champions!
Luke Pichichero and the Long Beach Marines captured the Nassau County hockey league title by sweeping Bellmore-Merrick in the best-of-three finals. Story, more photos, Page 8.
LONG BEACH
Also serving Point Lookout & East Atlantic Beach
Barrier Island Film Festival returns
By ChRIS ColUCCI ccolucci@liherald.com
The 2026 Barrier Island Film Festival is set to showcase some of the most talented filmmakers and performers from the Long Beach area. On March 7 and 8, the Long Beach Historical and Preservation Society will host the second annual festival — eight short films featuring local actors, directors and locations — as the museum’s latest fundraising activity.
Long Beach resident Mark Montalbano, the festival curator, has had a hand in nearly every aspect of filmmaking — acting, writing, directing and producing. Not only can he be seen in
By ToNY BEllISSIMo tbellissimo@liherald.com
Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez joined an elite list of Nassau County High School wrestlers last Sunday afternoon at Hofstra University’s Mack Sports Complex, becoming just the third five-time champion ever.
The Long Beach High School senior defeated top-seeded Manhasset senior Will Russell in the 118-pound Division I title match, 1-0, to secure his fifth county championship in as many seasons. He joins former Marines superstar Jacori Teemer (a 2018 graduate), a five-time New York state champion and four-time NCAA AllAmerican at Arizona State, and Syosset’s Vito Arujau (2017) in accomplishing the feat.
several of the featured films, but his semi-autobiographical entry, “Bound by Bushwick,” will cap the event with one showing on Sunday night.
“It started because Mark and his colleagues featured in the murder mystery plays that we do as a fundraiser,” Jeanne Browne, director of the historical society, said. For more than five years, the museum has hosted annual murder mysteries as interactive fundraising events.
This year’s film festival, Brown explained, “is an outgrowth of that that we started last year. It’s really a fundraiser for us.”
This year’s films cover a range of genres. “Last Set” explores the life of an aspiring body-
“It feels awesome,” said Sibomana-Rodriguez, who is committed to attending the University of North Carolina next year but for now is setting his sights on adding a third state championship the weekend of Feb. 27-28 at Albany’s Times Union Center. “It’s an honor to join just a few others who’ve won counties five times,” he added.
Long Beach coach Ray Adams said he was anticipating a low-scoring title bout. The
lone point was a second-period escape by Sibomana-Rodriguez, who celebrated with a backflip. “Two really tough, strong kids,” Adams said. “I’m so proud of Dunia. That was a history-making victory. Sometimes you just have to grind it out and find a way.”
Sibomana-Rodriguez took the fast track to celebrity status in the wrestling community, not only in Long Beach but nationwide, with his gripping life story, ranging from tragedy
Continued on page 9
Lee/Herald
Library use saved patrons over $27 million
By AIDAN WARSHAVSKY awarshavsky@liherald.com
Long Beach Public Library patrons are capitalizing on its core services, reporting over $27 million in savings across District 20 last year.
The report, released by Nassau Libraries System, includes fellow District 20 libraries in Hewlett-Woodmere, Island Park, Oceanside and Lawrence. Patrons saved $21.4 million by borrowing either a physical book or e-book, rather than making a comparable purchase. Libraries also helped patrons save $2.7 million through free or lowcost enrichment programs for adults or children five and younger.
“It is proof that these institutions don’t just educate,” District 20 Assemblyman Ari Brown wrote in a statement to the Herald. “They deliver real financial relief to families.”
Tara Lannen-Stanton, the library’s director since 2019, said it has spent time growing its services for patrons, even beyond literary programs. The library has added dance lessons, where patrons learn swing and salsa, as well as exercise classes. Albums and Asanas, is another popular program, combining yoga with music. The library also has a courier service for homebound patrons, delivering books and other library resources to their homes.
“This is why public libraries exist,”
Lannen-Stanton said of the library’s services. “It goes back to our core purpose.”
Core services at the library have attracted many patrons, including Kate Sheil, who has lived in Long Beach for a decade. Sheil, 44, visits the library at least twice a month, and has even been there four times in one week.
Last year, Sheil read and/or listened to 80 books, using both physical copies and audiobooks, a feat, she said, that would be unattainable without the library. “I don’t think I would have been able to read that much if I had to actually purchase the books,” she said. “It’s great to have this resource when everything is so expensive nowadays.”
Sheil is a member of two library book clubs, reading titles in nonfiction and romance. She has participated in the swing and salsa dance classes and has attended Albums and Asanas — all of which she joined to meet new people.
Sheil noted that she’s made friends with some of the 25 people in her book group, and has gone to comedy shows and concerts with them. “Without the library, I don’t think I would have ever met them,” she said.
Acting as a hub for community members like Sheil has always been a goal for Lannen-Stanton. “We exist to bring the community together in so many different ways,” she said. “It’s wonderful to hear the individual impact of that.”
The library is a recipient of Assemblyman Brown’s bullet aid, a type of funding given to libraries and schools. Brown thanked libraries for their service to the community, saying the role they play is vital.
“I proudly divide every dollar of my bullet aid equally among them because the dedicated people who work in our libraries strengthen our community every single day,” he wrote.
More information about events and features of the LBPL is available at longbeachlibrary.org “A library is always something that brings communities together,” Sheil said. “It’s a great way to become involved in your community, and I tell people that all the time.”
Courtesy Kate Sheil
Danielle Diaz, left, and Katie Sheil, take advantage of the library’s programs, including Mocktails and Painting, where they designed hot air balloon artwork.
Long Island Pizza Strong supports NCPD
By Chris ColuCCi ccolucci@liherald.com
Nearly 290 pizza parlors and restaurants across the Island will share a slice of Long Island Pizza Strong — a locally based fundraiser which has gathered more than $380,000 for various causes since 2023. This year, the event happening on Feb. 25 will direct proceeds to the family of Nassau County police officer Patricia Espinosa, a member of the Fifth Precinct and a nineyear veteran of the force, who was killed by an alleged drunk driver on Jan. 31.
Long Island Pizza Strong coordinates with participating restaurants to collect $5 for every pizza pie sold during the one-day event. The charity was founded in 2022 when Alyssa Guidice, Anthony Laurino and Jim Serpico pooled their collective backgrounds in fundraising, pizza making and restaurant ownership and found a way to give back to local communities. The organization connected eateries for support after three separate tragic incidents in recent years, with many establishments repeating the chance to cook for a good cause.
“We’ve done these fundraisers before,” said Anthony Alesia, co-owner of Sorrento’s of Long Beach. “I’m retired NYPD, myself. We’re just trying to give back.” With previous iterations, Long Island Pizza Strong raised more than $180,000 in April
2024 for the family of fallen NYPD officer Jonathan Diller and first responder support groups, as well as raising over $100,000 after the Farmingdale High School marching band bus crash of 2023 and a similar amount in 2024 following the West Babylon car crash which killed two teens.
“We take part every time they do this event,” said Mike Quinn, one of the owners of Borrelli’s Taproom. Emphasizing this year’s benefit for Officer Espinosa’s family, Quinn continued, “This one hits close to home because Mr. Borrelli’s son-in-law is a Nassau County cop. We’d participate anyway, but this definitely hits closer to home.”
Noting their hiatus from tragedy-based activities in 2025, Guidice said, “To me, that’s a good thing.” The co-founder explained, “Things happen and we get requests, literally, every single day to do something. We don’t want to tire out the idea. We try to do it for the right causes and for the right reasons.”
Residents can take part in the Feb. 25 fundraiser as easily as ordering a pizza. As the Herald goes to press, Borelli’s Taproom, Brixx and Barley, Francesco’s Pizzeria, and Sorrento’s of Long Beach are confirmed locations. Restaurants — with full pizza pies on the menu — have until Feb. 22 to sign up to be a part of Long Island Pizza Strong. Hungry eaters with a generous heart can check lipizzastrong.com for an updated list of participants.
Players serve up funding for Bethany House
By AllYsoN FErr Ari aferrari@liherald.com
The Bethany House pickleball tournament returned for its sixth year on Feb. 1, bringing players together at Pickleball Xpo in Oceanside to raise funds for programs serving women and children experiencing homelessness.
Founded in 1978, Bethany House provides emergency shelter, transitional housing and support services for homeless women and women with children. The nonprofit offers individualized case management, trauma-informed care and empowerment programs aimed at helping families achieve long-term self-sufficiency.
The fundraiser began six years ago after Jane McCabe, co-chair of Bethany House’s Resource Development Committee, connected with Pickleball Pros of Long Island owner, Frank Milillo, who suggested hosting a tournament to benefit the organization. The event was first held at the Rockville Centre Recreation Center before moving last year to the larger facility.
Lisa King, co-chair of Bethany House’s Development and Communications Committee, said about 40 players participated this year, raising more than $3,100 through entry fees and raffles to support Bethany House programs.
The tournament uses a round-robin format, allowing players to rotate partners and opponents so everyone sees ample court time. Games are typically played to 11 points, win by two, with standings determined by wins and point totals. Winners received prizes, while raffle baskets added to the fundraising total.
King noted the event is structured mainly around individual participants rather than fixed teams, though many attendees come with friends, creating a social and welcoming atmosphere alongside friendly competition.
Milillo said the tournament continues to succeed because it combines recreation, community and charity.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to learn something new, have fun and be competitive, but the social
aspect is beyond anything you can imagine,” he said. Proceeds benefit Bethany House guests, helping fund services and programs for women and families working toward stable housing.
Courtesy Long Island Pizza Strong
Founders Jim Serpico, left, Anthony Laurino and Alyssa Guidice with the proceeds of the 2024 fundraiser honoring Officer Jonathan Diller.
Maureen Lennon/Herald
Participants and organizers, such as Frank Milillo, center, gather at Pickleball Xpo in Oceanside during the sixth annual Bethany House pickleball fundraiser on Feb. 1. The event brought players together to support programs serving women and children experiencing homelessness.
On Kindness
Meet your first responder: Sean Gutfleisch
By AIDAN WARSHAVSKY
Police Officer Sean Gutfleisch has always seen the value of making a difference in the community. So, in 2023, when he traded in his NYPD badge to become a member of the LBPD, it was no surprise to see the impact that he’s having now.
Gutfleisch, 26, spends a lot of time volunteering for different units. In the summer, he patrols the beach. During the winter months, he joins the plainclothes unit, taking narcotics off the street.
Police Commissioner Richard DePalma called Gutfleisch a special cop and said he’s always eager to pitch in. “Sean is just a great, energetic young cop,” DePalma said. “We’re lucky to have him.”
The young officer’s skills were put to the test on July 17, when he rescued a young boy from the water near Laurelton Boulevard. It was after hours, with no lifeguards on duty, and there was a rip current. Gutfleisch was flagged down by the boy’s family.
In the blink of an eye, he radioed lifeguard headquarters on Riverside Boule-
vard, locked up his equipment, and dove into the water.
