Oceanside/Island Park
HERALD Schools get in the Thanksgiving spirit
Artie’s return met with fanfare in i.P.
Student athletes sign with colleges
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NOVEMBER 26 - DECEMBER 2, 2020
VOl. 55 NO. 48
MSSN sees an uptick in Covid patients said, it had about 20 as of Nov. 19, and the number was likely to grow as Thanksgiving and the With coronavir us cases holiday season approached. steadily climbing nationwide, On Monday, the hospital Mount Sinai South Nassau hos- announced in a news release pital, in Oceanside, has seen a that it was suspending patient s l i g h t u p t i ck i n C ov id - 1 9 visitors in the Emergency patients, and docDepartment until tors have urged further notice. Hoscaution as Nassau pital staff will keep County residents visitors and comprepare to spend panions updated on the holidays with the condition and their loved ones. s t at u s o f t h e i r “I’m concerned, loved ones by but I think if peophone. The only ple take this seriexceptions will be ously, try to social for parents of pedidistance as much atric patients and as possible during end-of-life cases. the holidays and The change also wear masks at all applies to the hostimes when they pital’s emergency can, it’s effective,” departments in s a i d D r. A a ro n Oceanside and Glatt, chairman of Beach, but DR. AARON GlATT Long the hospital’s Dedoes not affect vispartment of Medi- MSSN iting rules for cine. “Most of the patients admitted evening during holidays you’re to the main hospital, where visitnot eating, so have the mask on ing hours remain 4 to 8 p.m. for the rest of the evening, and daily. it’ll decrease exposure and make Glatt said that because people it safe for everyone.” are more aware of the safety proWhile MSSN averaged one to tocols needed and the dangers of t wo c o ro n av i r u s p at i e n t s throughout the summer, Glatt Continued on page 14
By MikE SMOlliNS msmollins@liherald.com
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Joe Abate/Herald
Honoring local veterans Last Sunday, community members gathered at the Long Beach Terrace to salute those who served at the Honor our Heroes event, which was officiated by John Robbins, the commander of the Chwatsky Jewish War Veterans Post 717 in Oceanside. Story, more photos, Page 16.
Sanitation district hit with audit Chairman welcomes probe into its books By MikE SMOlliNS msmollins@liherald.com
Oceanside Sanitation District No. 7 will be subjected to a county audit after what Nassau Comptroller Jack Schnirman called “a history of fiscal mismanagement.” “The objective of the audit is to determine whether there’s adequate safeguards in place to protect the district’s assets and that it’s being cost effective,”
Schnirman said. “We’re not going to be shy in our inquiry about looking at the performance of the district.” Schnirman said the audit could take six to nine months, and that auditors would examine the district’s financial records from January 2018 to the present, and would go further back if necessary. He added that the audit comes after several complaints to the comptroller’s office’s “Report It, Reform It” tip
line. He said the callers remain anonymous, but their complaints led to the investigation. Austin Graff, chairman of the district’s board of commissioners, said he was among those who asked for the probe, noting that past administrations overtaxed residents, leading to the current board having a $5 million surplus to work with on top of its annual $9 million budget. Continued on page 10
would say a quarter of a million people in the United States have died. Every single one of them would have loved to have a vaccine.