Lynbrook firefighters fundraise for Burn Center
By MADISoN GUSlER mgusler@liherald.com
The 4th Battalion Fire District and the Nassau County Firefighters Burn Center Foundation hosted Nassau County’s yearly Firefighters Burn Center Benefit at the Malverne Fire Department headquarters on Sunday. The event was attended by firefighters from the Malverne, Lakeview, East Rockaway, Lynbrook and Rockville Centre.
“The Foundation supports the burn center at the Nassau University Medical Center,” said John Hennig, a director on the Burn Center Foundation board and exChief of the Rockville Center fire department.
The Nassau University Medical Center houses a $6.7 million, 12,000-square-foot burn center. With sophisticated technology, specialized surgeons and nurses at NUMC can treat up to ten patients at once, with designated beds for critical and acute care.
“This burn center is it for Nassau County, most of Long Island,” said Hennig. “It stretches from the middle of Queens and out to Suffolk County, this is the Burn Center.”
Experienced staff help burn victims with immediate pain and long term healing, with a support team to guide patients with the long process and
Jethro Jacquet received an honor from the Scholastic art and Writing awards, the longest-running recognition program for creative high school students across the country.
East Rockaway student earns national recognition
By AINSlEY MARTINEZ amartinez@liherald.com
An East Rockaway JuniorSenior High School student received an honor from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, the longest-running recognition program for creative high school students across the country.
Jethro Jacquet, 17, earned a gold medal for his digital photograph titled, “Stalker,” which
From vacant dreams to theater reality
By AINSlEY MARTINEZ amartinez@liherald.com
For years, Tony Leone, 53, said he had an obsession with vacant commercial properties, and every time he walked past a building with a For Sale sign plastered on the window, he’d have the same thought: Could this be a theater?
About five years ago, while he and his wife, Marla D’Urso, walked past a restaurant for sale in Valley Stream, Leone voiced his longstanding thought. He recalled her casual, yet sincere suggestion that he try to buy the building.
“I was just dreaming,” Leone recounted telling his wife. “You mean this dream could come true?”
That particular building didn’t work out, but Leone and D’Urso eventually turned his fantasy into a reality with Strongbox Theater, at 40 Main St.
Festival schedule
An evening of six 10-minute plays at 8 p.m.:
■ First weekend: May 2-3
■ Second weekend: May 9-10
■ Third weekend: May 16-17
Bethany Congregational Church, 100 Main St.
The pair plans to open the professional theater with a bar and lighter fare in spring 2026, which will host local creatives in theater, comedy and music.
he created as part of a weekly photography challenge in his Introduction to Photography class.
He chose to explore the theme of awakening for the assignment, composing a striking portrait with dramatic lighting in a dark room.
The black-and-white photograph focuses on a wide-eyed Austin Mullings, a fellow junior in Jacquet’s class, with
Strongbox, a name that nods to both the banking term for a safe-deposit box and its role as a black box theater, now occupies the former East Rockaway National Bank and Trust Company building, which had been vacant for seven years before the couple purchased it in 2020.
In May, Strongbox will produce a short play festival directed by John Torres, of Long Beach, in collaboration with Bethany Congregation Church at 100 Main St. Torres and the actors have rehearsals at the theater, and will join the stage at the church to celebrate the theater’s full-
Continued on page 8
Courtesy East Rockaway School District
Lynbrook athletes commit to universities
Nineteen Lynbrook High School seniors signed commitments to continue their athletic careers at various colleges and universities on March 25.
Athletes and their respective schools and sports included:
Kaitlyn Benedict – St. Joseph’s University of Long Island, basketball
Adriana Ciociano – Rutgers University, dance team
Luke Dantona – Salve Regina University, football and lacrosse
Anthonia Edobar – Delaware State University,
soccer
Jack LaBarbera – SUNY Cortland, lacrosse
Bianca LoBosco – St. John’s University, softball
Brooke Mazzei – Temple University, lacrosse
Omarion McClean – Nassau County Community College, football
Joseph McHale – Catholic University, football
Luciana Miata – Dominican University, lacrosse
Samuel Moscheni – Lycoming College, soccer
Christopher Paladino – Adelphi University, lacrosse
Olivia Palleschi – Vassar College, lacrosse
Frank Sirufo – Sacred Heart University, football
Eddie Stradowski – Johnson & Wales University, lacrosse
Jade Ventura – Southern Connecticut State University, swimming
Joseph Woods – Nassau Community College, volleyball
Penelope Yaker – Stonehill College, lacrosse
—Ainsley Martinez
Luca Palleschi – Clark University, lacrosse
Courtesy of Lynbrook School District
Nineteen Lynbrook High School seniors signed commitments to continue their athletic careers at various colleges and universities on March 25.
Firefighters raise money for NUMC
a hospital based peer support program titled Survivors Offering Assistance in Recovery. SOAR allows people with shared experiences to support and assist each other to adapt to life with a burn injury.
“There was definitely a need at the burn center for different equipment, to help the staff with training, education, travel,” said Hennig. “That’s where we step in, the foundation supports the staff above and beyond what the medical center will supply to the burn center.”
Since 2008 the 4th Battalion has hosted a fundraiser for the Burn Center Foundation. The 4th Battalion consists of the Malverne, Lakeview, East Rockaway, Lynbrook and Rockville Centre,
and each year a different firehouse will volunteer to organize and host the fundraiser event.
“Through the years it’s really grown in popularity,” said Hennig. “With social media, getting out the information and people come from all over the county to whatever firehouse is hosting it that year.”
The money collected during the fundraiser is donated to the foundation to offset their costs for supporting the burn center. Hennig estimates the 4th Battalion has raised nearly $200,000 for the Burn Center over the many years they’ve hosted this fundraiser.
“This is open to the public too,” said James Lang, vice chairman to the fourth battalion and ex-chief of the Malverne fire department. “It’s not just
first responders that can come to these fundraisers, it’s for anyone and everyone.”
The fundraiser included food and drinks. A portion of sales from the hand-rolled The Chief cigars by KJD Cigar Co. was donated to the Foundation. There was live music provided by the band The Switch and the Nassau County Firefighters Pipes and Drums.
Raffle tickets were available to purchase and win raffle items donated by members of the participating firehouses and the local communities. The baskets available included a range of different whiskeys, bourbons, wines, tools, gift cards, an air purifier, a free bounce house rental and more.
There was also a silent auction through Long Island Silent Auctions
News brief
with more exclusive items, including signed sports memorabilia from Mike Tyson, the Yankees, Jets, Giants, the Islanders, and the Rangers, designer hand bags, a CD display signed by Taylor Swift, a four night four person stay at a golf course in Myrtle Beach, and a five night stay at an all inclusive resort in either the Dominican Republic or Cancun for two. A portion of any sales made in the silent auction will be donated to the Burn Center.
“You can see the amount of work that goes in to make this happen. It takes months of planning beforehand, they get the raffles, the logistics, everything,” said Hennig. “It’s a lot to get done and Malverne has done an outstanding job.”
E.R. high school students earn honors for mathematical excellence on Long Island
East Rockaway High School students showcased their mathematical skills at the Long Island Math Fair on March 28, earning top honors for their outstanding research and presentations.
Thomas Donovan, Adam Kolakowski and Edison Guilbert received gold for their exploration of infinity in mathematics. Their presentation covered the history and significance of infinity, touching on key concepts such as lim-
its, asymptotes, and prime number sets, including the elusive twin prime conjecture—a topic still under investigation by modern mathematicians.
The trio also highlighted paradoxes and real-world applications of infinity, including Hilbert’s Hotel, the Ross Littlewood Paradox, and the infinity-inspired artwork of Maurits Cornelis Escher.
—Ainsley Martinez
east rockaway students thomas donovan, left, adam Kolakowski and edison guilbert earned gold at the Long island math fair for their exploration of infinity in mathematics.
Holden Leeds/Herald photo
Since 2008 the 4th Battalion has hosted a fundraiser for the Burn Center foundation. the 4th Battalion consists of the malverne, Lakeview, east rockaway, Lynbrook and rockville Centre, and each year a different firehouse will volunteer to organize and host the fundraiser event.
Courtesy of East Rockaway Union Free School Districtt
Protecting Your Future
The Young Family Estate Plan (YFEP)
Parents of young children often overlook the need to plan for death or disability. Many believe they don’t have enough assets yet or that anything they have will automatically go to their spouse. However, every young parent needs basic documents – a Will, Power of Attorney and Health Care Proxy –what we term a “Young Family Estate Plan” (YFEP), that formalize your wishes in a variety of unexpected circumstances.
Without a YFEP, if one spouse dies, any assets that were in the husband’s or wife’s name alone will be subject to a court proceeding to name an “administrator” of the estate and New York law decides who gets which assets. The first $50,000 goes to the surviving spouse and the rest is divided 50% to the spouse and 50% to the children. The court will appoint a legal guardian to manage the money for them and then, ready or not, any remaining funds would be turned over at age 18.
If your spouse becomes disabled, and
you don’t have a Power of Attorney for them, you must petition the court to be appointed as your spouse’s legal guardian to handle their affairs (such as selling or refinancing the house or drawing funds from their accounts). The court may decide against you as legal guardian and appoint someone else.
A YFEP also includes life insurance reviews and recommendations, so in the event your spouse dies you will have the financial resources to raise your children.
A YFEP (1) ensures that all of your spouse’s assets go to you and not half to your children if your spouse dies unexpectedly, (2) allows you to choose the legal guardian for your children, and at what age they will receive the unused assets, (3) avoids guardianship proceedings should your spouse have a disabling accident or illness, and (4) provides the financial wherewithal so that your children may continue to prosper and thrive.
ETTINGER LAW FIRM
ELDER LAW ESTATE PLANNING SINCE 1991 trustlaw.com
Trusts & Estates • Wills & Probate • Medicaid FREE CONSULTATION: 516-327-8880 or email info@trustlaw.com
100 Merrick Rd., Rockville Centre • 3000 Marcus Ave., Lake Success Other offices in Huntington • Melville • Islandia
Passover Message from Rabbi Caroline Sim PASSOVER GREETING
As we begin the month of April, we are also beginning the third book of the Torah in our weekly parshah readings. The Book of Leviticus begins with a discussion on sacrifices. Later this month we will be celebrating Pesach, which most people translate as “Passover.” But, in ancient times, the focus was on the Pascal Lamb, the Pesach sacrifice offered at the Temple.
No one in mainstream Judaism does sacrifices anymore – not since the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, where sacrifices were previously offered. Instead, the rabbis (an innovative new group at the time) came up with the idea that instead of physical sacrifices, we could offer up prayers to God instead. Further, as we would not need the altar and other holy implements that were needed for sacrifices at the Temple, Jews would be able to give their prayers to God no matter where they were in the world.
Of all the things to try to preserve from Israelite culture, why would our ancestors cling to the sacrifices – or a new iteration of them – in the wake of the Temple’s destruction? In Hebrew, the word for “sacrifice” is korbon. Although it refers to sacrifices, it actually shares a word root with
karov or “to draw near.” For our Israelite ancestors, sacrifices were a way to literally draw closer to God, to have and maintain a relationship with the divine. The desire to be near God, or to feel some connection to God, to feel solace or consolation from God, is a constant thread for Jews going all the way back to Abraham. It is why we still pray today. In the same way we maintain relationships with each other through communication, so too do we maintain our relationship with God through prayer.
This is ultimately the reason behind our Passover celebrations. We retell the story of the exodus from Egypt, so that we might never forget that we were liberated from slavery. We eat and sing and pray, and do the same things we did last year, and the same things our grandparents and great-grandparents did years before us. In this way, celebrating Passover is also about keeping close to our past and our traditions. It is about making sure future generations maintain that closeness. As we prepare for and begin our Passover celebrations, we should remember – or, draw close to – the relationships we currently have, both with our family and friends and with the divine.
■ WEB SITE: www.liherald.com/lynbrook or www.liherald.com/eastrockaway
■ E-MAIl: Letters and other submissions: lyn-ereditor@liherald.com
■ EDITORIAl DEPARTMENT: Ext. 265 E-mail: lyn-ereditor@liherald.com
■ SUBSCRIPTIONS: Press ”7” E-mail: circ@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4942
■ ClASSIFIED ADVERTISING: Ext. 286 E-mail: ereynolds@liherald.com Fax: (516) 622-7460
■ DISPlAY ADVERTISING: Ext. 249 E-mail: rglickman@liherald.com Fax: (516) 569-4643
■ PUBlIC NOTICES: Ext. 232 E-mail: legalnotices@liherald.com
lynbrook/east rockaway
JULIANA CERASI
Wantagh
Senior Lacrosse
IT HAS BEEN A HISTORIC run for Cerasi since last spring when she and classmate Riley Forthofer and the Warriors defeated Manhasset for the Nassau Class C girls’ lacrosse title. The pair went on to win county championships in soccer and basketball, making for a rare backto-back-to back. Cerasi earned All-County and Second Team All-Long Island in lacrosse in 2024 when she totaled 34 goals with 11 assists. She’s headed to James Madison.
GAMES TO WATCH
Thursday, April 10
Baseball: Baldwin at Kennedy
Baseball: Long Beach at Mepham
Baseball: Hewlett at Calhoun
Softball: West Hempstead at Hewlett
Boys Lacrosse: V.S. District at Freeport
Boys Lacrosse: Clarke at Baldwin
Girls Lacrosse: North Shore at Garden City
Friday, April 11
Baseball: Oceanside at Massapequa 5 p.m.
Baseball: V.S. North at Wantagh 5 p.m.
Baseball: Clarke at V.S. South 5 p.m.
Baseball: West Hempstead at Uniondale
Softball: Lawrence at V.S. Central
Softball: Long Beach at Freeport 5 p.m.
Softball: East Rockaway at Elmont
5 p.m.
Boys Lacrosse: Plainedge at Oceanside 5 p.m.
Boys Lacrosse: Farmingdale at Carey 5 p.m.
Boys Lacrosse: Calhoun at South Side 5 p.m.
Girls Lacrosse: Farmingdale at Massapequa 5 p.m.
Girls Lacrosse: Carey at Kennedy
Girls Lacrosse: Clarke at Sewanhaka
5 p.m.
5 p.m.
Girls Lacrosse: Wantagh at South Side 7 p.m.
Girls Lacrosse: Manhasset at Long Beach 7 p.m.
Nominate a “Spotlight Athlete”
High School athletes to be featured on the Herald sports page must compete in a spring sport and have earned an AllConference award or higher last season. Please send the following information: Name, School, Grade, Sport and accomplishments to Sports@liherald.com.
Changes and challenges for Owls
By BRIAN KACHARABA sports@liherald.com
The Lynbrook softball team began defending its Conference 5 title two weeks ago, albeit with some major changes.
The Owls have a new coach in Tom Frawley, a 40-year bench boss who brings plenty of experience with Long Island varsity softball, and a smaller and revamped division that features higherlevel competition than the ones that Lynbrook steamrolled en route to a 16-3 record.
This year’s divisional rivals include county finalist Wheatley, 16-win Port Washington, and seven-game winners Long Beach, New Hyde Park, and Valley Stream North. Because of that and the team’s 1-2 start in conference play, Frawley believes there is still plenty of work to be done.
“They’re doing pretty good,” he said. “Unfortunately, I only had five practice days before we started our non-league games. They needed a lot of work in order to play at a higher level as far as technique was concerned and stuff like that. And they’re coming along fine.”
Lynbrook began the season by scoring a combined 35 runs in non-league wins at Hewlett and Freeport before dropping a 9-4 decision to host New Hyde Park on March 27. The Owls were staring an 0-2 conference start in the face two days later against Valley Stream North, but Caleigh Buckley made sure she sent the home opener crowd happy.
The sophomore pinch hitter reached on a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh and stole second before advancing to third on a passed ball two batters later. But when the Spartan catcher tried to throw her out at third, the ball sailed into left field and Buckley scampered home with the winning run to cap a wild 13-12 victory.
The offense is again led by senior catcher Bianca LoBosco, who is already 7-for-9 at the plate this season with six RBIs and 10 runs scored. She earned AllCounty honors last spring after hitting .667 with eight home runs, including two grand slams, and 48 RBIs.
Erik Lee/Herald
Senior outfielder and cleanup hitter Kelsey Roth is off to a solid start by going 4-for-8 with three RBIs in three games.