“I just wanted to make sure I grabbed him,” he said of the boy in distress. “I’m not the best swimmer, but I felt confident I would be able to pull him out.”
With the plainclothes unit, Gutfleisch and his partner, Kevin Rice, arrested a young person with a firearm on Jan. 27 at the Centre Street bus terminal.
“It was great to be able to pull that loaded firearm off the individual so they couldn’t harm anyone,” he said.
As a kid, Gutfleisch frequented the Long Beach boardwalk and the beach. He graduated from Wantagh Senior High School in 2017. He joined the NYPD in 2021 and spent two years serving Queens Village, Glen Oaks, Rosedale and Laurelton at the 105th precinct.
On Feb. 7, Gutfleisch was honored at the Second Annual Law and Order Night for his service. The night of recognition, led by the American Legion Post 972 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1384, highlighted first responders for their excellence and bravery.
“Every one of us could be recognized for the stuff we do every day,” Gutfleisch It just so happened to be me this time.”
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Courtesy City of Long Beach
Long Beach Police Department’s Sean Gutfleisch, center, was honored at Law and Order Night on Feb. 7 for a water rescue he performed in July.
things to know about reverend jesse jackson
Honoring the life of a civil rights icon
By Chris ColuCCi
ccolucci@liherald.com
On Feb. 17, after more than 60 years of civil rights activism and working on the forefront of the fight for equality, Reverend Jesse Jackson died at 84 years old. Jackson began working alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s and carried the torch after King’s death, becoming one of the most impactful figures of the Civil Rights Movement. Through the 1980s, ‘90s and early 2000s, Jackson was a mainstream personality, making frequent TV appearances to comment on social, political and legal issues.
Jackson popularized the term “African-American”
As a charismatic presenter, Jackson regularly made impassioned speeches to capture ears, turn heads and change perspectives. One of his lasting impacts is the use of the term “African-American.” Into the mid-1900s, Black Americans were commonly referred to as “colored” or “black” in media and general civil discourse. “AfricanAmerican” had been used infrequently since the 18th century, but Jackson pulled the phrase into the lexicon with regular use.
Jackson said the term was preferred as it more accurately reflected the role, history and culture of Black Americans with history tracing back to enslavement in Africa and their assimilation into American society.
He was celebrated around the world
Jackson’s work began in the US, but his humanitarian work took him around the world. International leaders regularly praised his effort. In 1999, Jackson received the Golden Dove of Peace from the Italian anti-war group Archivio Disarmo. President Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000. Jackson received Honorary Fellowship from London’s Edge Hill University in 2008, as well as from Cambridge University’s Homerton College in 2021.
In 2015, the University of Edinburgh gave the title Doctor Honoris Causa. French President Macron declared Jackson a Commander of the Legion of Honor in 2021. Jackson was uniquely crowned in 2009 to become Prince Nana by Amon N’Douffou V, King of Krindjabo in Ivory Coast.
He was nearly President of the United States
Jackson ran for president twice — unsuccessfully seeking the democratic nomination in 1984 and again in 1988. During his first run, Jackson garnered more than 3 million votes, with 18 percent of voters supporting him. He placed third, behind Gary Hart and eventual nominee Walter Mondale — Ronald Reagan would end up winning his second term in the November election. With his return to the primary in 1988, Jackson built significant momentum and captured 6.7 million votes, or more than 29 percent or the population, being declared runner-up behind Michael Dukakis, who would lose to George H. W. Bush. Jackson stands out as the first Black politician to achieve such results, only surpassed by President Barack Obama’s victory 20 years later.
LONG BEACH HERALD — February 19, 2026
Fire crews train for the first seven minutes
Would you know what to do in the first seven minutes of an emergency?
That was the reality one man in the city of Ramla, Israel faced during a terror attack. He had been stabbed in the leg; the bleeding was severe and lifethreatening.
When paramedic Aryeh Myers arrived, representing the organization Magen David Adom, a bystander had already stepped in. The person had no formal medical background— only having taken a first-aid course 20 years earlier — and they had no tourniquet available. Using a belt as an improvised tourniquet, the bystander controlled the bleeding until professional teams arrived. The civilian’s quick, decisive action saved a life.
That principle is at the heart of “The First Seven Minutes,” a lifesaving training program developed by Magen David Adom — a volunteer-based emergency response team somewhat comparable to the American Red Cross — and brought to communities in the United States by American Friends of Magen David Adom.
“The project is called ‘The First Seven Minutes’ because that’s the average time it takes for first responders to reach an emergency,” said Aryeh Myers, a senior paramedic with Magen David Adom.
On Feb. 4, AFMDA brought this training to Long Beach, partnering with the Long Beach Fire Department to host a specialized training program for emergency professionals serving Long Island’s South Shore.
More than 45 fire chiefs, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs and health professionals attended, representing departments within the 2nd Battalion Fire District, which includes Baldwin, Freeport, Island Park, Long Beach, Oceanside and Point Lookout-Lido.
The 2nd Battalion Fire District receives one of the highest numbers of emergency calls on Long Island, making preparedness a constant priority. The training, led by Myers, emphasized practical, lifesaving actions that anyone on the scene can take immediately in a mass casualty situation, from active shooter attacks to large-scale accidents, before ambulances and additional resources have an opportunity to arrive.
The event was born when AFMDA supporter and Fire Commissioner Alan
Members of the 2nd Battalion Fire District with MDA paramedic Aryeh Myers during a “First Seven Minutes” training session.
Greenfield, MD, decided to combine his two passions for a meaningful cause.
Believing there is no better teacher than someone who has lived through these kinds of emergencies, Greenfield, who attended medical school in Tel Aviv, spearheaded the program to bring firsthand lifesaving experience to Long Island.
Drawing on Magen David Adom’s experience responding to mass casualty incidents in Israel, the training addressed not only violent attacks, but also fires, building collapses and other large-scale emergencies. Hands-on simulations reinforced the program’s cen -
tral message: in an emergency, early action can save lives.
Scott Kemins, deputy fire commissioner for the City of Long Beach, said the program provided valuable insights for those who regularly respond to emergencies.
“The first 7-minute training program is an excellent resource for the public,” he said. “It is crucial for individuals to be aware of their surroundings and to understand how to respond to potential shooting incidents, including the appropriate protocols to follow.”
By partnering with local fire departments, such as the LBFD, AFMDA continues its mission to bring MDA’s lifesaving expertise to communities beyond Israel, strengthening preparedness in schools, houses of worship, and community institutions.
As Myers emphasized, the “first seven minutes” matter.
Reading this article took just a few minutes, very likely less time than it would take for first responders to arrive at an emergency scene. In that brief window, knowledge, calm and decisive action can turn ordinary bystanders into lifesavers.
–Chris Colucci
From left, City of Long Beach Deputy Fire Commissioner Scott Kemins; City of Long Beach Fire Commissioner Joseph Miller; and Aryeh Myers, MDA senior paramedic and liaison with the International Relations Department.
Photos courtesy AFMDA
Short-film showcase features local talent
builder. “Blood is Bond,” from Atlantic Beach-based duo Danny Pyle and Tyler Tamulinas, shows how far TV writers will go to get a big break. “Suction,” which has many scenes that were filmed in and around Long Beach, pulls viewers into a tense interrogation room, with Montalbano in a key role. Long Beach native Kyle McCarthy created “Club Soda,” which takes viewers to an awkward birthday party.
“The Whirl of Life” uses authentic footage from 1915 to spotlight dance legends Vernon and Irene Castle, owners of Castles by the Sea nightclub and theater. Long Beach resident Elaine Del Valle directed “Princess Cut,” which begins at a laundromat in the Hamptons and ends with a murder.
“Surfing on 9/11,” another film from McCarthy, depicts Sept. 11 from the perspective of a young teen riding the waves in Long Beach. And “The Rooftop” stars Montalbano as a man on a mission, working against the distraction of a beautiful woman.
The event kicks off on March 7 with two seatings, at 3 and 7 p.m. The following day, showings begin at 2 p.m. All eight films will be presented in each session, with roughly two hours of total running time. A Q&A panel with several filmmakers will follow each showing. On Sunday, “Bound by Bushwick” — written, directed and co-produced by Montalbano — will be screened as a
bonus feature. Former Long Beach City Council member Tina Posterli also appears in the film.
Montalbano moved to Long Beach in 2021, after living in Manhattan for nearly 40 years, and soon began acting in the historical society’s murder mystery fundraisers. He eventually saw an
the event. “It’s to bring the community together. It’s to try to showcase the talent we have here.”
Browne maintains that it’s a way to reach the community with an interesting presentation and highlight local performers, while raising crucial funds in a creative way. Last year’s inaugural festival featured six short films and two music videos, one of which was filmed on location at the historical society headquarters on West Penn Street.
City Council member George Ennis is no stranger to the world of film. He not only organized his own Long Beachbased film festival from 2007 to 2015, to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, but he has a role in this year’s entry “Blood is Bond.” Ennis said he hoped the Barrier Island event would continue to grow. “It’s good to highlight local filmmakers,” he said. “It’s kind of what I did when I had my film festival, too. It was all local filmmakers. I’d love to see this happen again. I’d love to see it continue, for sure.”
opportunity to blend his connections in the film world with the local cause, creating the film festival in 2024 and launching the inaugural event in March 2025. He wasn’t after accolades or notoriety; he just wanted to give back to his new hometown.
“It’s strictly a fundraiser,” he said of
The film festival is a significant fundraiser for the historical society, which relies on an all-volunteer staff to maintain and operate the museum.
Tickets, starting at $25, must be purchased in advance; seating is limited. More information about the event and registration details can be found at longbeachhistoricalsociety.org.
Courtesy Mark Montalbano
anthony monguso, left, and felix oliveros star in “Bound by Bushwick,” a film loosely based on writer-director mark montalbano’s life.
Long Beach hockey wins thrilling county final
By NIKO SCARLATOS sports@liherald.com
The Long Beach Marines are Nassau County hockey champions, capping a thrilling postseason run with resilience, depth, and a relentless drive that head coach Robert Carson called nothing short of amazing.
“It’s been incredible,” Carson said. “Last year we fell short so it was nice to get some payback.”
Long Beach swept defending champion Bellmore-Merrick for the title, including a double overtime thriller in Game 2.
The Marines’ hunger was evident from the opening puck drop of the playoffs. On Feb. 4, they dominated Bethpage in a 7-0 shutout victory, setting the tone for what would become a statement run. Liam Young and captain Michael Calvi each scored twice in the rout, showcasing the offensive firepower that would carry Long Beach through the postseason.
Two days later, the Marines overwhelmed Manhasset/Great Neck/Port Washington, 7-2. In a testament to their depth, seven different players found the back of the net: Caleb Kallelis, Miles Siegel, Luke Pichichero, Kelly Cardo, Cody Pichichero, Young and Calvi. The balanced scoring reflected a team first philosophy that has defined this group all season.
“The way that they all contribute,” Carson said. “Whether you’re a freshman or a senior, everyone gets along.
