Valley Stream Herald 12-31-2020

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Valley Stream

HERALD 2020

YEAR IN REVIEW

DECEMBER 31, 2020 - JANuARY 6, 2021

What’s

Vol. 32 No. 1

Always there to lend a hand

INSIDE

By Peter Belfiore pbelfiore@liherald.com

D Peter Belfiore/Herald xx/Herald

Valley Streamer alleges neighbors xx racially harassed her.

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Peter Belfiore/Herald xx/Herald

George Floyd protests come xx to Valley Stream.

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Melissa Koenig/Herald xx/Herald

LIJ Valley Stream preps for first xx coronavirus wave.

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uring the first harrowing weeks of the coronavirus pandemic in March, lifelong Valley Streamer and Fire Department Emergency Medical Technician Mike Field told fellow volunteers that he would be among those who contracted the virus.

“We told him to watch himself,” said Tracey Calhoun, a fellow longtime Rescue Company No. 1 EMT and friend, who encouraged Field to let others ride in the ambulance.“You’d say,‘Mike, take a break,’” she recalled.

His answer, though, was always the same.“If I’m around, I’m going to do it,” he’d said.

Fatefully, Field’s prediction came true. After transporting a Covid-19 patient in late March, he came down with the disease himself. Roughly a week later, on April 8, he died of complications of the virus. He was 59.

For his bravery and selfless sacrifice in the face of the unknown, the Herald is proud to name Field our 2020 Person of the Year.

As far as the recognition is concerned, there’s no doubt, his family and closest friends said, that he would hate it.

“He’s cursing us out right now,” his middle son, Richard, 23, said.

“He never wanted any pats on the back, no ‘good job’s. He didn’t care about any of that,” said Jason Croak, a close family friend and fellow firefighter who was chief of the department at the time of Field’s death.

Croak posthumously promoted Field to the rank of chief.

The son of Polish immigrants, Field dedicated some of his teenage years and nearly his entire adult life to the fire service, joining the Valley Stream Junior Fire Department, then known as Explorers, while he was at Central High School, and later becoming a volunteer in the VSFD, where he served for 33 years.

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NEWS

Mike Field

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Jason Croak VSFD

He was also a career EMT for the New York City Fire Department, and a first responder during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Although he was too young

Infections as of Dec. 28

For BrEAKING go to liherald.com

HERALD PERSON oF tHE YEAR

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at the time to remember, Richard Field said he believed the trauma his father suffered from witnessing so much death and destruction likely led to him to retire from the FDNY a few years later. He went on to work in the Village of Valley Stream sign shop.

Richard said he was unsure why, precisely, his father joined the fire service, but he and his two brothers followed their father’s lead in becoming FDNY EMTs, with the youngest, Jason, currently on the waitlist. Seeing firsthand what the job is, Richard said, he understands its appeal.

“We grew up around that firehouse, around that brotherhood and sisterhood, and that’s what drew me to be there and be a first responder in general,” he said.“It’s about family and helping others; it’s about putting yourself out there.”

Field was well known for putting others before himself.“He was a guy who’d always go above and beyond for everybody,” Croak said.“Whatever you asked, even if he didn’t want to, he’d do it.”

“He was just a guy who was always there,” Calhoun said.“He was always there to lend a helping hand. If you needed something from Mike, he’d give you the shirt off his back.”

“You could always count on Mike to do anything,” said Mike Seltzer, another Rescue No. 1 EMT. The two had known each other for more than 30 years.

Field was a steady presence in the firehouse, with Calhoun recalling how, in 2011, Field helped her deliver a baby in the department ambulance — a first for the VSFD. While she had delivered a baby once before as an FDNY EMT, it was Continued on page 4 Courtesy VSFD

Mike Field was a Valley Stream Fire Department EMT who died in the line of duty after transporting a coronavirus patient during the first week of the pandemic.

December 31, 2020 — VALLEY STREAM HERALD

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First baby born on L.I. in 2020 is from Valley Stream The New Year brings a whole host of new: fresh calendars, resolutions, hopes for spring and a bump in gym memberships. This one even brought a new decade, but for Valley Stream couple Tami Hall and Bernard Nichols, it offered something much more special because at 12:03 a.m. on Jan. 1, their son Bernard Kasey Hall Nichols III came into the world as the first baby born on Long Island in 2020.

“It was definitely the best present,”

YEAR IN REVIEW JANUARY

Hall said of her son, who is now the younger brother to the couple’s four-year-old, Kaiden.

As with many new births, she said it brought a range of emotions, including excitement, nervousness and anxiety. “It’s a change,” she said.

Courtesy Mount Sinai South Nassau

Valley Stream parents Bernard Nichols and Tami Hall with their son Bernard Kasey Hall Nichols III.

Contract lapse leaves seniors without food assistance About 50 seniors at Valley Stream’s Charles J. Monica Senior Village apartments,who qualify for food aid through a state assistance program, have stopped receiving food shipments because a Long Island vendor was unable to meet new New York State Department of Health requirements.

For the past five years, Catholic Charities, a nonprofit service agency that operates through the Diocese of Rockville Centre, provided food assistance to the residents in need at the Valley Stream facility, and 4,000 other low-income senior Long Islanders, through the state’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program.

In January, however, the state’s contract with Catholic Charities expired, and citing new Health Department

Valley Streamers last week took to social media and inundated Sanitation Department officials with complaints after what they say was a botched rollout of the village’s newly implemented dualstream recycling schedule.

The most common criticism was of the lack of notification of the changes after the Jan. 10 completion of the first cycle under the new system, which alternates the pickup of glass, plastic and metal recyclables one week, and paper and cardboard the next.

“It really didn’t help that today was windy,” one resident, Christopher DeVoe, wrote in a post on Jan. 8. “I really feel that the village didn’t edu-

cate us enough on the recycling . . .

There is going to be a learning curve to this. The majority of people on my block put out paper yesterday.”

His was among more than 100 comments on various community pages voicing similar sentiments. The week of Jan. 6 was intended for plastic, glass and metal recyclables. In cases where residents had put out the wrong items for that week, sanitation workers were advised to leave them on the curb, according to village officials, resulting in situations in which cardboard was left out and strewn across the street by the wind while residents were at work.

Graphic by Christina Daly/Herald

LIJ V.S. prepares as coronavirus looms

standards, the nonprofit declined to renew it, leaving a service gap on the Island for the supplement program.

At least a handful of residents at Monica Village, who depended on the program for supplementary food at least once a month, said they were caught off guard when the deliveries stopped. The program provided them with about $25 worth of food a month, including cheese, peanut butter, dry milk, cereal, vegetables, fruits, pasta and tuna.

YEAR IN REVIEW FEBRUARY

Christina Daly/Herald

Monica Village residents Carol Diodato, left, and Diane Johnson said food assistance deliveries have stopped since a lapse in the program’s vendor contract.

Nearly 100 people died of a new strain of the coronavirus on Feb. 11, marking the deadliest day of the outbreak that began last month. It had already killed more than 1,000 people worldwide.

Long Island Jewish Valley Stream officials said they were prepared to deal with any new cases of the coronavirus should they appear in the region. The hospital’s executive director, David Seligman, said his administration had already educated medical staff about the protocols that the hospital has in place to address the disease.

“This isn’t, frankly, as complicated as some people in the community think it is,” Seligman said.“We have a screening process on many infectious dis-

eases, now including the novel coronavirus, ultimately [to] make sure the community is safe.”

The disease, which the World Health Organization dubbed COVID19, is believed to have originated in bat livestock for sale at a fish market in Wuhan, China, in late January — although global health experts noted that there may have been an intermediate host that spread the new strain to humans. At press time there were more than 680 cases reported outside China, with 15 confirmed in the United States.

