Rockville Centre Herald 03-23-2023

Jewish vets fight 127 years of hate

DECA Club wins big at state competition

By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com

Fourteen students from Rockville Centre have qualified for the DECA International Career Development Conference at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, next month, following their recent performance at the state competition.

The Distributive Education Clubs of America, or DECA, is an internationally recognized organization with more than 200,000 members across the globe that is dedicated to preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance,

hospitality and management. Peter English, a business department facilitator and instructor at South Side High School, played a pivotal role in the school’s DECA program when he started teaching there seven years ago. He had been involved in the organization for several years at his former school in New Jersey, and revitalized the DECA Club charter at the high school.

“I think the kids get excited about the content in class when they can actually use it and compete with it and really apply it,” English said. “So that was the vision, to grow it where it is now,

Continued on page 4

South Side soccer coaches were ‘wrongfully’ dismissed

By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com

In 2021, the Rockville Centre Board of Education voted against rehiring South Side High School girls’ soccer coach Jennifer Abgarian and assistant coach Chris Aloisi, despite the support for the coaches from then Superintendent June Chang and Athletic Director Carol Roseto.

But according to a recent ruling by arbitrator Dennis J. Campagna, obtained by Newsday, the district acted wrongfully, and was ordered to pay the former

coaches the salaries they would have received if they had remained on as coaches for the 2021 fall season. The payment amounts were not disclosed in the decision, which was handed down in January.

Abgarian and Aloisi guided the Cyclones to the Nassau Class A championship in the spring of 2021, after the fall 2020 season was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was Abgarian’s third season as head coach, and the first county title for the team since 2014. During her time in the district, Abgarian

helped lead the squad to four consecutive postseason runs and was voted Newsday’s Girls’ Soccer Coach of the Year in the spring 2021 season.

At its meeting on July 21, 2021, the school board voted 3-2 not to rehire Abgarian. The decision was met with widespread derision from the public, which included claims that one of the trustees voted “no” because of a personal issue related to the program that dated back several years.

Coaching positions in the district have one-year terms, and must be reap-

Great Homes

plied for each year. With the approval of the superintendent and the athletic director, the final step is a vote by the board. The policy had been in place for over three decades, and this was the first time that a coach was not hired after receiving the approval of both administrators.

Then-board President John O’Shea and Trustees Christine Ferazani and Erica Messier voted against rehiring Abgarian and Aloisi, while current board President Kelly Barry and Tara

Continued on page 7

Tim Baker/Herald

Education Foundation names gala honorees

By DANIEL OFFNER doffner@liherald.com

The Rockville Centre Education Foundation will host its 31st annual fundraising Gala on Saturday, April 1, at Gatsby’s on the Ocean near Jones Beach.

Created in 1991, the RVC Education Foundation is a non-profit organization that seeks to enhance the quality of public education in the community by focusing on programs that enrich, engage, and expand the normal scope of classroom curriculum to foster innovation in the classroom and beyond.

The event is the foundation’s primary source of funding, relying solely on the generosity of its donors in order to help fund new public school initiatives proposed by RVC school district staff to help ensure students are prepared to take on the global challenges that lie ahead.

To date, the foundation has raised nearly one million dollars — a milestone which its members hope to exceed this year.

The honorees for the 2023 RVC Education Foundation Gala are Sharon Sheppard, assistant director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, and Rena Riback, founder of the Anti-Racism Project. Over the last three years, during the Covid pandemic, both Sheppard and Riback have helped give back to the community through Sharon’s Food Pantry.

Sheppard, who was previously named the Rockville Centre Herald’s “Person of

the Year” in 2021 for her commitment to the community, said that she is delighted to be honored by the foundation for her efforts to help provide food during the height of the pandemic.

“Just knowing that I am helping people in the community means everything to me,” Sheppard said. “The pantry gives me life. That is my livelihood. It gives me purpose.”

Having been diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer, which has metastasized to her brain, she said that her work with the food pantry has helped her to strive to live even more than before.

“We take so much for granted,” she

said. “I get up everyday and strive to be successful.”

Riback said that she hopes, as one of the honorees, people will become more aware of the food pantry and the needs of the community at-large.

“I’m glad the pantry, in particular Sharon, is getting the recognition that she deserves,” Riback said. “I think it’s important because we feed a lot of the school children in Rockville Centre. Without the nutrition to feed their bodies, they’re not going to be able to absorb the knowledge.”

She also expressed how she would like to see more people in the community try and help out the food pantry anyway that

they can.

“These two women truly understand the meaning of mission-driven, community-based support, and the foundation is thrilled to honor them for their dedication, hard work, and desire to undertake such an important initiative,” Mayda Kramer, president of the RVC Education foundation, said.

South Side High School business department teacher and facilitator, Peter English, will also be presented with the foundation’s Ruth Fins Award at this year’s Gala.

“I am tremendously surprised and excited to receive this honor on behalf of the business department for providing our students with new ways to explore opportunities in business,” English said.

More than just a classroom teacher — English is a true go-getter who helped pilot the successful International Baccalaureate business management program at the high school, and with his help, rebooted the school’s DECA charter.

“We are particularly excited to recognize Mr. English for his efforts and dedication to the students through the DECA program, which is a program that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management,” Kramer said.

To learn more about the foundation, donations, sponsorships, and grant opportunities, or to purchase tickets for the upcoming 2023 Education Foundation Gala on April 1, visit RVCEdFoundation.org.

ShARON ShEppARD AND Rena Riback have been named honorees of the 2023 Rockville Centre Education Foundation’s annual fundraising Gala. Business department facilitator and South Side teacher Peter English will also receive the Ruth Fins Award at the event on April 1.

Courtesy Sharon Sheppard and Rena Riback Justine Stefanelli/Herald

Jewish War Veterans celebrate 127 years

Nation’s longest-running veterans organization

By DANIEL OFFNER doffner@liherald.com

It’s been 127 years since a small group of Jewish Civil War veterans got together to discuss antisemitism and the lack of Jewish servicemen in the military.

That was 1896. Today, the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America is still going as the longest-running veterans organization in the country. And it brought together members of Jewish War Veterans Post 652 — which includes members from all across Nassau County — to get back to basics and talk about hate.

“Their singular purpose was to show the world that, despite words of the contrary, Jews have always been part of the fabric of the United States of America since its inception,” said Gary Glick, commander of the Jewish War Veterans Department of New York. “We were hopeful following World War II and the defeat of Nazi Germany would be the end of antisemitism and hate for some time. But it continues to raise its ugly head quite often, and we are presently witnessing another period of this vital phenomenon, even in our own country.”

Members gathered at Central Synagogue–Beth Emeth in Rockville Centre last week to not only celebrate, but also to reflect. Hatred appears to be at its highest levels since World War II — something even Nelson Mellitz, the national commander of the Jewish War Veterans, told a joint session of Congress earlier this month, explaining that the level of discrimination is the worst it has ever been in his lifetime.

“We will defend the rights of everybody in the United States, and we will continue to do so,” Mellitz said. “As antisemitism continues to grow in the United States, the JWV asks you, congress members, to specifically help defend our country’s freedoms, and go forward and fight antisemitism and all forms of hate and bigotry, wherever it exists.”

Even today, however, Jews make up a small fraction of the military. A 2009 survey from the Military Leadership Diversity Commission revealed just 1 percent of soldiers identified as Jewish, compared to 2 percent in the general population.

During World War I, the Jewish War Veterans established the Jewish chaplaincy in the military, and fought to include the Star of David on the graves of Jewish soldiers.

Prior to the start of World War II, the group also helped lead a protest march and boycott of Nazi Germany and its goods, and would campaign for the 1938 Foreign Agents Registration Act, which led to several Nazi leaders in America being deported.

The organization continued its efforts long after the wars were over, too. It campaigned to include religious and racial protections in the GI Bill, stood against the Ku Klux Klan and the John Birch Society during the Cold War era, and even established a National Museum of Jewish Military History.

At the local level, it advocates for fellow veterans and help get them benefits they often were unaware they were eligible for. Following the coronavirus pandemic, several veterans had become more isolated, during which time Glick and others worked to connect with them and help get them the care they needed.

Yet, despite the organization’s stoic history, the Nassau County chapter has seen a steady drop in membership in more recent years. It’s primarily from a failed attempts to publicize the group’s existence, Glick says, fearing this could spell the end of the Jewish War Veterans unless someone takes action.

“Complacency will get absolutely nothing accomplished,” Glick said. “If you want to be the last of the

wants more

members

Why Beth Emeth?

The Jewish War Veterans celebrated its 127th anniversary at Central Synagogue-Beth Emeth in Rockville Centre last week — the very same temple where Rabbi Roland Gittelsohn served for 25 years.

Gittelsohn, who served during World War II, was tasked by his supervising chaplain with providing the eulogy as soldiers buried the dead following the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, where nearly 7,000 Americans were killed, and another 20,000 wounded.

JWV, sit back and enjoy your bagels and lox and we will drift into sunset unnoticed. We need to work together to be successful, and I’m hopeful to see some positive movement in this direction.”

ERIc SpINNER, cOmmANDER of Jewish War Veterans Post 652, discusses the importance of 127 years for the national organization as well as the recent anniversary of Iwo Jima, one of the turning points of World War II’s Pacific conflict.

GARy GLIck, cOmmANDER of the Department of New York Jewish War Veterans, delivers his message about the organization’s 127-year history combating hate regarding Jews in the military. He also spoke about the uncertainty of the group’s future in the face of rising antisemitism.

Eric Spinner, commander of Jewish War Veterans

Post 652 in Bellmore — and member of American Legion Post 1033 in Elmont — said that as many veterans get older, the number of people joining the post have gotten smaller. Currently, the Nassau organization boasts nearly 120 members, which has steadily declined over recent years.

“I didn’t know about it until two years ago,” Spinner said. “That’s when I joined.”

Spinner hopes by informing more people about the Jewish War Veterans and what it does to help provide services and recover medals for all veterans, that more people will be inclined to join their group.

“We welcome new Jewish veterans to our ranks,” Spinner said, “and we welcome patrons, too, who are not veterans, but who support our goals and aims.”

The post also welcomes anyone from the community willing to donate to help fund its cause.

To learn more about the organization, its history, and ways you can help, visit We-Are-Vets.us.

And for more information on the national group, visit JWV.org.

Daniel Offner/Herald photos

JOE ScAROLA, cOmmANDER of the Nassau County American Legion and a member of Legion Post 303 in Rockville Centre, was welcomed to celebrate the organization’s 127th anniversary along with longstanding members of the Jewish War Veterans.

Business students excel in state competition

continued from front page

and it took a while, especially when the pandemic gave us a bit of a pause, but kids are ready to get back out there and start doing things.”

English said that as the pandemic receded, many of the students were eager to network and interact with one another. DECA is now the school’s largest club, having nearly doubled in size from last year, with more than 100 members who compete in a series of business-related challenges, testing their understanding of business concepts and their creativity.

“I think we’re at the tip of the iceberg,” English said, adding that he anticipated that the club would continue to grow in the years ahead. “It’s about opening doors and giving students opportunities to do things with the content that they normally wouldn’t get a chance to do, and test out their knowledge. So I think it’s exciting in that regard.”

South Side Principal Patrick Walsh said that the DECA Club enables students to apply their knowledge to real-world business scenarios and provides them with practical life experiences.

“It gives them an opportunity to see those things come to life in their business classes,” Walsh said. “It’s so great to see our students recognized at such a high level. They do such great work.”

More than 80 students in the International Baccalaureate Business Management program were selected to attend the

New York DECA career conference in Rochester March 7-10, based on their performance in regional competition at Freeport High School last December. Over the course of the three-day competition, nearly 2,400 students from 90 schools across the state took part in a series of business-related role-playing scenarios and case study events.

The competition began with a 100-question multiple-choice career cluster exam, followed by scenarios in which students

are given 10 minutes to come up with response and 10 minutes to present their answers to a judge who scores them.

“It’s like a pitch,” English said. “Let me give you a scenario. You’re the general manager of a minor league baseball team that uses the stadium for 81 days out of the year. But what do we do to make revenue those other times? So you have to come up with an idea.”

The students are judged on creativity, their ability to apply business terms and

content knowledge to case studies, and their public speaking skills.

Along with those who qualified for the international competition, 37 South Side students won medals in the respective categories. Lauren O’Brien and Sam Stein took first place overall for their career development project, and Gavin Goodlad, Hailey Ferraro-Reich and Catherine Medeiros, finished second overall for their sales project. Keira Birk, Emma Murphy and Catie Dolan finished in third overall fin business solutions.

Individually, Lucy Reardon finished third in marketing communications, Sean Clairine was fourth in business growth plan, Katherine Graci finished fourth in business finance, Ashley Sewell was fifth in business services marketing, Michael Muscarella finished fifth in hotel and lodging management, and Nick Papadopulos finished sixth in quick-serve restaurant marketing.