You’d think they have all played together forever. Guys have come up from the JV team and fit right in. Everything just clicked from the jump and it was very important to have that connection during the playoffs. We had a ton of confidence.”
That confidence was tested in the finals against Bellmore-Merrick. In
Game 1 on Feb. 9, the Marines edged out a 3-2 win behind goals from Calvi, Cody Pichichero, and Luke Pichichero. The tight contest foreshadowed the drama to come.
Game 2 on Feb. 11 was an instant classic. The teams needed double overtime to decide a champion. Junior alternate captain and playoff MVP Young
delivered the decisive blow, scoring the game-winning goal in a 5-4 victory to seal the county title.
“When we trailed, it was a little scary but we knew we could do it,” Calvi said. “Finishing the revenge tour by beating Bellmore-Merrick was the perfect ending to a perfect season.”
Leadership proved central to the Marines’ success. Calvi, the captain, led by example with key goals throughout the finals. Luke Pichichero anchored the senior class, while Young emerged as the postseason’s MVP. Junior Cody Pichichero, Luke’s younger brother, demonstrated his versatility by contributing two goals and an assist in the finals while seamlessly shifting between forward and defense.
Defensively, Long Beach relied on a steady rotation of Ryan Reilly, Will O’Shea, Gavin Hananel, and Hudson Brenke to protect one of the county’s stingiest nets. Behind them stood goalie Justin Mele, one of the top netminders all season with a goals against average under two. Carson praised his toughness and reliability.
“He’s just so tough back there,” Carson said of Mele. “Even if guys don’t make the right play, he’s there to back them up.”
For Luke Pichichero, the championship carried special meaning. “We never lost our confidence and trusted the process,” he said. “Being able to win in our senior year is something that I’ll cherish forever.”
Long Beach captain Michael Calvi, right, and Luke Pichichero, left, receive the county championship trophy from league Vice President Mike Marino.
Erik Lee/Herald photos
The Marines celebrated their title-clinching 5-4
double OT victory over Bellmore-Merrick Feb. 11 at the Town of Oyster Bay rink.
His drive for five Nassau titles is complete
to triumph on many levels. In 2014 he was left clinging to life after a group of wild chimpanzees attacked him and two family members as they played near Virunga National Park in the Congo, in his native Central Africa. His brother and a cousin were killed, but Dunia, then just 6, survived, though he was left with life-altering facial injuries.
It’s an honor to join just a few others who’ve won counties five times.
DuNIa SIBOMaNaRODRIguE z
Senior, Long Beach High School
Since he arriving in the United States 10 years ago, he has undergone nearly 20 surgeries; was adopted by Miguel Rodriguez, a longtime Long Beach High assistant wrestling coach and a 1999 graduate; became an honor-roll student and an NCAA Division I talent with a full athletic scholarship.
“It’s a very emotional day,” Rodriguez said. “It was awesome seeing him win a fifth county title. At the same time, I can’t help but think he won’t be wrestling for Long Beach next season.
“It’s been an incredible ride,” Rodriguez added. “The City of Long Beach has made Dunia his home. So many people deserve credit for the success of this young man. I couldn’t even begin to name everyone who’s helped along the way, but I’m thankful, and Dunia is thankful, for everything.”
Sibomana-Rodriguez captured state titles as an eighth-grader and a junior, and enters his final state tournament with a career record of 199-17. He’s 42-3 this winter. One win in Albany will get him to the 200win club, but his goals are much higher.
“It went too fast,” he said of his high school wres-
tling career. “I’m excited for the next chapter at North Carolina, but I’m sad my time at Long Beach is almost over. I would love to end with a state title.”
The No. 2 seed in the county championships, Sibomana-Rodriguez allowed just 4 points in four matches last weekend. On Saturday he pinned Calhoun’s Jake Condela in just 10 seconds to start with a bang, and followed with a 20-2 tech fall victory over Valley Stream Central’s Emmanuel Alvarado in the quarterfinals.
Then, on Sunday morning, Sibomana-Rodriguez defeated Roslyn’s Christian Morris by major decision, 12-2, setting up a meeting in the county finals with Russell for the second time in three years. Dunia topped Russell when they were sophomores in the 108pound final, 6-3.
“I’ve known Dunia since he arrived,” Long Beach Athletic Director Arnie Epstein said. “As incredible as he is on the mat, he’s an even better person off it.”
Franklin repeats as county wrestling champ
By TONY BELLISSIMO
tbellissimo@liherald.com
Five standouts led a big performance from Long Beach at the Nassau Division I wrestling championships last Sunday at Hofstra University, including five-time county champion Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez and repeat county champ Brody Franklin.
Franklin was nothing short of dominant in the 132-pound bracket. He was seeded fourth based on points accumulated during the regular season, but still the one to beat on paper and proved unbeatable. He capped a perfect weekend with a convincing 21-6 technical fall victory in 3:27 over Wantagh’s Jonathan Cutrone in Sunday evening’s title match.
“This one hit different than last season,” said Franklin, who last winter won the Nassau D-I 131pound crown. “I wanted it just as much as the first one. When I saw my seed, it motivated me that much more,” he added.
Franklin jumped on Cutrone with several takedowns in the opening period and never looked back.
“Brody’s been wrestling extremely well all season,” Marines coach Ray Adams said. “We told him if he brings it, it doesn’t matter who the opponent is. He has a lot of experience and his technique is on point. He’s a savvy wrestler.”
Franklin’s road to the finals included a 12-5 decision over Clarke’s William Grassini, the top seed, in the semifinals, an 18-2 technical fall win over Manhasset’s Lucas Bordieri in the quarterfinals, and a pin of Lynbrook’s Elias Vandoros in the second round after receiving a first-round bye.
“The semifinal was my toughest match,” Franklin said. “I’m good friends with Grassini and he’s a
very strong wrestler.”
Sibomana-Rodriguez got Sunday’s finals started by grinding out a 1-0 decision over Manhasset’s Will Russell in the 118-pound title bout, becoming just the third-ever five-time county champion in Nassau history, joining Long Beach 2018 graduate Jacori Teemer and Syosset 2017 grad Vito Arujau.
The Marines had a third finalist, sophomore Ethan Andreula, a two-time county champion who fell just short in the last match of the night, 1-0 to Massapequa’s Jon Tutku at 105 pounds. Andreula was sharp in reaching the finals with convincing wins by technical fall, pin and major decision over Mepham’s Joshua Geyer, Jericho’s Christian Garcia, and Uniondale’s Joshua Pierre-Paul, respectively.
Sibomana-Rodriguez, Franklin and Andreula will all represent Long Beach at the New York State tournament Feb. 27-28 at Albany’s Times Union Arena. It’s Sibomana-Rodriguez fifth trip upstate, Andreula’s fourth and Franklin’s third. Sibomana-Rodriguez has been All-State (top eight) in each of the past four seasons. Andreula is three-time All-State.
“All three of our guys are in the conversation to make big runs,” Adams said. “If they wrestle to the best of their ability, they can all come out on top.”
Long Beach, which reached the dual meet team championship match falling narrowly to Massapequa, also had a pair of additional All-County performances.
Junior Casey Powers took third at 103, and senior Matthew Diamond finished sixth at 138. Powers, AllCounty and a state qualifier last season, won four of five matches. Diamond, who fell one win shy of AllCounty a year ago, went 4-3 to reach the podium in his final campaign.
Paul Grassini/Herald
Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez, top, edged Manhasset’s Will Russell, 1-0, in the 118-pound county title match.
Paul Grassini/Herald
Long Beach’s Brody Franklin, right, defeated Wantagh’s Jonathan Cutrone to take the 132-pound county title.
PSEG details assistance and energy-savers
PSEG Long Island marked National Energy Assistance Day on Feb. 2 by encouraging customers facing high winter heating costs to explore available financial assistance programs and energy-saving options.
PSEG Long Island’s Household Assistance Program, which provides qualifying customers with a monthly bill credit of at least $45 for up to 18 months.
The utility said its consumer advocacy team is assisting residents across Long Island and the Rockaways through phone and email support, community outreach events and webinars to help customers enroll in bill assistance and payment programs.
Among the available options is PSEG Long Island’s Household Assistance Program, which provides qualifying customers with a monthly bill credit of at least $45 for up to 18 months. Customers may also qualify for state and federal programs, including New York’s Home Energy Assistance Program and Emergency HEAP, which help eligible households pay heating costs during the winter.
Additional programs include Project Warmth, administered by United Way of Long Island, which offers emergency heating assistance to low-income households, and the Residential Energy Affordability Partnership, which provides free home energy audits, efficiency upgrades and bill credits for income-eligible customers.
PSEG Long Island will host upcoming assistance webinars on Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. Registration information
and outreach schedules are available at psegliny.com and on the company’s social media pages.
Customers seeking help can contact the consumer advocacy hotline at (631) 755-3407 on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. or email Consumeradvocacyli@psegliny.com.
The utility also encouraged customers to lower energy costs by sealing drafts, adjusting thermostats, using programmable thermostats and energy-efficient lighting, and running high-energy appliances outside peak hours.
–Jordan Vallone
Scholarship fund keeps supporting students
A scholarship fund created to honor the legacy of a longtime Island Park family is continuing to invest in the village’s students, awarding four $25,000 scholarships annually to graduating seniors.
Island Park resident and Lincoln Orens Middle School teacher Karen Davis established the John Esposito Commodore Scholarship Foundation in 2023, fulfilling a request made in her cousin John Esposito’s will in 2021. Esposito asked that a scholarship fund be created for deserving students in the village.
The nonprofit foundation, managed by a board of directors with Davis serving as president, provides need-based scholarships to Island Park residents who attend Long Beach High School or a private high school. Funding comes from Esposito’s estate and has been invested to ensure the scholarships can be awarded in perpetuity.
“These days, pretty much everyone needs assistance in paying for college because of the incredibly high tuition and housing rates,” Davis said. “We encourage those students who meet the criteria to apply.”
While applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 80 percent, Davis said the foundation places greater emphasis on family values, community involvement and a strong work ethic than on academic performance alone.
Courtesy Karen Davis
Second year scholarship recipients and Karen Davis, second from right, celebrated the John Esposito Commodore Scholarship Foundation — a fund honoring the legacy of a longtime Island Park family, which awards four $25,000 scholarships annually.
The scholarship is permanently tied to the history of the Commodore fishing station, owned by the Esposito family. Since its establishment, the foundation has awarded more than $250,000 to Island Park students. In addition to the
four $25,000 scholarships given each year, there are supplemental scholarships totaling $40,000 given.
The first-year recipients were Celeste Consigli, Michael Dukorsky, Hannah Zhou and Erick Cisneros. The 2025
scholarship winners were Daniel Brenner, Benjamin Pricket, Jaden Almodovar and Steven Misrok.
The application deadline for graduating seniors is March 1. –Abigail Grieco
Herald file
PSEG Long Island detailed programs meant to assist customers financially.
