The residents of Oyster Bay and East Norwich came out in force to show their support and to honor the memories of the brave soldiers who made gave their lives in service to the United States. The event was organized by the Oyster Bay Fire Department.
By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com
A night of psychedelic art, live music and community spirit is on tap Saturday when the Bahr Gallery will host a fundraiser for People Loving People, a local nonprofit that operates the People’s Pantry, a vital food resource for hundreds of families in Oyster Bay and surrounding communities.
The event, featuring a performance by the North Shore band Ray’s No Quitter, will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the art gallery on Audrey Avenue. Attendees will be asked to make a $20 donation at the door, all of which will go directly to
the pantry to help cover the cost of a new van.
“I’m on the same block as them, so I see the people that go there, and I know it’s a really important location,” gallery owner Ted Bahr, who spearheaded the idea for the event, said. “I don’t mind the idea of thinking globally, but I’d much rather act locally myself.”
The evening will also showcase the gallery’s current exhibition, Revolution Evolution II, which highlights the psychedelic poster art of the late 1960s, including work by artists Rick Griffin, Bonnie MacLean, Lee Conklin and Robert Fried. Gallery-style refreshments will be served, and guests are encouraged to make din-
By WILL SHEELINE & LUKE FEENEY of the Herald
A multi-year saga finally ended as Jupiter Power, a Texasbased battery storage company owned by BlackRock, has cancelled its contract to build the Oyster Shore Energy Storage following a grassroots effort by Glen Head, Glenwood Landing and Sea Cliff residents in opposition to the proposal.
The project, first proposed to the Town of Oyster Bay in 2022, had generated controversy among residents from the outset, sparked by fears over fire safety, impact on property value, traffic and environmental concerns.
Tof North Shore and outspoken critic of the project, said. “The community as a whole is thrilled about this news.”
The announcement came after three separate extensions of six-month moratoriums on the development of lithium battery facilities, protests by citizens and elected officials and several public hearings.
here were a lot of concerns with the development like this in a densely populated area. I think with those safety questions unanswered; it’s the best outcome.
CHRIS ZUBLIONIS Superintendent, North Shore District
“We’re elated. I mean, we are as happy as we can be,” George Pombar, president of the Glen Head-Glenwood Civics Council, trustee of the Water Authority
The proposed 275-megawatt battery energy storage system would have replaced the current Global Petroleum terminal at the corner of Glen Head Road, Shore Road, and Glenwood Road near Tappen Beach in Glenwood Landing.
The Texas-based battery storage company stated in a press release that the decision was made following a recent evaluation of projects in active development across the United States. Additionally, the company will
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
ner reservations at local restaurants after the event.
For Valerie Monroy, People Loving People co-founder and director, the fundraiser is a timely and deeply appreciated gesture.
“This is exactly what we’re about — the community helping the community,” Monroy said. “It’s just about helping each other, whoever it may be. It doesn’t matter what nationality you are, what religion you are, what church you go to. Anybody here is welcome.”
Founded just before the Covid-19 pandemic, People Loving People began as a pop-up operation run by Monroy, her sister, Donna Galgano, and friend Gina Kang gathered non-perishables which they gave to those in need out of the back of their cars at the Oyster Bay Community Center. When local food pantries began to feel the pinch during the pandemic, the volunteers at People Loving People quickly realized the need was far greater than they’d anticipated.
“We became the biggest thing on the block,” Monroy said. “Everybody needed, and people started to come to us: ‘How can I help?’”
Within six months, the group had raised enough funds to open a permanent location at 123 Audrey Ave., just steps from the Theodore Roosevelt Museum, at the old train station. Since then, the organization has grown to serve roughly 180 families per week, distributing nearly 10,000 pounds of food a month, with a mission centered on dignity and inclusivity.
“Our food pantry is a client-choice food pantry,” Monroy said. “We don’t just hand them a bag of dayold bread and some cans. They come in with their bags and shopping carts, and they food shop like they would food shop at any beautiful, little store in a hamlet like Oyster Bay.”
