Oceanside/Island Park Herald 08-10-2023

Maureen Lennon/Herald John Pizzicarola and John Kouri, members of the Hambones, which performs a wide range of hits, will take the stage at the Island Park Public Library on Aug. 22.

The Hambones to take the stage in Island Park

By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com

The Hambones — a versatile band that plays anything from classic rock to traditional country — will treat the community to a night of song hits during Island Park Public Library’s outdoor concert series on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m.

The band, composed of John Kouri, 51, from Mineola, John Pizzicarola, 57, from East

Heartbreaking exit for Team USA

Page 9

Making most of boundless mind curiosity

Author Ariella Rukhlin writes ‘A Curious Book on Curious Minds’

By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com

Oceanside High School

senior Ariella Rukhlin is taking her curiosity to new heights.

After launching a podcast last year, “Chit-Chatting and Questioning the World,” which incorporated her passion for science and curiosity about the world, the 17-year-old has selfpublished her first book, “A Curious Book on Curious Minds.” Last July, Rukhlin was inspired to write the book by her uncle, Dmitry Rukhlin, who she said is a huge role model for her.

“For as long as I can remember, she asked me questions, and I’ve always tried to answer her like an adult,” her uncle said.

osity that she had, and off my conversations with her, she wanted to do something where she explored her curiosity.”

Dmitry Rukhlin, 40, used to be in the military and has written two books: “Leaving Active Duty: Real-life Stories and Advice for Junior Military Officers” and “Why Do You Do That?: 101 Cat Poems.” Ariella asked him about the writing and publishing process.

“He’s always been there to tell me to remain curious about the world around me, and was a mentor throughout my childhood,” she said. “He was an author, and overall, he’s the most knowledgeable and creative person I know. He just has this attitude of wanting to learn more about the world.”

Rockaway, Steve Soltow, 73, from Washington, Connecticut, and Scott Milch, 56, from Middle Village, Queens, boasts a song list of more than 200 tunes and performs classic rock, country, rhythm and blues, folk and rock.

Members of the group have 140 years of combined musical experience. They were involved in different local bands and, being familiar with one another, they decided to join forces in 2011.

“I knew who they were, I knew how they played and so there was very little of getting

“Even when she was 8 years old, I would give her serious answers to what at the time seemed like very simple questions. It caught me a little by surprise, because she was so young, that she wanted to do a podcast, but she said the curi-

Her book explores inequality, and the disparities between those who have access to information and those who don’t. It also delves into the psychological aspects of curiosity, different types of curious people, the importance of curiosity in one’s professional life and overContInued on PAge 18

OHS real estate class getting some high interest

By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com@liherald.com

Oceanside students are getting an early start on what it takes to buy a home. The course College Introduction to real estate is a full-year class for junior and senior High School students who are interested in real estate and allows students the information necessary not only if they want to pursue a career in real estate, but also to be helpful as a future buyer, or seller for themselves.

The course focuses on the real estate market on Long Island and offers information about residential and commercial property. If students pass the final, they receive a certificate from New York State acknowledging their completed required coursework. After which they can schedule to take the New York State Licensing Exam online once they turn 18. Students can get three college credits through Long Island University.

Michelle Cinelli teaches the course and engages her students in several unique lessons including a project where students are assigned different budgets to find different houses for their chosen celebrity.

“I had a list of 10 celebrities and they have unlimited budgets to get really crazy and they found the most beautiful house,” said Cinelli. They loved it.”

The class delves into a wide array of topics from the zoning and permitting process to the responsibilities of a property manager. The course also explores the history of housing discrimination on Long Island. Cinelli described the real estate market now as unpredictable especially with the current high-interest rates but said the class is especially helpful because the profession is looking for younger people. The course also hosts a variety of different guest speakers including professors and Oceanside high school graduates. This past spring, Megan Morillo, who graduated in 2018, visited the real estate classes as an alumni guest speaker. Morillo works for Keller Williams Realty.

“I feel humbled and excited to be able to come back to where it all started. It is amazing to see that this course is being offered and I’m glad to see the advancements in education here at OHS.”

Cinelli said some guest speakers who have visited the class have said they have been looking for younger demographics to be interns. Cinelli said after her students passed final exams, she hopes students can take the lessons they learned to help them later in life.

“My goal, even if they don’t take the New York state tests, is that at least, they are knowledgeable when they go buy their first home or condo,” she said.

Island Park Kiwanis sends six to summer camp

By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com@liherald.com

Island Park Kiwanis was able to give back this summer by sending six Island Park children to Camp Kiwanis summer camp. Money raised from the Island Park Kiwanis pancake breakfast is used for the Kiwanis club to send children ages eight to 14 to Kamp Kiwanis, a sleep-away summer camp in Taberg, New York. There kids can partake in a host of summer activities including canoeing, swimming, hiking, boating, fishing, arts and crafts, talent shows, music, campfires, and different sports. This year marks the first year the club has sent kids to camp since 2019. The camp closed due to Covid in 2020 and 2021. Last year the club lacked the funds to send kids to camp.

That selection process usually starts around April, after the Kiwanis Pancake breakfast. The money raised determines how many kids can be sent to camp. This year the Kiwanis Club raised approximately $4,000 through 25 raffled baskets and admission fees from the pancake breakfast, which took place in April.

“It is fairly expensive to send the kids so the fact that this year we get to send six is a great thing,” said club president Karen Davis.

Davis said the cost to take one child to camp for one week is about $715 per camper plus $180 for transportation.

Those selected get to choose one week over the summer to attend. There are no criteria for how kids are selected to earn a trip to Camp Kiwanis but social workers and guidance counselors at Hegarty Elementary and Lincoln Orens Middle School oversee the selection process and recommend students for the program. This year students from Hegarty and Lincoln Orens were selected. Each summer the club uses the proceeds from the pancake breakfast to send kids to camp and Davis said the goal is to give kids an opportunity to do something fun over the summer.

“If both parents are working and the kid is stuck watching TV or playing video games all day, that’s not a great summer,” said Davis. “There are a lot of different variables in how the kids are selected. One year we decided to select kids whose parents were in the military so it’s not always need-based.”

Island Park Kiwanis Club holds several fundraisers throughout the year including the lobster and steak dinner at Masone Beach, Sip and Paint Fundraiser in Long Beach on Aug. 24th. After Covid, the club has been bringing in new members. Davis has been club pres-

ident for the past four years and previously served as club secretary. Davis is an Oceanside resident and was a school teacher at Lincoln Orens. She also served as an advisor for the middle school Builders Club for 12 years, which led her to join the Kiwanis club. Davis has been involved with Kiwanis for over 15 years old and says the club is always looking for more members to join and help the community.

“Kiwanis has secretly done a lot of good for the community since 1954 and not a lot of people know about it,” she said.

Photo courtesy Oceanside School District

The High School real estate class is expected to be a popular pick for students this coming school year.

Courtesy Anthony D’esposito

The proceeds from April’s pancake breakfast allowed Island Park Kiwanis to send six Island Park students to summer camp. From April’s breakfast announcing the students includes Island Park mayor Michael McGinty, U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, Kiwanis Club of Island Park president Karen Davis, and Island Park school district superintendent Vincent Randazzo.

Book

Future

with Michael and Suzanne Ettinger Attorneys-at-Law

Review: “ Die with Zero” by

In “Die with Zero”, subtitled “Getting All That You Can from Your Money and Your Life”, retired engineer Bill Perkins takes an analytical view about making your life grow as opposed to making your money grow. Letting opportunities pass you by for fear of squandering money leads many to squander their lives instead.

Instead of just keeping on earning and earning to maximize wealth, too many of us don’t give nearly as much thought as to maximizing what they can get out of that wealth — including what they can give to others while they are living, instead of waiting until they die.

As opposed to spending money on things, which excitement depreciates over time, the author advocates spending on experiences, which grow in value over time, due to the “memory dividend”. Perkins advocates a systematic approach for eliminating the fear of running out of money (the main reason people oversave and underenjoy) while maximizing your and your loved ones

Bill Perkins

enjoyment of that money.

Being that the main idea is that your life is the sum of your experiences, you should put some thought into planning the kind of experiences you want. If you die with significant wealth but a scarcity of experiences, you worked a lot of hours just to accumulate money that you either never used or were too old to use.

You can waste your life by underspending. Life is not only about “accumulating”, it is also about “decumulating” or using the money to maximize your life which, in the end, is nothing more than the memories you make.

In a similar vein, giving inheritances early maximizes the impact of those inheritance on the recipients’ quality of life. The average age of heirs being about sixty, the money usually arrives too late to do the most good.

Your time is limited. The chief regrets of the dying are that they didn’t live their dreams more and spent too much time working, missing out on relationships and life experiences.

Ahead of the start of school this fall, the Oceanside School District recently released its income eligibility guidelines for free and reduced-price lunch policies.

Children in households with incomes that meet the eligibility in the chart below may apply for free or reduced-price lunches. Applications are also available online at the school website OceansideSchools. org/parents-students/food-service-menus.

To apply for free and reduced-price meals, complete an application and submit it to your child’s school. Parents and guardians are encouraged to apply even if they are not sure if they qualify since the application can impact other areas of funding. Families that have questions or need help can speak to their school social worker.

Information provided on the applica-

tion will remain confidential. However, the school has the right to verify the information on the application at any time during the school year. If a parent does not give the school the information, the child will no longer be able to receive free or reduced-price lunches.

Under the policy, school officials will review the applications to determine eligibility. If a parent is unhappy with the ruling, they can make a request to appeal the decision.

Parents of children who have food allergies may request access to nutrition labels, which are stored digitally, to identify items that their children need to avoid. Call cafeteria operations director Jane Blackburn at (516) 678-7548, for questions and concerns related to food allergies.

— Kepherd Daniel

file photo

Life-changing care starts with your details

We know you. We focus on every detail, including your other health conditions and emotional and physical needs. We know cancer. We combine extensive clinical expertise and advanced technologies to create truly comprehensive and innovative care. We know your cancer™ Leaving no stone unturned, we start with the genetic makeup of your tumor and consider every factor to provide a highly personalized care plan. It’s because we know that considering all the details can add up to a life-changing difference.

See Hambones perform Aug. 22 at Island Park Library

used to,” Kouri said.

Kouri, whose sister was a national singer, said music was very prominent in his family, which made going into the business a natural progression. Soltow played trombone from the fourth grade through the end of high school and said the Beatles inspired him. Pizzicarola started playing guitar in his early 20s.

“I was a little bit of a latecomer to the game, but I caught the bug right away, and between going to concerts at a young age and just seeing how therapeutic music was, I fell in love with it,” said Kouri.

