Issuu

Kiwanis hosts bike safety day at Marjorie Post Park

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ment’s Community Affairs Unit. Officer Daniel Capellan checked each bicycle to ensure brakes were functioning properly, tires were adequately inflated, and riders had helmets.

“We wanted to inform our youth about safe ways to ride their bicycles to help prevent accidents,” said Jim Taratunio, vice president of the Massapequa Kiwanis Club.

Parents said the event offered a timely opportunity to reinforce safety habits.

“He is learning to ride his bike, and I thought getting some safety lessons would be good,” said Jenna Emerson of Massapequa, who attended with her son, Douglas. “This is a perfect time.”

For more information about the Massapequa Kiwanis Club, visit the Kiwanis Club of Massapequa on Facebook or email jtkiwanis@gmail.com.

Massapequa SB race turns competitive

Ocuto also defended the district’s posiion.

rooms.

Bonett said he supports retaining the Chiefs name but favors “negotiation over litigation.

Transgender student policies

The district has been involved in legal challenges related to New York State Education Department mandate on transgender students’ rights, including access to bathrooms and locker rooms. State policy permits students to use facilities consistent with their gender identity, while the district has raised concerns about privacy and safety and has maintained alternative accommodations such as single-occupancy or gender-neutral facilities.

“We have gender neutral locker rooms and single occupancy bathrooms, and students can change in the nurse’s office,” Lepre said.

“I think about these students often and pray for them often,” she said. “I would love to find a way for them to find acceptance in their own skin, but we can’t compromise safety across the board.”

Russo suggested exploring additional privacy options such as stall-based accommodations. Lepre said the district already provides alternatives, including gender-neutral facilities.

Russo also called for increased community input in board decisions, while Lepre said the board regularly considers public feedback, even amid disagreement.

Election information

Voting will take place on May 19, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (See page 3 for more information).

Above: Kiwanians are shown with youngsters who attended a recent bike safety event at Marjorie Post Park

Right: Douglas Emerson, who is learning to ride his bike and attended the bike safety event sponsored by Massapequa Kiwanis and NCPD.

Carolyn James/Herald

School Board elections and budget votes coming up

Local school board elections and budget votes are Tuesday, May 19.

School votes and board of education elections give residents a direct role in shaping local public education, from how tax dollars are spent to who sets district policy.

Each spring, school districts across New York present proposed budgets outlining spending on instruction, staffing, transportation, facilities and extracurricular programs. Because these budgets rely heavily on state aid and local property taxes, voter approval is required. If a budget is rejected, districts may submit a revised proposal or adopt a contingency budget, which typically limits spending increases and can affect programs and services.

Residents also elect members of their boards of education. Trustees are unpaid volunteers responsible for overseeing district operations, hiring and evaluating the superintendent, and setting longterm priorities. Terms are typically staggered to ensure continuity while allowing for new representation.

Voter turnout for school elections is often lower than in general elections, though the results can significantly affect class sizes, academic offerings and local taxes. Contested races frequently highlight issues such as curriculum, fiscal management and school safety.

Following are details about school districts in the area:

AMITYVILLE

The Amityville School District is proposing a $123.96 million budget for the coming school year, a 2.63 percent increase, or $3.18 million, over the current $120.77 million budget. The proposed spending plan is within the state tax cap.

The current school tax rate is $214.40 per $100 of assessed value in the Town of Babylon and $1,026.04 in the Town of Oyster Bay. District officials said updated tax rates for the coming year will not be available until the fall.

State aid is projected at $47.58 million for 2026-27, up from $45.73 million this school year.

The district serves approximately 2,678 students, employs 256 teachers and maintains five school buildings.

Four seats are open on the Board of Education: three, three-year terms and one unexpired one-year term previously held by Carol Fanning, who stepped down. Incumbents Lisa Johnson, Leslie Kretz and Carol Seehof are not seeking re-election.

Eight candidates are running at large: Stephannie A. Andrews, Wendy Canestro, Donelle M. Cronin, Angel Davenport, Michael McDonald, Christopher Papile, Cheryl QuintyneBest and Equasia Yard-Jean. The top three vote-getters will win three-year terms, while the fourth-place finisher will fill the remaining one-year term.

Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Northeast School, 420 Albany Ave., and Amityville Memorial High School, 250 Merrick Road. For more information, visit amityvilleschools.org or call (631) 565-6000.

FARMINGDALE

The Farmingdale School District is proposing a $212.62 million budget, a 3.19 percent increase, or $6.58 million, over the current $206.04 million budget. The plan is within the state tax cap.

Because the district spans Nassau and Suffolk counties, tax rate estimates will not be available until the fall.

State aid is projected at $51.41 million, up from $48.80 million this year.

The district serves 5,172 students, employs 539 teachers and maintains six buildings.

Two seats are open on the Board of Education. Candidates are Dawn Luisi and Patrick Walsh.

Voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Weldon E. Howitt Middle School Aquatic Center, 50 Van Cott Ave. For more information, call (516) 434-5002.

MASSAPEQUA

The Massapequa School District is proposing a $254.66 million budget, a 4.7 percent increase, or $11.42 million, over the current $243.24 million budget. The plan is within the state tax cap.

The current tax rate is $1,993 and is projected to increase to $2,083 if the budget is approved.

State aid is projected at $49.97 million, up from $47.38 million this year.

The district serves 6,490 students, employs 674 teachers and maintains nine buildings.

Running for two, three-year seats on the Massapequa School Board are incumbents Cher LePre and Daniel Ocuto. They face opposition from Lynn Russo and Robert Bonett.

In addition to the school budget and trustee elections, voters will be asked to consider two propositions.

Proposition #2 is the Massapequa Library, which is asking voters to approve a library budget of $7.32 million, an increase of $178,000 over the current budget of $7.14 million. The estimated annual library taxes on a home with an 2025-26 market value of $654,000 would pay a total of $444.94 in library taxes for the coming year. The proposed budget is within the New York State Tax Cap.

Running for a five-year seat on the Massapequa Library Board is incumbent Catherine Reilly. She is running unopposed.

Proposition 3 would authorize up to $4 million from the district’s Capital Reserve Fund for security, science labs, athletic facilities, building and other upgrades.

Voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at four locations, including Massapequa High School, 4925 Merrick Road, Massapequa; McKenna Elementary School, 210 Spruce St., Massapequa Park; Lockhart Elementary School, 199 Pittsburgh Ave., Massapequa and Fairfield Elementary School, 330 Massapequa Ave., Massapequa.

For more information, call (516) 3085020.

PLAINEDGE

The Plainedge School District has proposed a $111.19 million budget for the upcoming year, a $3.19 million (2.96 percent) increase from the current $107.99

million plan. The proposal remains within the New York State tax cap.

District officials project $28.07 million in state aid, up from $25.68 million this year.

Voters will also consider several propositions. Proposition 2 seeks approval to use $2.036 million from Capital Reserve III for safety and security upgrades. Proposition 3 would authorize up to $3.79 million from the Capital Reserve Fund for improvements at Eastplain Elementary School, Charles E. Schwarting Elementary School and Plainedge Middle School. Both measures would not result in additional costs to taxpayers.

Proposition 4 proposes establishing a new capital reserve fund to support facil-

ity upgrades and renovations. If approved, the district could transfer up to $5 million annually from existing reserve funds and surplus balances.

Proposition 5 asks voters to change the school board election process from seatspecific races to an at-large system. In addition, residents will vote on a $2.94 million Plainedge Library budget, up from $2.89 million, also within the tax cap. Trustee Lauren Oden-Bell is running unopposed for a five-year term.

Voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Plainedge High School, 241 Wyngate Dr., Massapequa. For more information, contact the district clerk at 516-9927457 or the library at 516-735-4133, or visit plainedgelibrary.org.

Town of Oyster Bay launches ‘Back the Blue’ ribbon campaign

The Town of Oyster Bay is inviting residents in Massapequa and across the town to take part in a “Back the Blue” Ribbon Campaign during National Police Week, set for May 10 to 16.

The campaign encourages residents to display blue ribbons on homes, businesses, storefronts, trees and mailboxes as a show of support for law enforcement officers.

National Police Week is a nationwide observance honoring law enforcement officers who serve their communities, including those who have died in the line of duty.

Free blue ribbons are available to residents through the town.

“This campaign is a powerful way to say, ‘thank you’ to the courageous men

and women in blue who put their lives on the line every day,” Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said. “At a time when law enforcement officers continue to face unfair criticism and even calls to defund the police, it’s more important than ever to stand up and show our gratitude.”

“We are proud to live in the safest large suburban county in America, and that’s because of the dedication and sacrifice of our police officers,” Councilman Tom Imbroto added. “When you call 911— whether for a burglary, a health emergency, or to protect your family—our officers are the ones who answer that call. Let’s show them we’ve got their backs.”

Residents who would like a free blue ribbon can request one by calling (516) 6246380.

CRIME WATCH

The following incidents have been reported by the Nassau County Police Department and other law enforcement and emergency service units.

PETIT LARCENY

Massapequa: Someone removed a brown leather wallet from a vehicle that was parked in front of 348 Forest Avenue. The report of the theft was filed April 27 at 5 a.m.

ARRESTS

Driving While Intoxicated/Impaired

Christopher Renda, 42, of Massapequa. Shoplifting

Joseph Buonncontrl, 20, of Lindenhurst was arrested and charged with petit larceny after attempting to seat merchandise from CVS, 20 Broadway, Maasapequa April. 29. The arrest was made at 7:30 a.m.

People named in Crime Watch items as having been arrested and charged with violations or crimes are only suspected of committing those acts of which they are accused. They are all presumed to be innocent of those charges until and unless found guilty in a court of law.

Self Help/Crisis Hotlines

Residential Program: Beacon House Short-term, long-term and transitional housing is provided throughout Long Island in 58 group homes, emergency shelters, and select single-family residences. Those eligible include homeless veterans, veterans with families, veterans and nonveterans with substance abuse and mental health issues, women in need of supportive housing, and those living with HIV/AIDS. Every veteran resident has access to intensive case management, transportation and daily living essentials. For assistance, call 631 665-1571.

Man charged in Massapequa bank robbery

Police say suspect tied to incidents across Nassau

A Rockville Centre man has been arrested in connection with a robbery at a Massapequa bank, police said.

According to Nassau County police, the man robbed a Flagstar Bank on Sunrise Highway on April 22, when he passed a note to a teller demanding cash. The teller complied out of fear and the subject fled.

did not return it, and an attempted robbery at a Chase Bank in Oceanside on April 20, where a teller refused his demand for money, police said.

Domestic Violence

N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence Crisis services for victims of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault; group/individual counseling for adults and children; bilingual court advocacy; legal consultation and representation; safe emergency housing; elder abuse services; referrals and systems advocacy; community education. Eligibility criteria: Nassau County residents or nonresidents seeking safe housing in Nassau. Will serve undocumented immigrants. Payments accepted free or on sliding scale. Address is 250 Fulton Avenue, Mezzanine West, Hempstead. Call 516-572-0700; 24-hour hotline is 516 542-0404.

Police said the suspect, Brian Quinn, 50, is also believed to be responsible for other incidents across Nassau County in the days prior.

Those include the theft of a BMW from an auto shop in Baldwin on April 19, after he took the car for a test drive and

Following an investigation, police arrested Quinn without incident. He has been charged with third-degree robbery, third-degree attempted robbery and fourth-degree grand larceny.

Quinn was arraigned April 24 at First District Court in Hempstead, police said.

This story was originally posted on massapequapost.com.

Goetz, Blakeman, Saladino, Veterans Service Agency to host free benefits seminar for veterans

served get the benefits they deserve so I thank them for all of their efforts.”

Nassau County Legislator Samantha A. Goetz, in partnership with County Executive Bruce A. Blakeman, Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino, and the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency, will host a free Veterans Benefits and Information Seminar for veterans and their families.

The event is scheduled for Monday, May 11, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Syosset-Woodbury Park Community Center, 7800 Jericho Turnpike, Woodbury. The seminar will provide attendees with information on a range of benefits and services available to veterans.

“Long Island is home to one of the largest veteran populations in the country so I am pleased to be co-hosting this event that will provide important information that our veterans and their families are eligible to receive,” Legislator Goetz said. “Our Veterans Service Agency does a great job helping the men and women who proudly

Topics will include briefings on VA disability compensation, aid and attendance benefits, survivor and dependent compensation, veterans’ burial benefits and other available resources. Veteran counselors will also be on site to answer questions and assist with scheduling follow-up appointments.

“Our veterans are true American heroes, and it is our responsibility to ensure they and their families receive every benefit they have earned through their service and sacrifice,” Supervisor Saladino said. “By hosting this seminar, we’re making it easier for veterans to access the resources, support, and information they deserve.”

Reservations are recommended and may be made by contacting the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency at (516) 572-6565.

■ WEB SITE: www.massapequapost.com / www.liherald.com/Babylon ■ E-MAIl: Letters and other submissions: cjames@liherald.com

ereynolds@liherald.com

rglickman@liherald.com

Courtesy NCPD

Brian Quinn

National Record Day draws crowds to Massapequa Park

Music fans flock to ‘Records and Nostalgia’ to purchase vinyl records

By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com

National Record Day brought renewed attention to independent music shops, with vinyl enthusiasts and casual listeners turning out at Records and Nostalgia on Park Boulevard in Massapequa Park Saturday, April 18.

Held each April, Record Day was launched in 2008 to support independently owned record stores and celebrate music culture. It has since grown into a global event, featuring exclusive releases, limitededition pressings and in-store performances that draw collectors and newcomers alike.

At Records and Nostalgia, crowds lined up to purchase classic, new and rare albums and revisit the experience of browsing through physical records.

“We have The Doors, Van Halen, Grateful Dead and many other albums,” said Joseph Ostermeier, the store’s owner, as customers browsed through hundreds of records.

Tom Castellano and Sandy Meyerson, students at Hofstra University, made the trip to Massapequa Park to take part in the event.

“We are looking for some unique albums,” said Castellano.

Castellano and Sandy Meyerson made the trip to Records and Nostalgia in Massapequa Park to have the opportunity to purchase some unique vinyl albums on National Record Day.

Beyond exclusive releases, the day highlights the role local record stores play in their communities. These shops offer more than music — they serve as gathering spaces for fans, collectors and artists.

While digital streaming remains dominant, Record Day underscores a growing appreciation for physical media and the experience it offers. For many, flipping through records and discovering music in person remains an essential part of music culture.

The event also had a charitable component at Records and Nostalgia.

“We are donating 10 percent of our sales to a local animal rescue group,” Ostermeier said.

Carolyn James/Herald

Joseph Ostermeier, owner of Records and Nostalgia in Massapequa Park is shown with employees Corey Larkin and Chris Covais on National Record Day. as customer browses through albums.

Tom

Bats, banners & big smiles: Little League season opens in full swing

By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com

The Massapequa International Little League, celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2026, and the Massapequa Coast Little League opened their seasons in April with Opening Day parades, ceremonies, and community events that drew thousands of residents, marking one of the town’s most popular annual traditions.

This year, the International League reports 1,184 registered players across 95 teams—64 baseball and 31 softball—its strongest enrollment in nearly two decades. Growth has been steady since 2021, driven in part by increased participation at the tee ball level, which includes 261 players across 23 teams, according to Tournament Director Joe Pinto. More than 500 volunteers support the program, including coaches, team parents, and board members.

“We want our youth to enjoy being part of a team, make friends playing for their community league, create memories that will last a lifetime, but mostly have fun,” Pinto said. “Little League is for everyone, regardless of talent level.”

The Massapequa Coast Little League, which held its Opening Day at John Burns Park, operates across three seasons and runs approximately 160 teams involving more than 1,200 players and 400 coaches. League leaders say the programs extend beyond athletics, serving as a cornerstone of community identity and civic pride. Public officials regularly attend events, and Opening Day ceremonies often emphasize unity. At the Coast opening event, participants joined in a chant of “We are Massapequa,” which organizers said reflects the

Officials were out for the day attending the

Taxes

Carolyn James/Herald

Coast LL parade including Joe Diesso, Al Freise, Oyster Bay Councilwoman Laura Maher, Receiver of

Jeff Pravato, Councilman Tom Hand and N.C. Leg. James Kennedy.

Massapequa Coast “Phillies” enjoying opening day parade

Two Little Leaguers marching in the parade.

Youngster gets a better view of the events at the Massapequa Coast Little League parade

Right: Young Little Leaguer proudly marches in opening day parade.

Players from various teams teams in the International

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

league’s role in strengthening local bonds.

“We are a community. We are a foundation that gets rooted into these kids for the rest of their lives,” said Craig Garland, league president. “They learn baseball skills, but also life skills—friendship, teamwork, and a sense of belonging in their community.”

The Coast league also hosts major annual events, including a coaches appreciation outing at Citi Field on May 29, expected to draw 874 attendees to the centerfield “Big Apple” section. An annual awards dinner attracts more than 500 participants and distributes over $20,000 in trophies and championship jackets.

LOOKING AHEAD

Representatives for both leagues emphasized the lasting and positive impact of participation in Little League.

“It’s not just about baseball,” Pinto said. “It’s about building friendships, building community, and giving kids something that stays with them long after the final game.”

Garland added, “We help build foundations for these kids. They develop friendships and a sense of community they carry for life.”

Coast Little League games are Monday through Friday from 5:30 to 7:45 p.m., and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., at John Burns Park; for more information go to leaguelineup. com.

You can watch an International Little League games Saturdays at Brady Park; for more information go to massapequainternationalll.com.

Photos Courtesy International Little League

Little League line up for parade on opening day.