Melissa Koenig/Herald

Dr. Salvatore Pardo, chairman of LIJ’s Department of Emergency Medicine, pointed out signs about the coronavirus in the emergency room’s entrance.

VALLEY STREAM HERALD — December 31, 2020

New recycling program gets off to a rough start

December 31, 2020 — VALLEY STREAM HERALD

4

‘He’d give you the shirt off his back’ Continued from front page

Bridge on the Southern State Parkway to enhis 38th delivery. For the younger volunteers, sure that future generations derive inspiration Field was a calm mentor, Richard said, turning from Mike’s life of service and sacrifice.” mistakes into learning opportunities.

Field also loved practical jokes, and was “He had a lot of knowledge you couldn’t known for his deep, infectious belly laugh. get anywhere else,” Seltzer said.“He taught “He’d know how to make a room laugh,” me a lot of things, and led met to a career in Calhoun said.“He brought laughter and smiles EMS.” to everybody.”

Field was also active with the Valley “He always joked,” Croak said.“He never reStream Junior Firefighters.“That ally took life seriously. You knew was his pride and joy,” Calhoun if you were with him, you’d be said of his preparing prospechaving a good time and laughtive firefighters to join the ing.” department.“He loved being “He was a character, but he around all the kids and making was my character,” Seltzer said.

OF THE sure they were taken care of,” At home, the jokes took Croak said. the form of an egg broken He was also involved the over one of his son’s heads, or Cub Scouts and Little League, a frightful scare, which Richard and each year was involved in organizing said he and his brothers often paid back. the Nassau County Fire Riders’ Christmas in “He scared very easily,” his son joked.

June toy drive for patients at Cohen Children’s While Field approached much of life Medical Center in Queens. lightheartedly, Richard said, he took being a In addition to the lives that he touched father very seriously.“When it came to school and helped save, Field left another mark on and home life, he didn’t mess around,” he said.

Valley Stream. On Oct. 3, roughly six months “If you screwed up, you were grounded.” after his death, the Corona Avenue span over He also loved animals, and always had a the Southern State Parkway, near Exit 15, was number of dogs. His son recounted when his named in his honor. State Sen. Todd Kaminsky father rescued nearly a dozen cats that had authored the law to rename the bridge. escaped a fire. Field even mused about own“Mike epitomized heroism,” Kaminsky ing a pet goat, and his dream, if he ever were said,“and earlier this year, I was proud to unveil to leave Valley Stream, was to own a farm with the newly designated Michael Field Memorial animals, Richard said.

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But he never did leave Valley Stream, and it was the neighborhood and its residents that kept him here, his loved ones said.“He loved helping the community, he loved serving the community, and he loved protecting the community, which is what the fire service is all about,” Calhoun said.

Richard noted a common refrain of his father about his hometown that proved prophetic. Of Valley Stream, Field said,“I was born and raised here, and I’m going to die here.”

Photos courtesy Brian Grogan/Valley Stream Fire Department

Members of the Valley Stream Fire Department assembled outside South Sinai South Nassau to salute Field shortly after his death. He died in the line of duty after transporting a Covid-19 patient.

Field, above left, with fellow Rescue Company EMT Mike Seltzer at the village Memorial Day parade in 2019.

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Tuesday, March 17 was St. Patrick’s Day, and normally one of the biggest days of business for Buckley’s Restaurant and Bar, according to bartender Kenny Collins. With a pandemic looming, however, the Irish pub was facing a nightmare.

On Monday, March 16, all bars, restaurants and gyms in New York state were ordered to close indefinitely, except for takeout service. Collins’s mood was sour as he worried what the order could mean for the 51-year fixture in Valley Stream. Certainly, it would put a dent in business.

“No one wants to get alcohol to go,” he said.

The shutdown was made through an executive order by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a bid to slow the spread of

VALLEY STREAM HERALD — December 31, 2020

Businesses grapple with coronavirus shutdowns

LIJ V.S. confirms 40 cases, braces for more

the COVID-19 strain of coronavirus, which as of press time on Tuesday had killed two people in Nassau County and infected 139. Additionally, gatherings of more than 50 people were banned. The full economic toll on local business was unlikely to be known for weeks, if not months.

“No one wants to close down, but it’s the right thing to do,” Collins said. “You don’t want people to get sick, so you do what you have to do.”

Long Island Jewish Valley Stream says it has 40 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with more expected on the way, according to Dr. Salvatore Pardo chairman of emergency medicine, as the hospital braces for a flood of new patients.

It is a dramatic departure from a month ago, when the Herald last spoke to him about the hospital’s procedures should a case of the COVID-19 virus strain come through its doors.

Then, the attention was on preventing its spread into the United States from overseas.

“The situation has changed,” he said. “We’re no longer focusing on people who have travelled.”

All staff as well as patients are now

YEAR IN REVIEW MARCH

Peter Belfiore/Herald

Sip This co-owner Stephanie Pontillo and manager Anthony Natoli. With a switch to takeout only, the coffee shop is already feeling the negative economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

required to wear surgical masks, and already they have been asked to ration the use of the N95 surgical mask, which offer some of the best protection against infection, even reusing them in some cases as health experts say medical supply chains are stretched thin, and as the outbreak is expected to continue in the United States for an extended period of time.

“We’re making sure that people understand that this is a long journey,” Pardo said, “and that we anticipate that we’ll need to worry about having masks not just today, but also masks weeks down the road, maybe months.”

Christina Daly/Herald

Long Island Jewish Valley Stream announced its first coronavirus cases in late March, and braced for many more.

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6

Valley Streamer survives after 29 days of Covid Peace Corps volunteer forced home amid pandemic The winters can be tough in Radomyshl, a city of nearly 15,000 people in northern Ukraine. At a few points the heat broke down in the small house that Valley Stream North High School graduate and Peace Corps volunteer Victoria Tytone had rented out.

But for nearly a year and a half she persevered, building a life there, albeit a temporary one, teaching English to

YEAR IN REVIEW APRIL

All of that ended abruptly, however, on March 16, when all Peace Corps volunteers worldwide were recalled to the United States from their respective countries as the coronavirus pandemic tightened its grip on the world,.

Courtesy Victoria Tytone

Victoria Tytone with Dima, a cocker spaniel she adopted while living in Ukraine, on the plane back to the United States.

Mother-daughter covid patients go home together Mildred Songcuan, 61, and her daughter Melissa Morales, 40, of Elmont, were both hospitalized at Northwell Health’s LIJ Valley Stream with Covid-19, but Mother’s Day came two days early for the pair when they were discharged from the hospital together on May 8.

More than two dozen staff members lined the hospital lobby to greet the two with shouts and applause as they were rolled out of the building on gurneys. Even through shrouds of protective facial coverings, the emotion was clear on their faces.

It was, however, a bittersweet moment for both, because they left behind Songcuan’s husband and Morales’s father, Isaias Songcuan, 62, who was the most gravely ill of the

Robert Sidberry, 55, of Valley Stream, said it felt like he was drowning.

“I was gasping and fighting for air,” he said, recalling the day he was admitted to Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre with pneumonia caused by Covid19, the disease brought on by the coronavirus. “I was cold, throwing up over and over again . . . I had a fever, and my lungs felt like something was weighing them down.”

It was March 16, and after doctors administered a test, he was soon confirmed as a positive Covid-19 case.

Two days later, Sidberry stopped breathing on his own.

Staff inserted a plastic tube in his

three and had been in the hospital’s intensive care unit. As has become common for Covid-19, the disease brought on by the virus, it tore through the household, spreading amongfamily members.

While Songcuan said being able to go home with her daughter was a “blessing,” Morales, who is a mother herself, said quietly through sobs that she could not wait to hold her own daughter.

