between Jamaica station and Grand Central Madison gave commuters roughly four weeks to try out the new travel routes in advance of the big day, warming them to the idea of the $11 billion East Side terminal.
But as the new service rolled out, some reinforced their con-
By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
For thousands of high-achieving seniors like Valley Stream South High School student Ibra-
under the new schedules.
Then, full-service started Feb. 27, and contrary to the MTA’s calculated expectations, the ensuing first days of its historic Midtown terminal turned into the most dizzying and distressful for commuters in recent memory.
Riders — coping with the
platforms.
By the end of the first week, MTA officials rushed to provide relief in the form of extra train cars added to roughly 30 of its busiest trains, most of them rush hour excursions on the Penn Station service routes, as well as ramping up the frequency of
Island Rail Road interim president Catherine Rinaldi, can be chalked up to a miscalculation on how many commuters would actually shift from Penn Station to Grand Central.
The LIRR’s original service plan was designed to accommodate a “60-40” split of ridership,
“Grand Central Madison station is only five minutes from my office, so I’m loving it,” the Woodmere commuter said. “Before, I had to walk 20 minutes from Penn Station. So this is a benefit for me for sure.”
It’s something that should
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Page 18
By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
For thousands of high-achieving seniors like Valley Stream South High School student Ibrahim Qadri, carving out time for family, friends, and schoolwork can be a challenge on its own. But for the past few months, his schedule has been devoted to one all-consuming task: applying for college.
Students, especially promising ones like Qadri, can find themselves spending hours chatting over the phone with admissions officers, answering college essay prompts, writing out personal statements, and compiling an impressive rundown of school activities in the hopes of standing out amid a wide pool of college applicants.
“Many nights my friends and I found ourselves struggling to study for a calculus test with a college deadline only a few days away,” said Qadri. “I
Continued on page 20
For weeks, the ideal stage had been set for the full launch of Grand Central Madison, finally connecting the Long Island Rail Road to the bedrock of Midtown Manhattan.
Or so it seemed.
Limited shuttle service between Jamaica station and Grand Central Madison gave commuters roughly four weeks to try out the new travel routes in advance of the big day, warming them to the idea of the $11 billion East Side terminal.
But as the new service rolled out, some reinforced their con-
cerns. While a number of service lines have been expanded, others have been completely rescheduled. And there were those who worried about inadequate direct service to Penn Station and Atlantic Terminal after timed connections would be eliminated at the Queens station, as well as through direct transfers across platforms at stops like Jamaica under the new schedules.
Then, full-service started Feb. 27, and contrary to the MTA’s calculated expectations, the ensuing first days of its historic Midtown terminal turned into the most dizzying and distressful for commuters in recent memory.
Riders — coping with the
rush-hour meltdowns at Jamaica station and onboard Penn Station-bound trains — poured their anger and disbelief onto social media. Images and posts showed commuters cramming into train aisles. Others making frantic sprints to catch their connecting lines. And many finding themselves tightly jammed inside an antsy crowd of riders on waiting platforms.
By the end of the first week, MTA officials rushed to provide relief in the form of extra train cars added to roughly 30 of its busiest trains, most of them rush hour excursions on the Penn Station service routes, as well as ramping up the frequency of
shuttle service between Brooklyn and Queens.
While the adjustments have managed to ease overcrowding and quell a frantic commuter flow, the fumbled full launch of Grand Central Madison has left some commuters scratching their heads — and shaking their fists — at what went wrong.
The reason, according to Long Island Rail Road interim president Catherine Rinaldi, can be chalked up to a miscalculation on how many commuters would actually shift from Penn Station to Grand Central.
The LIRR’s original service plan was designed to accommodate a “60-40” split of ridership,
with most still traveling to Penn Station. So far, however, the split has been more “70-30,” although new ridership figures are still pending.
For all the initial bumps, however, Barry Kleinworm — a diamond inventory manager in Midtown Manhattan — said full service to the East Side was a “home run” decision.
“Grand Central Madison station is only five minutes from my office, so I’m loving it,” the Woodmere commuter said. “Before, I had to walk 20 minutes from Penn Station. So this is a benefit for me for sure.”
It’s something that should
Continued on page 20
By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com
Many on Long Island already are having a tough time finding affordable places to live. The elderly are priced out of affordable homes, and younger generations are fleeing to more affordable locales — many times out of state.
Lawmakers have tried a number of ways to keep rents low, but the latest plan offered by Gov. Kathy Hochul to build 800,000 new homes across the state over the next decade isn’t meeting with a lot of support. Especially on Long Island.
“We don’t want Hochul control, we want local control,” Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin told a crowd of local elected leaders at the Port Washington Long Island Rail Road station earlier this month.
Clavin believes the governor’s proposal is a power grab and doesn’t take into consideration the differences between upstate and downstate communities. He worries Hochul’s plans will force Long Island to become the sixth borough of New York City.
While the proposal speaks to creating high-density housing, officials say it doesn’t address upgrading the existing infrastructure to accommodate the population increase — like roads and utilities. There also seems to be little attention from Albany about how such fast growth could impact schools, which might not be able to keep up.
Rents have risen 30 percent since 2015 in New York City, while home prices have grown 50 percent. The situation is even more dire outside the city where rents are up as much as 60 percent, with some existing home sales rising as high as 80 percent over the last eight years.
According to the Population Reference Bureau, more than half of the state’s renters are paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent, the second-highest rate
in the nation.
Hochul wants to battle that through what she’s calling the New York Housing Compact. It’s intended to eliminate many of the barriers stopping development of affordable housing — especially around Metropolitan Transportation Authority rail stations — including plans for the state to step in if local government refuse to act.
But that’s what really have many local leaders like
Clavin fired up. The town supervisor says Hochul’s proposal eliminates the public hearing process, and will allow an “unaccountable, bureaucratic board located hundreds of miles away in Albany to make decisions over what belongs in your neighborhood.”
The governor, however, believes the state’s housing crisis requires bold actions and an all-hands-on-deck approach.
“Every community in New York must do their part to encourage housing growth to move our state forward and keep our economy strong.” Hochul said, according to a release. “The New York Housing Compact is a comprehensive plan to spur the changes needed to create more housing, meet rising demand, and make our state a more equitable, stable and affordable place to live.”
The compact, however, suggests local leaders aren’t doing enough to address the housing crisis. And that’s wrong, said Jennifer DeSena, town supervisor for North Hempstead.
“We have a hearing process,” DeSena said. “There are always projects that are being considered Nassau County is the densest suburban community in the country. We have a lot of housing, and wanting to add an arbitrary number like 3 percent every three years, it’s just not realistic.”
Pamela Panzenbeck said she’s worried about a devastating scenario for the city she leads, Glen Cove, where giving the governor the power to rezone property within a half-mile from a train station to 50 units of housing per acre will hurt more than it will help.
The mayor also believes Long Island towns and cities should be able to decide for themselves what the appropriate land use is.
“Changes such as she suggests would destroy our way of life,” Panzenbeck said, “the historic nature and beauty of Glen Cove, and our Long Island communities.”
By BRENDAN CARPENTER bcarpenter@liherald.com
blue and Gold celebrates cub scouting and their achievements. Each year, a ceremony takes place to highlight all of the requirements the scouts had to complete throughout the year before the advancements, or them moving up the ranks.
This year, Valley Stream’s Cub Scout Troop 367 held its annual Blue and Gold ceremony on March 4, when seven of its scouts moved up in the ranks. This was the 68th Blue and Gold ceremony in Pack 367’s history.
“It’s a celebration of the cub scouts,” said Carlos Caban, the committee chair of the Valley Stream scouts. “They advance which is wonderful, but they also share it with their family, which is another whole big thing.”
The seven scouts moving up were Alejandro Chungata, Colin Ho, Aiden Cort, Emanuel Estevez, Joseph Molina, Antonio Ramirez and Jacob Soto.
Cub Scouts range in age and grade level throughout elementary school and each grade corresponds to a rank. The Arrow of Light is the highest rank awarded to a cub scout and is the one in which they move up to the troop level. The fifthgrade scouts are called the “Arrow of Light” scouts.
“We go from kindergarten through grade five,” said Caban. “We call them up and we award them their new rank. It’s a wonderful thing.”
During the Blue and Gold ceremony, another sub-ceremony takes place as well, called Bridge Over. After achieving Arrow of Light, the scouts “bridge over” and then go into the next level, which is called Scouts BSA. There are two troops that the scouts could move to, Troop 116 and Troop 109. Both troops operate and meet in Valley Stream, but rarely combine for activities. They do every June, though, when they have a jamboree where all the units and scouts across Valley Stream
come together and camp out on the Village Creek.
“Cub scouting is really the parents and the scouts together,” Caban said. “They’re always working together on advancement. It’s a celebration of the entire program, which heavily involves the parents, and recognizes the scouts’ achievements.”
Caban said the scouts do everything close-knit so all the families can be close. They do this, he said, because the high levels of scouts may do their own advancements in other states, so they want everyone to become close now.
For over a century, BSA has shaped its identity as a boys-only organization specializing in wilderness activities. However, in the near future, Valley Stream may be welcoming its first-ever female Eagle Scout into the community of scouts.
SCouTS KiCKED off the day by carrying in the American Flag and Valley Stream scouts flag in front of their onlooking friends and family.
The deadline for transportation requests for District 30 children to non-public schools is due on April 1.
The recent announcement by 98 year old Jimmy Carter, our long-lived president, that he was opting for hospice care at home instead of additional medical intervention, is in keeping with the trend towards dying with dignity. Hospice care arises when an illness is either no longer responding to medical treatment, no medical treatment is available, or the patient has decided they want to transition from treatments intended to prolong quantity of life to treatments intended to improve quality of life.
The recent announcement by 98 year old Jimmy Carter, our long-lived president, that he was opting for hospice care at home instead of additional medical intervention, is in keeping with the trend towards dying with dignity. Hospice care arises when an illness is either no longer responding to medical treatment, no medical treatment is available, or the patient has decided they want to transition from treatments intended to prolong quantity of life to treatments intended to improve quality of life.