Although the pantry initially only served Oyster
Bay, it briefly expanded to assist residents in East Norwich, Bayville and parts of Glen Cove, when other nearby food resources became overwhelmed. They’ve since refocused their efforts on Oyster Bay, which remains the core of their operations.
Funding for the pantry comes from a mix of sources, including area churches, the Oyster Bay Community Foundation, and grassroots fundraising efforts. The group participates in events like the Oyster Festival and organizes annual donor appeals to keep their
shelves stocked.
Monroy said Bahr first reached out to her after they met at an Oyster Bay Community Foundation garden party.
“He said that he’d like to get involved and do something,” she recalled. “He wanted to think of something that he could do as the weather starts to get nice. Then he approached us with this idea.”
Bahr took the lead in organizing the event, from booking the band to arranging refreshments and emailing his client list to promote the evening. He explained that as a long-time lover of Oyster Bay and a supporter of the community’s success, he is always looking for ways to help uplift the hamlet and its residents.
“It’s part of the Bahr Gallery tradition of trying to give back and boost the community,” he said. “Oyster Bay is a really special community, and we can take care of each other here.”
While the organization doesn’t yet know how much the fundraiser will bring in, the funds are sorely needed.
“We’re really, right now, trying really, really, super hard to fundraise, because we need a new van,” Monroy said, adding that the pantry’s current cargo van — essential for picking up large food donations — is nearing the end of its lifespan. “Our cargo van is the lifeline to People Loving People,” she said.
For those unable to attend the May 31 event, People Loving People accepts donations year-round through its website at PeopleLovingPeople.net.
“This is a great opportunity to enjoy good music and support an important cause,” Bahr said. “We’re people, they’re people, we love them.”
Anyone interested in attending the event must RSVP to ted@bahrgallery.com.
Local groups like the Italian American Citizens Club have marched in the Memorial Day Parade for decades.
The Oyster Bay community came out in force to honor the soldiers who died for their country at the hamlet’s annual Memorial Day Parade. Organized by the Oyster Bay Fire Department, the event featured members of youth organizations, museum and non-profit volunteers, and of course local veterans.
refocus its development efforts elsewhere, although it does not specify the exact location.
“Although the Oyster Shore project would bring many economic and grid resiliency benefits to Long Island and New York,” the statement read. “There was no viable permit path for the project. Jupiter Power would like to thank the site owner and the many neighbors, individuals, and organizations in the community who sought a fair hearing for the many benefits and development circumstances related to the project.”
The project faced opposition from the outset from concerned community members, civic groups, and the school district. Jupiter representatives held multiple information sessions, presentations, and open houses to attempt to assuage fears, but very few residents seem to have been won over by the project.
The Town of Oyster Bay described the decision as “great news” in a written statement, adding that the town is committed to ensuring that future energy projects align with the best interests of the communities. The town also emphasized in the statement that “residential neighborhoods are absolutely the wrong place for such a facility.”
On the flip side, opposition to Oyster Shore was vocal and organized, with disparate organizations from across Glenwood Landing, Glen Head and Sea Cliff
Hans Detweiler, senior director of development for Jupiter Power, emailed the company’s statement of the project’s cancellation on May 23 following its three-year effort to build its facility.
attending relevant public meetings in force. North Shore residents has been a common sight at Town of Oyster Bay meetings for the past two years, begging town officials to prevent the project from continuing.
“There were a lot of concerns with the development like this in a densely populated area. I think with those safety questions unanswered, it’s the best out-
Editor’s note: Please join Michael Ettinger’s live Zoom webinar “Four Advantages of Using Trusts” on Wednesday, June 4 at 7 pm or Wednesday, July 9 at 7 pm. Kindly register on our website, trustlaw.com
Clients often ask whether the home should be deeded to the client’s adult children, while retaining a life estate in the parent or whether the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust should be used to protect the asset. While the deed with a life estate will be less costly to the client, in most cases it offers significant disadvantages when compared to the trust. First, if the home is sold prior to the death of the Medicaid recipient, the life estate value of the home will be required to be paid towards their care. If the house is rented, the net rents are payable to the nursing facility since they belong to the life tenant. Finally, the client loses a significant portion of their capital gains tax exclusion for the sale of their primary residence as they will only be entitled to a pro rata share based on the value of the life estate to the home as a whole. Nevertheless, a life estate deed makes sense for a vacation home that is intended to stay in the family.
