Courtesy Oceanside School District
Valedictorian Madison Moore and salutatorian Shehreyar Ahmad are this year’s top two students at Oceanside High School.
Meet Oceanside’s valedictorian and salutatorian for 2025
By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
Valedictorian Madison Moore and salutatorian Shehreyar Ahmad — who have demonstrated unwavering dedication, academic excellence and a passion for personal growth — will lead Oceanside High School’s graduating class of 2025.
Both students recently reflected on their journeys, motivations and experiences that shaped their high school careers.
“My parents are very, have a very good work ethic, and they always just taught me,” Moore shared. “I always wanted to be proud of the work that I put in. I think that that’s what led me to keep trying to aim for success and keep trying to push myself more and more.”
Both students credited their success to strong parental support and personal drive. Moore, who will attend the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, highlighted her passion for mathematics and her parents’ work ethic as key motivators.
Ahmad, who’s heading to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he will study pre-med biology, emphasized his mother’s encouragement and his own desire to excel academically.
Their high school careers have been marked by extensive extracurricular involvement. Moore was active in DECA, a club that prepares students for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management and was a passionate soccer player becoming involved
I.P. proposes $45 million school budget
By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
The Island Park School District has unveiled a proposed $45 million budget for the 2025-26 school year — an increase of roughly $667,000, or 1.51 percent, over the current spending plan.
In a presentation at the Board of Education meeting on May 6, school officials detailed the plan. Despite rising costs, the administration and board have avoided any increase in the tax levy, seeking to ease the burden on local homeowners. A key driver of the district’s ability to hold the line on property taxes is a substantial boost in state aid. Island Park’s aid allocation will swell by $2.3 million — an increase of more than 72 percent — due to an adjustment in the district’s combined wealth ratio following last year’s settlement of litigation over property assessments.
“That adjustment lowered our combined wealth ratio and unlocked significantly more foundation aid, transportation aid, BOCES reimbursement and other categorical grants,” the district’s business administrator, Salvatore Carambia, explained.
The breakdown of the $2.3 million uptick includes roughly $900,000 in additional foundation
aid, $614,000 for transportation, $804,000 for BOCES and $123,000 for other program-based state grants.
Local revenue sources will also contribute an extra $95,000, primarily from higher-interest income on reserves. Meanwhile, payments in lieu of taxes remain flat, and the district plans to draw down $1.1 million through interfund transfers and reserves, and to apply $2.7 million from fund balances — $400,000 from the ERS reserve, $150,000 from the workers’ compensation reserve and $600,000 from debt service reserves — to balancing the budget without raising the tax levy.
The proposal maintains the district’s three-part spending structure: program costs account for 82.4 percent of total expenditures; administration, 8.6 percent; and capital projects, 9 percent. The administrative component will rise only modestly, from $3.73 million to $3.8 million, while capital spending will increase by $215,000, to $4 million. The lion’s share of the $667,000 increase, some $380,000, is allocated to program expenses, bringing that total to approximately $37 million.
The financial blueprint
COntinued On pAge 17
Holocaust Survivor shares story with O’Side teens
By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
Oceanside teens gathered at Chabad of Oceanside on May 6 to hear 92-year-old Holocaust survivor Zelda Polofsky share her story of survival, faith and resilience. Organized through the C-Teen program and with assistance from C-Teen leadership team, the event aimed to connect a generation that is now eight decades removed from World War II with one of its last living witnesses—and to remind them that even one candle can dispel great darkness.
Polofsky, 92, recently shared her remarkable story of survival and resilience with local middle and high school students. The talk, part of an ongoing effort to educate youth about Holocaust history and combat anti-Semitism, drew approximately 45 teenagers who listened intently to Polofsky’s firsthand account.
Polofsky, who lives in Plainview, spoke candidly about her experiences during the Holocaust, including how non-Jewish Polish friends risked their lives to hide her family during the war. Her story highlighted both the depths of human cruelty and the extraordinary compassion that can emerge in the darkest times.
Polofsky was born in the small shtetl of Drujsk (then Poland, now Belarus). Her family first lost all possessions under Soviet rule in 1939 and then faced the German invasion in 1941. Rather than boarding a transport that led to death, her fami-
ly fled into a nearby ghetto, where young Polofsky experienced her first taste of electricity and indoor plumbing amid harsh conditions.
“Although she saw the worst of mankind, she also saw the best, and she saw the kindness that although the Polish were known to be even worse than the Nazis, some of her friends or neighbors were the ones who saved her,” said Rabbi Zevi Baumgarten, who helped organize the event.
Polofsky and her family hid each winter in the barn of a non-Jewish farmer and spent warmer months in the surrounding woods. In 1944, liberated by Soviet forces at age 12, Polofsky’s family found themselves trapped in Soviet-controlled Berlin. Rabbi Zevi relayed how they were briefly jailed after a failed attempt to reach the American sector; on a second try, they succeeded and spent three and a half years in a Displaced Persons camp. At 16, Zelda moved with her
family to St. Paul, Minnesota, where she learned English, completed high school, studied at a Jewish seminary, and earned her university degree. Polofsky later settled on Long Island after marrying, raising three children, and teaching Hebrew for over 40 years.
“With fewer survivors remaining each year, these personal accounts become increasingly precious,” Baumgarten said.
The teens engaged deeply with Polofsky, asking thoughtful questions about her post-war integration, family experiences, and emotional journey. The event comes at a crucial time, with rising antiSemitism making such educational efforts more important than ever.
“We have to uplift the society with our traditions, with our history and with our knowledge of history, to recognize that we have to love everyone, and we have to treat everybody with respect,” Baumgarten said.
Polofsky’s message of hope, resilience, and gratitude resonated strongly with the young audience, demonstrating the power of personal storytelling in preserving historical memory.
As Holocaust survivors become increasingly rare, events like these serve as vital bridges between generations, ensuring that the lessons of history are never forgotten.
“The more that we bring love, the more we bring light into the world, then the lighter, the brighter, and the safer the world will be,” Baumgarten said.
Courtesy Zevi Baumgarten
Abby Martin, left, alongside her mother Daryl were grateful to hear the story of 92-year-old Holocaust survivor Zelda Polofsky at the Chabad of Oceanside.
I.P. pancake breakfast flips up some fun
The scent of sizzling sausages and sweet syrup filled the air at Francis X. Hegarty Elementary School on Saturday morning, as the Kiwanis Club of Island Pare hosted its annual Pancake Breakfast — a cherished tradition that brings neighbors together for food, friendship, and fundraising.
Dozens of volunteers in aprons and Kiwanis T-shirts kept griddles hot and coffee flowing as families, students,
local leaders, and longtime residents gathered for all-you-can-eat pancakes. The event supports Kiwanis initiatives benefiting local youth, including scholarships, service projects, and the Key Club.
Attendees were also treated to raffle prizes, photo ops with costumed characters, and student volunteers lending a hand.
— Kepherd Daniel
Daniel Tommasino/Herald
Dean Bacigalupo,Tami McElwee,Tiffany Maksimowicz, Dayma D’Allessio, Jacob Russum and Joe Ponte ‘served em up’ at the Island Park Kiwanis Pancake breakfast Saturday.
Kiwanis volunteers worked the griddles, serving up hundreds of golden pancakes with smiles and syrup.
Young Island Park volunteers enjoyed helping out the Kiwanis club at the annual pancake breakfast.
From left, Legislator John Ferretti, I.P. Kiwanis Club President Karen Davis who was presented with a citation,Councilwoman Laura Ryder and Anthony D’Esposito.
Children enjoyed stacks of pancakes, fresh off the griddle, while chatting over the breakfast event that raised funds for local youth initiatives.
RichnerLIVE and Herald Gives Back
On April 8th the Herald and RichnerLIVE hosted the Top Lawyers of Long Island Awards Gala at the Heritage Club of Bethpage. The WE CARE Fund, the charitable arm of the Nassau County Bar Association, which supports a range of local nonprofits was the evening’s charity beneficiary and the recipient of $2000.
From left to right: Herald publisher and CEO Stuart Richner; RichnerLIVE executive director Amy Amato, Elizabeth Post, Jeffrey Catterson and Sandy Strenger of the Nassau County Bar Association.
A Forgotten American Treasure
Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac appeared from 1732 to 1758. Amongst other information, it provided pithy sayings and proverbs, many of which have withstood the test of time.
“An empty bag cannot stand upright.”
“Anger is never without a reason, but seldom a good one.”
“Anoint a villain and he’ll stab you: stab him and he’ll anoint you.”
“An old young man will be a young old man.”
“Don’t think to hunt two hares with one dog.”
“Eat few suppers and you’ll need few medicines.”
“Great almsgiving, lessens no man’s living.”
“Happy’s the wooing that’s not long a doing.”
“He that lies down with dogs, shall rise up with fleas.”
“If your riches are yours, why don’t you take them with you to the other world.”
“Lost time is never found again.”
“The noblest question in the world is, what good may I do in it?”
“They who have nothing to trouble them, will be troubled at nothing.”
“The sleeping fox catches no poultry.”
“The tongue is ever turning to the aching tooth.”
LAW FIRM
Trusts & Estates • Wills & Probate • Medicaid FREE CONSULTATION: 516-327-8880 or email info@trustlaw.com 100 Merrick Rd., Rockville Centre • 3000 Marcus Ave., Lake Success Other offices in Huntington • Melville • Islandia
School Four students couldn’t contain their enthusiasm
Awareness Walk-a-thon, running until they
Walk raises $3K for Autism awareness
Over the last few years, School Four has built a new tradition with its annual Autism Awareness Walk-athon. This year was no different. On April 24, students sprinted, jogged, hopped, and walked across the field to raise funds for autism charities and their school’s SAILS program. With
donations from families and staff for the students’ efforts, the total raised adds up to nearly $3,000. Jackly Graham, School #Four principal, was proud of the support the walk-a-thon receives from the school community.
–Kepherd Daniel
Kiwanis club raises money for sick children
The Oceanside Kiwanis Club held its annual Take a Bite Out of Lyme fundraiser on May 2 at J. Paul’s Terrace Cafe. The clubs offered a “bite” followed by a shot of tequila in exchange for a small donation of $10. Another donation option was entering into a raffle for various raffle baskets.
In total, the club raised approximately $1,500 through both methods, all of which went to the Kiwanis Pediatric Lyme Disease Foundation.
All the proceeds will be used to help pay for the medical expenses for children afflicted with Lyme disease.
–Kepherd Daniel
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■ PUBlIC
Courtesy Oceanside School District
O’Side
about the Autism
had to walk to catch their breath.
Courtesy Joe Ponte
Members of the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside raised money for the Kiwanis Pediatric Lyme Disease foundation at their annual fundraiser.
VALENTINA KESABIAN
Clarke Senior Lacrosse
IT’S BEEN AN IMPRESSIVE rise for Clarke’s girls’ lacrosse program since it endured a winless 2022 campaign, and Kesabian has been a major part of the turnaround. Last spring she helped lead the Rams to 10 wins, scoring 26 goals and earning All-Conference honors in the process. This season, both the third-year attack and the team continued to flourish. Kesabian finished with 39 goals and 13 assists, and Clarke won 12 of 15 games.
GAMES TO WATCH
Thursday, May 15
Softball playoffs: First round at higher seed ...................TBA
Boys Lacrosse: Freeport at Kennedy .........................5 p.m.
Boys Lacrosse: Elmont
Friday, May 16
Boys Lacrosse: Garden City at Carey....................4:30 p.m.
Boys Lacrosse: Oceanside at Farmingdale................5 p.m.
Boys Lacrosse: Plainedge at South Side ...................5 p.m.
Boys Lacrosse: Massapequa at Syosset ...................5 p.m.
Saturday, May 17
Softball: Nassau quarterfinals at higher seed ................TBA
Monday, May 19
Softball: Nassau semifinals GM1 at higher seed ...........TBA
Tuesday, May 20
Softball: Nassau semifinals GM2 at lower seed.............TBA
Baseball: Nassau Class A quarterfinals GM 3................TBA
Baseball: Nassau Class B semifinals GM 2 ...................TBA
Baseball: Nassau Class AAA play-in games ...................TBA
Nominate a “Spotlight Athlete”
High School athletes to be featured on the Herald sports page must compete in a spring sport and have earned an AllConference award or higher last season. Please send the following information: Name, School, Grade, Sport and accomplishments to Sports@liherald.com.
Oceanside preps for playoff rematch
By DYLAN BUTLER sports@liherald.com
The Oceanside girls lacrosse team ended the regular season winning four of its final five games, including a 13-6 victory over MacArthur on May 8.
The Sailors head into the Nassau Class A playoffs as the No. 5 seed and will head to fourth-seeded Farmingdale in the quarterfinals May 15.
It’s a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals, won by the Dalers by one goal.
Farmingdale, perhaps, can provide the blueprint for Oceanside’s playoff run. A year ago, the Dalers competed in Nassau Conference II and reached the final.
Now, Oceanside is hoping to do the same.
“It is always a great opportunity,” Oceanside coach Ralph Montera Jr said. “They have the advantage because we’ll be on the road, and they are a Conference I team for a reason.”
The turning point for Oceanside (8-6), which opened the season losing four of its first five games, was a 12-9 loss at Lynbrook on April 7.
After the early struggles, Montera Jr and assistant coaches Tina Pumo and Jaclyn Sileo made some changes, switching to a zone defense, moving midfielder Sam Gemmo to attack, and bringing Ava Bowers off the bench to fill Gemmo’s spot in the midfield.
Gemmo balanced the attack, which has Sydney Abbott and Lauren Gilmore on the left side, because of her comfort level behind the cage.
“She helped us in our clear too, she’s really a midfielder athletically, so she gets open and our defender hits her, it’s almost like a fast break,” Montera Jr said of Gemmo, who has 24 goals and a team-high 21 assists.
Freshman Kate Twomey has become a standout in the cage with 92 saves.
“She’s handled herself well,” Montera Jr said. “She puts a lot of pressure on herself, but her preparation is fantastic. Her practices are, are amazing. It helps her offense, too. When we play a good goalie, we’re not overwhelmed
and the
Farmingdale as the Class A No. 5 and 4 seeds, respectively.
because we see one every day.” Offensively, the Sailors aren’t reliant on one player. Rather, there’s a balance on attack. In a 17-4 win over Baldwin on April 4, 10 different players scored for Oceanside.
Kaylin Harrington has also been instrumental in Oceanside’s regularseason success. The senior midfielder has 19 goals and 15 assists, but impacts the game in other ways.