The August show will be The Hambones’ first appearance at the Island Park Library, but the group has played in several libraries across the tri-state area, including New Jersey, and Rockland, Orange and Suffolk counties. The band has performed at several library concerts throughout Nassau County and has a special appreciation for the library audience.

“It’s very nice to play for these people,” Soltow said. “They’re a very good audience. They’re very attentive. I think they’re great gigs. Libraries have become a real viable place for people to play a chord, classical music or even dance. Libraries support these kinds of things, and it makes for a great creative outlet.”

The band’s name was born from an old song by a hit musician.

“There was a song by Carl Perkins back in the late 50s called Hambones that

we performed,” Kouri said. “We got together, and we played at this bar I used to bartend, and the owner said to me, ‘Hey, what do you call those Hambones?’ and it sort of caught on.”

The band’s members attribute their 12 years together to good chemistry and a shared appreciation of music.

“We’re a band of brothers,” Kouri said. “I like my band mates as much as I like the music. We all have different personalities. We might have our days when we don’t get along, but that’s very rare.”

Band members shared some of the highs and lows of the music business that they have faced and explained how the camaraderie among the group has carried them for so long.

“It is very difficult nowadays for bands,” Kouri said. “There’s a lot of competition and it is fierce. We were doing a gig up in Kingston, and I think seven people showed up, and six of them worked there. Then, the next night, we played in another theater, and we packed the place. When you have a gig like that, it could really tear at the fab-

ric of the band, but not us because I think deep down, we really care for each other as people and that’s really the difference.”

The group’s members had seen it all in their years together and recalled having to record music together during the height of the pandemic. Once restrictions were lifted, they made a point to assist

local businesses that they had worked with.

“After Covid, we sort of went out of our way to really help the restaurants and bars that hired us because a couple of them were hit pretty hard,” Pizzicarola said. “We did a few freebie gigs for them and played for tips and as a ‘hank you,’ and believe me, we know the hard times economically that they went through.”

Kouri said The Hambones will bring a bit of everything to the Island Park concert, from classic country to rock and roll. Soltow said he appreciates the level of creativity library concerts provide and is looking forward to an electric performance on Aug. 22.

“We get to play with a lot of dynamics — I think it really makes us better musicians,” Soltow said.

Kouri said that although The Hambones are under the radar, he appreciates the opportunity to perform with the group.

“We’ve been at it for 12 years now and, hopefully, we can be together for 12 more,” he said. “Libraries are appreciative, and when you make an effort, they’ll respond. We’re going to do our best to please them.”

Maureen Lennon/Herald John Kouri played a variety of instruments during his performance at the Merrick Public Library.

HERALD SPORTS

High school football camps open Aug. 19

By TONY BELLISSIMO tbellissimo@liherald.com

On Saturday, Aug. 19, all 53 Nassau County public high school football programs will begin preparations for the upcoming season, scheduled to open Friday, Sept. 1 when MacArthur visits Manhasset as part of a handful of games that weekend in Conference II.

Nassau returned to the usual eightgame regular season in 2021 after all scrimmages, two regular-season games, one round of playoffs and the Long Island championships were eliminated the previous season due to Covid-19. This season, with Conference II fielding an odd number of teams (13), each team in that conference will get a bye over a nine-week campaign. Long Beach, Sewanhaka and Jericho will kick off their respective seasons in Week 2 (Sept. 8 and 9) with the rest of the county.

“We’re not the first conference to have an odd number of teams and we just have to do the best we can to prepare,” said MacArthur head coach Bobby Fehrenbach, whose seventh-seeded Generals play their first three games over a 13-day span including a trip to No. 2 Carey in Week 2 and their home opener Thursday, Sept. 14 against Rolsyn/Friends Academy. “The kids have been working hard during the offseason and we’ll be as ready as we can be for Manhasset,” he added.

Farmingdale (Conference I), Garden City (II), Plainedge (III) and North Shore (IV) won county titles in 2022 and are preseason No. 1 seeds, making them favorites on paper to repeat. Farmingdale was awarded the Rutgers Cup, presented annually to the most outstanding team in Nassau. The Dalers open at home against Uniondale Sept. 8. An Oceanside-Freeport matchup kicks off the Conference I action that same evening.

Garden City, which has captured seven straight Conference II titles, opens the 2023 campaign at home against New Hyde Park. Longtime Conference II contender Carey moved to III last fall but is back to familiar territory. The Seahawks open Sept. 9 at Elmont.

“We have five September games and no scrimmage,” Carey head coach Mike Stanley said. “Everyone in our conference is in the same boat, but it’s tough from an evaluation standpoint to not scrimmage. That being said, we’ve been putting in the work all summer and the fortunate thing for us is we’re bringing back a lot from last year’s team.”

Any teams outside of Conference II choosing to play a game scrimmage can do so once 10 practices are completed, Section VIII football coordinator Matt McLees said. Most scrimmages will take place Sept. 2 and 3. “Everyone needs 10 practices to conduct a scrimmage, but

10 Games To Watch

Sept. 8: Oceanside at Freeport

Sept. 9: Elmont at Mepham

Sept. 22: Freeport at Farmingdale

Sept. 30: Carey at Garden City

Sept. 30: Wantagh at Lynbrook

oct. 7: Wantagh at South Side

oct. 7: Malverne at North Shore

oct. 21: Seaford at Malverne

oct. 21: South Side at Plainedge

oct. 28: Baldwin at Freeport

teams can practice together after five practices,” he said. “If teams practice against one another, they can do drills but can’t simulate anything that would happen in a scrimmage or a game.”

Six teams switch conferences

Along with Carey, five other teams have switched conferences for the upcoming season based on enrollment figures: South Side, Manhasset, Mineola, Clarke and Kennedy. In addition, Jericho has returned to Nassau County football following a 2022 campaign it teamed up with Plainview.

South Side is back in Conference III and seeded No. 2 behind Plainedge. The Cyclones open at home versus Hewlett. Kennedy is also in III from II. Clarke, along with Mineola, jumps to III from IV. The Rams are at Valley Stream North in Week 1.

Thursday games Sept. 14

The second week of the season (third for many Conference II teams) will be played on Thursday, Sept. 14 due to Rosh Hashanah that Saturday. Games will kick off as early as 1:30 p.m. (Elmont at Sewnhaka) and as late as 7 p.m. on the 14th, with one game going on Friday, Sept. 15 (Roosevelt at Division) at 2 p.m.

Local coaching changes

After 20 years, the legendary Jay Hegi will no longer serve as Elmont head coach. Former assistant Tom Innes takes over the helm of the Spartans and will make his debut against Carey.

A member of Lawrence’s Long Island championship team in 2014, Melik Mavruk, who scored the game-winning touchdown that year against Sayville on an 82-yard fumble recovery late in the fourth quarter, takes over as the Golden Tornadoes’ third head coach in as many seasons. Lawrence opens at home versus Valley Stream South.

Ernie Blount is the new sideline boss at Baldwin. He spent 23 years on the staff at LIU-Post. The Bruins are seeded fourth in Conference I and host Hempstead in the opener.

Photos by Eric Dunetz/Herald

Lynbrook’S ramon CaLderon, top, hauled in a pass during 7 on 7 drills hosted by Oceanside every Wednesday throughout July.

oCeanSide and quarTerbaCk Shane Harmon open the season at rival Freeport.

Team USA exits World Cup in Round of 16

By MICHAEL LEWIS sports@liherald.com

MULTIMEDIA SALES EXECUTIVES

MULTIMEDIA SALES EXECUTIVES

deserved a lot more. We deserved to win this game. I thought we created enough to win this game. I felt that we put up a fight, a battle.

MULTIMEDIA SALES EXECUTIVES

Like the rest of her U.S. women’s soccer national team teammates, Crystal Dunn is taking an unexpected early trip home from the Women’s World Cup.

Outside sales and new business development best describes this dynamic and exciting position

Outside sales and new business development best describes this dynamic and exciting position

The two-time defending champions crashed out of the 32-team tournament on Sunday. They lost a shootout to Sweden in the Round of 16, 5-4, after playing to a scoreless draw in Melbourne, Australia.

Direct Marketing/Advertising to local clients

“They showed grit, resilience, the fight and the bravery,” he added. “They showed everything that we could to win the game. And unfortunately, soccer can be cruel sometimes.”

side sales and new business development best describes this dynamic and exciting position

Direct Marketing/Advertising to local clients

Identify and develop new business relationships

The Americans, who won four previous World Cups, had reached the semifinals in the eight previous tournaments.

Direct Marketing/Advertising to local clients

Identify and develop new business relationships

Consult with clients on development and design of digital and print advertising

dentify and develop new business relationships

Consult with clients on development and design of igital and print advertising

Dunn and the Americans had hoped to stay around for the final in Sydney, Australia on Sunday, Aug. 20, to become the first team, men’s or women’s to win three consecutive World Cups.

Consult with clients on development and design of digital and print advertising

Dunn performed well at left back, helping to hold the opposition to only one goal in four games. She also became part of the U.S. attack on many occasions, overlapping into the offensive third.

We offer training, a strong team environment, paid sick/personal days, vacation and paid holidays. Base salary with commission plan Sales experience is a plus

We offer training, a strong team environment, paid /personal days, vacation and paid holidays. Base salary with commission plan Sales experience is a plus

Instead, the one-time South Side High School standout will be forced to watch the championship game on television.

The U.S. started the competition with a 3-0 triumph over World Cup debutants Vietnam, but suffered three consecutive disappointing draws, a 1-1 deadlock with the Netherlands, a scoreless tie with Por tugal, and then Sunday’s result.

“Very proud of them and devastated for them,” U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “That they would have to go out the way we did I thought that we

The USA’s Achilles Heel, however, wasn’t the defense. It was the attack, or lack thereof.

We offer training, a strong team environment, paid sick/personal days, vacation and paid holidays Base salary with commission plan. l i i l

Crystal Dunn had a strong performance on defense Sunday but the U.S. was eliminated by Sweden in penalty kicks.

Despite her superior attacking skills, the 31-year-old Dunn did not participate in Sunday’s penalty-kick tie-breaker, 2015 Women’s World Cup, Dunn, then a member of the Washington Spirit, took out her frustrations on the rest of the NWSL. She captured the scoring title and

When she received an opportunity to play for the USWNT, Dunn was switched to left back. She worked hard to become a world-class defender, helping the U.S. cap-

OUR TEAM!

Full-Time and Part-Time Available

email your resume to rglickman@liherald.com

Or Call Rhonda Glickman 516-569-4000 x250

(must have reliable transportation)

We off paid sick/person ase salary with co plus

We offer training, a strong team environment, paid sick/personal days, vacation and paid holidays Base salary with com i i l S l i i a plus

Full-Time and Part-Time Available

email your resume to: rglickman@liherald.com

Or Call Rhonda Glickman, 516-569-4000 x250

(Must have reliable transportation)

ture the 2019 World Cup.