“On the offensive side, when she hits the ball she crushes it,” Frawley said. “She’s an outstanding athlete. She runs well for a catcher and, when she’s catching, she throws from her knees and it’s a laser down to second base.”
Senior pitcher and utility player Kylie Schroeder is also off to a strong start at both the plate and on the hill. Last season’s Conference 5 Pitcher of the Year is responsible for all three wins and has fanned 23 batters in 21 innings while batting .429 with a home run and team-leading 11 RBIs.
Freshman Kamila DeJesus inherited the shortstop and leadoff hitter roles and is batting just over .300 with nine runs scored and senior outfielder and cleanup hitter Kelsey Roth is off to a solid start by going 4-for-8 with three RBIs in three games.
Senior second baseman Jessica Ferrara is starting to find her groove after collecting three hits against North and senior center fielder Emma Mylan keyed a six-run seventh inning with a two-run double in Lynbrook’s 18-13 win over Hewlett on March 25.
We don't do it for the attention. We don't do it for the recognition. We don't do it for the personal gain. And we certainly don't do it for the awards. We do it for you.
Catholic Health is the winner of Press Ganey’s 2025 HRO Foundation Award for exceptional reliability and patient safety.
At Catholic Health, we pursue the very best in health care for one reason only: you. Every single one of you that walks through our doors, every day. So, while we’re honored by this recognition, we also know there’s no finish line in health care. There’s always a new goal just over the horizon, and a new level of excellence for us to achieve for the health of Long Island.
Learn more at DedicatedtoBetter.org
Theater debuts with short play festival
scale construction date.
Torres and a panel of judges chose six 10-minute plays out of the 450 received submissions.
He said the various plays— a curated blend of comedies and dramas — will utilize a minimalist set design to provide the audience with a seamless showcase of acts.
“That way people can let their imaginations go wild,” Torres said.
Torres said festivals allow him to unearth theatrical gems that otherwise wouldn’t be perfomed.
“What that experience showed me was that there were so many plays on this earth that are on bookshelves, and until you actually do them, it’s just literature,” Torres said.
Torres said his collaboration with Leone hinges on their mutual pursuit to offer a new theater experience.
For Leone, that means using his 5,300 square-foot space to respond to the community’s ideas and provide a relaxed alternative to the herd of theatre-goers in Manhattan.
“In a traditional theater in Manhattan, you’re like cattle coming in, and cattle going out,” Leone said.
While the average Broadway show in Manhattan is $150 per ticket, Leone said the average ticket at Strongbox will be less than $70.
Martinez/Herald in may, the owner of Strongbox theater, tony Leone, will produce a short play festival directed by John torres at Bethany Congregation Church at 100 main St.
Before buying the theater, Leone worked in logistics at World Courier, a pharmaceutical company in New Hyde Park.
He started the theater business through a combination of his own retirement savings and family inheritances. But he admitted that he didn’t anticipate how much the carrying costs, such as building the theater and imple-
menting the designs, would accumulate.
In 2023, Leone said, he and his wife, started renovations from scratch when it became apparent previous architects were not suited for developing a theater.
The over 100-year-old building requires a massive overhaul of leveling floors, gutting bank infrastructure, and maintaining insulation.
They hired theater consultants, and
ultimately brought in a new team from Think! Architecture and Design and East End Building Co.
“Do your homework,” he said. “I didn’t do enough homework. But we’re a lot smarter now than we were four years ago.”
Leone said the learning curve taught him to surround himself with supportive people, and the East Rockaway community and village have been an accessible vessel of knowledge throughout the process.
“We really appreciate everyone’s patience because we got off to a bad footing, but we’re on track now,” he said.
Raised in Bellerose, Queens, Leone said he was introduced to East Rockaway when his house caught on fire as a child.
His family friends, living in the area, welcomed the Leone family into their home, and he attended Rhame Avenue Elementary for a semester.
After living in Valley Stream for over 20 years, he and D’Urso moved to Rockville Centre a few years ago.
“This is our geography, so I want to be a part of it and leave a legacy,” Leone said. “I think we’re resurrecting this building.”
For tickets to the show running Friday and Saturday, May 2-17, at 8 p.m., visit StrongBoxTheater.com.
or half walls.
• Free Hot Stones with all services.
• Fluent English, Spanish, Italian and Chinese spoken. Gift Certificates Available
Ainsley
Steven Kent appointed LIA’s chief economist
By MADISON GUSLER mgusler@liherald.com
Steven Kent, an economist and financial expert with over 25 years of experience with Goldman Sachs, was recently named chief economist of the Long Island Association Research Institute.
The LIA is a nonprofit business organization advocating for the region’s economic vitality and overall business community. In his role, Kent will provide real-time economic insights that will allow business across Long Island to forecast for operational success and growth.
“Our mission will be enhanced with the addition of Dr. Steven Kent to the LIA team as the new Chief Economist of the LIA Research Institute,” Matt Cohen, president and CEO of the Long Island Association, stated in a press release. “The LIA will be well-served by his extensive private-sector experience and the valuable data and analyses he will provide to our members at this pivotal inflection point for the future of Long Island, and indeed the entire country, as we navigate uncertain economic conditions and the existential crisis of affordability.”
Kent is a lifelong Long Island resident, having grown up in Islip before
attending Stony Brook University, where he became fascinated with economics and received a B.A. in the subject.
“I walked into SUNY Stony Brook and took a class with one of the best professors on campus, intro to economics, and it basically changed my life,” said Kent. “I like the analytic part, the mathematical part, and the social science part.”
Kent joined Goldman Sachs as a junior analyst after graduating, before leaving for another firm and pursuing an MBA at NYU’s Stern School of Business. Then he returned to Goldman Sachs, where he researched and oversaw investments in the global hospitality and leisure sector before he retired as managing director in 2016. Kent was named “best stock picker” eight times by the Wall Street Journal.
“I learned you had to know the companies, you had to understand the stocks, but I started to look at what was going on in the broader economy,” he said.
After retiring, Kent wanted to share what he learned in the industry. “I always wanted to help the next generation of business leaders,” he said. “My whole career, both academic and business, I have had lots and lots of mentors
who guided me, focused me, and helped me out along the way. I wanted to do the same.”
Kent, a Baldwin resident, guest lectured at several universities before becoming a professor of economics and finance at Molloy University. He also received a Ph.D. in hospitality management.
Being named LIA’s chief economist was “a little bit of a surprise,” he said.
Kent will continue teaching at Molloy while serving the LIA. As chief economist, he will share data-informed insights and explanations of the Island’s economy, helping business owners make informed decisions about their businesses.
Kent will be releasing a newsletter broadly reporting on the U.S., New York, and Long Island economies. He will focus on specific topics and develop special projects to uplift the local economy.
According to Kent, Long Island’s current economy is vibrant. “Our unemployment rate is lower than the rest of the country. Our economic activity continues to expand,” he said. “One of the advantages Long Island has is where we’re located, so we have access to transportation and access to great universities, and that facilitates a lot of
growth.”
He said he wants to “help to allow the Long Island economy to continue its robust trajectory.”
Courtesy Steven Kent
Steven Kent grew up in Islip, earned an economics degree at Stony Brook, and then joined Goldman Sachs.
Student earns gold medal for striking photograph
light illuminating his features and hair — creating a tense, almost eerie effect, which Jacquet calls “scary, yet intriguing.”
Jacquet’s work stood out for its creative concept, color contrast and use of texture, but its initial submission stemmed from a personal competition against his friend, the photo’s subject, Mullings.
“I was just trying to beat him. I wasn’t thinking too much about the awards, actually,” Jacquet said.
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, established in 1923, received nearly 110,000 submissions from students this year.
The program has a history of honoring influential artists, including Truman Capote, Andy Warhol and Sylvia Plath.
Jacquet said he feels honored to be a fellow winner of accomplished artists, but he does not plan to pursue photography as a career.
quet remains active in sports: playing football, basketball and lacrosse for the school.
Jacquet’s medal marks the sixth national award received from students in East Rockaway Junior-Senior High School’s photography class, taught by Kelly Cabasso and Kristie Galante.
I was just trying to beat him. I wasn’t thinking too much about the awards, actually.
Jethro Jacquet
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards gold medalist
“It’s fun to take the class, but I’m still figuring out what I want to do in the future,” he said.
Jacquet said he will continue developing his photography skills, with plans to take a college portfolio class next year.
Outside of his artistic pursuits, Jac -
Cabasso said what made Jacquet’s photo special wasn’t elaborate props or designs, but his ability to modify his natural surroundings to create art.
Galante agreed, and said she focuses on helping students improve their composition skills and understand that a great photo can be captured anywhere.
“You’re going to take pictures the rest of your life, and you’re going to create art whether you do it as a career or not,” Galante said. “So to just have those skills, and to enjoy it, is the point.”
Jacquet will attend the National Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 11 to celebrate his accomplishment.
As a national medalist, his photograph will be showcased in the online galleries at ArtandWriting.org and will also appear in the “Yearbook 2025” publication, which highlights the nation’s top young artists.
Author visits Centre Avenue for literacy event
Centre Avenue School students gathered for a special literacy assembly featuring a virtual reading by award-winning poet and author Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie.
Tallie read her book, “Layla’s Happiness,” a vibrant and heartwarming story about seven-year-old Layla, who keeps a happiness book filled with the everyday joys that make her life special.
Written by Tallie and illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin, “Layla’s Happiness” encourages children to reflect on what happiness means to them.
The assembly, organized by Centre Avenue PTA, was a celebration of reading, self-expression and community. After Tallie’s reading, she invited students to share their own sources of happiness, fostering a lively and engaging discussion. The event concluded with a Q&A session, where students had the opportunity to ask the author about her writing process and inspirations.
In addition to the assembly, each child received a copy of “Layla’s Happiness,” ensuring that the joy of reading and self-discovery could continue beyond the event. Tallie also shared exciting news about her upcoming book, “We Go Slow,” set to be released next year.
Courtesy Jethro Jacquet
Jethro Jacquet’s original photograph entitled “Stalker” has been awarded a gold medal by the Scholastic art and Writing awards.
—Ainsley Martinez
Courtesy East Rockaway School District Centre avenue School students gathered for a special literacy assembly featuring a virtual reading by award-winning poet and author mariahadessa ekere tallie.
News briefs
Students paint cherry blossom trees
The peak of cherry blossom season typically occurs this week. At Rhame Avenue School in East Rockaway, students in teacher Beth Brody’s art class have embraced the season by painting their own renditions of cherry blossoms.
—Ainsley Martinez
Planting Fields Arboretum 1395 Planting Fields Rd
Old Westbury Gardens 71 Old Westbury Rd
Sands Point Preserve 127 Middle Neck Rd
E.R. church celebrates Easter, new pastor
We invite you to attend our Easter service on Sunday, April 20th at 10:30am.
Meet our new minister, Rev. Prabhu Sigamani.
Bethany Congregational Church: 100 Main St.
—David Donovan
No matter where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here! Join us after service for coffee hour with good food and good conversation!
Courtesy Beth Brody
At Rhame Avenue School in East Rockaway, students in Beth Brody’s art class painted cherry blossoms.
Lindenhurst’s Pat Benatar rocks and writes
By CHRISTIE LEIGH BABIRAD cbabirad@liherald.com
Singing and writing for over four decades, Pat Benatar has been inspiring her fans with hits including “We Belong “and “Love Is a Battlefield,” and new songs as well, performing alongside her husband and partner, Neil Giraldo. A multi-platinum artist who has had 15 U.S. Billboard Top 40 singles and a fourtime Grammy Award winner, Benatar is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, and even received the Key to Babylon from then Town Supervisor Steve Bellone. Benatar spoke with the Herald about what Lindenhurst still means to her, what continues to inspire her, and some exciting news.
Herald: What are your thoughts on having been inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame?
Benatar: It’s great. I’m still very attached to Lindenhurst. I’m still close friends with all of the girls I went to elementary school, junior high and high school with. We still see each other all the time. Every time we go back, I always try to go to Patsy’s to get a cannoli cookie and Italian Ice. I’m still attached to where I grew up. It was such a wonderful childhood, so being inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame was important and sweet.
Herald: You are not only a singer but a songwriter as well. What has inspired your writing over the years?
Benatar: It’s pretty organic. We don’t begin songs together, my husband and I. He’ll come up with a line or a melody and I’ll come up with a poem. I write all day, that’s all I do. So I’ll come up with a poem, which will become a chorus. Once we do begin the songs, we come together and write the songs together. Inspiration comes from everywhere, which is so fascinating to me, and probably the most seductive thing about what we do. Everything is still interesting, a mystery and exciting, because the world is just an amazing place — crazy and beautiful.
Herald: What has given you strength over the years to truly give your all at your live shows?
Benatar: I just love it. It has never changed for Neil or me. Live performance is still my favorite thing to do. The joy of actually being in a shared experience of performing is still the thing I love the most, that keeps me going, and it’s never old.
Herald: I’m sure you’ve had many career highlights. Are there a couple of moments that have stood out?
Benatar: There are so many moments. Sometimes they’re very small
— a little child will come up to the front of the stage and they hand you a flower. You’re always in awe of being blessed with something like this. I feel like my only job is to be a good steward of what I have.
The thing that stopped me in my tracks, though, I would have to say, was 9/11. We had to perform that night. The promoter begged us to perform. We begged him to please cancel the concert. We were just as distraught as everyone
else. The promoter said that people wanted to come, they wanted to be together. So we went out there and I just said to the audience that before we do this, I need to talk to you all first, because I don’t know how I’m going to do this and I may have to stop songs. The audience was sobbing. It was amazing. It was awful. They had bed sheets with God Bless America on them. This was one of the moments where you understand how important it is what you’re giving to each other in a performance. What they gave to me and what I hope I gave back to them at that moment is healing, it’s an embrace. That’s what it felt like. I felt like they were embracing us and we were embracing them. And songs like “Invincible,” were so powerful that night, it became like a rallying cry. I sang that song a billion times, but that night it was different.
Herald: Do you have any advice regarding resilience, overcoming odds and pursuing a dream, that you would like to share with our women readers in particular?
Benatar: Much has changed, and then much hasn’t changed, and someone is always ready to take it all back away from us. Everyone will push that limit, and you have to stand there like a warrior. Don’t think that you’re safe and everything is going to be OK, because every single day there’s someone challenging the position, trying to take away any strides we have made. I have two daughters, two granddaughters, and my whole thing is, you are unique and at the same time you are part of a collective, you are part of every female that went before you and every female that will go after you. Make it count!
Herald: And what do you have coming up in regard to new music, touring and projects?
Benatar: We’re going out on a spring tour and hitting all the places we didn’t hit last year. We’re looking forward to it. We’ll be pulling out a lot of new songs that haven’t been recorded yet. Neil and I also have a children’s book coming out, “My Grandma and Grandpa Rock.” It’s such unbelievable fun.
The one thing about art is it has so many forms. We have these three darling grandbabies. They are very precocious, and have seen us perform a few times, and they ask us all kinds of questions, so we thought it would be really fun to write them a book about why we do what we do and that people do all different kinds of things for jobs — some people are teachers and doctors, and these are people’s grandpas and grandmas too. It was joyous and fun, and it’s a very inclusive book. I really believe diversity is a superpower.
To learn more about “My Grandma and Grandpa Rock” or to pre-order a copy, visit read.sourcebooks.com/my-grandmaand-grandpa-rock-by-pat-benatar-andneil-giraldo. To find out more about Benatar and her upcoming tour, visit benatargiraldo.com.
Travis Shinn
Pat Benatar with her husband and creative partner, Neil Giraldo.
STEPPING OUT
Where the audience always comes first
Long Island Children’s Museum Theater Director
Jim Packard says goodbye to his role of a lifetime
By Danielle Schwab
There are 140 seats at the theater at Long Island Children’s Museum and Jim Packard has sat in almost every single one.
“There’s not a bad seat in the theater. Wherever you sit, you can see the whole stage, and you’re no more than five, six rows away from the stage, which is pretty special,” he says.
Packard has been instrumental in the growth of the museum’s theatrical programming from inception, since the theater’s construction in 2001. It all begin with a committee he didn’t know he was on, when he was asked to consult on the museum’s theater then in development.
Prior to joining the museum, Packard was involved with theater and event management in Manhattan, and has taught stage technology and design.
“I was asked by a friend on the LICM theater committee to look at the plans the architect had drawn up. Then that spring, they had listed me as ‘not present’ at a theater committee meeting,” Packard recalls.