Her parents had been admitted to LIJ the same day, April 24.

YEAR IN REVIEW MAY

Peter Belfiore/Herald

Mildred Songcuan was discharged from LIJ Valley Stream on May 8 after a 15-day battle with Covid.

throat, a procedure called intubation, and hooked him up to a mechanical ventilator, which breathed for him. As medical knowledge of the coronavirus expands, one constant has remained: Patients who are intubated are most likely to die of the disease.

Two weeks later, however, Siberry started to breathe on his own again.

After 29 days in the hospital, he was discharged on April 15, becoming the first intubated Covid-19 patient to leave the hospital alive.

Courtesy Joe Lanzetta, Mercy Medical Center

On April 15, Robert Sidberry became the first intubated Covid-19 patient to survive at Mercy Medical Center, and was discharged after 29 days in the hospital.

Holy Name of Mary pastor dies of Covid-19 Monsignor Romualdo Sosing, who for the past nine years served as pastor of the Holy Name of Mary Church in Valley Stream, died on Sunday of complications of Covid-19, after testing positive for the virus in early May. He was 67.

“He impacted the life of people through his preaching in the pulpit,” said the Rev. Adolfo Novio, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Shrub Oak, who worked alongside Sosing for many years in Sosing’s native Philippines.“He touched people by living the life that he preached, and he believed what he preached.”

With news of Sosing’s death came an outpouring of sympathy, with dozens of residents and parishioners shar-

ing their memories of the pastor on social media.

“I am so grateful for all the times I celebrated Mass with Monsignor,” Rita Vell DiFano said, noting that Sosing had married her and her husband in 2018. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and the Holy Name of Mary community.”

“Many [were] the great conversations myself and Monsignor Rom had at the rectory kitchen table,” said Kevin Faughey, music director at Holy Name.

“I will miss those.”

“We will miss you,” said Stephanie Zincone Darcy, extending condolences on behalf of herself and her husband, former Mayor James Darcy.

Courtesy Holy Name of Mary

The Rev. Monsignor Romualdo Sosing.

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VALLEY STREAM HERALD — December 31, 2020

A start to summer in Valley Stream Valley Stream sees a week of sustained protests When Elmont resident Goldie Harrison and Valley Streamer Christine Rivera set out to organize a protest against systemic racism and police brutality against black people, it resulted in the first, and so far, largest demonstration of its kind in the area.

On June 1, exactly one week after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, it took place against a national backdrop of

Eager to get out of their homes, more than 100 people flocked to Rockaway Avenue the evenings of Jun 19 and 20, as the village closed the thoroughfare to traffic and opened the street to tables and chairs for on-street dining.

Village officials have promised to repeat the practice every Friday and Saturday from 4 to 11 p.m. for the rest of the summer, as one of a number of new and returning features residents can expect as the coronavirus continues to upend virtually every aspect of everyday life.

It was a long time coming, a handful of diners and bar-goers there said, after over three months of lockdown,

YEAR IN REVIEW JUNE

anguish in which hundreds of similar such protests were taking place in cities and neighborhoods across the country. The two women said they believed it was only right to use their connections to bring their hometowns into the conversation.

Peter Belfiore/Herald

Olivia Nance, 24, at a protest she helped organize in Valley Stream on June 5 against racism.

and Rockaway’s closure came a week and a half after Nassau County entered Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan, which allows outdoor dining.

With Long Island continuing to meet its Covid-19 benchmarks, Nassau was slated to enter Phase 3 of reopening, and open up restaurants to indoor dining, but at reduced capacity, on Wednesday, after the Herald went to press.

It also came roughly three weeks after Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced she was fast-tracking permits for local governments to close county roads, and place tables and chairs on the streets.

Peter Belfiore/Herald

Diners enjoyed a meal at the Chicken Coop on June 20, Rockaway Avenue opened to on-street dining.

#StandwithJennifer protest draws hundreds to V.S. Valley Streamer outlines alleged racial harassment When Valley Streamer Jennifer McLeggan found a dead squirrel on her front lawn during the first week of July, she said, that was the last straw.

The remains, she said she believed, were placed there as the latest in roughly three years of what she said may be racially motivated harassment tactics by a trio of nearby white neighbors on Sapir Street. After discovering the squirrel while mowing her lawn, McLeggan,

YEAR IN REVIEW JULY

who is Black, taped a sign to her front door outlining her struggles with the three.

It was intended as evidence, she said, in case things took a darker turn.

“What’s next after dead squirrels?” she wondered.

Peter Belfiore/Herald

Valley Streamer Jennifer McLeggan with her daughter Immaculate.

More than 1,000 demonstrators packed the Valley Stream train station on the evening of July 16 before marching on Sunrise Highway and heading to the Village Green in a show of solidarity for local resident Jennifer McLeggan, whose accusations of harassment by neighbors sparked a viral movement with the hashtag #standwithJennifer.

It was the largest Black Lives Matter demonstration that took place in Valley Stream, after a photo of a sign that McLeggan had placed on her door was shared widely on social media. On it, she outlined three years of alleged struggles with a trio of white neighbors in what she claims was racially motivated abuse.

Many at the protest remarked that McLeggan, a single Black mother who works night shifts as a nurse, represented the experience of living as a Black person in America. Others, mostly residents, voiced dismay that the behavior Mcleggan alleges she endured could continue unchecked in a minority-majority neighborhood such as Valley Stream.

“We’re here to stand with Jennifer,” Elmont resident Kenny Copeland, 32, said.“We heard her story.”

“She’s not the first, but we want to make sure she’s the last,” Equashia Green, 31, from Roosevelt, said. “I’m a single mom myself, so when I heard Peter Belfiore/Herald

More than 1,000 demonstrators packed Sunrise Highway in Valley Stream on July 16 in solidarity

December 31, 2020 — VALLEY STREAM HERALD

8

Questions linger in the wake of Isaias When Tropical Storm Isaias blew through Valley Stream on Tuesday, Aug. 4, the pain was relatively shortlived for most people.

For about two hours that afternoon, winds gusting to 70 mph pummeled the area, which brought down trees large and small. Village officials estimated that more than a hundred trees and large branches fell during the storm, which took with them a number of power lines.

At its peak, PSEG-Long Island reported that 420,000 customers across the Island had been affected.

While the exact number of outages in Valley Stream was unclear, on that Friday, three days after the storm, 375 Valley Stream homes and businesses remained without power.

Valley Streamer survives 111 days of Covid

By the following Monday, power had been restored to all but 38 homes in the area, according to the utility’s outage map, but the long wait for repairs and a breakdown in PSEG’s outage reporting system prompted inquiries by lawmakers, and for some, the damage from Isaias lingered for some time.

On Rockaway Avenue, a small strip of eateries suffered a partial outage that lasted into that Monday, which caused a harsh economic impact on top of the fiscal damage already inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tito Velasquez’s skin had turned blue when he stumbled into LIJ Valley Stream on April 28, his doctors said.

He was suffering from Covid19, and his blood oxygenation was 11 percent, which Dr. Jason Yan, an LIJ emergency physician, said was so low that it was consistent with a machine error, but further tests confirmed it. Within minutes of intake, Velasquez, 33, was intubated and placed on a ventilator. At that point, Yan said, he expected his patient to die in moments.

But 111 days later, Velasquez had survived, and walked, albeit unsteadily, with a cane, out the doors of the Stern Family Rehabilitation Center in Manhasset, the Northwell Health facil-

YEAR IN REVIEW AUGUST

Peter Belfiore/Herald

A downed tree in the Millbrook section of Valley Stream. High winds felled more than a hundred.

ity where he had spent the last phase of his recovery. After more than three months, two strokes, a collapsed lung and a coma, Velasquez, speaking in Spanish through a translator on Aug. 17, joked that he looked forward to finally eating a good meal.