What’s underground comes back around
Undoing the damage: the challenges of managing Long Island’s largest chemical spill
By ALYSSA R. GRIFFIN & JOSEPH D’ALESSANDRO of the Herald Community Newspapers
Second installment in a series about water.
It’s impossible to discuss Long Island’s groundwater without addressing Northrop Grumman.
The Long Island aeronautics industry was a key asset to the United States armed forces in the last century, testing and manufacturing nearly 30,000 airplanes for the U.S. Navy starting in the 1930s, and later producing the lunar module for Apollo 11’s landing on the moon. For over 50 years, the Northrop Grumman Bethpage Facility and Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant Site was at the center of American defense and innovation — and one of the largest chemical contamination sites in New York.
According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the degreasing agent trichloroethene leaked from NWIRP’s plumbing and dumping sites into the Magothy Aquifer — which provides water to much of Nassau County — creating the Navy Grumman groundwater plume.
tions or captured in granulated carbon, preventing any future leaks.
The DEC’s 2019 Record of Decision was the first formal plan for cleaning up the site. Before then, there were around 10 extraction wells in the affected area. Since the ROD, the number of wells has risen to 26, supported by five watertreatment plants. The aggressive plan to stop the plume’s southward migration was motivated by the DEC’s zero-tolerance attitude toward chemical contamination, Pelton said.
“Groundwater exists in these voids between grains of sand and soils in what we call pore spaces,” Granzen explained. “Water moves in between those pore spaces. When the contaminants get mixed with the groundwater, that causes movement.”
RISING TIDES
“The water districts should not have to address this,” Pelton said. “That’s the primary driver here: removing the TCE from the aquifer system so that we’ve got a better drinking water source.”
The plume is a twomile-by-four-mile body of TCE with the potential to leach into Long Island’s South Shore waters and the Great South Bay, according to Jason Pelton, director of Remedial Bureau D in the DEC’s Division of Environmental Remediation.
“As plumes go, it’s probably the largest in New York state,” Pelton said. “It may be one of the largest in the country.”
Bethpage’s tarnished legacy
Shortly after the plume was identified in 1983, the DEC formed a partnership with both the responsible parties, the Navy and Northrop Grumman, to begin restoration efforts. The two groups operate extraction wells, large structures that siphon water out of the aquifer, filter out TCE, and send the water back underground by way of recharge basins.
“I’ve been very impressed with the Navy and Northrop Grumman’s ability to locate these wells precisely where they need to be, and to see the contaminant numbers that are coming out in these locations,” Kristin Granzen, DEC project manager for the U.S. Navy Bethpage site, said.
The joint cleanup effort processes about 10 million gallons of contaminated water per day, according to DEC documents provided to the Herald. The agency estimates that about 80 percent of the contamination — 276,000 pounds — has been removed from the Magothy Aquifer and destroyed in chemical reac-
The DEC’s goal is to reduce the aquifer’s TCE levels to 5 parts per billion, the groundwater safety standard, though much of the plume’s area is still over 50 ppb, according to DEC map data from May 2025.
“The fact that it’s predominantly TCE makes it a little bit easier,” Pelton added. “The challenge is the magnitude of the contamination … I would say maybe we’re pumping in the interior of the plume for 30 or 40 more years.”
Chemicals linger, at what cost?
While the cleanup continues, the plume’s public health effects have been a topic of endless discussion. Its cleanup is made possible by collaboration with local municipalities, home to the county’s hundreds of monitoring wells collecting data on groundwater. They are a strict quality-control measure assessing whether the water is safe to consume or to use in irrigation.
Kevin Reilly, who oversees the monitoring of the Massapequa Water District as its superintendent, told the Herald that if the chemicals posed no real health risks to the community, there would be no need for the decades-long cleanup effort. The district serves parts of Massapequa, Massapequa Park and North Massapaqua, all areas just south of Bethpage, where the plume originated.
After filtration, there are no risks to residents’ health, the DEC maintains. “I would say the overall health of the aquifer is healthy,” Pelton said. “It’s important that people know that their drinking water is really high quality, and it’s absolutely safe to drink that water.”
According to a chemical profile from the Agency for Toxic Substances and
Courtesy Department of Environmental Conservation this map shows the estimated extent of the navy grumman groundwater plume, which was first identifed in 1983, based on the most recent data from 2025.
Disease Registry, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, TCE can be a carcinogen with high exposure, and the state Department of Health conducted an environmental health investigation in Bethpage, finalized in 2013, on whether long-term exposure to contamination from the sites had affected local cancer rates.
According to the department’s report, there was no correlation between the presence of TCE in the aquifer with cancer rates on Long Island. The most commonly diagnosed cancers in the areas affected by the plume were those typically seen most often in adults, and no single rare cancer type appeared more than once. Most diagnoses occurred at ages when cancer is generally most common. There was no indication that the cancers were linked to environmental findings.
The health department continues routine monitoring of drinking water and remediation efforts to protect public health as the cleanup progresses.
At the request of the Bethpage community, the department is revisiting the
2013 study, and its work is expected to be completed by the end of this year. In a written statement, the department told the Herald that the update cannot provide a direct link between cancer cases and environmental exposure, including the plume. Evaluations of environmental exposure can draw some health associations, but they cannot determine causality.
“There is no new threat to public health, and prior exposures have been addressed for more than a decade due to the efforts of New York State,” the statement read. “The Department is currently working on the study and upon completion of the report will announce findings and host a public meeting.”
The race against the spread
The state continues its effort to clean up the plume while keeping the affected communities informed. The DEC facilitates regular community meetings through its Community Participation Working Group, comprising elected officials, agencies, businesses and experts
LONG ISLAND’S WATER BLUEPRINT
Saga of Navy-Grumman plume continues
Continued from PreViouS PAGe
that meet on a quarterly basis. The group was established to foster dialogue, improve public understanding, and encourage discussion of the cleanup.
The DEC staff also provides regular project updates at Bethpage Community Council meetings, which are held at the Bethpage Public Library and open to the public.
According to the DEC’s January Groundwater Plume Cleanup Update, public water suppliers treat groundwater using established methods to contain regulated contaminants before they reach homes and businesses. Water is drawn from designated sources, treated to meet all federal and state drinking water standards, and distributed through a network of mains and storage tanks. Throughout the process, water quality is continuously monitored to ensure that it remains safe to drink.
The challenge is the magnitude of the contamination.
Jason PelTon Remedial bureau director, Department of Environmental Conservation
“We work really closely with the water districts in Nassau County,” Pelton said. “Every single day they provide high-quality drinking water that meets all of the New York State Department of Health drinking water requirements.”
The system relies on multiple safeguards to maintain high water quality and protect public health. This approach ensures that if standards are not met, suppliers notify customers and take corrective action, which can include temporarily taking wells out of service.
Negotiations among public water suppliers, the DEC, Northrop Grumman and the Navy have focused on funding the treatment systems used to maintain safe drinking water. The Bethpage Water District, for example, operates treatment systems that are considered among the most advanced in the nation, according to the DEC.
Though it is currently not affected, the Massapequa Water District is just outside the current spread of the plume. “We are not an active part of the cleanup yet,” Reilly said. “We monitor — there’s monitoring wells that we get the data from the Navy and their consultants and the DEC. But we don’t have any contamination in our wells from the Grumman Navy plume at this time.”
Common misconception has led many Long Island residents to believe the entirety of the South Shore has been impacted, which is not the case. Nonetheless, Reilly said, “The plume is migrating and flowing towards our district.”
He explained that while large-scale, permanent systems for treating the underground water are currently under construction, temporary systems have been installed along the leading edge of the plume. They operate on a smaller scale, but they are designed to be mobile, and can be relocated as needed to respond to changing conditions while the permanent treatment infrastructure is being completed.
“The water districts to the north of us are already treating their wells for the contaminants, and they’ve spent millions upon millions of dollars to get these treatment systems in place,” Reilly said. “We haven’t had to do that yet — we’re watching. We don’t want to have to do that, and we’re constantly involved in pushing to get these Navy treatment systems up and running, to treat the groundwater.”
Northrop Grumman did not respond to requests for comment.
the northrop Grumman rW-21 Area Groundwater extraction and treatment system processes water when it is pumped out of the aquifer, before sending it back underground.
Courtesy Northrop Grumman northrop Grumman was a major manufacturer in the aeronautics industry for the u.S. armed forces. Above, airplane parts in of one its factories.
study that shows local governments and corporations working together to protect communities. The plume’s development and spread also show that the consequences of a mistake can be challenging to deal with, and that decades of damage require as much or more time to repair. The DEC’s expertise, Northrop Grumman and the Navy’s willingness to take responsibility, and the help of local water districts, were essential in making the restoration effort possible.
The public can receive updates about the plume cleanup effort at the DEC’s Bethpage Community Council meetings at the Bethpage Public Library, the Navy’s semi-annual Resident Advisory Board meetings online at NAVFAC.Navy.Mil/Divisions/Environmental, and Northrop Grumman’s website, NorthropGrumman.com/Sustainability.
deCeX6 is an early exploration well designed to support the cleanup of the plume. the well, installed in the town of oyster Bay by the State department of environmental Conservation, awaits potential future use if needed.
Photos courtesy Department of Environmental Conservation
State Republicans rally around Blakeman
County executive, now the GOP nominee for governor, has plenty to say about Hochul at convention
By Chris ColuCCi, ABig Ail grieCo & AngelinA Zing Ariello of the Herald
After three days of official business, rallying the party faithful and nominating the state Republican slate, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman was front and center at the party’s convention in Garden City last week, and accepted the GOP’s nomination to be its gubernatorial candidate.
If elected, Blakeman would be only the second Long Islander to become governor, 127 years after Teddy Roosevelt did so, and the first Nassau County executive to hold the state’s top office.
Blakeman criticized Gov. Kathy Hochul and pledged to cut income taxes for middle-class families, reduce electricity bills by rolling back stateimposed fees and mandates, and redirect spending he said is being wasted to instead fund schools, infrastructure, hospitals and services for veterans.
“Taxes are soaring, electric bills and insurance premiums keep climbing out of control,” Blakeman said on Feb. 11, the third and final day of the convention. “Crime is rising. Businesses are leaving the state in record numbers. Families and seniors are being priced out of their homes. New York ranks dead last for economic development, and number 45 out of 50 states in the nation for affordability, and it’s all a direct result of Kathy Hochul’s failed policies.”
He vowed to oppose congestion pricing, protect Second Amendment rights and support law enforcement, including keeping violent offenders in prison and revisiting criminal justice policies such as cashless bail and parole standards.
“I will bring the experience, leadership and focus on public safety,” Blakeman said. “We will make you safer in your homes and your communities, and we will continue to fight for your families. I will be governor for all the people, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, abilities and lifestyles.”
