Wantagh Herald 02-16-2023

A king of the mat

Jesse Vanorden was one of four Wantagh High School wrestlers who captured Nassau County titles at Hofstra University last Sunday night. Vanorden, a junior, won the 145-pound title in overtime. Story, more photos, Page 8.

County tax assessments remain frozen

By MICHAEl MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com

It’s a vital component of the property tax system, yet for the third straight year, Nassau County won’t be conducting a tax assessment of homes and businesses.

Such a freeze first gained momentum under former Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, but was lifted by his successor, Laura Curran. However, the freeze was reimplemented during Covid-19, and now continues under Bruce Blakeman’s tenure.

freeze to protect property owners from dramatic swings in a remarkably turbulent market,” minority spokesman Daniel Schrafel said. “However, ‘temporary’ is key. History has demonstrated that freezing the tax rolls for extended periods distorts assessed values to such a degree that the only way for property owners to protect themselves from overpaying is to grieve. We must do everything in our power to break this unjust, exploitative cycle.”

By MICHAEl MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com

You don’t have to trek into the city to see some great, passion-driven theater — especially since Seaford High School students are scheduled to take the stage next month for a production of “Young Frankenstein.”

The classic Mel Brooks film was released in 1974, starring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, and a supporting cast of comedy icons of the time. The movie follows Frederick Frankenstein, grandson of the notorious Victor Frankenstein from Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel.

But it’s not a horror story like Shelley’s novel it’s a comedy that takes the original tale and splices in some of Brooks’ timeless humor. After Brooks’ success with “The Producers,” another musical based on of one of his films, he collaborated with playwright Thomas Meehan to bring “Young Frankenstein” to the stage, and it made its Broadway debut in 2007. It soon became available for high schools to perform, and now Seaford will be the next to do so.

“It’s classic comedy,” said Samantha GatesWeber, director and choreographer of the Seaford High production. “And I love directing that sort of

The difference — at least according to the County Legislature’s Democratic minority — is that Blakeman campaigned against Curran, promising to roll back the tax increases caused by the reassessments done under her administration. Yet they still remain frozen.

“As housing prices soared at an unprecedented rate during the worst of the pandemic, the minority supported a temporary

The reassessments are supposed to happen annually, to review property value and tax property owners accordingly. When they don’t happen, properties that have risen in value become under-taxed, while those that may have dropped end up paying a higher tax than they would have otherwise.

The value of property impacts school taxes and other issues.

When in office, Curran called the reassessment process “corContinued on page 2

Donovan Berthound/Herald

‘Young Frankenstein’ to come alive on high school’s stage

Blakeman insists he’s still improving the system

continued from front page

rupt” and “broken.” The Democrat pledged to fix it in a 2018 opinion piece published in the Herald, only to freeze it once again during the pandemic.

Democrats now criticizes Blakeman for the continuing the freeze despite the economic pressures of the pandemic subsiding, particularly in light of Blakeman’s promise to do so.

“Mr. Blakeman vowed to rescind the county’s increases that he blamed on the recent assessment,” Democratic county legislator Debra Mulé said. “That basically means that if you’re over-assessed, you’ll be stuck paying more than your fair share of taxes this year, unless you successfully grieve your assessment.”

State Sen. Kevin Thomas joined in the chorus against the freeze to highlight that grievance process.

“Every homeowner in Nassau has received solicitations from tax grievance workers, myself included,” Thomas said. “These grievance workers use deceitful tactics that lead many to believe filing a grievance is just too complicated for the average resident.

“That is not the case — homeowners can file grievances themselves. You are not required to use an attorney or a specialist, nor is there a fee to file. You can even file online from today until March 1 by yourself. It should be as simple as that.”

Thomas introduced a bill in Albany intending to

bring more trust and transparency to the tax grievance process.

For his part, Blakeman has denied walking back any campaign promise, explaining that the current freeze is part of the process of “fixing” the system.

“We have now seen as a result of the comptroller’s report that there was improper tampering by the previ-

ous administration of valuations that were not supported by their own professional consultants,” Blakeman said. “Because of this problem and the phase-in — which does not expire until next year — it would be an unreasonable burden on the taxpayers to make massive changes without the time and effort required to methodically and accurately fix the tax rolls.”

Michael Malaszczyk/Herald State Sen. Kevin Thomas, second from left, was joined by Nassau County Legislators Carrié Solages, far left, Debra Mulé and Joshua Lafazan at a news conference to discuss the county’s freezing of property tax assessments for a third consecutive year. County Executive Bruce Blakeman had pledged to fix the entire system of assessments while campaigning against Laura Curran.

felt it was important to give residents additional time to grieve.

It was a picture perfect day for kindergartners at Mandalay Elementary School as they celebrated the 100th day of

100th day is a milestone at Mandalay

It was a special day for kindergarten and first grade students at Mandalay Elementary School in the Wantagh School District on Feb. 9. They reached the 100th day of the school year, making them that much smarter. In kindergarten classes, children dressed up to look like they were 100 years old. They also colored 100-day crowns proclaiming themselves “100 days

brighter.”

In both grades, children enjoyed a variety of activities, such as building towers with 100 cups, rolling dice and adding up the numbers until they reached 100 and doing 100 exercises. They celebrated with other coloring and reading activities that made the milestone day one to remember.

–Michael Malaszczyk

FIrst graders enjoyed reading 100-themed books.

KIndergarten students From left, Brady Schnaufer, Lyla Fowler, Gavin Correia and Jaxon Peretti worked on building a tower out of 100 plastic cups.

Photos courtesy Wantagh Schools

the school year on Feb. 9.

donnIng theIr 100-day crowns were first graders, from left, Carter Correia, Kais Quashie-Fletcher, Mackenzie Henshaw and Hailey Travers.

‘It’s pronounced Fronkensteen,’ actors learn

humor, because the kids get it and it’s slapstick, and the audience is going to understand it too. I love that this show has big musical numbers as well, and there are dance breaks and tap dance breaks.”

Gates-Weber graduated from Seaford High School in 2007 and returned as a contractor during the 2008-09 school year to be a director and choreographer for the school’s musicals, having served in that role ever since. The first show she directed at Seaford High School was “Grease.”

Many schools’ theater programs were greatly stifled by the Covid-19 pandemic, but Seaford was lucky. The high school’s performance of “All Shook Up” went on as scheduled in March 2020, with the shutdown happening a week later. In the 2020-21 school year, the students performed “Shrek the Musical” in June, as they donned masks.

In the 2021-22 year, the last year masks were required in schools, Seaford students performed “The Addams Family.” Gov. Kathy Hochul lifted the mask mandate on March 2, and the show went on the following weekend.

And now, “Young Frankenstein” is the first play to be performed in Seaford since “All Shook Up,” in which masks have not even been required for a rehearsal.

“My favorite part about doing this show was learning how to yodel,” senior Raelyn Luft, who plays the Swedish-

accented Inga, said. “I originally actually wasn’t going for this part. Once I did auditions, I realized that this was the part that I wanted.”

Luft is an accomplished actress at Seaford High School, having been a part of musicals since sixth grade. Her male counterpart, Dylan Quinn, is coming over from another part of the Seaford High School community. Quinn, a lineman for Seaford’s football team, plays Dr. Frederick Frankenstein. He did partake in the school plays in sixth and seventh grades but throughout high school, he wrestled in the winter. However, a love for

Medicaid Asset Protection Trust Myths

Why don’t more people do the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT)? The answer is that clients often get the wrong advice from well meaning but ill informed professionals, family and friends. Here are some of the most common MAPT myths.

1. You Can’t Sell the House. The MAPT may sell the house at any time. The money is paid to the MAPT. You may invest the money and use the income for a rental or you may purchase another residence in the name of the MAPT. The five year clock does not start over.

2. You Lose Your Property Tax Exemptions. Properly drafted MAPT’s preserve your Senior, STAR and Veteran’s exemptions as well as the exemption from capital gains on the sale of the primary residence —$500,000 for a couple or $250,000 for a single person.

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rates”. For example, if you have to go into a nursing home four years after you set up the MAPT, you only have to pay for the one year that is left.

4. You Can’t Get Your Money. The trust pays you all of the income. Principal may be gifted from the trust in any amount to any of your heirs.

