Wantagh Herald 01-13-2022

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_________________ WANTAGH ________________

HERALD

High Property Taxes?

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DEADLINE APPROACH

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Vol. 70 No. 3

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ING

Bill increases protections for firefighters expect benefits from certain insurance companies. “I think for the good that Gov. Kathy Hochul recently these people do in volunteering, signed a bill, co-sponsored by we should be in a situation to State Sen. John Brooks, that will protect them with any medical provide assistance to volunteer service they need associated firefighters who have been with the fire service,” Brooks injured in the line of told the Herald. “If, duty. unfortunately, they Brooks, who repwere to lose their resents the 8th Senlives or needed ongoate District, which ing medical treatencompasses Wantment, they should be agh and Seaford, coprotected.” signed Bill S4562/ The legislation, A6767 with Assemknown as the Chief blywoman Carrie James Brooks Jr. Woerner and Sen. Act, is named for a Daniel Stec. The legsecond assistant fire islation creates a chief who was presumption of cov- BRYAN BRooKS injured on the job. erage under the New Chief, James Brooks, a York State Volunteer member of the Firefighters’ Benefit Whitehall Volunteer upstate Whitehall Law for vascular Fire Company Volunteer Fire Comruptures suffered in pany, suffered a rupthe line of duty, tured aorta while according to a news release. Fur- responding to a structural fire in ther, it clarifies that these inju- Dresden, in western New York, ries suffered on the job are cov- on May 2, 2020, according to a ered in the same way as heart news release, and died that Sepattacks suffered in the line of tember, after serving the compaduty. ny for 27 years. Brooks said the bill would “He was perfor ming an address issues of delay, denial of incredible service to his commuclaims and litigation costs when nity in which he lost his life,” volunteers or their families Continued on page 4

By MARiA CeSteRo mcestero@liherald.com

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Christina Daly/Herald

NASSAU CoUNtY exeCUtiVe Bruce Blakeman signed an executive order last week mandating school districts to vote in January on whether to require masks in classrooms.

Locals react to Blakeman’s mask executive order By KAte NAlepiNSKi and CRiStiNA ARRoYo RoDRiGUez knalepinski@liherald.com

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed an executive order last week that requires the Wantagh and Seaford school districts, and all other Nassau districts, to vote this month on whether to require masks in classrooms. School boards must vote “to determine whether or not parents and children should be granted the constitutional right to reject mask mandates

while in the classroom,” the executive order drafted by the county executive’s legal counsel stated. The order continued: “Given the historical data on Covid-19 and the ongoing debate over whether masks are more harmful than beneficial to children and to school environments in general, we should protect the freedoms and statutory rights of students and parents by resting with the parents the decision whether their children should wear masks in school.”

State Education Department Commissioner Betty Rosa said, however, that counties do not have the legal authority to require boards of education to vote on specific issues. “School officers take an oath to obey all legal requirements,” a statement from Rosa read. “The State Education Department expects school boards will follow all legal requirements, including the face-covering regulation.” Further, a department spokeswoman said that local Continued on page 13

irefighters protect lives and property under very strenuous conditions.


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