“She does everything for us. She’s one of our best defenders and has a good balance of goals and assists. She’s on the draw circle and takes draw controls, so she does everything, and she
pretty much stays on the field the entire time.”
Abbott, who leads Oceanside with 37 goals, has been one of the team’s most dynamic attacking players, while Julia Morrison has raised her level since scoring five goals against Carle Place in a 17-10 win.
On the defensive side, Alexa Temple is a calming influence.
After seeing limited time last year, Ella Salonia is a full-time starter on attack. Along with starting defender Reese Barriga, they are two of the most improved players on a Sailors team looking to make noise in the playoffs.
Sue Grieco/Herald Kaylin Harrington
Sailors are headed to a playoff rematch against
Water providers are tested in taste contest
By CHARLES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com
What’s the best-tasting tap water on Long Island?
That was the question posed to students at Farmingdale State College during the Long Island Water Conference’s 37th annual drinking water tasting contest, held during National Drinking Water Week.
The conference, also known as LIWC, is made up of members of public and private water suppliers across Long Island. According to LIWC Commissioner Robert McEvoy, the event has taken place at the Farmingdale campus for the past four years, sparking student interest in water quality.
“It draws in a lot of the students,” McEvoy said. “They’re interested in where the water comes from, and if there’s any variance in taste. We also try to promote tap water as being the most regulated and tested, even more so than bottled water.”
The finals, held on May 7, featured 16 Long Island water providers competing for the title of best-tasting drinking water in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Students, faculty and staff on campus participated in a blind taste test, sam
Charles Shaw/Herald
Oyster Bay Water District Secretary Michael Rich, second from right, and Treasurer Nick Niznik offered samples to students during the Long Island Water Conference’s annual water tasting event at Farmingdale State College.
the Greenlawn Water District took the top spot in Suffolk. Both districts will advance to the New York State Regional Metro Tap Water Taste Contest in New York City in August, where they will compete for a spot in the statewide competition held later that month at the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse.
LIWC representatives at the event also took the opportunity to educate attendees about the water supplied to their
Nine & Dine
Teeing Off for Change
and the chairman of the Oyster Bay Water District, said that frequent testing is conducted by the state Department of Health to ensure the water’s quality.
“It’s safe, it’s highly regulated and it’s extremely affordable,” McEvoy said. “It’s something that should be utilized by the public, and it’s a far greater value than bottled water.”
Michael Rich, a commissioner and the secretary of the Oyster Bay district, has
nity and have everyone get involved with local water,” Rich said.
He noted that most people aren’t aware of where their water comes from. On Long Island, drinking water comes from an aquifer system, a naturally formed underground storage area.
In an aquifer system, unwanted chemicals are capable of seeping into the water supply. The LIWC urges residents to dispose of hazardous household waste properly at designated town drop-off sites and never pour it down drains, into storm sewers or on the ground.
“Anything that we put on the ground will ultimately find its way into the aquifer,” Rich stated.
Lawn irrigation, he said, accounts for much of Long Island’s water use. He urged residents to follow odd/even watering schedules, watering on days that match their house numbers. He also highlighted the importance of leak detection, noting that undetected leaks can waste hundreds of thousands of gallons each month, making it vital for both residents and water providers to monitor and address them.
Rich added that it doesn’t take much water to maintain a healthy lawn.
“You don’t have to water your lawn for a half-hour a day,” Rich said. “You’ll get the same results 15 minutes a day, so we
For more information on the local
HONORING MEN & COMPANIES ADVANCING WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Chalk S. State crashes up to bad judgment
By AINSLEY MARTINEZ amartinez@liherald.com
Second story in a series on the Southern State Parkway.
Ana Marte, 67, said that a fatal car accident on the Southern State Parkway in January changed her life.
Her grandson Anthonie Marte, 23, was severely injured in a one-car crash shortly after 11 p.m. on Jan. 12, in the eastbound lanes not far from Exit 30, near Farmingdale and Massapequa, according to the New York State Police.
Investigators said that the car in which Marte was a passenger, a black 2016 Dodge Dart, was traveling at a high rate of speed and weaving between lanes before the driver lost control and crashed into a tree.
Two rear-seat passengers, ages 23 and 21, were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, Jaden Dsouza, 19, of College Point, Queens, and Marte, of East Elmhurst, Queens, who was in the front passenger seat, were both extricated from the vehicle and transported to a nearby hospital in serious condition.
Marte’s grandmother said he suffered major head injuries, and she still takes care of him daily, feeding him and giving him pain medicine. He is slowly recovering, with doctors’ appointments and physical therapy. “He’s like a baby again,” she said. “He doesn’t want to go outside because he’s scared, and all he does is sleep.”
Marte does not remember the accident, his grandmother said.
Dsouza was later charged with one count of driving while ability impaired by drugs, second-degree manslaughter, first-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault and aggravated vehicular homicide, police said.
Crash data from the New York State Police shows a fluctuating, but persistent, pattern of accidents on the Southern State Parkway over the past six years, with the number of fatal crashes in a year reaching as high as six.
Crashes resulting in serious personal injury in Nassau have remained relatively low throughout the period, with no more than two reported in any given year.
While most incidents are non-fatal, serious crashes often involve an added risk: intoxication. Speed and distraction remain consistent contributing factors, but impairment by drugs or alcohol increases the potential for deadly outcomes.
“It’s on the driver for the most part,” State Police Capt. Mike Rhodes said. “If they’re inattentive, if they’re speeding, if they’re not following the vehicle and traffic law, they do not understand the severity of what could happen.”
Rhodes oversees 56 state troopers and eight sergeants, many of whom patrol the 25.3-mile long Southern State. Most accidents, he said, occur during peak congestion, at around 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Crash data from the state police show a fluctuating but persistent pattern of accidents on the parkway over the past six years, with fatal crashes increasing in 2024.
In 2019, there were 3,127 crashes on the Nassau County stretch of the parkway, including six fatalities. That number dropped to 2,331 in 2020, but rose again in subsequent years, reaching 2,716 in 2022 and 2,725 in 2023. In 2024, state police recorded 2,549 crashes and five fatalities. Thus far this year, there have been 328 crashes and one fatality.
“A lot of these things, they hit every single age category,” Rhodes said.
To combat the persistent problem, state police focus on enforcement and outreach. Not every traffic stop results in a citation; many serve as opportunities for education.
Personal injury attorney Stephen Cohen said that in his more than five decades of handling lawsuits, most of those that involve accidents on the Southern State involve intoxicated drivers.
Cohen, a partner at the law firm Cohen and Jaffe, in New Hyde Park, said that speed, intoxication and reckless driving continue to be the common factors in the region’s most serious accidents.
“I don’t believe road design is an issue at all,” Cohen said. “Posting more signs to slow down isn’t an answer, because when somebody is either speeding or just intoxicated, they don’t really care what the sign says.”
Many collisions during rush hour, he explained, stem from traffic congestion and insufficient braking distance. “People are gliding along, and they hit a certain spot, and all of a sudden they weren’t prepared, because they’re going 70 miles an hour,” Cohen said. “So you
see a lot of rear-end collisions, not necessarily death-related.”
Fatal crashes, he noted, often involve younger drivers, high speeds and intoxication or impairment.
“You don’t see fatalities at 11 o’clock in the morning,” Cohen said. “You just don’t. You may see them at 4 in the morning. When your ability to observe is not sharp because of either impairment or intoxication, the car is going to go airborne. And if there happens to be a tree there, that’s the next thing you’re going to hit.”
In his practice, Cohen said, the firm represents victims or passengers, but not intoxicated drivers.
Under state law, he noted, lawsuits require plaintiffs to meet the “serious injury” threshold defined in insurance law. In cases involving fatalities, death, families must petition a Surrogate’s Court to appoint a representative for the estate before filing a lawsuit. That process can take over a year, he said.
Insurance coverage limits often dictate how quickly a case can be resolved. “If somebody has — let’s say, the responsible party — has a $100,000 policy, that case is going to be over in two seconds,” Cohen said.
Efforts to reform wrongful death laws in New York have repeatedly stalled, despite advocacy from legal organizations.
Despite changes in laws and vehicle technology over the years, Cohen said, the root problems remain unchanged.
“It only seems to get worse because cars are faster than they were 20, 30 years ago,” he said. “There’s more people drinking or doing some sort of drugs. And that’s what you see in all horrific accidents.”
Additional reporting by Mohammad Rafiq.
Accident data from the New York State Police
2019 – Total: 3,987
(3,127 Nassau, 860 Suffolk)
Serious personal injury: 2 (Nassau)
Fatal: 8 (6 Nassau, 2 Suffolk)
2020 – Total: 2,977
(2,331 Nassau, 646 Suffolk)
Serious personal injury: 3 (2 Nassau, 1 Suffolk)
Fatal: 9 (6 Nassau, 3 Suffolk)
2021 – Total: 3,566
(2,782 Nassau, 784 Suffolk)
Serious personal injury: 1 (Nassau)
Fatal: 9 (6 Nassau, 3 Suffolk)
2022 – Total: 3,552
(2,716 Nassau, 836 Suffolk)
Serious personal injury:
5 (1 Nassau, 4 Suffolk)
Fatal: 13 (5 Nassau, 8 Suffolk)
2023 – Total: 3,500
(2,725-Nassau, 775-Suffolk)
Serious personal injury: 1 (Nassau)
Fatal: 6 (3 Nassau, 3 Suffolk)
2024 – Total: 3,405
(2,549 Nassau, 856 Suffolk)
Serious personal injury:
2 (1 Nassau, 1 Suffolk)
Fatal: 15 (5 Nassau, 10 Suffolk)
2025* – Total: 426 (328 Nassau, 98 Suffolk)
Serious personal injury: 0
Fatal: 3 (1 Nassau, 2 Suffolk)
* To date
Tim Baker/Herald
Reaching the top of Oceanside’s senior class
with Oceanside United Soccer Club’s Teaching Soccer to Kids with Disabilities program, while Ahmad participated in World Leaders Club, Ethics Bowl and student government. Both maintained impressive academic records while working part-time jobs.
Family roots and ambitions
Ahmad’s journey includes a major transition — moving back to the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic after spending six years in Pakistan.
“I was born here, and I lived here for seven years,” he explained. “And then, end of first grade, my parents wanted to go back to family, reconnect, so we moved there. I lived there for six years — from the beginning of second grade to the end of seventh — and they’d been wanting to move back. We ended up deciding in 2020, then Covid and all that happened. But luckily, we all came up here safe, and I’m really happy and fortunate that it all happened.”
Moore, whose parents both work together as textile designers based in Farmingdale, attributed their unique profession for her sense of creativity and discipline.
Math played a large role for both
Both Moore and Ahmad pointed to their love of math as a key factor in their academic growth and the teachers who
nurtured that passion.
“I’ve always really loved math because I think that math kind of gets a bad rap sometimes,” Moore said. “I liked that there was always a solution, but there’s different ways to find the solution. So it was kind of like almost my mentality for everything, not just math.”
For Ahmad, teacher James A. Smith made a strong impression on him, even though he never was a student in his class.
“I never had him as a teacher, but I’ve been in his club, mathletes, since freshman year,” Ahmad said. “I’ve always just found mathletes to be fun and welcoming, and Mr. Smith was very nice and very accommodating, too. I learned a lot of stuff that was ahead of the curriculum and also got to do math competitions.”
Well-rounded lives beyond the classroom
Outside the classroom, both students have taken on a wide range of extracurricular activities that reflect their leadership and curiosity. Ahmad has served in the student government since his sophomore year.
“I was the class treasurer, sophomore and junior year, and now I’m vice president,” he said, adding that he also works part-time. “I’ve been working for the past few years at Checkers as a cashier, and also over the summer at the beach with my friends and all that.”
Moore, meanwhile, found her niche in
athletics and business.
“There are so many different clubs offered at this school, so I kind of dabbled in everything,” she said. “But I think the most prominent club is probably DECA, which is our business club. I am currently the vice president of competition.”
She has played soccer since kindergarten and still plays defense on the high school’s varsity team.
As for their career paths, Moore plans to pursue finance, and Ahmad aims to
become a physician. Both expressed excitement about their upcoming college experiences and gratitude for Oceanside High School’s supportive environment. According to Moore, the key to success: “Do the best you can, and don’t waste your own potential, because everyone has so much potential,” she said.
Oceanside High School will celebrate the students’ achievements at the upcoming commencement ceremony on June 23 on the High School football field.
Courtesy Oceanside School District
Associate Principal and Director Kevin Carbonetti, far left, school counselor Jaclyn Sileo, math teacher Yves Jean-Pierre, Valedictorian Madison Moore, Salutatorian Shehreyar Ahmad, math teacher James A. Smith, school counselor Renee Lochridge and Principal Brendan Mitchell.
O’Side teens get first hand business tips
By REI WOLFSOHN Correspondent
When the ENL students of Oceanside High School arrived at From Head to Toe Salon for career exposure, they didn’t know they’d be getting their nails done.
Paula Baque moved from Colombia with no papers or English fluency, and now owns the salon, uplifting other bilingual community members. The high school’s work-based learning program is in its first year. The students who visited found Paula’s story an inspiring example of success.
So far, the class has exposed the students to learning flower arrangements at Flowers by Rachel, watching haircuts done by Brian Basile, the barber to star athletes, plus enjoying a speech from star wrestler Al Iaquinta, as well as volunteers for wildlife. In two weeks, an occupational therapist will give a presentation.
According to the class teacher, Iris Wiener, the class is a source for career awareness and learning how to behave in job interviews.
“And just learning what’s out there, what they can do if they don’t necessarily want to go to college,” Wiener said. “I’m just so proud of the program. I’m proud of the kids because they’re so open to learning new things.”
The students come from Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Peru and several other Spanish-speaking countries. Their favorite part of the day’s visit was getting their nails done,
and they were all impressed by Baque’s story.
“I think it’s really empowering,” said Gabriela Tumbaco, a 12th grader. “Most of the time, especially for me, when I’m in such a bad point in my life, it’s kind of hard to climb out of that. From her story you can see that she really did, that she made a living for herself, and that she’s successful and she loves her life.”
Tumbaco wants to go into business for herself, possibly with her passion for make-up but with technology business as a longevity plan. Her classmate, 11th
grader Ximara Guzman, finds herself inspired to get into each business the class exposes her to.
While Tumbaco learned English from a young age, Guzman didn’t start until later.
“Everything is very hard,” Guzman said. “When we come to another country, to hear that everything is new, the language is very hard to understand what other people say. I’m learning now how to speak, the accent, what is the wrong word or what is the right word.”
