Market this Sunday Association, soap, bread, pickles, pies, scones, cheeses and specialty items from La Favorita Fine Foods Market Place, local produce and local artisans. With the current health crisis, the priority is keeping everyone safe while still bringing people together. There will be safety precautions in place as required and recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the s t at e, i n cl u d i n g enter and exit signage, masks and sanitizer. Masks are required to anyone entering the market area. Photo courtesy Mockingbird Wings
EVEN DURING A pandemic, locals can be connected to local products through the Oyster Bay Market.
Oyster Bay Herald Guardian — September 4, 2020
With a partnership between the Oyster Bay Main Street Association and Mockingbird Wings, which aims to promote hand crafted gifts and products, the next Oyster Bay Market will take place o n S u n d ay, Sept. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The market, held in the O y s t e r B ay Town parking lot by the Post Office, is across the street from Billy Joel’s motorcycle museum on Audrey Avenue. T he market will run every other Sunday for the season, with some regular vendors and a few guest vendors each week. Visitors can choose from local honey, farm fresh eggs, herbal teas, oysters and clams from the Oyster Bay Baymen’s
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Courtesy Flickr
THE LORDS OF 52nd Street will bring in the last summer drive-in concert.
The Lords of 52nd Street brings ‘one last summer blast’ The Lords of 52nd Street will play “one last summer blast” drive-in concert at Tobay Beach on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. This free concert will offer Town of Oyster Bay residents one last chance to soak up summertime fun before the fall season arrives. The Lords of 52nd Street features the legends of The Billy Joel Band, including Richie Cannata, Liberty DeVitto and Russell Javors. “The Lords of 52nd Street are legends of rock n’ roll and put on an amazing performance each time out, recreating all of Billy Joel’s indelible
hits that they were originally a part of,” Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said. “The town is proud to present this free drive-in concert to residents.” Vehicles will be admitted to the parking lot on a first-come, firstserved basis beginning at 6 p.m. the day of the event. For the safety of all residents, concertgoers must remain in their cars. Portable restroom facilities will be on-site. For additional information, please call (516) 797-7925 or visit www.oysterbaytown.com.
SHARE YOUR LOSS, SHARE YOUR MEMORIES Dear neighbor:
We live and work in this community. The lives of each and every one of you is important to us and we are here to tell your stories — from beginning to end. That includes the final chapter. At this difficult time, I want to remind you that obituaries in all Herald Community Newspapers are, and have always been, completely free. COVID-19 has taken far too many, far to soon. Let us help you commemorate the life of your loved one with a story and photo celebrating their life. Contact our Executive Editor Scott Brinton, sbrinton@liherald.com or call 516-569-4000, ext 203, if you would like to memorialize a loved one in the Herald, regardless of their cause of death. Stuart Richner Publisher srichner@liherald.com 1100740
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HometoWn Heroes
BarBara Costello I
Glen Head Founder and President, Guardian anGel Family Crisis Center
started Guardian Angel 12 years ago as a community outreach center to reach our local neighbors in need. We offer and provide housing, food, clothing and children’s needs. We also have an outreach program where the community is very much a part of the volunteerism. During the pandemic, the basic need for families has been food, which is still ongoing. We communicated our growing needs for the community and coordinated the food efforts with the NOSH organization, which is also connected to the North Shore schools, to help local families. Also through Guardian Angel, we have families that have taken on other families on a weekly basis to drop off food at their homes, see if they’re OK and if they needed anything from the store. They were also able to get clothes from the Guardian Angel store, [and] they were provided tutoring assistance, whatever we could provide for them. People contact us because of the need-based programs. When I opened it 12 years ago, there was an awareness of needs, but during a crisis like this, you just need to have a center that’s available. We collaborated with other local organizations to help in that need of reaching the community. It’s always heartfelt to reach out to people who are in need and the simplicity of it is just their basic needs.
HometoWn Hero
lisa maloney
I
Bayville nursinG suPervisor, nyu WintHroP mineola
t was a very challenging few months for me when the coronavirus was at its peak as a nursing supervisor at NYU Winthrop. I found myself at ground zero of the Covid-19 pandemic on Long Island. NYU reported having the first Covid positive case in Nassau County on my shift. From that day and for the next 12 weeks, we were faced with an extremely challenging and unknown situation. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced in the 34 years in my nursing career. The pandemic came at us fast and furious. Because it was a novel virus, no one knew what to expect, and there was little information to go on. The volume of patients critically ill was enormous, and the gravity of their illness was shocking. It was my responsibility to provide proper protection to my staff and provide staff and treatment to a very critically ill fragile patient population. This was all while trying to maintain some lines of communication with their loved ones who could not be with them. It was weeks of 12- to 14-hour days. For me there was no time for fear because the patients needed all of us. I have always viewed my career as more of a vocation than a “job,” so I did what was needed. I am so very proud of what we were able to accomplish and learn while in the trenches during the pandemic.