Above, Peter Toth, longtime Massapequa International Little League board member with his daughter Chrissy Fiore, also a board member and coach, and his granddaughter who plays both Little League baseball and softball

jAxsoN toRREs PLAINEDGE Junior Baseball

ONE OF MANY REASONS the Red Devils have established themselves as one of the favorites in Nassau Class A baseball, Torres threw their second no-hitter this spring April 27 in Plainedge’s 8-0 win over Locust Valley. The righthander struck out 15 and walked only one as the Red Devils won their 13th straight game without a loss. The performance upped Torres’ record on the mound to 5-0 with a 1.75 ERA and 0.61 WHIP with 56Ks in 28 innings.

GAMES TO WATCH

Thursday, May 7

Softball: South Side at Hewlett 4:30 p.m.

Baseball: Plainedge at Mineola 4:45 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Seaford at Wantagh 5 p.m.

Baseball: Massapequa at Oceanside 5 p.m.

Baseball: Uniondale at V.S. Central

Softball: Farmingdale at Plainedge

Softball: Baldwin at V.S.

Softball: Uniondale at Sewanhaka

Girls Lacrosse: Long Beach at North Shore

Girls Lacrosse: South Side at Garden City 5 p.m.

Girls Lacrosse: Manhasset at Farmingdale 5:30 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Plainedge at South Side 6 p.m.

Baseball: V.S. South at East Rockaway 7 p.m.

Friday, May 8

Softball: Lynbrook at Elmont 4:30 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Baldwin at Freeport 5 p.m.

Softball: Glen Cove at Wantagh 5 p.m.

Softball: Mepham at Oceanside 5 p.m.

Softball: East Meadow at Plainedge 5 p.m.

Softball: Garden City at Long Beach 5 p.m.

Baseball: Long Beach at Kennedy 5 p.m.

Baseball: New Hyde Park at Calhoun 5 p.m.

Baseball: Hewlett at Carey 5 p.m.

Baseball: Mepham at Clarke 5 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 year. Please send the following information: Name, School, Grade, Sport and accomplishments to Sports@liherald.com.

Plainedge flag football seeks 3-peat

By MARC BERMAN bkacharaba@liherald.com

This is just the fourth season for the Plainedge’s girls flag football program but already it has established dominance like the boys football team in North Massapequa.

The Red Devils girls won the Nassau Class B title in 2024. After being moved down because of lower enrollment, Plainedge captured the Class C county championship last spring.

Moved back to the more powerful Class B for 2026, Plainedge is eyeing a third straight title after posting a 10-1-1 record after its 40-0 bludgeoning of Bethpage on April 30.

“We like our chances,’’ coach Adam Hovorka said. “Other teams are saying the same thing. We have a lot of experienced players. The girls really like each other, hang out after school and are coachable.’’

The Red Devils also have a terrific passing game led by sterling quarterback, junior Gianna Ponticello, who completed 10 of 13 passes for 217 yards and threw for four touchdowns versus Bethpage to give her 40 for the year.

“We can really throw the ball,’’ Hovorka said. “The quarterback Gianna can really throw it, and we have multiple receivers who run really well and catch the ball.’’

Also a volleyball player, Ponticello has completed 152 of 220 passes for 2,165 yards with just six interceptions. “She’s incredibly accurate – ridiculously accurate,’’ Hovorka said.

Ponticello plays volleyball but an early softball career set her up for quarterback. Ponticello joined the flag squad as a freshman receiver, but stepped in as quarterback when the starter missed several games for college visits.

“Softball has helped me,’’ said Ponticello. “That’s where I found I got my arm strength and accuracy.”

The sensational record doesn’t surprise Ponticello, who started playing football in the third grade. “We came out strong,’’ Ponticello said. “We work very well together and built a strong relationship. We’re one unit as a team and trust each other. Our coaches have built us into

who we are today.’’

Ponticello’s favorite target is speedy sophomore receiver Charlotte Norbury (45 receptions, 761 yards, 10 touchdowns through the first 11 games.)

The 5-8 Norby also runs track and is a basketball player. “She’s very fast, tall, athletic,’’ Hovorka said.

Senior Kate Franks is the running back, logging 581 yards on 74 rushing attempts for 8 touchdowns. Her background is as a four-year cheerleader and she’s a fierce straight-ahead runner.

“She is very powerful, strong,’’ Hovorka said. “When girls run straight, some of the other girls get out of the way.’’

The defense is stout, allowing just 10 points per game. McKenna Hovorka is the middle linebacker keying the D. She has 7 interceptions with four returned for touchdowns and 89 flag pulls.

“She’s got great instincts,’’ said Hovorka. “She sees the field.’’

Another defensive force is junior Ava Renzo, who plays as rusher with 10 sacks. The keystone at safety is sophomore Maddie Crandon (5 interceptions).

Plainedge has two games left – Monday versus Roosevelt and Wednesday against Rosyln. A recent 14-14 tie with MacArthur likely cost its chance at a conference title but a deep playoff march matters most.

“I think we are going to get to the championships,’’ Ponticello said. “This is what we work for – championships.’’ Soon enough, Havorka, a 1994 Plainedge graduate, will turn to the boys football team, taking over as head coach for the retired Rob Shaver this fall.

“I’m thrilled,’’ Hovorka said. “I’m an alum here. I live here. To have a chance to follow a legend, there’s a little pressure there but we welcome it and will continue to do the things we have always done to win football games.’’

Donovan Berthoud/Herald

Red Devils junior quarterback Gianna Ponticello has thrown 40 touchdown passes in a dozen games.

Edwin G. “Ed” Lawrence, decades of service in Amityville and Massapequa fire

By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com

Edwin G. “Ed” Lawrence, a lifelong public safety volunteer whose service spanned multiple decades and states, died peacefully on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at the age of 93. He was surrounded by his loving family.

Born on August 15, 1932, in Amityville, Mr. Lawrence dedicated much of his life to military and emergency service. At just 17 years old, he enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served as an Aviation Machinist’s Mate, Third Class during the Korean War.

Following his military service, Mr. Lawrence continued his commitment to community protection through volunteer fire and rescue work. He joined the Massapequa Fire Department, where he served on the drill team and remained an active member until relocating his family to New Hampshire in 1966.

After moving to Cornish, New Hampshire, he became one of the founding members of the Cornish Rescue Squad and served as a volunteer firefighter with the Cornish Fire Department. He remained active in those roles until returning to Long Island in 1985.

He moved back to Amityville and continued his volunteer service with the Amityville Fire Department, Engine

4. Even after retiring to Florida, he remained closely connected to the fire service community, regularly corresponding with department members, sharing safety messages, and expressing deep pride in his fellow firefighters.

“My father was easy going and got along with everyone,” said his son Ed.

“He had a passion for fire department service and loved being a member of the departments he served. We estimate that he responded to 10,000 fire calls in his lifetime.”

Great South Bay Boating club is offering boating courses

The Great South Bay Boating club is offering a variety of boating courses including to help prepare boaters for the upcoming boating season:

AMERICA’S BOATING COURSES

•Massapequa: Captree Squadron May 9, 9 a.m., at Harbor Green Shore Cloub, 38 Riviera Dr., East. The cost is $30. For

information call Gene Johnson at 631921-3403 or email him at pwrbtr@aol.

•West Islip: Great South Bay Squadron, May 11, 6:30 p.m., West Islip Library, 3 Higbie La., West Islip. The cost is $40. For information call Michael Boland at 631-290-8096 or email him atbolandmichael123@gmail.com

Ken Lang of the Amityville Fire Department, where Mr. Lawrence served from 1985-2024, said Mr. Lawrence understood what it took to be a firefighter.

“He was smart, confident and had the creative ability to do whatever had to be done; he had the skill to handle whatever situation he was put into.”

His dedication and compassion went beyond the fire department, however, said Marilyn Lang.

“He was a kind man who was always there to help people. Whether someone needed help cleaning out their home or a hot meal delivered, he was there,” she said.

“He was devoted to Amityville,” added Ken Lang.

In his later years, Lawrence remained engaged and forward-thinking, often developing ideas and inventions aimed at improving public safety.

He was predeceased by his parents, Edwin and Helen (Donnolly) Lawrence; his sister, Caroline Smith; his brotherin-law, Ed Smith; and his son-in-law, Larry Dingee.

He is survived by his five children: Jim (Tammy) of Fall City Washington , Ed (Karlene) Webser NH , Dale, Cornish NH Diana (Robert) Daytona Beach Fla. , and Patty (Michael) Homosassa, Florida. ; ten grandchildren: Shane, Mary, Ashley, Lisa, Kelsey, Jessica, Kyle, Marisa,

at 93

Stephen, and Santino; and ten greatgrandchildren: Emma, Blake, Maisie, Jacob, Logan, Brooke, Julius, Liam, Sofia, and Isabel.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Ed Lawrence’s memory may be made to the following organizations: Massapequa Fire Department Companies 4 & 6, P.O. Box 382, Massapequa, NY 11758; AFD Cares, c/o Amityville Fire Department, P.O. Box 725, Amityville, NY 11701or the Cornish Fire Department Association, P.O. Box 274, Cornish Flat, NH 03746.

Edwin G. Lawrence

Herald hosts Senior Health Expo in Deer Park

By ALYSSA R. GRIFFIN agriffin@liherald.com

Herald Community Media and RichnerLive hosted the latest installment of the Senior Health Expo series, designed to aid those to stay active, informed and engaged in every stage of life.

Dozens of seniors piled into the Deer Park Knights on April 16 for the free event focused on health, wellness and lifestyle.

The event brought together trusted local exhibitors and service providers, giving attendees the opportunity to learn about resources available to them while also taking advantage of on-site health screenings.

The event had several sponsors, including gold sponsors PSEG Long Island and National Grid. For National Grid, it was their first time attending.

“We’re here to help seniors and provide some information about all the several programs that we have to help with affordability, to help with energy efficiency, to show the different programs that we have to help pay your bills,” Wendy Frigeria, Strategic Communications for National Grid said.

Nicole Hall, community partnerships coordinator for PSEG Long Island spoke on their commitment to connecting with seniors across the island.

“We thought it was a great opportunity to partner with the Long Island Herald to reach as many seniors as possible,” Hall said. “We just really want our seniors to know that if they have any questions or concerns, that they can reach out to us.”

The Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation sponsored as well, continuing their dedication to seniors across the island. Jennifer Roth, community outreach said.

“We are dedicated to elder care and the aging community,” Roth said. “The mission for the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation is excellence, quality standards and compassionate healthcare for the aging community, whether they’re at home or need to be in a facility.”

Many vendors were in attendance to share their resources with the attendees, including the Urban League of Westchester County, who came to share how they serve not just Westchester, but Long Island and Queens as well.

“Our program assists [seniors] in training and working with local nonprofits to get back into the job

market, and anything that they do to enhance their careers, any classes that they take, our program will pay them for those hours,” Yvette Hallman, director of the urban seniors job program said.

Mae Caime, founder of Amaezing Midlife and Beyond, hosted the question and answer portion while welcoming each of their speakers.

With PSEG Long Island, Allison Puglia spoke on resources for seniors within the community. She spoke on various energy assistance programs including the Home Energy Assistance Program, which offers aid for energy and electric bills and the Cooling Heat program, which helps provide air conditioners and installment for seniors.

Karla Ayala with National Grid spoke on similar resources including protections on their accounts from service interruptions and disconnection to seniors gas. This also includes a Warm Fund, that aids $500 toward a gas heating account.

The director of social work at East Neck Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Regina Gorman, spoke on what advanced care planning is, and how to keep your dignity in

different medical situations.

Jill Wasser with the NYS Department of Public Service Long Island discussed the agency’s role in overseeing utilities while ensuring affordable and reliable services. She also highlighted the Home Energy Fair Practices Act and the Critical Care Program for those who use life support equipment.

Roth was the final speaker with The Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation, speaking on their various services, including grants for caregivers of individuals with cognitive decline.

Seniors enjoyed getting their bodies moving while learning of these resources that could assist them whenever they need be.

Tim Baker/Herald

Robert Barnes and Susan Suridis from PSEG.

Seniors dance and stretch following the speaker presentations.

Guests at the event connect with the exhibitors.

Monica Stoller and Linda Pretter, from Chasing Fabulous TV, at their booth.

Jennifer Roth from Parker Jewish Institute.

The Seasoned Steppers and Ms. New York Senior America ‘24 Joan Caliendo were in attendance.

Presenter Karla Ayala, from National Grid, also spoke to those in attendance. Allison Puglia, from PSEG, presenting the first panel.

Speaker AnneMarie Fragkoulis from East Neck Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

The New York Life exhibitor table and representatives.

Cats Do Recognize Their Own Names

Cats have perfected the art of indifference to their humans. Owners get frustrated when their cats do not come running when they call them. However, 2019 research from Sophia University in Tokyo states that domestic cats do recognize their names, even when they do not respond.

Pets, Pets, Pets...

The lead researcher was Atsuko Saito, a behavioral scientist at Sophia University. Her past experiments have revealed cats can interpret human gestures to find hidden food, recognize their owner’s voice, and beg for food from a person who looks at them and calls their name, which together suggested that felines know their names.

JOANNE ANDERSON

Cats are Saito’s favorite animal. She studied primate cognition in graduate school and shifted to studying cats later because she feels their behavior is often misunderstood.

In her 2019 study, which involved 78 cats from Japanese households and a “cat café”, she focused on determining whether cats recognize their own names, an ability wellknown about dogs.

Saito and her colleagues first had owners repeatedly say four nouns that sounded similar to their cats’ names until the animals were used to those words and stopped responding. Next the owners said the actual names, and the researchers looked at whether individual cats (when living among other cats) appeared able to distinguish their names. The cats had more pronounced responses to their own names— meowing or moving their ears, heads or

tails—than to similar words or other cats’ names.

Next, the researchers had people unfamiliar to these cats speak the names. Although the felines’ responses were less prominent than when their owners called them, they still appeared to recognize their names.

Saito says the felines in the experiments probably “associated their names with some rewards or punishments,” and she thinks it is unlikely they understand that these sounds are attached to them as individuals.

“There is no evidence that cats have the ability to recognize themselves, like us,” she explained. “So, the recognition [of] their name is different from ours.” Still, it may be possible to teach cats to recognize other words. Whether that could allow humans to train cats to respond to commands—as dogs readily do—is another matter.

Dogs have at least a 20,000-year headstart living with humans. Canine domestication was active, and involved performing various tasks such as hunting, guarding, sheep herding, which required people to communicate with them so they could train them. This bond fostered social dependence, and resulted in genetic diversity, as dogs were bred for specific jobs.

Conversely, feline domestication began later, approximately 10,000 years ago, and was more passive. It was a “self-domestication” process where solitary wildcats approached places where people settled to hunt rodents (for themselves). There was little genetic change, even after people real-

ized that having cats nearby as rodent control was an asset. The cats remained more independent than the dogs.

ANOTHER JAPANESE UNIVERSITY STUDY found cats can recognize their feline friends’ names if the cats live together. In 2022, this team of researchers from Kyoto University conducted a study with 48 very social cats who lived in households with at least three other cats or from “cat cafés” where up to dozens of felines can live under the same roof.

Each participating cat was shown a computer screen that displayed one of her feline friend’s faces, along with an audio recording that played their caregiver’s voice calling either the displayed cat’s real name or a made-up name that didn’t match the one on the screen.

The cats who heard the name that matched the familiar cat’s face spent less time staring at the computer screen compared to the cats that heard a phony name, which may have perplexed them. (More time = cat confusion.) The researchers said that this suggests that cats can associate a specific individual with a stimulus like a cat’s name.

Still, not everyone is convinced. It’s possible the cats simply recognized the images, not the names. More research may be needed. What do you think?

KITTENS FOR ADOPTION AT BABYLON ANIMAL SHELTER (631-643-9270), 80 New Highway, N. Amityville 11701. These females are most likely sisters. Each is 8 months old. They are spayed, vaccinated, FeLV/FIV negative, microchipped. Sarafina #6-119 is an orange tabby with some white, and Nala #6-118 is mostly white with an orange tabby hairdo. My name is Rumpelstiltskin.

Babylon Shelter Poster

Kittens (sisters)

Sarafina - 8 months orange tabby & some white

Nala - 8 months white with orange tabby hairdo.

more about how we’re helping communities thrive. psegliny.com/revitalization These two moms opened a spa. It had one big, on the community.

Mery and Sindy always knew they wanted to open a spa to bring beauty to customers. Little did they know it would have the same effect on the community. And Business First was there. We provided $23,000 in grants to help with much-needed renovations so Mery and Sindy could bring their vision to life.* Now, not only does their spa impact clients in a beautiful way, it gives the community an economic lift as well. *Incentives, grants, and savings will vary with every project.

NATIONAL NURSES WEEK, MAY 6-12

At South Shore University Hospital, nursing runs in the family

At South Shore University Hospital, nursing is more than a profession for two Smithtown and East Islip families — it is a multi-generational calling shaped by compassion, mentorship and a shared commitment to care.

For Barbara Makofske, 65, nursing began more than 40 years ago after she was inspired as a teenager by an ICU nurse she babysat for. She entered the field through a BOCES nurse-aide program, later joining the hospital in the 1980s.

She returned in 1992 to help open the inpatient rehabilitation unit as head nurse and later served as a nurse manager. She ultimately finished her career in quality management, working with regulatory agencies to ensure standards of care were met before retiring Dec. 31.

“I may still come back per diem,” she said, noting she is now enjoying travel, reading and time at the gym.

Her son, Dennis Makofske, 29, now works on a medical-surgical telemetry

unit caring for cardiothoracic surgery patients. He began at the hospital in 2018 as a transporter before advancing through nursing school and into his current role.

