Oceanside/Island Park Herald 05-18-2023

Brotherhood honors students

Seniors receive scholarships, and community leaders are recognized

By KARINA KoVAC kkovac@liherald.com

The Hispanic Brotherhood of Rockville Centre held its Annual Scholarship Dinner on May 11 at Temple Avodah, in Oceanside. This year’s scholarship recipients are Darcy Aguirre, John Gutierrez, Brandon Borjas and Xavier Gonzalez.

Notable honorees included Dr. Adhi Sharma, the president of Mount Sinai South Nassau; Town of Hempstead supervisor Don Clavin; and Maria Conzatti, the president

of Nassau Community College, among others who helped support the Scholarship Fund. The fund allows graduating students to enter a higher level of education and supports the organization’s After School Tutorial Program.

The Hispanic Brotherhood started modestly in 1976 through a grant from the Village of Rockville Centre’s Community Development Block Grants program. In 1984, after a small group of Hispanic residents wanted to

Continued on page 4

Large-scale criminal enterprise or ‘American success story’?

By KARINA KoVAC kkovac@liherald.com

Alan Pawelsky, 28, and his brother Andrew, 25, are facing an 81-count indictment for their involvement, along with co-conspirator Jovaine Clarke, 29, in an alleged large-scale black-market catalytic converters trafficking operation at their Island Park business, Ace Auto Recycling Inc.

Nassau County police raided the shop in December, but did not charge the Long Beach brothers with a crime until last Friday, when they were arrested and arraigned. On May 8, Alan Pawelsky had filed a federal civil

rights lawsuit against county officials for alleged civil violations during the seizure of $7.5 million in assets five months ago.

The Pawelskys face charges of money laundering, criminal possession of stolen property, and conspiracy. They pleaded not guilty before Judge Helene Gugerty in Nassau County Court, and are due back in court on June 1. If convicted of the top charge, they face up to 25 years in prison.

Clarke, of Queens, was arraigned on charges of grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, criminal possession of stolen property for auto

stripping, criminal mischief and possession of burglar tools, and faces up to seven years in prison. He also pleaded not guilty.

The Pawelskys and Clarke allegedly purchased stolen catalytic converters from as far away as California and opened them to extract platinum, palladium and rhodium that they sent to refineries where they were separated out, weighed and valued.

Between June 2021 and December 2022, police officials say, the brothers paid middlemen cash for the converters, and received $170 million from a single refinery, after which the company allegedly withdrew more than $120 million in cash to purchase

more converters.

The investigation was conducted by the Nassau County Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the Nassau County district attorney.

“Not only are catalytic converter thefts extremely costly to victims, but oftentimes, these types of crimes fund larger

criminal enterprises that put the community and country at a greater risk,” Ivan J. Arvelo, Homeland Security Investigations New York special agent in charge, said in a statement. The arrests of the Pawelskys and Clarke, Arvelo added, “demonstrates that HSI remains committed to leveraging our capabil-

Continued on page 9

Karina Kovac/Herald

THE doMA PANEMA dance group started the Hispanic Brotherhood Annual Scholarship Dinner off with a Panamanian traditional dance routine, and its members later enjoyed some dinner while scholarships and citations were handed out.

Evan Lieberstein achieves gold at Special Olympics

Evan Lieberstein, a ninth grader who swims on the boys varsity swim team at Oceanside High School, has won two gold medals at the Special Olympics.

The Special Olympics event took place on May 6 at Farmingdale Middle School. Lieberstein swam the freestyle and backstroke races and won gold in both of them.

evan lieberStein, a ninth grader at Oceanside High School, took home the gold metal at the Special Olympics May 6 for the freestyle and backstroke races.

Walkathon raises over $3,600

School No. 4 students participated in a walkathon fundraiser for autism awareness and understanding. The students have raised more than $3,600 from family and staff, and donations are still trickling in. With some of the money raised, School No. 4 plans to purchase a communication board for its playground.

A communication board uses pictures

to ease communication for students with speech difficulties.

The school is also going to donate the remaining funds to the Nassau Suffolk Autism Society of America or NSASA, a parent-run organization that aims to support people with autism in their own communities.

— Karina Kovac

Oceanside school district

— Karina Kovac

Greek food celebrated at annual Spring Fest

The second annual Panaghia of Island Park Greek Orthodox Church Spring Fest drew in hungry parishioners and residents of Island Park this past weekend from May 11 to 14. On the menu was common Greek staples such as pork and chicken Slovakia, lamb on sticks, spanakopita, moussaka, pasticcio, with additional pastries like honey puff balls.

Although the church’s main festival is in in August, the community asked for more opportunities throughout the year to eat the delicious meals cooked by church volunteers. Priest George Kazoulis said he was, “excited for the second time, that I see more people (than last year). They

council President Marko Markoulli holds up a wellseasoned and slow cooked piece of meat for Spring Fest guests to savor.

asked to have Greek food more times a year because they really like the food.”

He said, “the food is the big attraction in the festival,” and expressed gratitude to the volunteers who helped create the delightful dishes, “I’m grateful for all the people that volunteer their work here, they are working in their jobs and after they come here to volunteer for many hours.”

Mary Makros was one of those volunteers and has been attending the church for 34 years. She said, “I love the community. I love the church. So far, I never really miss the festival. We love to be here; we’re having a good time.”

— Karina Kovac

family dennis moshoPoulos, Adamadia and Andrea enjoy classic Greek food with Panaghia of Island Park priest George Kazoulis.

of island Park priest’s daughter AnnaMaria Kazoulis eats a honey puff dessert with her father George Kazoulis

Daniel Tommasino/Herald photos

Panaghia of island Park Greek Orthodox Church hosted the second Annual Spring Fest from May 11 to May 14.

Panaghia

Parish

Brotherhood presents scholarships, citations

continued from front page

assist the growing population of immigrants from different Spanish-language cultures, they officially established the not-for-profit agency.

Through the years the organization has expanded and provides daily assistance filing documents with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, citizenship counseling, employment placement, legal representation, housing referrals and emergency food provision. That’s on top of its two major programs, the After School Tutorial Program and Hispanic Senior Citizen Club.

“Today we are back stronger than ever, with our mission that started 40 years ago,” Executive Director Margarita Grasing said in a statement. “We are now running two Senior Citizen Nutrition Programs serving 11,496 Seniors, we are also providing Housing Counseling, HUD Foreclosure assistance,” and “many other valuable services to our community.”

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin was awarded for maintaining and expanding diverse town programs such as the creation of the town’s Department of Community Affairs, which organizes cultural events and festivals – but, more importantly, for his work during the pandemic.

He secured funds to establish food banks; established a home meal delivery service that distributed millions of

meals; and introduced the first mobile Covid-19 vaccination unit in New York.

When he received millions in funding from the state in 2020, he said, the first call he made was to Grasing. He wanted her to be a part of his response team of people to help determine how to help residents.

“I cannot stress the importance of Margarita’s voice, of Margarita’s ideas,” Clavin said, “of making sure every community was helped with federal funding, of making sure everybody got food.

“An idea that came from Margarita was, we gave out the ventilators and air purifiers to seniors. I can’t stress you all enough of the great work that she did during the pandemic. And it does not supersede the great work she’s done for this organization.”

Honoree Conzatti runs “a small city every day” at Nassau Community College. The first president who is also a graduate of the college, she has been working to launch new technology-rich academic programs in cybersecurity, healthcare, data analytics, medical assistant and chemical technology programs, on top of overseeing $90 million in construction and renovation.

Tuition at the college has been frozen for the third consecutive year, and $1.5 million in private and corporate donations helps provide additional scholarships, food and Metro cards to students.

Hispanic BrotHerHood president

Wagner

one of the awardees, Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin; and Brotherhood executive director Margarita Grasing. Clavin and Grasing worked closely together during the pandemic to get food and supplies to town residents.

“To the scholarship winners that are coming to Nassau,” Conzatti said, “you’re mine now. You will get the excellent education that I got, and you will succeed as I have, because that’s what

Nassau does. To those of you that supported your community, certainly the county executive and the entire executive team in Nassau County, I don’t get $90 million on my own.”

It’s about honoring the individual.

