Oceanside/Island Park Herald 12-31-2020

2021 HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our readers

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Oceanside/Island Park

HERALD 2020

YEAR IN REVIEW

DECEMBER 31, 2020 - JANuARY 6, 2021

What’s

Vol. 56 No. 1

‘People can turn to him’

INSIDE

By Mike Smollins msmollins@liherald.com

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Eric Dunetz/Herald xx/Herald

Oceanside High School hosted a xx socially distanced graduationPage in July.0

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Courtesy Oceanside School xx/Herald District

Jennifer Wolfe was named xx Teacher of the Year in September.

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Courtesy xx/Herald ACDS

A special Santa Claus visited xx Oceanside in December.

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etween serving as the rabbi at the Chabad of Oceanside, a chaplain for Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital and the Oceanside Fire Department, and a member of the chevra kadisha, or “secret society” that ensures that the bodies of deceased Jews are prepared for burial according to Jewish tradition, Levi Gurkov rarely has time to himself.

According to his friends, family members and Chabad congregants, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“He’s like the psychologist in residence in Oceanside,” said Carol Katz, who has belonged to the Chabad for about 15 years. “If you have a question, a family problem, a personal problem, a marital problem, he’s there for you. He opens his doors.

If he gets a call in the middle of the night, he’s there for the community.

He will run if he thinks he’s needed.”

For all he has done for the community for the past two decades, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, Gurkov, 49, is the Herald’s 2020 Person of the Year.

Katz recalled that when her elderly mother, Miriam Ellenbogen, was frequently stuck at home alone because she didn’t work, Gurkov often stopped by to chat with her and keep her company, and was one of the first people to come to Katz’s house after her mother died about 12 years ago.

Gurkov and his wife of 26 years, Soshie, founded the Chabad of Oceanside 20 years ago, and have become a fixture in the community after two decades of service. Levi Gurkov was born in Montreal and moved to the U.S. in the early 1990s, settling in Brooklyn before moving to Oceanside, and graduated from the Rabbinical College of America. The Gurkovs raised seven children together, Liba (Zev Bumgarten), Menzel (Rivka), Chaya, Sara, Sunny, Tzippy and Chana, and have four

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NEWS

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HERALD PERSON oF tHE YEAR

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grandchildren, Chuma, Musa, Chana and Sonia. Bumgarten, their son-in-law, affectionately known in the community as Rabbi Zev, also works at the Chabad.

Soshie Gurkov said her husband’s roles at MSSN, volunteering for the OFD, working as a member of the burial society and serving as the Chabad’s spiritual leader have all been amplified during the coronavirus pandemic.

“He was able to administer last prayers for people who were ill and dying,” she said.“He was able to comfort families at the fire station. He was there suiting up head to toe in protective gear to perform the proper Jewish burial, which includes many rituals. He took care of that. It didn’t matter if you were a member of the Chabad or not, he was there for anyone who needed him.”

The Gurkovs’ desire to get involved started decades ago, and came to fruition when Chabad of Mineola Rabbi Anchelle Perl appointed them to form the Chabad of Oceanside in 2000. Perl said that Gurkov’s sense of commitment and community spirit ultimately led to his appointment as rabbi.

“He has an unsung-hero side to him, because outside of all the typical Chabad work that he’s doing in the area, how he reacted to [Hurricane] Sandy and now with Covid is extraordinary in a really hands-on way,” Perl said.“I think it’s an amazing partnership with his wife. They both are in this together in so many different ways. The approach, the programs, creating a way of reacting to Covid — neither of them got tired of it. They just kept going and are still doing it.”

Gurkov was also instrumental in keeping the Chabad active at the height of the pandemic, quickly shifting classes and Continued on page 4 Courtesy Chabad of Oceanside

Chabad of Oceanside Rabbi Levi Gurkov is the Herald’s 2020 Person of the Year.

December 31, 2020 — OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD

2

Oceanside pharmacy owner takes fight to Albany In response to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s veto of a bill that would have regulated the impact that pharmacy benefit managers have on small businesses, Levin’s Pharmacy owner Fred Rigel took the fight to Albany.

Rigel and dozens of pharmacy owners from across the state took a bus trip to protest Cuomo’s decision during his State of the State address in January.

“They don’t give us a fair shake as to making a living,” Rigel said of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. “They’re directing everyone to the big guys. So if they want Main Street to be even more empty than it is today, this is the direction it’s going.”

PBMs act as intermediaries between pharmacies and drug manufacturers and insurance companies. A lack of over-

Barrett power plant in I.P. reduces harmful emissions

sight of PBMs comes at the expense of independent pharmacies throughout the state, which often face financial hardship because of low reimbursement rates from PBMs, which are not legally required to disclose their revenue streams in New York.

Levin’s Pharmacy customer Suzanne Tzerman, attended a rally in October 2019, and said that she was loyal to Levin’s after having many positive experiences there.

“I love Levin’s for the personal attention that they give me,” she said at the time. “They even know my name when I walk in the door. I can’t get that at any other pharmacy.”

Mike Smollins/Herald

Levin’s Pharmacy in Oceanside hosted a rally in 2019, and its owner took the fight to Albany in 2020.

The Department of Environmental Conservation passed a measure in January that sought to reduce air pollution by regulating emissions from peak-use power plants, including the E.F. Barrett Generation Station in Island Park.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in January that the state’s DEC adopted the final regulations as a way to improve public health. The measure will substantially reduce emissions from power plants that operate on the hottest days and emit the most air pollution across the state.

The governor said that the edict was in keeping with his Green New Deal, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030, and to provide 100 percent clean elec-

tricity by 2040. “. . . New York is once again taking aggressive action to protect public health and combat climate change,” Cuomo said in a statement. “These restrictions on dirty and inefficient power plants will improve air quality in overburdened communities, and spur investments in the clean energy economy.”

The regulations will phase in control requirements from 2023 to 2025, which will allow time for a transition to cleaner sources of electricity. Additionally, it will give plant owners time to meet the new standards through the installation of emission-free renewable energy or energy storage.

Christina Daly/Herald

The E.F. Barrett Generation Station, in Island Park.

YEAR IN REVIEW JANUARY

Phil Alvarez keeps his brother’s legacy alive Inspired by his brother’s heroism, Phil Alvarez is continuing to fight for those who are suffering from 9/11-related illnesses.

Phil’s younger brother, Luis, of Oceanside, died on June 29, 2019, at age 54, after a three-year battle with Stage 4 colorectal cancer brought on by his work at ground zero after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Before his death, Luis successfully fought for the renewal of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, but Phil said that a new initiative could help thousands of people who were previously unable to apply for it.

He explained in January that the VCF had instituted a new “look-back” period, which meant that those who missed registering for the fund, or had an application rejected because they exceeded the two-year time limit after they or a loved one were

diagnosed with a 9/11-related illness, had a chance to file again.

“For me personally, it’s just another way that I can fulfill my brother’s legacy of finding these victims and making sure that they’re taken care of,” Phil said. “It opens up another door for us to be able to help these victims and the families of those who aren’t around anymore.”

In June 2019, Phil joined Turley Hansen & Rosasco, a Long Islandbased law firm specializing in 9/11 VCF claims. Phil, who spent 32 years as a Suffolk County police officer, joined the firm as a 9/11 outreach and education director.

In his role, he helps clients discover if they are eligible for the VCF and assists them in signing up for the World Trade Center Health Program.

Christina Daly/Herald

Phil Alvarez, left, said his brother, Luis, inspired him to help those suffering from 9/11-related illnesses.

O’side Library officials present ‘Vision 2020’ initiative The roofs and windows at the Oceanside Library leak regularly, the restrooms have not been redone in 22 years, and many rooms need to be modernized. Those are just a few of the reasons that the library board voted 7-0 on Jan. 15 to approve putting a $33.5 million bond to a vote to fund repairs.

“We wanted to take this opportunity to reimagine the library in the way we’re using it now and the way it’s likely to be used in the next 10 to 20 years,” said Tony Iovino, the library’s director of community services.

“Looking at what the future of the library is, libraries kind of need to reinvent themselves every 20 to 30 years.”

The bond, which residents approved along with the school bud-

get vote later in the year, will upgrade some of the library’s rooms, enable the facility to host more programs and shows, and enhance security while making the building more environmentally friendly.

The bond costs $1.8 million per year, and the average Oceanside homeowner’s library tax will rise from $314 to $454 annually. That marked an increase of $140 per year, or $11.66 per month, per household.

The Oceanside Library ranked 30th of 54 libraries in Nassau County in per capita spending before the bond was approved, and jumped to 15th after voters approved the Vision 2020 initiative.

Christina Daly/Herald

The Oceanside Library will undergo many changes.

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Brad Lemley, owner and instructor at the Art of Self Defense in Oceanside, watches his students build confidence through his classes. He said he remembers one girl in particular who benefited from learning karate.

“She was a hard worker, certainly worked harder than most,” Lemley recalled, keeping the student anonymous. “But every once in a while she would become overwhelmed with a difficulty before her, and she would excuse herself to go to the bathroom and cry.

“As the years went by, the moments that she needed to excuse herself became less and less, to the degree that I don’t remember the last time it happened,” he continued. “Which tells me she began to learn one of the greatest

Oceanside schools join Rockville Centre health center

lessons that I have to teach: that you are enough.”

For the values he instills in Oceanside youth, and his service to the community, the Art of Self Defense was named the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 Business of the Year. The chamber honored Lemley at its annual cocktail reception, where he shared the anecdote about the former student.

The chamber also named Brian Driscoll its Citizen of the Year. Driscoll is an NYPD detective and co-founder of Oceanside Community Warriors, a group that helps clean outdoor public places in the hamlet and teaches young people the importance of community service.

Sue Grieco/Herald

The chamber honored business owners at its dinner.

Oceanside school officials announced a partnership with Rockville Centre and several other districts in Northwell Health’s Behavioral Health Center in February. The facility helps students find care for any crises they may be facing.

The center, at 100 Merrick Road in Rockville Centre, is a collaboration among Cohen Children’s Medical Center and the Rockville Centre, Oceanside, East Rockaway, Freeport and Hewlett-Woodmere school districts.

