Seaford Herald 01-19-2023

A talented student

Seaford cheer team returns to nationals

By KEPHERD DANIEl kdaniel@liherald.com

The Seaford High School cheerleading team is making a habit of producing winning squads, earning a bid to the 2023 National High School Cheerleading Championship.

Each year since 2013, the team has won a spot at the nationals, which will be held at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., from Feb. 10 to 12.

and the season, rehearsing cheer stunts with their stunt coach for three hours. With summer workout, which includes running and conditioning training, the Seaford High School cheer team seems to be among the school’s most dedicated athletes.

Taylor DiFondi, a senior cheerleader, discussed the key to getting through the year-round cheer season.

for his constituents

Steve Rhoads says he’s ready to

By MICHAEl MAlAsZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com

When he was a seventh-grade student from Wantagh, Steve Rhoads volunteered to work on Assemblyman Frederick Parola’s campaign to get extra credit in his social studies class. As a result, Rhoads fell in love with politics.

Years later, Rhoads is now the Republican state senator for the 5th District, representing Wantagh, Seaford, Bellmore and Merrick as well as other surrounding neighborhoods.

Rhoads won the election in the newly drawn district in November, unseating incumbent Democrat Sen. John Brooks by

winning 58 percent of the vote. Rhoads had previously served as a Nassau County legislator for the 19th District, and now represents many of those same constituents in Albany. A special election will be held to determine who will win Rhoads’s vacant seat in the Legislature, but the candidates are not currently known.

“There is a tremendous amount of overlap,” Rhoads said. “Obviously, there are many new areas that we’re in now because the Senate district is so much larger, but I’m very grateful that most parts of my legislative district are still with me. I am sorry to have lost a little bit of Freeport, though. Freeport is a

Cheerleading teams perform on the sidelines at football games, but once the season is over in November, the cheer squads enter their own competitions.

Cheerleading is a year-round sport, with regional and national championships taking place at the end of one year and the beginning of the next, respectively, and county and state championships to follow. All of this wraps up in early March, and the teams begin practicing again in April.

The Seaford High School squad practices four nights a week to prepare for competitions

“Physically, it’s difficult, but overall you just have to have a good mindset about it,” DiFondi said. “As long as you have a good mindset and your mind is in the right place, you can do anything you put your mind to, no matter what you’re given.”

Sophia Sampogna, a senior in her fifth year on the varsity cheer team, said she took an interest in cheerleading when she first moved to Seaford, in the first grade.

“I wanted to join cheer because it’s what a lot of people did,” Sampogna said, “and the more I did it, the more I fell in love with it.”

We set a goal for ourselves every single year.

lIsA FERRARI Cheerleading Coach, Seaford High School

pianist

Michael Malaszczyk/Herald

stEVE RHoADs, tHE newly elected senator representing the 5th District, has wasted no time getting to work in Albany.

Seaford High will compete in cheer nationals

Lisa Ferrari and Brenda Martin coach the varsity team. Ferrari, who started teaching social studies at Seaford in 2007, has coached the cheer team for the past 15 years. Seeing how the Seaford community is driven around sports, Ferrari said she wanted to be a part of that and has set high expectations for the team. With multiple national championship trips, the team has certainly lived up to that high bar.

“We set a goal for ourselves every single year that we walk into the gym,” Ferrari said. “There are times when we’ve graduated 15 girls from the year before. My expectations for them are always a lot more than their expectations even for themselves because I feel like as a coach for this long, I’ve been able to see the potential in all of them, and be able to push them past where they think they can go.”

Martin, in her third year coaching for the Seaford program and in her second year as the assistant varsity coach, said that each year, the team strives to be better.

“We really have been focusing on executing, cleaning up the caliber of stunts and trying to keep pushing each year,” she said.

Over the last seven years, there have been six county championships, with the pandemic voiding all competition in 2020, and Seaford has won five of them. The varsity team consists of 26 girls, with 11 of them being seniors.

Last year, the cheer team reached the highest level at nationals, coming in second in the country. They then returned home and secured another county championship and then ultimately a state championship, which was a huge accomplishment for the team and a major achievement for the Seaford program and school district. Team members said they are looking to repeat their success again this year.

Kayla Fallarino-Forte, a member of the varsity team

since she was in the eighth grade, said she can attest to the hard work the girls put forth each year.

“Each year, we just keep improving,” Fallarino-Forte said. “Last year, we started off a little rocky, but as the sea-

son went on, we got better and better because we learned how to hit our routine and we peaked at the right moment at nationals. This year, we just have to keep doing that and go on the same schedule and peak at nationals.”

Kepherd Daniel/Herald

MeMbers of the Seaford High School cheerleading team are, top row, from left, head coach Lisa Ferrari, Juliana Strippoli, Jillian Bartolomeo, Angelina Monopoli, Sophia Sampogna, Taylor DiFondi and assistant coach Brenda Martin; bottom row, from left, Kayla Fallarino-Forte, Ella Bloom, Brianna Mirenda, Arianna Cangero and Miranda Montes.

Herald ScHoolS

Wantagh student pianist an asset to music program

If there’s a concert happening in the Wantagh School District, Matthew Lin is probably there tickling the ivories. It is unique for a student to serve as a piano accompanist for school concerts, but the Wantagh High School senior has leant his talents for more than a dozen elementary, middle school and high school performances for the past four years.

In December, Matthew played the piano at five shows – the middle school’s sixth and eighth grade concerts and the high school’s Chorale, Onora Le Voci and wind ensemble performances. He also accompanied all three elementary school choruses for the Long Island Music Festival and last year’s spring concerts, as well as other Wantagh student ensembles. He will be in the pit band for the upcoming spring production of “The SpongeBob Musical.”His origins as a pianist date back more than a decade. Before he even entered kindergarten, he went to a music store with his mother, who was encouraging him to play the violin. Matthew, however, found himself drawn to the piano. He described the “majesticness” of the instrument and the clear and strong sound that it produces.

Working with a private teacher through the Amadeus Music School and practicing on his own with piano exercises from “Hanon: The Virtuoso Pianist,” Matthew’s skills continued to progress. He was particularly drawn to classical music, and loved playing Chopin’s Waltz No. 1 as a child.

Wantagh choral director Sameerah Cassidy said during the 2019-2020 school

year, she needed a piano accompanist for the winter concert and the band director recommended Matthew, then a freshman. She met with him and gave him 10 pieces of music, which he mastered over the Thanksgiving break. Matthew played for her when school resumed, and he landed the gig.

“He saved the day,” Cassidy said, adding that Matthew has played such an important role in the district’s music program, even accompanying other students

for honors ensemble auditions.

Two years ago, Cassidy launched a new honors-level chorus class at Wantagh High School, Onora Le Voci. Matthew is enrolled in the class as the student accompanist, a position that was included in the course structure with him in mind.

“The chorus students understand the role that he plays and the sound he helps us create,” Cassidy said.

Added Matthew, “I’m really grateful that I’m so valued here. I really enjoy

working with so many talented individuals. I am overjoyed that I can learn so many different types of music.”

One piece of music that stood out to him from the recent winter concerts was “Keep Your Lamps,” which was performed by the high school chorale. Matthew said it was very fast and intense with unique chord progressions, but he enjoyed the opportunity to learn and play a different type of music.

Matthew played the clarinet with the band through his freshman year and even earned All-County honors, but has since focused on the piano. Using a recording studio in New Jersey, he submits recordings to various international competitions. In the past year, he received second place in the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition and a gold medal at the AADGT International Young Musicians Competition, The Passion of Music. Last June, he performed at Carnegie Hall.

In college, he plans to study computer science or software engineering with a minor in music performance. Matthew said that wherever he goes to college, he will reach out to local school districts to see if he can serve as a piano accompanist for concerts.

Even if he doesn’t plan to become a professional musician, Matthew said his goal is to be able to play the piano at a level on par with the pros.

“It’s exciting for me that I’ve progressed so much,” he said. “There’s still a path for me ahead to improve.”

Handmade signs spread positivity at Forest Lake

The Kindness Squad at Forest Lake Elementary School in the Wantagh School District has some words of encouragement for their peers. The group of fourth graders recently created inspirational posters to hang around the school.

Jessica Zimmer, the principal, said the idea came from students who wanted to do something to give back to their school. The Kindness Squad works with art teacher Laura Capozzi to create the colorful and motivating posters, which reflect Forest Lake’s values. The posters encourage bravery, kindness and even protecting the environment with reminders to recycle.

Kindness Squad members include Ella DePaolo, Charlotte Hamel, Jonah Oppenheim, Sophia Recher, Abigail Santopietro, Tiago Sapienza and Emma Sherman.

–Michael Malaszczyk

Forest Lake eLementary School’s Kindness Squad, led by art teacher Laura Capozzi, has been working on inspirational posters to hang around the school.

Courtesy Wantagh Schools

Courtesy Wantagh Schools

ChoraL direCtor sameerah Cassidy described pianist Matthew Lin as “the most talented student I’ve ever worked with.”

Steve Rhoads succeeds Brooks in Senate

great community.”

While the election was not particularly close, Rhoads is keenly aware that a chunk of his constituents voted for his opponent.

“I’m a state senator for Republicans, for independents, for Democrats,” Rhoads said. “My job is to represent the 325,000 people that are in my district regardless of what their political affiliation is. I hope that everyone would feel comfortable giving the office a call, and we’ll get to work on those issues. We may not agree on everything, but we’ll find common ground and come up with solutions.”

Rhoads ran on a platform of lowering taxes and being tough on crime. Two key issues include bail reform and congestion pricing. Prior to the November election, Rhoads told the Herald that his platform would be easier to push through if Republican Lee Zeldin had won the gubernatorial election over Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“Coalition building now becomes much more important,” Rhoads said. “We now have to look at compromises. We’ll get a bail reform bill on the floor, but Democrats will likely not pass it. So we will have to look at the worst elements of bail reform, which is taking away judges’ discretion, and see if we can get enough Democrats to work with us on that.”

Working across the aisle appears to be one of Rhoads’ strengths as a politician.

The Legislature is located in the county’s capitol building, with Republican offices on one side and the Democrat offices on the other. When Rhoads was elected to the Legislature, there was no room on the Republican side, so he took an office on the other side. Rhoads told the Herald that this was a blessing because it allowed him to build relationships with politicians

from the other party.