5. The MAPT Cannot Be Revoked. Strange as it may seem, in New York you may revoke an irrevocable trust. Here’s why. It’s irrevocable because you, the grantor, cannot revoke it alone. However, New York has another rule on the books that says that if every person named in the irrevocable trust agrees in writing that they no longer want the trust, then you may revoke it on consent of all the named parties. Since that is just you and your adult children, it is usually a simple matter to accomplish. If a child won’t sign, we simply amend the trust to remove them and then their signature is no longer needed.

singing and a push from Luft encouraged Quinn, a junior, to audition for “Young Frankenstein,” and he landed the titular role.

“I feel like I have more of a future when it comes to music,” Quinn said. “The cast list came out, I left the wrestling team, and I became really committed to this. And I have no regrets.”

Both Luft and Quinn have the vocal chops to lead this show — they have been singing for a long time, have been named as All-County vocalists and plan to pursue singing in college. Luft was recently selected as an alternate for All-Eastern

music conference.

Even though “Young Frankenstein” is a comedy, every show has a theme and a goal.“It’s about not judging a book by its cover,” Luft said. “Everyone is scared of the monster at first, but he turns out to be a sweetheart.”

Performances are scheduled for March 3 and 4, with a final dress rehearsal available for viewing on March 2. It will feature tons of singing, big dance numbers, and what Gates-Weber called a secret theater tradition at Seaford High School, which the actors and audience always look forward to.

Courtesy Seaford School District Seaford HigH ScHool’S production of ‘Young Frankenstein,’ a musical adaptation of the classic Mel Brooks film, will take to the stage next month.

Raelyn Luft selected as alternate for All-Eastern

By MICHAEL MALASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com

Seaford High School senior Raelyn Luft could showcase her vocal talents on her biggest stage yet after she was selected to the All-Eastern music conference, hosted by the National Association for Music Education.

To reach All-Eastern status, as a junior, Luft required a perfect score on the New York State School Music Association, or NYSSMA, exam, which consisted of singing a whole song in Italian and doing some sight-reading. She scored 100 and was offered the choice to attend All-State or AllEastern, and took the riskier All-Eastern route, comprising singers from the entire eastern seaboard, but mainly the tri-state area.

The music conference will take place in Rochester in April. The concert consists of two full days of intensive rehearsals — the first time the singers will see any of the music they are performing — before the concert.

“I don’t know if I’m definitely going yet because I got chosen as an alternate,” Luft said. “So I’m not sure if I’m 100 percent going. But it’s such a good experience. And I’m really happy that I was considered for it.”

Luft was born in Pennsylvania, near Lake Ariel, in the area known as “The Hideout.” She moved to Seaford in fourth grade, attending Harbor Elementary

School, where she learned to sing.

“I owe everything to Miss Greco, who pushed me to start singing,” Luft said, referring to Linda Greco, a now-retired music teacher from Harbor. “I probably never would have (started) without her. She pushed me to do NYSSMA, which is what gets you selected for something like All-Eastern. I’ve done it every year, with the exception of the Covid years.”

Other highlights of Luft’s singing career include involvement, since the fifth grade, in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, based out of Manhasset, which seeks to further music students’ potential outside of school by taking them to perform in highly regarded venues.

John C. McNeur founded the youth orchestra in 1993, and it has grown from a 15-piece orchestra to seven orchestras and nine choirs, all based on Long Island. The Metropolitan Youth Orchestra is known for offering young singers great opportunities — most recently, it sent Luft’s peer, Angelina LaVolpe, to Italy on a singing tour last summer.

Luft also has been selected for All-County Music Festival numerous times and has landed many lead roles in Seaford’s musicals, including playing Inga in Seaford High School’s production of “Young Frankenstein” next month.

Though her singing career was on a brief hiatus when Covid struck in her freshman year, Luft persisted through it by singing while wearing a mask. She had to

learn new techniques and breath control during this time to overcome the mask, which made her an even better singer when the mask mandate was lifted last year.

Luft sings naturally as a soprano, but is versatile and can sing alternative positions she has been selected to sing as an alto for All-Eastern.

In addition to Greco, Luft has drawn a ton of inspiration from Yvonne Bendzlow-

icz, the chorus teacher at the high school.

“I owe so much to Ms. B as well,” Luft said. “I couldn’t thank her enough for how much she’s pushed me — sometimes hard, but always in the best ways.”

Bendzlowicz, an accomplished musician herself, has both sung and played clarinet all over the world before she became a music teacher. This is a route Luft said she wants to follow and has looked at music education programs at colleges, such as the University of Delaware, to make that dream a reality.

“I know what the challenges are, and I know what she’s going to face,” Bendzlowicz said. “But I also know that she’s prepared and she’s ready, and that she’s going to surpass me and do bigger things. Raelyn will take those opportunities and even go further while inspiring others. She has already inspired other kids in high school to do really well, and she’ll do (an) incredible job as a music educator.”

Whether she performs at All-Eastern or not, and wherever she ends up going to college, Luft can count on Bendzlowicz remaining one of her biggest supporters.

“Singing and performing just comes so natural to her,” Bendzlowicz said. “She doesn’t get rattled by anything. And what I really love about Raelyn is how she lifts other people up — she’s not arrogant, she is very modest. But my favorite thing about her is that she makes sure no one else ever feels small, which is special considering how great she is.”

Courtesy Seaford schools

RAELYn Luft, In the chorus room where she hones her talents, will represent Seaford High School at the All-Eastern music conference.

FAMILY Pavilion

— named for Feil Organization chief executive Jeffrey Feil — will feature an expanded emergency department at Mount Sinai South Nassau, along with 40 critical and intensive care beds, and nine new operating rooms. Feil’s foundation donated $5 million to the hospital.

Feil family donates $5M for new pavilion

Gift is single largest donation in Mount Sinai South Nassau’s history

By KARINA KOVAC kkovac@liherald.com

The Louis Feil Charitable Lead Annuity Trust has pledged the largest single gift in the history of Mount Sinai South Nassau — $5 million. And, in return, it will help usher in a new state-of-the-art facility, with the Feil name on top.

The new four-story, 100,000-square-foot building, is scheduled to open in another year. And when it does, it will be named the Feil Family Pavilion.

This new $130 million pavilion will double the size of the hospital’s current emergency department, increase the critical and intensive care inpatient capacity to 40 beds, and add nine new operating rooms.

“Mount Sinai South Nassau is our local hospital, and we are grateful for the expert care it provides to our communities on the South Shore,” said Jeffrey Feil, chief executive of the Feil Organization— and a longtime Rockville Centre resident — in a release. “We are so fortunate to have an outstanding medical center right in our backyard. The Feil family is honored to support the growth of Mount Sinai South Nassau.”

The Feil Organization is a real estate investment, management and development firm based in New York City with more than 70 years of expertise. Feil’s portfolio commands millions of square feet in industrial, commercial and retail, as well as more than 5,000 residential properties and thousands of acres of undeveloped land across the United States.

Feil and his family — including his parents, the late Gertrude and Louis Feil — have been longtime supporters of the hospital. With their latest gift, the family has donated a total of $17 million to benefit the hospital and the patients it serves.

The family previous gifted $2 million in 2019, and $1.5 million in 2018 to help centralize the hospital’s cancer care services.

The family also donated $3 million in 2011 that supported the continued growth and expansion of the Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center.

“This generous gift by the Feil family will have a direct impact on improving patient care on the South Shore,” said Adhi Sharma, president of Mount Sinai South Nassau, in a release. “We are deeply thankful for their generosity and support. It will be the hospital’s distinct honor to name the new patient care tower in honor and recognition of the Feil family, and their longstanding commitment to Mount Sinai South Nassau.

“Their support and commitment has been vital to the growth of our emergen-

cy services and cancer care program as well as the hospital’s tradition of excellence in the delivery of advanced care services.”

The Feil gift is the second major contribution made to the new four-story patient building currently under construction. Last year, the hospital’s immediate past board chair, Joseph Fennessy, made an undisclosed gift to the hospital that earned his family’s name on top of the pedestrian entrance to the new emergency department. Additional naming opportunities remain within the new pavilion, officials said, including nursing stations, lobby areas and surgical suites.

It’s part of an overall $400 million capital building fundraising campaign Mount Sinai has undertaken in recent years.

Currently, South Nassau’s emergency department treats 65,000 people each year, but is designed to handle half that. When construction is complete, the emergency department will nearly double the size of a football field, increasing its annual capacity to 80,000.

