Uniondale Herald 02-22-2024

Who invented the potato chip? Page 3

Randi says borrow a book! Page 21

If you walked into the Nassau Coliseum last weekend, you were greeted by a life-sized dilophosaurus, an early-Jurassic period dinosaur similar to the T-Rex, but much smaller.

By BRANDON CRUZ bcruz@liherald.com

A group of Uniondale High School students participated in an historic moment last week — as they witnessed 121 people sworn in as American citizens during a naturalization ceremony in a Central Islip courthouse on Thursday, Feb. 15.

U.S. Circuit Court Judge Joseph F. Bianco presided over the ceremony, administering the Oath of Allegiance to the new citizens in the Alfonse M. D’Amato U.S. Courthouse. The students, sitting alongside friends and family of the new

Americans, contributed to the celebration by distributing flags from each person’s home country to the new citizens. According to Judge Bianco, the new U.S. citizens represented more than 25 countries.

During naturalization, individuals who were born outside of the U.S. become full-blown citizens of the country after taking the Oath, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and thoughtfully reflecting on the significance of citizenship and civic responsibility.

During the celebration, students from the high school’s choir performed an a cappella

rendition of “Rise Up” by Andra Day.

Cadence Peace, 16, the choir’s soloist, expressed the emotional impact she felt at the ceremony. Singing for the second consecutive year at the event, she noted that it was beyond anything she had imagined, and described feeling a little overwhelmed.

“I broke down a little bit while singing the solo because I saw people crying,” she said. “This is nothing I thought I’d ever do.”

The ceremony was not only attended by students in person, but also live-streamed on Zoom

Prehistoric takeover of the Coliseum

By BRANDON CRUZ bcruz@liherald.com

The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum transformed into a prehistoric wonderland for Jurassic Quest over Presidents Day weekend. This immersive adventure gave the community — and visitors from all over the Island as well as New York City — up-close and personal encounters with over 80 lifelike animatronic dinosaurs, bringing the Jurassic period to life in Uniondale.

for more than 40 students in the high school’s auditorium.

The Uniondale School District has a 99-percent minority enrollment. Almost 62 percent of enrolled students identify as Hispanic with 35 percent identifying as Black — and many of these students’ families have arrived from different countries.

The magic of Jurassic Quest lies not just in the realism of the exhibits but also in the reacCoNTINued oN page 4 CoNTINued oN page 16

“The in-school naturalization trip was an exceptional opportunity for our scholars,” Monique Darrisaw-Akil, district superintendent, said. “It is important for young people to understand the civic process of obtaining citizenship, and to witness firsthand the journey to become an American is

Brandon Cruz/Herald

Step into Black History Month with the Junior Library Friends

In observance of Black History Month, the Junior Library Friends are organizing a community event that promises an authentic celebration of African-American heritage. The gathering, scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 22 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The evening is set to be an enlightening and engaging experience for all participants and will commence with a feast, featuring a diverse array of dishes rooted in African-American culinary traditions. This shared meal aims to provide attendees with a taste of the flavors that have played a significant role in shaping the cultural identity of the community.

Following the “communal feast”, the event will shift its focus to a cultural showcase, featuring performances by local talents. Faith Randle, a talented vocalist and former Junior Friend, will grace the stage with her soulful renditions, offering a musical journey through the heart of Black culture.

Adding a dynamic element to the eve-

ning, the library’s Combined Step Team, led by Keturah Lee, will present a rhythmic performance. Steeped in tradition, step performances are a vibrant expression of unity, resilience, and cultural pride.

This event is not merely an entertainment spectacle, it serves as an opportunity for the community to come together, share in cultural experiences, and gain a deeper understanding of Black history, according to Uniondale Librarian, Amanda Borgia. The Junior Library Friends aim to create a space where stories are told, traditions are honored, and connections are forged.

The Junior Library Friends invite all community members to join in this meaningful celebration. The event promises to be an informative and respectful homage to Black history, offering an opportunity for reflection, appreciation, and unity within the community.

— Brandon Cruz

Brandon Cruz/Herald file Uniondale Librarian, Amanda Borgia, running a Black History Month painting program earlier this month. Borgia believes that it is vital to celebrate Black History Month and recognize the contributions of Black Americans year round.

Library hosts chip tasting for Black History Month

By BRANDON CRUZ

bcruz@liherald.com

Children from all over the community gathered last week to delve into the extraordinary contributions of AfricanAmerican inventors and, in particular, to pay homage to the ingenious chef, George Speck, who is credited with the invention of the potato chip.

Kids in attendance got to experience a unique journey through history — and potato chips — celebrating the inventiveness of individuals whose innovations have left an indelible mark on society. Kids also got to try various flavors of potato chips and rank them in order from personal best to worse.

Honey Barbeque came out on top, with salt and vinegar taking the bottom spot as the least favorite among students. But the spotlight of the evening was directed toward the fascinating story of how Speck inadvertently stumbled upon the creation of the iconic potato chip.

It is important for children to know and celebrate Black history year round.

AmANDA BORgIA Uniondale Librarian

George Speck, later known as George Crum, was a culinary trailblazer of African and Native American descent, born in Saratoga County in the early 19th century. His culinary prowess and inventive spirit led him to work as a chef. Legend has it that one day in the 1850s, while working as a chef at Moon’s Lake House, a disgruntled customer repeatedly sent back his order of fried potatoes, complaining that they were too thick and soggy. In response to this complaint, Speck decided to take matters into his own hands and sliced the potatoes paper-thin, and fried them to a crisp.

Much to his surprise, the customer not only approved of the thin, crispy potatoes but also shared his newfound delight with others. This successful culinary experiment led to the birth of the potato chip, a snack that would eventually become a beloved staple around the world. Speck’s ingenuity had unintentionally given rise to a culinary sensation that transcend cultural boundaries.

“I didn’t know about George Speck,” said Zamirah, a student who attended the educational chip tasting. “I wish they would teach us more about people like this in school.”

The evening served as more than just a culinary experience for students. It was an educational celebration of AfricanAmerican inventors.

“It is important for children to know and celebrate Black history year round,” said Uniondale librarian Amanda Borgia, who ran the evening. “You can drive safely with stop lights thanks to Garrett Morgan, if you take an elevator instead of the stairs today, you do not have to manually close those doors and worry about your safety thanks to Alexander Miles, we have caller ID because of Shirley Jackson, and you can enjoy a delicious potato chip thanks to George Speck.”

Brandon Cruz/Herald photos Students gathered to learn about Black inventors and innovators, such as George Speck, who is credited with the invention of the potato chip. Kids also dug in and got to taste and rate a plethora of potato chips and decide which one was best.

Dallas, a student from Uniondale, enjoyed the evening activity and got a good filling on chips.

Students gathered around the table discussing which chips were best and which ones they never want to taste again.

Christian playfully threatening to throw away the salt and vinegar chips, while Zamirah, the only one who liked them, tries to stop Dallas.

Students don’t also agree on much, but one thing that the students in this event agreed on, was that salt and vinegar ranked dead last.

This kind of learning will never go extinct

tions they evoke, particularly from children, whose eyes light up and jaws drop in amazement.

Divided into periods — Triassic, Jurassic, and early and late Cretaceous — the main exhibit showcases dinosaurs in environments that replicate their habitats. Each one, meticulously created with input from paleontologists, offers an educational experience that goes beyond showcasing an impressive prehistoric creature.

“These dinosaurs were created with the help of paleontologists to make them look realistic,” Jeff Munn, the chief executive officer of Jurassic Quest, an interactive, traveling dinosaur exhibit based in Texas, said. “But this isn’t just about showing good dinosaurs. We’re also educating as well as pushing connection, inspiration and driving fun.”

Virtual tour guides, including Prehistoric Nick, Park Ranger Marty, Safari Sarah and Dino Dustin, offer fun and

‘Prehistoric Nick’ teaching children and parents about raptors.

informative facts about the dinosaurs, creating an engaging learning environment. A self-guided scavenger hunt quiz, The Quest, added an interactive element that rewarded participants with prizes at the end of the exhibit.

The Fossil Experience, featuring real and replicated museum fossils, encour-

He issued ‘raptor training licenses’ to the attendees.

aged younger attending to explore their inner paleontologist and dig for fossils in sandboxes. The Live Raptor Training Experience also allowed guests to interact with a raptor and help with the dinosaur’s training — and earn a “raptor training license.”

Lamel and his son, Lamel Junior,

came from Brooklyn to see the exhibit, because the boy loves dinosaurs. “I don’t think he learned anything new today, because he’s so into dinosaurs he already knew most of this,” Lamel said. “But I learned a lot, and my son definitely had a great time seeing the dinosaurs in person. You can tell he was excited.”

Islanders to host 2026 NHL All-Star Game

By TONY BELLISSIMO

tbellissimo@liherald.com

The next National Hockey League All-Star Game will be played at UBS Arena in Elmont.

The announcement came Sunday afternoon during the first intermission of the Islanders-Rangers Stadium Series game at MetLife Stadium. Islanders legend Denis Potvin broke the news alongside Islanders legend Bryan Trottier during a live interview on ABC with reporter Emily Kaplan.

It’ll take place in 2026 and serve as an appetizer to that year’s Winter Olympics. There will be no All-Star Game next season as the NHL pivots to a 4 Nations Face-Off.