Oceanside school officials were eager for the opportunity to have their students use the health center.

Superintendent Dr. Phyllis Harrington explained that Oceanside parents and guardians can use the Rockville Centre

facility on their own, but added that she expected parents to take their children there at the recommendation of student support personnel at the schools.

“One of the most important aspects of getting students help with behavioral health issues is the need for consistent follow-through,”Harrington said.“The Behavioral Health Center will provide our students access to a more inviting environment for children and their families. Most importantly, it will allow for consistency, follow-up and communication among the providers, the families and the student’s school.”

Jill Nossa/Herald

Michael Dowling, president and chief executive of Northwell Health, center, spoke at the opening of the Behavioral Health Center

YEAR IN REVIEW FEBRUARY

Temples host Shabbat Across America dinners After a rash of anti-Semitic incidents on Long Island and across the country, Temple Avodah decided to host a Shabbat Across America dinner for the first time in years in February, while the South Shore Jewish Center continued with the annual tradition.

Every Friday evening, people of Jewish faith gather for Shabbat, a service that occurs just before sundown to welcome a day of rest, the Sabbath.

Jews observe Shabbat at their local synagogues, or sometimes in their homes. To foster unity in Jewish prayer, the National Jewish Outreach Program started Shabbat Across America in 1997. The event, on Feb. 28 in 2020, encourages Jewish places of worship to host dinner celebrations and speak about Shabbat’s significance.

Now in its 24th year, Shabbat Across America has since expanded to

Canada. About 700 synagogues observed the event, including Temple Avodah, in Oceanside, and the South Shore Jewish Center, in Island Park.

Temple Avodah Co-vice President Stacy Mandel Kapplan suggested that the house of worship host a Shabbat Across America dinner again as a display of Jewish pride in response to recent anti-Semitic attacks.

“There is a need to show strength and unity among Jews at this time in our country,” Mandel Kapplan said.“It’s really that it’s happening simultaneously — that hundreds of participating synagogues are doing this across the U.S. and Canada, doing the same thing at the same time. We’re hoping it will serve as a unifying force. You feel you are one of many.”

Courtesy Facebook

Shabbat Across America was in February.

Lawmakers look to aid Island Park in LIPA case The New York State Senate passed a bill on Feb. 11 that would prohibit the Long Island Power Authority from receiving tax refunds from local municipalities for its properties, including the E.F. Barrett Generation Station in Island Park.

Waiving the tax refunds is part of a proposed settlement between LIPA and the county. LIPA would forgo $250 million in tax refunds it is owed by the county if it could cut its annual property taxes on the Barrett plant by 50 percent. This would shift the school tax burden onto homeowners, resulting in gradual tax increases beginning in the 2021-22 school year, with an initial increase of about $24 per month. By the 2026-27 school year, taxpayers would see a $203-per-

month hike. LIPA estimated the numbers based on the value of the average home in Island Park, about $397,000, but the figures could change.

Sen. James Gaughran, a Democrat from Northport, is the bill’s main sponsor, and Senators John Flanagan, a Republican from East Northport, and Todd Kaminsky, a Democrat from Long Beach, co-sponsored it.

“LIPA has held the threat of collecting these back [tax refunds] over the people of Island Park, stirring fear and uncertainty,” Kaminsky said.“I call on the New York State Assembly to immediately take up this legislation and help make it law.”

Christina Daly/Herald

The E.F. Barrett Generation Station, in Island Park.

OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD — December 31, 2020

Oceanside chamber hosts annual installation dinner

December 31, 2020 — OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD

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O’side rabbi helps community stay positive amid Covid-19 Continued on page 1

services to the video platform Zoom, going door to door to deliver care packages to those in need and to congregants before Friday evening Shabbat services, and sending gift bags to community members as well as going food shopping for seniors.

Additionally, the Chabad organized outdoor drive-in activities and celebrations during the summer, including a driveby parade at MSSN to support front-line workers, and Gurkov offered several virtual celebrations for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. He also drove to congregants’ homes in his pick-up truck to provide them with a portable Sukkah, or hut, for Sukkot in September, and dropped more care packages and goodie bags during Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, which included pies and messages of gratitude and hope for the future.

Chabad member Ilyana Meyer said the entire Gurkov family has been there for the community during the pandemic.

“They have all been so instrumental in keeping our Jewish community engaged, seen and taken care of during the hardest of times,” she said. “They are true heroes and people who should be honored.”

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As much as the Gurkovs have provided Ilyana’s husband, Aaron Meyer, echoed for the community, Soshie said she was her sentiments. also touched by how residents banded “Even all that we see is just the tip together to help one another during the of the iceberg,” he said.“I guarantee that Rabbi Gurkov and his family are doing height of the pandemic and that residents much more without seeking credit or have remained united as it rages on. acknowledgement in any “We feel fortunate to be way.” in this wonderful community,” When Gurkov isn’t racshe said.“It’s a real feeling of ing around the commucommunity here and we feel nity and helping others, the love. As much as it’s been Soshie said, he enjoys very challenging, it’s also been OF THE reading and bike riding very rewarding. We know with his daughters, and there is a light at the end of the is also a history buff. She tunnel, and when we get there, said her husband is fasciwe’ll realize all of this had some nated by the stories of Holocaust survivors light, too.”

Photos courtesy Soshie Gurkov and will spend hours at a time listening Chabad of Oceanside Rabbi Levi Gurkov and his wife, Soshie, to their harrowing journeys of survival.

Under regular circumstances, he also loves top left, have been especially active in the community during the coronavirus pandemic. to travel, Soshie said. She noted, however, that he is most happy when he is helping Gurkov, top right, and his son-in-law, Zev Bumgarten, affectionothers. ately known as Rabbi Zev, delivered care packages to residents after the pandemic struck.

“I know being married to him all the roles he plays, and for him it doesn’t matter, Gurkov is a member of the chevra kadisha, or “secret society” recognition or no recognition,” she said. that ensures that bodies of deceased Jews are prepared for “For him, he’s helping people, and that’s all burial according to Jewish tradition, and continued to do the that matters. People can turn to him, and job after the pandemic, though he had to protect himself from he’ll be there for them.” head to toe, far left.

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In the years after Hurricane Sandy, the Long Beach Motor Inn has stood dormant, but Nassau County official voted last winter to sell the property for $1.15 million to a private developer seeking to build apartments there.

The Legislature approved the sale to Patricia Abramson, of Merrick, who wants to build 18 to 22 one- and two-bedroom apartments at the site, on Austin Boulevard in Island Park.County Executive Laura Curran advocated for the property’s sale.

“The Long Beach Motor Inn is a seedy, run-down eyesore that is dragging down property values, while not contributing anything to the tax rolls or the community,” county spokesman Michael Fricchione said in a statement. “The proposed development will help Nassau County cope with its housing crisis, which is marked by a disturbing shortage of available rental units.”

Fricchione added that Abramson plans to spend millions of dollars to gut and renovate the structure to offer dozens of units to future Island Park residents.

The plan would end nearly a decade of controversy over development of the former motel, which was once slated for 90 units of affordable housing.

The facility has a checkered past dating to 2011, when the motel was converted into a place to house sex offenders, which sparked a protest from the Island Park Civic Association.

In 2012, the motel closed after Hurricane Sandy flooded the first floor. It has remained vacant ever since, but county officials entered a legal battle shortly after the storm to acquire the property through condemnation.

Christina Daly/Herald

County legislators voted to sell the vacant Long Beach Motor Inn property to a private developer for $1.15 million.

Businesses faced uncertainties amid coronavirus closures No one sat at the bar. Waitresses didn’t come around with pints of beer or trays of plated food. To put it mildly, it was “a St. Patrick’s Day like no other,” said Joe Bonin, owner of J. Paul’s Terrace Café in Oceanside, with a hint of sadness and disbelief in his voice.

The restaurant and sports bar, a community hotspot for 38 years, closed to diners the evening before the Irish holiday, along with eateries statewide, under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s ban on gatherings of 50 or more people to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The ban closed restaurants, gyms, movie theaters and casinos. Takeout at restaurants and bars, distilleries and wineries was allowed. The state’s liquor law was temporarily changed to allow

for off-premises sales of alcohol.

In addition, Cuomo ordered the closure of all barber, nail, hair and tattoo shops by March 20 at 8 p.m., which ended up lasting months.

March 17 was the first day that J. Paul’s opened for takeout orders only with reduced hours — 3 to 8 p.m.

About 10 part-time employees, a third of its normal staff, were on duty, Bonin said.

“We open on Christmas and during snowstorms,” Bonin said. “We’re known as the local pub that’s always open, so to be forced to close is really hard for the entire staff and community.”

Christina Daly/Herald

Joe Bonin, owner of J. Paul’s Terrace Café in Oceanside.

YEAR IN REVIEW MARCH

Communities take steps to curb Covid spread Though there were no reported coronavirus cases in Oceanside or Island Park as of mid-March, the communities were on high alert to help prevent its spread.

Nassau County schools were closed for two weeks by order of County Executive Laura Curran. As a result, both the Oceanside and Island Park school districts began working to provide students with at-home learning resources, which eventually led to fulltime distance learning for the rest of the school year.

In addition, Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned all gatherings of 50 or more people, leaving community gathering places, including libraries, places of worship and restaurants, to adjust how they operate or close.

Sanitation district slashes benefits

As the March 19-25 Oceanside/ Island Park Herald went to press, Nassau County had 101 confirmed coronavirus cases, and New York had more than 900.

Curran urged all residents to “take extra care and try to avoid all social gatherings, family events and crowded public places.” The county characterized the novel coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, as a threat to public health and declared a state of emergency, an action taken “to access greater resources,” Curran tweeted at the time. In the coming months, cases continued to escalate.

Courtesy CDC

An illustration of the novel coronavirus, dubbed Covid-19, was created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in March.

Amid growing concern among residents over the benefits that the Oceanside Sanitation District No. 7 board has received for many years, its members unanimously voted to end dental and health plans for commissioners at a March 5 meeting.

