Rockville Centre Herald 09-07-2023

‘lights it up gold’ for Mary

Page 22

Molloy students are dorm ready

Page 25

Students head back to school

Ken Dyer celebrates a milestone Choirmaster dedicates 25 years to the local church

By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com

It’s impossible to imagine where contemporary music would be if it weren’t for church choirs. Their melodic and harmonic sounds as they chant and sing together essentially laid the foundation for everything we listen to today.

“There is something very beautiful about it,” Ken Dyer, choirmaster at the Church of the Ascension in Rockville Centre, said. “If you think about it, music history is all bound up in church music.”

Dyer, 61, has led the Episcopal church choir for the past 25 years, and has established a repertoire ranging from classical works by composers such as Bach to the hymns, spirituals and choral compositions of the 20th century.

Dyer grew up in West Islip, and at 13 he began taking piano lessons. Then, one day while he was sitting in Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church

following Mass, he decided to get up and start playing. “The next thing I knew, there was someone standing next to me,” he recalled. “That’s when the organist offered me a job.”

Dyer was 16 when he was hired to play one Mass a week at the West Islip church. Although he left the parish to study theology at St. John’s University in Queens, the passion he felt for music never waned. While at St. John’s he worked as an organist at Our Lady of Grace in West Babylon, performing seven Masses on the weekends.

“That was a lot,” Dyer said, “but it provided me with good experience and helped put me through college.”

He had a number of other jobs along the way, and in the 1980s he had his first experience with an Episcopalian congregation in Kew Gardens.

Dyer had initially set out to become a priest, and joined a seminary, but quickly realized that

By NIColE FoRMISANo nformisano@liherald.com

Looking forward to a trip from Long Island to Hollywood, two Rockville Centre dancers along with eight others from the Magnolia Dance Academy have advanced to the final round of one of the most prestigious dance competitions in the country — the Industry Dance Awards.

Dancers from the academy, which is located in Lynbrook, triumphed over other dance teams from all across the area to earn the People’s Choice Award nomination in the regional dance competition, Turn It Up. In April, they wowed judges with a hypnotizing contemporary routine performed by 10 teenagers who have been dancing together at Magnolia since they were small.

Team members earned the nomination after a series of rounds during the regional competition, and are now preparing to compete in the national Industry Dance Awards com-

petition in October.

Kristen Pearson and Jamie Cook of Rockville Centre have been dancing at Magnolia since they were toddlers. Now co-captains of the group, they described the 10-person dance team as a family.

Pearson, 17, said the nomination was a testament to all the hard work and dedication the team has put in over the past 15 years at Magnolia.

“We’re all very supportive, and we’re always there for each other on the hard days,” Pearson said. “I love to dance, and I love to be around the people I was with. I grew up with everybody in my group.”

Pearson said that even when competing against one another, the group would always come together and celebrate when one member succeeds.

“Every day I’d walk in and everyone would be there with open arms and such a positive energy,” she said. “It’s a family. It’s a team. It’s being able to

Continued on page 24

Tim Baker/Herald

The Best on Nassau County’s South Shore. Three Years in

a Row.

High Performing in Ten Areas of Care

RemembeRing the Fallen: Sept. 11, 2001

n ew names added to memorial

Charles F. Kerrigan

Robert Emmet Sullivan

Michael J. Schnitzer

Battalion Chief Stephen James Geraghty FDNY

Daniel Patrick Morrissey

Battalion Chief Richard E. McGuire FDNY

Lt. Zachary A Slavin NYPD

Rockville Centre's annual candlelight commemoration at the Village Green memorial for those lost on Sept. 11 will be held on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. at the Village Green on Maple Avenue.

The Herald’s best efforts went in to compiling this list of the lost. Please let us know if we’ve missed anyone by contacting rvceditor@liherald.com.

michaeL hannan robert fazio

noeLL maerz

terence manning

John a sherry Janice ashLey

James J. keLLy DonaLD mcintyre

matthew grzyma

anDrew stern

michaeL h seaman

James f murphy iv

Crime watCh

missing Person

A Massachusetts resident reported on Aug. 31, his 7-year-old child did not return from a bicycle ride and was missing from a N. Forest Avenue residence they were visiting. The child was located 10 minutes later a short distance away.

harassment

A customer at Kasey’s Kitchen and Cocktails reported on Aug. 29, an employee of the licensed premises grabbed her arm.

A resident of S. Marion Place reported on Aug. 31 he received a threatening text message causing him alarm and to fear for his safety.

An employee of Molloy University reported on Aug. 31 he received a threatening email from a former student causing him alarm and to fear for his safety.

Criminal misChief

Two employees of Mercy Medical Center reported on Aug. 28 someone broke the windows on their vehicles.

motor VehiCle aCCident

A motorist struck a utility pole in the vicinity of DeMott Avenue and Bedford Avenue on Aug. 30. The electric department was on the scene and replaced the utility pole.

larCeny

An employee of Mercy Medical Center reported on Aug. 28, someone broke

the window on her vehicle and stole property.

A resident of Bulson Road reported on Sept. 1, someone stole property that was placed outside the St. Agnes Cathedral School and Rockville Centre Village Hall.

A resident of Cedar Avenue reported on Sept. 2, someone stole property from her unlocked vehicle while parked in her driveway.

leaVing the sCene of an aCCident

A motorist reported on Aug. 27, her vehicle was struck by another vehicle and the driver fled the scene of the accident on foot while she was driving on Peninsula Boulevard. An investigation revealed that the vehicle that struck the motorist had been reported stolen in Nassau County.

A motorist reported on Sept. 2, his vehicle was struck by another vehicle that left the scene of the accident while parked on Driscoll Avenue.

UnUsUal inCident

A Lakeview resident reported on Aug. 29, he was involved in a monetary dispute with an acquaintance regarding investing in a home purchase.

A DeMott Place resident reported on Aug. 30 that she was the victim of a phone scam.

A Yale Place resident reported on Aug. 31 that someone opened an unlocked window and moved a window screen in his home sometime during the prior night.

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.

Diocese names four principals to L.I. schools

The Diocese of Rockville Centre Department of Education and the Morningstar Initiative recently announced the appointment of four new principals, who will be assuming leadership roles in its parish and regional schools across Long Island.

“We welcome these new principals into the Catholic administrative community,” Pamela Sanders, the diocese’s superintendent of schools, said in a statement. “Our office will work closely and support them in their efforts to continue the long tradition of excellence in Catholic education.”

Principal John-Paul Barnaba joins the Long Beach Catholic Regional School having served in the role as principal of the Academy of Saint Paul and Saint Ann in Manhattan and Our Lady of the Assumption School in the Bronx.

“I look forward to not only being a school leader at Long Beach Catholic, but also being an adoptive member of the Long Beach community,” he said.

Barnaba grew up on Long Island and is the product of a Catholic education, having graduated from St. Anthony’s High School in Huntington.

Principal Marcia Velasco joins the Holy Name of Mary School in Valley Stream. She has spent almost the last 25 years working as a teacher, administrator and curriculum writer at the ele -

mentary, middle school and high school levels.

“The morals, values and lessons that are taught in Catholic schools (in partnership with what is taught at home) are key for a child’s development and success,” Velasco said in a letter to families. “I am committed to making sure that these morals, values, and lessons remain at the forefront of your children’s education.

Principal Thomas Fasano joins the St. Anne’s School in Garden City, following his retirement from the public school system in July.

“I am honored to have the opportuni-

ty to return to my roots as a principal, and in particular, to support the continued growth and success of the faithbased, family-centered learning community long established here at St. Anne’s school,” Fasano said.

Fasano graduated from Chaminade High School in Mineola and is the product of a Catholic school education. He began his career as an educator in the late 80s, and after receiving his doctorate from St. John’s University, pursued work as an administrator. He has served as an assistant superintendent in the Massapequa School District since 2008.

Principal Rebecca Darmanin joins the St. Patrick School in Smithown, where she has served in various capacities for the past 21 years. She has served as the assistant principal since 2020, and prior to that was a classroom teacher.

“For the past 21 years, St. Patrick School in Smithtown has been my home,” Darmanin said. “I have grown in my craft, worked with amazing colleagues, develop life-long friendships and grown in my faith. I am where God wants me to be at this moment and excited that he has allowed me to be an instrument in his divine plan.”

A free, family-friendly celebration of music and community

This Saturday, September 9 from 3-6 pm

Rain date: September 10

Funds raised through donations will support the Chamber’s South Side High School Scholarship Program. To donate, and for this year’s amazing line-up of performances, visit RockvilleCentreChamberofCommerce.com/porch or scan here.

Sponsored by the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce and

Better Home Health Care

Champion Elevator Corp.

Compass Coquette

Mary Beth Darcy, Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty

Gloria Romanowski, Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty

Rosemary Talkin, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty

Tim Daniels Plumbing & Heating

Disruptive Spark

Douglas Elliman Real Estate Rockville Centre Office

Floor Decor

George Martin The Original

Thomas A Glynn & Son Funeral Home

GM Burger Bar

Harms Real Estate

Herald of Rockville Centre

Howard Hanna Coach Realtors

Dina Caffrey and Sandi Asip, Howard Hanna Coach Realtors

Mary Lou Marquardt, Howard Hanna Coach Realtors

Nancy O'Brien, Howard Hanna Coach Realtors

these generous local businesses:

Jeannine’s Gifts

Liv Interiors

Living Neat

Long Island Dental Excellence

Long Island Pickleball Pros

Lost Dog Art & Framing

Bill and Marcelle Manteria

Donna Melega, New York Life Insurance Company

Molloy University

North Village Wash Dry Fold

Doug Palaganas DDS

Polka Dot Pound Cake

Revolution Yoga

Rockville Centre Education Foundation

Rockville Centre Lions Club

Simple Fine Food

Tap Room

Valenti Pharmacy

Valley Bank

John-Paul BarnaBa reBecca Darmanin marcia Velasco Thomas Fasano

SCHOOLS

RVC students head back to the classroom

School is officially back in session. It was a bright, sunny morning as students in the Rockville Centre School District returned to the classroom on Tuesday, Sept. 5, for the start of the new school year.

For some, the morning presented an opportunity to reconnect with classmates and friends to talk about all the fun they had during their summer vacation. And for others, it marked the beginning of new academic journey, as they prepared to enter a new school environment for the first time.

Teachers and administrators helped greet the students, who were all eager to return to school, and helped guide them to their new classrooms for the start of the 2023 – 2024 school year.

Matthew Gaven, superintendent of the Rockville Centre school district said that the first day was an incredible start to the new school year.

“The enthusiasm and warmth from our faculty and staff as they greeted everyone were truly heartwarming,”

Gaven said. “Our buildings and classrooms look great thanks to the hard work

of our custodial and maintenance staff and the support of the capital projects in last year’s budget.”

Gaven said that also he hopes to continue to build on the positive momentum from the success of the 2022 – 2023 school year.

“Our schools have a proud legacy of academic excellence, which is a testament to the support of our community and the dedication and innovative spirit of our educators and staff,” he said. “We also recognize the vital role of extracurricular programs in enhancing the lives of our students. When combined, Rockville Centre’s rigorous academic program, new opportunities for student choice and engagement, diverse extracurricular and co-curricular offerings, and robust community partnerships create well-rounded students who are fully prepared to meet the challenges of the future. On behalf of the Board and myself, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to our parents, caregivers, and the entire community for their trust and support.”

–Daniel Offner

Sophia Frassa and Assistant Superintendent Nicole Moriarty share a few words during the start of the new school year.

Vincent DeRossi gives two thumbs up for the start of his first day at Jennie E. Hewitt Elementary School in Rockville Centre.

Daniel Offner/Herald photos

Emma Chatoff, Samantha Lally, Peyton Perna and their parents Jennifer, Stephanie and Randi are excited for the start of the 4th grade at Hewitt Elementary School.

Siblings Dylan and Amelia Calvo, and Nelle and John Winters get ready for the start of the new school year at Hewitt Elementary.

Simone James and her son, Caleb, head back to Hewitt Elementary for the start of the 4th grade.

Tim Baker/Herald

Kaylee Tagnosky and Quinn Mattone are excited to return to William S. Covert Elementary for the start of 2nd grade.

Ruby Michaud, 1st grade, and teacher Mrs. Sprague get ready for the first day back to school.

Covert Principal Darren Raymar celebrates his final first day of school after 25 years in the district.

Ryan Burke and James Raffa celebrate their first day of Kindergarten at Covert Elementary with a high-five.

Kindergarten classmates Daniela Campos and Isabel Culver are excited for their first day of school at Covert.

Tim Baker/Herald photos Stephanie Flores, 3rd grade, and Lily Teta, 4th grade, are excited to be heading back to school. Riverside Elementary School principal Chris Zappia drops in on the fifth grade class.

Dan Offner/Herald

Students settle into their classroom for the first day of school at Floyd B. Watson Elementary.

Kids get comfy in their lily pad themed environment at Wilson Elementary.