Guy Donza,

Donza & Christine Donza Funeral Directors & Pre-Arrangement Counselors

Karina Kovac/Herald

Vanessa

with Vice President Alex Cepero;

Thomas

spotlight athlete

Historic run boosts Oceanside

by brian KaCharaba sports@liherald.com

Rob Kiley seems to have the magic touch with the Oceanside boys’ tennis team.

dylan reyer

Baldwin Senior Softball

a tWo-tiMe all-CoUnty selection and likely well on her way to a third, Reyer recently became the first player in Baldwin softball history to record 100 career stolen bases and is looking to lead the Bruins to a conference title. Dating back to last spring she has swiped 65 consecutive bags without getting caught. The star defensive center fielder and leadoff hitter batted .700 last season. “She’s the ultimate leadoff hitter,” coach Tom Llewellyn said.

softball playoffs

thursday, May 18

Class A first round at higher seed

saturday, May 20

Class AA and A quarterfinals at higher seed

Monday, May 22

Class AA, A and B semifinals Game 1 at higher seed

tuesday, May 23

Class AA, A and B semifinals Game 2 at higher seed

thursday, May 25

Class AA, A and B semifinals Game 3 at higher seed

saturday, May 27

Class AA, A and B finals Game 1 at Mitchel Complex

Monday, May 30

Class AA, A and B finals Game 2 at Mitchel Complex

tuesday, May 31

Class AA, A and B finals Game 3 at Mitchel Complex

The second-year coach is poised for yet another undefeated regular season after guiding the Sailors to a 13-0 start this spring — including a 6-1 win over Plainedge May 11 — and a successful defense of their Conference 3B title. Oceanside finished the regular season on Monday against New Hyde Park, which it beat 7-0 on April 26.

The Sailors went 14-0 in Kiley’s first season and captured the program’s first division championship since 1992 after beating Carey/Sewanhaka in a regularseason finale that was split into two days because of rain. The only loss during his reign was against Port Washington in the opening round of last year’s playoffs.

This year’s accomplishment is even more impressive considering the team lost two singles and six doubles starters to graduation last spring and features several walk-ons.

“We’ve had depth in our lineup the last two years,” Kiley said. “Every day in practice they’re competing and pushing each other to the next level. I think that’s definitely helpful.”

Oceanside almost saw its run end multiple times in late April in early May, but escaped with consecutive 4-3 victories over Valley Stream South, Long Beach and second-place Carey/Sewanhaka. The doubles teams, who are a combined 60-2 this season, were responsible for all four wins against South and three against Long Beach before three of the pairs rallied to defeat their Carey/Sewanhaka counterparts after dropping the first set.

“We looked like we were down and out and thought that was going to be our first loss and probably split the title with Carey,” Kiley said. “And three of our four doubles came back and won in the third set.”

The first doubles team was initially senior Jack Swansig and junior Brendan Reiser before the latter suffered a seasonending injury against New Hyde Park.

Senior Stephen Walsh has filled in admirably as his replacement and the new pair has yet to lose.

The second team of senior captains Frank Demmerle and Michael Caine have yet to be defeated in two seasons together, which began as exhibition participants in 2022.

“They pick each other up, they encourage each other [and] their games complement each other,” Kiley said.

The third pair of sophomores Parker Roth and Owen Dryden have lost just once this spring, while the fourth duo of walkon seniors John Catalanotto and Ethan Sil-

verstein “won their way into the lineup” early in the campaign, according to Kiley.

Sophomore Harris Brodsky moved to first singles this year and his new height –Kiley said he grew over six inches in the last year – has helped him improve his serving and volleying. He did not yield a point against New Hyde Park and has had five straight-set victories this year.

Senior walk-on Nick Alvarez’s track background has made him one of the top conditioned athletes on the team and junior Gavin Elmore has shined in his first year in varsity singles, including four consecutive straight-set wins in late April.

Eric Dunetz/Herald photo senior JaCK sWansig, left, and junior Brendan Reiser formed the No. 1 doubles tandem and helped the Sailors repeat as conference champs.

ScHoolS Diana Caracciolo honored by SBA

The Island Park Board of Education has recognized trustee Diana Caracciolo for receiving an award for Dedicated School Board Service from the NassauSuffolk School Board Association.

Caracciolo received this award for her 24 years of service as a member of the Island Park Board of Education. She is the longest serving member of the current board and during her tenure has served as president, vice president and trustee.

Caracciolo is a selfless skilled leader who has been instrumental in supporting legislative advocacy for the district across many initiatives and issues.

Girls’ basketball team has perfect season

With a 10-0 record this past season the Lincoln Orens Middle School girls’ basketball team has had a perfect season. This is the first undefeated record for the Island Park team.

Caracciolo’s long-standing tenure on the board has allowed her to work with several superintendents and mentor many other trustees along the way. Her dedication and advocacy as a parent, grandparent, trustee and community member is evident in everything that

Diana Caracciolo

Courtesy Island Park Public Schools

Are you a multi generational high school graduating family?

Play ball! I.P. Little League starts season

On a radiant summer-like day, the morning of May 7 brought a sense of anticipation and excitement to the quaint village of Island Park where children and families marched in the Island Park Little League Opening Day parade from Island Park to Shell Creek Park, where their season officially started with the first pitch.

Under clear blue skies, Mayor Michael McGinty and U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito threw out the first pitch to officially start the season.

The clash of the ball meeting the catcher’s glove marked the beginning of the Little League season that will form the soundtrack of exciting summer days to come.

— Karina Kovac

Photos courtesy Village of Island Park Island Park Boys and Girls Little Leaguers caught the first pitch from village mayor Michael McGinty and U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito.

The Island Park Little League baseball division walked from the village to Shell Creek Park to start their season after a parade.

Courtesy U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito Mayor MIchael McGInTy and

Rep. Anthony D’Esposito threw out the first pitch to

start the season.

Brothers were allegedly paid millions for precious metals

ities with our local law enforcement partners to bring these criminals, as delineated in the grand jury indictment, to justice.”

Daniel B. Brubaker, the postal inspector in charge of the New York Division of the USPIS, echoed how effective law enforcement partnership can be. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is proud to have been a partner in this investigation, which targeted the significant rise of catalytic converter thefts that have not only impacted the U.S. Postal Service, but so many of our customers in the communities we serve,” Brubaker said. “Today’s arrests demonstrate our unwavering commitment to bringing to justice anyone who preys upon the American public for illegal financial gain.”

Alan Pawelsky’s attorney, Gerald Cohen, emailed the Herald before the arrest about the civil lawsuit, saying that Pawelsky “is an American success story” who “grew that business to over $100 million in annual revenue in less than ten years.” Cohen added that, “Without a shred of evidence, Nassau County officials targeted Pawelsky and his business solely to make splashy headlines.”

dollars in cash and bank accounts, and equipment used to extract the lucrative precious metals from the converters.

the fastest growing crimes across the country and here in Nassau County.”

Cohen also wrote that at a news conference in December after the raid, District Attorney Anne Donnelly, Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder and County Executive Bruce Blakeman “all made false statements of fact,” specifically, “the officials claimed that the catalytic converters seized from our clients were stolen (they were not stolen), and claimed that Pawelsky was part of a criminal organization stealing catalytic converters.”

In a news release after the arrests, Donnelly stated, “These defendants allegedly purchased truckloads of catalytic converters, many of them stolen from across the country, and siphoned them of precious metals that have seen skyrocketing value in recent years.” She added, “Catalytic converter theft remains one of

Ryder said that the arrests showed “the enormity of this case,” and that, “Millions of dollars (were) hidden in homes at the expense of our residents as hundreds of catalytic converters were being stolen to promote (the Pawelskys’) profit.”

A civil attorney for Alan Pawelsky, J.R. Stevenson, sent a letter to judge Gugerty last Friday, saying that Stevenson was concerned about the timing of the arrest, ahead of a court hearing in the civil case that had been scheduled for Monday. “The Nassau County (officials’) decision to arrest plaintiff Pawelsky today is obviously strategic gamesmanship designed to alter the landscape and affect this court’s decision,” Stevenson wrote.

Lawrence Carra, who represents Andrew Pawelsky, said that the accusations were unfounded.

Timeline of events

■ An investigation into large-scale catalytic converter thefts, dubbed Operation Cat Track, begins in December 2021.

■ Nassau County police raid the Island Park scrapyard early on the morning of Dec. 14, 2022.

■ Alan Pawelsky files suit against Nassau County officials involved in the investigation and a news conference on May 8, because

no charges had been brought. The officials include County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder and District Attorney Anne Donnelly.

■ The Pawelsky brothers are arrested on May 12.

■ They are due back in court on June 1, along with co-conspirator Jovaine Clarke.

— Karina Kovac

Task force hears personal stories of Jewish hate

By HERNESTO GALDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com

“Being here and sharing what has happened is a very important step.”

Those words were shared by Avi Posnick. He’s the Oceanside-based executive director of StandWithUs Northeast & New England, an international nonprofit Israel education organization. The “here” he mentioned? It was a public forum held by the Nassau County’s Special Legislative Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, a group first assembled in 2021 made up of six county legislators, five members of the public, and a representative from the county executive’s office.

The recent meeting at the county legislative building in Mineola was designed to allow those from the community to share their experiences involving antisemitism.