“I said: ‘I didn’t know I was on this committee, but I’m happy to serve on it and to help out the museum in whatever way I can.’ They said: ‘That’s all right. The committee has dissolved at this point.’
“I asked: ‘Who’s watching out for the theater?’ And that’s when I got hired.”
From his first position — as Theater Coordinator to his final role as Director of Theater Programs — Packard has made his mark over these past 24 years.
His philosophy, in keeping with the museum’s mission, is to put the audience first.
“It always boils down to making sure that the audience is the one that you’re paying attention to, because there’s no point in doing theater without an audience,” he explains. The productions are carefully chosen with a strong focus on audience interaction, with many tying into exhibits and related events.
“Our dressing room door has a big sheet of brown paper on it, and every time the actors hear something fun or interesting coming from the audience, they will write it on that board, just to remind them to pay attention to what the audience is saying,” he adds.
There is sure to be plenty of audience response to the upcoming production of “Elephant and Piggie’s We are in a Play!” The beloved show, opening April 14, which involves the audience as a character in the story, is always popular with visitors. Adapted from Mo Willems’ best-selling children’s series, the hilarious duo of Elephant and Piggie gets tangled in all sorts of antics, learning the meaning of friendship along the way.
“Elephant and Piggie realize there’s an audience watching them, and then they talk and interact with the audience, invite them to sing along and be a part of the show,” Packard says.
With Packard’s retirement this month, the production
• Performances April 14-19, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
• View the LICM events calendar at licm.org for additional information or call (516) 224-5800 for tickets
• Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City
acts as a passing of the baton to new hands. Taking on the assignment are not one but two folks: Lisa Rudin as artistic director and Austin Costello as technical director.
It’s a full circle moment for both Rudin and Costello, who appeared as Elephant and Piggie in previous stagings of the production.
Costello, a distinguished puppeteer in his own right, has worked with the museum’s theater since 2015.
His love of puppetry started back as a kid in ‘90s, when he visited the museum and saw a puppet on display. His career led him to roles in children’s theater, including Sesame Street.
“The little lessons that we find along the way in our shows are the major takeaways that we get to share with families and especially with kids who might be having problems. It’s such an important thing to me to bring children up in a good way, and to help them understand the world around them,” Costello says.
“It’s wonderful to be able to carry on the legacy of Jim, who’s worked so hard for so many people, and who has taken a lot of time to take me under his wing and train me,” he adds.
Rudin also has a personal history with the museum.
“The first time I came to the theater here was when I brought my children in 2019. I was like, ‘what a beautiful theater this is.’ This is just perfect,” she says.
She has worn many theatrical hats throughout her career, including as an actor on Sesame Street Live and an education director for a children’s theater school.
Rudin and Costello will surely continue the theater’s aim to connect with children through imaginative and creative storytelling,
”Children learn empathy from watching characters on stage. They understand content and what happens in the story more from seeing it live,” Rudin says.
While Packard may be waving goodbye as director, his legacy remains rooted to the museum’s very foundation.
Joan Osborne sings Dylan
The seven-time Grammy nominee brings her extraordinary voice and artistic depth to the timeless music of Bob Dylan.The recent biopic “A Complete Unknown” brings Dylan to the forefront once again. Meanwhile Osborne has spent over 25 years captivating audiences with her fearless exploration of genres ranging from rock and blues to soul, gospel and country. Her journey with Dylan’s catalog began in 2016 with a series of “Dylanology” concerts. Her critically-acclaimed 2018 album, “Songs of Bob Dylan,” and her live performances showcase her ability to reimagine Dylan’s iconic works, highlighting the emotional resonance and poetic brilliance of his music. Osborne turns back the clock with her soulful reinterpretations that exude passion, emotion and energy. .
Friday, April 11, 8 p.m. $59, $55, $48, also special VIP package. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. Tickets available at landmarkonmainstreet.org or (516) 767-6444.
Rick Wakeman
“When I was 19-years-old, walking
“When I was 19-years-old, walking across my college theater’s auditorium, I thought I could do this every day for the rest of my life — and I got that opportunity,” he shares.
“It’s been one of the more wonderful
“It’s been one of the more wonderful experiences in life, in terms of just getting to do so much that makes so many people happy.”
Photos courtesy LICM
Top photo: Outgoing Director Jim Packard, center, and cast and crew of “Interstellar Cinderella” gather at the final performance.
Bottom photo: Elephant (Finn MacDevitt) and Piggie (Anneka Shepherd ) return to the museum’s stage in a production helmed by new Artistic Director Lisa Rudin.
Experience the magic of progressive rock legend Rick Wakeman when he brings his “Final Solo Tour” to Long Island. Renowned for his keyboard wizardry and captivating stage presence, Wakeman invites you on a journey through iconic Yes classics, unforgettable solo compositions and personal favorites. With a career spanning over five decades and album sales exceeding 50 million, Rick’s extraordinary contributions to music have earned him accolades, including a CBE from Queen Elizabeth II. This tour is a heartfelt farewell to his legendary one-man shows in the U.S., but his music will continue to inspire fans worldwide. Rick’s career is a testament to his versatility and enduring artistry. His live performances seamlessly blend masterful musicianship with humor and storytelling, creating an intimate and unforgettable experience.
Wednesday, April 16, 8 p.m. $75, $65, $55, $45, $35, $29.50. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington.
THE Your Neighborhood
‘Cold Beer on a Saturday Night’ Spring blooms with Jimmy Kenny and the Pirate Beach Band. Before you know back on the beach, but Jimmy Kenny and his band come to the rescue, on the Paramount stage, Saturday, April 19, 8 p.m. Join in their “Ultimate Beach Party Tribute” to Kenny Chesney, Jimmy Buffett and Zac Brown Band. Parrotheads, No Shoes Nation and the Zamily: it’s 5 o’clock somewhere so let’s ‘raise ‘em up and sing along.
The Long Island-based band — guided by Paul C. Cuthbert (aka Jimmy Kenny) on lead vocals/ acoustic guitar, with Linn DeMilta (aka Lovely Linn), lead and backing vocals, Luis Rios, lead guitar/ backing vocals, Frank Stainkamp, keyboard/backing vocals, Dan Prine, bass, and drummer Mike Vecchione, have been celebrating the beach country sounds of Buffett, Chesney and Zac Brown Band for over a decade, spreading their vibe up and down the Northeast coast. Everyone has a great time grooving to their lively mix of their popular sing-along hits and feel good, easy living flair. If you like your toes in the sand, wasting away with a margarita or a cold beer, then you’ll surely have a great time with the Jimmy Kenny Band. $35, $25, $20, $15. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com.
Art Explorations
Converse, collaborate and create at Family Saturdays at Nassau County Museum of Art. The drop-in program continues, Saturday, April 19, noon-3 p.m. Kids and their adult partners talk about and make art together. While there, enjoy reading and play in the Reading Room, and contribute to The Lobby Project, a collaborative art installation. Registration required. 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. Visit nassaumuseum.org to register or call (516) 484-9337.
Voices wanted
The Oceanside Chorale is looking for new members to sing in its “Opera or Popera” concert Sunday, June 8. Voices are needed in all sections. Rehearsals are Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m., the Fulton Avenue School in Oceanside. For further information call Frank at (516) 764-2787, email fxdefontes@ hotmail.com or oceansidechorale. com. 3252 Fulton Ave.
Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce Happy Hour
Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce hosts a networking happy hour, Thursday, April 24, 5-7 p.m. Enjoy appetizers and meet local business professionals. Sponsorship opportunities are available for $100. For more information, visit LynbrookChamber.org. Location TBD.
Bingo
Stop by St. Mary’s Maris/Stella Knights of Columbus, every Thursday, 7 p.m. for bingo. With cash prizes, food from Vincents Restaurant, coffee, snacks, and more. For more information, call (516) 8872228. 78 Hempstead Ave.
Adult Craft Night
East Rockaway Library will hosts an Adult Craft Night, to make recycled tin planters, Monday April 14, 7-7:45 p.m. Registration required. For more information, visit eastrockawaylibrary.org. 477 Atlantic Ave.
Catch up with Kiwanis
Lynbrook Kiwanis Club meets twice monthly. Meetings are held the first Thursday of each mont, 6:30 p.m., at Lynbrook Library; the third Thursday, at 7 p.m., at Savino’s, 88 Atlantic Ave. For more information, visit Facebook. com/KiwanisLynbrook.
Family Bingo
East Rockaway Library hosts family Bingo, Wednesday, April 16, 7-7:45 pm. For children ages 4 and up, accompanied by a caregiver. For more information, visit eastrockawaylibrary.org. 477 Atlantic Ave.
Dino Egg Hunt
Enjoy some spring fun at the Center for Science Teaching and Learning, Thursday through Saturday, April 17-19, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Search for dinosaur eggs filled with fun prizes and make a dino craft! Activities included with admission. For more information, visit cstl.org or call (516) 764-0045. 1450 Tanglewood Rd, Rockville Centre.
Business profile photos
East Rockaway Library offers professional business profile photos, with additional appointments available, on Tuesday, April 15 or May 13 from 2-4 p.m. Three edited PNG files will be emailed to each participant. Appointments required. For more information, visit eastrockawaylibrary.org. 477 Atlantic Ave.
Annual Easter Egg Hunt
Jazz it up
Jazz at Lincoln Center brings its Webop Family Jazz Party’s “Swingin’ Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies” to the Long Island Children’s Museum theater, Sunday, April 13, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Get ready to hear classic nursery rhymes and lullabies like “Old McDonald,” “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Wheels on the Bus” with a jazzy twist! Led by talented musicians and educators, little ones will be introduced to the magic of jazz while singing, dancing, and joining in on the fun.
This family-friendly performance is sure to inspire future jazz lovers, so be sure to bring the whole crew for a toe-tapping, finger-snapping good time! $5 with museum admission ($4 members), $10 theater only. Museum Row, Garden City. Go to licm.org or call (516) 224-5800 for more information.
Having an event?
Lynbrook Easter Egg Hunt
Don’t miss the annual Easter Egg Hunt, hosted by the Village of Lynbrook, Saturday, April 12, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at Greis Park. With games, giveways and a visit from the Easter Bunny. Lynbrook residents only. Registration required. Register at lynbrook. recdesk.com. 55 Wilbur St.
Little Learners’ Earth Day
Planting Fields Little Learners series continues with an Earth Day celebration, Friday, April 18, 10-11 a.m. Families will enjoy a heartwarming and fun-filled experience, with a reading of “Gifts from the Garbage Truck” by Andrew Larsen. Together, explore the importance of reusing, reducing, and recycling in a way that’s perfect for young minds. With an Earth-inspired craft project. For ages 2-5. $15 per child. 1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay. Visit plantingfields.org or call (516) 922-9210 to register and for information.
Items on The Scene page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to thescene@liherald.com.
On Exhibit
Nassau County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, the original “Deco at 100” coincides with the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Paris International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes) which publicly launched the movement. The direct followup to the well-received 2023 exhibit, “Our Gilded Age,” it comparably links the period’s signature innovation in the decorative arts, Art Deco, to the fine arts. The exhibit encompasses significant cultural advancements during Long Island’s Roaring Twenties/Jazz Age movement, including votes, jobs, and the automobile for women, the beginnings of suburbia with commutation for work, and planned residential communities, which all defined the era, while the following decade brought economic reversals and the WPA program. Works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Fernand Léger, Guy Pène du Bois, Gaston Lachaise, Elie Nadelman, and Reginald Marsh, among others, along with art deco stylists of poster art and graphics, and photography will convey the Art Deco spirit along with its furniture, decorative arts, and fashion.
Like “Our Gilded Age,” the social scene of Long Island’s Gold Coast, and its personalities — both upstairs and downstairs — will be portrayed, along with the ongoing relationship with the immediate urban context of New York with its skyscrapers and deco-styled architecture. On view through June 15. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.
Spring Dog Festival
Mayor Gordon Fox and the East Rockaway Village Board invite the community to the Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Memorial Park, Saturday, April 19, starting at 11 a.m. Enjoy crafts, games, and a story walk, with opportunities to earn candy-filled eggs through fun activities. EASTER SUNDAY BUFFET BRUNCH
Get ready to wag those tails, at Old Westbury Gardens with your pooch (leashed of course), Saturday and Sunday, April 12-13, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Bring your canine companions for a scenic stroll through grounds bursting spring’s first blooms. Browse a selection of local dog-friendly vendors offering unique products and services for your furry friends, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. For information contact (516) 333-0048 or visit oldwestburygardens.org.
ApRil 20TH 11:30 Am - 3:30 pm Adults $39.00 Children Under 12 $19.00
The Menu
Bacon, Sausage, Scrambled Eggs, French Toast, Home Fried potatoes
Eggplant Rollatini, Sausage & peppers, penne Ala Vodka, Chicken Francese, Stuffed Sole
Chicken Fingers & Fries, mac ’N Cheese, Caesar Salad
Dessert - Cookies, pies & Cakes
$5.00 Bloody mary’s / Screwdriver’s / mimosa’s
Propel NY aims to update L.I. connectivity
By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
The Propel NY Energy project is a $3.26 billion initiative aimed at modernizing Long Island’s aging electric transmission system.
Why the project Is needed
New York’s electric transmission infrastructure is largely outdated — roughly 80 percent of it was built before 1980, at a time when energy needs were vastly different. With electric vehicles, heat pumps, data centers, and advanced digital technologies there will be a projected 50 to 90 percent increase in electricity demand over the next 20 years. Long Island’s grid, currently connected to the statewide network through only two points, is vulnerable to congestion and outages.
The existing grid faces significant congestion, akin to a crowded highway, which leads to inefficiencies and increased costs. Propel NY Energy is designed to add new transmission pathways that facilitate bidirectional power flow, enhancing both the reliability and resilience of the grid. This project prepares the region for a more robust and future-ready energy infrastructure.
Project scope and technical details
At the heart of the project is the construction of 90 miles of new underground transmission lines, including 66 miles in Nassau County. Additional segments will extend into Suffolk County, the Bronx and Westchester. Unlike surface lines, these cables will be installed underground using conventional trenching methods — typically 5 to 7 feet deep. In logistically challenging areas, advanced trenchless technologies such as horizontal directional drilling will be used. Propel NY Energy will add three new interconnec-
tion points. This enhancement will enable power to flow in multiple directions, relieving congestion and providing critical redundancy.
Propel NY Energy is exclusively focused on upgrading electric transmission infrastructure. It is not associated with battery storage systems or offshore wind projects, though the upgraded grid will support future renewable energy integration. Selected through a competitive solicitation process by the New York Independent System Operator from among 19 proposals by four developers, the project was chosen for its costeffectiveness and technical merits.
Environmental and community considerations
To reduce new environmental disruptions, most of
the project’s new lines will follow existing road corridors and disturbed areas. For segments crossing environmentally sensitive zones, such as the Long Island Sound, the team is applying sediment transport modeling and best management practices. When unavoidable impacts occur — particularly in wetlands — compensatory measures will be implemented by creating two to three acres of new wetlands for every acre affected.
The project is undergoing a review under New York’s Article Seven permitting process. This comprehensive environmental and socio-economic evaluation involves multiple state agencies. Anticipated approval is around July 2026.
Regular open houses and public meetings are planned to keep local communities informed and dispel misconceptions. The project prioritizes local union labor and contractors, ensuring that Nassau County and surrounding areas benefit from job opportunities. Any temporary disruptions will be addressed through detailed restoration plans.
Cost, funding and timeline
The total investment for Propel NY Energy is capped at $3.26 billion, and is funded by ratepayers across the state. For the average residential customer, the project is expected to add roughly 6 cents per day to utility bills. Projected costs are expected to be offset by long-term savings, with enhanced grid efficiency estimated to save nearly $3.3 billion in congestionrelated costs over time.
Construction is slated to begin in mid-2026 and will continue for up to four years, with project completion anticipated by mid-2030. During construction, crews are expected to progress between 50 and 150 feet per day per.
For more on Propel, go to PropelNyEnergy.com.
Join us on April 23rd at 6pm for a dynamic webinar to learn
What is an Energy Assessment? – Learn about PSEG Long Island’s free energy assessment, what it includes, and how it can help identify energysaving opportunities tailored to your business.
Cut Your Energy Costs – Get expert tips on simple, low-cost ways to start reducing your energy bills immediately.