Medal winners also included Graham Batkin, Michael Baum, Ella Burbige, Ayush Chanda, Cameron Coletti, Emma Conlon, Jimmy Curran, Lauren Ferazani, Robert Galindo, Michael Grossman, Kate Gupta, Emily Koluch, Matthew Mata, Corinne McGetrick, Molly McKeough, Kendall Pinsky, Noelle Prince, Gigi Reilly, Kelsie Reinholdt, Molly Schieck, Brooke Seidman and Ronan Tarpey.

To learn more about Side Side’s DECA program, visit its website, SouthSideDECA.com.

CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE

Richner Communications, publisher of Herald Community Newspapers has an excellent opportunity for a FT/PT Customer Service Rep. Must be reliable, organized, detail oriented, and able to work well under strict deadlines. Responsibilities include heavy computer work, answering phones, making phone calls, entering orders, faxing, filing, etc.

STRONG knowledge of EXCEL a must! Knowledge of DATABASE maintenance or postal regulations a plus.

$15-$18/hour plus benefits!

For immediate consideration, please send cover letter and resume to careers@liherald.com

Courtesy Rockville Centre School District

The SouTh Side High School DECA club took part in the state career conference in Rochester earlier this month.

D’Esposito heads for the border to learn

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

It was his second trip to the border that separates the United States from Mexico, yet U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito still finds himself discovering something new.

He got a firsthand look at the border situation near El Paso, Texas, before he was elected to Congress. And now D’Esposito has returned — this time with several of his House Committee on Homeland Security colleagues.

D’Esposito’s take away? The scene is worse than before.

More than 200,000 people are trying to cross the border each month, according to a January report by Pew Research Center — numbers that haven’t been this high since the turn of the century. While D’Esposito believes people should have the opportunity to come to America, they still must “come through the front door” —legally.

And for him, that means more funding for border patrol agents and the resources he says they need to keep the country’s borders safe.

“Our border patrol agents are doing the best that they can with the resources that they have,” D’Esposito said. “But the Biden administration is failing to implement the laws or allow them to implement the laws that are in place.”

John Modlin, chief patrol agent for the Tucson sector with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told a House committee last month that Border Patrol has just 19,300 people, where it actually needs 22,000. Biden said his federal budget package would grow the ranks to 23,000, according to Government Executive.

Biden’s budget plan maps out nearly $25 billion for U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement — up roughly $800 million. Those funds, according to the White House, would hire an additional 350 border patrol agents while also investing in border security technology, combatting fentanyl trafficking, and hire hundreds more support staff members.

Biden is reportedly considering bringing back migrant family detention centers for asylum seekers who attempt to cross into the U.S. illegally — a controversial policy left over from the Trump administration he ended shortly after taking office.

“The ideas are great, and perhaps even their intention is well received,” D’Esposito said. “But if we don’t have the resources — if we don’t have the personnel to make sure that that those issues are taken care of at the border — then none of it matters.”

Much closer to home, D’Esposito joined several of his Republican colleagues to introduce a pair of legislative proposals aimed to prevent House members convicted of financial or campaign fraud from profiting off such federal violations and fabrications.

ANThONy D’eSpOSiTO U.S. Representative

If passed, the No Fame for Fraud resolution would change rules governing the House, intending to ensure current members indicted for violations of the Federal Election Act of 1971 or any other offenses — which would cause them to lose their congressional pension — cannot financially profit off their story.

At the border, D’Esposito described a car rolling into the entrance to El Paso where border agents seized a significant amount of illegal narcotics. While in a helicopter overhead, D’Esposito watched several migrants attempt to scale border security structures.

The congressman spoke to those who live and work near the border — educators, business owners, farmers and ranchers — and says he heard about how what’s happening at the border is having a negative impact on their daily lives.

“You really can’t get an understanding of what’s going on there until you see it with your own eyes,” D’Esposito said.

Next month, D’Esposito’s House committee plans to roll out a border bill he says will focus on better physical protection of the border, funding for border patrol agents, as well as mental health resources.

“Across the nation we’ve seen one of the largest increases in law enforcement suicide, and that’s the effects of the job,” said D’Esposito, a former New York Police Department detective. “We need to do better to provide them with the resources that they need so we can keep our men and women in blue safe and healthy.”

The second part of the package is the No Fortune for Fraud Act, intended to guarantee any current or former House members found guilty of violating the Federal Election Act of 1971 or other laws cannot make money off their story and will lose their pension.

These profits include compensation for biographies, media appearances or other creative works.

D’Esposito said it is “no secret” these proposals were inspired by his Nassau County colleague, the embattled U.S. Rep. George Santos, and some of the ongoing investigations centering around a number of aspects of his campaign and office, including fundraising.

Even with that direct connection, Santos still reached out hoping to co-sponsor the bills, D’Esposito confirmed.

“It is absolutely ridiculous,” the congressman said of Santos. “He loves the spotlight. He loves to be part of the news cycle. Whatever it is that George Santos intends to do, or other members of Congress on either side of the aisle, they will not be able to financially benefit from duping the American people.”

Santos has announced plans to run for re-election in 2024 — something D’Esposito says he will join Nassau County Republicans and its chair, Joe Cairo, to make sure it’s a run that does not succeed.

U.S. Rep. ANThONy

D’Esposito got a bird’s eye view of the border between the United States and Mexico border during a recent trip to El Paso, Texas. During the helicopter ride, the freshman congressman says he witnessed several migrants trying to scale border security structures. D’Esposito has stressed the need for better border protections, and more funding for border patrol agents.

Tim Baker/Herald

Courtesy U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito

y ou really can’t get an understanding of what’s going on there until you see it with your own eyes.

District to pay former girls’ soccer coaches

Hackett voted to rehire them. The trustees refused to answer questions about the decision, saying they were advised by an attorney not to speak publicly about personnel matters.

Karen Parker, vice president of the South Side High School Booster club at the time, told the Herald that she was “shocked and disappointed” by the decision, and that the community was entitled to know why it was made.

“I think the community deserves answers to questions about the motivation of these three board members and justification of their vote,” Parker said. “If the board knows information about these coaches that the community doesn’t, then they should say so, even if the specifics can’t be discussed.”

A group of 12 South Side soccer parents came to the defense of the coaches in a letter addressed to Chang.

Supporters of the decision said that Aloisi was not in a position to select the roster, because he would show favoritism to players who pay to play for the East Meadow Soccer Club, a travel team that he worked for.

Abgarian was not affiliated with any outside soccer programs, and was not met with the same level of pushback. Aloisi was an unpaid volunteer during the 2021 season, and both he and Abgarian are tenured middle school teachers in the district.

Members of the Rockville Centre teachers union filed a grievance on behalf of both coaches, which was denied by the school board and was taken to Campagna, the independent arbitrator.

“The arbitrator’s decision validates 100 percent that we hadn’t done anything wrong,” Abgarian told Newsday. “Our goal in teaching and coaching was always to serve the district and its students.”

Campagna ruled that the board had acted in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner in 2021, and added that the reasoning for its decision not to appoint two “clearly qualified” coaches remains unclear.

South Side eventually hired Judi Croutier, a former Cyclones coach who previously helped the team win eight Long Island championships and five state titles. In the fall 2021 season, the squad won the Long Island Class A championship and made it to the state title match, but was defeated by New Hartford 2-1. Croutier returned for the fall 2022 season, in which the team qualified for the Class A playoffs but lost in the first round.

According to Newsday, Abgarian and Aloisi both said they had not yet decided whether they plan to submit applications to coach the soccer team in the fall.

Student athleteS, teacherS, coaches, parents and community members gathered outside South Side High School in July 2021 to protest the Board of Education’s decision not to rehire girls’ soccer coach Jennifer Abgarian and assistant coach Chris Aloisi.

LARGEST FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED FUNERAL HOME ON THE SOUTH SHORE

Our f amil y prides our selves on providing the highest level of ser vice to those we care f or while maintaining the most beautiful center hall colonial funeral home on Long Island

Theresa Press/Herald

IN MEMORIAM

IN MEMORY OF

All of us at Richner Communications are thinking of you today on the 8th anniversary of your passing.

You were a woman of great integrity, intelligence, and creativity which were matched by your good heart and sharp wit.

The Richner family and Rockville Centre Community miss you terribly.

RICHNER

Kids help ‘Spread the Word to End the Word’

South Side Middle School students and teacher gathered at Village Hall in Rockville Centre to promote the “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign.

Part of an ongoing effort by the Special Olympics, Best Buddies International, and their supporters, the campaign aims to inspire respect and acceptance through raising the consciousness of society about the “R-word” and how hurtful words and disrespect can be toward peo-

ple with intellectual disabilities.

During their visit, a Mayor Francis Murray presented a proclamation to commemorate the Village of Rockville Centre’s pledge to “end the R-word and all forms of hateful expression.”

The program began with fun and laughter, filled with great dialogue, and concluded with an engaging Q&A session with the kids about the village government.

Courtesy Village of Rockville Centre Rockville centRe MayoR Francis Murray, Deputy Mayor Kathy Baxley, and RVC Schools Superintendent Matthew Gavin joined South Side Middle School students and teachers to promote the “Spread the Word to End the Word,” campaign and inspire respect and acceptance for all.

“There are some who bring light so great to the world, that even after they have gone, the light remains. Miss you every day, Mom

Courtesy Rockville Centre Police Police officers attend suicide awareness training on March 13 and March 14.

News brief

RVC cops attend suicide prevention training

The Rockville Centre Police Department and Commissioner James Vafeades held an important suicide awareness training event for their officers on March 13 and March 14.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training conducted a two-day workshop for RVCPD officers that educated them on how to help prevent suicide in the community.

The training is meant to increase mental health awareness and act as suicide first aid course.

“The training our officers received is an invaluable tool in the fight against sui-

Burglary

cide,” Vafeades said. “It allows us to provide support to those in crisis and help our community. This training gave our officers insight into better ways to help those in need. I’d like to thank the Ryan Patrick O’Shea Foundation for setting it up and for initiating a relationship between the foundation and the police department, specifically John and Mary O’Shea and Kathy Baxley.”

Approximately one-third of the Rockville Centre Police Department participated in this training and due to its success the remaining officers will be trained later in the year.

Crime watCh

■ The owner of Royal Gold Buyers reported on March 13, around 11 p.m., someone broke into the front window of the store and stole merchandise.

Criminal Mischief

■ A motorist reported on March 14, someone damaged his car mirror after a verbal dispute on Merrick Rd.

Property Damage

■ A motorist reported on March 15, someone damaged the rear bumper of her vehicle while parked in Municipal Parking Lot No. 3.

Arrest

■ Jennifer Menendez, 28, of S. Centre Ave. in Rockville Centre was arrested and charged with assault following an investigation at her residence.

People named in Crime Watch items as having been arrested and charged with violations or crimes are only suspected of committing those acts of which they are accused. They are all presumed to be innocent of those charges until and unless found guilty in a court of law.

HELP WANTED

Receptionist

Needed for Publisher and Self-Storage Facility located in Garden City.

The ideal candidate should have excellent communications and customer service skills, be professional, dependable and have reliable transportation. Candidate should have computer knowledge and working knowledge of MS Office.

Candidate MUST be reliable, punctual and be able to work a CONSISTENT schedule:

• Monday and Wednesday 8am to 4pm

• Tuesday and Thursday 8am to 6pm

• Friday 8am to 5pm

Responsibilities include, but not limited to: Answering phones, greeting customers, assisting new customers by showing storage facility options and pricing, collecting payments from customers, contacting customers for late payments, applying payments, updating the customer files/data base and other administrative responsibilities on an as needed basis. $15-$18/hour plus benefits!

For immediate consideration, please send cover letter and resume to careers@liherald.com

Protecting Your Future with Michael and Suzanne Ettinger Attorneys-at-Law

Protecting Your Future with Michael and Suzanne Ettinger Attorneys-at-Law

Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT) v. Life Estate Deed

Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT) v. Life Estate Deed

Clients often ask whether the home should be deeded to the client’s adult children, while retaining a life estate in the parent or whether the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust should be used to protect the asset.

Clients often ask whether the home should be deeded to the client’s adult children, while retaining a life estate in the parent or whether the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust should be used to protect the asset.

While the deed with a life estate will be less costly to the client, in most cases it offers significant disadvantages when compared to the trust. First, if the home is sold prior to the death of the Medicaid recipient, the life estate value of the home will be required to be paid towards their care. If the house is rented, the net rents are payable to the nursing facility since they belong to the life tenant. Finally, the client loses a significant portion of their capital gains tax exclusion for the sale of their primary residence as they will only be entitled to a pro rata share based on the value of the life estate to the home as a whole.