There are also benefits to being bilingual.
“I love the fact that I can actually help somebody that cannot express themselves or say what they need to say,” Baque said.
Laura Serrano Salas, an 11th grader in the class, agrees.
“It opens many doors in the future, where people or businesses speak a lot of languages,” Serrano Salas said. “You can have a relationship with other countries that speak other languages, so you can understand more people and cultures.”
Despite the long hours, Baque is very happy with the life she’s built for herself.
“The best thing about owning a salon is that I put in my own rules,” Baque said. “I can be very creative. I can come up with new things. It all depends on me. If I wanna do something, change something, incorporate something, I’m allowed to do it because it’s my own place.”
To Baque, giving back to the community is part of that joy.
“Because I was, a long time ago, in the same spot,” Baque said. “I needed someone to encourage me. I got a lot of people that were in my path, and they gave me ideas or they pushed me. Because of them, I am what I want right now. So I want other people to get far as well.”
Baque’s goals in life also include being an excellent example to her two children, both of whom went to or are currently in Oceanside High School. She gives her children the same advice she gave the students who visited.
McGinty honored at Scholarship dinner
Island Park Mayor Michael McGinty was among several was recognized as a 2025 honoree at the Hispanic Brotherhood, Inc.’s Annual Scholarship Dinner on May 8. The Village of Island Park’s mayor reaffirmed his steadfast support of the Latino community, praising the Brotherhood’s “boots-on-theground” approach under Executive Director Marguerite Grasing.
The evening included a cocktail hour, dinner at and the Presentation of Colors by Cub Scouts Pack 83. After a welcoming video ceremony, Scholarship Awards were presented to Marguerite Keller and Ellen Grossman for their outstanding academic achievements and community service. Guests were treated to “Dreams of Portugal,” a performance by the Portuguese Dancers, before honorees received commemorative plaques.
The event not only awarded scholarships to deserving students but also celebrated community leaders whose dedication strengthens Long Island’s Hispanic community.
–Kepherd Daniel
Mr. & Mrs. M. Carvalho (Churrasqueira Bairrada Restaurant)
Emilio F. Grillo
Trustee, Village of Rockville Centre
Dafny Irizarry President, Long Island Latino Teachers Association
Bill Manteria President, Rockville Centre Lions Club
Debra Mule
Nassau County Legislator
Herminia Bonilla Owner, Herminia’s Brokerage Inc.
Maureen Remy and Mary Testa Coordinators, “Adopt a Family” program
Mellissa Baptiste/Herald
Rockville Centre village trustee Emilio Grillo, Town ofHempstead Town Clerk Kate Murray, Michael McGinty Village of Island Park Mayor.
Rei Wolfsohn/Herald
Teacher Iris Wiener, left, salon owner Paula Baque, right and the students of the Oceanside High School work-based learning program.
Focusing on
Yourconnectionmind-body
A balanced life starts with your emotional fitness
Some people think that only people with mental illnesses have to pay attention to their mental health.
But the truth is that your emotions, thoughts and attitudes affect your energy, productivity and overall health. Good mental health strengthens your ability to cope with everyday hassles and more serious crises and challenges. Good mental health is essential to creating the life you want.
It’s always important to take stock of your mental well-being and its connection to overall health. Just as you brush your teeth or get a flu shot or other immunization, you can take steps to promote your mental health. A great way to start is by learning to deal with stress.
How stress hurts
Stress can eat away at your well-being, like acid eating away at your stomach. Actually, stress can contribute to stomach pains and lots of other problems, like headaches, insomnia, overeating, back pain, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, irritability, vulnerability to infection, and poorer brain functioning.
Stress also can lead to serious mental health problems, like depression and anxiety disorders. If you think you have such a problem, get help.
Of course you can’t magically zap all sources of stress. But you can learn to deal with them in a way that promotes the well-being you want — and deserve. You can figure out ways to cope better with whatever comes your way. And decades of research suggest which steps are most likely to work.
The evidence
The concrete steps mental health professionals suggest are not based on guesses, fads or advice from grandma (though she probably got a lot right). They represent hundreds of research studies with thousands of participants, often conducted over decades and backed by major universities or government agencies.
This research shows that how good you feel is to a fairly large extent up to you. No matter how stressful your situation, you can take steps to promote your well-being.
Focus on self-care
In order to maintain and strengthen your mental and emotional health, it’s important to pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Don’t let stress and negative emotions build up. Try to maintain a balance between your daily responsibilities and the things you enjoy. If you take care of yourself, you’ll be better prepared to deal with challenges if and when they arise.
Taking care of yourself includes pursuing activities that naturally release endorphins and contribute to feeling good. In addition to physical exercise, endorphins are also naturally released when we:
Do things that positively impact others. Being useful to others and being valued for what you do can help build self-esteem.
Practice self-discipline. Self-control naturally leads to a sense of hopefulness and can help you overcome despair, helplessness, and other negative thoughts.
Appeal to your senses. Stay calm and energized by appealing to the five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Listen to music that lifts your mood, place flowers where you will see and smell them, massage your hands and feet, or sip a warm drink.
Engage in meaningful, creative work. Do things that challenge your creativity and make you feel productive, whether or not you get paid for it — things like gardening, drawing, writing, playing an instrument, or building something. Make time for contemplation and appreciation. Think about the things you’re grateful for. Meditate, pray, enjoy the sunset, or simply take a moment to pay attention to what is good, positive, and beautiful as you go about your day.
Limit unhealthy habits like worrying. Try to avoid becoming absorbed by repetitive mental habits — negative thoughts about yourself and the world that suck up time, drain your energy, and trigger feelings of anxiety, fear, and depression.
Sometimes it all seems too much to handle
Keep your ‘thought life’ healthy and your stress level low
Life gives people plenty of reasons to be stressed.
Relationship problems, child-rearing issues, job woes and a lack of money are just some of life’s complications that can weigh people down — and cause health problems.
In today’s society, stress and change often are thought of as the same thing. Stress is a physiological and psychological response to a change in a situation the body and mind find to be overwhelming.
With the fast pace of work and home, being constantly inundated with technology and still wanting to have time to connect with those around you, life can feel overwhelming and stressful at times.
“It’s difficult to stay healthy and energized when stress is a daily reality,” says Dr. Greg Wells. “Chronic stress can damage your body, threaten your mental health, put a strain on relationships, and take the joy out of life.”
But there’s no reason to surrender to stress, Wells, author of “The Ripple Effect: Eat, Sleep, Move and Think Better,“ says. He suggests some techniques that can help you have a healthier “thought life” and recover from chronic stress.
Move your body. Rhythmic, repeated motion is particularly soothing to the mind and body. A long walk, cycling, swimming, or running will all work, but any kind of movement relieves tension, improves circulation and clears your mind.
Get into nature. Head to the garden or the park to lower your blood pressure, strengthen your immune system, reduce tension and depression, and boost your mood. “It’s stunning how good it is for your health to be in nature,” Wells says. “And I recommend you leave the cell phone and earbuds at home.”
Practice yoga or Tai Chi. Therapy, yoga and Tai Chi are good ways to decrease stress and anxiety, increase energy and boost the immune system. They also give you more staminaand improve the quality of your sleep. Have perspective. Don’t be so quick to conclude that you “can’t handle” a stressful situation. “This is truly a mind-over-matter opportunity,” Wells says. “Believing that you are strong and resourceful actually makes you stronger and more resourceful.”
Change the nature of your response. Research indicates that taking an active, problem-solving approach to life’s challenges relieves stress and can transform it into something positive. If you withdraw, deny the problem, or spend all your time venting, you’ll feel helpless. Instead, be determined to make a change, put effort into it, and plan for better results.
Practice slow, deep breathing. Start applying the power of deep breathing each day. It will make a huge difference. Wells recommends you start small by taking three deep breaths each time you sit down at your desk — in the morning, after breaks, after lunch and so on. It will help you become more patient,
Block time for single-tasking. Each day, schedule time in your calendar for focusing exclusively on one task. This task should be something that is important to you. “People love to talk about multi-tasking, but while doing several things at once might make it seem as if you are working hard, it’s an illusion,” Wells says. Your body and mind are not designed to work that way and it causes extra stress.
“Ultimately, it’s important to remember that your thoughts have a strong influence over stress levels,” Wells says. “What you choose to think about, or not think about, dictates how your body and mind react to everyday life.”
Photo: Stressful experiences are a normal part of life, and the stress response is a survival mechanism that primes us to respond to threats. Some stress can be considered positive; but when a stressor is negative and can’t be fought off or avoided — such as layoffs at work or a loved one’s medical crisis — or when the experience of stress becomes chronic, our biological responses to stress can impair our physical and mental health.
Photo: Everything starts with the mind. Thoughts, beliefs, emotions and models of reality all influence and affect your biological chemistry. The words that you say to yourself have more of an impact on your health and well-being than you realize.
Could it be depression? Your ‘bad mood’ may
Being unhappy isn’t the same as being depressed. Depression is a term often used loosely to describe how we feel after a bad week at work or when we’re going through a breakup. But major depressive disorder a type of depression is much more complicated. There are specific symptoms that determine whether it’s depression or the sadness we all sometimes experience in life.
Determining if persistent, unshakable dark feelings are a result of depression can be the first step toward healing and recovery.
Hopeless Outlook
Major depression is a mood disorder that affects the way you feel about life in general. Having a hopeless or helpless outlook on your life is the most common symptom of depression.
Other feelings may be worthlessness, self-hate, or inappropriate guilt. Common, recurring thoughts of depression may be vocalized as, “It’s all my fault,” or “What’s the point?”
Lost Interest
Depression can take the pleasure or enjoyment out of the things you love. A loss of interest or withdrawal from activities that you once looked forward to sports, hobbies, or going out with friends is yet another telltale sign of major depression.
Another area where you may lose interest is sex. Symptoms of major depression include a decreased sex drive and even impotence.
Increased Fatigue/Sleep Problems
Part of the reason you might stop doing things you enjoy
be something else
is because you feel very tired. Depression often comes with a lack of energy and an overwhelming feeling of fatigue, which can be among the most debilitating symptoms of depression. This could lead to excessive sleeping.
Depression is also linked with insomnia, as one might lead to the other and vice versa. They can also make each other worse. The lack of quality, restful sleep can also lead to anxiety.
Anxiety
While depression hasn’t been shown to cause anxiety, the two conditions often occur together. Be aware of the symptoms.
√ Nervousness, restlessness, or feeling tense
√ Feelings of danger, panic, or dread
√ Rapid heart rate
√ Rapid breathing
√ Increased or heavy sweating
√ Trembling or muscle twitching
√ Trouble focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about
Uncontrollable Emotions
One minute it’s an outburst of anger. The next you’re crying uncontrollably. Nothing outside of you prompted the change, but your emotions are up and down at a moment’s notice. Depression can cause mood swings.
Getting Help
Recognizing that you’re depressed is essential to getting the right help.
Depression affects millions of people, but there are varying treatments available, from lifestyle changes to medications. No matter the path of treatment you choose, asking for professional help is the first step to getting back to feeling like yourself again.
Depression is a very treatable condition. Psychotherapy (talk therapy), medications or a combination thereof can be very effective in managing symptoms. Mental health professionals can work with individuals to find the right therapy based on symptoms and severity of the depression. Also, it may take some time to find the right medication or treatment; therefore, people are urged to remain patient and hopeful.
The sooner action is taken, the more quickly the condition can be addressed.
Photo: It’s normal to experience feelings of sadness and grief from time to time. But when these feelings are prolonged or interfere with daily life, it may be time to seek professional help.
Alcohol and cancer — what will you do?
In a recent Mount Sinai South Nassau “Truth in Medicine” public health poll, 51 percent of metro area residents said they would consider drinking less as a result of the advisory by former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, linking alcohol use to certain types of cancer.
According to the Surgeon General’s advisory, alcohol consumption contributes to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year in the United States. Studies show alcohol use increases the risk for breast, colorectal, liver, and esophageal cancer, as well as cancers of the mouth, throat, and voice box.
The poll, sponsored by Four Leaf Federal Credit Union, has sparked a debate over the benefits of reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption, highlighting the tough road ahead for public health experts trying to shift behaviors. Although 58 percent of respondents agree that alcohol can lead to overeating and smoking, fewer than half—46 percent—said they believe it increases the risks of cancer. Meanwhile, 58 percent believe there is a safe level of alcohol that can be consumed without raising one’s risk of cancer.
“Alcohol is a carcinogen, so the more alcohol a person drinks — particularly over time — the greater their risk of developing an alcohol-associated cancer,” said Adhi Sharma, MD, President of Mount Sinai South Nassau. “It would be prudent to add the cancer risk to the warning label, which could have a dual effect of reducing alcohol-related accidents as well as a range of serious health complications, such as liver and heart disease, stroke, depression, and brain damage.”
Studies show that alcohol may increase cancer risk by disrupting cell cycles, triggering chronic inflammation, damaging DNA (which controls cell growth and function), and elevating hormone levels, including estrogen, which plays a role in breast cancer development.
“As a hepatologist and gastroenterologist, I remind my patients
that while complete abstinence is the safest path, reducing consumption (no more than 1 standard drink for women and no more than 2 for a man), staying hydrated, avoiding binge drinking, and supporting liver health with a balanced diet might help mitigate some of alcohol’s toxic effects,” said Pruthvi Patel, MD, Associate Program Director of Outpatient Hepatology, Division of Gastroenterology, Mount Sinai South Nassau, and Associate Professor of Medicine (Liver Diseases), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “But there’s no completely safe level when it comes to cancer risk.”
According to the American Association of Cancer Research’s 2024 Cancer Progress Report, 40 percent of all cancer cases in the United States are associated with modifiable risk factors like alcohol consumption. The Surgeon General affirmed in the advisory that, “The largest burden of alcohol-related cancer in the United States is for breast cancer in women, with an estimated 44,180 cases in 2019, representing 16.4 percent of the approximately 270,000 total breast cancer cases for women.”
Adding the cancer risk warning to alcohol labels may be the inspiration some need to quit drinking alcoholic beverages, as 54 percent of poll respondents say they generally trust warning labels on food and beverages. Seeing the warning in print could provide the motivation for the 20 percent (of those who said they drink alcoholic beverages) to act on their desire to cut back on alcohol.