Upstate Madison County Sheriff Todd Hood was introduced as Blakeman’s running mate, the candidate for lieutenant governor. Hood pledged to support Blakeman and help lead what he described as an effort to fix the state’s pressing problems. A third-term elected sheriff with more than 30 years of law enforcement service, Hood framed his candidacy around public safety and government accountability. He argued that the state has become less safe and more expensive under oneparty rule, criticizing bail laws, antipolice rhetoric and high taxes that he said have hurt communities and driven families and small businesses out of the state. Hood said that he and Blakeman would stand with law enforcement and crime victims, cut taxes, rein in state spending and work to make New York more affordable.
“That’s the kind of leadership that I’ll bring to the lieutenant governor’s office,” Hood said. “Bruce Blakeman and
the party’s nominee for governor, noted Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “failed policies” on Feb. 11.
I are running to restore common sense.”
Former Gov. George Pataki, New York’s last Republican governor, who served three terms, from 1995 to 2006, offered his support as well, making clear the party’s push to win back the governor’s office.
“I’ve known Bruce for decades,” Pataki said of Blakeman. “He is someone who loves this country and loves this state. He is someone who has dedicated his life to public service to make the lives of others better. And he hasn’t just tried. He has succeeded.”
Delegates also nominated Saritha Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor, for attorney general, with 86.3 percent of the vote. She defeated Brooklyn attorney Khurram Dara. Komatireddy emphasized her experience prosecuting terrorism and public corruption, and pledged to focus on public safety.
“I’ve spent my life in public service and public safety,” she said. “New Yorkers are tired of seeing criminals released over and over again while families feel
the office.
unsafe in their own communities.”
The party’s nominee for comptroller, Joseph Hernandez, shared his family’s story of emigrating from Cuba after his father was a political prisoner. He criticized current Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and outlined plans to invest $1 billion in Israeli bonds and launch a proposed $10 billion “Empire Opportunity Fund.”
“I know a communist when I see a communist,” Hernandez said of DiNapoli. “My friends, he is a communist.”
Long Beach Republican Chairman Jim Moriarty pointed to Nassau County as a microcosm of the state.
“In Nassau County, the demographics and all other statistics mirrors the state of New York,” Moriarty said on the second day of the convention. “He’s got tremendous executive experience,” he added of Blakeman. “He’s shown he can win and attract bipartisan support. He’s going to be a tremendous candidate and a great governor.”
Along with Hochul, the Democratic
slate includes incumbents Attorney General Letitia James and DiNapoli, a native Long Islander. The lieutenant governor candidate is Adrienne Adams, the former speaker of the New York City Council.
Hochul received a boost in her campaign when current Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado suspended his campaign for governor, deciding not to challenge her in the Democratic primary.
Blakeman is expected to face a challenge in the Republican primary from Libertarian candidate Larry Sharpe. That election is June 23. The general election is on Nov. 3.
Despite Republican support inside the building, Democrats outside made their presence known on Feb. 11.
“We’re here to send a message to our Republicans over in the hotel across the street that we’re not going to stand for electing a man as governor of this state who’s going to kowtow to Donald Trump,” state Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs said.
Photos courtesy Brian Grogan
Saritha Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor, is the GOP’s pick for attorney general.
Angelina Zingariello/Herald photos
State Republican Party members showed their support for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s gubernatorial run.
Blakeman,
George Pataki, the last Republican to serve as governor, joined the party’s push to win back
MARCH 13 • 10AM-12:30PM
EAST MEADOW BETH-EL JEWISH CENTER
1400 Prospect Ave, East Meadow
FREE community event focused on health, wellness, and lifestyle
Meet trusted local exhibitors and service providers
Take advantage of on-site health screenings
Enjoy lively entertainment, fitness demonstrations and interactive experiences
Hear from experts during a panel discussion with Q&A
Win raffles, prizes, and giveaways
Snack station for all
All designed to help you stay active, informed, and engaged at every stage of life.
CAIME FOUNDER, AMAEZING MIDLIFE & BEYOND
AGENDA: VISIT EXHIBITORS
10:00AM - 12:30PM
EXPERT PANEL + Q&A 11:30AM - 12:30PM
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*must be present to win
Register for this FREE event: RichnerLIVE.com/march.expo
Compiled by Herald Staff
Ariel Borkowsky
Farmingdale
Someone paid for my coffee in front of me, and I paid for the person in back of me
Christie Leigh Babirad/Herald
What is one act of kindness you have experienced or given recently?
Joe Mascaro
Merrick
I shoveled my elderly neighbor’s driveway after the snowstorm.
Abbey Salvemini/Herald
Jarrod Murphy
Rockville Centre, age 10
When somebody was being mean to me at recess, my friends invited me to play football with them. Then, when they were feeing sad, I helped them back and let them play with my friends.
Tim Baker/Herald photos
Maria DeLuca
Glen Cove
Somebody on the Glen Cove neighbors Facebook created a group for people to come together and ideate on ways they can help homeless people in the area.
Roksana Amid/Herald
Carson Giacopelli
Lynbrook, age 18
A neighbor with dementia didn’t have anybody to help her shovel. So, my family and I showed up to shovel her property for her. No money, it is all part of Lynbrook Cares.
Tim Baker/Herald photos
STEPPING OUT
Hoops, hijinks and history
By Andrew Coen
Acentury after the team’s founding, Harlem Globetrotters storied history comes alive when the latest iteration of the quickfingered hoops stars return here.
The Globetrotters bring their 100 Year Tour to Nassau Coliseum, on Feb. 21, giving fans a chance to see the team’s well-known acrobatic dunks, trick shots and long-range shots up close. This special appearance marks the first time the iconic team — debuting their new 100 Year jerseys — has performed in the arena against longtime rivals, the Washington Generals, since 2017. From gravity-defying dunks to game-changing tricks, everyone will certainly feel the history, the joy, and those “wow” moments in true Globetrotters style.
What started with Curly, Meadowlark, Wilt, and Geese continues on today with Hammer, Torch, Bulldog, Cheese, Jet, Wham, Thunder, TNT — and so many more. Taking inspiration from the fun-loving and awe-inspiring players of the past, today’s Globetrotters stars are ready to wow you on the court and in the crowd
The team is full of a number of talented men and women basketball players who were for various
Harlem Globetrotters at 100
courtesy Harlem Globetrotters Andrew “Big Dog” Whitsett, right, a 7’1” forward/finisher, commands attention with his size and presence on the court.
Wild days in the Bronx
reasons counted out throughout their lives, according to Lucius “Too Tall” Winston, who has spent the last nine years with the Globetrotters. Winston, despite his nickname, only measures 5’11’’ and was told by a former coach at age 15 he was too short to play college or professional basketball.
“You have a ton of guys through our team that had to face adversity and that builds character,” he says. “I got a chance to see that coach a couple years ago after he saw me play and he said he wanted to apologize for what he said to me and I told him if he didn’t tell me those words at that age I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.”
The centennial season’s “5th Quarter” postgame session gives fans some special moments with players. and pursue their dreams — anything is possible with good
Chazz Palminteri is back on the Paramount stage with his electrifying solo performance of “A Bronx Tale,” the autobiographical one-man show that launched his remarkable career. Riveting and deeply personal, it draws on Palminteri’s bruising Bronx childhood, including the moment — at nine-years-old — when he witnessed a gangland killing that forever shaped his view of the world. Palminteri inhabits 18 vivid haracters, seamlessly shifting between friends, foes and family members to conjure an entire neighborhood with nothing but his voice, physicality and storytelling prowess. First written and performed in 1989, “A Bronx Tale” became a sensation, hailed as one of the most sought-after properties since “Rocky.” The original production paved the way for the acclaimed film adaptation — directed by Robert De Niro — and later a hit Broadway musical.
Sunday, Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny. com.
• Feb. 21, 2 p.m.
Winston is as fanatical about basketball today as he was as a young player in his hometown of Russellville, Ala. His love of the sport has crossed from player to coach to motivational speaker. Winston dedicates his personal time to organizations that shine a light on the sport with emphasis on leadership, team work and focus. True joy for him comes with motivating kids to get out of their comfort zone and pursue their dreams — anything is possible with good character, good grades and hard work.
• Tickets range from $50-$200; available at ticketmaster.com and harlemglobetrotters.com
The Globetrotters have revolutionized the sport of basketball throughout its 100-year history, including popularizing the slam dunk The team’s roster includes Zeus McClurkin, who set a record for the most dunks in a minute with 16 in 2016.
• Nassau Coliseum, Hempstead Tpke., Uniondale
Guard Lucius “Too Tall” Winston’s favorite trick is the 2 Ball Spin. He holds eight Guinness World Records, including Most Figure Eight Dribbles in One Minute (2020 and Most Three Point Shots Made By a Pair in One Minute (2020).
In addition to the Globetrotters’ famed high-flying dunks, the number of longdistance shots are always a thrill.The Globetrotters famously introduced a 4-point shot in 201, 30 feet from the basket, which is seven feet longer than the NBA’s three-point line.
Winston, who played college basketball at Tuskegee University, relates that interaction with the fans is what makes attending a Globetrotter game particularly unique. Among the signature moments, the team holds a free postgame autograph session. And during the game those in the crowd are frequently called down to the court to participate in stunts. Everyone can also take part in premium options that enable pregame access to meet players along with joining the team for warmups on the court.
“You get to see guys that can play the game at a high level who can jump out of the gym and shoot the ball extremely well and you’ll also see plenty of entertainment as well,” Winston says. “It’s a high quality game from start to finish and then at the end fans are allowed to come down courtside and get autographs and take pictures with us.”
McClurkin, who set a record for the most dunks in a minute courtside and get autographs and take pictures with us.”
future Hall of Famers like Wilt Chamberlain and Connie Hawkins; or Curly Neal and Meadowlark
International icons, the Globetrotters are considered “ambassadors” of the game, beloved the world over for their special brand athleticism that combines the skills and foundations of basketball with a uniquely theatrical flare. From breaking the NBA color barrier with alums like Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton signing a pro contract as a member of the New York Knicks or courting future Hall of Famers like Wilt Chamberlain and Connie Hawkins; or Curly Neal and Meadowlark Lemon dazzling sellout crowds; to ushering women into professional basketball; to the current group, the Globetrotters’ reach and impact attract attention.
Tilles Center Atrium becomes an intimate lounge to showcase exciting up-and-coming jazz talent Sarah Hanahan, presented in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center. The dynamic, soulful alto saxophonist is swiftly emerging as one of the most compelling new voices in jazz. A graduate of both the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz and The Juilliard School, she blends deeprooted swing and bebop traditions with a bold, modern intensitySince stepping onto the scene, Hanahan has performed with an extraordinary range of jazz luminaries. =Her commanding tone, technical mastery, and melodic imagination have taken her to major stages across the U.S. and abroad, with regular appearances at premier New York City venues. Whether fronting her own quartet or collaborating with some of the music’s most revered artists, Hanahan plays with passion, precision and an unwavering commitment to the ever-evolving art of jazz.