While the deed with a life estate will be less costly to the client, in most cases it offers significant disadvantages when compared to the trust. First, if the home is sold prior to the death of the Medicaid recipient, the life estate value of the home will be required to be paid towards their care. If the house is rented, the net rents are payable to the nursing facility since they belong to the life tenant. Finally, the client loses a significant portion of their capital gains tax exclusion for the sale of their primary residence as they will only be entitled to a pro rata share based on the value of the life estate to the home as a whole.

All of the foregoing may lead to a situation where the family finds they must maintain a vacant home for many years. Conversely, a properly drafted MAPT preserves the full capital gains tax exclusion on the primary residence and the home

All of the foregoing may lead to a situation where the family finds they must maintain a vacant home for many years. Conversely, a properly drafted MAPT preserves the full capital gains tax exclusion on the primary residence and the home

100

may be sold by the trust without obligation to make payment of any of the principal towards the client’s care, assuming we have passed the look-back period of five years.

may be sold by the trust without obligation to make payment of any of the principal towards the client’s care, assuming we have passed the look-back period of five years.

It should be noted here that both the life estate and the MAPT will preserve the steppedup basis in the property provided it is only sold after the death of the parent who was the owner or grantor. Upon the death of the parent, the basis for calculating the capital gains tax is stepped up from what the parent paid, plus any improvements, to what it was worth on the parent’s date of death. This effectively eliminates payment of capital gains taxes on the sale of appreciated property, such as the home, after the parent dies.

It should be noted here that both the life estate and the MAPT will preserve the steppedup basis in the property provided it is only sold after the death of the parent who was the owner or grantor. Upon the death of the parent, the basis for calculating the capital gains tax is stepped up from what the parent paid, plus any improvements, to what it was worth on the parent’s date of death. This effectively eliminates payment of capital gains taxes on the sale of appreciated property, such as the home, after the parent dies.

There are instances where the life estate deed makes sense however. When the asset is a country house or a beach house that is intended to stay in the family for the next generation, then the life estate deed works perfectly well and may effect a significant savings to the family seeking to protect the asset.

There are instances where the life estate deed makes sense however. When the asset is a country house or a beach house that is intended to stay in the family for the next generation, then the life estate deed works perfectly well and may effect a significant savings to the family seeking to protect the asset.

ETTINGER LAW FIRM

ETTINGER LAW FIRM

ELDER LAW ESTATE PLANNING SINCE 1991 trustlaw.com

ELDER LAW ESTATE PLANNING SINCE 1991 trustlaw.com

Trusts & Estates • Wills & Probate • Medicaid FREE CONSULTATION: 516-327-8880 x117 or email info@trustlaw.com

Hofstra looks to conquer CAA rivals

By ANDREW COEN sports@liherald.com

Hofstra University’s men’s lacrosse team learned the hard way a year ago to not leave its postseason fate in the hands of someone else.

After defeating Towson 15-14 on a late goal in the regular season finale, the Pride watched on the bus ride back to Long Island the Delaware-Fairfield game needing a Blue Hens defeat to earn the final spot in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament. Delaware ended all hope with a 14-12 win that denied Hofstra a chance to compete for the CAA’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

“Two years ago we made the CAA tourney on a tie breaking scenario and last year we lost out on a tie breaking criteria, “said longtime Hofstra head coach Seth Tierney, who in 2021 experienced the opposite feeling when Hofstra qualified for the four-team CAA tourney from a Towson 12-11 loss to Drexel in the final weekend of the season. “There is no getting around it that these conference games have more weight to them.”

Hofstra, which was picked to finish fifth in the eight-team CAA, dropped its

league opener 12-11 to Fairfield on Saturday making its remaining seven league games that much more important.

The Pride have been led offensively so far this season by sophomore attackman John Madsen, a Locust Valley High School product, with 16 goals through the first six games. The Pride boast many potential scoring weapons including Rory Jones, Gerard Kane, Griffin Turner, Colton Rudd and Justin Sykes,

The defense brought back experience in senior goalie Mac Gates and long-stick defensive midfielder Corey Kale, who were named to the preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention Team along with Jones. The close-defense features veterans Tom Ford, Tim Hegarty and Danny Ochs. Redshirt freshman defenseman Ryan Kiernan, a Rockville Centre native and Chaminade graduate, is also making strides.

“Ryan Kiernan is a hard worker and his family did a wonderful job bringing him up ,” Tierney said. “His days are certainly bright in the very near future.”

Hofstra will next take the field on Saturday at league newcomer Monmouth before battling Towson in the CAA home opener on April 8 at 3 p.m. The regular season concludes on April 29 under the lights at Shuart Stadium against Long Island rival Stony Brook in the teams’ first meeting since the Seawolves joined the CAA.

Pride loses top scorer to injury

Hofstra’s women’s lacrosse team was hit with some early adversity when top scorer Nikki Mennella suddenly was lost for the year with a knee injury.

The freshman from Smithtown had already struck for 23 goals in six games before getting hurt in the fourth quarter of a 14-11 loss at Army on March 4. Hofstra showed resilience after losing Mennella with a 15-2 romp over Wagner three days later followed by a near upset of 20thranked USC in a 9-8 defeat on March 12.

“All year we have been building a great dynamic and belief system and the team has really bought into it,” Smith said. “We have learned to stay positive.”

With the absence of Mennella, junior Kerry Walser is taking on more of a leadership role on offense. She tallied three

goals and an assist in the USC loss after notching 22 goals in 2022.

Senior Taylor Mennella, the older sister of Nikki, has the most points on the team with 26. The Pride’s boast a number of other scoring threats including senior Katie Kelly, graduate student Rachel Graff, who graduated Columbia last year and Lauren Colletti.

On defense, Hofstra has forced 5 turnovers led by Trinity Reed, Brynn Hepting, Kendall Smith and Kayla Robertson along with graduate student midfielder Kayla Gatti. Freshman goalie Luchianna Cardello has emerged as the starting net-minder after leading Massapequa High School to

back-to-back Nassau County Class A titles.

Hofstra (4-5) opened with a 14-6 win against Long Island University and 11-8 at then 25th-ranked Vanderbilt before dropping four straight. The Pride opened CAA play with a 13-12 loss at William & Mary with a late comeback falling just short and will host Towson in their conference home opener this Saturday at noon. The CAA schedule closes on April 28 at league newcomer and national power Stony Brook.

“It’s a new season,” said Smith of the CAA schedule, where the top four teams make the conference playoffs. “We have to treat every game like it’s our last.”

Photos Courtesy Hofstra Athletics Communications

LOCust VALLEy NAtiVE John Madsen, right, is off to a hot start for the Pride with 16 goals in six games.

JuNiOR KERRy WALsER scored 22 goals last season and will be asked to produce at a high level given the absence of Nikki Mennella.

South Side boys defeated in state semifinals

By TONY BELLISSIMO tbellissimo@liherald.com

South Side’s amazing boys’ basketball season, buoyed by a 24-game winning streak and the program’s first Long Island championship in 45 years, came to a rough end Friday night at Cool Insuring Arena in Albany.

The Cyclones were unable to overcome poor shooting and uncharacteristic turnovers and fell to Irondequoit (Section V), 50-29, in a New York State Class A semifinal they led by a basket at halftime.

South Side, which hadn’t lost in nearly 100 days, managed just eight points in the second half on 3-for-16 shooting as Ryan Heath carried the Eagles to a 31-point effort over the final 16 minutes. Heath poured in 18 of his gamehigh 19 points in the second half as Irondequoit advanced to face Tappen Zee in the state title game.

Senior Josh Garelle and

junior Patrick Mullin had nine points apiece, and senior James Murphy added eight for the Cyclones, who suffered their only other defeat this winter in the

and we missed a lot of shots,” South Side head coach Jerry D’Angelo said. “I liked the way we defended in the first half, but we couldn’t have had a worse offensive half than we did in the second.”

Despite committing nine of their 16 turnovers in the first half, the Cyclones shot (8 of 15) and defended well. The game was tied at nine after the opening quarter and South Side clung to a 21-19 halftime lead before Heath and Xavier Gissendanner took over in the second half.

Heath opened the third quarter with a game-tying basket and Gissendanner followed with a three-pointer and a dunk for a 26-21 lead. Mullin answered with a trey which would stand as the Cyclones’ only points of the quarter. Heath then scored the next dozen points of the game — the last eight of the third and first two baskets of the fourth.

“We did a great job on Heath in the first half,” D’Angelo said.

“He’s their best player and really came alive in the second half.”

Mullin hit another threepointer to stop the bleeding momentarily. Irondequoit followed with an eight-point run to lead 44-27 with 3:46 left.

South Side was coming off its first L.I. title game victory since the 1977-78 campaign. It defeated Kings Park, 45-31, March 11 at Stony Brook University behind 14 points apiece from Garelle and senior Robert Pericolosi, and eight from senior James Bivona.

The Cyclones knocked off defending state champion Manhasset, 57-46, for the Nassau Class A crown March 4 at Hofstra University. Garelle (16), Bivona (13) and Pericolosi (11) all scored in double figures.

“We had a very special season led by our seniors,” D’Angelo said. “To win 24 games in a row with a tough non-league schedule and beat the defending state champs in the county final speaks for itself.”

SOuTh SI captured its first Long Island championship in 45 years.

By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com

Very few children know what they want to be when they grow up. But from a young age, Susan Poser knew she wanted a career in law. She was inspired by her father, Norman Stanley Poser, a former professor at Brooklyn Law School, and a former executive vice president of the American Stock Exchange.

“I was very good at arguing,” Poser told the Hofstra University campus newspaper. “I could argue my mother into a corner.”

The 59-year-old grew up in Manhattan and held onto her dream while majoring in ancient Greek and political science at Swarthmore College just outside of Philadelphia, where she graduated with honors in 1985. After that, Poser found herself teaching English at Anatolia College in Greece.

By 1987, Poser was finally ready to begin her career in law, moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, with husband Stephen DiMagno and their infant child. But it wasn’t the start to her career she expected.

‘‘A little part of me thought that this was actually his idea of a bad joke,” Poser said of her husband in the Hofstra Chronicle. “And it was going to surprise me when the plane landed in Cancún.”

But no, it really was Nebraska. DiMagno had picked up his first job as an assistant chemistry professor at the University of Nebraska while Poser had hoped to finish her juris doctorate from what is now Berkeley Law School at the University of California.

“This was a New Yorker moving out to Nebraska with an unwritten dissertation and a 3-week-old baby and no real job,” Poser said.

“Only love would have made anyone do that kind of thing.”

But it all came together, and Poser began working at

the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1994, as a visiting assistant professor of law. She was appointed by the Nebraska State Bar Association in 2003 to review policies in the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, before becoming a full professor of law in 2008. Two years later, she was the dean of the University of Nebraska College of Law.

Poser wasn’t expecting to find herself moving up into the school’s administration, but that changed one day in 2006 when she opened a university-wide email by chance. It was the chancellor, Harvey Perlman, looking for a new associate to the chancellor.

This became the perfect opportunity to hone in on her

problem-solving skills. Like the potential environmental hazard to birds caused by the release of thousands of helium-filled balloons in the school’s stadium when the first Nebraska points were scored in a football game.

It was exactly the kind of role Poser never dreamed of, but discovered was perfect for her: leadership, problemsolving, and institution building.

The family moved to Chicago in 2016 where Poser was appointed provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs at the University of Illinois-Chicago. At Illinois, Poser led the acquisition of Chicago’s John Marshall Law School, creating the first and only public attorney school in Chicago. She also played a key role in creating two new cultural centers on campus — one focused on Arab American students, and another on students with disabilities.

Poser is always looking for growth and ways to expand her skills, but she knew she had to keep one thing in mind when expanding her career.

“It’s very important to make sure the work that you’re doing is work that you really want to do, and that you’re not going after jobs for status,” she said

Poser became the ninth president of Hofstra University in 2021 — and its first woman president in its 88-year history.

She never aspired to be a university president, but got to this point by doing what she loves: problem solving.

“You should always be doing the job that you want, and not the job that you have,” Poser said. “You should always try to do a little bit extra, and offer to do work that is not necessarily assigned to you.”

Courtesy Susan Poser

SuSAN POSeR wAItS with Hofstra University mascots Kate and Willie Pride before they welcomed new students to campus on move-in day in 2021.

STEPPING OUT

Matzah Balls

• 2 tablespoons chicken fat or vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup seltzer

• 2 teaspoons grated onion

• 2 teaspoons parsley (optional)

holiday table

Those festive traditions make return

By Karen Bloom

Welcome the flavors of spring and bring some sunshine to your table.