HometoWn Hero
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September 4, 2020 — Oyster Bay Herald Guardian
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wyandancH eMployee, Glen cove deli
owner, Frank’s BeveraGe Glen cove
i
e were essential. We did a lot of curbside and home delivery. We always did that in our business, but we did it more during the pandemic. So it just tripled, quadrupled the home deliveries and the curbside. We were never out of water. We were never out of stock. We were lucky. We are here 26 years, so our business was very good for us. Business was normal. We had gotten a trailer of water, and I was talking to my manager, and only because I’m a lifelong resident of Glen Cove, I just felt [to donate it] in my heart. The reason I called Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton was not because I was looking for a pat on the back; it was because I had no idea who to contact in the Glen Cove Hospital. I went to school with Delia at St. Patrick’s School in Glen Cove. So I figured let me just reach out to her, and she did what she did. So I had donated about 2,000 bottles of water on April 2 the first time, and I think three weeks later I donated another 2,000 bottles. I wanted to make sure it went to the people dealing with Covid-19, not that anyone else wasn’t important, but I knew they were pulling long hours, and I wanted to make sure it was going to the Covid specialists, the people helping people with Covid. For me, giving back to the community is everything.
’m in charge of the delicatessen. Business was about the same or maybe a little less, but it is very complicated when you have to wear the mask all the time. We use gloves for everything. Wearing the mask all the time is complicated because you can’t hear people very well. But it is what it is. What can you do? The other thing is we have to sanitize a lot more often and clean the counter and tables and whatever we use. With people coming in and out, then you have to clean even more. We saw more nurses. And when it came to having conversations with customers, it was a little different. It’s a little hard. But we ask the people how they are doing, how things are, if they are having a hard time. Basically you do the basics. The beginning was a little harder, more complicated. We did not know what to do. At the beginning, we didn’t really know what to do. But the most important thing is that nobody got sick. The community was very supportive.
HoMeTown Hero
Eastern Audiology is HEAR to help you
r. Susan Bressi Hamilton, founder of Eastern Audiology Resources, has successfully been helping thousands of people on Long Island and throughout the fiveborough find their way to better hearing for more than 30 years! Dr. Hamilton takes pride in providing the most attentive and professional care possible. Those with hearing loss have been significantly more a f f e c t e d d u r i n g t h e Dr Susan Bressi Hamilton coronavirus pandemic. While it is absolutely essential to wear masks, simple things such as not seeing another person’s mouth moving can impact the ability to understand even basic conversations, due to the lack of visual cue’s one is used to associating with hearing words spoken. The effects of this, untreated, can lead to a decline in cognitive function, isolation, and even depression. At Eastern Audiology, our Healthy Hearing Initiative is dedicated to reducing these detrimental effects to one’s everyday life, on a personalized and tailored basis. Through state-of-the-art technology, and an unmatched dedication to each of our patients on a personal level, our staff has been working to combat these issues and improve the lifestyle that each of our patients experiences.
Dr. Hamilton is looking forward to fully re-opening the practice as soon as the current pandemic subsides, and government agencies allow. Emergency curbside services are available as well as direct contact with Dr. Hamilton to discuss your hearing concerns.
70 Glen St, Suite 100, Glen Cove • 516-674-9300 www.easternaudiology.com
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Oyster Bay Herald Guardian — September 4, 2020
Their fronT-line sTories in Their own words Mario Bencivenni raFael rodriGuez Glen cove
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■ Methods to negotiate with top tier universities so they can cost less than a state school. ■ Types of savings accounts that do not penalize you in financial aid formulas. ■ The 529 Savings Plan. ■ Legal loopholes business owners can take to unlock cash buried in their businesses. ■ How one Huntington family negotiated an extra $38,000 per year from the University of Pennsylvania. Lockwood will also answer your questions in real time. He is the coowner and co-founder of Lockwood College Prep, an educational consultant company on Long Island, with his wife, Pearl Lockwood. He is also author of “How to Negotiate Your Crappy Financial Aid and Merit Aid Offer,” which has an updated edition on how coronavirus will impact your aid. All who sign up and attend this webinar will receive a free copy of Lockwood’s book. Attendance is limited and no replay is planned. Register at liherald.com/virtualevents9-9. For more information, call (516) 5694000, ext. 224.
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Circumstances unusual at LVCSD students’ orientation
Oyster Bay Herald Guardian — September 4, 2020
While things may look different in the Locust Valley Central School District buildings this year, it remains a priority to the district to create a welcoming environment in which students feel comfortable. Orientation sessions for incoming sixth and ninth graders are meant to ease students’ anxieties about starting a new school and this year is no different. These students were welcomed to campus for tours and teamwork, taking away some of the worries of the upcoming school year. Ninth graders gathered on the high school football field where they were welcomed by high school administrators. Information about where to go when they need help was emphasized and students were then split into smaller groups to participate in teambuilding activities facilitated by the Nassau BOCES Brookville Environmental Education Center. Wearing masks and maintaining appropriate distances, the students worked together to complete tasks such as forming a triangle with a giant rope. Following the teambuilding activities, upperclassmen served as tour guides, showing the ninth graders common locations, including from which door they would enter the building each day since each grade will enter from a different location. Sixth graders received their schedules, along with new Chromebooks, and learned the lay of the land from Locust Valley Middle School Principal H. Thomas Hogan and Assistant Principal Michael
Courtesy Locust Valley Central School District
INCOMING LOCUST VALLEY middle school students got to see what their classrooms are going to look like amid the pandemic. LoGerfo. They practiced walking the hallways while keeping socially distant and they had an opportunity to ask questions about their schedules, school rules and more. Both the middle school and high school
held three orientation sessions to keep groups smaller and every participant had their temperature taken upon arrival. All were required to wear a mask. Hogan said it was important for students to see their new building and have
an opportunity to ask questions. “In a typical year, heading to middle school can be scary,” he said. “This year, we add many unknowns, making it critical that we addressed concerns prior to the first day of school.”
