Herald file photo
Jerry “The Bull” Seckler, right, the fierce heart of L.I. wrestling who lifted a sport and a generation, died in March. With him were fellow Central wrestlers Richard Earl and Steve Buscemi.
Washington yanks food aid from L.I. Cares
By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com
When Yovica Valentin steps into the Valley Stream Long Island Cares food pantry each month, she’s not just picking up groceries — she’s trying to keep her life from unraveling.
The 29-year-old Air Force National Guard member and a neonatal intensive care unit nurse has been on extended medical leave for two years, grappling with undiagnosed health issues and mounting medical bills.
Ythis spring.
By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com
Jerry Seckler — the Nassau County wrestling legend who could lift kids twice his size well into his 60s, and fought his entire life for the soul of the sport — died on March 10 in Rockville Centre. He was 87. In a world full of tough guys, Seckler wasn’t just tough. He was unforgettable.
Those who knew him best say wrestling wasn’t just part of Jerry’s life — it was the rhythm of his life. From the time he first stepped on a mat as an eighth grader, he was hooked for life. He finished second in the Nassau County South Shore Championships that year, setting off a run that would make him one of Long Island’s most decorated
young wrestlers.
As a freshman at Valley Stream Central High School, Jerry went undefeated in dual meets, winning the South Shore title and placing second at the Long Island Championships. A year later, he repeated as South Shore champion and took fifth at the National AAU Championships.
By his junior year, he wasn’t just winning — he was dominating, claiming South Shore and Long Island titles, and adding a Senior Meet crown for good measure. His scholastic career was capped with a national prep school championship and the title of Outstanding Prep School Wrestler in the country — the kind of accolade that even now would stop wrestling enthusiasts mid-sen -
The pantry’s offerings — staples like eggs, meat, and bread — have become a lifeline.
ou can’t replace food at this scale, at this speed, simply by getting more donations. That’s not a feasible choice here.
DAN Eg AN chief executive, Feeding New York State
But under the Trump administration’s recent cuts to federal food aid, those basics may suddenly be harder to come by.
Truckloads of federally promised poultry, produce, and other food shipments were set to arrive at Long Island Cares
But by early March, the Department of Agriculture abruptly canceled those deliveries, freezing $500 million in Biden-era aid distributed through the Emergency Food Assistance Program and backed by the Commodity Credit Corporation. The cut—shaving less than 0.01 percent of the $6.8 trillion federal budget—deals a crushing blow to the regional food giant, wiping out an estimated 250 million pounds of fresh food. Now it is grappling with how to fill the glaring shortfall on short notice at a time when hunger is rising and funding streams are rapidly drying up.
Long Island Cares CEO Paul Patcher warns that the pain of this decision will be felt across Long Island, especially among working families, seniors, and the many households “living
ConTInuEd on pagE 9
3 Things to Know about the Midnight Centennial Dance Party
By JUAN LASSO
jlasso@liherald.com
Valley Stream’s long-awaited Midnight Centennial Dance Party kicks off Saturday, May 3, at Hendrickson Park — and the evening promises to be a lively celebration of community, history, and music under the stars. From a commemorative coin to a ribbon-cutting for a freshly rebuilt landmark, here are the top three things you need to know:
The ‘Crown Jewel’ gets its spotlight: Arthur J. Hendrickson Park
The Village deliberately chose Hendrickson Park — which Mayor Ed Fare proudly calls the “crown jewel” of Valley Stream’s park system — as the site of this major centennial celebration.
“Between the pool and the jogging track and the gazebo and the community center... everybody flocks to Hendrickson Park,” Fare said. “It’s very fitting that our 100th anniversary celebration is there.”
Central to the evening is the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the park’s newly reconstructed gazebo — a long-overdue update to a beloved but aging structure. “The wood was rotting and falling apart,” Fare explained. “Now we’ve put in this gorgeous brand-new gazebo. Neighboring mayors and county officials are expected to attend.
Everyone gets a commemorative centennial coin
For a $20 ticket, guests will receive food, music, and a limited-edition Valley Stream centennial coin, a heavy, 2.25-inch metal keepsake celebrating the village’s 100-year history.
“These challenge coins — or collectible coins, as we’re calling them — are beautiful,” said Fare. “A lot of people, especially Valley Stream alumni who’ve moved away, love having a keepsake like this.”
The coin itself has become a treasured item among local collectors and a nostalgic nod to previous village giveaways, like the wood nickels handed out during the 50th anniversary in 1975. The ceremony will feature a brief set of remarks from local leaders and a live performance of the national anthem.
Come for the music and food — stay for the community spirit
The dance party will include both a live band and a DJ, with food served hot inside the community center. The tented event will go on rain or shine, and free electric trolleys will shuttle guests from the pool parking lot to the celebration.
The theme “Under the Stars” invites attendees to dress in costumes from their favorite decade.
“Some people love that idea, and some people don’t,” Fare said with a chuckle. “I’ll be in a suit. I don’t want pictures of me for the next 100 years dressed like John Travolta!”
Above all, Fare hopes the event captures the special place Hendrickson Park holds in the hearts of residents. “I graduated from Central High School, and it was always the big thing to go into the park. It holds special significance.”
Earth Day celebrated in Franklin Square
By REI WOLFSOHN Correspondent
Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages joined forces with Rewild Long Island and the Franklin Square Public Library to host a low-waste project in celebration of Earth Day on April 26.
The project involved transplanting native plants into new flower pots and painting their pea pods.
Attendees of all ages participated in the community event to honor and celebrate Earth.
We’re not only encouraging young people to think about their consumption, but also to plant native plants
“Earth Day means to celebrate the earth’s birthday, to honor the earth for helping us and our community,” said Eleanor Libus, a young child decorating a pea pod at the event.
“It’s when we help the environment grow,” said Charlotte Libus, Eleanor’s sister.
MIcHaELLE SOL agES Assemblywoman, District 22
Solages organized the Earth Day project for the past four years with the help of her office staff.
“I still have my native plants from this project from three years ago, and it’s flourishing in my garden, which is pretty neat,” Solages said.
In the second year of the event, Rewild Long Island started getting involved as a collaborator. Library employees and volunteers also help out by setting up the room, providing paints, and supervising the children as they create their projects.
“She really does the job,” said Sabrina Yazdpour, co-chapter lead for Rewild’s South Nassau chapter, about Solages. “She doesn’t just talk the talk. She’s doing everything for us.”
The key to this project is the choice of native plants, according to Solages.
“We’re not only encouraging young people to think about their consumption, but also to plant native plants,” Solages said. “It’s so easy to just go to Home Depot and buy a geranium. It’s another thing to plant a native plant to help flourish and strengthen our biodiversity in our communities.”
The project involved several species of flowers that could grow into a range of sizes. Since transplanting was necessary for the project, participants got to feel the soil in their hands, giving them an authentic gardening experience.
“Rewild makes it a point to have people connect to each other and to our local ecosystem,” Yazdpour said. “To make sure we’re understanding native plants, the issue of watering, the importance of using native plants to filter our soils and eliminate the runoff and pro-
tect our aquifers.”
While a smaller pot keeps the plant from growing too large, the biodegradable pea pods, which participants transplanted the seedlings into, are meant to be planted directly into the earth.
“Most of the materials are earthfriendly,” Solages said.
Solages explained that the team recycles everything and washes all the paintbrushes to use for the next year.
They also use compostable plates and spoons for cleaning and painting. “We try to be earth-conscious while we do it,” Solages said. “But also understanding that there’s little kids here too.”
Solages also emphasized that this celebration is meant to be a communitybuilding event. She said they chose to do the event in Franklin Square to attract more children and families.
That community exposure is a key
Children
to transplant
reason why Eleanor and Charlotte’s father, Samson Libus, brought them to the event.
“For me personally—to have them socialize,” Libus said. “I think these events are important for that purpose. To let the kids come somewhere and be part of the community. For them—they do this to make a mess, enjoy themselves, have fun, do something interesting.”
Adults and children alike enjoy painting pea pods together as a community to honor Earth Day.