He said he never doubted his survival, but the doctors who cared for him said they were far less certain.

“What struck all of us was that he was so young,” Dr. Kyriaki Poumpouridis, an LIJ interventional cardiologist, said “He was a combination of being one of our youngest, and I think one of our sickest, at the same time.

Peter Belfiore/Herald

Tito Velasquez, of Valley Stream, emerged from the Stern Family Rehabilitation Center on Aug. 17.

Local dance studio struggles to stay afloat Valley Stream schools reopen at limited capacity When Jessica Tibaquira-Gomez first dropped her fifth-grade daughter off at Shaw Avenue Elementary School on the morning of Sept. 3, she was struck by how quiet it was.

Speaking on Sept. 10, shortly after her daughter returned home from an unprecedented first full week of school, Tibaquira-Gomez recounted how, typically, children can be seen bustling about in the mornings during

YEAR IN REVIEW SEPTEMBER

the first few days of school, reconnecting with classmates and checking to see which teachers their friends have.

“Normally even parents socialize,” she said, noting that it’s a time to exchange phone numbers.

Courtesy District 30

Students lined up at Clear Stream Avenue Elementary School on the morning of Sept. 3

In late February, Valley Stream dance studio Danse Xpressions celebrated the 25th anniversary of its founding at a Lutheran Church in Queens, and shortly afterward, staff members and the parents of students met to discuss plans for a gala to celebrate the center, which has been located in Valley Stream for a decade and a half.

By the next day, however, word had begun to spread about the coronavirus pandemic, the studio’s co-owner and founder Jessica St. Vil-Ulysse recalled, and “life changed.”

Danse Xpressions has been closed since, and in late July, St. Vil-Ulysse, along with her two sisters and studio co-founders launched a GoFundMe campaign to help keep the business

afloat.

“It’s a blow to us in a lot of ways,” she said. “We haven’t been able to serve the community, our students can’t get the exercise they need or want, and it’s difficult because we haven’t been able to pay our bills and provide what we want to provide.”

The campaign is so far $5,000 short of its $15,000 goal.

Danse Xpressions started as a Saturday youth program at the Epiphany Lutheran Church in Laurelton. At the time, the church, St. Vil-Ulysse said, was looking to provide an activity for children and teenagers Courtesy Danse Xpressions

Teen jazz students practiced at Danse Xpression’s studio space on South Central Avenue. Struggling after its closure during the coronavirus pandemic,

9

Valbrook Diner reopens after renovations For nearly as long as they can remember, brothers Anthony and Tommy DiStefano knew they would own a restaurant together one day.

“We’ve been in the diner business our whole lives,” Anthony, 44, said.

The two have spent much of their careers managing diners up and down the East Coast, so when the opportunity arose to purchase Valley Stream’s Valbrook Diner from its previ-

A group of roughly two dozen parents and residents gathered at the District 24 Board of Education meeting on Oct. 21 to denounce what they said was a lack of diversity among district teachers, and to ask for greater inclusivity.

District 24 parent Cristina Arroyo led the calls, demanding reform in the administration’s teacher-hiring process in a district where 86 percent of the children are students of color and 95 percent of the teachers are white.

“Your diversity recruitment initiatives are not enough . . . We need to see outcomes. We need to see results,” said Arroyo, who has two children in the district.

She called on the administration to

YEAR IN REVIEW OCTOBER

ous owner five years ago, they jumped at the chance.

“I knew it was a staple in the neighborhood,” said Anthony, who had worked there as a night manager since 2011.“I knew the staff. I knew some of the customers already.“ Peter Belfiore/Herald

Brothers Tommy, left, and Anthony DiStefano, owners of the Valbrook Diner, reopened after they embarked on a roughly six-month renovation.

take concrete steps to address the disparity, including the formation of a task force of people within the district, but outside the administration, to bring in new perspectives and suggestions.

“We understand that lack of diversity in teaching staff is not necessarily the fault of any one individual. This is ingrained. This is history,” she said.

“Therefore, you need new blood, new faces and new experts to address this.”

Other attendees echoed a similar sentiment. Trisha Williams, citing her corporate background, suggested the district establish hiring benchmarks.

Nicole Alcindor/Herald

District 24 parent Cristina Arroyo led calls to increase diversity in the teaching staff.

Restaurants hit with restrictions as cases rise again Paul Brown, former village trustee, dies of Covid-19 at 73 Paul Brown had a big smile. As a former village trustee, Monica Senior Village Apartments board member, husband, father, grandfather, avid Mets fan, keen debater and man of faith, among many other roles, his perhaps most striking characteristic, according to friends and family, was his warm, friendly smile.

“He was very likable,” his daughter, Deborah Rahaii, said.

“If you could see his smile, you

YEAR IN REVIEW NOVEMBER

knew it,” longtime friend Diane Panzarino said. “He was just an all-around nice guy.”

Brown died on Oct. 14 at age 73. The cause of death was complications of Covid-19.

A Brooklyn native, he moved with his wife, Laurel, to Valley Stream in 1972.

Courtesy Deborah Rahaii

The Browns at their condo in Sanibel, Fla.

With new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations inching up across New York state, including in Nassau County, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Nov. 11 new restrictions on businesses with liquor licenses and social gatherings that are intended to slow the spread of the disease.

Valley Stream’s already battered bar and restaurant owners say they are meeting the governor’s new restrictions with quiet resignation, and people offered mixed reviews of the plan to limit social gatherings.

Starting Nov. 13, all businesses with State Liquor Authority licenses were required to close at 10 p.m. And with Thanksgiving now less than a week

away, indoor and outdoor gatherings are limited to a maximum of 10 people.

Cuomo’s announcement came only a day after County Executive Laura Curran reported that Nassau’s Covid-19 positivity rate had climbed to 3.4 percent, up from 0.8 percent over the summer.

As of Monday, Valley Stream had seen 128 additional coronavirus cases since Oct. 30, according to the county Department of Health.

“We’re just trying to survive,” said Kevin Labeck, co-owner of Charlie Meaney’s, a sports bar and grill on Central Avenue. His establishment, like Peter Belfiore/Herald

Charlie Meaney’s, on Central Avenue, had been adjusting to the pandemic, but new restrictions

VALLEY STREAM HERALD — December 31, 2020

Residents denounce lack of teacher diversity

December 31, 2020 — VALLEY STREAM HERALD

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12

H.S. sports delayed until 2021

H.S. spring sports cancelled It was game over for public high school spring sports on Long Island for 2020. Any hopes for even a modified season were dashed April 21 when health and safety concerns led athletic administrators and school superintendents in Nassau and Suffolk counties to announced the cancelation of the spring sports season.

Section VIII athletics conference governs Nassau County, and Section XI, Suffolk County.

“For the safety for our student athletes, Section VIII has made the difficult decision to cancel spring sports for our high schools and middle schools.” Nassau County Executive Director Pat Pizzarelli said.“Long Island is one of the areas most affected by this terrible pandemic, so both section

VIII and Section XI have made this very difficult decision.”

Nassau County’s Athletic Council, which includes superintendents, principals and officials, met Monday night April 20 and was unanimous in its decision. Athletic directors met the following morning and agreed.

“It’s very sad for the seniors, but we are dealing with life and death,” Pizzarelli said. “We have to safeguard our students and communities. We waited as long as we possibly could to make this heartbreaking decision.”

At an emergency meeting held Aug. 26, Nassau school superintendents voted to postpone high school sports until Jan. 4, becoming the first of the state’s 11 sections to move its fall season.

The following day, superintendents released a letter stating they may reassess the decision prior to Sept. 20.