“We hear about it, we read about it, and some of us may be experiencing it,” said Rabbi Eli Weinstock of the Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach, who chairs the task force. “It could not be ignored without trying to take some action.”

There were 580 antisemitic incidents reported in New York last year, according to the Anti-Defamation League — a record high since 1979, and the highest in the country. Half of those incidents occurred in public spaces, while others took place at Jewish institutions, private residences, secular schools, and business establishments.

The most alarming number, however, was 42: the number of antisemitic incidents reported in Nassau County. There were found in a number of places, and include flyers that circulated last year in communities like Rockville Centre, Oceanside, Long Beach and Huntington reportedly promoting Jewish hate. There were also reports of students experiencing antisemitic bullying at school, and finding swastikas in buildings and parks. Students across the county came forward to share

their stories.

Sofie Glassman says she’s experienced antisemitism since she was 5 and on the school playground.

“A girl told me I wasn’t allowed to play with her because I was Jewish,” she said.

Glassman is now a sophomore at East Meadow High School, but the level of hate is still there. Like one time when she was eating lunch in the school cafeteria and overheard a group of students saying they wanted to throw things at her so they could “knock out my Judaism.”

Glassman told her mother about what happened, who in turn, called the school demanding the situation be addressed.

The punishment? Two months of in-school suspension.

Most recently, Glassman was informed that swastikas were found in the school’s boys bathroom. They’ve also

CAROLiNE KRONENfELD, A senior at Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, joined junior Yoav Muscal to share their experiences of antisemitism in their school district to members of Nassau County’s Special Legislative Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, during a public forum held earlier this month in Mineola.

been found elsewhere in the county, including in a Five Towns-area public school.

Another student, Caroline Kronenfeld, says the Holocaust is taught in schools like hers — Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School — but very little is discussed about the racism Jewish students face. The senior recounted one experience in the school library where she overheard a group of students saying “Kanye was right.” That Kanye being rapper Kanye West — now known as Ye — who was accused of making antisemitic statements on social media platforms that some say outright threatened violence against Jews.

“We learn about the Holocaust and the severity of that,” Kronenfeld said. “We don’t learn about the severity of casual antisemitism.”

And that’s important, East Meadow’s Glassman said. “School is a place that I am supposed to feel safe in,” she said, “and feel supported by the administration.”

Register for the Ettinger Estate Planning Seminar

Melville Marriott, Saturday, June 3rd, 10:00 a.m.

1350 Walt Whitman Road, Melville

Michael and Suzanne Ettinger will present their free seminar:

“Four Major Reasons Why Trusts Are Preferred over Wills for Seniors” In plain English, we will explain in detail about these topics:

1. Planning for who will control your legal and medical affairs if you become disabled and what legal tools they will need.

2. Wills vs. Trusts – which should you choose and why.

3. Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts – pros and cons of each type of trust and how they work.

4. Protecting inheritances you leave from children’s divorces and creditors and having those assets pass by blood to your grandchildren instead of to in-laws and their families.

It can be difficult to get correct information on these subjects – especially on the internet. At the seminar you will find out what techniques have worked well for our clients for over thirty years. Misconceptions you may have gathered from well-meaning friends and even other professionals will be cleared up and a lively question and answer session will follow. Please join us at the Melville Marriott, 1350 Walt Whitman Road, Melville on Saturday, June 3rd at 10:00 a.m. by registering at EttingerPlan.com. Seating is limited.

Hernesto Galdamez/Herald

STEPPING OUT

Galway to Broadway

Acclaimed singer/actor Ciarán Sheehan and his friends appear on the Tilles Center stage for an intimate musical journey, Beautiful, soaring Broadway favorites balanced with heart-tugging Irish melodies and humor are on full display with Dublin-born Sheehan, whose rich tenor voice and performances have been described as touching the soul. Sheehan made his Broadway debut as Babet, Marius in ‘Les Miserables,’and shortly thereafter in ‘The Phantom of the Opera.’ After a year of playing Raoul on Broadway, he moved into the coveted starring role of The Phantom, which he sang in more than 1,000 performances. His performances easily capture an audience, with the requisite charisma and magnetic stage presence. Don’t miss this lovely evening of Broadway, Irish music and mirth! This concert will lift your spirits and have you humming along to your favorite tunes.

By Karen Bloom

If the idea of longer, warmer days has you reaching for the tongs, you’re certainly not alone. Whether it’s a graduation party, a Memorial Day celebration, or simply to while away the hours with your gang, get outside and get your grilling game on.

From versatile chicken to meats, tender seafood, veggies, and even fruit, it’s never been more fun to incorporate new flavors into grilled cuisine. Find some inspiration with these recipes.

Skirt Steak with Roasted Corn Salad

• 1-1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 4-inch pieces

• 1/3 cup Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1 large garlic clove, crushed

In a large bowl, combine chipotle pepper sauce, cumin and garlic; add skirt steaks. Toss to mix well; cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat grill to high. Grill skirt steak about 5 minutes, or until of desired doneness, turning once. To serve, plate steak with corn salad.

Corn Salad:

• 4 ears corn on the cob, shucked

• 2 large tomatoes, chopped

• 1 small red onion, diced

• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

To prepare corn salad: Preheat grill to medium. Grill corn about 5 to 10 minutes, turning frequently, until tender-crisp. When cool enough to handle, cut corn from cob. In medium bowl, combine corn, tomatoes, red onion, avocado, basil, lime juice, olive oil, chipotle pepper sauce to taste, and salt; toss to mix well.

Chicken Skewers with Mango and Pineapple

• 3/4 cup ranch dressing

• 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, seeded and finely chopped

• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from can above)

• 1 tablespoon honey

Saturday, May 20, 8 p.m. $59. LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. TillesCenter.org, or (516) 299-3100.

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 pound chicken tenders, each cut into 3 equal pieces

• 1/2 pineapple, rind and core removed, cut into 1-inch chunks

• 1 large mango, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

• 1 small red onion, quartered and separated into layers

• Oil for grilling (about 2 tablespoons)

• 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

• 1 lime, quartered

In medium bowl, combine dressing, chipotle chile, adobo sauce, honey, lime juice and salt for marinade. Stir well.

Assemble 4 skewers from ingredients in following order: onion, chicken, mango, chicken, pineapple, chicken, onion. Repeat twice more to complete skewer.

Lay skewers in shallow pan. Pour 1/4 cup marinade into small dish; set aside. Brush remaining marinade over skewers, coating all sides evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about an hour.

Set the grill to medium-high heat. When grill is quite hot, remove skewers from marinade (discard excess); brush lightly with oil. Lay oiled skewers on hot grates and grill until marked on all four sides and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes total.

Arrange skewers on serving platter, drizzle with reserved 1/4 cup marinade, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Spiced Sweet Potatoes

• 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 pounds), scrubbed well

• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder

• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Cover potatoes with cold salted water in a large pot, then bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly resistant when pierced with a sharp small knife, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain well. When cool, slice potatoes lengthwise. Mix together salt, spices and apple cider vinegar; add oil in a slow stream. Brush this mixture on sweet potatoes.

Grill potatoes on a lightly oiled grill rack over medium heat, until grill marks appear and potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve potatoes warm.

Niklas Sivelöv

Renowned Swedish pianistcomposer-teacher Niklas Sivelöv gives a rare New York-area recital. He has an extemsive repertoire that highlighs works by a number of contemporary Swedish composers along with the classics. He continously enchants audiences with his artistic temperament, impeccable technique, and spellbinding stage presence. Sivelöv describes himself as a bridge builder and part of a living tradition. He challenges both himself and that tradition by extending its cornerstones, for example by entering into unusual collaborations, such as with the jazz pianist Carsten Dahl. Sivelöv is one of the few classical pianists to master the art of improvisation. A sought-after soloist, his repertoire ranges from Bach, Beethoven and Schubert to Bartók, Prokofiev and Per Nørgård, in addition to his own compositions.

Sunday, May 21, 5 p.m. $25. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444, or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Get fired up! Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching, and with it barbecue season is upon us.

Skirt Steak with Roasted Corn Salad

Chicken Skewers with Mango and Pineapple

Spiced Sweet Potatoes

It’s time for some sizzle

‘round the

THE SCENE

Niklas Sivelöv

Renowned Swedish pianistcomposer-teacher

May 18

May 20

Terrific turtles

On exhibit

Nassau County Museum of Art’s 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.

Bring the kids to Long Island Children’s Museum to learn fascinating facts about turtles and meet the museum’s special “resident” Franklin the box turtle, Saturday, May 20, 12-2 p.m. Also make a turtle friend to take home at the drop-in program. Suitable for ages 3+ Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

May 19

Watch ‘The Whale’

May 12 REGISTER AT richnerlive.com/seniorexpo OR CALL Amanda Marte at 516-569-4000 x249

See “The Whale,” Friday, May 19, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., at Island Park Public Library. The movie starring Brendan Fraser and Sadie Sink is about a reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter before it’s too late. The movie is rated R. 176 Long Beach Road. Visit IslandParkLibrary.org for information.