“The National Hockey League is thrilled to have the best and brightest of our game hosted at the spectacular UBS Arena for the 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement. “We have been looking forward to UBS Arena playing host to one of our major League events since before construction of this wonderful arena began. We have every confidence that the Islanders organization, led by Scott Malkin and Jon Ledecky, will deliver a celebration that will make the greater New York region and the NHL proud.”

Additional information on the NHL’s midseason showcase including its dates, ticketing and broadcast information, will be announced when available.

“We are honored to be invited to host the National Hockey League, the game’s finest players and fans from around the world to join us in New York for the 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend,” said Malkin, the Islanders’ Majority Owner.

“Whether our guests will be watching the talented players on the ice in UBS Arena, a building built specifically for hockey, shopping in Belmont Park Village

Elmont’s UBS Arena will host the next National Hockey League All-Star Game.

or enjoying pre- and post-game festivities in The Park, the 2026 All-Star weekend will show NHL fans the outstanding destination we have for hockey, shopping and entertainment,” he added.

The 2026 All-Star Weekend will mark the second time the Islanders host NHL All-Star activities, with first being the 1983 edition featuring the Campbell Conference All-Stars defeating the Wales Conference All-Stars 9-3, and Wayne Gretzky claiming NHL AllStar MVP honors at Nassau Coliseum.

“After an impressive All-Star Weekend earlier this month, the players are looking forward to raising the bar even higher at UBS Arena in 2026 where we know the New York Islanders will be great hosts for the event,” said Marty Walsh, NHLPA Executive Director. “The NHL All-Star Weekend will be an exciting lead-in to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.”

Fans can sign up to receive news and updates on the 2026 NHL All-Star Weekend. Visit www.nhl.com/ Islanders for more information.

Herald file photo

Artificial intelligence through the years:

OpenAI, an artificial intelligence and research company, publicly released ChatGPT-3 on Nov. 30, 2022. Now, a little more than a year later, the sophisticated chatbot — with more than 180 million monthly users — is seemingly developing faster than users can keep up. To understand how this language model became one of the most technologically advanced virtual assistants in the world, you have to go back nearly 75 years.

1966:

1950:

Imagining classrooms — and a future

By Ben Fiebert, Parker Schug & Nicole Wagner

First part in a series exploring the presence of artificial intelligence in our schools, and over time, in society as a whole. Thoughts? Questions? Ideas?

Email us at execeditor@liherald.com.

Artificial intelligence — it all starts with an idea. One developed by a computer programmed to mimic the human intelligence process through learning, reasoning and self-correction.

AI is already deeply ingrained in society. Whether it be smartphones with virtual assistants like Siri and Bixby, search engines making suggestions for what we’re looking for online, to even the spam filtering and email categorization in email platforms like Gmail.

The fast-growing advancements of AI may be hard to keep up with, especially as more and more platforms develop that specialize in AI like ChatGPT and Canva.

Television and news outlets focus more on how AI can turn your dog into a Muppet, or how it can instantly write a sonnet about someone’s favorite desserts.

But AI is finding its way into more and more of our everyday lives — and it’s something that has institutions like our public schools racing to find the best ways to not only adapt, but to appropriately integrate AI into the classroom.

receives,” ChatGPT responded when asked what it was designed for.

It’s commonly used to answer a variety of questions, or brainstorm ideas. It can help draft emails and compose essays. It can help with extensive research, and even translate text from one language to another.

And for those looking to be a little less serious, ChatGPT can tell jokes, strike up a casual conversation, and even participate in storytelling and roleplaying scenarios.

But it can also write term papers, or essays. Or complete homework. And detecting when AI is being used is virtually impossible. That has created some concerns for school administrators, while at the same time tasking them to redevelop curriculum that prepares future minds for a future where AI is prevalent.

Ting Wang, a Stony Brook University associate professor who also directs its Algorithmic Learning, Privacy and Security Lab, describes the original conception of AI as “a feeble attempt to recreate intelligence and to help humans achieve specific tasks.” He believes developers have come a long way in achieving success doing just that.

ChatGPT is a popular example of this. Launched in late 2022, the software describes itself as an online interface that is “like having a conversation with a very knowledgeable and helpful friend — except this friend is actually a computer program.” It has been trained on swaths of data, making it capable of completing many different tasks ranging from gathering information, getting some helpful advice, or even looking to simply have a friendly chat.

“ChatGPT is designed for generating human-like text based on the input it

“From the academic perspective, I think one of the challenges is that it’s becoming harder and harder to obtain these AI models because they’re super expensive, the training costs, and have a requirement of huge amounts of data,” Wang said. “Those type of resources are not so accessible for the academia world.”

Where is AI?

Google, Bing and other search engines have used forms of artificial intelligence for years, but more recently began making its integration more obvious. Google integrated what it calls “generative AI” into its systems some 20 years ago, which typically predicts the next word in a search phrase.

ChatGPT also can edit certain articles, blog posts or other forms of writing. If someone asks ChatGPT to write an email with specific requirements, for example, the AI can handle it because its “training” has covered these sort of scenarios. What makes ChatGPT unique from other AI platforms, Wang said, is the massive amounts of data that “trains” it.

“You can see many artists, especially digital artists, using this program to create content that you cannot easily create manually,” Wang said.

Brett Tanzer — a product management vice president for Microsoft’s cloud platform, Azure — says models created by AI developers are installed in products like Bing and Microsoft Copilot, an

Nicole Wagner/Herald

A reporter asks ChatGPT to describe not only itself, but the artificial intelligence language model that powers it. AI has gone from science-fiction to science-fact, and schools are among a number of institutions around the world working to adapt.

AI companion technology which utilizes ChatGPT among other language models, to aid users in their day-to-day lives.

This helps users brainstorm alternatives for ideas on a given issue if they get stuck.

“It’s already being applied to help people reduce workforce time,” Tanzer said.

Creatives aren’t the only ones utilizing AI for their work. Many in the health care industries are using AI products like those offered by Microsoft to accelerate medical research for advanced treatment and diagnosis of diseases.

“That’s really helping practitioners and doctors in their day-to-day experiences with patients,” Tanzer said.

Educators are utilizing AI in classrooms around Nassau County. In Franklin Square, for example, a robot named Milo interacts with students to help them hone their social and emotional skills.

Pamela Taylor, Franklin Square’s pupil personnel services director, said at the time the school had done a lot of

training to bring Milo into the classroom.

While Milo is the first robot of its kind to be used in a Long Island classroom, its ability to work with students on their confidence in emotional skills is something Taylor is eager to spread throughout the district.

“We are looking to expand,” she said, “because he’s appropriate for all learners.”

An artificial intelligence elective course at Bellmore-Merrick school district’s Sanford H. Calhoun High School is teaching students about the basic principles of AI through exposure to machine-learning algorithms in Python computer programming language.

Danielle Caliendo, a math and computer science chair at Calhoun, says this course prepares students for careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“It also equips them with the skills necessary for today’s world where artificial intelligence is shaping the way we live and work,” Caliendo said, in a

The term ‘artificial intelligence’ is coined by John McCarthy. Computer scientist Arthur Samuel develops a program called ‘Samuel’s Checker Players’ to play checkers, which is the first to ever learn the game independently.

Edward Feigenbaum and Joshua Lederberg create the first ‘expert system’ called Denral, which was AI programmed to replicate the thinking and decision-making abilities of human experts. The purpose of this program was to map the structure of molecules, and to help chemists identify unknown organic molecules.

MIT professor Joseph Weizenbaum creates the first chatbot called Eliza to simulate human conversations. The program was designed to mimic human conversation, utilizing words users entered into a computer, and then pairing them to a list of possible scripted responses.

The U.S. government

little interest in continuing to fund AI research.

1970s:

1980s:

AI is booming. Government funding led to breakthroughs in research. The use of the expert system program becomes more popular, allowing computers to learn from their mistakes and make independent decisions. This leads to the development of the Fifth Generation Computer project, with a goal of creating computers that could converse in human language and express reasoning on a human level.

1997:

2011:

2016:

2014:

2020:

Seeing artificial intelligence in daily life?

recent interview.

What does the future hold for AI?

Overall AI research at Stony Brook is intended to maximize the practical impact of artificial intelligence. Wang works on AI’s resilience against malicious manipulations, preserving privacy among users, and making the data written by AI more transparent and interpretable to users.

“People don’t have a great understanding of what AI can and can’t do,” Wang said. “I think people use AI as a magical box, and it actually may not work as expected for normal users.”

Yties to transform power in engineering, productivity, health care and cybersecurity.

Wang envisions ChatGPT becoming even more customizable and personalized than it is now. Although it’s already quite adaptable, users have their own individual requirements and writing styles that ChatGPT is not necessarily trained to understand.

ou can see many artists . . . to create content that you cannot easily create manually

TIng WAng associate professor Stony Brook University

As AI models become more sophisticated, Tanzer said, Microsoft has its sights set on developing models with advanced capabili-

“You may want the program to draft an email in your own style and have your own specific writing requirements,” Wang said, “and currently, the chatbot may not be able to do that.