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Pinch white pepper

• 1 cup matzah meal

• 4 jumbo eggs

Mix the eggs well. Add the fat or oil, seltzer, herbs, spices, onion, and matzah meal. Mix thoroughly. Cover and chill for several hours, even overnight.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Dip your hands in cold water and make about 12 matzah balls. Drop

An Evening of Entertainment

Broadway leading man Brian Stokes Mitchell headlines Molloy University’s An Evening of Entertainment gala, joined by Seth Rudetsky and the South Shore Symphony Orchestra. The two-time Tony Award winner has enjoyed a career that spans Broadway, television, film, and concert appearances with the country’s finest conductors and orchestras. He received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards for his star turn in ‘Kiss Me, Kate,’ He also gave Tony-nominated performances in ‘Man of La Mancha,’ August Wilson’s ‘King Hedley II’ and ‘Ragtime,’ among his star turns in other notable Broadway shows. His talents extend to producer, arranger and orchestrator on his three solo albums, besides contributing to more than 20 albums. A versatile and in-demand singer, his concerts always captivate his audiences.

Friday, March 31, 8 p.m. $50-$175. Madison Theatre, Molloy University campus, 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre. (516) 323-4444 or MadisonTheatreNY.org.

Bird’s Nest Chocolate Cupcakes

• 24 pastel-colored paper baking cups

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 3/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, room temperature

• 3/4 cup buttermilk

• 2 large eggs

• 2/3 cup freshly brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

• Chocolate Pudding Frosting, recipe follows

• Pastel-colored candy-coated chocolate pieces

• Chocolate decorating decors

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners and set aside.

Classic Chicken Soup with Matzah Balls

• 6 quarts of water

• 1 whole chicken + extra package of wings (optional)

• 2-3 large carrots, chopped

• 3 ribs of celery, chopped

• 1 onion, cut in half

• 1 medium turnip or 2 small turnips, chopped

• 2 parsnips, chopped

• 1 bunch of dill

• 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley

• 1/2 tablespoon whole peppercorns

• Few sprigs of thyme

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric for color (optional)

Place chicken and vegetables in a 16 or 20 quart pot and cover with 6 quarts of water.

Make a bouquet garni with the fresh dill, parsley, peppercorns and thyme. Add bouquet garni to pot.

Bring pot to boil and let simmer for 1 hour. Skim the foamy stuff off the top several times while soup is cooking.

Remove chicken and veggies from pot. Allow soup to simmer additional hour with the cover on.

Shred chicken while still warm. Save about half to put into the soup, use the rest for chicken salad or sandwiches.

Allow soup to cool, and place in fridge. Skim any remaining fat off the top.

Reheat to serve. Add chicken, matzah balls and desired vegetables.

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking soda and add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the butter, buttermilk and eggs and beat on low until moistened. Raise the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the coffee and beat until fully incorporated. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pans to wire racks and allow the cupcakes to cool completely.

Remove the cupcakes from the muffin pans and spread each with frosting, setting aside 1/2-cup of frosting. Place 3 candy-coated chocolate pieces on center of each to resemble eggs.

In small re-sealable food-storage plastic bag (or piping bag), place remaining 1/2-cup frosting; seal bag. Cut small hole in one bottom corner of bag; pipe frosting around chocolate pieces to create ridge on each cupcake.

Carefully spoon chocolate decors onto frosting ridge and around chocolate pieces to resemble nest.

Chocolate Pudding Frosting:

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream, very cold

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• One 3.9-ounce box dry pudding mix, chocolate fudge flavor

In a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip the cream at high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar, vanilla extract and pudding mix and whip until smooth.

The Brubeck Brothers

Jazz giant Dave Brubeck’s sons celebrate their dad’s life and career, with their sentimental multimedia tribute ‘The Brubeck Brothers Quartet Celebrates Dave Brubeck’s Centennial.’ To honor Brubeck’s legacy, Chris and Dan Brubeck, who performed and recorded with their father since the 1970s, curate this memorable concert with their own Brubeck Brothers Quartet. With the brothers as the foundation, guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb complete this dynamic quartet. Through stories told by his sons and music performed by the quartet, the show invites audiences to travel along the timeline of Brubeck’s extraordinary life and career. Their creativity, technique and improvisation can be heard in their uncompromising music, which reflects their dedication to melody, rhythm, culture and the spontaneous spirit of jazz.

Thursday, April 13, 7:30 p.m. $52. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets available at TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

As we eagerly step forward into spring, Passover and Easter beckon. It’s a moment to cherish age-old traditions and create new ones with family and friends, as we greet the season.

THE SCENE

March 26

Best of Broadway

Adelphi performing arts students perform their semi-annual Broadway revuew, on Adelphi University Performing Arts Center stage, Sunday, March 26, 4 p.m. Under the direction of KT Thomas and Steven Altinel, this contemporary-themed show will highlight hits from pop/ rock shows, including”Rent,” “We Will Rock You,” “School of Rock,” to songs from contemporary classics like “Wicked,” “Mamma Mia,” “The Prom” and “Next to Normal.” Students perform large group numbers as well as individual solos. Tickets start at $30, with discounts available to seniors, students, Adelphi alumni and employees. Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave., Garden City. (516) 8774000 or Adelphi.edu/pac.

Paula Poundstone

Breastfeeding Support Group

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

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

It’s finally time for the 25th annual Rockville Centre St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It kicks off along Maple Avenue, at intersection with Long Beach Road, Saturday, March 25 at noon. Rain or shine.

Sisterhood Game Night

St. Atty’s Day Annual Fundraiser

April 15

The nimble, witty comedian visits the Landmark stage, Saturday, April 15, 8 p.m. Paula Poundstone is known for her smart, observational humor and a spontaneous wit that has become the stuff of legend. Appearing on stage with a stool, a microphone, and a can of Diet Pepsi, Poundstone’s legendary material keeps her audience thoroughly entertained this fast-paced evening of standup. Her ability to interact with her audience has been hailed for years, and there’s no slowing Poundstone down as she continues to rip riotous laughter for all who witness her talent. $60, $53, $43. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or

Play mah jongg and canasta with the Sisterhood of Congregation B’nai SholomBeth David at their weekly game night, Tuesday, March 28, 7:309:30 p.m., in the synagogue lobby, 100 Hempstead Ave.,

Join the Atwell Family, Saturday, March 25, 3 p.m., at 111 Driscoll Ave. in Rockville Centre, in support of paralyzed Chicago police officer and Army vet Daniel Golden. Proceeds will help build Golden

Support Better Heath Care on the South Shore –Be a Part of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s Day of Golf

Facilities, Planning & Development Mount Sinai South Nassau

3 COURSES

THE SEAWANE CLUB

THE ROCKAWAY HUNTING CLUB

THE ROCKVILLE LINKS CLUB

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2023

SHOTGUN START: 10 AM

Foursomes and sponsorships are still available!

A. Kemins Chief of Department City of Long Beach, NY Fire Department

To buy tickets online or to donate, visit southnassaulifesaver.org or call 516-377-5360. All proceeds to benefit Mount Sinai South Nassau and the special needs of our cancer patients at the Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center.

EVENT SPONSOR:

Andrew Triolo Vice President

HONOREE

Scott

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

On stage

Mo Willems’ popular The Pigeon comes alive on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Friday March 17, 10:15 a.m. and noon; Sunday, March 19, noon. Pigeon is eager to try anything, with the audience part of the action. $9 with museum admission ($7 members), $12 theater only. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 2245800 or LICM.org.

Beatles Tribute Show

Friends of Senior Services fundraising organization hosts

Get Back NY: The Beatles

Tribute Show, Friday, March 31, 7 p.m., at the Sandel Senior Center. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Sandel Center. Honoree Deputy Mayor Kathy Baxley will be recognized for her tireless enthusiasm and dedication to the seniors in the community. 50 S. Park Ave., Rockville Centre. For tickets and information, call (516) 678-9245 or visit FOSSIRVC.com.

March 30

The Manhattan Transfer

The 10-time Grammy winning vocal group celebrates their 50th anniversary, performing at The Space, Thursday, March 30, 8 p.m. The group looks back on a career that has spanned genres from pop to jazz to rock and roll and more, in this special evening that highlights their long and dazzling career with their signature pitchperfect vocals and impeccable style. Tickets are $65-$175; available at Ticketmaster.com or TheSpaceAtWestbury.com. The Space, 250 Post Ave. Westbury.

Keeping Up with the Village

The next meeting of the Village of Rockville Centre Board of Trustees will be held at Village Hall, 1 College Pl. in Rockville Centre, on Monday, April 3 at 7 p.m.

Having an event?

Retro69

The Woodstock tribute band performs, Sunday, March 26, at My Father’s Place supper club. The band “recreates Woodstock,” performing its show in the same order of the original 1969 festival, running from Havens through Hendrix. Doors open at noon, concert is at 2 p.m. $35 in advance, $40 at door. The Metropolitan, 3 Pratt Blvd., Glen Cove. For tickets/information, visit MyFathersPlace.com or call (516) 580-0887.

Bird walk

Join the South Shore Audubon Society on a bird walk, Sunday, March 26, starting at 9 a.m. All are welcome. Walk leaders, other birders and nature enthusiasts are happy to share their knowledge and experience with newcomers. Bring binoculars . Walk will be canceled in case of rain or snow. For more information, visit SSAaudubon.org. To register, text your name and contact information to Joe Landesberg at (516) 467-9498.

Items on The Scene page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to thescene@liherald.com.

‘Forever Plaid’

Plaza Theatrical is ready to spring forward with “Forever Plaid,” an affectionate musical homage to the close harmony guy groups that reached the height of their popularity during the ‘50s, Saturday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 19, 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, March 23, 2 p.m. The show features such hits as “Three Coins in a Fountain,” “Heart and Soul,” “Catch a Falling Star,” and “Love is A Many Splendored Thing.” It’s performed at Plaza’s stage at the Elmont Library Theatre, 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont. $49, $45 seniors. Elmont. For tickets, call (516) 599-6870 or visit PlazaTheatrical.com.

Family theater

Everyone’s favorite cat comes to mischievous life in this theatrical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic, presented Plaza Theatrical Productions, Sunday, March 19, noon. See what goes on during that rainy day when two siblings are home alone with their pet fish while their parents are out of town, and the tall cat wearing a hat appears. Tickets are $15. Visit the Plaza stage at The Showplace at Bellmore Movies, 222 Pettit Avenue, Bellmore. For information/tickets, go to PlazaTheatrical.com or call (516) 599-6870.

Nassau proclaims ‘Big Daddy’ Salgado Day

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

Rich Salgado is known to be one of the “most trusted men among professional athletes,” and an agent to the stars.

As the chief executive of Coastal Advisors, Salgado is an insurance adviser to more than 500 of the most prominent names in the world of sports, business, media and the entertainment industry. Clients include former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, Fox Sports analyst Reggie Bush, former NBA point guardJeremy Lin, ESPN senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, and actress Melissa Joan Hart.

It’s three decades worth of accomplishments and advocacy for the man known as “Big Daddy” — enough for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to officially proclaimed March 7 as Rich “Big Daddy” Salgado Day. Blakeman honored Salgado in Mineola, joined by Strahan, actor Hisham Tawfiq from NBC’s “The Blacklist,” and Schefter.

“It’s always an honor for me to recognize somebody who has contributed so much to Nassau County, Long Island, and quite frankly, the whole region — and perhaps we can say the whole country,” Blakeman said. “He’s always been a very outgoing, friendly, nice person to everybody he meets — whether they’re in a high station in life, or whether they’re somebody that’s struggling to do a little better for themselves and their family.”

Salgado attended New Hyde Park Memorial High School and went on to study at the University of Maryland, where he played college football as a defensive lineman. After graduating, he decided to make a shift from playing football to advising, launching Coastal Advisors in 1996.

Salgado’s role is to set up life insurance

policies, help with estate planning, and create other forms of financial protection in the face of adversity.

In addition to running his own insurance company, Salgado is also the chief commercial officer for Gas It Up — a minority-owned mobile fueling company with locations in Texas and on the east coast.

Those attending the recent ceremony talked about Salgado’s generous nature, evident in philanthropic efforts like the Big Daddy Celebrity Golf Classic, an annual charity event Salgado started in 2010.

For this year’s golf charity event, Salgado partnered with the Sher organization — a women-founded group supporting gender equality and equity. Salgado also founded Big Daddy Youth Football Camp, which focuses on private mentoring and speaking engagements for elementary- and middle school-aged campers.

He’s also been known to fly pizzas in for the Super Bowl, said his friend, Anzhelika Steen-Olsen.

“I have come to know him as a man of kindness and benevolence,” said SteenOlsen, founder of the Sher organization. “A trustworthy friend to many. A funny man who still wears his heart on his sleeve.”

Strahan — who now co-hosts “Good Morning America” on ABC — said he and Salgado became “fast friends” when they first met 28 years ago. At the time, the Texas native had only been living in New York for a couple years, playing for the New York Giants.

Salgado was someone Strahan knew always had his back.