COME TO THE FREE Wednesday June 28•2023 10AM-1PM Sunny Atlantic Beach Club 2035 Ocean Blvd, Atlantic Beach, NY 11509 PRESENTED BY: GUEST SPEAKERS + FREE GOODIE BAGS*

DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN TONS OF PRIZES AND GIVEAWAYS* *must be present at drawing to win* *while supplies last* 1215029

Start healing from emotional, anger and relational trauma

Regain control over trauma from your emotions, anger or other issue, at virtual sessions, offered by FamilyKind’s partnership with Queens Long Island Community Services. Dr. Paul Engel facilitates the 8-week sessions, on Wednesdays, through June 7, 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. Scholarships are available based on financial need; call (516) 547-4318 or (718) 4616393 for more information. Register at tinyurl.com/ FamilyKindhealing.

Volunteer mentors needed

The R.E.E.F. program is looking for volunteers 18 years or older to work alongside adults with diverse abilities. The program is hosted at the Oceanside Library bi-weekly and will focus on diving into life skills in a fun way. There is a Google form at OceansideLibrary.com.

Tai Chi classes

Tai Chi is offered at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Monday Wednesday, Saturday, 1375 Grand Ave., Baldwin. Email forevertaichi4you@gmail.com.

Defensive driving class

Save 10 percent on your car insurance for the next three years or remove up to four points from your driving record by completing the Empire Safety Council’s defensive driving course, at Oceanside Library, Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The class is in person. The fee is $30 cash or check, made payable to Empire Safety Council. 56 Atlantic Ave. Visit OceansideLibrary.com for information and to register.

Breastfeeding Support Group

Mercy Hospital offers a peer to peer meeting for breastfeeding support facilitated by a certified breastfeeding counselor, every Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Bring your baby (from newborn to 1 year). Registration required. Call Gabriella Gennaro, at (516) 705-2434 or visit CHSLI.org. Mercy Hospital, St. Anne’s Building, 1000 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre.

Having an event?

Whale of a Drink fundraiser

On stage

Through June

Support The Whaling Museum by participating in Sandbar restaurant’s Whale of a Drink, Whale of a Cause fundraising effort, now through June 21. Enjoy the Sandbar’s iconic cocktail, the Whalebone, and a portion of the purchase will be donated to the museum. A “mocktail” version is also available. To help promote the fundraiser, mixologist Dan Leopold will offer a mixology demonstration and Whalebone tasting at the Museum’s Whales & Ales event on June 3, 2:30-3 p.m. Funds will support the Whaling Museum’s community education programs during its 2023 summer season. 55 Main St, Cold Spring Harbor. For information, visit SandbarColdSpringHarbor.com.

Island Park Memorial Day Parade

The Village of Island Park will hold their yearly Memorial Day Parade, Saturday, May 27, beginning between McKinley Ave. and Island Parkway W. Start time is 9:20 a.m.

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.

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, May 19, 10:15 a.m. and noon; Sunday, May 21, 2 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, May 24-25, 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. 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.

Westbury House Tour

May 19

For many years visitors to Westbury House at Old Westbury Gardens asked what was beyond the first floor corridor. Now beyond the door and discover “secrets of the service wing,” during a 60-minute guided tour, Friday, May 19, noon-1 p.m.; Monday, May 22, noon-1 p.m.; Wednesday, May 24, noon-1 p.m. and 1:30-2 p.m. Be introduced to the intensive labor required to create the lifestyle experienced by the Phipps family and their guests; tour the many rooms that were “behind the scenes” to create the formal dining experiences of early 20th century. Go along the corridors to the butler’s pantry and silver cleaning room then descend the 17 steps to the kitchen, scullery, and wine storage rooms located on the ground floor. Reservations required. 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information contact (516) 333-0048 or visit OldWestburyGardens.org.

An Evening of Beautiful Music

WITH MICHAEL BOWER, ORGANIST

SUNDAY JUNE 4, 2023 • 7:00 PM ST. AGNES CATHEDRAL

Scott Jackson Wiley, in his final appearance as Music Director and Conductor of the South Shore Symphony, leads the orchestra of over 100 musicians and singers in a performance of one of the most spectacular symphonies ever written. Everyone is invited to join us for this special event.

29 Quealy Place, Rockville Centre, NY

Suggested donation $20 per person at the door

Denise Ford celebrates impending retirement with party at The Saloon

By BRENDAN CARPENTER bcarpenter@liherald.com

Denise Ford, who has served as a Nassau County legislator for 20 years, decided against running for reelection this fall. To celebrate her upcoming retirement, a healthy group gathered at The Saloon for a party last Tuesday.

The 72-year-old Ford was elected to the legislature in 2003 shortly after her husband, Harry, a 27-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, was killed in a fire in Queens on Father’s Day in 2001. She’s an enrolled Democrat but caucuses with the Republicans. The announced she would not seek reelection in March.

Ford’s decision came after much thought and during a major redistricting process in the county. She was one of the legislature’s best-known members. Democrats and Republicans can be expected to wage a vigorous fight for her seat.

“I had been considering doing this for a while and I felt that this was the best time for me to go,” Ford said in a past interview. “I will miss representing my district because I really do love the people that I represent. But I think it’s time for somebody new to take over and be the guardian of legislative district four.”

Ford’s district includes Long Beach, Lido Beach, East Atlantic Beach, Point Lookout, Island Park and parts of East Rockaway, Woodmere, Oceanside, Lawrence and Cedarhurst. She said her main reason for not seeking reelection is to

spend more time with her family.

“I’m getting older, with grandchildren, and there’s just some family situations that I want to focus on,” she previously said about her retirement decision. “I have served 20 years and I think that is an adequate time for somebody to be in an elected position. And so I just felt it in my gut that this was it. This was the year to go.”

Ford also currently serves as the chair of the Public Safety Committee and the vice chair of the Government Services & Operations Committee. She is also a member of the Planning, Development and the Environment Committee, the Economic and Community Development and Labor Committee and the Minority Affairs Committee.

During her term in office, she has been honored for numerous achievements within her community.

The Long Beach Chamber of Commerce named her Woman of the Year in recognition of her leadership, and by the Michael Valente Lodge. The Sisterhood of Temple Emanu-El also honored her as a “Woman of Valor.”

Ford has been a resident of the Long Beach community for over 35 years. She stepped down as the president of the West End Neighbors Civic Association in 2003 when she was elected to the Legislature. She is currently a member of a variety of organizations such as the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW and Kiwanis.

Bob Arkow/Herald

DENisE FoRD ADDREssiNg attendees at her retirement party last week. She was joined by Michael Reinharz, Brendan Finn, and Patrick Mullaney, who is running to replace her in the next election, and Chris Fiumara.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

Formation of 113

CROSSWAYS PARKWAY

LLC filed with the Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 3/31/2023. Office loc.: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The address SSNY shall mail process to Gad Avshalomov, 4017 Greentree Dr., Oceanside, NY 11572. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

138886

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU, WILMINGTON SAVINGS

FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT AS TRUSTEE FOR PRETIUM MORTGAGE

ACQUISITION TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. VICTOR

RIVERA, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order

Granting Nunc Pro Tunc Relief, Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on July 30, 2019 and a Short Form Order duly entered May 16, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on June 1, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 4050 Massachusetts Avenue, Island Park, NY 11558. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 43, Block 70 and Lots 53 - 55. Approximate amount of judgment is $551,621.55 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 000028/2017. Cash will not be accepted. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale.

Joy S. Bunch, Esq., Referee

Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523, Attorneys for Plaintiff

139052

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCOUNTY OF NASSAU

DEUTSCHE BANK

NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY AS TRUSTEE FOR INDYMAC INDX

MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST

2005-AR7, MORTGAGE

PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES

2005-AR7, V. JENNIFER IADEVAIO, ET. AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated February 02, 2017, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau, wherein DEUTSCHE BANK

NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY AS TRUSTEE FOR INDYMAC INDX

MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST

2005-AR7, MORTGAGE

PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES

2005-AR7 is the Plaintiff and JENNIFER IADEVAIO, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). 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 June 6, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 61 MONTGOMERY AVE, OCEANSIDE, NY 11572: Section 43, Block 332, Lot 349:

ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATED, LYING AND BEING AT OCEANSIDE, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 019258/2009. Barton Slavin, 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. 139218

LEGAL NOTICE

REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU MANUFACTURERS AND TRADERS TRUST COMPANY, A/K/A M&T BANK, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER WITH HUDSON CITY SAVINGS BANK, Plaintiff - againstFREDDY ORMENO, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on March 22, 2023. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 “Rain or Shine” on the 1st day of June, 2023 at 2:30 PM.