“I strongly encourage everyone to make it a priority to consider whether they should reduce the amount of alcohol they drink,” said Aaron Glatt, MD, Chief of Infectious Diseases and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau. “Additional benefits of drinking less include lowered blood pressure, weight loss, a healthier complexion, sharper mental clarity, balanced mood, reduced anxiety, and better liver function.”
Mount Sinai South Nassau has provided behavioral health and substance use disorder services to Nassau County residents for more than 50 years. The hospital is committed to providing the highest-quality treatment and support to children, adults, and
A recent Mount Sinai South Nassau “Truth in Medicine” public health poll revealed that 51 percent of metro area residents said they would consider drinking less as a result of the advisory by former U.S. Surgeon General, linking alcohol use to certain types of cancer.
families with a wide variety of symptoms and diagnoses, from substance abuse to anxiety and depression to attention deficithyperactivity disorder and more.
The hospital counseling centers offer outpatient, in-person, and telehealth services in Baldwin and Hempstead; they accept a variety of payment options and use a sliding scale for uninsured patients. Treatment is provided in English and Spanish, as well as in more than 100 other languages via interpreter services. Call (516) 3775400 to schedule an appointment.
One Healthy Way Oceanside, NY 11572 • 877-SOUTH-NASSAU (877-768-8462) • www.mountsinai.org/southnassau
Health memos are supplied by advertisers and are not written by the Herald editorial staff.
Mount Sinai South Nassau is Improving Health Care on the South Shore
The new Fennessy Family Emergency Department at Mount Sinai South Nassau doubles the size of our previous emergency department, o ering 54 private exam rooms with clear lines of sight for physicians, nurses, and support sta . Our new emergency department also o ers a separate triage area, dedicated areas for children and behavioral health patients, and has been designed to reduce wait times and improve patient outcomes.
The Fennessy Family Emergency Department is located within the new Feil Family Pavilion, opening later this year, which will have 40 new critical care suites and nine new operating rooms, designed to support the most complex surgeries on the South Shore.
To learn more visit www.mountsinai.org/feilpavilion
A bipartisan effort to protect IVF access
Gillen leads push for bill safeguarding fertility treatments, hoping for congressional momentum
By HERNESTO GALDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
U.S. Rep. Laura Gillen, a Democrat representing New York’s 4th Congressional District, and Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, of the 17th District, have reintroduced a bipartisan bill aimed at protecting access to in vitro fertilization across the country.
The Access to Family Building Act, which Gillen is shepherding with support from Lawler and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, seeks to federally codify the right to access IVF services. The legislation is in response to growing concerns that reproductive technologies like IVF are being threatened by recent state-level legal developments and court rulings.
During a virtual press conference on May 7, Gillen emphasized the importance of ensuring legal certainty for families relying on reproductive technology. Infertility, she said, is a widespread issue affecting Americans of all backgrounds, and she called for Congress to act swiftly to protect the procedure.
“We believe, like most Americans do, that the right to start and grow family through IVF should be protected,” Gil-
len said. “The Access to Family Building Act will simply ensure that IVF remains accessible to families in every state.”
Lawler echoed Gillen’s sentiments, sharing his own family’s experience with fertility challenges. He reaffirmed his support for protecting IVF access, calling it a nonpartisan issue with widespread public backing. Lawler also referenced other related legislative efforts he supports, including tax credits and insurance mandates to reduce the financial burden of IVF treatments.
“Access to IVF should not be a partisan issue,” he said. “We want to help people through this journey and certainly make sure that their right to IVF is protected.”
The press event also featured Barbara Collura, president and CEO of Resolve: The National Infertility Association, who stressed the emotional and financial toll of infertility and the need for guaranteed nationwide access to IVF.
“There are so many challenges that our communities face in building their families,” Collura said. “Our goal is to reduce and eliminate those barriers. We know firsthand that our communities want to know that IVF is protected in all 50 states.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IVF accounted for nearly 3 percent for U.S. births in 2022, with over 91,000 babies born through assisted reproductive technology.
Democrats that year introduced the Right to Build Families Act, to protect access to IVF and other fertility treatments amid concerns after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The bill was blocked by Senate Republicans.
The lawmakers emphasized the bipartisan nature of the new legislation, with Gillen noting that Republican support like Lawler’s is vital to passing it in the current Congress.
When the Herald asked about the path forward, both lawmakers said they planned to advocate within their parties and with the congressional leadership to advance the bill through committee and onto the House floor.
The legislation comes amid renewed national attention to IVF following recent court rulings in states like Alabama, where embryos created through IVF were legally recognized as children, prompting clinics to suspend services due to the legal risks.
“I think it’s really important to dem-
onstrate that this is not a partisan issue,” Gillen said. “This is an easy one for us to agree on. We want to support couples and individuals who want to bring a child into the world. IVF may be the only way that they can do that.”
Herald file photo
U.S. Representatives Laura Gillen and Mike Lawler announced bipartisan legislation to protect nationwide access to in vitro fertilization at a virtual press conference on May 7.
I.P. spending plan has no tax levy increase
includes several strategic staffing and program expansions. These include adding a full-time occupational therapist, expanding the guidance counselor position at Francis X. Hegarty Elementary to full time, introducing a shared assistant principal between schools, and creating a new “zero period” for creative resources in grades three through five, which will offer creative electives and exploratory activities to foster student engagement.
“A well-rounded education goes beyond academics and supports cognitive, social, emotional and physical development,” Superintendent Vincent Randazzo said.
Literacy curriculum enhancements for kindergarten through third grade are a highlight, with budget funds dedicated to updated decodable texts, universal screening tools, and professional development aligned to the science of reading. “These investments support the most critical years for building foundational skills in phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension,” Randazzo said.
Despite these enhancements, the district has maintained its commitment to fiscal responsibility, with no program or staffing reductions. The district continues its one-to-one device initiative, and remains focused on maintaining highquality educational resources. As part of its infrastructure improvements, it is also proposing the purchase of three 30-passenger school vans, through a five-year
lease-purchase agreement, to replace aging vehicles and accommodate recently added routes formerly contracted through BOCES.
The budget presentation also included a legally required four-year projection of transportation costs, which will climb gradually from $2.1 million in 2025-26 to $2.3 million in 2028-29 — figures substantially lower than in some neighboring districts. Proposition 2 on next Tuesday’s ballot would authorize the lease-purchase of the vans at an estimated cost of just
over $275,000 plus interest over five years.
“Every decision we make, every dollar we allocate, is about building a stronger future for all of our students,” Randazzo said. He underscored that the proposal includes no program cuts or staff layoffs — and, in fact, adds critical positions — while preserving core academic and support services.
Island Park Library
The Island Park Library has proposed a budget of just over 1.77 million for the
2025-26 fiscal year, a modest 4.69 percent increase over the current year.
The library’s proposed tax levy is just under 1.69 million, an increase of $41,000 or 2.49 percent, carefully managed to remain within permitted limits. The spending plan introduces several new initiatives, including Hoopla, a digital streaming platform offering books, readaloud texts, audiobooks, comics and movies. The library has also expanded its offerings with discounted tickets to local attractions like the Long Island Aquarium and Adventureland. Programming remains a key focus, with diverse offerings ranging from Pokémon Club and drum circles to photography workshops and outdoor concerts.
“We’re a small library, and we’ve had 12,000 people come through our programs,” library Director Jessica Koenig said. “Cardholders are 4,700, and in a community that has about 9,000 people, that’s more than half. It’s really extraordinary to have that many cardholders.”
Island Park residents can cast their ballots on the school and library budgets next Tuesday, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., in the auditorium foyer at Lincoln Orens Middle School. For further details or answers to questions, taxpayers may contact District Clerk Cindy Pastore at (516) 434-2600. For a full breakdown of revenues, expenditures and program descriptions, visit the district website or call the business office at (516) 434-2612.
Attend Hofstra’s Virtual
GRADUATE OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, June 7, 2025 10 a.m.
At Hofstra University, graduate students grow the seeds to advance in their career. Hear from representatives across 200 programs that include business, communications, education, engineering, health sciences, nursing, and psychology, and learn all the ways your success can sprout at Hofstra University. Your future awaits.
For event details and to RSVP, visit hofstra.edu/visit
Herald file photo
Residents of Island Park will vote on the proposed $45 million school district budget at Lincoln Orens Middle School on Tuesday.
STEPPING OUT
Young imaginations shine
Little Learners Art Lab at Long Island Children’s Museum is filled with year-round creativity
By Danielle Schwab
Long Island Children’s Museum transforms into a colorful hub of creativity for some of its smallet visitors, every Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Its Little Learners Art Lab welcomes young artists — and the grownups with them — for a handson art adventure designed to spark curiosity and imagination.
Whether it’s painting, planting or playing with textures, sessions offer an inviting space where toddlers and preschoolers can explore the world through art. This is more than about creating something beautiful — it’s about growing minds and nurturing self-expression.
“We try to infuse in all of the themes different mediums, exposure to different artists and different approaches to art,” says Ashley Niver, the museum’s director of education.
Each week, children are introduced to artists, techniques, and styles through engaging projects and materials, led by museum educators. Parents and grandparents are welcome to join in the fun, making it a bonding experience that’s as enriching for adults as it is for kids. Through these immersive projects, the tots explore their creativity and even make new friends.
“Around a third of our visitors are under the age of five. It’s important for early childhood development to have activities that are process-focused to give them that expressive freedom [to create],” Niver explains.
In each class, young learners are encouraged to ask questions, try new things and take the lead in their creative journey. The program mixes play with gentle guidance, helping children explore big concepts in age-appropriate ways.
The activities act as a gateway to talk about new concepts for young learners as they discover the world around them, combining inquisitive thinking with instructional supervision. On the schedule, May 22, families can explore the lifecycle of a plant while decorating terracotta pots during Art In Bloom. Kids will plant seeds in those pots and take their tiny gardens home to watch, water and nurture as litle sprouts grow into blooming plants.
That’s followed by Crystallized Creations on May 29. The salt-based art project allows kids experiment with textures and observe how salt and paint interact — adding a rocky twist to their creativity.
“Science isn’t just happening behind the scenes. It can
‘Murr’ goes solo
Get ready to laugh — and laugh you will. Prepare for an unforgettable night filled with comedy, chaos and wild antics as Impractical Jokers’ James “Murr” Murray hits the stage on The Errors Tour. Known for his outrageous pranks, laugh-out-loud moments and unpredictable humor, Murr brings the party to you with a show packed full of hilarious stories, ridiculous mishaps and plenty of jaw-dropping moments. With his signature style of comedy and a few unexpected surprises, Murr will have you in stitches from start to finish. It’s surely a non-stop ride of comedy, antics and pure fun you won’t want to miss. For more than a decade, Murr and his lifelong Friends — Sal, Joe and Q — have been making audiences laugh across the country, and now he’s bringing the laughs to you. Murr Live is hysterical — of course, interactive — stand-up comedy, in true Impractical Jokers style. Hangout with Murr as he tells funny stories, shows off his own personal never-before-seen videos from Impractical Jokers and plays Jokers “live” on stage with the audience.
• Weekly Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-noon
• Admission: $18 adults and children over 1 year old, $16 for seniors, free to members and under one year; additional fees for theater and special programs may apply
• For more information, visit licm.org or call (516) 224-5800
happen when you’re mixing paint and looking at changes in color or how, for instance, the salt disperses the paint pigment,” Niver says.
Other sessions examine techniques like pointillism or even introduce self-portraits in a thoroughly kid-friendly approach.
“When the parents see these ‘sticky moments’ for younger kids where they’re ingrained in these memories and these experiences, they are right there for the ride,” Niver adds.“They’re going through it with their children, and seeing their children light up and experience joy and learning of these new concepts connects the parents to the activities.”
Of course, art doesn’t have to happen in a classroom or museum space, it can also be done right at home! Niver encourages families to use these classes as an accessible way to bring the creativity back to their households.
“We want to give the opportunity for parents to incorporate making art in easy forms at home that may be less daunting for them,” Niver says.
And often, the youngsters can try materials and methods they may not have access to elsewhere. The sessions offer an introduction to new media as well.
“We also try to balance with materials that maybe they wouldn’t be exposed to normally at home. We could bring in easels one day and have the kids do canvas painting,” she adds.
The fun doesn’t stop when class ends. The museum’s exhibits and upcoming events are often tied into the weekly themes. So, when the class concludes, there’s plenty more to explore!
For example, in celebration of National Zoo and Aquarium Month, in June, kids can make majestic underwater creatures using recycled materials and bubble wrap. This is a creative “sneak peek” teaser what’s to come as the museum prepares to open its newest permanent exhibit, “Saltwater Stories,” in October.
Accessibility is another important component of the museum’s approach to arts programming. Little Learners Art Lab provides families with high-quality early childhood education at a fraction of the cost of private art classes or specialized preschool programs, according to the leadership team. The program’s affordability ensures that all children in the community have access to enriching artistic experiences that contribute to cognitive, social, and emotional development.
“Our whole point is to bring people in, and celebrate and cater to the audience that is coming to us daily, and that is the early childhood audience,” Niver says.
“We hope that for years to come families will bring back other children in their family, as their family grows, and continue to value the museum.”
Kids and their adult partners play and create together at the Art Lab. Artistic inspiration involves developing young motor skills as everyone fully engages in the moment.
Friday, May 16, 7 p.m. $65, $55, $45, $35. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny. com.
Finckel, Wu Han and Chad Hoopes
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Artistic Directors David Finckel (piano) and Wu Han (cello) have assembled a scintillating collection of works that reveal the joy and depth of the chamber music literature. Starting as frequent collaborators, Finckel and Han have been married since 1985. As a duo, they began to tour regularly while retaining residencies in New York. In this program, volin sonatas from the Baroque and Classical eras are performed by the young virtuoso Chad Hoopes, followed by Mendelssohn’s invigorating Second Sonata for cello and piano, a gem of the Romantic era. The art of romantic music hits a high point in the concluding work, in which all combine for a trio by the founder of Czech music, Bed�ich Smetana.
Sunday, May 18, 3 p.m. Tilles Center, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or tillescenter.org or (516) 299-3100.
David
Your Neighborhood CALENDAR
MAY
15
Garden Days
Garden lovers, green thumbs and spring seekers: Old Westbury Gardens’ beloved Garden Days return. Four vibrant days are filled with plants, programs, and purpose, highlighted by the muchanticipated Plant Sale Preview Party on Friday evening. On May 16 (6-8 p.m.), guests are invited to sip, shop and stroll through the gardens during this exclusive first-look event, featuring live music, sweet and savory treats, and early access to a lush array of rare perennials and signature plants grown right here on Long Island. The two-day plant sale runs May 17-18, (10 a.m.-4 p.m.), where shoppers can select from a curated selection of garden favorites with expert guidance from the Gardens’ horticulture staff. Addition highlights include a panel discussion, Guided walks and garden tours and spring celebration chamber concert.