“This is an issue that’s been reoccurring over the past couple of years, and many people from the public have raised concerns,” Co-chairman John Mannone said. “. . . It will encourage the end of unscrupulous behavior down the road, as well as save a lot of money.”

Mannone said past boards used the benefits as a “draw” to attract commissioners, and called them “excessive.” In addition to a $7,500 stipend to serve on the board, all five commissioners each received health and dental benefits of up to $33,000

per year, a total of $165,000. The decision nixed those benefits and saved the district and taxpayers money.

“It eliminates the potential of a lot of shady stuff that has gone on,” Mannone said, “because a boss used to be able to control these commissioners by these benefits because everyone wanted them.”

Mannone referred to former sanitation director Charles Scarlata, who was the subject of a damaging audit in 2009, which revealed that in addition to his $146,000 annual salary, he received about $20,000 in compensation time, two $300,000 life insurance policies that were paid for by the sanitary district and post-retirement pay of $25,000 a year for 15 years.

Mike Smollins/Herald

The sanitation board slashed benefits in March.

OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD — December 31, 2020

County sells motel at $2M loss

December 31, 2020 — OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD

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Trees for Troops organizer Jim Adelis dies at 67 H.S. spring sports cancelled It was game over for public high school spring sports on Long Island for 2020. Any hopes for even a modified season were dashed April 21 when health and safety concerns led athletic administrators and school superintendents in Nassau and Suffolk counties to announced the cancelation of the spring sports season. Section VIII athletics conference governs Nassau County, and Section XI, Suffolk County.

“For the safety for our student athletes, Section VIII has made the difficult decision to cancel spring sports for our high schools and middle schools,” Nassau County Executive Director Pat Pizzarelli said.

“Long Island is one of the areas most

affected by this terrible pandemic, so both section VIII and Section XI have made this very difficult decision.”

Nassau County’s Athletic Council, which includes superintendents, principals and officials, met on April 20 and was unanimous in its decision. Athletic directors met the following morning and agreed.

“It’s very sad for the seniors, but we are dealing with life and death,” Pizzarelli said. “We have to safeguard our students and communities. We waited as long as we possibly could to make this heartbreaking decision.”

J. Heck/Herald

Spring high school sports were canceled in April.

Jim Adelis spent much of his life giving back to the community, and never sought praise. His actions were so farreaching that they even surprised his wife, Lucy.

“Pay it forward will be his legacy,” she said. “A lot of things I’m finding out, I never even knew. Every Christmas, he would take gifts to kids in the hospital, and he never told me.”

Adelis died on April 4 of kidney failure brought on by Covid-19. He was 67. He leaves behind a legacy of altruism, which includes helping to found the Trees for Troops event at Dees’ Nursery in Oceanside each holiday season, in which Christmas trees are shipped to military personnel across the country and overseas.

Adelis was born on May 28, 1952, and grew up in Brooklyn. He went on to run Ogden Security at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens for decades, which was where he met Lucy, who worked for him as a security guard.

Lucy said she was drawn to him by his eyes and his kindness, noting that even before they dated, he sent her flowers when she was ill and couldn’t work.

On their first date, she recalled, he told her he would marry her, and she thought he was crazy. His words proved prophetic, however, and they wed at City Hall in Manhattan on Oct. 14, 1983, and had a ceremony in Lucy’s native Ecuador on Nov. 26 that year. The couple had two sons, Jimmy Jr. and Tommy, and moved to East Rockaway in 1989.

Dan Carbonaro, a retired Port Authority Police Department detective, said Adelis and his impact will not be forgotten, especially at each Trees for Troops event.

“When I see a Christmas tree now in December, I’ll always think of him,” he said. “And that’s great, because he’ll be alive forever. As long as you remember somebody, they’re not gone.”

Courtesy Angela Adelis

Jim Adlis, above with his wife, Lucy, died in April.

YEAR IN REVIEW APRIL

Musician’s Facebook shows aid community On Sunday evenings in the spring, local residents could enjoy a concert without leaving home. Jonathan Rizzo, of Oceanside, presented a weekly performance at 9 p.m. on Facebook Live and Instagram, encouraging those watching to send in their requests, and their donations.

While he strummed his guitar and sang, Rizzo also raised money, with which he purchased gift cards from local businesses to donate to first responders and front-line workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“I call it ‘Sunday Night Live,’” Rizzo said. “I did it really to help my community, and to help my people.”

Before bars and restaurants across the state closed or moved to takeoutonly models at the mandate of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Rizzo played as many as a half-dozen live gigs a week in Oceanside, Island Park and Long Beach.

Over many years he has built some

thing of a following, and he even appeared on NBC’s “The Voice” in September 2019. Rizzo was one of 40,000 people who entered the competition, and was one of 85 who was invited to Los Angeles and given a televised audition, though he did not advance in the competition.

Because local bars have been good to him over the years — and many business owners are friends he grew up with — Rizzo came up with the idea of hourlong concerts, during which those tuning in were encouraged to donate, but he said it was important that listeners didn’t feel obligated to do so if they just wanted to enjoy the show. In his first concert on March 29, he ended up playing for more than two hours and raising $3,000. When he woke up the following morning, the total had jumped to $5,000.

Courtesy Jonathan Rizzo

Jonathan Rizzo played concerts to support local businesses in the spring.

MSSN sets up Covid-19 triage tents As coronavirus cases climbed at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, the hospital set up two triage tents in a parking lot, and the local business community pitched in to help the staff in April.

“We have more than 100 patients who are Covid-positive,” said Joe Calderone, the hospital’s senior vice president of corporate communications and development, in April. “The surge is here.”

The triage tents were used to screen patients who present with coronaviruslike symptoms. Combined, the tents held up to 20 cots, but the number could be doubled as needs arose, Calderone said. They were built to keep patients who have the symptoms away from others and as an extension of the Emergency Department.

Calderone cautioned that the triage area was not meant to be a testing

center like the one set up at Jones Beach. If people felt coronavirus-like symptoms, they were urged to call their primary physicians and not to come to the hospital seeking a test.

The tents were fully equipped and enabled physicians to obtain electronic medical records, while also providing patients with a language translator as needed.

Patients were brought into and discharged from the tents as needed, Calderone said, and then brought into the hospital’s Emergency Department if they needed additional care. The department designated a space to house coronavirus positive patients as a way to segregate them from those who were suspected to have the virus, and patients who do not exhibit symptoms.

Christina Daly/Herald

Triage tents were erected at MSSN in April.

7

In early March, Oceanside High School sweethearts Paige McCarthy and Charlie Franzini began questioning whether they could go ahead with their April 18 wedding in Aruba.

By mid-March, stay-at-home orders had taken effect. McCarthy, a teacher and gymnastics coach at Valley Stream South High School, was homebound at the couple’s house in Long Beach, where they have lived together for three years.

Franzini, a real estate finance portfolio manager in Manhattan, was also working from home.

On March 20, they postponed the wedding, and told their 150 guests to cancel their flights.

“I was definitely sad,” McCarthy said in May. “A lot of people were going to make the trip, and I felt so bad that so many people had to get on the phone with the airlines and hotels. If it was a wedding here, it would be a quick email or call, but now our guests had to be a

part of it.”

“I was upset, too,” Franzini said, “but we’re both just trying to focus on the fact that we can’t control what’s going on. We’re lucky all our family and friends are healthy, and things can be a lot worse.”

The soon-to-be bride and groom met when McCarthy was a sophomore and Franzini was a junior at OHS. McCarthy was on the varsity gymnastics team, and Franzini played basketball.

They saw each other in the gym, a friend set them up, and they have been dating ever since.

“We still have the same group of friends,” Franzini said, “and they’ve seen us together throughout the years.”

In 1972, Lori Brady’s father was shot and stabbed while on duty as an NYPD officer in the Bronx. Though she was only 8, she said that was the moment she decided she wanted to become a nurse.

“I couldn’t visit my father in the hospital because I was too young,” she recalled. “I helped my mother care for my father and younger siblings after the attack, and from that point on, I decided to become a nurse. I didn’t want anyone else to suffer.”

After helping her mother, Kathleen, support her father, John, and her younger siblings, John Jr., who was 4 at the time, and Christine, who was 2 months old, Brady followed her dream and became a nurse.

Years later, her daughter, Carolyn, answered the same calling, and they

YEAR IN REVIEW MAY

Courtesy Lisa McCarthy

Charlie Franzini and Paige McCarthy had planned their wedding in Aruba for April 18, but postponed it due to Covid-19.

Oceansiders march in support of ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement About 60 protesters marched down Long Beach Road in Oceanside on June 17, hoping to raise awareness about systemic racism and promote unity among those advocating for racial justice.

Many held signs that read “Black Lives Matter,” and there were families with children in their midst. The crowd marched on the sidewalk from the Modell’s parking lot on Davison Avenue to the Sands Shopping Center, and back, for a total of about three miles.

An Oceanside resident named Lorena, 26, who asked that her last name not be printed, helped organize the march. She has lived in the hamlet for about two years now, and said she has faced racial discrimination in

Mother-daughter nurses help battle coronavirus pandemic are now one of three mother-daughter tandems working against the coronavirus at Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital in Oceanside. Teresa and Leanne Eberhart and Carolyn and Lauren Engel are the others.

Lori Brady works at the Center for Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, while Carolyn was undergoing orientation in May and planned to rejoin the Emergency Departmen. Lori’s sister, Christine Scott, also works at MSSN, in the Education Department.

Carolyn said her mother inspired her to become a nurse. “My mom has always been my role model and best friend,” she said. “I’ve always admired her ability to show endless compassion to everyone she meets..”

Courtesy MSSN

Nursing is a family affair at MSSN.

Oceanside High School valedictorian reflects, looks ahead

Facebook groups.

After one incident, Lorena was invited to another Facebook group with more like-minded people who shared her views about racial equality. She and some of those group members decided to hold the march in light of recent events, including the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and the protests that followed nonstop nationwide.

Lorena said the march was held “to let people [of color] know that you do have people who care about you in Oceanside.“

YEAR IN REVIEW JUNE

Christina Daly/Herald

A “Black Lives Matter” march came to Oceanside.