Maximizing Rebates & Incentives – Explore available rebates and incentives to make energy-efficient upgrades more affordable.
Live Q&A with Energy Experts – Ask questions and get real-time answers from PSEG Long Island specialists on how to optimize your energy efficiency efforts.
Michael Voltz, P.E. Director,
Public Notices
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT
COUNTY OF Nassau, Waterfall Victoria Grantor Trust II, Series G, Plaintiff, vs. Jorge Arias, ET AL., Defendant(s).
Pursuant to Amend Caption, Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale After Inquest, and Appointment of Referee duly entered on July 31, 2014, an Order Extending Time to Set Sale and Amending Caption duly entered on December 14, 2021, and an Order for Extension of Time to Conduct Foreclosure Sale duly entered on February 2, 2022, 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 May 6, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 18 Catherine Street, Lynbrook, NY 11563. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 37, Block 226 and Lot 593. Approximate amount of judgment is $342,900.28 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #008272/2009.
Mark Ricciardi, Esq., Referee Greenspoon Marder, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 2200, New York, NY 10105, Attorneys for Plaintiff 152632
p.m., prevailing time, for the transaction of such business as is authorized by the New York State Education Law, including the following items.
1. Presentation of the budget document.
2. To discuss all of the items herein set forth, to be voted upon by voting machine, at the election to be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, as hereinafter set forth.
3. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that said vote and election will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at 7:00 a.m., prevailing time, in the school buildings located in such districts as enumerated below:
District No. 1: Valley Stream Fire Department 112 South Corona Ave, Valley Stream, New York
District No. 2: William L. Buck School 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York
District No. 3: Brooklyn Avenue School 24 Brooklyn Avenue, Valley Stream, New York
District No. 4: Robert W. Carbonaro School
50 Hungry Harbor Road, Valley Stream, New York at which time the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., prevailing time, to vote by voting machines upon the following items:
1. To adopt the annual budget of the School District for the fiscal year 2025-2026 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District.
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING, BUDGET
VOTE AND ELECTION
VALLEY STREAM UNION
FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
NO. TWENTY-FOUR
TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD AND NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing of the qualified voters of the Valley Stream Union Free School District No. Twenty-Four of the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, will be held at the William L. Buck School on Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York in said District on May 7, 2025 at 7:30
2025;
3. SHALL the proposed budget of expenditures of Valley Stream Union Free School District Twenty-Ffour, Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York for the year 20252026 in the amount of $41,285242,4980 and for the purposes shown in the statement thereof presented at the Annual Meeting, that the sum be raised through a levy upon the taxable property in the Valley Stream Union Free School District Twenty-Ffour, after first deducting the monies from state aid and other sources, as provided by law.
4. SHALL the Board of Education of the Valley Stream Union Free School District Twenty-Four be authorized to appropriate and expend the maximum amount of $850,000 from the 2018 and 2024 Capital Reserve Funds established for the purpose of completing capital improvements as follows: District wide door control access and alarms, District wide roofing replacement and repairs, Three (3) classroom renovations District wide, all of the above to include labor, materials, equipment and incidental costs.
Board of Education of the Valley Stream Central High School District be authorized to acquire by purchase that certain real property and improvements known as 10 Fifth Street, Valley Stream, New York, located in the Town of Hempstead, New York, Section 39 Block 27 Lot 4-7 & 418, at a cost not to exceed $6,400,000, and said sum is hereby appropriated for out of the District’s Capital Reserve Fund established on May 15, 2018 and unappropriated fund balance.
2. To elect three (3) members of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term commencing July 1, 2025 and expiring on June 30, 2028, as follows:
a. One (1) member of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term to succeed John Maier, whose term expires June 30, 2025;
b. One (1) member of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term to succeed Kimberly Wheeler, whose term expires June 30, 2025;
c. One (1) member of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term to succeed Markus Wilson, whose term expires June 30,
5. SHALL the proposed budget of expenditures of Valley Stream Central High School District, Nassau County, New York for the year 2025-2026 be approved in the amount of $166,848,681 and that the sum be raised through a levy upon the taxable property in the Valley Stream Central High School District, after first deducting the monies from state aid and other sources, as provided by law.
6. SHALL the Board of Education of Valley Stream Central High School District Union Free School District Twentyfour be authorized to appropriate and expend the maximum amount of $4,500,000 as follows from fund balance for the purpose of completing capital improvements as follows: Restoration of Valley Strean South Streambank, Renovation of District Offices and Renovation of Classrooms. All of the above to include labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs.
7. SHALL the
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that petitions nominating candidates for the office of Member of the Board of Education of the Valley Stream Union Free School District No. Twenty-four shall be filed with the District Clerk of said School District at the District Clerk’s office, 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York, not later than April 21, 2025, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., prevailing time. All nominating petitions must be signed by at least twenty-five (25) qualified voters of the District (representing the greater of 25 qualified voters or 2% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election); must state the name and residence of each signer, and must state the name and residence of the candidate. Each petition shall be directed to the District Clerk and shall describe the specific vacancy for which the candidate is nominated. Each vacancy upon the Board of Education to be filled shall be considered a separate specific vacancy. A nominating petition may be rejected by the Board of Education if the candidate is ineligible for the office or declares his or her unwillingness to serve. Forms for nominating petitions may be obtained at the office of the Superintendent of Schools at the William L. Buck School on Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York and the office of the District Clerk of said School District.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that personal registration of voters is required either pursuant to New York Education Law §2014 or pursuant to Article 5 of the New York State Election Law. If a voter has
heretofore registered pursuant to New York Education Law §2014 and has voted at any annual or special district meeting within the past four (4) calendar years, such voter is eligible to vote at this election; if a voter is registered and eligible to vote pursuant to Article 5 of the New York State Election Law, such voter is also eligible to vote at this election. All other persons who wish to vote must register. The Board of Registration will meet for the purposes of registering all qualified voters of the District pursuant to Education Law §2014 at the William L. Buck School, on May 12, 2025 at 5:30 p.m., prevailing time, to add any additional names to the Registers to be used at the aforesaid Budget Vote and Election, at which time any person will be entitled to have his or her name placed on such Registers, provided that at such meeting of the Board of Registration he or she is known or proven to the satisfaction of said Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at such Budget Vote and Election for which the Register are prepared. The Registers so prepared pursuant to Education Law §2014 will be filed in the Office of the Clerk of the School District in the Administration Building, located at 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York, and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the District beginning on Thursday, May 15, 2025, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., prevailing time, on weekdays, and each day prior to the day set for the Budget Vote and Election, except Sunday or holidays, and on Saturday by prearranged appointment, and at the polling places on the day of the Budget Vote and Election.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to New York Education Law §2014, the Board of Registration shall meet on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the respective polling places between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., at the prevailing time, to prepare the Register of the School District to be used at the annual meeting and election that is to be held in 2026 and any special meeting that may be held after
the preparation of said Register, at which time any person will be entitled to have her or his name placed on such Register, provided that at such meeting of the Board of Registration he or she is known or proven to the satisfaction of such Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the school meeting or election for which such Register is prepared.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that qualified voters with disabilities who seek information about access to polling places may, in advance of the day of the vote, contact the District Clerk at 516-497-9398 for information about accessibility.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that beginning seven (7) days immediately preceding the May 7, 2025, public budget hearing, any resident in the District may request to review a copy of the proposed budget by appearing at the Office of the District Clerk, 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York. Additionally, a statement of the estimated expenses for the ensuing year may be obtained by any resident in the District during the fourteen (14) days immediately preceding said election on the school district website www. valleystreamschooldist rict24.org, at the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library during its normal hours of operation, located at 60 Verona Place, Valley Stream, New York, at the School District Administrative Center, 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York, and at each of the following school buildings in which school is maintained between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., prevailing time, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays:
1. Brooklyn Avenue School located at 24 Brooklyn Avenue, Valley Stream New York; 2. William L. Buck School located at 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream New York; and 3. Robert W. Carbonaro School located at 50 Hungry Harbor Road, Valley Stream New York. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to Real Property Tax Law Section 495, the School District is required to attach to its proposed budget an
exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how much of the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted, identified by statutory authority, and show: (a) the cumulative impact of each type of exemption expressed either as a dollar amount of assessed value or as a percentage of the total assessed value on the roll; (b) the cumulative amount expected to be received from recipients of each type of exemption as payments in lieu of taxes or other payments for municipal services; and (c) the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted. The exemption report shall be posted on any bulletin board maintained by the District for public notices and on any website maintained by the District. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that applications for absentee and early mail ballots will be obtainable during school business hours at the office of the District Clerk beginning April 21, 2025. In accordance with Education Law §§ 2018-a and 2018e, completed absentee and early mail ballot applications may not be received by the District Clerk earlier than thirty (30) days prior to the election, and must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or to the agent named in the absentee or early mail ballot application. Absentee and early mail ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
A list of persons to whom absentee ballots shall have been issued, and a list of all persons to whom early mail voter’s ballots shall have been issued, will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the office of the District Clerk on and after Thursday, May 15, 2025, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays prior to the day set for the annual election and on Saturday, May
17, 2025, by advanced appointment by contacting the District Clerk at 516-497-9398 and on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the day set for the election. Any qualified voter may, upon examination of such lists, file a written challenge of the qualifications as a voter of any person whose name appears on such lists, stating the reasons for such challenge. Any such written challenge shall be transmitted by the District Clerk or a designee of the Board of Education to the inspectors of election on Election Day.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the Valley Stream Union Free School District No. TwentyFour by requesting and returning a registration application to the District Clerk in person, or by email to districtclerk@vs24.org or fax sent to 516-2560163. The request for the registration application may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the registration application by either mail, fax or email. Military voter registration application forms must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the Valley Stream Union Free School District No. Twenty-Four may request an application for a military ballot from the District Clerk and return such military ballot application to the District Clerk in person, or by email to districtclerk@vs24. org or fax sent to 516256-0163. In order for a military voter to be issued a military ballot, a valid military ballot application must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m., on April 24, 2025. Military ballot applications received in accordance with the foregoing will be processed in the same manner as a non-military ballot application under Section 2018-a of the Education Law. The application for military ballot may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the military ballot by mail, fax, or email.
Public Notices
A military voter’s original military ballot application and military ballot must be returned by mail or in person to the office of the District Clerk at 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York, along with the required signed affidavit by the voter.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk before the close of polls on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, showing a cancellation mark of the United States Postal Service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government; or received not later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is ascertained to be not later than the day before the election.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a rule adopted by the Board of Education in accordance with New York Education Law §2035, any referenda or propositions to change the number of Board of Education members, or a bond issue for capital improvements, or any other petition required by law to be stated in the Notice of Annual Meeting and Election must be filed with the District Clerk at 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York, not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on February 20, 2025. Any other petition, except those petitions required by law to be stated in the Notice of Annual Meeting and Election, must be filed with the District Clerk at 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York, no later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time on March 21, 2025. All such petitions must be typed or printed in the English language; must be directed to the Clerk of the School District; must be signed by at least one hundred (100) qualified voters of the District (representing the greater of 100 or 5% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election); and must legibly state the name of each signer. However, the Board of Education will not entertain any petition to place before the voters any
proposition the purpose of which is not within the powers of the voters to determine, nor any proposition or amendment which is contrary to law. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that those voters seeking information regarding this Budget Vote and Election in Spanish should contact the Office of the District Clerk at 516-497-9398.
Jennie L. Padilla District Clerk of the Board of Education Valley Stream Union Free School District No. Twenty-Four 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, New York 152495
To Place A Notice Call 516-569-4000 x232 LEGAL NOTICE NOTIFICACIÓN DE AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA, VOTACIÓN DE PRESUPUESTO Y ELECCIÓN DISTRITO ESCOLAR LIBRE UNIDO VALLEY STREAM VEINTICUATRO CIUDAD DE HEMPSTEAD Y CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK POR LA PRESENTE
SE NOTIFICA que el 7 de mayo de 2025 a las 7:30 p.m., hora en vigor, se celebrará una audiencia pública de los votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar Libre Unido de Valley Stream Veinticuatro la ciudad de Hempstead, Condado de Nassau, Nueva York, en la Escuela William L. Buck en Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York, en dicho Distrito, para la transacción de los asuntos autorizados por la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York, incluyendo los siguientes puntos.
1. Presentación del documento presupuestario.
2. Diálogo sobre todos los puntos aquí establecidos, que se votarán mediante máquina de votación, en las elecciones que se celebrarán el martes 20 de mayo de 2025, según se expone a continuación.
3. Tramitar cualquier otro asunto que pueda plantearse en la reunión. Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA POR LA PRESENTE que dicha votación y elección se llevará a cabo el martes 20 de mayo de 2025, a las 7h00, hora en vigor, en los edificios escolares ubicados en los distritos que se enumeran a continuación:
Distrito No. 1
Departamento de
Bomberos de Valley Stream
112 South Corona Ave, Valley Stream, Nueva York
Distrito No. 2
Escuela William L. Buck 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York
Distrito No. 3
Escuela Brooklyn Avenue 24 Brooklyn Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York
Distrito No. 4:
Escuela Robert W. Carbonaro 50 Hungry Harbor Road, Valley Stream, Nueva York en cuyo momento las urnas estarán abiertas de 7h00 a 21h00, hora en vigor, para votar por máquinas de votación sobre los siguientes puntos:
1. Adopción del presupuesto anual del Distrito Escolar para el año fiscal 2025-2026 y la autorización para que la parte necesaria del mismo se recaude mediante impuestos sobre la propiedad imponible del Distrito.
2. Elección de tres (3) miembros de la Junta de Educación para un período de tres (3) años a partir del 1 de julio de 2025 hasta el 30 de junio de 2028, como se detalla a continuación: a. Un (1) miembro de la Junta de Educación por un mandato de tres (3) años para suceder a John Maier, cuyo mandato finaliza el 30 de junio de 2025; b. Un (1) miembro de la Junta de Educación por un período de tres (3) años para suceder a Kimberly Wheeler, cuyo mandato finaliza el 30 de junio de 2025; c. Un (1) miembro de la Junta de Educación por un período de tres (3) años para suceder a Markus Wilson, cuyo mandato finaliza el 30 de junio de 2025; 3. SE DEBERÁ [autorizar] el presupuesto de gastos propuesto del Distrito Escolar Libre Unido de Valley Stream Veinticuatro, ciudad de Hempstead, Condado de Nassau, Nueva York para el año 2025 -2026 por un monto de $41,242,480 y para los propósitos que se muestran en la declaración del mismo presentada en la reunión anual, que la suma se recaude a través de un gravamen sobre la propiedad imponible en el Distrito Escolar Libre Unido de Valley Stream
Veinticuatro, después de deducir primero el dinero de la ayuda estatal y otras fuentes, según lo dispuesto por la ley.
4. SE DEBERÁ autorizar a la Junta de Educación del Distrito Escolar Libre Unido de Valley Stream Veinticuatro a apropiarse y a gastar la cantidad máxima de $850,000 de los Fondos de Reserva de Capital 2018 y 2024 establecidos con el propósito de llevar a cabo mejoras de capital como sigue: acceso y alarmas de control de puertas en todo el Distrito, reemplazo y reparaciones de techos en todo el Distrito, renovaciones de tres (3) aulas en todo el Distrito; todo lo anterior cubriendo la mano de obra, materiales, equipos y costos incidentales.
5. SE DEBERÁ aprobar el presupuesto propuesto de gastos del Distrito Central de Secundaria de Valley Stream, Condado de Nassau, Nueva York para el año 20252026 por un monto de $166,848,681 y la suma que se recaude a través de un gravamen sobre la propiedad imponible en el Distrito Central de Secundaria de Valley Stream, después de deducir primero el dinero de la ayuda estatal y otras fuentes, según lo dispuesto por la ley.
6. SE DEBERÁ autorizar a la Junta de Educación del Distrito Central de Secundaria de Valley Stream Veinticuatro a apropiarse y gastar la cantidad máxima de $4,500,000 como sigue del saldo de fondos con el propósito de llevar a cabo las mejoras capitales como sigue: restauración de la ribera sur de Valley Stream, renovación de las oficinas del distrito y renovación de las aulas. Todo lo anterior cubriendo la mano de obra, materiales, equipos, aparatos y costos incidentales.