In addition, the department will feature centralized nursing stations that will allow for direct oversight of patient rooms. There also will be bedside triage, expanded pediatric trauma treatment areas with an adjoining radiology area, a decontamination room, dedicated areas for geriatrics and behavioral health, and a spacious waiting and reception area with free Wi-Fi, and charging stations for phones, computer tablets and laptops.

The operating room and its surgical suites will be configured and designed to accommodate the nonstop advancements in surgical technologies and equipment. The combined impact of the redesigned and larger operating rooms will allow Mount Sinai South Nassau and its staff of surgeons to increase its surgical scheduling capacity to accommodate projected volumes in same-day, elective, and emergency surgeries.

The new surgical suites also could pave the way for an open-heart program at the Oceanside campus, pending state health department approval.

“The ultimate beneficiary of the Feil family’s generosity is our South Shore community that turns to Mount Sinai South Nassau for compassionate, quality health care,” said Tony Cancellieri, cochair of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s board of directors, in a release.

“On behalf of the hospital’s board of directors, we are grateful to our dear friends Jeffrey and Lee Feil and their entire family, and are honored to name the pavilion as a permanent expression of gratitude for this gift and the ongoing support of the Feil family.”

TONY CANCELLIERI, CO-CHAIR of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s board of directors, joined Feil Organization chief executive Jeffrey Feil, and Andrew Triolo, vice president of facilities, design and construction at Mount Sinai South Nassau in front of what will become the Feil Family Pavilion at the Oceanside hospital. Feil’s foundation donated $5 million to the hospital.

Photos courtesy Mount Sinai South Nassau

ANTIQUE STORE:

SHOPPING

Congrats to all the Top 3 Finalists in the 2022 Herald Long Island Choice Awards presented by PSEG Long Island! Check back each week for the Top 3 Reveal in each category leading up to the Oscar-style awards ceremony in April 2023. Did your favorites make it to the top? Visit www.LiChoiceAwards.com!

*Finalists are listed alphabetically, not in order of placement.

Garden City Antiques & Fine Arts, Ltd

Long Island Antiques Center

Remember Yesteryears

APPLIANCE/HOME

ELECTRONIC STORE:

ACS Camera & Pro Video

AHC Appliances

P.C. Richard & Son

BOUTIQUE:

Artisan Jules Gifts and Goodness

Jolie Fleur

Love and Honey Boutique

BRIDAL STORE:

Blossom Brides

The Bridal World

David’s Bridal Westbury NY

CARPET STORE:

Anthony’s World of Floors

Carpet Depot

Harry Katz Carpet One Floor & Home

COIN STORE:

Coin Galleries of Oyster Bay

Collectors Coins & Jewelry

Eastern Numismatics Inc

COLLECTIBLES STORE:

Bullseye Collectibles

Collectors Coins & Jewelry

LuxeSwap

CONSIGNMENT/THRIFT STORE:

Lucky Finds Boutique

LuxeSwap

National Council of Jewish Women Thrift Shop

EYEWEAR STORE:

Cohen’s Fashion Optical

Eyes On Broadway

FrameBar.co

FARMERS MARKET:

Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s

Deep Roots Farmers Market

Youngs Farm

FLORIST:

Central Florist

Feldis Florist & Flower Delivery

Olive It Boutique

FUR STORE:

Barbatsuly Furs

Tres Chic Furs

Tsontos Furs

FURNITURE STORE:

Furniture Gallery of Long Island

Raymour & Flanigan

The Rustic Loft

GIFT SHOP:

Dolce Confections by Trubee Hill

What A Girl Wants

GOURMET MARKET:

Gemelli Gourmet Market North Iavarone Bros

Sorrento’s Italian Specialties

GROCERY/SUPERMARKET:

Cross Island Fruits

Holiday Farms

Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace

LOCAL CHILDREN’S CLOTHING:

Cathy’s Touch

Denny’s Fashion, Style, For All Morton’s Official Camp Outfitters

LOCAL HARDWARE STORE:

Ace Hardware Hewlett

Atlantic Hardware

Costello’s Ace Hardware

LOCAL MATTRESS STORE:

Furniture Gallery of Long Island

Mattress Firm

Sleepworks Mattress & Futon Superstore

LOCAL MEN’S CLOTHING:

Karako Suits of Lynbrook

LuxeSwap

Mur-Lees Men’s & Boy’s Shop

LOCAL WOMEN’S CLOTHING:

A.J. & MOS

STOOSH BOUTIQUE

Trois Jours Boutique Etc

NURSERY & GARDEN CENTER:

Abby’s Parkside Nursery & Florist, Inc.

Dees Nursery And Florist Inc.

Hicks Nurseries

PAWN SHOP:

Collectors Coins & Jewelry

Empire Pawn of Nassau

Matthew James Jewelers

WINDOW TREATMENT STORE:

Blinds To Go

The Blind Spot

The Shade Store

spotlight athlete

Wantagh adds to trophy case

By toNY BellissiMo tbellissimo@liherald.com

Wantagh’s Thomas Bonasera, Anthony Clem and Jesse Vanorden all reached the All-County wrestling podium last winter by placing in the top six of their respective weight classes.

JURRel hall

West Hempstead Senior Track

hall stole the show at the Nassau Class C Track and Field championships Feb. 8 to help the Rams to a secondplace finish. He captured the triple jump (school record 44-feet, 11-inches), high jump and long jump titles, matching a feat he accomplished last spring.

BasKetBall plaYoFFs

Friday, Feb. 17

Girls Basketball: Nassau Class AA quarterfinals

Boys Basketball: Nassau Class A ffirst round

saturday, Feb. 18

Girls Basketball: Nassau Class A first round

Boys Basketball: Nassau Class AA quarterfinals

tuesday, Feb. 21

Girls & Boys Basketball: Nassau Class A quarterfinals

Wednesday, Feb. 22

Girls & Boys Basketball: Nassau Class B semifinals

Friday, Feb. 24

Girls Basketball: Nassau Class AA semifinals

saturday, Feb. 25

Boys Basketball: Nassau Class AA semifinals

Monday, Feb. 27

Girls Basketball: Nassau Class A semifinals

tuesday, Feb. 28

Boys Basketball: Nassau Class A semifinals

Wednesday, March 1

Girls & Boys Basketball: Nassau Class B finals

saturday, March 4

Girls & Boys Basketball: Nassau Class AA and A finals

On Sunday, they were back on the big stage at Hofstra University and made the most of it. They secured three of the Warriors’ four Nassau Division 1 championships, leading them to a repeat team title along with repeat county champ Joseph Clem.

“We have a very close-knit team and a tremendous coaching staff,” Wantagh coach Paul Gillespie said. “These guys will be friends for life.”

The Warriors racked up 253 points to finish well atop the team standings. Long Beach was second with 208.5, followed by MacArthur with 183.5.

“Our team is a brotherhood,” said Bonasera, a senior who after placing third last season defeated Lynbrook’s Dylan Vanegas in the 138-pound final, 6-2. “I broke my arm two years ago and this is a dream come true,” he added. “There were times I thought I wouldn’t be back, but everyone supported me. I couldn’t ask for a better group of coaches and teammates.”

Bonasera takes a record of 47-4 to the state tournament Feb. 24-25 at Albany’s MVP Arena. “I started wrestling when I was 5 years old and I want to win the whole thing,” he said.

Gillespie said Bonasera’s performance at the prestigious Eastern States Tournament last month boosted his confidence to another level. “Tommy has put a great amount of rehabilitation and work in since his injury,” Gillespie said.

“He had a huge win at Eastern States

that he’s been feeding off.”

Bonasera and Vanorden, a junior who took fifth in the county last season, are workout partners. Vanorden (44-1) joined Bonasera at the top of the podium one match later when he grinded past Bethpage’s William McMullen in overtime, 4-2, at 145.

“I’ve had a good rivalry with McMullen and we both wanted it bad,” Vanorden said. “We were both fighting like hell and I was glad I was able to find a way in the end.”

Anthony Clem had a dominant run to his first county crown with three technical fall wins leading up to a 12-4 major decision over Uniondale’s Angel Banegas in the 118-pound title bout. Clem, a junior, is 49-4.

Anthony’s twin brother, Joseph Clem, renewed his rivalry with Calhoun’s Ray Adams in the 126-pound final and won a 3-0 decision for his second straight county championship. Clem (44-5) earned the both the Gary Ventimiglia Most Outstanding Wrestler and the Ted Petersen Champion of Champion awards.

