Wantagh Herald 02-22-2024

HERALD

They’re off to see the wizard

Page 5

Never too old to dance

Page 4

$1.00

Diving into the cold Atlantic for a good cause

By CHARlES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com

It requires mental fortitude to sprint into the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of February, but it’s easier to talk yourself into it when you have friends to share the experience with.

Members of the Wantagh High School boys’ varsity swim team took part in the 24th annual Super Bowl Splash in Long Beach on Feb. 11. According to team member Stephen D’Amato, it was a memorable way to bond.

“It was a great experience, obviously, but it was more of just the fact that everyone was there together,” D’Amato said. “It was mostly a group thing.”

The idea to participate in what’s also known in Long Beach as the Polar Bear Plunge came from Wantagh swimmer Andrew Pascucci, who took part last year with some of his friends. This year he reached out to his teammates, who agreed to join him

Continued on page 9

Salk students express themselves through podcasts

By CHARlES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com

Students at Salk Middle School, in Levittown, converted what was a fun club into a place for them to have meaningful conversations and reach out to other students about school life.

Michele DiLevo, a sixthgrade teacher at Salk, launched a podcast club for students last year to provide them with a space to discuss topics they care about. Also known as the Pod Squad, students in the club are given the freedom to create podcast focusing on subjects they’re passionate about, according to DiLevo.

“They’re podcasting about sports events outside of school, they’re podcasting about video games, about Legos, about puppies,” DiLevo said. “Just pretty much anything they want to, they can have a conversation about it, and it just took off.”

Some of the podcasts encourage students to interact with teachers in a variety of entertaining ways. In one podcast, a student began a song and a teacher was asked to finish the lyrics. Another podcast, which DiLevo described as “spilling the tea,” required students to ask teachers to reveal an interesting secret about themselves that students might

not know.

“It was just nice for students to be able to get teachers involved,” DiLevo said.

During other podcasts, students interview one another on topics related to mental health and what to do if they’re having a tough time. In one segment, called “Dark Answers,” students discuss relatable experiences while navigating middle school, such as test anxiety.

DiLevo said that students relate better to these experiences when they hear about them from a fellow student, rather than an adult telling them everything will be OK.

“It’s a totally different ball-

game when you’re hearing people that are on your level,” she said. DiLevo, who is the club’s adviser, said students follow a format to map out how they want to record each podcast episode. They fill out a form, writing down their thoughts, and what they plan to talk about in each episode. After the

planning phase, they record, edit and then have it published. The club uses an app called Spotify for Podcasters, which provides students with an easyto-use recording and editing process. Using the app, they choose which parts of the recording they want to keep and which ones they want to

Continued on page 11

Charles Shaw/Herald

Members of the Wantagh High School boys’ varsity swim team raised over $2,000 by taking part in the 24th annual Super Bowl Splash in Long Beach on Feb. 11.

“The Vacant Space Revival Program qualified us for on-bill credits that really help me manage costs.”

—George Karatzas, James Cress Florist, Smithtown

Unoccupied business spaces are an opportunity to help bring vitality to downtown areas. For George Karatzas, owner of James Cress Florist, staying downtown was a priority, but costs were prohibitive. Then George applied for our Vacant Space Revival Program, which has provided $2,462 in bill credits to help offset his overhead.* And Smithtown continues to have a business that brings warmth and charm to the area. It’s a beautiful thing to see come together—just like George’s floral arrangements.

psegliny.com/EcoDev

What’s NEWs IN aND OUt OF thE CLassROOM

Creative minds at enrichment workshops

From learning new artistic techniques to playing games that foster good sportsmanship, students in kindergarten, first and second grade at Wantagh Elementary School are exploring their interests in enrichment clusters.

After a successful enrichment program for students in grades 3-5 in November and December, workshops for the primary grades launched in the new year. They attend four sessions from late January through the middle of February. Students were placed into the workshops based on their top choices.

Kindergarten sessions mostly focused on creativity. Workshops included Arts & Crafts, Directed Drawing, Paint With Me and Claytastic. There was also Puzzle & Games and mindful meditation class.

Mindfulness Movement, a first grade workshop, focused on relaxation techniques. Students could learn how to calm their bodies and minds through breathing exercises, coloring activities, Tai chi and yoga. In accessory making, students used beads to create bracelets, necklaces and rings. Those looking for some competition could enroll in Connect with Games or Scrabble Jr.

In second grade, the Gamers Group allowed students to play a host of board games and card games. Students learned the rules of games and etiquette. In the Help Animals workshop, students made blankets to donate to local animal shelters. Young engineers made percussion instruments in the Science of Sound and also programmed Dash robots to play the xylophone. A coloring class focused on 10 different coloring techniques that students could

explore, while Creative Movement gave them a chance to express themselves through music.

For those looking for a little more action, there was a soccer workshop for first graders and hockey for second graders. All of the enrichment classes were led by grade-level and special area teachers.

Photos courtesy Wantagh school district

First graders in the Accessory Making class showed the beaded jewelry they created during an enrichment session, which includes workshops for students in grades K-2.

Students looking for a high-energy workshop found it in hockey with physical education teacher Chris Wasson.

Madison Stotler, left, and Saige Miller were in the Help Animals class and worked on blankets to donate to local shelters.

Second grader Ryan McGovern showed his peers his unique dance routine in the Creative Movement workshop.

Senior center hosts Valentine’s day party

The Wantagh Senior Center, located at the Church of St. Jude in Wantagh, recently held a Valentine’s Day Party for around 85 seniors.

Last week, attendees enjoyed live music, dancing, singing, and a spread of pizza. Under the guidance of program manager Lisa Pagliaro, the center has garnered a reputation for hosting engaging holiday events that create lasting memories among seniors. Despite their age, the seniors showcased their vitality by dancing energetically throughout the celebration.

Operating Monday through Friday, the center offers a wide range of activities, which include crafts, bingo, exercise classes, shopping excursions, and themed parties. Additionally, attendees benefit from daily lunch services and transportation assistance. This event highlights the center’s role in enhancing the well-being and social interaction of its participants, providing an environment where seniors can enjoy meaningful connections.

The Wantagh Senior Center is part of Catholic Charities of Long Island’s commitment to supporting seniors in Nassau County. With three Senior Community Service Centers in the area, Catholic Charities offers essential services such as transportation, hot meals, recreation, entertainment, education, and health services, aiming to meet the diverse needs of the senior population and promote their overall quality of life.

–Charles Shaw

the event.

Seniors at the Wantagh Senior Center enjoyed a fun Valentine’s party last week, where they danced while listening to live music.

Photos courtesy Catholic Charities of Long Island The event offered participants with drinks and pizza to keep them energized after dancing.

The senior center’s Valentine’s Day Party offered musical entertainment for around 85 seniors, who danced and sang throughout

Follow the yellow brick road to Wantagh

There’s a tornado, some witches and a yellow brick road. Yes, it’s “The Wizard of Oz” and it’s the annual spring musical for Wantagh Middle School, with four performances scheduled for the first weekend of March.

A cast of 59 student-actors have been rehearsing for weeks to prepare for the show which is based on the well-known movie from 1939. Seventh grader Emily McHale plays the lead role of Dorothy. Giada Petrillo, Luke Rose and Lucas Iacona are the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, respectively, with Kate Stivali playing the Good Witch and Angelina DiTroia portraying the Wicked Witch. Anthony Del Corvo is Dorothy’s local canine companion, Toto.

The show will feature noted musical numbers such as “Over the Rainbow,” “Yellow Brick Road” and “Munchkinland,” but also includes “Jitterbug,” a song that was cut from the movie. The young actors believe this will be a standout scene in their show with a great combination of singing and dancing.

“The audience will get something new because it isn’t in the original classic,” said Giada, a seventh grader.

Angelina, an eighth grader, said the cast is extremely committed to making “The Wizard of Oz” a great show. She is glad to be doing an uplifting show for her final middle school performance.

“I’m looking forward to bringing joy

to everyone in the audience,” Angelina said. “It shares a good message and has good role models for younger viewers.”

The show is directed by Kristin Piciullo with support from choreographer Kim Davis, vocal director Sameerah Cassidy, set builder Austin Costello and high school production assistants Alys-

sa Alexander, Lianna Menegalli and Riley Smith.

“Every single actor and actress in this show are so talented,” Piciullo said. “They work so hard. Everybody gets drawn in when it’s a recognizable show. It’s very hard to find somebody who doesn’t know ‘The Wizard of Oz.’”

Show times are Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 2 and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 3 at 1 p.m. in the Wantagh High School auditorium. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and senior citizens and can be purchased online at seatyourself.biz/ wantaghms.

Dorothy, portrayed by Emily McHale, and Toto, played by Anthony Del Corvo, are well-known characters from the 1939 movie-turned-musical.

Photos courtesy Wantagh school district Wantagh Middle School actors rehearse for their upcoming production of “The Wizard of Oz” from March 1-3.

Artificial intelligence through the years:

OpenAI, an artificial intelligence and research company, publicly released ChatGPT-3 on Nov. 30, 2022. Now, a little more than a year later, the sophisticated chatbot — with more than 180 million monthly users — is seemingly developing faster than users can keep up. To understand how this language model became one of the most technologically advanced virtual assistants in the world, you have to go back nearly 75 years.