7. SE DEBERÁ autorizar a la Junta de Educación del Distrito Central de Secundaria de Valley Stream a adquirir por compra esa cierta propiedad real y mejoras conocidas como 10 Fifth Street, Valley Stream, Nueva York, ubicada en la ciudad de Hempstead, Nueva York, Section 39 Block 27 Lot 4-7 & 418, a un costo que no exceda los $ 6,400,000,
y dicha suma se apropia por la presente con cargo al Fondo de Reserva de Capital del Distrito establecido el 15 de mayo de 2018 y el saldo de fondos no apropiados.
Y SE NOTIFICA ADEMÁS POR LA PRESENTE que las peticiones de nominación de candidatos para el cargo de Miembro de la Junta de Educación del Distrito Escolar Libre Unido de Valley Stream Veinticuatro deberán presentarse ante el Secretario del Distrito de dicho Distrito Escolar en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito, 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York, a más tardar el 21 de abril de 2025, entre las 9h00 y las 17h00, hora en vigor. Todas las peticiones de nominación deben estar firmadas por al menos veinticinco (25) votantes cualificados del Distrito (que representen el mayor número de 25 votantes cualificados o el 2% del número de votantes que votaron en la elección anual anterior); deben indicar el nombre y la residencia de cada firmante, y deben indicar el nombre y la residencia del candidato. Cada petición deberá ser dirigida al Secretario del Distrito y deberá describir la vacante específica para la cual el candidato es nominado. Cada vacante de la Junta de Educación que deba cubrirse se considerará una vacante específica independiente. Una petición de nominación puede ser rechazada por la Junta de Educación si el candidato no es elegible para el cargo o declara su falta de voluntad para servir. Los formularios para las peticiones de nominación pueden obtenerse en la oficina del Superintendente de Escuelas en la Escuela William L. Buck en Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York y en la oficina del Secretario de Distrito de dicho Distrito Escolar. Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA POR LA PRESENTE que se requiere el registro personal de votantes de conformidad con la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2014 o de conformidad con el Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral del Estado de Nueva York. Si un votante se ha registrado hasta ahora de conformidad con la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2014 y ha votado en cualquier reunión anual o
especial del distrito en los últimos cuatro (4) años calendario, dicho votante es elegible para votar en esta elección; si un votante está registrado y es elegible para votar de conformidad con el Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral del Estado de Nueva York, dicho votante también es elegible para votar en esta elección. Todas las demás personas que deseen votar deberán inscribirse. La Junta de Registro se reunirá con el propósito de registrar a todos los votantes calificados del Distrito de conformidad con la Ley de Educación §2014 en la Escuela William L. Buck, el 12 de mayo de 2025 a las 17h30, hora en vigor, para agregar nombres adicionales a los Registros que se utilizarán en la Votación y Elección Presupuestaria antes mencionada, momento en el cual cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se incluya en dichos Registros, siempre que en dicha reunión de la Junta de Registro se sepa o se pruebe a satisfacción de dicha Junta de Registro que tiene derecho a votar en ese momento o posteriormente en la Votación y Elección Presupuestaria para la cual se preparan los Registros. Los Registros así preparados de conformidad con la Ley de Educación §2014 se archivarán en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito Escolar en el Edificio de Administración, ubicado en 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York, y estarán abiertos a la inspección de cualquier votante calificado del Distrito a partir del jueves 15 de mayo de 2025, entre las 9h00 y las 15h00, los días laborables y todos los días anteriores al día fijado para la Votación y Elección del Presupuesto, excepto los domingos o días festivos, y los sábados con cita previa, y en los colegios electorales el día de la Votación y Elección del Presupuesto. Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA POR LA PRESENTE que, de conformidad con la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2014, la Junta de Registro se reunirá el martes 20 de mayo de 2025, en los respectivos lugares de votación entre las 7h00 y las 21h00, hora en vigor, para preparar el Registro del Distrito Escolar que se
utilizará en la reunión y elección anual que se celebrará en 2026 y en cualquier reunión especial que pueda celebrarse después de la preparación de dicho Registro, en cuyo momento cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se incluya en dicho Registro, siempre que en dicha reunión de la Junta de Registro se sepa o se demuestre a satisfacción de dicha Junta de Registro que tiene derecho a votar en ese momento o posteriormente en la reunión o elección escolar para la que se prepara dicho Registro. Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA POR LA PRESENTE que los votantes calificados con discapacidades que busquen información sobre el acceso a los lugares de votación pueden, antes del día de la votación, comunicarse con el Secretario del Distrito al 516-497-9398 para obtener información sobre la accesibilidad. Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA POR LA PRESENTE que a partir de los siete (7) días inmediatamente anteriores a la audiencia pública sobre el presupuesto del 7 de mayo de 2025, cualquier residente del Distrito podrá solicitar revisar una copia del presupuesto propuesto presentándose en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York. Además, cualquier residente del Distrito puede obtener una declaración de los gastos estimados para el año siguiente durante los catorce (14) días inmediatamente anteriores a dicha elección en el sitio web del distrito escolar www. valleystreamschooldist rict24.org, en la Biblioteca Conmemorativa Henry Waldinger durante su horario normal de atención, ubicada en 60 Verona Place, Valley Stream, Nueva York, en la Administración del Distrito Escolar, en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, en 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York y en cada uno de los siguientes edificios escolares en los que se imparten clases entre las 9h00 y 16h00, hora en vigor, excepto sábados, domingos y días festivos:
1. Escuela Brooklyn Avenue situada en 24 Brooklyn Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York;
2. Escuela William
L. Buck situada en 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream Nueva York; y
3. Escuela Robert W. Carbonaro situada en 50 Hungry Harbor Road, Valley Stream Nueva York.
Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA POR LA PRESENTE, que de conformidad con la Ley de Impuestos sobre Bienes Inmuebles Sección 495, el Distrito Escolar debe adjuntar a su proyecto de presupuesto un informe de exención. Dicho informe de exención, que también formará parte del presupuesto final, mostrará qué parte del valor total tasado en la lista final de tasaciones utilizada en el proceso presupuestario está exento de impuestos, enumerará cada tipo de exención concedida, identificada por autoridad estatutaria, y mostrará: (a) el impacto acumulativo de cada tipo de exención, expresado en dólares o en porcentaje del valor catastral total del padrón; (b) el importe acumulado que se espera recibir de los beneficiarios de cada tipo de exención como pagos en lugar de impuestos u otros pagos por servicios municipales; y (c) el impacto acumulado de todas las exenciones concedidas. El informe de exenciones se publicará en cualquier tablón de anuncios que mantenga el Distrito para avisos públicos y en cualquier sitio web que mantenga el Distrito. Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA POR LA PRESENTE, que las solicitudes de voto en ausencia y voto anticipado por correo podrán obtenerse durante el horario escolar en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a partir del 21 de abril de 2025. De conformidad con la Ley de Educación §§ 2018-a y 2018-e, el Secretario del Distrito no podrá recibir solicitudes completas de boletas para voto en ausencia y por correo anticipado antes de los treinta (30) días previos a la elección, y el Secretario del Distrito deberá recibirlas al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección si la boleta se enviará por correo al votante, o el día anterior a la elección, si la boleta se entregará personalmente al votante o al agente designado en la solicitud de boleta para voto en ausencia o por correo
April 10, 2025 —
Public Notices
anticipado. El Secretario del Distrito debe recibir las papeletas de voto en ausencia y por correo anticipado no más tarde de las 17h00, hora en vigor, del martes 20 de mayo de 2025. Una lista de las personas a quienes se emitieron las boletas para votantes ausentes y una lista de todas las personas a quienes se emitieron las boletas para votantes por correo anticipado estarán a disposición de los votantes calificados del Distrito para su inspección en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a partir del jueves 15 de mayo de 2025, entre las 9h00 y 16h00 los días laborables anteriores al día fijado para la elección anual y el sábado 17 de mayo de 2025, con cita previa llamando al Secretario del Distrito al 516-4979398 y el martes 20 de mayo de 2025, día fijado para la elección. Cualquier votante calificado puede, al examinar dichas listas, presentar una impugnación por escrito de las calificaciones como votante de cualquier persona cuyo nombre aparezca en dichas listas, indicando las razones de dicha impugnación. Dicha impugnación escrita será transmitida por el Secretario del Distrito o una persona designada por la Junta de Educación a los inspectores electorales el día de las elecciones.
Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA
POR LA PRESENTE, que los votantes militares que actualmente no están registrados pueden solicitar registrarse como votante calificado del Distrito Escolar Libre Unido de Valley Stream Veinticuatro solicitando y devolviendo una solicitud de registro al Secretario del Distrito en persona, o por correo electrónico a districtclerk@vs24.org o fax enviado al 516256-0163. La solicitud de inscripción puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar para recibir la solicitud de inscripción por correo, fax o correo electrónico. Los formularios de solicitud de inscripción de votantes militares deben recibirse en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 17h00 del 24 de abril de 2025.
Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA POR LA PRESENTE, que los votantes militares que sean votantes
calificados del Distrito Escolar Libre Unido de Valley Stream Veinticuatro pueden solicitar una solicitud de papeleta militar al Secretario del Distrito y devolver dicha solicitud de papeleta militar al Secretario del Distrito en persona, o por correo electrónico a districtclerk@vs24.org o fax enviado al 516256-0163. Para que a un votante militar se le emita una papeleta militar, debe recibirse una solicitud válida de papeleta militar en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 17h00 del 24 de abril de 2025. Las solicitudes de boleta militar recibidas de conformidad con lo anterior se procesarán de la misma manera que una solicitud de boleta no militar en virtud de la Sección 2018-a de la Ley de Educación. La solicitud de papeleta militar puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar de recibir la papeleta militar por correo, fax o correo electrónico. La solicitud original de boleta militar y la boleta militar del votante militar deben devolverse por correo o en persona a la oficina del Secretario del Distrito en 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York, junto con la declaración jurada firmada requerida por el votante.
Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA POR LA PRESENTE, que las boletas militares serán escrutadas si son recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito antes del cierre de las urnas el martes 20 de mayo de 2025, mostrando una marca de cancelación del Servicio Postal de los Estados Unidos o del servicio postal de un país extranjero, o mostrando un endoso fechado de recibo por otra agencia del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos; o recibidas a más tardar a las 17h00 del martes 20 de mayo de 2025 y firmada y fechada por el votante militar y un testigo de la misma, con una fecha que se compruebe que no sea posterior al día anterior a la elección.
Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA
POR LA PRESENTE, que, de conformidad con una norma adoptada por la Junta de Educación de acuerdo con la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2035, cualquier referendo o proposición para cambiar el número de miembros de la Junta de Educación,
o una emisión de bonos para mejoras capitales, o cualquier otra petición que la ley requiera que se indique en el Aviso de Reunión
Anual y Elección debe presentarse ante el Secretario del Distrito en 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York, a más tardar a las 17h00, hora en vigor, el 20 de febrero de 2025. Cualquier otra petición, excepto aquellas peticiones que la ley exige que se indiquen en el Aviso de Asamblea Anual y Elección, deberá presentarse ante el Secretario del Distrito en 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York, a más tardar a las 17h00, hora en vigor, del 21 de marzo de 2025. Todas estas peticiones deben estar escritas o impresas en idioma inglés; deben estar dirigidas al Secretario del Distrito Escolar; deben estar firmadas por al menos cien (100) votantes cualificados del Distrito (representando el mayor de 100 o el 5% del número de votantes que votaron en la elección anual anterior); y deberá indicar de forma legible el nombre de cada firmante. Sin embargo, el Consejo de Educación no admitirá ninguna petición para presentar a los votantes una proposición cuyo objeto no esté dentro de las facultades de los votantes para determinar, ni ninguna propuesta o enmienda que sea contraria a la ley.
Y ADEMÁS SE NOTIFICA POR LA PRESENTE que aquellos votantes que busquen información con respecto a esta Votación Presupuestaria y Elección en español deben comunicarse con la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito al 5164979398.
Jennie L. Padilla Secretaria del Distrito de la Junta de Educación Distrito Escolar Libre Unido de Valley Stream Veinticuatro 75 Horton Avenue, Valley Stream, Nueva York 152497
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING AND ANNUAL DISTRICT ELECTION OF EAST ROCKAWAY UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU, STATE OF NEW YORK, TO BE HELD ON MAY 20, 2025
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the annual meeting of the qualified voters of the East Rockaway Union Free School District, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, will be held on May 20, 2025, from 7:00 A.M and 9:00 P.M. in the East Rockaway Jr./Sr. High School, 443 Ocean Avenue, East Rockaway, New York, for the transaction of such business as is authorized by law.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a public budget hearing will take place on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at 6:00 P.M. in the library of Centre Avenue School, to discuss the proposed budget of expenditures of funds for the 20252026 school year. The meeting will be open to the public and livestreamed at www. eastrockawayschools. org.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the vote upon the appropriation of funds to meet the necessary expenditures for the 2025-2026 school year, on all propositions duly filed with the Board of Education, and to fill two (2) vacancies on the Board of Education, will be held in the East Rockaway Jr./Sr. High School, 443 Ocean Avenue, East Rockaway, New York, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, from 7:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. for the following purposes: to:
a) To elect two (2) members of the Board of Education to fill the offices currently held by Maureen Doyle and Peter McNally, whose terms expire on June 30, 2025, for a new threeyear terms commencing on July 1, 2025.
b) To vote upon the annual school budget for the school year 2025-2026 and to authorize the levying of a tax upon the property of the district for the foregoing purposes.
c) To vote upon the following proposition: PROPOSITION NO. 2: (Capital Reserve Fund for Building Improvement Projects): RESOLVED, that the East Rockaway Union Free School District is hereby authorized to appropriate and expend
$250,000 from the District’s Capital Reserve Fund for Building Improvements and Repairs III, in addition to the amount of $313,000 previously authorized by the voters on May 24, 2023, to be expended from said reserve fund for the construction of the High School Cupola Replacement project (the “Project”), including equipment, construction and other required work, and preliminary, incidental and financing costs, for a total project cost not to exceed $563,000, to be undertaken during the 2025-26 school year at no additional cost to District taxpayers; provided that the detailed component costs may be reallocated among such components if the Board of Education shall determine that such reallocation is in the best interests of the District and can be made without any material change in the scope of the Project. d) To vote upon such other propositions as may properly come before the meeting. The election will be held in accordance with the Rules for the Conduct of Meetings and Elections adopted by the Board of Education.
The condensed form of the budget proposition and the text of all other propositions to appear on the voting machine, and a detailed statement in writing of the amount of money which will be required for the 2025-2026 school year, specifying the purposes and the amount for each, will be prepared and copies thereof will be made available, upon request, to any resident in the District at each schoolhouse in the District in which school is maintained from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. during the fourteen days before the May 20, 2025 election, excluding Saturday, Sunday and holidays, at such election, and on the District website.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, that pursuant to Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law, the District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every
type of exemption granted by the statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payments in lieu of taxes and the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted.