Students at the Francis F. Wilson Elementary School were excited to be back together in the classroom.

Photos courtesy RVC Public Schools

First grade students in Mrs. Falkenhan’s and Mrs. Tommolino’s class pause for a picture with the school mascot. Students in Mrs. Spinelli’s 5th grade class are ready to go back to school.

Hofstra seeks conference Three-Peat

By ANDREW COEN sports@liherald.com

The bar has been raised for Hofstra men’s soccer.

Hofstra repeated as conference champions last fall, but were unable to replicate its 2021 postseason success when the Pride reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The 2022 NCAA Tournament appearance was a brief one for Hofstra, with the Pride falling in the opening round at South Florida, 4-2.

“Expectations are much higher now,” said 35th-year head coach Richard Nuttall. “Our aspirations are much higher than the NCAA first round.”

The Pride was tabbed as favorites in the Coastal Athletic Association preseason poll collecting nine of 11 first place votes. Hofstra is aiming for its first CAA title three-peat since accomplishing the feat between 2004 and 2006.

Leading the charge to once again raise a CAA trophy and get Hofstra into the NCAA Tournament as the league’s automatic qualifier are junior midfielder Eliot Goldthorp and senior forward Ryan Carmichael. Goldthorp, a native of Leeds, United Kingdom, was named the CAA Preseason Player of the Year after earning Second-Team United Soccer Coaches All-America honors last season. Carmichael of Northern Island was 2022 CAA Player of the Year after placing second in the conference with 24 points.

“They are exceptional players who are athletically blessed and skillful,” said Nuttall of Carmichael and Goldthorp, who were both named to the 2023 Hermann Trophy Watch List.

The first goal of the 2023 featured Carmichael heading in a cross from Goldthorp in the second half of the Pride’s 1-0 season-opening win against Marist on Aug. 24.

Other offensive players Nuttall is hoping produce goals this season include senior Oliver Svalander of Sweden, who tallied 21 points last season, and junior Teddy Baker, who transferred from Lake

Erie College in Ohio.

Senior goalkeeper Wessel Speel anchors a Hofstra defense that held opponents to one goal or less in 15 matches. The Netherlands native was a ThirdTeam All-CAA selection in 2022 with 45 saves and five shutouts.

The backline also features Merrick native Pierce Infuso, Stefan Mason of the UK, Nico Oberrauch of Rome, Italy and Björn van Gorkom from the Netherlands.

Infuso, a former Bellmore JFK High School standout, made strides last season as a Second-Team All-CAA selection.

“We believe he is probably as good as anybody in the country as a one-on-one defender,” said Nuttall of Infuso. “His soccer IQ is getting better every year.”

The defense also includes West Hempstead High School native Shane Salmon, a Kellenberg High School product, who is back for a graduate year after playing 16 games with seven starts as a senior.

Other local players on the Pride roster include graduate Andrew Weiner, a Mepham High School graduate who arrives at Hofstra this season after competing for four seasons at Albany. Sophomore goalie Gino Cervoni, an Elmont native and Carey High School alum could eventually end up seeing time in net during his college career.

Hofstra kicks off its CAA season on Saturday at home against Long Island rival Stony Brook at 7 p.m. The nonleague schedule is highlighted by an Oct. 3 trip to ACC power Virginia, who the Pride tied 1-1 last season.

The success of the Hofstra men’s soccer program the last two years, which included an 8-2 blowout win at Penn State in the 2021 NCAA Tournament second round, has given Nuttall an added boost in recruiting.

“We’re known as an entertaining and an attacking team and I think a lot of young people want to come here and play an attacking style soccer,” he said. “Our results are pretty impressive over the last few years so we’re becoming a place that the top level recruits want to come to.”

Courtesy Hofstra Athletics Communicationst Pride junior midfielder Eliot Goldthorp was named Coastal Athletic Association Preseason Player of the Year.

County exec steps up school safety measures

By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com

Bruce Blakeman and Patrick Ryder stood on the steps of Valley Stream Central High School, holding up a backpack.

No, this wasn’t one of the many school supply giveaways that take place this time of year.

Instead, the Nassau County executive and Nassau County Police Department commissioner wanted to show a “gobag.” Filled with emergency response gear to deal with everything from school shootings to drug overdoses, these backpacks have been placed “in every county police vehicle and given to our village police department” stocked with emergency tools from a tourniquet to stop life-threatening bleeding, to Narcan, a lifesaving medication used in opioid overdoses.

These backpacks are yet another tool in a growing arsenal of existing school safety measures and protocols Blake man said are critical in creating “an atmosphere of safety” at Nassau schools.

safety of our children in Nassau Coun ty,” Blakeman said. “We are extremely serious about making sure that our kids, when they go to school, are in a safe environment free from any kind of violence or any kind of medical condi tion that would jeopardize their health.”

lead to violent activity — whether inperson or on social media — let school officials know.”

Major strides have been made in the police’s coordination efforts with schools, Ryder said, as ways to prevent active shooters and cut down on response times.

This is possible thanks to existing safety procedures and technology like security-wide assessments, mandatory police school visits, and the widespread installation of the Rave Panic Button

system in schools — a rapid alert apparatus designed to directly connect school administration to law enforcement and emergency dispatchers during a life-threatening event.

Other tactics include a dedicated team of officers who monitor the web for troubling social media posts or suspicious online behavior.

“If school officials do find something,” Ryder said, “we immediately sit down with them, the student, and their parents and discuss it.”

One instance that came to Ryder’s mind was where a conversation led to a consensual search of a family’s property, turning up weapons inside the home even the parents were not aware of.

“Since 2013, there have been 75 people killed in school shootings,” Ryder said. “Roughly 75 percent of all active shootings end in five minutes or less. And 52 percent of that is over in two minutes.”

Ryder noted that the county police’s response time falls squarely within that window — averaging around three to five minutes. In the fast-paced chaos of a shooting, “closing that gap between two to three minutes” through quicker response times can save lives, citing the need for more trained officers on standby. And close to schools.

“The bad guy has to be right once,” Ryder said. “We have to be right every single time, so we practice how we play and improve on everything we did before.”

Juan Lasso/Herald

In response to the worrying uptick in gun violence and overdose opioid deaths, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman joined Nassau County Police Department commissioner Patrick Ryder to unveil a series of new school safety tools and protocols to reduce the risk of active shooter threats.

Hecht becomes SHA’s first lay principal

The search is over: Sacred Heart Academy has a new leader.

Maria Pozzulo Hecht has become the 11th principal of the Hempstead-based allgirls Catholic school — but the first lay principal. A member of the Sisters of Saint Joseph has always filled the administrative role since the school first opened in 1949. Yet, despite the fact she’s not a member of the Sisters, Hecht expects to continue the legacy of educating and empowering young women within the Sisters’ mission.

She takes over in October for Sister Jean Amore, who led the school for the past five years.

“The congregation knows that the mission of the Sisters of Saint Joseph is foundational to all dimensions of Sacred Heart Academy,” said Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, president of the Sisters — and a Sacred Heart alum — in a release. “We trust that Maria Hecht will be supported well by the community as she assumes the role of principal and leads SHA forward to its next chapter of excellence.”

Hecht most recently was the principal of Floral Park Memorial High School, which educated more than 1,300 students each year between seventh and 12th grades. She also managed 220 faculty members there, and was responsible for curriculum and instruction, professional development, recruitment and retention.

Before that, Hecht spent 12 years as assistant principal of New Hyde Park Memorial High School. She’s also been both an English department chair, as well as a high school English teacher.

Hecht grew up in Port Washington, where she now lives with her husband, Howard. Their three sons — Howard, Michael and Joseph — attended Chami-

nade High School in Mineola. All of them are members of St. Peter of Alcantara, and also attend liturgies at Our Lady of Fatima in Port Washington.

“It is so important, especially in today’s society, to provide young women with opportunities to cultivate confidence, resiliency and leadership skills that will extend to their post-high school

experiences,” Hecht said, in a release. “I believe any student can succeed given support, encouragement and access to opportunities. My goal is to provide the students of Sacred Heart Academy with opportunities that will enable them to flourish.”

Hecht earned her professional diploma in administration and supervision as well as a master’s degree in secondary education and English, as well as a bachelor’s degree in education and English, all from St. John’s University in Queens.

Hecht’s career “covers every angle of education,” said Kristin Lynch Graham, Sacred Heart’s president, in a release. “As a classroom teacher, chairperson, assistant principal and principal, she was a standout choice. Her proven experience as a high school principal will instill great confidence in the faculty, and her reputation for working with students and parents is so impressive.

“She has already embraced SHA’s mission in her life as a leader of heart. She is going to do amazing things.”

Sacred Heart Academy students are pulled from more than 40 school districts, and graduates go on to recognized top-tier colleges and universities. The school combines rigorous academics with leadership opportunities that fosters the values of courage, commitment and compassion — all under the mantra of “lead with heart.”

To learn more, visit SacredHeartAcademyLI.org.

Courtesy Sacred Heart Academy

Maria Pozzulo Hecht is the 11th principal to take on the leadership role of Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead, but is the first lay principal following nearly 75 years of guidance and direction from the Sisters of Saint Joseph.

HONOREE

Support Better Health Care on the South Shore

SPONSORSHIPS AND TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE FOR SEPTEMBER 23

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS & HONOREES

SOIREE SPONSOR

Mount Sinai Health System

GOLD STANDARD SPONSOR

Feil Family Foundation

CUPOLA SPONSOR

Terri and Steve Gold

Mount Sinai South Nassau Medical Sta

North American Partners in Anesthesia

HEALTHY WAY SPONSORS

B2K Development

MaryLou and Anthony Cancellieri

Flagstar Bank, N.A.

Eileen and Michael Sapraicone

WHERE QUALITY MATTERS SPONSORS

Bethpage Federal Credit Union

Breitstone & Co. Ltd.

The Central Orthopedic Group

MSSN FAMILY SPONSORS

Banyan Medical Systems

Diane and David Bonagura

Concierge Choice Physicians

Joseph Fennessy

Park Strategies, LLC

Parking Systems

The Dover Group

MARY PEARSON SPONSORS

Bartlett LLP

Colon & Rectal Surgical Specialists of New York

Larry and Christine Ferazani

HOK Architects

Radiation Business Solutions

Susan and Matthew Rifkin

The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company

MAGENTA SPONSORS

Acejan

Axis Construction Corporation

Bond, Schoeneck & King

John and Laura Curran

DOPF, P.C.

Elayne and Je rey Frisch

Harris Beach PLLC

Long Beach & Peninsula Nursing and Rehabilitation

Lynbrook Restorative Therapy & Nursing

Meadowbrook Care Center

MG Security

Professional Maintenance of LI, Inc.

PSEG Long Island

Richmond County Ambulance

Ellen and George Schieren

SeniorCare Emergency Medical Services

Shaub Ahmuty Citrin & Spratt

Sodexo

Vaso Corporation

COMMUNITY SPONSORS

Aaronson Rappaport Feinstein & Deutsch, LLP

AKF Group

Alfieri Painting & Decorating, Inc.

Caldera Medical

Cameron Engineering & Associates, LLP

Cullen and Dykman LLP

Maria and Paul DiCosimo

First Nationwide Title

Grandell Rehabilitation & Nursing

Greater New York LECET Fund

Christine and Henry Haunss

Heatherwood Luxury Rentals

Imperial Cleaning

Imperial Dade

Jay Itzkowitz, MD and the ED Team

Lewis Johs Avallone Aviles, LLP

McHenry & Horan, P.C.

New York Plastic Surgical Group

NK Architects

Stephen Onesti, MD

Park Avenue Extended Care Facility & Townhouse

Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing

Wendy and Anthony Ponte

Risk Strategies Company Inc.

Rockville Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center

Ropes & Gray LLP

Marilyn and Michael Schamroth

Susan and Joel Schneider

Sign-A-Rama

Nora and Jack Skiba

The David & Sondra Mack Foundation

UNDERWRITERS

Education

AKF Group, Altice, Schneps Media

Favors

The Dover Group

Photography

Richner Communications

VIP Reception

Mount Sinai South Nassau Medical Sta

VIP Afterparty

Je Greenfield, NGL Insurance

Valet

Sharma Family, EW Howell Construction Group

As of 9/1/23

THE LANNIN EISENHOWER PARK

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2023, 7 PM

Tickets are still available for the 2023 Soirée Under the Stars, featuring performances from Broadway stars Tony Yazbeck and Kate Baldwin. Both performers are Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic’s Circle awards nominees!