With the Portland Thorns, Dunn also was a vital cog in the team’s attack en route to the 2022 title.

Dunn, who has made 136 international appearances while scoring 24 goals, should be in the mix for the U.S. team that will participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Programs for Lifelong Learners at Molloy University!

Learning doesn’t have to end at a certain age—it can be a lifelong pursuit. Molloy University empowers learners of all ages by offering high-quality, flexible and adaptable programs to serve and meet the needs of Long Islanders through two outstanding programs: The Molloy Institute for Lifelong Learning (MILL) which was established in 1992 and the new Sister Mary Celeste Lecture Series. In both programs you learn for the fun of learning in a relaxed environment without assignments, exams or grades.

The MILL program is a membership-based program. Most members are retirees, however, not everyone is retired, nor is this a requisite for membership. All ages are welcome, men and women, singles or couples, as long as there is a willingness to participate in learning and to maintain a rigorous mind. The programs meet in-person one day week during the day: Tuesdays or Fridays in Rockville Centre and Wednesdays in Amityville. Membership is valid from September 1 to August 31 each year and lectures usually start mid-September and runs until mid-June.

The Sister Mary Celeste Lecture Series offers individual courses in a variety of areas, offered in-person during the day for one or more sessions in Rockville Centre. Topics may include, current events, music, art, literature, history, finance, heath, philosophy, technology and more. Whether you’re interested in dabbling in a new hobby or just trying to keep up with technology, there’s a class out there for you.

Courtesy Nikita Taparia/NWSL

Country group entertains fans at Lakeside Theatre

Eli Young Band performs free outdoor concert at county’s Eisenhower Park

By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com

Nassau County has been putting on free, outdoor concerts all summer long, and on July 27, it welcomed the Eli Young Band, a country group, to a large crowd of cheering fans.

At Eisenhower Park’s Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, country music fans packed into two fields to catch a glimpse of the group, known for hits such as “Crazy Girl,” “Drunk Last Night” and “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.”

On Facebook, County Executive Bruce Blakeman said the musical group that consists of Mike Eli, James Young, Jon Jones and Chris Thompson, originates from Texas. The group plays their own instruments, writes their own songs, and has toured with Kenny Chesney, Rascall Flatts and Toby Keith, among several other artists, since its formation in 2000.

The county’s summer concert series is sponsored by NYU Langone Health.

“We have a great sponsor at NYU Langone, they do a great job,” Blakeman said before the concert. “This is the biggest concert series we’ve had ever in Nassau County, and its thanks to our partnership with NYU Langone.”

Blakeman was joined on stage by State Sen. Steve Rhoads, County Legislator John Ferretti and the Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello.

“You’re in for an exciting night of music under the starts,” Marc Adler of NYU Langone said. “NYU Langone is committed to helping communities with more than 70 locations across the island. We’re so proud to be able to offer exceptional care — no matter where you are.

“Not long ago, the pandemic prevented us from gathering like this,” he added. “That’s why it’s so wonderful to see everyone here tonight — family, friends neighbors — we’ll continue to have wonderful events like this. We’re so pleased to join the county in sponsoring this summer’s concert series, thank you for coming out.”

The Eli Young Band put on an entertaining show, playing all of its top hits and songs from newer records, mixed with some covers of tunes made popular by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Beatles. Interacting with the crowd, the band’s front man Mike Eli even came off the stage at times to take photos with eager fans.

Earlier this summer, the county welcomed the band Boyz II Men, and Midtown Men, the original cast of the musical, Jersey Boys. On Sept. 3, the band Sugar Ray will take to the stage in Eisenhower. During the county’s Sept. 11 remembrance service, it will welcome Christopher Macchio, a classical artist and opera singer.

“We’ve got a lot of great things to continue to celebrate this summer,” Blakeman said. “I want to thank you all for coming out — Nassau County is back.”

The county will continue putting on free concerts and movie nights at neighborhood locations aside from Eisenhower Park, including Cedar Creek Park, Grant Park, North Woodmere Park, Wantagh Park and the Chelsea Mansion. For a full list of what to expect throughout the remainder of the summer, visit NassauCountyNY.gov.

Jordan Vallone/Herald photos

At Eisenhower Park’s Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, fields were packed with fans eager to listen to the Eli Young Band, a country music group.

The band played a mix of its hits and newer records. Front man Mike Eli even came off the stage at times to interact with fans.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman spoke before the concert.

The Eli Young Band originates from Texas, and is known for its popular songs including ‘Crazy Girl,’ ‘Drunk Last Night,’ and ‘Even If It Breaks Your Heart,’ among others.

Hundreds pay respect to Robert Dillon

By DANIEL OFFNER doffner@liherald.com

Hundreds gathered at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre last week to pay their respects to Robert Dillon.

The late Nassau BOCES superintendent died July 28 after following complications from spinal surgery. He was 72.

Dillon — who lived in both Walden in Orange County, as well as Plainview here on Long Island — was appointed to lead the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services in 2015.

During his time with BOCES, Dillon advocated and expanded access to career and technical programs, revitalized the Long Island High School for the Arts, and helped create a mental health consortium, serving all 56 Nassau County school districts, parts of Suffolk County, and the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

“After his first full year at BOCES, his passion and dedication for the students, staff and programs were part of every conversation I had,” his son, Chris Dillon, told the packed cathedral. He followed his father’s footsteps into education, now an assistant superintendent in the Plainview-Old Bethpage school district.

“He was honored to be part of such a great team.”

Dillon grew up in Bayside, Queens, and at one point almost became a Major League Baseball player. The Detroit

School, a private Jesuit academy on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Instead, Dillon chose a different path, graduating from St. John’s University in Queens with a doctorate in education.

He began his career as a special education teacher in 1975, and for the next 45 years, would inspire and motivate hundreds of students, teachers, parents and faculty members across New York.

“To this day, he could not only name most of his students from his early years

of teaching or retell their success stories,” the younger Dillon said, “he had a steady belief in the potential of every single student he encountered. He was not just the teacher, director, principal or superintendent, He was a cheerleader. A mentor.

And a trusted confidant who loved to teach and coach other professionals — including myself — to be the best educator they could be.”

Throughout his career, Dillon served

as the superintendent of four school districts — including two on Long Island. He was at one time the superintendent of the former Sugar Loaf school district in Orange County, and the Abbott school district in Westchester County.

Between 1992 and 1999, he was superintendent of the Eastport-South Manor Central School District in Suffolk County, where he helped lead the effort to merge the two districts. He also led the East Meadow school district between 1999 and 2007.

“Whether navigating through the Covid-19 pandemic, pushing for increased mental health student support, or innovating numerous programs, he has revitalized, transformed and enhanced educational opportunities for all students,” BOCES representatives stated.

During the funeral Mass at St. Agnes, Dillon was remembered by family, friends, colleagues, supporters and countless others whose lives he touched.

“He taught by example, that there was never a problem, only your solution or plan on how to fix it,” Dillon’s son said. “He understood that failure was a part of life and would never allow that to define him. Instead, he taught us resilience, showing us that setbacks are sources of strength rather than defeat.

“Never letting them deter his spirit, he proved that true success is not measure by achievement, but by how one navigates through challenges.”

Daniel Offner/Herald

Following a funeral Mass at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre last week, the late Robert Dillon — superintendent of Nassau BOCES, and former superintendent of the East Meadow school district — was laid to rest at the Queen of Peace Cemetery.

Progressives want to hold D’Esposito accountable

By DANIEL OFFNER doffner@liherald.com

A lot of attention directed toward Long Island’s congressional delegation has been directed at U.S. Rep. George Santos.

But one group doesn’t want voters to forget about another member of that delegation, who might not be facing criminal charges or accusations of lying to voters, but with whom they feel is falling short of his responsibilities.

The advocacy group Empire State Voices gathered representatives from Democratic caucuses and labor unions to Rockville Centre last week, calling out U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito.

“We’re here because Congressman D’Esposito has not been standing for working families on Long Island,” said Maria Martinez, executive director of Empire State Voices.

Martinez hosted a panel discussion with guests that featured former state senator John Brooks, former Assemblywoman Judy Griffin, and Nassau County Working Families Party representative Joe Sackman. On the agenda were their thoughts about a number of economic issues affecting those living in New York.

For instance, they claim that in the first seven months since taking office, D’Esposito has voted on legislation to “protect wealthy and corporate tax cheats,” “give corporations $6 billion in tax breaks,” and made it harder for senior citizens to access Social Security and

Medicare benefits.

“I have heard Anthony profess so much support for veterans, so much support for disabled children, support for seniors,” said Griffin, who lost her Assembly seat to Brian Curran last year by a handful of votes.

“Don’t just listen to him because he’s all about talking the talk, but that guy never walks the walk. I have listened to him make speeches, and it’s always the same thing. But when it comes down to it, when he has the chance to vote to help people, he doesn’t.”

D’Esposito didn’t take part in the discussion, but a spokesman from his office

told the Herald the congressman “continuously ranks as one of the most bipartisan members of Congress, and regularly works with colleagues from across the aisle to deliver results for Long Islanders.

“Unlike many Nassau County Democratic officials who take their cues from out-of-touch New York City progressives, Congressman D’Esposito’s votes have always advanced the interest of Nassau County neighbors.”

But some of the panelists gathering in Rockville Centre would disagree, using the Limit Save Grow Act — which was passed in April to increase the federal debt ceiling and decrease spending — as

an example.

D’Esposito voted in favor of Limit Save Grow, which Martinez believes will make it harder for senior citizens to access Medicare benefits, putting Medicaid coverage at risk for millions.

“When you cut our services, when you cut funding to schools, when you cut funding to hospitals and Medicaid, the cost comes back onto us,” Sackman said. “There’s always a cost to this, and we are the ones who are paying it over and over and over again. That has to change.”

Maryland Republican Greg Murphy, however, said last April the bill “will not cut Medicare, Social Security or veterans’ access to health care.”

The conversation also touched on the proposed American Families and Jobs Act, which the group labeled a “tax scam.” The three-part legislative proposal aims to provide tax relief for working families and individuals, strengthen small businesses, and provide tax incentives for economic development in rural communities.

“We can’t reiterate enough how important these economic policies are for us, not just out on Long Island, but across the state of New York,” Martinez said. “We need to urge Congressman D’Esposito to vote ‘no’ on the GOP tax scam bill. There’s a long road ahead, and over the next couple of months, we’re going to be out ensuring that we hold (him) accountable for the votes he’s either taken or not taken.”

Daniel Offner/Herald

Neighbors were invited to a panel discussion featuring former Assemblywoman Judy Griffin, left, former state senator John Brooks, Empire State Voices executive director Maria Martinez, and Working Families Party representative Joe Sackman, to share what they say are problems U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito needs to address.