Imagining classrooms — and a future

By Ben Fiebert, Parker Schug & Nicole Wagner

First part in a series exploring the presence of artificial intelligence in our schools, and over time, in society as a whole. Thoughts? Questions? Ideas?

Email us at execeditor@liherald.com.

Artificial intelligence — it all starts with an idea. One developed by a computer programmed to mimic the human intelligence process through learning, reasoning and self-correction.

AI is already deeply ingrained in society. Whether it be smartphones with virtual assistants like Siri and Bixby, search engines making suggestions for what we’re looking for online, to even the spam filtering and email categorization in email platforms like Gmail.

The fast-growing advancements of AI may be hard to keep up with, especially as more and more platforms develop that specialize in AI like ChatGPT and Canva.

Television and news outlets focus more on how AI can turn your dog into a Muppet, or how it can instantly write a sonnet about someone’s favorite desserts.

But AI is finding its way into more and more of our everyday lives and it’s something that has institutions like our public schools racing to find the best ways to not only adapt, but to appropriately integrate AI into the classroom.

receives,” ChatGPT responded when asked what it was designed for.

It’s commonly used to answer a variety of questions, or brainstorm ideas. It can help draft emails and compose essays. It can help with extensive research, and even translate text from one language to another.

And for those looking to be a little less serious, ChatGPT can tell jokes, strike up a casual conversation, and even participate in storytelling and roleplaying scenarios.

But it can also write term papers, or essays. Or complete homework. And detecting when AI is being used is virtually impossible. That has created some concerns for school administrators, while at the same time tasking them to redevelop curriculum that prepares future minds for a future where AI is prevalent.

Ting Wang, a Stony Brook University associate professor who also directs its Algorithmic Learning, Privacy and Security Lab, describes the original conception of AI as “a feeble attempt to recreate intelligence and to help humans achieve specific tasks.” He believes developers have come a long way in achieving success doing just that.

ChatGPT is a popular example of this. Launched in late 2022, the software describes itself as an online interface that is “like having a conversation with a very knowledgeable and helpful friend — except this friend is actually a computer program.” It has been trained on swaths of data, making it capable of completing many different tasks ranging from gathering information, getting some helpful advice, or even looking to simply have a friendly chat.

“ChatGPT is designed for generating human-like text based on the input it

“From the academic perspective, I think one of the challenges is that it’s becoming harder and harder to obtain these AI models because they’re super expensive, the training costs, and have a requirement of huge amounts of data,” Wang said. “Those type of resources are not so accessible for the academia world.”

Where is AI?

Google, Bing and other search engines have used forms of artificial intelligence for years, but more recently began making its integration more obvious. Google integrated what it calls “generative AI” into its systems some 20 years ago, which typically predicts the next word in a search phrase.

ChatGPT also can edit certain articles, blog posts or other forms of writing. If someone asks ChatGPT to write an email with specific requirements, for example, the AI can handle it because its “training” has covered these sort of scenarios. What makes ChatGPT unique from other AI platforms, Wang said, is the massive amounts of data that “trains” it.

“You can see many artists, especially digital artists, using this program to create content that you cannot easily create manually,” Wang said.

Brett Tanzer — a product management vice president for Microsoft’s cloud platform, Azure — says models created by AI developers are installed in products like Bing and Microsoft Copilot, an

Nicole Wagner/Herald

A reporter asks ChatGPT to describe not only itself, but the artificial intelligence language model that powers it. AI has gone from science-fiction to science-fact, and schools are among a number of institutions around the world working to adapt.

AI companion technology which utilizes ChatGPT among other language models, to aid users in their day-to-day lives.

This helps users brainstorm alternatives for ideas on a given issue if they get stuck.

“It’s already being applied to help people reduce workforce time,” Tanzer said.

Creatives aren’t the only ones utilizing AI for their work. Many in the health care industries are using AI products like those offered by Microsoft to accelerate medical research for advanced treatment and diagnosis of diseases.

“That’s really helping practitioners and doctors in their day-to-day experiences with patients,” Tanzer said.

Educators are utilizing AI in classrooms around Nassau County. In Franklin Square, for example, a robot named Milo interacts with students to help them hone their social and emotional skills.

Pamela Taylor, Franklin Square’s pupil personnel services director, said at the time the school had done a lot of

training to bring Milo into the classroom.

While Milo is the first robot of its kind to be used in a Long Island classroom, its ability to work with students on their confidence in emotional skills is something Taylor is eager to spread throughout the district.

“We are looking to expand,” she said, “because he’s appropriate for all learners.”

An artificial intelligence elective course at Bellmore-Merrick school district’s Sanford H. Calhoun High School is teaching students about the basic principles of AI through exposure to machine-learning algorithms in Python computer programming language.

Danielle Caliendo, a math and computer science chair at Calhoun, says this course prepares students for careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“It also equips them with the skills necessary for today’s world where artificial intelligence is shaping the way we live and work,” Caliendo said, in a

The term ‘artificial intelligence’ is coined by John McCarthy. Computer scientist Arthur Samuel develops a program called ‘Samuel’s Checker Players’ to play checkers, which is the first to ever learn the game independently.

Edward Feigenbaum and Joshua Lederberg create the first ‘expert system’ called Denral, which was AI programmed to replicate the thinking and decision-making abilities of human experts. The purpose of this program was to map the structure of molecules, and to help chemists identify unknown organic molecules.

MIT professor Joseph Weizenbaum creates the first chatbot called Eliza to simulate human conversations. The program was designed to mimic human conversation, utilizing words users entered into a computer, and then pairing them to a list of possible scripted responses.

The U.S. government

little interest in continuing to fund AI research.

1970s:

1980s:

AI is booming. Government funding led to breakthroughs in research. The use of the expert system program becomes more popular, allowing computers to learn from their mistakes and make independent decisions. This leads to the development of the Fifth Generation Computer project, with a goal of creating computers that could converse in human language and express reasoning on a human level.

1997:

2011:

2016:

2014:

2020:

Seeing artificial intelligence in daily life?

recent interview.

What does the future hold for AI?

Overall AI research at Stony Brook is intended to maximize the practical impact of artificial intelligence. Wang works on AI’s resilience against malicious manipulations, preserving privacy among users, and making the data written by AI more transparent and interpretable to users.

“People don’t have a great understanding of what AI can and can’t do,” Wang said. “I think people use AI as a magical box, and it actually may not work as expected for normal users.”

Yties to transform power in engineering, productivity, health care and cybersecurity.

Wang envisions ChatGPT becoming even more customizable and personalized than it is now. Although it’s already quite adaptable, users have their own individual requirements and writing styles that ChatGPT is not necessarily trained to understand.

ou can see many artists . . . to create content that you cannot easily create manually

TIng W Ang associate professor Stony Brook University

As AI models become more sophisticated, Tanzer said, Microsoft has its sights set on developing models with advanced capabili-

“You may want the program to draft an email in your own style and have your own specific writing requirements,” Wang said, “and currently, the chatbot may not be able to do that.

”It’s an ever-evolving landscape,” Wang said. “I think from the perspective of classroom teaching, people are still trying to figure out what is the best way to harness the power of AI, and at the same time kind of limit and curve the harmful impact of this technology.”

third-grade students at franklin Square’s John Street School learn how to hone their social and emotional skills with the help of milo the robot. equipped with adaptive artificial intelligence, milo is designed to read facial cues from those around him to teach students techniques to cope with their emotions.

showed

Deep Blue — a computer run by the AI program alpha–beta search algorithm and developed by IBM — beats world chess champion Gary Kasparov, becoming the first computer program to beat a human chess champion. This kickstarts an era introducing AI into everyday life through innovations such as the first Roomba and speech recognition software on Windows computers.

Apple releases Siri, the first popular virtual assistant, found primarily on the company’s iPhones.

Amazon releases the Echo, powered by a voicecontrolled intelligent personal assistant named Alexa. These devices are smart speakers equipped with microphones for voice commands.

Google releases the Google Assistant and its voice-activated speaker: the Google Nest.

OpenAI starts beta testing GPT-3, a model that uses deep learning — a method of AI that teaches computers to process data in a way that mimics the human brain — to create code, poetry and other writing tasks.

Rei Wolfsohn/Herald file

Hundreds unite to remember Beckwith

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

Bob Beckwith rushed out of retirement as a New York City firefighter to help a friend find his missing son at ground zero, three days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that shook New York City — and the country — to its core.

This selfless choice turned Beckwith into a beacon of hope for the nation when he stood on the rubble at President George W. Bush’s side — hope he embodied until the day he died on Feb. 4. He was 91.

Beckwith ultimately succumbed to a 9/11-related melanoma, and was remembered by family, friends, leaders and a large number of off-duty firemen during Beckwith’s Feb. 10 funeral in Baldwin, before he was buried at Greenfield Cemetery in Uniondale.