Rhoads said he has been making his rounds on the senate floor in Albany to get to know everybody.

Rhoads said he ran for office, in part, because of his love for Long Island, as a lifelong resident.

was running, he was always in contact with his residents.”

Rhoads’ constituents said they see that same thing in the newly minted state senator.

The Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (“MAPT”)

For those who don’t qualify for long-term care insurance or can’t afford it, the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (“MAPT”) can protect your assets from the high cost of long-term care in your home or in a facility.

The MAPT sets up two roadblocks that Medicaid cannot break through. First, you cannot be your own trustee. Usually, one or more of the adult children act as trustee.

Secondly, you, as the creator of the MAPT, are entitled to the income only, not the principal. If you don’t have access to the principal (your home or other assets in the trust), then Medicaid doesn’t have access to the principal. The MAPT makes good sense for assets you’re not going to spend – like your home and investments you’re not using. As we often say, if you don’t need it to live on, then why not protect it for your family instead of losing it to pay for long-term care.

When you apply for Medicaid for nursing home care, if you’ve transferred any assets in the past five years, you are ineligible. The full protection of the trust only takes place five

years after you establish the trust. This is why you want to plan ahead. Under new rules to take effect in the next year or two, you will also need to have the MAPT in place two and half years in advance to be eligible for care in your own home.

The MAPT does not affect your lifestyle. You still receive your pension, social security checks, minimum distributions on your retirement plans, interest and dividends. You have the exclusive right to use and enjoy your home. You keep all your property tax exemptions. You can sell your house, buy a new one, or invest the proceeds, which remain in the trust, still protected.

The MAPT is also flexible. You can change trustees and you can change who you leave it to.

Although the MAPT is an irrevocable trust, not only does it have the flexibility mentioned above, but in New York there is a mechanism to revoke an irrevocable trust. All that is required is for all parties, you and your children, to sign. We even have a workaround just in case one of the children refuses to sign.

“Where else could you be half-an-hour away from what used to be one of the greatest cities and 10 minutes away from the beach?” Rhoads said. “But now a lot of young people can’t stay here, because of the lack of quality jobs and the high taxes. What we’re going to have to do is find a way to control property taxes, and a good part of that is school taxes. And try and create opportunities for economic growth and business development that are going to produce the kind of jobs that will enable young people to stay.”

Despite his call to slash school taxes, Rhoads said he still wants to see public schools receive funding and simply believes it’s a matter of properly allocating the money.

As a volunteer on Parola’s campaign, Rhoads said he learned how to be a very active politician at the grassroots level.

“Fred used to walk his entire assembly district,” Rhoads said. “Whether or not he

“Steve comes to all of our events,” Jeff Newman of the Jewish War Veterans said. “Everybody loves Steve.”

Rhoads also enjoys good relationships with Congressman Anthony D’Esposito and Councilman Christopher Carini, giving him the right resources to help his constituents at both the local and federal levels.

“Steve Rhoads has always been there for his constituents,” Carini said.

“Steve is always on top of every issue. As a volunteer firefighter, Steve has taken care of first responders every step of the way. Our local firefighters, EMTs and law enforcement could always count on Steve. We will champion Steve fighting for safe, affordable neighborhoods in our state’s capitol.”

Rhoads said he remains committed to delivering results in Albany.

“I know that it’s a tremendous amount of trust that the voters have placed in me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve,” Rhoads said.

Courtesy Christopher Dalton

Steve RhoadS, top row, second from right, has already made inroads at the state Capitol, championing the Rescue New York plan.

EMMANUEL DEPAS, LEFT, Marie Pereira, Judith Hospedales and Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages, gathered at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building the day before the 13th anniversary of the 2010 Haiti earthquake to raise awareness for new immigration policy.

Migrating from Haiti, with a little support

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

It’s been more than a decade since an earthquake devastated Haiti, killing more than 200,000 people, and leaving so many more thousands homeless. To this day, the Caribbean country continues to recover, all while facing other ongoing challenges such as limited access to health care, as well as poverty, political instability and violence.

While a lot of political talk in Washington is focused on what’s happening at the U.SMexico border, Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages has joined immigration law professionals to share details of an expanded program under the Biden administration intended to provide legal pathways to America for migrants from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela as well as war-torn Ukraine.

“This is a positive development, and a humanitarian way to allow people to seek asylum,” Solages said. “We have witnessed so many people risking their lives in order to make it here in the United States.”

This new policy allows up to 30,000 individuals from these four countries to come to the United States per month for a period of up to two years —all receiving work authorization. These individuals must have an eligible sponsor, and pass a series of vetting and background checks.

To reduce overcrowding and wait times at U.S. ports of entry, those who are legal immigrants or citizens of the United

States can apply for someone in Haiti to come to America through an online application called the I-134A form, which gives that sponsor a chance to provide a declaration of financial support.

“They are basically asking you how are you going to take care of this person you are legally sponsoring, the person who is now called the beneficiary,” said Marie Pereira, founder of the Haiti Immigration Project. “Do you have the financial resources to take care of this person’s needs, from health to housing to clothing? Everything.”

Once the sponsor is approved, the beneficiary is required to submit their fingerprints and undergo an extensive background check. They also must be vaccinated for Covid-19, have a valid passport, and proof they are a Haiti native, Pereira added.

Those younger than 18 have to be accompanied by an adult who is their parent or legal guardian.

Judith Hospedales, an immigration law expert and formerly of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said with the influx of displaced migrants in various states, the administration is trying to cut back on the issues migrants face when they arrive to the border.

Many migrants are seeking asylum — meaning they fear for their safety, or they believe they could be harmed if they stay in their home country — and want protection from another nation, like the United States.

But there are many who may not qualify for asylum status. In that case, they can

Who can become a sponsor?

Anyone who has legal status to live in the United States can sponsor a Haitian immigrant to the United States by submitting a free I-134A application.

That legal status means being a U.S. citizen, green card holder, or someone with temporary protection status.

However, sponsors should be wary of trying to bring in strangers, said Judith Hospedales. The further apart

the relationship between the sponsor and the person looking to come from Haiti, the more difficult it will be to prove that a person can be a suitable sponsor and financially responsible for the beneficiary.

To learn more, visit tinyurl.com/ SponsorHaiti.

–Ana Borruto

apply for temporary protection status, more commonly known as TPS. This status is for certain individuals who cannot return to their countries of origin because of circumstances within the country, such as those same countries not having the resources or capacity to take back their citizens at that particular time.

Emmanuel Depas, immigration attorney, founder and first president of the Haitian American Lawyers Association in New York, said prospective sponsors must take this process very seriously. Solages emphasized the importance of working with professionals like Depas when going through the sponsorship process.

“You have to say ‘yes’ with caution and understand what you’re getting into,” Depas said. “In those two years, you’re going to have to support (beneficiaries) financially, socially and help them get them acclimated to U.S. culture.

“I implore you to develop patience throughout this process.”

The Haitian American population is one of the fastest growing demographics in Nassau County, Solages said, with many living in communities like Elmont,

Freeport, Uniondale, Valley Stream and Hempstead. According to the most recent census numbers, the total Haitian population was just over 850,000 nationwide, with nearly 155,000 living in New York alone.

Haiti itself has a little more than 11 million people.

Elsie Smith has lived in the United States for 52 years, spending the last decade in Elmont. She wants to sponsor six family members who now live in Haiti — a widower father, his sister and his four kids, whose mother passed away five years ago. The children had to stop going to school last September.

Smith is grateful for the humanitarian relief program as it will give these children better opportunities in the United States.

“This is something for a country that is suffering too much, and we have so much we can offer in this country,” Smith said, through tears. “I live in a house with six bedrooms all by myself — I will provide, (the father) can get his papers for work, and the four children can go to school.”

This is something for a country that is suffering too much, and we have so much we can offer in this country.

ELSIE SMITH Haitian Elmont resident

Ana Borruto/Herald

spotlight athlete

Herald sports

Seaford beginning to click

By aNDReW CoeN sports@liherald.com

After a slow start out of the gate, the Seaford girls’ basketball team is finding its rhythm heading toward the home stretch of the season.

CaYlee DeMeo

Carey Senior Basketball

a tWo-tiMe all-CoUNtY selection and last season’s Conference Player of the Year when she averaged 22 points per game, DeMeo joined elite company Jan. 7 when she scored her 1,000th career point. The milestone basket came in Carey’s win over Glen Cove and was part of a 28-point performance. She’s the third player in program history to reach 1,000 points and currently ranks second in Nassau County in scoring.

gaMes to WatCh

thursday, Jan. 19

Gymnastics: Wantagh at North Shore 6 p.m

Gymnastics: Massapequa at South Side 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Port Washington at Baldwin 7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 20

Girls Basketball: Malverne at West Hempstead 5 p.m.

Boys Swimming: So. Side/Lynbrook at Long Beach 5 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Lawrence at Clarke 7 p.m.

Boys Basketball: V.S. Central at Oceanside 7 p.m.

Boys Basketball: East Rockaway at Seaford 7 p.m.

Boys Basketball: West Hempstead at Malverne 7 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Baldwin at Port Washington 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Seaford at East Rockaway 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Hicksville at Freeport 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Oceanside at V.S. Central 7 p.m.

saturday, Jan. 21

Boys Basketball: Jericho at MacArthur 12 p.m.

Boys Basketball: New Hyde Park at Mepham 12 p.m.

Boys Basketball: G.N. North at South Side 12 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Wantagh at V.S. North 12 p.m.

Boys Basketball: North Shore at V.S. South 12 p.m.

Girls Basketball: G.N. South at Long Beach 12 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Elmont at Sewanhaka 12 p.m.

Girls Basketball: V.S. North at Wantagh 12 p.m.

The Vikings, who began the season 1-3, entered the week winners of seven of their last nine games and are 4-1 in Conference B2. With three weeks left in the regular season, Seaford is in the mix to the top seed for the upcoming five-team Class B playoffs, which would earn it a first round bye.

“We struggled in the beginning where every win was a real battle for us and I think we’re just starting to really come together,” said second-year Seaford head coach Stephanie Bartkus. “The goal is to make the playoffs and see where we can go.”