”It’s an ever-evolving landscape,” Wang said. “I think from the perspective of classroom teaching, people are still trying to figure out what is the best way to harness the power of AI, and at the same time kind of limit and curve the harmful impact of this technology.”

third-grade students at franklin Square’s John Street School learn how to hone their social and emotional skills with the help of milo the robot. equipped with adaptive artificial intelligence, milo is designed to read facial cues from those around him to teach students techniques to cope with their emotions.

showed

Deep Blue — a computer run by the AI program alpha–beta search algorithm and developed by IBM — beats world chess champion Gary Kasparov, becoming the first computer program to beat a human chess champion. This kickstarts an era introducing AI into everyday life through innovations such as the first Roomba and speech recognition software on Windows computers.

Apple releases Siri, the first popular virtual assistant, found primarily on the company’s iPhones.

Amazon releases the Echo, powered by a voicecontrolled intelligent personal assistant named Alexa. These devices are smart speakers equipped with microphones for voice commands.

Google releases the Google Assistant and its voice-activated speaker: the Google Nest.

OpenAI starts beta testing GPT-3, a model that uses deep learning — a method of AI that teaches computers to process data in a way that mimics the human brain — to create code, poetry and other writing tasks.

Rei Wolfsohn/Herald file

Hundreds unite to remember Beckwith

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

Bob Beckwith rushed out of retirement as a New York City firefighter to help a friend find his missing son at ground zero, three days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that shook New York City — and the country — to its core.

This selfless choice turned Beckwith into a beacon of hope for the nation when he stood on the rubble at President George W. Bush’s side — hope he embodied until the day he died on Feb. 4. He was 91.

Beckwith ultimately succumbed to a 9/11-related melanoma, and was remembered by family, friends, leaders and a large number of off-duty firemen during Beckwith’s Feb. 10 funeral in Baldwin, before he was buried at Greenfield Cemetery in Uniondale.

Some will remember Beckwith for the iconic photo and video featuring him with Bush on Sept. 14, 2001, while others recall how Beckwith was a humble man who would sit in the back row of St. Christopher’s Church in Baldwin every Saturday evening while still finding time to visit a Levittown diner with his friends each week.

Beckwith enjoyed playing the piano, fishing, watching “Jeopardy,” spending time with his grandchildren, and attending their lacrosse games. He also took part Irish step dance competitions, and spent time at the Baldwin American Legion post.

Beckwith was an ordinary man, he would proclaim, who by chance was given the opportunity to uplift Americans during one the country’s darkest times.

Beckwith was retired for more than a decade after 30 years of service with the New York City Fire Department when he learned the son of his old friend, Jimmy Boyle, was missing amid the ruins of the twin towers.

inspiring words, with his arm draped around Beckwith.

“America, today, is on bended knee in prayer for the people whose lives were lost here, for the workers who work here, and for the families who mourn,” Bush said at the time.

Bush would remain close to Beckwith, and shared a statement for former U.S. Rep. Peter King to read at his funeral.

“Laura and I are saddened by the passing of Bob Beckwith,” Bush said, explaining how the retired firefighter raced toward danger, showcasing the resilient spirit of all Americans during 9/11.

“I want to say that no one is indispensable,” King said in his own eulogy. “Bob Beckwith is indispensable. He was one of a kind.”

Beckwith was born April 16, 1932 in Astoria. After graduating from Rice High School in Manhattan in 1952, Beckwith joined the U.S. Navy n the tail end of the Korean war, before going on to study at LaGuardia Community College.

After graduating, Beckwith held various jobs like driving for UPS. But it was in 1964 Beckwith became an FDNY firefighter, kickstarting a 30-year career with the department.

Having lost two sons of his own, Beckwith understood the grief Boyle was going through.

So, he sprang into action and headed to ground zero while the rest of the nation remained in shock.

Beckwith later described how he was just in the right spot at the right time. Bush was paying his respects to those lost at ground zero, and wanted to speak directly to those who were digging through the rubble looking for survivors.

The president spotted Beckwith, and had him stand next to him where, using a megaphone, Bush delivered

Beckwith met his wife Barbara at a picnic in 1956. They were married a year later, settling down on Fairview Avenue in Baldwin, where they raised their six children.

Beckwith retired from the FDNY in 1994. He would find himself enjoying time at home, entertained by his two great-grandsons with a smile across his face.

Besides his wife, Beckwith is survived by daughter Christine; sons Bob, Richard and Stephen; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by sons Joseph and Tommy.

Christine Rivera/Herald Firefighters salute the casket of Bob Beckwith as it is placed on top of a Baldwin Fire Department fire truck.

Uniondale welcomes best basketball players in country

Cooper Flagg plays in front of sold out Hofstra crowd

By BRANDON CRUZ

bcruz@liherald.com

Over the weekend, Uniondale rolled out the red carpet and welcomed Cooper Flagg, the number one ranked high school basketball player in the country — who many believe is a lock to be the first overall pick in next year’s NBA draft — to the community for their game against Long Island Lutheran at the Bob McKillop Invitational tournament at Hofstra.

The game was a huge deal as the best team in the country, Montverde Academy, where Flagg plays in Florida, was taking on the number two ranked team in the country, LuHi, right here in Uniondale — but fans were not there to see, or even cheer for LuHi.

What a statement about Long Island basketball.

For those in attendance, it was all about witnessing future NBA stars play against each other right here in their own backyard. Hofstra’s 5,000 seat arena sold out within minutes for this high school game, which featured a plethora of future division one and NBA superstars — a few who may be in the league as soon as 2025.

Flagg, who is committed to Duke University, did not disappoint the fans who came out to Uniondale from all over Long Island to see the future NBA superstar play. Finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists in a 30-point blowout win against VJ Edgecomb and LuHi, leaving the crowd in awe. Edgecomb is the best ranked player in all of New York state and the number five player in the country, who is also slated to be a top pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Bob McKillop — a Hofstra basketball legend who the tournament is named

after — believes this game was a legendary moment for the community that people will always remember and look back on in the years to come.

Basketball is a big deal on Long Island, especially in Uniondale and Hempstead. Home to legends like Julius Erving and Speedy Claxton, as well modern day standouts like Darrian Jackson — of the high school girl’s team who recently scored her 1000th point — and Jomani Wright, a division one bound Knight who was tragically killed in a car accident in 2021.

“What a crowd, what a statement about Long Island basketball,” McKillop said to the Herald after the game.

Tim Baker/Herald photos

Cooper Flagg, the number one high school player in the country, visited Uniondale for a tournament at Hofstra, putting on a show for the crowd and showing why he is number one.

Cooper Flagg, the number one high school player in the country, throws down a ferocious dunk and hangs on the rim.

Players from LuHi, the second best team in the country, boxing out players from Monteverde Academy in Flordia, which is the number one ranked team in the country.

VJ Edgecomb, the number five ranked player in the country, being guarded by Cooper Flagg, the number one ranked player in all of high school basketball in front of a 5,000 seat sold out crowd at Hofstra. Both are slated to be lottery picks in the 2025 NBA draft.

BOB MCKillOp Hofstra legend

Uniondale welcomes the best basketball players in the country

Al Kanfei Nisharim (AKN) is a registered 501c3 organization that supports Single Mothers. These women can rely on Al Kanfei Nisharim to provide support, resources and guidance to help them achieve independent financial stability.

Nigel James, a LuHi player from Huntington, hits a three-pointer against Monteverde Academy from Florida in front of a sold out crowd.

Fans from all over Long Island came out to Uniondale to watch Cooper Flagg, the number one high school basketball player in the country, play at a tournament right here at Hofstra.

Robert Wright looking to get the ball to Cooper Flagg on his roll to the basket after Kiyan Anthony and Ben Michaels double team Wright.

Robert Wright of Montverde Academy bringing up the ball and surveying the court against Kayden Mingo’s defense.

HOST

ANTOINETTE BIORDI

4X AWARD-WINNING REPORTER NEWS 12 ANCHOR/REPORTER

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SARA GORE TVHOST, NBC UNIVERSAL LUXURYREALESTATESPECIALIST, SERHANT.

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Senior Associate

Cushman & Wakefield

TRAILBLAZER

Sara Gore TV Host NBC Universal

Luxury Real Estate Specialist

SERHANT.

ARCHITECT

COMMERCIAL

Mark Stumer

Principal Mojo Stumer Associates

Cronin & Cronin Law Firm, PLLC

TITLE INSURANCE

Angelo Santomauro

Senior Partner & Vice President

All State Abstract

RESIDENTIAL AGENTS

Michelle Keegan

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Julia Krispeal

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

SERHANT.

Deborah Pirro

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty

ATTORNEY

Anthony A. Nozzolillo, Esq.

Attorney at Law

Anthony A. Nozzolillo, Esq.

BROKERS

Michael Foley

Licensed Real Estate Broker

Frontline Realty Group

Dr. Sharon R. Frank

Expert Realtor & Business Strategist

Sharon R. Frank Real Estate LLC

Kevin Leatherman

Licensed Real Estate Broker

Leatherman Homes

Connie Pinilla

Principal Agent

The Connie Pinilla Team at Compass

Natasha Williams

Licensed Real Estate Broker

Cornelius Group Real Estate

to

Sands Environmental Impact Study Moves Forward

Long Islanders weigh in on Sands proposed robust environmental impact study during the January hearings in Uniondale

When building an integrated resort complex with a multi-billion-dollar investment, it is crucial to outline and quantify the tangible effects of economic growth, job creation, and community benefits. One key aspect that developers often strive to minimize is their environmental impact on the surrounding area through comprehensive research and mitigation measures.