“I believe other sections will follow and pull the plug, but I can’t speak for anyone else,”Section VIII (Nassau) Executive Director of Athletics Pat Pizzarelli said Aug. 26.

“We felt strong enough to make this decision now,” he added.“We took the cautious route, but we believe it’s in everyone’s best interests. There are too many unknowns.

YEAR IN REVIEW SPORTS

J. Heck/Herald

Nassau County spring sports never happened due to Covid-19.

District 24 appoints new trustee The Valley Stream District 24 Board of Education voted unanimously on Dec. 15 to appoint Markus Wilson to the trustee seat formerly held by Joseph Shipley, who resigned this month when he moved out of the district.

Wilson, an attorney for 25 years and a Lynbrook resident, had previously run for the District 24 board. This year, Melissa Herrera narrowly defeated him in the race for the seat held then

by Paul DePace, who decided not to run again. Herrera won by eight votes, 313 to 305.

Wilson will serve as trustee for the remainder of the school year, and will be up for election in May 2021, should he choose to run.

“There is absolutely a lot that Mr. Wilson can bring to the school district . . . His legal experience, his prior New

York City school board experiences, as well as being an active parent in the school district, will prove quite valuable,” District 24 board President Kimberly Wheeler said. “A fresh and new perspective of education is always welcomed.”

“Running for office was something I always had in my head, and getting voted onto the board was a humbling experience that I was excited to share with my family,” Wilson said.

Courtesy Markus Wilson

J. Heck/Herald

Nassau County postponed fall high school sports from September to January.

Mosque food pantry expands services as need rises Since its unveiling in August, the food pantry at Masjid Hamza, in Valley Stream, had opened once a week, on Mondays, providing vital aid to families and individuals affected financially by the coronavirus pandemic. And when the need increased, volunteers took Thanksgiving as an occasion to expand the pantry’s services.

“Every Monday the number of families getting food is growing more and more, as the pandemic continues to have a financial impact on people, and I wanted to give back even more during this past week to allow for people to be covered and happy on the holiday,” said Ruhee Kapadia, of Valley Stream, the mosque’s outreach coordinator. “We

YEAR IN REVIEW DECEMBER

Markus Wilson was appointed District 24 board trustee. He will serve the remainder of the year.

“It’s just not time to allow kids to play sports,” he continued. “And my first and foremost concern is the safety of our student-athletes.”

The decision came two days after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo issued guidance permitting lower-risk high school fall sports (soccer, tennis, swimming, field hockey and cross-country) to begin practice and play on Sept. 21, while noting football and volleyball could begin practice but not play.

However, Nassau’s superintendents did not consider the current conditions safe enough to conduct any fall sports.

thought about the fact that there might be an extra-special need for food donations this Thanksgiving, and we were right. We ended up having dozens more people than usual call outside of the Monday hours this past week, because they needed donations for Thanksgiving.”

Normally, Kapadia said, the pantry fed about 120 families a week. In the days before Thanksgiving, however, with pickup hours expanded beyond Monday, it fed 200 families with 5,300 pounds of food. It also provided toiletries and clothes.

Courtesy Ruhee Kapadia

The Masjid Hamza food pantry scheduled an additional day to collect and give donations to help.

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VALLEY STREAM HERALD — December 31, 2020

Village considers zone change for apartments The Village of Valley Stream board of trustees plan to schedule a public hearing at Village Hall to discuss a proposed rezoning of a series of properties on South Franklin Avenue. If approved, the measure could pave the way for the construction of a 35-unit, four- and five-story apartment complex, comprising two-bedroom units.

The proposal, by the Oyster Baybased Rand L.I. LLC, would replace the existing commercial buildings on the 16,300-square-foot property, near the Valley Stream train station, with the apartment complex. The Nassau County Planning Commission, which reviewed the zoning change and construction proposal on Nov. 12, sig-

naled support for the project as transit-oriented development, but requested that the village provide information on affordable housing proposals in its multi-family housing applications to the county Planning Department.

After approval by the county, trustees voted on Nov. 23 to schedule a public hearing on Dec. 21, but the hearing was postponed. A new date has not been set. The passage of a local law required to convert a portion of the village’s commercial zone to one that allows apartments.

With one simple call to this newspaper, you can reach more than 1 million potential customers.

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HERALD

The village is considering a zone change for a strip of commercial properties on South Franklin Avenue.

CHSD super takes leave after alleged threats The Valley Stream Central High School District Board of Educataion voted on Dec. 8 to grant Superintendent Dr. Bill Heidenreich a 12-week medical leave and appointed Assistant Superintendent Clifford Odell acting superintendent.

Heidenreich, who may have been exposed to someone with Covid-19, allegedly threatened to cough on people at his Merrick gym when personnel there said they would start charging him for a membership that he wasn’t using.

The vote was 5-4 in favor of granting Heidenreich the medical leave, with board Vice President John Maier joining fellow District 24 Trustees Armando Hernandez and Lisa Pellicane, along with District 13 Trustee Patricia Farrell, in opposition to the measure. Maier voiced his opposition ahead of the vote, saying, “I feel this is the wrong move here.”

The split decision came four days

Reach More Than 1 Million Readers!

Peter Belfiore/Herald

YEAR IN REVIEW DECEMBER

after publication of a New York Post article detailing how Heidenreich, in a series of text and voice messages sent to the gym in mid-November, threatened to potentially infect staff and gym-goers at Orangetheory Fitness, on Merrick Road, with the coronavirus.

“I’m demanding that you freeze my membership for another month,” Heidenreich said in one voice message obtained by the Post. “If you don’t, I’m going to cough all over everyone.”

Sue Grieco/Herald

The Valley Stream Central High School District board approved a 12-week medical leave of absence for Superintendent Dr. Bill Heidenreich.

13

Call 516-569-4000 today!

Public Notices

LVAL1 1231

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NEW YORK STATE GOVERNOR CUOMO’S EXECUTIVE ORDER DATED MARCH 7, 2020 AND LATER AMENDMENTS THEREOF ON THE TEMPORARY SUSPENSION AND MODIFICATION OF NYS LAWS RELATING TO THE DISASTER EMERGENCY. ARE UPDATED BY GOVERNOR CUOMO’S EXECUTIVE ORDER DATED AUGUST 6, 2020, PUBLIC BODIES ARE AUTHORIZED TO CONDUCT MEETINGS REMOTELY SO LONG AS THEY (1) ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO VIEW OR LISTEN TO SUCH MEETINGS, (2) RECORD THE MEETINGS AND (3) TRANSCRIBE SUCH MEETINGS WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME PERIOD. OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION AND IN LIGHT OF THE CURRENT GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS, ALL VALLEY STREAM MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS WILL BE TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Article 9 of the New York State Constitution and the provisions of the Village Law and the Municipal Home Rule Law of the State of New York, as amended, a Public

Hearing will take place on Monday the 11th day of January, 2021 at 7:00 o’clock p.m. in the Village Hall Auditorium, 123 South Central Avenue, Valley Stream, New York on ZOOM https://us02web.zoom.us/ j/714814096 to consider the enactment of the following local law: PROPOSED LOCAL LAW C - 2020 – A LOCAL LAW TO AMEND THE OFFICIAL MAP OF THE INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF VALLEY STREAM BY CHANGING A CERTAIN PARCEL OF LAND IN A C-1 DISTRICT TO THE CA FLOATING MULTIPLE DWELLING DISTRICT. The proposed local law is available on the Village website www.vsvny.org or you may call the Office of the Village Clerk to request a copy on regular business days between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

ALL PERSONS INTERESTED shall have an opportunity to be heard on the proposed local law at the time and place aforesaid.