“He is the most gentle, big man I know,” he said. “If I needed to call anybody to do anything at any time, or someone who literally goes out of their way to do things that I’m not even expecting — it’s Rich.”

Tim Baker/Herald

Rich SAlgAdO ReceiveS an official proclamation from Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to make March 7 Rich ‘Big Daddy’ Salgado Day. His friends Anzhelika SteenOlsen and Michael Strahan praised Salgado for his many accomplishments as an insurance adviser.

PRESENTS

FIGHTING AGAINST FRAUD:

Learn the 411 on Recognizing a Scam

Help protect yourself from fraud and scams! This FREE webinar series will cover identity theft, elder fraud abuse and how to recognize the warning signs. Representatives from AARP Long Island and United States Postal Inspectors will also provide information about scams targeting people age 50-plus and their families, tactics fraudsters use, and resources available to help prevent fraud.

Advance registration is required.

THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2023

12-1PM

IDENTITY THEFT:

Each year thousands of Americans fall victim to Identity (ID) Theft. Consumers reported losing nearly $8.8 Billion to scams in 2022. This webinar will focus on:

• Understanding Personal Identifiable Information (PII)

• Scams that target your PII

• Tips to safeguard your identity

REGISTER at www.LIHERALD.com/identity

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023

12-1PM

ELDER FRAUD ABUSE:

Con artists don’t really care about your age or your needs. Their only goal is to separate you from your hard-earned money. Learn how to recognize scams. We’ll cover:

• Grandparent or Relative in Need scams

• Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams

• Investment Scams

REGISTER at www.LIHERALD.com/elder

FREE AARP LONG ISLAND IN-PERSON SHREDDING EVENTS

Shred your personal and financial documents at a location near you. Register and reserve your spot for a FREE drive-through contactless shredding event. (Limit 3 bags per car)

SATURDAY APRIL 22, 2023

10AM-1PM • IN-PERSON

LOCATION:

Nassau Community College

One Education Drive • Garden City, NY (Entrance to parking lot at Miller Place)

REGISTER at https://bit.ly/ShredGardenCity

SATURDAY MAY 6, 2023 9AM-12PM • IN-PERSON

LOCATION: Michael J Tully Park 1801 Evergreen Avenue • New Hyde Park, NY

REGISTER at https://bit.ly/ShredNewHydePark

SATURDAY MAY 20, 2023

• IN-PERSON

LOCATION: Farmingdale Library 116 Merritts Road • Farmingdale, NY

REGISTER at https://bit.ly/ShredFarmingdale

Michael Hinman Executive Editor Herald Community Newspapers SPEAKERS

Michael V. Del Giudice Postal Inspector Team Leader New York Division

Bernard Macias Associate State DirectorLong Island AARP New York

Donna Harris Public Information Representative United States Postal Inspection Service Headquarters

Ryder to represent Town Council District 4

D’Esposito’s seat filled after being vacant for months

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

Village of Lynbrook Trustee Laura Ryder was unanimously appointed by the Hempstead Town Board on March 14 as councilwoman for the 4th Councilmanic District seat vacated by former Councilman Anthony D’Esposito Ryder’s appointment came four months after D’Esposito was elected to Congress. Her work as trustee in Lynbrook hasn’t gone unnoticed by community members. She worked with the board to increase humanitarian efforts in Lynbrook and she vows to continue that work as councilwoman.

“We are proud to welcome Laura Ryder as the newest member of the Hempstead town board,” Supervisor Don Clavin said. “Laura is someone who cares deeply about her community and has worked with local municipalities, chambers of commerce, developers, and civic organizations to make our neighborhood a better place. We on the Town Board believe Laura Ryder is the perfect person for the job and I am confident that residents of the 4th Councilmanic District will agree.”

“I thank Supervisor Don Clavin and the Hempstead Town Board for putting their faith and confidence in me and I look forward to working together to keep our town a great place in which to live, work, and raise a family,” Ryder said in a release.

After being elected to the Lynbrook Village Board in March 2021, Ryder helped manage village finances and dayto-day operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayor Alan Beach, who worked alongside Ryder for the last two years, gave his thoughts about Ryder the new councilwoman.

“Supervisor Don Clavin and the Town Board, you have selected a passionate community advocate and talented professional,” Beach said in a Facebook post.

“Laura has been an asset to Lynbrook for many years and we look forward to her serving Lynbrook and our neighboring communities in this new capacity.”

Ryder is the founder and chairperson of the Lynbrook Cares Committee. The committee hosts a group of volunteers who help elderly residents and people with disabilities by shoveling their snow, landscaping their lawn, and other tasks.

Ryder also volunteers with the Lynbrook Community Chest, which provides financial assistance to village residents.

Ryder was named Nassau Citizens United 2018 Finest Influential Woman of the Year, Lynbrook 2014 Woman of the Year, and Lynbrook 2018 Humanitarian of the Year. Some of the humanitarian organizations she serves include the Lynbrook 9/11 Memorial Committee, Christopher’s Hemophilia Benefit Committee, Lynbrook Beautification Committee, and Vice President of the Malverne School District Special Education Parent Teacher Association.

“I think she would be a great councilwoman and a great addition to the Town council,” Lynbrook resident Robert Grogan said. “She is a lifetime resident of Lynbrook and the town and been involved in serving the community throughout her life. Just the kind of person we need in politics in today’s day and age when it seems that there are too many extremists in these kind of positions now.”

Her volunteer work and humanitarian efforts is why she is beloved in Lynbrook and in neighboring communities. She worked with her village board colleagues to create additional housing, worked to bring several new businesses to the village, and helped to ensure neighborhood police, fire, and emergency personnel have the tools they need.

After working with the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce to attract new businesses to the village, the chamber extended its congratulations to Ryder in a Facebook post. “The Lynbrook Cham-

News brief

Tribute concert to raise money for seniors

The Friends of Senior Services fundraising organization will host a Beatles tribute concert to help benefit the Sandel Senior Center, at 50 S. Park Ave. in Rockville Centre, on Friday, March 31, at 7 p.m.

During the event, members of the organization will recognize special honoree Kathy Baxley, deputy mayor of Rockville Centre and liaison to RVC senior services, for her tireless enthusi-

asm and dedication to all of the senior citizens in the community.

There will also be snacks, wine, beer, raffles, prizes and more.

Tickets are $75 per person and all money raised will go to help enhance and expand pgrograms and services at the Sandel Center and the RVC Department of Senior Services. For more information call (516)-678-9245 or visit FOSSIRVC.com.

ber of Commerce congratulates Laura Ryder as she becomes the Town of Hempstead Councilwoman. We are so proud to call her our friend. Best wishes to you, Laura!”

As Ryder fills D’Esposito’s seat, she wanted to share her gratitude for him and the work he’s done as councilman. “Congressman Anthony D’Esposito is one of the greatest public servants to ever represent the 4th Councilmanic District,” she said in a release. “I want to thank him for everything he has done for our community. I vow to continue his legacy of hard work and caring in serving the residents of America’s largest township.”

D’Esposito returned the compliment.

“Laura is a good friend and she comes from a great family,” D’Esposito said. “She’s done a great job being a trustee in the village of Lynbrook. She is super involved. She is going to work hard and I have her back 100 percent. I look forward to working with her and I know that she

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NASSAU COUNTY. L&L ASSOCIATES HOLDING CORP., Pltf. vs. RUSSELL S. HARRIS, JR., et al, Defts. Index #609180/2022. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered Jan. 12, 2023, I will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on April 3, 2023 at 2:30 p.m. prem. k/a Section 38, Block 113, Lots 937-938. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the sale. SCOTT SILLER, Referee. LEVY & LEVY, Attys. for Pltf., 12 Tulip Dr., Great Neck, NY. #100127 137683

LEGAL NOTICE

At IAS Part 13 of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, held in and for the County of Nassau, at 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, NY on the 22nd day of February, 2023

SUPREME COURT STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU

P R E S E N T: Hon. Diccia

Pineda-Kirwan

-------------------------------X

Index No: 601629-2023

June Oke Pahk Petitioner -againstORDER TO SHOW CAUSE Why Mortgage Should Not Be Discharged

Ann M. O’Connell ,

Respondents Under Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law 1931 to Discharge a Mortgage from the Record.

-------------------------------X

On reading and filing the petition of June Oke Pahk, verified January 12, 2023 , and the search of the County of Nassau showing all Mortgages and assignments of record and it appearing therefrom that there currently exists a Mortgage made by June Oke Pahk to Ann M. O’Connell which was dated August 19, 1991 and recorded on November 9, 1991 in Liber 14380, Page 447 in the sum of THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($35,000.00) and which provided for interest to accrue on said principal at a rate of Eight Percent per annum (8%) for a period of 5 years, and which last payment became due and payable on August 18, 1996 which Mortgage secured property commonly known as 147 South Forest Avenue, Rockville Centre, in the County of Nassau, State of New York which property is more particularly described as Nassau County Tax Map designation Section 38, Block 352 and lots 49, 50, 51, 52, 53 and 107 and it appearing to my satisfaction that the mortgage has been paid and that no claim has been made seeking payment thereof and that Ann M. O’Connell had delivered a signed and notarized document

dated August 19, 1994, which unfortunately not in recordable form, stating that she has received “full payment and satisfaction” of the Mortgage described.

Now, upon motion of Patrick Di Luccio, Esq., attorney for the petitioner, ORDERED that all persons interested in the said mortgage be and they are hereby ORDERED to show cause at a term of this court appointed to be held at the Supreme Courthouse, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola in the County of Nassau via Microsoft teams on the 11th day of May, 2023, at 10:00 o’clock A.M., or as soon thereafter as counsel can be heard, why said mortgage should not be discharged of record pursuant to RPAPL section 1931 and it is further.

ORDERED that this order shall be published ONCE a week for THREE successive weeks in Rockville Centre Herald, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY (516) 569-9000 a newspaper published in the County of Nassau and by personal service on the County Clerk shall be deemed sufficient no later than (completed by) the 24th day of APRIL, 2023.

Enter. Hon. Diccia PinedaKirwan J.S.C. 137863

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN in accordance with New York Village Law 5-508(3) that on April 3, 2023, at 7:00 pm, at the Municipal Building, One College Place, Rockville Centre,

New York, the Board of Trustees of the Village of Rockville Centre will hold a public hearing to consider the adoption of the budget of the Village of Rockville Centre for the fiscal year commencing June 1, 2023 and ending May 31, 2024. The Village complies with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Persons with special needs should contact the Village Clerk’s office at 516-678-9212 at least three business days prior to the hearing, so that reasonable efforts may be made to accommodate such needs.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a copy of the tentative budget and a copy of the Property Tax Exemption Impact Report are available at the office of the Village Clerk at the Municipal Building of the Village of Rockville Centre, One College Place, Rockville Centre, New York, where they may be inspected by any interested persons by appointment during office hours. Please call 516-678-9212 to schedule an appointment.

The said budget proposes the payment of the following annual compensation to members of the Board of Trustees: Mayor $75,000.00, Deputy Mayor $23,000.00, each other Trustee of the Village $11,500.00.

DATED: Rockville Centre, New York

March 17, 2023

By Order of the Board of Trustees

Nancy Howard, Village Clerk-Treasures 138170

will continue the great representation of the 4th Councilmanic District.”

Courtesy Town of Hempstead LauRa RydER was appointed on March 14 to represent the 4th Council District.

I look forward to working together to keep our town a great place in which to live, work, and raise a family.

LauRa RydER Trustee

Employment HERALD

BELLMORE UFSD NOW HIRING

Hebrew Academy of Long Beach seeks educators to join our exceptional school faculty in fostering a culture of academic exploration and excellence and dedication to spiritual, intellectual, and personal growth of all students. We are currently looking for candidates in the following divisions:

Lev Chana Early Childhood:

Early Childhood Head Teachers

Early Childhood Assistant Teachers

Administrative Assistant

HALB Elementary School:

Assistant Teachers

Part Time Morah

Middle School Morah

DRS Yeshiva High School for Boys:

English Teacher

Science Teacher

Ivrit Teacher

Math Teacher

Learning Center Teacher

Guidance Counselor

Assistant College Guidance Counselor

SKA High School for Girls:

Graphic Design Teacher

Ivrit Teacher

History Teacher

Halacha Teacher

AP Computer Science Teacher

Art Teacher

American Sign Language Teacher (ASL)

To learn more about our school community, please visit www.halb.org. We look forward to hearing from you! Please send resumes or inquiries to resumes@halb.org

EMPLOYMENT

Help Wanted

ACCOUNTING OFFICER, HEMPSTEAD, NY. Bachelor + 1 yr. exp req. email res. to eromosele@iyaho.org. Iyaho Social Services.