Rei Wolfsohn/Herald photos
Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages and her daughters, Rose and Kristy, celebrate Earth Day with their low-waste painted pea pods at the Franklin Square Public Library on April 26.
wait
their flowers and get their hands dirty at the Earth Day event at the library.
FOOD PANTRY
Q&A with a Valley Stream Long Island Cares volunteer
By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com
Anthony “Tony” Cannonito has lived in Valley Stream for over 60 years. Now retired, he spends his time helping neighbors in need as a volunteer at Long Island Cares’ food distribution center in Valley Stream. From stocking shelves to walking clients through the pantry process, Cannonito brings heart and hustle to the work— and a deep sense of gratitude for the community that raised him.
The Herald caught up with
had been contributors to Long Island Cares for years, along with other local charities. After we both retired, she started her own volunteering, and I was looking for something meaningful myself. When I heard they were planning to open a pantry in Valley Stream—my hometown for over 60 years—I jumped at the chance. This community has been good to me and my family. Volunteering felt like the right way to give back
Q: What was your initial role at the pantry? Has it changed?
helping clients, other days I’m unloading trucks or organizing the pet food section. We “flow to the work,” as I like to say.
Q: Have you noticed an increase in demand recently?
Cannonito: Oh, absolutely. The last month or two especially—it’s really picked up. When we opened, it was slow. Now, the flow of clients is steady. It keeps all of us busy, and we could definitely use more volunteers.
Q: What’s the experience like for someone walking in for the first time?
Cannonito: We greet everyone by name. I’ll say, “Hi, I’m Tony—first time here?” If they’re new, I explain the layout and how it works. Based on their household size, they’re entitled to a certain number of proteins, produce, dairy items, and so on. We walk them through each section. It’s designed to feel dignified—like a small-scale grocery store. We even have a pet food section called Baxter’s Pet Pantry.
entitled to this, but I don’t need it this month—maybe someone else does.” That kind of generosity, especially from people in need themselves, is humbling.
Q: What’s something people misunderstand about food insecurity?
Have you seen anything that really moved you during your time there?
Definitely. Sometimes a client will say, “I’m
Cannonito: Unless you’ve seen it up close, it’s hard to grasp. It’s not just homelessness or job loss. Some people work full-time and still can’t afford to feed their families.
The pantry fills a critical gap— and I just wish more folks understood how widespread the need really is.
Q: What’s the most rewarding part of this work for you?
Cannonito: Knowing that I’m helping someone avoid going to bed hungry. Nobody in this country should be food insecure. If I can help even one person carry a little less burden, then that’s more than enough for me.
Alice Moreno/Herald photos Valley Stream resident Tony Cannonito shares how retirement led him to volunteer at Long Island Cares’ new local food pantry, where he helps fight hunger in and around his community.
SchoolS
V.S. 30 students showcase their culinary skills
On April 22, students at Clear Stream Avenue School in Valley Stream District 30 showcased their culinary skills during a special family cooking workshop.
Hosted by Andrea Massop Ramos, an award-winning clinical nutritionist and private health chef who is the founder/CEO of Healthy FRIENDZ Nutrition, students and their parents worked together on preparing a variety of healthy meals. Ms. Ramos shared basic recipes for the students to use as they were allowed to customize their meals. Students used a wide array of fruits and vegetables such as bananas, apples, strawberries and cucumbers to create their tasty dishes.
After the workshop, students were excited to prepare meals at home for their parents and siblings.
–Juan Lasso
Andrea Massop Ramos, an award-winning clinical nutritionist and private health chef who is the founder/CEO of Healthy FRIENDZ Nutrition, hosted the workshop.
On April 22, students at Clear Stream Avenue School in Valley Stream 30 showcased their culinary skills during a special cooking workshop.
• Pre-Arrangement Counseling
•
• Monuments
•
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will answer questions & conduct an in-person Public Information Meeting to discuss the need to address safety concerns at Exit 13 (Central Avenue/Linden Boulevard) of the eastbound Southern State Parkway in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County.
Boulevard) of the eastbound Southern State Parkway in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County.
At the meeting, the public can review project proposals, ask questions, and provide comments. NYSDOT representatives will be available to discuss the project and informally answer any questions. Individuals unable to participate in-person will have the opportunity to view the presentation and submit comments virtually.
At the meeting, the public can review project proposals, ask questions, and provide comments. NYSDOT representatives will be available to discuss the project and informally answer any questions. Individuals unable to participate in-person will have the opportunity to view the presentation and submit comments virtually.
Additional project information and a link to the virtual presentation can be found online at https://projectdocs.dot.ny.gov/ Work will be done while minimizing all environmental, social, and economic impacts.
Additional project information and a link to the virtual presentation can be found online at https://projectdocs.dot.ny.gov/
Work will be done while minimizing all environmental, social, and economic impacts.
Comments may be submitted no later than May 19, 2025, to:
Comments may be submitted no later than May 19, 2025, to:
NYSDOT Region 10
Southern State Parkway Eastbound Exit 13 Interchange, PIN 0534.87
250 Veterans Memorial Highway, Room 5A-10, Hauppauge, New York 11788
R10-RPIC@dot.ny.gov (631) 952-6929
NYSDOT Region 10 Southern State Parkway Eastbound Exit 13 Interchange, PIN 0534.87 250 Veterans Memorial Highway, Room 5A-10 Hauppauge, New York 11788 R10-RPIC@dot.ny.gov (631) 952-6929
For any requests, such as interpreter services or translations, please contact R10-RPIC@dot.ny.gov or (631) 952-6929 at least 10 days in advance.
For any requests, such as interpreter services or translations, please contact R10-RPIC@dot.ny.gov or (631) 952-6929 at least 10 days in advance.
50 Wolf Road, Albany, NY 12232 | www.dot.ny.gov
Photos courtesy Valley Stream District 30
KATHY HOCHUL Governor
MARIE THERESE DOMINGUEZ Commissioner
MADISON WADE
Plainedge Senior Lacrosse
IT HAS BEEN A red-hot April for Wade and the Plainedge girls’ lacrosse team. The Red Devils have won eight of their last night games, with Wade serving as one of the integral parts of the success. The third-year varsity player is also a third-year captain and helping Plainedge’s offense fire. Entering this week’s action, Wade ranked near the top of Nassau County in goals with 42. She netted at least three goals in eight of the first 11 games.
GAMES TO WATCH
Thursday, May 1
Boys Lacrosse: Baldwin at Freeport
Boys Lacrosse:
Uniondale
Friday, May 2
Flag Football: Lynbrook at East Rockaway
Flag Football: Bethpage at Long Beach
Boys Lacrosse: Farmingdale at Massapequa
Boys Lacrosse: South Side at Wantagh
Girls Lacrosse: South Side at North Shore
Boys Lacrosse: Lynbrook at MacArthur
Girls Lacrosse: Long Beach at Massapequa
Saturday, May 3
Softball: Uniondale at Elmont
Softball: North Shore at Baldwin
Girls Lacrosse: Lynbrook at Mepham
Girls Lacrosse: Calhoun at Oceanside
Flag Football: Freeport at Oceanside
Girls Lacrosse: Clarke at Division
Boys Lacrosse: Island Trees at Hewlett 3
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.
Valley Stream flag football at 8-0
By TONY BELLISSIMO tbellissimo@liherald.com
In its third season with the backing of the New York Jets, Nassau County girls’ flag football is growing exponentially and arguably nowhere is that more apparent than in Valley Stream, where head coach Brian Kelly had 100 at tryouts.
“The sport has grown tremendously here and it’s always hard to make cuts, but we kept 31 girls on varsity and its our second year with a JV,” Kelly said last Saturday after the District team remained unbeaten through eight games with a 39-0 victory at Freeport.
“Defensively we’ve always been strong,” he said. “Now we’re finding ways to put points on the board and the girls are having a lot of fun.”
Freeport, which fell to 2-5, has also seen an increase in participation and head coach Alex Miller is expecting the birth of a JV team next spring. The Red Devils’ varsity is 24-deep and has a mix of seniors and underclassmen.