Some will remember Beckwith for the iconic photo and video featuring him with Bush on Sept. 14, 2001, while others recall how Beckwith was a humble man who would sit in the back row of St. Christopher’s Church in Baldwin every Saturday evening while still finding time to visit a Levittown diner with his friends each week.

Beckwith enjoyed playing the piano, fishing, watching “Jeopardy,” spending time with his grandchildren, and attending their lacrosse games. He also took part Irish step dance competitions, and spent time at the Baldwin American Legion post.

Beckwith was an ordinary man, he would proclaim, who by chance was given the opportunity to uplift Americans during one the country’s darkest times.

Beckwith was retired for more than a decade after 30 years of service with the New York City Fire Department when he learned the son of his old friend, Jimmy Boyle, was missing amid the ruins of the twin towers.

assets, including life insurance, that may exceed roughly seven million dollars, there is a significant tax liability. Changes in New York estate tax law in the last few years introduced a “fiscal cliff”. Whereas formerly New York only taxed the amount over the exemption, if you exceed the limit today (by a mere 5%) they tax the whole estate. You’re over the cliff!

The tax is surprisingly large. On a roughly seven million dollar estate, the taxes payable to New York exceed five hundred thousand dollars. An estate over ten million would owe over a million in estate tax.

These New York estate taxes are avoidable if you have a spouse and you create an estate plan using two trusts, which doubles the exemption. Another way to avoid the fiscal cliff is to use the “Santa Clause” providing that you gift to charities of your choice all amounts over the exemption. Gifts to charities are deductible

inspiring words, with his arm draped around Beckwith.

“America, today, is on bended knee in prayer for the people whose lives were lost here, for the workers who work here, and for the families who mourn,” Bush said at the time.

Bush would remain close to Beckwith, and shared a statement for former U.S. Rep. Peter King to read at his funeral.

“Laura and I are saddened by the passing of Bob Beckwith,” Bush said, explaining how the retired firefighter raced toward danger, showcasing the resilient spirit of all Americans during 9/11.

“I want to say that no one is indispensable,” King said in his own eulogy. “Bob Beckwith is indispensable. He was one of a kind.”

Beckwith was born April 16, 1932 in Astoria. After graduating from Rice High School in Manhattan in 1952, Beckwith joined the U.S. Navy n the tail end of the Korean war, before going on to study at LaGuardia Community College.

After graduating, Beckwith held various jobs like driving for UPS. But it was in 1964 Beckwith became an FDNY firefighter, kickstarting a 30-year career with the department.

Having lost two sons of his own, Beckwith understood the grief Boyle was going through.

So, he sprang into action and headed to ground zero while the rest of the nation remained in shock.

Beckwith later described how he was just in the right spot at the right time. Bush was paying his respects to those lost at ground zero, and wanted to speak directly to those who were digging through the rubble looking for survivors.

The president spotted Beckwith, and had him stand next to him where, using a megaphone, Bush delivered

from estate taxes.

While the Federal estate tax exemption of 13.61 million is “portable”, i.e. if the first spouse doesn’t use their exemption or any part of it, it passes to the surviving spouse, New York does not allow for portability. It’s use it or lose it.

The Federal exemption is expected to be reduced from the 13.61 million exemption, passed by the Trump administration, to the 6.94 million, adjusted for inflation, that New York uses, at the end of 2025. For larger estates, there remains a planning opportunity by making gifts while the higher exemption is in place. You may use any of your Federal estate tax exemptions to make gifts while you are living. These gifts are reported to the IRS and get subtracted from what you may give at death.

One added attraction to gifting is that New York does not tax gifts -- so that gifts may also be used to avoid onerous New York estate taxes at death. There is a minor exception that gifts made within three years of the death of the donor are brought back into the donor’s estate for New York estate tax purposes.

Beckwith met his wife Barbara at a picnic in 1956. They were married a year later, settling down on Fairview Avenue in Baldwin, where they raised their six children.

Beckwith retired from the FDNY in 1994. He would find himself enjoying time at home, entertained by his two great-grandsons with a smile across his face.

Besides his wife, Beckwith is survived by daughter Christine; sons Bob, Richard and Stephen; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by sons Joseph and Tommy.

Christine Rivera/Herald Firefighters salute the casket of Bob Beckwith as it is placed on top of a Baldwin Fire Department fire truck.

Wantagh varsity swimmers raise $2,000

for a swim in the frigid Atlantic to help raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“As a team, we have chemistry already,” Pascucci said, “but when we’re there, outside of swimming, doing it for a good cause, it feels nice knowing that we’re doing something bigger than a sport.”

The Splash traces its origin to 1998, when Long Beach friends Pete Meyers and Kevin McCarthy took a bracing dip in the ocean on Super Bowl Sunday. The following year, they invited their neighbors, two of whom were Mike and Patty Bradley, whose son, Paulie, had died of leukemia at age 4 in 1997. Paulie always wanted to swim at the beaches in Puerto Rico, but never had the chance.

To honor Paulie’s memory, the swim became a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish foundation in 2000, and thousands of brave swimmers now take the plunge each year. Since its inception, the event has raised over $9 million to help make wishes come true for children with serious illnesses.

“Wishes have proven physical and emotional benefits that can lead to better health outcomes for kids with critical illnesses,” Phil Lussier, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Metro New York and Western New York, said. “The commitment and generosity of this community is making a life-changing difference for these children. We cannot thank them enough.”

The Wantagh swimmers said they raised over $2,000 for the cause. Each team member donated when they signed up, and asked friends and family members to do so as well. They said they recruited more than 20 people to participate, and those who didn’t want to take the cold plunge donated money instead.

Before the whistle blew to signal the start of the event, D’Amato said, he and his teammates huddled on

breath, it was such an exhilarating experience.”

Pascucci said his body went numb when he jumped in, while teammate Joseph Panella said he felt the cold mostly in his feet.

“I went in and I was immediately numb, and my feet were just so cold, like a sharp pain,” Panella said. “You didn’t know if you just stepped on a shell.”

After he and his teammates made their way back to the beach, Panella said, some dived back into the water.

“We would all get out, then we would be freezing, and then ask who wants to go again,” he said.

After a couple of plunges, Panella said, he was charged with adrenaline, and barely noticed the cold as he walked back to his car, soaking wet and shirtless.

Teammate Thomas Taggart had a similar experience — but for his feet. “I had to walk back to the car, and it was a block away,” Taggart said. “I was like, barefoot, and I could not feel my feet.”

D’Amato said the experience brought the team together, especially because it took place at the end of their swimming season. D’Amato and Pascucci, who are both seniors, said they hoped their younger teammates would come back next year, and make the plunge an annual tradition for the team.

the beach to pump themselves up. When they heard the whistle, the swimmers and thousands of other participants rushed into the ocean. In the moment when they dived in, D’Amato added, he and his teammates were one.

“It felt like we just jumped off the Titanic,” he recounted. “It was kind of a shock when I first jumped in. I couldn’t breathe, but after I was able to catch my

Wantagh High Principal Paul Guzzone commended the swimmers for taking part in the event and raising money for a good cause. Guzzone himself has taken the plunge in the past, and knows exactly what they experienced.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” he said. “This is something that they kind of did on their own. They didn’t necessarily do it connected to a school-affiliated event. They’re just a bunch of young men that wanted to make a difference, have fun and make some waves, which they did.”

Justine Stefanelli/Herald each year, the Super Bowl Splash in Long Beach draws thousands of participants, who brave the frigid ocean water to raise money for make- a-Wish.

A night of laughter to help those in need

The Massapequa Park Lions Club and the Long Island Pride Lions Club hosted a comedy night fundraiser on Feb. 18 at the Governor’s Comedy Club in Levittown.

The event, organized by Sue Piccolo and Sharon Wozniak, was an opportunity to raise money and awareness for charities that affect the community. All donations went to charity, primarily suicide prevention, childhood cancer, and homeless veterans in the community. The comedy night was complete with over 180 people in attendance, more than an hour of laughter, awards and raffles.

“We have three clubs in the area and we’re very focused on our clubs and giving back to the community,” said Piccolo.

Every August for five years, the Pride Lions Club and the Massapequa Lions help host a bowling fundraiser together, the money going to similar charities to help the marginalized. Over 300 people make it each year to give back to people in their community.

“They say where there’s a need, there’s a lion, and that’s what Sue and I do,” Wozniak said, “not just for our community but for everyone around as well.”

–Rachel Bamgbose

Danielle Sinacori/Herald photos

Comedians Ivory Fields @ivoryfieldscomedy, left, with FatJay @fatjaysworld, Tom McGuire @TomMcguireComedy, Michele Fox @ MicheleFoxComedian, Joe Crovella @Joe.Crovella, and Sean Brown @SeanBComedy.

A packed crowd showed up at Governor’s Comedy Club last Sunday for a night of laughter and to help those in need.

Jerry Truzzolino, left, and John Mollura looking to win big prizes during the raffle at the Comedy Night Fundraiser in Levittown.

A raffle at the comedy fundraiser, which helped raise money for those in need. All donations at the comedy fundraiser went to charity, primarily suicide prevention, childhood cancer, and homeless veterans in the community.