• Where: 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury
• Time: Ongoing, May 15-18
• Contact: Visit oldwestburygardens.org/2025garden-days for full schedule and ticket details
Hug a happy tree
K&A Tree Service offers free tree inspections throughout Long Island. Tree professionals will visit in person to inspect tree and provide free advice to help treat your tree right and make it happy.
• Time: Ongoing
• Contact: (516) 208-3131
On Exhibit
Nassau County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, the original “Deco at 100” coincides with the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Paris International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes) that publicly launched the movement. The direct followup to the well-received 2023 exhibit, “Our Gilded Age,” it comparably links the period’s signature innovation in the decorative arts, Art Deco, to the fine arts. On view through June 15.
• Where: 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor
• Time: Ongoing
• Contact: (516) 484-9337 or nassaumuseum.org
‘Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play!’
The beloved musical adventure, ripped from the pages of Mo Willems’ beloved award-winning, best-selling children’s books, is back on stage at Long Island
Jon Lovitz
Comedy legend Jon Lovitz brings his signature wit and unforgettable characters to the Paramount stage for a night of nonstop laughs. Best known for his Emmy-nominated run on SNL and roles in hit films like “A League of Their Own” and “The Wedding Singer,” Lovitz has been a staple of comedy for over 30 years. He got his start acting in high school productions, developing his skills at the University of California, Irvine where he earned a B.A. in Drama. He also studied acting with Tony Barr at the Film Actors Workshop. At the advice of Tony Barr, Jon decided to concentrate solely on comedy. From there his trajectory took off. He began taking classes with the famed improv comedy group The Groundlings in 1982. One year later, Jon got his first acting job on the television show “The Paper Chase: the Second Year.” Two years followed and then he was accepted into The Groundlings main company. In March 1985 The Groundlings appeared on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” where Jon premiered his character “Tommy Flanagan of Pathological Liars Anonymous. SNL and numerous other offers followed and Jon was on his, working non-stop since. Along with his comedy, Jon is well known for his distinctive voice. It has served him will in his varied TV and film career. He is one of the few performers to start as an actor and then become a stand-up comedian who successfully headlines venues nationwide. Jon’s humor is unique, which is attributable to his quirky personality, and he is sure to entertain. $59.50, $49.50, $39.50, $29.50.
Children’s Museum. Willems’ classic characters Elephant and Piggie storm the stage in a rollicking musical romp filled with plenty of pachydermal peril and swiney suspense perfect for young audiences.
• Where: Museum Row, Garden City
• Time: Also May 17 and May 20-22, times vary
• Contact: licm.org or call (516) 224-5800
MAY 17
Spring Fling Dog Walk
EPIC Family’s South Shore Guidance Center encourages everyone and their four-legged companions to participate in the annual walk for mental wellness. With face painting, games, raffles, and more. Free t-shirts while supplies last.
• Where: Cow Meadow Park, Freeport
• Time: 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.
• Contact: p2p.onecause.com/ springfling2025
Art Explorations
Converse, collaborate and create at Nassau County Museum of Art. Kids and their adult partners can talk about and make art together. Enjoy
reading and play in the Reading Room, and contribute to The Lobby Project, a collaborative art installation. Registration required.
• Where: 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor
• Time: noon-3 p.m.
• Contact: (516) 484-9337 or nassaumuseum.org
Concert of Contrasts
Join the Long Island Choral Society and Music Director Michael C. Haigler for their final concert of the season. “From the Sublime to the Ridiculous”, offers the beautiful melodies of Johannes Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes as well as the ridiculous antics of P.D.Q. Bach’s Liebeslieder Polkas. Liebeslieder translates as Love Song and this concert will give two very different visions of musical expressions of love. Act I features Brahms lush waltzes, scored for 4-hand piano and sure to elicit emotions and romantic memories through its lush melodies and sublime poetry. Act II presents P.D.Q. Bach’s interpretation of love songs through energy driven polkas scored for 5-hand piano in such a manner as to create chaos, musical mayhem, visual hijinks and some seriously bad puns. $20, $10 youth. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at door.
• Where: Coach bus departs from Friedberg JCC, 15 Neil Court
• Time: 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Contact: Register at wizevents.com/register/ register_add.php or contact Marcy Hallerman at MHallerman@friedbergjcc.org
Living Library
Check out a “book” that comes to life when residents share their personal stories in this unique live reading format at Oceanside Library.
• Where: 30 Davison Ave., Oceanside
• Time: Noon-1:30 p.m.
• Contact: oceansidelibrary.com
In concert
• Where: The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington.
• Time: 7 p.m.
• Contact: ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com
• Where: Garden City Community Church, 245 Stewart Ave., Garden City
• Time: 7 p.m.
• Contact: lics.org or call (516) 652-6878
MAY
18
Friedberg JCC
5K Run/Walk
Support Parkinson’s programs by joining the Friedberg JCC 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, May 18, at Baldwin Park. Contact: , 3232 Grand Ave., Baldwin, NY. 3232 Grand Ave., Baldwin, NY. Participants can register for an in-person or virtual 5K, with early bird and race-day pricing available. Discounts apply for JCC members and participants aged 16 and under. Sign up today to run, walk, or donate in support of this important cause!
• Where: 3232 Grand Ave.
• Time: 9 a.m., rain or shine
Israel Day on 5th Parade
Join with the Friedberg JCC to march in the Israel Day on 5th Parade in Manhattan. $20 per person includes round trip coach bus and a commemorative T-shirt; $10 for t-shirt only. Spots are limited.
Sands Point Preserve’s reserve’s historic mansions and waterfront grounds are the backdrop for the latest edition of its unique chamber music series, “Amami in primavera” (Love me in Spring).” A trip to Italy is a good idea any time of the year, but spring is the best. There is love in the air and new life everywhere. With a little Puccini, Donizetti, Verdi and more, it will be a “bel pomeriggio di Musica (a beautiful afternoon of music).” duoJalal ensemble-in-residence featuring Kathryn Lockwood, viola and Yousif Sheronick, percussion, with violinists Karla Donehew Perez and Rebecca Fischer, and cellist Raman Ramakrishnan, are joined by vocalist Abby Brodnick. With wine reception following. $56, $45 members.
• Where: 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point
• Time: 3 p.m.
• Contact: sandspointpreserveconservancy. org or call (516) 571-7901
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.
By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
The Oceanside School District has proposed a $186.7 million budget—precisely $186,704,215— for the 2025-2026 school year, representing a 2.93 percent increase from the previous year while maintaining all existing programs and services.
At the May 7 night’s final public hearing on the proposed budget, Oceanside School District officials outlined the budget plan to spend.
“Our proposed expenditures remain in full compliance with all K–12 state regulations, including mandates for students with disabilities and mental‐health guidelines,” said Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations Jerel Cokley. Oceanside allocates 77 percent of the budget to classrooms, special education, athletics, music, technology and counseling services.
Oceanside relies on three main revenue sources to balance the districts nearly $187 million spending plan. Local revenues—totaling $16.1 million—include payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT), a payment arrangement through which non-profit or tax-exempt entities contribute to the tax base; the seven-year “glide path” of direct assessments the district and LIPA devised to mitigate the effects of reduced tax revenue over time, following a settlement agreement, under which the district receives fixed payments to offset reduced tax revenue; interest earnings from bank investments that have risen alongside favorable market rates; and income such as facility rentals, vendor reimbursements and donations. The district is in year four of this glide path.
State aid, currently projected at approximately $38.7 million, is the categorical funding New York State provides based on a district’s assessed wealth and enrollment; recent U.S. Census updates and the closing out of major science-wing and library capital projects have increased Oceanside’s building-aid portion. The largest single source is the property tax levy of $131.7 million—an increase of 1.1 percent, well within New York’s statutory tax-cap limit, the maximum annual increase in property taxes.
“Oceanside prides itself on levying only what is needed to support student programs and services,” Cokley said.
Budget highlights include preservation of all existing programs, maintenance of full-time staffing levels through natural attrition, and continuation of the district’s one-to-one Chromebook/iPad initiative for every K–12 student. Facility improvements funded through the capital component (13 percent of the budget) range from general renovations and parking-lot maintenance to security upgrades in collaboration with the Altaris Consulting Group. Beginning this summer, Phase 5 of the high-school science-wing renovation will be undertaken, following four earlier phases and the recent middleschool library expansion. Oceanside will again offer Universal Pre-K to eligible four-year-olds at no cost under its state grant, budgeting for 287 seats—a “budgetneutral” program that neither adds to nor subtracts from the local tax burden.
Voters on the May 20 ballot will also decide on Proposition 2, the Oceanside Library’s funding request. Library Director Chris Marra explained that sustaining expanded services, such as the “Library of Things,” — a collection of items, beyond traditional library materials like books and DVDs, that patrons can borrow — a Seed & Cutting Library which is the collection of seeds and cuttings that community members can borrow for gardening purposes, “Tonieboxes,—screen-free audio players designed for young children, which play stories, songs, and other audio content through the use of small, magnetic figurines called Tonies. The maintenance of these library features, along with new security personnel, would cost the average household roughly $36 per year (about $3 per month).
“We are happy to preserve all programs and services and continue to offer a well-rounded education for all students,” Cokley said.
The district’s budget vote and library proposition will be held on May 20, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Merle Avenue School gym.School Board President Michael D’Ambrosio and Trustee Robert Transom are running for re-election and are unopposed.
Herald file photo
Oceanside residents will be able to vote on the proposed $186 million budget on Tuesday at the Merle Ave. School gym.
May 15, 2025
LEGAL NOTICE
Public Notices
Vanguard Warrior LLC
Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 2/13/2025. Office located in Nassau Co. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process may be served.
SSNY shall mail process to: United States Corporation Agents Inc., 7014 13th Ave, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY, 11228. Purpose: Any lawful activity. 153042
LEGAL NOTICE
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU
WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR THE POOLING AND SERVICING
AGREEMENT DATED
AS OF OCTOBER 1, 2004 MERRILL LYNCH
MORTGAGE
INVESTORS TRUST
MORTGAGE LOAN
ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES
2004-WMC5, -againstCINDY B SOMMER, ET AL.
NOTICE OF SALE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau on March 9, 2023, wherein WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR THE POOLING AND SERVICING
AGREEMENT DATED AS OF OCTOBER 1, 2004 MERRILL LYNCH MORTGAGE INVESTORS TRUST MORTGAGE LOAN
ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES
2004-WMC5 is the Plaintiff and CINDY B SOMMER, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, NORTH SIDE STEPS, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on June 10, 2025 at 2:00PM, premises known as 411 WANAMAKER ST, OCEANSIDE, NY 11572; and the following tax map identification: 43-219-88. ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN OCEANSIDE, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK
Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 006889/2014.
Scott H. Siller, Esq.Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES. 153374
Place a notice by phone at 516-569-4000 x232 or email: legalnotices@liherald.com
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Article 9 of the New York State Constitution, the provisions of the Town Law and Municipal Home Rule of the State of New York, both as amended, a public hearing will be held in the Town Meeting Pavilion, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead, New York, on The 27th day of May, 2025, at 10:30 o’clock in the forenoon of that day to consider the enactment of a local law to amend Section 202-1 of the code of the Town of Hempstead to INCLUDE “PARKING OR STANDING PROHIBITIONS” at the following locations: OCEANSIDE
WOODS AVENUE (TH 142/25) North SideNO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting at the west curbline of Apking Street, west for a distance of 33 feet.
WOODS AVENUE (TH 142/25) South SideNO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting at the apex of Woods Avenue/Davison Avenue east for a distance of 73 feet.
WOODS AVENUE (TH 142/25) South SideNO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting at the west curbline of Lincoln Avenue, west for a distance of 42 feet.
SEAFORD
SIDNEY COURT (TH 159/25) West SideNO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from the north curbline of Marilyn Drive, north for a distance of 25 feet.
SIDNEY COURT (TH 159/25) East Side -
NO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from the north curbline of Marilyn Drive, north for a distance of 25 feet.
SIDNEY COURT (TH 159/25) East SideNO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from the south curbline of Marilyn Drive, south for a distance of 25 feet.
SIDNEY COURT (TH 159/25) West SideNO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from the south curbline of Marilyn Drive, south for a distance of 20 feet.
MARILYN DRIVE (TH 159/25) North SideNO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from thewest curbline of Sidney Court, west for a distance of 30 feet.
MARILYN DRIVE (TH 159/25) North SideNO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from the east curbline of Sidney Court, east for a distance of 30 feet.
MARILYN DRIVE (TH 159/25) South SideNO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from the west curbline of Sidney Court, west for a distance of 30 feet
MARILYN DRIVE (TH 159/25) South SideNO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from the east curbline of Sidney Court, east for a distance of 30 feet.
UNIONDALE TULSA STREET (TH 168/25) South Side - NO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from the east curbline of Uniondale Avenue, east for a distance of 30 feet.
TULSA STREET (TH 168/25) North SideNO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from the east curbline of Uniondale Avenue, east for a distance of 30 feet.
WANTAGH FIR STREET (TH 179/25) East Side - NO STOPPING HERE TO CORNER - starting from the north curbline of Merrick Road, north for a distance of 30 feet. ALL PERSONS INTERESTED shall have an opportunity to be heard on said proposal at the time and place aforesaid.
Dated: May 13, 2025 Hempstead, New York BY ORDER OF THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD
DONALD X. CLAVIN, JR.
Supervisor KATE MURRAY Town Clerk 153508
x232 or send an email to: legalnotices@liherald.com
LEGAL NOTICE
Island Park Union Free School District NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Island Park Union Free School District will be holding a public hearing on May 28, 2025 at 6:30 p.m., in the Lincoln Orens Middle School All Purpose Room, 150 Trafalgar Blvd., Island Park, NY to consider appropriating a sum up to One Hundred Twenty-Seven Thousand dollars ($127,000.00) from the District’s General Municipal Law § 6-d Repair Reserve Fund to repair/replace the computer board and electrical components of the elevator at the Lincoln Orens Middle School. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Salvatore Carambia, School Business Administrator, at (516) 434-2600. Cindy Pastore District Clerk Dated: May 7, 2025 153511
Place a notice by phone at 516-569-4000 x232 or email: legalnotices@liherald.com
LEGAL NOTICE REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU MANUFACTURERS AND TRADERS TRUST COMPANY, A/K/A M&T BANK, SUCCESSOR BY MERGER WITH HUDSON CITY SAVINGS BANK, Plaintiff - againstFREDDY ORMENO, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on March 22, 2023. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 on the 12th day of June, 2025 at 2:00 PM. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of Land with the Buildings and Improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in Oceanside, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Premises known as 78 Concord Avenue, Oceanside, NY 11572. (Section: 43, Block: 385, Lot: 7)
Approximate amount of lien $1,010,540.33 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale.