“The sport is definitely growing,” Miller said. “We have a bunch of freshmen on the team and they’ve started a youth program in the area. We’ve had our ups and downs so far this season, but we have athletic and talented kids and we’re still optimistic for some more wins.”
Valley Stream, which won 10 games a year ago, has seven shutouts already and 16 different girls with touchdowns.
Senior receiver/cornerback Lauren Alvarez, from Central, has been a twoway star, Kelly said, with six touchdowns on offense and returning one of her five interceptions for a score.
“She’s stepped into a leadership role and her growth has been phenomenal from two years ago to this year,” Kelly said of Alvarez, who had three interceptions in a 13-12 win over Massapequa April 15.
Senior linebacker/running back
Jazlene Narvarez is one of the best flag pullers on Long Island, according to her coach. She’s the quarterback of the defense, calling out sets, and a domi -
nant playmaker who also has 300 yards rushing.
Freshman Joeyce Forero was the team’s leading receiver last spring but now is finding targets downfield as Valley Stream’s starting quarterback. She has 20 passing touchdowns and is the “ultimate gamer,” Kelly noted. “She gives her all every play and has tremendous football IQ,” he said.
Seniors Ryann Blount and Autumn Thomas, and junior Gabby Rivera form a strong trio of wideouts who make things happen in the red zone for an offense that’s scored at least 25 points six times. Kelly said the unit wouldn’t run smooth without the talent and con-
sistency of senior center Gianna Acevedo.
On the defensive side, seniors Ava Suaza and Sara Sierzega and junior Antonette Lashley are the rushers up front creating havoc for opposing quarterbacks. Suaza, who was injured in 2024, ranks among the leaders in flag pulls behind Lashley.
Another two-way standout is junior Alyssa Haughton, who has three interceptions.
“We have 18 seniors and I think we’re in the mix for the county title,” Kelly said. “But there are plenty of good teams and we don’t take anyone for granted.”
Tony Bellissimo/Herald
Valley Stream freshman quarterback Joeyce Forero has 20 touchdown passes to help lead the team’s perfect start through eight games.
District 24 win big at Olympics of Visual Arts
Sixth-grade students in the Valley Stream District 24’s Challenge Program achieved remarkable success at the New York State Art Teachers Association’s Olympics of the Visual Arts in Saratoga Springs, earning awards in six creative categories.
Throughout the school year, students collaborated on artistic challenges in photography, graphic design, painting, fashion, illustration, and architecture. Each team produced a comprehensive portfolio documenting their research and creative processes. These portfolios highlighted the students’ historical analysis, decision-making, problemsolving abilities, and imaginative thinking.
The Challenge students, accompanied by teacher Risa Miller and art educators Jessica Rosenthal, Nicole Barci, and Leighanne Jaronczyk, presented their projects at the competition. Students were evaluated on both long-term solutions and spontaneous challenges, as well as the depth and quality of their portfolios. The event brought together middle school students from 32 districts across New York State and was judged
by more than 50 professionals—including artists, architects, designers, educators, and industry leaders.
“I believe the students’ success was a result of interviews with artists and the use of primary resources, which are invaluable tools for students seeking to enhance their creativity in artistic endeavors and research,” said Challenge Program Teacher Risa Miller.
“Engaging in conversations with artists allows students to gain insights into the creative processes, motivations, and challenges faced by professionals in the field.”
“These firsthand accounts can inspire students to explore new techniques and perspectives in their own work,” Miller continued. “Additionally, primary resources, such as sketches and drafts, offer authentic examples of artistic evolution and thought processes. By analyzing these materials, students can develop a deeper understanding of the artistic journey, ultimately fostering their own creativity and encouraging innovative approaches to their projects.”
–Juan Lasso
May 7th or May 14th 6-8pm
VFW Post 120, 2163 Jericho Tpke, Garden City Park
May 7th or May 14th, 6-8pm The Elmont Public Library 700 Hempstead Tpke
Susan
Courtesy Valley Stream District 24
Sixth-grade students at Valley Stream District 24 achieved high marks at the New York State Art Teachers Association’s Olympics of the Visual Arts in Saratoga Springs.
New ‘MammoVan’ rolled out in Nassau
By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com
Nassau University Medical Center recently unveiled a new, state-of-the-art mammography van outside the hospital’s main entrance, allowing hospital staff, breast cancer organizations and county officials to take a close look at the vehicle that will provide lifesaving scans to women across Nassau County.
Plans for the new mobile breast cancer-screening unit were first announced in October, with hospital administrators stating that the goal was to have the van on the road by May. The new vehicle — dubbed the “MammoVan” — will greatly enhance the standard of care being offered to patients, replacing the hospital’s previous mammography van, which had been in use since 2002.
The old van visited Nassau County communities two days a week, working in tandem with libraries or local government officials to host a screening clinic. The new van is slated to head into communities five to six days a week.
“We’re going to see an increase annually of 40 percent more patients,” Meg Ryan, the president and chief executive of NUMC, said last year. “That’s 40 percent more people that we can get in the van, diagnose and treat early. So that’s very important for our community.”
NUMC also offers women’s health care clinics with extended hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and weekend clinics, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays, serving a total of around 20,000 patients last year alone. The hospital is also a partner with the Jericho-based nonprofit, Hair We Share, which provides human hair wigs made from donated hair, free of charge, to people struggling with medical hair loss. Based in Jericho, NUMC’s oncology suite now features a “wig room” to help patients dealing with chemotherapy-related hair loss.
“One in four women in the age from 50 to 74 have not gotten screened when it’s available, it’s free and it’s something that can save your life,” County Executive Bruce Blakeman said at the unveiling on April 24. “It’s not just women who get breast cancer — men get breast cancer too. It’s a good idea to get screen — it’s an important idea, and it may be a lifesaving idea to get screened.”
NUMC hosted its first-ever Pink Gala at The Lannin in Eisenhower Park in November to help fundraise for the recent addition. The new van cost around $1 million, and while the hospital has some funding secured for it, additional proceeds from the gala helped to cover the cost of the purchase.
Ryan thanked Nassau County officials, the hospital’s board of directors and NUMC’s medical staff for their work in helping deliver accessible, highquality health care to every corner of Nassau County.
“Nassau County ranks number one in breast cancer incidents across New York state, and that’s a statistic that we just simply can’t ignore,” she said.
NUMC’s commitment to women’s health
■ “MammoVan” unveiled featuring state-of-the-art, 3D high-resolution imaging technology
■ Van expands reach by visiting communities five to six days a week
■ Annual screenings anticipated to increase 40 percent
■ Women’s health clinics will stay open late on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday mornings
■ 20,000 women served last year through expanded services
“That’s why I’m thrilled that for the first time in 25 years, we are launching this brand new ‘MammoVan,’ equipped with the latest 3D high resolution mammography technology. We are bringing lifesaving changes closer to home, and together we are changing lives. This is just yet another reason why Nassau County needs NUMC.
“This is a horrible disease, and as the county executive said, it affects everybody, but of course in particular women, and to hear that one in four women over the age of 50 that are expected to be screened for this don’t (get screened), we knew we needed to do something about that,” County Legislator John Ferreti added. “I’m so happy we’re going to have this mammography van here, because it’s about protecting the health of all Nassau County residents, in particular the health of women, and that’s what we do in Nassau County.”
County Legislator John Ferretti emphasized the hospital’s commitment to women’s health care.
Jordan Vallone/Herald photos
Meg Ryan, president and chief executive of NUMC, spoke about the hospital’s dedication to serving Nassau County communities. The van will provide lifesaving scans to women.
County Executive Bruce Blakeman cut the ribbon outside of Nassau University Medical Center’s new, state-of-the-art mobile mammography van, which will hit the streets this month.
Food banks brace for funding shortfalls
paycheck to paycheck.”
“Worst case scenario, there might be less food to go around, because, number one, we’re not getting as much USDA Foods as we did last year,” said Patcher. “And number two, the need is up by 30 percent, and therefore we have to serve more people with less.”
Like many Long Island residents, Valentin has seen her cost of living swell while her income remains relatively flat.