To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Development O ce at 516-377-5360 or visit southnassaulifesaver.org

Dawn Keiley, RN Senior Director of Nursing Mount Sinai South Nassau

Matthew Rifkin, MD Department Chair, Radiology Mount Sinai South Nassau

CUPOLA AWARD

MARY PEARSON AWARD

Anthony Cancellieri Co-Chairman, Board of Directors Mount Sinai South Nassau

STEPPING OUT

with spirit

Irish pride is on full display at annual festival

By Karen Bloom

s the calendar turns to fall, it’s time once again to share in the delights of all things Irish at the annual Feis and Irish Festival, presented by the Nassau County Board of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

The annual spectacle is a beloved tradition that brings out visitors and participants to enthusiastically partake in a lively celebration of dance, music, piping, drumming, language, and athletics known as a feis (pronounced

George Thorogood & The Destroyers

The dancers are ready and the pipes are calling all to the 51st edition of the festival at Nickerson Beach on Sunday, Sept. 17, beginning at 9 a.m. It retains the distinction of being a full feis in the traditional meaning of that term, according to Nassau AOH, in that it showcases not only Irish step dancing competitions (many hundreds of dancers are expected this year), but also a full menu of Gaelic bagpiping, traditional Irish music and song, Irish language activities, games, sports, and even Irish soda

dance, known fesh). to of the AOH, it not dancers year), Irish bread baking.

Sharing centuries of tradition

Since 1975, George Thorogood & The Destroyers have sold more than 15 million albums, played more than 8,000 ferocious live shows, and built a catalog of classic hits that includes ‘Who Do You Love,’ ‘One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer’ and ‘Get A Haircut.’ Bad to the Bone,’ that definitive badass anthem deemed the most popular song for bikers by Spotify, celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2022. Now ‘one of the most iconic bands in rock n’ roll history’ — the Rapid City Journal, among others — celebrates it all with their Bad All Over The World: 50 Years Of Rock tour. It’s been very good to be George Thorogood & The Destroyers all these years, rock on with them. ‘If you’re content, you may as well be dead.’ Thorogood says. ‘I think everyone has thoughts about retiring, but the phone keeps ringing. ‘You want me and The Destroyers to come to your town, set up our gear, wear some cool threads and play ‘Who Do You Love?’ Let’s rock!’

Friday, Sept. 8, 8 p.m. $89.50, $59.50, $49.50, $39.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

From as far back as 18th century Ireland, communities would come together for special festivals of dance and music — involving competitions, laughter and good times. That tradition continues here, where the AOH’s eight strong divisions organize competitions of dance and piping, bestowing awards on

STEPPING OUT

Creative advocacy

tradition festivals of dance and music — involving divisions awards the best. Ancient Nassau since

The Ancient Order of Hibernians has presented Nassau County with its annual feis since 1972, celebrating Irish culture and history.

The Nassau AOH welcomes everyone to enjoy its traditional dance and piping competitions, along with an Irish Marketplace, featuring all sorts of Irish-related goods and treats for sale. And there’s a special area for the kids. And since it’s a Sunday, Mass will be said at noon.

It’s a day that highlights the always vibrant, age-old Irish traditions, with all eyes on those high-stepping lasses. The dance competitions make this the premiere feis in the New York metro region, a showcase of some the finest Irish dancers in the area (and beyond), which also attracts pipers from all over to perform.

By Karen Bloom

The sheer energy of the step dancers fascinates the many visitors who come just to see them being judged. The dancers perform intricate steps, often arrayed in dazzlingly colorful outfits, dancing jigs, reels, hornpipes and set dances. Winners move on to national competition and even international competitions.

This year’s festival honors Tim Myles, a National Life Member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America, Division 14, in Lynbrook/Rockville Centre.

“I am honored and humbled to be chosen for this position, alongside many great Hibernians in past years, including a bishop and congressman who have been the honoree,” Myles says. “I have been involved in the feis for over 30 years, but most proud of the 10 years I ran the dancing competition. I oversaw entries go from 240 competitors to over 8O0 dancers, thanks to Riverdance. Please come out and support Irish culture, because if we don’t, who will?”

Myles, who retired from Long Island Rail Road 10 years ago, is devoted to supporting the Irish community at large. Among his many efforts, he

WHERE WHEN

•

•

serves on Rockville Centre’s St. Patrick’s Parade Committee and on the board of Molloy University’s Irish Studies Institute.

Anthony Hamilton

Pat McGann

• Sunday, Sept. 17, 9 a.m. -5 p.m.

• Saturday and Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Emily Lowe Hall Gallery, South Campus, Hempstead. For information and to RSVP, call (516) 463-5672, or visit Hofstra.edu/museum

• Nickerson Beach, 880 Lido Blvd., Lido Beach

“When We All Stand,” Hofstra University Museum of Art’s new exhibition, examines the collective power of the arts in society.

Curated by Alexandra Giordano — the museum’s assistant director of exhibition and collection — the exhibit underscores artists’ civic responsibility and influence.

Other festival enticements include Gaelic bagpiping, along with traditional music and song. Individual musicians demonstrate their talents and compete for prizes on a number of instruments — including the fiddle, tin whistle, flute, accordion, all forms of bagpipes, drums and keyboards, or any other instrument of their choice. Singers do the same, and judges have been known to award extra points for songs sung in the Irish language.

The Irish soda bread judging, a perennial favorite, is also one of the most hotly contested events of the day. There are as many styles of Irish soda bread as there are bakers. And, of course, the beach beckons. Bring a picnic lunch and settle in for a taste of Irish culture and hospitality.

“It highlights the vital role that artists have in activating democratic values that promise equality and freedom, encouraging civic engagement, and cultivating unity,”

Spend an electrifying evening with soul storyteller and ‘narrator of love’ Anthony Hamilton. The Grammy winner (and 17-time nominee) is known for his singular style that mixes Southern soul with R&B swag. Over the last decade, he’s produced platinum-selling albums and charttopping hits like ‘Comin’ From Where I’m From,’ ‘Charlene,’ ‘You’ve Got the Love I Need,’ and ‘You Made a Fool of Me.’ His recent album ‘Love is the New Black’ includes the solo single ‘Mercy,’ which launched his label My Music Box. The suave singersongwriter entices everyone with a voice characterized as smooth as the glowing embers of a dying fire and a glass of pinot noir. Now considered the king of modern soul and R&B, he burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, after cutting his teeth as a background singer for the likes of D’Angelo and 2Pac.

Pat McGann is quickly rising as one of the sharpest stand-ups on the comedy scene. A relative latecomer to comedy, he began doing standup at 31 after realizing he was not very good at selling packaging. He hustled his way to become the house emcee at Zanies Chicago, where he distinguished himself as especially adept at working the crowd. A husband and father of three young children, McGann’s appeal stems from his quick wit and relatable take on family life and marriage. In 2017, McGann began touring as the opening act for Sebastian Maniscalco, moving with him from clubs to theater, to arenas, including four soldout shows at Madison Square Garden. McGann’s relatively short, but impressive resume, includes Montreal’s famed Just For Laughs Festival, Gilda’s LaughFest, The Great American Comedy Festival, and more. McGann still calls Chicago home.

BALDWIN HERALD — February 9, 2023

Friday, Sept. 8, 8 p.m. NYCB Theatre at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury For information/tickets, visit WestburyMusicFair.org or LiveNation.com.

Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. $40, $35, $30, $25. The Paramount, 370

Photos courtesy John C. O’Connell

Judging the Irish Soda Bread contest is difficult work but these volunteers are proud to do it.

The marchers proceed in a proud salute.

Young dancers step lively as they compete in the Irish step dancing programs in a demonstration of their training and talents.

$10 per person; children younger than 12 free

Visit NassauAOHFeis.com for information

Can art change the world? It’s a question that’s been at the focus of our collective culture for centuries. Now as society navigates the complexities of modern life, art as a path for social change is at the forefront of artistic expression.

THE Your Neighborhood

Sept. 23

Killer Queen

Queen-mania rocks on. Killer Queen visits the Paramount stage, Saturday, Sept. 23, at 8 p.m., with their homage to the beloved band. Formed in the UK in 1993, Killer Queen played their first public shows at London University where Queen themselves had played their first shows 21 years earlier. Fronted by Patrick Myers as Freddie Mercury, critics have described Myers’ resemblance to Freddie Mercury as “spooky;” his uncanny likeness was further proven when he recorded a #1 hit single singing as Freddie Mercury on Fat Boy Slim’s record “The Real Life.” Of the band’s success, Myers has remarked “It’s been an amazing journey. We thought our band would last maybe a summer at the most but the concerts grew and grew and we’ve ended up playing and selling out the same arenas that Queen played at their peak.” Their success has continued here in the States, with regular stops at prestigious venues on their U.S. tours. Their expert musicianship, extraordinary energy, and accurate portrayal of the world’s greatest live band has rightfully earned them the title of Queen Royalty! Thrilling sell-out audiences across the globe the band recreates the high energy, powerful phenomenon that was Queen live. This quality, combined with Myers’ powerful three-and-a-half octave tenor range, expert musicianship and dynamic stage presence, has captivated audiences the world over. $49.50, $39.50, $35, $24.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

On exhibit

View the landmark exhibition “Modigliani and the Modern Portrait,” at Nassau County Museum of Art. Devoted to the way that Modigliani powerfully re-defined the art of portraiture, the show includes his masterworks along with paintings and drawings by his Parisian contemporaries (Picasso, van Dongen, Laurencin). Modigliani’s enduring influence on artists even in our own time is shown in a selection of Contemporary paintings by such important figures as David Hockney, Eric Fischl, Elizabeth Peyton and others. The exhibition is being curated by Dr. Kenneth Wayne, founder of The Modigliani Project, which authenticates paintings and drawings (two of the works in the show have been recently approved by the committee). Through Nov. 5. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Bird walk

The South Shore Audubon Society welcomes all to join its members for a bird walk, at the Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area, Saturday, Sept. 9, starting at 9 a.m. Walk leaders, other birders and nature enthusiasts are happy to share their knowledge and experience with you. Bring binoculars. 500 Slice Drive, off Waukeena Ave. To register, text your name and contact information to (516) 467-9498. Also text regarding questionable weather conditions. For more information, visit SSAudubon.org

Village Art Club at the Barnes Gallery

Members of the Village Art Club of Rockville Centre have their artwork on display and for sale at the Barnes Gallery in Garden City South. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. An artists’ reception will be held Saturday, Sept. 23, 5:30-7:30 p.m., with music and refreshments. 2 Nassau Blvd. For more information, call (516)-538-4503.

Farmer’s market

Find all sorts of goodies at the Rockville Centre Farmer’s Market, every Sunday, from 7 a.m. to noon. LIRR parking lot between Long Beach Road and Sunrise Highway. Through Dec. 24. Info at LongIslandGrowersMarket. com.

St. Jude Run/Walk

Registration is open for the St. Jude Walk/ Run Long Island, presented by Tweezerman International during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Sunday, Sept. 10, 9 a.m., at Marcum Corporate Offices & Park. The St. Jude Walk/Run offers everyone a chance to walk or run and gather in-person or virtually to raise funds and awareness for the St. Jude mission: Finding cures. Saving children. Besides the walk/run, the event features entertainment, food and activities for the whole family to enjoy. Participants will even have the opportunity to connect with St. Jude patients and learn firsthand how their support makes a difference. 10 Melville Park Road, Melville. Register or learn more at StJude.org/walklongisland.

Playing on the Porch

The highly anticipated music festival, sponsored by the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce, returns to Rockville Centre lawns, driveways and porches for its fourth year, Saturday, Sept. 9, 3-6 p.m. The community fundraiser will benefit the Chamber’s South Side High School scholarship program. For more information, visit

Art talk

Grab your lunch and join Nassau County Museum of Art Docent Riva Ettus for her popular “Brown Bag Lecture,” now back on-site at Nassau County Museum of Art, Thursday, Oct. 19, 1 p.m. Enjoy an in-depth presentation on the current exhibition “Modigliani and the Modern Portrait.” Participants are invited to ask questions at the end of the program and to join the 2 p.m. public tour of the exhibit. 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Leaf Peepers

Celebrate fall and all the colors of the season with the family at Long Island Children’s Museum, Saturday, Sept. 23, 12-2 p.m. Use your imagination to make animal art out of colorful leaf shapes, focusing on the seasonal shades of vibrant yellow, deep purple, and fiery orange, at the dropin program. Suitable for ages 3 and up. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org

Having an event?

Talking birds

The South Shore Audubon Society invites all to a lecture program, “Researching Cassowaries, the Deadliest Birds on Earth,” with Dr. Todd Green, Tuesday, Sept. 12,7:30 p.m., at Freeport Memorial Library. Most people have never heard of these large flightless birds native to Australia and New Guinea, which are critically important to the rain forest ecosystems they inhabit. They have daggershaped claws, crown-like structures and brightly colored heads and necks. They are so territorially aggressive; they are among the deadliest birds on earth. Paleontologists use them to help untangle the mysteries of long extinct dinosaurs. Dr. Green, a Postdoctoral Teaching fellow at NYIT, is one of the few cassowary researchers in the world. 144 W. Merrick Road (at S. Ocean Avenue) in Freeport. For more information about the program or South Shore Audubon, go to SSAudubon. org.

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.

Job Fair

Nassau BOCES, in partnership with Nassau County School Districts, holds a Job Fair, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Freeport Recreation Center. It promises to be an exceptional opportunity for job seekers.