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DEC temporarily closes shellfishing areas for Labor Day Three shellfishing areas on Long Island’s North Shore, including 445 acres in a section of Oyster Bay Harbor and areas in Port Jefferson and Huntington, will be closed from Friday, Sept. 4 to Wednesday, Sept. 9. These closures are imposed during busy holidays, like Labor Day, to protect public health from potentially contaminated shell fish associated with increased boating activity in shellfishing waters. The DEC also took to reminding boaters to get outside safely, locally and responsibly as the state battles Covid-19 and to use pump-out facilities to help protect waters. The particular practice of "rafting" where multiple vessels tie up with each other should be avoided since this can increase the chance of disease transmission. DEC recommendations incorporate guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York State Department of Health for reducing the spread of infectious diseases and encourage New Yorkers to recreate locally, practice physical distancing, show respect and use common sense to protect themselves and others. Boaters should also be aware, the DEC said, that Oyster Bay Harbor, the Sand Hole, and Port Jefferson Harbor are designated as no-discharge zones in their entirety. A no-discharge zone is a designated body of water where the discharge of treated or untreated boat sewage is prohibited. Boaters in these areas should utilize the following pump-out facilities: • Oyster Bay Harbor (West Harbor, Town
ramp, west of the charter fishing vessels.
Courtesy Flickr
SHELLFISHING WILL NOT be permitted during the Labor Day holiday. of Oyster Bay): One pump-out boat is operated by the town at no cost to boaters. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. Contact the pump-out boat via marine radio VHF channel 9 or by cell phone at (516) 375-9864. In addition, the town provides two pump-out stations on floats near the Oyster Bay Marine Center and Waterfront Park and a land-based pump-out in the town marina at Theodore Roosevelt Park. • The Sand Hole (Lloyd Neck, town of Huntington): Although there are no facilities within the Sand Hole, boaters should contact Town of Oyster Bay pump-out boat as noted above. There also is a landbased pump-out facility at Powle's Marine
Center in Cold Spring Harbor. In addition, boaters traveling from town of Huntington waters can request the services of the town's pump-out boat (no fee) by calling on marine radio VHF channel 9. There are also a number of land based pump-out facilities at marinas in Northport Harbor and Huntington Harbor. • Port Jefferson Harbor (town of Brookhaven): The town of Brookhaven operates a pump-out boat (no fee) in Port Jefferson Harbor. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Boaters may contact the town's pump-out boat via marine radio VHF channel 73. In addition, the town provides a pump out station on its transient dock, east of the boat launch
“Responsible boating plays a major role in protecting out local waterways and DEC continues to urge boaters to be aware of the no-discharge zones in new York’s coastal waters and to use pump-out facilities to prevent impacts to our natural resources and protect public health,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. Since 1995, the DEC has designated areas like Oyster Bay Harbor as temporarily uncertified for the harvest of shellfish during the Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays. During peak holiday seasons, discharges from marine sanitation devices (toilets) may contaminate nearby shellfish during the Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays with pathogenic bacteria or viruses, rendering the shellfish unsafe for human consumption. Shellfish harvesting is expected to resume in the areas on Thursday, Sept. 10. If poor weather causes fewer boaters to visit, the DEC may rescind the closure and reopen the area earlier to harvesting. Shellfish harvesting is expected to resume in these areas on Sept. 10. If poor weather causes fewer boaters to visit these areas, DEC may rescind the closure and reopen the areas earlier to harvesting. A recorded message advising the public about temporary closures of any shellfishing areas in New York State is accessible 24 hours a day by calling (631) 444-0480. The recorded message also advises harve s t e r s w h e n s u c h a r e a s h ave reopened. Information, including maps showing the affected areas, is available on DEC's website at www.dec.ny.gov/.
Plenty to do at the Locust Valley Library this September Happy September!
Updated Locust Valley Library hours
There’s more to pick than apples. Pick a new book or join a fun program at the Locust Valley Library. The library is now open for browsing and limited computer use. Visits are limited to 30 minutes and masks are mandatory for visitors over the age of two. Contactless curbside pick-up will continue as well. All materials will be quarantined for four days after being returned. The library is also providing fun and helpful events that are safe for all parties.
Monday to Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2 to 8:30 p.m. Friday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The library will be closed from 1 to 2 p.m. for cleaning.
Latin Music from Around the Globe
Monday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. Professor Thomas Rizzuto of Molloy College will be giving a live lecture and performance of Latin music from around the globe featuring the sounds of classic flamenco and Latin American folk songs from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and more. Registration is required for this online Zoom event.
Shred personal documents
Saturday, Sept. 19 from 9:30 – 11:30
Herald File Photo
THE LOCUST VALLEY Library is now open for browsing the books for 30 minute visits. a.m. The shredding company Shred Away Inc. will have a truck in the lower parking lot of the library to shred
unwanted documents. Patrons are allowed to shred up to three boxes and staples, small and large clips don’t need to be removed. CDs are also permitted.