“Everything is just going up, but the money is basically staying the same, so it’s been very hard,” she said. The 29-year old Elmont resident has even debated moving from the state entirely though harbors hopes she can stay in the place she’s always called “home.”
She is also among a growing number of residents turning to the Valley Stream food pantry, which has borne a surge in demand that shows no signs of slowing. In just six months, the number of people relying on its services nearly doubled—from 601 in September 2024 to 1,087 by March 2025. Over that same period, meal distribution skyrocketed from 5,427 to 9,751.
E“You can’t replace food at this scale, at this speed, simply by getting more donations. That’s not a feasible choice here,” he said.
Egan argues that the wild unpredictability of Donald Trump’s stop-andstart tariff policies strains food banks’ purchasing power in ways the public might not anticipate. Take aluminum cans, for instance.
Since aluminum is heavily used in canned goods — many of which food banks distribute — the tariffs indirectly make food more expensive and harder to source.
In March, the U.S. levied a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, including tin mill steel used in canned food packaging.
verything is just going up, but the money is basically staying the same, so it’s been very hard.
YovICA vALEntIn service member
It’s unclear how much of that uptick comes from pantry regulars shifting from the Freeport location to the new Valley Stream food distribution center, but Patcher said that there is no doubt demand in general is up across the board.
Now the nonprofit is urgently considering a range of options to confront the rollback — part of the Trump administration’s broader campaign to shrink government spending and eliminate programs that “no longer effectuate the goals of the agency.”
One immediate step, he said, is to appeal directly to donors — both major corporate sponsors and everyday supporters.
“But there’s a caveat,” noted Patcher. Inflation is still stubbornly high, national figures show consumer confidence is slipping, and a subsequent pullback in spending is also hitting Long Island Cares.
“People are giving less — sometimes 50 percent less. Sometimes 20 percent. It depends,” he said. “Someone who gave us $50 last year might only be able to give $25 now. Families are watching every dollar — what they spend, what they buy, and yes, even how they give to the causes they care about most.”
Cut off and left waiting
Dan Egan, chief executive of Feeding New York State — the nonprofit network representing New York’s 10 regional food banks, including Long Island Cares — is deeply skeptical that food banks can close the food gap simply by ramping up donations.
Most tariffs have been put on a 90-day pause since April, but souring trade relations and disruptions with the United States’ largest trading allies, Canada and Mexico, are causing friction across the entire food supply chain.
“We get an enormous amount of produce in the United States from our friends in Canada, from our friends in Mexico,” he said. “That’s slowing down, and those prices are going way up, and we’re hearing that from our food bank colleagues.”
Long
Island Cares looks to Albany for
relief
Patcher remains cautiously optimistic that Albany may soften the impact on food banks if Governor Kathy Hochul approves proposed increases to the Nourish New York and Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program funding from $54 million to $75 million. Yet, negotiations over the governor’s $252 billion budget stalled well past the April 1 deadline.
The acrimonious tension between Hochul and Albany lawmakers in recent days casts doubts about whether any increase is forthcoming.
Then there’s the looming threat that, should federal cuts to critical services like SNAP and WIC come to fruition, New York will face a stark choice: implement cuts of its own or absorb the costs without the option to raise new revenue.
Patcher emphasized the danger of Trump’s push to cut federal funding, warning that such moves could backfire if they also undermine food pantries. While federal cuts to social net programs drive up demand for food banks, these pantries remain increasingly illequipped to handle the growing need.
For now, Patcher said, as federal and state leaders remain stuck in “wait-andsee” limbo, there is no clear map forward on how to navigate a problematic situation.
“We’re waiting for guidance, and that’s a big question mark for us,” he said. “Nobody knows what’s next.”
After a federal aid freeze wiped out hundreds of millions of dollars in promised food shipments, Long Island Cares faces a deepening hunger crisis, scrambling for donations and state support as rising need collides with economic uncertainty.
Legacy Planning
Some thirty-five years ago your writer was taught that estate planning is about getting your assets to whom you want, when you want, and the way you want, with the least amount of taxes and legal fees possible.
In the intervening time, we have learned that estate planning is more — it is legacy planning. Legacy has two meanings (1) the assets you leave, and (2) the impression you leave. Your assets will dissipate, but your impression will endure.
Were you kind and generous? Were you forgiving and grateful? Were you compassionate and did you bring light into the world, despite your setbacks.
Our readers have surely noticed over the years that these sponsored columns are not only about law, but just as often about how to become a better human being. Much of it has been learned from our interactions with clients. A client once asked if I had a degree in psychology. I answered yes, I have a Masters. When she asked where I got it, I said sitting behind this desk eight hours a day for the last thirty-five years!
Observing people, you learn that perspective is everything. We consider it part of our calling to provide clients with different perspectives with which to view personal and family matters. It is not difficult to see how looking at a situation from a different perspective can completely change the way we see the world. A client came in relating how furious she was that her daughter’s abusive husband used her daughter to obtain his degree and then asked for a divorce and move out. Yes, I said, but if it was my daughter and she had an abusive husband I would be thrilled that he had move out. Oh, the client said, “I never thought of that!” Her view of the matter had shifted considerably. Thoreau put it, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
Working on oneself to become a better person is a classic win/win situation. Our lives become better as do those of everyone we come into contact with. The Dalai Lama says we are all selfish but we can engage in “enlightened selfishness”, doing better by others for our own sake.
Alice Moreno/Herald
Remembering Nassau County’s wrestling icon
tence.
It was no surprise he landed at Penn State, where he wrestled with the same fire. As a junior, he went undefeated in dual meets and served as co-captain of the team that won the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championship.
After graduation, Jerry jumped right into coaching, starting at Freeport High School in 1962, working with both the JV and varsity programs. In 1966, he moved on to Columbia University as the freshman coach, and then took the reins as varsity head coach from 1967 to 1973 — a tenure that culminated with him being named President of the entire EIWA in 1972–73.
But Long Island was always his true home turf. He instituted the youth wrestling program for the Town of Hempstead, launched the Town of Hempstead Summer Wrestling Tournament in 1968, and kept building from there. His tournaments at Newbridge Park became a summer ritual — gritty, sweaty, gloriously competitive — and they kept the spirit of the sport alive at a time when organized opportunities for young wrestlers were few and far between.
Jerry’s reach grew bigger with time, but his mission stayed stubbornly personal: grow the sport, protect its roots, and give kids a chance. He directed major events like the intercollegiate double-dual meet at Nassau Coliseum and two massive USA vs Russia meets. He fought tooth and nail to keep wrestling in the Olympics when the sport was on the chopping block.
And he didn’t just support wrestling; he built institutions. Jerry founded the Friends of Long Island Wrestling, which under his leadership became the engine behind countless Hall of Fame reunion dinners, “Stop DWI” youth programs, summer tournaments, and the Nassau County High School Championships.
“He was the hub of the wheel,” said Tom Schiavo, Valley Stream Central High School Athletic Director. “Everyone else was just a spoke.”
Despite shoulder surgeries, aging bones, and life’s wear and tear, Jerry never stopped. He kept showing up — to clinics, to ceremonies, to matches where some kid was nervously taking the mat for the first time — always ready with a tip, a bearhug, or a trademark growl about how “wrestling’s a battle of wills.”
His legacy isn’t just preserved in Newsday articles (he was once named one of the Top 10 Most Feared Wrestlers in Long Island History) or enshrined in Hall of Fame plaques.
It lives on in the thousands of wrestlers he coached, the tournaments he willed into existence, and the belief he passed on: that wrestling teaches you to fight — for yourself, for your team, for something bigger.
Mike McKenna, a long-time member of the wrestling community, reflected on Jerry Seckler’s impact.
“There’s a real fraternity among Valley Stream Central wrestlers that transcends class years,” McKenna said. “Jerry was one of the real top wrestlers early on in Coach Earl’s career, and over the years, his influence extended beyond our school and beyond our county. He not only helped organize and support wrestling but brought together a community of wrestlers from multiple schools. Jerry really helped put Nassau County on the map as a place where wrestlers could thrive.”