One of the great misconceptions about hospice care is that it is the cessation of medical care. Dr. Sunita Puri, author of “That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour” defines hospice care as “intensive comfort-focused care, provided with the goal of minimizing the physical, emotional and spiritual suffering that patients and their families experience when somebody has possibly six months or less to live.” While hospice can usually take place at home it can also be in a facility and is paid for by Medicare Hospice Benefit.
One of the great misconceptions about hospice care is that it is the cessation of medical care. Dr. Sunita Puri, author of “That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour” defines hospice care as “intensive comfort-focused care, provided with the goal of minimizing the physical, emotional and spiritual suffering that patients and their families experience when somebody has possibly six months or less to live.” While hospice can usually take place at home it can also be in a facility and is paid for by Medicare Hospice Benefit.
The hospice “team” consists of (1) a nurse
The hospice “team” consists of (1) a nurse
to assess and manage pain and provide handson-care, (2) a social worker, to offer emotional support and help with planning, (3) a physician to interface with the patient’s primary physician and consult on pain and symptom management and make house calls, (4) a hospice aide to help with personal care needs, such as bathing, (5) clergy to offer spiritual support, (6) volunteers to help in a variety of ways, and (7) a bereavement specialist to provide grief and loss counseling.
to assess and manage pain and provide handson-care, (2) a social worker, to offer emotional support and help with planning, (3) a physician to interface with the patient’s primary physician and consult on pain and symptom management and make house calls, (4) a hospice aide to help with personal care needs, such as bathing, (5) clergy to offer spiritual support, (6) volunteers to help in a variety of ways, and (7) a bereavement specialist to provide grief and loss counseling.
In accordance with New York State Education Law and Board of Education policy, all requests to transport children in Valley Stream District 30 to private and parochial schools for the following school year must be submitted in writing by a parent, guardian, or authorized representative no later than April 1.
Parents whose children currently receive transportation to private and parochial schools must submit a new request each year along with proof of residency.
If homeowners move into the district after the April 1 deadline, they have thirty days to submit a transportation request from the date they established residency in the district. All late requests shall be considered by the Board of Education on the basis of each case’s merit. Transportation applications are available online at ValleyStream30.com or by calling Suzanne Brady at (516) 434-3600 at extension 5225.
–Juan LassoRegrettably, hospice care in the US averages only about three weeks, due to the fact that people are reluctant to talk about topics like suffering, quality of life and whether treatments are adding to or detracting from someone’s quality of life. Delaying those conversations leads to very late referrals to hospice.
Regrettably, hospice care in the US averages only about three weeks, due to the fact that people are reluctant to talk about topics like suffering, quality of life and whether treatments are adding to or detracting from someone’s quality of life. Delaying those conversations leads to very late referrals to hospice.
As Dr. Puri points out, “Hospice is not about giving up...hospice is about acknowledging where your body is at, at a given stage of illness, and honoring that and honoring the person that you are, which is distinct from the illness you are suffering...hospice attempts to maximize dignity and minimize suffering.”
As Dr. Puri points out, “Hospice is not about giving up...hospice is about acknowledging where your body is at, at a given stage of illness, and honoring that and honoring the person that you are, which is distinct from the illness you are suffering...hospice attempts to maximize dignity and minimize suffering.”
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Metro Creative
As a political firebrand and activist, Cristina Arroyo has been outspoken about the need to tackle the structural barriers that exclude under-represented groups in her hometown of Valley Stream. She wants to make them seen, give them a voice, and ensure they have a space to thrive.
And she believes she can push that vision ahead at Village Hall as she runs to unseat Edwin Fare as mayor.
The single Latina mother of two is no stranger to using the ballot box to make her issues heard. Arroyo ran in 2020 as a trustee candidate for Valley Stream District 24 Board of Education.
Although her bid was unsuccessful, Arroyo says she was inspired by the discussions she had on the campaign trail about race and inequities in her school district to spearhead discussions on how to address issues of segregation and racism in the village.
Dozens of people attended a series of virtual discussions Arroyo hosted to broach the topic of race and share their own experiences, which soon organically sprouted in founding her own organization, the Valley Stream Justice Project. There, Arroyo wants to normalize these conversations and put recommendations for fighting unfairness and inequality into practice.
A data manager and nonprofit educational consultant who also spent time as a reporter and editor for Herald Community Newspapers, Arroyo has an extensive background in the nuances of race relations and inequality. She taught the psychology of prejudice and discrimination at Baruch College, where she had previously earned a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology.
Arroyo has led diversity and inclusion seminars, and provided counseling and support in the police depart -
ment as a juvenile protection specialist.
Arroyo has also been a rallying voice for greater teacher diversity in Valley Stream District 24 after a surge of parents urged the inclusion of more teachers of color among its mostly white teaching staff in a majority-minority school in 2020. This eventually led to a series of diversity hiring initiatives, and the creation of a
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. She also made a second bid to become a board trustee in 2022, but did not win.
Now Arroyo, who moved to Valley Stream in 2008, wants the village to make progress in supporting its diverse population, support greater inclusion, and give a platform for those often sidelined and left out of village politics.
“I thought I should use what I learned in my education and politics to help the community,” she said. “I started through the school board and the schools. And once you start learning how things are run behind the scenes, you learn what things you can change or twist to see great results from our institutions. And I didn’t hear anyone have those conversations. I wanted to change that.”
Valley Stream has great potential to become an amazing village that accommodates residents of all walks of life through more proactive and community-focused developments, Arroyo said, while advocating to rectify perceived injustices.
“A lot of people don’t want to hear about injustice because they did not experience it,” she said. “Or they don’t want to face the injustice that they’re living in. But we can’t ignore it.”
Progress can only be made by bringing more people to the civic table, Arroyo said, including young people and people of color — all while listening to what they have to say.
“Valley Stream right now is not the Valley Stream of 20 years ago,” Arroyo said. “If you really want to be inclusive and reach out to people, you have to lend your power to people who are in a more capable position to make decisions, or provide their own form of thinking of how things should run.“
“We need to raise the bar in Valley Stream and hold our officials to a higher standard,” she said.
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They flocked from all over Long Island to learn from one of soccer’s greatest — Carli Lloyd. But the 400 or so young athletes who gathered at the Mitchell Athletic Complex in Uniondale this past Saturday got an added bonus, with a chance to bend it like David Beckham — with David Beckham.
The two soccer stars paid the weekend visit to talk about teamwork, sportsmanship and fitness. And, of course, to show a few moves to the kids, who ranged in age between 9 and 12.
Afterward, they broke into two sessions led by Lloyd and Beckham, teaching some soccer fundamentals and techniques, before posing for pictures with players and teams.
The visit was part of Sands Cares and its Sands Youth Empowerment Initiative — an organization active in communities where facilities owned by the Las Vegas Sands are situated.
The Sands is pursuing a massive redevelopment project at the nearby Nassau Coliseum, where it hopes to transform 80 vacant acres into an entertainment complex. It would include a hotel, restaurants, convention space and performance venues, as well as a casino.
Lloyd is a four-time Olympian, winning gold medals in 2008 and 2012. She has also won two FIFA Women’s World Cups in 2015 and 2019. She retired from the national team in 2021, but not before becoming the oldest player to score a goal for the United States in a 4-0 victory over Jamaica — a month shy of her 39th birthday.
Beckham was a soccer prodigy beginning as a teenager when he played for Manchester United who also appeared in three FIFA World Cups, and was known to be one of soccer’s best-paid players during his career.
Although retired as a player, Beckham is co-owner of Inter Miami CF, which competes in the Major Soccer League.
one might Say David Beckham has learned everything there is to learn about soccer over a long, storied career — but then again, he hasn’t had a chance to interact with some of the future soccer stars from Long Island.
Soccer StarS DaviD Beckham and Carli Lloyd took plenty of time to pose for pictures with the young soccer players and teams that traveled from across Long Island to see them at the Mitchell Athletic Complex on Saturday — but the stars also took a moment to pose with some of the adults there, too. That includes Nassau County’s labor relations director Jose Lopez, far left, and Ted Sempepos from County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s office.
He’s a third-generation Valley Stream resident and has become a pillar of village government for more than a decade. Now Edwin Fare is asking his neighbors to extend his time as mayor for a fourth term to build on the progress of the past and ensure the best possible future for the village.
A veteran of village politics, Fare was elected a trustee under his mayoral predecessor Ed Cahill in 2004. He honed and polished his understanding of village government for seven years before running for the village’s highest office on the United Community Party ticket. It was there he hoped to shun partisanship and instead focus on a higher quality of life as well as community-first issues.
Fare’s grandparents settled in Valley Stream in 1910, imparting an esteemed legacy of service to the community that he — more than a century later — seeks to build upon. Fare sees the role of mayor as a vehicle to make a difference.
In many ways, Fare has dedicated his life to the village, and in more ways than one. Like his more than three decades as a Valley Stream volunteer firefighter — and now its honorary chief. A technology teacher in the Valley Stream Central High School District. Chair of the historical society board.
It was Valley Stream Central High School where Fare graduated in 1980,
Thomas, a corporate lawyer, moved to Valley Stream from Brooklyn in 2007, and became a trustee in 2011 after an unsuccessful bid for the Assembly. He has provided pro bono work for non-profits, small businesses, and victims of domestic violence. He’s also a Valley Stream Little League baseball coach.
“We’re running because we’ve done a lot of improvements and we have a lot more left to do,” Fare said. “We know what we’re doing. We know what we want to do. We know where we’ve been. And we know where we’re going.”
“We rebuilt our sanitation yard, reconstructed our pool parking lot, we built a community center in our community,” Thomas said. “We’ve really put a lot into the village, and we’ve done a lot for the community.”
Recreational options have expanded for families in recent years, including the Classic Car Show and outdoor dining on
Kerri Scanlon knew from a young age that she was destined to be a nurse.
Her mother, Mildred O’Connor, had a successful career in the field. And she convinced her daughter to follow in her footsteps.
“Seeing her love of the career, and then seeing her in action in the facility she worked at,” Scanlon remembered, “she just had this incredible love for what she did.”
Scanlon was fortunate to receive a scholarship that allowed her to study at Columbia University. It was there she earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and then a master’s in advanced practice nursing.
Now the executive director of Glen Cove Hospital, Scanlon celebrates her 30th year as a nurse.