Seaford (8-5 overall) has boasted strong depth as evident in a commanding 55-21 win at Oyster Bay Jan. 12 that featured nine different scorers. The Vikings, who jumped out to a 16-2 lead after the first quarter, were led by 12 points from Danielle McHugh and nine by Emily McGowan and Amanda Williamson with seven.

Williamson, a junior, has emerged as leader on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. She registered 14 points and two steals in a 52-22 victory against Malverne on Dec. 21.

Senior co-captain Danielle McHugh has stepped up as a scoring threat from the perimeter, draining four three pointers in the Malverne win. She then delivered another four treys in a 62-41 nonleague triumph at Carey last Saturday.

“She makes them all the time in practice and now it is really starting to show in the second half of the season,” said Bartkus of McHugh’s improving longrange game. “That has been really big for us.”

The Carey win also featured stellar play from sophomore Jessica Gryzeleczyk, who posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Skyler Secondino nearly had a double-double of her own with nine points and nine rebounds.

The lone loss in league play was a 48-43 setback to Cold Spring Harbor in which Seaford was unable to hold onto a 20-12 halftime lead. Williamson led the way with 14 points followed by nine from Daniella Stek and eight by McHugh.

Following a Jan. 17 home game against Carle Place after press time, Seaford returns to the court this Friday evening at East Rockaway at 7 p.m. The Vikings will then have time off for midterms before returning to action on Jan. 28 for an important Saturday afternoon

conference game at home against West Hempstead starting at noon. The remaining schedule is highlighted by a Feb. 3 road game at Locust Valley, which is unbeaten in the conference.

“The offense is starting to click and as long as this isn’t just a fluke then I think we’re gonna be okay because we love playing defense and we’re not worried about our defense,” Bartkus said. “I think that’s all mental for us and now that it’s starting to flow I think we’re going to be in good shape.”

Media Origin Inc./Herald JUNioR aMaNDa WilliaMsoN has emerged as a backcourt leader for the Vikings, who are riding a hot streak after a tough start.

Nassau GOP calls on George Santos to resign

By MICHAEL MALASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com

U.S. Rep. George Santos has faced stiff opposition from his colleagues since arriving at Capitol Hill at the start of the new year. It looks like he won’t have an easy time at home, either.

Republican leaders from across the county gathered at GOP headquarters in Westbury last week calling on Santos to resign immediately amid his trail of fabrications on his work and education history, as well as the growing questions surrounding how he financed his campaign.

In fact, those in attendance — led by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman — went as far as declaring they would not work with Santos. Instead, they would direct constituent issues to newly minted U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito or U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino. And if they can’t go there, local Republicans would reach out to U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer or Kirsten Gillibrand — both Democrats.

“I am joined here with my colleagues in calling on George Santos’s resignation, because he cannot serve anymore,” Blakeman said, calling the congressman a “pathological liar.”

“My office will have no interaction with George Santos or his staff until he resigns. “

D’Esposito — who joined Congress the same time as Santos — made it clear through a video link from Washington

that Santos is not fit to serve.

“I think that what’s most important as a public servant is treating the public with respect and gaining authority — something that all of you behind that podium have done,” D’Esposito said, referring to his fellow Republicans at the news conference. “George Santos does not have the ability to serve here in the House of Representatives, and should resign.”

State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick took particular issue with one of the claims Santos made during his campaign — that he was Jewish, and that he was descended from Holocaust survivors. Investigations by a handful of news outlets have questioned those claims, not finding any evidence of his grandparents being anything other than Catholic, and finding no record of them being in Europe during the World War II era.

“It is a great stain on the Republican Party of Nassau County that he worked with us,” Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick said. “I am particularly offended also, as a representative of the Five Towns and the Orthodox community. What he did regarding his religious status was exceptionally offensive.”

But even as his fellow Republicans were delivering these calls for him to be removed, Santos told reporters outside his Washington office that he had no intention of leaving his position. He maintains that if the 142,000 voters who elected him decide he should go, then he

will go — but they won’t get the chance to express that until 2024.

“George Santos has no business serving in Congress,” Hempstead town supervisor Don Clavin said. “On behalf of all the board members — and frankly, the 750,000 residents living in the Town of Hempstead — it’s time to go. He’s a national joke. He’s an international joke. But this joke’s got to go. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Today.”

Those were sentiments shared by Clavin’s counterpart in Oyster Bay.

“George, I’m speaking to you,” town supervisor Joe Saladino said. “It’s time to step down.”

Santos has been under fire since a New York Times expose last month challenged pretty much everything he has said about himself throughout this recent campaign, and his 2020 unsuccessful run against Tom Suozzi. Everything from education, employment, philanthropic activity, and salaries simply don’t check out.

Nassau GOP chair Joseph Cairo has taken some heat through all this, with a number of people questioning how much he knew of Santos’ past, and why there wasn’t better vetting. Cairo believed the Republican establishment there had already checked out his claims.

“He’s disgraced the House of Representatives, and we do not consider him one of our congress people,” Cairo said.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy won’t personally take action to have Santos removed, saying it’s a decision voters should make. However, the congressman is under investigation at multiple levels — including potential criminal investigation about campaign finance.

Over the weekend, U.S. Rep. James Comer — the new House Oversight Committee chair — said if Santos is found to have broken campaign finance laws, he will be removed

Michael Malaszczyk/Herald NASSAU COUNTY EXECUTIVE Bruce Blakeman says his office will have no dealings with U.S. Rep. George Santos.

Community mourns Angelia Dominguez

by MICHael MalasZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com

Residents of Seaford, Wantagh, Hicksville, and other communities awoke to tragic news on Jan. 8. Angelia Dominguez, 16, was killed in a car crash in Old Brookville, with three other teenagers being hospitalized.

According to detectives, Dominguez was driving a car with three teenage boys aged 14, 15, and 16, when she lost control and hit into a tree on Chicken Valley Road. Dominguez was pronounced dead on the scene, with the three unidentified males being taken to the hospital. One of them was listed as in critical condition. They are believed to be students at Hicksville High School.

Seaford and surrounding communities were quick to respond to this unfortunate news.

Rita Maffetone Matalone, administrator of the Facebook group “Friends of Wantagh-Seaford NY,” posted in the group sharing the news with all members. The post received over 100 reactions and over 50 comments of residents expressing their condolences to Dominguez’s family and friends after her untimely passing.

Two separate GoFundMe campaigns were set up to assist Dominguez’s family through these unexpected hard times. One of them was set up by Dominguez’s friend, Isabelle Santos.

“Angelia was my best friend,” Santos wrote on the GoFundMe page. “She was a beautiful soul taken too young. She will be greatly missed. Please find it in your heats to help me raise money for the Dominguez family, they are going through a great loss that no family should ever have to go through.”

The other GoFundMe was organized by the Li, Calixto, and Payea families, all based out of Seaford.

“Angelia’s passing has broken many hearts,” the organizers wrote. “She leaves behind her loving parents - mother Jenny,

Donate in angelia’s memory

Two separate GoFundMe campaigns have been set up to help the family of Angelia Dominguez through this time. They can be found at tinyurl.com/angeliadominguez1 and tinyurl.com/angeliadominguez2, respectively.

stepfather Tom - sister Bella, and brothers William and Thomas, along with a large number of cousins, aunts and uncles who were like her second parents. A close-knit family that is now grief-stricken and forever broken.”

Both GoFundMe campaigns reached over $10,000 in donations within a week of their creation.

Seaford High School took action immediately, sending out a letter on Jan 8 both to mourn Angelia Dominguez and to offer their support to any students struggling in the aftermath of her death. The school went out of its way to reach out to students who knew her well, as well as activated their Crisis Intervention Plan for the week of Jan. 9. The Crisis Intervention Plan consisted of school counselors and psychologists ready to talk to students until 3:20 p.m. each afternoon. The school also honored Dominguez and her family during the morning announcements.

“There are no words that we can share that can console the grief that Angelia’s family and friends must be experiencing at this time,” Nichole Schnabel, Seaford High School’s principal, wrote in the letter. “As part of Angelia’s community and extended family, we will do whatever we can to provide support and resources considering the horrible tragedy.”

Jewish war veterans fight for two kinds of justice

by MICHael MalasZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com

The Jewish War Veterans is a national organization trying to dispel the myth that Jews never served in American military conflicts — and could also possibly help stem the rising tide of antisemitism.

The JWV has posts and chapters around the country, and Post 652 is located in Merrick but counts members from Bellmore, Wantagh, Seaford, and other areas as well. The national organization was founded in 1896 as the Hebrew Union Veterans Association to raise awareness of contributions made by Jewish service members as well as to combat antisemitism.

“Mark Twain claimed that the Jews had never served in the service,” Gary Glick, commander of Post 652, said. “Meanwhile, seven to eight thousand had just served in the Civil War.

“Jews served in the military during and since the Revolutionary War,” Glick, a U.S. Army veteran who served from 1969 to 1972, added. “Jews have served in every American conflict up to and including the present day.”

The group’s mission is to accomplish both veteran advocacy and Jewish advocacy, and being a Jewish veteran puts one at risk for double bigotry.

“We are a Jewish voice for veterans and a veteran voice for Jews,” Eric Spinner, a Post 652 member who served in the New York Army Reserve National Guard, said.

Members of Post 652 continue to be active in the communities they represent, as advocates for Jewish veterans.

According to Ed Freeberg, an Air Force veteran and a lifetime member of Post 652, their activities include a balanced list of appearances at both veterans’ events and Jewish events. They attend commemorative events on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, visit public schools to discuss the Jewish War Veterans, conduct ceremonies

for specific Jewish soldiers lost, and establish working relationships with local rabbis. All of these achievements increase both awareness and support for the group, Freeberg said.

“Our biggest concern is to get the word out that we exist,” Freeberg added. “The Jewish War Veterans has existed for about 127 years, and very few people know about it. So our job is to do a tremendous amount of outreach.”

What draws the Jewish War Veterans together is the unique experience that comes along with being Jewish and a veteran.

“When I came home, red ink was thrown at me to represent blood,” Jeff Newman, a Vietnam War veteran who served as a flight engineer, said. “They called me a baby killer. They asked if I did drugs in Vietnam.”