Black carbon sheets, plastic and card board is not permitted. No reservation is required and service will be provided on a first come, first serve basis. Many online programs, free or paid, are available for adults, youth and children. Find more information about the library and its programs at www. locustvalleylibrary.org.
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NEIGHBORS IN THE NEWS
Courtesy Office of Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan
LEGISLATOR JOSH LAFAZAN joined members of Project Angel Island and Grenville Baker Boys and Girls Club participants at the Bayville Community Center on Aug. 20. grade masks for healthcare professionals back in March. Now, we’re glad to have the opportunity to donate supplies to the Grenville Boys & Girls Club. The health and safety of our community come September is an important cause to us as stu-
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dents, and we hope our masks can help accomplish this.” “As Nassau County’s schools, youth centers and educational hubs implement their plans to resume operations as safely as possible, organizations like Proj-
ect Angel Island are stepping up as a vital source of support,” Lafazan said. “I am delighted to work with Iris Fan and this group of young philanthropists as they demonstrate that you’re never too young to make a difference in our community.”
Today we are asking for your help to sustain local reporting in your community. These are unprecedented times and we are working around-the-clock to provide the best possible coverage, sometimes taking risks to keep you informed. In the meantime, we’ve had massive cuts to our revenue stream as we, like other local businesses, are at a critical moment. This important work is sustained by your financial support, through donations and subscriptions. As we continue our coverage we are calling on individuals, businesses, and community foundations to help fund COVID-19 coverage and deliver life-saving news and information. Even $25 can help. Please make a tax-deductible donation today.
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Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan partnered with Project Angel Island to donate hundreds of reusable masks to the Grenville Baker Boys and Girls Club on Thursday, Aug. 20. Lafazan, an independent from Woodbury, and Iris Fan, leader of the Jericho High School-based student philanthropic organization, delivered the masks to the Bayville Community Center, where the Grenville Baker Boys and Girls Club is temporarily based. “Thank you so much to Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan and Project Angel Island for this generous donation of safety gear for our staff and members,” said Melissa A. Rhodes, director of programs and professional development for Grenville Baker Boys and Girls Club. “As we embark on the reopening of our afterschool program in September, these masks and gloves will be instrumental in keeping everyone safe and healthy so that we can focus on our mission to provide highly engaging learning and mentoring opportunities for our kids and teens.” “We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Legislator Josh Lafazan for helping us coordinate this donation.” Fan said. “Our team was inspired to create reusable masks to provide a more sustainable option for civilians while leaving medical
Oyster Bay Herald Guardian — September 4, 2020
Lafazan, Project Angel Island donate to Greenville Baker Boys and Girls Club
September 4, 2020 — Oyster Bay Herald Guardian
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Noble Savage Brewing Company raises money to stay open Then the coronavirus happened. “We were closed for a little bit and then we reopened for deliveries and take out,” Opening a downtown brewery in Glen Bilello, who is from Sea Cliff, said. “By Cove has been no May, I pretty much easy feat for Frank ran out of money.” Bilello, who started Programs like the brewing in his backPayroll Protection yard shed in 2014. Program and the Eco“After more than nomic Injury Disaster five years of planning Loan helped Bilello and with tremendous keep his business difficulty raising capafloat, but it simply ital, we be g an a does not cover the tab lengthy renovation of while some potential a vacant storefront in customers are not Downtown Glen venturing out as they Cove,” Bilello, the would in the past ow n e r a n d h e a d because of risks assobrewer of Noble Savciated with the panage Brewing Compademic. ny, wrote in his “Despite continuGoFundMe fundraisous support from our er “Save the Savage.” loyal customers and “The original 1928 the City of Glen Cove, structure was fraught we are struggling to THE ORIGINAL 1928 structure of with unexpected make ends meet and Noble Savage Brewing Company preissues and the project in danger of closing experienced numer- sented issues causing opening delays. our doors for good,” ous delays and set Bilello wrote in his backs that put us way over budget.” GoFundMe fundraiser, which has so far Despite being undercapitalized, he raised $8,585. “Without your help we will wrote, Noble Savage was able to open its not last another month and will lose everydoors in June 2019. But it wasn’t until Feb- thing we’ve sacrificed and worked so hard ruary in 2020 that the brewery would for.” break even, with events planned for Bilello created the fundraiser on Aug.24. March. He intended to start raising money in May
By JENNIFER CORR jcorr@liherald.com
Courtesy Will Ehmann
FRANK BILELLO, THE owner and head brewer of Noble Savage Brewing Company, said that the brewery offers a space for the community to enjoy. but said he didn’t feel right asking for money while receiving emergency funding. A donation of $50 or more comes with a t-shirt that says, “Save the Savage,” as Bilello said that he doesn’t believe in asking for something for nothing. “It’s been overwhelming, the support,” Bilello said on Friday. “Last night was the best Thursday I’ve had probably ever. A lot of new people are moving in so that’s good for me and down here because we’re all struggling.” Many customers have been enjoying their drinks and food truck fare in front of the brewery on Glen Street, which is closed between Thursday and Saturday nights for outdoor dining. For those unable to donate, Bilello said that checking out Noble Savage’s brews, purchasing crowlers, a gift card or some
merchandise, following the brewery on Instagram and Facebook at “noblesavagebrewco,” sharing his fundraiser online, talking about the brewery with friends and family and writing a Google review about the brewery are ways people can help keep Noble Savage around. “We believe we brew excellent beer, offer great service and have an amazing space for the community to enjoy,” Bilello wrote in his fundraiser. “So please help us stay afloat. If not for us, then for Glen Cove. The city cannot afford to lose another business. We’ve become an important player in the revitalization and have been working tirelessly to create culture and bring Glen Cove back to its former glory.” To support and learn more about the fundraiser, visit https://www.gofundme. com/f/hg6dk-save-the-savage.