McKenna continued, noting how Seckler’s legacy continued through his involvement with the Friends of Long Island Wrestling. “Jerry spearheaded Friends of Long Island Wrestling, bringing together athletes from Nassau and Suffolk counties. He was a driving force behind the annual dinner and the relationship with the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, helping to honor those who contributed to the sport. He wasn’t just about being a champion wrestler himself; he created an environment where wrestling could grow and be celebrated on Long Island.”
He is survived by his wife, his sons, and a wrestling family that stretches across generations. They — like anyone who ever crossed paths with “The Bull” — will remember his advice, drilled into countless young wrestlers with a grin and a glint in his eye:
“Never let a guy get your arms behind your back. Always get his behind his back. Never let a guy get a half-Nelson on you — you get it on him. It’s a battle of wills.”
Jerry Seckler lived that battle every single day. And he won.
Herald file photo
Valley Stream Central High School district wrestlers continue the legacy built by Jeffrey Seckler.
The Southern State at 100: a divided legacy
History, and real or imagined inequity, collide on 25 miles of one of Long Island’s busiest roadways
By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com
First in a series on the Southern State Parkway.
One bright Saturday afternoon in June 2020, a group of protesters stood near the Robert Moses statue in Babylon, calling for its removal. Their rallying cry: The “Master Builder” was not worthy of such recognition. He was, instead, a racist who, among other things, designed the Southern State Parkway to keep buses carrying low-income families from traveling from New York City to Long Island — and its beaches.
The group had collected more than 13,000 signatures in support of its cause.
major roadway expansion undertaken by New York state that also included the Northern State and Sagtikos parkways. Today, it is a 25.3-mile long roadway that stretches from the Queens-Nassau border to Heckscher State Park in East Islip.
Wayne Horsley, a former regional director of Long Island’s state parks and a local historian, countered at the time that the often aired claims against Moses, “a son of the village,” have never been proven.
What has been proven, however, is the impact of the visionary work of Moses, who was the architect behind the construction of the Southern State when he served as the chairman of the Long Island State Park Commission and president of the New York State Parks Council.
The 100th anniversary of the construction of the parkway this year offers an opportunity to reflect on both its history and its future.
Often referred to simply as “the parkway,” the Southern State was part of a
Construction on the Southern State began in 1925, under Moses’s leadership. It was designed to improve access to Jones Beach. The land was originally a water conduit owned by the borough of Brooklyn. It comprises the western portion of unsigned New York State Route 908M, with the Heckscher State Parkway occupying the eastern section. Its first section opened to the public in 1927; there were additions in 1949, and its current roadway was completed in 1962, when it reached Heckscher Parkway.
Following the post-war housing boom on Long Island, the parkway was widened and straightened in a number of places to serve commuters traveling at speeds unanticipated when the road was first constructed.
Initially, the Southern State had a toll between exits 13 and 14, at the Cross Island Parkway, until 1978 when the state eliminated it and removed the toll plaza.
Prior to World War II, the State Department of Transportation estimated that fewer than 15,000 cars traveled on the parkway each day. During the postwar population boom on Long Island, the volume expanded to 190,000 cars per day, with most using it to commute between home and work.
Mary Cascone, historian of the Town of Babylon, notes that the Long Island parkway system was initially designed to bring automobiles to state parks.
“By limiting access to passenger cars, the parkways were supposedly intended for recreational driving,” Cascone wrote in her research on Moses and the Southern State. “Drivers and passengers could enjoy the beauty of the tree-lined roadway, free of billboards and trucks, as they made the journey to the countryside.”
That intention is visually confirmed in photos taken of the road when it opened, showing one or two cars on a lushly landscaped parkway, portraying what was then known as the “leisurely Sunday drive.” With its verdant country-
side free of commercial traffic, the parkway appealed to the more affluent city residents who owned cars, whether an intentional outcome of the design or not.
An aspect of the roadway’s design that is often cited as evidence to support the claim that it was designed to deny access to the masses is its bridges, which have unusually low clearances.
“It appears to be accurate that the state parks and beaches reached by the Nassau and Suffolk County parkways were deliberately designed to accommodate motorists rather than people who used public transportation,” Cascone said. “The inference that many people make, however, is that Black people used public transportation — which they
Photos courtesy Babylon Town Historical Society
The Southern State Parkway under construction at Belmont Avenue in Babylon.
A colorized photo of the Southern State Parkway when it opened in 1927.
Southern State’s century of vehicular history
surely did — along with all the other people who could not afford to, or simply chose not to, own a car. This ignores the fact, however, that Black people did own automobiles, and drove them on the parkways and to the beaches.”
For some, however, the low parkway bridges are an unfortunate, lingering reminder of classism and inequity in the guise of public works, Cascone concluded.
Thomas J. Campanella, a professor at Cornell University, a historian and a writer on city planning and the urban environment, sees the potential evidence of discrimination in the lower height of the Southern State bridges compared with those on other parkways Moses designed.
“The low-bridge story is a microbiography of Moses, a tragic hero who built for the ages, but for a narrowly construed public,” Campanella wrote. “It also shows how something as inert as a stone-faced bridge can be alive with politics and meaning.”
He also noted that Moses’s attitude appeared contradictory, as he approved the construction of a swimming pool and play center in Harlem — now the Jackie Robinson Park — which is considered one of the best public works projects of the New Deal era anywhere in the United States, and established other recreational sites in communities of color across New York state.
In a press release dated July 23, 1934, Moses argued for the construction of more recreational facilities for all New Yorkers, noting, “It is no exaggeration to say that the health, happiness, efficiency and orderliness of many of the city’s residents, especially in the summer months, are tremendously affected by the presence or absence of adequate swimming and bathing facilities.”
Next installment: Accident statistics and causes.
■ Originally designed with quaint wooden lampposts, which became affectionately known as “woody” lights.
■ When the parkway was first built, then Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to have a western extension that reached into Brooklyn. That stretch of highway is known today as the Belt Parkway.
■ Following the suburban expansion of Long Island after World War II, the parkway was widened and straightened in places to allow for higher speeds and more traffic.
■ A state police substation and barracks were built on either side of the parkway in North Valley Stream.
■ A median service station was built in the 1930s east of Exit 32 (Route 110). It closed in 1985, but its abandoned ramps can still be seen in the median.
Jeffrey Bessen/Herald
Heading east on the south side of today’s Southern State Parkway.
Northwell helps V.S. 24 create prosthetic arm
Sixth-grade students in the Valley Stream 24 School District’s Challenge Program, led by Risa Miller, are engaging in a powerful act of innovation and service by designing and building a prosthetic arm to donate to Northwell Health’s occupational and physical therapy providers. As part of this project, students recently participated in a virtual meeting with physical therapist Taylor Jensen and occupational therapist Rob Carafo to gather insight into the design of prosthetic devices and how they support individuals with physical disabilities.
“This meaningful work was sparked by our Vision 2030 pilot project planning,” said Superintendent Unal Karakas. “Our sixth-grade students partnered with younger peers to co-design early prototypes, embodying the spirit of collaboration and innovation that defines our district. We are incredibly proud of our teachers and administrators for cultivating these forward-thinking, crossgrade initiatives. We are also proud of our students, whose curiosity, compassion, and dedication to making a difference shine through. By engaging with
Northwell providers, our students are not only learning how prosthetics improve the lives of individuals with disabilities, but also how to apply emerging technologies to design functional prototypes that may one day serve others.”
During the session, students engaged with the providers about their careers, the differences between occupational and physical therapy, and important considerations in prosthetic design. Students enthusiastically shared their own ideas, including color-coded sensors to simplify the use of the prosthetic, and motors that enable movement for everyday tasks such as gripping or holding objects.
Building on this knowledge, students will now develop a purpose-driven plan for their prosthetic arm, sketching blueprints to guide their design. Using robotic LEGO materials, they will construct their prototypes and create custom coding sequences to bring their device to life. The final phase will include testing, refining, and presenting their completed prosthetic device to Northwell Health professionals.