Under the New York State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Act and its implementing regulations, projects, like the Sands New York Integrated Resort, are required to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement that identifies and evaluates impacts and presents mitigation measures that avoid or reduce those impacts. The SEQR regulations require public scoping to determine what should be evaluated in the Environmental Impact Statement, and the first step in the scoping process is the preparation of a Draft Environmental Scope by the applicant. The draft scope outlines the issues that will be studied in the Environmental Impact Statement. The public comment period and hearing process on the draft scope of the Environmental Impact Statement ensures public participation is at the center of establishing a comprehensive scope of study on the surrounding environment and community character.

Through the process of creating the scope for the Environmental Impact Statement for their planned Long Island integrated resort and wellness destination, Sands has gone above and beyond on their impact studies. The comprehensiveness of the draft scope and the studies proposed for the Environmental Impact Statement demonstrate Sands’ commitment to community benefits and documented record of global environmental sustainability.

Sands’ draft environmental review is the most robust ever proposed. They will assess environmental and social impacts including air quality, soil, noise, water, light, parking, and traffic– but also community character, jobs, and public health. The plan includes:

who we are:

The

Transportation, Traffic and Parking

A full traffic impact study will evaluate over 114 locations, from seasonal patterns to weekday rush hours and weekend traffic, including during construction and operation. Parking, access, bicycles, and pedestrian traffic are all being studied, as well as how the project integrates into existing transit cycles and routes.

The study will also include a parking evaluation to ensure the proposed plans accommodate adequate on-site parking to mitigate the impact on the surrounding area.

Air, Soil and Water

Throughout the process of drafting their Environmental Impact Statement, Sands will study the existing vegetation and habitat, including the Hempstead Plains, and conduct a full analysis of water and soil, including groundwater, water supply, discharge, storm water management, and soil excavation; study air emissions from stationary and mobile sources, as well as evaluate greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, energy conservation and sustainability measures including waste reduction.

Community Character

The study will also assess how the proposed project would fit into overall the character of the existing community. This work will include a community character

Continued

Photo provided by Sands

Photo: Long Islanders weigh in: Sands New York supporters urge the Sands project forward with the project’s comprehensive environmental impact study.

Continued from page 1

assessment, including cultural resources and zoning for the site and surrounding areas in consultation with the towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead and the villages of Garden City, Hempstead, Mineola, Westbury and Freeport.

The impact studies will also include noise and vibration assessments, including noise impacts during construction and operation of the facility, to ensure the integrated resort remains a longstanding good neighbor.

Public Health and Problem Gambling

Sands, in partnership with the Sands community Work Groups, will study problem gambling, as well as available programs and services. This ongoing study will include period assessments to identify and study services that mitigate gambling addictions and other public health concerns.

Socio-Economic Impacts

EIS studies will include a full analysis of the project’s impact on jobs and economic growth (direct and indirect), which includes looking at community demographics, Sands’ commitments to the community, as well as construction, employment, and training programs.

Community Facilities and Services, and Cumulative Impacts

The study will include the site’s existing use of facilities and capacities, including emergency services, and the assessment of impacts of increased demand on services from the resort. The scope will also include proposed on-site security, as well as how the project might interact with other developments in the area, like the anticipated NYU-Langone Hospital.

Town of Hempstead Public Hearings

While the Sands’ draft scope for the Environmental Impact Statement is being reviewed, the Town of Hempstead (the lead

agency) has hosted public meetings to transparently inform community members about Sands’ proposed assessment commitments, as well as solicit community feedback on the scope of the assessment. Hundreds of Long Islanders have turned out to these meetings to show their support for the project, and for the DEIS to move forward.

Uniondale resident Olena Nicks said, through submitted written testimony, “Although it is imperative to have a full view of the proposed Sands project, I support the process in which Sands New York is taking to illustrate their plans. Sands New York has been working to show their commitment to the Uniondale community and surrounding areas. Through flexible working groups Sands has made it accessible for residents and stakeholders to have transparent insight into the environmental impact of the project. I believe the steps taken and information distributed are positive initial steps that address the questions and concerns

of Residents.”

East Meadow resident Gary Humbert submitted, "It’s an economic win for everyone. It creates thousands of jobs and brings dollars to our local businesses. It’s a win-win situation."

The information collected from the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will help inform Sands on how and where it should provide targeted resources for mitigation, ensuring a final project that is a net gain for the region, providing substantial quality of life benefits.

The details of Sands’ robust study for the proposed $4 billion resort is available on the Town of Hempstead’s website at HempsteadNY.gov.

Photo provided by Sands

Photo: Sands and the Town of Hempstead have hosted several public meetings to transparently inform community members about Sands’ proposed plan and hear feedback or concerns from community members.

Photo provided by Sands

EAC Network, a not-for-profit social service agency that empowers, assists, and cares for over 65,000 people in need through 100 programs across Long Island and New York City, recognized Sands New York at its annual Building Bridges Gala last week. Sands SVP and Former NYS Governor David Paterson was on-site to accept the award.

Photo provided by Sands

Sands New York gave a $10,000 contribution to Island Harvest Food Bank in honor of the upcoming holidays. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Photo provided by Sands

Sands New York partnered with the United States Marine Corps Reserve to collect Toys-for-Tots throughout the Season of Sparkle celebration. The Sands team also delivered a $10,000 donation to the Toys-for-Tots organization for its mission to help deliver gifts to economically disadvantaged children over the holiday season.

Photo provided by Sands The partnership between Sands Cares Youth Empowerment Initiative and the Long Island Nets extended to a second Holiday Hoops Experience at Nassau Coliseum over the first weekend of January. A new batch of 75 students from communities across Long Island turned out to learn basketball fundamentals and sports safety with Long Island Nets Basketball Academy clinicians, and were surprised by a visit from Long Island Nets players Kaiser Gates, Kennedy Chandler, Kameron Hankerson and Kyler Edwards.

LI TODAY

Las Vegas Sands named to Dow Jones

Sustainability Indices for World and North America

Included on DJSI World for 4th consecutive year, DJSI North America for 8th time; Sands China Ltd. named to DJSI World for 2nd year

Las Vegas Sands was once again recognized on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI), with placement on the DJSI World Index for the fourth consecutive year and the DJSI North America Index for the eighth time. Sands China Ltd., the company’s Asian subsidiary, was also named to the DJSI World and DJSI Asia Pacific indices for the second consecutive year.

The DJSI World Index comprises global sustainability leaders as identified by S&P Global through the Corporate Sustainability Assessment). It represents the top 10% of the largest 2,500 companies in the S&P Global BMI based on longterm economic, environmental and social criteria. Sands and Sands China are the only two companies in the Casino and Gaming category listed on DJSI World this year.

“Our recognition on this premier global sustainability benchmark, following our recent inclusion as one of Newsweek’s America’s Most Responsible Companies, underscores the impact of our corporate responsibility initiatives and ESG leadership,” Patrick Dumont, President and Chief Operating Officer, said. “We aim to be the employer and partner of choice in our regions, a model corporate citizen working

to ensure strength and resiliency of our communities, and the industry leader in environmental sustainability.”

Sands’ DJSI inclusions reflect the company’s adaptability in aligning efforts and reporting to the major methodology changes and public disclosure expectations made for the Corporate Sustainability Assessment this year. The approach is reflective of Sands’ focus on transparency as defined by the major Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) authorities and a dedication to continuously expanding its impact.

The DJSI, including the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World), were launched in 1999 as the pioneering series of global sustainability benchmarks available in the market. The index family is comprised of global, regional and country benchmarks.

The S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment is an annual evaluation of companies’ sustainability practices and covers over 10,000 companies from around the world. The CSA focuses on sustainability criteria that are both industry-specific and financially material and has been doing so since 1999.

Ahead in Sustainability

With the goal of achieving measured, ongoing progress, Sands also has established 2021-2025 ambitions in the areas of workforce development, Team Member volunteerism and carbon emissions reduction, mapping to its People, Communities and Planet corporate responsibility pillars.

Planet

• 2025 GOAL:

Achieve a 17.5% reduction in carbon emissions

Finally, Sands works to ensure the long-term environmental health of its regions through the Planet pillar, led by the Sands ECO360 global sustainability program.

As of 2022, Sands had achieved a 50% reduction in carbon emissions from its 2018 baseline; however, the cumulative decrease reflected continued pandemic-related impact on property visitation. As business returns to more normal levels in 2023, Sands is continuing to aggressively pursue its low-carbon transition initiatives in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy and transportation.

People

• 2025 GOAL: Invest $200 million in workforce development

As of 2022, Sands had invested $56 million in workforce development initiatives, bringing its cumulative investment to $113 million since 2021, well past the halfway point.

Sands is focused on building the workforce of the future by supporting the professional growth of its Team Members, advancing the skills of hospitality industry professionals as well as the local labor pool in its regions, and helping local businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, succeed.

Communities

• 2025 GOAL:

Contribute 150,000 Team Member volunteer hours

The global Sands Cares community engagement program leads initiatives under the Communities pillar and drives the company’s priorities on hardship relief, education, nonprofit and local business advancement, disaster relief and preparedness, and cultural and natural heritage preservation.

Sands surpassed their goal by the end of 2022 because of extensive support for pandemicrelated initiatives, along with core Sands Cares volunteer efforts. The new 2025 target will be announced in the company’s next ESG report in spring 2024.