Dated: Valley Stream, New York December 31, 2020

By Order of the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Valley Stream JAMES J. HUNTER Village Clerk 124255

LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given that an order granted by the Supreme Court, Nassau County, on the 2nd day of December, 2020, bearing index number 601-20, a copy of which may be examined at the office of the clerk, located at 240 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY grants me the right to assume the name of Nykke Flaum. The city and state of my present address are Valley Stream, NY; the month and year of my birth Are January, 1987; the place of my birth is Brooklyn, NY; my present name is Nicole Grunstein.

124260

LEGAL NOTICE ASSUMPTION OF OFFICE OF GENERAL EXECUTRIX KARRINE NATASHA MONTAQUE ESTATE I, Montaque, Karrine Natasha do hereby give notice of my acceptance to occupy the position of General Executrix and Administrator of the KARRINE NATASHA MONTAQUE, Estate bestowed upon me by KARRINE NATASHA MONTAQUE, in accordance with the testator’s Will.

To administer the distribution of assets, credits and interest as well as to settle claims as to the decedent’s estate. i shall act in good faith to

carry out the testator’s Will regarding the administration of said estate property.

07/29/2020.

124093

PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES… Printed in this publication can be found online. To search by publication name, go to: www.newyorkpublicnotices.com

LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE OF OWNERSHIP OF ASSUMED NAME KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: that the I, Montaque, Karrine Natasha I am owner of the assumed name KARRINE NATASHA MONTAQUE located at 159 Washington Avenue, Valley Stream, New York 11580. I hereby claim all rights, title and interest in said name. Refer to Certificate of Assumed name filed with the Secretary of the State of Minnesota, filing number 1168912700022. If any person claiming interest in or use of said assumed name known as KARRINE NATASHA MONTAQUE, rebut this claim of ownership of assumed named within 30 days.

To: EVA DUZANT, NOTARY PUBLIC C/O 223-12 LINDEN BOULEVARD, CAMBRIA HEIGHTS NEW YORK 11411.

124094

HERALD

Employment

CLASSIFIED

To pLACE your AD CALL 516-569-4000 - press 5

Fax your ad to: 516-622-7460 E-mail you ad to: ereynolds@liherald.com E-mail Finds Under $100 to: sales@liherald.com DEADLINE: Monday, 11:00 am for all classified ads.

Every effort is made to insure the accuracy of your ad. Please check your ad at the first insertion. Credit will be made only for the first insertion. Credit given for errors in ads is limited to the printed space involved. Publisher reserves right to reject, cancel or correctly classify and ad.

HERALD

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HERALD Community Newspapers

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

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December 31, 2020 — VALLEY STREAM HERALD

14

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To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

HOME OF THE WEEK

• To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

Q. I wonder why I can’t seem to get a fire to burn properly in my chimney. All I get is smoke in the room. I’ve had the flue checked and know that the damper is working correctly, even if it is a little rusty.

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By Appointment Only

A. Set up an electric fireplace in front of the real one, or play the Yule log rerun on your TV. A client once complained of the same problem, and after much searching, I asked them to build a fire so I could observe their method. They started the fire too far forward, so the smoke climbed the walls onte eeper and smoked out the room, setting off the smoke detector. Rule No. 1: Make sure the fire is directly under the flue opening and centered in the fireplace.

There are many reasons why a fireplace doesn’t function. Some are obvious; some aren’t. Here are some possible reasons why yours doesn’t work. 1) The chimney is too narrow compared with its height. 2) The opening is too wide and not high enough. 3) The opening is too high and not wide enough. 4) There’s no fresh-air intake near the fire to draw air upward. 5) The flue has cracks that haven’t been detected. 6) The chimney isn’t two feet taller than the closest part of the roof within a 10-foot area, so breezes aren’t carrying smoke away, but instead a vacuum builds and forces air down the chimney. Winds rolling over your chimney from the upside roof slope also blow smoke downward in your chimney.

7) The flue has an angle bend in it that’s too sharp. 8) The wood selected isn’t properly seasoned.

9) Your fire starter is too wet or too dense. 10) The chimney has an animal living in it and must be cleaned out and capped. 11) The chimney is wet on the inside, either from openings in the exterior surface or the mortared crown or because it has no cap. This isn’t a likely reason for the smoke problem, but there’s a remote possibility.

Since a fire needs fuel, oxygen and heat to burn, these reasons are basic to why you haven’t had success. The formula for a great fire is the right type of starter (an easy-burning tinder) at the bottom, air space between everything of one-half to threequarters of an inch, and a dry, soft wood like pine above the tinder. Add oak or other hardwoods after the fire is going to create more brightness. Updraft is also essential. I’m certain that one of these reasons is causing your problem. Don’t use any treated or dressed lumber that can give off poisonous gases and creosote. Be safe and attentive. Good luck!

L

© 2020 Monte Leeper Readers 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.

VALLEY STREAM HERALD — December 31, 2020

Fireplace frustrations

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VALLEY STREAM HERALD — December 31, 2020

HERALD

17

18

For Advertising, call Rhonda Glickman,

vice president of sales, at (516) 569-4000, ext. 250.

The box at the far left side of the page is called the masthead. It contains the newspaper’s flag, or nameplate. The masthead offers important information about the paper, including the names of the staff members who are responsible for producing it each week.

Publisher Stuart Richner guides the business and news operations of the 18 newspapers in the Herald Community Newspapers group, including the Nassau Herald, which serves the Five Towns, and Heralds for Baldwin, Bellmore, East Meadow, Franklin Square-Elmont, Freeport, Glen Cove, Long Beach, Lynbrook-East Rockaway, Malverne-West Hempstead, Merrick, Oceanside-Island Park, Oyster Bay, Rockville Centre, Sea Cliff-Glen Head, Valley Stream, Wantagh and Seaford.

Each paper’s editor is responsible for the assignment, selection and placement of stories, most of which the editors and reporters write. The executive editor oversees news operations for all 18 papers in the group.

The production department is responsible for the papers’ design. The advertising and art departments produce the large, often illustrated display advertisements that appear throughout the papers. The classified department produces the smaller advertisements at the back of the papers.

The masthead also lists each paper’s age, the names of its founders, its address, email, and telephone and fax numbers, and it provides notice that all contents of the paper are copyrighted.

For Subscriptions, call Dianne Ramdass, circulation manager, at ext. 231.

20 HERALD

Editorials offer the opinions of the Herald.

Editors write them. Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the individuals who write them; rather, they are the institutional voice of the news organization. That is why they are unsigned.

Herald editorial department staff members meet weekly to plan the editorials. Independent reporting by our staff often helps inform our editorials. We might also speak with experts and advocates to gain their perspective before sitting down to write an editorial.

We are proud to say that we have won many press association awards for our editorial writing over the years.

Among our most important duties is publication of our annual endorsements in local elections.

We take this responsibility seriously. Editorial staff members sit down with candidates to question them about their views on major issues before offering the paper’s opinions about which candidates would best represent our readers.

Herald editorialS

Office Baldwin 2 Endo Boulevard Garden City, NY 11530

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Phone: (516) 569-4000 Established 1994 Fax: (516) 569-4942 Incorporating Web: www.liherald.com The South Shore Reporter E-mail: baldwineditor@liherald.com The Baldwin Citizen

Bridget downes Copyright © 2017 Editor Inc. Richner Communications, Michelle AuclAir Advertising Account Executive

HERALD office

COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS 2 Endo Boulevard Garden City, NY 11530 Robert Richner Edith Richner Phone: (516) 569-4000 Fax:1964-1987 (516) 569-4942 Publishers, Web: www.liherald.com ■ E-mail: baldwineditor@liherald.com STUARTCopyright RicHNeR © 2020 Publisher Richner Communications, Inc.

micHAel bOlOgNA Vice President - Operations

HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ■

Robert Richner ScOTT bRiNTON Edith Richner Executive Edtitor Publishers, 1964-1987 Jim HARmON ■

Copy Editor clifford richner cHRiSTiNA DAlY stuArt richner Publishers Photo Editor MichAel BolognA TONY belliSSimO Vice President Sports Editor - Operations ■ KAReN blOOm scott Brinton Calendar Editor Executive Edtitor ■ JiM hArMon

Editorial comment

For your information . . .

