_____________ ROCKVILLE CENTRE ____________
HERALD VE SECTION 2024 SPECIAL COMMEMORATI
South Side wins semifinal
Amy Schumer shares diagnosis
Page 8
Page 5
Vol. 35 No. 10
FEBRUARY 28, 2024
FEBRUARY 29 - MARCH 6, 2024
$1.00
Elected leaders rally for more state aid By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com
Daniel Offner/Herald
Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray, at the podium, immediate past president of the New York Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials, joined more than 20 elected officials from local governments across Long Island outside Village Hall in Rockville Centre to rally for more state funding for the Aid and Incentives for Municipalities program.
The New York Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials joined more than 20 government officials from across Long Island on the steps of Rockville Centre Village Hall last week for the launch of a statewide campaign to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to increase unrestricted aid to cities and villages for the first time in 15 years. At a news conference on Feb. 22, Mayor Francis X. Murray, the immediate past president of NYCOM, said that the fight to deliver more state funding via the Aid and Incentives for Municipalities program is “unfortunately, a constant theme” for local governments. Funding for AIM in the 2025 fiscal year is currently budgeted at $715 million. Municipal officials said that the funds directly impact local governments’ ability to respond to growing demands for public safety and other essential serCONtINued ON pAge 11
South Side High School prepares for Red and Blue By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com
South Side High School is amped up for its 108th annual Red and Blue extravaganza, a revered three-day tradition set to unfold Thursday through Saturday with nearly 300 high school girls poised to participate in this fierce, yet friendly competition as teams vie for victory and the chance to etch their names into school history books. “Best wishes to all of our participants and parents,” Superintendent Matt Gaven said during the school board meeting on Feb. 1. “I’ve already started to see BTV and RTV signs
sprouting up all over Rockville Centre.” Gaven said that as the competition begins, he wants to remind participants that even during the competition, students are there to collaborate and support their classmates. “We have days where Blue team members wear Red, and Red team members wear Blue, so that we’re reminded that we are not just identified by the color of our team,” Gaven elaborated. “And we want to remind everyone that Red and Blue was created to reinforce the values of teamwork and collaboration towards a goal.” To help coordinate the event, the high school invited back two South
Side alumni, Lisa Guerriero and Jenna Carey — both former Red team captains — as the co-directors of this year’s competition. Prior to accepting the position Guerriero and Carey didn’t know each other, but over the past two years, have become very close friends. As the directors of the Red and Blue meet, they will coordinate the entire event and are also the only two people who know every aspect of what will take place during the competition. Guerriero graduated from South Side High School in 2000. She currently works as a physical education teacher at East Meadow High School.
Special RED and BLUE pullout section inside
Carey graduated in 2006 and currently works as a freelance TV producer. She previously worked on the ESPN docuseries “The Captain,” about Derek Jeter’s career with the New York Yankees. The almost 300 participating students are split into two teams at random. The four captains — including Red team captains Maggie Miller and Sarah Tear, and Blue team captains Katherine Ahern and Ava Gallego — were selected based on a vote amongst students. Guerriero said that there are certain qualities that they look for when deterCONtINued ON pAge 7