Representatives from Nassau BOCES, SCOPE Education Services and several school districts will offer an exclusive platform for candidates to explore a wide range of exciting career opportunities within the field of education. Attendees can look forward to engaging with representatives from the participating school districts. Job seekers, whether seasoned professionals or fresh graduates, are encouraged to attend this event to explore positions as Teacher Aides, Bus Drivers, Security Personnel, Naturalists, Bus Dispatchers, Registered Professional Nurses, Maintainers, Food Service Personnel, Cleaners/Laborers, HVAC and Electrical technicians, Groundskeepers, Monitors and more. Each participating district, offering insights into their educational programs, work culture, and career advancement opportunities; face-to-face interactions with district representatives, allowing candidates to ask questions, discuss job openings, and showcase their skills; networking opportunities and on-site resources and workshops to help attendees refine their job search strategies, improve interview techniques, and create effective resumes. Attendees are encouraged to dress professionally, bring copies of their resumes, and prepare to make an impression. 130 E. Merrick Road, Freeport. Visit NassauBoces.org/ jobfair for information.

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 (from newborn to 1 year) to the informal group setting. All new moms are welcome, regardless of delivering hospital. Registration required. Call breastfeeding counselor, Gabriella Gennaro, at (516) 705-2434 to secure you and your baby’s spot. Mercy Hospital, St. Anne’s Building, 1000 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre. For information visit CHSLI.org.

RVC church choirmaster celebrates 25 years

he wasn’t cut out for the life of the cloth. Then he realized that he could make music his career instead of just doing it on the side. So he enrolled at the Copland School of Music at Queens College, where he earned a degree in music education. He also received a master’s in urban and multicultural education from the College of Mount St. Vincent.

He went on to work as an educator, teaching chorus to students in Brooklyn for 25 years before retiring from the profession. And over the years, he performed at a variety of churches — Lutheran, Christian Scientist and Catholic.

In Queens, Dyer became friends with a priest in Woodhaven, and regularly substituted for his organ player. After the priest left to join the Church of the Ascension in Rockville Centre, he kept in touch with Dyer. “He kept saying to me, since the minute he left, that he wanted me to come out here,” Dyer said.

As soon as the opportunity arose, he was offered the job as the church’s choirmaster. “And here I’ve been for 25 years now,” he said. “I love it here so much. I guess that’s why I’ve stayed through three rectors and various interims.”

When he arrived on Sept. 1, 1998, Dyer recounted, he was intimidated. Unlike the parish in Kew Gardens, which had a choir of only six people, the Church of the Ascension had 12, and most of them could read music and were used to a higher standard of performance. “But I came to see that I had a role here,” Dyer said, “and that I had something to bring to the table.”

In addition to his duties as choirmaster, he has also composed and arranged his own music for the choir, which it occasionally performs.

Dyer said that what he values most about his job is the people he gets to work with every week. “There is

something really wonderful about coming together and singing that is unlike anything else,” he said.

He describes the choir as being like a big, dysfunctional family. Sometimes there are disagreements, but that’s to be expected with any group of talented people who work together so closely, so often.

You also never know whom you might meet in rehearsals. In Dyer’s case, it was his future husband, Ken Mensing, who joined the choir around the same time. The couple have been happily married for 22 years.

“There are only a handful of people that are still in (the choir) from when I started,” Dyer said. “There’ve been a lot of changes over the years.”

The biggest change took place in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic. Dyer said it was the first time in as long as he can remember that the church was closed. “I went months without playing the organ or directing the choir,” he said. “We did the best we could, but now things are back to normal and the church itself has not recovered completely.”

Since the extended absence, attendance at the church has diminished.

But, asked about the future of its music program, Dyer said he planned to continue his work as choirmaster for the next five to 10 years before he considers retirement. He doesn’t plan to be performing when he’s 80, he said, but he added that he was concerned that it’s become more difficult to persuade members of younger generations to commit to dedicating the time. Still, he is confident that the music program will continue long into the future.

“I hope there will be a resurgence in church music,” Dyer said. “Right now we have a young man who is about 9 or 10 who plays the piano for us occasionally, and he’s very good. So there is hope.”

Courtesy Ken Dyer

Choirmaster, composer and church organist Ken dyer is celebrating 25 years with the Church of the ascension, on north Village avenue.

BEST BAR/PUB: Tap Room

Multiple Locations

TapRoomofNY.com

Tap Room founders James Bonanno and David Johnson from day one sought to take the warmth and personality that you can feel at a traditional local pub, and combine it with elevated pub fare that would stand on its own. Tap Room frequently rotates their draft menu, incorporating both national and local craft brewers. Discovering new beers, bringing back old favorites and encouraging adventurous customers to order beer flights instead of just pints, and allowing them to fully explore everything the Craft Beer menu has to offer is what they’re all about.

SIP ON LONG ISAND’S BEST IN WINE & SPIRITS

BEST WINERY:

Pindar Vineyards

37645 NY-25 Peconic, NY (631) 734-6200

Pindar.net

Pindar Vineyards was born of the vision of Dr. Herodotus “Dan” Damianos and his great love for wine. He is known as one of the original pioneers of Long Island Wine Country and started our story in 1979. The family-run vineyard/winery/tasting room combo grows over twenty varieties of grapes and produces a unique selection of wine styles - from bold red blends, to steel fermented, fruit forward whites. Pindar Vineyards encompasses more than 300 scenic acres. The Damaino-family grows 20 varieties of grapes, crafting them into some twenty three varieties and proprietary blends. They produce 70,000 cases of wine a year, making Pindar the largest vineyard on LI.

BEST SPORTS BAR:

Michael’s Billiards

4060 Austin Blvd., Island Park (516) 548-7707

MichaelsBilliardsNY.com

Pool, darts, food, drinks, and big screens — all the ingredients for a good time. Michael’s Billiards is the perfect location to catch the game or be a part of one by joining an APA league or dart team. You can even start your own league with friends or family and make it a tradition. Have a classic night and make great memories!

BEST BREWERY & BEST LONG ISLAND CRAFT BEER:

Barrier Brewing Co.

3001 New St., A2, Oceanside (516) 594-1028

BarrierBrewing.com

South Shore’s Barrier Brewing Co. made their first batch in June 2010 and since then have grown to produce numerous brands and styles of beer available in cans, bottles, or draft. Plus, they offer specialty releases exclusive only to the brewery’s tasting room. Discover the art of brewing beer with each sip, and admire the incredible, colorful artwork that goes with each label. The beer garden, and 3rd Rail Food Truck is open from Wednesday to Sunday; but Barrier Tap Room is open daily for curbside or takeout.

BEST PLACE TO BUY BEER & BEST BEVERAGE CENTER:

Freeport Beverage Propane Exchange & Ice

331 Guy Lombardo Ave., Freeport (516) 379-1659

Freeport-Beverage-Center.business.site

At Freeport Beverage Propane Exchange and Ice, they’ve got your thirst, grilling, and chilling needs covered! Quench your thirst with a variety of refreshing sodas and beers, refill your propane tanks for a sizzling barbecue, and grab ice bags to keep your drinks and snacks cool. One-stop excitement and convenience await you here!

BEST LIQUOR STORE & BEST WINE SHOP:

Sip & Say Craft Wine & Spirits

2067 Merrick Rd, Merrick (516) 992-8111

sipsay.com

Sip & Say Craft Wine & Spirits was inspired by owner very own certified Sommelier, Adam Schneider, and his 20+ year career in the wine industry. At Sip & Say, the family-run business, these stories come to life through taste and education. Their craft wines & spirits are hand picked to assure quality at every price point. Sip & Say will also engrave a special message, for free, on almost every bottle purchased! They also offer fully customized, engraved bottles, featuring the option for photographs, at affordable prices.

Changing the picture of pediatric cancer

The Mary Ruchalski Foundation shares details

By DANIEL OFFNER doffner@liherald.com

Nearly 200 people gathered in front of Village Hall in Rockville Centre on Thursday night for the annual tree lighting ceremony in recognition of pediatric cancer awareness month.

The annual tradition is held every year at the start of September in memory of Mary Ruchalski, a seventh-grader at St. Agnes Cathedral School who died in March 2018 of rhabdomyosarcoma — a rare form of cancer.

“This is our foundation sixth year lighting this tree and for me, especially this year, Mary’s absence is never more apparent,” her mother, Carol Ruchalski, said. “This year Mary would have been heading off to college and her absence from this milestone is mine and my family’s everyday reality.”

The Mary Ruchalski Foundation was created in 2018 in the hopes of spreading awareness and raising money for research to help families with children who are affected by the disease.

The annual ceremony has since spread other communities across Long Island including Malverne, Lynbrook, East Williston, and Mineola, each of which holds its own community event in recognition of the fight against pediatric cancer.

“What happens when you bring people together who are passionate advocates supported by an outstanding community like ours? You bring change,” Ruchalski said during the ceremony.

She said this became apparent to her when she recently visited with Dr. Chris Vakoc at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, who recently shared the progress of his groundbreaking research to develop a drug to treat rhabdomyosarcoma, which would be the first of its kind and completely transform the way cancer is treated.

“He just published his findings stating that many pediatric cancer foundation’s, ours included, have come together to help fund research to find new therapeutic strategies,” Ruchalski said. “The take away was a new scientific breakthrough that could someday help save children’s

on new research findings

lives and revolutionize cancer treatments as we know it — That’s changing the picture. That’s what your continued support is doing.”

For six years, Vakoc’s lab has been on a mission to transform sarcoma cells into regularly functioning tissue cell, and have found a way to do so using genomeediting technology.

“I guess Mary is putting me in the path to change the picture,” she said. “On this night, and in this month, let’s remember Mary and Gina and Kimmy and Anthony and Gavin and Dylan and all those warriors who have battled this disease by helping to change the picture.”

The tree-lighting ceremony on Aug. 31 opened with a few words by Mayor Francis Murray who presented Ruchalski with a special proclamation for her continued efforts toward finding a cure.

“We’re all here because we’re champions, and we’re going to beat this someday,” Murray said. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I appreciate everyone who’s involved in this. This cancer affects every one of us here, looking up at us and looking back at you. We all have a story. We all have a sadness. We

have to stop pediatric cancer in America in our lifetimes.”

On Aug. 29, just prior to the ceremony, the Mary Ruchalski Foundation presented a check for $100,000 to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. To date, the foundation has raised close to a half-million dol-

lars for research on new pharmaceutical treatments specifically for rhabdomyosarcoma, and has given more than $100,000 to other families of childhood cancer patients facing financial hardships.

To learn more about the foundation and ways to help, visit TheMaryRuchalskiFoundation.org.

Daniel Offner/Herald photos Kids help lend a hand to the Mary Ruchalski Foundation by selling gold bows and luminarias to ‘Light it Up Gold’ for pediatric cancer awareness month.

Carol Ruchalski, continued the tradition of lighting up the tree at Village Hall in gold lights in memory of her daughter, Mary, and others who have died of pediatric cancer.

Dance team hopes to win a national award

find different ways to express yourself and it always made me feel like I was at home and always made me feel like I had a place to go.”

Magnolia Dance Academy’s captivating dance number was set to the song, “All For Us,” by Labrinth, and combined everything the students love about one another and dancing — the energy, the camaraderie, the dedication — and put it in motion.

1 the team’s routine earned a nomination for a people’s Choice award at the national industry dance awards in Hollywood.

“I absolutely loved this dance,” Pearson said. “I loved performing it. It was just so fun. You got to do so much of everything. It was like a mix of contemporaries, sharpening movements and we never really get to do something like this.”

Cook, 18, said that the routine was symbolic for members of the team who were in the midst of completing their senior year of high school and preparing for graduation in May.

“So we really felt like we were doing the dance for us and for our choreographer, as just this special thing to share — this special thing that we’ve created all together,” Cook said.

The dancers said Dena Vilardi, the academy’s choreographer and dance instructor for 19 years, was integral to their success. Her energy, dedication and choreographic skills were the inspiration for their award-winning performance, they said.

Vilardi said the award was the culmination of hours of practice and endless time, blood, sweat and tears in the studio together.

“For this to happen in their senior year means everything to them,” she said. “They put everything they have into this, and trained their whole lives for this moment. And it’s really the pinnacle for them to go out on such a high note, with one of the highest nominations in the industry.”

Team members were ecstatic when they found out that they had won. “At first we were all screaming. It was crazy,” Cook said.

Pearson said all of the dance teachers were so impressed that they gave the team a standing ovation.

“We were all in complete shock and jumping up and down and screaming,” Pearson said. “It was an amazing moment that I could never forget.”

Kim LoPiccolo, who owns the Magnolia studio, said that over the last 15 years, she has watched as these kids have grown into young adults before her eyes.

LoPiccolo and Vilardi are already more than

impressed with the group’s talent and passion and hope the routine will win the Industry Dance People’s Choice Award.