All that certain plot, piece or parcel of Land with the

Buildings and Improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in Oceanside, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York.

Premises known as 78 Concord Avenue, Oceanside, NY 11572.

(Section: 43, Block: 385, Lot: 7)

Approximate amount of lien $1,010,540.33 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale.

Index No. 003398/2017.

Louis B. Imbroto, Esq., Referee.

McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff

420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 840 New York, NY 10170 Tel. 347/286-7409

For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832

Dated: March 31, 2023

During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale.

139165

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON (F/K/A THE BANK OF NEW YORK, SUCCESSOR TO JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. SUCCESSOR TO THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, SUCCESSOR TO CHEMICAL BANK), AS TRUSTEE FOR IMC HOME EQUITY LOAN TRUST

1996-1, Plaintiff AGAINST JOHN J. OLIVIERO, Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered November 23, 2015, 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 June 8, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 24

HASTINGS ROAD, ISLAND PARK, NY 11558. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Island Park, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, SECTION 43, BLOCK

29, LOTS 130, 131. Approximate amount of judgment $91,247.38 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #009094/2014. 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”. Janine Lynam, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 00-301239 75856 139365

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff AGAINST DAVID C. CONN A/K/A DAVID CONN, HEATHER S. CONN A/K/A HEATHER CONN, Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered October 3, 2016, 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 June 12, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 542 Derby Drive South, Oceanside, NY 11572. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Oceanside, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 54, Block 498, Lot 55. Approximate amount of judgment $392,263.67 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #015311/2013. 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”. Oscar Prieto, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775

Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221

20-002113 75844

139363

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU U.S.

Bank, National Association, as Trustee for the Certificateholders of the Banc of America

Funding Corporation

2008-FT1 Trust, Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates, Series 2008-FT1, Plaintiff AGAINST The Estate of Anne Asmolik a/k/a Ann Asmolik a/k/a Anne Amsolik, Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered March 23, 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 June 14, 2023 at 4:00PM, premises known as 261 Montgomery Avenue, Oceanside, NY 11572. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Oceanside, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, SECTION: 43, BLOCK: 304, LOT: 6, 7 and 8. Approximate amount of judgment $303,963.46 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #009149/2013. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NASSAU County COVID-19 Protocols located on the Office of Court Administration (OCA) website (https://ww2.nycourts.gov /Admin/oca.shtml) 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”. For sale information, please

contact XOME at www.Xome.com or call

(844) 400-9633. Peter Kramer, Esq., Referee, Referee’s phone number:

516-510-4020 Frenkel Lambert Weiss Weisman & Gordon, LLP 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 01-062056-F00

75930

139369

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY

COMPANY. NAME: McAlli, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York, (SSNY) on 07/29/2022. NY Office location: Nassau County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of the process to: 2937 Cleveland Avenue, Oceanside, NY 11572

Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity.

139329

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU Mortgage Assets Management, LLC, Plaintiff AGAINST Nassau County Public Administrator, as Limited Administrator of the Estate of Lucille Continanzi; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale

duly entered April 12, 2023 I, the undersigned

Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on June 22, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 3207 Oceanside Road, Oceanside, NY 11572. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Oceanside, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 54. Block 526 Lot 42. Approximate amount of judgment $530,483.27 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 006949/2015. The auction will be conducted

pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed

Property established by the Tenth Judicial District. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”

Janine Lynam, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP

f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC

Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff

175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792

Dated: April 28, 2023

139540

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

SEALED PROPOSAL WILL BE RECEIVED by the Division of Purchasing of the Town of Hempstead, 350 Front Street, Room 122, Hempstead, N.Y. 11550-4037 until 11:00

AM prevailing time Thursday, June 1, 2023 at which time the following Formal Bids and Contracts will be publicly opened, read and approved as soon thereafter as practicable

FB#21-2023

Labor And Material To

Repair/Replace Parts For TOH Existing Dust Collector

FB#22-2023

*Furnish & Install 3”

Thick Foam Insulated Patio Roof and Two (2) Dry Wells

FB#23-2023

Complete Restoration Of Courtroom Benches

FB#24-2023

Purchase And Installation Of Two (2) AC units For DGS Printshop

YEARLY REQUIREMENTS FOR: *TOWN BOARD TO MAKE AWARD

Bid/RFP/RFQ packets may be picked up only between the hours of 9:00 A.M. to 4:15 P.M. Bid/RFP/RFQ Packets may also be obtained via email request to Paul J. LoRaso paullor@hempsteadny.go

v Please include Firm name, address, contact person and contact telephone number. Also include Bid/Offer number that you are requesting. All Bids/Offers must be made on bidding sheets furnished by the Division of Purchasing of the Town of Hempstead and subject to all

specifications, terms and conditions stated therein.

The Division of Purchasing and or the Town Board reserves the right to reject any and all Bids/Proposals and to accept the Bid/Proposal(s) that is deemed most favorable to the interests of the Town

ATTENTION VETERANS:

You have certain rights under Section 162 of The New York State Finance Law in connection with public contracts for the purchase of commodities or provision of services. Specifically, This law may authorize acceptance of a bid submitted by a “Qualified Veteran’s Workshop” provided that the bid shall not exceed the lowest responsible bid by greater than 15%. It is incumbent on you to submit all required documentation to the Town, demonstrating your qualification for treatment under that section. You should consult your attorney to determine your qualification for treatment under this provision.

Under local law 62.5 this law may authorize acceptance of a bid submitted by a local veteran-owned business that maintains a place of business in or sells supplies, materials or equipment manufactured in the County of Nassau and submit a bid not to exceed 7.5% more than the otherwise lowest responsible bidder, and also does not exceed the bid of the otherwise lowest responsible bidder who qualifies for the local (non-veteran) preference by more than 2.5%. Certification as to the enterprise is required to be by the NYS Office of General Services or US Department of Veterans Affairs.

DATED: May 19, 2023 HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. DONALD X. CLAVIN JR. SUPERVISOR KATE MURRAY TOWN CLERK DOMINICK A. LONGOBARDI DEPUTY TOWN COMPTROLLER 139613

EMPLOYMENT

Help Wanted

AUTO TECHNICIAN FT

4 Day Work Week

Experienced And Reliable. NYSI A Plus. Busy Merrick Shop. Call 516-781-5641

BEACH MANAGER : Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday 10am-6pm. Handle Chairs/ Umbrellas/ Towels Accomodations Of Members. 516-835-2819

CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE

Full Time/Part Time Richner Communications, publisher of Herald community newspapers has an excellent opportunity for a FT/PT Customer Service Clerk in our busy Circulation Department.

Basic customer service and administrative responsibilities include: heavy computer work, answering phones, making phone calls, entering orders, faxing, filing, etc.

STRONG knowledge of EXCEL a must! Knowledge of DATABASE maintenance or postal regulations a big plus. Qualified Candidates must be computer literate, able to multitask, dependable, reliable, organized, energetic, detail oriented and able to work well under deadlines. For consideration, please send resume & salary requirements to: careers@liherald.com

CLERK FULL TIME

Needed For Garden City Law

Firm. Responsibilities Include Filing, Ordering And Stocking Office Supplies, Mail Distribution, Photocopying, Scanning, And Errands To Banks, Post Office And Courts.

Must Have A Vehicle And Valid N.Y. Driver License.

Please Email Resume To mjagnandan@albaneselegal.com Or Call 516-248-7000 Ext.2212

DRIVERS WANTED

Full Time and Part Time

Positions Available!

Busy Print Shop in Garden City is Hiring Immediately for Full Time and Part Time Drivers.

Must Have a Clean License and BoxTruck Driving Experience.

Hours Vary, Night Availability is a Must.

Please Email Resume to careers@liherald.com or Call (516)569-4000 x239

DRIVING INSTRUCTOR

Company Car/ Bonuses. Clean Driving Record Required, Will Train. Retirees Welcome! Bell Auto School 516-365-5778

Email: info@bellautoschool.com

DRIVING INSTRUCTORS WANTED

Will Certify And Train

HS Diploma

NYS License Clean 3 Years

Call 516-731-3000

Help Wanted

EDITOR/REPORTER

The award-winning Herald Community Newspapers group, covering Nassau County's North and South Shores with hard-hitting news stories and gracefully written features, seeks a motivated, energetic and creative editor/reporter to join our dynamic (and awesome) team!

This education and general assignment reporting position offers a unique experience to learn from some of the best in the business. Historically, reporters who have launched their careers with us have gone on to The New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, the New York Daily News, New York Post, CNN, BBC, NBC News and The Daily Mail, among many others. We look for excellent writers who are eager to learn, enhance their skills, and become well-established and respected journalists in our industry.