PLEASE TAKE
FURTHER NOTICE that nominations for the office of member of the Board of Education, unless otherwise provided by law, will be made by petition subscribed by at least 25 qualified voters of the District, and filed in the District Clerk’s Office, in the East Rockaway Jr./Sr. High School, from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., not later than the 30th day before the election, this year April 21, 2025. Such petition must state the name and residence of each signer, the name and residence of the candidate, and the length of the term of office. The two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes will be considered elected to office. Where terms are of different length, the candidate receiving the highest vote will be elected to the longest term. A nomination may be rejected by the Board of Education if the candidate is ineligible for the office or declares his unwillingness to serve.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that any proposition or question to be placed upon the ballot must be submitted in writing by petition subscribed by at least 100 qualified voters of the District and filed in the District Clerk’s Office from 9:00 A.M. to5:00 P.M., not later than the 30th day preceding the meeting or election at which such question or proposition will be voted upon, this year, April 21, 2025, except that this rule does not apply to those questions or propositions which are required to be stated in the published notice of the meeting, or to those propositions or questions which the Board of Education has the sole authority by law to present at any annual or special meeting of the District.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that registration of the qualified voters of this District for said Annual District Election is permitted in the District Clerk’s Office, from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, up to
and including Thursday, May 15, 2025. A register will be prepared and filed in the District Clerk’s Office and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter from8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. on each of the five days prior to the election, except Sunday, from 8:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, May 17, 2025 by appointment only, and at the polling place on election day. The register will include: (1) all qualified voters of the District who personally present themselves for registration; (2) all previously qualified voters of the District who have previously registered for any annual or special District meeting or election and who have voted at any annual or special District meeting or election held or conducted at any time within the last four years (2021-2024); and (3) voters permanently registered with the Board of Elections of Nassau County. The Board of Registration will meet during the hours of voting at the Annual District Meeting on May 20, 2025, for the purpose of preparing a register for subsequent District meetings or elections.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE THAT applications for absentee ballots are to be completed on a form prescribed by the state board of elections and may be obtained by visiting the State Education Department’s Website ((https://www. counsel.nysed.gov/ miscellaneous,http:// www.counsel.nysed. gov/common/counsel/ files/absentee-ballotapplication-andinstructions-spanish. pdf), the District’s website (https:// eastrockawayschools. org/district/ voter_registration_ information), or by contacting the District Clerk (namayamoran@ eastrockawayschools. org) (516-887-8300, Ext.1-433) from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on school days. Applications for early mail ballots are to be completed on a form prescribed by the state board of elections and may be obtained by visiting the State Education Department’s website (https://www. counsel.nysed.gov/ miscellaneous), the District’s website (https:// eastrockawayschools. org/district/
voter_registration_ information), or by contacting the District Clerk (namayamoran@ eastrockawayschools. org) (516-887-8300, Ext.1-433) from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on school days. Completed applications for absentee and early mail ballots must be received at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or to his or her designated agent, but such applications will not be accepted before April 21, 2025. Absentee and early mail ballots must be received in the District Clerk’s office not later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 to be canvassed. A list of all persons to whom absentee and early mail ballots have been issued will be available for inspection in the District Clerk’s office on each of the five days prior to the election from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. except Sunday, and by appointment only from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on the Saturday prior to the election.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE, that pursuant to Education Law §2018-d, any person serving in the military, including spouses and dependents, may register to vote in the upcoming school district election. A military voter who is a qualified voter of the District may obtain a registration form by contacting the District Clerk by telephone (516-887-8300, Ext. 1-433), facsimile (516887-1802), email (namayamoran@ eastrockawayschools. org), mail (433 Ocean Avenue, East Rockaway, NY 11518), or in person (during regular office hours or from 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M) A military voter who is duly registered may apply for a military ballot by requesting an application from the District by also contacting the District Clerk. Completed applications must be personally delivered or mailed to the District Clerk and received no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025. Military ballots must be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 20, 2025, if signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto with a date which is not later than the day before the
Public Notices
election, or not later than the close of the polls on May 20, 2025, if showing a cancellation mark of the United States postal service or a foreign country’s postal service or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States government. A military voter may designate a preference to receive a military voter registration form, military ballot application or military ballot by mail, facsimile, or electronic mail in the request for such registration, ballot application, or ballot.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that this Board will convene a special meeting thereof within twenty-four hours after the filing with the District Clerk of a written report of the results of the ballot, in the East Rockaway Jr./ Sr. High School for the purpose of examining and tabulating said reports of the result of the ballot and declaring the result of the ballot; that the Board hereby designates itself to be a set of poll clerks to cast and canvass ballots pursuant to Education Law, §2019-a(2)(b) at said special meeting of the Board.
Dated: March 11, 2025, BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF East Rockaway, New York EDUCATION, EAST ROCKAWAY UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU, NEW YORK NEREYDA
AMAYA MORAN District Clerk 152523
To place a notice here call us at 516-569-4000 x232 or send an email to: legalnotices@liherald.com
LEGAL NOTICE
AVISO DE AUDIENCIA DE PRESUPUESTO Y ELECCIÓN ANUAL DE DISTRITO ESCOLAR DE UNION LIBRE DE EAST ROCKAWAY, CIUDAD DE HEMPSTEAD, CONDADO DE NASSAU, ESTADO DE NUEVA YORK, QUE SE CELEBRARÁ EL 20 DE MAYO DE 2025
POR LA PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA que la reunión anual de los votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar East Rockaway de Unión Libre, Pueblo de Hempstead, Condado de Nassau, se celebrará el 20 de mayo de 2025, desde las 7:00 A.M. hasta las 9:00 P.M. en East Rockaway Jr./ Sr. High School, 443 Ocean Avenue, East
Rockaway, Nueva York, con el objeto de que se concrete este asunto conforme lo autoriza la ley.
TOME NOTA ADEMÁS de que el martes 13 de mayo de 2025, a las 6:00 p.m., se llevará a cabo una audiencia pública sobre el presupuesto en la biblioteca de la Escuela Centre Avenue, para discutir el presupuesto propuesto de gastos de fondos para el año escolar 2025-2026. La reunión estará abierta al público y será transmitida en vivo en www. eastrockawayschools. org. TOME NOTA ADEMÁS de que la votación sobre la asignación de fondos para cubrir gastos necesarios para el año escolar 20252026, sobre todas las proposiciones debidamente presentadas ante la Junta de Educación, y para llenar dos (2) vacantes en la Junta de Educación, se llevará a cabo en la Escuela Secundaria East Rockaway Jr./Sr. High School, 443 Ocean Avenue, East Rockaway, Nueva York, el martes 20 de mayo de 2025, de 7:00 A.M. a 9:00 P.M. para los siguientes propósitos:
a) Elegir a dos (2) miembros de la Junta de Educación para ocupar los cargos que actualmente ocupan Maureen Doyle y Peter McNally, cuyos mandatos expiran el 30 de junio de 2025, para un nuevo mandato de tres años a partir del 1 de julio de 2025 b) Votar sobre el presupuesto escolar anual para el año escolar 2025-2026 y autorizar la recaudación de un impuesto sobre la propiedad del distrito para los fines mencionados.
c) Para votar sobre la siguiente proposición: PROPOSICIÓN NO. 2: (Fondo de Reserva de Capital para Proyectos de Mejora de Edificios): SE RESUELVE, que por la presente se autoriza al Distrito Escolar de Union Libre de East Rockaway a apropiarse y gastar $250,000 del Fondo de Reserva de Capital del Distrito para Mejoras y Reparaciones de Edificios III, además de la cantidad de $313,000 previamente autorizada por los votantes el 24 de mayo de 2023, para ser gastados de dicho fondo de reserva para la construcción del proyecto de Reemplazo de la Cúpula de la
Escuela Secundaria (el “Proyecto”), incluyendo equipo, construcción y otros trabajos requeridos, y costos preliminares, incidentales y de financiamiento, por un costo total del proyecto que no exceda $563,000, para ser llevado a cabo durante el año escolar 202526 sin costo adicional para los contribuyentes del Distrito; siempre y cuando los costos de los componentes detallados puedan reasignarse entre dichos componentes si la Junta de Educación determina que dicha reasignación es en el mejor interés del Distrito y puede realizarse sin ningún cambio material en el alcance del Proyecto. d) Votar sobre cualquier otra propuesta que se presente a la reunión.
La elección se llevará a cabo de conformidad con las Normas para la Organización de Reuniones y Elecciones adoptadas por el Consejo de Educación. La propuesta de presupuesto condensada y el texto de todas las demás propuestas que aparecerán en la máquina de votación, y una declaración detallada por escrito de la cantidad de dinero que se requerirá para el año escolar 20252026, especificando los propósitos y la cantidad para cada uno, se prepararán y copias de los mismos se pondrán a disposición, previa solicitud, a cualquier residente en el Distrito en cada escuela en el Distrito en el que se mantiene la escuela de 8:00 A. M. a 4:00 P.M. durante los catorce días anteriores a las elecciones del 20 de mayo de 2025, excluyendo sábados, domingos y días festivos, en dichas elecciones, y en el sitio web del Distrito. SE NOTIFICA ADEMÁS que, de conformidad con el Artículo 495 de la Ley de Impuestos sobre Bienes Inmuebles, el Distrito debe adjuntar a su proyecto de presupuesto un informe de exenciones. Dicho informe de exención, que también formará parte del presupuesto final, mostrará cómo el valor total tasado en la lista de evaluación final utilizada en el proceso presupuestario está exento de impuestos, enumerará cada tipo de exención concedida por la autoridad estatutaria
y mostrará el impacto acumulativo de cada tipo de exención, la cantidad acumulativa que se espera recibir como pagos en lugar de impuestos y el impacto acumulativo de todas las exenciones concedidas.
TOME NOTA ADEMÁS de que las nominaciones para el cargo de miembro de la Junta de Educación, a menos que la ley disponga lo contrario, se harán mediante petición firmada por al menos 25 votantes calificados del Distrito, y presentada en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, en la Escuela Secundaria East Rockaway, de 9:00 A.M. a 5:00 P.M., a más tardar 30 días antes de la elección, este año el 21 de abril de 2025. Dicha petición debe indicar el nombre y la residencia de cada firmante, el nombre y la residencia del candidato y la duración del mandato. Los dos candidatos que reciban el mayor número de votos se considerarán electos para el cargo. En caso de mandatos de diferente duración el candidato más votado será para el mandato más largo. Una candidatura puede ser rechazada por el Consejo de Educación si el candidato no es elegible para el cargo o declara no estar dispuesto a ejercerlo.
POR FAVOR TOME NOTA
ADEMÁS que cualquier proposición o pregunta para ser colocada en la boleta electoral debe ser presentada por escrito mediante petición suscrita por al menos 100 votantes calificados del Distrito y archivada en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito de 9:00 A.M. a 5:00 P.M., a más tardar el 30 días anteriores a la reunión o elección en la que se votará sobre dicha pregunta o proposición, este año, el 21 de abril de 2025, excepto que esta regla no se aplica a aquellas preguntas o proposiciones que deban indicarse en el aviso publicado de la reunión, o a aquellas proposiciones o preguntas que la Junta de Educación tenga la autoridad exclusiva por ley para presentar en cualquier reunión anual o especial del Distrito.
TOME NOTA ADEMÁS de que se permite la inscripción de los votantes calificados de este Distrito para dicha Elección Anual de Distrito en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, de 8:00 A.M. a 3:00 P.M.,
de lunes a viernes, hasta el jueves 15 de mayo de 2025 inclusive. Un registro será preparado y archivado en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito y estará abierto para inspección por cualquier votante calificado de 8:00 A.M. a 3:00 P.M. en cada uno de los cinco días anteriores a la elección, excepto el domingo, de 8:00 A.M. a 11:00 A.M. el sábado, 17 de mayo de 2025 sólo con cita previa, y en el lugar de votación el día de la elección. El registro incluirá: (1) todos los votantes calificados del Distrito que se presenten personalmente para registrarse; (2) todos los votantes previamente calificados del Distrito que se hayan registrado previamente para cualquier reunión o elección anual o especial del Distrito y que hayan votado en cualquier reunión o elección anual o especial del Distrito celebrada o llevada a cabo en cualquier momento dentro de los últimos cuatro años (2021-2024); y (3) los votantes registrados permanentemente en la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau. La Junta de Registro se reunirá durante las horas de votación en la Reunión Anual del Distrito el 20 de mayo de 2025, con el propósito de preparar un registro para las reuniones o elecciones subsiguientes del Distrito.
TENGA EN CUENTA ADEMÁS QUE las solicitudes de voto en ausencia deben completarse en un formulario prescrito por la junta estatal de elecciones y pueden obtenerse visitando el sitio web del Departamento de Educación del Estado ((https://www.counsel. nysed.gov/ miscellaneous, http:// www.counsel.nysed. gov/common/cou nsel/ files/absentee-ballotapplication-andinstructions-spanish. pdf), el sitio web del Distrito (https:// eastrockawayschools. org/district/ voter_registration_ information), poniéndose en contacto con el Secretario del Distrito (namayamoran@ eastrockawayschools. org) (516-887-8300, Ext.1-433) de 8:00 A.M. a 4:00 P.M. los días de escuela . Las solicitudes de voto anticipado por correo deben completarse en un formulario
prescrito por la junta estatal de elecciones y pueden obtenerse visitando el sitio web del Departamento de Educación del Estado (https://www.counsel. nysed.gov/ miscellaneous), el sitio web del Distrito (https:// eastrockawayschools. org/district/ voter_registration_ information), o poniéndose en contacto con el Secretario del Distrito (namayamoran@ eastrockawayschools. org) (516-887-8300, Ext.1-433) de 8:00 A.M. a 4:00 P.M. en días escolares. Las solicitudes completas para las boletas de ausente y de correo anticipadas deben recibirse al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección si la boleta se enviará por correo al votante, o el día antes de la elección si la boleta se entregará personalmente al votante o a su agente designado, pero dichas solicitudes no se aceptarán antes del 21 de abril de 2025. Las papeletas de voto en ausencia y por correo anticipado deben recibirse en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito no más tarde de las 5:00 p.m. del martes 20 de mayo de 2025 para ser escrutadas. Una lista de todas las personas a quienes se han emitido boletas de ausente y de correo anticipado estará disponible para inspección en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito en cada uno de los cinco días anteriores a la elección de 8:00 A.M. a 4:00 P.M. excepto el domingo, y sólo con cita previa de 8:00 a.m. a 11:00 a.m. el sábado anterior a la elección. ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA de que, de conformidad con la Ley de Educación §2018-d, cualquier persona que preste servicio militar, incluidos los cónyuges y dependientes, pueden inscribirse para votar en las próximas elecciones del distrito escolar. Un votante militar que es un votante calificado del Distrito puede obtener un formulario de inscripción poniéndose en contacto con el Secretario del Distrito por teléfono (516887-8300, Ext. 1-433), fax (516-887-1802), correo electrónico (namayamoran@ eastrockawayschools. org), correo postal (433 Ocean Avenue, East Rockaway, NY 11518), o en persona (durante
el horario regular de oficina o de 8:00 A.M. a 3:00 P.M) Un votante militar que esté debidamente registrado puede solicitar una papeleta militar pidiendo una solicitud al Distrito poniéndose también en contacto con el Secretario del Distrito. Las solicitudes completadas deben entregarse personalmente o enviarse por correo al Secretario del Distrito y recibirse a más a las 5:00 p.m. del 24 de abril de 2025. Las boletas de los militares deben recibirse a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m. del 20 de mayo de 2025, si están firmadas y fechadas por el votante militar y un testigo de la misma con una fecha que no sea posterior al día anterior a la elección, o no posterior al cierre de las urnas el 20 de mayo de 2025, si muestran una marca de cancelación del servicio postal de los Estados Unidos o del servicio postal de un país extranjero o muestran un endoso fechado de recepción por otra agencia del gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Un votante militar puede designar una preferencia para recibir un formulario de registro de votante militar, una solicitud boleta electoral militar o una boleta electoral militar por correo, fax o correo electrónico en la solicitud de dicho registro, solicitud de boleta electoral o boleta electoral.
POR FAVOR TOME NOTA ADEMÁS que esta Junta convocará una reunión especial dentro de veinticuatro horas después de la presentación con el Secretario del Distrito de un informe escrito de los resultados de la votación, en el East Rockaway Jr./Sr. High School con el fin de examinar y tabular dichos informes del resultado de la votación y declarar el resultado de la votación; que la Junta por la presente se designa a sí misma para ser un conjunto de secretarios electorales para emitir y escrutar los votos de conformidad con la Ley de Educación, §2019-a(2)(b) en dicha reunión especial de la Junta.
Con fecha: 11 de marzo de 2025, East Rockaway, NY 152525
To place a notice here call us at 516-569-4000 x232 or send an email to: legalnotices@liherald.com
LEGAL NOTICE ASSESSOR’S NOTICE OF COMPLETION OF THE FINAL ASSESSMENT ROLL THE ASSESSOR OF THE COUNTY OF NASSAU HEREBY GIVES NOTICE that he has completed the 2025/2026 final assessment roll, which will be used for the 2026 levy of Town and County Taxes in the Towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay, and the City of Glen Cove and the City of Long Beach, and for the 2025/2026 levy of school taxes in such Towns and in the City of Long Beach. A certified electronic copy of the roll was filed with the Department of Assessment on April 1, 2024. The electronic roll may be examined on public terminals located in the offices of: DEPARTMENT OF ASSESSMENT NASSAU COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING 240 OLD COUNTRY ROAD, FOURTH FLOOR MINEOLA, NY 11501 where the same will remain open for public inspection for fifteen days.
Dated this 1st day of April 2025.