“It would be the most incredible way to finish their career at Magnolia Dance Academy,” LoPiccolo said. “It would be the culmination of all their years of training with us, spending time with us, (and) all the dedication that they put in as dancers of Magnolia to win this award.”

To view the Magnolia Dance Academy team’s winning number, and vote for it, go to tinyurl.com/MagnoliaVote.

Courtesy Magnolia Dance Academy

Molloy students settle in for fall semester

Students and their families unpacked cars, loaded up large moving bins and hauled their belongings to their new rooms, as Molloy University welcomed students back on campus for Move In Day, on Monday, Sept. 4.

“We have 338 resident students moving in, which is our biggest resident student population ever,” Janine Biscari, vice president of student affairs at Molloy, said. “Bogner Hall, our newest residence hall, opened in the fall of 2019 and we know what happened in 2020. So this is our first year having all three halls completely full. We’re really excited.”

Among the Class of 2027 are students from 18 different states. There are also six sets of twins, five of which moved to campus on Monday.

Students moving in also received a special branded bag as part of “Communiversity” — Molloy University’s newest initiative in collaboration with the Rockville Centre Cham-

ber of Commerce.

“Communiversity” was created in order to find ways for Molloy University to support local businesses that may have suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic. The mission of “Communiversity” is to strengthen the community of Rockville Centre by supporting all local merchants, organizations, schools and Molloy University.

The move-in bags included products, coupons and gift cards from 96 local merchants and organizations throughout Rockville Centre, including Front Street Bakery, George Martin’s Burger Bar and Jeannine’s Gifts.

Molloy University currently serves a student population of approximately 4,800 undergraduate and graduate students, working towards earning degrees in a variety of outstanding academic programs, including nursing, business, education, social work, music therapy, computer studies and many more.

Photos courtesy Molloy University Students and their parents carry their belongings to their new rooms for the start of the fall 2023 semester.

Student volunteers at Molloy University help new students settle in to their dorms.

Gloria Hunt, community leader, dies at 102

Gloria Sonia Johnson (Hunt) died on May 5, 2023, at the age of 102.

She was born to Claudine Virginia Tate (Johnson) and Edward Johnson of Virginia on Dec. 17, 1920, at Sloane Hospital for Women in Harlem.

She took pride in being a “city girl” and would frequently share a story about rejecting the farmland that her Black and Native American father’s family had offered her sometime in the 1940s.

Her reason for declining it—she wasn’t be able to deal with the loose chickens she saw and the outhouse she was expected to use during her one and only trip to visit the farm.

Hunt was a graduate of both the controversial, yet groundbreaking, Wadleigh High School for Girls and Drake Business School. She was feisty, funny, dynamic, and sharp. She loved to get dressed up, wear makeup, and preach the virtues of lathering your face with Vaseline at night to avoid wrinkles. This was the secret to her youthful appearance.

Her places of employment included Western Union, typing up telegrams and singing some of them too. She worked at the Country Day School as a teaching assistant. She fostered teen mothers, unwed mothers-to-be and their children for many years through Inwood House in Manhattan.

After that she ran an in-home daycare center that offered extended hours to support working parents. Dozens of Lakeview residents and families in surrounding communities enjoyed her antics as their babysitter. Everyone who knew Gloria had stories about her and those stories demonstrate that she loved life, loved peo

ple, was generous and lived every moment to the fullest. She was involved in many community and civic organizations. Gloria was a charter member of the North Lakeview Lions Club. She also held various offices as a member of Key Women of America – Lakeview

Branch for well over 40 years. She was a member of the Lakeview NAACP, past president of the Lakeview Senior’s Group, and president of the Resident Council at Grand Pavilion Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in Rockville Centre until her death.

Hunt was a member of the American Legion Hall in West Hempstead, the Sandel Senior Center in Rockville Centre and she had a church home at The Chruch of Good Shepherd in West Hempstead, before becoming a proud member of Shiloh Baptist Church in Rockville Centre.

Gloria married Harold Hilton Hunt, and had one child, Claudine Sharon Hunt, who she nicknamed “Deanie” and was the light of her life. Claudine later married and had a daughter, Felicia Claudine Hunt, who Gloria adored and would refer to as “Granny’s little angel.” Felicia gave birth to Elyjah Rah McKoy and later married and gave birth to Ayaba Adora Ase. Hunt took pride in both of her great-grandchildren and spoke with them as much as possible and kept up with their talents and interest.

Hunt never missed an opportunity to tell others they are loved, give them a word of encouragement or advice, or share a funny story—even in the nursing home. She was a bright and brilliant lady and exemplar of Christian love, who was fondly known as “Granny” and “Mother Hunt” by family and community members alike.

She was a dedicated mother, grandmother, greatgrandmother, and community advocate. She is survived by Felicia, Elyjah, Ayaba, and many friends and community members.

Book Review:

Healthy at 100 by John Robbins (Part Three)

Apart from the effect that diet and exercise have in extending healthful life are the mental and social aspects. As noted author Norman Cousins wrote, “Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss in life is what dies inside us while we live.”

Robbins advises that the old saying “use it or lose it” applies as much to the brain as it does to muscles. Keys to cognitive health are engagement with life and having goals and things to look forward to.

“The elders most likely to experience dementia are those who spend their days watching television or wandering aimlessly around the mall. On the other hand, those who are contributing to the lives of others, who are engaged in some way in making the world a better or more beautiful place, not only more fully retain their cognitive faculties as they grow older, but often find themselves expanding into new levels of awareness and understanding.”

Finally, the old Tina Turner song “What’s

Love Got to Do With It?” comes to mind. The answer? A lot. Studies show that selfabsorbed people are far less healthy. One doctor advises “Listen with regard when others talk. Give your time and energy to others, let others have their way, do things for reasons other than furthering your own needs.”

One study of a group of women suffering from metastatic breast cancer showed that those who participated in a support group lived an average of 37 months while those who went it alone lived an average of 17 months. The women in the support group also experienced fewer mood swings and less pain and fear.

Modern research is now repeatedly finding that your relationship with others is medically potent. Your connections with the significant people in your life — if they are positive and loving — can prevent stress-induced illness, greatly contribute to your health and healing, and add many years to your life.

Gloria Sonia Hunt

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF NEW YORK

SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF NASSAU

WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR CARRINGTON MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, SERIES 2006-FRE1

ASSET-BACKED PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, Plaintiff, v. JOHN N. CASCIO A/K/A JOHN CASCIO, ET AL. Defendants.

NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE

THAT

In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the Office of the County Clerk of Nassau County on June 8, 2023, I, Peter L. Kramer, Esq., the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on September 18, 2023 at the North Side Steps, Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Ct. Dr., County of Nassau, State of New York, at 2:00 PM the premises described as follows: 315 North Forest Avenue

a/k/a 315 N. Forest Avenue a/k/a 315 Forest Avenue Rockville Centre, NY 11570

SBL No.: 38-245-182

ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Rockville Centre, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York.

The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 605574/2019 in the amount of $987,938.84 plus interest and costs.

The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the Court System’s COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale.

Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP

Attorneys for Plaintiff 500 Bausch & Lomb Place Rochester, NY 14604

Tel.: 855-227-5072

141297

LEGAL NOTICE

STATE OF NEW YORK

SUPREME COURT:

COUNTY OF NASSAU

WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., Plaintiff,

v. LANA FRISCH A/K/A

LANA EMERICK-FRISCH

A/K/A LANA E. EMERICK

FRISCH, BRANDON H. FRISCH A/K/A BRANDON FRISCH, ET AL.

Defendants.

NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE

THAT

In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the Office of the County Clerk of Nassau County on June 27, 2023, I, Edward A.

Vincent, Esq. the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on October 3, 2023 at North Side steps of the Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Ct. Dr., County of Nassau, State of New York, at 2:00 PM the premises described as follows:

611 Lakeview Avenue Rockville Centre, NY 11570

SBL No.: 54/60-2/31

ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Rockville Centre, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York.

The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 007154/2016 in the amount of $563,729.56 plus interest and costs.

The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the Court System’s COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale.

Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP

Attorneys for Plaintiff

500 Bausch & Lomb Place Rochester, NY 14604

Tel.: 855-227-5072

141600

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCF 2 ACQUISITION

TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. CHERYL L. JENKINS INDIVIDUALLY AND AS SURVIVING JOINT TENANT WITH RIGHTS OF SURVIVORSHIP OF FLORENCE M. MATHIES, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order

Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on July 26, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on October 3, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 408 Clinton Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY 11570. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 38, Block 107 and Lots 323 & 324.

Approximate amount of judgment is $415,033.15 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #

610620/2020. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court

Appointed Referee will cancel the sale.

Peter J. Famighetti, Esq., Referee

Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 212994-1 141592

LEGAL NOTICE ROCKVILLE CENTRE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Directory Information The Rockville Centre Union Free School District, pursuant to Sec. 438, Pub. L. 90-247, Title IV, Sub. 99.37 known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”), designates the following personally identifiable information contained in a student’s education record as “directory information,” which may be publicly released without prior consent:

Directory Information

1. Student’s name

2. Student’s address

3. Student’s date of birth

4. Major field of study

5. Participation in officially recognized activities and sports

6. Weight and height of members of athletic teams

7. Dates of attendance

8. Degrees, honors and awards received

9. Names of student’s parents 10. Most recent educational agency or institution attended by the student

11. Photography or imagery of the student (which may be released and appear to the public via mediums including, but not limited to, print and electronic media, the internet, television, or annual yearbooks published by the District). If the student from whom information is sought by the media does not want to be interviewed, photographed and/or videotaped, or if the parent/guardian of the student denies permission for media access to his/her child, such access will be denied by the building principal/designee and/or the Superintendent of Schools, upon notice of same. Each year, parents, legal guardians or students who have attained the age of 18, may request that directory information designated above not be publicly released without their consent by writing to the District Clerk at 128 Shepherd Street, Rockville Centre, NY 11570-2298, by

September 30th of each school year. The student’s name, school and grade level must be included. The request not to publicly release information expires at the end of each school year. A letter must be submitted each year in order to continue nonrelease. All student educational records, and records that were created as a result of a student receiving special education services under Part B of IDEA, may also be released to another school or postsecondary institution at which the student seeks or intends to enroll.

ROCKVILLE CENTRE UNION FREE SCHOOL

DISTRICTMilitary Recruiters Access to High School Students and Information on Students

The District will comply with requests from military recruiters and institutions of higher education (IHEs) for access to name, address and telephone listing of each secondary school student, except for any student whose parent (or the student if he or she is at least 18 years of age) has submitted a written request to opt-out of this disclosure, in which case the information will not be released without the parents’ (or student’s, if he or she is at least 18 years of age) prior written consent. Parents wishing to exercise their option to withhold such information without prior written parental consent may do so by obtaining a form from the South Side High School Main Office, completing the form, and returning it to the Principal’s Office at South Side High School by September 30th of each school year.

ROCKVILLE CENTRE UNION FREE SCHOOL

DISTRICT Student Education Records

In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (“FERPA”) and Rockville Centre School District Policy, parents and students over 18 years of age have the right to inspect and review their child’s/their student education records or to request the amendment of records believed to be inaccurate or misleading. Student education records are private unless the parent or student older than 18 consent to disclosure of personally identifiable information. FERPA authorizes disclosure of personally identifiable information without consent in limited circumstances. Procedures for such review process may be obtained from building principals or the District Clerk.

ROCKVILLE CENTRE UNION FREE SCHOOL

DISTRICT Non-Discrimination

No staff member or student in the Rockville Centre Union Free School District shall, on the grounds of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, political affiliation, sex (including gender identity or the status of being transgender), sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, military status, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, or use of recognized guide dog, hearing dog or service dog, or domestic violence victim status, or any other basis prohibited by state or federal nondiscrimination laws be excluded from, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity sponsored or conducted by the School District. Inquiries regarding the Districts nondiscrimination policies should be directed to: Jeanne Love and John Murphy, Compliance Officers, Rockville Centre UFSD, 128 Shepherd Street, Rockville Centre, NY 11570, telephone 516-255-8928 and 516-255-8957.

ROCKVILLE CENTRE UNION FREE SCHOOL

DISTRICT

Student Privacy Notice

The Rockville Centre Union Free School District adopted Policy 7243, Student Privacy, Parental Access to Information, and Administration of Certain Physical Examinations to Minors. Policy 7243 requires notification to all parents and guardians of specific types of surveys or activities which will be conducted during the school year and/or during the summer program in accordance with law by either individual schools or the School District. If the School District or your child’s school principal plans to administer a survey or activity covered by this policy, you will be directly notified in writing prior thereto and then given ten (10) days to opt your child out of participation.

ROCKVILLE CENTRE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT Identification and Register of Children with Disabilities

In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), parents who believe their child may have a disability are urged to contact Jeanne Love, Assistant

Superintendent for Special Education and Pupil Personnel Services, Rockville Centre UFSD, 128 Shepherd Street, Rockville Centre, NY 11570, telephone 516-255-8928, or Rebecca Taylor, Chairperson for the Committee on Special Education, 516-255-8928 or Dr. Danielle Lundgren, Chairperson for the Committee on Preschool Special Education at 516-255-8815.