STEPPING OUT

Become a bookish

Discover

Eric Carle’s tiny world of insects in new sensory adventure

By Danielle Schwab

In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf.

That’s how the journey started for Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar, the beloved character from his acclaimed picture book of the same name. Now, Long Island Children’s Museum takes the magnifying glass to Carle’s curious bugs in its newest exhibit, “Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit.”

Created by the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, it’s a follow-up of sorts to last year’s popular Mo Willems exhibit, which also encouraged kids to step into the creative imagination of a beloved author-illustrator.

Visitors find themselves inside the pages of Carle’s colorful books. His “Very” series — all illustrated in his hand-painted tissue paper collage technique — introduces five special insects who take journeys of discovery. Each story is a testament to Carle’s love of nature along with his recurring themes of friendship, creativity, and the power of imagination.

The colorful picture books — more than 70 in all — have been captivating young children since Carle’s first publishing effort, the counting book “1,2,3 to the Zoo,” in 1968.

From there, his “Very” books took off the following year, beginning with the one that started it all, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” of course. Families were immediately captivated by Carle’s little bugs with big emotions.

There’s a deep-felt connection to the insects, according to Ashley Niver, the museum’s education director.

“Children have a fascination with things that are even smaller than they are because they’re usually the ones looking up at the world,” she said. “I find that they have a lot of care and concern for these small living things. They enjoy the roleplay of being a friend of one or becoming one, like wearing the wings of a butterfly and flying around.”

And, naturally, the insatiable caterpillar holds a special place in everyone’s hearts.

“We’ve had parents mention that they read ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ as a child and now they are reading it to their child,” Niver says. “The messaging is something that resonates.”

The exhibit may be indoors, but the focus is fully on the outside world, exploring the diversity of the insect kingdom through Carle’s imagination.

“A lot of people relate to ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar,’

• Now through May 12, Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• $17 museum admission, $16 seniors 65 and older; additional fees for theater programming

• View the events calendar at LICM.org for additional information, or call (516) 224-5800

• Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City.

but there are a lot of other lovely stories,” Niver says. “I don’t think that everyone is as well-versed in some of his other books, so I’m happy that this features some more of them.”

Tumble in the grass, weave a web, find a friend, and even become a butterfly during your visit.

Upon arrival, visitors can follow the Very Hungry Caterpillar’s path on a journey through largerthan-life pages of the book, eating foods on the way to becoming a butterfly. Once the end is reached, you’re now ready to spread your wings.

The Very Busy Spider component includes a giant, web-like structure to step through. This activity tests dexterity, strength and flexibility as kids move across the challenging surface.

At the Very Busy Spider’s Weaving Wall everyone can try to spin their own web on the large wall, experimenting with a variety of stringy materials.

Master new skills at the Very Clumsy Click Beetle Playscape. Here, visitors rummage across a pile of pebbles, crawl through tall blades of grass, step across stepping stones, and walk across the stem of a poppy flower in this playful landscape. Step up to the challenge and persevere like The Very Clumsy Click Beetle.

Also try to catch some light at the Very Lonely Firefly “Find Your Light” interactive station. Move hands and body to lure a firefly toward you. Even work with others to attract multiple fireflies and try to form a group of the beautifully lit insects.

At another component, kids can touch The Very Quiet Cricket and his friends on a relief mural to trigger a sound and create a one-of-a-kind musical composition. The various insect sounds harmonize together to make a “symphony” comprised of rhythms and sounds found in nature.

The exhibit’s studio portion offers up facts about Carle’s life and artistic process.

“Yellow was his favorite color,” Niver says. “Yellow was always the most challenging for him, which I thought was a cool fact. He only mastered four shades of yellow.”

After all that busyness being a bug, families may want to relax by taking a moment to read some books. The nook area is a cozy spot where everyone can nuzzle up in a reading cocoon and read the “Very” stories together.

Through his stories, Carle reminds us: “Simplify, slow down, be kind. And don’t forget to have art in your life — music, paintings, theatre, dance and sunsets.”

Audra McDonald

Audra McDonald is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both singer and actor. Experience her inimitable talent in a spellbinding evening of song that showcases her extraordinary vocal range. Winner of six Tony Awards, two Grammys and an Emmy, McDonald possesses a ‘lustrous lyric soprano’ (The New York Times) and an incomparable gift for dramatic truth-telling. This stage and screen icon lends her luminous voice and committed stage presence to an intimate concert of Broadway favorites, standards, seldomheard gems, and so much more, accompanied by pianist Jeremy Jordan. With Tony wins in all four eligible acting categories, countless other theatre honors — and a National Medal of Arts conferred by President Barack Obama in 2015, among her other accolades — McDonald is among the most lavishly awarded performers of our time.

Friday, Feb. 23, 8 p.m. Tickets start at $60. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com, TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

Flogging Molly

Celtic-punk rockers Flogging Molly have hit the road with their ‘Road to Rebellion’ tour, sure to rouse audiences with their anthemic odes to the Emerald Isle. Formed in L.A. in 1997 by Irish expat Dave King, the band got its start (and its name) from local bar Molly Malone’s, where they performed, grew their following, and laid down the blueprint for eventual success. Their infectious Celtic-tinged reels are perfect for dancing along to, for those who love their Irish heritage, and those who just want a good time. Expect an eclectic mix of old favorites, sing-a-longs, rare acoustic numbers and new material — all strung together by King’s cheeky tales and jokes and first-rate musicianship. With numerous latenight television appearances, a soldout Salty Dog Cruise through the Caribbean, and a yearly St. Patrick’s Day Festival in L.A., the band’s juggernaut continues.

Sunday, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m.

$79.50, $49.50, $39.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

Photos courtesy Long Island Children’s Museum

From caterpillar to butterfly, spider and cricket beetle, Eric Carle’s insects hold a special place in everyone’s childhood. Each element in the gallery relates to specific books in the ‘Very’ series.

THE Your Neighborhood

Tusk

Tusk goes their own way, visiting the Landmark stage with their dynamic tribute to Fleetwood Mac,, Friday, March 1, 8 p.m. Since forming in 2008, Tusk has prided themselves on being the ultimate tribute to ‘70s supergroup. No fancy tricks, no gimmicks, just five musicians recreating the music of Fleetwood Mac to perfection with note for note renditions With Tusk it’s all about respect and authenticity. A group of seasoned musicians that go back some 25 years, their attention to detail, talent and reverence of their subjects has been critically acclaimed, resulting in their accolades as the premiere purveyors of ‘Mac. Time, trust, and close friendship have cultivated an intimate familiarity with each other’s musical nuances, shaping each performance with such precision that even the slightest variation, virtually imperceptible to all but the five musicians sharing the stage, is met with a wink and a nod, and usually an inside joke. Tusk is more than a band; they are a family. So if you’re jonesing for your fix of Fleetwood, you’re in the right place! Made up of Kathy Phillips (as Stevie Nicks on vocals), Scott McDonald (as Lindsey Buckingham, guitar and vocals), Kim Williams (as Christine McVie, keys and vocals), Randy Artiglere (as John McVie, bass) and Tom Nelson (as Mick Fleetwood on drums) the five-piece band will transport you back to the group’s glory days with a set list including hits such as the “The Chain,” “Dreams,” ‘Go Your Own Way,” and more, alongside rare gems fans will love hearing again. $63, $53, $45. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Family theater

It’s a beautiful sunny summer day in the meadow. Leo Lionni’s beloved children’s books come to life once again, in “Frederick,” on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Friday, Feb. 23, 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m., 6:15 p.m. (sensory-friendly performance); Saturday, Feb. 23 ,11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Mouse friends Nellie, Sunny, Baby, Ernest, and Frederick are playing their musical instruments and having fun singing, until a leaf falls from the sky — autumn is here! Winter will be coming soon. All the mice get to work gathering supplies for winter, except, where is Frederick? He is gathering supplies, too, in his own unique way.

With toe-tapping Americana music inspired by bluegrass, gospel, and folk, this is an engaging tale about the power of the arts, community, and that no mouse gets left behind. $10 with museum admission ($8 members), $14 theater only. Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

On exhibit

Nassau County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, “Our Gilded Age,” examines the appearances and the realities of an era that mirrors our own in many ways. Like the nation’s economy, American art and literature flourished during the Gilded Age. The art of John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, Louis Comfort Tiffany and others adorned palatial residences designed by Stanford White and Ogden Codman Jr., architect of the museum’s own quintessential Gilded Age mansion.

Drawing heavily upon the local literary history of Long Island, including William Cullen Bryant, Mark Twain (who named the Gilded Age), Walt Whitman, Edith Wharton and others, the exhibition will include paintings, fashion, decorative arts including period silver and china, photographs, manuscripts, first editions and other historic memorabilia.

The “Upstairs, Downstairs” approach to the life of a country house brings to life not only the storied conspicuous consumption for which the Gilded Age was infamous, but also the real lives of these many individuals who maintained the palatial estates where that lifestyle was enjoyed.

On view through March 10 Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

Bird walk

The South Shore Audubon Society welcomes all to join its members for another in its series of bird walks, at Hempstead Lake State Park, Sunday, Feb. 25, starting at 9 a.m. Walk leaders, other birders and nature enthusiasts are happy to share their knowledge and experience with you. Bring binoculars. The group will meet in parking lot #3, off Exit 18 of the Southern State Parkway.