“I love the human connection,” he said. “Patients don’t want to be in the hospital, so I try to make it as easy as possible and really get to know them.”

Dennis said his perspective changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, reinforcing his commitment to the profession. He has since earned a Rising Star award from colleagues.

“Skill is one thing,” Barbara said, “but compassion is something you can’t teach — and he brings that every day.”

A similar legacy is found in the Porti family of East Islip, where nursing spans three generations.

For Abby Porti, 47, the path into healthcare was deeply rooted in family history. Her mother began her nursing

career at the hospital in 1965, setting an example that shaped her future.

“It’s in our DNA,” Abby said. “Growing up, hearing the stories, seeing the impact… it just felt innate.”

With more than 20 years in nursing, Abby has worked in critical care, interventional radiology and administration. She now serves in quality management, focusing on performance improvement and patient safety.

“The people are my favorite part,” she said. “I am a patient advocate on a grander scale, identifying and solving systemic issues before they reach the patient.”

Her daughter, Emily Porti, 24, recently completed her first year as a nurse on a medical-surgical unit. She said she was “practically born into it.”

“There are pictures of me as a kid with a stethoscope, listening to my dolls’ hearts,” she said with a laugh. Now at the bedside, Emily said she is embracing the challenges of the profession. “It’s been a tough first year, but I love it. I wouldn’t change anything.”

Together, the Makofske and Porti families reflect a shared legacy at South Shore University Hospital — where nursing is passed down not just as a career, but as a way of life.

—Courtesy of South Shore University Hospital

Barbara Makofske and son Dennis, who share a love for nursing

Nurses Abby and Emily Porti

CELEBRATING

ROOTED IN STRENGTH

CELEBRATING NURSES: MEET SOME OF OUR NURSE HEROES

ABIGAIL DUNNE, RN

Glen Cove Hospital

Northwell Health

Abigail Dunne’s path into healthcare began during her high school years in Locust Valley.

“I went to Locust Valley High School and I took an EMT course and I started volunteering in the Bayville Fire Department as an EMT,” Dunne, 23, says. “I decided that I really enjoyed helping people and I really liked being able to help people in ways that others couldn’t necessarily.”

Her experience in emergency medical services shaped her decision to pursue nursing, to provide what she described as a deeper level of care.

“So it was more than just offering emotional support, but now it’s like physical support and seeing people get better, get stronger. It’s just been something that’s always made me feel really good. I just love helping people.”

Dunne went on to attend nursing school while a nursing assistant at Glen Cove Hospital, where she has been employed since September 2022.

“I’ve worked at Glen Cove ... I was a nursing assistant during nursing school.”

She relates that her role as a nurse centers on compassion and service to others.

“I feel like being a nurse, it’s really just about being able to give to other people. We know people are sick and being able to help them deﬁnitely is very rewarding in itself.”

Healthcare runs in her family. Her sister works in EMS and as a nurse at Plainview Hospital, and her greatgrandfather was a doctor.

- As told to Roksana Amid

TAMEKA WALLACE, RN

Glen Cove Hospital Northwell Health

Tameka Wallace, 42, vice president and chief nursing ofﬁcer at Glen Cove Hospital, did not initially plan a career in health care.

“My path was ﬁnance,” Wallace says, explaining that she once hoped to pursue her father’s career path. “I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps. He worked on Wall Street, and I was always fascinated.”

Her trajectory shifted after she took a job in hospitality services at North Shore University Hospital at age 16. By 18, she had moved onto a Telemetry unit, where she discovered her passion for patient care.

“Once I was able to get on the ﬁrst unit, I fell in love with patient care services.”

That experience, coupled with working alongside her mother, helped shape her future.

“I actually started nursing school with my mom. We did nursing school together, and we actually graduated together as well.”

Wallace, who has been with Northwell Health for 26 years and a nurse for more than two decades, shares that her work is rooted in advocacy and compassion.

“What nursing means to me is being the patient and caregiver’s advocate; making sure that they feel that they are at home, away from home. You want to put the patient at ease at a very tough time in their life.”

Now in a leadership role, Wallace aims to highlight the broader impact of the profession.

“My goal is to make sure that we get the word out on how special nursing is. It’s not just being at the bedside, we touch so many people in so many ways.”

- As told to Roksana Amid

EBONI NORVILLE, RN, NURSE MANAGER

St. John's Episcopal Hospital

Episcopal Health Services

As a child, I have always had a love for medicine. One of my ﬁrst toys was a stethoscope, and I loved to play doctor and surgery on my dolls. My favorite television shows have been related to medicine. My late father would say “Medicine is in your blood! You’re born with it!”

One day, I could not help but to ask my father why he said this. He went on to explain that his aunt worked as an RN in England for over 20 years, and my grandmother worked as a CNA. As I thought about this, I realized that he was right! Some of my fondest memories as a child are of my family members caring for the elders.

Upon further reﬂection I realized my most cherished childhood memories involve my family instinctively knowing how to care for our elders, anticipating their needs for healing or comfort. As I matured, the realization struck me: the care, compassion, attentiveness, and nurturing instinct that is within me, is the core of nursing. Almost instinctively knowing what's needed to heal or cure others.

Throughout my professional life, I have had the privilege of working in diverse settings, and those fundamental nursing principles have remained constant. Today, I am incredibly proud and grateful to be a registered nurse.

LUCKENDY CHERY, RN, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

St. John's Episcopal Hospital Episcopal Health Services

My desire to become a nurse was shaped early in life, growing up surrounded by healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, physicians and a long line of nurses across various specialties. It felt like a path I was always meant to follow.

Although I brieﬂy pursued a degree in business administration, it didn’t take long for me to return to my true calling. My journey began as an EMT, where I was known for going above and beyond in patient care, showing compassion, empathy and a commitment to doing my best. My curiosity led me to seek more than just immediate care. I wanted to understand what happened to my patients after I transferred them and how their care continued.

This curiosity led me to work as a Behavioral Health Technician for five years, where I supported patients on a Behavioral Health unit. There, I saw firsthand the profound impact nurses had through compassion, teaching and therapeutic interventions. I found fulfillment in reinforcing coping skills and lessons patients could carry back into their communities. Ultimately, my experiences, curiosity and support system guided me to nursing.

Now, after one year as a nurse, I embrace my role as an educator, advocate and leader entrusted with lives and responsible for making a meaningful difference. I chose nursing to be a positive force in the lives of patients and their families, to educate them in ways they can understand, and to serve as an example that empowers others to advocate for themselves and pursue nursing as well.

CELEBRATING NURSES: MEET SOME OF OUR NURSE HEROES

JENNIFER ERDMAN PSINAKIS, BSN, RN, HNB-BC, PCCN

NYU Langone Hospital Long Island

I have been a nurse at NYU Langone Hospital - Long Island for close to 15 years on a Surgical Telemetry unit specializing in cardiothoracic surgery patients. It is the first unit I started on, and I am still working on that unit to this day! It is a very special unit staffed with very special people, some who have grown to be my closest friends. I am on many hospital councils and committees, and am a boardcertified holistic nurse.

I became a nurse out of a deeprooted desire to care for others and to form meaningful human connections. From an early age, I was drawn to roles that allowed me to support, comfort and uplift those around me, and nursing provided a natural path to turn that passion into a profession. To me, nursing is far more than clinical skill or technical knowledge — it is the privilege of being present for individuals during some of the most vulnerable and significant moments of their lives.

My greatest fulfillment comes from building trust with my patients, understanding their stories and providing care that honors not only their physical needs but also their emotional and personal experiences. Nursing means advocating, listening and showing compassion in a way that helps patients feel seen, heard and valued. It is both a responsibility and a profound honor to walk alongside patients and their families, offering support, dignity and genuine human connections when it matters most.

ADRIENNE KINCH BSN, RN, CPAN, PGMT-BC

NYU Langone Hospital

Long Island

My career as a nurse has been deeply rewarding and a lifelong journey of learning. Nursing has been my profession for almost 48 years, and I cherish every experience — whether happy or sad.

As a teenager, I lost my grandfather to a heart attack, and I felt helpless. I began volunteering at a hospital, where I realized it was my life’s calling. It became very important to me to pursue a career that would allow me to make a difference in people’s lives and give me the opportunity to help others. Nursing was the perfect ﬁt.

I have had the privilege of working at NYU Langone Hospital - Long Island for 36 years in the PACU. Prior to that, I spent 10 years as an ICU nurse and two years on a medical-surgical ﬂoor. I feel incredibly fortunate to have built such a fulﬁlling career at NYU Langone - Long Island and to have gained a second work family.

Helping new nurses grow and succeed is truly my passion. Teamwork and the ability to contribute to improving the quality of patient care have motivated me throughout the years. I credit my peers, my patients, and the support of leadership for helping me grow both professionally and personally.

Nursing has given me a profound sense of purpose and a lasting passion that has brought meaning to my life. If I can give hope to someone who is sick and see it in their eyes, then I am fulﬁlled. Sharing human experiences and showing kindness through serving others has made me a better person and helped me overcome some of my own life’s heartaches through the strength of those around me.

AMARPREET KAUR, RN

Northwell

Long Island Jewish Valley Stream

Amarpreet Kaur began her nursing career at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital last March, working on the hospital’s Medical-Surgical unit with a focus on older adult care.

Her path to nursing was shaped by early experiences after immigrating to the United States from India in 2008. As a child, she often assisted her father during medical appointments, translating and observing the role communication plays in patient care.

“It was their dream of {my brother and me] basically getting our degrees in the medical ﬁeld, and then coming back and giving back to the community,” Kaur says. “That's something that we always do here and there. When we go back, we set up a camp back home. Even if it is just checking their ﬁnger sticks for blood sugar levels or their blood pressure in the community, it's so fascinating to them. That's not something that people often do there.”

Kaur pursued a degree in biology before completing her nursing education at LIU Brooklyn in 2024.

Kaur shares she was drawn to nursing to combine compassion, advocacy and clinical knowledge while supporting patients during vulnerable moments. Since starting at the hospital, she has completed a nurse residency program and taken on additional responsibilities, including serving as a diabetes resource on her unit. She has also contributed to initiatives focused on improving care for older adults and reducing complications such as falls and delirium.

Looking ahead, Kaur plans to pursue certiﬁcation in gerontology and begin graduate studies in informatics, with the goal of enhancing patient care through both clinical practice and technology.

- As told to Angelina Zingariello

ELIZABETH MCGRATH, RN Northwell

Long Island Jewish Valley Stream

Elizabeth McGrath has worked in nursing since 2010, building her career in high-acuity settings before transitioning to Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital to serve her local community.

A Franklin Square resident, she spent more than a decade working in Emergency and Intensive Care units in the Bronx before joining the Valley Stream hospital in 2022 as an Emergency Department nurse.

“I've always wanted to be a nurse,” McGrath says. “I've always had a passion for helping people since a very young age. I think my faith in Catholicism played a lot in wanting to provide equitable care, especially for underprivileged populations.”

After two years in the Emergency Department, she stepped into her current role as an associate educator, where she supports the development of new and experienced nurses. Her responsibilities include onboarding staff, leading training programs and coordinating educational initiatives tailored to the needs of the department.

“I'm the ﬁrst nurse in my family on all sides,” McGrath says. “Actually, I am very happy to say my daughter wants to become an Emergency Department nurse, just like me. So, perhaps there will be a second nurse in the family one day.”

She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in nursing education through Jacksonville University and expects to graduate next year. McGrath relates tht teaching has been a long-standing goal, allowing her to share her experience while supporting the next generation of nurses. She remains closely connected to clinical work by assisting staff during critical situations and staying engaged in patient care environments.

- As told to Angelina Zingariello

CELEBRATING NURSES: MEET SOME OF OUR NURSE HEROES

MITCHEL MARAVILLA, BSN, RN-BC

Mount

Sinai South Nassau

Becoming a nurse has been my dream since childhood. This aspiration began when I had to care for my father at a very young age. Sadly, he passed away shortly after I graduated from nursing school, but his memory continues to inspire my passion for this profession.

Nursing is a noble calling. The ability to care for others and help save lives is both a privilege and a gift — one that I carry with deep pride. For the past 25 years, I have dedicated myself to this profession, including 13 meaningful years at Mount Sinai South Nassau.

Throughout my career, nursing has taught me far more than clinical and technical skills. It has instilled in me the values of compassion, dedication and selflessness. In this profession, I learned that true fulfillment comes from serving others with a selfless heart. Helping without expecting anything in return and choosing to do what is right even when no one is watching.

Currently I work on F3, the Oncology Med-Surg/Telemetry unit, where teamwork and service are at the heart of everything we do. I work with amazing colleagues where we do more than just care for patients; we care for one another. We stand side by side like a family, lifting each other up and sharing both the burdens and the victories.

Over the years, MSSN has faced many changes and challenges. Yet, one thing has remained constant: our deep sense of belonging. We do not simply work here; we consider this institution our second home and continue to serve with compassion and purpose.

IVAN TAGLORIN, MSN, RN

Mount

Sinai South Nassau

Born in South Nassau, raised in the Oceanside community and now serving patients within it, my journey into nursing has truly come full circle. I began my nursing career in 2016, driven by a passion for helping others. A passion instilled in me early on through the values of my parents, who were both nurses.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of growing within the profession, starting as a bedside nurse, advancing to Assistant Nurse Manager, and now serving as a Nurse Informaticist. Each role has shaped my perspective and strengthened my commitment to patient care. While my responsibilities have changed, the core of why I chose nursing has remained the same.

To me, nursing is more than caring for the illness in front of me. It is about recognizing the individual behind the diagnosis. It is about understanding that every patient has a story, a family, a life beyond the hospital room. Nursing means showing up for people during some of their most vulnerable moments and providing not only clinical care, but also compassion, dignity and support.

In my current role, I contribute to patient care on a broader level by improving systems and implementing technologies that empower nurses and enhance the care experience for patients. Supporting nurses in delivering safe, efﬁcient and high-quality care is just as important as the outcomes themselves, as it ultimately shapes every patient's interaction. No matter the setting, my goal remains the same: to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

I am grateful for the opportunities that have brought me to this point and for the ability to continue serving others through nursing.

BETHANY LAWSON, RN Catholic Health Mercy Hospital

Bethany Lawson’s path to nursing began with a simple instinct: to care for others. Growing up, she was drawn to comforting people in difﬁcult moments, a trait that steadily evolved into a calling.

Today, Lawson is a medical-surgical nurse at Mercy Hospital, where she has worked for 13 years, ﬁrst as a patient care assistant before earning her nursing degree.

Her role is wide-ranging, from caring for psychiatric and elderly patients to performing IV therapy and phlebotomy. The variety keeps her engaged, but it is her mindset that deﬁnes her work. She approaches every patient as if they were family, a perspective that guides her through long hours and difﬁcult days.

“What keeps me going is I come to work every day, and I always treat my patients like they're my mom, my sister, my brother, my grandparents. The fulﬁllment I get from knowing I've done my part is unmatched, and it continues to motivate me to show up every day with the same passion and dedication.”

Lawson relates her decision to advance in the ﬁeld came early in her career, when she realized she wanted to do more for her patients. That drive pushed her back to school and ultimately into nursing, where she could expand her skills and impact.

She credits the supportive, familyoriented environment at Mercy Hospital for helping her grow, noting that colleagues encourage one another to improve and deliver the highest level of care to the community they serve each day.

“Nursing means helping others when they're unable to help themselves, putting my patients' needs at the forefront, and caring for them the way I would care for myself or my loved ones.”

- As told to Brian Kacharaba

GABRIELLE DEL GATTO, RN Catholic Health Mercy Hospital

Gabrielle Del Gatto discovered her calling in nursing after initially pursuing a career in education, ultimately realizing she wanted to serve people more directly in their most vulnerable moments.

Drawn to the emotional and clinical demands of patient care, she entered the nursing profession in December 2024 and quickly found meaning in the fast-paced, high-responsibility environment of the hospital setting.

On a Medical-Surgical unit, she cares for a diverse mix of patients, managing multiple assignments per shift while striving to improve each patient’s experience through attentive care each day on the unit.

“Honestly, I'm very religious, so I always wanted to work for Catholic Health hospitals because they just align with my values,” she says. “But for me, God is my never-ending motivation. Every single patient that has stood in my path, I know that they're sent to me from God. So even if things seem like they're not going the way they're meant to be, I know it's all part of the plan, and I don't question it.”

Early in her career, Del Gatto found afﬁrmation after forming a strong connection with a patient and family, an experience that led to a Daisy Award nomination just ﬁve months after practicing independently and reinforced her sense of purpose.

“My favorite part is when a patient looks me in the eye and tells me that they appreciate everything [I’ve done for them]. It is the best feeling in the whole entire world.”

She credits Mercy Hospital’s supportive culture and teamwork for helping her grow, noting the hospital’s shared commitment to compassionate care and the opportunity to learn and develop as a new nurse at Mercy.

- As told to Brian Kacharaba

CELEBRATING NURSES

NICOLETTE MASCIOLI, RN

Northwell

Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Nicolette Mascioli spent eight days in March on a mission trip to Guatemala. It was not a glamorous, Instagram-worthy vacation. Instead, she and other volunteers — through her alma mater Sacred Heart University — provided care in remote villages. Anyone who knows the 24-year-old Farmingdale native would not be surprised.

Today Nicolette is a registered nurse at Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center in New Hyde Park, specializing in a Post-Surgical unit that handles everything from neurosurgery and plastic surgery to colorectal procedures and hysterectomies.

