_____________ ROCKVILLE CENTRE ____________
HERALD
IS YOUR HOME INSURA NCE HOLDING UP AFTER RE NOVATIONS? READ MY ARTICLE INSI DE!
Project Inspire Garden Party
Page 3
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Vol. 34 No. 34
AUGUST 17 - 23, 2023
2 0 FI N A L I S T 21 & 2 022
4.9
ALEX ANDERSON
516.544.2728
530 Merrick Rd., Rockville
Across from Pantry Diner
$1.00
Centre
aanderson@andersonagenc
yrvc.com
1215274
RVC songwriter to play Jones Beach
H E R A LD
St. Agnes choir sings at Citi Field By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com
Courtesy Michael Bower
The boys, girls, men and women of the St. Agnes Cathedral Choir had a ball on Aug. 9, when they were invited to Citi Field to sing the national anthem before the Mets faced off against the Chicago Cubs. “This was such a thrill, especially for our young boys and girls, to be able to perform at a major league baseball game,” St. Agnes musical director Michael Bower said. Bower has been working at the Catholic church since 1985, when he became associate director of music. During his tenure he has helped develop a first-rate music program. He was also responsible for starting the Cathe-
The St. Agnes Cathedral Choir performing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Citi Field on Aug. 9.
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Spotted lanternflies have arrived in Rockville Centre By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com
The spotted lanternfly, an invasive species that feeds on plants and trees, has made its way to Rockville Centre. “Several residents have reported seeing spotted lanternflies,” Village Trustee Katie Conlon said at the board meeting on Aug. 7. “The spotted lanternfly is an invasive insect from Asia that feeds on a wide variety of plants and trees.” The species was discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014, and it quickly spread across the region, establishing populations in nearby states including Dela-
ware, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. To try to slow the spread to New York, the state issued an external quarantine in October 2018, restricting the movement of goods and vehicles from states where the flies are known to have populations. “The goal of the quarantine we have implemented is to help reduce the opportunities these pests may have in hitching a ride on firewood, plants and other common outdoor items and entering our state in the first place,” Richard Ball, the state’s commissioner of agriculture, said in 2018. While the quarantine has
W
hen you see them, you should kill them.
KATIE CoNloN Village trustee helped slow their spread, by 2020 the lanternfly had made its way to Staten Island — the first center of infestation in the state — and it has since shown up on Long Island and parts of upstate New York. Nymphs, or newly hatched lanternflies, have an almost ladybug-like appearance. They
are red with black and white spots, and can typically be seen from April through July. They begin to transition from July through September, and grow to roughly an inch long and a half-inch wide. They can be identified by their distinctive wings, which are covered in black spots. In the fall, the adults lay
inch-long egg masses on anything from tree trunks, rocks and vehicles to outdoor furniture and firewood. “The spotted lanternfly poses a risk to many of our trees and plants,” Conlon said. “The adults and nymphs … feed on the sap, which causes distress to the trees, making them vulneraConTinued on pAge 18