Glick recalled similar experiences as a Vietnam War-era veteran.

The veterans also said they faced routine antisemitism. “When I was in basic training in Texas, some guy from there asked me where my horns were,” Freeberg said.

In addition to raising awareness about antisemitism, the group also wishes to right some wrongs of the past. Because of antisemitism, many Jewish veterans were denied honors and benefits that they rightfully deserved after their service. One of those veterans belatedly honored was Eli Soblick of Franklin Square. He was bestowed with a Purple Heart flag in October at the age of 98. Soblick, who was interviewed by the Herald in 2017, served in World War II but was denied medals.

“Eli had told me he was supposed to get a medal during the war,” Glick said. “And he put the papers out for it, but didn’t get them because he was Jewish. We gave him the Purple Heart flag at a synagogue. At 98 years old, he was so happy to have it put around him. He was crying during the ceremony.”

Courtesy Isabelle Santos

Isabelle santos, left, has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help Angelia Dominguez’s family through these difficult times following her untimely death.

Michael Malaszczyk/Herald photos steve frIeDMan, far left, Gary Glick, Eric Spinner, Jeff Newman and Ed Freeberg, members of Jewish War Veterans Post 652, which is headquartered in Merrick.

STEPPING OUT

those

Monster trucks invade Long Island

By Karen Bloom

onster truck madness is back on Long Island this weekend when for two action-packed days at Nassau Coliseum. In this version, families can watch their favorite Hot Wheels trucks come to life when the Hot Wheels ‘Glow Party’ lights up the arena, Jan. 21-22.

While geared to the younger generation of monster truck fans, there is nothing tame about this version. You’ll still experience all the action of the 12-foot-tall, 10,000-pound machines will that bring audiences to their feet, racing and ripping up a customdesigned track full of obstacles to soar over — or smash through — delighting onlookers. A laser light show adds to the spectacle — the trucks maneuver their way through their stunts in a darkened arena.

Their names — Gunkster, Race Ace, Mega Wrex, Bone Shaker, Tiger Shark, Bigfoot and Demo Derby — reflect the outrageous mix of racing and showmanship that enthrall both the drivers and their fans.

WHERE WHEN

• Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 21-22; times vary

• Tickets start at $40 adult, $24 child; $10 additional for Crash Zone (prices are subject to change); available at HotWheelsMonsterTrucksLive. com or NassauColiseum.com

• Located at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale

“Big trucks, big engines, crushing cars, hanging out with the fans, I love it all,” says Eric Steinberg, 22. “It’s an indescribable adrenaline rush.”

It’s clear Steinberg loves his job. In fact, he doesn’t describe his role as a “job.” It’s his passion — what he was born to do.

Like his fellow drivers, Steinberg became enthralled with the big trucks at a young age. Missouri-born and raised, he was 3 years old when he went to his first monster truck event. From that moment on he was hooked.

“I just knew this is what I wanted,” he says. “Monster trucks are amazing, and caught my attention more than anything else. I looked up to the drivers as my heroes. I remember how I felt and that helped me transition to being a driver.”

Branford Marsalis

After some scheduling delay — in part due to the pandemic — the renowned saxophonist makes his long-awaited appearance at the Madison Theatre with his quartet. The NEA Jazz Master, triple-Grammy Award winner and musical polymath with his stellar ensemble — pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Justin Faulkner — bring the brilliance that has made this quartet one of the most revered and influential in jazz. Marsalis is equally at home performing concertos with symphony orchestras and sitting in with members of the Grateful Dead, but the core of his musical universe remains the Branford Marsalis Quartet. After more than three decades of existence with minimal personnel changes, this celebrated ensemble is acclaimed for its uncompromising interpretation of a kaleidoscopic range of both original compositions and jazz and popular classics.

Friday, Jan. 20, 8 p.m. $40-$95. Madison Theatre, Molloy University campus, 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre. (516) 323-4444 or MadisonTheatreNY.org.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

monster truck world, was Steinberg’s entrée into the circuit. He debuted Gunkster, first created by Hot Wheels for its 2021 Monster Trucks Series collectibles, in 2022.

He’ll be in high gear with all his tricks, driving Gunkster through all the non-stop action, which includes a wheelie competition, long jumps, freestyle, and even motocross. And if that is not enough, there’ll be a special appearance by the car-eating, fire-breathing transforming robot Megasaurus.

Steinberg encourages everyone to come to the Crash Zone pre-show, Saturday, at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., and Sunday, at noon. Crash Zone gives fans access to the arena floor where they can view of the trucks up-close and meet the drivers, get autographs and take photos and, of course, check out some toy versions of the big trucks.

“Fans love it,” says Steinberg. “The kids are excited to see the trucks before the show. It’s all for them. For me, I always wanted to meet the drivers as a kid. I always looked up to them as my heroes. And now I want to be that hero. Meeting the fans is truly special and encourages us.”

hooked up with the Bigfoot

Determined to follow his dream, he enrolled in State Technical College of Missouri’s Automotive Technology HighPerformance Program. After his 2021 graduation, he hooked up with the Bigfoot team. Bigfoot, a name synonymous with the

Top photo: Gunkster, driven by Eric Steinberg, and other popular trucks, including Tiger Shark, will thrill fans with exciting car-crunching feats as they fly more than 35 feet in the air. Three stories tall and weighing more than 50,000 pounds, Megasaurus — at left — roars into the arena ready to chomp.

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company welcomes the coming of spring, the Year of the Black Water Rabbit. It’s a spectacular experience for all ages, combining traditional Chinese dance with modern flair. The Red Lions dance to a hip hop beat. The Golden Dragon brings good luck and fortune for the coming year. The ensemble also showcases a contemporary dance work, ‘Ashes of A Dead Frog,’ choreographed by legendary Polish Choreographer Jacek Luminski that was commissioned by Nai-Ni Chen almost a decade ago. Guest artists from the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York provide traditional and contemporary music on classical and folk Chinese instruments. Dancers, acrobats and musicians perform in festive costumes in red, gold, blue and purple colors symbolizing their prayer for a peaceful and harmonious New Year with plenty of prosperity and good fortune for everyone to enjoy and share.

Sunday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m. $52, $42, $32. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. (516) 299-3100 or TillesCenter.org.

Courtesy Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live

THE SCENE

Art talk

Feb. 23

Grab your lunch and join Nassau County Museum of Art Docent Riva Ettus for her popular “Brown Bag Lecture” live, via Zoom, Thursday, Feb. 23, 1 p.m. She’ll discuss the current exhibition, “The Big Picture: Photography Now.” Participants are invited to ask questions at the end of the program. Register at least 24 hours in advance to receive the program Zoom link. Also Feb. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Deadline for Patriot Award

Weekly Mah Jongg

The JULIETS are back playing Mah Jongg and cards at Congregation Beth Tikvah, at 3710 Woodbine Ave., in Wantagh, every Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Masks are optional, but proof of Covid-19 vaccination is required for newcomers, as well as a contribution of $5 per person. For more information email mahjonggCBT@yahoo.com or call (516) 785-2445.

Friends of the Brothers

Friends of the Brothers visits the Landmark stage with their dynamic tribute to the Allman Brothers, Friday, Jan. 27, 8 p.m. Their powerful celebration of the Allman Brothers, featuring musicians closely associated with the original band, continues the brotherhood with passion, committed to the ideals of every night being special and unique. Their first-hand experience with the Allman Brothers Band and their deep knowledge of the repertoire and the music’s roots and heritage allows them to play with an unrivaled depth. Hear songs from every stage of the Allman Brothers’ career, backed by a band of inspirational, veteran players. $33, $28. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

The Seaford 9/11 Memorial Committee honors the memory of its residents lost on 9/11 every year, by presenting “Patriot Awards” to several outstanding Seaford High School students. If you would like to nominate someone for the 2023 Patriot Awards, email Tom Condon at tcondonhs911@gmail. com. The deadline for these submissions is Jan 25

Sips and Snips

Last Hope Animal Shelter is hoping to reduce the damage done by feral cats by spaying and neutering as many as they can. To raise funds for this, they will be hosting a fundraiser, Sunday, Jan. 22, at Jackson Hall American Grille in East Islip. For more information email jvsabu@ aol.com.

Forest Bathing

Take a meditative Forest Bathing walk, led by certified guide Linda Lombardo, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2-4 p.m. Based on the Japanese tradition of ShinrinYoku, a wellness practice developed in the 1980s, the walk, on the grounds of the former summer residence of Howard Gould and later Daniel and Florence Guggenheim, inspires mindful connections with the natural elements of the woods for a range of healthful benefits. $40, $35. Pre-registration required. Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road. For information, visit SandsPointPreserveConservancy. org or call (516) 571-7901.

$5 Skate Night

United Skates of America in Seaford wants to make skating year round activity. Every Thursday, from 4 to 6 p.m., enjoy a skate night with only $5 admission; skate rental is available for an extra $6. For more information visit tinyurl. com/thursdayskate.

Book discussion

You may remember Ralph Macchio from “My Cousin Vinny” and “The Karate Kid”. Macchio has written a memoir and the Wantagh Public Library discusses it, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 3285 Park Ave. For more information visit WantaghLibrary.org.

Explore Wantagh history

Learn fascinating facts about Wantagh at The Wantagh Museum. Located at 1700 Wantagh Ave., it’s open every Sunday from 2-4. There’s much to explore. For info, visit Wantagh.LI/museum.

Having an event?

Tackapausha Museum

Bring the family to Tackapausha Museum and Preserve, 2225 Washington Avenue in Seaford. The county museum is home to 100 different live animals. The museum’s many acitivities include birthday parties, community service projects, Boy and Girl Scout programs to earn badges, educational programs, and more. For more information contact (516) 571-7443.

Jan. 26

The Best of the Eagles

Get into the Eagles’ groove when the tribute band visits The Paramount stage, Thursday, Jan. 26, 8 p.m. With special guest Fleetwood Macked. This authentic recreation features individual bandmates taking on the persona of the original Eagles members. $39.50, $29.50, $19.50 .The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticktmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

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.