To register, text your name and contact information to (516) 467-9498. No walk if it rains, snows or the temperature is below 25 degrees. Text regarding questionable weather. For more information, visit SSAudubon.org.

Nellie McKay performs

The effervescent multiinstrumentalist singer-songwriter returns to My Father’s Place with music from her recently released album, “Hey Guys, Watch This,” Friday, March 1, 8 p.m. Recorded in Charleston, West Virginia with The Carpenter Ants and a roving retinue of musical compadres, her album traces the haunted sounds of Appalachia to a renaissance of revelry.

Doors open at 6 p.m., concert is at 8 p.m. 221 Old Northern Blvd., Roslyn. For tickets/ information, visit MFPProductions. com or call (516) 580-0887.

Long Island Nets in action

Celebrate leap year in style, by watching players from the NBA’s G-League leap out the arena.The Long Island Nets take on the Grand Rapids Gold. Thursday, Feb. 29 , at 7 p.m., at Nassau Coliseum. The team also takes on the Mexico City Capitanes, Monday, Feb. 26. Tickets can be purchased at LongIsland.GLeague.NBA.Com/ Schedule. 1255 Hempstead Tpke, Uniondale.

Cradle of Aviation Family Fun

Visit the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Thursday, Feb. 22 for an evening of family fun, Thursday, Feb. 22. Explore the museum galleries, create a special “plant your own lima bean” make-and-take activity, then watch “Wall-E “in the theater with free snacks. Doors open at 6 p.m.; movie begins at 7 p.m. $22 adults; $20 children under 12. Museum Row, Garden City. For more info, CradleofAvaiation.org.

Having an event?

Feb. 25

Art talk

Join Scott Defrin, owner of European Decorative Arts in Greenvale for Nassau County Museum of Art’s exhibit related program “Collecting Decorative Arts During the Gilded Age; Connoisseurship vs. Decoration,” Sunday, Feb. 25, 3 p.m.

New York was the center for collecting during the Gilded Age. More money was spent on fine art, decorative art and interior decoration than at any time in American history. From Carnegie to Frick, and Morgan to Vanderbilt, Defrin discusses the different approaches to collecting among these magnates and how their fortunes helped establish the permanent collections of today’s museums.

Limited seating with registration required.1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

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

On stage

Princesses and other enchanting heroes and heroines take to the stage, when Plaza Theatricals presents its Winter Princess concert, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-24, 11 a.m. Take part in an interactive sing-a-long featuring an array of everyone’s favorite winter characters. $15. See it at The Showplace at Bellmore Movies, 222 Pettit Ave., Bellmore (Friday) or at Elmont Memorial Library Theatre, 700 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont (Saturday). For tickets, visit PlazaTheatrical.com or call (516) 599-6870.

1:1 Tech Help

Are you interested in eBooks or other digital library services, but don’t know where to start? If so, schedule a 30-minute session at Uniondale Public Library, on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays, 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Registration required. 400 Uniondale Ave. Visit UniondaleLibrary. org call (516) 489-2220 for more information.

Cardiac screening

You only have one heart. Getting your coronary calcium score can save your life. Mercy Hospital offers free cardiac screening, Wednesday, Feb. 28 , 9 a.m.-1 p.m. A coronary calcium score is like a ‘mammogram’ for the heart to screen for blockage(s). This simple, non-invasive test can indicate coronary artery disease before the onset of symptoms or heart attacks. For eligibility, you will need to meet any of the following criteria: Be between the ages of 40-70 years old; history of smoking, high cholesterol or blood pressure (even if controlled), diabetes, overweight with BMI >25, family history of heart disease. Limited appointments available. 1000 N. Village Ave., Rockville Centre. call (516) 6263729 to register or visit CHSLI.org/mercy-hospital.

MLK Black History Month Commemorative Awards Luncheon

The Brothers of the Eta Theta Lambda chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity invite all to attend their annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Black History Month Commemorative Awards Luncheon celebrating Long Island’s Black Excellence, Saturday, Feb. 24, Doors open at 11 a.m. for shopping at the vendors, raffles, and networking; event begins at noon and will end 4 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit TinyUrl. com/yx5d5f82. 101 James Doolittle Blvd.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT.

NASSAU COUNTY. L&L

ASSOCIATES HOLDING

CORP., Pltf. vs. BEVERLY A. GIBBS, et al, Defts. Index #613853/2022.

Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered August 2, 2023, I will sell at public auction on the North Side Steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on March 5, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. prem. k/a Section 55, Block 494, Lot 12-14. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. MARK RICCIARDI, Referee. LEVY & LEVY, Attys. for Pltf., 12 Tulip Drive, Great Neck, NY. #101095 144658

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF CSMC 2018-SP3 TRUST Plaintiff, Against ANGELA D. JIMENEZ AS EXECUTRIX OF THE ESTATE OF ANGEL J. JIMENEZ; ANGELA D. JIMENEZ; JAMES E. JIMENEZ; LOUIS O. MATOS A/K/A LUIS O. MATOS; ET AL

Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 12/06/2023, 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 on 3/25/2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 596 Park Avenue, Uniondale, New York 11553, And Described As Follows:

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU

FREEDOM MORTGAGE

CORPORATION, Plaintiff AGAINST YVETTE MILLS, Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered August 11, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 4, 2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 1027 JERUSALEM AVENUE, UNIONDALE, NY 11553. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Uniondale, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 50, Block 600, Lot 24. Approximate amount of judgment $335,439.46 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #003348/2016. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NASSAU County COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine”. Richard L. Farley, Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 18-001772 78995 144563

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 March 21, 2024 at 2:30PM, premises known as 305 CHESTER STREET, UNIONDALE, NY 11553: Section 50, Block 48, Lot 15 & 16: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING AT UNIONDALE, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK

ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being At Uniondale, In The Town Of Hempstead, County Of Nassau And State Of New York.

Section 36 Block 141 Lot 2

The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $77,306.39 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 613486/2020

If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the then Court Appointed Referee will cancel the Foreclosure Auction. This Auction will be held rain or shine.

Scott H Siller, Esq., Referee.

SHELDON MAY & ASSOCIATES Attorneys at Law, 255 Merrick Road, Rockville Centre, NY 11570

Dated: 1/29/2024 File

Number: 37784 CA 145020

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK -

COUNTY OF NASSAU

NEWREZ LLC, F/K/A NEW

PENN FINANCIAL, LLC

DBA SHELLPOINT MORTGAGE SERVICING, V. OSCAR CLARA, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated February 22, 2023, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau, wherein NEWREZ LLC, F/K/A NEW PENN FINANCIAL, LLC

DBA SHELLPOINT MORTGAGE SERVICING is the Plaintiff and OSCAR CLARA, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 605776/2017. Howard Eric Colton, 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. 145005

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU

INDEX NO.: 614732/2023

DATE FILED: 9/12/2023

SUMMONS L&L ASSOCIATES HOLDING CORP., Plaintiff, againstRAYMOND R. PRILLER, if he be living, if he be dead, his respective heirsat-law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignees, lienors, creditors, and successors in interest, and generally all persons having or claiming under, by, or through RAYMOND R. PRILLER, if he be dead, whether by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise, including any right, title or interest in and to the real property described in the complaint herein, all of who and whose names and places of residence are unknown to the plaintiff, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE, “JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #12”, the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises described in the complaint, Defendants.

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS:

YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action. to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with the summons, to serve notice of appearance, on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the date of service (or within thirty (30) days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York), and in case of failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint.

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Hon. Jeffrey A. Goodstein, a Justice of the Supreme Court, Nassau County, entered Feb. 14, 2024 and filed with the complaint and other papers in the Nassau County Clerk’s Office.

THE OBJECT OF THE ACTION is to foreclose a tax lien and to recover the amount of the tax lien and all of the interest, penalties, additions and expenses thereon to premises k/a Section 34, Block 523, Lots 410-412. Plaintiff designates Nassau County as the place of trial. The basis of venue is the location of the subject property.

NOTICE

YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the tax lien holder who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the tax lien holder will not stop this foreclosure action.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (TAX LIEN HOLDER) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

Dated: September 11, 2023

LEVY & LEVY

Attorneys for Plaintiff 12 Tulip Drive Great Neck, NY 11021 (516) 487-6655

BY: JOSHUA LEVY, ESQ. #101182

144999

To place a notice here call us at 516-569-4000 x232 or send an email to: legalnotices@liherald.com

Zoom,

Diversity

‘truly makes us great,’ according to judge

Continued from page 1

something they will remember forever.”

Attending the ceremony for the first time was 14-yearold Raneia Barrett, a member of the school’s Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. “It sounded interesting,” he said. “I wanted to see what was happening and how it was done.”

Uniondale has about 75 students in the Army JROTC, with nine members attending last week’s ceremony.

Maj. Anthony Telesca, who helps oversee the district’s Army JROTC program, highlighted the event as an opportunity for students to be socially engaged and emphasized its role in fostering responsible citizenship.

“The Army JROTC is not about joining the military,” Telesca said, “but it’s about motivating students to become better citizens, and it’s great for them to see how this is a part of the process.”

It is important for young people to understand the civic process of obtaining citizenship, and to witness firsthand the journey to become an American is something they will remember forever.

father of his youngest son, who was adopted from China. He celebrated the diversity of the nation, which, he says, “truly makes us great.” He also acknowledged that some of the new citizens are from Ukraine and Russia, telling them they can live here in peace, despite the nearly two-year war with each other.