Lucy Lebowitz, the valedictorian of Oceanside High School’s class of 2020, earned top of her class with a 105.76 overall GPA. She planned to head to Brown University in the fall.

Throughout Lucy’s time at OHS, she was devoted to art classes and earned several awards for her artwork. While excelling in academics, she also participated in several clubs and activities.

Lucy has played an active role in student government since her freshman year. She also used her art skills to beautify the school with new paint jobs, posters, banners and a mural.

Most memorably, she said, she was Battle of the Classes Art Captain every

year of her high school career. She helped lead her grade to victory in the semester-long arts competition for the past three years.

“It taught me a lot about delegating my time and working ceaselessly for a beautiful end result,” she said, “but most importantly, it showed me how to stay hopeful and optimistic in the face of adversity and doubt. We were the underdogs but I never let that stop me from working hard.”

Outside of school, Lucy volunteered at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside. At the hospital, she’ greeted people at the entrances, directed them to the correct floors and ran other errands.

Courtesy Oceanside High School

Lucy Lebowitz, valedictorian of OHS’s class of 2020.

OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD — December 31, 2020

OHS sweethearts postpone their wedding

December 31, 2020 — OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD

8

Weathering the pandemic at MSSN When faced with an “unprecedented” situation in April as coronavirus numbers reached their peak — 383 — the staff at Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital rose to the occasion and banded together to get through the difficult time.

“We are stretched beyond anything we have seen in the past,” spokesman Joe Calderone said at the time.“The situation here is unprecedented.”

While many lives were lost because of the virus, by July, the hospital celebrated the release of hundreds of Covid-19 positive patients who were released healthy.

At a time when front-line workers were stretched thin, the Oceanside community and many others came together to show their support, donating food to the hospital’s staff daily throughout the pandemic.

In May, when cases began plummeting, the hospital returned to offering elective surgeries as the hospital began a “Don’t Put Your Health on Hold” initiative, urging the community not to risk safety out of fear of coming to a hospital.

“If you’re out there and you have a procedure that you’ve been putting off, or if you have any kind of medical issue, you should call immediately,” Calderone said.

“Don’t wait.”

In June, most units of the hospital returned to welcoming visitors under strict guidelines, including one visitor per day per patient, and a shift from a 24 hours per day visitor policy to a four-hour window. Additionally, all visitors were required to undergo a Covid-19 test no more than two days before visiting.

Before, during and after the surge of the pandemic, MSSN was committed to delivering standard-setting, patient-centered health care. It is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,000 employees.

Local community group cleans up Oceanside Nearly every month, community members join forces to clean up Oceanside — thanks to one local organization.

Since February 2019, Oceanside Community Warriors has spruced up the hamlet, with about 25 cleanups throughout the area to date.

Residents Brian Driscoll and Michael D’Ambrosio noticed some Oceansiders commenting on Facebook about littering in parks and other outdoor common areas. So they gathered fellow residents to clean up the public spaces, such as the “Welcome to Oceanside” sign on Foxhurst Road and the downtown areas on Atlantic and Long Beach

YEAR IN REVIEW JULY

Courtesy MSSN

Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital in Oceanside.

roads.

“We wanted to go over, clean up the town and show our pride for the town we live in,” Driscoll, an NYPD detective, said in July. “A lot of people were complaining about these issues, and we just figured, ‘Let’s just go out and do it ourselves.’”

At their first cleanup in early 2019, about 20 to 30 people lent a hand. “A bunch of dads showed up,” said D’Ambrosio, who is a member of the Oceanside School District Board of Education, “and we were out there with plastic gloves, garbage bags and pickers, physically picking up garbage.”

Courtesy Brian Driscoll

Michael D’Ambrosio, a cofounder of the group, helped children at the cleanup at Silver Lake Park.

H.S. sports delayed until 2021 Nassau County High School student-athletes will have to wait until 2021 to compete in sports.

At an emergency meeting held Aug. 26, Nassau school superintendents voted to postpone high school sports until Jan. 4, becoming the first of the state’s 11 sections to move its fall season. The following day, superintendents released a letter stating they may reassess the decision prior to Sept. 20.

“I believe other sections will follow and pull the plug, but I can’t speak for anyone else,” Section VIII (Nassau) Executive Director of Athletics Pat Pizzarelli said Aug. 26.

“We felt strong enough to make this decision now,” he added. “We took the cautious route, but we believe it’s in everyone’s best interests.

There are too many unknowns.

“It’s just not time to allow kids to play sports,” he continued. “And my first and foremost concern is the safety of our student-athletes.”

The decision came two days after Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued guidance permitting lower-risk high school fall sports (soccer, tennis, swimming, field hockey and cross-country) to begin practice and play on Sept. 21, while noting football and volleyball could begin practice, but not play.

However, Nassau’s superintendents did not consider the conditions in August safe enough to conduct any fall sports.

YEAR IN REVIEW AUGUST

J. Heck/Herald

Isaias slams O’side, I.P. When Tropical Storm Isaias rocked Nassau Couty in Aiugust, Harbor Isle resident Jeanne DeBraccio Gidwill said she couldn’t believe the strength of the wind.

“That wind was like nothing we had ever experienced,” she said. “We’ve lived in Harbor Isle for 16 years now. We’ve been through Hurricane Sandy, so we can get through anything.”

DeBraccio Gidwill said there was one block in her neighborhood that lost power after a downed tree fell onto power lines that were at least 50 years old. She noted in the days following the storm, trees were starting to get cleaned up and PSEG Long Island restored power to the block.

However, Oceanside resident Angela Graci said her family is still in the dark as it awaits PSEG to restore their power. At around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, the first tree on her block fell, taking down an electric box, and leaving live wires in her yard. A half an hour later, another tree fell on top of the already fallen tree, exacerbating the issue.

“Both trees are on the roof of the house with a live wire,” she said.

Though it took a while to get through to PSEG, power was eventually restored to the area.

Courtesy Laura Montaruli

During Tropical Storm Isaias, two trees fell on an Oceanside home, which has caused residents to remain without power.

9

Island Park hosts solemn 9/11 ceremony on 19th anniversary On the solemn and somber 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, elected officials, firefighters, veterans, local leaders and community members gathered at the Village of Island Park’s 9/11 memorial for a ceremony commemorating that dark day in American history.

“We join here today as we do every 9/11,” Mayor Michael McGinty said. “It’s a day of remembrance, a day of reflection and a day of thanksgiving. Our hearts are broken with our losses. As we mourn, our minds hold their resolve . . . We come together to honor and remember all of the innocent lives lost.

We honor the courageous, and the heroic first responders who gave their

lives to protect us all.”

The Island Park Fire Department presented the colors, while Hempstead Town Councilman Anthony D’Esposito recited the Pledge of Allegiance and McGinty delivered the invocation.

Firefighter Michael Kelly and Anthony Perez read the names and rang in a moment of silence, and the mayor and village board placed a memorial wreath to commemorate the lives lost. State Sen. Todd Kaminsky was also in attendance.

Jennifer Wolfe, an Oceanside High School social studies teacher, said she cried tears of joy when she received the call in mid-July that the New York State Education Department chose her as the state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year.

“I just felt overwhelmed by the acknowledgement that my life’s work is important,” she said.

On Sept. 14, Wolfe, 51, and her colleagues gathered in the OHS library to watch the state Board of Regents announce her achievement during a virtual meeting, at which she made a speech about teaching amid the pandemic. She said the days leading up to and following the announcement were a whirlwind and an honor — her dedication to building teacher leadership is now being recognized statewide.

Superintendent Dr. Phyllis

YEAR IN REVIEW SEPTEMER

Joe Abate/Herald

A wreath was placed in remembrance during Island Park’s ceremony commemorating 9/11.

block up the road from the synagogue. “Even before Covid hit, there had been several difficult situations in the community,” Marsh said, recalling other deaths of community members around that time.

Marsh realized early on during the Covid crisis that, beyond hosting virtual religious services, he needed to pull the community together in other ways. He created several weekly, themed video chat sessions so people had a fun way to connect while staying home.

“People then came up with their own ideas,” he said.“It took on a life of its own, so that kept people involved.”

YEAR IN REVIEW OCTOBER

Rabbi Aaron Marsh of the Oceanside Jewish Center.

Courtesy Oceanside School District

Oceanside High School social studies teacher Jennifer Wolfe acceptedh her award.

Alleged racist posts cause stir for sanitation

Rabbi keeps spirits high amid pandemic “Nothing I learned in rabbinical school could prepare me for the exact circumstances since I’ve been here,” said Oceanside Jewish Center Rabbi Aaron Marsh, reflecting on one year in his position at the synagogue — a year that challenged him to bring new people together in new ways.

Marsh joined OJC in September 2019, just five months after completing rabbinical school at the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers. Before becoming a rabbi, he was a software engineer for 20 years and taught Hebrew school for 15 years, along with being heavily involved with his former synagogue in Rochester.

The new rabbi arrived at OJC that September morning at about 6 a.m. and led a service at 7. About a week later, 16-year-old Khaseen Morris, of Oceanside, was fatally stabbed just a

Harrington nominated Wolfe for the award in the beginning of the year.

“Her level of commitment to this profession is unparalleled,” she said in a video posted by New York State United Teachers celebrating the honor.

“She has really helped grow the profession. She has helped young teachers understand that teaching is hard work.”

Wolfe, who came to OHS in 1997, is a champion of dynamic learning for both students and teachers — with an emphasis on teachers’ professional development.

She created Oceanside School District’s Tenure Attainment Plan Steps program, which launched in 2014 and is required for all new teachers in the district as part of their 20 hours of professional development.

An Oceanside Sanitation District No. 7 commissioner was asked to resign after he was alleged to have published racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic social media posts in the past.

Commissioner Ryan Hemsley came under fire after the Facebook posts were unearthed, and as a result, the board asked him to resign from his position. Hemsley said on Oct. 15 that the posts were “doctored or completely made up” to discredit him after a contentious election season. Then in a series of text messages to a Herald reporter, he said that he had been aware of the posts for many months, but that other people had posted them on his page, and he was asked to remove them by Commissioner Austin Graff before joining the board.