STEPPING OUT

Entice your crowd with the late-season flavors

By Karen Bloom

“Summer means a sudden availability of all sorts of fresh vegetables — from familiar zucchini and eggplant, to more exotic mushrooms and chilies,” says award-winning chef Rick Bayless. “Entertaining a summer crowd can be easy, delicious and inexpensive if you let the season’s produce do most of the work.”

Chef Bayless suggests simple recipes that highlight fresh summer fare. His summer entertaining advice is always worth following, some of which many of us practice already.

Opt for organic: Shop your farmers markets. Small local farms promote biodiversity by planting a wide range of produce, are more likely to operate using organic practices, and add to the fabric of their communities. With their homegrown approach to agriculture, these farmers ensure the highest quality of food. Other organic products besides fresh produce are popping up on grocery shelves.

Know your way around the grill: Whether using a charcoal or gas grill, heat the grill grate thoroughly before putting food on, and avoid moving the food until it is well-browned. This prevents food from sticking to the grill. Keep a spray bottle filled with water on hand to handle flare-ups that can arise from fat drippings.

When in doubt, just chill: Simple marinades can take meat and seafood to a new flavor level. Save time by marinating the main dish for a few hours prior to your guests’ arrival. And keep it refrigerated. Then put it on the grill when it’s time to eat. A little preparation can lead to big, bold taste.

The Rocketman Show

Rus Anderson dons the famous boots, outfits and glasses, ready to demonstrate once again his talent and pizazz for embodying the musical legend that is Sir Elton John. Anderson has built a reputation of seamlessly embodying Elton John’s persona. He even caught the attention of the man himself, impressing him so much that Anderson was his official body double for his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ World Tour projects, re-creating highlights of Elton’s career in virtual reality. Anderson has a natural ease at personifying John’s flamboyancy, sequins and songs, but also does it with genuine authenticity — always singing the vocals and playing the instruments live. Whether it be Elton John’s more upbeats tempos, such as ‘I’m Still Standing’ or ‘Saturday Night’s Alright,’ or his heartfelt ballads, Anderson will have you up on your feet joining in. He painstakingly recreates those memorable concerts with the colorful and flamboyant costumes — including Elton’s iconic boots, glasses and jumpsuits. Friday, Aug. 11, 8 p.m. $65, $45, $35, $30. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

Skewered Shrimp with Black Bean-Lemon Rice

Marinade/dressing:

• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Skewers:

• 24 large raw, headless, peeled shrimp, with tails on (about 1 pound)

• 24 whole green onions, trimmed to 6 inches in length

• 24 cherry tomatoes

• 2 poblano chili peppers, seeded and cut into 24 pieces

• 8 12-inch bamboo skewers, soaked in water

Rice:

• 3 cups hot cooked brown rice

• 15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• 3 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Whisk marinade ingredients in small bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup mixture in separate bowl and set aside. Place shrimp in a resealable plastic bag, pour marinade over shrimp, seal tightly and coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes, turning frequently.

Remove shrimp from marinade (reserving marinade). Place shrimp on skewers, alternating with tomatoes, chilies and onions (folded in half).

Preheat grill on high heat. Brush skewers with reserved marinade and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until shrimp are opaque in center. Place remaining marinade in a small saucepan on the grill to heat slightly.

Toss rice with black beans, cilantro and lemon zest.

To serve: Top rice with skewers and spoon remaining marinade over skewers.

Grilled Vegetables with Ginger Citrus Mayonnaise

• 2 each crookneck or summer squash, baby zucchini, large whole carrots, large fennel or 3 medium fennel bulbs

• 5 to 6 shallots

• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

• Extra virgin olive oil

For the Ginger Citrus Mayonnaise:

• 3 juicy oranges, grapefruits, Meyer lemons, mineolas, tangerines, Mandarins, blood oranges, etc., cut in half (6 halves total)

• 3 tablespoons (or more for desired consistency) store bought preferred mayonnaise

• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• Preheat grill for vegetables.

To make the mayonnaise, squeeze all the juice out from 5 of the 6 citrus halves into a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. When juice begins to boil, lower heat to medium-high and reduce juice until thick and syrupy, being careful not to let it burn.

Remove from heat, pour into a bowl, and allow to cool slightly. (At this point you can grill the vegetables). Whisk in mayonnaise, ginger, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Squeeze in juice from last remaining citrus half, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut all veggies in half lengthwise, rub all sides sparingly with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Grill, cut side down first, for 4 to 6 minutes if small, 5 to 8 minutes if large pieces. Flip so skin side is down, and grill all an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until all veggies are firm but easily sliced with a knife.

Serve on platter alongside bowl of ginger citrus mayonnaise or drizzled on top of vegetables.

Half Step

Whether or not you’re a Deadhead, Half Step will have everyone feeling the vibe, when the band rocks out Eisenhower Park. The band, themselves a group of dedicated fans and ‘students’ of the Grateful Dead, capture the spirit, improvisation, sound and complexity of the Dead’s music. Since 2004, these Long Islandbased musicians have been mastering their craft while winning over crowds of veteran Deadheads, newcomers and non-Dead fans alike. Like the Grateful Dead themselves, the band is constantly pushing the envelope, growing together as musicians and performers. Their attention to detail is clearly evident in their effort to put on a viable Grateful Dead experience. They stay true to the traditional show format and play sets of tunes in a sequence that could likely have been performed by the Dead themselves years ago.

Saturday, Aug. 12, 8 p.m. Free admission. Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, Eisenhower Park, East Meadow. For information, visit NassauCountyNY.gov.

uring summer’s waning weeks, get-togethers outside with family and friends take on even greater appeal.

THE Your Neighborhood

On exhibit

Theatricals presents a tribute to the one and only Barbra Streisand, Saturday, Aug. 19, 7:30 p.m. Sharon Owens performs her acclaimed interpretations of Streisand’s songbook. It’s performed at the Elmont Library Theatre, 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont. $33, $35. Elmont. For tickets, call (516) 599-6870 or visit PlazaTheatrical.com.

Disco fever

Boogie along with Disco Unlimited,” Friday, Aug. 18, at 8 p.m., at Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre, Eisenhower Park. When Disco Unlimited hits the stage, you are instantly transported to a time when Saturday nights meant white suits, platform shoes and your very best dance moves. And dance you will — when you experience the magic created when the boogie begins. Capturing a time in music that to this day has not been matched, this lively band will exhilarate you with their powerful vocals, tight harmonies and dance grooves — all coupled with a synchronized stage and light show. Close your eyes and you will truly believe you are listening to the original artists. Hear the best of Tavares, France Jolie, The Trammps, Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes, Yvonne Elliman, Anita Ward, Deney Terrio, George McCrae, Bonnie Pointer, Melba Moore, Maxine Nightingale, Carol Douglas, and so much more. Joe Cool, Sista Soul, Funky Sista, Strat Cat, Wild Jerry and The MacDaddy comprise this group of unique and experienced musicians who love and live this era of music. As always, bring seating. For information, visit NassauCcountyNY.gov/parks.

Aug.

View the landmark exhibition “Modigliani and the Modern Portrait,” at Nassau County Museum of Art. Devoted to the way that Modigliani powerfully re-defined the art of portraiture, the show includes his masterworks along with paintings and drawings by his Parisian contemporaries (Picasso, van Dongen, Laurencin). Modigliani’s enduring influence on artists even in our own time is shown in a selection of Contemporary paintings by such important figures as David Hockney, Eric Fischl, Elizabeth Peyton and others. The exhibition is being curated by Dr. Kenneth Wayne, founder of The Modigliani Project, which authenticates paintings and drawings (two of the works in the show have been recently approved by the committee). Through Nov. 5. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Dramatic Play

Theatre Playground returns to Long Island Children’s Museum with “Dramatic Play!,” Monday, Aug. 14, 1 p.m., taught by Lisa Rudin, Director of Theatre Playground (who visitors may already know from her role as “Piggie”!). In this interactive, theater-inspired workshop kids will act out an original story and help choose how it unfolds. Music, props, and sound effects create a theatrical world where participants are immersed in the story. Children are encouraged to express themselves as they create characters, explore different worlds, stretch their imaginations and build self-confidence. This week’s theme: The Amazing World of Bugs and Butterflies. Costumes encouraged. Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

Write on: College essay workshop

Not sure how to get started on your college essay? The Hofstra University Admission Office is offering a virtual workshop to help high school students learn the skills to tell their story in a way that helps them stand out. The final workshop, Thursday, Aug. 17, 4-5 p.m., is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. Hear from Hofstra Admission counselors about how to brainstorm topics, and compose a thoughtful essay that shows your personality, talents and interests. For more information about Hofstra Admission’s other virtual summer workshops, go to Admission.Hofstra.edu/ portal/virtual_admission_ webinars. To schedule a summer in-person visit go to: Hofstra.edu/visit.

Peter’s Clam Eating Contest

Peter’s Annual Clam Eating Contest is back, Sunday, Aug. 13. Firehouse challenge begins at 1 p.m. and public challenge begins at 2:30 p.m. All proceeds will be donated to Beyond the Badge. Admission is free. Signup to participate in the contest at PetersClamHouse. com/shop. 600 Long Beach Road, Island Park.

Breastfeeding Support Group

Mercy Hospital offers a peer to peer meeting for breastfeeding support and resources, facilitated by a certified breastfeeding counselor, every Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Bring your baby (from newborn to 1 year) to the informal group setting. All new moms are welcome, regardless of delivering hospital. Registration required. Call breastfeeding counselor, Gabriella Gennaro, at (516) 7052434 to secure you and your baby’s spot. Mercy Hospital, St. Anne’s Building, 1000 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre. For information visit CHSLI.org.

Teen drop-in

Looking for a relaxing place to hang out and meet new people? Drop by the Oceanside Library Community Room, every Friday, from 4 to 6 p.m. to make new memories. Come alone or with friends. Craft supplies, games and snacks will be available. 56 Atlantic Ave. Visit OceansideLibrary.com for info.

Having an event?

Aug.

Westbury House Tour

Bug Safari

Bring the kids to Old Westbury Gardens for a buggy adventure, Saturday, Aug. 19, 11 a.m. Hunt elusive grasshoppers, butterflies, predatory insects and other crawly creatures in the gardens. Bring a butterfly net and collecting jars. All ages. Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information visit OldWestburyGardens.org or contact (516) 333-0048.

For many years visitors to Westbury House at Old Westbury Gardens asked what was beyond the first floor corridor. Now go beyond the door and discover “secrets of the service wing,” during a 60-minute guided tour, Sunday, Aug. 13, 1:30 p.m.; also Sunday, Aug. 20, 1:30 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.