“We are better because you are here,” the judge told the newly naturalized citizens.

“My message to you is simply this,” Bianco added, “the greatness of our nation and its unprecedented opportunity for freedom, prosperity and happiness for every single citizen, from sea to shining sea, is available to each and every one of you.”

MonIque DarrIsaw- akIl

Judge Bianco, who pointed out that the ceremony represented the American dream for many, shared his own personal story. He said his grandparents arrived from Italy, and he’s the proud

Uniondale School District superintendent

After the ceremony, Judge Bianco answered questions from the students, both on Zoom and in person, offering valuable insights into the legal and civic aspects of the naturalization process. The students who attended in person also had the opportunity to participate in a mock trial with Bianco, who provided them with a firsthand experience of courtroom proceedings.

Courtesy Uniondale School District inside uniondale High School, more than 40 students watched the naturalization ceremony live-streamed via

while some students traveled to the alfonse m d’amato u.S. Courthouse in Central islip for the in-person ceremony, where the school’s choir performed for the new citizens.

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TA kitchen leads to an attic

Q. Our house is large and very old, with a third story that was partially finished before purchase. We finished the rest of the attic and put in a few bedrooms and a bath. Recently we hired an architect to enlarge our kitchen into our backyard and make a nice entrance to a porch and patio with a fireplace. The architect made the plans, after several meetings, changes, etc., and then put them into our building department to pull a permit. We next got a notice that our attic is in violation, and we had to either take out all the finishes and bathroom or file plans to get a state permit.

None of this has anything to do with the kitchen or patio, which we hoped to have by summer. We suspect our architect made this much more complicated for us, but now we can’t undo what he did. Naturally, he gets more money to do more plans and permits, which we also think is rather sneaky and uncalled for. Can we report the architect for doing this to us, and can we pull back the permit so we can make all this go away and just do our kitchen?

A. So you believe everyone is out to get you, including your architect, and you have the right to “pull back” your permit, ignoring the conditions of your house. It doesn’t work that way.

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Ask The Architect

Monte Leeper

Unfortunately, even though most local governments know that most homes have violations, the governments choose not to prosecute every homeowner, since it would be bad for the business of getting re-elected, so code violations go on without a word until you make the first move, which you did, by coming to the attention of the building officials whose job is public safety.

Every day of the week, people ask if we can’t just look the other way. We absolutely can look the other way, but eventually who will believe us for lying or not doing our job? The issues of your home easily come up by simply bringing up satellite images, on-line accessible documents, including tax department records, showing what is in the home and whether the third floor was finished. Your building official doesn’t need the architect or you to figure out the truth about the illegalities in your home. When your architect shows the actual conditions, which he is required to do, including walls removed, walls finished in rooms that the building department has no previous record of, or other changes, he’s only doing his job. Imagine the scrutiny an architect would receive if a building official walked in to check the conditions and discovered that you and the architect had lied.

I have stated in this column, many times, the statistic that only five people out of 100 will survive a fire on the third floor. Ninety-five people will die of smoke inhalation or burns. So do the right thing and follow through, whichever way you choose. I’m pulling for you.

© 2024 Monte Leeper

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February is American Heart Month, and this is a story about my heart — literally and figuratively. It’s the reason I am where I am today.

SETH I. KoSLoW

I was born with a significant heart defect called dextrocardia, as well as a ventricular septal defect. Basically, my heart was on the wrong side of my chest cavity and inverted — and it had a hole in it. When I was 3 months old, my doctors told my parents that I needed openheart surgery to close the hole. At the time, however, my mother was pregnant with my sister. My parents decided to wait until my sister was born before I underwent surgery. But somehow, for some reason, my heart decided that it had to be whole, and the hole I was born with began to close. My heart could stay as it was — imperfect and misplaced, but untouched.

opInIonS A journey of the heart

Growing up, I found that I was doing a lot of things half-heartedly, so to speak. Schoolwork wasn’t heartening, and there were few things that excited me. I dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but I couldn’t muster up the resolve to pursue that dream — LSATs, law school, internships, thousands of dollars in loans, six more semesters of school, and years of building a professional profile.

Deterred by these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, I remained listless through my early 20s. For a few years after college, I worked in sales. I was good at it, but my heart was definitely in a different place.

That is, until it wasn’t.

went more than a dozen cardioversions to restore the heart’s regular rhythm, and tried various cocktails of medications, all to no avail.

A fter openheart surgery, I decided there was nothing I couldn’t make it through.

In my early 20s, I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or AFib, also known as an irregular heartbeat. It’s fairly common among senior citizens, but as a 20-something in college, I was now a member of a not-so-enviable exclusive club. Over the next several years, I battled my irregular heartbeats, under-

Eventually I met a cardiologist who specialized in adults with congenital heart defects — adults like me. He informed my family and me that the hole in my heart had reopened, and that it was substantially larger than it was when I was a child. This was causing my irregular heartbeat, and it would at last need to be closed. At age 25, because of the placement of my heart, I was about to undergo a potentially first-of-its-kind open-heart surgery.

On March 15, 2007, after five hours of surgery, I awoke with a heart that was beating normally for the first time in almost five years. Making it through that operation sparked something in my soul. Instead of whining about what I had to do to get to where I wanted to be, I decided to ball my fists up, dig in and do it. After all, I had just made it through open-heart surgery. Was there

anything I couldn’t make it through? I finally sat for the LSAT and got myself into law school.

That’s the attitude that’s gotten me to where I am today. When I was burning the candle at both ends, cramming for law school exams and eventually the bar exams, I would remind myself that I was getting stronger. When I was struggling to build my own law practice while juggling my responsibilities as a husband and father, I would remind myself of all that my heart could handle.

Naturally, when I saw an opportunity to run for office, a chance to represent and fight for all the communities our local government has left behind, I knew that I could take the heartburn of an arduous campaign, and that I could win over hearts and minds. That’s the mentality that I bring to my law practice, and to my work with my fellow legislators.

The arc of my life’s journey is proof that we are all stronger than we know — that we are all more capable than we can comprehend.

Seth I. Koslow represents Nassau County’s 5th Legislative District.

It’s Library Lovers Month — borrow a book

Iread “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” my first banned book, when I was 12. My friend lent me the book, and I found the good parts by the dogeared pages. The experience did not compromise my moral compass or corrupt me in any way I can discern. I am not recommending the book for today’s 12-year-olds, because it’s a pretty boring read, but I am advocating that a broad spectrum of books be available to students who choose to read them.

This month, Library Lovers Month, I want to push back hard against the selfappointed literature vigilantes across our country, who are removing books from school library shelves and banning them from classrooms under the guise of protecting children from inappropriate subject matter.

It’s called censorship, and the problem, of course, is who gets to decide what is appropriate or not. In the past, librarians have had full discretion in selecting books. They are trained for the job and trusted in their choices. In

the best libraries, the books reflect all the ways that children and teenagers can be in the world, including gay or trans or identified with any race or religion or socio-economic group.

work for vulnerable kids.

I don’t know if a book has ever saved someone’s life, but I know for sure that battles over books are endangering lives by keeping young people from information and stories that might validate their choices in important ways.

book-ban list, by definition, express feelings, experiences and political views that the prevailing culture prefers to pretend do not exist.”

SFor some young people, the school library is the only place they can read about kids just like themselves. They can learn that others share their confusion or anxiety or fear of being different.

tudents need open access to all kinds of books by all kinds of writers.

I don’t believe that a teenager can “catch” being gay or trans from reading about it, the underlying prejudice being that there is something wrong with that identity. We can’t scrub young adult literature for references to slavery or minority struggles or even violence, because the best writing reflects real life.

A couple of weeks ago, The New York Times told the story of a librarian in Idaho who organized a “Rainbow Squad,” welcoming children of different backgrounds to read and talk about books. A local church group protested, and the community is battling over whether the Rainbow Squad should be banned, along with the books they’re reading.

I wonder how this group threatens anyone, even as it creates a support net-

In The Washington Post last week, columnist Kate Cohen wrote about the school board in her hometown, Rockingham, Virginia, deciding to ban 57 books in the school library. One-third of the books feature gay or trans characters. Cohen wrote, “Freedom to read is the closest thing we have to freedom to think.”

This month, there can be no more pressing public business than to guarantee age-appropriate, open access to all kinds of books by all kinds of writers, for students across the land.

What can we do? Each of us can become familiar with our school and community libraries, stay informed about the books available to teens and oppose efforts by any groups of book police to decide what teenagers should read. In some communities in Florida, a single parent’s complaint about a book in a school library can get it banned.

As Cohen wrote, “The books on any

I think how lonely and desperate teenagers trying to figure out their lives without access to books must feel. Wellwritten books on racism or sexuality or addiction are a far better source for our kids than TikTok.

We read books for many reasons beyond wanting to be entertained — to solve the mysteries in our lives, to be dazzled or outraged by the way others live. Sometimes we can find our beliefs and lives affirmed in the pages of a new book.

The reason authoritarian entities, be they runaway school boards or governments, ban books is to limit access to ideas that might challenge their power.

We resist by reading and sharing.

The New York Public Library is offering free access to banned books for teenagers anywhere in the country through SimplyE, its e-reader app. The latest banned book pick is “All American Boys,” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. It is available to all readers ages 13 and older.