“These posts that were released are not who I am as a person,” Hemsley

said on Oct. 15.“It is absolutely disgusting, and I did not post them. I am a veteran, family man and a member of an Oceanside volunteer group” — the Oceanside Community Warriors.

Hemsley, a sheet metal worker in Queens and a member of Local Union 28, joined the board in January after Commissioner Matthew Horowitz stepped down, citing conflicts from juggling his duties on the board with his career. Because he took over in the middle of Horowitz’s term, Hemsley had to run in a September election, in which he defeated challenger Dawn Veit, 1,036 votes to 141.

“What I saw was absolutely disgusting, racist, homophobic, antiSemitic and everything that’s wrong,” Chairman Austin Graff said. “I had a conversation with Ryan and asked him to resign.”

Courtesy Ryan Hemsley

Ryan Hemsley, Oceanside Sanitation commissioner

OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD — December 31, 2020

O’side educator is New York’s Teacher of the Year

December 31, 2020 — OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD

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A surprise Santa stop in O’side Not much in 2020 can qualify as normal or routine, but the Association of Children with Down Syndrome’s very own Santa Claus refused to let Covid-19 disrupt his favorite time of the year.

Longtime Rockville Centre resident Barry Shimkin has brought joy to hundreds of young children for the past 26 years by donning a red suit (he’s on suit No. 3), and fluffy white beard, and arming himself with a bag full of presents to share with ACDS students with disabilities.

This year, pandemic restrictions nearly ended visits by Santa, but Shimkin refused to be deterred.

Working with the ACDS Parent Teacher Organization, he hopped in his sleigh — in this case, the custom vehicle ACDS uses to shuffle students to its Early Intervention Clinic — put on a festive protective mask and brought holiday cheer to children across

Nassau County and parts of Suffolk County in lieu of the usual visit to the ACDS headquarters in Plainview.

“It’s been the best day of the year for me since I started playing Santa,” Shimkin said. “Seeing the look on the kids’ faces is a wonderful thing. It’s a pleasure beyond belief.”

Two families in Oceanside, the Patissos and Lucases, received a visit from Santa in mid-December.

“My daughter was completely surprised, and it was so beautiful,” said Leanna Patisso, mother of Ariana. “She was so excited to see Santa.”

Maeve Lucas was awestruck to see Santa, said her mother, Melissa, and was busy all weekend playing with her gift — an interactive dress-up Santa with Velcro pieces. “It was very sweet,” Melissa said. “Barry and Jane and Maureen all volunteered their time on a Saturday to make kids happy.”

YEAR IN REVIEW DECEMBER

Courtesy ACDS

Santa stopped in Oceanside.

Merchants stay hopeful amid coronavirus pandemic Amid intense competition from online services like Amazon and many challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, local business owners said in early December they were optimistic yet wary of how the holiday shopping season would turn out for them.

Sherri Li, owner of Protass Gifts, in Oceanside, said that while many retailers saw mixed results in Black Friday sales, her store was as busy as in previous years, which she said she hoped was a sign of things to come. She added, however, that business has been tough to generate overall since the pandemic began.

“It has been tough for every business, so we’re trying to drive more traffic to the store,” Li said. “We send

out emails and texts to our customers, and we also do Zoom and FaceTime sales sessions.”

Li has owned the store, at 3173 Long Beach Road, for five years, but it has been a fixture in Oceanside for more than four decades. The business sells house gifts, bracelets and jewelry, handbags and other accessories. Li said that the store offered many Black Friday sales, both in-person and online, and recently started promoting curbside pickup to help customers feel comfortable during the pandemic.

Courtesy Protass Gifts

Protass Gifts owner Sherri Li said the store has increased its online presence, offers curbside pickup and provides appointments for one-on-one inperson or Zoom meetings with customers to adapt to doing business during the coronavirus pandemic.

OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD — December 31, 2020

YEAR IN REVIEW NOVEMBER

Developers eye late 2021 for Woodcrest Village Park complex Despite vocal community opposition, construction is progressing on a $60 million, 230-unit apartment complex on Rockaway Avenue in Oceanside, and developers have set December 2021 as its completion date.

Richard Donnelly, the property manager, who works for the Manhattanbased Broadwall Management, which also has an office in Levittown, said the project is about 40 to 50 percent complete. He added that work began last winter, and crews are now completing the floors on the building’s third level.

Donnelly said he thought it was a project Oceanside needs, because it offers luxury rental apartments, which he said the area was lacking.

“There are hardly any rentals in Oceanside, period,” he said. “There are very few rentals, and it’s going to be a luxury-oriented building. It’s going to have a community room and a gym, so it’s going to have some amenities.”

Dubbed Woodcrest Village Park, the four-story, 260,000-square-foot rental complex, which will be close to the East Rockaway train station, is intended to attract young professionals who might

otherwise move out of Nassau County.

It is being built where a 105-unit Woodcrest rental complex once stood, but was demolished after Hurricane Sandy.

The project will include 421 parking spaces, more than double the 190 offered at the old complex.

Town of Hempstead officials approved the site plan for the Woodcrest project in May 2019. Before officials OK’d it, the plan was reviewed by engineering, traffic, street lighting, highways and conservation and waterways departments.

The development firm backing the project is the Manhattan-based Feil Organization, while H2M architects + engineers, also based in Manhattan, is the architectural firm, and the Melvillebased Racanelli Construction is the general contractor.

Peter Belfiore/Herald

Woodcrest Village Park, a $60 million, 230-unit apartment complex on Rockaway Avenue, will be built on a lot that has been vacant since Hurricane Sandy destroyed another complex there.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given that an order granted by the Supreme Court, Nassau County, on the 15th day of December, 2020, bearing Index Number 614147-20, a copy of which may be

examined at the office of the clerk, located at 240 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY grants me the right to assume the name of Eliana Wilzig.

The city and state of my present address are Oceanside, New York; the

month and year of my birth are June, 1994; the place of my birth is Jerusalem, Israel; my present name is Bracha Elyana Wilzig aka Bracha Elyana Winston.

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3 Payne Circle, BA, 5 BR, 3.5 Bth Spacious Split on Beautiful Street in Cul de Sac. State of the Art EIK, 2 Dens, Bsmt, & 2 Car Gar. SD#20 ....................................................................... $1,190,000 236 Richards Lane, BA, 5 BR, 5.5 Bth Contemporary Home on an Acre Of Resortlike Prop with IG Pool. Open Floor Plan. Full Fin Bsmt. Main Flr Master. SD14 ....................... REDUCED! $1,499,000

HEWLETT BAY PARK

NEW TO MARKET!! 10,000 Sq Ft Waterfront Property on an Acre of Parklike Grounds Tucked away in Cul de Sac. 5 BR, 5.5 Bth Contemporary. Soaring Ceilings. IG Pool, Hot Tub. 285' Vinyl Bulkhead Raised & Redone. Dock. 3 Car Garage............ $4,650,000 70 Heron Dr, BA, 6 BR, Contemporary with Open Layout on an Acre of Parklike Property. Move Right in! SD#14............$1,699,000 159 Meadowview Ave, BA, Stately 5200 Sq Ft Colonial Featuring 6 BR, 6.55 Bths on Acre Of Resortlike Prop with IG Pool, Tennis Ct, & Outdoor Kit. Fin Bsmt, 2 Car Gar, Fabulous Location in SD#14 ......................................................REDUCED!! $2,699,000

Now is the time to buy or sell a home.

Buyers are enjoying lifetime low interest rates.

Sellers are getting multiple offers at and above asking prices. Housing inventory is extremely low and buyer demand is strong.

Call me for a free professional consultation.

EAST ROCKAWAY WATERVIEW! 3Bds, 2Bths, EIK, FDR, LR, Den, FBasement, Garage,,Large Yard. Zone X-no flood insurance. Too Much To List! 516-241-6075 MLS: 3271059/ Coldwell Banker HEWLETT BAY PARK NEW TO MARKET! 10,000 Sq Fet. Waterfront Property on an Acre Of Parklike Grounds. IGP, 5 bds, 5.5 Baths Comtemp., $4.650,000 Ronnie Gerber 516 -238-4299 Douglas Elliman

Apartments Wanted

Mature - Single

Non-Smoking Woman Seeking 1-2 Bedroom Apartment with Long-Term lease.

I Have a Steady Job at the Same Company for the past 20 years.

I am Recently Separated and I am Looking for IMMEDIATE OCCUPANCY. I am Quiet, Responsible and Extremely Reliable.

Please Contact me with any Opportunities at cassiesmom810@aol.com.

I have Plenty of References that I would be happy to supply to you upon request.

1113840

INC

liherald.com

If you need care from your relative, friend/ neighbor and you have Medicaid, they may be eligible to start taking care of you as a personal assistant under NYS Medicaid CDPA Program. No Certificates needed.

1112179

HERALD Community Newspapers

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

WOOdMERE

946 Midwood Rd, BA, NEW! Renovated 4 BR, 2.5 Bth Colonial in Academy Area. Gran/Wood EIK, LR/Fpl, FDR & Den. Fin Bsmt.

Gar ....................................................................................... $899,000 185 Bay Dr, BA, 5/6 BR, 4.5 Bth Exp Ranch on Parklike 1/2 Acre Prop. Guest Quarters, Full Bsmt, 2 Car Gar. SD#14 ........$1,450,000

salary, commission, bonuses and benefits. must have own vehicle and valid driver’s license.

RICHNER

1113447

(We said it was simple. We didn’t say it was easy.)

1114158

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

We hire the smartest people who can solve the hardest marketing objectives with an arsenal of solutions and a smile through the journey.

1104975

December 31, 2020 — OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD

14

Melinda Beauchamp Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Mobile: 516.721.7805

mbeauchamp@coachrealtors.com mbeauchamp.coachrealtors.com

Melinda & Thor

314 Sunrise Highway Rockville Centre NY 11570

Apartments For Rent

CEDARHURST NO FEE Pr ivate Entrance, Modern 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, CAC, W/D, Storage, Wall To Wall Carpeting, Indoor Parking Space. Starting At $1450 For O n e B e d r o o m W h e n Ava i l a bl e.