9/11 Essay Contest

Sept. 7

Art talk

Grab your lunch and join Nassau County Museum of Art Docent Riva Ettus for her popular “Brown Bag Lecture,” now back on-site at Nassau County Museum of Art, Thursday, Sept. 7, 1 p.m. Enjoy an in-depth presentation on the current exhibition “Modigliani and the Modern Portrait.” Participants are invited to ask questions at the end of the program and to join the 2 p.m. public tour of the exhibit. Also Oct. 19. 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

15 OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD — August 10, 2023 1224962 for all Herald readers. 15% discount on rooms and boat rentals from now till October 9th. 518-644-9800 thelodgesatboltonlanding.com MORE UNBUBBLIEVABLE THAN EVER! MORE UNBUBBLIEVABLE THAN EVER! IT WILL BLOW “ YOUR MIND! IT WILL BLOW “ YOUR MIND! -OPRAH -OPRAH GET TICKETS 1222057

RAFFLE DRAWING AT 12:30PM SILVER

Crime

Jose Cardona was sentenced to six months in jail followed by five years of probation for felony tax fraud related to two Nassau County collision repair shops.

Cardona, 45, of Oceanside, has paid more than $700,000 in restitution already, according to prosecutors, following charges for fraudulent activity in the shops he owns and operates. Both businesses previously pleaded guilty to felony tax fraud charges, as did his 44-year-old wife, Veronica Cardona, who also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor false filing charge in personal income tax return.

The two collision centers involved were No Limit Auto Body — also known as Perry’s Hub Auto Care in Hempstead — and Henry Street Auto Body, also known as No Limit Auto Body II in Freeport. An investigation by the state’s attor-

ney general fraud unit and the taxation and finance department showed Jose Cardona collected but failed to pay $584,000 in sales taxes between June 2010 and May 2016, and $117,000 in sales taxes between June 2011 and November 2015.

Cardona’s previous pleas were to one count each of criminal tax fraud. He and his wife were also charged with filing false income tax returns in 2011 and failing to file personal income tax returns for a number of years between 2010 and 2015 — underpaying by $204,000, according to prosecutors.

Peter Bifolco, an employee at No Limit Auto Body, was charged with felony insurance fraud for allegedly adding damages to a car then billing more that $3,000 for unnecessary repairs.

— Parker Schug

17 OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD — August 10, 2023 HIRING EVENT! Richner Communications, established in 1964, is a multi-media and commercial printing company located in Garden City. Richner publishes award winning weekly newspapers in print and on-line, covering much of Nassau County along with an array of other specialty publications. Richner Communications Inc. offers many benefits and flexible schedules. Join one of Long Island’s fasted growing companies. Located at: 50 Clinton Street, Hempstead, NY Hiring for the Following Opportunities: MULTI MEDIA SALES/ MARKETING CONSULTANTS RECEPTIONIST ACCOUNTING CLERK CIRCULATION AND MAIL PROCESSOR EDITORS/REPORTERS PRESS PEOPLE – OVERNIGHT SHIFT WAREHOUSE HELP/ MAILROOM INSERTER DRIVERS Don’t forget to bring your resume! Questions? Call 516-569-4000 x286 AUGUST 23RD 10:30AM TO 2:30PM RICHNER COMMUNICATIONS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HEMPSTEAD WORKS CAREER CENTER 12255369 *Discount s applied o the egular price of se ect styles of carpet, hardwood, tile, vinyl and aminate, basic installation standard padding, and materia s. Excludes upgrades, stairs, take-up o permanently affixed flooring, non-standard furniture moving, other miscellaneous charges, and prior purchases. Product may not be sold separately rom installation Residentia installations only Promotion snot valid in AL, AR MN, MS and TN. No available in a areas. Valid through 08/20/2023. Sub ect to change. Details at EmpireToday.com With approved credit. Details at EmpireToday.com/financing †On in-stock carpet and flooring styles only in select areas. Excludes floor prep. Sales (except AZ, CA, MA, ME, NH, RI, UT) and installation prov ided by independent contractors Licensure at EmpireToday.com. CSLB 1047108 © 2023 Empire Today LLC Schedule a FREE In-Home Estimate! SHOP-AT-HOME CONVENIENCE PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATION, EVEN NEXT DAY† QUALITY PRODUCTS Making Beautiful New Floors Easy You Can Save Thousands! Select styles Call 516-206-3499 or visit Empiretoday.com/save GET FLOORS NOW, PAY OVER TIME** 1224446 1205988

Curious student explores fitting subject: curiosity

coming procrastination.

While working on her podcast, Rukhlin found a need for equality in education when she realized how many young people lack access to mediums like podcasts.

“It paved the way for my curiosity, and thinking about people that live in other areas of the world that don’t have this access,” she said, “which made me want to write the book.”

During the past school year, Rukhlin took part in a book drive, donating books to the Book Fairies — a nonprofit based in Freeport that supplies underresourced neighborhoods with highinterest books, in order to increase literacy rates — as a part of her effort to increase access to information.

“For anyone to take any sort of action and to have awareness is super important, because it’s an issue that doesn’t have enough attention paid towards it,” she said.

Like her podcast, her book has no target age group, and she said that everyone could understand the message she is writing about.

While her book addresses the inequality of access to information in general, she said she has also seen it on a local level as well. Rukhlin took part in the Bridges Program in middle school, in which students from Oceanside and Uniondale discuss current

Courtesy Oceanside School District Ariella Rukhlin with her counselor, John Madden, her social studies teacher, Talia Madden, and her English teacher, Bonnie Hennessy, at far right. Madden and Hennessy were Rukhlin’s teachers in ninth grade, when she was inspired to create her book.

events, learn about different ideas and cultures, and address the growing racial, religious and ethnic divide on Long Island.

The program began in 2016, with seventh-graders from the two school districts.

“I’m stuck in my Oceanside High

School bubble, so it was nice to be able to talk to them and to explore the community outside of mine,” she said, referring to Uniondale students.

“I think it speaks to the inequality of education, not just in geographic regions or worldwide, but within my community.”

Rukhlin has not decided on a career path, but her uncle said it would most likely be in a field where she can continue to use her curiosity.

“Whatever it involves, I think, ultimately, she’ll thrive somewhere that gives her some creative freedom in academia,” Dmitry said.

The proceeds from Rukhlin’s book are going to the Save the Children Foundation. She has given $400 to the organization so far from book proceeds, which helped fund a mobile library in Ethiopia through the Camel Library initiative. Her book was published on May 5, and through it and her podcast, she said she wants to inspire enrichment and try to make a difference.

“Hopefully, even if I get one person to just realize that the resources that they have access to are truly a privilege,” she said, “people should be utilizing everything they have access to, to research every facet of the world around them, because it enriches life and makes it so much more interesting.”

Rukhlin’s book is available on Amazon.

Public

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR CVI CGS MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST

1, Plaintiff, vs. FRANK MORIZIO, JR. A/K/A FRANK MORIZIO, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on July 3, 2018 and an Order Extending Sale Deadline and Other Relief duly entered on February 9, 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 11501 on August 28, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 84 Virginia Avenue, Oceanside, NY 11572. 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 387 and Lot 21. Approximate amount of judgment is $636,601.18 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 007051/2015. 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.

Thomas McNamara, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff Firm File No.: 213045-2 140905

LEGAL NOTICE

REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE

SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU

MIDFIRST BANK, Plaintiff - against - ANTHONY MAZZA, et al Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on May 24, 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 29th day of August, 2023 at 2:00 PM. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being at Oceanside, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York.

Premises known as 3 Mahland Place, Oceanside, (Town of Hempstead) NY 11572. (SBL#: 43-124-215) Approximate amount of lien $591,178.12 plus interest and costs.

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

Index No. 615893/2021. Mark S. Ricciardi, Esq., Referee. Davidson Fink LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 400 Meridian Centre Blvd, Ste 200 Rochester, NY 14618 Tel. 585/760-8218

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

Dated: June 21, 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.

140845

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU

OCEAN FINANCIAL

FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, Plaintiff -againstSHANNON GERARDI a/k/a SHANNON JAKE GERARDI, BETH GERARDI, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated June 8, 2023 and entered on June 9, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court “Rain or Shine” located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on August 29, 2023 at 2:30 p.m. the premises situate, lying and being at Oceanside, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, bounded and described as follows:

BEGINNING at a corner formed by the intersection of the westerly side of Fulton Avenue and the southerly side of Montgomery Avenue; being a plot 80 feet by 100 feet by 80 feet by 100 feet.

S/B/L: 43/325/20-23

During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of the sale, including but not limited to, wearing face

coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet apart) during the auction, while tendering the deposit and at any subsequent closing.

Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and any other applicable rules issued by the Supreme Court.

Said premises known as 3230 FULTON AVENUE, OCEANSIDE, NY

Approximate amount of lien $595,398.11 plus interest, costs, additional allowances and attorneys’ fees.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number 611613/2018.

MARK RICCIARDI, ESQ., Referee CULLEN AND DYKMAN LLP

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff One Battery Park Plaza, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10004 {* OCEAN ISLAND*} 140726

LEGAL NOTICE

REFEREE’S LEGAL NOTICE OF POSTPONEMENT OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE

SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU

BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., Plaintiff - againstRICHARD ALVAREZ, et al

Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on April 19, 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 20th day of July, 2023 at 2:00 PM. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvement thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the at Oceanside, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York.

Premises known as 3521 Anchor Place, Oceanside, New York 11572.

(Section: 54, Block: 441, Lot: 24, 25, 27)

Approximate amount of lien $1,229,169.25 plus interest and costs.

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

Index No. 002678/2010.

Michael Joseph Sepe, Esq., Referee.

McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 840 New York, NY 10170

Tel. 347/286-7409

Dated: May 17, 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.

The above sale, originally scheduled for 7/20/23 at 2:00 p.m. has been postponed. The new sale date is August 16, 2023 at 2:00 pm. at the same place. Michael Joseph Sepe, Esq., Referee.

Dated: July 28, 2023

141157

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as Trustee for Option One Mortgage Loan Trust

2005-1, Asset-Backed Certificates, Series 2005-1, Plaintiff AGAINST Satwinder Singh; et al., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered July 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 September 12, 2023 at 2:00PM, premises known as 627 Pearl Street, Oceanside, NY 11572. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Rockville Centre, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 38 Block 531 Lots 22 and 26. Approximate amount of judgment $947,712.56 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 010269/2015. 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.”

John G. Kennedy, 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: July 27, 2023

141171

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, as Trustee, for Carrington Mortgage Loan Trust, Series 2005-NC5 AssetBacked Pass-Through Certificates, Plaintiff

Temple Avodah’s Sisterhood enjoyed its first cookie social event.