JOSEHA A. ADAMO Assessor, Nassau County 152810
Search for notices online at: www.newyorkpublicnotices.com
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE OF CIM TRUST 2022-NR1, Plaintiff, vs. DONNA DEMARINIS A/K/A DONNA A. DEMARINIS, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on February 18, 2025, 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 May 13, 2025 at 3:30 p.m., premises known as 1-A Farnum Street, Lynbrook, NY 11563. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 42, Block
Public Notices
211-01 a/k/a 21101 and Lots 3-5. Approximate amount of judgment is $611,475.72 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #614931/2023.
Chester H. Greenspan, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No. 230647-1 152830
x232
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS will hold a PUBLIC HEARING and DECISIONS on Thursday, April 24, 2025 at 5:30 P.M. in the Court Room at the Village Hall, One Columbus Drive, Lynbrook, NY 11563, on the following cases: HEARINGS:
#1018 - Joseph Daidone, 8 First Street - § 252-4 Alteration or reconstructionPermitted Use: Single Family Dwelling, Proposed Use: Enlargement of NonConforming, Two Family Use. DECISION - #1021 - Eddie Murria & Dolce Hernandez-Quiroz, 207 Hempstead Avenue, § 252-25 Front yards., § 252-17 Required setbacks., § 252-26 Side yards. § 252-18 Side yards. All interested parties should appear at the Public Hearing and may view case files at the Building Department on Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00AM and 3:00PM. BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS, Ginger Fuentes, Chair Person of the Board of Zoning Appeals, Brian Stanton, Superintendent, Department of Buildings Lynbrook Publish 1X 152868
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF ANNUAL DISTRICT ELECTION AND BUDGET HEARING OF LYNBROOK UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU, STATE OF NEW YORK TO BE HELD ON MAY 20, 2025. MAY 20, 2025
NOTICE is hereby given that the Annual School District Election of the voters of the Lynbrook Union Free District will be held on May 20, 2025, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., in the following locations: Election District 1 -
Lynbrook North Middle School, 529 Merrick Road, Lynbrook, NY; Election District 2Lynbrook High School, 9 Union Avenue, Lynbrook, NY; Election District 3Lynbrook South Middle School, 333 Union Avenue, Lynbrook, NY. The election shall be for the purpose of: (1) filling two vacancies on the Board of Education; (2) voting on the appropriation of the necessary funds to meet the estimated expenditures of the District for the 20252026 school year (Proposition One); Proposition One: Budget BE IT RESOLVED, that the Budget of the Board of Education of the Lynbrook Union Free School District for the school year 20252026 in the amount of $110,153,587 as proposed by the Board of Education of the Lynbrook Union Free School District be adopted and the Board of Education be authorized to levy a tax for that sum upon the taxable property of the school district to meet said expenditures after first deducting the monies available from state aid and other sources.
(3) voting on the following three additional propositions (Propositions Two, Three and Four): Proposition Two: Use of the Technology Replacement Capital Reserve Fund BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Lynbrook Union Free School District (“District”) be authorized to expend from the Technology Replacement Fund, established on May 15, 2007, and extended and amended by the voters of the Lynbrook Union Free School District at the Annual District Meetings held on May 15, 2012, May 16, 2017, and on May 17, 2022, an amount not to exceed $400,000 for the purposes of providing instructional technology devices and equipment, as well as continuing a multi-year data wiring replacement and improvement project at no additional cost to District taxpayers and to commence during the 2025-2026 school year; all of the foregoing to include furnishings, equipment, machinery, demolition and other work required in connection therewith, as well as preliminary costs and costs
incidental thereto and to the financing thereof; provided that the costs of the components of said project may be reallocated among such components if the Board of Education shall determine that such reallocation is in the best interests of the District and no material change shall be made in the scope of the project.
Proposition Three:
Use of the Continuous Facilities Improvement Capital Reserve Fund
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Lynbrook Union Free School District (“District”) be authorized to expend an amount not to exceed: $3,200,000 from the Continuous Facilities Improvement Capital Reserve Fund established on June 9, 2020 for the following purposes: at Lynbrook High School, the replacement of the roof; and at North Middle School, the renovation of one science classroom; all at no additional cost to District taxpayers and to commence during the 2025-2026 school year; all of the foregoing to include furnishings, equipment, machinery, demolition and other work required in connection therewith, as well as preliminary costs and costs incidental thereto and to the financing thereof; provided that the costs of the components of said project may be reallocated among such components if the Board of Education shall determine that such reallocation is in the best interests of the District and no material change shall be made in the scope of the project.
Proposition Four Continuous Facilities Improvement Capital Reserve Fund Reauthorization BE IT RESOLVED, that the Lynbrook Union Free School District’s (“District”) existing Continuous Facilities Improvement Capital Reserve Fund (“Fund”), heretofore established on June 9, 2020, by voter authorization for a probable term of five (5) years, which has not yet expired, in the amount of Twelve Million Dollars ($12,000,000), for the purpose of funding future districtwide improvements, renovations and/or alterations, including but not limited to the construction, reconstruction, upgrade and/or replacement of district wide facilities
and property, capital improvements related to future enrollment growth needs, other infrastructure improvements and similar projects, and associated expenses, IS HEREBY AMENDED by extending the probable term of said Fund by an additional three (3) years through and including June 30, 2028, and increasing the Fund’s ultimate amount to Eighteen Million Dollars ($18,000,000); without any change, increase or alteration to the Fund’s purpose, source or annual amount of funding, which shall remain as previously authorized by District voters. (4) and to transact such other business as may properly come before the voters.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that nominations for the office of Board of Education member shall be made by petition subscribed by at least twenty-nine (29) qualified voters of the District and filed in the District Clerk’s office at the Atlantic Avenue Administration Office, 111 Atlantic Avenue, Lynbrook, NY, during regular office hours not later than the 30th day before the election, this year, on April 21, 2025, petitions may be filed from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Each petition shall state the name and residence of the signer and the name and residence of the candidate. The two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will each be elected to serve a three (3) year term to commence on July 1, 2025.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Board of Education shall hold a public budget hearing to discuss the expenditure of funds and the budgeting thereof for the 20252026 school year on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. in the Lynbrook High School cafeteria. The budget hearing will also be livestreamed at www. lynbrookschools.org/ boe/virtual_meetings. Copies of the condensed form of the budget proposition, the text of all other propositions to appear on the ballot and a detailed statement in writing of the amount of money that will be required for the 20252026 school year, specifying the purposes and the amount for each, will be made
available, upon request, to any District resident at each school house in the District which school is maintained from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. during the fourteen (14) days immediately preceding the election, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, at the public library within the District and on the District website.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that pursuant to Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law, the District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value of the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted by the statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payments in lieu of taxes and the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that registration is permitted in the District Clerk’s office from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, up to and including May 14, 2025. The Board of Registration will meet on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Lynbrook High School, to prepare a register of the qualified voters for the Annual District Election, at which time any person shall be entitled to have his/her name placed upon such registry provided that at such meeting of the Board of Registration, he/she is known, or proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration, to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the election for which such register is prepared. The Board of Registration will also meet during the Annual District Election at each polling place to prepare a register for subsequent elections. The register shall include (1) all qualified voters of the
district who personally present themselves for registration; (2) all previously qualified voters of the district who have been registered for and voted at any annual or special district election held within the last four calendar years (20212024); and (3) voters permanently registered with the Nassau County Board of Elections. The register will be filed in the District Clerk’s office where it will be open to inspection by any qualified voter from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on each of the five (5) days prior to the election, except Sunday, by appointment from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturday, and at each polling place on the day of the election. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that applications for absentee ballots must be completed on a form prescribed by the state board of elections and may be obtained by visiting the State Education Department’s Website http://www.counsel. nysed.gov/common/ counsel/files/absenteeballot-application-andinstructions-english.pdf, Español http://www. counsel.nysed.gov/ common/counsel/files/ absentee-ballotapplication-andinstructions-spanish. pdf, or the District website https:// lynbrookschools.org/ district/finance_and_ budget or by contacting the District Clerk by email theresa.moran@ lynbrookschools.org or phone (516-887-6558). Applications for early mail ballots must be completed on a form prescribed by the state board of elections and may be obtained by visiting the State Education Department’s website https://www. counsel.nysed.gov/ miscellaneous, the District website https:// lynbrookschools.org/ district/finance_and_ budget, or by contacting the District Clerk by email (theresa.moran@ lynbrookschools.org) or phone (516-887-6558). Completed absentee and early mail ballot applications must be received at least seven
(7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the applicant, or the day before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the applicant or to his or her designated agent. Absentee and early mail ballot applications will not be accepted prior to April 21, 2025. A list of all persons to whom absentee and early mail ballots have been issued will be available in the District Clerk’s office on each of the five (5) days prior to the election except Sunday, and by appointment only from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon on the Saturday prior to the election.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that pursuant to Education Law §2018-d, any person serving in the military, including spouses and dependents, may register to vote in the upcoming school district election. A military voter who is a qualified voter of the District may obtain a registration form by contacting the District Clerk by telephone (516887-6558), facsimile (516-887-3263), email (theresa.moran@ lynbrookschools.org), mail (111 Atlantic Avenue, Lynbrook, NY 11563), or in person (during regular office hours or from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).
A military voter may designate a preference to receive a military voter registration form, military ballot application or military ballot by mail, facsimile or electronic mail in the request for such registration, ballot application, or ballot.
A military voter who is duly registered may apply for a military ballot by requesting an application from the District Clerk. Completed applications must be personally delivered or mailed to the District Clerk and received no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025. Military ballots must be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 20, 2025, if signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto with a date which is not later than the day before the
election, or not later than the close of the polls on May 20, 2025, if showing a cancellation mark of the United States postal service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States government. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that any proposition or question to be placed upon the voting machines shall be submitted in writing by petition subscribed by at least 250 qualified voters of the District and filed in the District Clerk’s office during regular hours, except on the 30th day preceding the election at which such question or proposition shall be voted upon (this year April 21, 2025), when the hours shall be from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except that this rule shall not apply to those questions or propositions which the Board of Education has authority by law to present at any annual or special meeting of the District or propositions which are required by law to be placed in the legal notice.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that this Board shall convene a special meeting thereof within twenty-four (24) hours after the filing with the District Clerk of a written report of the results of the ballot for the purpose of examining and tabulating said reports of the result of the ballot and declaring the result of the ballot; that the Board hereby designates itself to be a set of poll clerks to cast and canvass ballots pursuant to Education Law, Section 2019-a, Subdivision 2b at said special meeting of the Board.
By Order of: Board of Education Lynbrook Union Free School District Administration Building 111 Atlantic Avenue Lynbrook, NY 11563 Theresa Moran District Clerk 152634
OUTSIDE
Waterfront Beauty
Is my neighbor’s
menagerie legal?
Q. My neighbor loves animals, so much that they have constructed little houses for feral cats and stray dogs. Although I haven’t said anything because we have a tall fence, and I don’t have to look at the menagerie of wildlife — including many ducks, squirrels and raccoons that also eat the food scraps my neighbor puts out — I wonder if this is allowed, and now that they’re starting to build very large bird “hotels” that I can see, I’m thinking this is really getting to be too much. Do they need approval to attract all of these animals, a permit or something?
A. There are restrictions, such as section 152-8 of Town of Hempstead code, prohibiting dogs at large. You can check your municipality code regulations, online, by typing in the name of your municipality followed by “ecode360.” Many communities restrict the number of pets and the containment of pets, and have a restriction that pets can’t be constrained for more than two hours to a stationary object, like a post.
Stray dogs and cats are prohibited, even though many people take care of them. I wrote about this 25 years ago, and received hate mail for my insensitivity to these cats and dogs, even though I was quoting the ordinances, in addition to writing about how to keep strays from wandering into your yard. If the strays become a problem for you, there are regulations that your neighbor may be subject to.
Birdhouses seem fairly innocent, and unless they’re built to an abundant size, like the “hotel” you describe, there are no limits. When there are a number of birdhouses, or they become large enough to fall under the regulation of treehouses and sheds, the regulations become relevant, and the construction of these “accessory structures” falls under the zoning codes. I’ve seen birdhouses with 25 units in them, which is large enough to make it necessary to regulate. It brings new meaning to Airbnb. I’m not sure if the local governments that placed prohibitions on renting out homes to transients also included the bird population, since most birds have no place to carry cash or a credit card, but it may be worth looking into in your spare time.
A call to either your local building inspector or to animal and wildlife control centers can confirm the handling of the animals, and whether your neighbor is creating a nuisance. The biggest concern may be health considerations, since some species may carry diseases that can be harmful to other species or to you. For example, raccoons, cats and squirrels are known to carry rabies, and an even more dangerous disease called toxoplasmosis. They endanger dogs in particularly, since these diseases cause ailments that can cripple or destroy their immune systems. Cats are also in danger, and the droppings from each of these animals may also cause sickness in humans, but to a lesser degree. You are not wrong to be concerned. Good luck!
© 2025 Monte Leeper
Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2
1950's Cement Mixer, Copper body, White Drum $95 others available (516) 785-0579
SERVICES
Brick/Block/Concrete/Masonry
***MASONRY & CONSTRUCTION*** EARLY BIRD DISCOUNTS! GIUSEPPE MUCCIACCIARO
We Do Pavers, Cultured Stone, Concrete, Bluestone, Blacktop, Fireplace, Patio, Waterproofing, Walkways, Pool Work. Lic#H2204320000 Family Operation Over 40Years. 516-238-6287
Cable/TV/Wiring
Get DISH Satellite TV + Internet! Free Install, Free HD-DVR Upgrade, 80,000 OnDemand Movies, Plus Limited Time Up To $600 In Gift Cards. Call Today! 1-866-782-4069
Electricians
E-Z ELECTRIC SERVICES, INC. All Types Residential/Commercial Wiring, Generators, Telephone/Data, Home Entertainment, Service Upgrades, Pools, Spas. Services/Repairs. Violations Removed. Free Estimates Low Rates. 516-785-0646 Lic/Ins.
Floors
AVISTA FLOORING
Professional Floors * Great Prices! Installations * Refinishing Repairs * Dustless FAMILY OWNED FREE ESTIMATES! 516-599-7304 * Avistaflooring.com Lic/Ins #H1505310000
Home
Improvement
BEAUTIFUL BATH UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Superior quality bath and shower systems at AFFORDABLE PRICES! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Call Now! 1-855-399-2076
DO YOU KNOW what's in your water?
Leaf Home Water Solutions offers FREE water testing and whole home water treatment systems that can be installed in as little one day. 15% off your entire purchase. Plus 10% senior & military discounts. Restrictions apply. Schedule your FREE test today. Call 1-866-247-5728
PAVERS- CONCRETE- BLACKTOP
Book Now & Save On All Masonry Work.
Driveways- Patios- Stoops- SidewalksWalkways- Stonework- Pool SurroundsOutdoor Kitchens- Family Owned/ Operated For Over 40Yrs. FREE Estimates. Lic# H1741540000.
DANSON CONSTRUCTION INC 516-409-4553; 516-798-4565 www.dansoninc.com
AGING ROOF? NEW HOMEOWNER?
STORM DAMAGE? You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind their work. Fast, free estimate. Financing available. Call 1-833-880-7679
PEST CONTROL: PROTECT YOUR HOME from pests safely and affordably. Roaches, Bed Bugs, Rodent, Termite, Spiders and other pests. Locally owned and affordable. Call for service or an inspection today! 1-833-549-0598 Have zip code of property ready when calling!
Telephone Services
CONSUMER CELLULAR - the same reliable, nationwide coverage as the largest carriers. No long-term contract, no hidden fees and activation is free. All plans feature unlimited talk and text, starting at just $20/month. For more information, call 1-844-919-1682
Tree Services
T&M GREENCARE TREE SERVICE *TREE REMOVAL *STUMP GRINDING *PRUNING. FREE ESTIMATES. 516-223-4525, 631-586-3800 www.tmgreencare.com
Satellite/TV Equipment
DIRECTV- All your entertainment. Nothing on your roof! Sign up for Direct and get your first three months of Max, Paramount+, Showtime, Starz, MGM+ and Cinemax included. Choice package $84.99/mo. Some restrictions apply. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Health & Fitness
ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! Discover Oxygen Therapy That Moves with You with Inogen Portable Oxygen Concentrators. FREE information kit. Call 1-833-661-4172
ATTENTION: VIAGRA AND CIALIS USERS! A cheaper alternative to high drugstore prices! 50 Pill Special - Only $99! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW: 1-833-641-6397
HEARING AIDS!! HIGH-QUALITY rechargeable, powerful Audien hearing aids priced 90% less than competitors. Tiny and NEARLY INVISIBLE! 45-day money back guarantee!
opinions Democrats put Nassau at risk by not passing Capital Plan
nassau County has enjoyed a lot of success during my time as county executive. Our residents have benefited from a no-taxincrease budget for three years straight, and I plan to deliver them a fourth. My administration cut $150 million in taxes planned by the previous administration. I hired over 300 new police and correctional officers to protect our streets. And the county was named the most desirable place to live in all of New York state by Niche magazine. But our county now faces a crisis that threatens to halt our growth and impede our progress. I am deeply disappointed and frustrated that the 2025 Capital Plan was not passed by the County Legislature. The plan, which is vital for the continued development and safety of all of Nassau, has been blocked by Democratic legislators who have refused to give it their bipartisan support. It is disturbing to witness such a politically motivated decision when it directly jeopardizes the welfare of our residents.