For the last 25, she’s been an integral member of Northwell Health, New York’s largest health care provider that oversees the operations of Glen Cove Hospital. Having worked closely with Northwell’s leaders for years, when Scanlon was offered the opportunity to lead the hospital in 2019, she couldn’t turn it down.
“Glen Cove, at the time, was really a hospital in transition and needed direction,” she said. “I love Glen Cove. I love the community. I love the people. I was welcomed with great arms.”
Just months into her new role, Scanlon — and health care professionals like her around the world — would face a much different problem: the coronavirus pandemic. As early as February 2020, Scanlon told her Glen Cove team to get ready. And expect the worst.
Epidemics were nothing new for Scanlon. Her career included HIV/AIDS as well as the avian flu in the 2000s. But the first wave of Covid-19 was something she’d never seen before. Glen Cove did all it could to offer the best possible care to its patients, collaborating and completing
research with larger hospitals, and opening up an acute rehabilitation facility to treat patients who’d spent months in intensive care.
“It kind of defined us as the little engine that could,” Scanlon said.
The pandemic helped Scanlon identify areas of growth for the hospital, and she says it’s now better fit than ever to advance into the future.
“Is Glen Cove thriving?” she asked. “Is Glen Cove going to be here 10 years from now? Heck yes. We just celebrated our centennial, and the health system is more than ever investing in Glen Cove. We’re budgeted this year to make money, not lose money. And that’s a huge change.”
The 247-bed community hospital offers a lot, including a state-of-the-art brain injury unit, but Scanlon wants people to know the full scope of care Glen Cove provides. It has renowned doctors in the fields of gynecology, endocri-
nology and breast care — areas of the body where typically women encounter conditions.
A geriatric-only facility is opening in Oyster Bay, she added, to offer age-friendly services to older adults.
Employee happiness is key to running a successful hospital.
“We want to continue to focus on our patients, and focus on our customers, and the only way to do that is to focus on our staff,” Scanlon said. “Because if they’re not happy, our patients aren’t going to be happy.”
A mother of two, Scanlon resides in Nissequogue. Her 26-year-old daughter also works in health care, so Scanlon is used to giving advice to young women wishing to advance in the field.
“My greatest advice always is to focus on doing the best that you can do today,” she said. “Everybody is so focused on what’s the next thing — it’s this generation. They’re constantly under so much stress. The opportunities are greater for women, but I think the level of stress is even greater.”
Women have made excellent strides in health care, Scanlon said, but there’s always work to be done.
“There’s not enough women at the table for (health care) decisions across the country,” she said. “I think its constantly focusing on that, and diversity and inclusion — ensuring that it’s all women we’re including at that table.
“Historically, as women, we didn’t pay it forward to other women. I think that’s changed dramatically — I’m so happy to see this. My biggest thing is mentoring other women.”
VALLEY STREAM UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT THIRTEEN NEWS RELEASE TC \l1
TRANSPORTATION FOR PRIVATE AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS TC \l2 2023-2024
As per Education Law, Section 3635, the District must legally provide transportation for District children in grades K-6 attending private/parochial schools. Kindergarten children must be five (5) years of age as of December 1st, 2023.
• The parent must submit a written request for transportation each year and include the child’s name, date of birth, grade, and school.
• The request must be submitted to the Transportation Department of Valley Stream School District Thirteen at 585 N. Corona Ave., Valley Stream, NY 11580 on or before APRIL 1ST 2023 for the school year beginning September 2023.
If your child qualifies for transportation, please be sure that your request is submitted on time. Applications received after April 1st will not be considered except for new residents who are required by law to apply within (30) thirty days after establishing residence in the District. Visit the Valley Stream 13 website for additional information/application: www.valleystream13.com
Anthony Bonelli spent decades of his working life across various city services, optimizing systems, and improving standards of transparency, efficiency, and integrity. Now he hopes to bring his managerial eye to Village Hall come March 21, straight from the desk of the mayor.
The lifelong Valley Stream resident already has put his background in information technology and engineering to use, serving as a project manager for New York City’s sanitation department, developing a computer-based system that produced detailed vehicle accident summary reports for frontline supervisors to lower accident rates.
Bonelli helped modernize the reporting system as the information technology director at the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board in 1998. Then, a few years later, he was managing network operations at the New York Police Department pension fund.
Nowadays Bonelli dedicates his time as a trustee on the Valley Stream District 13 education board, a position he won in 2021 after a pair of unsuccessful bids. And now he is making a second go at nabbing the village’s highest office, looking to gain ground from his 2019 bid by joining forces with his Achieve Party trustee candidates Amil Virani and Nicolas Nogueira, as well as village justice candidate Charles Lawson — an administrative law judge spe-
cializing in family law.
“The bottom line is I’m going to vigorously defend the interests of Valley Stream residents,” Bonelli said. “Residents come first. What needs the community has, we’ll
address. But we have to work with the numbers, and talk to all the stakeholders.”
Bonelli’s biggest priority is pushing for austerity measures to improve the village’s financial position, but he also has a
fair share of project proposals lined up: like modernizing Waldinger Memorial Library with study rooms, creating cultural affairs and community affairs departments, and having a free subscription service to residents to receive emailed notifications of monthly board meeting agendas.
“To help transparency, I want to provide a digital archive of past meetings and make sure library and zoning board meetings are also in front of a camera and archived,” Bonelli said.
Virani, a senior at Queens College majoring in political science and corporate finance, says his aim is to “focus on the needs of Valley Stream’s youngest generation to ensure they have access to internship opportunities in the village to help get them a head start.”
“I’m passionate about public service and I have a strong desire to make a positive impact in the community that I grew up and continue to live in for over 20 years,” said Nogueira, communications and policy director for Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre.
“My experience has opened my eyes to how much room for improvement there is in Valley Stream. There are so many opportunities at the state level that can help our fiscal situation with grants and audit support services.
“We should be building relationships with our businesses, make our operations more efficient and mindful of the impact on our tax burden.”
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 •7:00 PM Woodmere Education Center, One Johnson Place, Woodmere
The Hewlett-Woodmere Board of Education will hold an open forum on Tuesday, March 21 at 7:00 PM to provide members of the community with an opportunity to voice questions and opinions regarding the 2023–2024 proposed budget. The open forum serves as an opportunity for the public to be heard before the budget is adopted by the Board of Education. All members of the Hewlett-Woodmere community are encouraged to participate. To learn more about the 2023–2024 school budget, please visit www.hewlett-woodmere.net.
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EDUCATION
MARIA P. CONZATTI
Acting President
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BARBARA J. HOLAHAN
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President
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Long Island Power Authority
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Head of Marketing
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LISA M. BLACK
Chief Deputy County Executive Office of the Suffolk County Executive
HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS
MELANIE BASILE
Chief Growth Officer
The Smilist
DR. MICHELLE A. CHESTER
Senior Director Operations, Occupational Health Services
Northwell Health
DR. GAIL CORREALE
Optometrist
THERESA DILLMAN, DNP (C), MSN, MHA, RN, NE-BC
Associate Executive Director and Chief Nursing Officer Glen Cove Hospital, Northwell Health System
DR. ODETTE R. HALL
Chief Medical Examiner
Suffolk County Office of the Medical Examiner
NITZA KAHALON HASIS
Clinical Director
New Horizon Counseling Center - Valley Stream
STEPHANIE MONTANO M.S., CCC-SLP
CEO & Co-Owner
Theralympic Speech
CHRISTIANA NEOPHYTOU M.S., CCC-SLP
CEO & Co-Owner
Theralympic Speech
REBECCA SANIN
President & CEO
Health & Welfare Council of Long Island
JULIE WEXLER
Director of Business Development
The Bristal Assisted Living
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ELIZABETH MARIE SAITTA
Executive Director
SHRM Long Island Chapter
INSURANCE
CATIA ALATI
Vice President
Lockton Companies
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Nationwide Court Services, Inc.
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Attorney
Law Offices of Stephanie A. Clark
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Partner
Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz PLLC
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It had to be done, and they did it. Nassau Community College’s board of trustees made a plan to increase health care premiums for its faculty and staff official — something the employees union that has spent months negotiating a new contract says could effectively reduce salaries by as much as $5,000.
The new insurance premiums begin March 23, and simply reflect a cost increase by their carrier, NCC officials said. They were allowed to pass on the increase despite a lack of a new contract based on a past agreement that allowed the board to make such increases under an expired contract.
The insurance increases, according to union president Faren Siminoff, could effectively act like a pay cut.
“These are the actions of people with no soul,” Siminoff said. “The college was asked by Nassau County if they needed more funding, and the college told them they do not need supplemental income. Instead the college decided to bleed its faculty dry.”
The educators union and trustees board has been negotiating full-time faculty contracts since last July, hoping to work out a deal before their contracts expired a month later. The union has rallied multiple times since then, but there is still no new contract on the table between NCC and its full-time faculty.
NCC attorney John Gross said the imposed health care provisions were not “pulled out of thin air.” In fact, the union knew about the existing contract provision, which was negotiated decades ago.
“The college board is a public agency, and they have a fiduciary responsibility to effectuate what’s in the contract,” Gross said. “If the (college board) said no to this (imposing health care premiums), they would be giving up thousands and thousands of dollars.”
This time around, the union is entertaining a proposal for new employees to pay about 20 percent of health care premiums, and existing staff members are willing to give roughly 2 percent of their salary toward the cost of premiums during their last negotiation sessions.
But the college has known health care premiums were rising since last December, Siminoff said, and that those costs would be passed along to employees. So why did the school wait until after the new year to notify faculty members of the change, during the open enrollment period?
“Usually in November or December, if you have an insurance policy through your job, you’re permitted to change your policy,” Siminoff said. “So, while most of us
NASSAu CommuNIty
CoLLEgE’S board of trustees announced their intention to impose health care premiums on staff members, effectively reducing salaries by $5,000 on average, according to the union representing fulltime faculties, who say it’s a negotiation tactic.
are the college’s plan, there are many faculty members who could be covered under a partner’s plan. In order for them to switch coverage plans, they have to do it during open enrollment.”
Although NCC denies the increase being nothing more than ensuring they’re good stewards of their accounts, Siminoff is convinced the health insurance increase is being used to help with the school’s negotiating position, or at the very least retaliate against and punish the union members.