She started her volunteer streak at age 15 when she spent time with the child life program at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park by entertaining, playing and bonding with sick youngsters. She followed that up as an LIJ volunteer. Little did she realize that a career in nursing — let alone a staff role at LIJ — would be in her future. After all, no one in her family had pursued a career in health care.

“I’m grateful to have made an impact on someone else’s life — even a little,” says Nicolette, the oldest of three sisters. “I feel like I do learn something new every day. I did not expect the opportunities that I’ve had through nursing.”

The Guatemala mission through her Catholic university was made possible by a donation from LIJ to cover her travel expenses. Nicolette brought back a greater appreciation of the need in the world and good she can do.

“It was life changing,” she says. “It really reshapes your perception.”

– As told to Jason Molinet

MELISSA SMALL, RN

Northwell

Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Melissa Small went away to college, a Jamaican immigrant living the American dream. But the leap proved too great financially and she was soon back in Brooklyn working a string of department store jobs. She even considered joining the U.S. military. Then a chance encounter with a nursing assistant who sold an alternative future pushed her into health care.

Today Melissa, 40, of Jamaica, Queens, is a registered nurse at Long Island Jewish Medical Center — the last 13 years in the same unit. Eight Tower is LIJ’s surgical oncology floor, with a focus on abdominal, lung and pancreatic surgery patients.

Looking back, the climb up seemed improbable. She worked in a nursing home, then received certifications for phlebotomy and electrocardiogram testing. Her big break was landing a temp job at LIJ, which eventually grew into full-time employment.

“I would recommend health care if your heart is in it,” Melissa says. “I can’t imagine my life not being by the bedside. I like to be around people — our patients are like family — so nursing is great for that.”

Northwell helped fuel her growth.

Aided by tuition reimbursement, she earned an Associate’s degree in Nursing followed by her Bachelor’s degree.

The leveling up of her career continues. Commuting part-time to New Jersey, she graduates from William Paterson University on May 20 with a Master of Science in Nursing, part of its family nurse practitioner program.

“Northwell has encouraged me to do more. The opportunity is there if it’s in you to do more."

– As told to Jason Molinet

Our Dedicated to our communities. ,

Always leading. Always caring. Always learning.

They comfort, advocate, heal and inspire — often all in the same shift. Nurses bring skill, compassion and unwavering dedication to every patient encounter while helping shape the future of healthcare through leadership, education and innovation.

During National Nurses Week, we pause to recognize the extraordinary professionals who stand at the heart of our healthcare system. From routine visits to life-saving emergencies, from welcoming new beginnings to offering comfort in life’s most difficult moments, nurses are there through it all. Their work demands resilience, expertise and endless empathy. We depend on their steady presence and commitment every day. Simply put, healthcare would not function without them.

In this special photo essay by Photo Editor Tim Baker, we celebrate these everyday heroes through images that capture their care, courage and commitment — and the countless ways they make a difference in our communities.

We thank you. We celebrate you. We see you.

Photos by Tim Baker/Herald 1. At Glen Cove Hospital: Carla Joseph, RN, and Akeesha Sheriff, RN, confer in Endoscopy.

At work in Glen Cove Hospital's Brain Injury Unit with Nicole Caravella, RN, and Cindia Cisneros, RN

Lisa Pino, RN, and Hannah Russel, RN, with a newborn in Mercy Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

4. Lindsay Bodner, RN, and Kayla Lewis, RN, go about their shift in Surgery Oncology at Mercy Hospital.

5. Christopher Kelly, RN, and Torey Bender, RN, staff Outpatient Dialysis in NYU Langone –Long Island’s Emergency Department.

At Long Island Jewish Valley Stream: James Arxer, RN, and Tania Francois, RN, in the Emergency Department.

7. Wayne Lee RN, is a Transfer Nurse in Admission and Discharge at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream 8. The team in Surgical Step-down at Mount Sinai South Nassau includes Anne Quinn, RN, Jimmy Hernandez, RN, and Lauren Cuevas, RN, Assistant Nurse Manager. 9

Portia Javillo, RN, and Pamela Piyavunno, RN, at work in Mount Sinai South Nassau’s Family Medicine Department.

Excellence in All You Do! Thank You, Nurses.

At Mount Sinai, we proudly honor the strength, compassion, and expertise of our nurses, and recognize the essential role they play in caring for our patients and supporting the communities we serve.

Mount Sinai’s nursing team creates excellence together every day. Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside and Mount Sinai Queens have each earned the prestigious Magnet® Recognition three times consecutively, while The Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan has received this distinction ﬁve times in succession—an honor achieved by less than 3 percent of hospitals in the United States. This recognition reﬂects an unwavering commitment to exceptional patient care and consistently better outcomes.

As we celebrate Nurses Week, we proudly recognize the dedication and excellence of the nurses who make this achievement possible every day.

mountsinai.org

Architects of tomorrow begin at Farmingdale High School

From the boardroom to the big stage, 51 students traded the classroom for the highstakes world of professional competition. Now, two are headed for the global spotlight.

Members of the Farmingdale High School DECA chapter descended on Rochester between Wednesday, March 4, and Friday, March 6 for the Annual New York DECA State Career Conference. Nearly 3,000 aspiring professionals joined Farmingdale’s fifty-one students to navigate a grueling gauntlet of role-play scenarios, technical exams and boardroom-style presentations. Under the mentorship of business teachers Alexis Zaino and Jackie Tannazzo, and with Superintendent Paul Defendini and Board of Education Trustee George Andriopoulos in attendance, the Farmingdale delegation demonstrated that they are not just students—they are the future of the global market. The district-wide leadership in attendance underscored a clear message: Farmingdale is committed to excellence on every stage.

The competitive field was packed with the state’s brightest talent, but Farmingdale students consistently broke through the noise. Whether navigating complex financial ethics or pitching the next big innovation, these nine individuals demonstrated a level of poise and technical mastery that placed them among the elite in New York State:

Christian Ventura was recognized for his strategic agility in Sports and Entertainment Marketing, earning a Top 10 spot

in Role Play 2; Andrew Romance, a dual threat in Financial Consulting, secured top ten honors for both his presentation and his overall score; Zara Mir, dominated the Hospitality and Tourism Professional Selling category with top ten finishes in both presentation and overall performance; Emma Nivar and Leo Scardina, proved the power of creative strategy by placing in the top ten overall for their innovation plan; and Anna Carle and Giuliana Depascale showcased the impact of social responsibility with a top ten overall finish for their Community Giving Project.

The journey reaches its peak in late April as Elisa Kelly and Emma Kelly prepare to take their 4th place-winning Community Giving Project to the International Career Development Conference, ICDC. Juniors and sisters, the Kellys will represent the very best of Farmingdale on the global stage in Atlanta, Georgia. Their success serves as powerful validation of the district’s robust Career and Technical Education, CTE, curriculum, which equips students with specialized skills and professional certification pathways to thrive in the modern economy.

The entire Farmingdale School District is incredibly proud of the hard work and professionalism displayed by every DECA member in Rochester and celebrate these outstanding achievements, wishing Elisa and Emma the very best of luck as they head to Atlanta to compete against the best in the world.

The Farmingdale High School DECA delegation gathers on the grand staircase in Rochester. Accompanied by business teachers Alexis Zaino and Jackie Tannazzo, with Superintendent Paul Defendini and Board of Education Trustee George Andriopoulos, these 51 students represented the peak of Daler professional excellence.

Courtesy Farmingdale school district

Earth Day sparks big ideas from young Massapequa minds

Young learners in Massapequa are becoming leaders when it comes to protecting the planet. To mark Earth Day, elementary students explored ways they could make an impact.

At Birch Lane Elementary School, first graders in Emma Fountain’s class worked on Earth Day crafts. First, they came together to brainstorm ways to make a difference, like recycling, planting a tree, using less water or riding a bike instead of using a car. Then, the young environmen -

talists created watercolor paintings of the Earth before writing on paper hearts three ways they can individually do their part.

McKenna Elementary School students attended a PTA-sponsored assembly, “Sustainable Sounds” by Bash the Trash. Children learned how they could reuse materials to make their own musical instruments. Several students then took their knowledge, made instruments at home, and brought them into school to share.

Courtesy Massapequa school district

Following a “Substantiable Sounds” assembly, McKenna Elementary School kindergartners Derek Koines, left, and Hunter Loud made instruments from recycled materials.

Birch Lane Elementary School first graders Gia Vaccara and Owen Giuntini make watercolor paintings of the Earth after the class brainstormed ways they could protect the planet.

STEPPING OUT

By Nick Mongiovi

Long Island has been home for the Ducks for 26 seasons in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), and who better to add to a successful organization than a former CY Young Award winner?

Trevor Bauer signed with the Ducks on April 2, after pitching the last ﬁve years in Japan and Mexico. Long Island went 72-54 in 2025, as it looks to build upon last year’s success with speed and dominant pitching.

“When we signed guys, we were looking for guys that wanted to win, wanted to be here and further their careers,” says third-year manager Lew Ford, the franchise’s all-time hits leader. “They’re going to play hard. I think the fans enjoy that and that’s the kind of baseball we want to play.”

Last year’s Ducks led the league in pitching, ﬁnished in second in both ﬁelding and hitting, and broke a team record for most stolen bases in a season with 239. Before last season, Ford emphasized speed, reiterating “The game is moving a lot towards speed.”

“We’re very happy with all these guys,” he says “They can still run, hit and play defense. We have a good mix of veterans and younger guys, too.”

Bauer is the name that’ll bring the reigning No. 1 pitching staff to the next level. He received the nod from Ford to be the team’s Opening Day starter on April 21 against the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars. The 10-year MLB veteran struck out eight but surrendered ﬁve hits, three walks and two runs in four innings of work in the 7-0 loss. Bauer, who followed his Ducks debut with a dominant no-hitter, makes his return to the United States to pitch on American soil for the ﬁrst time since 2021 with a “hate to lose” mentality.

“They’ve had a lot of good players here,” Bauer says, on why he chose the Ducks. “A lot of guys have come through here and then signed elsewhere, kind of elevated their careers. All the guys who have been here and have had a really good time here, so that’s part of it. They win. I don’t like losing.

create buzz with Bauer signing

Courtesy Danielle Huebner

Inﬁelder Wilmer Difo brings MLB experience.

creation to be featured on his and the team’s social media and streaming outlets.

“We are excited to welcome Trevor to Long Island,” Ducks President/CBO Michael Pfaff says. “His talent and knowledge will be important additions to our ballclub, and we are happy to offer him this opportunity to showcase his talents to MLB clubs while giving fans unprecedented access to Ducks baseball. We felt that was a unique and interesting approach. He’s got very unique content, and his approach is overwhelmingly positive.”

Along with Bauer, the Ducks’ starting rotation features Island Park native Ryan Sandberg, who was the team’s most reliable and dominant starter, Nolan Clinton, Harrison Francis and Michael Dominguez. Sandberg pitched to a 3.82 ERA in 91.2 innings of work, striking out 73 batters,

Familiarity returns in the bullpen for Long Island as Jacob Asa, Garrett Crowley, Tanner Jacobsen, Ryan Langford, Michael Reed and Ramon Santos all return.

“Most of these guys came halfway through the year; they had a lot of success here,” Ford adds. “Ramon Santos, being our closer, had under a one ERA, did a very good job for us.”

Dix Hills native Matt Hogan is the starting center ﬁelder.

Ben Folds & A Piano

Ben Folds is widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of his generation is joined by multitalented actress-singer-composer Lindsey Kraft. Known for pushing genre boundaries, Folds first rose to prominence with Ben Folds Five before launching a wide-ranging solo career that blends sharp lyricism, piano-driven melodies and orchestral ambition. His recent work reflects his deep engagement with orchestral music, including a live album featuring an olrchestral performance of his hits recorded just before concluding his eight-year tenure as Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center — an appointment that marked a first for the role. Today, he continues to move fluidly between pop tours and performances with leading orchestras worldwide, while also developing new work for film, television and theater.

Friday, May 8, 8 p.m. Tilles Center, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or tillescenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

He possesses “a lot of speed and defense,” Ford says. It’s a “full-circle moment” for Hogan, who grew up attending Ducks games.

“Teams I’ve been on have been in the playoffs the last decade, except for 2019, when I was traded. “So I want the chance to be in the playoffs and play for something meaningful at the end of the year. Checks that box here. Great market, big in New York, with a huge baseball market. There are a lot of things that are important to me that go on here.”

meaningful at the end of the year. Checks that box are

Additionally, Bauer will be “Mic’d Up” for all games and practices for the purposes of content

“I remember I sat up in that box up there with my aunt and uncle,” Hogan says, reminiscing on his time as a kid coming to Ducks games. “So coming here and being able to enjoy the time here and have my family come to games. It’s my ﬁrst time playing on Long Island in about eight years. It’s humbling, it feels good. I’m excited to be here and really play with this team.”

here and being able to enjoy the time here and have my family come to with

Tickets can be purchased online at LIDucks.com, by calling (631) 940-TIXX, or in person at the Fairﬁeld Properties Ballpark box ofﬁce in Central Islip. All games will be streamed on HomeTeam Network (HTN) with a paid subscription.

Some promotions include ﬁreworks at all Saturday home games, sunglasses to the ﬁrst 1,500 fans May 17, and Bark in the Park with Ducks patriotic hats July 1.

Big band energy meets Jamaican soul. The unique 20-piece band blends the exuberant musical layers of the jazz Big Band era with Jamaican roots music. Their sound is powered by a passionate team of talented musicians, each bringing unique energy and expertise to create an unforgettable experience. Led by trumpeter and vocalist Kevin Batchelor, and featuring Jamaican music legend 87-year-young celebrated percussionist/vocalist Larry MacDonald on congas and vocals, and Jamaican master drummer Carl Wright, band creates and perform lush original compositions and arrangements of classic songs from the rich and culturally iconic Jamaican music of ska, mento, rock steady, reggae, and jazz from the 1950s, ’60s and ‘70s.

Friday, May 8, 8 p.m. $91, $42, $37. andmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. Tickets available at landmarkonmainstreet.org or (516) 767-6444.

NYC Ska Orchestra

Courtesy L.I. Ducks

Quackerjack always gets Ducks fans hyped.

Courtesy L.I. Ducks Closer Ramon Santos was dominant in 2025.

Your Neighborhood CALENDAR

MAY 7

Wendy Klemperer: Wrought Taxonomies

Vanderbilt Museum welcomes everyone to enjoy the exhibition of outdoor sculpture at the historic summer estate of William Kissam Vanderbilt II. Klemperer’s sculptures. a haunting assemblage of animal forms that span imaginary, endangered, familiar, and exotic species, celebrate natural history and the nonhuman world through evocative interactions with the surrounding environment. Using materials salvaged from scrapyards, she composes ecological narratives that respond to the history and collections of Suffolk County’s first public park and museum. Her brilliant use of gestural lines captures the spectator’s attention and invites museum-goers to reflect on the relationship between an interest in animal life and the incessant push of human industry. Visitors are encouraged to picnic on the grounds.

• Where: 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport

• Time: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Contact: vanderbiltmuseum.org or call (631) 854-5579

‘Everybody Loves Raymond: Celebrating 30 Years’

Visit the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame for an immersive exhibit (designed by LIMEHOF Creative Director, renowned designer Kevin O’Callaghan). It features the 70-foot-wide set from the show’s recent 30th anniversary TV special on CBS, never before on display. Visitors can walk into the world of the Barone family and explore their home through original studio sets, which include the living room, the kitchen and other areas of the house. Also see a variety of iconic items, including original clothing, the famous fork and spoon, and the Christmas toaster, among other classic items from the series. Multimedia clips, including behind the scenes and rare out-takes and a range of related videos play in LIMEHOF’s surround sound theater.

• Where: 97 Main St., Stony Brook

• Time: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Contact: limusichalloffame.org or (631) 689-5888

Massapequa BOE meets The Massapequa Board of Education holds their next meeting. All are welcome to attend.

• Where: Massapequa High School, Board Room, 4925

The Wallflowers

MAY

11 Town of Oyster Bay Senior Karaoke Program

The Town of Oyster Bay invites seniors to participate in their karaoke program that will be held at various community centers through the town. Great singing skills aren’t necessary to join the fun, and residents are welcome to attend without performing. There is no registration required for this program. A full karaoke machine, song list and light refreshments will be provided.

• Where: Mondays, Marjorie Post Center, 451 Unqua Road, Massapequa Park; Wednesdays, Glen Head Community Center, 200 Glen Head Road, Glen Head; Thursdays, Hicksville Community Center, 28 W. Carl St., Hicksville.

• Time: Mondays and Wednesdays at 1 p.m. and Thursdays at 11 a.m.

• Contact: (516) 797-7916, oysterbaytown.com/townseniors-invited-to-participatein-karaoke-program-3/

• Where: The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington

• Time: 8 p.m.

The Wallflowers mark the 30th anniversary of their breakthrough album “Bringing Down the Horse” on their latest tour, with a special full-album performance at the Paramount, presenting the record in sequence from start to finish. Originally released in 1996, the album became a defining success of the decade, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and going quadruple platinum. It produced a string of major hits, including “6th Avenue Heartache,” “The Difference,” and the Grammy-winning “One Headlight,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of the era’s most recognizable rock singles. Led by songwriter Jakob Dylan, the band draws on classic American rock influences such as The Band and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers — a legacy echoed in the tour’s additional tribute segment to Petty, including a full performance of the 1982 album Long After Dark. Over the years, Dylan has remained a consistent figure in rock music, collaborating widely and appearing in projects such as Echo in the Canyon alongside artists including Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Beck, Norah Jones and others. The Wallflowers also recently supported Eric Clapton on his 2025 U.S. tour, continuing their long-standing presence on major stages.