President of Long Island Pride Lions Michael Caputo, left, with Massapequa Lions President Sue Piccolo and Massapequa Park Lions Club President Sharon Wozniak.

Sean Brown performing at Governor’s Comedy Club in Levittown during a fundraiser to benefit the community.

Students build confidence in podcast club

Continued from

delete, and even add background music throughout their podcast.

“They’re creating, they’re editing, and then they’re publishing it on their own,” DiLevo said. “So it is a pretty extensive process to publish it.”

DiLevo said she’s surprised how quickly the students are picking up on it, and sometimes they will show her something new about the app.

Through her club, students are learning important skills in communication and confidence building, according to DiLevo. She added that students don’t always have time for conversations with peers at school because there’s little time in class to talk with fellow students while teachers are carrying out their lessons.

Face-to-face conversations about what podcasts to record have spurred students to use critical thinking skills, making them more comfortable to talk with each other.

“Talking about something that they’re passionate about with people that they’re familiar with kind of helps push them to be more confident in the way that they talk,” DiLevo said.

DiLevo said students are passionate about the podcast club, and she expressed hope that the content students create can benefit others. For a future project, DiLevo says she would like to reach out to elementary schools in the

michele diLevo, far left, is the adviser of the Salk middle School’s podcast club, whose student members record episodes about their academic experiences.

district to find books in their curriculum and have club members at Salk Middle School record themselves reading it for a podcast, so elementary students can have an audio aid in class.

DiLevo said she wants the podcast club to be a safe environment where stu-

dents can talk, think and collaborate on things outside of academics. The club provides students the opportunity to socialize and hold conversations with fellow classmates, preparing them for experiences later in life, according to DiLevo.

“It gives them experience with how to

have conversations and how they should be formatted, and listening instead of talking over people and how effective it is,” DiLevo said. “I think in a bunch of different areas it can help them excel in the future.”

Courtesy Levittown Public Schools

HOST

ANTOINETTE BIORDI

4X AWARD-WINNING REPORTER NEWS 12 ANCHOR/REPORTER

KEYNOTE

SARA GORE TVHOST, NBC UNIVERSAL LUXURYREALESTATESPECIALIST, SERHANT.

SPECIAL AWARDS

BROKER OF THE YEAR

Ron Koenigsberg

President American Investment Properties

CONSTRUCTION GROUP OF THE YEAR

The Kulka Group

FATHER & SON POWER TEAM

Dan Pulatani

Vice President

MP Construction D, Inc.

Mel Pulatani

President

MP Construction D, Inc.

ENGINEERING

Christopher W. Robinson, PE

President R&M Engineering

INTERIOR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

Beth Donner

Founder

Beth Donner Design

NOT-FOR-PROFIT

Eric Alexander

Director Vision Long Island

POWER DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR

Steven Krieger, Esq.

CEO

B2K Development

POWER REAL ESTATE DUO

Kathy Kirby-Viard

Owner & Broker

Signature Premier Properties

Peter Morris

Owner & Broker

Signature Premier Properties

PROJECT OF THE YEAR

TRITEC Real Estate

Shoregate Project

PROJECT REDEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR

Michael F. Puntillo

President

PX4 Development, LLC

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT / DEVELOPMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR

ATTORNEYS

Marna E. Bernstein, Esq.

Partner

Cullen and Dykman LLP

Elisabetta T. Coschignano, Esq.

Member

Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz Coschignano PLLC

Jack M. Martins, Esq.

Partner

Harris Beach PLLC

Jacquelyn L. Mascetti, Esq.

Partner Herman Katz LLP

BROKERS

Paul Leone

Senior Vice President

CBRE

David B. Sargoy

Director-Commercial Real Estate Division

Brown Harris Stevens Commercial Real Estate

DEVELOPERS

Pelops Damianos

Principal Damianos Realty Group LLC

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Brad Griggs

Senior Manager, Economic Development

Amazon

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

International Empire Electrical Corp.

ELEVATOR

Donald Gelestino

President & CEO

Champion Elevator Corp.

ENVIRONMENTAL

Chuck Merritt

President/LEED AP

Merritt Environmental Consulting Corp.

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

Lisa M.G. Mulligan

CEO

Brookhaven Industrial Development Agency (IDA)

Kelly Murphy

Acting Executive Director

Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency (IDA)

TAX CERTIORARI

Cara P. Cronin, Esq.

Partner

RichnerLIVE’s

To

PRODUCED BY

A portion of ticket proceeds will benefit a local charity.

Joseph A. Farkas

CEO & Founder

Metropolitan Realty Associates LLC

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL BROKER

Gina Coletti

Licensed Real Estate Broker

GC Advisory Group Inc

RISING STARS

Daniel Scarda

Director of Corporate Finance

The Crest Group

Marco Scarda

Director of Business Development

The Crest Group

Jonathan Schuman

Licensed Associate Broker

Blue Island Homes

Justin Breslin

Vice President

Breslin Realty Development Corp.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Stephen Cadorette

Senior Associate

Cushman & Wakefield

TRAILBLAZER

Sara Gore

TV Host

NBC Universal

Luxury Real Estate Specialist

SERHANT.

ARCHITECT

COMMERCIAL

Mark Stumer

Principal Mojo Stumer Associates

Cronin & Cronin Law Firm, PLLC

TITLE INSURANCE

Angelo Santomauro

Senior Partner & Vice President

All State Abstract

RESIDENTIAL AGENTS

Michelle Keegan

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Julia Krispeal

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

SERHANT.

Deborah Pirro

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty

ATTORNEY

Anthony A. Nozzolillo, Esq.

Attorney at Law

Anthony A. Nozzolillo, Esq.

BROKERS

Michael Foley

Licensed Real Estate Broker

Frontline Realty Group

Dr. Sharon R. Frank

Expert Realtor & Business Strategist

Sharon R. Frank Real Estate LLC

Kevin Leatherman

Licensed Real Estate Broker

Leatherman Homes

Connie Pinilla

Principal Agent

The Connie Pinilla Team at Compass

Natasha Williams

Licensed Real Estate Broker

Cornelius Group Real Estate

SILVER

GOLD

STEPPING OUT

Become a bookish

Discover Eric Carle’s tiny world of insects in new sensory adventure

By Danielle Schwab

In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf.

That’s how the journey started for Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar, the beloved character from his acclaimed picture book of the same name. Now, Long Island Children’s Museum takes the magnifying glass to Carle’s curious bugs in its newest exhibit, “Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit.”

Created by the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum and The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, it’s a follow-up of sorts to last year’s popular Mo Willems exhibit, which also encouraged kids to step into the creative imagination of a beloved author-illustrator.

Visitors find themselves inside the pages of Carle’s colorful books. His “Very” series — all illustrated in his hand-painted tissue paper collage technique — introduces five special insects who take journeys of discovery. Each story is a testament to Carle’s love of nature along with his recurring themes of friendship, creativity, and the power of imagination.

The colorful picture books — more than 70 in all — have been captivating young children since Carle’s first publishing effort, the counting book “1,2,3 to the Zoo,” in 1968.

From there, his “Very” books took off the following year, beginning with the one that started it all, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” of course. Families were immediately captivated by Carle’s little bugs with big emotions.

There’s a deep-felt connection to the insects, according to Ashley Niver, the museum’s education director.

“Children have a fascination with things that are even smaller than they are because they’re usually the ones looking up at the world,” she said. “I find that they have a lot of care and concern for these small living things. They enjoy the roleplay of being a friend of one or becoming one, like wearing the wings of a butterfly and flying around.”

And, naturally, the insatiable caterpillar holds a special place in everyone’s hearts.

“We’ve had parents mention that they read ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ as a child and now they are reading it to their child,” Niver says. “The messaging is something that resonates.”

The exhibit may be indoors, but the focus is fully on the outside world, exploring the diversity of the insect kingdom through Carle’s imagination.

“A lot of people relate to ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar,’

• Now through May 12, Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• $17 museum admission, $16 seniors 65 and older; additional fees for theater programming

• View the events calendar at LICM.org for additional information, or call (516) 224-5800

• Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City.

but there are a lot of other lovely stories,” Niver says. “I don’t think that everyone is as well-versed in some of his other books, so I’m happy that this features some more of them.”

Tumble in the grass, weave a web, find a friend, and even become a butterfly during your visit.

Upon arrival, visitors can follow the Very Hungry Caterpillar’s path on a journey through largerthan-life pages of the book, eating foods on the way to becoming a butterfly. Once the end is reached, you’re now ready to spread your wings.

The Very Busy Spider component includes a giant, web-like structure to step through. This activity tests dexterity, strength and flexibility as kids move across the challenging surface.

At the Very Busy Spider’s Weaving Wall everyone can try to spin their own web on the large wall, experimenting with a variety of stringy materials.

Master new skills at the Very Clumsy Click Beetle Playscape. Here, visitors rummage across a pile of pebbles, crawl through tall blades of grass, step across stepping stones, and walk across the stem of a poppy flower in this playful landscape. Step up to the challenge and persevere like The Very Clumsy Click Beetle.