Tax forum

The Town of Hempstead hosts tax forums throughout January at various locations. Topics incude property tax exemptions, tax assessments, tax discounts, and more. There is no fee for the workshops. To register, email taxforums@hempsteadny. gov or call (516) 414-6598.The remaining chedule includes: Malverne Public Library, 61 St. Thomas Pl., Friday, Jan. 20, at 1 p.m.; Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2 p.m., Hempstead Town Hall, Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion, 1 Washington St., Hempstead; Tuesday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m. at Echo Park, 399 Nassau Blvd., West Hempstead.

The Pigeon Comes to Long Island!

Step into activities pulled directly from the pages of Mo Willems’ books, during opening weekend of Long Island Children’s Museum’s new exhibit, Sunday, Jan. 22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., in residence through May 14. Step into activities pulled directly from the pages of Mo Willems’ books, make art inspired by his work, engage in dramatic play and learn about the rich social and emotional lives of the author’s characters. Interact with Willems beloved characters: best friend duo Elephant and Piggie, faithful companion Knuffle Bunny, and The Pigeon. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

Sands casino coming to Nassau Coliseum?

By JEFFREY BESSEN jbessen@liherald.com

A touch of Las Vegas could soon make its way to Uniondale’s Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum with hotels, performance stages, and even a casino.

The Las Vegas Sands, a resort company founded by late billionaire Sheldon Adelson, wants to develop what it calls a “multibillion-dollar flagship hospitality, entertainment and casino project” at the former home of the New York Islanders off the Hempstead Turnpike near the Meadowbrook Parkway. But the acquisition of up to 80 acres of the site would require state approval.

“The plan would include a casino accounting for 10 percent of the total project, outdoor community spaces, four- and five-star hotel rooms, and a world class live performance venue honoring the legacy of live music at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman shared on Twitter.

There also would be celebrity chef restaurants, convention space and ballrooms, along with a luxurious day spa, a swimming pool, and a health club.

“We strongly believe Long Island can be home to one of the region’s great entertainment and hospitality developments,” said Robert Goldstein, Las Vegas Sands chair and chief executive, in a news release.

Sands, which is worth more than $42 billion on the New York Stock Exchange, says it wants to collaborate with the surrounding communities to create a plan as a way to maximizes economic opportunity while protecting the quality of life. Part of that plan would include creating 12,000 construction jobs, and then employing 5,000 people.

But making such a collaboration work will require Sands to listen, County Legislature Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams said.

“It is imperative for Sands resorts to conduct extensive community outreach, and then incorporate the feedback they receive into their proposal,” Abrahams said. That means not only talking to the people who live in the area, but also talking to officials at Hofstra University, Nassau Community College, as well as both Hempstead town and village.

Sands also needs to reach out to local fire departments, school districts, civic associations, chambers of commerce and others as a “necessary first step for addressing concerns and identifying opportunities.”

Scott Rechler is optimistic about a Sands development after nearly two decades of working to overhaul the Coliseum site.

“The plan envisioned by Sands is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create the kind of world-renowned entertainment and hospitality destination that has been

sought after by Long Islanders,” said Rechler, chief executive and chair of RXR Realty, in the release.

But not everyone shares that enthusiasm. Protesters have gathered outside the Coliseum opposing the casino component, which they say promotes multiple addictions. Others believe such a development would add to the existing traffic logjam while creating a blight on the environment.

And then there are people like Jay Goldmark from Woodmere who is OK with the plan.

“Surprisingly I have no absolutely no issue with them building a casino as long as they have absolutely no exemptions granted under any circumstances as far as any construction, sales or use taxes,” Goldmark posted on social media. “If they can afford to build for millions of dollars and fees etc., they surely can afford to pay the sales taxes. It will also create hundreds of jobs.”

THE LAS VEGAS Sands resort company is considering the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum property as a site for a new upscale casino. It’s championed by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, but being met with cautious optimism by others, like County Legislature Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams.

Herald file photo

Baron inspires children, one poem at a time

By MARK NOLAN mnolan@liherald.com

Lindamichelle Baron wrote her first poem when she was 6. And it was a hit piece, making fun of her cousin Gerard’s big ears.

“I have a cousin named Gerard, I think his ears are very odd.”

Upon hearing those words, Gerard grew out his hair to cover his ears.

With that first venture into slant rhyme, Baron discovered the thrill — and impact — of the written word. “That’s when I saw the power of poetry.”

Poetry has been embedded in Baron’s life ever since. She leaned on writing to support her through teasing in elementary school, and ultimately made a career through verse.

Now 72, she is the first poet laureate for the Town of Hempstead. Her mission is to bring poetry to every corner, including Malverne — where she presented previously — and West Hempstead — where she has yet to recite her poems.

“This is just absolutely amazing,” said Baron, the author of three poetry books and an associate professor at York College.

She was ahead of her time, throwing shade at childhood rivals decades before social media existed. She eventually developed poetry that inspires. Blessed with an infectious laugh and sense of humor and wonderment about the world,

Baron infuses verse into just about everything she does.

Poetry has been the constant throughout her life.

“People who know me know I’ve been in the community and library and organizations for decades,” she said. “They know my energy, my love of life and language and people — it’s all embedded in my poetry.”

A former New York City teacher, Baron became a professor who teaches aspiring teachers. And she insists her students understand poetry shouldn’t be relegated to English class.

“So much of what I taught used poetry,” Baron said. “Even if it was math. Teachers would say they don’t have the time. You embed poetry into everything you do.”

Budget cuts cost Baron her city teaching job, leading her to become an educational salesperson until 1988. She made a name for herself throughout the tri-state area — not as a saleswoman, but for using rhymes to sell educational materials.

“I would use poetry in my presentations to teachers,” she said. “They saw that poetry can be used to extract contextual knowledge and get students to think critically. They kept asking me back.”

One of her books, “The Sun is On,” is recommended for middle schools by the state, and has sold more than 100,000 copies.

“So many people of so many different

backgrounds have embraced my poetry, and that makes me so happy,” Baron said. “So much of my poetry has connections to my background as a woman of African descent, but it does capture everybody.”

Living in Hempstead village, Baron has read poetry to many local groups over the years. Her desire is to bring poetry to more than just students.

“Poetry should not be conceptualized as stagnant on the page,” she said. “My goal is to promote the power of poetry and enjoyment of the gift of poetry to the entire community.”

As the town’s first poet laureate, Baron really won’t change much, if anything. She will continue to speak to children and adults at schools, libraries — pretty much anywhere and everywhere someone will listen to the beauty of poetry.

Town councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, who recommended Baron for the non-paying position, said the appointment would lead to a greater understanding of the positive power of poetry.

“Poetry is meaningful and beautiful,” Goosby said. “It’s a creative outlet that provides a way for people to express themselves.”

Baron will continue writing poetry as she always has, while paying homage to the many people who have helped her since she was young. Her father introduced her to Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks, and the family of a child she babysat for as a teenager gave her an album of Maya Angelou reciting poetry.

Baron hopes to inspire others to enjoy poetry by honoring those literary role models and her heritage. When she sees a child’s face light up as she recites a poem, she realizes she is achieving her ultimate goal of making poetry accessible.

“That makes me so happy,” Baron said. “My poetry is for the entire community.”

Courtesy Lindamichelle Baron LINDAMICHELLE BARON HAS been named the first poet laureate for the Town of Hempstead. She has written three poetry books, and spent a lifetime sharing the beauty of poetry with anyone willing to listen.

Public Notices

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

NOTICE is hereby given that the WANTAGH FIRE DISTRICT will receive separate & independent bids for the following categories: Contract No. 1 – General Construction and Related Work

For the Alteration to Ladder Truck Bay to the WANTAGH FIRE DISTRICT STATION #1 located at 3470 Park Avenue, Wantagh, NY 11793.

A Mandatory pre-bid conference walkthrough for potential Bidders and other interested parties will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 10:00 AM at the Wantagh Fire District Station #1 located at 3470 Park Avenue, Wantagh, NY 11793.

Separate & independent bids must be received on or before Tuesday, February 21, 2023 @ 12:00 PM by the WANTAGH FIRE DISTRICT at the DISTRICT OFFICES located at 2045 Wantagh Avenue, Wantagh, New York 11793 at which time all bids received will publicly be opened and read aloud @ 12:00 PM in accordance with §103(2), of the General Municipal Law. No bids will be accepted thereafter.

Complete digital sets of Bidding Documents, drawings and specifications, may be obtained online as a download at www.revplans.com for a non-refundable fee of $100.00 (One Hundred Dollars) starting on Monday, January 16, 2023.

All bids must be accompanied by either a) a certified check payable to the “Wantagh Fire District” in the amount of 5% of the bid price, or b) a bond with sufficient sureties to be approved by the “Wantagh Fire District” in the amount of 5% of the bid price. If the bid is accepted, the bidder will enter into a contract in accordance with the bid and will furnish a suitable security bond in the sum of the amount of the contract, conditioned for the faithful and prompt completion of the work specified in the contract.

If the bidder neglects or refuses to execute the contract and furnish the bonds, the deposit of 5% of the bid price shall be forfeited and retained by the Wantagh Fire District as liquidated damages or, in the case of a bid bond, the Wantagh Fire District shall enforce payment of the bond for its benefit.

Performance, Labor and Material payment bonds on the forms within the Specifications Book for the full amount of the contract are required and shall be included in the bid price.

Exclude from all bids New York State Sales Tax on materials or supplies purchased for this project.

Pursuant to §220 of the Labor Law, the contract will contain a provision that every mechanic, laborer and workman employed in or about the work contemplated by the contract shall be paid not less than the prevailing rate of wages and provided with not less than the prevailing supplement which are set forth in the Bidding Documents.

Bids are to be enclosed in a separate sealed envelope, which shall be clearly marked:

Wantagh Fire District Station #1 3470 Park Avenue, Wantagh, NY 11793 Contract No. 1 – General Construction and Related Work.

The Wantagh Fire District reserves the right to waive any informalities in, to accept or reject any or all bids, to award the contract to other than the lowest bidder or to advertise anew if in the judgment of the Wantagh Fire District it is in their best interests to do so. No bidder shall withdraw his bid within 45 days after the formal opening thereof.

By Order of The Board of Fire Commissioners Brendan J. Narell Superintendent 136747

subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 002825/2009. Cash will not be accepted. 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.