“Unbelievable kids and wrestlers,” Gillespie said of the Clems.

The Warriors had two other defending county champs fall a little short. Senior Ryan Arbeit was runner-up at 132, and senior Noah Corwin was runner-up at 172.

“All six of our kids headed to Albany can finish All-State,” Gillespie said. “That would be a great way to cap an incredible season.”

Donovan Berthoud/Herald WaNtagh seNioR thoMas Bonasera, top, took a 6-2 decision over Lynbrook’s Dylan Vanegas in the 138-pound county final.

Town urged to reject ‘discriminatory’ maps

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

“Change the boundary, redraw the lines” was the message dozens of community members tried to articulate to the Hempstead Town Board last week. But in the end, many felt their pleas were completely ignored

Don Clavin faced some heat from the crowd after the town supervisor decided to cut the microphone feed for each speaker off exactly at the required three minutes they were allotted to speak. When Deputy Town Supervisor Dorothy Goosby — who notably challenged Hempstead’s discriminatory at-large voting system in 1988 — was asked if she had anything to say about the redistricting process, she declined to comment.

The Hempstead redistricting saga is nearing its end, and opponents of the proposed maps are not giving up without a fight. A group of angry voters rallied outside of Hempstead Town Hall minutes before the Feb. 7 meeting to air out their frustrations.

Former county legislator Dave Denenberg, who organized the rally, said there is an ulterior motive behind the elected officials drawing the district lines they way they’re doing it.

“Whenever there’s redistricting, you see a political machine do exactly what they always do: They are going to draw districts in a way that tries to maintain their majority,” Denenberg said. “But that’s voter suppression.”

Mimi Pierre-Johnson, founder of the Elmont Cultural Center, said she saw a “glimmer of hope” at the redistricting commission’s last work session. The three commission members seemed they would finally recommend one of the six map proposals to the Hempstead Town Board. These options included the town’s preliminary “Skyline” map, as well as five alternative proposals from civic groups and local attorneys they say would help provide a

more equal voice for minority groups.

But that optimism was quickly extinguished when the commission failed to put forward a map, and instead agreed to officially recommend the town board produce a final map that keeps communities of interest intact.

Since the first day of the redistricting process, the concerns raised by opponents to the initial town-drawn maps circle back to a single theme: District lines should be redrawn to have a more balanced demographic represen-

tation. That means creating three “minority-majority” districts, that would allow minority communities a chance to elect someone who would be more likely to represent them on the town board.

For example, 90 percent of Elmont’s population are people of color. However, the current map proposal places Elmont in a district with Garden City, which has an 88 percent white population.

Placing Elmont in a district with neighborhoods they have nothing in common with dilutes the votes of its residents and impairs the outcome of elections, claimed Claudia Borecky, president of the Bellmore Merrick Democratic Club, in a letter to the Hempstead Town Board.

“People told heart-wrenching stories of how hard they and their ancestors fought for the right to have a vote that counted,” Borecky said. “Yet, the motion made by the redistricting commission for the Town Board to only consider keeping communities whole is totally deaf to what your constituents plead.”

Under the guidance of the Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders law firm and redistricting expert Sean Trende, the Town Board released a redistricting map proposal last month, which they say takes into account public comments as well as the views of the redistricting commission.

However, some doubted these intentions.

“If (the town) passes this map, I’m going to Garden City because that’s my district,” Pierre-Johnson said. “I’m going to show up with my friends to (Garden City) town meetings, to the zoning board, because I want what they have for Elmont.”

Critics also questioned the map’s compliance with federal and state voting rights protections — specifically the Voting Rights Act and New York’s John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act. If Hempstead finalizes the current map as it stands, it could expose the town to costly litigation at the taxpayers’ expense.

Ana Borruto/Herald

FORMER NASSAU COUNTY legislator Dave Denenberg leads a rally outside of Hempstead Town Hall just before a town board meeting discussing redistricting. As the mapping process nears its end, voters are getting louder about their demands for three minority-majority districts.

Full LIRR service to East Side finally coming

By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com

Commuters are riding the high of never-before-seen rail service aimed at connecting the Long Island Rail Road to the bedrock of Midtown Manhattan at Grand Central Madison.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority celebrated a turning point with the long-anticipated opening of its 750,000-square-foot East Side Manhattan transit hub with the first shuttle train from Jamaica station on Jan. 25. Now the terminal is set for a full rollout of regular train service beginning Feb. 27.

The East Side Access Project, as it was known, has already drawn a daily rush of commuters — albeit under a limited format with shuttle service from the Queens station to Grand Central Madison.

Rather than plunging straightaway with full service, MTA officials said the station is in a soft-launch phase, enabling riders to slowly acclimate themselves to the additional shuttle service from Jamaica, find their way around the facility and test out commuting options.

Once Midtown’s terminal comes fully online, it will no doubt reorder the MTA’s transit system and send ripples through its 11 Long Island train branches, each offering direct or transfer service to Penn Station on the West Side, and Grand Central Madison.

For LIRR commuters, this change will

be felt most acutely in adapting to an overhauled train schedule that divvies up Manhattan-bound train service between the two sister terminals.

Some commuters may feel more taken to the change than others with the promise of greater accessibility and efficiency to their commutes. Still, others can’t help but groan over the foreseeable loss, and longing for their preferred service lines and connections.

But at least for MTA chair and chief

executive Janno Lieber, the change is a net-gain for most commuters — and a sign of economic renewal for the metro Long Island area, with a 41 percent increase in service.

Grand Central Madison provides “faster, more convenient travel that brings Long Island closer to the heart of the City,” Leiber said, in a release. “The new schedules are going to be a major shot in the arm for the local economy and the effort to get people back to offic-

es, theaters and shopping.”

But critics are quick to point out that the often-touted 41 percent service increase — raising the number of daily trains from 665 to 936 — is relative to current service which has experienced a major cutback of its own compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Weekday ridership continues to hover at about 65 percent of what it was before any of us had ever heard of Covid-19.

And while MTA officials expect nearly 45 percent of riders to shift over to Grand Central Madison, there are nagging concerns about the potential travel headaches brought by the decline in available morning rush-hour train service to Penn.

Take, for example, the fact that the Long Beach branch which will get 10 additional rush hour trains from its current 13 at Penn Station. Yet, it will have two fewer rush hour trains at Penn Station with shared service lines to Grand Central Madison.

“The new schedules are designed to have more evenly spaced trains and fewer large gaps in service,” MTA spokesman Dave Steckel said. “There will also be more frequent service to Queens and on the Ronkonkoma and West Hempstead branches. New service promises decrease travel times from Long Island to Manhattan, and reduce crowding at Penn Station.

“We will continue to monitor and adjust service based on ridership trends and other factors.”

LIJ Medical Center is in

the top 10% of hospitals nationally for oncology, according

Courtesy Metropolitan Transportation Authority

FULL PASSENGER TRAIN service from the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Madison is set to begin Feb. 27 according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Limited shuttle service opened up late last month, bringing in some of the first LIRR passengers to Manhattan’s East Side.

to U.S.News&WorldReport. Northwell.edu/NoLimits

STEPPING OUT

Dinodaze to life Dinosaurs of all kinds

By Karen Bloom

he herd is back. Kids of all ages

Quest — the traveling dinosaur “experience” — returns to Nassau Coliseum for four days of prehistoric adventuring. Jurassic Quest takes families back to the days when these prehistoric creatures ruled the lands, Friday through Monday, Feb. 17-20.

• Feb. 17-20; times vary

• Tickets start at $22; available at MonsterQuest.com or NassauColiseum.com

• Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale

This immersive spectacle features a bevy of lifelike dinosaurs — of all shapes and sizes — that are an impressive lot. They transform the arena environment to a time 165 million years ago during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods where visitors can get up-close and personal with the creatures.

“They are all life-size and authentic,” Park Ranger Marty (aka Marty Hoffman) says. “You get to see what dinosaurs are really like, hearing the different sounds they made.”

Described by Park Ranger Marty and the Jurassic Quest folks as North America’s largest and most realistic event, the creative team collaborates with leading paleontologists to ensure each dinosaur is painstakingly replicated, from coloration to teeth size, to textured skin, fur or feathers — drawing on the latest research about how we understand dinosaurs and these ancient creatures looked and moved. Plant settings, sound effects, lighting and electronics add to the authenticity of the setting.