“It’s really a huge pay cut,” the union president said. “Many faculty members told me, ‘If I had known they would charge us healthcare premiums in December during open enrollment, I would have changed my policy.’”
to U.S.News&WorldReport.
Our doctors are raising health by pioneering innovative approaches to cancer from novel chemotherapy techniques to first-in- the-nation robotic mastectomies with minimal scarring. Because when it comes to cancer, there’s no status quo. There’s only “how far can we go?”
Northwell.edu/NoLimits
LIJ Medical Center is in the top 10% of hospitals nationally for oncology, according
Help protect yourself from fraud and scams! This FREE webinar series will cover identity theft, elder fraud abuse and how to recognize the warning signs. Representatives from AARP Long Island and United States Postal Inspectors will also provide information about scams targeting people age 50-plus and their families, tactics fraudsters use, and resources available to help prevent fraud.
Advance registration is required.
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2023
12-1PM
IDENTITY THEFT:
Each year thousands of Americans fall victim to Identity (ID) Theft. Consumers reported losing nearly $8.8 Billion to scams in 2022. This webinar will focus on:
• Understanding Personal Identifiable Information (PII)
• Scams that target your PII
• Tips to safeguard your identity
REGISTER at www.LIHERALD.com/identity
THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023
12-1PM
ELDER FRAUD ABUSE:
Con artists don’t really care about your age or your needs. Their only goal is to separate you from your hard-earned money. Learn how to recognize scams. We’ll cover:
• Grandparent or Relative in Need scams
• Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams
• Investment Scams
REGISTER at www.LIHERALD.com/elder
Shred your personal and financial documents at a location near you. Register and reserve your spot for a FREE drive-through contactless shredding event. (Limit 3 bags per car)
SATURDAY APRIL 22, 2023
10AM-1PM • IN-PERSON
LOCATION:
Nassau Community College
One Education Drive • Garden City, NY (Entrance to parking lot at Miller Place)
REGISTER at https://bit.ly/ShredGardenCity
SATURDAY MAY 6, 2023 9AM-12PM • IN-PERSON
LOCATION: Michael J Tully Park 1801 Evergreen Avenue • New Hyde Park, NY
REGISTER at https://bit.ly/ShredNewHydePark
SATURDAY MAY 20, 2023
• IN-PERSON
LOCATION: Farmingdale Library 116 Merritts Road • Farmingdale, NY
REGISTER at https://bit.ly/ShredFarmingdale
Since the invention of the camera, photographers have been enthralled by interpreting the natural world. We (viewers), in turn, are captivated by what their cameras reveal.
A true Broadway legend returns her Long Island roots, visiting Tilles Center with her acclaimed one-woman show. ‘Don’t Monkey with Broadway’ is a celebration of her life-long love affair with Broadway, as she indelibly interprets classic theatre tunes by the likes of Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Jule Styne, Stephen Schwartz, Charles Strouse, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Cole Porter, and Irving Berlin. She explores her love affair with Broadway and offers up her opinion and concerns for what the Great White Way is becoming today, in this intimate concert, which includes behind-thescenes anecdotes.
Sunday, March 19, 7 p.m. $110, $75, $55. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. (516) 299-3100 or TillesCenter.org.
As we spring forward, we’re all eager to enjoy the landscape as it emerges from its winter “hibernation.”
It’s the subject of Heckscher Museum of Art’s current exhibition, “Viewfinders: Photographers Frame Nature,” on display through April 16.
Viewfinders explores artists’s varied responses to the relationship between nature and humans. These lens-based works reveal the divergent ways in which nature continues to fuel documentation of the human experience and imagination — from images symbolizing the untamed power of nature, to those where the landscape has been abused for human consumption. The exhibit — featuring 64 works from 34 artists — traces the lure of photography through the centuries, culminating in contemporary times where every person with a smartphone has the power to “frame” nature.
Guest Curator Susan Van Scoy, associate professor of art history at St. Joseph’s University, combed through the museum’s permanent collection to explore the myriad ways artists respond to the landscape and how their responses have shaped our perception of nature.
By Karen BloomWHERE
people shape the future of the environment and change our behaviors.”
Visitors will notice a “local flavor” to the exhibit, such as N. Jay Jaffee’s photo of Lloyd Harbor’s Caumsett Park Preserve.
As Van Scoy explains: “The Olmsted family landscape architectural firm created some of the most famous and unnatural ‘natural’ sites in the world, including New York City’s Central Park and Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve. Yet some visitors view these parks as nature in its untouched state. Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve has been a favorite subject of artists such as Jaffee and Neil Scholl, whose photographs capture the landscape architects’s signature picturesque landscapes in the park.
• Now through April 16
• Open Thursday through Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
“Visitors just love the Caumsett shot,” she says. “Many people don’t realize its history.”
• $5 suggested admission non-members; members and children younger than 13 free
• Heckscher Museum of Art,
• Emily Lowe Hall Gallery, South Campus, Hempstead. For information and to RSVP, call (516) 463-5672, or visit Hofstra.edu/museum
2 Prime Ave., Huntington (631) 380-3230 or Heckscher.org
Stand,” Hofstra University Museum of Art’s new exhibition, examines power of the arts in society.
Alexandra Giordano — the museum’s assistant director of exhibition and exhibit underscores artists’ civic responsibility and influence. the vital role that artists have in activating democratic values that and freedom, encouraging civic engagement, and cultivating unity,” “Artists often lead the charge and expose truths that may otherwise be artists in this exhibition take a stand and call out injustices through their art issues such as immigration, gender, reproductive rights, mass incarceration, bias, gun violence, and promises unfulfilled. They all combine the making service that has a grassroots approach in the hope of mobilizing their the nation to ignite movement, create awareness, and inspire others to which runs through July 28, is in conjunction with Hofstra’s conference on the Barack Obama presidency coming up in April. interested in the idea that the artist has a civic responsibility,” says Karen
“Landscape and photography have always been closely intertwined. In fact, the world’s first automatic photograph was a landscape and photography was first referred to as ‘sun pictures’ or ‘drawings from nature,’” Van Scoy says. “Artists have long used landscape as a vehicle to explore other issues such as poetry, spirituality, philosophy and environmentalism. The images in are no exception. They are teeming with hidden meaning.“
Legendary American photographers such as Edward Steichen, Larry Fink and Berenice Abbott are represented, as are newly acquired photographs by Kenji Nakahashi and Jeremy Dennis. Van Scoy also selected a substantial number of works by notable Long Island image makers.
Beyond traditional forms of landscape photography, Van Scoy was excited to introduce what she describes as the “contemporary takes,” which explore environmental issues such as climate change and reclaiming the land.
“Everyone enjoys seeing landscape, now it’s being used as a background for protest,” she says. “Artists have an important role to help
Picturesque scenes are just one aspect of what’s on view. From the whimsical — such as Barbara Roux’s mise-en-scènes in wooded areas with frames or mirrors placed against a leafy ground, to natural images that show the power of nature in Kenji Nakahashi’s abstract take on Hurricane Gloria — nature in all its forms is documented.
“I want people to be able to look at these works and relate to them,” she says. “I love when you can relate an image to your everyday life and also learn something new at the same time.”
The takeaway from Van Scoy: “We are reminded that humans are always small in relationship to the power of nature.”
Pat McGann is quickly rising as one of the sharpest stand-ups on the comedy scene. A relative latecomer to comedy, he began doing standup at 31 after realizing he was not very good at selling packaging. He hustled his way to become the house emcee at Zanies Chicago, where he distinguished himself as especially adept at working the crowd. A husband and father of three young children, McGann’s appeal stems from his quick wit and relatable take on family life and marriage. In 2017, McGann began touring as the opening act for Sebastian Maniscalco, moving with him from clubs to theater, to arenas, including four soldout shows at Madison Square Garden. McGann’s relatively short, but impressive resume, includes Montreal’s famed Just For Laughs Festival, Gilda’s LaughFest, The Great American Comedy Festival, and more. McGann still calls Chicago home.
Top left: N. Jay Jaffee’s Long Island Sound from Caumsett (1990) — a gift of Paula W. Hackeling — is an example of landscape photography that follows a formula used in early 17th century paintings.
Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. $40, $35, $30, $25. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.
Top right: Barbara Roux’s Night Rises Up (1998) merges the subjective individual with the natural world.
Bottom: Kenji Nakahashi’s Decoration for Hurricane Gloria (1985) reflects nature’s untamed power.
The singer-songwriter comes to the Landmark on Main Street stage for an exciting evening of roots rock, with special guest James Maddock. Nestled somewhere between power-pop and American folk, you will find Willie Nile strumming his guitar. A true believer in rock ‘n’ roll, over the years Nile has made admirers out of such names as Bruce Springsteen and Pete Townshend who personally requested him to tour with The Who, among others who sing his praises. The New York Times called him ‘one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years,’ among the many accolades he has received. The timeless qualities of melodic craft, lyrical insight and emotional engagement that have endeared Nile to listeners around the world throughout a three-anda-half-decade recording career continue to be prominent in his live performances.
Saturday, April 1, 8 p.m. $30, $25. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.
change the world? It’s a question
been at the focus of our collective centuries. Now as society the complexities of modern life, path for social change is at the of artistic expression.Courtesy Heckscher Museum of Art
The Vllage of Valley Stream holds its village general election Tuesday, March 21. Polls will open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. For a complete list of polling sites, contact the Village Clerk at (516) 825-4200 or visit the village website at Vsvny.org.
Jazz giant Dave Brubeck’s sons celebrate their dad’s life and career, with “The Brubeck Brothers Quartet Celebrates Dave Brubeck’s Centennial,” on the Tilles Center stage, Thursday, April 13, 7:30 p.m. Chris and Dan Brubeck bring their multimedia show to the LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville. To honor Brubeck’s legacy, the Brubecks, who performed and recorded with their father since the 1970s, curate this memorable concert with their own Brubeck Brothers Quartet. Through their stories, with music performed by the quartet, the show invites audiences to travel along the timeline of Brubeck’s extraordinary life and career. Tickets are $52; available at TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.