All of the foregoing may lead to a situation where the family finds they must maintain a vacant home for many years. Conversely, a properly drafted MAPT preserves the full capital gains tax exclusion on the sale of the primary residence and the home may be sold by the trust without obligation to make payment of any of the principal towards the client’s care, assuming we have passed the look-back period for facility care of five years.
It should be noted here that both the life estate and the MAPT will preserve the stepped-up basis in the property provided it is sold after the death of the parent who was the owner or grantor. Upon the death of the parent, the basis for calculating the capital gains tax is stepped up from what the parent paid, plus any improvements, to what it was worth on the parent’s date of death. This effectively eliminates payment of capital gains taxes on the sale of appreciated property, such as the home, after the parent dies.
come,” District Superintendent Chris Zublionis said. “We just didn’t have concrete answers on how things like fires would be handled and evacuations if there was a fire”
Fire chiefs from across Long Island raised concerns about fighting potential fires at BESS factories, pointing to the heat, duration, and intensity of the flames from the factories. In addition, several firefighters brought up that while water can be used to cool the containers and prevent fire from spreading, it will not directly extinguish the flame.
Jupiter attempted to sell the project to the community as an environmentally friendly improvement on the existing petroleum terminal. At several public presentations, company representatives highlighted the potential for decreased truck traffic and lower risks of oil spills in Hempstead Harbor due to the transition from oil storage to battery energy storage.
In this case community members decided that the potential environmental benefits did not outweigh the perceived risks to the residential safety. Christine Panzeca, a Glen Head resident who has been an outspoken opponent of the project, celebrated the decision as a “huge
win” for the residents of the North Shore.
“This is a huge win for resident health and safety,” Panzeca said. Adding that “it couldn’t have been accomplished without a labor of love from dedicated residents, supervisor Saladino, the town board and firefighters from across Long Island”
Despite this, supporters of clean energy systems have not given up on the idea of bringing green power to the North Shore.
The Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor released a statement following the announcement of the contract cancellation, emphasizing its support for renewable energy initiatives while also maintaining the importance of ensuring community safety.
Further, they called on local elected officials to “to develop clear guidelines for the siting of these facilities,” particularly with regards to safety and zoning.
“While there are currently no active applications for BESS facilities, CSHH remains committed to a rigorous and transparent review process for any future proposals,” the statement read. “We believe that thorough safety and environmental studies, along with meaningful community involvement, should be central to that process.”
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‘Blood Alley’ stretch lives up to its name on roadway with grim total of over 3,000 crashes per year
By BRIAN NORMAN bnorman@liherald.com
Third in a series on the Southern State Parkway.
The 23.5 miles of the Southern State Parkway, which stretches from the Queens-Nassau border to Heckscher State Park in East Islip, has daily traffic congestion and frequent accidents, so numerous that one portion is called “Blood Alley.”
There have been over 3,000 accidents a year on the parkway since 2021, a majority of which occurred in Nassau County, according to New York State Police. Last year, 15 of those crashes were fatal, the highest number in recent years.
The section of parkway between exits 17 and 32 is widely referred to as Blood Alley due to its high accident rates, which include several fatalities. The road’s narrow lanes, sharp turns and poor lighting have all contributed to its dubious distinction as one of the most dangerous roadways in the country.
Elmont resident Winston Waters said that he has lived in the area for 40 years, and has often found himself having to plan his day around the congestion of the parkway.
“I work around it as much as I can,” Waters said. “There are times when I have to leave early to get to work — you know, I’ve got to deal with that — but I try to work around it. I try and leave very early, after rush hour, before rush hour, those kinds of things.”