Editorial page

November 26, 2020 — BALDWIN HERALD

December 31, 2020 — VALLEY STREAM HERALD

The masthead

RHONDA glicKmAN Copy Editor Vice President - Sales christinA dAlY Photo Editor elleN ReYNOlDS tonY BellissiMo Classified Manager Sports Editor lORi beRgeR KAren BlooM Digital Sales Manager Calendar Editor ■ ■ JeffReY NegRiN rhondA glicKMAn Creative ViceDirector President - Sales reYnolds cRAig ellen cARDONe Classified Manager Art Director lori Berger YOlANDA RiOS Digital Sales Manager JAcKie cOmiTiNO ■ PRiNcY JeffreY PANDiYAN negrin Production Artists Creative Director

■crAig white Production Coordinator DiANNe RAmDASS crAig cArdone Circulation Art Director Director ■

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Giving thanks in 2020

i

n a year when so much has gone awry — so many lives lost, businesses battered, jobs vanished — it strains the imagination to think what we might be thankful for, particularly as the nation enters its second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The coming months will likely be, as President-elect Joseph Biden has said, a “dark winter.”

Thanksgiving is, however, all about the audacious nature of hope.

The holiday, first celebrated in the fall of 1621, commemorates the struggle that the original Pilgrims faced and, against all odds, overcame in the New World — and the kinship they felt with the Native Americans who rescued them, helping to provide sustenance to a relatively small band of people who otherwise might have starved. The roughly 50 colonists at the original harvest celebration in Plymouth, Mass., were outnumbered by Native Americans two to one, according to History.com.

The 100 Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower had seen much death between 1620 and 1621: Some 78 percent of the women died during the first winter. Yet they persevered, and survived.

So shall the American people today — thanks in no small measure to our heroes

— the doctors, nurses, EMTS, firefighters, police officers, teachers, teachers’ aides, sanitation workers, railroad workers, subway and bus drivers, custodians, cooks, waiters and waitresses, supermarket employees and so many others — who have kept us safe, our education system up and running, and our economy moving. When many others were able to work from home, they put their lives on the line to do their jobs.

As a society, we should take a moment and reflect on their sacrifices over the past nine months.

We can also be thankful for our family and friends. We may not be able to shower them with hugs and kisses as we might want, but we can keep them in our thoughts and close to our hearts.

And we can be thankful for the miracles of modern science. Only 100 years ago, the 1918 pandemic ran wild for two years, killing 50 million worldwide, including 675,000 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thanks to technology that allows many of us to work remotely and socially distance, to date we have seen a tenth of the 500 million cases that the world did in

1918-19, and because of modern medical technology, the death toll thus far is onefiftieth what it was then.

So, while the number of infections and deaths today is unacceptably high, it is not close to the level of suffering experienced a hundred years ago — and let us hope and pray that it remains that way.

Likely, it will. On Saturday, the innovative New York company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals received emergency-use authorization for its experimental antibody treatment for the coronavirus. President Trump received the treatment, and by all accounts it was highly effective. The drug is designed to prevent patients from becoming severely ill by imitating the body’s natural defense system. We can only say, wow!

If all goes well, the Regeneron treatment should prevent many deaths, enabling health officials to safely roll out at least one of the vaccines now in the pipeline without undue political pressure. By April, we could indeed round the corner on this terrible pandemic, says Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Yes, there has been much despair this year, but there is much hope as well.

County does right by small businesses

W

e are pleased that Nassau County Executive Laura Curran is once again promoting small businesses ahead of the holiday season — which is vital this pandemic year.

Last Friday, Curran and county Industrial Development Agency Chairman Richard Kessel came to Rockville Centre to promote an innovative contest, aptly titled the Shop Safe, Shop Local Scavenger Hunt, and we are encouraging readers to take part in it.

The contest, which will be held for one week starting Saturday, will work like this: Complete four of eight tasks in your community, like buying breakfast at a local eat-

Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald Malverne/West Hempstead Herald NassauMerrick HeraldHerald Life Oceanside/Island Park Herald Nassau Herald Oceanside/Island Rockaway Journal Park Herald

ery or making a purchase at a local shop, and take a photo of yourself — masked — at each location, along with the product you purchased and your receipt. Then email it to scavengerhunt@nassaucountyny.gov or share it on Facebook.

The first person who finishes all four tasks and registers them on each day of the contest will receive a $100 gift card.

All purchases must be made at small businesses in a single community on the day of the contest. Online and delivery orders are eligible. The complete set of

instructions can be found at www.nassaucountygov/shoplocal.

As we noted in last week’s editorial, “Remember to shop locally this holiday season”: “Despite the crisis, we encourage you to consider patronizing our mom-and-pop shops, many of which now offer their goods online. Abandoning our local businesses would be devastating on so many levels.”

Merrick Herald Life

Rockville Centre Oyster BayHerald Herald Guardian Sea Cliff / Glen Head HeraldJournal Gazette Rockaway

Editorial cartoon

Rockville Centre Herald South Shore Record

SouthHerald Shore Record Valley Stream

Each editorial cartoon provides a thoughtful and, we hope, humorous perspective on the major news of the week. Prize-winning cartoonists from across the country produce the cartoons, which do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Herald or its staff.

Baldwin

Bellmore

Valley Stream Herald Wantagh Herald Citizen

Wantagh Herald Citizen

Seaford Herald SeafordCitizen Herald Citizen

membeR: MeMBer: Local Media Association Local Media Association New York Press Association New York Press Association Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Baldwin Chamber of Commerce

Published by Published by richner communications, inc.

Richner2 Endo communications, inc.

Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530 2 Endo Blvd. Garden NY 11530 (516)City, 569-4000 (516) 569-4000

East Meadow

letters More praise for doctor’s column To the Editor: As Bob Praver did in last week’s letters, I also applaud Dr. Eric Last’s column, “Surely we shouldn’t be fighting over wearing masks” (Nov. 12-18), on the urgency of wearing masks in fighting the coronavirus

Editor: Bridget downes

Long Beach

Franklin Square/ Elmont

HERALD HERALD HERALD HERALD Editor: Editor: Brian stieglitz Editor: Peter Belfiore alyssa seidman Life

pandemic. But while Last’s exhortation that we must “treat others as you’d want to be treated yourself ” was well-intentioned, I believe it would fall on deaf ears when directed not only at those who, at this late date, scoff at the wearing of masks and social distancing, but also those who deliberately promote and take part in large, illegal social gatherings with no consideration of taking measures to counter the spread

Editor: ronny reyes

Senior Editor: laura lane

HERALD Editor: Jim Bernstein

Lynbrook/ East Rockaway

HERALD

Senior Editor: miKe smollins

Malverne/ West Hempstead

HERALD Editor: naKeem grant

HE

Editor:

What are the editorial pages all about?

Who writes editorials?

How do letters and guest columns get published?

This week’s pages offer some answers to our readers.

We thank The Riverdale Press for the idea.

19

Opinion columns We publish three columns every week.

Columns represent the views of the writers themselves, not of the Herald. Each writer works independently and chooses his or her own subjects.

Among our regular contributors are the Heralds’ executive editor, Scott Brinton, and the Nassau Herald’s former executive editor, Randi Kreiss, both of whom have won numerous awards for their opinion writing. We also feature columns by prominent political figures, including former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato and former State Assemblyman Jerry Kremer, both of whom are now consultants. And we regularly invite guest columnists to offer their views.