–Juan Lasso
Sixth-grade students in the Challenge Program at the
District recently spoke with occupational therapist Rob
and physical therapist Taylor Jensen, top-right, for insight as they build a prosthetic device to donate to Northwell Health.
Courtesy Valley Stream District 24
Valley Stream 24 School
Carafo, bottom,
STEPPING OUT
“Choc”-full of delights
The Chocolate Expo is all sorts of delicious
By Danielle Schwab
Prepare for a day coated in all things chocolate.
Over 90 vendors soon set up shop at Hostra University’s David Mack Sports & Exhibition Center. The unique foodie experience returns, May 4, with sweet and savory tastes all in one place.
“We call ourselves the official home of chocolate, food, and fun,” Marvin Baum, the Chocolate Expo’s founder, says. “We’re using chocolate as a platform, not only to support small local businesses, but also to do good for the community.”
It all began in 2006, after Baum realized there was a strong desire to bring food vendors and communities together. Since 2012, the chocoholic’s delight has been sweetening Long Island and has grown to be the confectionery hot spot it is today.
“Long Island has always been a special spot for me. It helped us go to the next level in terms of what we could offer the public in terms of an experience,” Baum says.
From chocolate classics like bonbons, fudge and chocolate-dipped treats to interesting twists such as chocolate-covered bacon, there are no shortage of desserts to indulge in. For more savory pairings, baked goods, specialty foods, wine, and cheeses are also tempting; there’s surely something to satisfy everyone’s palate.
Visitors can check out the Long Island confectioners represented, including Bellmore’s Chocolate Works, a chocolaterie selling chocolate-covered pretzels, platters, and more.
“Last year was our first year at the Expo. We had a great experience,” Nimisha Patel, who owns the store with her husband, Raj, reports.“People always buy chocolate, and we get to be creative and decorate with different designs.”
Other local favorites include Chez Hedwidge, an artisan gluten-free bakery, based in Valley Stream; Massapequa’s Swizzled Desserts, a purveyor of small batch alchohol-infused ice creams and sorbets; and Sunflower Bakeshop, a Kosher bakery in West Hempstead that caters to customers with
• Sunday, May 4, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Tickets are $20, $10 ages 5-12 when purchased online, children under 5 free, $30, $15 child at door; available from thechocolateexpo.com
• Hofstra University, David S. Mack Sports & Exhibition Complex, Hempstead
food and dietary restrictions, offering a wide range of glutenfree and vegan options.
This year, the choice of treats is more enticing than ever.
“There are a limited number of chocolate shops on Long Island. We’re bringing vendors from other states and countries, so we can bring unique things that people from Long Island have not seen elsewhere before,” Baum says.
Be sure to sample the diverse offerings that include the trendy Dubai chocolate (Omniya), rich artisanal chocolates from Paris (Chocolaknin), and luxury Swiss assortments (Canonica).
The binge-worthy experiences don’t stop with chocolate. Guests can meet up with this years’ special guests — everyone’s favorite 1970s TV family, “The Brady Bunch.”
“There’s a strong nostalgic quality to connecting with the original show. This is a chance to get together, to connect without a television screen, in a much more informal kind of way,” says Barry Williams, who fans will know as the eldest Brady child, Greg Brady.
Williams is readu to answer all your eager-to-know questions about the show — along with his castmates Christopher Knight (Peter Brady), Mike Lookinland (Bobby Brady), and Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady) — during the morning panel discussion. He’s also bringing some “Tikis” that fans may recognize from the iconic Hawaii episode.
“I see happen quite often is a fan will approach us, they might be middle-aged, and in front of my eyes they will turn into the giggling teenager that they were when they were watching the show,” he notes.
Balloon artist Robbie Furman adds to the magic, creating a life-sized ‘Brady Bunch’ — made entirely out of balloons!
For more family-sized fun, young visitors can drop by the Kidz Zone for face painting, balloon twisting and chocolate smashing. You may even catch a glimpse of a Stormtrooper — don’t forget to respond “May the Fourth be with you!”
At the end of the day, kids can enjoy a balloon popping party.
“We let the kids pop them with safe little picks at the end of the event, which we’ve never done on Long Island before,” Baum says.
Whether you’re familiar with the Expo or a curious newcomer, it’s always a delectable outing.
“We have a relationship with people on Long Island, and they look forward to it every year. I recently saw a Facebook post [about the Expo] saying ‘My friend and I had a magical day that we will never forget,’” Baum says.
“This is why we do what we do with the Chocolate Expo, for our guests have a magical time.”
Pink Talking Fish
Three mammoth bands. Three musical phenomenons. One idea inspired by love of the music. That’s Pink Talking Fish. The hybrid tribute fusion act takes the music from three iconic bands creating a remarkable musical jam. PTF brings their unique sound to the Landmark on Main Street stage, on their latest tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the incredible Pink Floyd album “Wish You Were Here.” This show consists of two sets. The first set will be a full rendition of this epic album from start to finish, with “Classic PTF” combinations for the second set. “Wish You Were Here” is extremely meaningful to the band members and so many music lovers around the world and PTF is thrilled to bring this album to life in 2025. Although the music from each act is different, PTF has discovered that fusing the material together creates an amazing story. The epic emotion of Pink Floyd; the funky, danceable layerings of The Talking Heads; the styles, unique compositional structures and pure fun of Phish — to merge these three into one gives music lovers a special experience.
Friday, May 2, 8 p.m. $49 and $46. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. Tickets available at landmarkonmainstreet.org or call (516) 767-6444.
Regency Romance is afoot
Old Westbury Gardens welcomes everyone to Regency Romance Weekend, a most splendid affair in honor of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday. Families can wander the gardens for storybook strolls and hands-on crafts, while those with a playful spirit can enjoy lawn games fit for the finest estates. Also find inspiration in creative activities, while music lovers are serenaded with classical takes on familiar tunes. Of course, what would a Regency gathering be without fashion and society gossip? Take in a discussion on Regency fashion —fact versus fiction. And for those with a keen mind and a love of Austen’s world, Austen trivia will put your knowledge to the ultimate test. Plus indulge in a proper afternoon tea, or treat yourself to confections at the café.
Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4. Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury. For more information and program/events schedule, go to oldwestburygardens. org or call (516) 333-0048.
Photos courtesy Chuck Fishman Every bite is a sweet discovery at The Chocolate Expo.
Your Neighborhood CALENDAR
MAY
1
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 follow-up 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 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 April 27, April 30-May 1, times vary
• Contact: licm.org or call (516) 224-5800
Kids Jewelry Making
Get your bling on as the Village of Valley Stream teaches jewelry making to interested students. For ages 7-12. A registration fee is required.
• Where: Valley Stream Community Center in Arthur J. Hendrickson Park, 123 W. Merrick Road
• Time: Ongoing Thursday, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
• Contact: (516) 825-8571 or Vsrec.org
Delight of Painting
Get creative with the Village of Valley Stream painting class for interested adult students. A registration fee is required.
• Where: Valley Stream Community Center in Arthur J. Hendrickson Park, 123 W. Merrick Road
• Time: Ongoing Thursday, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
• Contact: (516) 825-8571 or Vsrec.org
MAY
Brian Regan
Critics, fans and fellow comedians agree: Brian Regan is one of the most respected comedians in the country with Vanity Fair calling Brian, “The funniest stand-up alive,” and Entertainment Weekly citing him as “Your favorite comedian’s favorite comedian.” Having built his 30-plus year career on the strength of his material alone, Brian’s non-stop theater tour continuously fills prestigious venues across North America, visiting close to 100 cities each year. His comedic talent extends beyond the stage. He’s released two acclaimed Netflix specials, “Brian Regan: Nunchucks And Flamethrowers” and “Brian Regan: On The Rocks,” showcasing his knack for finding humor in everyday situations. He also starred in his own Netflix series,”Stand Up And Away! With Brian Regan,” and even made history with “Brian Regan: Live From Radio City Music Hall,” the first live broadcast of a stand-up special in Comedy Central’s history. Regan also co-stars in three seasons of Peter Farrelly’s series, “Loudermilk,” which moved to Netflix in January 2024, ranking in the Top 10 TV shows on Netflix for over a month. He’s also a familiar presence on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” He’s the standup guest who the show invites on for two segments: a performance segment and also on the couch to chat with Jimmy. $99.50, $79.50, $69.50, $49.50.
at the chair body strengthening class hosted by the Village of Valley Stream. A registration fee is required.