Merrick Rd., Massapequa

• Time: 8 p.m.

• Contact: (516) 308-5000

Oyster Bay Zoning Board meets The Town of Oyster Bay holds their their Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting. All are welcome to attend.

• Where: Town Board Hearing Room, Town Hall North, 54 Audrey Ave., Oyster Bay.

• Time: 7 p.m.

• Contact: (516) 624-6333

Thrift Shop

MAY 8

Stop by Simpson United Methodist Church’s Thrift Shop for some unique finds.

• Where: 30 Locust Ave., Amityville

• Time: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 789-2569

St. Mary’s Thrift Shop

Stop by St. Mary’s Thrift Shop to check out some found treasures. Choose from collectibles, glassware, clothing and other gently used items.

• Where: St. Mary’s, 175 Broadway, Amityville (enter

from rear parking lot)

• Time: 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

• Contact: (631) 464-4899

MAY

9

‘The Enchantment of Strings’

Visit Old Westbury Gardens for an evening of chamber music as presents in the intimate and elegant Red Ballroom. Ensemble-in-residence Poetica Musica Quartet featuring Eric Wyrick, violin; Eugene Moye, cello; and guest artists Janey Choi, violin; and Michael Roth, viola, performs a captivating program including works by Ravel, Mendelssohn, and Dvorák

• Where: 71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury

• Time: 8 p.m.

• Contact: oldwestburygardens. org or call (516) 333-0048

In concert

MAY

The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame welcomes Phil Kennelty, a genrehopping songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Long Beach. His musical journey stretches from the shores of the

• Contact: ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com

Atlantic to the heart of New York City. A gifted pianist-guitaristkeyboard player, Phil has been a staple of the Long Island and NYC music scenes, performing in bands that span country, R&B, rolk, Americana, classic rock, and everything in between. His sound is rooted in classic influences but always leans forward, finding fresh expression in timeless forms.

• Where: 97 Main St., Stony Brook

• Time: 3 p.m.

• Contact: limusichalloffame.org or (631) 689-5888

‘Inside Out’ Memory Orb

Families are invited to Long Island Children’s Museum for a drop-in program themed around the Disney/Pixar film. In “Inside Out” memories are represented by glowing orbs of various colors based on the emotions tied to the memories. Design and decorate your own memory orb to represent a special memory or feeling. Free with museum admission.

• Where: 11 Davis Ave., Garden City

• Time: 1-3 p.m.

• Contact: licm.org or (516) 224-5800

MAY

Farmingdale Library Cinema

Stop by Farmingdale Public Library for a showing “Three Wishes” starring Patrick Swayze and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. When single mother Jeanne Holman turns to avoid hitting a dog with her station wagon, she unwittingly hits bearded drifter Jack McCloud. Against the protests of her scandalized neighbors, Holman insists that the injured man stay at the Holman residence to heal. As the eccentric McCloud recovers from the accident, he becomes a positive influence on -- and an unexpected father figure to -her young sons, Tom and Gunny.

• Where: 116 Merritts Road, Farmingdale

• Time: 10 a.m.-noon and 1:30-4 p.m.

• Contact: farmingdalelibrary. org or (516) 249-9090

Having an event?

Items on the Calendar page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to kbloom@ liherald.com.

MIEMBROS DE LA JUNTA DE EDUCACIÓN Y AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA

ESCUELA LIBRE DE PLAINEDGE

UNION

DISTRITO, MUNICIPIO DE OYSTER BAY

CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK

SE NOTIFICA POR LA PRESENTE que la reunión anual de los votantes cualificados de la El distrito escolar Plainedge Union Free, condado de Nassau, Nueva York, se celebrará el 19 de mayo, 2026, en el instituto Plainedge High School, Wyngate y Peony Drives, North Massapequa, New York, para los siguientes fines:

a) Para votar sobre el presupuesto anual de la escuela para el año 2026-2027 y autorizar el la imposición de un impuesto sobre la propiedad sujeta a impuestos del distrito para los fines anteriores.

b) Para elegir dos (2) miembros para la Junta de Educación por un mandato de tres (3) años, a partir del 1 de julio de 2026 y con fecha de expiración el 30 de junio de 2029, para cubrir los puestos actuales ocupado por Joseph Beyrouty y Kathleen Versace.

c) Para votar a favor de la siguiente resolución: RESUELTO que el presupuesto de la biblioteca propuesto por la Junta de Síndicos del colegio biblioteca distrital y la imposición de un impuesto, por tanto, de acuerdo con la Sección 259 de la Se aprobará la Ley de Educación.

d) Elegir a uno (1) miembro para la Junta de Síndicos del Distrito Escolar de Plainedge Biblioteca Pública;

para cubrir un mandato de cinco (5) años que comienza el 1 de julio de 2026 y expira en junio 30, 2031, actualmente ocupado por Laura Oden-Bell. Votar sobre tal otro propuestas que puedan presentarse adecuadamente antes de la reunión. Para votar sobre las proposiciones del ala de seguidores:

e) Establecer un Fondo de Reserva de Capital conocido como "Fondo de Reserva de Capital 2026 – Mejoras de Instalaciones" RESUELTO que la Junta de Educación, conforme a la sección 3651 de la Ley de Educación, esté autorizada a establecer un Fondo de Reserva de Capital conocido como "Fondo de Reserva de Capital 2026 – Mejoras de Instalaciones" con el propósito de mejoras/ renovaciones/mejoras de espacios didácticos y no didáctivos (incluyendo, pero no limitado a, mejoras/ renovaciones/mejoras y/o ampliaciones de las instalaciones existentes), renovaciones de auditorios, Renovaciones de gimnasio, reformas de cafetería, reformas de biblioteca/ centro multimedia, renovaciones/reconstrucción exterior, mejoras informáticas/ tecnológicas, mejoras de sistemas de seguridad, mejoras/renovaciones/mejoras de fontanería, mejoras/ renovaciones/mejoras eléctricas, mejoras/ renovaciones/mejoras de HVAC, mejoras/ mejoras/mejoras de eficiencia energética/ mejoras/mejoras, incluyendo la instalación de energía solar, mejoras/renovaciones/ mejoras, reemplazo de depósito de combustible, reformas necesarias para cumplimiento de los requisitos de la ADA, renovaciones profesionales y

de preparación profesional, sustitución y/o compra de aulas portátiles, sustitución de tejados/canalones/ líderes, sustitución de ventanas, renovaciones estructurales incluyendo sustitución de mampostería, ladrillo y acero, sustitución de pavimento y hormigón, sustitución de puertas y entradas interiores y exteriores (incluidos herrajes), reformas de aseos, mejoras de iluminación, sustitución de techos, sustitución de suelos, sustitución de paredes, sustituciones de calderas, ascensores, reformas de carpintería, compra de edificios/ terrenos, renovaciones/reconstrucción del terreno incluyendo reasfaltado de pistas y sustitución del césped del campo, mejoras/ mejoras/renovaciones/mejoras de la cabina de prensa/banquillo/casa de campo, mejoras/mejoras de gradas/mejoras/mejoras en las gradas, mejoras de señales, renovaciones/reconstrucción de campos deportivos, reformas de pistas de tenis, renovaciones de parques infantiles, renovaciones de taquillas/vestuarios, reemplazo de sistemas de megafonía/reloj, mejoras en sistemas de sonido, mejoras en sistemas de teléfono, peligrosos remediación de materiales, renovaciones de espacios de almacenamiento, mobiliario y equipos, incluyendo la compra de vehículos. La cantidad máxima del mencionado Fondo de Reserva de Capital será de $25,000,000 más ingresos por inversiones y el plazo probable será de 15 años; los fondos deben transferirse desde el Fondo de Reserva de Desempleo en una suma que no exceda los 1.000.000 de dólares, desde el Fondo de Reserva de

Public Notices

Compensación para Trabajadores en una suma que no exceda los 250.000 dólares y desde el Fondo de Reserva de Jubilación en una suma que no exceda los 3.000.000 de dólares para el año presupuestario 202526 y de los fondos excedentes restantes en el saldo no reservado del fondo general en un importe anual que no exceda los 5.000.000 de dólares cada año. Al establecer y financiar dicha reserva, se indicará al Superintendente de Escuelas o su representante depositar los fondos de este fondo de reserva en una cuenta bancaria separada que se conocerá como "Capital Reserve 2026 – Mejoras de Instalaciones" f) Gasto del Fondo de Reserva de Capital –Fondo de Iniciativas de Seguridad y Protección

RESUELTO que se autorice a la Junta de Educación a gastar una suma que no exceda $2,036,700 del Fondo Capital Reserve III: Safety and Protect Initiative establecido el 15 de mayo de 2018, con el fin de: reemplazar las ventanas originales existentes de las aulas en Eastplain Elementary School; reemplazar ventanas del patio y de la fachada norte en Plainedge High School, todo lo anterior incluye toda la mano de obra, materiales, equipos, aparatos y costes incidentales relacionados. Dado que los fondos que se gastarán en virtud de este documento proceden del Fondo de Reserva de Capital, la aprobación de esta propuesta no requerirá un gravamen sobre la propiedad inmobiliaria del distrito. Esta Proposición será independiente de la Proposición Nº 1.. g) Gasto del Fondo de Reserva de Capital – Mejoras de

Instalaciones RESOLVIDO que se autorice a la Junta de Educación a gastar una suma que no exceda los 3.792.734 dólares del Fondo de Reserva Capital – Mejoras de Instalaciones establecidas el 21 de mayo de 2019, con el propósito de reemplazar la calefacción, ventilación y aire acondicionado de las aulas en la Escuela Primaria Eastplain ; ampliación del drenaje y pavimentación en Flower Road en Charles E. Schwarting; sustitución de roscas y cubiertas de escaleras, restauración del lugar, asfalto, hormigón y bordillos en Plainedge Middle School, todo lo anterior que incluye toda la mano de obra, materiales, equipos, aparatos y costes incidentales relacionados. Dado que los fondos que se gastarán en virtud de este documento proceden del Fondo de Reserva de Capital, la aprobación de esta propuesta no requerirá un gravamen sobre la propiedad inmobiliaria del distrito. Esta Proposición será independiente de la Proposición Nº 1.. h) Votación en general

QUEDA RESUELTO que la Aducción del Derecho de Educaciónautoriza la siguiente propuesta a ser presentada ante los votantes en la votación y elección anual del presupuesto del 19 de mayo de 2026: En todas las elecciones posteriores, las vacantes en la junta de educación no se considerarán cargos específicos separados y que las peticiones de nominación no describirán ninguna vacante específica en la junta de educación para el candidato que se nomine.

SE NOTIFICA que la Junta de Educación celebrará una audiencia pública el 12 de

mayo, 2026, a las 19:30 en el instituto Plainedge situado en 241 Wyngate Drive, Massapequa, Nueva York, con el propósito de explicar el gasto de fondos y la elaboración presupuestaria por tanto relativa a la asignación de fondos necesarios para cubrir los gastos necesarios de dicho Distrito escolar para el curso escolar 20262027.

SE EMITE UN AVISO de que la Junta de la Biblioteca celebrará una audiencia pública el 11 de mayo, 2026, a las 19:00 en la Biblioteca de Plainedge, situada en Hicksville Road, Massapequa, New York, con el propósito de discutir el gasto de fondos y la presupuestación por lo tanto relativa a la asignación de fondos necesarios para cubrir los gastos necesarios de dicha biblioteca para El curso escolar 2026-2027 en qué momento y en el que se ubican todas las personas interesadas en la materia los asuntos relacionados tendrán oportunidad de ser escuchados.

TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que se celebrarán la reunión anual y la elección votando propuestas y candidatos en máquinas de votación el 19 de mayo de 2026, comenzando a las 6:00 de la mañana y terminando a las 21:00.

Y TAMBIÉN SE AVISA que una copia del estado de cuenta de la cantidad de dinero que será necesario para el año siguiente para fines escolares (presupuesto escolar) excluyendo cualquier contribuyente podrá obtener fondos públicos y copias de propuestas a votar en el distrito durante los catorce (14) días inmediatamente an-

teriores a la reunión anual, excepto sábados, domingos o festivos, en cada escuela donde se mantenga la escuela durante el horario de 8:00 a 16:00 El mencionado estado presupuestario deberá contener la cantidad de dinero que se pagará a la Biblioteca del Distrito Escolar de Plainedge por los servicios bibliotecarios durante el año a partir del 1 de julio de 2026. Un informe de exención de impuestos sobre bienes inmuebles elaborado de acuerdo con La Sección 495 de la Ley del Impuesto sobre la Propiedad Inmobiliaria será anexada a cualquier preliminar o provisional así como el presupuesto final adoptado del que formará parte; y será publicado en Tablón de anuncios del distrito mantenido(s) para avisos públicos, así como en la página web del Distrito. POR FAVOR, TOME NOTA de que las nominaciones para el cargo de miembro de la Junta de Educación y el cargo de miembro de la Junta de la Biblioteca, serán nombrados mediante petición suscrito por al menos veintinueve (29) votantes cualificados del Distrito, indicando la residencia de cada firmante y el nombre y residencia del candidato. La petición de nominación para el la oficina de miembro de la Junta de Educación también dirá la vacante específica en el Junta de Educación para la que el candidato sea nominado, cuya descripción incluirá en al menos la duración del mandato del cargo y el nombre del último titular, si es que lo hay. Nadie deberán ser nominados para más de un cargo separado. La petición de nominación debe

presentarse en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito entre las 9:00 y las 17:00 horas no más tarde luego el 20 de abril de 2026. Y TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que la Junta de Registro de este distrito escolar se reunirá en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito en la Oficina del Distrito de Plainedge, según lo establecido en este aviso de reunión, entre las 15:00 y las 19:00 del 14 de mayo de 2026 con el fin de Preparar un registro de los votantes cualificados con derecho a voto en la reunión y elección escolar para el cual dicho registro se prepara según lo previsto en la Sección 2014 del Código de Educación Derecho. En este momento, cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre sea incluido en dicho registro siempre que en dicha reunión de la Junta de Registro, se le conozca, se demuestre ante el satisfacción de la Junta de Registro, para entonces o posteriormente tener derecho a voto en el Anuario Elección distrital para la que se prepara dicho registro. El registro de votantes para la reunión escolar anual 2026-2027 y la elección también deberá se celebrará en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito en el edificio administrativo de Plainedge a partir de las 9:00 De la mañana a las 15:30 los días en que hay clase. Dicho registro no tendrá menos lugar que cinco días antes de la reunión escolar y la elección. El registro así preparado será archivado en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito, y dicho registro estará abierto para inspección en cada uno de los cinco (5) días previos al día

May 6, 2026

Continued from previous page fijado para la votación del presupuesto y la elección, entre el horas de las 8:00 y las 16:00, excepto el sábado, cuando estará disponible con cita previa solo entre las 10:00 y las 12:00 PM.

Y TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que una persona tendrá derecho a votar en el anuario reunión y elección quién es ciudadano de los Estados Unidos, tiene dieciocho años, es residente de el distrito escolar durante un periodo de treinta días antes de la elección se ofrece a votar y Registrado para votar en dicha elección. Una persona será registrada para votar si tiene Registrado permanentemente en la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau o en la escuela Junta de Registro del Distrito. Solo tendrán derecho a las personas que vayan a estar registradas

Votar.

Y SE NOTIFICA

ADEMÁS que la Junta de Registro se reunirá durante las horas de votación en la Asamblea Anual de Distrito y la Elección del 19 de mayo de 2026, en el Colegio electoral en el distrito electoral con el fin de preparar un registro para el distrito reuniones o elecciones que se celebrarán después del 219 de mayo de 2026. Dicho registro incluirá (1) todos los votantes cualificados del distrito que se presenten personalmente para su registro, y (2) todos los votantes previamente calificados del distrito que hayan estado previamente registrados para cualquier reunión anual o especial de distrito o elección celebrada o realizada en cualquier momento dentro del Cuatro años

naturales 2022-2025 antes de la preparación de dicho registro.

POR FAVOR, TOME NOTA de que la elección se celebrará conforme con la Ley de Educación y las Normas para la Celebración de Reuniones y Elecciones adoptadas por la Junta de Educación.

POR FAVOR, TOME MÁS NOTA de que se deba plantear cualquier propuesta o pregunta En las máquinas de votación deberán presentarse por escrito mediante petición suscrita por al menos setenta y dos (72) votantes cualificados del distrito y se presentaron en la Oficina del Secretario de la Distrito entre las 9:00 y las 17:00 horas a más tardar el 20 de abril de 2026. Esto la regla no se aplicará a aquellas preguntas o proposiciones que deben expresarse en el Aviso publicado o publicado de la reunión o a aquellas proposiciones o preguntas, que el La Junta de Educación tiene autoridad para presentar en cualquier reunión anual o extraordinaria del distrito.