The current team of elite men and women, holders of an unprecedented 60+ Guinness World Records, including 18 set just last year — the most of any team in any sport — bring a fresh look of gravity-defying dunks and game-changing tricks against their renowned rivals in this special centennial season.
Thursday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m. Tilles Center, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets available at tillescenter.org or (516) 299-3100.
Sarah Hanahan
Photos
Your Neighborhood CALENDAR
‘The Wedding Singer’ Molloy University’s CAP21 Musical Theatre students stages the musical comedy based on the iconic film. The show will have you partying like it’s 1985! Travel back to the outrageous 1980s, when hair was huge, neon ruled fashion and everything MTV was “like, totally tubular.” Based on the mega-hit Adam Sandler movie, this Broadway romance about a heartbroken rock star wannabe finding love again is jam-packed with big laughs, dazzling dance numbers, and a score as bold and electric as the decade itself. From popped collars to power ballads, “The Wedding Singer” is a nostalgic, feel-good celebration of love, friendship, and all things ‘80s.
• Where: Madison Theatre, 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre
• Time: 8 p.m.; also Feb. 21, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Feb 22, 3 p.m.
• Contact: madisontheatreny. org or (516) 323-4444
family theater
Long Island Children’s Museum stages “Pete the Cat,” the charming musical based on the book series by Kimberly and James Dean. Life is certainly an adventure for Pete, no matter where he winds up. So the minute the groovy blue cat meets The Biddles, he gets the whole family rocking. That is, except for young Jimmy Biddle, the most organized second grader on planet Earth. But when Jimmy draws a blank in art class during the last week of school, it turns out Pete is the perfect pal to help him out. Together, they set out on a mission to help Jimmy conquer second grade art, and along the way, they both learn a little something new about inspiration. $11 with museum admission ($9 members), $15 theater only.
• Where: 11 Davis Ave., Garden City
• Time: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.: also Feb. 25-26
• Contact: licm.org or call (516) 224-5800
Long Beach BO e meets Board of Education trustees meet to discuss agenda items and issues. Meetings take place on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month throughout the school year.
feB
“Don’t stop believin’…
• Where: Lido Elementary Multipurpose Room
• Time: 7 p.m.
• Contact: District Clerk
with noted art critic, writer, and filmmaker Amei Wallach. Together, Straus and Wallach will discuss his artistic process, share insights from his current and past work, and present images that illuminate the evolution of his practice. Their dialogue offers a unique window into the artist’screative journey and the broader role of art in reflecting and responding to our contemporary world. $20, $15 seniors, $10 students (members free). Limited seating, register in advance.
• Where: 1 Museum Drive, Roslyn Harbor
• Time: 3 p.m.
Metropolitan Klezmer
Voyage rocks on with another dynamic tribute to Journey. The popular band takes everyone back to the ‘80s when Journey’s timeless music ruled the airwaves. Hailed by fans and critics alike, the band performs the music with chilling accuracy. Voyage is celebrated for their uncanny ability to recreate the legendary sound, energy and passion of one of rock’s greatest bands. With their blistering guitar solos, lush keyboard arrangements, electrifying stage presence, and stunning harmonies, the band has earned a reputation as the ultimate homage to Journey’s timeless music. Fronted by vocalist Pedro Espada, whose range and tone is acclaimed as rivaling the iconic Steve Perry, he’s backed by a lineup of world-class musicians — Robby Hoffman, Greg Smith, Lance Millard, and Dana Spellman — who bring every note to life with precision and heart. Voyage doesn’t just perform Journey’s greatest hits, they transport audiences back to the height of arena rock glory. From the soaring ballads of “Faithfully” and “Open Arms” to the anthemic energy of “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Separate Ways,” every performance is a journey through the soundtrack of a generation. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or discovering the magic of Journey for the first time, Voyage promises a night of unforgettable rock ‘n’ roll.
Susannah Familetti sfamiletti@ lbeach.org or (516) 897-2108
Ask the tech guy
Do you have questions about your computer or laptop? Want to learn more about Zoom, streaming movies, or downloading ebooks to your device? Join Long Beach Library’s Tech Guy, every Wednesday, to get answers to your pressing tech questions.
• Where: 111 W. Park Ave.
• Time: Ongoing Wednesdays, 2-3 p.m.
• Contact: longbeachlibrary.org
‘Brown Bag’ Art Chat
Grab your lunch and join Nassau County Museum of Art Docent
Riva Ettus for her popular “Brown Bag Lecture” at the museum. Explore “The Real, Surreal, and Photoreal,” through a lively and informative presentation. No reservations. First come,first seated.
• Where: 1 Museum Drive, Roslyn Harbor
• Time: 1 p.m.
• Contact: nassaumuseum.org or (516) 484-9337
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Sõ Percussion in concert
The Grammy-winning percussionists return to the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center. For 25 years and counting, the quartet has redefined chamber music for the 21st century through an “exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam” (The New Yorker). Their commitment to the creation and amplification of new work have made them a trusted partner for composers, allowing the writing of music that expands the style and capacity of brilliant voices of our time.
• Where: Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave., Garden City
• Time: 7 p.m.
• Contact: adelphi.edu/pac or 9516) 877-4000
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Winter farmers Market
The market comes indoors at Bright Eye Beer Co. for a final session. Come sip and shop your way through the colder months with an incredible lineup of local farmers, makers, food vendors, and small businesses you know and love. Grab a craft beer,
• Where: The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington.
• Time: 8 p.m.
• Contact: ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com
stock up on local goodies, and support the community.
• Where: 50 W. Park Ave.
• Time: 10 a.m-1 p.m.
• Contact: brighteyebeerco.com or (516) 543-5736
Carnival
Long Island Children’s Museum invites families to a celebration of Caribbean and Latin American culture. Feel the rhythm and embrace the color at the Carnival Festival! Inspired by Caribbean and Latin American traditions, this high-energy celebration welcomes the changing of the seasons with music, dance, and joyful cultural activities for all. Decorate a parade float fit for the Carnival King and Queen; sample the sweet and savory flavors of the
• Where: 11 Davis. Ave., Garden City
• Time: 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Contact: licm.org or call (516) 224-5800
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Art Perspectives
Nassau County Museum of Art welcomes acclaimed artist Adam Straus for engaging conversation
Long Island Children’s Museum welcomes Metropolitan Klezmer to its stage. The band brings eclectic exuberance to Yiddish musical genres from all over the map. Performing vibrant versions of lesser-known gems from wedding dance, trance, folk, swing and tango styles, as well as soundtrack material from vintage Yiddish films, they re-invent tradition with both irreverence and respect. Sing and dance along with us at this interactive family concert! $5 with museum admission ($4 members), $10 theater only
• Where: 11 Davis Ave., Garden City
• Time: 1:30-2 p.m.
• Contact: licm.org or call (516) 224-5800
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Long Beach City Council Meeting
The Long Beach City Council meets the first and third Tuesday monthly. “Good and Welfare,” an opportunity for the public to speak on any topic pertaining to the City, is held following each regular meeting. Those who wish to speak must sign in prior to the start of the meeting.
• Where: 6th Floor, City Hall
• Time: 7 p.m.
• Contact: (516) 431-1000
Having an event?
Items on the Calendar 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 kbloom@ liherald.com.
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LEGAL NOTICE
Public Notices
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT. NASSAU COUNTY. 1900 CAPITAL TRUST II, BY US BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS CERTIFICATE TRUSTEE, Pltf. vs ROBERT PRINCE, et al, Defts. Index #610845/2023.
Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered July 7, 2025, I will sell at public auction on the North Side Steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on March 4, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. premises k/a 37 Anchor Road, Long Beach, NY 11561 a/k/a 35-37 Anchor Road, Lido Beach, NY 11561 a/k/a Section 60, Block 59, Lot 3. Said property lying and being at Lido Beach, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of NY, known and designated as Lot No.3 in Block 59 as shown on a certain map entitled, “Map of Channel Homes, Section No, 1 surveyed January 1956 by Donald C. Voorhies, C.E. & S.” and filed in the Nassau County Clerk’s Office on March 29, 1956 as Map No. 6643. Approximate amount of judgment is $590,476.88 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. TIFFANY FRIGENTI, Referee. HILL WALLACK LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 261 Madison Avenue, 9th Floor, Ste. 940-941, New York, NY. File No. 020292-01432#102743 158107
LEGAL NOTICE
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET SECURITIES
CORPORATION
MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES
2007-BC1, -againstEARLIE TEEMER, ET AL.
NOTICE OF SALE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of
Nassau on February 7, 2024, wherein WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET SECURITIES CORPORATION MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-BC1 is the Plaintiff and EARLIE TEEMER, 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 2, 2026 at 2:00PM, premises known as 80 E FULTON ST, LONG BEACH, NY 11561; and the following tax map identification: 005900093-00 - 00045 & 00046.
ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 612208/2017.
Samantha L. Segal, 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. 158098
LEGAL NOTICE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW
COUNTY OF NASSAU U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET SECURITIES CORPORATION MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2006-BC5, -againstPATRICIA BERKELEY,
ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau on January 3, 2025, wherein U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET SECURITIES CORPORATION MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES
2006-BC5 is the Plaintiff and PATRICIA BERKELEY, 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 10, 2026 at 2:00PM, premises known as 520 LAURELTON BOULEVARD, LONG BEACH, NY 11561; and the following tax map identification: 59-56-1, 2, 3, 4 & 5. ALL THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF LAND SITUATE IN THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 610508/2020. James Pascarella, 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. 158255
LEGAL NOTICE REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU CITIMORTGAGE, INC., Plaintiff - against -
MICHAEL D’ANTONI
A/K/A MICHAEL DANTONI A/K/A
MICHAEL E. D’ANTONI
A/K/A MICHAEL EDWARD D’ANTONI, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on May 26,
2022. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 on the 17th day of March, 2026 at 2:00 PM. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the City of Long Beach, County of Nassau and State of New York. Premises known as 30 Delaware Avenue, Long Beach, (City of Long Beach) NY 11561. (SBL#: 59-260-13)
Approximate amount of lien $292,309.67 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Index No. 608466/2019. Mark S. Ricciardi, Esq., Referee. Davidson Fink LLP
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 400 Meridian Centre Blvd, Ste 200 Rochester, NY 14618 Tel. 585/760-8218
For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832
Dated: December 22, 2025
During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale.
158308
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE
CO-OP APARTMENT
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE, that pursuant to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code, STEPHAN G. MARCELIN, Auctioneer, RICHARD J. CANTWELL, Auctioneer, or RICHIE SCHULTZ, Auctioneer will sell at public auction with reserve to the highest bidder, on the North Side Steps of the Nassau County
News brief
New York increases points for violations
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles has increased point values for several serious driving violations.
Many violations that carried zero points will now impose up to 11 points, depending on the violation.
Many drivers are questioning whether the changes will affect insurance rates, but DMV points will not affect insurance rates, but a reckless driving record still can.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles has increased point values for several serious driving violations.