• Where: Valley Stream Community Center in Arthur J. Hendrickson Park, 123 W. Merrick Road
• Time: Ongoing Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
• Contact: (516) 825-8571 or Vsrec.org
MAY
2
Long Island Marathon Weekend
The Long Island Marathon and additional races return to Eisenhower Park with three days packed with races for runners of all ages and abilities, through May 4.
• Where: Eisenhower Park, East Meadow
• Time: Varying times on Friday, Saturday & Sunday
• Contact: RunSignUp.com/ Race/NY/EastMeadow/ LongIslandMarathon
MAY
3
Work your core and break a sweat
Grace Church Thrift Shop
Grace United Methodist Church’s thrift shop offers clothing in new or gently used condition for all ages, as well as
curious finds and attic gems. Please use the Liberty Ave. entrance.
• Where: 21 S. Franklin Ave.
• Time: Ongoing Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Contact: (631) 226-8690 or GraceUMUCLindy.org
‘Bridgerton’-inspired dance workshop
Learn to dance like Simon and Daphne! Enjoy an hour of grace and merriment at Old Westbury Gardens and learn some of the dances from the “Bridgerton” and “Queen Charlotte” series. No experience is necessary and no partner is needed. Instructor Susan de Guardiola guides participants through easy choreographies inspired from the TV series and talks about how the Bridgerton dances differ from the dances of the actual Regency/Jane Austen era. Ages 16+ welcome.
• Where: The Barn at Orchard Hill, 71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury
• Time: Noon-1 p.m.
• Contact: oldwestburygardens.org
Pickleball Classes
The Village of Valley Stream offers pickleball classes. Paddles and balls will be provided. A registration fee is required.
Studio in the Feasts for Beasts Gallery to learn what goes into the care of LICM’s animals. Observe animal bath time.
• Where: Museum Row, Garden City
• Time: 1:30-2 p.m.
• Contact: licm.org or (516) 224-5800
MAY
5
Moonlight Centennial Dance Party Swoon to the music at The Village of Valley Stream Moonlight Centennial Dance Party. 100th Anniversary Commemorative Coin included with each ticket price. Only cash is accepted for ticket purchases; available at Village Hall, the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library, or the Arthur J. Hendrickson Park pool complex.
• Where: Valley Stream Community Center in Arthur J. Hendrickson Park, 123 W. Merrick Road
• Time: 7 p.m.
• Contact: (516) 872-4159 or Vsvny.org
• Where: The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington.
• Time: 8 p.m.
• Contact: ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com
There are no refunds or make-up classes.
• Where: Valley Stream Community Center in Arthur J. Hendrickson Park, 123 W. Merrick Road
• Time: 10 a.m.
• Contact: (516) 825-8571 or Vsrec.org
Storybook Stroll
Bring the kids to Old Westbury Gardens for a storybook adventure. Stroll the gardens and listen to “Jane Austen: Little People Big Dreams” by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. Later create a unique take home craft. For ages 3-5. Storybook Strolls start at the Beech Tree (next to Westbury House), and end at the Thatched Cottage. Registration required.
• Where: 71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury
• Time: 10:30-11:30 a.m.
• Contact: oldeestburygardens. org or (516) 333-0048
MAY
4
Splish Splash… Animal Baths Hang out with some Long Island Children’s Museum’s “residents,” Join an animal educator in the Hive
MAY
District 13 budget hearing
7
Valley Stream District 13 Board of Education holds its annual budget hearing.
• Where: Wheeler Avenue School auditorium, 1 Wheeler Ave. West.
• Time: 8 p.m.
• Contact: (516) 568-6140 or ValleyStream13.com
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.
Chair Body Strengthening
Las Vegas Sands pulls out of casino bid
By KELSIE RADZISKI kradziski@liherald.com
Las Vegas Sands is no longer pursuing its $6 billion proposal to build a casino resort on the Nassau Coliseum site.
The company will not apply in June for one of three available downstate gaming licenses in New York. Executives cited a range of market forces, including the rise of online gambling, economic uncertainty in the U.S. and a strategic shift to preserve shareholder value.
The proposed project included a 400,000-square-foot casino, hotels, restaurants, retail space and a convention center. It was projected to create more than 8,500 construction jobs and over 5,000 permanent positions across the 72-acre site.
Last August, the County Legislature approved a 42-year operational lease agreement with Las Vegas Sands for the Coliseum and surrounding land in an 18-1 vote, meaning that Sands was responsible for the general upkeep and maintenance of the property but could not build or develop. The next steps for the project would have been for the company to apply for a lease that allowed it to develop the property, and to bid for one of the gaming licenses.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a forceful advocate for the project, issued a statement through Chris Boyle, his director of communications.
Kelsie Radziski/Herald
Las Vegas Sands has withdrawn its plan to build a $6 billion casino on the Nassau Coliseum site. The project sparked debate from the start, with groups like the Say No to the Casino Civic Association, above, protesting outside legislative meetings.
according to a statement issued by members Monica Kiely and Allison O’Brien Silva.
“While we are concerned the door remains open for the county to find a new casino partner, it was always a bad idea, and it will continue to be a bad idea, whether the county works with Las Vegas Sands or another predatory gambling company looking to extract wealth from our community,” the statement read.
On April 24, County Legislator Seth Koslow sent a cease-and-desist letter to Blakeman demanding that all expenditures surrounding the Sands casino be terminated. Koslow said at a news conference that morning that there was no clear path forward for the project, and he was concerned about “wasting time, energy and money” on something that is “not what people wanted.”
“County Executive Bruce Blakeman has been aware of certain pressures that have factored into Las Vegas Sands’ rethinking of land-based brick and mortar casinos in the United States,” the statement read.
the licensing application process.”
“The County Executive is grateful that Las Vegas Sands is committed to the development of the Coliseum site with or without a casino,” Boyle added. “However, there is strong interest from gaming organizations which have been in confidential discussions with Nassau County in taking the place of Las Vegas Sands in
“Nassau County will crystallize within the next 30 days whether or not to entertain a casino component or develop the site without,” Boyle stated. “In either event there will be an exciting new development that will create jobs and positive economic activity.”
The Say No to the Casino Civic Association, whose members have been vocal opponents of the project since the beginning, is “thrilled” after a long fight against the “wholly destructive casino,”
Koslow, who is the Democratic candidate for county executive, supports development on the site that both brings in the money that the casino promised and aligns with what he maintains community members want.
“We need to invest in a real project that’s going to get done, that people want, that has community buy-in,” he said at the conference. “We can certainly do a hotel, an entertainment facility, with a convention center, something that’s going to bring more people here, something that’s going to bring tourism here.”
PSEG Long Island Hosts First “Business First” Workshop for Entrepreneurs
By Maureen Fitzgerald
On April 15, nearly 50 Long Island business owners attended PSEG Long Island’s first “Business First” workshop at its Bethpage headquarters, hosted in collaboration with the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce. The morning session featured a networking breakfast and expert-led presentations on reducing energy costs, managing utility bills, and securing funding for energy-efficient upgrades.
“Small businesses power our communities and fuel economic growth,” said Veronica Isaac, Manager of Customer and Community Partnerships at PSEG Long Island, reflecting on the vital role small businesses play here — a theme that resonated throughout the day’s program. “By helping them thrive, we unlock local jobs, boost reinvestment and create a cycle of shared success. A strong small business is a win for all of us.”
Christine Bryson and Shamisha Sims kicked off the event with an overview of financial and technical resources available through PSEG Long Island and partner agencies. Bryson explained how federal, state, and local programs—including grants, loans, and tax credits—can support energy-saving improvements. She also provided tips on working with economic development agencies. Sims introduced PSEG’s Business First program, which offers free or low-cost energy assessments, and shared sample audit reports highlighting quickreturn upgrades like LED lighting and HVAC controls.