POR FAVOR, TOME NOTA de que las solicitudes de papeletas de voto por correo para el Se puede solicitar la votación del presupuesto escolar y la elección de los miembros de la junta en la oficina de laSecretario del distrito. Dichas solicitudes deben ser recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito como no más tarde de treinta (30) días antes de las elecciones. Además, dicha solicitud debe ser recibida por el Distrito Secretario al menos siete días antes de la elección si la papeleta debe enviarse al votante, o el mismo día antes de la elección si la papeleta debe entregarse

personalmente al votante o a su designado agente. Al recibir una solicitud oportuna de una papeleta de voto por correo enviada por correo, el Secretario del Distrito Envía la papeleta por correo a la dirección indicada en la solicitud a más tardar seis (6) días antes de la Votar. No se consultará ninguna papeleta de votante por correo a menos que haya sido recibida en la oficina de el Secretario del Distrito no más tarde de las 17:00 horas (hora vigente) el día de las elecciones. POR FAVOR, TOME MÁS ATENCIÓN que los votantes militares que no lo están actualmenteLos registrados pueden solicitar registrarse como votantes cualificados del distrito escolar. Votantes militares que Si los votantes cualificados del distrito escolar pueden presentar una solicitud para una papeleta militar. Los votantes militares pueden designar una preferencia para recibir un registro de votante militar, military Solicitud de papeleta o papeleta militar por correo, transmisión por fax o correo electrónico en su solicitud de dicho registro, solicitud de papeleta o papeleta. Formularios de registro de votantes militares y los formularios de solicitud de papeleta militar deben recibirse en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito de la distrito escolar a más tardar a las 17:00 horas del 23 de abril de 2026. No se consultará ninguna papeleta military a menos que (1) se reciba en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito antes del cierre de las urnas el Día de las elecciones y mostrando una marca de cancelación del Servicio Postal de los Estados Unidos o un extranjero el servicio postal

Public Notices

del país, o mostrar una avalación fechada de recibo por otra agencia del gobierno de Estados Unidos; o (2) recibido por la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a más tardar en a las 17:00 horas del día de las elecciones y firmado y fechado por el votante militar y un testigo de los mismos, con una fecha que no es posterior al día anterior a las elecciones. Fechado: 19 de marzo de 2026 POR ORDEN DE LA JUNTA DE

Massapequa, Nueva York EDUCACIÓN EN PLAINEDGE

DISTRITO ESCOLAR UNION FREE MUNICIPIO DE OYSTER BAY CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK

NOREEN GREENE SECRETARIO DE DISTRITO

26-60 4/1, 15, 22, 5/6

Notice is hereby given that a license, Application ID: NA-0241-26109437 for beer, wine, and cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, wine, and cider at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at Jones Beach State Park, Field 1, Wantagh, NY 11793, County of Nassau, for on premises consumption at Strada Food LLC. 26-88. 4/29, 5/6.

Notice of formation of Lyndsey Bayon, Nurse Practitioner in Acute Care, PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York on March 17, 2026. Office located in Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent of the PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of the process to 4910 Merrick Road P.O. Box 107, Massapequa Park, NY 11762. Purpose: Any lawful purpose 26-84 4/29, 5/6, 13, 20, 27, 6/3

Notice is hereby given that a license, Application ID: NA-0370-26109500 for liquor, beer, wine, and cider has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor, beer, wine, and cider at retail in a Bar/Tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 195 Main Street, Farmingdale, NY 11735, County of Nassau, for on premises consumption at THE SAINT LOUNGE NY LLC. 26-89. 4/29,5/6

Notice of Formation of Specline Tech LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/18/2026. Office location: Nassau County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: 9 Seneca St E, Massapequa, NY 11758. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 26-78. 4/15, 22, 29, 5/6, 13, 20

Notice of Formation, Hill City Homes LLC Articles of Organization Filed with the Secretary of New York (SSNY) on 10/28/2025

Office Location: Nassau County SSNY designated for service of process & shall mail copies of any process served against the LLC to: 266 Glengariff Rd, Massapequa Park, NY 11762 Purpose: any lawful purpose of activity 26-79. 4/15, 22, 29, 5/6, 13, 20

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

The Board of Education of the Plainedge Union Free School District, Town of Oyster Bay, North Massapequa, New York, in accordance with Section 103 of Article 5-A of the General Municipal Law, hereby invites the submission of sealed bids from reputable and qualified contractors for the provision of labor and materials for the following contract in the schools of the School District: BID #25-006 CENTRIFUGAL CHILLERS – INSPECTION, SERVICE & REPAIR Bids will be received

until Thursday, June 4, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the Administrative Offices, 241 Wyngate Drive, North Massapequa, New York, at which time and place all bids will be publicly opened. Specifications and bid forms may be obtained at the same office in person or by written request made to Justine Stringer, at (516) 992-7458 beginning on May 6, 2026 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., when school is in session. Bids must be presented on the standard proposal form in the manner designated therein and as required by the Specifications. All bids must be enclosed in sealed envelopes which are clearly marked on the outside: “Bid #25-006: CENTRIFUGAL CHILLERS – INSPECTION, SERVICE & REPAIR”. Bids shall remain firm for a period of fortyfive (45) days following the date of the bid opening.

The Board of Education reserves the right to waive any informalities in or to reject any or all bids, or to accept that bid which, in the Board of Education’s judgment, is in the best interest of the School District. The Board of Education reserves the right to consider experience, service and reputation in the above-referenced fields. In addition, the Board of Education reserves the right to consider the financial responsibility and specific qualifications, as set out herein, of the prospective bidder in its evaluation of the bids and award of the contracts.

BOARD OF EDUCATION PLAINEDGE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT Administrative Offices 241 Wyngate Drive North Massapequa, New York 11758 By: Noreen Greene District Clerk 26-93. 5/6

NOTICE OF ANNUAL SCHOOL DISTRICT MEETING AND ANNUAL ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND PUBLIC HEARING PLAINEDGE

UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT, TOWN OF OYSTER BAY

COUNTY OF NASSAU, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that the annual meeting of the qualified voters of the Plainedge Union Free School District, Nassau County, New York, will be held on May 19, 2026, at the Plainedge High School, Wyngate and Peony Drives, North Massapequa, New York, for the following purposes:

a) To vote upon the annual school budget for the year 2026-2027 and to authorize the levying of a tax upon the taxable property of the district for the foregoing purposes.

b) To elect two (2) members to the Board of Education for a term of three (3) years, commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring June 30, 2029, to fill the positions presently occupied by Joseph Beyrouty and Kathleen Versace.

c) To vote for the following resolution: RESOLVED, that the library budget proposed by the Board of Trustees of the school district library and the levy of a tax therefore in accordance with Section 259 of the Education Law shall be approved.

d) To elect one (1) member to the Board of Trustees of the Plainedge School District Public Library; to fill a five (5) year term commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring June 30, 2031, presently occupied by Laura Oden-Bell. To

vote upon such other propositions as may properly come before the meeting.

To vote upon the following propositions:

e) Establish a Capital Reserve Fund known as the “Capital Reserve Fund 2026 –Facilities Upgrades” RESOLVED that the Board of Education, pursuant to Education Law section 3651, be authorized to establish a Capital Reserve Fund known as the “Capital Reserve Fund 2026 – Facilities Upgrades” for the purpose of instructional and non-instructional space improvements/ renovations/upgrades, (including but not limited to classroom improvements/renovations/upgrades and/ or additions to existing facilities), auditorium renovations, gymnasium renovations, cafeteria renovations, library/multi media center renovations, exterior renovations/ reconstruction, computer/technology upgrades, security system upgrades, plumbing improvements/renovations/upgrades, electrical improvements/renovations/ upgrades, HVAC improvements/renovations/upgrades, energy efficiency improvements/renovation/upgrades, including the installation of solar power, improvements/ renovations/ upgrades, fuel tank replacement, renovations required for compliance with ADA requirements, vocational and career preparation renovations, portable classroom replacement and/or purchase, roof/gutter/ leader replacement, window replacement, structural renovations including masonry, brick and steel replacement, paving and concrete replacement, interior and exterior door/entry ways re-

placement (including hardware), toilet room renovations, lighting upgrades, ceiling replacement, floor replacement, wall replacement, boiler replacements, elevators, carpentry renovations, purchase of buildings/land, site renovations/reconstruction including track resurfacing and turf field replacement, press box/dugout/ field house improvements/renovations/ upgrades, bleacher improvements/renovations/upgrades, upgrades of signs, athletic field renovations/reconstruction, tennis court renovations, playground renovations, lockers/ locker room renovations, public address/ clock system replacement, sound system upgrades, telephone system upgrades, hazardous material remediation, storage space renovations, furnishings and equipment, including the purchase of vehicles.

The maximum amount of the aforesaid Capital Reserve Fund shall be $25,000,000 plus investment income and the probable term is to be 15 years; the funds are to be transferred from the Unemployment Reserve Fund in a sum not to exceed $1,000,000, from the Workers Compensation Reserve Fund in a sum not to exceed $250,000 and the Retirement Reserve Fund in a sum not to exceed $3,000,000, for the 2025-26 budget year and from surplus monies remaining in unreserved undesignated fund balance in the general fund in an annual amount not to exceed $5,000,000 each year. Upon the establishment and funding of said reserve, the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee shall be directed

Public Notices

to deposit monies of this reserve fund in a separate bank account to be known as the “Capital Reserve 2026 – Facilities Upgrades” f) Expenditure from Capital Reserve Fund – Safety and Security Initiative Fund

RESOLVED that the Board of Education be authorized to expend a sum not to exceed $2,036,700 out of Capital Reserve III: Safety and Security Initiative Fund established May 15, 2018, for the purpose of: replacement of existing original classroom windows at Eastplain Elementary School; replacement of courtyard and north elevation windows at Plainedge High School, all of the foregoing to include all labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs related thereto. Since the funds to be expended hereunder come from the Capital Reserve Fund approval of this proposition will not require a tax levy upon the real property of the district. This Proposition shall be independent of Proposition No. 1.. g) Expenditure from Capital Reserve Fund – Facilities Upgrades

RESOLVED that the Board of Education be authorized to expend a sum not to exceed $3,792,734 out of Capital Reserve Fund – Facilities Upgrades established May 21, 2019, for the purpose of replacement of classroom heating, ventilation and air conditioning at Eastplain Elementary School; expansion of drainage and paving at Flower Road at Charles E. Schwarting; replacement of stair threads and riser covers, site restoration, asphalt, concrete and curbs at Plainedge Middle School, all of the foregoing to in-

clude all labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs related thereto. Since the funds to be expended hereunder come from the Capital Reserve Fund approval of this proposition will not require a tax levy upon the real property of the district. This Proposition shall be independent of Proposition No. 1.. h) Vote at Large BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board of Education authorizes the following proposition to be placed before the voters at the May 19, 2026 annual budget vote and election: In all subsequent elections, vacancies upon the board of education shall not be considered separate specific offices and that the nominating petitions shall not describe any specific vacancy upon the board of education for the which candidate is nominated.

NOTICE IS GIVEN that the Board of Education will hold a public hearing on May 12, 2026, at 7:30 PM in the Plainedge High School located at 241 Wyngate Drive, Massapequa, New York, for the purpose of explaining expenditure of funds and the budgeting therefore relative to the appropriation of necessary funds to meet the necessary expenditures of said school district for school year 20262027.

NOTICE IS GIVEN that the Library Board will hold a public hearing on May 11, 2026, at 7:00 P.M. at the Plainedge Library located on Hicksville Road, Massapequa, New York, for the purpose of discussing expenditure of funds and the budgeting therefore relative to the appropriation of necessary funds to meet the necessary expen-

ditures of said library for the school year 2026-2027 at which time and which place all persons interested in the subject matter thereof concerning the same will have an opportunity to be heard.

NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that the annual meeting and election shall be conducted by voting on propositions and candidates on voting machines on said May 19, 2026, commencing at 6:00 AM and ending at 9:00 PM.

AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required for the ensuing year for school purposes (school budget) exclusive of public monies, and copies of propositions to be voted upon, may be obtained by any taxpayer in the district during the fourteen (14) days immediately preceding the annual meeting, except Saturday, Sunday or holidays, at each schoolhouse in which school is maintained during the hours of 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. The aforesaid budget statement shall contain the amount of money to be paid to the Plainedge School District Library for library services for the year beginning July 1, 2026. A Real Property Tax Exemption Report prepared in accordance with Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law will be annexed to any tentative/preliminary budget as well as the final adopted budget of which it will form a part; and shall be posted on District bulletin board(s) maintained for public notices, as well as on the District’s website.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that nominations for the office of member of

the Board of Education and office of member of the Library Board, shall be made by petition subscribed by at least twenty-nine (29) qualified voters of the District, stating the residence of each signer and the name and residence of the candidate. The nominating petition for the office of member of the Board of Education shall also describe the specific vacancy on the Board of Education for which the candidate is nominated, which description shall include at least the length of the term of the office and the name of the last incumbent, if any. No person shall be nominated for more than one separate office. The nominating petition must be filed in the office of the Clerk of the District between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM not later than April 20, 2026. AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that the Board of Registration of this School District shall meet at the office of the District Clerk at the Plainedge District Office as set forth in this notice of meeting, between 3:00 PM and 7:00 PM on May 14, 2026 for the purpose of preparing a register of the qualified voters entitled to vote at the school meeting and election for which such register is prepared in the manner provided by Section 2014 of the Education Law. At this 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, proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration, to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the annual district election for which such register is prepared.

Registration of voters for the 2026-2027 annual school meeting and election shall also be held in the office of the District Clerk at Plainedge’s Administrative building from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM on days when school is in session. Such registration shall not take place less than five days preceding the school meeting and election. The register so prepared will be filed in the office of the Clerk of the District, and such register will be open for inspection on each of the five (5) days prior to day set for voting on the budget and election, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM except Saturday when it will be available by appointment only, between the hours of 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM.

AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that a person shall be entitled to vote at the annual meeting and election who is a citizen of the United States, eighteen years of age, a resident of the school district for a period of thirty days next preceding the election he offers to vote and registered to vote for said election. A person shall be registered to vote if he or she shall have permanently registered with the Nassau County Board of Elections or with the School District’s Board of Registration. Only persons who shall be registered shall be entitled to vote. AND NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Board of Registration will meet during the hours of voting at the Annual District Meeting and Election on May 19, 2026, at the polling place in the election district for the purpose of preparing

May 6, 2026 —

Continued from previous page a register for district meetings or elections to be held subsequent to May 219, 2026. Said register shall include (1) all qualified voters of the district who shall present themselves personally for registration, and (2) all previously qualified voters of the district who shall have been previously registered for any annual or special district meeting or election held or conducted at any time within the four calendar years 2022-2025 prior to preparation of said register.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the election shall be held in accordance with the Education Law and the Rules for the Conduct of Meetings and Elections adopted by the Board of Education.

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 seventy-two (72) qualified voters of the District and filed in the Office of the Clerk of the District between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. not later than April 20, 2026. This rule shall not apply to those questions or propositions, which are required to be stated in the published or posted notice of the meeting or to those propositions or questions, which the Board of Education has authority to present at any annual or special meeting of the district.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that applications for absentee ballots for the school budget vote and election of board members may be applied for at the office

of the District Clerk. Such applications must be received by the District Clerk no earlier than thirty (30) days before the election. Furthermore, such application must be received by the District Clerk at least seven 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 his/her designated agent. Upon receiving a timely request for a mailed absentee ballot, the District Clerk will mail the ballot to the address set forth in the application by no later than six (6) days before the vote. No absentee voter's ballot will be canvassed unless it has been received in the office of the District Clerk not later than 5:00 P.M. (prevailing time) on the day of the election.

PLEASE TAKE

FURTHER NOTICE that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the school district. Military voters who are qualified voters of the school district may submit an application for a military ballot. Military voters may designate a preference to receive a military voter registration, military ballot application or military ballot by mail, facsimile transmission or electronic mail in their request for such registration, ballot application or ballot. Military voter registration forms and military ballot application forms must be received in the office of the District Clerk of the school district no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 23, 2026. No military ballot will be canvassed unless it is (1) received in the office of the District

Clerk before the close of the polls on election day and 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 (2) received by the office of the District Clerk by no later than 5:00 p.m. on election day and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is associated to be not later than the day before the election.

Dated: March 19, 2026 BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF Massapequa, New York EDUCATION OF PLAINEDGE

UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT TOWN OF OYSTER BAY

COUNTY OF NASSAU, NEW YORK

NOREEN GREENE

DISTRICT CLERK

26-59 4/1, 15, 22, 5/6

Public Notices

N OTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING, BUDGET VOTE AND ELECTION AMITYVILLE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT TOWNS OF BABYLON, SUFFOLK COUNTY, AND OYSTER BAY, NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a budget hearing before the qualified voters of the Amityville Union Free School District, Town of Babylon, Suffolk County, and Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York will be held at the Amityville Memorial High School, 250 Merrick Road, Amityville, New York, in said District on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 5:30 p.m., for the transaction of business as authorized by the Education Law, including the following items:

1. To present to the voters a detailed statement (proposed budget) of the amount of money which will be required for the 20262027 fiscal year.

2. To discuss all the items hereinafter set forth to be voted upon by voting machines at the vote and election to be held on Tuesday, May 19. 2026.

3. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting pursuant to Education Law of the State of New York and acts amendatory thereto.

A copy of the proposed budget shall be made available, upon request, to residents of the school district beginning May 4, 2026 through and including May 19, 2026 during regular business hours at the Office of the District Clerk, Park North Administration Building, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN, that pursuant to Chapter 258 of the Laws of 2008, Section 495 was added to the Real Property Tax Law, and requires the School District 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 the annual vote and election will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., in the two election districts, namely Northeast Elementary School, 420 Albany Avenue, Amityville, New York, and Amityville Memorial High School, 250 Merrick Road, Amityville, New York, at which time the polls will be opened to vote by voting machine upon the following items:

1. To adopt the annual budget of the School District for the fiscal

year 2026-2027 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District.