Also try to catch some light at the Very Lonely Firefly “Find Your Light” interactive station. Move hands and body to lure a firefly toward you. Even work with others to attract multiple fireflies and try to form a group of the beautifully lit insects.

At another component, kids can touch The Very Quiet Cricket and his friends on a relief mural to trigger a sound and create a one-of-a-kind musical composition. The various insect sounds harmonize together to make a “symphony” comprised of rhythms and sounds found in nature.

The exhibit’s studio portion offers up facts about Carle’s life and artistic process.

“Yellow was his favorite color,” Niver says. “Yellow was always the most challenging for him, which I thought was a cool fact. He only mastered four shades of yellow.”

After all that busyness being a bug, families may want to relax by taking a moment to read some books. The nook area is a cozy spot where everyone can nuzzle up in a reading cocoon and read the “Very” stories together.

Through his stories, Carle reminds us: “Simplify, slow down, be kind. And don’t forget to have art in your life — music, paintings, theatre, dance and sunsets.”

Audra McDonald

Audra McDonald is unparalleled in the breadth and versatility of her artistry as both singer and actor. Experience her inimitable talent in a spellbinding evening of song that showcases her extraordinary vocal range. Winner of six Tony Awards, two Grammys and an Emmy, McDonald possesses a ‘lustrous lyric soprano’ (The New York Times) and an incomparable gift for dramatic truth-telling. This stage and screen icon lends her luminous voice and committed stage presence to an intimate concert of Broadway favorites, standards, seldomheard gems, and so much more, accompanied by pianist Jeremy Jordan. With Tony wins in all four eligible acting categories, countless other theatre honors — and a National Medal of Arts conferred by President Barack Obama in 2015, among her other accolades — McDonald is among the most lavishly awarded performers of our time.

Friday, Feb. 23, 8 p.m. Tickets start at $60. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com, TillesCenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

Flogging Molly

Celtic-punk rockers Flogging Molly have hit the road with their ‘Road to Rebellion’ tour, sure to rouse audiences with their anthemic odes to the Emerald Isle. Formed in L.A. in 1997 by Irish expat Dave King, the band got its start (and its name) from local bar Molly Malone’s, where they performed, grew their following, and laid down the blueprint for eventual success. Their infectious Celtic-tinged reels are perfect for dancing along to, for those who love their Irish heritage, and those who just want a good time. Expect an eclectic mix of old favorites, sing-a-longs, rare acoustic numbers and new material — all strung together by King’s cheeky tales and jokes and first-rate musicianship. With numerous latenight television appearances, a soldout Salty Dog Cruise through the Caribbean, and a yearly St. Patrick’s Day Festival in L.A., the band’s juggernaut continues.

Sunday, Feb. 25, 7:30 p.m. $79.50, $49.50, $39.50. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

Photos courtesy Long Island Children’s Museum

From caterpillar to butterfly, spider and cricket beetle, Eric Carle’s insects hold a special place in everyone’s childhood. Each element in the gallery relates to specific books in the ‘Very’ series.

Your Neighborhood School budget workshops

THE

Tusk

Tusk goes their own way, visiting the Landmark stage with their dynamic tribute to Fleetwood Mac,, Friday, March 1, 8 p.m. Since forming in 2008, Tusk has prided themselves on being the ultimate tribute to ‘70s supergroup. No fancy tricks, no gimmicks, just five musicians recreating the music of Fleetwood Mac to perfection with note for note renditions With Tusk it’s all about respect and authenticity. A group of seasoned musicians that go back some 25 years, their attention to detail, talent and reverence of their subjects has been critically acclaimed, resulting in their accolades as the premiere purveyors of ‘Mac. Time, trust, and close friendship have cultivated an intimate familiarity with each other’s musical nuances, shaping each performance with such precision that even the slightest variation, virtually imperceptible to all but the five musicians sharing the stage, is met with a wink and a nod, and usually an inside joke. Tusk is more than a band; they are a family. So if you’re jonesing for your fix of Fleetwood, you’re in the right place! Made up of Kathy Phillips (as Stevie Nicks on vocals), Scott McDonald (as Lindsey Buckingham, guitar and vocals), Kim Williams (as Christine McVie, keys and vocals), Randy Artiglere (as John McVie, bass) and Tom Nelson (as Mick Fleetwood on drums) the five-piece band will transport you back to the group’s glory days with a set list including hits such as the “The Chain,” “Dreams,” ‘Go Your Own Way,” and more, alongside rare gems fans will love hearing again. $63, $53, $45. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Family theater

It’s a beautiful sunny summer day in the meadow. Leo Lionni’s beloved children’s books come to life once again, in “Frederick,” on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Friday, Feb. 23, 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m., 6:15 p.m. (sensory-friendly performance); Saturday, Feb. 23 ,11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Mouse friends Nellie, Sunny, Baby, Ernest, and Frederick are playing their musical instruments and having fun singing, until a leaf falls from the sky — autumn is here! Winter will be coming soon. All the mice get to work gathering supplies for winter, except, where is Frederick? He is gathering supplies, too, in his own unique way.

With toe-tapping Americana music inspired by bluegrass, gospel, and folk, this is an engaging tale about the power of the arts, community, and that no mouse gets left behind. $10 with museum admission ($8 members), $14 theater only. Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

Wantagh School District will be offering four community workshops on the 20242025 budget. All residents are invited to attend the forums, which will include budget presentations and opportunities for comments and questions. Three evening workshops are held, Monday, March 11; Monday, March 18; and Tuesday, April 2, all starting at 7 p.m. in the Wantagh High School cafeteria. A daytime workshop will take place on Wednesday, April 3 at 10 a.m. at Wantagh Public Library. 3297 Beltagh Ave.

Movie matinee

See a movie on Wantagh Library’s big screen, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2:30 p.m. Enjoy “Wonka,” the 2023 prequel to the classic Roald Dahl tale. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, “Wonka” tells how great inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka everyone knows.

With dreams of opening a shop in a city renowned for its chocolate, young and poor Willy Wonka discovers that the industry is run by a cartel of greedy chocolatiers. 3285 Park Ave., Wantagh. Visit WantaghLibrary.org for information or call (516) 2211200

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU

WILMINGTON SAVINGS

FUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/A CHRISTIANA

TRUST, NOT

INDIVIDUALLY BUT AS TRUSTEE FOR PRETIUM MORTGAGE

ACQUISITION TRUST, Plaintiff AGAINST GINA CIPOLLA, ROBERT CIPOLLA, ET AL.,

Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered March 2, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 1, 2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 19 WHISPER LANE, WANTAGH, NY 11793.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Wantagh, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 51, Block 359, Lot 14. Approximate amount of judgment $350,842.70 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #613262/2019. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NASSAU County COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine”. Oscar A. Prieto, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 19-003740 79064 144561

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCOUNTY OF NASSAU

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY

AS TRUSTEE FOR THE RMAC TRUST, SERIES 2016-CTT, V.

JOHN DELISA A/K/A JOHN F. DELISA A/K/A JOHN F.

DE LISA, ET AL.

NOTICE OF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated December 15, 2023, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the

County of Nassau, wherein U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE RMAC TRUST, SERIES 2016-CTT is the Plaintiff

JOHN DELISA A/K/A JOHN F. DELISA A/K/A JOHN F. DE LISA, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, NORTH SIDE STEPS, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on March 13, 2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 3014 VALENTINE PLACE, WANTAGH, NY 11793: Section 56, Block 263, Lot 427: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS

THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING AT WANTAGH, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 608335/2018. Jane P. Shrenkel, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

144739

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST

Deborah Slade; Donald Slade, Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered September 8, 2015 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 18, 2024 at 2:30PM, premises known as 960 Barrie Avenue, Wantagh, NY 11793-1702. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Wantagh, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 51 Block

280 Lot 0036.

Approximate amount of judgment $458,503.17 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 002092/2014. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19 Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the Tenth Judicial District.

Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”

Richard M. Langone, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC

Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792

Dated: January 17, 2024 144860

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT -

COUNTY OF NASSAU.

U.S. BANK TRUST, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR WATERFALL VICTORIA

GRANTOR TRUST II

SERIES G, Plaintiffagainst- RICHARD M. DEMARIA; DEBORAH

DEMARIA A/K/A

DEBROAH

SUPRANOWICH; JAMES FRAUENBERG; ANN FRAUENBERG, et al

Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale

dated May 15, 2023 and entered on May 16, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court “Rain or Shine” located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on March 19, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. premises situate, lying and being at Wantagh, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, bounded and described as follows:

BEGINNING at a point on the Northerly side of DeMott Avenue, distant 54.92 feet Easterly from the Easterly end of a curve connecting the Northerly side of DeMott Avenue with the Easterly side of Jane Street; being a plot 100 feet by 60 feet by 100 feet by 60 feet.

Section 57 Block 246 Lot 19

Said premises known as 3611 DEMOTT AVE, WANTAGH, NY 11793

Approximate amount of lien $318,472.11 plus interest & costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.