To apply: Send a brief summary in the form of a cover letter describing your career goals and what strengths you can bring to our newsroom, along with a resume and three writing samples to mhinman@liherald.com

FRONT DESK

Summer Weekend Position

Available at Howard Hanna | Coach Realtors 1315 Broadway, Hewlett Saturday Hours 10am-1pm Sunday Hours 10am-3pm Call 516-374-0100 Today To Schedule A Meeting!

FULL-PART TIME BOOKKEEPER:

Autostat Corporation is seeking an experienced Accounts Receivable/ Payable Bookkeeper, minimum 5 years experience working for small/ medium business in Manufacturing, Wholesaling, or Bookkeeping Fields. Must be Windows proficient, experienced with Quick Books, Bank Reconciliations, Comfortable Handling Phones, Speaking to customers, vendors. Hours Flexible- 3 days (M,W,F Pref.) 20 hours minimum per week. Full Time off Benefits include: all major holidays (8) plus 5 Sick Days. Vacation time accrues after one year. Liberal salary based on experience, Serious/ Qualified only need apply. Qualified Retirees welcome. Forward resume w/References & Salary History: orders@autostatcorp.com

JOB FAIR! NOW HIRING BARTENDERS * WAITERS ALL RESTAURANT STAFF!

Sunday May 21st 10:00-12:00

(please arrive by 9:45). Come and be interviewed on the spot and stay for orientation. Those offered positions will have specific position orientation at 1:00pm! Come work with the best team on the beach at Long Island's premier private beach club here in Atlantic Beach NY. Make this a summer to remember!!

(516) 371-0750 New York Beach Club 1751 Ocean Blvd Atlantic Beach NY www.newyorkbeachclub.com newyorkbeachclub@gmail.com

MULTI MEDIA ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT Inside Sales

Looking for an aggressive self starter who is great at making and maintaining relationships and loves to help businesses grow by marketing them on many different advertising platforms. You will source new sales opportunities through inbound lead follow-up and outbound cold calls. Must have the ability to understand customer needs and requirements and turn them in to positive advertising solutions. We are looking for a talented and competitive Inside Sales Representative that thrives in a quick sales cycle environment. We offer salary, commission, bonuses, health benefits, 401K and paid time off. Will consider part time.

Please send cover letter and resume with salary requirements to ereynolds@liherald.com Call 516-569-4000 X286

H ebrew Academy of Long Beach seeks educators to join our exceptional school faculty in fostering a culture of academic exploration and excellence and dedication to spiritual, intellectual, and personal growth of all students. We are currently looking for candidates in the following divisions:

Lev Chana Early Childhood: Early Childhood Assistant Teachers

HALB Elementary School: Assistant Teachers

Part Time Morah

Middle School Morah Full Time Rebbe Middle School Math Teacher

DRS Yeshiva High School for Boys: English Teacher Science Teacher Learning Center Teacher Assistant College Guidance Counselor

SKA High School for Girls: Graphic Design Teacher Ivrit Teacher Halacha Teacher AP Computer Science Teacher

Multiple IT Positions : Software Developers needed to design, develop, and maintain software solutions and applications.

Database Administrators needed to conduct requirements gathering, feasibility study, design preparation and effort estimation for database architecture and data migration supporting Oracle,MS SQL, PostgreSQL, and MySQL server databases. Systems Administrators needed to conduct end-to-end administration of enterprise backup and recovery environments. Positions based in Hicksville, NY, but require travel and/or relocation to unanticipated locations throughout U.S. Email resume to sridhar@mahimasoft.com, Srivin Infosystems, Inc. dba Mahima Soft, 25 Newbridge Rd, Suite # 303, Hicksville, NY 11801. No walk-ins.

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Cedarhurst, P/T - F/T

Must Be Detail Oriented

Help Wanted RECEPTIONIST - FULL TIME

Receptionist (full-time) needed for Publisher and Self-Storage Facility located in Garden City. The ideal candidate should have excellent communications and customer service skills, be professional, dependable and have reliable transportation. Candidate should have computer knowledge and working knowledge of MS Office. Candidate MUST be reliable, punctual and be able to work a CONSISTENT schedule:

Monday and Wednesday 8am to 4pm Tuesday and Thursday 8am to 6pm Friday 8am to 5pm

Job Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Answering phones and greeting customers, assisting new customers by showing storage facility options and pricing, collecting payments from customers, contacting customers for late payments, applying payments and updating the customer files /data base and other general administrative responsibilities on an as needed basis. Hourly pay, plus eligible for Holiday Pay, PTO, Medical, Dental, 401k with company matching, plus other benefits. Qualified candidates should email their resume, cover letter and salary requirements. No phone calls please. Job Type: Full-time.

Salary: $15.00 /hour

Email your resume to: careers@liherald.com

New To Market, Won't Last!

Center Hall English Colonial-style home located in the desirable Bryn Mawr neighborhood. The property boasts an oversized lot and features an elegant and gracious design. The large eatin kitchen includes an island and a spacious breakfast area, while the banquetsized dining room has an original stainedglass window. Other notable features of the home include a den, 3-season room, and a new powder room. The primary bedroom is an en-suite and there are three additional generous-sized bedrooms. Plus a bonus third floor with finished rooms and a large finished lower level. Additional amenities include new central air conditioning and a 2-car garage. $1,249,000.

Open Houses

WOODMERE BA, 504 Saddle Ridge Rd., FIRST TIME ON MARKET!Move Right Into This Renovated 4 BR, 2 Bth Split with Open Layout in Prime Location! Granite/Wood EIK Opens to Dining Room & Living Room. Lower Level Den. HW Flrs, Gas Heat, CAC. Oversized Property!

SD#14.Near All!..$1,149,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

House For Sale

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A leak in a corner, and adding a half-bath

Q. We just moved into our first home on a hilly property, and now we see that the bottom of the wall in the corner of our walkout basement is wet. I opened the drywall, and the bottom wood is black, rotted, crumbling and soaking wet, too. While we’re fixing this problem, we want to add a half bathroom and take out the columns to make the family room open and larger. What should we do to stop the water in the corner of the basement, and what do we need to know about taking out the columns? The contractor says he can put in mi-lams, which I think are some kind of wood beam.

A. The water problem, the bathroom, and the changing of structure are three different issues that can be addressed at the same time but require more than a little knowhow. First, water getting in is caused by openings, and it was helpful that you included pictures with your question. On the outside of the basement, where the floor of the basement is actually about five inches above the ground, I notice a raised planting bed. The soil and fresh mulch hides an avoidable problem: The edge of the floor is now at or just under the height of the planting bed.

I am certain the artistic intentions did not take into account the fact that water seeks its own level, and most people don’t realize that when we get heavy rain like we’ve been experiencing lately, it can’t flow away as fast as it accumulates, meaning that you can have, temporarily, 2- to 4-inch-tall walls of moving water at a given location. You must lower the flowerbeds and slope the land away from the foundation so a pond of rain can’t work its way under the wall base plate — that rotted wood sill you now see.

After clearing back the mulch and soil, clean the exposed concrete and siding, cut out the wood sill plate as long as you temporarily support the wall. As far to each side as you can, remove the wood and bottom of the siding, then install a new wood sill over a polystyrene sill sealer on the concrete with a copper termite shield above the sill sealer. Then apply liquid roll-on waterproofing membrane so that it bridges the gap of the concrete and wood wall base.

The internet has contradicting details showing sill sealer foam incorrectly above the copper shield. Logically, the foam sealer fills rough concrete surface gaps. Copper sheet flashing, called the termite shield, goes over the foam.

The half-bath may require an ejector pump. You need a licensed plumber who knows what permit requirements must be met for your building permit. Never guess what beam is required. Without a professional applying load paths, material and people weight, snow and wind loads, guessing is going to cause extra cost, either from overbuilding or replacing the wrong choice beam. Be safe!

Monte

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The George Santos of then, now, and what might’ve been

He called us the “Herald Firing Squad.” That was fair, I guess. When Republican congressional candidate George Santos first visited our Garden City office last fall, there were nine reporters — including me — sitting around the conference table waiting for him.

This time, however, it was just three of us. A senior editor, Laura Lane. A senior reporter, Michael Malaszczyk. And me. We didn’t meet on Long Island. Instead, we traveled on May 5 to Queens, where now-U.S. Rep. George Santos works when he’s not in Washington. A few days later, he would face federal charges — charges he reportedly did not know about when he sat with us.

Unlike his office on Capitol Hill, there were no reporters waiting outside his door trying to ask questions. Instead, it was just the three of us, walking into a cramped space, past a sign on the door warning against using audio devices and video equipment. Staff members had to move around a bit just to seat us at a conference table outside the congressman’s office.