(516)860-6889/ (516)852-5135/ (516)582-9978

Helping you find a HOME or sell a HOME … a place to call your own.

Suburb or country, house, condo, townhouse or apartment, our Classifieds can help you find a HOME that fits your style, your budget and Real Estate needs... it’s a MUST SEE!

Call us today!

Your Hometown Newspaper

To Place an Ad Call: 516-569-4000 • Press 5

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

HOME OF THE WEEK

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

Q. I wonder why I can’t seem to get a fire to burn properly in my chimney. All I get is smoke in the room. I’ve had the flue checked and know that the damper is working correctly, even if it is a little rusty.

The worst part is that the house smells like smoke, even when we haven’t had a fire for months. Nobody can find anything wrong with it. What can I do?

Island Park

Island Bay Townhoue & Marina

T

his stunning 3 floor townhouse will captivate you with it’s breath taking water views. This home has 3 bedrooms (2 are masters and 1 is presently being used as den with fireplace and bar.) Every floor has views with either a patio or balcony to sit and enjoy. There are hardwood floors or tiles with radiant heat in the 1st floor bathroom. High ceilings in living and dining room, hardwood floors throughout and top of the line appliances.

There is a secluded and romantic master on the 3rd floor with huge bathroom and walk in closet. It has a laundry room, an attached garage and l2 parking spots. There is also a boat slip included. Taxes are grieved (owner won an additional $1992 off taxes for 2021.) Asking $774,999

Ask The Architect

M

Lisa Camarda Owner/Broker RE/Max Reliance 3305 Jerusalem Ave Suite 211 Wantagh, NY 11793 516-755-7595 office 516-428-8861 cell

Sherlock Sherlock Homes Homes

BUSINESS FOR SALE Tazzetto Italian Coffee

263 Sunrise Hwy, Rockville Centre Possible Franchise Opportunity Turn-Key Established Coffee Shop High Traffic, Heavy Growth Area Completely Renovated 2019 Unique Grab & Go Concept Imported Gourmet Foods $350,000

516-459-5379

Contact one of our hardworking professionals today for all of your real estate needs!

*If your property is currently listed with another brokerage, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the listings of other brokerages.

Residential • Commercial • Business Brokerage

1106049

“Going Above & Beyond to find your Dream Home”

JUAN JARA Licensed RE Broker Associate Cell: 516-318-0142 Juan@AllStarRealEstateBrokers.com

Rhonda Healy

CAMILLE GIARDINA Licensed RE Broker/Owner Cell: 516-318-1392 Camille@AllStarRealEstateBrokers.com

M: (516) 236-7269

We’re Keeping the American Dream Alive.

1109112

www.AllStarRealEstateBrokers.com

2949 Long Beach Road, Suite 8 • Oceanside, NY, 11572 Phone 516.766.8200

Real Estate Salesperson, abR, SRS E: Rhonda.Healy.VW@gmail.com Verdeschi & Walsh Realty 1025 W. Beech St. | Long Beach, NY

Rent Your Apartment through the Herald and PrimeTime Classified section. Call us for our great *specials. 516-5694000, press 5 for Classified Dept. *(private party only)

OneKey Multiple Listing Service

1110798

Broker/Owner

THINKING OF BUYING OR SELLING?

1114046

Roger Hart

75 SEAMAN AVENUE, ROCKVILLE CENTRE o: 516.766.7900 | signaturepremier.com

We look forward to providing home buyers and sellers with the highest level of personalized service and support.

By Appointment Only

A. Set up an electric fireplace in front of the real one, or play the Yule log rerun on your TV. A client once complained of the same problem, and after much searching, I asked them to build a fire so I could observe their method. They started the fire too far forward, so the smoke climbed the walls onte eeper and smoked out the room, setting off the smoke detector. Rule No. 1: Make sure the fire is directly under the flue opening and centered in the fireplace.

There are many reasons why a fireplace doesn’t function. Some are obvious; some aren’t. Here are some possible reasons why yours doesn’t work. 1) The chimney is too narrow compared with its height. 2) The opening is too wide and not high enough. 3) The opening is too high and not wide enough. 4) There’s no fresh-air intake near the fire to draw air upward. 5) The flue has cracks that haven’t been detected. 6) The chimney isn’t two feet taller than the closest part of the roof within a 10-foot area, so breezes aren’t carrying smoke away, but instead a vacuum builds and forces air down the chimney. Winds rolling over your chimney from the upside roof slope also blow smoke downward in your chimney.

7) The flue has an angle bend in it that’s too sharp. 8) The wood selected isn’t properly seasoned.

9) Your fire starter is too wet or too dense. 10) The chimney has an animal living in it and must be cleaned out and capped. 11) The chimney is wet on the inside, either from openings in the exterior surface or the mortared crown or because it has no cap. This isn’t a likely reason for the smoke problem, but there’s a remote possibility.

Since a fire needs fuel, oxygen and heat to burn, these reasons are basic to why you haven’t had success. The formula for a great fire is the right type of starter (an easy-burning tinder) at the bottom, air space between everything of one-half to threequarters of an inch, and a dry, soft wood like pine above the tinder. Add oak or other hardwoods after the fire is going to create more brightness. Updraft is also essential. I’m certain that one of these reasons is causing your problem. Don’t use any treated or dressed lumber that can give off poisonous gases and creosote. Be safe and attentive. Good luck!

L

© 2020 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.

OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD — December 31, 2020

Fireplace frustrations

Homes

HERALD

15

HERALD

Market Place • •

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

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

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

Dave marlOWe Plumbing, inC. DBA BOB PHILLIPS PLUMBING

Over 100 Years Of familY Plumbing Oil to Gas • Toilets • Faucets • Repairs & Replacements Waste Piping • Water Piping

10% Off

If Your Plumbing STINKS

Call The WeNKS!

Sunday, August 02, 2020 11:27:28 AM

CAll JD PAINtING & reMoDelING CorP

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For New Customer Exp. 12/31/20

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Switch To Electrolyzed Restructured Water It's Healthier For You, Your Family, And Your Pets!

conSuMer reportS:

licensed and insured

1.99 Per Gallon

$

lucy MenSAh Cell:

516-668-3607

Email: gaby1234@optonline.net to own the Enagic Ionizer Machine.

www.lucyluulivingwater.com

"No Job Too Small!" Get the Best for Less!

Over 15 Years Experience Licensed • Insured

FREE ESTIMATES

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HANDYMAN SERVICE

RYAN 516-695-4527 917-697-3647

Carpentry & Painting Specialist

Also specializes in ★ Kitchens ★ Bathrooms ★ Finished Basements ★ Flooring ★ Repairs ★ Woodwork/mouldings ★ Siding ★ Gutters

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1066253

Chimney King, Ent. Inc.

(516) 766-1666 FREE • Chimneys Repaired, Rebuilt & Tuckpointing ESTIMATES • Stainless Steel Liners Installed

Chimney Cleaning & Masonry Services Done By Firefighters That Care chimneykinginc.com

Fully licensed and insured Nassau • Suffolk • NYC

CLUTTER

driving you

Sell your merchandise in no time!

Email your Ad to the Herald and PrimeTime Classified Department at

sales@liherald.com to run a FREE "Finds Under $100"

CRAZY?

ALL CLEAR DRAIN & SEWER SERVICE

(516)409-9696 • (631)422-9696 Sinks • Tubs • Toilets • Sewer Lines

1078401

HEATING OIL

Residential and Commercial - All Phases

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1109488

COMPLETE RENOVATIONS

AlkAline WAter Sold

1112012

It may not always be as pure as you think, and your tap water may be cleaner than you realize.

What you need to know.

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516-297-1885

OFF

Any Service Call

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at

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the

in

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• Oil to Gas Conversions • Hot Water Heaters • Boilers All Plumbing & Heating Work For House Lifts • Licensed and Insured!

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Safe Roof and Exterior Cleaning, Gutter Cleaning, Repairs, Installations

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1112267

December 31, 2020 — OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD

16

Free estimates

JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE...

JOBS, MERCHANDISE, It’s in the Herald Classifieds...

REAL ESTATE & MORE...

Call 516-569-4000 JOBS,To Advertise MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE...

JOBS, MERCHANDISE, REAL ESTATE & MORE... press 5

Stuff

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

FINDS UNDER $100 Finds Under $100

Adoption

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

) SLED-LIGHTNING GLIDER- Vintage Beautiful Patina 44" Long 13" wipe $35.00 516-705-4313

E-Z ELECTRIC SERVICES, INC. All Types Residential/Commercial Wiring, Generators, Telephone/Data, Home Entertainment, Service Upgrades, Pools, Spas.

Services/Repairs. Violations Removed.

Free Estimates Low Rates.

516-785-0646 Lic/Ins.

MERCHANDISE MART

TV CABINET SOLID Oak: 4 Louver Doors. 42"Wx551/4"Hx24"Deep. Gorgeous. $99 516-292-0430

Handyman

Antiques/Collectibles

TV SONY 32" TUBE: Works Perfect. $25.

516-292-0430

We Buy Antiques, Fine Art & Jewelry Same Day Service, Free In-Home Evaluations, 40 Year Family Business. Licensed and Bonded, Immediate Cash Paid..

SYL-LEE ANTIQUES www.syl-leeantiques.com 516-671-6464

VACUUM: SHARK ROTATOR Liftaway (corded) with six accessor ies. $95.

516-546- 7432

Single woman looking to build her family by adoption. Any ethnicity welcome, expenses paid. Please call (347) 470-5228 or my attorney: (800) 582-3678 for information

GLOCKENSPIEL, #A-440 2 Octaves with carrying case, shoulder strap and Mallets- Vintage $60/$70 516-705-4313

SERVICES

MIKE THE HANDYMAN: Light JobsPlumbing, Electrical, Specializing Vinyl Tiles, Gardening, Powerwashing, Painting.