Adelphi performing arts students perform their semiannual Broadway revuew, on Adelphi University Performing Arts Center stage, Sunday, March 26, 4 p.m. Under the direction of KT Thomas and Steven Altinel, this contemporary-themed show will highlight hits from pop/ rock shows, including”Rent,” “We Will Rock You,” “School of Rock,” to songs from contemporary classics like “Wicked,” “Mamma Mia,” “The Prom” and “Next to Normal.” Students perform large group numbers as well as individual solos. Tickets start at $30, with discounts available to seniors, students, Adelphi alumni and employees. Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave., Garden City. (516) 877-4000 or Adelphi. edu/pac.
Mercy Hospital offers a peer to peer meeting for breastfeeding support, facilitated by a certified breastfeeding counselor, every Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Bring your baby (from newborn to 1 year).All new moms are welcome. Registration required. Call breastfeeding counselor, Gabriella Gennaro, at (516) 705-2434 to secure your spot. Mercy Hospital, St. Anne’s Building, 1000 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre. For information visit CHSLI.org.
Valley Stream District 30 Board of Education meets, Monday, March 20, 8 p.m., at Shaw Avenue School, 99 Shaw Ave. For more information, call district clerk Ashley Starna at (516) 434-3600 or visit ValleyStream30.com.
The 10-time Grammy winning vocal group celebrates their 50th anniversary, performing at The Space, Thursday, March 30, 8 p.m. The group looks back on a career that has spanned genres from pop to jazz to rock and roll and more, in this special evening that highlights their long and dazzling career with their signature pitch-perfect vocals and impeccable style. Tickets are $65-$175; available at Ticketmaster.com or TheSpaceAtWestbury.com. The Space, 250 Post Ave. Westbury.
Valley Stream Christian Academy will be hosting an open house for families with pre-K to 12th grade students on Friday, March 17 at 9 a.m. at 12 E. Fairview Avenue. For more information, call (516) 561- 6122 or visit Vscacademy.org.
Valley Stream Christian Academy hosts an open house for families with pre-K to 12th grade students, Friday, March 17, at 9 a.m., at 12 E. Fairview Ave. For more information, call (516) 561-6122 or visit Vscacademy.org.
Mo Willems’ popular The Pigeon comes alive on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Friday March 17, 10:15 a.m. and noon; Sunday, March 19, noon. Pigeon is eager to try anything, with the audience part of the action. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.
Paradise Salon and Spa Suites is collcting prom dresses, men’s suits and other apparel donations for its annual prom giveaway through April , 164
N. Central Ave., To donate message Karen Gocoul at (516) 770 -4416.
Plaza Theatrical is ready to spring forward with “Forever Plaid,” an affectionate musical homage to the close harmony guy groups that reached the height of their popularity during the ‘50s, Saturday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 19, 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, March 23, 2 p.m. The show features such hits as “Three Coins in a Fountain,” “Heart and Soul,” “Catch a Falling Star,” and “Love is A Many Splendored Thing.” It’s performed at Plaza’s stage at the Elmont Library Theatre, 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont. $49, $45 seniors. Elmont. For tickets, call (516) 599-6870 or visit PlazaTheatrical.com.
Items on The Scene page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to thescene@liherald.com.
District 13 board meets
Valley Stream District 13 Board of Education meets, Tuesday, March 21, 8 p.m., at James A. Dever School, 585 Corona Ave., for their regular board meeting. For more information, call (516) 568-6100 or visit ValleyStream13.com.
District 24 board meets
Valley Stream District 24 board of education will meet Wednesday, March 29, 7:30 p.m., for their regular business meeting, at William L. Buck, 75 Horton Ave. For more information, send an email to district clerk Elizabeth Fleurimond at districtclerk@vs24.org or visit ValleyStreamSchoolDistrict24.org.
Everyone’s favorite cat comes to mischievous life in this theatrical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic, presented Plaza Theatrical Productions, Sunday, March 19, noon. See what goes on during that rainy day when two siblings are home alone with their pet fish while their parents are out of town, and the tall cat wearing a hat appears. Tickets are $15. Visit the Plaza stage at The Showplace at Bellmore Movies, 222 Pettit Avenue, Bellmore. For information/tickets, go to PlazaTheatrical.com or call (516) 599-6870.
By HERNESTO GALDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
Headaches are the worst. They come at the worst time, but can be treatable with a pop of Tylenol or Advil. But have you ever asked yourself if it could be something more?
If it is, knowing when to seek medical attention is what those who tuned in to the recent Herald Inside LI webinar were looking for as Dr. Kimon Bekelis shared his expertise on the critical differences between a brain aneurysm and a stroke — and how to treat or prevent either one.
A brain aneurysm is a weak spot in the blood vessel in the brain that can burst. An estimated 30,000 people in the United States suffer a brain aneurysm rupture each year, according to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.
“Because it’s a fairly rare disease,” Bekelis said, “I think it hasn’t been as mainstream.”
Symptoms of a brain aneurysm can be confused with a headache. If it’s allowed to rupture, it could mean everything from brain damage, to coma, or even death.
Bekelis is a certified neurosurgeon with training in invasive endovascular neurosurgery. He is also the chairman of neuro-interventional services for Catholic Health Services of Long Island, and co-director of the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Good Samaritan Hospital.
He’s also the director of the Stroke & Brain Aneurysm Center of Long Island, located in Babylon. With all that experience, if Bekelis comes across someone with a stiff neck, blurred or double vision and confusion, he knows he needs to take action right away. The feeling of an aneurysm is like someone hitting you with a hammer.
said. “But people do survive.”
Preventing an aneurysm varies from not smoking or using tobacco products, having a healthy diet, and checking your blood pressure and exercising regularly.
But if worrying about aneurysms aren’t enough, Bekelis also warns about strokes. They are caused when blood supply is blocked in part of the brain, or when a blood vessel bursts.
More than 795,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Detecting and identifying a stroke fast is the most
important factor in guaranteeing that somebody is not going to have a deficit,” Bekelis said
The American Heart Association created an acronym it believes will help determine if someone is having a stroke. “FAST” is short for face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, and time to call 911.
The “deficit” of a stroke can vary from impaired speech, limited physical abilities, weakness or limb paralysis. But just like aneurysms, there are ways to prevent strokes, Bekelis said.
Monitor blood pressure and cholesterol. Cut cigarettes. Monitor weight. And, of course, exercise. And there could also be a “magic” pill that might help, too.
“When it comes to aspirin, it used to be a general recommendation that if you’re over the age of 55, they would put you on a baby aspirin,” Bekelis said. “Nowadays, it’s been modified a little because aspirin has been founded to slightly increase the risk of bleeding if you don’t have any risk factors.”
Thinner blood might be good for strokes, but could be bad for other conditions. So, adding a baby aspirin regimen is something Bekelis says should be monitored by a doctor.
It’s challenging to know what the brain is trying to tell us in a headache. But when you know something doesn’t seem right, Bekelis says it will be hard to miss.
“When it comes to a stroke, the symptoms — you can’t miss them,” the neurologist said. “When it comes to a headache, things are a little bit more murky, and headache is a symptom of aneurysm rupture possibility.
“An aneurysm headache is like the worst headache of your life. If it’s one of those, seek immediate medical attention.”
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT
COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET INVESTMENT LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES
2006-BNC1, Plaintiff, vs. MICHAEL R. HIGGINS, IF LIVING, AND IF HE BE DEAD, ANY AND ALL PERSONS UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF, ET AL., ET AL., Defendant(s).
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale
duly entered on June 7, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on March 28, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 9 Jasper Street, Valley Stream, NY 11580. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Elmont, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 37, Block 458 and Lot 156. Approximate amount of judgment is $577,472.04 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 608825/2018. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale.
Geri Friedman, Esq., Referee
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, 10 Bank Street, Suite 700, White Plains, New York 10606, Attorneys for Plaintiff 137537
2:30PM, premises known as 2 Fulton Place, Valley Stream, NY 11580. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Valley Stream, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 37 Block N Lots 676 & 677.
Approximate amount of judgment $435,801.19 plus interest and costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 10-003983. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19
Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed
Property established by the Tenth Judicial District.
Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”
Judith Powell, Esq., Referee
LOGS Legal Group LLP
f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC
Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff
175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792
Dated: February 9, 2023
137464
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT
COUNTY OF NASSAU
Nationstar Mortgage LLC
d/b/a Mr. Cooper, Plaintiff AGAINST Nassau County Public Administrator, as Limited Administrator of the Estate of Jonathan Rulx Clement a/k/a Jonathan R. Clement a/k/a Jonathan Clement; et al., Defendant(s)
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale
duly entered December 5, 2022 I, the undersigned
Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 28, 2023 at 2:00PM, premises known as 6 Pershing Avenue, Valley Stream, NY 11581.
Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792
Dated: January 12, 2023
74813
137442
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU
HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR WELLS FARGO ASSET SECURITIES CORPORATION, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-14, Plaintiff AGAINST CAROLINE BAILEY, ET AL.,
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT
COUNTY OF NASSAU
Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, as Trustee, for Carrington
Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2005-NC4 Asset
Backed Pass-Through
Certificates, Plaintiff
AGAINST
Nicolas Carpio a/k/a
Nicholas Carpio; et al.,
Defendant(s)
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale
duly entered December 17, 2013 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 29, 2023 at
All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Valley Stream, in the Town of Hempstead, Village of Valley Stream, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 39
Block 404 Lot 28.
Approximate amount of judgment $434,527.84 plus interest and costs.
Premises will be sold subject to provisions o f filed Judgment Index# 603897/2018. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19
Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed
Property established by the Tenth Judicial District.
Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”
Audra A. Divone, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC
Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile
Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered November 16, 2017, 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 April 4, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 892 BARRY DRIVE WEST, VALLEY STREAM, NY 11580. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at North Valley Stream, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section: 37, Block: 669, Lot: 8. Approximate amount of judgment $687,796.13 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #006691/2009. 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”. Barton Slavin, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 00-143967 75016 137621
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on June 4, 2019 and a Short Form Order duly entered on January 10, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on April 11, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 82 Ethel Street, Valley Stream, NY 11580. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Valley Stream, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 37, Block 267 and Lot 83. Approximate amount of judgment is $797,438.51 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #013769/2009. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale.