Oscar Prieto, Esq., Referee Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523, Attorneys for Plaintiff 136601

LEGAL NOTICE

REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR SECURITIZED ASSET BACKED RECEIVABLES LLC TRUST 2006-NC1, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-NC1, Plaintiff - against - JAMES CAREY, et al Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on May 1, 2018.

apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale.

136586

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCOUNTY OF NASSAU DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE UNDER THE INDENTURE RELATING TO IMH ASSETS CORP., COLLATERALIZED ASSETBACKED BONDS, SERIES 2007-A, V. KEVIN M. CLARKIN, ET AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

Town of Hempstead honors Frank Allaire

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT AS TRUSTEE FOR PRETIUM MORTGAGE ACQUISITION TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. CHERYL ACKERMAN A/K/A CHERYL L. ACKERMAN, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order Consolidating Actions, Confirming Referee’s Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 19, 2021 and an Order Appointing Successor Referee duly entered on May 17, 2022, 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 February 14, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 3635 Ladonia Street, Seaford, NY 11783. 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 63, Block 18 and Lot 442-445.

Approximate amount of judgment is $642,526.75 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold

I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 “Rain or Shine” on the 9th day of February, 2023 at 2:00

PM. 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, at Plainedge, County of Nassau and State of New York.

Premises known as 3892 Peter Street, Seaford, NY 11783.

(Section: 52, Block: 431, Lot: 0007)

Approximate amount of lien $814,950.25 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale.

Index No. 013771/2013.

Scott H. Siller, Esq., Referee.

McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 840 New York, NY 10170 Tel. 347/286-7409

For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832

Dated: December 6, 2022

During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated November 2, 2018, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau, wherein DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE UNDER THE INDENTURE RELATING TO IMH ASSETS CORP., COLLATERALIZED ASSETBACKED BONDS, SERIES 2007-A is the Plaintiff and KEVIN M. CLARKIN, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, NORTH SIDE STEPS, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on February 21, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 525 ARLINGTON DRIVE, SEAFORD, NY 11783: Section 52, Block 451, Lot 0010:

ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING AT PLAINEDGE-WANTAGH, IN THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 004844/2015. George P. Esernio, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

136728

The Town of Hempstead has recognized Frank Allaire, police veteran and vice president of the Seaford Historical Society, for being named the Herald’s 2022 Person of the Year. Councilman Christopher Carini presented Allaire with a special certificate from the Town.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

Notice of formation of JFG Data Management LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on 9/22/2022. Office located in Nassau Co. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC to 3559 Kenora Pl, Seaford, NY 11783. Purpose: any lawful purpose. 136612

LEGAL NOTICE

SEAFORD FIRE DISTRICT 2023 Board of Fire Commissioner / Chiefs Meetings

Notice is hereby given that the Seaford Board of Fire Commissioners of the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, will meet with its Fire Chiefs on the fourth (4th) Monday of each month at 7:00 P.M. Should there be a holiday or other conflict; meetings will be rescheduled. Meetings are held at the Seaford Fire Headquarters, 2170 Southard Avenue, Seaford, New York 11783-2544.

Further notice is hereby given that the Seaford Fire District Board of Fire Commissioners of the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, New York, will meet will meet with its Fire Chiefs for the month of January 2023, on the Fifth (5th) Monday, January 30, 2023, at 7:00 P.M., at the Seaford Fire Headquarters, 2170 Southard Avenue, Seaford, New York 11783-2544.

All meetings of the Seaford Fire District are open to the public.

================

By order of: Board of Fire Commissioners

Seaford Fire District Dated: January 4, 2023 Michael R. Foran, Secretary 136753

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU, INDEX 613607/2021, FABUCHI GROUP INC., Plaintiff -against- CALI HAPPY REALTY CORP, Defendants. Pursuant to a Interlocutory Judgment in this partition action, which Interlocutory Judgment was dated December 5, 2022, the undersigned Referee will

sell at a public auction on the steps of the courthouse of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, New York 11501 on February 22, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., the premises known as 3955 South Avenue, Seaford, New York, more particularly described as follows: ALL that certain plot, place or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situated, lying and being in Seaford, The Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, bounded and described as follows:

BEGINNING at a point on the northerly side of South Street, district 161 feet easterly as measured along, same, from the corner formed by the intersection of the northerly side of South Street with the easterly side of Jackson Avenue and; BEGINNING at a point on the northerly side of South Street, district 161 feet easterly as measured along, same, from the corner formed by the intersection of the northerly side of South Street with the easterly side of Jackson Avenue and; RUNNING THENCE

North 15 degrees 37 minutes East, 114 fee to Dutchmans Creek; THENCE South 56 degrees 40 minutes 10 seconds East along Dutchmans Creek; 20.5 feet; THENCE South 18 degrees 11 minutes West, 107 feet to the northerly side of South Street; THENCE North 78 degrees 07 minutes West along the northerly side of South Street, 15 feet to the point or place of BEGINNING, Section 65 Block B Lot 0077 on the tax map of Nassau County. Premises will be sold subject to the provisions of the filed Interlocutory Judgment bearing Index Number 613607/2021 and the terms of sale which shall be posted at the time of the auction.

DATED: January 12, 2023 Court appointed Referee: Evan Van Leer-Greenberg, Esq., 11 Broadway - Suite 1051, New York, New York 10004, 212-962-1596

Plaintiff’s Counsel: Law Offices of John Riconda, P.C., 753 West Merrick Road, Valley Stream, New York 11580, 516-285-8867 136716

Courtesy Christopher Carini

ADMINISTRATIVE

Richner Communications - a rapidly growing multimedia company and publishers of the Herald newspaper grouphas several administrative job openings: Receptionist (P/T), Accounts Receivable/Billing Collections Clerk Multi-Media Coordinator (Hours Flexible) Qualified candidates are fast learners with good organizational and people skills - entry level ok.

Role requires working knowledge of Microsoft Office and ability to learn custom software programs. If you would like to join a communitydriven, fast-paced environment, please send your resume to: careers@liherald.com.

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

CLEANING PERSON FT Needed For Local Cleaning Company. Will Train. If Interested Call Bill 516-678-5943

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS Assist General Contractor. Drivers License. Knowledge Of Construction. Call Mike. 516-887-8877.

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

FULL CHARGE BOOKKEEPER :

Proficiency Quickbooks, 2/ 3 Days/ Week, Flexible. Send resume: Catalina Beach Club, 2045 Ocean Blvd. Atlantic Beach, NY 11509; Call 201-417-9940

MEDICAL ASSISTANT

REAL ESTATE

Open Houses

CEDARHURST 1/22, 2-3:30, 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...$449,00 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

HEWLETT BA, 1608 RIDGEWAY Dr, NEW Move Right Into This Completely Gut Renovated 4 BR, 3.5 Bth Col on 1/4 Acre Prop. New Kosher EIK, FDR, LR w/ Fpl, Den & Enclosed Porch. Full Fin Bsmt. 2 Car Att Gar. SD#20...$1,469,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

OUTSIDE SALES

HEWLETT 1/22, 12-1:39, 257 Willard Dr, NEW TO MARKET!! Spacious 5 BR, 3 Bth Exp Ranch With Open Layout.Main Floor Mstr Ste Plus Potential Mstr Ste on 2nd Flr.LR/Fpl, FDR, EIK & Sundrenched Family Rm w/ Doors to Deck. Fin Bsmt. Att Gar. Loads of Updates!! SD#20(Lynbrook)No Flood Insurance Req. MUST SEE THIS!..$1,098,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

Open Houses

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

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

Houses For Rent

BALDWIN GORGEOUS COLONIAL 2/3 Br. $3200. LOVELY RANCH 3 Br. 2 Ba. $3000. BEAUTIFUL TUDOR 3 Br., RVC Schools. $3300. Call Nancy Scarola Real Estate. 516-286-4310. 516-633-5300.

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

NYS License Clean 3 Years Call 516-731-3000

EDITOR/REPORTER

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

Health Care/Opportunities

estate

IN BRIEF

V.I.Properties Welcomes Zina Israelov!!

We are happy to welcome Zina Israelov to Team Rozana and Sara at V.I.Properties. Zina Israelov is an accountant with over 15 years of experience, in a well-known and prestigious real estate company. She holds degrees from Queens College and Hunter College in accounting and psychology, respectively. What Zina loves most is spending time with her grandson and watching basketball with her two boys. She moved to the Five Towns about 15 years ago and it has been nothing but home since day 1. One of her beliefs is that honesty, reliability, and being personable are essential when building trust with clients. This philosophy has driven her to be motivated and committed in finding the perfect home for youwith an easy and smooth experience throughout. Contact Zina at 347-836-1907 or by email zi@rozana-sara.com

Realtors are encouraged to send briefs and photographs to: Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd.., Garden City, NY 11530.

Acre Prop. New Kosher EIK, FDR, LR w/ Fpl, Den & Enclosed Porch.Radiant Heated Flrs. Full Fin Bsmt. 2 Car Att Gar. MUST SEE!! SD#20 DRASTIC REDUCTION! $1,469,000 1534 Broadway #103, BA, Magnificent New Renovation! One of a Kind Ranch Style Living in Luxurious Jonathan Hall Condominium with Doorman & Elevator. Just Move into This Gut Rvated, Spacious 2 BR, 2 Bath Apt with Open Layout. Large Designer Eat in Kitchen

INTRODUCING.… 2697 Morton Avenue. This completely renovated and rebuilt, all new construction 4 bedroom, 2 full bathroom home features an all new eat in kitchen with quartz countertops, shaker cabinets and stainless steel appliances. This home boasts two brand new bathrooms, custom moldings, crown moldings and hardwood floors throughout. There is also a full finished basement with high ceilings, all new windows, siding, roof, electric, plumbing along with gas fired hydronic heating system, central air conditioning and driveway. You will enjoy low taxes and no flood insurance is required. $749,000.

A zoning variance for a bigger den?