Index No.
003398/2017. Louis B. Imbroto, Esq., Referee. McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC
Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 840 New York, NY 10170
Tel. 347/286-7409
For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832
Dated: March 5, 2025
During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale. 153481
To Place A Notice Call 516-569-4000 x232
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING AND ANNUAL SCHOOL DISTRICT ELECTION & BUDGET VOTE OF OCEANSIDE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU, STATE OF NEW YORK NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the annual school district election and budget vote of the qualified voters of Oceanside Union Free School District, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, NY, will be held on May 20, 2025, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Merle Avenue School #6 gymnasium, Merle Avenue, Oceanside, NY, for the following purposes:
a) to vote upon the annual School budget for the school year 20252026 and to authorize the levying of a tax upon the taxable property of the District, which shall be in substantially the following form: PROPOSITION 1OCEANSIDE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET FOR 20252026
RESOLVED, that the statement of estimated expenses (budget) presented by the Board of Education of Oceanside Union Free School District,
Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, for the School Year 20252026 in the amount of $186,704,215 for the purposes stated, be and same is approved, and said total amount, exclusive of public monies and other lawful income shall be raised by the levy on the taxable property within the school district and collected during the ensuing year as provided by law.
b) to elect one Board member to fill the vacancy due to expiration of the term of Michael D’Ambrosio for a new term commencing July 1, 2025 and expiring June 30, 2028;
c) to elect one Board member to fill the vacancy due to expiration of the term of Robert Transom for a new term commencing July 1, 2025 and expiring June 30, 2028;
d) to vote upon the following proposition: PROPOSITION 2OCEANSIDE LIBRARY PROPOSITION FOR 2025-2026
The annual appropriation for Library services of $7,607,143 heretofore authorized by the voters is hereby increased by the amount of $499,489 for a total annual appropriation of $8,106,632 for each year commencing July 1, 2025, together with the Library’s designated share of any payments by LIPA pursuant to a settlement under case index #403754/2016, representing the amount necessary for Library services pursuant to the written contract between the Board of Education of the Oceanside Union Free School District and the Oceanside Library.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the voting shall be on voting machines and the polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The election shall be held in accordance with the Rules for the Conduct of Elections adopted by the Board of Education. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Budget Hearing will be held in the Oceanside School #6 auditorium, Merle Avenue, Oceanside, NY, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 7:30 p.m., for the transaction of such business as is authorized by the Education Law. The condensed form of the budget proposition and the text of all other propositions to appear on the voting machine and a detailed statement in writing of
the amount of money which will be required for the 2025-2026 school year for school purposes, specifying the purposes and the amount for each, will be prepared and copies will be made available, upon request, to any District resident at each schoolhouse from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. during the fourteen days preceding said election, excluding Saturday, Sunday and holidays, at such budget hearing and annual election, and on the District website. ?
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that pursuant to Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law, the District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted by the statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payments in lieu of taxes and the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that nominations for the office of Board of Education member, shall be made by petition subscribed by at least 49 qualified voters of the District, shall state the name and residence of the candidate and the name and residence of each signer, must describe the specific vacancy for which the candidate is nominated, including length of term of office and name of last incumbent, and must be filed in the District Clerk’s Office, Administration Building, 145 Merle Avenue, Oceanside, NY, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. not later than the 30th day preceding the election, this year, April 21, 2025, and on April 21, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A nomination may be rejected by the Board of Education if the candidate is ineligible for the office or declares his/her unwillingness to serve.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that any proposition to be placed upon the voting machines shall be submitted in writing by petition subscribed by at least 122 qualified
voters of the District and filed in the District Clerk’s Office from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., not later than the 30th day preceding the election at which such question or proposition is to be voted upon, this year, April 21, 2025, and on April 21, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except that this rule shall not apply to those propositions which are required to be published or to those propositions or questions which the Board of Education has authority by law to present at any annual or special District election.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that registration of the qualified voters for said annual District election is permitted in the District Clerk’s Office, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, up to and including Thursday, May 15, 2025. A register will be prepared and will be filed in the District Clerk’s office and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on each of the five days before the election, except Sunday, and by appointment from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, and at the polling place on Election Day. The register shall include: (1) all qualified voters of the District who shall personally present themselves for registration; and (2) all previously qualified voters of the District who have registered for any annual or special District election and who have voted at any annual or special District election held within the four calendar years (2021-2024) prior to preparation of the said register; and (3) voters permanently registered with the Board of Elections of Nassau County.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that applications for absentee ballots or early mail ballots are to be completed on a form prescribed by the state board of elections and may be obtained by visiting the State Education Department’s Website (https://www. counsel.nysed. gov/miscellaneous), or by contacting the District Clerk by email (jkraemer@ oceansideschools. org), or phone (516678-1226). Completed applications for absentee and early mail ballots must be received at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day
Public Notices
before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or to his or her designated agent. Applications will not be accepted before April 21, 2025. Absentee and early mail ballots must be received in the District Clerk’s office not later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 to be canvassed. A list of all persons to whom absentee and early mail ballots have been issued will be available for inspection in the District Clerk’s office on each of the five days prior to the election from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 p.m. except Sunday, and by appointment only from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on the Saturday prior to the election.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER
NOTICE that pursuant to Education Law §2018-d, any person serving in the military, including spouses and dependents, may register to vote in the upcoming school district election. A military voter who is a qualified voter of the school district may obtain a registration form by contacting the District Clerk by telephone (516678-1226), facsimile (516-678-2145), email (jkraemer@ oceansideschools. org), mail (145 Merle Avenue, Oceanside, NY 11572), or in person from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A military voter who is duly registered may apply for a military ballot by requesting an application form from the District Clerk. Completed applications must be personally delivered or mailed to the District Clerk and received no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025. Completed military ballots must be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 20, 2025 if signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto with a date which is not later than the day before the election, or not later than the close of the polls on May 20, 2025 if showing a cancellation mark of the United States Postal Service or a foreign country’s postal service or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government.
A military voter may designate a preference to receive a military voter registration form, military ballot application or military ballot by mail, facsimile or electronic mail in the request for such
registration, ballot application, or ballot.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Board will convene a special meeting thereof within twenty-four hours after the filing with the District Clerk of a written report of the results of the election for the purpose of examining and tabulating said reports and declaring the result of the election; that the Board hereby designates itself to be a set of poll clerks to cast and canvass ballots pursuant to Education Law, §2019-a(2b) at said special meeting of the Board.
Dated: March 14, 2025 Oceanside, New York BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OCEANSIDE UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU, NEW YORK
Justan Kraemer District Clerk 152436
Place A Notice Call 516-569-4000 x232
LEGAL NOTICE AVISO DE AUDIENCIA SOBRE EL PRESUPUESTO Y ELECCIÓN ANUAL DEL DISTRITO ESCOLAR Y VOTACIÓN DEL PRESUPUESTO DEL DISTRITO ESCOLAR OCEANSIDE UNION FREE, PUEBLO DE HEMPSTEAD, CONDADO DE NASSAU, ESTADO DE NUEVA YORK
POR EL PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA que la elección anual del distrito escolar y la votación del presupuesto de los votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar Oceanside Union Free, pueblo de Hempstead, condado de Nassau, Nueva York, se realizará el 20 de mayo de 2025, desde las 7:00 a. m. hasta las 9:00 p. m. en el gimnasio de la escuela n.º 6 de Merle Avenue, Merle Avenue, Oceanside, Nueva York, con los siguientes propósitos: a) Votar sobre el presupuesto anual de la escuela para el año escolar 2025-2026 y autorizar la imposición de un impuesto sobre la propiedad sujeta a tributación del distrito, que será razonablemente de la siguiente forma: PROPUESTA 1: PRESUPUESTO DEL DISTRITO ESCOLAR
OCEANSIDE UNION
FREE PARA 2025-2026
SE RESUELVE que la declaración de los gastos estimados (presupuesto) presentada por la Junta de Educación del Distrito Escolar Oceanside Union Free, pueblo de Hempstead, condado de Nassau, estado de
Nueva York, para el año escolar 2025-2026 sea y se apruebe por el monto de $186,704,215 para los fines establecidos, y que, dicho monto total, sin incluir los fondos públicos ni otros ingresos legales, se recaude mediante el gravamen sobre los bienes inmuebles sujetos a impuestos dentro del distrito escolar y se cobre durante el próximo año, según lo dispuesto por ley.
b) Elegir a un miembro de la Junta para que cubra la vacante después de la finalización del período de Michael D’Ambrosio para un nuevo mandato que comienza el 1 de julio de 2025 y finaliza el 30 de junio de 2028.
c) Elegir a un miembro de la Junta para que cubra la vacante después de la finalización del período de Robert Transom para un nuevo mandato que comienza el 1 de julio de 2025 y finaliza el 30 de junio de 2028.
d) Votar sobre las siguientes propuestas: PROPUESTA 2: PROPUESTA SOBRE LA BIBLIOTECA DE OCEANSIDE PARA 2025-2026 Por medio del presente, la asignación anual de $7,607,143 hasta ahora autorizada por los votantes para los servicios de la biblioteca aumenta en $499,489, por una asignación anual total de $8,106,632 para cada año, desde el 1 de julio de 2025, junto con la parte designada de la biblioteca de cualquier pago de la Autoridad de Energía de Long Island (LIPA) de conformidad con un acuerdo conforme al expediente n.º 403754/2016, lo que representa la cantidad necesaria para los servicios de la biblioteca de conformidad con el contrato por escrito celebrado entre la Junta de Educación del Distrito Escolar Oceanside Union Free y la Biblioteca de Oceanside.
TENGA EN CUENTA QUE TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que la votación se realizará mediante máquinas de votación, y las urnas estarán abiertas desde las 7:00 a. m. hasta las 9:00 p. m. La elección se realizará de acuerdo con las Normas Electorales adoptadas por la Junta de Educación.
TENGA EN CUENTA QUE TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que la audiencia sobre el presupuesto se realizará en el auditorio de la escuela n.º 6 de Oceanside, Merle Avenue, Oceanside,
Nueva York, el miércoles 7 de mayo de 2025 a las 7:30 p. m., para la resolución de dichos asuntos según lo autorizado por la Ley de Educación. Estará preparada la versión resumida de la propuesta sobre el presupuesto y el texto de todas las demás propuestas que aparecerán en las máquinas de votación, como así también una declaración detallada por escrito de la cantidad de dinero que se requerirá para el año escolar 2025-2026 para fines escolares, que especifica los fines y la cantidad para cada fin, y habrá copias disponibles, a pedido, para cualquier residente del Distrito en cada escuela de 9:00 a. m. a 4:00 p. m. durante los catorce días previos a la elección, excepto sábados, domingos y feriados, en dicha audiencia sobre el presupuesto y elección anual, y en el sitio web del Distrito.
TENGA EN CUENTA QUE TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que, conforme a la Sección 495 de la Ley del Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles, se requiere que el Distrito adjunte un informe de exención al presupuesto sugerido. En este informe de exenciones, que también formará parte del presupuesto final, se mostrará cómo el valor total estimado de la lista de tasación final que se utilice en el proceso presupuestario queda libre de impuestos, se enumerarán todos los tipos de exenciones que otorgue la autoridad legal y se expondrá el impacto acumulativo de cada tipo de exención, el monto acumulado que se prevé recibir como pago en lugar de impuestos y el impacto acumulativo de todas las exenciones otorgadas.
TENGA EN CUENTA QUE TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que las nominaciones para el cargo del miembro de la Junta de Educación, se deberán realizar mediante solicitud firmada por al menos 49 votantes calificados del Distrito, deberán indicar el nombre y la residencia del candidato, así como también el nombre y la residencia de cada firmante, deberán describir la vacante específica para la que se nomina al candidato, que incluye la duración del cargo y el nombre del último titular y deberán presentarse en la oficina de la Secretaría del
Distrito, en el edificio de la Administración, 145 Merle Avenue, Oceanside, Nueva York, desde las 9:00 a. m. hasta las 4:00 p. m. a más tardar 30 días antes de la elección, este año es el 21 de abril de 2025, y el 21 de abril de 2025 desde las 9:00 a. m. hasta las 5:00 p. m. La Junta de Educación puede rechazar una nominación si el candidato no es elegible para el cargo o declara su poca disposición para desempeñar las funciones.