Index Number

609318/2019. BRIAN J. DAVIS, ESQ., Referee Kosterich & Skeete, LLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 707 Westchester Ave, Suite 302, White Plains, NY 10604

{* WANTAGH*}

144806

LEGAL NOTICE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORKCOUNTY OF NASSAU DEUTSCHE BANK

NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR ARGENT SECURITIES INC., ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-M1, V. DONALD E. LANG, ET AL.

NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated June 20, 2023, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau, wherein DEUTSCHE BANK

NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR ARGENT SECURITIES INC., ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-M1 is the Plaintiff and DONALD E. LANG, ET AL. are the Defendant(s).

I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, NORTH SIDE STEPS, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on March 27, 2024 at 2:00PM, premises known as 2021 PINE STREET, WANTAGH, NY 11793: Section 57, Block 301, Lot 57: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING AT WANTAGH IN THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD

Fire Department responds to car blaze

The Wantagh Fire Department extinguished a car fire Thursday afternoon on Wantagh Parkway.

Firefighters responded to the incident on Thursday, Feb. 15 around 4:45 p.m. First Assistant Chief Bill Stevens and Second Assistant Chief Bill Van Leer arrived to find a car engulfed in flames on the parkway north of Sunrise

Highway.

Firefighters led by Ex-Captain Kevin Kefer extinguished the fire soon after arriving. Third Assistant Chief Paul Krussmann, and a Safety Officer were also on the scene, and no injuries were reported.

–Charles Shaw

Scholarship application deadline Mar. 15

The New York Conference of Italian American State Legislators is accepting applications for four $3,000 scholarships, two academic and two athletic. The application is open to current college students and high school seniors who are residents of the 5th Senate District. The application deadline is Friday, March 15 and students can access and complete the application by visiting nyiacsl.org/apply-for-scholarship-form.

“This is an excellent scholarship opportunity for high school seniors and college students in the 5th Senate District who have worked hard, distinguished themselves from their peers and intend to pursue higher education,” State Sen. Steve Rhoads said. “With college costs continually rising, this is a chance to lessen the financial burden that is a concern for so many young peo-

ple and their families. I encourage eligible students in my district to apply.”

Applicants considered should have a grade point average of 85 or higher; be active in community service and extracurricular activities and demonstrate financial need. In addition to these qualifications, students applying for an athletic scholarship must also be involved in an organized sport. Applicants do not need to be of Italian American heritage to apply.

The recipients will be announced in April, and the winners will be honored at a ceremony in Albany. The New York Conference of Italian American State Legislators is a bipartisan organization of state Assembly and Senate members who actively promote and celebrate the state’s Italian American community.

Courtesy Ex-Captain Brad Field Firefighters from the Wantagh Fire Department quickly extinguished a car fire on Wantagh Parkway on Thursday, Feb. 15.

MAILROOM/ WAREHOUSE HELP

Long Island Herald has IMMEDIATE openings for a FULL-TIME & PART-TIME mailroom/warehouse helper in Garden City. We are a busy print shop looking for motivated and reliable individuals to assist in various duties in the shop. Forklift experience is a plus and heavy lifting is required. Hours vary, so flexibility is key. Salary Ranges fromo $16 per hour to $20 per hour. Email resumes or contact info to careers@liherald.com

MULTI MEDIA

ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT

Inside Sales

Looking for an aggressive self starter who is great at making and maintaining relationships and loves to help businesses grow by marketing them on many different advertising platforms. You will source new sales opportunities through inbound lead follow-up and outbound cold calls. Must have the ability to understand customer needs and requirements and turn them in to positive advertising solutions. We are looking for a talented and competitive Inside Sales Represen-

learn from some of the best in the business. Historically, reporters who have launched their careers with us have gone on to The New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, the New York Daily News, New York Post, CNN, BBC, NBC News and The Daily Mail, among many others. We look for excellent writers who are eager to learn, enhance their skills, and become well-established and respected journalists in our industry. Salary range is from $20K to $45K To apply: Send a brief summary in the form of a cover letter describing your career goals and what strengths you can bring to our newsroom, along with a resume and three writing samples to mhinman@liherald.com

Sponsorships. Earning potential ranges from $33,280 plus commission and bonuses to over $100,000 including commissions and bonuses.

Compensation is based on Full Time hours

Eligible for Health Benefits, 401k and Paid Time Off.

Please Send Cover Letter and Resume with Salary Requirements to rglickman@liherald.com or Call 516-569-4000 X250

PRINTING PRESS OPERATORS

FT & PT. Long Island Herald has IMMEDIATE openings for Printing Press Operators in Garden City. We are a busy print shop looking for motivated and reliable individu-

System

& Process Automation, Technical Project/Program Management, Incident Management, Root Cause Analysis, ECommerce, Supply Chain, Financial, Cloud Infra.

Requires: Travel within the USA + Masters in Computer Science, Applied Computer Science, Technology Management or Information Technology.

Send resume by mail to: American Software Resources, Inc., 4 Brower Avenue, Suite 4, Woodmere, NY 11598

ADMINISTRATOR AVAILABLE

To Work For You FT/ PT Immediately. I Am Experienced. RVC Vicinity. Call 516-536-6994

HOME HEALTH AID with 20 Years Experience, Looking to Care for Elderly Male or Female. Experience in Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Private Homes. Day or Night. No Live-in. Driver's License. 914-720-4426 or Email joyceprince990@gmail.com

SANTA CRUZ SERAG Caregivers Provide The Best Male/ Female Caregivers In America. Certified HHA's, Professional. Experts In Dementia, Alzheimers, Parkinsons Cases. Live-in/Out. Gertrude 347-444-0960

EAST ROCKAWAY 62 BULAIRE Rd, OPEN HOUSE BY APPT, NEW TO MARKET! Move Right Into This 4 BR, 2.5 Bth Exp Ranch in Waverly Park Area of SD#20(Lynbrook). Open Floor Plan. LR w/Fpl, DR, Gran/Wood EIK Plus Family Rm w/ Vaulted Ceiling. Upper Level Has Huge Skylit Recreation Rm, BR, Bth & W/D. Beautifully Lanscaped Oversized Prop W/ Trex Deck for Entertaining. Multi Car Drvewy...$899,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

HEWLETT: 2/25, 2-3:30, 1267 Peninsula Blvd, 5 BR, 2 Bath Exp Cape in SD#14(Hewlett Woodmere)Living Room, FDR & Updtd Gran/Wood EIK w/ Vaulted Ceiling. 2 Main Flr BRs & Updtd Bth. Upper Level 3 BRs & Updtd Bth. 1.5 Car Det Gar Plus 4/5 Car Drivewy. Priv Yd w/ Deck.HW Flrs, Gas Ht. Near Shops, LIRR,

HEWLETT BA, 1534

TA kitchen leads to an attic

Q. Our house is large and very old, with a third story that was partially finished before purchase. We finished the rest of the attic and put in a few bedrooms and a bath. Recently we hired an architect to enlarge our kitchen into our backyard and make a nice entrance to a porch and patio with a fireplace. The architect made the plans, after several meetings, changes, etc., and then put them into our building department to pull a permit. We next got a notice that our attic is in violation, and we had to either take out all the finishes and bathroom or file plans to get a state permit.

None of this has anything to do with the kitchen or patio, which we hoped to have by summer. We suspect our architect made this much more complicated for us, but now we can’t undo what he did. Naturally, he gets more money to do more plans and permits, which we also think is rather sneaky and uncalled for. Can we report the architect for doing this to us, and can we pull back the permit so we can make all this go away and just do our kitchen?

A. So you believe everyone is out to get you, including your architect, and you have the right to “pull back” your permit, ignoring the conditions of your house. It doesn’t work that way.

5 BR, 2 Bath Exp Cape in SD#14 (Hewlett Woodmere) Living Room, FDR & Updtd Gran/Wood EIK w/ Vaulted Ceiling. 2 Main Flr BRs & Updtd Bth. Upper Level 3 BRs & Updtd Bth. 1.5 Car Det Gar Plus 4/5 Car Drivewy. Priv Yd w/ Deck. HW Flrs, Gas Ht. Near Shops, LIRR, Trans & Houses of Worship $599,000 1534 Broadway #213, BA, FIRST TIME ON MARKET! Move

Ask The Architect

Monte Leeper

Unfortunately, even though most local governments know that most homes have violations, the governments choose not to prosecute every homeowner, since it would be bad for the business of getting re-elected, so code violations go on without a word until you make the first move, which you did, by coming to the attention of the building officials whose job is public safety.

Every day of the week, people ask if we can’t just look the other way. We absolutely can look the other way, but eventually who will believe us for lying or not doing our job? The issues of your home easily come up by simply bringing up satellite images, on-line accessible documents, including tax department records, showing what is in the home and whether the third floor was finished. Your building official doesn’t need the architect or you to figure out the truth about the illegalities in your home. When your architect shows the actual conditions, which he is required to do, including walls removed, walls finished in rooms that the building department has no previous record of, or other changes, he’s only doing his job. Imagine the scrutiny an architect would receive if a building official walked in to check the conditions and discovered that you and the architect had lied.

I have stated in this column, many times, the statistic that only five people out of 100 will survive a fire on the third floor. Ninety-five people will die of smoke inhalation or burns. So do the right thing and follow through, whichever way you choose. I’m pulling for you.