Santos arrived just moments after we did, wearing a fresh suit and a light blue tie, and carrying a small food pack from Starbucks that he called his breakfast. A lot had happened to him between that October afternoon he visited our offices, and this chilly Friday morning.

Reporters spent months asking Santos questions about his past. Where he worked. Where he went to school. What happened with his mother. Whether he was ever arrested. Whether he was truly “Jew-ish,” as he had previously claimed.

Law enforcement officials at all levels announced investigations into different aspects of Santos’s life. Even the Republican-controlled House Ethics Committee wanted a chance to weigh in.

But sitting there, across from George Santos, none of that seemed real. The congressman outlined what seemed very much like a busy schedule dealing with constituents, introducing bills, and even seeking a place in history that didn’t make him an easy target for latenight talk show hosts and banter for news outlets.

There’s his bill intended to cap state and local tax exemptions beginning at $50,000 instead of $10,000. Or the bill

intended to waive the early withdrawal penalty for certain types of distributions from a retirement plan.

And then there’s a bill Santos said I’d personally appreciate, because it would prohibit the United States from providing any sort of financial aid to countries that target members of the LGBTQ community.

“Some of them kill you just for liking someone of the same sex,” Santos said. “That’s not an American value, right? That’s not something we share.”

In fact, in his first four months on Capitol Hill, Santos has introduced nearly a dozen bills. An impressive slate that almost makes everything else happening around the congressman feel like background noise you can tune out. That is until you realize that he doesn’t have a single co-sponsor for any of these bills. Not one.

“Usually people work one bill at a time, and then go work the floor,” Santos said. “I’m too impatient to do it that way. So I just put the first set of ideas in the first quarter down, and now this quarter, I’m going to be doing less of bill introduction and more of working these bills.”

The congressman’s Republican colleagues have indeed stepped up to offer

initial support for these bills, Santos said. But he wouldn’t share who any of them were, because he feared “the firing squad” would “do follow-ups” — like reporters ought to do — putting those House members “under pressure.”

“And then they might buckle,” Santos said, “and then you’ll ruin my bill.”

It’s surprising, with the walls closing so tight around Santos, that he hasn’t buckled. He’s already looking toward reelection — at least before federal criminal charges, although that may not deter him now. And there are many who truly don’t believe he’ll survive his first term.

But then again, few expected he would still be donning his congressional lapel pin in May — six months after the original New York Times exposé that punched significant holes in Santos’ claims in the first place.

It’s hard not to be impressed with that perseverance. It’s a trait that is far less common in Congress than it should be, and something Santos apparently has in abundance.

Yet, the rocky road he has had to traverse was one of his own making. Which is unfortunate, because if he hadn’t built such a house of cards around himself, who knows what kind of good George Santos might have done in Washington?

Michael Hinman is executive editor of Herald Community Newspapers. Comments? mhinman@liherald.com.

Books are an exception to the lending rule

In “Hamlet,” Polonius said to Laertes, “Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.”

I have always thought books were an exception to the lending rule, since they offer an opportunity to share the immense joy of a great read, but I may have to turn the page on that.

Someone out there has a copy of my “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead,” by Olga Tokarczuk. For a year I thought it was my friend Sharon, but she’s an upright sort of woman, and she swears she searched her house and does not possess, nor did she ever possess, my book. I would like to believe her. The novel is a mind-bending challenge, translated from the Polish. But it did land the Nobel Prize in literature, and I want it back.

The book is MIA, and Sharon has a history. She has borrowed other books,

and returned most of them. Once she “found” a book of mine in her house that she had borrowed two years before. See what I mean by wanting to believe her?

I can’t quite go with Shakespeare on being neither a borrower nor a lender because sharing a much-loved book weaves a powerful connection. And it adds to my pleasure to know that someone I care about will be reading the same book without having to pay for it. There is a particular pleasure in having my friends or loved ones read the very pages I read, as if the laugh I laughed or the tear I shed might linger in the spaces between the words, also to be shared.

The experience has become even more precious in the days of e-books, when most of what we read is on our devices.

Years ago, I lent books out all over the place. I never even wrote my name inside the cover. Then I realized that my book collection was dwindling, and it was all my favorites that were gone and forgotten. I had no idea who had them or

for how long.

A friend of mine who borrows books frequently and always returns them promptly suggests that I keep a list of my lending, so I can ask for a book back after a reasonable amount of time. That works when I remember to jot down the transaction, but more often it’s a casual deal and soon forgotten by both the borrower and me.

That’s the other thing. I’m not a really responsible borrower, although I try very hard. I’m pretty good about books, because they’re so important in my life. But I’m terrible with, say, wrenches. I have a collection of wrenches in my basement that I borrowed over the years and never returned because I have no idea who they belong to. Somewhere out there I have friends to whom wrenches are very dear, aggravating their hearts out because they lent them out and haven’t gotten them back.

Still, a wrench is just a wrench. Sharing a book is like holding hands and jumping onto a fast-moving train, seeing the same words and feeling them differ-

ently.

On rare occasions I’ve borrowed a shawl or gown for an event. Most times, though, I don’t like to borrow clothing, because I’m bad with red sauce. I don’t borrow money (except when I forget my wallet), and I never borrow jewelry.

Perhaps we need to track our books with digital tags so we can find them when they go missing. Or perhaps I shouldn’t be a lender if I can’t deal with the occasional delinquent borrower. The funny thing is, I was hounding Sharon so much that she offered to buy me another copy of “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead.” She doesn’t get it. I don’t want another one. I want that one, the one with the spaghetti sauce stains on Page 35 and the dog’s paw print on the back cover, the one I remember reading while lying on the beach. For me, the books I have read and loved have a life, memories of which linger in the mind and heart.

There may be a gazillion copies of “Drag Your Plow” out there, but there’s only one copy that shared my pillow and my comforter for three weeks last summer.

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

RANDI KREISS

Sharing a book is like holding hands and jumping onto a fastmoving train.

If he hadn’t built such a house of cards, who knows what kind of good he might’ve done?

MICHAEL HINMAN

How they avoid saying the dirtiest word

in politics, the word “tax” is dirtier than the most graphic four-letter words you can think of. Any politician who plans to last in office longer than his loafers knows that you only say “tax” to blame someone else for every new tax or increase — no matter the reason — or when you boldly claim to be holding the line.

So it should come as no surprise that municipalities across the country have, for decades, found creative ways to “increase revenue streams” and “offset projected spending,” instead of “raising taxes.”

One popular backdoor tax is a fee municipalities tack on to tickets. A redlight ticket in Nassau County is significantly more expensive than in New York City or Suffolk County. In Nassau, getting caught on camera for running a red light costs $250, plus an additional $88 surcharge. In New York City, the fine is $50. In Suffolk, a red-light ticket costs $50, with an administrative fee of $30.

Why is the same violation almost six times more expensive in Nassau than in the city? And four times more expensive than Suffolk?

Red-light cameras violations aren’t meant to be cash cows — they’re supposed to make the roads safer. That’s why there are signs alerting drivers to the presence of a red-light camera. A quick search

letters

Kremer’s way too soft on Biden

To the Editor:

Jerry Kremer and I are on opposite sides of the political aisle, but I enjoy reading his opinions. His most recent column, “Biden’s decision was an easy one” (May 4-10), however, was quite one-sided.

I do agree there have been accomplishments Biden should be very proud of. The infrastructure bill was great and well overdue! America needs to be a global leader in microchip production, and his efforts to get us there are needed, too.

The effort to control insulin pricing is another wonderful thing. Unfortunately, Kremer and his fellow Democrats neglect to point out that it’s only for seniors on Medicare. This isn’t helping the working class, or young kids whose families still struggle with those bills.

Now let’s talk about the obvious things Kremer ignored. Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal — my goodness, could that have gone any worse? The chaos, loss of lives, loss of equipment and abandoning our allies was unconscionable. Don’t say that was Trump’s doing.

Decades-high inflation? The Biden administration told us it was transitory. Biden’s spending has helped inflation increase to its highest rate in over 40 years. That affects the working class every

online yields the locations of the cameras. This isn’t a sting operation — it’s a deterrent, in the interest of saving lives.

The exorbitant cost of a red-light ticket in Nassau compared with the rest of the region leads us to question whether the fines and fees are being used as a backdoor tax.

Not completely dissimilar to red-light ticket administrative fees are the proposed water rate increases unveiled by Liberty Utilities last week.

Liberty wants to raise water rates throughout south Nassau by an average of 34 percent. In Lynbrook, the average monthly water bill would jump by $18.32. The increase sought by Liberty in Merrick is 42 percent. And in Sea Cliff, 13 percent.