ROCKVILLE CENTRE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Complaints of Discrimination

In accordance with Title IX/Section 504/ADA, complaints and grievances regarding discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin or disability should be directed to the Title IX Coordinator, Jeanne Love, Assistant Superintendent for Special Education and Pupil Personnel Services, Rockville Centre UFSD, 128 Shepherd Street, Rockville Centre, NY 11570 at 516-255-8928.

Dignity for All Students Act

Complaints pertaining to student harassment, bullying and discrimination, in accordance with the Dignity for All Students Act, may be made to building Dignity Act Coordinators as follows: Covert School/ Darren Raymar, and Maureen Bedell at 516-255-8916, Hewitt School/Liz Pryke and Lisa Panebianco at 516-255-8913, Riverside School/Chris Zappia and Lisa Panebianco at 516-255-8902, Watson School/Jen Pascarella and Sue Buckheit at 516-255-8904, Wilson School/Jim Duffy and Maureen Bedell at 516-255-8910, South Side Middle School/Shelagh McGinn and Jivanna Okolica at 516-255-8976, South Side High School/Ben Moss and Nicole Knorr at 516-255-8944. 141587

LEGAL NOTICE

Village of Rockville Centre Nassau County, New York

Notice of Board of Zoning Appeals

Hearing Date: September 13, 2023

Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 340 Rockville Centre Village Code NOTICE

IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Appeals

of the Village of Rockville Centre will hold a Zoning Appeals Hearing at the Eugene J. Murray Village Hall 1 College Place, Rockville Centre at 7:00 p.m.

LEGAL NOTICE

September 13, 2023 at 7:00 PM

Case # 21-2023 - Joseph & Jaclyn Caruso

To construct a rear open porch, a one-story front addition with covered entry and a second story addition over an existing one-story with interior alterations and renovations with proposed side yard setbacks of 5.0 feet and 7.4 feet where 8.0 feet is the minimum required for each within a Residence A district.

Premises known as 107 Windsor Avenue

Case # 22-2023 - Marilyn Sochalski

To convert part of the attached garage to living space and provide 0 offstreet parking spaces beyond the required front setback where 1 is the minimum required within a Residence A District.

Premises known as 13

The Loch

Case # 23-2023 - Peter Lucas

To construct a one-story rear addition and second story addition over existing first story, rear yard wood decks, and interior alterations in a two-family nonconforming use within a Residence A District which requires approval from the Board of Appeals.

Premises known as 42 Woodland Avenue

Dated: August 31, 2023

BOARD OF APPEALS OF THE VILLAGE OF ROCKVILLE CENTRE, Rockville Centre, New York

J. Robert Schenone, Chairman Patrick D. O’Brien, Secretary Information and records for appeals cases are available at the Office of the Secretary of the Board of Appeals, 110 Maple Avenue, RVC, NY 141752

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC

HEARING

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Article 9 of the New York State Constitution, the provisions of the Town Law and the Municipal Home Rule Law of the State of New York, as amended, a public hearing will be held in the Town Hall Meeting Pavilion, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead, New York, on the 19th

day of September, 2023, at 7:00 o’clock in the evening of that day to consider the enactment of a local law to amend Section 192-1 of the Code of the Town of Hempstead by the insertion of a location into subdivisions “G” and “Y” thereof, in relation to gross weight restrictions upon commercial vehicles using certain town highways, as follows:

“G” - ELMONT CHELSEA STREETbetween Plainfield Road and Hendrickson Avenue. (TH-289/23) “Y” - SOUTH HEMPSTEAD OAK STREET - between Hempstead Avenue and Maple Avenue. (TH-337/23)

The proposed local law is on file in the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Hempstead, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead, New York, where same may be inspected during office hours.

ALL PERSONS INTERESTED shall have an opportunity to be heard on said proposal at the time and place aforesaid.

Dated: Hempstead, New York

September 6, 2023 BY ORDER OF THE TOWN BOARDOF THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD DONALD X. CLAVIN, JR. Supervisor KATE MURRAY Town Clerk 141708

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NASSAU COUNTY. LOAN FUNDER LLC, SERIES 2827, Pltf. vs. KARISTINA ENTERPRISES LLC AND CHRISTOPHER COLLETTI, Defts. Index #614149/20. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered June 29, 2023, I will sell at public auction on the north side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on October 11, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. prem. k/a 141 Cedar Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY a/ka Section 38, Block 261, Lot 492 & 493. Approximate amount of judgment is $795,069.41 plus cost and interest

Sold subject to terms and conditions of field judgment and terms of sale. NORA C. MARINO, Referee. DEUTSCH & SCHNEIDER LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 79-37 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, NY. File No. LF-329- #100655 141734

HEWLETT-WOODMERE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Seaford Union Free School District has the following opening:

SCHOOL NURSE (Floater)

FULL-TIME

Effective Date: August 30, 2023

*Starting Salary $60,948 RN NYS License required, BLS certified

• Experience with school aged children, including students with disabilities preferred.

• Knowledgeable of CDC, OHSA, NYSDOH guidelines as they pertain to disease and or illness including COVID.

• Maintains records and performs screenings as per N.Y.S guidelines.

• Provides basic healthcare and first aid to students that are ill, medically fragile and/or injured.

• Provides treatment, documents injuries and maintains ongoing student medical records.

• Administers daily medications.

• Knowledgeable of diabetic care and seizure protocol in a school setting.

• Must have superior nursing skills to include experience in emergency procedures, anaphylaxis, injuries and general triage.

Lifeguards

• Must be highly skilled communicator, with strong interpersonal and organizational skills.

• Must be collaborative in nature and contribute to the health and well being of the school community.

On-Line Applications Only www.olasjobs.org/nassau

EMPLOYMENT

Help Wanted

ASSISTANT TEACHERS For Yeshiva Of South Shore. Afternoon Hours. Competitive Pay. Please Send Resume To: monika@yoss.org

CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE

Full Time/Part Time

Richner Communications, publisher of Herald community newspapers has an excellent opportunity for a FT/PT Customer Service Clerk in our busy Circulation Department. Basic customer service and administrative 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 big plus. Qualified Candidates must be computer literate, able to multitask, dependable, reliable, organized, energetic, detail oriented and able to work well under deadlines. For consideration, please send resume & salary requirements to: careers@liherald.com

CLEANER P/T For Baldwin Library. Up to 17 hours per week, primarily 1-4pm with a possibility of filing in on other shifts. Job duties shall include cleaning, sweeping, mopping, setting up and removing furniture from programs as well as other tasks. Please send Resume by September 15th to dkelly@baldwinpl.org

DELI COUNTER AND PREP PERSON

Full Time And Part Time. Weekends A Must. Experienced. Long Beach. Call 516-431-5515

DRIVERS WANTED

Full Time and Part Time Positions Available!

Busy Print Shop in Garden City is Hiring Immediately for Full Time and Part Time Drivers. Must Have a Clean License and BoxTruck Driving Experience. Hours Vary, Night Availability is a Must. Please Email Resume to careers@liherald.com or Call (516)569-4000 x239

DRIVING INSTRUCTOR

Company Car/ Bonuses. Clean Driving Record Required, Will Train. Retirees Welcome! Bell Auto School 516-365-5778

Email: info@bellautoschool.com

DRIVING INSTRUCTORS WANTED

Will Certify And Train

HS Diploma

NYS License Clean 3 Years

Call 516-731-3000

Seeking Candidates for the Following Positions:

TEACHER AIDES

Starting Salary: $18.65 per hour

Two years’ college preferred

SUBSTITUTE TEACHER AIDES

Salary: $17.00 per hour

Two years’ college preferred

SUBSTITUTE CLEANERS

Salary: $16.00 per hour

District Wide – All Shifts

SUBSTITUTE MONITORS

Salary: $15 per hour

District Wide

SUBSTITUTE REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL NURSE

Salary: $150 per diem

Must have Registered Nurse’s License, CPR and AED Certification

SUBSTITUTE CLERICAL

Salary: $20 per hour

District Wide

SUBSTITUTE SECURITY AIDES

Salary: $20.00 per hour

District Wide

Must have continuing possession of NYS registration as a security guard issued by the NYS Department of State. Security and/or law enforcement experience preferred Candidates are to submit a letter of interest with resume and credentials to:

MS. Diane DrakoPouloS

Personnel Clerk east rockaway uFSD 443 ocean avenue, east rockaway, nY 11518 (516) 887-8300 ext. 1-441 ddrakopoulos@eastrockawayschools.org

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

MULTI MEDIA ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT Inside Sales

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.

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Help Wanted

PART TIME ASSISTANTS Garden City Childcare Center Monday through Friday $15 per hour

HS Diploma Required Call 516-572-7614

PERSONAL TRAINER : Fitness Studio East Rockaway. Competitive Compensation. Experience Required. Email resume amplifiedems@gmail.com Call (516)253-5450

PRESS-ROOM/WAREHOUSE HELP Long Island Herald has IMMEDIATE openings for a FULL-TIME Pressroom/warehouse helper in Garden City. We are a busy print shop looking for a motivated and reliable individuals to assist in various duties in the shop. Forklift experience is a plus and heavy lifting is required. Hours vary, so flexibility is key.

Email resumes or contact info to careers@liherald.com

PRODUCTION ASSOCIATE FT: Medical Device Manufacturer in Baldwin. Duties/ Responsibilities Include Organizing, Assembling, Labeling And Stocking Of Inventory. Computer Literacy Required. Contact ncraveiro@elliquence.com Or Call 516-654-4000.

RESTAURANT Hostess & Server Positions Available (646) 830 4987

email: mc_brando@yahoo.com

TRUCK TIRE REPAIRMAN And Auto Mechanic's Asst. Driver's License/English Required. Salary Depend/ Experience. Bob 516-997-3838

Health Care/Opportunities

WE HAVE THE HELP YOU NEED!!!

HHA's, LPN's, Nurse's Aides Childcare.

REAL ESTATE

Open Houses

CEDARHURST BA, 332B Peninsula Blvd, Move Right Into This Updated 3 Br, 2.5 Bth Coop Townhouse. LR, DR, Gran/Wood Kit w/ Stainless Steel Appl. Trex Deck Off LR.Primary Ste Features Updtd Bth & WIC. Att Gar Plus 1 Pkg Spot incl in Maintenance. W/D in Unit.Pull Down Attic.SD#15. Convenient to Shops, Trans & Houses of Worship...$449,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

HEWLETT BA, 1390 Broadway #102, NEW! Move Right Into This Magnificent

Newly Renovated 2 BR, 2 Bth Coop in Prestigious Hewlett Townhouse.Open Layout. NEW State of the Art Kitchen & Bths,HW Flrs, Windows, HVAC,Recessed LED Lights, Doors, W/D. Community Pool. Full Service 24 Hr Doorman, Valet Pkg, Elevator, Priv Storage. Gar Pkg. Near Shops, Trans & Houses of Worship...$579,000

Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

HEWLETT BA,1534 BROADWAY #205, BIG REDUCTION!! MOTIVATED SELLER!!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...$579,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

HEWLETT BAY PARK BA,.190 Meadowview Ave Ever Dream of Living in A Castle? This 8000 Sq Ft Mansion is Full of Character. Amazing Architectural Details, Soaring Ceilings, Stained Glass Windows. 5 BR, 6.55 Bths. Sprawling 1.3 Acre Prop with IG Gunite Pool. SD#14.Near All. Must See This Unique Home!..REDUCED $2,700,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas elliman 516-238-4299

WOODMERE BA, 504 Saddle Ridge Rd.,Move Right Into This Renovated 4 BR, 2 Bth Split with Open Layout in Prime Location! Granite/Wood EIK Opens to Dining Room & Living Room. Lower Level Den. HW Flrs, Gas Heat, CAC. Oversized Property! SD#14.Near All!..$999,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

Apartments Wanted

VALLEY STREAM/ LYNBROOK/ 5TOWNS Vicinity: Responsible Person Seeking Studio/ 1BR. Lower Level Ok. 516-569-5054

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

Parking Space Available

COMMERCIAL PARKING VANS, TRUCKS, TRAILERS, STORAGE CONTAINERS, OVERNIGHT, DAYTIME 516 996 5818

Florida Real Estate

DELRAY BEACH, FL: For Sale, opportunity before it hits the market! Single Story Ranch Condo. Beautifully appointed in desirable Emerald Pointe gated community, Approx 1800 Sq Ft. Furnished, All Appliances, 2 Bed / 2 Bath, Eat-In Kitchen, Walk-In Closets, Great Interior Storage and Exterior Storage Room, Screened-In Porch with Dual Interior Access, New Rheem HVAC Jan 2019, Ceiling fans throughout, 4 Private Parking Spots, Clubhouse with Auditorium, Pool, Gym, Tennis, Pickleball (TBD), Game and Card Rms, Interior Walking-Paths, Pet Friendly, 55+ Community, Easy access to Palm Beach International and Ft Lauderdale Airports. Exciting Downtown Delray offers beautiful Beaches, Shopping, Restaurants, and Nightlife. Asking $309,999. Call David at 248-240-8154 SWCGRPMI@gmail.com

HomesHERALD

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

Rockville Centre

Classic Meets Modern

Aside from the fabulous location, this updated Rockville Centre home has everything you need! You will be delighted by the grand Foyer, large eat in kitchen, great room, formal dining room and living room with a wood burning fireplace. The fully finished basement with a separate entrance includes a wet-bar and room for a large walk-in wine cellar. There are beautiful hardwood floors throughout. You will enjoy several walk-in closets. One of many surprises the home has to offer is a walk up attic that is fully finished and adorned with skylights. You will definitely have plenty of room to work and play from home. As a matter of fact, there are too many extras to list and take photos of, so please come see this house today!