OBITUARIES Roy E. Gier
Gloria Murray Hanrahan Gloria Murray Hanrahan, 93, died on Aug.1. Survived by her three daughters, Christine Goggin, Jeanne Hanrahan and Jerelyn Hanrahan; a son-in-law, Barry Goggin; four grandchildren, Matthew Hawley, Georgia Doremus, Thomas Doremus and Fiona Rae Brunner; two grand-daughters-in-law, Anna Hawley and Jennifer Hawley; and four great-great grandchildren, Matthew Hawley, Jr., Julianna Hawley, Cameron Hawley and Derek Hawley and many nieces and ne phews. John Hawley (Jay), a beloved grandson, died in 2013. Gloria was born in the Bronx to Mabel Thompson and Francis Murray in 1927, the year of the first talking motion picture. She was the youngest of three children. Her mother died before she turned two and when her father remarried years later, she gained a step-sister, Irene, and a halfsister, Joan Elizabeth Murray. Gloria attended Saint Raymond’s Elementary School on Tremont Avenue in the Bronx followed by Cathedral High School in New York City. She worked part-time at Lord and Taylor’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue, then, after graduating, worked full time as an operator at AT&T. She met Jere (Jere-
Courtesy Jerelyn Hanrahan
JEREMIAH JAMES HANRAHAN, left, and Gloria Murray Hanrahan had a wonderful life together, traveling internationally and they were active members of Brookville Country Club. miah James Hanrahan) at a “welcome back” dance for WWII veterans at Fordham University in 1945. She always said, “His jokes were corny
but he was a good dancer.” They married on June 19, 1948 at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Church on University Avenue in the Bronx. Soon they moved to Long Island and had their three children. Gloria was an active member of the Mercy League and volunteered at Winthrop University Hospital for many years where she especially enjoyed wheeling the new moms out of the maternity ward with their newborns. She was also a U.S. Census taker in the early ‘60s on the North Shore in the days when census takers primarily went door to door. As an avid reader, she worked at the Oyster Bay Library. She enjoyed working there for over 20 years and took on the role of union representative. She maintained an active social life, volunteered locally and made many lasting friends. Gloria and her husband, who died in 2007, had a wonderful life together, traveling internationally and they were active members of Brookville Country Club. Her intelligence and dedication to her family will be forever remembered and forever missed. Gloria Murray Hanrahan has been laid to rest with her husband Jeremiah.
Roy E. Gier, 55, died on Aug. 30. Beloved husband of Janice MenkeGier; devoted father of Claire; loving son of Linda Seaman Gier and the late Roy D.; dear brother of Jeffrey, Jackie Brode, and Linda B. Gier; cherished brother in-law and also survived by many nieces and nephews. Roy was an ex-chief and life member of the Oyster Bay Fire Department, member of the Oyster Bay Volunteer and Exempts Fireman’s Benevolent and an assoc. retired corporal of the Nassau County Sheriff ’s Department. Interment at Locust Valley Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Heart Association
Obituary Notices Obituary notices can be submitted by individuals as well as local funeral establishments. The name of the individual or funeral establishment submitting the obituary should be included. A contact phone number must be included. There is no charge for obituaries.
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September 4, 2020 — Oyster Bay Herald Guardian
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Established 1899 Incorporating Oyster Bay Guardian Laura Lane
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COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS Robert Richner Edith Richner Publishers, 1964-1987 ■ CLifforD riCHner STuarT riCHner Publishers
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HERALD EDITORIAL The CDC’s Covid-19 back-to-school checklist
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undreds of thousands of students will start school across Long Island next week amid the worst disease outbreak in the United States since 1918. It is indeed a time of fear and anxiety for many parents, who worry about their children contracting an illness whose cause is only loosely understood, whose symptoms can range from mild to debilitating, even catastrophic, and whose cure is months, if not years, away. In our annual back-to school editorial, we normally offer government guidance on topics from students’ study habits to bus safety. This time, we provide the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s best advice on keeping your kids safe amid the pandemic of 2020. According to the CDC, parents should: ■ Check their children each morning for signs of illness. Any child with a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, sore throat, cough, diarrhea, severe headache, vomiting or body aches should not attend school. Any child who has been in contact with someone with Covid-19 should stay home as well. ■ Identify their school point person(s) to contact if a child is ill. ■ Know local Covid-19 testing sites in case their children develop symptoms. ■ Make sure their children are up to date with all recommended vaccines, including for influenza. All school-aged children should get the flu vaccine every season, with rare exceptions. ■ Review and practice proper hand washing at home, especially before and after eating, sneezing, coughing and adjusting a mask or cloth face covering. ■ Be familiar with how their children’s schools will make water available during the day. Consider packing a water bottle. ■ Develop daily routines before and after school — for example, what to pack for school in the morning, like hand sanitizer and a backup mask, and what to do when children return home, like washing hands immediately, washing masks and changing clothes. ■ Talk to their children about precautions
How parents can help kids wear their masks According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, parents should: ■ Have multiple masks for their kids, so they can wash them daily and have backups ready. ■ Choose masks that: n Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face. n Completely cover the nose and mouth. n Are
secured with ties or ear loops.
