______________ VALLEY STREAM _____________
HERALD $1.00
South High holds Poetry out loud
New superintendent for District 13
Tom Suozzi is running for governor
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Vol. 32 No. 49
DECEMBER 2 - 8, 2021
Covid’s fallout for the hungry Local food pantry pulls out all stops to feed families in need relied on the support of community donations from schools and residents as well as regional food Thanksgiving may be over, bank organizations like Long but with the wintry festivities in Island Cares and Long Island full swing, families will once Harvest to stock its inventory. again gather for hearty platefuls “We anticipated a shortfall of of turkey and holifood and turkeys, d ay t r i m m i n g s. but we’ve been pleasWhile the scene of antly surprised that loved ones enjoying people really have a hearty meal come through and together is deeply remembered that ingrained in the lore people are still in of the holidays, for need . . .,” said Sister many food-insecure Margie Kelly, the families, this picdirector of the outture-perfect vision is reach program at a distant dream too the church, who costly to make real. coordinates the At least, not on their efforts of dozens of SiSTER own. volunteers to collect, At a time when MaRgiE KElly sanitize, store, and residents brave an Outreach director, distribute meat and unstable food supply canned items to feed and increased food Holy Name of Mary a range of families. prices, a growing “A n y b o dy c a n number of families have turned come to receive food as long as to local pantries to help put food they live within our parish on their plates. Pantries and dis- boundaries, but if they don’t, we tribution centers throughout can easily refer them to one of Valley Stream—like the Saint our neighboring parishes,” Kelly Vincent de Paul food pantry pro- said. gram at Holy Name of Mary It first starts with an intake Church—have been critical in process, for which clients are ensuring that the most vulnera- asked a series of questions about ble residents are fed. The church-based pantry has Continued on page 9
By JuaN laSSo jlasso@liherald.com
P
Juan Lasso/Herald
VallEy STREaM’S BuilDiNg inspector, Mohamed Azeez, now accesses the permit application portal through the village website.
Village breaks in new building permit website By JuaN laSSo jlasso@liherald.com
The Village of Valley Stream Building Department has modernized its building permit application process by going digital with streamlined, user-friendly software. Residents can now submit their building permit applications online through the village’s OpenGov website. The latest update was launched in early November, following the example of the Town of Hempstead after it went live with its software upgrade a
year and a half ago. For those new to the seemingly mundane world of building permit applications and assessments, any person looking to remodel or construct a building on their property generally must apply for a building permit to ensure the project complies with local land use, zoning and construction standards. That could mean something as small as a new window to an extension on a house. With this new website, gone are the days when residents had to make the trek to
Village Hall to manually fill out and file a carbon-copy paper application. Gone, too, is the rather arcane rule that the village could only receive cash and checks to pay for building permit fees. Residents are now able to do everything online from anywhere and anytime and make their payments via credit card. Building Department Supervisor Jen Piazza-Minori said the village’s old system ran on a traditional KVS servContinued on page 11
eople really have come through and remembered that people are still in need.