_____________ ROCKVILLE CENTRE ____________
HERALD local veteran turns 105
Take a ride on Nunley’s Carousel
Work begins on new playground
Page 3
Page 6
Page 10
Vol. 33 No. 35
AUGUST 25 - 31, 2022
$1.00
Gillen set to face off against D’Esposito By kYle ChiN kchin@liherald.com
Bill Kelly/Herald
RoCkVille CeNTRe FiReFiGhTeRS Andrew and Charles Craum help teach Ryan Murray how to operate the hose.
Library honors local heroes
Pays tribute to fallen firefighter Josie Howard By TAYloR NiColi Intern
To honor the many first responders who selflessly rush into danger, the Rockville Centre Library invited local firefighters, police and EMTs to share stories from the line of duty at its annual Heroes Day celebration last Friday. Heroes Day began in 2015, as part of the library’s summer reading program, in which kids were encouraged
to read when schools were on break. The theme that year was “superheroes,” and the library invited local “heroes” to tell children about their jobs. Since then, Heroes Day has become an annual tradition that village parents and children look forward to. “A lot of kids want to be firefighters or police officers when they grow up,” Jennifer Marino, the head of the library’s youth services, said. “But it’s also nice for them to experience these things, like
an ambulance or a fire truck, when it’s not an emergency. Today they get to see it in a comfortable, fun environment, so if something ever does happen, they’ll be familiar with it.” Volunteers spent the morning giving children tours of two Rockville Centre Fire De par tment trucks, and showing them how to operate some of the instruments inside, including the sirens Continued on page 4
Laura Gillen is a step closer to claiming the open U.S. House seat left vacant by Kathleen Rice. The former Hempstead town supervisor was projected to win the Democratic primary for the 4th Congressional District on Tuesday, with nearly 67 percent of the vote in early returns. “Tonight, voters spoke loud and clear that they want a representative who will fight tooth and nail against GOP politicians in Washington,” Gillen said in a statement following the win. She also decried Re publicans “who want to pass a national a b o r t i o n b a n lAURA without excep- GilleN tions to rape, WoN the incest, or even if Democratic the woman’s life primary for is in danger.” “Health care the 4th d e c i s i o n s — Congressional including basic District. birth control — are between a woman and her doctor, not by Washington politicians trying to score political points with their extremist base.” The 52-year-old Rockville Centre resident had been a favorite to win, endorsed by Rice as well as a number of major Democratic Party figures, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
and House Democratic Caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries. She now faces Hempstead town councilman Anthony D’Esposito in the Nov. 8 general election. He ran unopposed on the Republican ticket. Gillen has stated that repealing restrictions to state and local tax deductions passed in 2017 is one of her immediate priorities. She also voiced support for universal background checks on gun purchases to help curb crime and violence, while calling for expanded voting rights. Early results showed Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages in second with 16 percent of votes. Solages advocated for an aggressive foreign policy, tax incentives for small businesses, and expanding protections for women. Keith Corbett had 14 percent of the vote. The Malverne mayor called for expansions to reproductive and voting rights while touting his experience in village planning and infrastructure. Finally, physician Muzib Huq from Elmont captured a little more than 1 percent of the vote. He had campaigned on improving the American health care system, championing racial and religious tolerance, and investing in anemic local and national infrastructure. While the fourth district is forecasted to safely lean Democrat by some, other pollsters — like McLaughlin & Associates — say D’Esposito had the best chance of claiming the seat if Gillen was his opponent.