n Have
multiple layers of fabric.
n Allow
for breathing without restriction.
n Can
be washed and machine-dried without damage or change of shape. ■ Label their children’s masks clearly, with a permanent marker, so they are not confused with those of other children. ■ Practice with their children putting on and taking off masks without touching the cloth. to take at school. Students may be advised to: n Wash and sanitize their hands more often. n Stay
students.
physically distance from other
n Wear a mask. n Avoid
sharing objects with other students, including water bottles, phones, tablets, pens, pencils and books.
n Use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Make sure they are using a safe product. The Food and Drug Administration has recalled products that contain toxic methanol.
LETTERS Mail everyone a ballot To the Editor: Democrats are screaming about saving the U.S. Postal Service, while Republicans are screaming about mail-in voter fraud. Here’s a simple solution to prevent voter fraud with mail-in voting: Have every liv-
ing citizen of voting age in the United States with a Social Security number receive a mail-in ballot. Social Security knows when a recipient has died. Payments stop almost immediately. If you receive your Social Security check by mail, that’s the address where your ballot would be sent. If you receive your Social Security check via direct
■ Explain the importance of wearing a mask and how it protects other people from becoming ill. ■ Consider talking to their children about other people who may be unable to wear masks because of medical conditions like asthma. ■ Model mask wearing, especially when physical distancing is difficult or impossible to maintain. ■ Praise their children for wearing masks correctly. ■ Put masks on stuffed animals. ■ Draw a mask on a favorite book character. ■ Show images of other children wearing masks. ■ Allow their children to choose their masks, as long as they meet the school’s dress requirements. ■ Provide their children with containers or resealable bags labeled with their names to store their masks when they’re not wearing them, such as when they are eating. ■ Develop a plan as a family to protect household members who are at increased risk of severe illness. ■ Make sure their children’s information is current at school, including emergency contacts and people who are authorized to pick them up from school. If that list includes anyone who is at increased risk for severe illness from Covid-19, consider an alternate.
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OPINIONS
nyone who knows me knows that from the start, I have not been a fan of the current administration in Washington, D.C. I am likely to be in fundamental disagreement on almost every issue, from immigration to tax reform to health care. So I’m more than a little surprised to find myself agreeing with President Trump that we should do whatever we can to help our children return safely to their classrooms next month. I’m not qualified to write about medical issues. Those who are, like the president’s TIMOTHY new Covid-19 DENTON adviser, Dr. Scott Atlas, have left some significant caveats unaddressed in asserting that such a return is feasible. First, Atlas assumes children’s near total ability to resist the virus “where no comorbidity exists” — in other words, where there is no other underlying condition. Unfortunately, some children do have underlying conditions, and recent data shows as well that they are more susceptible to Covid infection than originally believed, as evidenced by the surge in pediatric cases in countries where children have already returned to school. Atlas also ignores the
sizable adult staff in any school that may be infected by asymptomatic children. And students’ and teachers’ daily interactions outside school are not currently subject to systematic contact tracing. I’m a former public school teacher. From 1988 to 1996, I taught English as a second language. I began teaching while living in Europe, where my students ranged from adults needing the language for a variety of professional reasons to students at the University of Vienna. After returning to the U.S., I taught adult basic literacy in the New York City schools. My students were from dozens of cultural and educational backgrounds — from the Estonian engineer who spoke six languages to the Honduran refugee whose schooling in her war-torn country stopped in second grade. I taught also taught ESL and communications at the La Guardia campus of the City University of New York. CUNY’s open enrollment policy presented similar challenges, although with fewer extreme educational differences. My curriculum had to take such diversity into account. During the 1993-94 school year, I took a seminar facilitated by mentors from the Barbara Taylor School in Harlem. Students at the school came from all over the
I
’m more than a little surprised to find myself agreeing with the president.