But perhaps what makes the experience more than just a spectacle is the way it pulls on the heartstrings. As Park Ranger Marty — who proclaims himself a “dinosaur nerd” — put it: “It’s a great time for everyone. Especially the kids, but also the adults. We’ve all had that time in our lives when we loved dinosaurs. Then we get away from it. When we take the time to see them through the kids’ eyes, we reconnect with that love of dinosaurs we all had.”

It’s all self-guided, so visitors proceed at their own pace. That means you can approach the mighty T. rex, check out the 50-foot-long Spinosaurus, largest known carnivorous dinosaur, even longer and heavier than the T. rex, also the enormous Apatosaurus with its whip-tail, along with sea creatures, and many others.

“One hundred sixty million years worth of dinosaurs are here,” Park Ranger Marty enthuses.

And there are those baby dinos, “hatched” specifically for Jurassic Quest: Cammie the Camarasaurus, Tyson the T. rex, and Trixie the Triceratops.

“People really love them,” Park Ranger Marty says. “Kids want to hang out and pet them. It’s an amazing thing to see. The interaction between the babies and the kids is really fun.”

While the dinosaurs are the main draw, of course, the event includes a fossil dig, where budding paleontologists can dig up bones, along with an excavation site, with actual fossils and themed rides, among other activities.

“There really is something for everyone,” Park Ranger Marty says. Plus an education component is worked in — and the kids won’t even realize it.

“We like to think of dinosaurs as the ‘gateway science,” he explains. “Kids are learning about biology and geology, and more, when they explore dinosaurs. Also other sciences like astronomy and engineering. It all relates back to dinosaurs andancient plants. And this all comes out of the kids thinking dinosaurs are cool.”

Park Ranger Marty and Dino Trainer Dustin hanging out, at left, with a Tylosaurus skull. Open wide! An enthusiastic young visitor, at right, finds his way into an Allosaur head

Alan Doyle

The prolific Canadian singersongwriter has boundless appeal. The moment he burst onto the scene in the early 1990s with his band Great Big Sea, Canadians fell in love with the pride of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, whose effusive charisma and sense of humour was eclipsed only by his magnetic stage presence. His influence is now being heard in a new generation of artists as his solo work continues to endear him to roots music fans everywhere. That’s clearly evident on Doyle’s latest EP ‘Rough Side Out,’ which finds him collaborating with Canadian country music superstars Dean Brody and Jess Moskaluke, while at the same time offering his own distinctive interpretation of contemporary country. His songs all have a strong personal meaning, according to Doyle, who believes ‘the best songwriters in any genre are the ones who can look in their own backyard and find something they want to sing about.’

Saturday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. $41, $37, $29. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Dublin Irish Dance

The acclaimed Dublin Irish Dance ensemble visits Long Island with their new production, ‘Wings: A Celtic Dance Celebration.’ Wings features exquisite Irish and World champion dancers alongside Ireland’s musical and vocal virtuosos. Complete with original music and choreography, this groundbreaking production, infused with world dance and musical influences, will thrill audiences with its transformative emotional energy and imaginative design. The vivid and illuminating production portraying rich Irish heritage themes, in spectacular dance and musical performances by this superb cast that will thrill audiences of all ages. Everyone will be entranced by these world champion Irish dancers as they defy gravity in this captivating spectacle.

Friday, March 17, 8 p.m. $60, $45, $35. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. (516) 299-3100 or TillesCenter.org.

Voyage

The Journey tribute band visits

The Paramount, Saturday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. The popular band takes everyone back to the ‘80’s when Journey’s timeless music ruled the airwaves. Hailed by fans and critics alike as the world’s top Journey tribute band, they perform with chilling accuracy. Fronted by Hugo — a dead ringer for Steve Perry, both visually and vocally — he continues to delight fans with his miraculous resemblance, exact mannerisms and identical voice to Perry. $40, $35, $30, $25. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

An evening with Shira

Psychic and medium Shira returns to Seaford, Tuesday, Feb. 28, at the Seaford American Legion., 2301 Penatiquit Ave. With catered buffet dinner. For more information visit tinyurl. com/seafordpsychic.

$5 Skate Night

United Skates of America in Seaford wants to make skating year round activity. Every Thursday, from 4 to 6 p.m., enjoy a skate night with only $5 admission; skate rental is available for an extra $6. For more information visit tinyurl.

On stage

Mo Willems’ popular Pigeon comes alive on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Saturday, Feb. 18, 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Monday through Thursday, Feb. 20-23,11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Pigeon is eager to try anything, with the audience part of the action. LICM, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM. org.

Winter book reading

Book clubs aren’t just for the summer. The Seaford Public Library hosts “Walking in a Reading Wonderland” adult reading program through Feb. 25. Prizes will be offered at the end. For more information email adultprograms@ seafordlibrary.org.

Having an event?

Absolute Adele

Vocalist Jennifer Cella, who performs with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, returns to her alma mater, Nassau Community College, with a tribute to Adele, Saturday, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Mainstage Theatre, Garden City. Tickets are available through the NCC online box office at Nassau. BookTix.com/seating.php. For information, visit NCC.edu or call (516) 572-7676.

Historical lecture

The Seaford Library hosts a lecture, both virtually and in person, on Abraham Lincoln’s relationship with New York City, Thurday, Feb. 16. For more information contact Kristen Jording at adultprograms@ seafordlibrary.org.

Donation opportunity

Support the communirty. St Frances de Chantal in Wantagh is always seeking donations for its pantry as well as its thrift shop. For more information, call (516) 785-2333.

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.

Platanos Y Collard Greens

See the romantic comedy about what happens when an African American and a Latina college student fall in love, presented by Nassau Community College Theater and Dance Department and the Africana Studies Department, Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 16-18, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 19, 2 p.m., with talkback session with playwright David Lamb, immediately following final performance. Threaded by the culture of hip-hop, the lovers defend their relationship, as friends and family learn that this “food fight” calls for fusion instead of feud. Nassau Community College’s Mainstage Theatre, Garden City. Tickets $10; NCC students free with valid ID; $8 veterans, alumni, seniors 60+, students and NCC employees. For tickets/information, visit NCC. edu or call (516) 572-7676.

Family theater

The beloved fairy tale springs to life in a delightful musical romp, presented Plaza Theatrical Productions, Monday, Feb. 20, 11 a.m.; Friday, Feb. 24, 11 a.m.; Sunday, Feb. 26, noon. All the ingredients that have made this story a perennial favorite are here, including Cinderella, a zany Godmother, a trip to the royal ball, and a glass slipper. Tickets are $16. Visit the Plaza stage at The Showplace at Bellmore Movies, 222 Pettit Ave., Bellmore. For information/tickets, go to PlazaTheatrical.com or call (516) 599-6870.

THE SCENE

Feb. 23

Art talk

Grab your lunch and join Nassau County Museum of Art Docent Riva Ettus for her popular “Brown Bag Lecture” live, via Zoom, Thursday, Feb. 23, 1 p.m. She’ll discuss the current exhibition, “The Big Picture: Photography Now.” Participants are invited to ask questions at the end of the program. Register at least 24 hours in advance to receive the program Zoom link. Also Feb. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

March

March 3

The Hot Sardines

The band brings their distinctive sound to the Landmark stage, Friday, March 3, 8 p.m.

Their unique recipe blends hot jazz and sultry standards from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s, rich New Orleans sounds, a dash of ’40s Paris flavor, and vibrant musical surprises. It’s all steeped in salty stride piano and the music Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt and Fats Waller used to make. The result is straight-up foot-stomping jazz. Their name says it all: their iconic ‘hot’ styling will paint a vibrant picture with smoky sounds and audiences revel in the steamy, swanky influence of their art form. With their contagious brand of joy, grit, glamour and passion, they invoke the sounds of nearly a century ago, yet stay right in step with the current age. $60, $50, $46. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Weekly Mah Jongg

The JULIETS are back playing Mah Jongg and cards at Congregation Beth Tikvah, at 3710 Woodbine Ave., in Wantagh, every Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Masks are optional, but proof of Covid-19 vaccination is required for newcomers, as well as a contribution of $5 per person. For more information email mahjonggCBT@yahoo.com or call (516) 785-2445.

Mike Dunphy, owner of the Wantagh Inn, will lead the third annual

Winter seal walk

Have you thought of going to the beach during the winter?