Waters said his backyard once resembled a national park, with thick trees that helped muffle the sound of the nearby parkway. But since the trees were removed because of their age, the noise has become a growing issue, and the constant congestion is beginning to spill into the community, disrupting daily life.
see the roadway.
And despite the noise, she is not a fan of the huge sound walls erected on other roadways, such as the Long Island Expressway. “The walls are kind of ugly, Kordulak said.
“I personally didn’t want to see that much traffic in the area,” he added, “because it (creates) a lot of congestion, particularly if there’s an accident or there’s in the morning, rush hour — you have a lot of people that come through, come off the exit and then they want to maneuver through the side streets, which decreases the quality of life.”
Blood Alley lived up to its name in January, when a car overturned near Exit 29 in North Massapequa, killing two people and seriously injuring two others. The driver was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic before losing control and crashing into a tree, police reported.
South Park Drive, in North Massapequa, sits within sight of the parkway and Sharyn Kordulak can see vehicles whizzing by from the front of her house.
“You get used to all the noise, the drone of the traffic,” Kordulak said, noting that some neighbors have blocked out portions of the cyclone fence on the opposite side of the street so they don’t
Valley Stream resident Patrick Goin, who has been an advocate for safer conditions along the highway, specifically near Exit 13 in Valley Stream, said that he is hopeful that the myriad complaints about the parkway complaints will be addressed.
“I’m the one who spoke with Carrié for something to be done about that intersection, because my uncle had a severe car accident where he almost died and his car was totaled,” Goin said, referring to Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages. “There’s been a few accidents. My uncle wasn’t the first, so that’s being addressed.”
Goin added that he lives right near Exit 13, and that speeding by motorists coming on and off of the parkway has become a recent issue for him and his neighbors when they try to leave their homes.
Exit 13, which serves both Central Avenue south and Linden Boulevard north in Valley Stream, is one of the more widely reviled entry and exit points along the highway, with residents calling for fixes for several years.
In 2018, Valley Stream resident Nayyer Zubair created a petition that documented residents’ concerns about safety. The petition, which currently has 672 signatures, calls for the addition of leftturn lanes and signals on Central Avenue to facilitate safer turns onto Stuart Avenue; lighting upgrades to enhance
pedestrian visibility and safety; and the addition of traffic cameras to deter redlight violations and other dangerous driving behaviors.
The state Department of Transportation unveiled a plan on May 8 to reconstruct eastbound Exit 13, with construction set to begin in the spring of 2027. The project aims to create safer conditions for drivers entering and exiting the parkway.
However, some residents questioned the need to reconstruct the entire exit.
Valley Stream resident Dayle Cohen said she recognized the issues that occur at the exit, but questioned how a massive project like this could affect the community even more.
“I drive this route often,” Cohen said. “I know a lot of people run the stop sign when you’re getting up (the ramp to) the highway. People coming from the Linden (Boulevard) side always struggle to make their right lane on Stuart. But I really haven’t noticed any (bigger)
issues. I’m not an expert — I don’t know the traffic patterns. I don’t know the statistics, and my only concern was people run the stop sign, but then you wait a minute and it’s no big deal. I’m not sure about the price tag and how it will affect people who actually live right here, but I personally didn’t see a need for it.”
In Islip Terrace, not far from the Southern State’s eastern terminus, Jo Borda has lived off Spur Drive South, on Juniper Street, for 33 years, and though the parkway is wider there than in its western portion, accidents still occur.
“All times of the day, people are turning too fast off the exit and crashing on the turn,” Borda said. “Once right into the corner house.”
The former Franklin Square resident had advice for motorists. “People just need to slow down,” Borda said.
Additional reporting by Jeffrey Bessen. Next installment: Engineering challenges, infrastructure needs.
Wh en someone asks what I think of the food in a new eatery, I always mention the entrees or main dishes. But what about the sauces, dressings, toppings or side dishes that make those meals stand out? Why do I ignore them? Shame on me. It will end here. This month, I enjoyed delicious meals in two restaurants that have reopened for the season, and new dishes I found on two new spring menus. I will give full credit to all ingredients that deserve to be recognized.