LETTERS deposit, your ballot would be sent to your home address. You would have three months to inform Social Security of your new address if you had moved. Minors with Social Security numbers would not receive ballots. This is why we have computers. A small number of people in the U.S. illegally have Social Security numbers, but there aren’t many of them. But even if they illegally voted, they would not affect the election outcome. Ballots would have a section where the voter would have to enter a thumbprint. If a ballot were questioned, the thumb print would have to match the name on the ballot. That would serve as proof of the voter’s identification. Democrats claim using a voter identification is racist. They claim that their voters are too poor to obtain a voter identification. Everyone has a thumb. ROBERT KRALICK Glen Head
Police need oversight To the Editor: Re “Recent laws endanger the police and public”: The lament by Brian
city, and many had been judged so incorrigible that they had been permanently expelled from public schools. Teachers from the Taylor School disagreed with the assessment that such children were “unteachable,” and set about proving it. They adapted pedagogical techniques pioneered by the biologist Lev Vygotsky, who worked with a variety of special-needs children in the early days of the Soviet Union. Vygotsky taught children who, under the old czarist regime, had been almost entirely neglected. What Vygotsky discovered — unsurprising to any experienced teacher — was that groups of students are much more than the sum of their individual abilities. Their achievements were measurably greater than that of students working alone, and the life experiences they brought to any learning situation provided raw material for a level of creativity not seen in individuals. Students learned from one another, even as teachers crafted lessons from their students’ real-life experiences. Teachers in New York City schools treated so-called incorrigibles as isolated problems. The Taylor School created an environment that met them where they were and that enabled them to stimulate one another. In most cases, the result was
Wells, the Long Beach PBA president, that recent changes in New York law endanger the police and public, continues the baseless campaign of fear by police unions. The unions seem to believe that the uniform and badge should shield them from all oversight. The assertion that these reform measures are “antipolice” reveals the prevailing attitude that the police expect nothing less than total subservience. The repeal of Civil Rights Law 50-a finally permits some measure of accountability for past misconduct. Officers will now be subject to the same cross-examination rules as any other witness. It was absurd that officers who had engaged in prior bad acts, including falsifying reports, excessive force and yes, even lying under oath, could be shielded from having a jury consider these acts when judging testimonial credibility. I daresay Officer Wells would not support shielding a criminal defense witness from being “discredited because of unrelated complaints or incidents.” Indeed, well before Eric Garner and George Floyd, police departments were quick to release unrelated prior criminal records as a means of discrediting the victims of officers’ misconduct.
a transformation that had been thought impossible, with students equaling or outperforming “mainstream” students. The weeks I spent with guides from the Taylor School completely changed my teaching. I learned to see my collection of individuals more as a collaborative whole. For the remainder of my teaching career, what I learned in that course inspired me. It still does. Students don’t simply learn facts in preparation for a life of productive work. They also learn to work collaboratively and to develop personal relationships — the social-emotional learning that is crucial to any child’s development, and that cannot be nurtured in isolation. They need to study together. Since the start of the pandemic, the president has often seemed to be living in a world of magical solutions. Simply asserting that students and staff are safe does not make them so. But that doesn’t mean schools can’t find real, sciencebased solutions. The safety of students and staff is paramount. But every professional educator I’ve spoken with agrees that collaborative learning in the classroom is superior to distance learning — if it can be done safely. We should make every effort to help them achieve this. Timothy Denton is the senior editor of the Seaford and Wantagh Herald Gazettes. Comments? Tdenton@liherald.com.
FRAMEWORK by Jackie Comitino
A summer evening at Morgan Memorial Park — Glen Cove
To argue that placing restrictions on the use of force, and eliminating unique and special protections, strips officers of their civil rights is absurd. There is no right to use excessive force or to be protected from legitimate cross-examination. Ultimately, what the police unions object to is that the State Legislature no longer pan-
ders to them, and has risen from its knees to protect the people of this state from continued abuse. JAY K. GOLDBERG Woodmere
Oyster Bay Herald Guardian — September 4, 2020
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A safe return to class should be the goal
September 4, 2020 — Oyster Bay Herald Guardian
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OPINIONS
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The little bench in my backyard
alf hidden by shrubs and tree branches, there’s a bench in my backyard’s southeast corner, short and stout, its thin pine planks grayed by the elements and mottled with mint-green lichen. Weakened by age, it is a delicate little thing, which no one has sat on for years, but there it remains, my wife and I stubbornly refusing to part with it. We love that bench, survivor that it is. Superstorm Sandy sloshed through our Merrick neighborhood in 2012, flooding our yard with saltwater, liftSCOTT ing all manner of BRINTON lawn furniture from people’s yards and depositing it who knew where. That little bench — just large enough to fit two preschoolers — never budged. My wife bought it 15 years ago to give our daughter and son — then 5 and 3, respectively — a place to sit under the shade of an old flowering dogwood tree. I was marching to and fro on a recent balmy Friday evening, mowing the backyard lawn, when I was suddenly struck by how special that bench is, what it represents to my wife and me — years of happy memories wrapped up in an inanimate object. I
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stopped and stared at it as the remembrances coursed through my mind. I’m feeling more emotional than usual these days. Covering the coronavirus pandemic for the Heralds has, at times over the past six months, shaken me to my core. Covid-19 devastated New York state, particularly the greater metropolitan area. Writing and editing stories about the deaths of so many good people takes its toll on your psyche. At the same time, my son, Andrew, graduated from Kennedy High School in Bellmore in June, and three weeks he later turned 18, officially becoming an adult. He began his studies at Hofstra University last week. My daughter, Alexandra, 20, started her junior year at NYU this week. I am no longer the parent of children; I am the parent of two adults, capable of driving, voting and earning their keep. It’s a strange thought that takes some getting used to. That’s why, I believe, my thoughts have more often turned to those long summer days spent in the backyard, lost in play with the kids when they were young, their giddy chatter echoing through the neighborhood as they bounced through the sprinkler, bobbed in the inflatable pool, played hideand-seek or badminton, or kicked the soccer ball around until their legs gave out from
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fatigue. Always, the bench was there. I hadn’t noticed how it had aged until that recent Friday. Only the brown metal centerpiece across its backrest, depicting an African savanna with a lion, a monkey, a gazelle, an elephant and a giraffe, is seemingly untouched by time. Around the time our kids were in preschool, my wife and I planted 10 peegee hydrangeas, three dwarf cherry trees and two apple trees around our backyard, and later added two white pines in oversized pots beside the patio. Each set of flora was imbued with meaning. When we moved in 18 years ago, a line of forsythia bushes separated our yard from our neighbor behind us. Each spring it exploded in yellow for two weeks. Then the neighbor, who has since moved away, cut down the bushes, and there was no longer any vegetation, any color. So we ordered 10 one-foot-tall hydrangea seedlings for $3.50 each from the Arbor Day Foundation. They came packaged in clear plastic tubes, their fragile roots wrapped in wet paper towels to preserve them. These specimens weren’t much to look at at first; you hardly knew they were there. Each year they grew, though, and now they tower eight feet above our backyard, forming a tunnellike canopy along our rear fence line, burst-
or my wife and me, years of happy memories wrapped up in an inanimate object.