ACCOUNTING/BOOKKEEPING, AR/AP

Do you have accounting, bookkeeping, or AR/AP experience? Are you tired of being retired, or need a few days a week to keep your mind occupied? If so, please send us a quick email and we will call you to discuss more details. We are a Customs Broker looking for someone who can support our everyday accounting needs and who doesn’t necessarily need or want to work every day. We look forward to talking with you!!! Email: Jobs@agraservices.com

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT FT:

RVC. Administrative Work, Answering Phones, Computer Skills – Microsoft, Excel, Outlook, Financial background helpful. No Health Beneifts. 516-763-9700 frances.difede@lpl.com

AUTO TECHNICIAN WANTED

Gregoris Subaru, Valley Stream Experience Needed, Own Tools NYSI License Necessary

All Skill Levels Welcome

Salary Commensurate With Exp. Health Benefits, Union Call Steve H 516-872-9755 Ext.1 Email Steveh@gregorismotors.com

BOOKKEEPER P/T EXPERIENCED

5-10

LAWRENCE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

• BUILDING SUBSTITUTES FT

Permanent Guaranteed Everyday Applicants applying for this position should have New York State Childhood Education (1-6) or (N-6) certification (preferred) or may be pursuing an Undergraduate/Graduate Degree in Education

• TEACHING ASSISTANT FT

With Benefits

• TEACHING ASSISTANT PT Applicants applying for these positions must have New York State Teacher or Teaching Assistant Certification

• SCHOOL MONITORS PT

Letter/Resume/Certification: Dr. Joseph S. Famularo, Supt. of Schools 580 Winthrop Avenue, Bellmore, NY 11710 Fax 516-679-3027 bellmore@bellmoreschools.org or apply directly on OLAS

EXCITING HEALTHCARE

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

TEACHER AIDES AND TEACHER AIDE SUBS

5.75 OR 3.75 HOURS PER DAY (High School Diploma required)

PART-TIME CLEANERS

Fingerprint Clearance Required For All Positions FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT HUMAN RESOURCES AT 516 295-7037

MULTI MEDIA ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT

Inside Sales

OUTSIDE SALES

STRONG

a

DRIVING

DRIVERS

Email: info@bellautoschool.com

DRIVING

Clean 3 Years

Call 516-731-3000

EDITOR/REPORTER

The award-winning Herald Community Newspapers group, covering Nassau County's North and South Shores with hard-hitting news stories and gracefully written features, seeks a motivated, energetic and creative editor/reporter to join our dynamic (and awesome) team! This education and general assignment reporting position offers a unique experience to learn from some of the best in the business. Historically, reporters who have launched their careers with us have gone on to The New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, the New York Daily News, New York Post, CNN, BBC, NBC News and The Daily Mail, among many others. We look for excellent writers who are eager to learn, enhance their skills, and become well-established and respected journalists in our industry. To apply: Send a brief summary in the form of a cover letter describing your career goals and what strengths you can bring to our newsroom, along with a resume and three writing samples to mhinman@liherald.com

Looking for an aggressive self starter who is great at making and maintaining relationships and loves to help businesses grow by marketing them on many different advertising platforms. You will source new sales opportunities through inbound lead follow-up and outbound cold calls. Must have the ability to understand customer needs and requirements and turn them in to positive advertising solutions. We are looking for a talented and competitive Inside Sales Representative that thrives in a quick sales cycle environment. We offer salary, commission, bonuses, health benefits, 401K and paid time off. Will consider part time. Please send cover letter and resume with salary requirements to ereynolds@liherald.com Call 516-569-4000 X286

OFFICE WORK P/T LAWN SPRINK;ER

COMPANY. Monday-Friday 10am-2pm. Small 1 Person Office, Customer Relations, Scheduling Appointments, Light Computer. Lynbrook. 516-561-1981. mkd2@optonline.net

Richner Communications, One of the Fastest Growing Media, Event and Communications Companies on Long

Great for a Growing Family

Walk into this wonderful 4 Bedroom Colonial Home and fall in love with the fabulous eat in kitchen. If you love cooking, this is for you! There is more than enough room to bake on the huge granite island and the all stainless steel appliances are amazing. You will also adore the living room, formal dining room, fabulous den with a cozy fireplace plus a half bath. The second floor features a main bedroom with an ensuite bathroom, three additional bedrooms and a walk up finished attic with a window. There is also a full finished basement and laundry room and a great yard.. You won't miss the train going into the city, it’s only a couple of blocks away! The location is ideal, you are close to everything! This is a magnificent home that you can't miss seeing! Call Lisa Fava for more information or to set up an appointment.

Help Wanted

PROPERTY and OPERATIONS MANAGER WANTED Freeport. Experienced

Professional in Property Management, Operations and Maintenance. 4pm-7pm.

Saturdays. 646-481-3076

EMAIL eagertoserve@verizon.net https://eagertoserve.site/

RECEPTIONIST - FULL TIME

Receptionist (full-time) needed for Publisher and Self-Storage Facility located in Garden City. The ideal candidate should have excellent communications and customer service skills, be professional, dependable and have reliable transportation. Candidate should have computer knowledge and working knowledge of MS Office. Candidate MUST be reliable, punctual and be able to work a CONSISTENT schedule:

Monday and Wednesday 8am to 4pm

Tuesday and Thursday 8am to 6pm

Friday 8am to 5pm

Job Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Answering phones and greeting customers, assisting new customers by showing storage facility options and pricing, collecting payments from customers, contacting customers for late payments, applying payments and updating the customer files /data base and other general administrative responsibilities on an as needed basis. Hourly pay, plus eligible for Holiday Pay, PTO, Medical, Dental, 401k with company matching, plus other benefits. Qualified candidates should email their resume, cover letter and salary requirements. No phone calls please. Job Type: Full-time.

Salary: $15.00 /hour

Email your resume to: careers@liherald.com

RECEPTIONIST/ P/T: SEASONAL, Warm, Friendly, Excellent People Skills, Office Work/ Customer Service, Beach Club. 516-239-2150

Senior Scheduler: Prep & maintain master schedule for contractor/subcontractor agrmts; Review specs for work to be performed & determine appropriate construction docs; Dvlp time impact analysis fin reports; Develop & maintain change order documentation; Create reports estimating time & cost for change orders; Coordinate project control reqmts w/clients; Track work progress & adjust schedules; Review, analyze & report on delays & claims; Obtain data regarding damage, accidents & delays, prep reports & make recommendations for time & fin recovery from setbacks; Dvlp, review & analyze schedules; Prep earned value &/or schedule variance reports; Dvlp forensic schedule to asst w/delay claims. Work loc: Port Washington, NY. Travel & relocation possible to unanticipated locs throughout U.S. Sal: $120,266/yr. Mail res & pos applied for to: Group PMX, LLC, 10 Hillside Ave, Port Washington, NY 11050.

SHORT ORDER COOK DELI EXPERIENCE PT 25-40 HOURS A WEEK FLEXIBLE & MORNING HOURS AVAILABLE AT THE GOLF CLUB AT MIDDLE BAY 516-766-1880

TEACHERS B-2 Certified- Preferably Or With B.A. In Early Childhood In A Study Plan. Salaries Will Be Determined By Education

12-1:30, FIRST SHOW! 4 BR, 3 Bth Exp Ranch on Tree Lined St in SD#14. Spacious LR, DR & Family Rm, EIK & Fin Bsmt. Att Garage. HW Flrs. Near Park, Trans, Shops & Houses of Worship $829,000

1608 Ridgeway Dr, 1-2:30, Move Right Into This Completely Gut Renovated 4 BR, 3.5 Bth Col on 1/4 Acre Prop. New Kosher EIK, FDR, LR w/ Fpl, Den & Enclosed Porch. Radiant Heated Flrs. Full Fin Bsmt. 2 Car Att Gar. MUST SEE!! SD#20 DRASTIC REDUCTION! MOTIVATED SELLER! $1,399,000 ALSO FOR RENT $6,500 per month

1267 Peninsula Blvd, BA, NEW TO MARKET! 5 BR, 2 Bth Exp Cape in SD#14 (Hewlett-Woodmere) Living Room, DR & Updtd Gran/Wood EIK & Bths. Det

1.5 Gar & Driveway for 4/5 Cars. HW Floors. Gas Heat.Near LIRR, Shops, Trans & Schools. A Steal! $599,000

257 Willard Dr, 2-3:30, Spacious 5 BR, 3 Bth Exp Ranch With Open Layout.Main Floor Mstr Ste Plus Potential Mstr Ste on 2nd Flr. LR/Fpl, FDR, EIK & Sundrenched Family Rm w/ Doors to Deck. Fin Bsmt. Att Gar. Loads of Updates!! SD#20 (Lynbrook) No Flood Insurance Req. MUST SEE THIS! REDUCED!! $1,025,000

1193 E. Broadway # M23, BA, NEW TO MARKET! Move Right Into This Stunning Gut Renovated 2 BR, 2 Bth Coop in Garden Town. Gourmet Kit W/ Thermdore St Steel Appl Opens Into DR & LR. Primary BR w/Bth Plus Spac 2nd BR. W/D in Unit. New Self Controlled CAC. Oak Flrs, LED Lights. Near LIRR. Parking Avail. SD#14. You Don’t Want to Miss This $379,000

1534 Broadway #103, BA, Magnificent New Renovation! One of a Kind Ranch Style Living in Luxurious Jonathan Hall Condominium with Doorman & Elevator. Just Move into This Gut Rvated, Spacious 2 BR, 2 Bath Apt with Open Layout. Large Designer Eat in Kitchen with Sep Pantry & Laundry Rm. Master BR Boasts Gorgeous Bth & Walk in Closet. Terrace Faces into Courtyard. Garage Parking Incl REDUCED & MOTIVATED!!..$699,000

1534 Broadway #205, BA, Extra Large 2000 Sq Ft, 2 Bedroom (Originally 3 BR), 2 Bath Condo in Prestigious Jonathan

All we wanted was to build some walls

Q. We seem to have run into a problem. Our landscaper does brick paving and walls, and we spoke to him last summer about putting in walls around our yard, front and back. It gives us a sense of privacy, and makes our yard more defined. Unfortunately, the walls in the backyard went up last fall, and the ones in the front yard were just beginning when we got a notice on our front door that we’re in violation of some ordinance we don’t understand. Aren’t we allowed to put in walls? They are 4 feet high and will have lights at the driveway entrance that will look very nice and make our driveway safer, we think. What can you tell us?

A. I often have conversations with people who say they read my column and could answer most of the questions themselves, because it seems so obvious what the answer would be. Your question made me wonder if you didn’t already have a clue about what you might have done wrong.

I’m amazed at how often people tell me that their builder told them they didn’t require a permit, and not to worry, or that the builder got the permit already and will start immediately — with upfront partial or full payment, of course.

Walls are just like any other built structure, and require not only permits, which readers who speak to me seem most focused on. The main reason for permission is safety, but secondarily, every property owner in a densely populated area is part of the bigger picture — bigger than their postage stampsized property — when viewed on a satellite image. You have to fit into the community.

This isn’t just about you. Walls define property, that is true, but they also create barriers to emergency responders who would need to access your yard in a raging fire scenario, for you or a neighbor. There are rules about how close a fence or other versions of a fence can be to a traffic corner, and how high they can be. Walls need to be constructed not to fail, just like other structures, and even a fence needs a foundation to keep it anchored from falling over or sinking under its own weight. Many communities have regulations that include an “architectural review,” meaning that they want to know the color, material and height of the fence, and even whether your lighting will shine onto other neighbors’ properties who may not share your de-light.

Because most building departments have little or no authority to penalize the builders who can lie about getting permits, which allows them to break the law without penalty, you, the homeowner, are stuck with the responsibility. Why this system is perpetual is beyond me, because there’s a neverending flow of anguished owners who can’t understand why they aren’t protected and not made aware until it’s too late, but that’s the way the illegal construction business works, for the present. Good luck!

2022 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.