Ellen Durst, Esq., Referee Pincus Law Group, PLLC, 425 RXR Plaza, Uniondale, New York 11556, Attorneys for Plaintiff 137845
LEGAL NOTICE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR CARRINGTON MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, SERIES 2006-FRE1 ASSET-BACKED PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, Plaintiff, v. LISA HUMPHREY, JANE DOE (REFUSED NAME), Defendant. NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT
In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the Office of the County Clerk of Nassau County on November 23, 2022, I, Brian J. Davis, Esq. the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on April 11, 2023 at The North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501, County of Nassau, State of New York, at 3:00 PM the premises described as follows: 115 East Maple Street Valley Stream, NY 11580 SBL No: 37-2-8 & 9 ALL THAT TRACT OR PARCEL OF LAND situate in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York.
The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 601169/2019 in the amount of $852,925.43 plus interest and costs.
Foreclosure Auctions will be held Rain or Shine. 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.
Richard S. Mullen
Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP
Plaintiff’s Attorney
500 Bausch & Lomb Place Rochester, NY 14604 Tel.: 855-227-5072 137843
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY
COMPANY. NAME: RG Inspections, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York, (SSNY) on 12/8/2023. NY Office location: Nassau County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of the process to:76 Parkwold Dr S Valley Stream, NY 11580
Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. 137853
LEGAL NOTICE
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
INDEX NO. 609594/2022 COUNTY OF NASSAU
THE MONEY SOURCE INC.
Plaintiff, vs. SATNAM SINGH; SHINGARA SINGH; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; SUDHIR KUMAR ARORA if living, and if she/he be dead, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to
plaintiff, “JANE DOE” (REFUSED NAME); “JOHN DOE” (REFUSED NAME); “JOHN DOE” (REFUSED NAME), “JOHN DOE #4” 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.
Plaintiff designates NASSAU as the place of trial situs of the real property
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS
Mortgaged Premises:
1 BIRCHWOOD DRIVE, VALLEY STREAM, NY 11580
District: , Section: 37, Block: 556, Lot: 58
To the above named Defendants
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you.
NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF
SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $525,030.00 and interest, recorded on December 26, 2019, in Instrument Number 2019-114688, of the Public Records of NASSAU County, New York., covering premises known as 1 BIRCHWOOD DRIVE, VALLEY STREAM, NY 11580. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above.
NASSAU County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county.
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 mortgage company 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 mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action.
YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.
Dated: March 9, 2023
ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff Veronica Rundle, Esq. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbury, NY 11590 516-280-7675 137987
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT. NASSAU COUNTY. L&L ASSOCIATES HOLDING CORP., Pltf. vs. KAREN A. PUPKE, et al, Defts. Index #609115/2022. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered January 24, 2023, I will sell at public auction on the north front steps of Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY April 20, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. prem. k/a Section 39, Block 396, Lot 17. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Foreclosure auction will be held “rain or shine.” If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the auction. JANE SHRENKEL, Referee. LEVY & LEVY, Attys. for Pltf., 12 Tulip Dr., Great Neck, NY. #100154 137993
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE RMAC TRUST, SERIES 2016-CTT, Plaintiff, vs. MITCHELL MUROFF, ET AL., Defendant(s).
Pursuant to an Order
Confirming Referee’s Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on October 11, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court
Drive, Mineola, NY on April 18, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 706 Golf Drive, Valley Stream, NY 11581. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 39, Block 613 and Lot 16. Approximate amount of judgment is $1,027,937.45 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 602407/2018. Cash will not be accepted. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale.
Michael B. Mirotznik, Esq., Referee Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523, Attorneys for Plaintiff
137995
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU
U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCF 2 ACQUISITION TRUST, Plaintiff, AGAINST ROSE MARIRE SILNE, et al. Defendant(s) Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale duly entered on July 17, 2019. I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on April 18, 2023 at 2:00 PM premises known as 40 Foster Avenue, Valley Stream, NY 11580. Please take notice that this foreclosure auction shall be conducted in compliance with the Foreclosure Auction Rules for the Tenth Judicial District, Nassau County, and the COVID 19 Health Emergency Rules, including proper use of masks and social distancing.
All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Section 37, Block 427 and Lot 112A and 112B.
Long IsLand raIL
Road interim
President Catherine Rinaldi and
Metropolitan TransportationAuthority
Executive
Chief JannoLieber are re-routing four Grand Central Madison trains back to Penn Station after higher-thanexpected ridership on the West Side.
continued from front page
have happened 30 years ago, said Jack Halpern, who rides the Far Rockaway branch.
“I’m a lawyer, and my office is in the Grand Central area,” he said. “But of course, I don’t go all the time what with hybrid work. It would have been really helpful to have this service pre-Covid when I was going five days a week.”
Despite the benefits, however, Halpern did note that finding his way in and out of Grand Central has proven difficult.
“When exiting the station, going up the escalators is ridiculous, so I use the elevators. But they’re not all in the same area,” he said. “Entering the station, there is no clear signage on the street level to point you to what looks like a temporary construction elevator that takes you down into the station, so they have to make the signage a little clearer.”
Melvin Medina says commuting on the Babylon branch is “not so bad,” but feels the benefits tilt toward Grand Central commuters at the expense of everyone else.
“There used to be an express train straight to Penn Station,” the commuter from Bay Shore said. “Now, by around 8 a.m., I have to transfer to Wantagh to get to Penn, and the train stops at every stop.
“At the end of the day, you’ve just got to plan ahead. But I don’t really agree with all the changes made.”
Then there are commuters like Debby
continued from front page
had around 25 college supplemental essays to write with all of them due at around the same time period. I had to finish editing my personal statement and organize all of my extracurricular activities. So it was very overwhelming at the start.”
But for Qadri, it paid to go through the rigors of crafting a strong application and applying to as many worthwhile colleges as possible. One big reason: There’s just a lot more competition in the admissions process in recent years.
Judging criteria can vary vastly from school to school, noted Feuchs. And sometimes acceptance is based partly on what “institutional priorities” the school has for that given year, such as upping the number of first-generation college students or traditionally underrepresented students.
Washington who say navigating the new train schedule changes has been nothing but daily stress.
“I hate it. It’s just so much confusion going on,” the Wantagh commuter said. “It’s just not organized right now. The schedule is crazy, and the trains come out of nowhere with no announcements.
“I’m paying a lot of money in taxes, and my service is not that great. In fact, it’s getting worse.”
But a lot of that might simply be a resistance to change, based on long-term familiarity to what’s already been in place — even if what’s there now wasn’t all that great.
“I think people are used to what they had before, and so if you’ve been commuting to Penn Station for decades, it definitely throws a wrench in your regular routine,” said Amy Zervas of Merrick. “I travel to both stations, but I prefer Grand Central because there are fewer people on those trains. Either way, I’ve had no issues.”
While opinions appear sharply divided, Rinaldi reassured commuters that changes are being made as needed.
“We are going to be continuously making adjustments based upon ridership and loading data. We look at it every single day,” she said. “The Long Island Rail Road team is all over the rollout in terms of looking for trends, what ridership is looking like, what trains are popular, and adjusting accordingly.”
“The competitive nature of college and university admissions is out of control,” said Valley Stream Central High School District guidance director Kelly WhitneyRivera. “Everybody is performing well, and students [everywhere] are all applying to the same schools.”
The volume of those college applicants in the past two school years alone has ballooned by roughly 20 percent and is growing at a record rate, according to a report from application-processing nonprofit company Common Application.
Clear, hard markers of academic excellence — grades and standardized test scores — still weigh heavily on college admissions. And topnotch scores certainly give applicants a big leg up in securing scholarships and generous financial aid packages for the majority of colleges nationwide.
But many colleges that rolled back SAT and ACT exam score requirements amid wide cancellations during the pandemic have now shifted over to test-optional or test-blind policies — an idea flirted with by some colleges years before the pandemic.
“Students often have strong grades, but their standardized test scores may not be reflective of their academic profile. Some students just don’t do well on standardized tests,” said Ron Feuchs, an independent college counselor and founder of Stand Out For College, a company that helps families navigate the admissions process. “With test-optional, schools that normally would have been out of reach to these students [are now fair game] and this drives up the number of applications.”
Top colleges that are trying to place less stock in SAT and ACT scores are taking a “holistic” view of college applications in an effort to recruit a more diverse pool of candidates, students who may show immense promise even if they don’t neatly square with the standards that have conventionally been used to identify the ideal applicant.
But with more college applications for admissions officers to sift through and limited room for spots at top schools, students feel a greater need to stick out from the growing sea of applicants.
“In general, we tell students to make sure that they are well-rounded,” said Whitney-Rivera. “That they have courses that highlight their strengths and show that they are rigorous students. Activities that show they are involved with the community and contribute positively. But we also urge them to speak with their counselor about what each college institution that they’re applying to is looking for, because it varies and there’s no set formula anymore.”
Despite the anxiety of the application process, it pays to keep in mind that the great majority of colleges admit most of their applicants. A recent analysis by Pew Research found that among the roughly 1,300 colleges and universities sampled, more than half admitted two-thirds or more of their candidates.
Parents and students may flock to the big-name universities with historically low acceptance rates, hoping to leverage the school’s branding power to fast-track them to better career and internship opportunities, but prestige is not the only thing competitive applicants are looking for in a school.
Factors like access to a welcoming and enriching campus culture and a priority on mental health support are becoming top priorities for students.
“My current top options are Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern, and Columbia University, as I want to pursue my interests in research and computer science,” said Qadri. “But when it comes to considering which college I want to go to, my number-one priority is how my interests and personality will complement the student’s life. If I’m going to be at college most of the day, studying until long nights or just grabbing lunch, I want to be in an environment that’s vibrant, diverse and, most of all, fun.”
“We want to make sure that when students pick a school, they pick those that match every component of their life and in all the target areas: academics, financial, social, emotional, and overall well-being,” said Whitney-Rivera. “It’s going to be four years of your life, so we want to make sure they feel that they fit in socially and feel like it’s a home.”
As students wait to find out their college-admission decisions in the coming weeks., Qadri is grateful for the unflagging support of his counselor in applying “from solidifying a college list to pressing submit on the application, my school counselor was there for me every step of the way.”
If I’m going to be at college most of the day . . . I want to be in an environment that’s vibrant, diverse and, most of all, fun.