Making an old home newer

Q. We were told we could make our own plans for the deck we wanted to build this summer, and we thought we followed all the instructions. We filed the plans using the internet, and even though we’re not too savvy with computers, we finally figured it out. Then we got a response that we’re required to have plans for the whole house, showing any changes with an architect’s or engineer’s seal. How did this get to be so complicated, and is this typical? One has nothing to do with the other, and now the summer is almost gone, with no deck even started. We should have done what our neighbors did and just built it. What can you tell us, and is there a way around this now?

A. Your scenario isn’t unusual; it’s just that people generally try to avoid either doing the more complete thing or the right thing. Keeping things simple isn’t always the best policy if it means just putting off the inevitable. I have a long list of real estate transactions where amenities such as fences, sheds, decks or pools, or home improvements, were never filed, because sellers or buyers were advised by the people handling their process to keep things simple and just close.

OPEN HOUSES SUNday, 9/10/23

HEWLETT Bay Pa RK

190 Meadowview Ave, BA, Ever Dream of Living in A Castle?

This 8000 Sq Ft Mansion is Full of Character. Amazing Architectural Details, Soaring Ceilings, Stained Glass Windows. 5 BR, 6.55 Bths. Sprawling 1.3 Acre Prop with IG Gunite Pool. SD#14. Near All. Must See This Unique Home! REDUCED $2,700,000

HEWLETT

1390 Broadway #102, BA, NEW! Move Right Into This

Magnificent Newly Renovated 2 BR, 2 Bth Coop in Prestigious Hewlett Townhouse. Open Layout. NEW State of the Art Kitchen & Bths, HW Flrs, Windows, HVAC, Recessed LED Lights, Doors, W/D. Community Pool. Full Service 24 Hr Doorman, Valet Pkg, Elevator, Priv Storage. Gar Pkg. Near Shops, Trans & Houses of Worship $579,000

1534 Broadway #205, BA, Extra Large 2000 Sq Ft, 2 Bedroom A(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 BIG REDUCTION!! MOTIVATED SELLER! $579,000

WOOdMERE

504 Saddle Ridge Rd, BA , Move Right Into This Renovated

4 BR, 2 Bth Split with Open Layout in Prime Location! Granite/ Wood EIK Opens to Dining Room & Living Room. Lower Level Den. HW Flrs, Gas Heat, CAC. Oversized Property! SD#14.

Near All! REDUCED! $999,000

CE da RHURST

332B Peninsula Blvd, BA, Move Right Into This Updated 3 Br, 2.5

Bth Coop Townhouse. LR, DR, Gran/Wood Kit w/ Stainless Steel

Appl. Trex Deck Off LR. Primary Ste Features Updtd Bth & WIC.

Att Gar

ROCKVILLE CENTRE OFFICE SPACE

100 North Village Avenue

• Full service boutique professional hub specifically appealing to behavioral/mental health professionals.

• Conveniently located one block north of the LIRR with plentiful on‑site and municipal parking.

• Meticulously maintained and updated with newly furnished and unfurnished suites.

• Part time and full time offices available. Attentive owner on premises and includes use of office equipment and services.

• WIFI included.

• 24/7 access.

• Security cameras located throughout. Please call 516 766 1188 or email us at mitch@rocamanagement.com

One of the first things I have to do when I meet a prospective client is to ask for their survey and closing documents to see if a search included all the items on the site. Often there are items such as those just mentioned that were completely ignored. Nobody is the wiser until the current owner wants to make a legally permitted change and discovers they have a lot more to do than just the one thing they had hoped to get approved. That is where you are.

Apparently, your jurisdiction knows about or suspects that there is more to your property and wants a complete record. Unless someone researches the records that are on file at your local building department to see if they match the conditions of your entire property, you won’t know what the officials are questioning. Many people will not hire a professional who tells the truth about checking all records, thinking that this is all so unnecessary, with comments like, “Well this was already like this when we bought the house.” Just because it was “like this” doesn’t mean it’s legal or on record, and your building department wants to make sure that your property, inside and out, matches plans. It pays to do this before you close, but in a brisk seller’s market, many people are afraid of losing the deal and just buy. That may be what happened to you. You are now the responsible party, and to even get the deck, you will have to hire a professional and have plans prepared after comparing the building department’s records with what currently exists. I don’t know a simpler way. Good luck!

©

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.

Ask The Architect Monte Leeper

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Novena

THANK YOU ST. JUDE For Answering

My Prayers Regarding My Procedures.

P.A.R.

MERCHANDISE MART

Antiques/Collectibles

We Buy Antiques, Fine Art, Coins & 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

ANTIQUE BLUE AND white flow blue pitcher 8" and bowl 10". Excellent condition $60 516-295-1548

ANTIQUE HALF DOLL lamp 7" tall original lace dress. needs plug, $55 516 295-1548

GIRLS FALL CLOTHES Size 5 New with Tags $8 each item. 917-420-5814

GIRLS FALL CLOTHES Size 8 New with Tags $9 each item. 917-420-5814

HD 2 TON Hydraulic Floor Jack on Coasters with 3 Jack Stands. $100 Firm. 516-486-7941

PROHT 100 INCH, Portable Tripod Projection Screen, New, $45, 516-816-7383, Wantagh

Finds Under $100

RADIAL TIRE RS55/65R16: New Condition, $20 Firm 516-486-7941

TABLETOP GRILL, PROPANE, 13"W x 19"L, New, $35, 516-816-7383, Wantagh

Doors & Windows

DOOR INSTALLATION & REPAIRS Free Estimates! We Manufacturer, Supply, and Install All Types of Doors. Entrance Doors, Garage Doors, Patio Doors, Kantm Storm Doors. Custom Sizes Available. MR. DOORS 516-781-7596

Electricians

E-Z ELECTRIC SERVICES, INC. All Types Residential/Commercial Wiring, Generators, Telephone/Data, Home Entertainment, Service Upgrades, Pools, Spas. Services/Repairs. Violations Removed. Free Estimates Low Rates. 516-785-0646 Lic/Ins.

Handyman

HANDYMAN

516-764-7011

Specialist, Brickwork, Interlock Bricks, Belgium

Home Improvement

Privacy Hedge! Arborvitae 6-foot Reduced to $125/each. Free Installation, Free Delivery. Fast growing, High-quality Beautiful & Bushy! Order now to reserve for early Fall delivery. LowCostTrees.com 518-536-1367

SECURE YOUR HOME with Vivint Smart Home technology. Call 866-601-1219 to learn how you can get a professionally installed security system with $0 activation.

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

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

Home Improvement

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636

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

Crossword Puzzle

Power Washing

POWERWASHING ALL SURFACES: Houses, Fences, Concrete/ Brick, Decks/Sealing. . ANTHONY & J HOME IMPROVEMENT, INC. 516-678-6641

Sprinkler Syst./Irrig.Wells

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

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Health & Fitness

ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! Discover Oxygen Therapy That Moves with You with Inogen Portable Oxygen Concentrators. FREE information kit. Call 888-514-3044

HEARING AIDS!! HIGH-QUALITY rechargeable, powerful Audien hearing aids priced 90% less than competitors. Tiny and NEARLY INVISIBLE! 45-day money back guarantee! 855-598-5898

MY CARING PLAN'S local advisors have helped thousands of families with unique needs find senior living. Can you afford 2k a month in rent? We can help for free! 866-989-1812

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

*MICHAEL LO BAIDO CONSTRUCTION*

Congestion pricing will fuel further flight from New York

As a native New Yorker, born and raised on Long Island, I am extraordinarily proud of this place we call home. From our beaches, to our downtown, corridors to our tight-knit hometowns, the Empire State is filled with wonderful communities in which to live, work and raise a family.

Sadly, in recent times, far too many New Yorkers have been forced to flee the place they’ve spent most of their lives, driven out by high taxes, an everincreasing cost of living exacerbated by inflation, and deteriorating public safety. Instead of working to curb this mass migration of New Yorkers to greener pastures — fueled in large part by a lack of affordability — Gov. Kathy Hochul is attempting to levy an additional tax on already overtaxed New Yorkers in the form of congestion pricing. These new fees would be flat out wrong, and I’m working hard in Congress to stop them.

Under the governor’s ill-fated congestion pricing plan — formally termed the

Central Business District Tolling Program — commuters would pay upward of $23 during peak hours to drive south of 60th Street in Manhattan. What’s more, this would be in addition to the already high-priced tolls commuters must pay for the bridges and tunnels leading into Manhattan. While more and more New Yorkers feel the financial squeeze of inflation and an uncertain economy, Hochul has determined that this is the best time to move forward with her misguided congestion fees — which, if paid daily by an average commuter who drives into Manhattan for work on typical weekdays, could amount to more than $5,000 a year. What middle class family can afford that?

While congestion pricing has not yet been implemented, Hochul and her progressive allies in Albany are already championing this new pseudo-tax as a win for everyday New Yorkers as well as the faltering Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Indeed, funds from the congestion-pricing program are slated to fill the coffers of the struggling MTA and bankroll the agency’s bloated budget by encouraging more commuters to ride the rails into Lower Manhattan instead of driving. While increasing ridership on public transportation is a noble cause, doing so by threatening New Yorkers with financial hardship for driving is not the path forward.

Not only are commuters now staring down the barrel of thousands of dollars in new fees if they drive into Manhattan, but they are also facing increased costs for public transportation after the latest round of MTA fare hikes. Indeed, with MTA bus and subway fares now jumping to $2.90 a ride — and the roughly 4.3 percent Long Island Rail Road fare uptick — commuters are being forced to bear the brunt of the MTA’s long history of mismanagement — a seemingly never-ending saga that culminated with reports released earlier this year projecting a nearly $2.5 billion budget gap by 2025 for the agency.

In addition to increased costs, far too many New Yorkers have been exposed to a recent rash of violent crime while utilizing MTA services. Forcing those crimeweary commuters to pay more money for less safe commuting conditions is patently unfair.

All of this is to say that if Hochul were serious about helping local commuters, she wouldn’t push an unpopular and unneeded congestion-pricing plan on cash-strapped New Yorkers who are also having to contend with inflation, deteriorating safety on public transportation, and rising fares. What’s more, unless the MTA makes serious operational changes in the way it manages its finances, how soon will we have to contend with

increased congestion pricing fees in order to plug even greater holes in the agency’s budget?

I am opposed to the governor’s congestion pricing plan as it currently stands, and have worked in a bipartisan fashion to fight this new tax. In Congress, I have introduced H R 609, which calls for an outright rejection of the plan, and I’m proud to say that colleagues in both parties from across the tri-state area have cosponsored this federal push to quash this money grab by the state government.

While my fellow members of Congress and I work at the federal level to combat this new tax, I urge all of my Nassau County neighbors to contact Gov Hochul’s office — and their local state legislators — to voice their opposition to the congestion pricing scheme, and tell Hochul that we can’t afford another tax hike from Albany.

The governor and her progressive pals in the state legislature need to get serious about reeling in these out-of-control taxes and fees, before we lose even more New Yorkers to other corners of the country that respect their pocketbooks — and their commutes more than the Empire State does under this administration in Albany.

News porn, food porn and shopping porn

Really, the world outside is conspiring to corrupt us. The mindless chatter is deafening, the distractions are pervasive and the temptation to indulge ourselves on every level is highly seductive.

Yesterday I was standing on the train platform in Jamaica, and watched a young woman, earplugs inserted, texting while her child toddled over the yellow line, way too close to the tracks. Only those of us not on our phones noticed and yelled a warning. The embarrassed mother started to scream at the little boy, who really had done nothing wrong.

People are moving around, believing they can walk and talk or walk and listen to music or drive a car and text or sit down to dinner with the family and also answer emails.

No news flash here. This isn’t a new cultural phenomenon, but it is becoming obscene. Walking through city streets yesterday, people were mentally AWOL as they sometimes moved along and sometimes just stopped and blocked the sidewalk while they texted a message. Pedestrians were oblivious to their immediate

surroundings, inattentive to people standing within earshot.