REAL ESTATE

Open Houses

HEWLETT 1534 BROADWAY #205, Open House By Appt! Extra Large 2000 Sq Ft, 2 Bedroom(Originally 3 BR), 2 Bath Condo in Prestigious Jonathan Hall with Doorman & Elevator. Updtd Wood/Quartz Kit, LR & DR. Washer/Dryer in Unit. Underground Pkg. Loads of Closets. Terrace Faces Back. Easy Ranch Style Living...$699,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

HEWLETT 599 LAKEVIEW Dr, OPEN HOUSE,SUNDAY, 3/26, 12-1:30, FIRST SHOW! 4 BR, 3 Bth Exp Ranch on Tree Lined St in SD#14. Spacious LR,DR & Family Rm, EIK & Fin Bsmt. Att Garage. HW Flrs. Near Park, Trans, Shops & Houses of Worship...$829,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-429

Open Houses

HEWLETT BA, 1267 Peninsula Blvd, BA, NEW TO MARKET! 5 BR, 2 Bth Exp Cape in SD#14 (Hewlett-Woodmere) Living Room, DR & Updtd Gran/Wood EIK & Bths. Det 1.5 Gar & Driveway for 4/5 Cars. HW Floors. Gas Heat. Near LIRR, Shops, Trans & Schools. A Steal! .....$599,000 RONNIE GERBER 516 238-4299

HEWLETT BA, 1534 Broadway #103, REDUCED AND MOTIVATED! Magnificent New Renovation! One of a Kind Ranch Style Living in Luxurious Jonathan Hall Condominium with Doorman & Elevator. Just Move into This Gut Renovated, Spacious 2 BR, 2 Bath Apt with Open Layout.Large Designer Eat in Kitchen with Sep Pantry & Laundry Rm.Master BR Boasts Gorgeous Bth & Walk in Closet. Terrace Faces into Courtyard and the Garage Parking is Incl..$699,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

Open Houses

HEWLETTE 1608 RIDGEWAY Dr, Open House SUNDAY 3/26, 1-2:30, Drastic Reduction! Motivated Seller!Move Right Into This Completely Gut Renovated 4 BR, 3.5 Bth Col on 1/4 Acre Prop. New Kosher EIK, FDR, LR w/ Fpl, Den & Enclosed Porch. Radiant Htd Flrs. Full Fin Bsmt. 2 Car Att Gar. MUST SEE!! SD#20...$1,399,000 ALSO AVAILABLE FOR RENT $6,500 per month Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

House For Sale

POINT LOOKOUT: WATERFRONT-

LARGEST Selection of Beach Homes, Sale/ Rent. Our Home Listings Sell FA$T! VIDEOS. HUG R.E. 516-431-8000 www.hugrealestate.com

Apartments For Rent

CEDARHURST NO FEE Private Entrance, Modern 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, CAC, W/D, Storage, Wall To Wall Carpeting, Indoor Parking Space. Starting At $1450 For One Bedroom When Available. (516)860-6889/ (516)852-5135/ (516)582-9978

Apartments For Rent

EAST ELMONT: 1 BR Cottage, New Carpets/ Flooring. No Smoking/ Pets. $1400 Plus Utilities. 516-437-7608

INWOOD: BRAND NEW 2 BR, Kitchen, Bath, Living Room, 1 Car Rear Parking, Outdoor Storage Shed. $2,600+Electric. 515-315-0083

Out Of Town/Real Estate

NINEVEH NY: 25 Acres With Cabin And Bluestone Quarry. Hunting, Farming, Mining. Below Market. Must Sell. $75,000. Ben 347-866-5619, 718-266-9700

MoneyTo Lend

ARE YOU BEHIND $10k OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits,

Home Sales

Baldwin $870,000 Harbor Court. Hi Ranch. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. Updated eat-in kitchen with granite countertops. Formal dining room. Den/family room.

Taxes: $13,592.52

Bellmore $490,000

Hale. Cape. 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom. Updated eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. First floor bedroom. Extra room upstairs. Convenient location near LIRR and shopping

Taxes: $8,930.99

East Meadow $731,500 Plymouth Place. Split Level. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Eatin kitchen. Formal dining room. Den/family room. Central air conditioning.

Taxes: $12,660.79

Hewlett Harbor $1,893,000 Pond Lane. Colonial. 8 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms. Finished basement. Gourmet eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and pantry. Formal dining room. Den/family room and home office. Legal accessory apartment. Cathedral ceiling. Security system.

Taxes: $40,850.88

Island Park $569,000

Kildare. Raised Ranch. 3 bedroom, 2 bathrooms. Updated eat-in kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and island. Open layout. Ensuite master bedroom. Front deck and backyard patio. Dog run and parking for 5 cars. FEMA compliant.

Taxes: $8,000

Long Beach $714,000

West Park Avenue. Ranch. Westholme section. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Eat-in kitchen. Open layout. Bonus great room. Large rooms. Convenient location, one block to West End shopping and dining.

Taxes: $11708.81

Rockville Centre $1,780,000

Hargale Court. Colonial. 4 bedrooms, 2.55 bathrooms. Finished basement. Eat-in kitchen with pantry. Formal dining room. Den/family room. Sauna/steam room. Cathedral ceiling with skylight. Security system.

Taxes: $30,890.75

Valley Stream $691,000

Fremont Road. Colonial. Gibson neighborhood. 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Eat-in kitchen. Open/airy floor plan. Formal dining room. All large rooms. Nice yard with deck. Convenient location near LIRR, schools, shopping.

Taxes: $12,214.11

West Hempstead $675,500

Argyle Road. Tudor. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms. Finished basement. Eat-in kitchen. Formal dining room. Den/family room and home office.

Taxes: $12,270.56

This Robin won’t rest until you are in your new NEST!

How’s the market?? Please contact me for your free market report and personalized service!

"Leading Edge Award Winner"

MERCHANDISE MART

Antiques/Collectibles

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

FINDS UNDER $100

Finds Under $100

ANNE KLEIN PATENT Leather Pumps, Black, size 71/2, 31/2 inch heels, Brand new. $40. 516-537-3941

DOUBLE HUNG WOOD WINDOW: with screen. 52 X 29 1/2" Marvin Integrity, $40. 516-537-3941

XBOX ONE: CALL of Duty Cold War $25. XBox- Lot of 13, 360 games $50. (516)596-1538.

Brick/Block/Concrete/Masonry

JB MASONRY : Driveways, Patios, Stoops, Sidewalks, Retaining Walls, Pool Areas, Stucco, Cultured Stone, Brick Work, All Types Pavers, All Concrete Slabs Restorations. FREE Estimates. 516-428-6388

Brick/Block/Concrete/Masonry

*MICHAEL LO BAIDO CONSTRUCTION*

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

Handyman

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

Miscellaneous

BEST SATELLITE TV with 2 Year Price

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

Plumbing

PLUMBER! PLUMBER! PLUMBER! FREE ESTIMATES! Heating, Repairs, Installations. $25 OFF New Customers. 24 Hour Emergency Response. 516-599-1011

Sprinkler Syst./Irrig.Wells

RISK FREE/ $100 OFF POPULAR PLANS. 833-398-0526

HANDY DANDY HOME IMPROVEMENTS

* Full Or Partial Kitchens/ Baths *Painting *Sheetrock *Taping/ Spackling *Installations Ceramic/ Vinyl Tile *Carpentry *Alterations *Repairs/ More. FREE ESTIMATES. Dan 516-342-0761

ROOFING GREAT PRICES ! NEW ROOF SPECIALS SIDING- Best Prices

RENOVATIONS & ALL REPAIRS

SUPER COMPETITIVE PRICES!

Licensed / Insured. Free Estimates Nassau License. # H-0102710000 Call John - 516-852-9830

Tree Services

T&M GREENCARE TREE SERVICE

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

Satellite/TV Equipment

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

GET DIRECTV FOR $64.99/mo for 12 months with CHOICE Package. Save an additional $120 over 1st year. First 3 months of HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Epix included! Directv is #1 in Customer Satisfaction (JD Power & Assoc.) Some restrictions apply. Call 1-888-534-6918

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Education

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM!

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

Health & Fitness

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

Tutoring

E-Z Breezy Test Prep & Tutoring

From SAT, GMAT, ACT, GRE, & GED, we’ve got you covered! We are running 60% off our 20-hour small-group (8 persons or less) online Spring courses. Please text 732-858-5592 or email dfinnegan89@gmail.com with any inquiries

AUTOMOBILE & MARINE

Autos For Sale

ACURA 2003, 3.2 CLS, 2 door, Silver, Black Interior, 160K Plus. Needs Battery. $1800 516-668-8877 runs great

JEEP 2012 LIBERTY: 79,000, Navy Blue, MUST SELL

Remembering Judy Heumann

My friend Judy Heumann died March 4 in Washington, D.C., where she lived. Her name might not mean too much to many of you. But to thousands, and I do meant thousands, of people who struggle every day with physical disabilities, her name is gold.

I met Judy when we were students at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Center. I worked on the college newspaper, Seawanhaka, and she was a ferocious member of the student council.

This is Judy’s story. I never wrote about her, but it’s time I did.

She was 18 months old when she was diagnosed with polio. She spent her entire life in a wheelchair. At LIU Brooklyn, she wheeled faster than most of us walked. She rolled into the college newspaper office filled with arguments, always ready for a duel, whether with the paper, the faculty or the administration. The fights, although fierce, always ended with a smile and a laugh.

When she graduated in the early 1970s with a B.A. in speech and theater, she

wanted to teach in a public school. The New York City Board of Education turned her down because she was in a wheelchair. Never willing to give in, she sued the city.

The New York Times wrote a front-page story about her case, and the Times’s editorial board backed her.

Then Mayor John Lindsay voiced his support.

She won her case, and never stopped winning.

I remember long latenight chats with her in those days, with me worrying that she would lose the case, and she expressing only confidence. She became the first New York City schoolteacher in a wheelchair.

In the late 1970s, she moved to California, there to take on the federal government on behalf of disabled people. Joseph A. Califano Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under President Jimmy Carter, had been slow to implement President Richard Nixon’s Rehabilitation Act, which outlawed discrimination by any institution receiving federal money.

Judy wanted to light a fire under Califano, and organized a mass demonstration, occupying the San Francisco office of HEW for almost a month in what has been described as the longest non-violent

demonstration of a U.S. building in American history.

I urged Judy to be careful, but that word was never in her vocabulary.

San Francisco’s mayor at the time, George Moscone, sent over mattresses. The Black Panthers delivered ribs and fried chicken. Judy won. Califano got moving on legislation to benefit the disabled.

Later she wound up in Washington, working for the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare (now the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions). In 1993, she became assistant secretary of the office of special education and rehabilitation services under President Bill Clinton, a post she held until 2001.

These were busy and heady times for Judy, and she would whisk into New York, call from the airport and promise to meet “the next time” she was in. At least, I thought, we never lost touch.

Her whirlwind life never stopped. In 1970 she had formed an organization called Disabled in Action, which is now international in scope. She traveled the world, advocating for the rights of the disabled.

She became good friends with Hillary

Clinton, and accompanied the first lady on her trip to China in 1995.

After working in the Clinton administration, she was an adviser, fellow, or board member with such organizations like the World Bank, the Ford Foundation and Human Rights Watch. She somehow found time to meet and fall in love with Jorge Pineda, who was also in a wheelchair.

As a youngster, Judy had been a film star. She was a camper and a counselor at Camp Jened, a camp for disabled children, in the Catskills. The place became the subject of a movie, “Camp Crip,” which starred Judy. In a newspaper interview, she described the camp as a “playground,” but also said it had a bigger meaning.

“It was a liberating time,” she said. “We could be ourselves, and it absolutely helped formulate futures.”

I would not see much of Judy during those hectic years of hers in California and Washington, but she was really never far from my mind. I remembered those long-ago late-night talks, when she was so full of optimism. How, I wondered, how could she be?

But now I know. Whenever I think I can’t do something — anything — I think of Judy.

James Bernstein is editor of the Long Beach Herald. Comments? jbernstein@ liherald.com.

Feeling lost? Books are our GPS in the world.

Do you think we haven’t seen the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene before? The story of shamelessly ambitious, undereducated bigots scrambling for traction in government is old. Read “All the King’s Men,” by Robert Penn Warren.

stretch in different directions, but human nature seems immutable, for better and worse.

and policy. We self-educate as we read; we learn tolerance for other ways of life.

Book bans will not stand over time. In the age of information, it is impossible to control what Americans read, unless we tip into a dystopia like North Korea, an unlikely evolution.

RANDI KREISS

Do you think Trump is an unprecedented phenom? See above. See Mussolini. See Pinochet. Except that Trump got lucky, got elected to the highest office in the United States and proceeded to disgrace the presidency during his time in the White House. It has been our national nightmare, but all this has happened before, and in other countries.

Are you agonizing over the rise in racism and the purposeful undermining of truth? Do you despair when you read about book bans, bolder antisemitism and anti-gay, anti-trans and anti-choice initiatives? There’s plenty out there to ring our alarm bells.

However, jingoistic groups have risen to power before. The names and dates change, and the boundaries of civility

Extremist movements have always found fertile ground in America. We are a violent country, forged in revolution, pushing our way west over the land and the bodies of native peoples. We even fought against one another in a war that killed well over 600,000 Northerners and Southerners.

I see two paths to comfort and sanity during this uncertain time. One is having faith that the pendulum will swing back to a middle ground again in America. History tells us that life plays out on a never-ending loop. Nothing is new under the sun, the Bible says.

I think of this when I hear that our political and social and cultural division is “unprecedented.” I think of this when I read that we’ve taken a hard turn and are headed over a cliff, with no way back. My hope is that political chaos will resolve in time if we continue to push back against undemocratic policies.