IbrahIm QadrI Senior, Valley Stream South High SchoolCourtesy Marc A. Hermann/Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Help Wanted
ACCOUNTING/BOOKKEEPING, AR/AP
Do you have accounting, bookkeeping, or AR/AP experience? Are you tired of being retired, or need a few days a week to keep your mind occupied? If so, please send us a quick email and we will call you to discuss more details. We are a Customs Broker looking for someone who can support our everyday accounting needs and who doesn’t necessarily need or want to work every day. We look forward to talking with you!!! Email: Jobs@agraservices.com
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MOTOR VEHICLE CLERK FT
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Small 1 Person Office, Customer Relations, Scheduling Appointments, Light Computer. Lynbrook. 516-561-1981. mkd2@optonline.net
The award-winning Herald Community Newspapers group, covering Nassau County's North and South Shores with hard-hitting news stories and gracefully written features, seeks a motivated, energetic and creative editor/reporter to join our dynamic (and awesome) team! This education and general assignment reporting position offers a unique experience to learn from some of the best in the business. Historically, reporters who have launched their careers with us have gone on to The New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, the New York Daily News, New York Post, CNN, BBC, NBC News and The Daily Mail, among many others. We look for excellent writers who are eager to learn, enhance their skills, and become well-established and respected journalists in our industry. To apply: Send a brief summary in the form of a cover letter describing your career goals and what strengths you can bring to our newsroom, along with a resume and three writing samples to mhinman@liherald.com
Richner Communications, One of the Fastest Growing Media, Event and Communications Companies on Long Island is Seeking a Sales/Marketing Candidate to Sell our Print Media Products and our Digital, Events, Sponsorships. Salary, Commission, Eligible for Health Benefits, 401k and Paid Time Off. Will Consider Part Time.
Please Send Cover Letter and Resume with Salary Requirements to rglickman@liherald.com or Call 516-569-4000 X250
PRESS-ROOM/WAREHOUSE HELP
Long Island Herald has IMMEDIATE openings for a FULL-TIME Pressroom/warehouse helper in Garden City. We are a busy print shop looking for a motivated and reliable individuals to assist in various duties in the shop. Forklift experience is a plus and heavy lifting is required. Hours vary, so flexibility is key. Email resumes or contact info to careers@liherald.com
PROPERTY and OPERATIONS MANAGER WANTED Freeport. Experienced Professional in Property Management, Operations and Maintenance. 4pm-7pm. Saturdays. 646-481-3076 EMAIL eagertoserve@verizon.net https://eagertoserve.site/ RECEPTIONIST/ P/T: SEASONAL, Warm, Friendly, Excellent People Skills, Office Work/ Customer Service, Beach Club. 516-239-2150
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Enjoy the finer things with this luxurious 6 bedroom, 4 full bathroom home. Create culinary masterpieces or just relax in style. This home features an eat-in kitchen complete with top-of-the-line appliances and a magnificent backyard oasis where you can soak up the sun or enjoy relaxing in the in-ground pool! Plus, there is a separate master suite upper level and a lower level equipped with its very own sauna. Call today 516.791.1313 to schedule a viewing!
Q. We just received a permit for our construction. The contractor asked why we also got a permit for a finished basement, which was there when we bought the house. He told us it’s just a Building Department “money grab,” and could have been avoided. We’re wondering why we had to spend money, and, since the basement was already finished, why we ended up with a second permit we didn’t need. The contractor said people call it “finished storage” all the time, and we’re wasting money to put in an expensive escape well, which we could have avoided, right?
A. It all sounds good, even though it’s not true, but if it sounds too good … You got bad advice from yet another ”expert” who knows just enough to sound confident. Telling you how much should be done should only be from their perspective as a contractor. Advising you to skirt the law (and get the architect to go along with it) is fine for them, since they have no responsibility if something bad happens.
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A finished basement without an escape well is considered a potentially dangerous and illegal use. Just like smoke detectors, an escape well is retroactive, required even after a permit has been issued if the use of the basement is “habitable,” such as a recreation room, exercise room, music room, hobby room or any other type of space you can occupy other than a utility room, laundry room or closet. These are rooms where people don’t generally spend a lot of time, unless of course they really like to do laundry, listen to their boiler hum or hide in small dark spaces, but that should be discussed with a different kind of professional.
Think about it. You spend hundreds of dollars a month on home insurance you’ll never see again, in most cases. Add to that the fact that in a disaster, which we collectively experienced during two hurricanes, insurance companies, which charged increasing fees for building values, turned around and then devalued the same buildings when it came time to pay out. Insurance companies don’t just write you a big fat check — maybe a “lowball”-value check, but not the full amount — and will spend money to investigate whether your home, and the way you used it, were legal.
Illegal use is just one of many ways to challenge the payout you thought you’d receive. I wonder if that came up in your conversation about avoiding the escape well. That escape well isn’t just a child’s only way out when the interior stairway is blocked by fire; it’s also the only way into the death trap for a rescuer. Taking the advice you quoted in your question is like going into a hospital and getting your diagnosis at the information desk. If you would take that advice, then this wasn’t the kind of hospital you needed to go to. Be wise and at least ask the professional. Good luck!
© 2022 Monte LeeperReaders are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.
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No one has given me a riddle to consider for a long time. But I can think of one. What’s the difference between U.S. Rep. George Santos and Fox News? The answer is that there is none. Neither can handle the truth.
Santos is two and a half months into his term in Congress, and even though some of his colleagues have condemned him, there seems to be no possibility that he will be removed from public office in the near future, so the lies will continue until the prosecutors call. With Republicans controlling the house by a very slim margin, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is badly in need of every vote. Even if Santos were a real-life Jack the Ripper, no effort would be made to oust him.
Fox’s case is much more serious. It’s one thing for a candidate to lie his way into office. It’s another thing for a network to knowingly distort the news to
millions of Americans and have no one who can discipline it.
The whole world knows what happened on Nov. 6, 2020, and on Jan. 6, 2021. There was a national election, and when the final tallies were in, Joe Biden won the presidency by roughly 7 million votes. The election deniers, led by Fox, ranted and roared, but Congress certified the election. It was done, over. But faced with a potential catastrophic loss of viewers, and profits, the network knowingly and willfully lied about the results, continuing to spread the nonsense that the election had been “fraudulently” conducted.
As if the election denialism wasn’t enough, Fox’s Tucker Carlson, armed with 40,000 hours of security video, now claims that the Jan. 6 insurrection was really a peaceful protest. There are people like former President Donald Trump who want you to believe that, but the footage that Carlson will never show tells the horrible story of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The next phase of Fox’s big lie was its promotion of the falsehood that Dominion voting machines were manip-
ulated to change votes from Trump to Biden. Fox gave airtime to numerous people who claimed that the voting machines were controlled by the government of Venezuela and other countries, which compounded the notion that the election had been stolen.
Dominion now has a major defamation suit against Fox. The litigation has resulted in the release of hundreds of pages of sworn testimony of Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch, wherein Murdoch states that he knew Fox was falsely claiming that the election had been stolen. Also among the evidence are emails and texts exchanged between Carlson and other Fox voices, admitting they had few doubts about the election results.
It’s one thing for a member of Congress, one of 435, to lie all the way from the campaign to the Capitol. It is a much bigger thing for a federally licensed television network to knowingly spread falsehoods about an election and a subsequent riot to millions of gullible people who are willing to believe those distortions.
It will be extremely difficult, under defamation law, for Dominion to prevail and for Fox to be punished for its deliberate conduct in its zest for profit and viewers. So, when you compare one man’s falsehoods with a television network’s commentators knowingly distorting the truth about issues of worldwide concern, there’s a big difference. Santos will eventually meet his fate, but what will happen to Fox?
Eventually, Murdoch will be forced to write a check for millions of dollars to compensate Dominion for its claimed damages. That will be considered little more than the cost of doing business, and in time the story will fade away.
But, sadly, there is no mechanism to adequately punish a network for its willful neglect of the truth. In the end, the only group that will have any say over Fox’s future is its viewers. If they fail to punish the network, it is a message to all the George Santoses of the world that blatant lying is permissible conduct.
Jerry Kremer was an Assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? jkremer@liherald.com.
“You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”
–Pablo NerudaDon’t believe me. Don’t believe the National Weather Service. But come hell or high water (and both are coming!), you better believe the Farmers’ Almanac. Those dudes, with their secret algorithms and witching sticks, are forecasting a challenging spring, followed by a beastly hot summer.
vived, and only sunny days will lie ahead. At least, that’s what the poets say.
Have you seen any of the early signs of spring?
According to the Almanac, worms begin to emerge from the ground this month. Indeed, the March moon is called the full worm moon.
Birds are migrating northward, along the path of the sun. Apparently, the increasing sunlight inspires birdsong.
by Covid isolations. Too many older residents in our communities have been shut in all winter, hindered by the cold and the fear of falling on the ice. People have been afraid to drive. For several weeks, amid successive storms, cabin fever went viral.
Spring will officially arrive next Monday at 5:24 p.m. EDT, when the sun crosses the equator, sailing north. However, the Farmers’ Almanac says cold temperatures, freezing rain and even snow may dot the northern landscape well into April. You were expecting daffodils and lilacs? You know very well that nothing rolls the way it used to, including the weather.
Eventually the lilacs will bloom and our hearts, slowed and steadied by hours and days in sedentary hibernation, will dance to a livelier beat. We will have sur-
Of course, trees, shrubs and flowers are reactive to temperature and sunlight. According to the F.A., since ancient times, people have used flora as indicators of when the time is right to plant. For example, when the crocus blooms, it’s the cue to plant radishes, parsnips and spinach.
The agonizing turn from hard winter to early spring feels hopeful. You don’t have to live on a farm to study the Farmers’ Almanac and appreciate the old-time folk tales and wisdom. Did you know, for example, that you could balance an egg on its end during the vernal equinox? It’s true. You can balance it on other days as well, but it makes a good story.
Many of us have been suffering serious winter fatigue or worse, exacerbated
MI offer an it-can-alwaysbe-worse story. We have kids and grandkids out West in a small High Sierra mountain town you may be reading about. The teenage grandkids have had two days of school in the last two-plus weeks. High walls of snow line the few roads that have been plowed. The interstate that connects them to the rest of the world has been closed on and off for weeks. In the last 10 days, 12 feet of snow fell. That isn’t a typo. And last weekend they were expecting another three feet.