There are worlds out there to be explored. I have had this joy in my life, and I want the same for every reader.

Copyright 2024 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

RAnDI KREISS

HeraLd editoriaL

Thank you for the snow day

in the past couple of weeks, we’ve been getting a lot of something we haven’t seen much of over the past couple of years: snow.

So much, in fact, that schools in our communities had no choice but to close. And because of that, we have just one thing to say to our school districts in Nassau County: Thank you for the snow day.

Yes, education works best when it’s rigorous and on a schedule. If the young minds loading buses each day were robots, then we’d probably be hesitant to interrupt the routine. Thankfully, our children are living, breathing people. And all of us can use a break from time to time — especially one we didn’t expect.

Anyone who grew up in a climate susceptible to winter almost assuredly experienced at least one snow day in their life, if not several. They go all the way back to the 19th century, when schools became gathering points children would flock to — and where safety would become paramount.

In places like Long Island, where crews are adept at clearing roads, even the best can be overwhelmed by significant storms and heavy snowfalls. And while it might feel like a free day off for many of our young learners, nearly all school districts have built snow days into the schedule — meaning any unexpected days off will be made up later in the spring.

We here on Long Island understand

Letters

the value of snow days, but not everyone shares those values. In fact, there is a growing contingent of education leaders right in our backyard who have been working hard to wipe snow days from existence.

It’s not that New York City has it out for an occasional unscheduled school closing. It’s just that the city’s education department has capitalized on the expansion of technology necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, which made remote learning for all not just possible, but practical.

For the 1.1 million students who attend more than 1,800 schools in the city, instead of sitting inside a classroom to learn on days when it snows, they are sitting in their living rooms and bedrooms instead. All while other people their age, living just a few miles away, grab their snowsuits and sleds and enjoy the winter beauty Mother Nature has delivered.

Learning is important, but snow days are valuable. Quite valuable, in fact. Beyond safety, they provide a muchneeded mental health break — not just for students, but also for the adults responsible for their learning.

The pressure of academic demands and extracurricular activities can be intense. That can lead not just to stress, but even to burnout.

Snow days give all of us a chance to recharge and relax with some unscheduled playtime outdoors. And that’s important, too. We hear too much about

In fighting fires, amateurs are pros

To the Editor:

We are professional firefighters!

I take exception to the comment made by writer Brandon Cruz in his article “Long Island needs more volunteer firefighters” (Feb. 8-14) that our volunteer firefighters are not “professionals.” Cruz reports that if new volunteers don’t join local fire departments, communities will need to hire “professional” firefighters.

Our volunteers are professional firefighters, just not paid for what we do for our communities. We, as volunteers, don’t just put on turnout gear and rush into a burning building without the needed, required and constant training provided by the Nassau County Fire Service at its training facility in Bethpage, and here in Lynbrook, our own department’s training and drills at our training facility in Wilcox Alley.

Back some 44 years ago, the Lynbrook Fire Department was facing a firefighter shortage, and formed the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department for youngsters 12 to 17, to interest them in firefighting, with the goal of becoming firefighters when they turned 18.

During their time as juniors, the youngsters learn basic firefighting methods without actually fighting fires.

how video games, computers and television keep so many of our kids indoors. But freshly fallen snow is irresistible, and will almost assuredly get them outside to have some fun. It’s good for their physical health in a way that sitting in front of a computer, watching a teacher on Zoom, just can’t provide.

And a snow day is a chance to build community. Families come together to shovel sidewalks, or maybe help neighbors in need. Children get together, working to build snow forts, or even a snowman, complete with a carrot nose and a top hat.

And who doesn’t love an impromptu snowball fight?

All of that comes with many parents still working remotely, which helps mitigate child-care issues and costs that might otherwise accompany snow days.

Just remember that these days are not breaks for everyone. Let’s not forget the municipal workers who wake up early to plow the snow, as well as the brave souls at utility companies, hospitals, and fire and police departments who, as first responders, are always prepared for the worst.

Each one of our children will spend more than 1,200 days in class through high school. Let them have a break. And let’s show New York City yet another reason why more and more people choose to live and work here on Long Island.

Because on Long Island, snow days are cool.

Before Nassau throws a party, let’s serve most vulnerable

the practitioners who deliver physical, speech and occupational therapy services to babies and toddlers under age 3 with disabilities and developmental delays have not gotten a raise from nassau County in nearly three decades. As homelessness continues to grow, nassau has slashed its funding for the Department of Social Services, and its Homeless Intervention Team has been disbanded. Yet before dealing with these issues, the county sank $10 million of federal pandemic recovery aid into its 125th-anniversary plans.

sIeLa BYNoe

Since the inception of the Preschool-related Services program in 1999, the county has paid the same rate of $40 per hour to those practitioners. research confirms that after all these years without an increase, nassau’s rate of compensation is now the lowest in the state. This has discouraged practitioners from working with the county, and as a result, it has been reported that roughly 200 young people are on a waiting list for services.

Shortly after I concluded my service on the Westbury Board of education and became a legislator in 2014, I identi-

fied — and successfully reversed — plans by the administration of then County executive ed Mangano to transfer $4.5 million from the early Childhood Intervention budget. Additionally, I worked to end the county’s practice of benchmarking the performance of consultants tasked by the county with providing services to youth based on their cost efficiency.

tWhile these were significant strides in preserving the framework of this essential youth initiative, the stagnation of nassau’s rate of compensation has created major obstacles for families in need of services. With every year that passes, the imbalance grows wider between those who can afford to backfill the services that nassau County is not providing and those who cannot.

al recovery of the county’s young people.

A similar disconnect exists in nassau’s handling of its homelessness crisis. In response to my request in 2017, the county office of Housing and Intergovernmental Affairs provided me with a budget report showing that $325,000 had been earmarked for the Department of Social Services’ Homeless Intervention Team, which comprised several Adult Protective Services employees and Housing and Homeless Prevention personnel and was undertaking extensive street outreach services.

he number of homeless on Long Island increased to 3,536 — 1,463 younger than 18

Advocates are seeking parity with neighboring municipalities, and because the state reimburses the county at a rate of 59.5 percent of our outlay for these services, it would have been prudent to increase what we pay by using a small portion of nassau’s $299 million in remaining American rescue Plan Act funds as a bridge until higher reimbursements rates kicked in. I can think of no more appropriate use for these funds than the post-pandemic education-

Letters

When they turn 18, they join one of our fire companies, begin formal basic training at the county Fire Service Academy and are considered probationary firefighters for one year while they complete additional training.

Yes, we always need more volunteers, but our junior program is helping to fill our ranks.

Many area fire departments have also formed junior programs, based on ours, to help fill their own ranks.

Admittedly, the juniors aren’t always enough, and some years are better than others. Lynbrook’s chief of department and three assistant chiefs came through our junior program. This isn’t the first time that all four chiefs have been former juniors. Many of our current volunteers came through our junior program.

There are now 30 youngsters in the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department. Two former juniors joined fire companies last month alone when they turned 18. It is estimated that over 40 percent of our juniors go on to become Lynbrook firefighters.

STeve GroGAn Lynbrook

Grogan is a 56-year member of the Lynbrook Fire Department and an

ex-captain and honorary chief. He co-founded the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department, and is the department’s public information officer.

We need more governance, less politics

To the editor:

re County Legislator Delia DeriggiWhitton’s column “Stop playing petty political games with county resources” last week: The difference of opinion between the legislative minority leader and the majority leader illustrates the difference between governance and politics. nassau would benefit from more of the former and less of the latter.

The millions of dollars in American rescue Plan Act funds at issue, having not been spent as intended, present a “windfall.” Shall we have Bruce Blakeman billboards or firehouse funds? Are we improvident grasshoppers or prudent and ant-like? Shall we squander millions on a 125th-birthday party or prudently invest in libraries, cybersecurity and clean water?

BrIAn

KeLLY Rockville Centre

After it was disbanded, however, the HIT was replaced by the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, which has received less than half that sum from the county to provide outreach services in subsequent years. According to the coalition’s 2023 “point in time” count of the homeless on Long Island, the number had increased to 3,536 people — 1,463 of them under age 18. Based on those numbers, the need has increased — and so should county funding.

rather than apply resources to areas that we know are underfunded, on Jan. 22, County executive Bruce Blakeman and the legislative majority transferred over $222 million in ArPA funds to the

county’s operating budget and just $15 million into a fund for various nonprofit organizations and special districts that deliver ArPA-approved services. The $15 million was transferred with no guarantee that those resources would be disseminated equally across the County Legislature’s 19 districts.

It is notable that, a month before this vote, the administration carved out $10 million in federal pandemic money for the county’s 125th anniversary celebration. While it justified this by forecasting an economic boost from increased tourism, analysis published in a recent econ Focus report showed that the administration’s projection of a $3 return per dollar spent relies on an interest rate that’s near zero percent. econ Focus further demonstrated that, based on current economic conditions, the actual boost could be as little as 50 cents on the dollar.

Faced with an opportunity to optimally resource programs that shelter the homeless and deliver crucial services to deserving, at-risk youngsters, the county should have realigned its priorities. Spending so much to advertise and stage concerts and fund a series of anniversary celebrations appears downright frivolous in light of these unmet needs.

Siela

Framework by Tim Baker

A. Bynoe, who represents Nassau County’s 2nd Legislative District, is the Legislature’s alternate deputy minority leader.