2. To elect four members of the Board of Education as follows:

• One member of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term to succeed Lisa Johnson, whose term expires on June 30, 2026;

• One member of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term to succeed Leslie Kretz, whose term expires on June 30, 2026;

• One member of the Board of Education for a three (3) year term to succeed Carol Seehof, whose term expires on June 30, 2026; and

• One member of the Board of Education to complete the remainder of the unexpired term of the seat left vacant by the resignation of Caroline Fanning, such term beginning immediately after the election and expiring June 30, 2027.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required to fund the School District’s budget for 2026-2027, exclusive of public monies, may be obtained by any resident of the District during business hours beginning May 4, 2026 through and including May 19, 2026, except Saturday, Sunday or holidays, at the Park Avenue Administration Building, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, and at each of the following schoolhouses: Amityville Memorial High School

Edmund W. Miles Middle School Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School

Northwest Elementary School Northeast Elementary School AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that petitions nominating candidates for the office of member of the Board of Education shall be filed with the Clerk of said School District at her office in the Park North Administration Building, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, not later than April 20, 2026 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. prevailing time. Nominating petitions must be directed to the Clerk of the District; must be signed by at least 29 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); and must state the name and residence of each signer, and, must state the name and residence of the candidate. 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 20, 2026. In accordance with Education Law §§ 2018-a and 2018-e, 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 ballot application. Absentee ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

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 public inspection in the office of the District Clerk, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, on and after Thursday, May 14, 2026 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. each weekday through Tuesday, May 19, 2026 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 personal registration of voters is required either pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law or pursuant to Article 5 of the Election Law. If a voter has heretofore registered pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law in the Amityville Union Free School District and has voted at an annual or special district meeting in such district within the last four calendar years, he or she is eligible to vote at this election. If a voter is registered and eligible to vote under Article 5 of the Election Law, he or she is also eligible to vote at this election. All other persons who wish to vote must register.

Continued from previous page Voters may register to vote on any school day up to and including May 14, 2026 at the District Office, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at which time any person will be entitled to have his or her name placed on such registers, provided that he or she is known or proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at such election for which the register is prepared. The register so prepared pursuant to §2014 of the Education Law will be filed in the Office of the Clerk of the School District in the Park North Administration Building, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the District beginning on May 14, 2025, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., on weekdays, and each day prior to the day set for the election, except Sunday, by advance appointment on Saturday and at the polling place(s) on the day of the vote.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the Amityville Union Free School District by requesting and returning a registration application to the District Clerk in person, by mail to District Clerk, Amityville Union Free School District, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, 11701 by email to DistrictClerk@amityvilleufsd.org or fax sent to (631) 691-3215. 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 23, 2026.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the Amityville Union Free School District, may request an application for a military ballot from the District Clerk in person, by mail to District Clerk, Amityville Union Free School District, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, by email to DistrictClerk@ amityvilleufsd.org or fax sent to (631) 6913215. In such request, the military voter may indicate their preference for receiving the application by mail, fax or email. A military voter must return the original military ballot application by mail or in person to the office of the District Clerk at 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York. In order for a military voter to be issued a military ballot, pursuant to Section 2018-d of the Education Law, a valid military ballot application must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m., on April 23, 2026. 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.

AND FURTHER

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, a military voter’s original military ballot must be returned by mail or in person to the Office of the District Clerk at 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York. Military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk before the close of polls on May 19, 2026, 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 May 19, 2026, and signed and dated by the military voter and one (1) 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 §2014 of the Education Law of the State of New York, the Board of Registration will meet on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., at the Northeast Elementary School and the Amityville High School, to prepare the Register of the School District to be used at the election to be held in 2027, and any special district meetings that may be held after the preparation of said Register, at which time any person will be entitled to have his or her name placed on such Register provided that at such meeting of said 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 election for which said Register is prepared,

Public Notices

or any special district meeting held after May 19, 2026. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to a rule adopted by the Board of Education in accordance with §2035 of the Education Law, any referenda or propositions to amend the budget, or otherwise to be submitted for voting at said election, must be filed with the District Clerk of the Board of Education at the Park North Administration Building, located at 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York, on or before March 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, except for petitions relating to a proposition which must be included in the notice of the annual meeting which must be filed with the District Clerk of the Board of Education at the Park North Administration Building on or before April 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.; 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 29 qualified voters of the District (representing the greater of 25 voters or 2% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election); and must legibly state the name of each signer. However, the School Board 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, which is unlawful or any proposition which fails to include a specific appropriation where the expenditure of monies is required by the proposition, or where other valid reason exists for excluding the proposition from the ballot.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that election districts have been established in the School District. The boundaries of the election districts, as adopted by resolution of the Board of Education, and the polling place in each election district shall be as follows:

Election District No.

1 – Northeast Elementary School

• North by school district boundary line (Southern State Parkway)

• East by school district boundary line (Great Neck Road, Albany Avenue and Bayview Avenue)

• South by Long Island Rail Road

• West by School district boundary line (Carman Road)

• Being that part of the School District North of the Long Island Railroad Election District No. 2 – Amityville Memorial High School

• North by Long Island Rail Road

• East by school district boundary line (Amityville Village line)

• South by school district boundary line (Great South Bay)

• West by school district boundary line (Carman River and Carman Road)

• Being that part of the School District South of the Long Island Railroad

Dated: Amityville, New York

March 18, 2026

By Order of the Board of Education of the Amityville Union Free School District

Towns of Babylon, Suffolk County and Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York

Anne-Marie Monahan, District Clerk 26-86 4/29, 5/6,, 13

AVISO DE JUNTA ANUAL, VOTACIÓN DE PRESUPUESTO Y ELECCIÓN EN EL DISTRITO ESCOLAR DE AMITYVILLE (AMITYVILLE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT) MUNICIPIO DE BABYLON, MUNICIPIO DE OYSTER BAY, CONDADO DE SUFFOLK, Y CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO, de que va a llevar a cabo una audiencia presupuestaria ante los votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District), Municipio de Babylon, Municipio de Oyster Bay, Condado de Suffolk y Condado de Nassau, Nueva York en Amityville Park Avenue Memorial Elementary, 140 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, en dicho distrito el 6 de mayo de 2026 a las 5:30 pm, para la gestión de los siguientes asuntos tal y como faculta la Ley de Educación, incluidos los siguientes elementos:

•Presentar a los votantes una declaración detallada (propuesta de presupuesto) de la cantidad de dinero que se requerirá para el año fiscal 2026-2027.

• Discutir todos los puntos que se establecen a continuación para ser sometidos a plebiscito mediante máquinas de sufragio para la votación y elección que se realizará el martes 19 de mayo de 2026.

• Tratar cualquier otro asunto debidamente presentado antes de la reunión de conformidad con la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York y cualquier enmienda a ella.

Se pondrá a disposición de los residentes del distrito escolar una copia del

presupuesto propuesto, previa solicitud, a partir del 4 de mayo de 2026 hasta el 19 de mayo de 2026 inclusive durante el horario de atencion al publico habitual en la Oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito, Edificio de Administración Park North, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, que de conformidad con el Capítulo 258 de las Leyes de 2008, fue incorporada la Sección 495 a la Ley del Impuesto sobre la Propiedad Inmobiliaria, por la que se requiere que el Distrito Escolar adjunte a su propuesta de presupuesto, un informe de exención. Dicho informe de exención, que también pasará a formar parte del presupuesto final, mostrará qué parte del valor tasado total en el registro tributario final usado en el proceso presupuestario está exento de impuestos, se enumeran todos los tipos de exenciones otorgadas, identificadas por la autoridad legal, mostrando: (a) el impacto acumulado de cada tipo de exención expresado bien como una cantidad en dólares del valor tasado o como un porcentaje del valor tasado total en el registro; (b) el monto 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 otorgadas. El informe de exención se publicará en alguno de los tablones de anuncios que tiene el Distrito para avisos públicos y en cualquier sitio web administrado por el Distrito.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO

ADICIONAL, de que la votación y elecciones anuales se llevarán a cabo el martes 19 de mayo de 2026, entre las 7:00 am y las 9:00 pm, en los dos distritos electorales, a saber, Northeast Elementary School, 420 Albany Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, y Amityville Memorial High School, 250 Merrick Road, Amityville, Nueva York, cuando estarán abiertas las urnas para votar mediante máquinas de votación sobre los siguientes asuntos: • Adoptar el presupuesto anual del Distrito Escolar para el año fiscal 2026-2027 y autorizar que la cuota requerida del mismo se recaude mediante los impuestos sobre las propiedades sujetas a tributación en el distrito.

•Elegir cuatro miembros de la Junta de Educación de la siguiente manera: •Un miembro de la Junta de Educación por un plazo de tres (3) años para suceder a Lisa Johnson, cuyo mandato expira el 30 de junio de 2026, •Un miembro de la Junta de Educación por un plazo de tres (3) años para suceder a Leslie Kretz, cuyo mandato expira el 30 de junio de 2026, •Un miembro de la Junta de Educación por un plazo de tres (3) años para suceder a Carol Seehof, cuyo mandato expira el 30 de junio de 2026, y •Un miembro de la Junta de Educación para completar el resto del mandato no vencido del puesto que quedó vacante tras la renuncia de Caroline Fanning; dicho mandato comenzará inmediatamente después de la elección y vencerá el 30 de junio de 2027. Y POR LA PRESEN-

Continued on next page

May 6, 2026

Continued from previous page TE SE DA AVISO

ADICIONAL, de que cualquier residente del Distrito puede obtener una copia del estado de cuenta con el importe necesario para financiar el presupuesto del Distrito Escolar durante 2026-2027, excluyendo el dinero público, durante las horas de atención al público, a partir del 4 de mayo de 2026 hasta el 19 de mayo de 2026 inclusive, excepto sábados, domingos o festivos, en el Edificio de Administración de Park Avenue, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, y en cada una de las siguientes escuelas:

Amityville Memorial High School

Edmund W. Miles Middle School Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School Northwest Elementary School Northeast Elementary School

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que las solicitudes para nominar a los candidatos para los cargos en la Junta de Educación deberán presentarse ante la Secretaria de dicho Distrito Escolar en su oficina en el Edificio de Administración de Park North,150 Park Avenue, Amityville, New York no más tarde del 20 de abril de 2026 entre el 9:00 am y 5:00 pm. Las solicitudes de nominación deberán estar dirigidas a la Secretaria del Distrito y deberán estar firmadas al menos por 29 votantes calificados del Distrito (representando al mayor de mas de 25 votantes calificados o el 2% del total de votantes que participaron en la elección anual previa); deberá indicar el nombre y domicilio de cada firmante y deberán

indicar el nombre y el domicilio del candidato.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que las solicitudes para las papeletas de voto en ausencia y votación anticipada se podrán obtener durante el horario de atencion al publico en la oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito a partir del 20 de abril de 2026; De acuerdo a la Ley de Educación §§ 2018-a y 2018-e, Las solicitudes completas de voto en ausencia y votación anticipada deben ser recibidas en la Secretaría del distrito antes de treinta (30) días antes de la elección y deberán ser recibidas en la Secretaría del Distrito al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección si la papeleta se va a enviar por correo al votante o el día antes de la elección si la papeleta se entrega personalmente al votante o al agente designado en la solicitud de voto en ausencia. La Secretaria del Distrito debe recibir las papeletas de voto en ausencia no más tarde de las 5:00 p.m. del martes 19 de mayo de 2026. La lista con las personas a las que se les ha emitido las papeletas de voto en ausencia estará disponible para ser inspeccionada por los votantes calificados del Distrito en la Oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito, 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York a partir y después del 14 de mayo de 2026 entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m. los días laborables anteriores al día establecido para la elección anual y el mismo día 19 de mayo de 2026, día establecido para la elección. Cualquier votante cualificado puede, al examinar dicha lista, presentar una impugnación por escrito sobre la habilitación como votante

de cualquier persona cuyo nombre aparezca en dicha lista, indicando las razones de dicha impugnación. Cualquier impugnación por escrito será transmitida a los inspectores electorales por la Secretaria del Distrito o una persona designada por la Junta de Educación el día de la elección.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que es necesario el registro en persona de los votantes conforme a la sección §2014 de la Ley de Educación o conforme al Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral. Si un votante está registrado con anterioridad conforme a § 2014 de la Ley de Educación en el Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District) y ha votado en alguna reunión anual o especial en dicho distrito dentro de los últimos cuatro años naturales, será elegible para votar en esta elección. Si un votante está registrado y es elegible para votar bajo el Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral,será también apto para votar en esta elección. Todas las demás personas que deseen votar deben registrarse. Los votantes pueden registrarse para votar cualquier día lectivo antes de o el mismo día 14 de mayo de 2026 en las Oficinas del Distrito,150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, entre las 8:30 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m., momento en el que cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se incluya en dichos registros, siempre y cuando él o ella cumplan con los requisitos de la Junta de Registro para tener el derecho de votar a partir de ese momento o en el futuro en las elecciones para las que se establece el registro.

Public Notices

El registro así establecido de conformidad con §2014 de la Ley de Educación se archivará en la Oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito Escolar en el Edificio Administrativo de Park North, y se abrirá para poder ser inspeccionado por cualquier votante cualificado del Distrito a partir del 14 de mayo. 2026, entre las 9:00 A.M. Y las 4:00 P.M., de lunes a viernes, los días previos al día fijado para la elección,excepto el domingo, con cita previa el sábado y en los centros de votación el mismo día de la votación.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que los votantes militares que no están registrados actualmente pueden solicitar registrarse como votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District) solicitando y devolviendo una solicitud de registro a la Secretaria del Distrito en persona, por correo a la Secretaria del Distrito, Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District), 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, 11701 por correo

electrónico a DistrictClerk@ amityvilleufsd,org o por fax al (631) 6913215. La solicitud de registro puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar para recibir la solicitud de registro, ya sea por correo, fax o correo electrónico. La solicitud de inscripción en el registro de los votantes militares debe recibirse en la oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito no más tarde de las 5:00 p.m. el 23 de abril de 2026. Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que los votantes milita-

res que sean votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District), pueden solicitar papeletas de voto para militares en la Secretaria del Distrito en persona, por correo a la Secretaria del Distrito, Distrito Escolar de Amityville (Amityville Union Free School District), 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York, por correo electrónico a DistrictClerk@amityvilleufsd.org o por fax al (631) 691-3215. En dicha solicitud, el votante militar puede indicar su preferencia para recibir la solicitud por correo postal, fax o correo electrónico. Los militares que voten deben devolver la solicitud original de papeletas de voto para militares por correo o en persona a la oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York. Para que un votante militar reciba una papeleta de voto para militares, conforme a la Sección 2018-d, se debe recibir una solicitud de papeleta de voto para militares válida en la oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito no más tarde de las 5:00 p.m., el 23 de abril de 2026. Las solicitudes de papeleta de voto para militares recibidas de acuerdo con lo anterior se procesarán de la misma manera que una solicitud de papeleta de voto no militar bajo la Sección 2018-a de la Ley de Educación. La solicitud de papeleta de voto para militares puede incluir la preferencia del votante militar de recibir la papeleta de voto por correo, fax o correo electrónico. Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que el original de la papeleta de voto de un votante militar debe

devolverse por correo o en persona a la Oficina de la Secretaria del Distrito en 150 Park Avenue, Amityville, Nueva York. Las papeletas de votos de militares serán escrutadas si son recibidas por la Secretaria del Distrito antes del cierre de las urnas el 19 de mayo de 2026 mostrando un matasellos del Servicio Postal de los Estados Unidos o del servicio postal de un país extranjero, o mostrando el acuso de recibo de otra agencia del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos; o recibido a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m. el 19 de mayo de 2026 y firmado y fechado por el elector militar y un (1) testigo del mismo, con una fecha que se verifica no posterior al día anterior a la elección. Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que de conformidad con la §2014 de la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York, la Junta de Registro se reunirá el martes 19 de mayo de 2026, entre las 7:00 A.M. Y las 9:00 P.M., en Northeast Elementary School y Amityville Memorial High School, para preparar el Registro del Distrito Escolar que se utilizará en la elección que se llevará a cabo en 2027, y cualquier reunión especial del distrito que pueda realizarse después de la preparación de dicho Registro, momento en el que, cualquier persona tendrá derecho de inscribir su nombre en dicho Registro, siempre que en dicha reunión de la Junta de Registro se demuestre que el o ella cumplen con los requisitos de dicha Junta de Registro otorgándole el derecho a votar en ese momento o en el futuro, en las elecciones de la escuela para las que se establece dicho

Registro, o cualquier reunión especial del distrito que se lleve a cabo después del 19 de mayo de 2026.

Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO

ADICIONAL, que de conformidad con una regla adoptada por la Junta de Educación de acuerdo con la sección §2035 de la Ley de Educación, cualquier referéndum o propuesta para modificar el presupuesto, o cualquier otro asunto que sea sometido a votación en dicha elecciones, deberá presentarse ante la Secretaria del Distrito de la Junta de Educación en el Edificio de Administración de Park North, el mismo dia o antes del 20 de marzo de 2026 a las 5:00 pm, hora vigente, excepto las peticiones relacionadas con una proposición que deba ser incluida en el avviso de la reunión anual que debe ser registrado en la Secretaria del Distrito de la Junta de Educación el mismo dia o antes del 20 de abril de 2026 a las 5:00 pm deberá estar mecanografiado o impreso en el idioma inglés; deberá estar dirigido a la Secretaria del Distrito Escolar; deberá estar firmado por al menos 29 votantes calificados del Distrito (que representan al mayor de 25 votantes calificados o el 2% del número total de votantes en la elección anual anterior); y deberá indicar de manera legible el nombre de cada firmante. Sin embargo, la Junta Escolar no aceptará ninguna proposición para presentar a los votantes cuyo propósito no esté dentro de las atribuciones de los votantes, ya que sería ilegal, o cualquier proposición que no incluya una asignación específica de los gastos incurridos mediante dicha propuesta, o cu-

ando exista cualquier otra razón válida para excluir la propuesta de las papeletas de votación.