Temple Avodah hosts first cookie social for new rabbi

Temple Avodah’s Sisterhood sponsored and created its firstever Cookie Social on July 25, held to welcome and honor the synagogue’s new spiritual leader, Rabbi Jeshayahu “Shai” Beloosesky. And the new rabbi just happens to be a lover of cookies.

Shai took over the reins at Temple Avo-

dah in Oceanside on July 1 from Rabbi Uri Goren, who was the synagogue’s spiritual leader for more than a quarter-century.

More than 65 women and one rabbi feasted on all types of homemade cookies and brownies, and also traded recipes at the event.

— Kepherd Daniel

Public Notices

AGAINST Joseph Mosey; et al., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered March 15, 2017 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 September 7, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 224 Pennsylvania Avenue, 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 Town of Hempstead, at Island Park, Long Beach, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 43 Block 92 Lots 19-21. Approximate amount of judgment $422,368.13 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 004383/2014. 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 T. 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: July 26, 2023

141173

LEGAL NOTICE

REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiffagainst - SUSANA BARROS, et al Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on March 2, 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 12th day of September, 2023 at 3:00 PM. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being at Oceanside, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York.

Premises known as 3869 Carrel Boulevard, Oceanside, NY 11572.

(Section: 60, Block: 74, Lot: 11)

Approximate amount of lien $464,470.75 plus interest and costs.

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

Index No. 604695/2019. Peter L. Kramer, Esq., Referee. (516-510-4020) 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: July 6, 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.

141158

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 on 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 11501 on September 14, 2023 at 2:00 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 141167

Courtesy Milch Photography

DRIVING INSTRUCTOR

EMPLOYMENT

Help Wanted

ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL /College

/Grad School Students: Staff Needed Before School 7:00-9:00AM Afterschool

2:45-6:00PM. Experience with children preferred. Friedberg JCC Locations in Oceanside, Bellmore, Baldwin, Long Beach, Island Park. Send resume to: tcorchado@friedbergjcc.org or call 516 -634-4179.

AUTO MECHANIC FT

4 Day Work Week

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

Busy Rockville Centre Landlord/Tenant

Law Firm seeking FULL TIME in office (not hybrid) administrative assistant to work with one of the Partners.

Responsibilities include heavy client contact via emails and telephone. Landlord/Tenant experience a plus.

Salary commensurate with experience. 401K, Medical/Dental benefits.

Send resumes to: Kathleen@rosenblumbianco.com

Chief Marketing Officer– Amityville, NY–

Responsible for all marketing endeavors for the current and future brand portfolio.

Salary range: $159,058 to $159,058 p/y.

Apply to: Iconic Brands, Inc., richard.decicco@gmail.com

CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE

Full Time/Part Time Richner Communications, publisher of Herald community

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

Email: info@bellautoschool.com

DRIVING

EDITOR/REPORTER

MEDICAL OFFICE RECEPTIONIST.

Busy South Shore Nassau County Neurology Office. F/T And P/T. Must be flexible, computer literate, medical experience preferred. Salary commensurate with experience. 401K. Email resume: bookkeeping@lineurology.com Or Call 516-887-3516 ext. 110

MULTI MEDIA ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT Inside Sales

DRIVERS

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

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

OUTSIDE SALES

Richner Communications, One of the Fastest Growing Media, Event and Communications Companies on Long Island is Seeking a Sales/Marketing Candidate to Sell our Print Media Products and our Digital, Events, Sponsorships. Salary, Commission, Eligible for Health

and Resume with Salary Requirements to rglickman@liherald.com

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Be

Now

•Sales/Multi Media Consultants*

•Receptionist

•Reporter/Editor

•Drivers

•Pressman/Press Helper

To place an ad call

Baldwin $602,000 Cottage Place. Colonial. 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms. Finished basement. Eat-in kitchen with granite countertops. Formal dining room. Home office.

Taxes: $9,954.41

Bellmore $765,000

Ellen Road. Hi Ranch. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms. Eat-in kitchen. Formal dining room. Den/family room. Security system.

Taxes: $13,529

East Meadow $910,000

1st Avenue. Colonial. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. Finished basement. Eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and pantry. Formal dining room. Den/family room. Updates include marble bathrooms and skylight. First floor bedroom.

Taxes: $9,720.84

East Rockaway $890,000

E-mail Your Resumes to Careers@liherald.com call 200

Mail Your Resumes to Careers@liherald.com or call 516-569-4000 ext 239

*must have a car

PROFESSIONAL REGISTERED NURSE

Part-Time (Ten-Month) Position Monday – Friday (3.5 hours/day)

Must have registered nurse’s license, cPr and aed certification. copies of all college transcripts (including transfer credits) and certification(s) must be provided with application. Official transcripts are required for appointment.

SALARY: $26,631

ANTICIPATED STARTING DATE: On or about August 31, 2023

Candidates are to submit a letter of interest with resume and above credentials to:

Diane Drakopoulos, Personnel Clerk 443 Ocean Avenue, East Rockaway, NY 11518

(516) 887-8300, Ext. 1-441 • ddrakopoulos@eastrockawayschools.org

Baldwin School District

Is hiring for the 2023-2024 School Year

School Nurses

Teacher Aides (Full Time)

Lunch Time Monitors 10:45 AM – 1:15 PM

online today

CEDARHURST NO

Private Entrance, Modern 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, CAC, W/D, Storage, Wall To Wall Carpeting, Indoor Parking Space. Starting At $1450 For One Bedroom When Available. (516)860-6889/ (516)852-5135/ (516)582-9978

MoneyTo Lend

ARE YOU BEHIND $10k OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 888-869-5361 (Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm PST)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

West Boulevard. Colonial. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms. Eatin kitchen with granite countertops. Formal dining room. Updates include cathedral ceiling. Ample storage.

Taxes: $17,941.92

Elmont $765,000

Lucille Avenue. Colonial. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Finished basement. Eat-in kitchen with granite countertops. Formal dining room. Den/family room and home office. First floor bedroom. Home is in Franklin Square school district.

Taxes: $13,742.41

Long Beach $1,245,000

Armour Street. New Contemporary. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms. Gourmet eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and high-end stainless steel appliances. Open layout with 2 gas fireplaces. Ensuite master bedroom with spa bathroom. Built to FEMA code with space for inground pool. Bay views.

Taxes: $21,000

Malverne $650,000

Church Street. 2 Story. 4 bedrooms,1.5 bathrooms. Partial finished basement. Eat-in kitchen. Formal dining room. Den/family room. First floor bedroom.

Taxes: $13,112

Merrick $635,000 Meadowbrook Road. Ranch. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Finished basement. Eat-in kitchen with granite countertops. Formal dining room. Den/family room. Updates include cathedral ceiling.

Taxes: $11,937.01

Rockville Centre $1,898,000

Kenwood Court. Colonial. 5 bedrooms, 3.55 bathrooms. Finished basement. Eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and pantry. Formal dining room. Den/family room, home office and guest quarters. With wood burning stove and cathedral ceiling.

Taxes: $33,949.57

Valley Stream $735,000

Lydia Street. Expanded Cape. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Finished basement. Updated eat-in kitchen with granite countertops. Formal dining room. Den/family room, exercise room and wet bar. First floor bedroom.

Taxes: $12,125

HomesHERALD

To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 • To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

Spectacular Home Has It All!

Welcome to the most spectacular home featuring a custom great room with chef's kitchen including two 5 burner gas stoves, double wall ovens, warmer drawer, sub-zero fridge and custom cabinetry. The guest quarters are on ground level with bedroom, full bath and den. The third level includes three spacious bedrooms, full bath and laundry. There are upgrades throughout including 13 zones of heat, central A/C and hardwired alarm and sound system. There is a home office in the basement as well as utilities. Plenty of room for parking with an oversized driveway and two car attached garage that has dual access through yard. This corner property has a covered front porch and fully fenced in yard, perfect for entertaining! Come discover all this amazing home has to offer. Asking $849,000.

Does the color of my roof matter?

Q. Can you solve a debate I’m having over my roof replacement? A friend told me that my roof color has to be light, like white or light gray, to be reflective and save energy. He says roof manufacturers are switching to light colors because it helps keep homes and big buildings cooler. My roof has always been a dark brown, and I want to keep the same color when we change the roofing.

Cory Knopf Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker

Licensed as: Rhea Cory Knopf Cell: 516-375-7727 Office: 516-764-6060

Cory.knopf@compass.com

Hal Knopf Team at Compass 2800 Long Beach Rd Oceanside NY 11572

Bsmt. Upper Level has Primary Ste w/ Dressing Rm & Bth Plus 3 BRs &

2 Bths. 2 Car Att Gar. Low Taxes! SD#20

HEWLETT

REDUCED! $2,098,000

1390 Broadway #102, BA, NEW! Move Right Into This Magnificent Newly Renovated 2 BR, 2 Bth Coop in Prestigious Hewlett Townhouse.Open

Layout. NEW State of the Art Kitchen & Bths, HW Flrs, Windows, HVAC, Recessed LED Lights, Doors, W/D. Community Pool. Full Service 24 Hr

Doorman, Valet Pkg, Elevator, Priv Storage. Gar Pkg. Near Shops, Trans &

Houses of Worship $579,000

1534 Broadway #205, BA, Extra Large 2000 Sq Ft, 2 Bedroom (Originally

3 BR), 2 Bath Condo in Prestigious Jonathan Hall with Doorman & Elevator. Updtd Wood/Quartz Kit, LR & DR. Washer/Dryer in Unit.

Underground Pkg. Loads of Closets. Terrace Faces Back. Easy Ranch

Style Living BIG REDUCTION!! MOTIVATED SELLER! $579,000

WOO dMERE

504 Saddle Ridge Rd, BA, 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! REDUCED! $999,000

CE da RHURST

332B Peninsula Blvd, BA, Move Right Into This Updated 3 Br, 2.5 Bth

Coop Townhouse. LR, DR, Gran/Wood

Ask The Architect

Leeper

A. Depending on your climate, the selection of roof materials is just as important as color, and maybe even more important, depending on what you’re looking to achieve. For example, in Florida, with less likelihood of needing a balance of heat in winter to absorb and keep the house warmer, you’d be looking for higher reflectivity to lower heat absorption, whereas in a northern climate, you want the balance of heat absorption in colder weather and less in hot weather. But there’s more to consider. Concrete or clay tiles, and how they’re applied, can also make a difference. Concrete is what is known as a “heat sink” absorptive material, which heats on the sky-facing side and slowly builds heat into the material throughout, like a sponge picks up water, then slowly releases it. On Mediterranean hillsides, this principle naturally kept people comfortable without mechanical heating and cooling for thousands of years. Clay tile has air moving underneath, channeled to dissipate heat.