Interior And Exterior. Experienced. Reliable And Honest. Call Cell 516-225-8107; 516-837-3436

Check out our Service Directory for all your repair, decorating, party planning, cleaning or moving needs, and much more!

HErald

Crossword Puzzle

Home Improvement

CARPENTRY & PAINTING: Residential/ Commercial. All Phases. Licensed/ Insured. FREE ESTIMATES! Anthony & J Home Improvements 516-678-6641 HANDY DANDY NO JOB TOO SMALL! *Kitchens/ Baths *Painting *Sheetrock *Taping/ Spackling *Installations Ceramic/ Vinyl Tile *Carpentry *Alterations *Repairs/ More. FREE ESTIMATES. Dan 516-342-0761

*MICHAEL LO BAIDO CONSTRUCTION*

Cement Specialist, Brickwork, Interlock Bricks, Belgium Blocks, Stoops, Patios, Basement Entrances, Pavers, Waterproofing. Quality Work, Lic./ Ins. Owner Always Onsite Free Estimates 516-354-5578

Junk Cars Wanted

HIGHEST CA$H PAID All Cars Bought 24/7 FREE Pickup

Serving Nassau County 41 Years No Title, No Keys=No Problem ID Required. CALL US LAST!

Call us at 516-766-0000

NEED A CAR? Find it in the HERALD Classifieds.

Deals on Wheels

Miscellaneous DISH TV $59.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice R e m o t e . S o m e r e s t r i c t i o n s a p p l y.

1-888-609-9405 GET DIRECTV! ONLY $35/month! 155 Channels & 1000s of Shows/Movies On Demand (w/SELECT All Included Package.) PLUS Stream on Up to FIVE Screens Simultaneously at No Additional Cost. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918

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24 Hour Emergency Response.

516-599-1011 PLUMBING & HEATING ALL TYPES Boilers, Bathrooms. Small/Large Jobs.

Licensed. Call Chris 516-697-8001 or Tony 347-843-9243.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Careers/Training TRAIN AT HOME 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)

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)

Health & Fitness HEARING AIDS!! BUY one/get one FREE! High-quality rechargeable Nano hearing aids priced 90% less than competitors. Nearly invisible! 45-day money back guarantee! 833-448-0751.

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AUTOMOBILE & MARINE

Autos For Sale BUICK ROADMASTER 1994: Leather Interior, Excellent Working Condition, Must See To Appreciate. $3750. 516-428-3915 MERCEDES BENZ E350, 2006: 4-Matic, 70K Miles, Excellent Condition. Must See! $12,000. 516-603-8697

Autos Wanted ***AAA*** AUTO BUYERS $Highe$t Ca$h Paid$ All Years/Conditions!

WE VISIT YOU! Or Donate, Tax Deduct + Ca$h. DMV ID#1303199 Call LUKE 516-VAN-CARS 516-297-2277 DRIVE OUT BREAST Cancer: Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup - 24hr Response Tax Deduction - Easy To Do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755

Want to sell your car, motorcycle or boat?

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516-569-4000 press 5, then 2

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Answers

to todAy’s puzzle

OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD — December 31, 2020

HERALD

17

18

For Advertising, call Rhonda Glickman,

vice president of sales, at (516) 569-4000, ext. 250.

The box at the far left side of the page is called the masthead. It contains the newspaper’s flag, or nameplate. The masthead offers important information about the paper, including the names of the staff members who are responsible for producing it each week.

Publisher Stuart Richner guides the business and news operations of the 18 newspapers in the Herald Community Newspapers group, including the Nassau Herald, which serves the Five Towns, and Heralds for Baldwin, Bellmore, East Meadow, Franklin Square-Elmont, Freeport, Glen Cove, Long Beach, Lynbrook-East Rockaway, Malverne-West Hempstead, Merrick, Oceanside-Island Park, Oyster Bay, Rockville Centre, Sea Cliff-Glen Head, Valley Stream, Wantagh and Seaford.

Each paper’s editor is responsible for the assignment, selection and placement of stories, most of which the editors and reporters write. The executive editor oversees news operations for all 18 papers in the group.

The production department is responsible for the papers’ design. The advertising and art departments produce the large, often illustrated display advertisements that appear throughout the papers. The classified department produces the smaller advertisements at the back of the papers.

The masthead also lists each paper’s age, the names of its founders, its address, email, and telephone and fax numbers, and it provides notice that all contents of the paper are copyrighted.

For Subscriptions, call Dianne Ramdass, circulation manager, at ext. 231.

20 HERALD

Editorials offer the opinions of the Herald.

Editors write them. Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the individuals who write them; rather, they are the institutional voice of the news organization. That is why they are unsigned.

Herald editorial department staff members meet weekly to plan the editorials. Independent reporting by our staff often helps inform our editorials. We might also speak with experts and advocates to gain their perspective before sitting down to write an editorial.

We are proud to say that we have won many press association awards for our editorial writing over the years.

Among our most important duties is publication of our annual endorsements in local elections.

We take this responsibility seriously. Editorial staff members sit down with candidates to question them about their views on major issues before offering the paper’s opinions about which candidates would best represent our readers.

Herald editorialS

Office Baldwin 2 Endo Boulevard Garden City, NY 11530

HERALD

Phone: (516) 569-4000 Established 1994 Fax: (516) 569-4942 Incorporating Web: www.liherald.com The South Shore Reporter E-mail: baldwineditor@liherald.com The Baldwin Citizen

Bridget downes Copyright © 2017 Editor Inc. Richner Communications, Michelle AuclAir Advertising Account Executive

HERALD office

COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS 2 Endo Boulevard Garden City, NY 11530 Robert Richner Edith Richner Phone: (516) 569-4000 Fax:1964-1987 (516) 569-4942 Publishers, Web: www.liherald.com ■ E-mail: baldwineditor@liherald.com STUARTCopyright RicHNeR © 2020 Publisher Richner Communications, Inc.

micHAel bOlOgNA Vice President - Operations

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ■

Robert Richner ScOTT bRiNTON Edith Richner Executive Edtitor Publishers, 1964-1987 Jim HARmON ■

Copy Editor clifford richner cHRiSTiNA DAlY stuArt richner Publishers Photo Editor MichAel BolognA TONY belliSSimO Vice President Sports Editor - Operations ■ KAReN blOOm scott Brinton Calendar Editor Executive Edtitor ■ JiM hArMon

Editorial comment

For your information . . .

Editorial page

November 26, 2020 — BALDWIN HERALD

December 31, 2020 — OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD

The masthead

RHONDA glicKmAN Copy Editor Vice President - Sales christinA dAlY Photo Editor elleN ReYNOlDS tonY BellissiMo Classified Manager Sports Editor lORi beRgeR KAren BlooM Digital Sales Manager Calendar Editor ■ ■ JeffReY NegRiN rhondA glicKMAn Creative ViceDirector President - Sales reYnolds cRAig ellen cARDONe Classified Manager Art Director lori Berger YOlANDA RiOS Digital Sales Manager JAcKie cOmiTiNO ■ PRiNcY JeffreY PANDiYAN negrin Production Artists Creative Director

■crAig white Production Coordinator DiANNe RAmDASS crAig cArdone Circulation Art Director Director ■

■

diAnneNeWSPAPeRS rAMdAss HeRAlD cOmmUNiTY Circulation Baldwin Herald Director Bellmore Herald Life ■ East Meadow Herald

herAld coMMunitY newsPAPers

Franklin Square/Elmont Herald

Baldwin Herald

Freeport Herald Leader Bellmore Herald Life

Glen Cove Herald GazetteHerald East Meadow Long BeachSquare/Elmont Herald Franklin Herald

Freeport Leader Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald

Long BeachHerald Herald Malverne/West Hempstead

Giving thanks in 2020

i

n a year when so much has gone awry — so many lives lost, businesses battered, jobs vanished — it strains the imagination to think what we might be thankful for, particularly as the nation enters its second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The coming months will likely be, as President-elect Joseph Biden has said, a “dark winter.”

Thanksgiving is, however, all about the audacious nature of hope.

The holiday, first celebrated in the fall of 1621, commemorates the struggle that the original Pilgrims faced and, against all odds, overcame in the New World — and the kinship they felt with the Native Americans who rescued them, helping to provide sustenance to a relatively small band of people who otherwise might have starved. The roughly 50 colonists at the original harvest celebration in Plymouth, Mass., were outnumbered by Native Americans two to one, according to History.com.

The 100 Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower had seen much death between 1620 and 1621: Some 78 percent of the women died during the first winter. Yet they persevered, and survived.

So shall the American people today — thanks in no small measure to our heroes

— the doctors, nurses, EMTS, firefighters, police officers, teachers, teachers’ aides, sanitation workers, railroad workers, subway and bus drivers, custodians, cooks, waiters and waitresses, supermarket employees and so many others — who have kept us safe, our education system up and running, and our economy moving. When many others were able to work from home, they put their lives on the line to do their jobs.

As a society, we should take a moment and reflect on their sacrifices over the past nine months.

We can also be thankful for our family and friends. We may not be able to shower them with hugs and kisses as we might want, but we can keep them in our thoughts and close to our hearts.

And we can be thankful for the miracles of modern science. Only 100 years ago, the 1918 pandemic ran wild for two years, killing 50 million worldwide, including 675,000 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thanks to technology that allows many of us to work remotely and socially distance, to date we have seen a tenth of the 500 million cases that the world did in

1918-19, and because of modern medical technology, the death toll thus far is onefiftieth what it was then.

So, while the number of infections and deaths today is unacceptably high, it is not close to the level of suffering experienced a hundred years ago — and let us hope and pray that it remains that way.

Likely, it will. On Saturday, the innovative New York company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals received emergency-use authorization for its experimental antibody treatment for the coronavirus. President Trump received the treatment, and by all accounts it was highly effective. The drug is designed to prevent patients from becoming severely ill by imitating the body’s natural defense system. We can only say, wow!

If all goes well, the Regeneron treatment should prevent many deaths, enabling health officials to safely roll out at least one of the vaccines now in the pipeline without undue political pressure. By April, we could indeed round the corner on this terrible pandemic, says Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Yes, there has been much despair this year, but there is much hope as well.