Sunset Club at Tappen Beach (494 Prospect Ave., Sea Cliff)
Hurray. This outdoor beachside café has reopened for the season. I love that we can sit directly beside the beach on comfy lounge chairs, or under a beach umbrella at a table, or under a covered, shady section. I’m also thrilled that my favorite dish, the Mediterranean Grain Bowl, is back. Quinoa, salad greens, sundried tomatoes, chickpeas, artichoke hearts and kalamata olives have the best time sitting together in their bowl. Yet, I must give a well-deserved shoutout to the lemon herb feta vinaigrette. Though I usually order dressing on the side, I smothered my bowl with this vinaigrette. It pulls all the ingredients together perfectly. Other menu favorites have also returned, including the blackened fish tacos with crema guacamole and Gooseberry Grove Artisan Scooped Ice Cream.
Ocean (333 Bayville Ave., Bayville)
No matter where you sit in this indoor/outdoor restaurant that has reopened for the season, you’ll have a panoramic water view. I welcome back the incredible dishes on the menu including the Scottish salmon with wild rice, edamame, roasted corn, red peppers and scallions; and the Ocean Pasta with lobster tail, bay scallops, mussels, little neck clams, linguine and lobster cream. My loudest shoutout goes to the apple slaw. It supports its fellow flavors in the duck tacos and the grilled butternut squash and zucchini dish with style and grace.
2 Spring (2 Spring St., Oyster Bay)
Sit inside or outside in this classy eatery. I give full credit to the supporting ingredients that have made it possible for many of the entrees to have spring makeovers. The black bass is now joined by haricot vert, andouille, pepper, shrimp and paprika. Salsa
Verde, ramp and morel English peas accompany the Scottish salmon entrée, which is my favorite. The pork chops are escorted by spring onion puree, fava beans, green strawberries and jus. My loudest shoutout goes to the new charred broccoli salad with chili, sesame, hummus and almonds. The ingredients create a mysterious, slightly smokey flavor. I’m going back and order-
ing it again.
Bonanza’s (25 Shore Ave., Oyster Bay)
Whenever I pass this 122-year-old family food stand, there’s a line of folks waiting to pick up five different kinds of hot dogs, fries, chicken tenders, chili, hot pretzels, ice cream and store made ice from a long list of amazing flavors. On the spring menu, the two
new ice flavors are sour apple and root beer. Two ice cream newbies are cannoli and cotton candy. The cotton candy ice cream, with lavender, bright blue and pink swirls, is the best I’ve ever tasted. Special credit goes to the whipped cream and sprinkles. All together, they create a unique spring treat.
See you next month.
By RENEE DeLORENZO rdelorenzo@liherald.com
Island Harvest hosted Long Island’s largest one-day food drive of the year, Stamp Out Hunger, on May 10, collecting more than 335,000 pounds of food — and counting.
The donations will stock over 300 food pantries across Long Island, ensuring they have enough supplies to feed children who face food insecurity and lose access to meals once school is out for the summer.
The event, now in its 33rd year, is organized nationwide by the National Association of Letter Carriers, the union representing the U.S. Postal Service’s letter carriers. Since its inception in 1993, the drive has collected more than 1.9 billion pounds of food across the country.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a householdlevel economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
According to Island Harvest, more than 240,000 Long Island residents — over 8 percent of the population — faced food insecurity in 2023, a 10 percent increase over the previous year.
Tom Siesto, executive vice president of NALC Branch 6000, said he has helped coordinate the local drive since it began in 1993. Based in New Hyde Park, Siesto organizes the delivery of more than 865,000 postcards each spring, notifying residents about the collection date, the second Saturday in May. On that day, letter carriers collect nonperishable food donations left on doorsteps.
“We take pride in this,” Siesto said. “Our letter carriers take pride in picking up the food because they know it’s helping their neighbors and communities.”