The implications of not passing the Capital Plan extend far beyond politics. I am very concerned about delaying funding for important public-safety initia-
Ttives. I am proud to say that Nassau County holds the title as the safest county in America, but we risk throwing that away and undermining the systems designed to protect our families and neighborhoods without the funding and resources guaranteed by the plan.
Under the negotiated proposal blocked by Democratic legislators, the plan would provide tens of millions of dollars in funding to secure essential tools for police officers who put their lives on the line to protect us. Those investments include:
■ $1.14 million for bulletproof vests
■ $1.1 million for tasers
■ $105,000 for upgraded firearms
als vehicle.
F ailing to secure this funding will hurt communities across the county.
■ $1.5 million for body cameras.
Support for our firefighters and emergency responders is also jeopardized while the Capital Plan stalls in the Legislature. For 2025 alone, we have millions of dollars budgeted for key items that include:
■ $3 million for new ambulances
■ $550,000 for new firefighting equipment and high-axle vehicles to save residents during floods
■ $500,000 to upgrade fire department communications system
■ $600,000 for a new hazardous-materi-
We also negotiated a six-figure investment in the Fire Service Academy Master Plan so that our volunteer firefighters get the best training available. Setting back that training by not passing the Capital Plan would be an egregious mistake by our Democratic legislators. On top of spending on public safety, the Capital Plan also includes important initiatives aimed at improving the county’s infrastructure, including improvements that will improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety. The hamlet of Elmont, for example, was scheduled to receive $2.7 million in traffic and pedestrian safety improvements that are now being blocked.
Another $1.5 million in similar improvements was slated for the Village of Lynbrook, at the five-way intersection at Hempstead Avenue. Blocked.
We planned to spend $250,000 on traffic safety and pedestrian improvements for Merrick Road in Freeport. Blocked.
You can see just how quickly the money adds up. Failing to secure this funding will hurt communities across the county if we don’t act now. We cannot afford indecision or crass political posturing when our taxpayers are relying on us. I am calling on our Democratic legis-
lators to put aside politics and prioritize the well-being of Nassau County residents by passing the Capital Plan. It is time to focus on what truly matters — the safety and quality of life of our citizens. I also urge county residents to make their voices heard. Contact your legislators, express your concerns, and advocate for the passage of the Capital Plan. Here is the contact information for the Democratic legislators who blocked the plan and put you at risk.
Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton Phone: (516) 571-6211
Email: dderiggiwhitton@nassaucountyny.gov
Legislator Scott Davis Phone: (516) 571-6201
Email: SDavis@nassaucountyny.gov
Legislator Olena Nicks Phone: (516) 571-6202
Email: onicks@nassaucountyny.gov
Legislator Carrie Solages Phone: (516) 571-6203
Email: csolages@nassaucountyny.gov
Legislator Seth Koslow Phone: (516) 571-6205
Email: skoslow@nassaucountyny.gov
Legislator Debra Mulé Phone: (516) 571-6206
Email: dmule@nassaucountyny.gov
Legislator Arnold Drucker Phone: (516) 571-6216
Email: adrucker@nassaucountyny.gov
Bruce Blakeman is Nassau County executive.
A holiday homily: the family that ate its pets
hus it came to pass, in the Land of Brooklyn, that Morris Brownstein knew Anna Brownstein, his second cousin, and they begat Hilda, Murray, Pearl and Zelda. Pearl, third in the family order, was my mother, and the only one who seemed to have entirely escaped the questionable legacy of having parents who were also blood relatives. In the warm bosom of my mother’s nuclear family, accent on nuclear, Passover was a sacred time. Sacred not in a religious way, but in a culinary way. Grandma Annie and Grandpa Morris spared no effort in bringing to their four children an authentic holiday experience. Perhaps the most cherished Brownstein family tradition was dining on homemade gefilte fish for the holiday. Let me digress. Gefilte fish (from the Yiddish word for “stuffed”) is an acquired taste. A cement-colored composite of various scaled fish, such as
carp and pike and whitefish, mixed with ground vegetables and matzo meal, it tastes like a fishy matzo ball. People eat it cold, with mouth-scorching horseradish to kill the taste.
When I say it is an acquired taste, I mean you had to be there at the beginning. Let’s see, it’s 5785 on the Hebrew calendar, so if you started eating gefilte fish two or three thousand years ago, you probably look forward to having it on the Seder table this year. You can’t just munch gefilte with no prior experience.
Mmade shoes out of sweet potatoes, and he didn’t want to spread himself too thin.
Anyway, keeping the carp in the tub wasn’t without consequences for the Family Brownstein. First, since the carp was in the tub for some time, and there was only one bathtub, well, draw your own conclusions.
y mother always wanted a kitten or a puppy, but learned to bond with a carp.
For her gefilte fish, Grandma Annie believed in going to the source, so she would buy a large, live carp and keep it in the bathtub for a week or two until it was time to ease it from its comfortable aquatic home into a grinder.
This was fish farming in its most primitive form. The business possibilities were not lost on young Murray, who was blessed with an entrepreneurial spirit. When he was 19, he considered buying up tens of thousands of bathtubs to raise carp. Unfortunately, at the time all his funds were tied up in a machine that
The second consequence of growing their own, so to speak, was that my mother, the most tenderhearted of the lot, immediately bonded with the carp. She had always longed for a kitten or a puppy, but her parents weren’t about to indulge her, so once a year she had what you might call a transitory experience in nurturing an animal. Granted, a carp isn’t much of a pet, but young Pearl had little else to call her own.
This was not what you would call a psychologically enlightened family. Since “Sesame Street” had not yet been created, Grandma would entertain her kids by taking them to the Canarsie slaughterhouse, where they would watch the chickens being killed. You can see why they didn’t worry much about young
Pearl playing with the carp in the tub. When the day came, a few days before Passover, Grandma was the designated executioner. This was an interesting division of labor, since Grandpa Morris displayed distinct homicidal potential, having once chased a woman around a butcher shop with a knife after she insulted President Roosevelt. He was also enlisted in a civilian patrol, looking for submarines in Brooklyn, when he fell into a sidewalk hole and wasn’t found for days. But that’s another story.
Anyway, Grandma Annie, ignoring all pleas for clemency for the fish, would drain the tub and dispatch the carp with her cleaver. A day later, they set a beautiful table, and after a few prayers, devoured the fish, which lived on in its new incarnation — homemade gefilte fish swimming in its own aspic.
For dessert, Grandma made what came to be known as the Cake of Affliction, a 12-egg, foot-high sponge cake that, year after year, stuck to the pan, fell like a pancake instead of rising like a soufflé and broke our hearts.
Copyright © 2025 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.
Spring into the new season by volunteering
as the winter chill fades and the warmth of spring sets in, April presents us with the perfect opportunity to step out of our homes and into our communities. It is National Volunteer Month, a time to recognize the vital contributions of volunteers and encourage others to take part in acts of service. With the season’s longer days, there’s no better moment to embrace the spirit of giving, and making a difference.
Volunteering is more than just a noble act — it’s a powerful way to foster change, make personal connections and enhance our well-being. Whether you’re helping clean up a local park, mentoring a young student or lending a hand at a food bank, your contributions have a lasting impact. This month, let’s not only celebrate those who dedicate their time to service, but also join them in strengthening our communities.
National Volunteer Month highlights the invaluable role that volunteers play in shaping society. The best, most selfless volunteering isn’t confined to a single day or week; it’s an ongoing effort that promotes social responsibility, empathy and collective progress.
It also benefits the volunteer. Studies show that devoting time to helping others can reduce stress, combat loneliness and engender a sense of purpose. It helps people acquire new skills and build professional as well as social networks, and often opens doors to new career opportunities.
One of the best aspects of volunteering is its flexibility — there’s something for everyone. Whether you have a few hours to spare each month or can commit to a regular schedule, there are countless ways to contribute. Here are just a few examples:
■ Community cleanups: Help beautify
Thanks
for a
letters
young woman’s perspective
To the Editor:
Great places to lend a hand
American Red Cross, Long Island Chapter
195 Willis Ave. Mineola (516) 747-3500
RedCross.org/local/new-york
Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center 100 Crescent Beach Road, Glen Cove (516) 571-8040 hmtcli.org
Island Harvest 126 Spagnoli Road, Melville (516) 294-8528 (631) 873-4775
IslandHarvest.org
Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation 3300 Beltagh Ave., Wantagh (631) 425-1884
LastHopeAnimalRescue.org
Long Island Cares 10 Davids Drive, Hauppauge (631) 582-3663
LiCares.org
United Way of Long Island 819 Grand Blvd., Deer Park (631) 940-3700 UnitedWayLi.org
your local parks, streets and other community spaces by picking up litter, powerwashing sidewalks or planting flowers.
■ Animal welfare: Volunteer at an animal shelter or foster a rescue pet. The need for volunteers at these facilities has
I very much appreciated Jordan Vallone’s recent op-ed, “Some thoughts on books, privilege and girlhood.” As a lifelong reader, I think life is so much more enjoyable having a good book to read. Books are, in many ways, our teachers. Vallone’s emphasis on the importance of books for young women dealing with this complex and stressful world is so relevant. As I look back on my teaching career, I think we should have had more literature from a woman’s point of view, focusing on the situations and problems they had to face.
And thanks to Jordan for her book suggestions. I feel I should read some literature from the perspective of young
never been greater.
■ Educational support: Tutor a student, chaperone a school field trip or help out in your local library.
■ Food assistance: Work at a food pantry or take part in a meal delivery program. Lots of community members lend a hand during the holiday season, but here, too, volunteers can find plenty to do all year round.
■ Health care and support services: Visit a nursing home, assist hospital staff, or support a mental health initiative.
■ Environmental advocacy: Take part in a tree-planting effort, a recycling program or a sustainability project.
April is also Global Volunteer Month, celebrating the many ways people and organizations support their neighbors and strengthen their communities around the world. Volunteer Recognition Day, April 20, will kick off National Volunteer Week, April 20-26, a weeklong celebration of the efforts of volunteers. There are numerous opportunities this month to take part in events, campaigns and initiatives that need and will welcome your help. It’s a time to take action, and inspire others to do the same. And by getting children and young adults involved, we can help instill a lifelong commitment to service and civic responsibility. Whether through school programs or community projects, we can encourage the next generation to embrace the values of kindness, empathy, and community involvement.
If you’ve been looking for a way to give back, let the month that symbolizes renewal and growth be the time you take that first step. Whether you join a oneday event or dedicate a few hours a week, your contribution matters. Step outside, lend a hand and experience the joy of making a difference.
opinions
We must address Long Island’s road safety crisis
the sudden rise in deadly accidents on Long island’s streets and highways is deeply alarming, and demands actions. Every seven minutes, a crash causing death, injury or significant property damage occurs on our roads. and our region currently leads the state in traffic fatalities: One in five deaths resulting from car crashes in new York happens on Long island.
The failure to secure our roads has led to thousands of lives being cut short, families tragically ripped apart and a terrible void left in too many of our communities.
i wrote to U.s. Transportation secretary sean Duffy, calling for immediate action to keep Long islanders safe. in addition to a federal investigation into the surge of fatal crashes, i urged Duffy and the Department of Transportation to issue specific recommendations to
Congress on additional funding or authority that the department needs to improve our roadways and increase safety for drivers and pedestrians.
i’m fighting for a comprehensive roadway safety strategy to encourage safer driving and create safer roads. This means giving our law enforcement agencies the tools and resources to police aggressive and unsafe driving, investing in infrastructure that puts safety first and keeping impaired drivers off our roads.
we’ve lost far too many community members to fatal traffic accidents.
Unsafe driving has devastating consequences that we can and must prevent. Every day, our nation’s law enforcement officers work to prevent serious accidents on our roads. But strained budgets and workforce reductions have harmed their ability to conduct traffic stops and other forms of high-visibility traffic enforcement. studies show that increasing high-visibility enforcement deters drivers from making reckless decisions that endanger others and makes our streets safer for all. additionally, i’m calling for infra-
Letters
people growing up in 2025.
More power to her pride in being a woman, her seeing the importance of literature for young women and her having the talent to bring attention to women’s stories that deserve to be told and heard.
JiM Hawkins Baldwin
Why so much opposition to the president?
To the Editor:
spreading propaganda is an evil tool used to create anger, hysteria, rage and jealousy among unthinking people. This method was successfully used in n azi Germany in the 1930s. i t encouraged book burning and k ristallnacht. i t appears very similar to Tesla burning and mob protesting against Jewish students at Columbia University.
w hen children are young, they are taught to obey their parents, because they are the adults. in a mob mentality, people behave very similar to children, because they are also told what to do, and encouraged to engage in destructive, harmful, irrational behavior. when those who attack our american citizens are released and defended by judges, whose civil rights are violated? Can judges overrule the president of the United states?
structure investments that prioritize safety, not speed. area residents have long voiced safety concerns about the southern state Parkway, sunrise Highway and other routes, which account for a disproportionate share of roadway injuries and fatalities on Long island. we should use proven safety countermeasures to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe on our roads, prevent roadway departures, and make intersections less deadly. i’ll continue to advocate for these common-sense improvements. in Congress, i’m drafting legislation that incentivizes states and localities to build roundabouts, which make intersections safer. By introducing these measures into our infrastructure planning, we can significantly reduce roadway fatalities and injuries.
we must also take action to keep impaired drivers off the roads. Many road safety groups have endorsed lowering our drunken-driving limit to a blood alcohol content of .05 percent. There’s strong evidence that lowering this limit
reduces the number of crashes and saves lives: after Utah lowered its drunken-driving limit to .05 percent in 2018, fatal car crashes dropped by nearly 20 percent over the next calendar year. i support the push at the state level to bring this limit to new York, and i’m exploring federal options to make this the law of the land across the U.s
we’ve lost far too many community members to fatal traffic accidents. it’s time for local, state and federal authorities to come together to improve our roadways and increase safety for drivers and pedestrians.
i’m proud to represent Long island on the House Transportation and infrastructure Committee, which has authority over the nation’s highways and bridges. as Congress considers a new surface transit reauthorization bill this year, the committee will be a key player in negotiating this bill. i’ll continue to use my seat on T&i to advocate for our communities, make smart infrastructure investments and push for policies that keep drivers, passengers and pedestrians safe.
Laura A. Gillen represents the 4th Congressional District.
Framework by Tim Baker
we need strong leadership to prevent civil disobedience and violence, and more credit must be given to President Trump, who was given this arduous task by a clear majority. why is there so much opposition?
PaT kinG Merrick
The Senate should not confirm D’Esposito
To the Editor:
Just how much confidence can we have in a failed congressman, anthony D’Esposito, whose brief tenure was marked by slavish obeisance to the grossly unqualified President Trump (before he returned to office), and who now, ironically, Trump has appointed inspector general for the Labor Department, which the administration is eviscerating, after Trump has dismissed independent inspectors-general in more than a dozen such agencies?
The answer is a resounding, n ot a scintilla of trust!
More likely, like the multi-failed kari Lake in arizona, who lost races for both governor and senator but became Trump’s nemesis of the hugely successful Voice of a merica, D’Esposito is keeping a political profile for a return run for elective office.
They, along with the current adminis-
tration, belong not to a (Pete) Hegseth “meritocracy,” but together form the gang that couldn’t shoot straight: incompetent, ignorant, intolerant and dangerous to our liberal democratic
republic. D’Esposito should be denied s enate confirmation. asHEr MaTaTHias Woodmere
At Culinary Delights at the Mansion — Glen Cove
Laura a . GiLLen