ing with puffy white flowers in mid-August. We planted the cherries in honor of my wife’s parents, who kept a cherry orchard in their home village of Rajdavitsa, in southwestern Bulgaria. The white pines we planted for my parents, who maintained a pine forest in the front and back yards of my childhood home in Yaphank, in Suffolk County. And the apples we planted for our kids, so we could watch the trees grow with them. They’re now 30 feet tall. The bench sits between the apples and the hydrangeas, their lush vegetation covering it in shade. The old dogwood died five years ago, and I cut off its branches then and chain-sawed its trunk down this summer. These days, my backyard is quieter than it was — the giddy chatter is gone. Often I sit on a much larger bench on the opposite side of this space, between the hydrangeas and a massive holly bush. It’s a sturdy bench, made of teak, the kind that feels like it might last a century. There I sit and find peace in the early morning or late evening, before or after a long day’s work, reflecting on all that was and all I hope will be. My backyard has long been my sanctum to escape the sound and fury of the world beyond its borders. Scott Brinton is the Herald Community Newspapers’ executive editor and an adjunct professor at the Hofstra University Herbert School of Communication. Comments about this column? SBrinton@liherald.com.
Our free press shines a light in dark times
hat if Sam Adams, John Hancock and the other colonists living in and around Lexington and Concord had thought that Paul Revere was spreading fake news on the 18th of April in ’75? That was the night Revere rode through the countryside, shouting that the British were coming, as indeed, 700 British regulars advanced toward the rebels. What happened next was different from the richly RANDI imagined version KREISS of history in Longfellow’s poem, but Revere did spread the news. And the citizens of Massachusetts believed him. And they believed the coverage of subsequent battles in the Boston Gazette. What if Americans, fixed to their radios, hadn’t believed FDR’s shocking announcement on Dec. 7, 1941, that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor? He said, “It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many
days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.” Roosevelt declared war, thereby telling Americans that they would soon be sending their sons and daughters overseas to fight and to support the war effort. A few days later, Nazi Germany declared war on the United States, and the great ship of state moved into battle mode. People learned about FDR’s proclamations through the press and followed the progress of the war through our newspapers and the president’s radio addresses. What if a majority of Americans had suspected the news was unreliable? What if people had suspected that FDR might be leading the country into war for self-serving reasons, to get re-elected or to enrich himself and his family? I think, too, of the immense sacrifice that was asked of the British people by Winston Churchill during the Blitz. He fixed their courage to a sticking point with the sheer power of his moral authority and his magnificent words. What if they hadn’t
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trusted or believed in him? What if a group within England had refused to abide by the draconian wartime rationing and restrictions because Churchill had been proven a liar or a fool? The citizens of London followed him through hell because they trusted him with their lives. We are not similarly blessed. There are two parts to this problem of veracity and authenticity in the public arena. One is that our president is not worthy of our trust. He suggested from his first day in office that his version of the truth, although it might be verifiably false (like the number of spectators at his inauguration), was the truth. That makes it impossible for thinking people to follow his directives or believe in his leadership. The second part is that the president uses the term “fake news” to delegitimize reporters and news outlets that challenge him. A society needs both a president who tells the truth and a free press that holds pubic officials to account. We have a fair and free press that, from right to left and left to right, reports the news and expresses a broad spectrum of views. Viewers and readers can read and
hat if Americans had suspected the news about Pearl Harbor was unreliable?
tune in, inform themselves and process the different points of view. The blight that has infected journalism is the president’s accusation of “fake news” for any reporting that questions him or his policies. The idea that the reliable news outlets are disseminating “fake” information undermines the basic constitutional guarantee of a free press. I know, because since Trump came into office, a fair number of readers have slung the “fake news” epithet my way when they don’t agree with something I write. Yet it is the press that has exposed the ongoing chaos in the Trump administration, the self-serving mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic and the continuing tragedy of a man ill fit and ill equipped to be president. If Donald Trump shouted that the British were coming, if he asked us to endure a blitz, if he declared war on another country, there would be a crisis of faith in his leadership. At the end of the day, I suspect we would need our free press to help us decide how to move forward as a country. And how would that go if millions of Americans had been encouraged by the president to perceive widely respected news sources as “fake”? Copyright 2020 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.
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Oyster Bay Herald Guardian — September 4, 2020
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September 4, 2020 — Oyster Bay Herald Guardian
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