Q. I wanted to add on to the den on the side of my house. The den has been there since 1930. The problem I’m having is that if I want to make the addition so that it’s in alignment with the current den, the side distance to my property line is too close, by 12 inches, according to my building department. They say that I have to match the code requirement that was adopted in 1938, so instead of having a straight wall going all the way back, I either need to make a jog in the wall or go for a zoning variance. It just doesn’t make sense. I’m not adding a monster-sized addition, just 10 feet by 10 feet on the side of my house, behind tall hedges. My neighbor doesn’t mind, so what can I do about this?

A. Not much, except decide whether you want a ridiculous-looking room with a jog in the wall or want to spend the money and time to go through the zoning variance process. When I see cases like this, I understand the intent of the law, but not the “spirit” of the law. The intent is to prevent the construction of buildings too close to a property line, based on historical catastrophes such as the London fire and the Chicago fire, both of which saw hundreds of lives lost and tens of thousands of buildings destroyed, mainly because of their closeness to one another and their ability to burn easily.

We live in a modern age in which materials have been tested, analyzed, certified and regulated to limit flame spread, and communities have been set up with strict guidelines to leave spaces between buildings for safety and appearance. But knowing, or not remembering, this, communities may invoke the strictness of the law like a stern punishment, or look at the separate conditions and merits of each case, deciding that your straight wall versus a jogged wall isn’t going to hurt anyone and, being located on the side or behind your house, isn’t going to detract from the character of the community.

Some building departments have been given the flexibility to make these decisions, to avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and have the authority to give approval for minor issues. Some municipalities have even gone so far as to pass ordinances allowing the discretion of building departments to allow for the alignment of built structures, previously approved, on the first story. It makes sense not to put homeowners through an unnecessary hearing process, sometimes costing thousands of dollars and many months of delay, just so they can have a straight wall.

Allowing alignment with a previously approved part of a building isn’t the same as having a flammable wall too close to a property line or another building. In the long run, a variance will be worth it. Otherwise the weird wall shift won’t be understood or be beneficial to you. Good luck!

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

MoneyTo Lend

© 2022 Monte Leeper Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.

Ask The Architect Monte Leeper

MERCHANDISE MART

Antiques/Collectibles

We Buy Antiques, Fine Art & Jewelry Same Day Service, Free In-Home Evaluations, 45 Year Family Business. Licensed and Bonded, Immediate Cash Paid.

SYL-LEE ANTIQUES www.syl-leeantiques.com 516-671-6464

Miscellaneous For Sale

TORO POWER-MAX SNOWBLOWER: Model #826OAE. New. Original $1300. Asking $900. Call Arnold 516-432-1492

FINDS UNDER $100

Finds Under $100

ADULT TRICYCLE: VERY good, with a few rust spots, valued at $250. $99.00 firm. 516-458-6729

ANTIQUE BLACKBOARD, FREE standing with carving, rolling scroll pictures, flip down desk, $99. 516 295-1548

ANTIQUE GOLD DECORATIVE mirror 19" x 45" wide ,carved crest. $50 (516) 295-1548

BOYS GAP FLEECE Hoodie: Camo, Size 12: New with tags. $15 917-420-581

CHRISTMAS DECOR: HUGE assortment. Call for details and pics $40 & under. 516-225-919

CRYSTAL STEMWARE (MACY'S). Gorgeous Wine , Water, Champagne. Brand new original boxes $95. 516-225-9191

Finds Under $100

DOUBLE HUNG WOOD WINDOW: with screen. 52 X 29 1/2" Marvin Integrity, $45. 516-537-3941

GIRLS CLOTHES SIZES 5, 8, & 10: New with tags. Tops, Jeans. $8-9 each. 917-420-5814

KNITTED SKI BANDS One Size Fits All "BELLMORE" White lettering, Navy acrylic, New, $5. 516-320-1906

MULTI MEDIA OAK Storage Cabinet, "New in Box" Half Price at $50 Firm. 516-486-7941

NEW HYUNDAI SUV adjustable roof rails. cost $319- Selling for $99 firm (516)524-3617

PREVAIL PADS XTRA long super absorbent pack- 39, $12 ea. Box of 4 $38. 516-546-0275

WALL SAFE: HEAVY Steel "New in Box," Mount Surface or in Wall. $50 Firm. 516-486-7941

Finds $100-$350

Cleaning Services

MARINA'S CLEANING SERVICES: Cleaning Homes, Apartments, Condos, Offices. Experienced. FREE Estimates. Serving Long Island. 516-670-7764

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

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

Home Improvement

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

Miscellaneous

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Plumbing

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BAR

KITCHEN

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WHEEL

516-437-7046

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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

CARPENTRY & PAINTING: Residential/ Commercial. All Phases. Licensed/Insured. FREE ESTIMATES! Anthony & J Home Improvements 516-678-6641

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Tile

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Satellite/TV Equipment

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Education

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

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& MARINE Autos For Sale

OpINIONS

The Republicans have sent in the clowns

One of my all-time favorite comedians was Groucho Marx. He always had the right response to the question of the moment. He used to say, “No matter what you ask for, the answer is no.” That describes the crazy new Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

can candidates who have run for Congress have campaigned on the promise to make government smaller. They made it a point never to explain which programs they were after, because they knew specifics would kill them.

Democratic Senate will no doubt vote against such changes, but that would leave the country without a budget.

of the House majority.

JERRY KREMER

For decades, the federal government has been providing funds for Social Security, Medicare, Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. Most rational people will tell you that these are crucial parts of the government, but various members of the new majority have targeted these programs for extinction.

When asked why they would seek to end one of these key programs, the individual Republican members would answer, “Because I don’t like it.” The idea that many members of the new majority want to bring government to its knees should be a warning sign to every American.

The Republican effort to dismantle American government is nothing new to political observers. Hundreds of Republi-

Eliminating programs goes along with the entire package of rules that were just adopted by the House of Representatives under the leadership of its new speaker, Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy has wanted to be speaker for over a decade. In 2015 he lost the job to John Boehner, and Boehner gave it to Paul Ryan. This year, for McCarthy, the speakership was now or never.

To avoid never, he agreed to a set of rules changes that at best could be described as insane. At the top of the list is a rule that will allow any one of the 435 House members to make a motion to take away the speakership from McCarthy.

Another rule allows members to single out any federal agency and vote to eliminate its budget. Because the House is empowered to craft the government’s spending plan, this rule could wipe out the entire budget of the Defense Department or the allocation for Medicare, with little or no debate in the House. The

What spells more trouble is a requirement that any increase in the debt ceiling must be matched by reductions in federal spending, which could target Social Security and Medicare. What is the next ugly byproduct of McCarthy’s failure to give into the far-right mob?

Spending limits, counterbalanced by cuts in programs, would create the possibility that Congress would default on its requirement to pay the nation’s debt. A debt default could lead to a global meltdown and a downgrading of America’s credit rating. The Republican House majority threatened debt default under President Barack Obama, but in the end, the Republicans came to their senses and approved the borrowing to keep the government functioning.

Apparently, rules changes weren’t enough for the 20 or so fringe House members as McCarthy sold his soul. In addition to giving in to them on rules, he agreed to appoint them to key committees, including the powerful Rules Committee. In effect, the group of 20 will have more power than the other 202 members

It is important to explain the significance of the appointment of troublemakers to the Rules Committee. The committee has the authority to do virtually anything during the course of consideration of a measure, including deeming it passed. It can rewrite parts of a bill, or the entire measure. House members such as Lauren Boebert, of Colorado, can hold the committee hostage. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Some readers might call these observations partisan, but any student of government will tell you that all of these changes are a recipe for disaster. As an example of the thinking of this power cluster, Rep. Jim Jordan, of Ohio, was asked why he favored cuts in the Defense Department, and he answered that there are too may generals in the military, and we have to get rid of many of them.

When all of these so-called reformers announced their plans, I thought of the word “clowns,” and then the song “Send in the Clowns” popped up in my thinking. Clowns are funny, but not this group of them.

Jerry Kremer was an Assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? jkremer@liherald.com.

Playing hide-and-seek with top secrets

Imagine my surprise when I opened my toaster oven to slide in a meatloaf and found a bunch of classified documents inside. Wow, I thought, secret docs are really popping up all over the place.

the documents were his because, well, just because. His team resisted turning them over, although the law demands that important papers get returned to the government after a president leaves office.

wizards.

People wondered if spies were hanging around Mar-a-Lago, hoping to read our nuclear codes over the dessert buffet. Or maybe someone was thinking about selling information to the other side, a kind of monetizing of the outgoing presidency.

Let me retreat a bit. After all, I did lose my most precious Covid-19 vaccine card just a week after I got the jab in January 2021. I awoke in the middle of the night and couldn’t remember where I had put it for super-safekeeping. I began to toss the room and the closet.

fight the government’s request to return the papers to safekeeping.

I once forgot to turn off the stove. Another time, I misplaced the code for my bicycle lock. Nearly every day I forget why I jumped up to run upstairs.

But shouldn’t the Secret Service, Homeland Security, the FBI, the president’s briefers and the CIA do better?

RANDI KREISS

The papers were in a folder that said Top Secret, so I read them immediately. Showing up in my oven makes them mine, right? Also, I took the extra precaution of declassifying them by chanting the order of the planets according to their distance from the sun, even Pluto, which is officially a nano planet. I mean, I don’t want to break any laws.

Just a few months ago, everyone was talking about a former president possessing bundles of classified documents, which he or someone close to him stuffed in various cabinets and closets in and around Mar-a-Lago, his golf club and happy place. The Justice Department, not known for leaping into action, actually raided the premises — that’s how worried it was that secrets may have fallen into the hands of spies. The former prez said

A special counsel was appointed by the DOJ to investigate the case of the purloined papers. Think: a kind of Wizard of Oz operating behind a screen.

Starting in early November, more secret documents were discovered, this time in offices and homes owned or formerly occupied by President Biden. He said he was surprised that classified material turned up under his watch, and his people did move with alacrity to give the paperwork back to the proper authorities in the government. Still.

Who is minding the store? How do secrets get passed around and land in somebody’s garage? A second special counsel was appointed. Now we have two

HAfter two days of misery, I tried to contact someone at the vaccine location. Someone there told me I had to appear in person, and even then I might not be successful. So I started all over again, searching my room and closets and, in case I really misplaced it, the fridge and the inside of my sneakers. On Day 4 I found the card exactly where I had put it originally, in a drawer. So I understand these lapses, but my vaccine card isn’t a nuclear code.