While Liberty is a private company, it is ostensibly overseen by a governmentappointed, nonpartisan body. Private companies don’t raise taxes. Private companies that provide public services, such as utilities, have the same taxing impact on families through rate hikes.

In a statement, Liberty said the proposed rate hikes are needed for plant investments, new infrastructure and other things.

Modest increases from time to time are to be expected, and are understood. But rate hikes of 34 percent, and more, are unacceptable. At best, it’s a sign of mismanagement.

So it’s no surprise that Hempstead town officials are howling about Liberty’s rate hikes, despite not taking earlier action.

Supervisor Don Clavin said that the increases are “outrageous,” and that customers were already “overpaying” for water.

Hempstead water Commissioner John Reinhardt said that Nassau residents shouldn’t be forced to pay for drinking water so that Liberty can “generate excessive profits.”

In 2021, the state created the South Nassau Water Authority as an independent body to oversee Liberty, whose predecessor, New York American Water, was roundly criticized for excessive rates. The water authority has not held a single public meeting.

Call it what you want — administration fee heaped on excessively overpriced tickets, rate hike, or a tax — it still costs us money. It doesn’t matter to a single mom working two jobs to put food on the table. It still costs money.

Red-light cameras save lives. Clean drinking water is essential. But that doesn’t mean we should be ridiculously overcharged for basic rights of citizenship.

Reduce or eliminate backdoor taxes. Force utility companies to cut unreasonable rate hikes. Give working-class people a break.

minute of the day.

We can’t forget the border crisis! Biden put Vice President Harris in charge, and that hasn’t worked out well. Border communities are overwhelmed.

Biden declared war on fossil fuels at the beginning of his administration. That’s fine — no one wants global warming. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a plan in place. Thanks to that,

gas prices skyrocketed, and at one point were higher than they had ever been.

Finally, we all can see his cognitive decline. It’s downright scary. He has held fewer news conferences per year than any president since Ronald Reagan, and gave fewer interviews during his first two years in office than any president in even longer. It’s sad, and at times hard to watch.

Something’s going wrong in Florida

there are so many things to write about these days, so many new headlines. But I can’t help writing about the state of Florida, because it seems more detached from America than any of the other 49 states.

I keep thinking it must be the water that’s making the state’s politicians go crazy, but I’m convinced that the issue is much bigger than H2O content. And the craziness doesn’t begin and end with Gov. Ron DeSantis, because he needs a state legislature to go along with his daily menu of new laws that make Florida look more and more like Russia.

The six-week ban on abortions is designed to help DeSantis win Republican primaries for the White House. I know DeSantis is married, but any clear-minded politico should know that the average woman has no idea that she is pregnant during the first six weeks. In addition, every poll taken by either the far right or the far left shows that the majority of Americans don’t want abortion banned.

It’s almost as if there are no television stations or other forms of media in Florida, because if there were, DeSantis would have learned that a bipartisan group of South Carolina women legislators were blocking a bill that would ban all abortions. In addition, many red states are being told by the courts that their bans are going too far. To show how crafty DeSantis thinks he is, he signed the abortion ban late on a Thursday night, apparently with the hope that the media wouldn’t find out about his latest political gambit.

Another issue is DeSantis’ battle with Disney World, which is the state’s second-largest tourist attraction, after the cruise industry. The theme park accounts for more than 20 million visitors a year and billions in tourism dollars. When you have such a good thing going, why would any sane governor start a fight that he is destined to lose?

DeSantis’ battle with Disney began when Disney spoke out against the governor’s fight with the LGBTQ community. The First Amendment protects free speech, and Disney is entitled to the same protections as any ordinary citizen.

Letters

It’s time to move on from Biden, from Trump, from Pelosi and McConnell and Maxine Waters. America needs new leadership, young blood to lead us going forward. Tell Joe it’s time to go home.

PAuL WAGneR Island Park

A month to focus on mental health

To the editor: May is Mental Health Awareness

Month, a time set aside for reflection on mental illness and things that might be done to improve the lives of those afflicted.

It’s been said before: The brain is an incredibly complex organ — one we still know so little about. Just as things can go wrong with the thyroid gland or the pancreas or the liver, the human brain is periodically subject to any number of ailments.

The situation may be complicated by a variety of behavioral or social factors. The underlying reality, however, remains true: Things can go wrong with the human brain.

We can only be thankful that in 2023, much is known about how to treat such forms of illness. A broad range of effective prescription drugs is now available. Yes, there is a lot of money in it, but it is for this reason that the improvements continue. These medications are there to be helpful.

One of the first, and perhaps most influential, was lithium carbonate, used to treat bipolar disorder — or, as it was then known, manic-depression. This was the very same clay found in the european springs where the suffering regularly went to “take the waters.”

The clay was packaged for easier use. This natural substance was no less effective in that form.

Certainly, all forms of psychiatric medication must be treated with the highest degree of respect. Increasing or decreasing the dosage amounts without the assistance of a trained professional is the highest form of recklessness.

Still, help does exist.

The case can also be made that our own human emotions carry a corresponding power to alter our own brain chemistry. Fits of anger, worry, blame or fear can alter the chemical makeup of the human brain. Here, too, however, psychiatry is making great advances. With hard work and commitment — and the assistance of a psychotherapist — it is possible to maintain a more hopeful and humorous outlook, day by day.

We don’t have all the answers. Still, many good men and women are working to improve our understanding of this most human form of affliction, and to find help for those in need. If the rest of us can set aside our unnecessary prejudices and open ourselves to the help already available, we can all come out ahead.

JOSH GReenFIeLD Bronx

Angered by Disney’s position, DeSantis has tried to strip it of its special tax district status, to stop Disney from having a say over the sprawling community that lives off of the entertainment empire’s success. Without Disney, hundreds of thousands of people would lack adequate fire, police or sanitation services.

To add to the craziness in Florida, the governor has announced that a whole series of textbooks will be banned from use in the state’s public schools, because of his and school parents’ objections to some of the content in those books. He has further ordered that a number of books have their language revised, because the words “are not truthful.” Mentions of the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement have been removed from one middle school textbook. Apparently, DeSantis believes that the Floyd tragedy was some sort of fake news.

If you’re not out of breath yet, here’s another scary fact of Florida life. Thousands of schoolteachers have left the state for other regions, out of fear of prosecution for accidently discussing some sub-

ject that the governor thinks is objectionable. It is estimated that Florida will need thousands of new teachers to make up for those losses, and it doesn’t look like those new teachers will be coming in the near future.

Recent opinion polls show former President Donald Trump with a wide lead over DeSantis early in the race for the Republican nomination for president. That lead isn’t a tribute to Trump, but rather a sign of growing dissatisfaction with DeSantis, which could leave the door open to any number of candidates, many of whom have yet to announce their availability.

Many Republicans are hungering for a fresh face to take on Trump next year. But the events in Florida over the past two years make it seem as if voting for DeSantis could be the equivalent of voting for Vladimir Putin. Somehow, the only people who haven’t caught on to DeSantis’ weaknesses are Florida residents. Maybe it is the water.

Jerry Kremer was an Assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? jkremer@liherald.com.

Framework by Tim Baker

It seems as if voting for Ron DeSantis could be like voting for Vladimir Putin.

SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) is the nation’s largest youth employment program, connecting the Town of Hempstead (TOH) and City of Long Beach youth between the ages of 16 and 20 with career exploration opportunities and paid work experience each summer.

By participating in structured project and work-based opportunities, Long Island youth are better prepared for careers of the future.

WHAT THE PROGRAM OFFERS

Career Exploration: Hone your research skills and uncover exciting new career possibilities.

Structured Work-based Opportunities: If you're a TOH and City of Long Beach youth between the ages of 16 and 20, you can get paid to learn about different careers and make a positive impact in your community through work-based activities.

Work Experiences: TOH and City of Long Beach youth between the ages of 16 and 20 can develop job readiness skills and explore diverse career pathways through paid summer jobs in various industries throughout Nassau County.

Earn Money: Don't miss out on the chance to earn money while gaining valuable experience and exploring your career options!

WORKSITE PARTNERS

Partner with the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) at HempsteadWorks and provide valuable work experience to youth while expanding your business's staff at no cost. The program pays participant wages in full, so there's no financial burden on the hosting employer. As a SYEP worksite, you can play a vital role in the region's economic development and access a pool of talented, hyperlocal youth who are the future workforce.

Please review the important information below for details on this summer's program.

SYEP 2023:

Participants can work up to 30 hours per week

Rate of pay is $16 per hour, paid by the TOH Participants go through physical clearance and drug screening

Worksite Responsibilities:

Ensuring youth time and attendance procedures are followed, and the timesheets are complete and accurate Supervision of participants, along with guidance and training as appropriate Monitoring youth attendance, punctuality, and job performance

Don Clavin Supervisor