He emphasized that many people in need on Long Island go unnoticed. “It’s people living paycheck to paycheck,” Siesto said. “It comes down to whether they’re going to put food on the table, buy medication or buy clothing for their children.”
Amanda Chirco, Island Harvest’s director of development, said that donations are initially dropped off at the nonprofit’s Islandia warehouse. Staff and volunteers then sort the food into large mixed bins. The food is later repacked into boxes that are placed on pallets for shipping.
Chirco said that Island Harvest relies heavily on volunteers, including drivers from companies like Amazon and College Hunks, to help transport the food. Three days are dedicated to sorting — Saturday, Monday and Tuesday — and this year, more than 500 pallets were filled and prepared for delivery.
Each pallet holds 550 to 700 pounds of food. Once packed, they are moved with forklifts to a weighing station, where volunteers record the weight in black marker before loading the bins onto trucks. Any remaining food is stored at Island Harvest’s Melville warehouse for
later distribution.
Food pantries across the region are reporting an uptick in first-time visitors, Chirco said, which aligns with Feeding America’s data showing a continued rise in food insecurity.
“These are people who are just one car accident, one flat tire or one medical emergency away from depleting their savings and needing support,” she said. “They’re doing OK until one major thing happens, and then they’re not.”
Federal funding cuts have also affected Island Harvest’s operations. Millions of dollars in government aid were eliminated this year, Chirco said, resulting in over a million fewer meals for local fam-
ilies. Potential cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits could worsen the situation, she said. Many Long Islanders in need don’t qualify for those benefits, she said, because their income exceeds eligibility thresholds — even if it isn’t nearly enough to cover Long Island’s high cost of living.
The Economic Policy Institute estimates that a single adult must earn over $68,000 annually to maintain a modest but adequate standard of living on Long Island. A family of four, with two incomes, needs to earn around $161,000. In contrast, the minimum wage on Long Island is $16.50 an hour — just over
$34,000 annually for full-time work.
“Someone might not be considered in poverty because of their total income,” Chirco said. “But they still can’t afford to live on Long Island.”
Despite the challenges, Island Harvest is on track to distribute more than 20 million pounds of food this year — nearly double its pre-pandemic output.
For Martin Feinstein, a longtime donor who now volunteers for the organization, the scale of need became clear when he visited a local food pantry.
“I couldn’t even find parking,” Feinstein recounted. “I just kind of scratched my head and said, ‘I’ve never really seen that.’”
Now retired, Feinstein volunteers weekly with his wife, helping load food for seniors and pantries across Long Island.
“I want to help,” Feinstein said. “I want to be part of it. I wasn’t part of it for all these years even though I wanted to be, and this is the way to do it.”
Rob Schepis, senior vice president at Flushing Bank, also volunteered at the event alongside three of his employees Rob Albino, Raymond Ok and Michelle Posada. It was the bank’s second year of supporting Stamp Out Hunger through both service and donations.
“When I found out how many people were food insecure, I was shocked,” Schepis said. “It wakes you up to recognizing how fortunate we are.”
Chirco said that Island Harvest’s most pressing need is funding, which supports its food programs, nutrition education and logistics. She encouraged more community partners — businesses, schools and local leaders — to get involved.
Volunteers can register for events at IslandHarvest.org, where they can find dates, instructions and contact information for each one. “Everybody can play a role in some way,” Chirco said.
By MOHAMMAD RAFIQ mrafiq@liherald.com
At All American Cleaners in Bellmore on May 22, Nassau County Legislator Seth Koslow, accompanied by Democratic colleagues Delia DeRiggi-Whitton and Olena Nicks, unveiled legislation aimed at reducing business licensing fees across Nassau County.
“The fees that people are paying in Nassau County are multiple times higher than Suffolk County, and it’s just not fair,” Koslow, the Democratic candidate for county executive, said at a news conference. “These small businesses drive our economy, and they have to pay $650 a year just to get their license, when in Suffolk County they’re paying $110.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Nassau is home to over 200,000 small businesses, which employ the majority of the county’s workforce. The proposed legislation targets more than 30 categories of business licenses, including dry cleaners, locksmiths, doggroomers, second-hand gem dealers, appliance replacement services and more.