TENGA EN CUENTA QUE TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que cualquier propuesta que se colocará en las máquinas de votación se deberá realizar por escrito mediante solicitud firmada por al menos 122 votantes calificados y presentar en la oficina de la secretaria del Distrito desde las 9:00 a. m. hasta las 4:00 p. m., a más tardar 30 días antes de la elección en la que se votará la cuestión o propuesta, este año, el 21 de abril de 2025, y el 21 de abril de 2025 desde las 9:00 a. m. hasta las 5:00 p. m. Esta norma no se aplicará a las propuestas que deban publicarse ni a aquellas propuestas o cuestiones sobre las que la Junta de Educación tenga la autoridad por ley para presentar en cualquier elección anual o especial del Distrito. TENGA EN CUENTA QUE TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que se permite el registro de los votantes calificados para la elección anual del Distrito en la oficina de la Secretaría del Distrito desde las 9:00 a. m. hasta las 4:00 p. m., de lunes a viernes, hasta el jueves 15 de mayo de 2025 inclusive. Se preparará y presentará un registro en la oficina de la Secretaría del Distrito, que estará abierto para que cualquier votante calificado pueda inspeccionarlo desde las 9:00 a. m. hasta las 4:00 p. m. los cinco días
antes de la elección, excepto el domingo, y el sábado con cita desde las 9:00 a. m. hasta las 12:00 p. m., y en el lugar de votación el día de la elección. El registro incluirá lo siguiente: (1) todos los votantes calificados del Distrito que se hayan presentado personalmente para el registro; y (2) todos los votantes previamente calificados del Distrito que se hayan registrado para cualquier elección anual o especial del Distrito y que hayan votado en cualquier elección anual o especial del Distrito realizada durante los cuatro años calendario (2021-2024) previos a la preparación de este registro; y (3) los votantes que estén registrados de manera permanente en la Junta Electoral del condado de Nassau. TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que las solicitudes de boletas electorales por ausencia o boletas electorales por correo anticipado se deben completar en un formulario elaborado por la Junta de Elecciones del estado, el cual puede obtenerse en el sitio web del Departamento de Educación del estado (https://www.counsel. nysed.gov/ miscellaneous) o comunicándose con la Secretaría del Distrito por correo electrónico (jkraemer@ oceansideschools.org), o por teléfono (516-6781226). Las solicitudes completadas de boletas electorales por ausencia y boletas electorales por correo anticipado se deben recibir al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección si la boleta electoral se enviará por correo al votante o hasta el día anterior a la elección si la boleta electoral se entregará personalmente al votante o a la persona que designe. No se aceptarán solicitudes antes del 21 de abril de 2025. La Secretaría del Distrito debe recibir las boletas electorales
por ausencia y boletas electorales por correo anticipado antes de las 5:00 p. m. del día martes 20 de mayo de 2025 para ser escrutadas. En la oficina de la Secretaría del Distrito se podrá consultar una lista de todas las personas a las que se hayan emitido boletas electorales por ausencia y boletas electorales por correo anticipado cada uno de los cinco días anteriores a las elecciones, de 8:00 a. m. a 4:00 p. m., excepto los domingos, y solo con cita previa de 9:00 a. m. a 12:00 p. m. el sábado anterior a las elecciones. TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que, de conformidad con la sección 2018-d de la Ley de Educación, cualquier persona que preste servicio en el Ejército, incluidos los cónyuges y dependientes, puede registrarse para votar en la próxima elección del distrito escolar. Los votantes militares que califican como votantes del distrito escolar pueden obtener un formulario de registro comunicándose con la Secretaría del Distrito por teléfono (516678-1226), fax (516678-2145), correo electrónico (jkraemer@ oceansideschools.org), correo postal (145 Merle Avenue, Oceanside, NY 11572) o en persona entre las 9:00 a. m. y las 4:00 p. m. Los votantes militares que estén debidamente registrados pueden solicitar la boleta electoral militar mediante un formulario de solicitud proporcionado por la Secretaría del Distrito. Las solicitudes completadas se deben entregar en persona o por correo postal a la Secretaría del Distrito, y se deben recibir antes de las 5:00 p. m. del 24 de abril de 2025. Las boletas electorales militares completadas se deben recibir antes de las 5:00 p. m. del 20 de mayo de 2025 si están firmadas y
fechadas por el votante militar y un testigo con una fecha que no sea posterior al día anterior a la elección o no más tarde del cierre de las urnas el 20 de mayo de 2025 si muestran una marca de cancelación del servicio postal de los Estados Unidos o del servicio postal de un país extranjero, o si muestran un endoso fechado de recepción por otra agencia del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos. Los votantes militares pueden decidir si prefieren recibir un formulario de registro para votantes militares, una solicitud de boleta electoral militar o una boleta electoral militar por correo, fax o correo electrónico en su solicitud para dicho registro, solicitud de boleta electoral o boleta electoral.
TENGA EN CUENTA QUE TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que la Junta convocará a una reunión especial en un plazo de veinticuatro horas después de la presentación de un informe por escrito en la Secretaría del Distrito de los resultados de la elección a fin de analizar y clasificar los informes y declarar el resultado de la elección; que la Junta, por el presente, se designa fiscal para emitir y escrutar los votos conforme a la Ley de Educación, 2019a(2b), en esta reunión especial de la Junta. Fecha: 14 de marzo de 2025 Oceanside, Nueva York POR ORDEN DE LA JUNTA DE EDUCACIÓN DISTRITO ESCOLAR OCEANSIDE UNION FREE, PUEBLO DE HEMPSTEAD, CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK Justan Kraemer Secretaría del Distrito 152438
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Redoing a basement, Part 3
Q. We bought our home three years ago, and are finally ready to finish our basement to make a family room, guest bedroom and a bathroom while enclosing our laundry. Right now it’s just a big open space with a lot of columns. The ceiling is low, and we’ve had estimates to cut down the basement floor. It seems like a lot of money to do all these things at once, but we understand that we need to do it before the prices for materials, as we’ve been warned, go a lot higher. We want to know what needs to be done if we want to lower the floor, take out two columns so our recreation room is bigger, and put in a bathroom. Is there any way to save money?
A. This third column ties together the previous two to state that, basically, you get what you pay for, and sometimes less. I explained that basement bathrooms may not be allowed to have a bathing fixture, tub or shower, depending on the municipal requirements, and that many communities also won’t allow a bedroom in a basement, for safety reasons. I also outlined the process for figuring out beams so that columns can be removed, and that while “guessers” may save you some money up front, repairs can erase the savings.
Now we’re up to lowering the basement floor. “Saving money” and “lowering a basement floor” should rarely be in the same sentence, except for when writing an answer as to why. In general, you want more living space, structurally sound and waterproof. Both of those needs are hard to achieve if any part of the process is left out.
It’s always best to gain the most amount of interior space, and I can often tell when either saving money was the focus or amateur work was done when I see a foundation wall projecting into the basement like a concrete bench. To avoid this look and to get the most use out of the space, you have to start with knowing where the underground water table is. Unless you dig a hole or order a soil-boring test from a professional company, you may soon find out why the floor wasn’t lower to begin with. This test could save you great expense.
The process of correctly supporting the exterior concrete foundation walls is called “underpinning.” The excavation can be done from the interior side of the foundation wall if the exterior isn’t accessible. Either way, the underpinning process must be done in sections, not all at once. There would be complete collapses of walls and floors above if entire foundations were removed at one time. When this is done, it usually causes tremendous damage, possible death and news coverage.
Engineered sections, with waterproofing to the exterior, have to be planned. The old sections are carefully cut out, and then replaced several feet apart before the next sections are removed. Good luck!
© 2025 Monte Leeper
Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.
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Local voices matter, and the RAPID Act listens
Last month, a handful of Nassau County town supervisors stood in front of a firehouse on Barnum Island and took the low road, whipping up fear, distorting facts and conflating fallacy and fantasy with reality to try to block progress. Their target was the Renewable Action through Project Interconnection and Deployment, or RAPID, Act, a new state law designed to streamline the approval process for large-scale renewable energy and electric transmission projects.
The RAPID Act creates a more efficient and transparent process for reviewing the major infrastructure projects we desperately need. If we’re serious about clean energy, grid reliability and energy security, this is our path toward resiliency and sustainability. It’s good for consumers and developers because the streamlined process reduces costs, making investments in the grid more affordable.
Unfortunately these days, facts don’t seem to matter much to some. But here are the facts.
Before the RAPID Act became law in April 2024, New York state had a patchwork of laws that made siting energy
projects difficult, confusing and expensive. Today there is a clear, easy-to-follow, streamlined system under the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission. The new system saves time and money, increases consistency, and gives communities a meaningful voice from the very beginning.
Here’s how it works. Before even submitting an application, developers are required to consult with local officials. Throughout the process, the public is invited to comment. Each project must have meaningful community outreach in which residents are invited to participate, along with ORES.
Tfor clean, reliable energy.
The reality is that most projects comply with local laws almost entirely, and the few disputes thus far have largely been resolved through mutual agreement. Waivers aren’t done casually. They must be fully justified. And towns can challenge them. As of last month, only five towns in the entire state had appealed such rulings, and all five rulings were upheld.
here have been over 50 energy project siting hearings across the state.
To date, there have been over 50 hearings across the state. That’s not secrecy. That’s real public engagement. Your comments have been heard, as have developers — who often modify projects in response to public feedback.
Another fallacy is how the RAPID Act treats local laws. It did not create new authority for the state to waive local laws — that ability has been part of the siting process in New York for decades. The act was designed to make those waivers less likely by addressing points of conflict early. And the law allows ORES to waive those laws only when they are unreasonably burdensome and conflict with the state’s goals
If that sounds like a heavy-handed state bulldozing towns, you might want to check the script the town supervisors are reading from, because it’s fiction. What we saw last month was not thoughtful concern for our future infrastructure needs. It was a political strategy that assumes that every environmental policy from Albany is a threat, every clean-energy initiative a conspiracy and every step forward something to block. Lumping everything together and crying foul to whip up outrage doesn’t benefit the New Yorkers that we public servants are here to serve. Meanwhile, our infrastructure is aging, and doing nothing is no longer an option. The RAPID Act moves us forward. It helps make sure our homes have power during extreme storms. It helps reduce pollution. It helps create good-paying jobs in clean energy. That
should be something we can all get behind.
If the supervisors want to sit down and talk seriously about how to improve the process, our door is always open. But yelling about non-existent dangers doesn’t help anyone. It misleads the public. It slows progress. And it makes it harder to build the kind of energy future Long Island deserves and desperately needs.
We believe in transparency, community input and in building a future in which Long Island is stronger, safer and cleaner. The RAPID Act is a big step in that direction.
It’s time to stop the political games. Time to stop pretending that doing nothing is somehow safer. I know firsthand that Long Islanders care about their communities, and the environment. They’re smart enough to see through rhetoric designed to instill fear, and they deserve better: They deserve leadership that tells the truth about the very real needs and demands of our infrastructure and its impacts on growing our economy. As I’ve said in countless hearings and committee meetings, the RAPID Act isn’t about taking power away from towns. It’s about keeping the lights on, making sure everyone has a seat at the table, and making sure we’re ready for the future.
Let’s move forward together.
Rory Christian is chairman of the New York State Public Service Commission.
Companies that produce packing waste must recycle it opinions
Consumers have changed our shopping habits across New York state. The transition to online shopping has significantly increased plastic, paper and cardboard packaging waste. Those materials go to Reworld, which takes our trash, and are turned into ash. The ash needs to go somewhere, but where?
On Long Island, most of the ash goes to Brookhaven Landfill, but that clock is ticking.
The Brookhaven facility will soon reach its capacity for ash, and that means it will close in the next few years, leaving towns such as Hempstead and North Hempstead with no ash-disposal options on Long Island. As packaging waste increases, recycling rates remain lackluster, which adds to our solid-waste burden. The good news is that we can reduce packaging waste and increase recycling rates to help address this challenge. Citizens Campaign for the Environment
chairs a statewide coalition of environmental leaders, local governments, stakeholders and elected officials who have joined to back state legislation called the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. This important bill is urgently needed.
New York is experiencing a solid-waste crisis, with skyrocketing costs to municipalities, abysmal recycling rates, and plastic pollution littering our communities and waterways. Our state generates more than 17 million tons of municipal solid waste annually. Long Island is responsible for 1.6 million tons per year, 205,000 tons of which go to landfills off Long Island, and 1.4 million tons are sent to waste-toenergy facilities, resulting in 400,000 tons of ash that must be landfilled. There is currently no plan to manage this ash once the Brookhaven landfill is closed. The one wise choice everyone agrees on is to reduce our waste stream, and this legislation would do just that. The financial burden of managing recyclable waste falls on local taxpayers. Municipalities are struggling with
p ass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act!
recycling costs and outdated infrastructure that significantly limits the volume of materials that are recycled. It is estimated that local governments statewide spend more than $200 million each year to keep local recycling programs going. That is not sustainable.
The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act would revolutionize New York’s approach to solid waste by shifting the responsibility of managing plastic, paper and packaging waste to corporations, not taxpayers and local governments. Those that put packaging into the waste stream are best positioned to reduce the amount of packaging that’s created in the first place.
The measure would require large corporations to reduce consumer packaging by 30 percent in 12 years, increase post-consumer recycled content in packaging and invest in new reuse/ refill infrastructure. The bill includes strong oversight and enforcement provisions to ensure that corporations comply.
Other states, including California,
Colorado, Maine and Oregon, have passed such laws, and similar policies have been in effect in parts of Europe and Canada for over 30 years. Where fully implemented, recycling rates exceed 70 percent, and the cost of consumer goods has not increased one penny.
It is time for corporations take out their own trash! Each year, companies ship billions of products with excess packaging, exacerbating the solid-waste crisis, yet they bear no responsibility for managing the waste they create. This sensible legislation promises to save money for municipalities and taxpayers, remove toxic substances from packaging, increase recycling and require producers to reduce waste.
We need to modernize New York’s recycling system and make producers take responsibility for managing their packaging waste. We need the governor, the State Senate and the Assembly to support this critical bill and get it signed into law this year. Every year we do nothing is another year we waste money, and allow our solid-waste management problem to grow. We can do this!
Adrienne Esposito is executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment.
We must restore Musk’s cuts of the 9/11 health fund
it is essential that Congress do all it can to fully restore the World Trade Center Health Program. I commend Long Island Congressmen Andrew Garbarino and Nick LaLota for leading a bipartisan effort to undo the damage, intentional or not, to this program by Elon Musk’s chainsaw cuts of government health programs.
During my years in Congress, no issue was more vital or intensely personal to me than ensuring that all of the surviving victims of the attacks of Sept. 11 — police officers, firefighters, emergency responders, construction workers and civilians — receive the care they require and deserve for the illnesses caused by the toxins they breathed in at ground zero in the days, weeks and months afterward.
It wasn’t until several years after 9/11 that evidence emerged of a growing number of blood cancers and lung and breathing disorders suffered by 9/11 first responders and nearby residents and students. The concern was bipartisan. Democratic Representatives Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney and
ARepublicans Vito Fossella and I were the original prime advocates. We introduced legislation in 2005 and again in 2007 to establish and fund a 9/11 illness detection and treatment program.
ed a rare and fatal blood cancer after working together at ground zero. The chances of this being a coincidence were infinitesimal. And there were countless similar situations.
session, our efforts paid off: Zadroga passed both the House and Senate.
TToday we know that more people have died from 9/11 illnesses than from the attacks, but in those early years, the numbers of victims weren’t yet especially high, and there was no proof of direct linkage to 9/11, which made it difficult to generate strong interest or support outside the New York and New Jersey congressional delegations.
hey’re causing many of the 9/11 doctors and experts to be terminated.
Soon enough, however, there was too much evidence to ignore. Anecdotally, I would see FDNY and NYPD neighbors who had worked at ground zero wearing oxygen masks as they watched their kids’ Little League games or stopped by 7-Eleven for coffee.