The kids have been entertaining themselves by jumping off the roofs into the snow. They dug a path out of the house for the dog, who would rather stay inside by the fire, thank you. My grandson’s high school closed for a time because the roof was caving in. People who live there to ski can’t ski. No hiking. No biking. No skateboarding. Epic cabin fever abounds.
Even here on Long Island, you can admire the pristine mornings for just so long. Cravings for carbs have driven our meal choices. Our skin is pasty, our muscles like Jell-O. I have faith that any day now, the mercury will start rising and the sun will dry out the soggy flowerbeds where spring flowers are trying to set roots. The season may not have turned yet, but we have reason to hope, and I will predict a balmy end to April.
The Almanac agrees. They say it will be a slow and stormy warmup, but it will come. What will also come is another blast of wicked weather this summer.
According to the F.A., “Another threat of severe weather, this one more widespread, is forecast around the time of the June solstice, as a surge of very warm, humid, and unstable air triggers showers, violent thunderstorms and possibly even a twister or two” in the central and eastern parts of the country.
Let’s ground ourselves in this moment. The rule is: When the sun takes its place over the equator, it is spring in the northern hemisphere. Winter is all memory; summer is just over the horizon. It is inevitable, and it is elemental. As Neruda says, “You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”
Copyright 2023 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.
y teenage grandkids have had two days of school in the last twoplus weeks.
It’s one thing to lie your way into office.
But a network that knowingly distorts news?JERRY KREMER
Where did our collective societal grudge against mornings come from?
Our fictional universe presents mornings as bright sunlight pouring through our curtains. Birds happily chirping outside our windows. The smell of freshly brewed coffee — and, if we’re lucky, a hearty breakfast of pancakes and eggs.
Reality, however, includes tightly pulled curtains. Birdsong drowned out by the 12 alarms we’ve set on our iPhones. And by the time we get that coffee, we’re already in the car and stuck in the drivethrough.
Yet we as a society don’t truly show how much we dislike mornings until it comes to daylight saving time — when we push our clocks ahead an hour at the start of spring, with the hope of enjoying more sunlight and fewer stars.
In fact, the whole idea of daylight saving is to push more sunlight into the evenings, and less into our mornings. So, if we were hoping for more sunlight to fill our bedrooms as we wake up, we better consider sleeping in.
If your day starts at 6 a.m., then you’re experiencing what it was like at 5 a.m. just a week ago, when standard time was still in effect. And really, it is still 5 a.m. — just not in the reality where the Uniform Time Act of 1966 exists.
Twice a year, we revisit the same argument: Why is moving our clocks backward and forward still a thing? We debate the origins, the supposed environmental benefits, and how all of that applies — or
To the Editor:
doesn’t apply — to today. In general, we come to the same conclusion: We don’t like moving our clocks back and forth twice a year.
Why do we still do it? Blame Congress. And not just for the 1966 bill signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, but for not ending this nonsense once and for all in the decades since then.
We actually came very close to making daylight saving time permanent across the United States with a Senate bill introduced by Marco Rubio. Modeled after a similar bill that had passed in Rubio’s home state of Florida, the Sunshine Protection Act earned support on both sides of the political aisle — from Democrats like Sheldon Whitehouse, of Rhode Island, to Republicans like then President Donald Trump himself.
The bill was actually passed by the Senate last year through unanimous consent, although some senators later complained that they didn’t know the bill was part of a consent package, and that if they had, they would have voted against it.
Yet all the Sunshine Protection Act needed was a thumbs-up from the House, and President Biden’s signature. It got neither, and thus, last weekend, we got to experience once again a shift in time for no other reason than to make evening daylight longer.
Is this all much ado about nothing? No, says neurologist Beth Ann Marlow, who teaches at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. She has studied clock-changing across the country for the past five years,
and found that “the transition to daylight saving time each spring affects health immediately after the clock change, and also for the nearly eight months that Americans remain on daylight saving time.”
Marlow shared these findings with TheConversation.com last year, saying that the question shouldn’t be whether to end clock changes, but whether we should stick with standard time or daylight saving. Her choice? Standard time, which is closer to geological time, when the sun is highest at noon.
While daylight saving might allow for more sports to be played in sunlight after school, it also means that many who wake up before 8 a.m. to catch a bus are doing so in the dark.
Having the sun set earlier — at least according to our clocks — could help with sleep, too. Extended light in the evening delays the brain’s release of melatonin, the hormone that promotes drowsiness. It’s even worse for teenagers in the throes of puberty, Marlow adds, when melatonin already gets a late release, meaning our young minds are getting even less sleep.
Too often, we continue to embrace practices because they’ve always existed — Black Friday, scrambling an egg, making our beds in the morning only to mess them up again at night. But there are some practices that should indeed become a remnant of the past. And changing our clocks twice a year to accommodate daylight saving time can’t be eliminated fast enough.
A word on the March 21 Valley Stream mayoral election.
The incumbent bought a second courthouse on Rockaway Avenue in 2012 for $880,000. He spent six years and untold millions of your tax dollars on “renovations.”
In our tech-savvy age, investing in brick-and-mortar is marching backward — especially since the Village Hall auditorium already is a perfect courthouse, with ample parking. This money-drain resulted in his puncturing the New York state 2 percent tax cap three times: A 4.5 percent hike in 2013, 6.8 percent hike in 2016, and a 4.5 percent hike in 2021.
These excessive hikes mean you’re paying 10 percent more now in taxes than is fair — every year. Moody’s didn’t like this second courthouse either, awarding Valley Stream a credit rating of “junk.” State comptroller
Tom DiNapoli lists Valley Stream among the worst-performing villages on Long Island.
In 2022, the mayor permitted a plumbing company to send a sales letter for sewer line insurance to Valley
st. Patrick’s “Day” is actually several weeks of events commemorating Irish culture and traditions and Irish-America’s contributions to the American mosaic. The highlight event, of course, is the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, on the actual St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. But there are parades throughout the metropolitan area in the weeks leading up to and following the big day.
I can recall marching in numerous parades in communities including Bethpage, Glen Cove, Islip, Mineola, Rockaway, Rockville Centre and Wantagh. These were festive, upbeat events. What drew attention and controversy, however, was when, as Nassau County comptroller, I was elected by parade delegates to be grand marshal of the New
York City parade in 1985. The centuriesold struggle between the Irish and the British, euphemistically called the Troubles, was then in the 17th year of its latest manifestation in Northern Ireland, which included shootings, bombings, mass imprisonments and hunger strikes to the death.
I had visited Northern Ireland numerous times, including a fact-finding trip to Belfast with Senator Al D’Amato in December 1980, just after his election. Then I served as a member of a tribunal in Belfast investigating abuses by the British army and observing trials of accused Irish Republican Army members in non-jury courts. From these visits, where I met with people on all sides, and from my own study and analysis, I concluded that the main cause of the violence in Northern Ireland was British oppression and denial of human rights to the Catholic community. I concluded that the only solution would be all-party talks, which would include
Streamers. The mayor then agreed to put a $179.88 charge on every homeowner’s tax bill, unless they took the burdensome step of “opting out.” No one received a contract beforehand, and no one signed a contract.
The $179.88 is optional sewer insurance, masquerading as a tax. If you pitched the sales letter, you were victimized.
Look on your tax bill. If you see “sewer sewer,” you were sold insurance you didn’t ask for. By the way, most Valley Streamers can obtain such coverage as an add-on to homeowners insurance at a fraction of the cost.
The above is why I’m supporting Anthony Bonelli for mayor. He’s the seasoned manager Valley Stream needs. Take a peek at his experience:
■ Director of local area networks for New York City’s sanitation department
■ Director of information technology for New York City’s ethics board
■ Director of network operations for the New York City police pension fund.
When we “elect a mayor,” what it really means is “hire a manager” for the village’s $42 million budget. We’ve never had a better-qualified manager to “hire.”
BILL FReDA Valley StreamEditor’s Note: This letter is republished from last week, because it contained changes from the original submission that rendered parts of it incorrect.
To the editor:
Re Randi Kreiss’s column last week, “Writers will tell the story of our times”: We don’t have the luxury of time, since we’re off the rails already. What good will it be if novelists and playwrights find the truth and bring it to us, if fewer and fewer people are reading?
Our media has to step up and present the truth in an unvarnished manner, and let the people be swayed by the facts. Media bias, by holding back on reporting certain stories, is the poison of our time. The media should be questioning everything and holding everyone accountable, regardless of party.
We have been plagued by censorship and the demonization of people who have alternative views. The shouting and screaming at meetings does no one any good. We must step back and put our country and its people first, and not be scared to say that. Too many self-serving agendas must be the next balloon that has to be shot down.
TONY GIAMeTTASinn Fein, the party representing the IRA and a majority of the Catholic population in Northern Ireland.
Not surprisingly, the British government of Margaret Thatcher denounced my election as grand marshal of the 1985 parade. So, too, did the Irish government, which announced that it would boycott the parade and not allow any Irish official to march or participate in it in any way. Both governments pressured Cardinal John O’Connor to break with tradition and refuse to greet me on the steps of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the day of the parade. This led to a one-on-one meeting between the cardinal and me just days before the parade, following which O’Connor agreed to review the parade and recognize me as the duly elected grand marshal.
This incensed British officials, who increased the pressure on O’Connor, which only moved him to support me more strongly and make our public
handshake (labeled by British media as the “handshake of shame”) the centerpiece of parade coverage. A consequence of all this controversy was death threats, which made it necessary for me to wear a bulky bulletproof vest and be escorted by Nassau County Police Department detectives and NYPD undercover officers along the 40-block parade route and then the rest of the day on the reviewing stand.
Fast-forward 13 years. By then a congressman, I had worked closely with President Bill Clinton and British and Irish officials to advance the Irish peace process, culminating in the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998, which brought peace to Ireland for the first time in almost 800 years. Sinn Fein had been a party to the talks, and was a key signatory to the agreement. Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, the prime ministers of Great Britain and Ireland, the leaders of the countries that years earlier had condemned me as grand marshal, thanked me for my efforts!
Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
by Tim Baker
Oceanside
on St. Patrick’s Day in 1985, I needed a police escort and a bulletproof vest.
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