Biden apparently set down some papers and then forgot where they were, or when they needed to be returned to the government archives. More likely, he didn’t think about it all, and it was his staff that messed up.

Not so much with the other guy, who claimed possession of what were clearly classified papers and hired lawyers to

Hell, I did better hiding my diary from my sister when I was 12. No way MI-5 or the code breakers of Bletchley Park would have stashed spy secrets under a cushion.

I was surprised, but not really shocked, to find the eyes-only documents in my toaster oven. How to get rid of them? Roast? Convection bake? Air fry? I tried them all, and now I have a pile of ashes in my oven that I probably have to bake into another meatloaf, for security reasons.

This may not be the end of the story. All the president’s men and women somehow thought it was OK to store spycraft information in POTUS’s sock drawer or the ottoman at Camp David. Our government, bless its confused leaders, apparently subscribes to a special protocol for keeping secret documents secret, known as L.G.

That would be Loosey Goosey.

Copyright 2023 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

ell, I did a better job of hiding my diary from my sister when I was 12.

Twenty fringe House majority members have more power than the other 202.

We don’t need Albany’s concrete fist in Nassau

New York has lost Oyster Bay. Well, more accurately, the state has lost 300,000 people — the town’s population — in just a single year.

Only California lost more people from domestic migration in the past year, and it wasn’t by much. But at least according to census numbers, New York can only watch as an average of 820 people move to another state. Each day.

Those are the kinds of numbers you’d expect from a state that’s struggling financially. But New York is anything but. In fact, it’s hard to find a time when New York was more prosperous. It’s just a prosperity that far too many people can’t afford to take part in.

“Over the last 10 years, our state had created 1.2 million jobs, but only 400,000 new homes,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in her recent State of the State address.

Without a robust supply of homes, prices remain high. That’s great for developers and landlords, but bad for everyone else. The simple fact is, if our family members, friends and neighbors can’t afford to live in our communities, they’ll find a neighborhood where they can.

“Many forces led to this state of affairs,” Hochul said.

“But front and center are the local landuse policies that are the most restrictive in the nation. Through zoning, local communities hold enormous power to block growth.”

There are certainly benefits to such power, like preserving neighborhoods’ suburban single-family feel. But that feel isn’t cheap. The median sales price of homes in Nassau County in 2021 was $620,000, according to the state’s taxation and finance department. Outside New York City, the closest counties are Rockland, at $550,000, and Suffolk, at $510,000.

To afford a home like that, you’d have to

make at least $45 an hour — nearly three times the minimum wage. A typical salary in New York pays a little less than $25.

But you can’t work in New York if you can’t live in New York. And with the dearth of truly affordable housing, that just isn’t happening. It’s not that our local government officials don’t want affordable housing. It’s just that many don’t like the best way to create such housing: apartment buildings.

“Between full-on bans of multifamily homes, and onerous zoning and approval processes, they make it difficult — even impossible — to build new homes,” Hochul said. “Think about that. People want to live here, but local decisions to limit growth mean they cannot. Local governments can — and should — make different choices.”

Those choices need to begin here. Between 2010 and 2018, the governor said, counties like Nassau granted fewer building permits per capita than virtually all suburban counties across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Northern Virginia and Southern California.

“With less supply, demand drives up prices,” Hochul said. “And who gets squeezed? Middle-income families and low-income families.”

Yet, not to fear, Hochul has a plan to fix it. She calls it the New York Housing Compact, and its intent is to build 800,000 new homes in the state over the next decade, setting “clear expectations for the growth we need, while at the same time giving localities plenty of tools, flexibility and resources to stimulate growth.”

Doing that requires downstate localities like Nassau to increase their housing stocks by 3 percent every three years. That can happen through redevelopment of dilapidated sites like old malls and office parks, incentivizing new housing production, or simply updating zoning rules.

In return, Hochul said, the state will offer new funding for schools, roads and sewers while removing some of the bureaucratic barriers standing in the way of new housing.

But failure to meet these goals on Hochul’s timetable means facing the governor’s mighty concrete fist. Albany will override local authority, and implement what she calls a “new fast-track approval process” to get home construction under way.

That’s one step too far. Forcing such change by trampling local government not only creates a worse mess worse, but also sets a bad precedent for the kind of power the governor wields over these communities.

What the concrete fist needs is a velvet glove in the form of incentives, and good education on what properly planned housing can bring.

There is a constant fear of city encroachment on our suburban way of life, but even a good suburb finds room for everyone from every walk of life. How often do we hear friends talk about how much they enjoy visiting the vibrant town centers of places like Rockville Centre, Long Beach and Lynbrook? All of that is thanks to multifamily housing done right — not just for those who don’t necessarily make a lot of money, but for our young neighbors, who are just starting out in the world, and our older neighbors, looking to downsize and enjoy a simpler life.

This can happen by shining light on these successes, and how housing diversity grows neighborhoods rather than destroying them.

But let’s do it without the threats, without the negativity. Let’s provide the right incentives to make housing more affordable in our communities, and show why our Nassau County neighborhoods are indeed the best places to live.

letters

Next week, a nationwide focus on school choice

To the Editor:

You likely don’t need me to tell you that children all over the country are suffering the academic consequences of the pandemic, and New York is no exception.

A 2022 survey revealed that 52 percent of American families were looking for a new school. To put it in personal terms, in a classroom of 25 students, 13 families are not satisfied with the education their children are receiving.

A great K-12 education for every child is no small undertaking, and we know there are many learning environments that help different students achieve their potential.

Every child is different — with different abilities, personality and needs. In a place like New

Pence can persuade America he’s the president it needs

one thing I should have learned from my 28 years in Congress and the 15 years before that in the maelstrom of New York politics and government is that political life is very tough and all-consuming — especially at the national level.

Now that I’m away from the incessant turbulence of campaigning, and can wake up in the morning knowing I can go back to sleep and not have to worry during the day about prying reporters or angry constituents, I am increasingly aware of how unnatural the political world can be — and usually is.

This was reinforced for me during a recent meeting and subsequent radio interview with former Vice President Mike Pence. The meeting was in the fifth-floor Manhattan office of the Red Apple companies headed by John Catsimatidis, one of New York’s most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Among John’s companies is 77WABC Radio, which has

become a major political force in New York.

(Full disclosure: I am a 77WABC contributor and co-host, and consider Mike Pence a good friend.)

The meeting with the former vice president was the latest of many that Catsimatidis has had with prospective national and statewide candidates and political heavyweights. Joining him were a number of executives, staff members and Sid Rosenberg, who hosts the station’s most popular show.

It went well from the start. Though his questions about a possible presidential candidacy were probing, Catsimatidis made clear his admiration and respect for Pence. As did the participants. Pence’s demeanor was calm and relaxed, and his answers were thoughtful and coherent.

Following the 50-minute meeting, John, Mike Pence, Sid Rosenberg and I took the elevator down to the 77WABC studio on the second floor to record interviews with Sid for “Sid and Friends,” and with John and me for “Cats at Night.” On both floors, there were the

requisite photos with staff members, studio workers and technicians. Mike Pence handled it all with smiles and good humor. Then he was off to his next engagement with his four staff assistants.

All of this sounds calm and rational. But think of how many times Mike Pence must go through this drill. How many business and political leaders, how many special-interest advocates and former politicians must Mike Pence meet, and how many radio and television interviews must he do, realizing that one word or expressed thought taken out of context could endanger — or even torpedo — his possible campaign?

How many big cities, suburban centers and small towns must he visit? How many early mornings and late nights will he have?

How will he keep to his endless schedule? I couldn’t help but notice the understandably tense looks on the faces of the Pence assistants trying to keep him at least reasonably close to his schedule without offending anyone at these meetings, while thinking about how they

would explain his lateness at the next meeting, and the meetings after that.

Mike Pence’s real challenges, though, as he thinks through a presidential run, are:

■ Figuring out how to claim justifiable credit for his real contributions to the Trump-Pence administration while disclaiming the Trump excesses — particularly the shameful events of Jan. 6, 2021, when Pence acted with courage and honor.

■ Understanding how, in a time of political anger and rage, such a sharply divided nation can be persuaded to get behind a candidate of experience, knowledge and calm demeanor.

These challenges must be met while enduring the exhausting rigors of endless travel, interminable meetings, raising campaign funds, and unexpected news stories about the latest misadventures of Donald Trump. It won’t be easy. It will certainly be difficult. But I, for one, hope that Mike Pence stays in the arena, perseveres, and makes the run.

Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. A version of this essay previously appeared in The Hill.

Letters

York, families need the flexibility to choose the school that will set their child up for success — whether it’s a traditional public school, a public charter school, a public magnet school, a private school, online learning or home-schooling.

If it’s been a while since you had school-aged children, you may not realize just how different the landscape of options is than it was even a decade ago.

A 2022 survey by the Harris Poll revealed that since the pandemic, home-schooling and public charter schools were the first and second most popular options for parents who decided to switch their children’s schools.

What’s more, some six in 10 parents said their children were happier with the change.

On the other hand, interest in open enrollment in traditional public schools, as well as magnet schools, remains high. Private school choice programs have expanded in many states in the last few years, and learning pods and micro-schools are a new and growing option.

But time is of the essence. Due to the explosion of education options in many places, application deadlines often fall as early as

January for the next academic year.

The upcoming National School Choice Week — Jan. 22-28 — will streamline things for parents through a national public awareness campaign and thousands of events hosted by schools around the country.

Parents who have chosen a school they love can also empower others by sharing their own experiences.

All families can help their kids achieve academic success.

The first step is to choose the perfect school fit, and the best way to do that is by being aware of the local options and regulations.

To learn about the academic alternatives in New York, parents can visit SchoolChoiceWeek.com/ new-york.

While parents in New York and across the country are exploring and choosing schools next week, I hope they can count on all of our support.

SHelBY DOYle

Nashville, Tennessee

Doyle is vice president of public awareness of the National School Choice Awareness Foundation.

Framework by Carol Vallone

Catching Cinderella up on the news 1,100 miles away — Walt Disney World, Orlando

He should claim credit for his contributions while disclaiming Trump’s excesses.