Now we get into asphalt shingles and metal roofs. The latest technology, which has rapidly evolved thanks to applied science, engineering and nanotechnology advances, shows that color does play a role, but not as much as your friend thinks. Even light colors only have about a 30 percent effective rate on reflectance. This means that 70 percent of the heat is still transferred through to the interior space below. On the other hand, the reflectance can be increased by applying — usually during roofing manufacture in a controlled environment — coatings that have prism-like qualities.

Like most building principles, however, effective solutions work as a system. If it isn’t fully understood before using the coatings or materials, the system may fail. You can increase reflectance of solar rays, but without making sure the applied coatings are compatible with the roof material, you can cause the roofing to react by distorting or even disintegrating.

In addition, the system works best if insulation slows the heat absorption on the underside of the roofing without buckling the structure or the roofing. Like any product, packaged materials, paints, etc., come with warnings, but systems usually don’t come with precautions. If an asphalt shingled roof isn’t stabilized by being cooled or ventilated underneath, it will prematurely fail by cracking and twisting (in very slow motion) as the roof structure expands and contracts underneath it.

There are darker color paints that also reflect, and if you search online, roofing companies have several products in dark reflective colors. Consult the manufacturer about your specific application. Good luck.

© 2023 Monte Leeper

Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.

Monte

MERCHANDISE MART

Antiques/Collectibles

We Buy Antiques, Fine Art, Coins & Jewelry Same Day Service, Free In-Home Evaluations, 45 Year Family Business. Licensed and Bonded, Immediate Cash Paid. SYL-LEE ANTIQUES www.syl-leeantiques.com 516-671-6464

FINDS UNDER $100

Finds Under $100 FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS, 48 inch long, 18 bulbs new in box $20. (516) 254-3640

Finds $100-$350

TRIO- TRAINER BRT7989: Hardly Used, Exercise Bicycle And Elliptical Trainer. Asking $175. Call/ Text 516-319-1651

SERVICES

Brick/Block/Concrete/Masonry

*MICHAEL LO BAIDO CONSTRUCTION*

Cement Specialist, Brickwork, Interlock Bricks, Belgium Blocks, Stoops, Patios, Driveways, Sidewalks, Basement Entrances, Pavers, Waterproofing. Quality Work, Lic./

Electricians E-Z ELECTRIC SERVICES, INC. All

Handyman

HANDYMAN Repairs and Installations for the Household. Careful and Reliable and Vaccinated. Licensed and Insured. 30-Year Nassau County Resident. Friendly Frank Phone/Text 516-238-2112

Power Washing

POWERWASHING ALL SURFACES: Houses, Fences, Concrete/ Brick, Decks/Sealing. . ANTHONY & J HOME IMPROVEMENT, INC. 516-678-6641

Sprinkler Syst./Irrig.Wells

ESTIMATES. Dan 516-342-0761

LITO CONSTRUCTION

Home Improvement/ Construction

10% OFF ANY JOB OVER $2,000 Driveways, Sidewalks, Steps, Designer Brick Work, Stone Decor, Pointing, Framing, Foundations, Extensions, Bathrooms, Basements, Installation Of Draining Systems. Licensed/ Insured. Free Estimates. 516-564-8315, 516-376-9365

Miscellaneous

BEST SATELLITE TV with 2 Year Price

Guarantee! $59.99/mo with 190 channels and 3 months free premium movie channels! Free next day installation! Call 888-508-5313

Tree Services

T&M GREENCARE TREE SERVICE

*Tree Removal *Stump Grinding *Pruning

*Roof Line Clearing. Residential and Commercial. "We Beat All Competitors' Rates." Lowest Rates. *Senior Discount. Free Estimates. *516-223-4525, 631-586-3800 www.tmgreencare.com

Satellite/TV Equipment

DIRECTV. NEW 2-YEAR Price Guarantee. The most live MLB games this season, 200+ channels and over 45,000 on-demand titles. $84.99/mo for 24 months with CHOICE Package. Some restrictions apply. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918

DISH TV $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/31/24. 1-866-595-6967

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Education

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM!

Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 844-947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required.

TRAIN ONLINE TO DO MEDICAL BILLING! Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-543-6440. (M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required

Health & Fitness

HEARING AIDS!! HIGH-QUALITY rechargeable, powerful Audien hearing aids priced 90% less than competitors. Tiny and NEARLY INVISIBLE! 45-day money back guarantee! 855-598-5898

VIAGRA AND CIALIS USERS! 50 Pills SPECIAL $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW! 855-413-9574

Instruction

NEW YORK STATE CONCEALED CARRY CLASS 18 Hour Mandatory Course Call 516-724-0242

For More Information email: frtguns@gmail.com

Two very hot political subjects

During my lifetime, the summer months have been a time to just soak up the sun and try to get only as much work done as is necessary. But these days there are more things going on in the political world that I find myself struggling to keep up with, and two of them are worth exploring. One is climate change, and the other is Hunter Biden.

A dear friend of mine volunteered his thinking about the horrendous weather the world has been experiencing, stating, “There’s no such thing as climate change. It’s all cyclical.”

There are a lot of things that are cyclical. The major one is the economy. I’ve lived long enough to have seen major ups and downs in the stock market, and experienced both inflation and recession.

But at no time in my life have I seen virtually the entire world experiencing oppressive heat waves and violent storms. If you travel to Europe in the summer, there’s always the chance that you’ll run

into brutal heat waves. But recently the temperature of the ocean off south Florida exceeded 100 degrees. That is not a cyclical experience.

I feel a touch of sadness when I see photos of polar bears in the Arctic, stuck on land because ice floes have melted. Many of the western states now have deserts where there were once overflowing streams and lakes. The lack of available drinking water has stirred fights among some of those states, and there is no way to create any new water sources. This past winter, many communities were buried in as much as eight feet of snow with no past history of such accumulations.

Almost every day, there’s a report about flash floods killing people. Last month, Westchester, Orange and Rockland counties were hit with torrential rains that caused at least two deaths. Elected officials in those areas likened the rainstorms to waterfalls, and they caused millions of dollars in damage. Government officials attested to the fact that the flooding they caused had no historical precedents.

My second issue is the Republican fixation with President Biden’s son, Hunter.

Because the economy is good and the president is championing so many positive things that have happened during his time in office, the opposition party is spending night and day talking about his son. Which, to be fair, raises the legitimate issue of relatives of presidents capitalizing on their name or contacts.

When Jimmy Carter was president, his brother, Billy, spent all his waking hours promoting the Carter name. He started out with Billy Beer and created many other promotions using the family name. President George H.W. Bush’s brothers snagged lucrative business deals. It didn’t hurt to have the name Bush.

Then there’s Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. I have met Jared on a number of occasions, and find him to be a very likable person. But Jared is no Warren Buffett. The Saudi government gave Jared $2 billion for his investment fund, against the wishes of the government’s own finance minister.

According to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings as of March 31, Kushner’s fund had $2.5 billion on hand, almost all of it having come from overseas inves-

tors.

It’s fair to assume that Jared didn’t get his Saudi windfall based on his looks or charm, so being a son-in-law of a president hasn’t hurt his brief career as an investor. Has Hunter Biden made thousands, or millions, based on the fact that his last name is Biden? I think that’s a fair assumption. Did he break any laws? That’s up to prosecutors to determine — not Fox News or Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. I could fill volumes of Herald columns with stories about presidential family members benefiting from their last names. I wasn’t around during the days of President William Howard Taft, but there are a few stories of lucky relatives dating back even to those times. From now at least until November 2024, many Republican politicians will be spending many of their waking hours pursuing the dirt, real or imagined, on Hunter Biden. I think there are more issues of importance to America than one man’s son.

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.

Now, only memories of the Big Top animals

The sweep of history has ushered in the first woman ringmaster for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and, at the same time, swept out the entire circus, which will close in May. After 146 years in business, the circus decided to put a woman in the center ring, which might have been a step forward if the circus had a future, which it does not.

covered by media and hailed as an entertainment that carried a rich history and promised thrilling, freakish sideshows.

that had a highly respected Clown College, a place where the Ringling Brothers circus wintered since 1927. Still, I just can’t appreciate the appeal of the greasepaint and the big shoes.

RANDI KREISS

Progress cuts in myriad directions. Naturally, I’m delighted that a woman, Kristen Michelle Wilson, was chosen to be in the spotlight. But I’m also delighted that her tenure will be brief. The circus’s tent will come down forever this spring, due to rising expenses, declining audiences and protests by animal rights activists.

Ringling Brothers’ elephants were retired to a Florida sanctuary some time ago, presumably due to pressure from animal advocates and the cost of upkeep.

When the circus closes, the clowns will also take their final bow, and not a moment too soon. If you grew up when I did, the circus was a must-see, go-to event every year. It was a big deal when the elephants paraded through New York City,

As a kid, though, I hated the circus. I never told my parents, because they seemed so invested in my “big day” at Madison Square Garden, but the whole scene felt skeevie. In the vernacular of the time, the bearded lady, the giant, the midgets and the skinniest man on earth scared the stuffing out of me. I couldn’t have articulated it then, but there was something awfully creepy, and just awful, about paying to stare at these people, who we now know suffered from various endocrine imbalances.

The tigers and elephants won’t miss the circus. Will we miss the creepy clowns?

There was nothing fun or amusing about the tigers tormented by men with whips, or the elephants prodded into kneeling and dancing and running in a circle, end to end. There was always the sense at the circus, just as there is even today at carnivals, of some malignant force lurking beneath the face paint.

Clowns, for obvious reasons, have become a common source of anxiety among kids today. It’s about the fake face, the false smile and the unknowable person behind the mask. I know there’s a rich history of great clowns, and I’ve vacationed in Sarasota, Florida, a town

Once upon a time, when the circus came to town in the boondocks, it was a thrill and an opportunity to see something one might never see again. But today, kids raised on videos and iPhones have neither the interest nor the attention span for a circus act. The immense skill of many of the performers eludes them. They want quick. I read that Ringling Brothers, in an effort to survive, kept shortening the acts. But the entertainment value of the circus has lost relevance for today’s children.

If you read “Water for Elephants,” by Sara Gruen, you got a good story along with a history of the circus in America over the past 100 years. It wasn’t all about sparkly young women and men flying through the air, trapeze to trapeze. The dark side of the circus during the Great Depression was this: When some traveling circuses couldn’t afford to pay their workers, they threw them off a bridge before pulling in to the last stop. Animal abuse was rife; living conditions for both humans and animals were often appalling. In modern times, conditions improved,

but the basic concept of subjecting wild animals to a lifetime of captivity and forced performance has become disturbing and unacceptable. In “Water for Elephants,” Rosie the elephant is prodded with gaffs and burned with cigarettes. When she goes berserk at the end and runs a spear through her trainer’s head, we root for Rosie.