County does right by small businesses

W

e are pleased that Nassau County Executive Laura Curran is once again promoting small businesses ahead of the holiday season — which is vital this pandemic year.

Last Friday, Curran and county Industrial Development Agency Chairman Richard Kessel came to Rockville Centre to promote an innovative contest, aptly titled the Shop Safe, Shop Local Scavenger Hunt, and we are encouraging readers to take part in it.

The contest, which will be held for one week starting Saturday, will work like this: Complete four of eight tasks in your community, like buying breakfast at a local eat-

Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald Malverne/West Hempstead Herald NassauMerrick HeraldHerald Life Oceanside/Island Park Herald Nassau Herald Oceanside/Island Rockaway Journal Park Herald

ery or making a purchase at a local shop, and take a photo of yourself — masked — at each location, along with the product you purchased and your receipt. Then email it to scavengerhunt@nassaucountyny.gov or share it on Facebook.

The first person who finishes all four tasks and registers them on each day of the contest will receive a $100 gift card.

All purchases must be made at small businesses in a single community on the day of the contest. Online and delivery orders are eligible. The complete set of

instructions can be found at www.nassaucountygov/shoplocal.

As we noted in last week’s editorial, “Remember to shop locally this holiday season”: “Despite the crisis, we encourage you to consider patronizing our mom-and-pop shops, many of which now offer their goods online. Abandoning our local businesses would be devastating on so many levels.”

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Each editorial cartoon provides a thoughtful and, we hope, humorous perspective on the major news of the week. Prize-winning cartoonists from across the country produce the cartoons, which do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Herald or its staff.

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letters More praise for doctor’s column To the Editor: As Bob Praver did in last week’s letters, I also applaud Dr. Eric Last’s column, “Surely we shouldn’t be fighting over wearing masks” (Nov. 12-18), on the urgency of wearing masks in fighting the coronavirus

Editor: Bridget downes

Long Beach

Franklin Square/ Elmont

HERALD HERALD HERALD HERALD Editor: Editor: Brian stieglitz Editor: Peter Belfiore alyssa seidman Life

pandemic. But while Last’s exhortation that we must “treat others as you’d want to be treated yourself ” was well-intentioned, I believe it would fall on deaf ears when directed not only at those who, at this late date, scoff at the wearing of masks and social distancing, but also those who deliberately promote and take part in large, illegal social gatherings with no consideration of taking measures to counter the spread

Editor: ronny reyes

Senior Editor: laura lane

HERALD Editor: Jim Bernstein

Lynbrook/ East Rockaway

HERALD

Senior Editor: miKe smollins

Malverne/ West Hempstead

HERALD Editor: naKeem grant

HE

Editor:

What are the editorial pages all about?

Who writes editorials?

How do letters and guest columns get published?

This week’s pages offer some answers to our readers.

We thank The Riverdale Press for the idea.

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Opinion columns We publish three columns every week.

Columns represent the views of the writers themselves, not of the Herald. Each writer works independently and chooses his or her own subjects.

Among our regular contributors are the Heralds’ executive editor, Scott Brinton, and the Nassau Herald’s former executive editor, Randi Kreiss, both of whom have won numerous awards for their opinion writing. We also feature columns by prominent political figures, including former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato and former State Assemblyman Jerry Kremer, both of whom are now consultants. And we regularly invite guest columnists to offer their views.

Opinion pages 21

opinions

OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD — December 31, 2020

opi

T

he coronavirus pandemic has created a variety of hardships that have left families and children in distress. Social isolation. A mounting death toll. An estimated 8 million Americans falling into poverty. We have entered uncharted territory, and uncertainty continues as cases continue to rise across the U.S. Grief is a normal reaction — grieving not just the loss of life, but also the loss of normalcy and freedom when a disaster occurs. So what happens when we add even more stress to families sharon and their children, skariah particularly when schools close?

The trickledown effect of all this misfortune can dramatically weigh on kids, especially if they don’t have access to mental health resources at home. Typically, mental health symptoms are identified at school, by their teachers and peers, social workers and guidance counselors.

Children need a routine and consistency. Remote learning and social isolation will continue to uproot them. Children

with autism also face challenges with irritability, anxiety and behavioral disturbances. And the erratic nature of schools’ opening and closing (albeit temporarily) can have a lasting effect.

A recent study in JAMA Pediatrics showed that more than 22 percent of students in the Hubei province of China reported symptoms of depression, and more than 18 percent had anxiety symptoms, when schools closed for over a month. A second study, in the Journal of Pediatrics, determined that younger children (ages 3 to 6) were more inclined to show fear or clinginess, where older kids (6 to 18) were more likely to show inattention and persistent inquiry.

Clinging, inattention and irritability were the severe psychological conditions demonstrated by children in all age groups.

School closures — short or long — are unfortunately bound to happen until a safe and effective vaccine is available.

Prepare to take care of your child now.

First, children need outlets. In early childhood, play is important for development in the physical, verbal and emotional domains. Build that imaginary fort,

T

he trickledown effect of all this misfortune can dramatically weigh on kids.

LeTTers of the virus. The time for these selfish and greedy individuals to be reasoned with has long passed.

These people should be penalized for their actions, which continue to put the rest of us at even greater risk of acquiring the disease, and severe penalties should also be meted out to participants in these gatherings, not just their greed-bound organizers.

If anything, these miscreants should consider the 17th-century English poet John Donne’s poem, telling us not to ask “for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.” They might also be reminded that, indeed, “no man is an island,” as Donne wrote. It appears, though, that they do not realize or accept this concept, even though we are all in this fight — together.

ROBERT RUBALSkY East Rockaway

We must protect communities of color

Nassau

HERALD HERALD Life

Fourth — and most important — pay attention. Younger children can’t always express their distress, anxiety or fear.

Their behavior may regress. Look for the signs, which include an increase in crying or neediness, more temper tantrums or somatic symptoms (headaches, stomach aches) than normal. Older children may also show increased anger and irritability.

If you think your children or adolescents may need a mental health professional, don’t hesitate. They are acting that way because they need help. So watch out for them to verbalize any suicidal thoughts, ongoing sleep disturbances, a decline in overall functioning (hygiene, grooming), aggression or worsening substance use. If you see these signs, seek treatment.

Following these steps may help keep children mentally fit during one of our harshest times. Nothing can replace life as we knew it pre-Covid, but you can manage this new normal and keep your kids safe, too.

Special features The op-ed, or opposite the editorial, page features a weekly Framework photo, which is chosen by our photo editor. The Framework offers a creative, at times humorous outlet for our photography staff. In this spot, we also publish photos sent to us by readers, featuring them on vacation, reading the Herald at various international landmarks. We call it Herald Around the World.

At times, a correction box might appear on the op-ed page. We strive each week for the highest standards of accuracy and accountability. When we make mistakes in our reporting, we believe we must own up to them and correct the record.

Sharon Skariah, M.D., is the director of child and adolescent psychiatry for Zucker Hillside Hospital. She is also an assistant professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell.

Framework Courtesy Roni M. Chastain

the United States, and amid big treatment strides, the disease continues to ravage African-American and other minority communities with a particular vengeance.

Black, Asian, Native American and Hispanic patients still die far more frequently than white patients, even as death rates have plummeted for all races and age groups.”

As Covid-19 continues to spread aggressively nationwide, it is crucial that government officials at all levels — federal, state and local — address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on people of color. Immediate attention should be paid to issues such as the availability of testing facilities in communities of color, access to health care, inequitable treatment once access is provided and priorities for providing vaccines once they are available. The evidence is clear: Government owes it to all Americans to ensure fair and equal access to health care, regardless of race, in this pandemic — and always.

To the Editor: The Washington Post last Friday published a new analysis of the impact of Covid-19 on people of color. It reported, “Nearly nine months after the virus exploded in

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encourage storytelling, toast s’mores in your backyard. For adolescents, it’s important that they develop their own sense of identity but also explore peer relationships. Encourage this — in a socially distanced, safe way.

Second, seek normalcy. The goal is to foster continued development, even if your children can’t attend school in person. They want to feel safe — an important tool for parents to use during the crisis. Make sure you provide protection and consistency in an otherwise uncertain time. Talk to them about their feelings. Ensure their safety by creating an atmosphere of stability.

Third, adapt to the environment. Summer may be gone, but you can still enjoy the outdoors safely during the fall, and even on some nice winter days. When the extreme cold sets in, continue building on the elements of safety and fun you have already introduced. Have family game nights. Schedule a movie night. Cook and bake together as a family. Designate a reading hour.

Although it may be colder, it’s important to get exercise, so go for a walk or a hike or a brisk bike ride. There are also online exercises for kids, like yoga and others.

BALDWIN HERALD — November 26, 2020

We need to pay attention to children’s mental health Give thanks the election is

Letters to the editor We welcome readers’ letters to the editor and publish most that we receive. We believe these letters are critically important, because they reflect the shared voices of the communities that we cover.

Letters should be 250 to 300 words in length. Each letter must include an address and phone number. Our editors call all letter writers to confirm the authenticity of letters before publication.

We edit letters for length, grammar, spelling and foul language. We do not censor viewpoints.

If we believe a letter requires major revisions, we will send it back to the writer and ask that he or she change it so that meaning and intent are not lost.

Readers should send letters to the editors of their hometown newspapers. They can be sent by email (preferred), fax or mail. All contact information is listed on the masthead and on our website, liherald.com.

ELAINE GROSS President, ERASE Racism

The season’s last splashes of color — Glen Cove

Oceanside/ Island Park

HERALD

Editor: alyssa seIdMan Senior Editor: Jeff Bessen Senior Editor: MIKe sMollIns Senior Editor: laura lane

Rockville Centre

HERALD Senior Editor: laura lane Editor: JIll nossa

Seaford

Wantagh

Valley Stream HERALD HERALD HERALD Interim Editor: J.d. freda Citizen

Interim Editor: J.d. freda Editor: peter BelfIore

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December 31, 2020 — OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK HERALD

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