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HERALD Another way to be safe: text 911
Sunrise project finishing up
Stefans helps lift women up
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Vol. 34 No. 47
NoVEMBER 16 - 22, 2023
$1.00
Four years of free school meals for all for four years. From Nov. 1 of this year to June 2027, breakfasts and hot At the height of the corona- meals will be free for all Valley virus pandemic, students in Stream students, regardless of public schools across the state, financial hardship or need. i n c l u d i n g Va l l e y S t r e a m , While they will be served the received breakfasts and hot same food as in previous years, the program will lunches at no exclude additional charge, but the panindulgences or “a demic emergency la carte items” like benefit was never chips, cookies and meant to last. ice cream. When the 2022 T his extended school year started, provision has been federal funding had heralded by school dried up. The proo f f i c i a l s, p u bl i c gram was pulled, health experts, and and more than stakeholders as a 700,000 students major win for famistatewide, includlies, easing their ing many in Valley financial strain and Stream, lost access shielding their chilto free school dren from hunger meals. MiChAEllE on a scale largely What a dif fer- SolAgES unseen in Valley ence a year makes. Assemblywoman Stream. A federal move to “This is a signifexpand eligibility for a separate and much older icant step forward in the disf r e e - m e a l s p r o g r a m h a s trict’s ongoing efforts to provide nutritious breakfast and stepped in to take the place of lunch to all students while simthe pandemic effort. Known as the Community plifying the process for famiEligibility Provision, the pro- lies,” Valley Stream District 30 gram grants virtually the same noted in a statement. “With CEP approval, there benefit to Valley Stream students, but extends its coverage Continued on page 10
By JUAN lASSo
jlasso@liherald.com
Christina Casillo/Herald
Cub scouts say ‘thank you’ to veterans Valley Stream’s Cub Scout Pack 367 paid tribute to those who’ve served at the village’s Veterans Day event at the Bandshell last weekend. Story, more photos, page 3.
Valley Stream wants safer streets, and room for everyone By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
Making their way through one of the most densely packed areas in the state, the quality and condition of Valley Stream’s roads have garnered close attention. The design of village streets not only shapes the village’s economy, pace of living and quality of life, but also connects Long Island to the greater New York area and beyond. Residents tuned in via livestream to a Community Planning Workshop on Nov. 9 to wrestle with new possibilities to reinvent, modify or improve those village streets, amid growing calls for greater pedestrian safety, walkability and ease of transport. The goal of the talk, hosted by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, in partnership with the village, was to gather input from
residents, along with data from an online survey, to create a formal report. The report will narrow down and identify key transportation solutions in Valley Stream that can be used to help secure federal funding for new projects. While residents clashed over the best solutions, almost all expressed forceful concern for the frightening traffic on village streets, where cars are largely to blame. “A lot of what we heard about the community survey is hazardous conditions on Merrick Road and Sunrise Highway,” said Jesika Tixi, the discussion’s coordinator. “With the right redesign elements, you can promote safety and mobility.” Far and away the best way to achieve this, Tixi said, is through traffic-calming interventions. “Traffic-calming” is not a specific design method, but more of a catch-all term that encompasses Continued on page 20
F
unding this program is a cost-effective way to combat food insecurity ... and reduce the cost of living in our state.