Surge in catalytic converter alarms officials

A surge in the theft of catalytic converters on Long Island has officials worried organized crime might be targeting Long Island driveways.

Senator Chuck Schumer announced startling numbers at a Jan. 30 event in Mineola with local officials. Schumer said catalytic converter theft has risen 385.6 percent since 2021 in Nassau County.

“This is out of control,” Schumer said. “Dangerous at the worst and maddening at the least.”

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman joined with Schumer in calling for federal resources to help local law enforcement.

Schumer specifically called on the Department of Justice to create a specialized team to investigate ties to organized crime and the converter thefts.

A catalytic converter, part of a vehicle’s exhaust system, contains precious metals such as rhodium, palladium, and platinum. The value of these precious metals is extremely high—as of March 2022, rhodium is valued at $20,000 per ounce; palladium at $2,938 per ounce; and platinum at $1,128 per ounce, as reported by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Theft of catalytic converters is costly to auto dealers, as well as the driving public. It can cost a dealer $2,000 to $3,000 to replace a stolen converter in order to fix damage to a vehicle’s undercarriage, fuel line, and electric lines in the process of a theft. In December, Blakeman announced the culmination of “Operation Cat-Track”, a yearlong investigation with Nassau County police, U.S.

Homeland Security, Nassau District Attorney, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. That investigation netted more than $4 million in cash, $3.2 million in bank accounts, and thousands of catalytic converters.

“It is becoming clear that the potential for organized crime or a theft ring is what is behind all of this,” Schumer said, “and we have to get to the bottom of who it is and where the converter cash is going.”

–Mark Nolan

Senator ChuCk

SChumer, joined with local officials, including Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, left, is seeking federal assistance.

Catalytic converter thefts

Nassau reported converter thefts

2019 — 1

2020 — 100

2021 — 472

2022 — 2292

2023 — To date 69

Courtesy Senator Schumer

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Jack Healy, longtime Herald photographer, dies

John “Jack” Healy Sr., of Seaford, died on Jan. 17. Born in Brooklyn to Joseph and Margaret, Jack was the eldest of three children. He attended St. Frances de Chantal grammar school. The family moved to West Hempstead where he graduated from West Hempstead High School. A proud U.S. Navy veteran, Jack joined the U.S. Navy reserves in 1955 and served on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ticonderoga as a Radarman First Class until 1957.

He was the beloved husband of Audrey (née Dwyer) for 59 years. They met in 1960 at Adelphi College where she was studying to become a nurse and he was studying for his B.B.A. Jack and Audrey married in 1963 and lived in Forest Hills. They welcomed son John, Jr. in March 1964. In 1967, they moved to a house in Seaford. Shortly after the move, their son Patrick was born in December 1967. In September 1974 they welcomed their daughter Lorraine. Jack was actively involved in his children’s lives, participating with Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, and attending numerous soccer games and dance recitals.

Audrey and Jack traveled worldwide, enjoying cruises and trips to China, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel and many

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

2 of 17 NOTICE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Sealed proposals for the purchase of Class C Fire Department Uniforms for the Wantagh Fire District. will be received by the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Wantagh Fire District at the District Administration Building located at 2045 Wantagh Avenue, Wantagh, New York 11793 on or before March 24th 2023 at 12:00 p.m. Then, at said office, all received bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. (In accordance with Section 103 of Article 5-a of the General Municipal Law)

The information for bidders, general requirements of contract, form of proposal and specifications may be obtained at the office of the District Superintendent, located at 2045 Wantagh Avenue, Wantagh, New York 11793. The specifications will be available after February 6th 2023.

The Board of Fire Commissioners of the Wantagh Fire District (known hereafter as the Board of Fire Commissioners), Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, New York or its duly appointed representative reserves the right to waive any

informalities in or reject any or all proposals or any part of any proposal or to accept that proposal or any part of that proposal. Additionally, in the event all bids are rejected, to advertise for new bids if in its judgment it is for the best interest of the said fire district.

No proposal shall be withdrawn pending the decision of the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Wantagh Fire District and said proposal price shall be in effective for a period no less than sixty (90) days from date of proposal opening.

Note: return sealed envelopes MUST be marked “CLASS C FIRE DEPARTMENT UNIFORM BIDS”

Brendan J. Narell Superintendent

Dated: February 6th 2023

137316

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Article 16 of the Town Law of the State of New York, as amended, a public hearing will be held in the Town Meeting Pavilion, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Village and Town of Hempstead, Hempstead, New York, on the 28th day of February, 2023 at 7:00 o’clock in the evening of that day, to consider the proposed amendment of Article

XXXIV of the Building Zone Ordinance, in relation to flood hazard zones. The proposed amendment is on file in the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Hempstead, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Village and Town of Hempstead, Hempstead, New York, and available at hempsteadny.gov, where it may be inspected during office hours.

ALL PERSONS INTERESTED in the subject matter will be given an opportunity to be heard with reference thereto at the time and place abovedesignated.

Dated: Hempstead, New York

February 7, 2023 BY ORDER OF THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD

KATE MURRAY Town Clerk DONALD X. CLAVIN, JR. Supervisor 137313

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, HCNP 1 LLC, Plaintiff, vs. THOMAS LOUIS MAURO

A/K/A THOMAS L. MAURO AND DENISE A. MAURO, ET AL., Defendant (s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on December 20, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at

the Nassau County Supreme Court, North Side steps, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, New York on March 22, 2023 at 2:00 PM, premises known as 406 RED MAPLE DRIVE A/K/A RED MAPLE DRIVE WEST, WANTAGH, NEW YORK 11793. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Levittown, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section: 51, Block: 389, Lot: 38. Approximate amount of judgment is $687,046.96 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 614501/2018. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee’s attorney, or the Referee.

GEORGIA PAPAZIS, Esq., Referee Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff 137317

To place a notice here call us at 516-569-4000 x232 or send an email to: legalnotices@liherald.com

other European countries.

In 1962, Jack began working at Chemical Bank, which became known as Chase Manhattan Bank, where he rose through the ranks to vice president of Domestic Private Banking. He retired in 1998 after a 36-year long career there.

Active in his community, Healy was president of the Seaford Library Board and an involved member of St. William the Abbot RC Church, where he served as Head Usher and helped process their weekly donations. He was also a thirddegree Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Memorare Council.

Healy was renowned as a first responder photographer taking photos for local news outlets. He worked closely with the Wantagh and Seaford Volunteer Fire Departments and had his work regularly featured in Fire News, Newsday, The New York Times, and the New York

Jack Healy, left, a freelance photographer for the Wantagh and Seaford Heralds, died on Jan. 17. Healy, next to his wife Audrey, was proud of his service to the Herald, and made sure to partake in the tradition of bringing a Herald with him in his global travels.

Post. He was also a frequent freelance photographer for the Wantagh and Seaford Heralds.

In 2001, he worked alongside a close friend in the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on the DMORT Recovery Operations at the World Trade Center to help identify victims from 9/11.

Jack was the loving father of Jack, Jr., Patrick (Clarice), and Lorraine Joyce (Andrew), and dear brother of Alice Benson (Howard) and Joseph. Cherished grandfather of Madeline, Sean, Sophia, Alexandra, William, Danielle, Cassidy, and Aidan; uncle of Brian; and “Gampa Healy” of Erica.

A funeral mass was held on Jan. 21 at St. William the Abbot Roman Catholic Church in Seaford. In lieu of flowers, donations to Social Ministry at St. William the Abbott RC Church would be appreciated.

News brief County to hold public hearing on redistricting

Nassau County is holding a public hearing Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. about its redrawn legislative district lines based on the 2020 U.S. Census.

During the hearing, the legislature will discuss a proposed maps for all 19 legislative districts. The hearing will give residents, community leaders and legislators a chance to publicly speak about the plan.

The hearing will take place in the Schmitt Memorial Legislative Chamber at 1550 Franklin Ave., Mineola. Details of the proposal are available online at NassauCountyNY.gov. The hearing will be livestreamed on the county’s website.

The county established a Temporary

Districting Advisory Commission comprised of 11 members. The chairperson is a non-voting member, appointed by County Executive Bruce Blakeman. There are five members who were appointed by Presiding Officer Richard J. Nicolello, and five members appointed by Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams.

The commission has held 12 total public meetings in every city and town throughout Nassau to ensure residents of every community had the opportunity to attend and participate in the hearings. At this point in the process the commission has recommend its proposed maps.