Update one’s address with the DMV within 30 days of moving to ensure important updates are received and consider installing dash cameras for additional protection.
“These updated regulations will have no impact on drivers who follow the rules of the road, but they will have a big impact on dangerous drivers and repeat offenders whose poor choices always put other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians at risk,” DMV Commis-
sioner and Chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Mark J.F. Schroeder said in a statement. “Our job is to make sure that New York’s roads are safe for everyone, and if someone chooses to be reckless and unsafe, they do not deserve to be behind the wheel, period.”
Public Notices
Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 12, 2026, at 1:30 p.m., security consisting of 580 shares of NEPTUNE TOWERS
COOPERATIVE, INC., in the name of PAUL GILGANNON, and all right, title and interest in and to a Proprietary Lease for Cooperative, located in a building known as and by the street address 25 NEPTUNE BOULEVARD, UNIT 4F, LONG BEACH, NEW YORK 11561, between PAUL GILGANNON as Lessee, NEPTUNE TOWERS COOPERATIVE, INC., as Lessor.
This sale is held to satisfy an indebtedness of the unpaid principal balance, interest, attorney fees, and advances through March 12, 2026, and to enforce the rights of the U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR PRET 2024-RPL2 TRUST, the “Secured Party”, arising under a Security Agreement dated February 13, 2017, executed by and between PAUL GILGANNON and BANK OF AMERICA, N.A. The Secured Party reserves the right to bid. The Co-op Apartment will be sold “AS IS”, subject to open common charges, and
possession is to be obtained by the purchaser.
DATED: February 12, 2026 Knuckles & Manfro, LLP Attorneys for SECURED PARTY 120 White Plains Road Suite 215 Tarrytown, NY 10591 (914) 345-3020 158489
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT NASSAU COUNTY WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE, FOR PARK PLACE SECURITIES, INC. ASSET-BACKED PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2004-WCW2, Plaintiff against ALIZA SIEGEL, et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Margolin, Weinreb & Nierer, LLP, 575 Underhill Boulevard, Suite 224, Syosset, NY 11791.
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered January 6, 2026, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 24, 2026 at 2:00 PM. Premises known as 271 W Olive Street, Long Beach, New York 11561. Sec 59 Block 60 Lot 8-10. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the
buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in Long Beach in the County of Nassau and State of New York.
Approximate Amount of Judgment is $1,226,856.32 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 608076/2022. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 10th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the Court Appointed Referee shall cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”
Robert John Aiello, Esq., Referee File # 22-0321 158487
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR J.P. MORGAN MORTGAGE TRUST 2006-A4, Plaintiff, vs. SUSAN GONZALES, VINCENT
GONZALES, IF LIVING, AND IF HE BE DEAD, ANY AND ALL PERSONS UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on January 8, 2026, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 24, 2026 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 345 Lido Boulevard, Long Beach, NY 12047 a/k/a 11561. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Lido Beach, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 60, Block E and Lot 750. Approximate amount of judgment is $799,727.51 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 603991/2019. Brian J. Davis, Esq., Referee Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, 10 Bank Street, Suite 700, White Plains, New York 10606, Attorneys for Plaintiff 158483
–Jeffrey Bessen
Jeffrey Bessen/Herald
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Once you step through the front door, the outside world fades away. This one-of-a-kind contemporary Colonial blends luxury, technology, and comfort across approximately 5,800 square feet, plus an additional 2,000 square feet of lower-level space with sliding glass doors to the rear yard. Water views abound. The home features five bedrooms and six baths, including two primary suites, one with cathedral ceilings, a fireplace, and a private balcony. A gourmet kitchen, formal living and dining rooms with fireplaces, gym, movie theater, indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, and hot tub create an exceptional lifestyle experience. A fully
Gutter Care 101
Q. I just took a $2,500 contract to have gutter screens added to my rain gutters. Would you recommend this instead of the biannual flush cleaning I do, which costs $450 per service?
A. It is great that you monitor routine maintenance around your house, including rain gutters. The cost, if you pay $450 twice a year for your biannual gutter cleaning, is $900 per year. An expense of $2,500 for the rain gutter covers would pay for itself in a timeframe determined by dividing 2500 by 900, which would be 2.7 years. So in two years and nine months, your outlay of $2,500 would be paid off — but only if the gutter screens do not also need maintenance.
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I went through a learning phase with my own rain gutters, except that I would flush the gutters by myself. At first I had gutters that were open and, with all the trees surrounding my home, the gutters filled every fall with leaves and the debris that had to be removed. I then bought gutter screens that snap in, although there were places where they couldn’t snap in because of the long nail shafts used to attach the gutters to the face board, referred to as fascia. In those places, the metal screens had to be trimmed with a hacksaw and tin snips. It was tedious but rewarding, because the leaves did not clog the gutters. Unfortunately, twigs and smaller debris managed to find their way through the screens, and the metal rusted.
Those screens lasted six years, before another product, called Leafguard Gutters, was brought to my attention. It is a gutter with a top that wraps around and is bent in a curve so water flows over the top of the rain gutter and then, by a phenomenon called adhesion, the water clings to the gutter top and flows into a thin opening that runs the length of the gutter. It works very well, and hardly anything gets into the thin horizontal continuous opening except the rain.
I did not touch the gutters for 15 years. Then one day a contractor noticed that my roof edge trim boards had discolored in places, and said he would gladly take care of it for me. I awoke one morning to loud banging, and when I looked out the window, several very energetic men had ripped all the trim from my home along with those rain gutters. It lay in a heap in the back of a pickup truck, and within two hours my fascia boards were covered in spanking new white aluminum and I had brand new, open-top gutters.
So, back at square one, I began cleaning gutters again, every fall, until one day, when I saw Leafguard stainless mesh gutter covers with a lifetime guarantee. They completely eliminated the debris, but require occasional brushing to keep clean, at a much higher price. It still pays to put on the screens. Good luck!
© 2026 Monte Leeper
Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.
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opinions
I’m focused on getting New York’s tax dollars back
For decades, New Yorkers have faced high taxes, rising prices and infrastructure in need of repair. At the same time, we’ve been subsidizing other states with our federal tax dollars. New York is a big “donor” state, while most red states are “taker” states. I’m always trying to bring money back to my district, and in the past couple of weeks I’ve had some new success doing just that. I announced more than $17 million in funding for community projects in my district.
Everyone knows that we’re facing a cost-of-living crisis. From health care to housing, energy to groceries, prices are sky-high. To make matters worse, New Yorkers bear one of the heaviest tax burdens in the country, which only adds to our cost of living. People are leaving our state at a record pace.
When I was born, New York had more than 40 representatives in the U.S. House. Now we only have 26. That number will be smaller after the next census,
as low-tax states continue to grow rapidly while New York’s population stays essentially the same. That’s not just a loss of political power, but a referendum on how expensive it is to live here. Between our skyhigh property taxes and the loss of our full SALT deduction (which I continue to fight to reinstate), it’s no wonder people are moving out.
TThey’re fleeing to red states in the South with much lower state taxes. The irony is that states like New York have long sent more money to the federal government than we get back, and Washington spends it propping up “poor” states like Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee. For every dollar we pay in federal taxes, we get 91 cents back. Kentucky gets $2.50. It’s just unfair.
in Congress is simple and direct: bring our money back home.
I’m working to make sure my constituents get a fairer return on the dollars we contribute to the federal government. That means fighting for federal funding that eases the burden on local governments, strengthens our infrastructure and protects public health and safety.
hat means fighting for federal funding to ease the burden on local governments.
Recently that work paid off. I secured millions of dollars worth of projects for my district, making sure federal money was included in a funding package that Democrats and Republicans worked together to craft. Those funds will support a wide range of critical projects that directly affect my constituents’ lives.
the Glen Cove Police Department. In Bethpage, the money will help build infrastructure to remove chemicals from the water supply linked to the Navy-Grumman plume. It will help create a vibrant downtown in Huntington by supporting affordable housing and business spaces. And in Lattingtown, these funds will go toward repairing emergency evacuation routes along East Beach Drive, improving our roads and safety during severe weather.
Securing funds for sewer repairs and water wells isn’t glamorous work, but it’s crucial. It’s not only about improving public health, environmental protection and local infrastructure; it’s also about fairness. New Yorkers contribute massively to the federal government, subsidizing growth in other states, and it’s time we got our fair share back.
Meanwhile, our town and village governments are under water. Our infrastructure is older and more expensive to maintain, and local budgets scramble to keep up. While New Yorkers fund new projects in the South, our own infrastructure risks lagging behind and our taxes continue to rise. We have been subsidizing our own demise.
That’s why one of my core missions
They’ll help replace old sewer pipes in Roslyn and Manorhaven, and replace old cesspools with new sewer lines in Sea Cliff. They will help prevent harmful runoff into Hempstead Harbor and Manhasset Bay, helping preserve our Long Island Sound ecosystem. Other projects will protect drinking water supplies from so-called “forever chemicals” and other contaminants.
The funding will also provide muchneeded technology and equipment for
I’ll never stop fighting to make sure we get back as much of the money we send to the federal government as possible, and use it to lessen the pressure on local budgets, improve our public health and safety, and reduce costs. In the months ahead I’ll propose a dramatic change to the federal tax code to try and bring more of New Yorkers’ money back to New York, to reduce our tax burden. Stay tuned.
Tom Suozzi represents the 3rd Congressional District.
The Hochul-Blakeman race for governor takes shape
With Elise Stefanik, the sixterm Republican member of the House of Representatives from upstate Schuylerville, deciding that she would not run for governor this year — and Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado dropping out of the Democratic primary — the race became a two-way contest.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, after a big re-election win in November, is now the presumptive Republican nominee. He was just sworn in to a second term as county executive, but has his eye on Albany.
Nassau County coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in federal immigration enforcement efforts. Hochul also denounced Blakeman’s launching a program for deputized, armed county civilians to function as a reserve force with a mission including working with local police in assisting ICE.
They’re already mixing it up, and, Blakeman said, ‘I’m on a journey.’ karl grossman
“I’m on a journey,” he said. “I don’t know where the path will end.”
Blakeman is a former presiding officer of the Nassau Legislature and Hempstead town councilman. He is a staunch supporter of President Trump, who has endorsed him for governor. Hochul, who is seeking a second term, and Blakeman were both at a recent Long Island Association event, at which she criticized him for having
In the 2014 New York gubernatorial election, then Gov. Andrew Cuomo selected Hochul as his running mate, for lieutenant governor. She had been a member of the House of Representatives. The pair won, and were re-elected in 2018. Hochul ascended to governor in 2021 when Cuomo resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment.
Hochul, of Buffalo, who became the state’s first woman governor, chose Delgado, of upstate Rhinebeck, also a former House member, as her replacement lieutenant governor in 2022. They ran together that year, but their political relationship subsequently soured, and Delgado announced last year he would not run with Hochul in 2026 but instead take her on for the Democratic nomination for governor.