Asked why there was a difference between the license fees in Suffolk and Nassau counties, Koslow laid responsibility at the feet of County Executive Bruce Blakeman, saying, “Blakeman just keeps raising fees to pay for all his celebrations and his photo ops, and he’s not really worried about taking care of the people here that drive our business.”
“I, unfortunately, don’t anticipate it’ll get much traction because of Bruce Blakeman and the Republican majority,” Koslow added of the legislative proposal. “But this is one of those things that is important to our community, and we should do on a bipartisan level.”
DeRiggi-Whitton echoed Koslow’s sentiments.
“Many of these fees came in under the Mangano administration,” she said, referring to former County Executive Edward Mangano. “And many of them, at that point, we thought, were completely ridiculous, and our caucus voted against them. However, the Republican majority passed them.
“They are arduous,” DeRiggi-Whitton added. “They are something that would make someone decide whether or not they want to come to Nassau County, and that’s the last thing we need.”
Marc Tolchinsky, owner of All American Cleaners, was asked about the impact that licensing fees have on businesses’ ability to stay afloat, and the difference
Nassau County Democrats decried high business licensing fees and announced legislation to cut fees for small businesses on May 22. In Bellmore, from far left, were County Legislators Olena Nicks and Seth Koslow; Marc Tolchinsky, owner of All American Cleaners; and Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton.
Mohammad Rafiq/Herald
that the proposed cuts would make.
“We’ve already been hurt so badly by Covid and the working from home, so all these things that they’re coming up now with, it impacts us,” Tolchinsky said. “You know, we’re running on less revenue, less volume, and anything will help.”
In statement to the Herald, Blakeman rejected the claim that he was responsible for the fees. “These fees were sustained and supported by a Democrat administration with acquiescence from Democrat legislators,” the statement read. “I am happy to cut the fees provided Democrats come up with matching cuts to spending.”
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
Oyster Bay High School’s student-run news team, Bay News Now, made an impression at the Broadcast Alliance for Senior High Awards at Hofstra University on May 22. Competing against more than 40 high schools from Nassau, Suffolk, New York City and Westchester, the OBHS team took home three top honors, demonstrating excellence in student broadcast journalism.
The BASH Awards celebrate the best in high school broadcast journalism, highlighting the storytelling, reporting and production talents of students across the region. OBHS’s BNN team earned first place for Best News Package, with reporting by Madeline Mathews and photography by Noah Kingsley. They also received third place in the Human Interest Story category, with roles reversed - reporting by Noah Kingsley and photography by Madeline Mathews. The team also placed third for Best Short Broadcast/Daily Show, which featured anchors Madeline Mathews and Noah Kingsley, weatherman Henry Briggs, and a behind-thescenes crew including Eva (Eden) Juretschko, Sienna Stewart and AnaLuz Ferrer working in the control room and on camera.
This success comes as OBHS marks the one-year anniversary of its broadcast studio. Since launching the studio, the school has replaced traditional morning announcements with a live daily show, entirely produced, written and anchored by students. This handson approach to broadcast journalism gives students career and technical education training that is rare among Long Island high schools. Everything is taught in-house, with students gaining real experience in television production, investigative reporting, field reporting, writing and producing digital
content - and even professional and financial skills for the media workplace.
The OBHS multimedia journalism and television production program is part of a CTE-endorsed pathway, offering students the opportunity to earn a CTE endorsement on their high school diploma. This credential signifies that a student has completed a rigorous, stateapproved course of study in a specific career field, combining academic coursework with real-world learning and culminating in a technical assessment or industry-recognized credential.
–Will Sheeline
Oyster Bay received first place for Best News Package, and third place for the Human Interest Story and Best Short Broadcast/Daily Show categories.
Madeline
to do some on-site reporting at the BASH Awards.