© 2024 Monte Leeper

Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question”

little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636

CARPENTRY & PAINTING: Residential/ Commercial. All Phases. Licensed/ Insured. FREE ESTIMATES! Anthony & J Home Improvements 516-678-6641

PLUMBER! PLUMBER! PLUMBER! FREE ESTIMATES! Heating, Repairs, Installations. $25 OFF New Customers. 24 Hour Emergency Response. 516-599-1011.

DIRECTV SPORTS PACK – 3 Months on Us! Watch pro and college sports LIVE. Plus over 40 regional and specialty networks included. NFL, College Football, MLB, NBA, NHL, Golf and more. Some restrictions apply. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918

ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! Discover Oxygen Therapy That Moves with You with Inogen Portable Oxygen Concentrators. FREE information kit. Call 888-514-3044

HEARING AIDS!! HIGH-QUALITY rechargeable, powerful Audien hearing aids priced 90% less than competitors. Tiny and NEARLY INVISIBLE! 45-day money back guarantee! 855-598-5898

VIAGRA AND CIALIS USERS! 50 Pills SPECIAL $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW! 855-413-9574

INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT? Don't Accept the insurance company's first offer. Many injured parties are entitled to major cash settlements. Get a free evaluation to see what your case is really worth. 100% Free Evaluation. Call Now: 1-888-454-4717.

February is American Heart Month, and this is a story about my heart — literally and figuratively. It’s the reason I am where I am today.

I was born with a significant heart defect called dextrocardia, as well as a ventricular septal defect. Basically, my heart was on the wrong side of my chest cavity and inverted — and it had a hole in it.

SETH I. KoSLoW

When I was 3 months old, my doctors told my parents that I needed openheart surgery to close the hole. At the time, however, my mother was pregnant with my sister. My parents decided to wait until my sister was born before I underwent surgery. But somehow, for some reason, my heart decided that it had to be whole, and the hole I was born with began to close. My heart could stay as it was — imperfect and misplaced, but untouched.

A journey of the heart

Growing up, I found that I was doing a lot of things half-heartedly, so to speak. Schoolwork wasn’t heartening, and there were few things that excited me. I dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but I couldn’t muster up the resolve to pursue that dream — LSATs, law school, internships, thousands of dollars in loans, six more semesters of school, and years of building a professional profile.

Deterred by these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, I remained listless through my early 20s. For a few years after college, I worked in sales. I was good at it, but my heart was definitely in a different place.

That is, until it wasn’t.

went more than a dozen cardioversions to restore the heart’s regular rhythm, and tried various cocktails of medications, all to no avail.

A fter openheart surgery, I decided there was nothing I couldn’t make it through.

In my early 20s, I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or AFib, also known as an irregular heartbeat. It’s fairly common among senior citizens, but as a 20-something in college, I was now a member of a not-so-enviable exclusive club. Over the next several years, I battled my irregular heartbeats, under-

Eventually I met a cardiologist who specialized in adults with congenital heart defects — adults like me. He informed my family and me that the hole in my heart had reopened, and that it was substantially larger than it was when I was a child. This was causing my irregular heartbeat, and it would at last need to be closed. At age 25, because of the placement of my heart, I was about to undergo a potentially first-of-its-kind open-heart surgery.

On March 15, 2007, after five hours of surgery, I awoke with a heart that was beating normally for the first time in almost five years. Making it through that operation sparked something in my soul. Instead of whining about what I had to do to get to where I wanted to be, I decided to ball my fists up, dig in and do it. After all, I had just made it through open-heart surgery. Was there

anything I couldn’t make it through? I finally sat for the LSAT and got myself into law school.

That’s the attitude that’s gotten me to where I am today. When I was burning the candle at both ends, cramming for law school exams and eventually the bar exams, I would remind myself that I was getting stronger. When I was struggling to build my own law practice while juggling my responsibilities as a husband and father, I would remind myself of all that my heart could handle.

Naturally, when I saw an opportunity to run for office, a chance to represent and fight for all the communities our local government has left behind, I knew that I could take the heartburn of an arduous campaign, and that I could win over hearts and minds. That’s the mentality that I bring to my law practice, and to my work with my fellow legislators.

The arc of my life’s journey is proof that we are all stronger than we know — that we are all more capable than we can comprehend.

Seth I. Koslow represents Nassau County’s 5th Legislative District.

It’s Library Lovers Month — borrow a book

Iread “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” my first banned book, when I was 12. My friend lent me the book, and I found the good parts by the dogeared pages. The experience did not compromise my moral compass or corrupt me in any way I can discern. I am not recommending the book for today’s 12-year-olds, because it’s a pretty boring read, but I am advocating that a broad spectrum of books be available to students who choose to read them.

This month, Library Lovers Month, I want to push back hard against the selfappointed literature vigilantes across our country, who are removing books from school library shelves and banning them from classrooms under the guise of protecting children from inappropriate subject matter.

It’s called censorship, and the problem, of course, is who gets to decide what is appropriate or not. In the past, librarians have had full discretion in selecting books. They are trained for the job and trusted in their choices. In

the best libraries, the books reflect all the ways that children and teenagers can be in the world, including gay or trans or identified with any race or religion or socio-economic group.

work for vulnerable kids.

I don’t know if a book has ever saved someone’s life, but I know for sure that battles over books are endangering lives by keeping young people from information and stories that might validate their choices in important ways.

book-ban list, by definition, express feelings, experiences and political views that the prevailing culture prefers to pretend do not exist.”

SFor some young people, the school library is the only place they can read about kids just like themselves. They can learn that others share their confusion or anxiety or fear of being different.

tudents need open access to all kinds of books by all kinds of writers.

I don’t believe that a teenager can “catch” being gay or trans from reading about it, the underlying prejudice being that there is something wrong with that identity. We can’t scrub young adult literature for references to slavery or minority struggles or even violence, because the best writing reflects real life.

A couple of weeks ago, The New York Times told the story of a librarian in Idaho who organized a “Rainbow Squad,” welcoming children of different backgrounds to read and talk about books. A local church group protested, and the community is battling over whether the Rainbow Squad should be banned, along with the books they’re reading.

I wonder how this group threatens anyone, even as it creates a support net-

In The Washington Post last week, columnist Kate Cohen wrote about the school board in her hometown, Rockingham, Virginia, deciding to ban 57 books in the school library. One-third of the books feature gay or trans characters. Cohen wrote, “Freedom to read is the closest thing we have to freedom to think.”

This month, there can be no more pressing public business than to guarantee age-appropriate, open access to all kinds of books by all kinds of writers, for students across the land.

What can we do? Each of us can become familiar with our school and community libraries, stay informed about the books available to teens and oppose efforts by any groups of book police to decide what teenagers should read. In some communities in Florida, a single parent’s complaint about a book in a school library can get it banned.

As Cohen wrote, “The books on any

I think how lonely and desperate teenagers trying to figure out their lives without access to books must feel. Wellwritten books on racism or sexuality or addiction are a far better source for our kids than TikTok.

We read books for many reasons beyond wanting to be entertained — to solve the mysteries in our lives, to be dazzled or outraged by the way others live. Sometimes we can find our beliefs and lives affirmed in the pages of a new book.

The reason authoritarian entities, be they runaway school boards or governments, ban books is to limit access to ideas that might challenge their power.

We resist by reading and sharing.

The New York Public Library is offering free access to banned books for teenagers anywhere in the country through SimplyE, its e-reader app. The latest banned book pick is “All American Boys,” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. It is available to all readers ages 13 and older.

There are worlds out there to be explored. I have had this joy in my life, and I want the same for every reader.

Copyright 2024 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

RAnDI KREISS

HeraLd editoriaL Thank you for the snow day

in the past couple of weeks, we’ve been getting a lot of something we haven’t seen much of over the past couple of years: snow.

So much, in fact, that schools in our communities had no choice but to close. And because of that, we have just one thing to say to our school districts in Nassau County: Thank you for the snow day.

Yes, education works best when it’s rigorous and on a schedule. If the young minds loading buses each day were robots, then we’d probably be hesitant to interrupt the routine. Thankfully, our children are living, breathing people. And all of us can use a break from time to time — especially one we didn’t expect.

Anyone who grew up in a climate susceptible to winter almost assuredly experienced at least one snow day in their life, if not several. They go all the way back to the 19th century, when schools became gathering points children would flock to — and where safety would become paramount.

In places like Long Island, where crews are adept at clearing roads, even the best can be overwhelmed by significant storms and heavy snowfalls. And while it might feel like a free day off for many of our young learners, nearly all school districts have built snow days into the schedule — meaning any unexpected days off will be made up later in the spring.

We here on Long Island understand

Letters

the value of snow days, but not everyone shares those values. In fact, there is a growing contingent of education leaders right in our backyard who have been working hard to wipe snow days from existence.

It’s not that New York City has it out for an occasional unscheduled school closing. It’s just that the city’s education department has capitalized on the expansion of technology necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, which made remote learning for all not just possible, but practical.