In an interview before he ended his campaign, he charged that Hochul had been “capitulating to Trump.” He faulted her, for example, for the state’s turnaround on a pipeline pushed by the Trump administration, previously rejected by the state, which would send fracked gas from Pennsylvania to New York.
Many of Delgado’s charges focused on environmental and energy issues. He said Hochul had not sufficiently implemented the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019, which aims to substantially reduce climate changecausing greenhouse gas emissions and emphasizes the use of green, renewable energy.
Delgado also differed with Hochul on nuclear power — a dominant issue in this area for decades, as the Long Island Lighting Company sought to build seven to 11 nuclear power plants, with the first constructed in Shoreham. Because of grassroots and governmental opposition, including from the administration of Governor Mario Cuomo, the Shoreham plant never went into commercial operation, and the
multi-plant scheme failed.
Last year Hochul began calling for new nuclear power generation in New York and pushing for the state to become the center of a nuclear power revival in the U.S. In her recent State of the State address, she said: “Last summer I took the bold step of green-lighting the first nuclear power project in a generation … At the time we set a goal of building one gigawatt of nuclear power” — the power generation equivalent of one large nuclear power plant.
“But if there’s one thing I believe, it’s this: Go big or go home. So I’ve decided to raise the bar to five gigawatts. That’s more nuclear energy then has been built anywhere in the United States in the last 30 years.”
Delgado said that nuclear power was a “distraction” from an emphasis on renewable energy led by solar and wind power. In terms of economics and rapid implementation in the face of climate change, he said, that was the sensible energy route.
Blakeman is also a supporter of nuclear power.
Karl Grossman has been an investigative reporter in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He is a professor of journalism at the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
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aMisleading safety data could hurt kids
Feb. 2 report, “Violent and Disruptive Incidents and Bullying in New York Schools,” from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli should serve as a wake-up call for anyone tempted to declare victory on school safety.
HERALD
While official data shows that rates of “serious” violent and disruptive incidents are near zero, bullying, cyberbullying and drug-related incidents are rising statewide — in many cases exceeding pre-pandemic levels. That disconnect matters, because it reveals a system that risks measuring safety by definitions rather than by students’ lived experiences.
According to DiNapoli’s analysis of seven years of School Safety and Educational Climate data from the State Education Department, bullying is now the most frequently reported school safety incident.
In the 2023-24 school year, bullying, not including cyberbullying, accounted for nearly two-thirds of all reported incidents statewide. Almost 30,000 bullying incidents were reported, translating to 12.4 incidents per 1,000 pupils. In schools that reported at least one incident, the rate was far higher.
Cyberbullying, meanwhile, remains officially “low” in the data, but that is precisely the problem. Anonymity, offcampus activity and the digital lives students have after dismissal make cyberbullying notoriously difficult to detect and report. The report itself acknowledges that many incidents likely go unreported. When nearly 35 percent of public schools report no bullying or
letters
Peter King goes too easy on ICE agents
To the Editor:
Re Peter King’s column “There are better ways to resolve the immigration crisis” in last week’s issue: The videos we all saw of Renee Good and Alex Pretti being shot to death by ICE agents contradict Mr. King’s description. He referred to these horrific acts as “heat-of-the moment reactions to unexpected incidents.”
Additionally, Mr. King opposes “any requirement that ICE agents remove their masks” because “wearing masks has become absolutely essential for them.”
If only Mr. King found it in his heart to have similar consideration and respect for the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
JOSIE MARINO Lynbrook
cyberbullying incidents, the question is not whether bullying exists, but whether schools are capturing it honestly.
Drug-related incidents tell a similar story. After dropping during the period of remote learning, the number of drug incidents in secondary schools has risen above pre-Covid levels. Statewide rates climbed from 4.2 incidents per 1,000 students in 2017-18 to 6.5 in 2023-24, with especially high rates in upstate districts. These are not abstract numbers. They reflect daily realities that students, teachers and families confront in hallways, bathrooms and social spaces.
Yet at the same time these troubling trends are rising, reports of serious violent and disruptive incidents — such as assault, sexual offenses and weapons possession — have plummeted. That decline coincides not with a dramatic transformation of school culture, but with changes to reporting definitions implemented in 2021-22. Under the revised rules, incidents are only reportable if the offender is at least 10 years old, the incident meets felony criteria, and it has been referred to law enforcement.
The result is a dataset that may be technically accurate under state rules, but deeply misleading if taken at face value. Schools may still experience serious incidents that never meet the threshold for state reporting, creating a false sense of security for parents and policymakers who rely on these numbers to assess safety.
This is not the intent of New York’s school safety laws. The Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act,
enacted in 2000, and the Dignity for All Students Act, adopted a decade later, were designed to protect young people and ensure transparency in reporting harassment, bullying and violence. After the Sandy Hook tragedy in Connecticut, New York state rightly sought to refine and streamline reporting to focus on prevention. But refinement must not become minimization.
Limiting cellphone use during the school day is a modest step in the right direction. It will reduce in-school distractions. But bullying and cyberbullying don’t stop at the dismissal bell. Students carry their social worlds and their conflicts home in their pockets. Without sustained education, intervention and accountability, phones will simply resume their role as weapons after school hours.
Schools need to be honest with themselves about what these incidents are and properly report them to the State Education Department. That honesty isn’t about protecting reputations or presenting a picture of perfect calm. It’s about identifying real problems so they can be addressed.
Pretending a school or district is blissful may look good on paper, but it does nothing to protect students. Reliable, transparent data is the foundation of meaningful solutions.
If we want safer schools in reality and not just safer statistics, we must confront bullying, cyberbullying and substance use head-on, report them accurately, and commit to prevention that extends beyond the school day. Our children deserve nothing less.
Nurses get the short end of the educational stick
Dr. William osler, one of the founders of Johns Hopkins Hospital and a pioneer in medical education and history said, “The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking a place beside the physician and the priest.” Now, though, we have nurses on strike for safer working conditions and greater compensation, and educators decrying federal action to withdraw graduate nursing education from the category of “professional.”
The members of a profession are highly educated, with specialized knowledge, may be required to pass stateapproved licensure exams, and pledge to certain ideals. In the case of nursing, the pledge is to patient welfare, compassion and trust, building knowledge in the field, lifelong learning, teamwork, professional integrity, an ethical code, skillful care, and humanity. Like other professions, nursing requires prolonged learning and licensure.
So imagine the surprise to nurses, nurse educators, nurse researchers, nurse executives, hospital administrators and others when the U.S. Depart-
ment of Education declared that an advanced degree in nursing did not qualify for federal student aid. yet advanced education is one of the pathways for advancement in nursing, and many employers require a master’s degree.
In response to critical reactions to its decree, the department said it did not mean that nursing is not a profession, just that advanced nursing education at the master’s and doctoral levels did not qualify for federal student loans. In addition to reducing the amount students can borrow under the Graduate PLUS program, which previously allowed up to the full cost of a program, the government has cut in half the amount that students in nursing and social work, among others disciplines, can borrow for advanced education.
a
es universities to raise tuition even in fields that have limited employment opportunities and low compensation. That is certainly not the case in nursing. others support the department, arguing that there is a strong correlation between extended graduate study for women and our low rate of childbearing.
n advanced degree in nursing doesn’t qualify for federal student aid.
No such limits have been proposed for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, chiropractic, theology, law or clinical psychology. Architects, physical therapists, social workers, computer scientists and accountants, however, join nursing in losing their professional status.
The Education Department is trying to limit access to government-backed loans for graduate degrees because, it says, the availability of loans encourag-
Letters
Who’s left to report the truth?
To the Editor:
As a former reporter, I cherish a free press — and with our democracy hanging by a thread, I refuse to sit by while truth tellers are silenced.
I was bothered that Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos caved to President Trump’s demand that the Post stay out of presidential endorsements. But what bothered me more was watching people cancel their subscriptions over it. That’s cutting off your nose to spite your face. Why punish a newspaper already struggling to survive? Did we forget that reporters are stationed around the world, risking their lives to bring us the truth — and that in times of conflict, they’re always the first targets, precisely so the truth never reaches us?
The Post loses $100 million a year, yet it remains an essential truth teller. This is the paper that exposed Watergate. Not surprisingly, Trump admired President Richard Nixon. Both detested the press because its job is to investigate corruption and
report the truth. And let’s not forget: a Washington Post journalist was murdered at the direction of a Saudi prince while Trump looked the other way.
While Trump manufactured a crisis in Greenland and ICE gunned down American citizens, the final board meeting of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting barely registered. Jimmy Kimmel’s being pulled off the air and the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” already feel like ancient history. Even as wars rage in Ukraine and the Middle East, coverage keeps shrinking — and that is no accident. And now Bezos is laying off a third of the Post’s staff, including a war correspondent in Ukraine. With Secretary of War Pete Hegseth blocking Pentagon reporting, Trump forming a “Board of Peace” with Putin and other authoritarian leaders, and independent news sources collapsing, who is left to deliver the truth?
CLAUDIA
BoRECKy President, Bellmore Merrick Democratic Club Merrick
According to public reports, there are approximately 57,000 registered nurses on Long Island, with an average age of 46. In New york City and the Downstate region, there is a critical shortage of certain categories of nursing, with “disaster emergencies” declared in Manhattan, the Bronx and Nassau County. In upstate New york, over 93 percent of hospitals report extreme difficulty in recruiting RNs, and 97 percent struggle with retention. Hospitals and nursing homes have the most difficulty recruiting and retaining RNs.
Long Island is fortunate to have universities that offer baccalaureate and higher nursing programs, including Adelphi, Farmingdale, Hofstra, LIU, Molloy, NyIT, St. Joseph’s and Stony Brook. yet even with these resources, shortages remain. With the new federal guidelines, those shortages will likely persist, while retention rates drop.
I have seen the profession of nursing
from four distinct vantage points. As assistant commissioner of Higher Education in Indiana in the 1970s, I was involved in a national study of nursing supply and demand commissioned by the National Governor’s Association. In the 1980s I initiated a nursing program at Ramapo College of New Jersey, in partnership with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, which did not offer nursing.
In the 2000s I led the rebuilding of Adelphi’s historic nursing program, which had been neglected by a previous administration. We built new, state-ofthe-art nursing labs and teaching spaces, with the help of leaders at Winthrop and Northwell hospitals.
From these experiences, I learned a great deal about nursing education and practice. They are professionals at every level of education.
More than 150 Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have authored a bill, the Professional Student Degree Act, that would include graduate nursing education in the category of professional degree, and give graduate nursing students access to the federal student-aid programs for which they were eligible just last year. Let’s hope that wisdom prevails in Congress, with hearty encouragement from grateful patients.
Robert A. Scott is president emeritus of Adelphi University and the author of “How University Boards Work.”
Framework by Ross Chaban
Visiting one of the world’s best-known opera houses — Sydney, Australia
robert a. scott
