______________ VALLEY STREAM _____________
HERALD Vol. 35 No. 7
Volunteers to fight fire wanted
NYU langone has new center
Page 8
Page 16
FEBRUARY 8 - 14, 2024
$1.00
Eagle Scouts are honored at Village Hall By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
Courtesy Maureen Lennon
Nicholas Baez, Christian Dyer and James Tronsor, of Valley Stream Troop 116, were honored at Village Hall for achieving the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America.
Three Boy Scouts from Troop 116 in Valley Stream — Nicholas Baez, Christian Dyer and James Tronsor — sat center stage last Saturday in Village Hall, which was turned into an Eagle Court of Honor to recognize the trio as recipients of the highest rank in Scouting. They each were bestowed with the Eagle Scout rank as they sat inside the well of the hall’s former courtroom — a railing that would normally separate the public from presiding officials stood between them and an adoring crowd of parents, fellow Scouts, Scout leaders and an array of special guests. The prestigious Eagle rank, which a mere fraction of Scouts achieve in any given year, is passionately revered by Scouts nationwide and given a rare air of respect by society, in general. The three young men from Troop 116 were ceremoniCoNTiNueD oN pAge 10
Valley Stream schools tackle Election Day security By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
Valley Stream schools have opened their doors to voters in past village elections. But the days of a lax approach to school safety on Election Day — with perhaps looser supervision and greater access to the building — are decidedly over. Residents will head to the polls in March to vote for two board tr ustees and public school buildings across the village will again serve as polling locations. Growing concerns around school crime and gun violence have placed added pressure on
school districts to be a willing host for voters while minimizing potential security risks to its students and staff. The problem, as summed up by village clerk James Hunter, who heads the village election, is that “village elections are conducted during a regular school day when students and staff are present. “The presence of election equipment, workers, and voters can be very disruptive to students and the faculty. Entrance to the building by others who may not be there to vote is a safety and security risk. Schools now require a photo ID to enter, which is not required
E
very citizen has the right to vote without hindrance based on their zip code. RoxANNE GARciA-FRANcE Superintendent, District 30 in state election law.” Early last year, village officials sought to purge the problem by cutting polling places down to eight from the previous 13 and pulling them from school buildings.
Those efforts were rolled back in response to complaints from stakeholders who argued that the remaining ballot-casting locations would cause unnecessary confusion and make voting harder for residents of color. The issue seemed to have been put to rest. That is until fears of possible school securi-
ty threats on voting day were newly stoked amid revelations last November of a gun scare at Valley Stream District 13. A man, later identified as an of f-duty police of ficer, was caught on footage leaving Howell Road School on Election Day in possession of a hand gun. The police later determined the CoNTiNueD oN pAge 20