For the 1.1 million students who attend more than 1,800 schools in the city, instead of sitting inside a classroom to learn on days when it snows, they are sitting in their living rooms and bedrooms instead. All while other people their age, living just a few miles away, grab their snowsuits and sleds and enjoy the winter beauty Mother Nature has delivered.

Learning is important, but snow days are valuable. Quite valuable, in fact. Beyond safety, they provide a muchneeded mental health break — not just for students, but also for the adults responsible for their learning.

The pressure of academic demands and extracurricular activities can be intense. That can lead not just to stress, but even to burnout.

Snow days give all of us a chance to recharge and relax with some unscheduled playtime outdoors. And that’s important, too. We hear too much about

In fighting fires, amateurs are pros

To the Editor:

We are professional firefighters!

I take exception to the comment made by writer Brandon Cruz in his article “Long Island needs more volunteer firefighters” (Feb. 8-14) that our volunteer firefighters are not “professionals.” Cruz reports that if new volunteers don’t join local fire departments, communities will need to hire “professional” firefighters.

Our volunteers are professional firefighters, just not paid for what we do for our communities. We, as volunteers, don’t just put on turnout gear and rush into a burning building without the needed, required and constant training provided by the Nassau County Fire Service at its training facility in Bethpage, and here in Lynbrook, our own department’s training and drills at our training facility in Wilcox Alley.

Back some 44 years ago, the Lynbrook Fire Department was facing a firefighter shortage, and formed the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department for youngsters 12 to 17, to interest them in firefighting, with the goal of becoming firefighters when they turned 18.

During their time as juniors, the youngsters learn basic firefighting methods without actually fighting

how video games, computers and television keep so many of our kids indoors. But freshly fallen snow is irresistible, and will almost assuredly get them outside to have some fun. It’s good for their physical health in a way that sitting in front of a computer, watching a teacher on Zoom, just can’t provide.

And a snow day is a chance to build community. Families come together to shovel sidewalks, or maybe help neighbors in need. Children get together, working to build snow forts, or even a snowman, complete with a carrot nose and a top hat.

And who doesn’t love an impromptu snowball fight?

All of that comes with many parents still working remotely, which helps mitigate child-care issues and costs that might otherwise accompany snow days.

Just remember that these days are not breaks for everyone. Let’s not forget the municipal workers who wake up early to plow the snow, as well as the brave souls at utility companies, hospitals, and fire and police departments who, as first responders, are always prepared for the worst.

Each one of our children will spend more than 1,200 days in class through high school. Let them have a break. And let’s show New York City yet another reason why more and more people choose to live and work here on Long Island.

Because on Long Island, snow days are cool.

“

tAlbany’s ‘Office’-like comedy of errors

his bar is what you spend on things that no one ever, ever needs.”

That line is from an episode of the Tv comedy show “The office,” but it can easily be applied to some of the real-life decisions Gov. Kathy Hochul and the new York City politicians who control Albany are considering as part of this year’s state budget negotiations.

steVe rHoaDs

If you’ve never seen the episode, it centers on Michael Scott, the boss in “The office” and one of the show’s main characters, who’s dealing with personal financial problems. one of the company’s accountants, oscar Martinez, creates a chart to help Scott analyze his finances and spending. one bar shows necessities, like rent. Another

bar shows luxuries, like vacations and going out to dinner, and the third shows things that “no one ever, ever needs” — like multiple magic sets.

politics: He’s a member of the same political party as the governor and the Senate and Assembly leaders.

come here.

rPredictably, the final column is the highest, and Scott tries to justify misguided expenditures as things he has needed, instead of recognizing the role they played in creating his dire situation.

Albany is in an eerily similar predicament, which, unfortunately for all of us, isn’t Tv fiction. The state faces an astronomical $36 billion budget gap by fiscal year 2026-27, according to a report issued by Comptroller Tom Dinapoli last July, who noted that “State leaders must take action to align recurring revenues with recurring spending, with an eye toward preserving the economic competitiveness of our State and equality of opportunity for all new Yorkers.” And Dinapoli’s not playing

Letters

fires. When they turn 18, they join one of our fire companies, begin formal basic training at the county Fire Service Academy and are considered probationary firefighters for one year while they complete additional training.

Yes, we always need more volunteers, but our junior program is helping to fill our ranks.

Many area fire departments have also formed junior programs, based on ours, to help fill their own ranks. Admittedly, the juniors aren’t always enough, and some years are better than others. Lynbrook’s chief of department and three assistant chiefs came through our junior program. This isn’t the first time that all four chiefs have been former juniors. Many of our current volunteers came through our junior program.

There are now 30 youngsters in the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department. Two former juniors joined fire companies last month alone when they turned 18. It is estimated that over 40 percent of our juniors go on to become Lynbrook firefighters.

STeve GroGAn Lynbrook

Grogan is a 56-year member of the Lynbrook Fire Department and an ex-captain and honorary chief. He co-founded the Lynbrook Junior Fire Department, and is the department’s public information officer.

We need more governance, less politics

To the editor:

re County Legislator Delia Deriggi-

Yet rather than seeing the prudent fiscal discipline necessary to address this crisis, we see misguided priorities.

ather than fiscal discipline, we see the governor’s misguided priorities.

As an example, Hochul proposes spending over $2.4 billion on illegal migrants who are flocking to new York — new York City in particular — because of its sanctuary state designation and the generous benefits it entitles them to, including free health care. That’s on top of the nearly $2 billion spent last year. When looking to save taxpayer dollars and reduce state expenses, eliminating spending on noncitizens should be the first place to start. That one change would reduce the deficit by nearly 10 percent and, just as important, help solve the growing migrant crisis by removing a major incentive for them to

Instead, Hochul plans to fund these expenditures in part by cutting state aid to Long Island schools by $75 million. every dollar of state aid that is lost has to be raised locally in the form of school property taxes, so not only are you funding benefits for noncitizens, but you’ll pay higher property taxes to make up for the lost state aid.

More than just bad public policy, that is inherently unfair to Long Island families, and an irresponsible misuse of their hard-earned tax dollars.

I will continue to fight against it, and invite you to join me by visiting my website, rhoads.nysenate.gov, and signing the petition to stop the Long Island school aid cuts.

Watching “The office” makes me laugh, but watching the comedy of errors brought on by one-party rule in the state Capitol brings me no joy. The alarm bells continue to ring. Albany needs to listen.

Steve Rhoads represents the 5th Senate District.

Framework by Tim Baker

Whitton’s column “Stop playing petty political games with county resources” last week: The difference of opinion between the legislative minority leader and the majority leader illustrates the difference between governance and politics. nassau would benefit from more of the former and less of the latter.

The millions of dollars in American rescue Plan Act funds at issue, having not been spent as intended, present a “windfall.” Shall we have Bruce Blakeman billboards or firehouse funds? Are we improvident grasshoppers or prudent and ant-like? Shall we squander millions on a 125th-birthday party or prudently invest in libraries, cybersecurity and clean water?

BrIAn KeLLY Rockville Centre

Why impeach Mayorkas, Rep. D’Esposito?

To the editor:

U.S. rep. Anthony D’esposito voted in lockstep with r ep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas despite having no evidence, as required by the Constitution, of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

There is no question that the immigration situation is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. However, the solution is not to scapegoat Mayorkas, but rather to pass the bipartisan legislation to beef up border security and provide more assets to process asylum claims more rapidly.

I am sure that the vast majority of Mr.

D’esposito’s constituents are in favor of the bipartisan legislation hammered out in the Senate that was endorsed by the Border Patrol agents’ union. However, it’s clear that Mr. D’ esposito takes his marching orders from Ms. Greene. She, and the rest of the MAGA republicans, do not want to provide a solution to the border problem until after the november election, as former President Donald

Trump has explicitly admitted that it would hurt his chances of being elected again.

Mr. D’esposito owes his allegiance to our country, his constituents and the Constitution he swore to uphold, and not to Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump.

roBerT ToLLe Cedarhurst

High-performing heart care, right here on the South Shore.

G e t s up erior c a r di a c c a r e a t M o u n t Sina i So u th N a s s a u i n Oc ea nsi d e

O u r co mp r e h en si v e c a r e in clu d e s th e l a t e s t d i a g n o s ti c t e s t i n g, and exp e r ti s e in m inim a l l y i n v a si v e t r e a t me n t s mak ing u s a t o p c hoi c e f or L o n g Isl a n de r s s eek i n g h el p wit h h ea r t con d itions

R a t ed high p e r f o r mi n g in H ea r t At t a c k a n d

H ea r t Fa il u r e b y U S. N e w s & Wo rl d R epo r t ® ,

B e st H o spi t a ls 2 0 2 3- 2 4 , and r ec ipie n t o f th e Co r o na r y I nt e r v e n tio n E xc e ll e nc e Aw a r d ™ f r o m Healthgr a de s , w e ’ r e the on ly hospi t al o n L on g Isl and c o nn e c t e d t o the r e n o wned he a r t exp e r t s o f th e Mo u n t S in a i H eal th S y s t e m

L ea r n m o r e a t m o u n t sin a i o r g /s o u thn a s s au h ea r t