Those scenes were repeated across Long Island and the entire downstate region, and there would eventually be victims among rescue workers who had come to New York from almost all 50 states. To make our case, we asked 9/11 heroes to visit Congress to make direct appeals to individual members. I particularly recall NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly sitting in my Washington office telling me about two cops who contract-
The enormity of what was becoming a 9/11 health crisis could no longer be denied. In 2008, we thought our legislation — named the Zadroga Bill, after James Zadroga, who was believed to be the first NYPD officer to die from a 9/11 illness — would be included in a large year-end package of legislation agreed on by Congress and the White House. Unfortunately the combined tumult of a Presidential election and a stock market collapse prevented it from coming to a vote, and there was no opportunity to salvage it.
After close but disappointing nearmisses over the next two years, primarily because of opposition from Republicans in Southern and Western states, I and others fought furiously to get Zadroga passed. I had no tolerance for opposition from the crowd who primarily represented states and districts that received disproportionate levels of federal assistance at the expense of donor states like New York, which effectively subsidized them. Finally, on Dec. 22, 2010, the last day of the congressional
Unfortunately the bill had a five-year limit, so we had to wage the fight again in 2015. This time the struggle wasn’t as difficult, and Zadroga was extended. But then, in 2019, we learned there were many more victims than expected, and the fund was running short. With the bipartisan support of Democrats like then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and House Republicans like then Whip Steve Scalise and Representatives Doug Collins and Mike Johnson, Zadroga was extended to the end of the century. I was proud to be with President Trump when he signed this legislation at a ceremony on the White House lawn.
Now the fund is seriously threatened by Musk’s misplaced cuts, which, probably made unknowingly, are causing many of the 9/11 doctors and experts to be terminated, including program Director Dr. John Howard.
Though the White House has promised to fully reinstate the program, so far it has not been done. Victims are being denied necessary testing. This insanity must end. Our nation’s commitment to the victims of 9/11 must be honored!
Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Comments? pking@ liherald.com.
The new state budget is a victory for Hochul
merica is fixated on picking winners and losers. We use that term every day, applying it to sports, the stock market and every other field of endeavor. I heard it during the trial of O.J. Simpson, and I remember hearing it as far back as the 1960s, when, following a massive snowstorm, some parts of Queens were the last neighborhoods in New York City to see snowplows. Winners and losers are proclaimed extensively in politics, because politicians are tested on an almost daily basis.
Which leads to a discussion of the long-delayed New York state budget. Over the years, when there was an agreement between the three leaders — the governor, the leader of the State Senate and the Assembly speaker — they would all show up at a much-heralded news conference, at which each would take credit for some portion of the budget bill. For the past few years, that practice has changed, because the only person who has been taking the
Lmedia spotlight is Gov. Kathy Hochul. Before talking about winners and losers, it’s worth looking at this year’s budget process. The new spending plan budget is the latest to be finalized since 2010. Since the April 1 deadline, there have been 11 legislative extensions, which assures state employees that they can collect their paychecks. Could the governor have refused to delay the passage of an agreed-on budget and submitted her own spending plan on a take-itor-leave-it basis? The answer is yes. During the administration of Gov. David Paterson, the courts decided that if the Legislature can’t agree on a budget by March 31, the governor can force a vote on his or her own plan with no further delays. But in the spirit of harmony, succeeding governors have chosen to go through the arduous process of countless meetings and formal extensions until all of the parties sign on to a final accord. This year, Hochul made it clear that she had a long list of priorities, and had no plans to give in on them. She presented the Assembly and Senate with a long list of programs covering criminal law, edu-
cation, housing, mental hygiene and tax reform. When the dust settled, the two leaders got their asks, but the governor got the lion’s share of what she proposed back in January.
ooking to next year’s election, she set aside money for every region of the state.
With an eye on next year’s election, Hochul set aside money for every region of the state. She addressed subway crime, and sided with the state’s district attorneys on their demand for reforms that will allow them to prevent the dismissal of pending cases. Taxpayers can anticipate expansion of childcare tax credits and many other goodies, including $400 checks for families on limited incomes. School districts will get a hefty increase in education aid, and students won’t be unable use their cellphones from the first school bell to the last.
During a typical give-and-take that is part of the negotiating process, each of the parties shows some willingness to bend on their key issues. But this time, the governor stuck to her guns and yielded on very few issues. Facing what could be a very tough re-election campaign next year, Hochul dug in on almost every proposal she made and
gave little ground, which added to the delays. Albany insiders were surprised at her insistence on winning on so many issues, but she has powers, and used them.
An outsider might wonder why budgets take so long these days, compared with the process 20 and 30 years ago, when spending plans were adopted days and weeks before the deadline. Once upon a time, the state budget was strictly a numbers game. The leaders would promote their pet programs, and possibly sneak in a new program or two. But in the late 1980s, the leaders began to introduce items that were controversial and had little to do with the budget. Wrapped up in one big bill, these nonfiscal items would pass, because the members would have no choice but to swallow the whole document.
Is there a chance that state budgets will once again become just a numbers package? That’s highly unlikely, because all of the leaders have developed an appetite for inserting proposals in the budget that would have no chance of passing as stand-alone bills.
Jerry Kremer was a state assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. Comments about this column? jkremer@ liherald.com.
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Welcoming home your freshman
as college dorm rooms empty across the nation, millions of parents are preparing for a significant homecoming. Your freshman is returning — perhaps changed, certainly tired, and undoubtedly with more laundry than you thought humanly possible. This transition marks the beginning of a new chapter in your family story, one that requires delicate navigation, open communication, and occasional deep breaths as you adjust to your evolving relationship.
The transformation that occurs during college’s freshman year is nothing short of remarkable. The timid student who needed reminders about deadlines may return with strong opinions about political systems you’ve never discussed. The picky eater might come home raving about kimchi or curry. The once-shy teenager might stride through your door with newfound confidence and independence. Your child has spent months making independent decisions, forming new social circles, and discovering aspects of themselves that may surprise you — and them.
What parents sometimes fail to acknowledge is that we’ve changed, too. We’ve adjusted to quieter evenings, reclaimed bathroom counter space, and perhaps discovered new routines or even aspects of our identities that had been subsumed by active parenting. Your student’s return disrupts not just their new normal, but yours as well.
The first summer home represents uncharted territory for both generations. Your student has grown accustomed to complete autonomy — deciding when to eat, sleep, study and socialize without consultation or explanation. Meanwhile, you’ve maintained a household with certain rhythms and expectations. Within the first few days of your college student’s homecoming, have a detailed conversation with them about expectations to prevent misunderstandings.
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We have to be cautious while supporting sustainability
To the Editor:
What routines did they develop at college? What do they need to feel comfortable at home? How will household responsibilities be shared? This opens the door to compromise rather than confrontation.
For many freshmen, college is their first opportunity to define themselves beyond their family context or high school reputation. They’ve experimented with new identities, beliefs and social circles. Coming home can feel like stepping backward, especially if you still see them as the person they were before they left.
This identity navigation works both ways. Your student may struggle to integrate their college self with their home self. They might seem different with college friends than with family. They might challenge family traditions or political views that once went unquestioned. These explorations, while sometimes uncomfortable, represent healthy development and should be met with curiosity rather than defensiveness.
Don’t be surprised if your student spends the first week home sleeping extraordinary hours, eating everything in sight, or displaying emotional volatility. Freshman year is physically and emotionally exhausting — particularly its conclusion, with final exams, packing and goodbyes to new friends. The transition home often reveals the school year’s toll. Students maintain a frantic pace during the semester, running on adrenaline and caffeine. When they finally reach the safety of home, their bodies and minds demand recovery time. Parents should view excessive sleeping or emotional sensitivity as necessary healing, not regression or laziness.
The social landscape for your adult child has likely shifted dramatically as well. High school friendships that once seemed permanent may have drifted. New romantic relationships may have formed. Your student might spend little
As communities across New York and the nation explore ways to transition to cleaner energy, there is growing momentum behind battery energy storage systems, particularly those using lithium-ion technology. However, we must not let the promise of sustainability blind us to the inconvenient truths of our present reality.
The concept of a circular battery economy — in which batteries are reused, repurposed, and ultimately recycled to recover key materials — is a commendable goal. Yet we are far from achieving it. Our current
time at home as they reconnect with local friends or process the changes in these relationships. Alternatively, they might seem isolated if their primary social connections now exist at school. Both scenarios require your patience and understanding.
And while your instinct might be to recreate family traditions exactly as they were before, this summer presents an opportunity to develop new ways of connecting that honor your student’s developing adulthood. Ask them to teach you about their newfound passions. Take them to places that were once offlimits — a sophisticated restaurant, an art exhibit — that signal your recognition of their maturation. When they share stories about college experiences, practice active listening without immediately offering advice. Questions like, “How did you handle that?” communicate respect for their problem-solving abilities and invite deeper conversation. There’s a poignant truth most parents discover during this first post-college summer: Each homecoming from now on will be temporary. Your child’s primary residence increasingly exists elsewhere — in dorms, apartments and, eventually, their own home. The full nest you’ll experience this summer will empty again, with each cycle of departure becoming more permanent.
This realization, while sometimes painful, also brings opportunity. The time-limited nature of these summers encourages making the most of the moments you share. Rather than focusing on the inevitable goodbye at summer’s end, embrace the gift of time together, even if it seems fleeting.
What awaits in these summer months is a delicate dance of holding close and letting go — a choreography that, when performed with grace, becomes the foundation for a relationship that will sustain you both long after the last box is packed for sophomore year.
Wnal, someone and deserves is far more during have a sonal experience of the behind My arrived hope and
HerNesto GaldaMeZ
opinions
Not all immigrants are criminals
when we hear the term “illegal immigrant,” it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that the individual is a criminal, someone who has broken the law, and deserves punishment. But the truth is far more nuanced. For many immigrants, coming to the United States without legal documentation isn’t an act of criminality, but an act of survival — an effort to escape violence, political persecution or a situation so dire that the only option is to flee.
As the child of immigrants who fled El Salvador during its civil war in the late 1980s, I have a perspective that is shaped by personal experience and an understanding of the deeper human motivations behind these decisions.
My parents, both from El Salvador, arrived in the U.S. with nothing but hope and fear for their lives. They
understood the risks they were taking by entering this country without legal documentation, but the alternative was staying in a country where the government was killing its own people.
El Salvador’s civil war, which began in 1979, was marked by brutal violence, corruption and ruthless repression. The Salvadoran government, heavily supported by U.S. military aid, waged war against leftist insurgents and civilians it accused of being sympathetic to them. Throughout the conflict, military and paramilitary forces committed countless atrocities — massacres, forced disappearances and the destruction of entire villages. Thousands of innocent civilians were murdered or disappeared simply for being suspected of opposing the government.
wasn’t just about seeking a better life; it was about survival. It was about fleeing a government that viewed its citizens as expendable.
F or my parents, staying in El Salvador meant living in constant fear.
This is not to say that I support illegal immigration or that breaking the law should be excused. But I believe it’s essential to understand the perspective of those who make the difficult decision to flee their homeland. My parents did not come here to exploit the system or cause harm. They came to escape unimaginable violence, and to find a place where they could live without the constant threat of death.
the mechanic, my father was the only one in his family to leave, and he never got the chance to see his parents again. A few years ago, he and I stood at their graves for the first time — a painful reminder that the cost of leaving isn’t just physical, but deeply emotional and enduring. His journey wasn’t about breaking the law; it was about survival. It’s easy to forget that behind every “illegal immigrant” label is someone with a story, and usually with pain, sacrifice and hope for a better future. These people don’t come here to break the law. They come to escape the laws and systems that were oppressing them. And for every immigrant like my father or that mechanic, there are countless others who face the same impossible decision every day.
For my parents, like many others, staying in El Salvador meant living in constant fear — fear of being killed, of losing loved ones, or of being caught in the crossfire of a war they had no part in starting. Their decision to leave
Letters
infrastructure for battery recycling is still in its infancy, and the environmental and economic costs of lithium extraction remain extraordinarily high.
Lithium mining is not benign — it consumes vast amounts of water, devastates ecosystems, and often occurs in regions with poor labor and environmental protections. Meanwhile, the lack of cost-effective and widely available recycling facilities means that today’s lithium-based storage systems could become tomorrow’s toxic waste problem.
Until we have robust recycling infrastructure, updated fire and safety codes, and enforceable end-oflife regulations for BESS, policymakers must exercise caution. Approving large-scale lithiumbased projects now, without these safeguards, risks trading one environmental crisis for another.
Sustainability must be more than a buzzword. It requires fullcycle accountability — from cradle to grave and, ideally, cradle to cradle. Let’s not build the clean-energy future on the unstable foundation of unresolved waste and extraction.
These are my beliefs as a private citizen, and do not reflect the official stance or opinion of the Village of Sea Cliff.
BrUCE KEnnEdy Glen Cove Sea Cliff village administrator
We must urge Israel to cease its military campaign
To the Editor:
I am not a Jew, but I am a Zionist, in that I support Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign state.
I regard Hamas as a terrorist organization guilty of a barbaric attack on Israeli civilians in October 2023 as well as vicious repression of the people it purports to represent. Hamas must free all hostages immediately and unconditionally.
But the time has come for American Jews and gentiles alike who share these views to publicly urge the Israeli government to cease its military campaign in Gaza. Our voices can be powerful — if we exercise our moral duty to speak out.
Even if Hamas has inflated the death count, it is incontestable that many thousands of non-combatant Palestinians, including children and aid workers, have been killed in Israeli strikes. It is likewise certain that civilian suffering, already acute, is intensifying as a result of Israel’s two-month-long blockade of food and medicine deliveries to Gaza. And any escalation of the war is sure to further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages, according to the Israeli forum of families of the hostages.
There’s nothing antisemitic
My father eventually found work managing an apartment complex in roslyn, contributing to society, paying taxes, and respecting the country that took him in, belying the false narrative that immigrants don’t pay taxes or contribute to the economy.
My parents’ story is far from unique. not long ago, I met a mechanic who had fled Venezuela to escape violence — just as my father had decades earlier. Like
Framework by Tim Baker
So, I ask: If you were living in a country where your government was killing its own people, where staying meant a likely death, would you remain and accept your fate, or would you flee in search of safety? Would you risk breaking the law for a chance at survival?
Hernesto Galdamez is editor of the Baldwin Herald.
about opposing Israel’s disproportionate response to Hamas’s atrocities. Indeed, this stance should rest firmly upon the core Jewish values of rachamim (mercy and
Alex Candon and her momentarily airborne daughter, Lilli, at the L.I. Marathon — East Meadow
compassion) and chesed (loving kindness).
KEVIn J. KELLEy Atlantic Beach
Hernesto GaLDameZ
