_________ Oceanside/island park ________
HERALD Vol. 59 No. 27
A Saint Nick summer visit
Scholar students awarded
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JUNE 27 - JUlY 3, 2024
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Bynoe defeats Taylor Darling Will face GOP for state senate seat By DANIEl oFFNER & KEPHERD DANIEl of the Oceanside/Island Park Herald
Ryan Demino/Herald
Dawn Kirchner was awarded a memorial plaque for her late husband, Ronald.
Oceanside street is renamed in memory of hero of Sept. 11 By RYAN DEMINo Intern
The Town of Hempstead has renamed Montgomery Avenue, in Oceanside, in honor of Ronald Kirchner, a member of the New York City Fire Department who lived on Montgomery with his family, and died of a 9/11-related illness in August 2022. He was diagnosed with dementia at age 52, and had asthma and a lung disease as well, both linked to ground zero exposure. Kirchner, described by many as a family man, began his work as a firefighter in 1989, when he joined Ladder 135 in Glendale. After six years, he was transferred to Engine 53 in Harlem, before finally settling into Ladder 154 in Jackson Heights, where he would
spend the majority of his career. On Sept. 11, 2001, Kirchner had just finished his shift at the firehouse when he heard the news about the attacks. After calling his family to make sure they were OK, he headed to the World Trade Center. The towers had already collapsed by the time he arrived, but Kirchner joined in the rescue effort. He spent six months — some 600 hours — after the attacks at ground zero, digging out the rubble. His work helped bring closure to many families who lost loved ones in the towers. At the street-renaming ceremony, which took place on the morning of June 15 at the corner of Montgomery and Lawrence avenues, many stepped up to the podium to ContinueD on page 5
Siela Bynoe could very well be on her way to Albany when January rolls around, after taking a key step to succeeding Kevin Thomas in the state Senate. And it wasn’t an easy ste p, pushing past Assemblywoman Taylor Darling in Tuesday’s DemSieLa ocratic primary. The Nassau BYnoe County legislator will now get ready to face off against Republican Thomas Philip Montefinise in November. “Throughout this campaign I have been so blessed and overwhelmed by the support I’ve received,” Bynoe told the Herald after her victory. “Today alone we’ve had more than a hundred volunteers knocking on doors and calling their neighbors to come and vote. “This victory is only a first step, and there is work to be done. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.” Bynoe has spent the past decade as a county legislator, advocating for mental health services, police reform, affordable
housing and education on Long Island. She currently represents a district that includes Hempstead, Hicksville, Lakeview, Malverne, New Cassel, Rockville Centre, Uniondale, West Hempstead, and her home of Westbury. Bynoe first won her seat in a 2014 special election after serving two terms as a Westbury school board member. She also is the former executive director of the Huntington Housing Authority. She has spearheaded efforts requiring police officers to wear body cameras, and increase access to mental health resources in schools. She also was instrumental in creating land bank legislation allowing the county to acquire, rehabilitate and sell blighted properties and “zombie” homes. Bynoe was carrying more than 53 percent of the vote as of late Tuesday evening — about 800 votes ahead of Darling, who won her Assembly seat in 2018 after toppling incumbent Earlene Hooper in the primary. Affectionately known as the “pothole princess,” Darling has a reputation advocating for muchneeded repairs to hazardous roadways and infrastructure on Long Island. Bynoe picked up $352,000 in campaign matching funds — the first time that was available at the state level.