On the LIRR, a woman was offering telephone therapy in a ridiculously loud voice to her daughter, who apparently was having issues of a personal nature with a boyfriend. Personal? Everyone in the train car had to listen to her advice on birth control.

Gradually, this public sharing of the personal and private has become acceptable behavior for many. Facebook and Snapchat and Instagram users publish details of their lives that might have been kept within the family before the internet. Are we losing any sense of discretion?

Who among us is able to carve out islands of silence or solitude in the midst of this public havoc?

The food we eat was once a private part of our lives. Now everyone takes pictures of their lamb chops and posts recipes, some for the most excessively fattening foods imaginable. And when we put down the phone or the computer, we turn on the TV and watch “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” and watch really unhealthy-looking people gorging on fried food and barbecued everything.

If you turn to the news for a reasonable roundup of the day, you’re assaulted by the repetitive “breaking news” hyste-

ria that has replaced intelligent coverage. If you watch the news while you flip back and forth to the food channel, it’s a perfect storm of excess and grease.

Since President Trump was elected, news porn has subsumed what used to be reasonable coverage of events. It’s a chicken-andegg kind of thing. Did the chaotic nature of the administration make the news crazy, or is the crazy coverage affecting the White House?

We find excess in every arena. Once upon a time, when you wanted to go shopping, you went. It was a considered, proactive choice involving walking or driving to a store, selecting merchandise, checking out and coming home. I was never a motivated or skilled shopper, so online shopping serves me well. Still, what disturb me are the excessiveness and intrusiveness of it all.

I buy a pair of shoes online, the next time I try to do some research, I’m harassed and enticed and tempted by visual streamers on the screen, offering me more shoes and different shoes and cheaper shoes and even used shoes. Enough!

Perhaps I’m reacting to my own susceptibility to the dazzling online displays of goodies, from super-rich chocolates to rhinestone earrings that look like baby

Randi is on a brief leave. This column was originally published Sept. 7-13, 2017.

chandeliers. It’s all visual, but it feels noisy to me.

I use the word porn for these excesses in news, food and shopping because porn doesn’t necessarily suggest sexual material. In these cases, it suggests lurid and excessive indulgence.

This isn’t an all-or-nothing problem. By all means, we need to enjoy our food and follow the news and buy what we need to buy. The tricky part is keeping it all reasonable and appropriate and private. Dare I use the word “moderation”? It sounds so boring. Still …

To save our sanity, each of us, in our own lives and own spaces, must find time to think. That’s it, just think, with no external input. Sit in a park or in the house or take a walk and leave the devices behind. You’ll see and hear things you haven’t seen in a long time, such as the flash of a bird’s wing in the distance or the humming of late-summer insects.

Since Hurricane Harvey, there’s much talk about sheltering in place. The media intrusion into our lives is another kind of storm, and we need new skills to survive. We must give the gift of quiet observation to the next generation, or they will never learn how to take shelter in their own space.

RAnDi KREiss

in these cases, ‘porn’ suggests something different: lurid and excessive indulgence.

U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito represents New York’s 4th Congressional District.

Anthony D’Esposito

Make room for school buses

they called them the most dangerous stretches of road on Long island. No crosswalks. Speeding cars. Pedestrians literally running for their lives simply to get from one side of the street to the other.

A survey conducted last year by Vision Long island — a group of community leaders from Nassau and Suffolk counties committed to advancing more livable, economically sustainable and environmentally responsible growth — found these trouble spots in six neighborhoods, including Baldwin and Hempstead village. The study came on the heels of more than 6,000 accidents reported in the Town of Hempstead involving pedestrians.

“There’s a need in the area,” Vision Long island executive director Eric Alexander said. “And we can do better.”

As schools open their doors for the fall once again, all of us must do better — at least do our part to ensure that our young folk can safely make it to their campuses. That means keeping an eye out for kids crossing streets, walking along roads where there might not be sidewalks, or simply standing and waiting for a bus.

Every morning — and every afternoon — hundreds of bus drivers are tasked with getting our children to and from school. But that task isn’t easy. Especially with impatient car drivers who might try to speed around slowing or stopped buses.

Letters

The ongoing migrant crisis

To the Editor:

But even the most well-meaning car drivers can be a headache for school buses. The yellow behemoths have a number of blind spots, take longer to stop, and require far more room to maneuver, according to the state transportation department

Because of that, it’s important to keep your distance from buses, especially when they stop. When you’re behind them, stay at least 20 feet back.

And always be alert. Not just to kids getting on and off the bus, but also anyone waiting at a bus stop or running to catch a bus. They might not be paying attention to what’s around them, and could dart into traffic — right in front of your vehicle.

And what about when you see flashing red lights and a stop sign extended from the side of the bus? Are there any times you don’t have to stop? The answer is simple: no.

State law requires you to stop for a school bus with flashing red lights and the extended stop sign whether you’re on a two-lane road, a multi-lane road with a paved median, or a divided highway. That’s right — even a barrier in the middle of a street separating you from a school bus in traffic going in the opposite direction isn’t enough to excuse you from stopping for the bus. You still have to stop.

DoT says many of the accidents

The status quo is failing New Yorkers and migrants alike. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent extension of her executive order declaring a state of emergency for asylum seekers fails to provide a long-term plan, and only exacerbates this inhumane disaster.

Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have failed to lead on this dire humanitarian crisis, which was created by President Biden’s failed immigration policies.

While the federal government needs to step up to address the root of this crisis, the influx of migrants has highlighted the inadequacies of the state and the nation.

STATE SEN. PATriCiA CANzoNEri-FiTzPATriCK

That unquenchable MAGA thirst

To the Editor:

Many may have thought Florida Gov. ron DeSantis’s “Let me outdo Trump” strategy was just an easy way to get votes. They may have been partially right. republican candidate Vivek ramaswamy’s doubling down — going further right than both Donald Trump and DeSantis — on his “i’m best to lead that ‘America First’ agenda” is gaining considerable momentum. His rocket-like ascension among the remaining republican

involving buses occur when car drivers try to pass stopped buses, or when they don’t stop because of poor visibility in rain, snow or fog. Some are caused by bus drivers waving cars through, unaware that a child is crossing the street. What does that mean to you? if a bus driver waves you through, don’t move forward until you’ve checked for yourself the road in front of you is clear.

of more than 100 fatal accidents reported in a recent year by the state education department, nearly 70 percent of those killed were children in kindergarten, first, second or third grade. That’s despite the fact that those kids account for less than 35 percent of the school population.

No one should ever feel unsafe going to school — whether they’re walking or taking a bus. Ensuring children’s safety is all the incentive any of us should need. But just in case it’s not, the penalties for not stopping for school buses are fines of up to $400 and potentially 30 days in jail for the first offense, increasing to $1,000 and six months in jail for repeat offenses. With school back in session, our children, the future of our neighborhoods — our world — need to get to class to learn everything they can. Stay alert. Stop on red.

Do your part to make sure they get there safely.

presidential candidates, as a first-time politician, reveals an unquenchable thirst for this ideology among a certain group of voters in America.

i t could also explain why six of the republican contenders were tripping over themselves in the first debate to say they’d support Trump if he were to win the republican primary.

What’s worrisome, however, is that despite Trump’s current legal woes, an August Marist College poll showed him in a statistical tie with President Biden in the 2024 general election.

The question is, given Biden’s progress on the economy —unemployment at a low of 3.5 percent, nationwide infrastructure investments, American manu-

New housing on L.I.? Not in my backyard.

apoll conducted by nextLI/ Newsday discovered a not-sopuzzling contradiction. A majority of Long Island residents want more local housing options, probably because their own children, just starting families, can’t afford to buy homes in the communities in which they grew up and their parents live. On the other hand, a majority also oppose “dense housing options” like those proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Opposition to “dense housing options,” a euphemism for low-cost apartments near transportation hubs, comes from both Republicans and Democrats, because support for such developments could be the kiss of death in local elections. There is deepseated fear in the metropolitan area suburbs that less-expensive housing will bring ethnic and racial minorities into previously predominantly white communities.

So far, low-cost housing options on Long Island are targeted for communi-

ties that are already primarily Black and Latino. A four-story building with 42 units and a 228-unit development are going up in Hempstead, an 81-unit project is planned for Wyandanch, and a 55-unit building is being built in a blighted area of East Patchogue. Hempstead is 46 percent Black and 45 percent Latino. Wyandanch is 60 percent Black and 18 percent Latino. Patchogue is majority white, but the area where the housing will be built is increasingly Latino.

The State Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, adjourned for the year in June without passing legislation to address the state’s chronic housing shortage, as lawmakers failed to even introduce any housing legislation. Democratic legislators wanted to boost the housing supply by offering developers tax credits that are supposed to promote construction of affordable housing and turn unused office space into apartments. The Democrats also wanted to include protection against evictions and spiking rents.

Hochul, a Democrat, was unhappy about pairing new construction with

Letters

facturing has ticked up — is the Democratic political strategy working?

DERICKSON LAWRENCE Bronx

We need to know more about LLCs

To the Editor:

Citizens have a right to know who they’re dealing with, whether it be in government or private enterprise. But that’s not the case when it comes to limited liability companies, or LLCs.

LLCs can own property, apply for grants, operate as landlords, and donate to political campaigns. But discovering who’s behind the curtain isn’t easy. Cruise through your local property tax rolls, or the state’s campaign finance disclosure database, and you’ll see plenty of LLCs, but you won’t see plenty of names.

Anonymous shell companies have been a popular vehicle for money laundering, tax evasion, organized crime, terrorism, and other forms of corruption for decades. Yet establishing an LLC requires less personal information than getting a library card.

That’s why it’s important for Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the Limited Liability Companies Transparency Act, passed by both the Assembly and State Senate, which would require these business organizations to publicly identify their owners to the state.

A wide variety of businesses — from pizza shops to mall developers and property buyers — use LLCs as an organizing business structure. The approach, sanctioned by state law, provides the owners some limits on liabilities the companies could face.

As a practical matter, LLCs also allow the people who actually own the companies to remain anonymous. Under current reporting requirements, LLCs

rent controls. She proposed a broader housing plan that would add over 800,000 units of new housing by requiring that suburban communities meet construction mandates, including expanding their housing stock by 3 percent every three years and building 50 homes per acre within a half-mile of Long Island Rail Road stations.

Democratic legislators were leery of Hochul’s plan because last fall, Republican candidates on Long Island won three Assembly seats and three Senate seats previously held by Democrats.

While Democrats shied away from Hochul’s proposal to mandate affordable housing in the suburbs, Republicans were in virulent opposition, accusing her of imperial ambitions, and of trying to transform Long Island communities in a plan to alleviate New York City’s housing crisis. Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald Clavin, a Republican, denounced the Hochul plan as “illconceived.” State Sen. Steven Rhoads, a Republican from Massapequa, called the governor’s proposal “a reckless and irresponsible attempt to defy both local government’s right to control local zon-

need only supply a company name, county of operation, and an address where legal documents should be sent.

Sometimes that address is a post office box. Sometimes it’s an attorney’s office or a registered agent. For anyone interested in knowing more, the information is often frustratingly nondescript — and consequently useless.

But we all have a well-established interest in this information, and the State Legislature should be commended for recognizing this by including solid publicdisclosure requirements.

The lack of transparency for campaign donations is just one of the reasons the LLC Transparency Act has the support of good-government groups such as Common Cause and the League of Women Voters. While a 2019 law change required LLCs making political donations to disclose their owners, many are ignoring the requirement, the groups say.

The Business Council of New York State opposes the law, saying it will violate the privacy of law-abiding businesses — including thousands of small businesses organized as LLCs — and put their security at risk. There are some provisions in the legislation for public disclosure to be waived when “a significant privacy interest exists.” The law’s efficacy will be determined in part by how waiver requests are handled.

Given the benefits that state law confers on LLCs, it’s not too much to ask that they at least let us know who they are. This is a good step toward much-needed transparency.

JUDY PATRICK

ing and the right of each and every Long Islander to preserve their safety and suburban quality of life.”

Massapequa is 94 percent white and less than 1 percent Black. Over the past 10 years, less new housing has been built in metropolitan New York’s suburban communities than in most major metropolitan areas in the United States.

Racism remains such a potent political force in New York suburbs that the Democratic leaders in the State Legislature, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, both African-American, were unwilling to support affordable housing mandates, fearing that white opposition would cost Democrats majority control of both houses. Look for opposition to “dense housing options” to join attacks on critical race theory as Republican rally points in the 2024 election cycle to stir up white voting support.

Alan Singer is a professor of teaching, learning and technology and the director of social studies education programs at Hofstra University. He is a former New York City high school social studies teacher and an assistant editor of Teaching Social Studies, a joint publication of the New York and New Jersey Councils for the Social Studies.

Framework by Tim Baker

there’s opposition in both parties, because support can be deadly in local elections.

Judy Patrick is vice president of editorial development of the New York Press Association, a statewide media advocacy group whose members include the Herald Community Newspapers.