The other balm is reading, digging into fiction and nonfiction, finding the humanity that binds us all together, even as we disagree and wrestle over national values

Yesterday I read David Remnick’s interview with Masha Gessen in The New Yorker, and educated myself about life for people who are trans or gay or both or don’t fit into a category. I recommend it.

Recently I read “The Glass Hotel,” by Emily St. John Mandel, a fictionalized account of the Madoff Ponzi scheme. Living in our time and reading about fakery and chutzpah and hollowedout lives is somehow reassuring. We realize that, again, there are no new themes or behaviors, just new names and places.

Have you heard of “All My Puny Sorrows,” by Miriam Toews? Talk about writers as alchemists: She weaves a family story around a centerpiece of sisters, one who desperately wants to die, the other desperately trying to save her from suicide. The characters pull us into a dark story that is oddly humorous and fully human, an affirmation of life in difficult times.

Since our fiction writers are storytellers and soothsayers, they help inform the future. We cannot compromise on full access to literature. That means voting for officials, from the local school board to the presidency, who support freedom and resist censorship.

I reread “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” and discovered an entirely different book. Through the prism of our times, Miss Brodie is revealed not as a fun-loving nonconformist but as an emotionally abusive woman, seduced by nationalism and fascism. She apparently lives on in our Congress.

My nonfiction read this month is “We don’t Know Ourselves,” by Fintan O’Toole. Learning about the religious and political flames that nearly consumed Ireland is a cautionary tale. After a while the fighting took on a life of its own; people forgot why they planted bombs in the first place. (See “The Banshees of Inisherin.”)

In “The Naked Don’t Fear the Water,” by Matthieu Aikins, the author tells the story of going back to Afghanistan to find and escort to safety the helper who worked with him during the war, a great story that reminds us of our best selves.

Read these books to know that we have been here before. Catch a glimpse of the road ahead. Copyright 2023

North Korea can control what its citizens read, but book bans will never work here.

Iknew her at LIU Brooklyn. Many more got to know her in the halls of Washington.

JAMES BERNStEIN

Daniel

Tell Albany it’s time to support local journalism

it all seems simple enough. Folded paper covered with words, photographs, advertising and color.

Every week, you open your edition of the Herald, ready to catch up on everything you need to know in your community. Whether it’s some exciting new project taken on by your local lawmakers, or how our great schools are funded, or even some of the personal stories that touch your heart, you can’t imagine a world without your local newspaper.

And you don’t want to imagine a world without your local newspaper.

But local news is at risk. The number of newsrooms across the country has been cut in half since 2004, and more than 2,000 newspapers have closed — including nearly half of the weekly papers in New York state.

That has led to the rise of “news deserts” — areas in which there is little to no local newspaper coverage. These are communities just like this one, where everything from civic engagement, to public health and safety, to the survival of local businesses and community organizations is under significant threat.

These deserts are also where extreme partisanship and mistrust have grown considerably. A 2020 study by the Pew Research Center found that Americans who get most of their news on social media are less likely to get the facts about the coronavirus and politics, and more likely to hear unproven claims.

News deserts also lead to higher taxes, since bond rating agencies realize that, without a newspaper “watchdog,” a community is more likely to experience fraud, waste and abuse.

Trust in news is revitalized by ensuring that there are professional journalists everywhere. Especially in our own communities. When residents like you see reporters covering education board meetings, asking questions of local elected officials and interviewing community mem-

letters

The president doesn’t get a ‘break,’ Jerry

To the Editor:

I have always thought of Jerry Kremer as an intelligent and honest politician, but his column “It’s time to give Joe Biden a break” (March 2-8) was clearly misguided. I’m an independent with no party affiliation. I consider myself a moderate, and I voted for Biden, but I don’t feel that

Support New York’s Local Journalism Sustainability Act

Reach out to your local representatives, and tell them you back A.2958-A/S.625-A.

■ Gov. Kathy Hochul (518) 474-8390, or tinyurl.com/HochulEmail

■ Assemblyman Brian Curran (516) 561-8216, or curranb@nyassembly.gov

■ State Sen. Kevin Thomas (516) 747-7430, or thomas@nysenate.gov

bers about their opinions on matters of public interest, there is a reinforcement of the confidence in the interaction between the press and the community.

But if newspapers are so essential, why are they struggling? Traditionally, advertising accounts for a vast majority of the revenue needed to produce a newspaper each week — most of it in print. Yet that advertising stream fell 71 percent between 2000 and 2012 as businesses migrated to a digital ecosystem controlled by Google through its monopolistic dominance of online ad sales.

Google attracts viewers to its own website by displaying headlines and sections of news articles produced by news organizations like the Herald, but those viewers don’t tend to click through to the news organizations’ own websites. As a result, Google earns the ad revenue attracted by the publication of news, without covering any of the costs associated with paying

anyone elected to the high est office in this country, arguably the most important position in the world, should ever be given a break. He (or she) has a duty to carry out the responsibilities of the position without excuses for any of their actions.

Mr. Kremer has made a gallant effort to point out what he considers Biden’s accomplishments, and even if I felt that his praise was warranted, it is far outweighed by Biden’s overall incompetence.

the professional journalists who gather and report that news.

As well, the price of paper and delivery has risen dramatically, exacerbated by already high inflation — as much as 100 percent.

What can you do to help? You’re already doing it by subscribing to and reading the Herald. You very likely frequent the businesses that advertise in these pages — and maybe even advertise yourself.

But there is more you can do: Contact your Assembly member or state senator and tell them to say “yes” to A.2958-A/S.625-A — New York’s Local Journalism Sustainability Act. Time is of the essence, as lawmakers in Albany will finalize the state budget in the next week or two.

These bills offer a payroll tax credit — a bridge for transitioning to a new business model — to newspapers based on the number of employed journalists, ensuring that you will continue to receive unbiased coverage of village board meetings, high school soccer games and more.

Even more, this tax credit doesn’t just help newspapers like the Herald. It also would be offered to public radio stations, as well as to local online and not-for-profit news organizations. And remember, newspapers can be distributed in many ways, from print to online.

In the end, the legislation would save more than 350 newsrooms across New York state some $150 million per year over the next five years, a relatively small piece of the state’s more than $200 billion budget. But for newsrooms like this one, it could be the difference between survival and collapse into another news desert.

Your neighborhood deserves to be covered by experienced journalists working at a local newspaper — in fact, it’s vital. We all want to live and work in safe, cost-effective, well-run communities. But without local newspapers, that just won’t happen.

What the George Santos discourse is missing

many of us in Nassau County, myself included, are disgusted by the lies that Republican congressman George Santos has been spewing on a near-daily basis. Like many others, I would like to see Santos resign.

But this isn’t about Santos. We need to begin a conspicuously absent conversation about the Democratic incompetence that led to Santos being a factor in the first place.

It’s an important discussion for Democrats to have, not least because the next George Santos may not be such a liar. The goal of Democrats should be to decisively defeat Republicans because of better ideas, not to pin hopes on sporadic scandals in order to notch victories.

The narrow focus on Santos as an unprecedented liar blurs that goal. For me, Santos’ lies just made him worse; it was his policies, which would increase inflation and put doctors in jail for giving abortions, that made him a deal-breaker. Santos shouldn’t be in office, not because

he lies a lot (though that’s part of it), but simply because he’s a cruel politician.

So how did Democratic incompetence lead us to Santos? Well, in January 2022, Robert Zimmerman announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 3rd Congressional District. Zimmerman wasn’t well known, but he has been a member of the Democratic National Committee for over two decades.

Zimmerman hadn’t run a campaign since Ronald Reagan was in office, and he had lost all three of his previous elections. To call him vulnerable was an understatement. But the New York State Democratic Committee nevertheless coaxed some serious endorsements to get “their man” into office — including one from Hillary Clinton — and it worked. Zimmerman became the Democratic nominee with just 36 percent of the vote in the party’s primary.

Predictably, Zimmerman went on to lose to Santos by 7.5 percentage points. He received 40 percent fewer votes than Tom Suozzi did in defeating Santos in 2020. Most important, Zimmerman failed to expose Santos’ fraud before the election. Zimmerman claims his campaign “didn’t have the time or money” to “dig

Letters

He is a 50-plus-year career politician, and his lies are well documented. I believe that a large number of votes cast in 2020 were against Trump rather than for Biden.

He portrayed himself as a moderate who can negotiate with both sides of the aisle. Since he was elected, it is apparent that he is a left-leaning socialist with a “woke” agenda and has surrounded himself with a like-minded staff. Mr. Kremer mentioned Biden’s visit to Ukraine, but failed to point out that he neglected to find time for the people of East Palestine, Ohio, who could use a show of his support. A visit by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was too little, too late.

Mr. Kremer touched on the border crisis, but that deserves much more criticism. It is an utterly chaotic situation that continues to plague our nation. Our standing in the world community has diminished as a result of our disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, a total embarrassment to those who have always looked to the U.S. as the defender of freedom. I could go on about inflation, the national debt and spiraling crime, but what’s the point? This isn’t the time to give the leader of the free world a break.

March is Red Cross Month, so thank our local heroes

To the Editor:

When emergencies happen on Long Island, like the apartment fire in Baldwin earlier this month that left a number of families without homes to go back to, help can’t wait.

In these dire moments, volunteers from Nassau and Suffolk counties, supported by local financial donors and community partners, help to ensure that their neighbors never face home fires and countless other crises alone.

“Every call is different,” says volunteer Disaster Action Team supervisor Magnolia Chiri of Deer Park, who responds to fires and other emergencies. “Every fire is different. But I go there with this shirt that says ‘Hope,’ so that’s the first thing people see when I show up. ‘Hope’ to me means that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel — that no matter how hard the hardship is, there’s always a little light out there, and there will always be people along the way who will help you.”

More than 90 percent of the work of the Red Cross is done by volunteers, and our mission simply wouldn’t be possible without them. During our 80th annual Red Cross Month celebration this month, we’re

deeper” into his opponent’s background. With 10 and a half weeks until the election and over $3 million in campaign cash? I’m not buying it, especially since it turns out that a Democratic group had already given Zimmerman 87 pages of Santos’ red flags before the election.

wThen again, I err in expecting competency from the New York Democratic Committee. Party chairman Jay Jacobs and his crew oversaw the Democratic bloodbath in Nassau County in 2021 (a county that has 30 percent more registered Democrats than Republicans) and didn’t invest a single dollar in two voting rights propositions that were voted down that year.

Last year, the Democrats came much closer to losing the governorship to a Republican than they anticipated in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 2 to 1, and lost 20 percent of the entire Democratic House delegation. The New York Democratic Committee almost single-handedly cost the party the House of Representatives.

Democrats performed worse in every single county in New York state than they did in 2020. And yet the state committee re-elected Jacobs party chairman a few

Framework

months back.

We wouldn’t have to be reading these offensive stories about Santos pretending to be the descendant of Holocaust survivors if Democrats had just done their job.

But when I read stories about Democratic Party bosses, like Brooklyn’s Frank Seddio, handing out contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to their close associates, I start to wonder whether they actually want to win.

It appears to me that the state Democratic committee is perfectly willing to gamble a loss on a poor candidate. As long as the money’s flowing in, what’s it to them? In fact, the scenario as it’s unfolding seems to be exactly what they want. The more the discussion centers on Santos as an aberration, the less we discuss holding the lazy, sclerotic, corrupt party machine accountable for letting people like him win in the first place.

Well, I do mind. I do care about the Democratic agenda. Here’s some tough love: It’s time to clear house and find new leadership that’s interested in winning. Because when the machine finally collapses, it’s going to be regular Democrats who get hurt.

Matthew Adarichev is a public policy major at Hofstra University, a political activist and an aspiring journalist whose work has appeared in the Hofstra Chronicle and the Anton Media Group.

by Tim Baker

proud to honor their selflessness and dedication, as well as our committed donors and partners. They are all community heroes who helped the Red Cross respond to 369 disasters on Long Island last year, assisting more than 1,700 of their neighbors. They also dedicated countless hours to teaching lifesaving and preparedness skills, and installing free smoke detectors in our communities.

You can join the celebration by visiting RedcCross.org to make a donation, become

a volunteer or take a class to learn lifesaving skills like first aid, CPR and how to use an AED. Donations help us provide shelter, food, relief items, emotional support and other assistance for people affected by disasters big and small.

On behalf of those we serve, we thank everyone who makes our lifesaving work possible.

JOSE DOMINGUEZ CEO, American Red Cross on Long Island

e can’t expect competency from the state Democratic committee.

matthew adarichev

HERE FOR EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY LIFE

At Catholic Health, exceptional medical care and personalized support is inspired by every one of you.

Our Faith puts all your needs and comfort first. So, our innovative medical care is always delivered with unmatched compassion. It’s because we understand that we’re not treating just patients, we’re treating someone’s family, best friend, and neighbors to us all.

Learn more at chsli.org