–Mark Nolan

Courtesy Lorraine Joyce

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Q. We are in a quandary about insulation. Our house was built in 1948, and isn’t insulated well. We decided to add a master bedroom and kitchen extension and insulate as much as we can. Our building plans examiner wants something call a ResCheck from our architect, and wants to know how much of the house we’re going to do. We only want to tell them about the additions, even though we want to do our attic and the whole exterior from the outside, if we can. We understand that if we tell the plans examiner about the rest of the house, they can make us do a more expensive energy analysis, which we don’t think is necessary. Also, our contractor wants to only insulate the attic floor, but the architect said that the latest energy code requires us to insulate the roof and not the attic floor. Can you advise?

A. It’s frustrating that if you were not in the permit process, you would just insulate, but the moment government learns that you are doing everything the right way, with permits, they make things more involved.

A ResCheck is the name given to a 10-page energy-analysis document, complete with areas of windows and doors, walls, floors and ceilings along with calculated heat loss and energy coefficients. It’s like taking an exam and the way it is done, to be registered with the state online, we don’t get to know if the numbers provided will pass until we get to the end of the document. If it’s failing the requirements, we aren’t shown why, so we have to start over, trying to guess what needs to be beefed up.

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Since this is a big question, tune in to my next column for the rest of the answer. Stay warm and good luck!

© 2022 Monte Leeper

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Two isn’t always a winning number

There are all types of numbers associated with politicians. Pollsters are constantly bombarding us with numbers. Defeated candidates keep complaining that they won, and say they have the numbers to prove it. But the bottom line in this discussion is that the number 2 is by far the worst number to be attached to any political figure.

As living proof of the value of being second, I cite Vice President Kamala Harris and New York Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. There is no question that either of them would become No. 1 if anything happened to her/his boss. But looking at their scope of responsibilities shows that they have very little to do. Harris is rarely in the news, primarily because she hasn’t been given that much to do on a daily basis. She’s called upon to attend important funerals, but the press rarely says much about her.

With the 2024 presidential election coming up, there is speculation about whether President Biden will make Harris his running mate if he decides to run again. Most political observers think she would be a drag on the 2024 ticket, because she hasn’t been associated with any winning issues. Shortly after she took on her official duties, the president assigned her the responsibility of helping solve the border crisis, which is proving more difficult than curing cancer. There was an opportunity for Harris to make some serious recommendations on how to solve the crisis, but she felt the issue was too toxic and declined to actively take on the role. She has been lobbying for the passage of the George Floyd Act, which would better clarify what the role of the police should be, but she wouldn’t be able to make any waves without Biden doing the heavy lifting. There’s also a possibility that the president has chosen not to boost her credentials because of the 2020

debates, when she went out of her way to attack Biden on school segregation. No matter how you try to define the role of the vice president, it’s very hard to write out a list of specifications. The president decides what the V.P.’s job will be, and there are many examples of presidents giving their vice presidents serious duties. President George W. Bush delegated most of his high-level duties to Dick Cheney, and many claimed that Cheney became the real president. But the late Vice President James Nance Garner, who served under Franklin Roosevelt, is said to have had the best definition of the job, describing the vice president’s job as not being worth “a bucket of warm spit.”

Delgado’s situation is an interesting one. He’s a graduate of Colgate University and Harvard Law School. He was a very effective member of Congress who was willing to resign to take on the No. 2 position in Albany. Gov. Kathy Hochul spent every waking hour of her time as lieutenant governor traveling to every

corner of the state. She got to know every local chamber of commerce, and elected officials marveled at her nonstop visits. There is no doubt that her tenacity helped her get elected governor.

Currently, however, the only job Delgado has is to preside over the State Senate, which isn’t the most exciting work. No doubt after April 1, when the state budget is out of the way, Hochul will decide what role he will play. Delgado is personable and articulate, and was well received during his campaign swings. He could be a great advocate for the governor’s programs. She is badly in need of someone who can reach out to the Assembly and Senate members and make some friends. Delgado could help her a great deal in that role.

But either way, being No. 2 in government is hardly the best job in the business.

Jerry Kremer was an Assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? jkremer@liherald.com.

Minx or madman: the George Santos story

Don’t mess with puppies, George. From what I’ve read and what I’ve heard in statements coming out of your very own mouth, you seem estranged from most commonly held beliefs of what is true and what is false, what is a factual statement and what is a lie. What happened and what didn’t happen.

RANDI KREISS

Assiduously, I have ignored the media high jinks and political circus surrounding your behavior, but last week’s revelation of the alleged puppy caper in Pennsylvania’s Amish country in 2017 unleashes my inner Cujo.

Oh yes, the temptation to joke is overwhelming due to the ridiculousness of many of your quasi-legal escapades and the seemingly endless stream of revelations concerning your grandiose claims, self-promotion and transgressions.

Last week we read in The Washington Post that a farmer in Pennsylvania had come forward with a story about you “buying” golden retriever puppies from him with rubber checks. Other

farmers have come forward with similar claims. Related to these charges is the story about the “charity” you claim to have established, Friends of Pets United, but the Post reported that no IRS records of the group could be found. It also reported that you stole money that had been raised to help a disabled veteran care for a dying dog. A disabled veteran?? A dying dog?? What’s wrong with you, George?

I am very disappointed in you. If I were your mother — but oh, wait, your mother died tragically in the 9/11 attacks, unless she didn’t. Can’t be sure. Well, if I were your mother, I would get you some help. The impulse among us in the media is to point at you, since you have become something of a one-man sideshow. But dude, you need serious therapeutic intervention.

New York City, or worked for a bank, or owned various houses, or knew people in the Pulse nightclub shooting, or graduated from NYU or played high-stakes volleyball.

Some say your name isn’t even George Santos. Pinning down the truth as torrents of lies pour from your mouth is like pinning down Jell-O. You are inventive and indefatigable in your stream of wishful thinking out loud, Walter Mitty on a bad trip.

How long will the Republicans allow the public evisceration to continue?

What we can be sure of is that you aren’t Jewish, or Jew-ish, despite your repeated claims to the contrary. According to The Forward, even though you said that your grandparents escaped the Holocaust, they actually were safe and sound in Brazil at the time. There’s no proof you were really mugged on your way to pay a delinquent rent check in

Mostly this is terribly sad. You need help, but you won’t find it in Congress or any public office, for now. Why not step down and save yourself further humiliation?

You can’t expect assistance from your mates in Congress, George. As long as you have a pulse and can vote the party line, they will let the public evisceration continue. You won’t find solace in Congress or real collegiality or decency. You are a GOP vote. Full stop.

Readers, from my perch in the press, the buffoonery of George Santos and his enablers fits perfectly into this time and space. Congress and the Senate have always had their share of nudniks, but Santos is part of a wave of new-age

liars. The toxic lies spewing from people like Marjorie Taylor Green, Rick Scott, Mike Lee, Lauren Boebert and Ron Johnson are poisoning the processes of government. They are all using Santos in what has become a spectacle and a shame.

Last, a shout-out to our neighbors in the 3rd Congressional District, the people of Mineola, Great Neck, North Hills, Port Washington and Oyster Bay. Assuming all of you are literate and somewhat paying attention, how did George Santos sweep by you and right into office? Was holding a Republican seat really a wise trade-off for allowing a candidate with not even a passing appreciation for the truth represent your interests in the People’s House?

As we approach the birthday of another George, the George of American history, who could not tell a lie, I wonder what the people of that era would do with someone like Mr. Santos? Hopefully summon some empathy and not put him on public display. During the reign of another George, King George the First of England, someone like our George might have officially played the part of the fool.

Now we don’t quite know what to do with him.

Copyright 2023 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

Who’s got less to do, the vice president or the lieutenant governor?

JERRY KREMER

Gambling addiction is no game

the Kansas City Chiefs edged the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL’s biggest game Sunday night, watched by more than 100 million people around the world.

But more than 50 million sports fans here at home in the United States had more invested in the game than pride in their favorite team. They wagered as much as $16 billion on Super Bowl LVII, according to the American Gaming Association. And just like football, someone’s going to win, which means someone has to lose. The thing is, being on the wrong side of a good bet is more common than not.

The money bet on the Chiefs and the Eagles was said to be more than double the total spent last year, when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals. And these days that betting involves more than just choosing which team will win.