Y POR LA PRESENT E SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, de que se han establecido distritos electorales en el Distrito Escolar. Los límites de los distritos electorales, adoptados por resolución de la Junta de Educación, y el lugar de votación en cada distrito electoral serán los siguientes:

Distrito Electoral No. 1-Northeast Elementary School

•Al l Norte por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (Southern State Parkway)

•Al este por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (Great Neck Road, Albany Avenue y Bayview Avenue)

•Al Sur por Long Island Rail Road (Ferrocarril de LI)

•Al Oeste por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (Carman Road)

•Siendo esa parte del distrito escolar al norte del Long Island Rail Road

Distrito Electoral No. 2-Amityville Memorial High School

•Al Norte por el Long Island Rail Road

•Al Este por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (línea de Amityville Village)

•Al Sur por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (Great South Bay)

•Al oeste por la línea fronteriza del distrito escolar (Carman River y Carman Road)

•Siendo esa parte del distrito escolar al sur del Long Island Rail Road

F echa: Amityville, Nueva York

18 de marzo 2026

Por orden de la Junta de Educación de la Amityville UFSD Ciudad de Oyster Bay, Ciudad de Babylon, Condado de Nassau y Condado de Suffolk, Nueva York

Anne-Marie Monahan, Secretaria del Distrito 26-87 4/29, 5/6, 13

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Stunning to Behold

This breathtaking property is a masterfully crafted home set on a sprawling threequarter acre corner lot, where elegance, space, and thoughtful design come together. From the moment you step inside, the superior craftsmanship and refined interior design make an unforgettable impression. Rich wood flooring flows seamlessly throughout, grounding every room with warmth and character. The soaring vaulted ceiling of the magnificent living room creates an airy, grand atmosphere, beautifully complemented by an abundance of

How early do I get the interior designer involved?

Q. I’ve been interviewing architects and want your opinion on the issue of interior design. I have no sense of space, color or furniture. I’m getting mixed ideas from the architects about having an interior designer involved at the beginning, and I’m wondering what to do. Should I have the interior designer do the space plan first, and then hire the architect, or should I get the interior designer involved more toward the middle, before plans are done?

A. This is a touchy subject that often leads to frustration, mostly because the tasks of each are not always understood. There’s an old saying, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” An interior designer on my projects has always been requested to work after the building is designed, from the beginning to the end. The reasons for this are the differences in our knowledge of laws, engineering qualifications and responsibilities.

& Condos/Sale

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An interior designer doesn’t have a license, qualification or, generally, the education to perform the integrated services of an architect or an engineer. The reason that’s a frustrating answer is that I like working with interior designers personally, when the enhancement of the building’s finishes come into play, after the building has met the requirements of being able to stand, shed light to spaces, allow for all the safety requirements and myriad codes that must be followed. Unfortunately, clients often see that as being egotistical, overly sensitive or domineering, and that’s due to the lack of education as to what each person’s role is in construction. It’s no different than when a carpenter tells a homeowner that the structure could have been thinner and would have saved the owner money. The carpenter may not understand that the structure has to be sized for insulation thickness to meet energy codes before voicing their perspective. I’ve had multiple experiences that turned out very well because it was understood, from the project beginning, that the architect wasn’t there just to draw what they were told to draw. At times, issues needed to be discussed, and changes were necessary to accommodate the material thickness.

For example, stairways have a minimum width, and you can’t arbitrarily add a thick stone surface to the side walls that would reduce the clear width. It might be beautiful, but imagine having the inspection fail for safety reasons. In that instance, the plans could have been discussed or the material selection could have been revised.

I once had an interior designer repeatedly changing the shape of spaces, requiring the arbitrary removal of columns. A building won’t stand without columns, and moving them is like pulling one card out of a house of cards, literally and figuratively. A great design starts with great communication and a clear understanding of each person’s responsibilities and boundaries, both legal and by the project team as a whole. As a team, you will be successful if you and every team member understand this. Good luck!

Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.

Ask The Architect

Monte Leeper

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I have more than enough words for a memoir

Recently I entered into an agreement with noted editor Peter Ginna to put my 140,000-word memoir manuscript into final form to be presented to publishers. That will probably result in the reduction of at least 30,000 words and some reformatting. The final product, though, will be mine.

This project began five years ago. After I retired from Congress in January 2021, I started to assemble my thoughts, news stories, photos and memorabilia from 28 years in office in an attempt to make some sense of, and put in some perspective, my experiences. The more I assembled, the more I realized how long and unlikely the journey had been — and how fortunate I had been.

Particularly helpful to me in collating so much of the memories and information was Anne Rosenfeld, who worked in my district office, in Massapequa Park, for all of those years, including the last 20 as district director. Melissa Zimmerman was one of the Nassau County Police Department

detectives on my congressional security detail. Having retired shortly before I did, she agreed to be my post-congressional security director. As she learned what I was doing and heard my discussions about my experiences, she urged me to put it all into a memoir. And she didn’t let up until I started the process.

As I began to write, I realized that the story would have to begin where it all began, on the bluecollar sidewalks of Sunnyside, Queens, and then St. Albans.

if not a ragsto-riches tale, my life has certainly been an improbable journey.

My grandparents were Irish immigrants. My father was a World War II veteran and an Army Reserve major who served for three decades in the New York City Police Department, rising to the rank of lieutenant as commanding officer for physical training and head of the department’s first Ceremonial Unit, which he formed. My mother, a product of the Depression, had to turn down a college scholarship and take a job instead.

My younger brother, Kevin, and I attended St. Teresa’s grammar school, in Woodside, where there were 70-plus kids in a classroom, with no concern for feelings or sensitivity. Tuition was 25 cents a week. After that it was Brooklyn Prep and then St. Francis College, while

TI worked full-time at the Railway Express freight yards on Manhattan’s West Side as a junior and senior. After that I was unexpectedly accepted by Notre Dame Law School, where I made friendships that would last a lifetime. At neighboring St. Mary’s College I met Rosemary, who has been putting up with me for a lifetime.

All of this somehow led to experiences with an eclectic mix of people and events that made for an interesting, never boring, life, as I navigated the minefields of New York and Washington politics and government. I dealt with tragedies such as Sept. 11 and its lasting aftermath, which included fighting for health care benefits for its survivors and first responders. I was one of only two members of Congress in history to vote against the impeachment of two presidents. I faced challenges as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, holding controversial hearings into Islamic radicalization and ensuring that New York and Long Island received the funding necessary to defend against future terrorist attacks.

Over the years in New York, Washington and overseas, there were dealings with Presidents Clinton, Bush,

Obama, Trump and Biden; British Prime Minister Blair and Irish P.M. Ahern; Israeli leaders Rabin, Peres and Netanyahu; and meeting foreign leaders and dignitaries such as Russia’s Yeltsin, Poland’s Walesa and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. There were New York leaders, characters and personalities including Cardinal John O’Connor, Al D’Amato, Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani and Roy Cohn.

There was also the almost surreal experience of being the grandson of Irish immigrants and having a great uncle who was in the IRA and imprisoned during the Irish War of Independence in the 1920s — and working with Clinton, Blair, Ahern and Irish Republican leader Gerry Adams to bring about the historic 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended the centuries-old, bloody struggle between the British government and the people of Ireland.

My life has not been a rags-to-riches tale, but it has certainly been an improbable journey, beyond what I ever could have dreamed of or imagined. It has indeed been what my book title describes, “The Road to God Knows Where — From the Blue Collar Sidewalks of Queens to the Halls of Congress.”

Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Comments? pking@ liherald.com.

We all need friends, and NATO is our best one

he older you get, the more you need to have some friends. While we should always be lucky to have a family that cares for us in good times and bad, we still have to have friends. A little research showed me that there are more songs about the value of friends, and the need for them, than about independence or going it alone.

I’m sure many readers are familiar with the Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends.” Or Dionne Warwick’s “That’s What Friends Are For,” or Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” Or Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.” I could list another dozen songs that capture the importance of having a friend. Which brings us to the subject of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Somehow, President Trump has advanced the distorted idea that America can go it alone in the world without the help of our overseas allies. Long before NATO came into existence in 1949, our European friends were fighting with us in World War II, losing thou-

sands of young men to keep democracy alive.

When NATO was founded, its membership comprised Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. It now includes Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. It is a powerful union of allies who all have economic and strategic relationships with the United States.

There is no way the United States could go it alone with these allies.

has always stood by us since then. Trump alleges that Iran was almost ready to attack the United States and Israel, but it did not launch an attack on our country. Being a “threat” to a NATO ally isn’t the same as attacking it. On 9/11, the NATO countries immediately declared their support for the United States and provided numerous forms of assistance, both technical and economic.

territory.) Russia could mount an attack on our country in minutes if it ever served their purposes.

What gets lost in the debate about NATO’s obligations to intervene in the war with Iran is that NATO was never consulted before the war began, and no member country was attacked by Iran. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty says that an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against all members, which is not what happened in the war with Iran.

The first time the NATO charter was invoked was when America was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. The alliance

To this day, NATO members continue to offer us strategic advice about actions around the world that may be a threat to America. They provide us with warnings about weather patterns and environmental events that are a threat to our region of the planet. And most of all, they buy billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment and other products that make our manufacturers healthy and wealthy.

Whether the president admits it or not, our two biggest enemies are China and Russia. In the case of Russia, it is worth noting that it is less than 60 miles from Alaska. (And actually, Big Diomede Island, in Russian territory, is just 2½ miles from Little Diomede Island, in U.S.

As for China, even with some severe economic problems, it is capable of causing major upheaval for the U.S. if it chooses. Should it invade Taiwan, America would lose its major supplier of the semiconductor chips that companies like Nvidia and Apple use for advanced computing. Other chips are used in automobiles and a wide variety of products, and we can’t afford to lose that supply.

There is no way that the United States could go it alone without its NATO allies. We can’t protect our country from the world’s two worst predators without those allies on our side. Breaking up that alliance would be strategic and economic suicide. Talk is cheap, so the president has every right to pick occasional spats with NATO, but he can’t afford to abandon it. To do so would create chaos for generations to come.

Jerry Kremer was a state assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He currently chairs the Capitol Insight Group, a government relations firm. Comments? jkremer@liherald.com.

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Small Business Week, with eyes wide open

Small Business Week, which runs from May 3 to 9, will bring the usual round of proclamations, ribbon-cuttings and feel-good photo ops. Local entrepreneurs deserve every one of them. They also deserve the truth: The Main Streets of Long Island are under siege, and a week of celebration cannot paper over what the rest of the year has made painfully clear.

Walk down Park Avenue, in Long Beach, or Merrick Avenue, or any commercial corridor from Lynbrook to Glen Cove, and the strain is visible. For Lease signs have not come down in months. Restaurants have cut hours because they can’t find or afford the staff to stay open. Family-owned shops that survived the pandemic now wonder whether they will survive the aftermath. The business owners who anchor our downtowns aren’t asking for sympathy. They are asking, quietly and increasingly, whether the math still works.

The pressures are no secret. Rents for Long Island commercial space have climbed steadily. Costs have skyrocketed, outpacing what owners can charge without losing customers. Wages have risen, as they should, but for thin-margin businesses, every raise is a calculation about how many shifts can be staffed next month.

Energy bills and insurance premiums keep grinding higher. And looming over all of it is the e-commerce machine — Amazon, Temu, Shein and a growing list of online giants whose business model depends on undercutting the shop down the block, capturing the sale, and sending the profit somewhere far from Long Island.

The numbers tell a more complicated story than the celebratory ones we usually hear. In Nassau County, the U.S. Small Business Administration backed more than $207 million in loans last year, supporting roughly 500 businesses and helping create or sustain 2,850 jobs. That is real and meaningful. But SBA lending is also a barometer of need. A community in which hundreds of businesses require government-backed credit just to keep their doors open is not a community where small business is thriving on its own. It is a community where small business is fighting to hold ground.

Matt Coleman, the SBA’s regional administrator, has said that anyone who wants to understand the local economy needs to look past the financial markets and pay attention to those small businesses, embedded in our communities. He’s right. And what those businesses are telling us, if we listen honestly, is that the ground beneath them is shifting faster than they can adapt.

Federal tax relief on tips and overtime will help some workers. Modest tax reductions for small-business owners will help some operators. Neither will reverse the structural forces reshaping retail, hospitality and local service. The playing field is not level, and pretending otherwise does our merchants no favors.

What small businesses can offer is what e-commerce cannot: presence, accountability and a stake in the community. The pizzeria in East Rockaway that sponsors the Little League team.

The diner in Seaford that hosts the volunteer fire department’s monthly breakfast. The florist in Oyster Bay that decorates the village gazebo for the holidays.

None of those things show up on a balance sheet. All of them disappear when the storefront goes dark.

The Herald takes pride in standing alongside local businesses every day of the year. Our reporters tell their stories — the grand openings, the second-generation handoffs, the milestone anniversaries, the moments when local owners step up to feed first responders during a storm. Our advertising and marketing teams work shoulder to shoulder with owners to help them reach customers and grow their brand across print, digital and social channels. We do this because we believe local journalism and local commerce rise and fall together.

Honesty about the challenges is not pessimism. It is the precondition for a serious response. Policymakers should be looking hard at commercial rent pressures, at the unequal tax treatment that favors online sellers, at workforce housing that should allow people to actually live near where they work. Residents have a role, too — a more direct one. Every dollar spent locally is a dollar that stays here, resulting in sponsors for Little League teams, donors for nonprofit events, tenants for local storefronts, and more.

So this week, before clicking “buy now” online, walk into the shop down the block. Order takeout from the family-run restaurant in Island Park. Book the local landscaper from Malverne. Tip generously. The Main Streets of Long Island are not guaranteed. They are chosen, one transaction at a time, by the people who live here — and that choice has never mattered more.

Influencers, from Joe Schmoe to the influencer in chief

where are all the government’s best and brightest?

In the current administration, there are fewer models for academic achievement, moral rectitude and ethical behavior. The swamp is real, and it’s drowning the smart and dedicated people who go to Washington to serve the country.

Many of our best federal officials have been muted or sidelined by the Elon MuskDonald Trump one-two punch.

The president has appointed a succession of officials who are unprepared for their demanding jobs. He has trolled the bottom for people whose only standard is loyalty to the regime. As they sink and flunk out, as scandal after scandal unfolds, as their inexperience and absurd behavior come to light, they leave and are replaced by other sycophants.

As education standards sink, we witness the rise of “influencers,” selfappointed experts who have co-opted the attention and expendable income of millions of people old enough to use a phone. We are ceding critical questions about our health and well-being to self-

promoters who may have no real expertise and even less education. What many of them do have is a social media presence and the marketing know-how to garner thousands — even millions — of followers.

This isn’t a new problem, but it’s getting worse.

One example: In February, The New York Times published a story titled, “Do Energy Drinks Offer Benefits Beyond Caffeine?”

sThe takeaway was that most of the boost in these drinks comes from oldfashioned caffeine, not the add-on vitamins or extracts or purified water. Even though many drinks are marketed by health influencers as enhancing focus or endurance, the evidence, the article said, is inconsistent. In addition, the high caffeine levels in these jazzed-up drinks are concerning for those with a variety of health issues.

and because they hold sway with millions of followers whose only source of scientific information and medical advice is social media.

ocial media offer an uninformed public a circular firing squad of ignorance.

They are influencers, too, because their audience often doesn’t read or listen critically to what they are peddling. The social media audience isn’t researching the claims made on Instagram, for example, because many don’t know how to do research. And it’s so easy to just click and buy and think your pimples will disappear with a new product. We need a savvier buying public, and that comes with old-fashioned, top-tier education backed by quality teachers who are paid generously for the immense responsibility they carry — to educate our young.

pelted with stones by members of the Red Guards. Allegiance to Mao was all.

I think of this as our best-trained military leaders are fired by Trump, as longtime officials in the FBI and CIA are replaced by flunkies, as people like Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi spin through the revolving door of our dysfunctional government.

A true leader seeks to elevate the best and brightest, without a loyalty test as the filter.

The concept of influencers has roots dating back to the early 1900s. It began with celebrities endorsing products. Remember the Marlboro Man who smoked his way to fame? And all the dead lung cancer victims who followed his lead?

What you get from some of these aggressively marketed drinks is an expensive thirst-quencher with a ton of caffeine.

This is just one example of how we have surrendered our power to people who may have no scientific background at all when it comes to herbs or lotions or foods or exercise regimens. They are “influencers” because they say they are,

Framework by Tim Baker

The problem starts at the top, with an elected influencer in chief and his unqualified appointees, and it continues with an increasingly uninformed public whose only information comes from social media, a circular firing squad of ignorance.

In China, during the Cultural Revolution, from 1966 to 1976, intellectuals in every discipline were banished to the countryside. Illustrious scientists and writers were made to sit in public squares wearing dunce caps while being

I don’t understand the influence of influencers, the promotion of knownothings whom we empower to tell us how to live. I do know that to survive as a viable society, we must educate a new generation of critical thinkers.

It starts with our kids and grandkids, who must learn the difference between scientific-based information and random opinion offered up by charismatic but ignorant actors, even when they are handsome and riding a black stallion. Even when they live in the White House.

And the Experts Agree

At Mount Sinai South Nassau, patient safety isn’t just a priority— it’s a standard, one we work on every day. And the experts agree.

We’ve earned national recognition for patient safety, including an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group and the Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award.

That means better outcomes for our patients with lower risk of infections or hospital acquired conditions.

When it comes to your health, nothing matters more than knowing you’re in a place where patient safety matters most.

Learn more at mountsinai.org/southnassau