There is a theory that culture and society evolve as time goes on, that we get better and more considerate of one another and increasingly sensitized to the needs of other inhabitants of our earth and even those of the earth itself. Still, this is a theory.

Many aspects of life in 2017 challenge the concept of an evolving society. In many ways, especially politically, we seem to be falling back.

But the end of the circus is a good thing, a progressive thing. Millions are left with great memories of the Big Top and the times the circus came to town. We can hold on to the good memories and also embrace modern sensibilities that are offended by the exploitation of animals.

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

Randi is on a brief leave. This column was originally published Feb. 2-8, 2017.

Climate change is not cyclical, and Republicans are way too focused on Hunter Biden.

JERRY

KREMER

Moving MLK’s dream forward

america will soon mark 60 years since the March on Washington.

On Aug. 28, 1963, some 250,000 people gathered peacefully at the Lincoln Memorial to advocate for civil and economic rights for Black Americans.

Although it was a protest against racial discrimination, it also was an opportunity to show support for major civil rights legislation that had stalled in Congress.

It’s important to remember what happened that day, and the changes it brought for Black Americans, while reflecting on what remains to be done to eliminate racial discrimination. Understanding history is important to avoid repeating what was bad and using what was good as a springboard for further positive change.

Black Americans were hopeful after the election of President John F. Kennedy. Roughly 70 percent of Blacks had voted for Kennedy in 1960. Their expectations were high for change, but Kennedy’s narrow victory seemingly negated any voter mandate, leading him to be cautious in moving forward on controversial issues like civil rights legislation because he needed the support of the South, where racial discrimination was still the norm.

The march came together because hopes had been dashed that Kennedy would make any of the needed changes.

The president did not initially support the march, worried that there would be a disorderly mob prompting chaos. Seeing the big picture, Kennedy also thought the march might destroy public support for the civil rights movement, even making matters worse as racial tensions heightened nationwide.

But after meeting with organizers, Ken-

Letters

Can we control artificial intelligence?

To the Editor:

nedy was behind the march by July.

At the Lincoln Memorial, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. The 34-year-old preacher from Atlanta gave people hope at a time in history when there was anything but that for Black people. Discrimination was rampant. The Ku Klux Klan was active around the country, and especially in the South. Black people could not live in white neighborhoods, use the same water fountains, attend the same schools or, in some states, even vote. They had to sit at the back of the bus and were not served in many restaurants.

Even here, a lot of Long Island was built with segregation securely in place, controlling where people lived and where their children went to school. Blacks and whites had to remain separate when it came to friendship and even love. Intermarriage was illegal, and it was a common belief — albeit a very wrong one — that Blacks were not as intelligent as whites. They were not even permitted to swim in the same pools as white people.

Kennedy never stopped trying to pass his Civil Rights Act. But it was President Lyndon Johnson who signed it into law after Kennedy’s assassination.

The law ultimately supported what the march was all about. It was a guarantee that Blacks would have equal voting rights, outlawed discrimination in restaurants, employment and theaters, and encouraged school desegregation.

The march was also responsible for the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, outlawing the poll tax, which was a requirement for some to vote.

Yet there is much that still needs to be

done. The FBI released a report this spring showing that hate crimes are on the rise, with far more than half of them targeting people because of their race or ethnicity. Additionally, the distribution of racist, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ propaganda — flyers, stickers, banners, graffiti and posters — rose by 38 percent in 2022, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Next year, voters will weigh in on New York’s Equal Rights Amendment, designed to prohibit discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. While Albany has created a number of laws over the years to ensure equality, the ERA would enshrine it in the state Constitution.

It seems the perfect time to remember the March on Washington and Dr. King’s inspiring words. There are plans underway for a march down Constitution and Independence avenues in Washington on Aug. 28 that will conclude at the Lincoln Memorial. It will be led by Martin Luther King III and his wife, Andrea Waters King, as well as the Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights leader and the founder and president of the National Action Network.

The hope is that the march will inspire the continuation of Dr. King’s work and vision, and serve as an opportunity to highlight what is still needed to bring about peace, justice and equity around the world.

“The vision that Dad had is not one that cannot be achieved,” Martin Luther King III told The Washington Post. “We have made great strides, and then there seems to be always an inevitable setback.”

Re Mark Nolan’s column in last week’s issue, “We don’t have much time — AI is coming!”: Mr. Nolan’s warning is timely. His most frightening sentence is, “AI’s only limitation is that it is constrained by our limitations.” Closer scrutiny of “our limitations” clarifies the nature and degree of the threat. Our limits, as humans, on perfidy and domination have yet to be found. Some among us already are, and will always, use any tool available to advance nefarious ends. Unity of the benevolent is necessary to limit the damage.

Our control as individuals over AI is minuscule. Whatever controls there are over its use, development or deployment are in the hands of a handful of corporate entities, semi-human creations with the status of “corporate citizens.” These beings operate to maximize profit and to maximize growth toward monopoly.

Creators and users of AI are already calculating its possible per- unit cost reductions. Workers will be sacri-

It was dated June 10, 1927, written from a home no longer standing at Exchange Street in Rochester, to a young woman in Ellicottville named lola.

“I am not driving taxi now. I quit Sunday night. Monday morning, I went to work again for the Salvation Army. Am not driving truck this time, but am helping on a wagon. I hope to get back on a truck again soon, but I am satisfied to get three square meals a day, and a bed to sleep in.”

lola, by the way, is my grandmother. The young man struggling to make ends meet at the height of the Roaring ’20s? OK, not hard to figure out: That’s my grandfather Donald. The cursive stretched across both sides of the yellowed, cardsize paper, sharing much of the mundanity many of us today might reserve for text messages or a quick phone call while driving home.

“While you were in Buffalo, did you go to any shows, where they had Vitaphone

A glimpse into the heart

pictures?” my grandfather asks. “In other words, ‘talking movies.’ I saw my first one here at Rochester, and it certainly is wonderful. I go to it nearly every night. There is no reading at all on the screen.”

I found this letter at the bottom of a box of family heirlooms a cousin of mine keeps at her home in Florida, and I was mesmerized. I have very little memory of my paternal grandparents. lola died when I was still an infant, and Donald when I was in kindergarten.

When I was growing up, my father would share many stories about his relationship with his parents — none of them good. Both would work all day, and at quitting time, they didn’t come home. Instead, they headed to the bar, where they would drown any remaining daylight with booze.

My dad and his siblings were left to fend for themselves, his older sister — by just a year — filling in as caretaker. When either of his parents were home, it was never pleasant. My dad shared how he once saved a bunch of money he earned setting pins at a local bowling

Letters

ficed on the usual bloody altars of efficiency, consolidation and market share. Citizens and corporate citizens have divergent interests here, but the history of .com, Enron, default swaps, the inviolability of trade secrets and class action restrictions, to name a few, indicate human citizens’ limits on our corporate compatriots.

Overwhelming majorities of the benevolent will be needed. This is theoretically possible, as this is what our government is for. However, given the governmental usefulness of AI’s capabilities, the great economic powers of our corporate citizenry, the allowances of Citizens United and our business/market-friendly Supreme Court, overwhelming majorities must mobilize, rapidly, toward a clear goal.

Time is not on our side. Regulating this industry as a public utility, at least for a decade, while a plan for its most reasonable, least harmful integration into our culture, economy and polity is possible. But ...

BRIAn KElly Rockville Centre

The spam calls are relentless

To the Editor:

It’s been several years since then Speaker of the House nancy Pelosi announced that Congress would take up the issue of spam/ phishing phone calls and alleviate this problem. But since then the problem has grown worse.

I realize that Congress has many issues to

alley so he could take an art course. When his mom found the stash of coins, she took it and spent in on a two-tone, brown Easter suit for my dad.

He was so angry, he wore that suit every day — whether it was a formal occasion or he was outside playing. The suit barely made it a month.

My life wasn’t like that at all, thank goodness. My dad never touched alcohol or cigarettes, which might explain why he’s about to turn 90 with the energy and health of a 60-year-old.

My mom worked so hard to provide for my little sister and me — the youngest of the seven children my parents had from previous marriages and their current one. A day for her could include driving a bus and then working at night as a bartender. Both of my parents grew up wanting for many things, and they ensured that their children wanted for nothing.

What I wouldn’t give, however, to see the letters my mom and dad exchanged after they first met at a roller-skating rink. They were hardly the young adults my grandparents were — both already experiencing marriage and divorce, and

deal with, foreign and domestic, including the incessant political infighting that now dominates the news. The issue of spam calls has fallen by the wayside, rarely if ever mentioned, even as it increases and has evolved into a constant annoyance for Americans.

Many people in and outside new york state have told me they deal with it on a regular basis. I can receive a half-dozen or more such calls a day, often from callers (most with foreign accents) who identify themselves as working with or representing Medicare or private companies, such as CVS, or my utility company. If I don’t hang up, they make inquiries in an attempt to get personal information, or say that they have this or that offer for me. The situation has become untenable.

I have registered my phone number with various agencies, as directed, but this hasn’t stopped the calls.

Isn’t it time that Congress directed its attention to this problem? We shouldn’t have to deal with this ongoing problem, whose annoyance is only increasing. Surely the technology to do away with it is available — perhaps even the use of AI, which we’re now hearing so much about.

My congressman’s office directed me to contact my service provider, but this, I’m certain, would be ineffective, because this is a national problem that requires the attention of Congress to solve. They’re just passing the buck. Where is our government when you really need it? I’ve received several of these calls even as I’ve written this letter! Why should I have to deal with this?

ROBERT RUBAlSKy East Rockaway

raising kids as part of it.

Instead, all I have is the memory of the notes they would leave each other every morning. My dad addressed his notes to “Sweetheart” and signed them “Sweetheart,” while my mom opted for “Honey.”

I remember how irritated I would be to see these notes between them. now, more than 30 years later, I would give anything just to find one of them at the bottom of a box somewhere. They may have been just as mundane as some of the letters between my grandparents, but still, each word is an expression of them. And thus, every note is a vital piece of my parents that I long to have again.

Writing letters — writing notes — has become a lost art in the century since Donald wrote to lola. But even today, there’s something special — even romantic — about not choosing a keyboard or a touchscreen, and instead picking up a pen and finding a sheet of paper.

I’m glad my grandfather did. And I’m glad my grandmother saved it. Because in those pages, I don’t see the grandparents I only heard about through my father. Instead we get a special glimpse into their hearts.

Michael Hinman is executive editor of Herald Community Newspapers.

Framework by Tim Baker

Is there any finer art than the details of life? — At the Queens County Farm Museum

what I wouldn’t give to see more of the letters my parents exchanged.

mICHaeL

HInman