Take prop bets, more formally known as proposition bets. They aren’t tied to the outcome of the game — like traditional spreads, moneylines and totals. Instead, they focus on more non-traditional occurrences like the length of the national anthem, or what color Gatorade will be poured on the winning coach.

Prop bets are currently the biggest driver of revenue for many sports gambling sites, according to news reports. That is, except in New York, where the law requires that all bets be tied to the game itself.

letters

Lafazan should rethink his GEORGE Package

To the Editor:

Nassau Legislator Josh Lafazan’s recommendations last week to prevent future egregious candidate misrepresentations a la George Santos (“A useful way to enshrine a name we’d sooner forget”) are unnecessary and provide for a cure worse that the disease. Lafazan’s recommendations are to enshrine in law at all levels the following:

1. Mandatory background checks for all candidates “just like any employee.” There are significant legal restrictions on the nature and scope of employee background checks, and this is unnecessary, as the most rudimentary opposition research would have exposed Santos.

2. Barring anyone with an open foreign arrest warrant from holding office. Lafazan couldn’t possibly have thought this through. So, any foreign country simply has to issue an arrest warrant to remove our public officials? Talk about foreign interference in elections.

Even with those restrictions, New York-based gamblers placed more than $472 million in legal sports bets during the Super Bowl between the Rams and Bengals — part of a larger $16 billion wagered in the first year of legalized online betting in New York. So far, based on the weekly figures from the state gaming commission, this year’s figure is predicted to be even larger. All from a practice that didn’t even exist here a couple years ago.

There are currently nine different mobile applications legally recognized by the state, with FanDuel, DraftKings and Caesar’s Sportsbook among the bigger ones. FanDuel and DraftKings began a decade or so ago, focused on fantasy sports, in which fans build their own teams and compete against each other using real-life game statistics.

But as sports gambling has gained more widespread legal acceptance, the influence of those two companies has grown, and they have shifted gears and focused most of their attention on this new, much-more-lucrative market.

There are strong opinions on both sides on whether gambling should be legal, or if it’s even moral. But something many agree on is that if you’re going to gamble, do it responsibly. Wager only what you can afford to lose. Don’t stretch — or even break — those limits.

And no different than a casino, mobile and online sports betting can also lead to problem gambling.

Like many addictions, gambling can be attributed to the release of dopamine brought on by the thrill of risk-taking and the potential rewards. Gambling, for the most part, is perfectly legal. But then again, so are cigarettes and alcohol.

But gambling is sometimes considered a “hidden addiction,” because it’s not something that might be as obvious as drugs or alcohol, manifesting physical symptoms, although some gamblers have problems with sleep, anxiety, depression and guilt.

For the working-class poor, gambling can also create a perpetual loop in which addicts throw away much-needed and typically hard-earned cash that would otherwise be spent on necessities like housing and food.

The good thing, however, is that there are services in place to help. The Long Island Problem Gambling Resource Center, for example, offers several services for individuals and families impacted by gambling.

These issues shouldn’t necessarily disqualify any talk of bringing a new casino to Uniondale, but they certainly should be part of the conversation — a big part of it. Every resource should be available to keep wagering responsible, and to avoid the destruction of families — both functionally and economically.

As always, if you or a loved one are dealing with problem gambling, you can get help by calling (516) 266-8342, or visiting NYProblemGambling.org.

How political extremism became the norm

Viewing the American political scene today, I can’t help thinking about what Yeats wrote more than a century ago: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”

I’m not suggesting anarchy is imminent, or that our governmental structures are collapsing, but there are warning signs that should be heeded for our nation to cope with the enormous challenges facing America at home — and throughout the world — effectively. Not only is there bitter partisanship between the parties, there are also bitter divisions within them.

There can be honest debate as to when this severe fracturing began. Politics is always a combat sport. The days of peace, love and harmony — the “good old days” — never existed. Certainly not during the 28 years I was in Congress. But no matter how bitter the debate and severe the divisions were, certain lines weren’t crossed. Richard Nixon had reason to contest the 1960 election results, but gracefully conceded the race to John F. Kennedy. Al

Gore challenged George W. Bush’s razorthin electoral vote margin in 2000, but conceded with class after losing a similarly razor-thin 5-4 decision in the U.S. Supreme Court.

I believe the major turning point in the rules of political combat was the 2016 TrumpClinton race and its aftermath. It wasn’t just the heated charges and countercharges of the campaign, but the refusal of some Democrats to accept Trump’s victory, and much of the mainstream media’s defense of their erroneous predictions.

Nor was it just the refusal of prominent Democrats such as Rep. John Lewis to attend President Trump’s inauguration, but the allegations made by Democratic leaders, the intelligence community and major segments of the mainstream media that Trump’s election resulted from his campaign colluding with Russia.

This led to the Mueller investigation, which went on for almost two years, tying up the Trump administration and — with media support — giving credibility to the unprecedented belief that an American president was elected by colluding with a foreign enemy.

Being on the House Intelligence Committee and sitting through endless hearings, listening to countless witnesses and

studying reports and analyses, I was convinced there was no collusion whatever. Stripped of defensive rhetoric, the Mueller report reached the same conclusion. But the damage had been done, and the political well was further poisoned.

Then there were the riots in the summer of 2020, which raged throughout the country following the police killing of George Floyd. At least six people were killed. Cities like Spokane, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, were under siege. New York streets became nightly war zones. Police stations were attacked and set on fire. Churches were vandalized. The White House itself was threatened.

Yet Democratic leaders offered only perfunctory disapproval of the violence, emphasizing that most demonstrations were “peaceful.” Following a night of violence in Brooklyn — in which bottles and other objects were thrown at cops — then Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, “I stand with the protesters.”

In Manhattan, the Democratic district attorney refused to prosecute hundreds arrested for looting and rioting, including a getaway driver aiding those caught on video vandalizing St. Patrick’s Cathedral. All further poisoning the well.

Then, beginning on election night in 2020, Trump — citing no credible evi-

dence — charged that the election was “rigged” and “stolen.” Never explaining why, in a rigged election, Republicans would pick up 12 House seats while he lost the popular vote to Joe Biden by more than 7 million, Trump continued to attack the results.

The culmination of this constant onslaught — whether intended or not — was the disgraceful and violent assault on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. No rational American — certainly no Republican claiming to be a patriot — can defend that outrage in any way.

Shockingly, however, too many Republicans are willing to minimize the violence as just a protest out of control, and still deny the election results.

What the nation saw last month, when it took 15 ballots over five days for Republicans to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy speaker of the House, was a further rejection of tradition and civility. It is an ominous sign that this was the most protracted election for speaker since the decade preceding the Civil War.

It’s time for the sane forces on both sides to step forward. The United States has come too far as a nation, and faces too many challenges, to allow the voices of anarchy to prevail over our traditions and values.

Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. A version of this essay originally appeared in The Hill.

Framework by Tim Baker

3. Make it a misdemeanor (i.e. a crime) for a candidate to lie about his or her background. Just what we need: candidates routinely trading criminal charges. (“You only graduated cum laude, not magna cum laude!”) Again, basic opposition research is all that’s needed, not competing police reports.

This is an example of a politician giving the appearance of “doing something” about a problem that may very well make it worse.

TeRRANCe J. NOLAN Lynbrook

Who will stand up to the extremists?

To the editor:

As a student of history, I am distressed each day as I read and listen to the news, and I wonder:

When did it become appropriate to ignore a congressional subpoena and then be rewarded with the speakership of the U.S. House of Representatives, the thirdmost important position in the nation?

Why is it OK for Supreme Court nominees to lie at their confirmation hearings and then, after being appointed, overturn decades of court precedent?

When was it determined that politicians

should be permitted to ignore experts in curriculum, history scholars, trained teachers and trained librarians to ban books, whitewash American history and ban topics that are contrary to their ideas? Isn’t the purpose of education to expose students to diverse ideas?

When did it become fashionable to elect people to Congress who lie, yell, curse and bully — people who have no ability to legislate, and no understanding of the word “compromise”?

When did we turn our backs on the hardfought-for rights of all people and return to the days when voting rights were restricted?

In the end, the real question is, when will the moderates in government, and the many moderates in the country, stand up to the extremists on both ends of the political spectrum? Left alone, they will destroy our democracy. We would be wise to remember the words of the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller, about the Nazis.

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”

An ’80s Glow Party and a father-daughter dance — Valley Stream

ReNA BOLOGNA Bayville

the turning point in the rules of political combat was the 2016 TrumpClinton race.

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