Opinion pages 21

opinions

VALLEY STREAM HERALD — December 31, 2020

opi

T

he coronavirus pandemic has created a variety of hardships that have left families and children in distress. Social isolation. A mounting death toll. An estimated 8 million Americans falling into poverty. We have entered uncharted territory, and uncertainty continues as cases continue to rise across the U.S. Grief is a normal reaction — grieving not just the loss of life, but also the loss of normalcy and freedom when a disaster occurs. So what happens when we add even more stress to families sharon and their children, skariah particularly when schools close?

The trickledown effect of all this misfortune can dramatically weigh on kids, especially if they don’t have access to mental health resources at home. Typically, mental health symptoms are identified at school, by their teachers and peers, social workers and guidance counselors.

Children need a routine and consistency. Remote learning and social isolation will continue to uproot them. Children

with autism also face challenges with irritability, anxiety and behavioral disturbances. And the erratic nature of schools’ opening and closing (albeit temporarily) can have a lasting effect.

A recent study in JAMA Pediatrics showed that more than 22 percent of students in the Hubei province of China reported symptoms of depression, and more than 18 percent had anxiety symptoms, when schools closed for over a month. A second study, in the Journal of Pediatrics, determined that younger children (ages 3 to 6) were more inclined to show fear or clinginess, where older kids (6 to 18) were more likely to show inattention and persistent inquiry.

Clinging, inattention and irritability were the severe psychological conditions demonstrated by children in all age groups.

School closures — short or long — are unfortunately bound to happen until a safe and effective vaccine is available.

Prepare to take care of your child now.

First, children need outlets. In early childhood, play is important for development in the physical, verbal and emotional domains. Build that imaginary fort,

T

he trickledown effect of all this misfortune can dramatically weigh on kids.

LeTTers of the virus. The time for these selfish and greedy individuals to be reasoned with has long passed.

These people should be penalized for their actions, which continue to put the rest of us at even greater risk of acquiring the disease, and severe penalties should also be meted out to participants in these gatherings, not just their greed-bound organizers.

If anything, these miscreants should consider the 17th-century English poet John Donne’s poem, telling us not to ask “for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.” They might also be reminded that, indeed, “no man is an island,” as Donne wrote. It appears, though, that they do not realize or accept this concept, even though we are all in this fight — together.

ROBERT RUBALSkY East Rockaway

We must protect communities of color

Nassau

HERALD HERALD Life

Fourth — and most important — pay attention. Younger children can’t always express their distress, anxiety or fear.

Their behavior may regress. Look for the signs, which include an increase in crying or neediness, more temper tantrums or somatic symptoms (headaches, stomach aches) than normal. Older children may also show increased anger and irritability.

If you think your children or adolescents may need a mental health professional, don’t hesitate. They are acting that way because they need help. So watch out for them to verbalize any suicidal thoughts, ongoing sleep disturbances, a decline in overall functioning (hygiene, grooming), aggression or worsening substance use. If you see these signs, seek treatment.

Following these steps may help keep children mentally fit during one of our harshest times. Nothing can replace life as we knew it pre-Covid, but you can manage this new normal and keep your kids safe, too.

Special features The op-ed, or opposite the editorial, page features a weekly Framework photo, which is chosen by our photo editor. The Framework offers a creative, at times humorous outlet for our photography staff. In this spot, we also publish photos sent to us by readers, featuring them on vacation, reading the Herald at various international landmarks. We call it Herald Around the World.

At times, a correction box might appear on the op-ed page. We strive each week for the highest standards of accuracy and accountability. When we make mistakes in our reporting, we believe we must own up to them and correct the record.

Sharon Skariah, M.D., is the director of child and adolescent psychiatry for Zucker Hillside Hospital. She is also an assistant professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell.

Framework Courtesy Roni M. Chastain

the United States, and amid big treatment strides, the disease continues to ravage African-American and other minority communities with a particular vengeance.

Black, Asian, Native American and Hispanic patients still die far more frequently than white patients, even as death rates have plummeted for all races and age groups.”

As Covid-19 continues to spread aggressively nationwide, it is crucial that government officials at all levels — federal, state and local — address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on people of color. Immediate attention should be paid to issues such as the availability of testing facilities in communities of color, access to health care, inequitable treatment once access is provided and priorities for providing vaccines once they are available. The evidence is clear: Government owes it to all Americans to ensure fair and equal access to health care, regardless of race, in this pandemic — and always.

To the Editor: The Washington Post last Friday published a new analysis of the impact of Covid-19 on people of color. It reported, “Nearly nine months after the virus exploded in

Merrick

encourage storytelling, toast s’mores in your backyard. For adolescents, it’s important that they develop their own sense of identity but also explore peer relationships. Encourage this — in a socially distanced, safe way.

Second, seek normalcy. The goal is to foster continued development, even if your children can’t attend school in person. They want to feel safe — an important tool for parents to use during the crisis. Make sure you provide protection and consistency in an otherwise uncertain time. Talk to them about their feelings. Ensure their safety by creating an atmosphere of stability.

Third, adapt to the environment. Summer may be gone, but you can still enjoy the outdoors safely during the fall, and even on some nice winter days. When the extreme cold sets in, continue building on the elements of safety and fun you have already introduced. Have family game nights. Schedule a movie night. Cook and bake together as a family. Designate a reading hour.

Although it may be colder, it’s important to get exercise, so go for a walk or a hike or a brisk bike ride. There are also online exercises for kids, like yoga and others.

BALDWIN HERALD — November 26, 2020

We need to pay attention to children’s mental health Give thanks the election is

Letters to the editor We welcome readers’ letters to the editor and publish most that we receive. We believe these letters are critically important, because they reflect the shared voices of the communities that we cover.

Letters should be 250 to 300 words in length. Each letter must include an address and phone number. Our editors call all letter writers to confirm the authenticity of letters before publication.

We edit letters for length, grammar, spelling and foul language. We do not censor viewpoints.

If we believe a letter requires major revisions, we will send it back to the writer and ask that he or she change it so that meaning and intent are not lost.

Readers should send letters to the editors of their hometown newspapers. They can be sent by email (preferred), fax or mail. All contact information is listed on the masthead and on our website, liherald.com.

ELAINE GROSS President, ERASE Racism

The season’s last splashes of color — Glen Cove

Oceanside/ Island Park

HERALD

Editor: alyssa seIdMan Senior Editor: Jeff Bessen Senior Editor: MIKe sMollIns Senior Editor: laura lane

Rockville Centre

HERALD Senior Editor: laura lane Editor: JIll nossa

Seaford

Wantagh

Valley Stream HERALD HERALD HERALD Interim Editor: J.d. freda Citizen

Interim Editor: J.d. freda Editor: peter BelfIore

Citizen

Wishing Everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Bruce Singelton

Gabriela Bunea Formally from Emerald City Realty

Former Exit, Resident Valley Stream

Patricia Belizaire

Paul Madathiparambil

Colin Germaine

Formally with Exit in Elmont

Linda Skliros Broker Cross Country Realty

Formally from Emerald City Realty

Springfield Gardens, Detached, 50x100, 4 Bedroom, 2 Baths, Fin Basement, 2 Car Garage $669,000

Formally from Emerald City Realty

Lea Johansmeyer

Formally from Emerald City Realty

Dutch Gate over 55 Community, Condo, 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1st Floor, Mint Condition $440,000

! e u n e v A y a w a k c o R New! On

Senior SpecialiSt

78 Rockaway Ave. • Valley Stream, NY 11580 516- 352-5600 www.crosscountryrealtor.com Short Sale SpecialiSt

1112597

December 31, 2020 — VALLEY STREAM HERALD

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