The technical portion of the workshop focused on implementation. Matt Connors shared case studies of local companies that cut energy use by up to 25% and explained how to apply for rebates tied to improvements like programmable thermostats and motor retrofits. Nicole Jones-Cumberbatch followed with a presentation on PSEG’s renovation support services, which help businesses navigate permits, hire contractors, and stay on schedule. Paul DiBenedetto wrapped up the segment with a discussion on EV charging stations and available
incentives, sparking interest from several attendees planning future installations.
Thenaris Godbolt walked through PSEG Long Island’s commercial billing system, helping attendees better understand rate schedules, online tools, and cost-saving features like budget billing and prompt-payment discounts. The session closed with Jimmy Alty offering procurement tips to help businesses evaluate vendor bids, negotiate terms, and leverage PSEG Long Island’s contractor network — their Prime Efficiency
Partners — for quality assurance and cost control. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet one-onone with Business First Advocates to discuss next steps, from rebate applications to project planning, receiving personalized advice and customized next steps and key contacts for follow-up support.
Future workshops are planned throughout the year. Businesses can email PSEGLI-BusinessFirst@pseg. com to schedule a free energy assessment or learn more.
photo courtesy PSEG Long Island Long Island business owners attend PSEG Long Island “Business First” workshop on April 15.
May 1, 2025 — VALLEY
LEGAL NOTICE
Public Notices
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: THAMAR MUSIC LLC.
Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York, (SSNY) on 3/18/25. NY Office location: Nassau County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of the process to: thamarjoseph4@gmail.
com
Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. 152555
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON F/K/A THE BANK OF NEW YORK, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE HOLDERS OF THE GE-WMC ASSETBACKED PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES
2005-2, Plaintiff, AGAINST EDITH COOK, et al.
Defendant(s)
Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale duly entered on August 13, 2024.
I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on May 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM premises known as 932 Dana Avenue, Valley Stream, NY 11580.
Please take notice that this foreclosure auction shall be conducted in compliance with the Foreclosure Auction Rules for Nassau County and the COVID 19 Health Emergency Rules, including proper use of masks and social distancing. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Valley Stream, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Section 0037, Block 00633-00 and Lot 00014. Approximate amount of judgment $560,291.44 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment. Index #601430/2018.
Ellen Durst, Esq., Referee,
Aldridge Pite, LLPAttorneys for Plaintiff40 Marcus Drive, Suite 200, Melville, NY 11747 152850
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU SELENE FINANCE LP, Plaintiff, Against JERD ORIENTAL A/K/A JERD M. ORIENTAL, MIRLYNE RICHARDSONORIENTAL, GARDY ORIENTAL, Defendant(s)
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 10/18/2016, 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 5/15/2025 at 2:00 PM, premises known as 16 Hudson Ave, Valley Stream, New York 11580, and described as follows: ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Valley Stream, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Section 37 Block 452 Lot 11-14.
The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $643,572.55 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 3680/2012 If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the then Court Appointed Referee will cancel the Foreclosure Auction. This Auction will be held rain or shine.
George P. Esernio, Esq., Referee.
MCCABE, WEISBERG & CONWAY, LLC, 10 Midland Avenue, Suite 205, Port Chester, NY 10573
Dated: 3/14/2025 File Number: 464-0051 CA 152856
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, AS OWNER TRUSTEE OF THE RESIDENTIAL CREDIT
OPPORTUNITIES TRUST
VIII-C, Plaintiff, vs. STEVEN L. OLSEN
A/K/A STEVEN OLSEN, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 4, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on May 13, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 107 East Saint Marks Place, Valley Stream, NY 11580. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Valley Stream, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 37, Block 108 and Lot 15-16. Approximate amount of judgment is $356,804.30 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 617713/2022.
Brian J. Davis, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 240474-1 152834
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU DLJ MORTGAGE CAPITAL, INC., Plaintiff AGAINST KELVIN GALLOWAY, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered September 1, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on May 13, 2025 at 2:00PM, premises known as 29 Clinton Avenue, Inwood, NY 11096. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 40, Block 63, Lot 196. Approximate amount of judgment $650,851.82 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of
filed Judgment Index #611961/2019. Jane Shrenkel, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 20-003157 84806 152779
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR VRMTG ASSET TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. PATRICK MOLONEY, ET AL., Defendant(s).
Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee’s Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on April 22, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on May 13, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 24 West Dover Street, Valley Stream, NY 11580. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Valley Stream, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 37, Block 164 and Lot 123. Approximate amount of judgment is $506,554.82 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #608747/2018. Cash will not be accepted. Heather Crosley, Esq., Referee Knuckles & Manfro, LLP, 120 White Plains Road, Suite 215, Tarrytown, New York 10591, Attorneys for Plaintiff 152832
Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale With Reference For Sale duly entered on September 12, 2019, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on May 20, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 187 Fir Street, Valley Stream, NY 11580. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Valley Stream, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 37, Block 395 and Lots 453 and 454. Approximate amount of judgment is $831,973.71 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #533/2015. Rita Solomon, Esq., Referee Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, 10 Bank Street, Suite 700, White Plains, New York 10606, Attorneys for Plaintiff 152978
Block 458 and Lot 156. Approximate amount of judgment is $577,472.04 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #608825/2018.
Geri Friedman, Esq., Referee Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC, 10 Bank Street, Suite 700, White Plains, New York 10606, Attorneys for Plaintiff 153091
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Name: 704 Dispatch LLC
Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/12/2025. NY Office location: Nassau County. The registered agent of the LLC is: United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity. 153020
with Section 202-48 of the Code of the Town of Hempstead, all as set forth in said resolution; and WHEREAS, after due consideration, this Town Board finds it to be in the public interest to establish and set aside a certain parking space for motor vehicles for the sole use of holders of special parking permits issued by the County of Nassau to physically handicapped persons; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED, that in accordance with Section 202-48 of the Code of the Town of Hempstead, the following parking spaces be and the same hereby is set aside for the sole use of holders of special parking permits issued by the County of Nassau to physically handicapped persons:
(NR)ISLAND PARK BROADWAY - east side, starting at a point 261 feet north of the north curbline of Saratoga Boulevard, north for a distance of 20 feet.
(TH-64/25)
NORTH BELLMORE
LAWRENCE AVENUEeast side, starting at a point 30 feet north of the north curbline of Montgomery Avenue, north for a distance of 20 feet.
(TH-33/22 - 3/22/22) (TH-120/25) ; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Town Clerk shall enter this resolution in the minutes of the Town Board and shall publish a copy of this resolution once a newspaper having a general circulation in the Town of Hempstead and shall post a copy hereof on the signboard maintained by her, and file in her office affidavits of such publication and posting.
The foregoing resolution was seconded by Councilmember Goosby and adopted upon roll call as follows: AYES: SEVEN (7) NOES: NONE (0) 153233
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK N.A. AS TRUSTEE, ON BEHALF OF THE HOLDERS, OF THE J.P. MORGAN MORTGAGE
ACQUISITION TRUST
2006--WMC4 ASSET BACKED PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-WMC4, Plaintiff, vs. WILLIAMS FAMILY TRUST, ET AL., Defendant(s).
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET INVESTMENT LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-BNC1, Plaintiff, vs. MICHAEL R. HIGGINS; IF LIVING, AND IF HE BE DEAD, ANY AND ALL PERSONS UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on June 7, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on May 27, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 9 Jasper Street, Valley Stream, NY 11580. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Elmont, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 37,
LEGAL NOTICE CASE NO. 21527
RESOLUTION NO. 298-2025
Adopted: April 8, 2025
Councilmember Muscarella offered the following resolution and moved its adoption: RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING AND SETTING ASIDE CERTAIN PARKING SPACES FOR MOTOR VEHICLES FOR THE SOLE USE OF HOLDERS OF SPECIAL PARKING PERMITS ISSUED BY THE COUNTY OF NASSAU TO PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED PERSONS
WHEREAS, pursuant to Resolution No. 257-2025, adopted March 25, 2025, a public hearing was duly held on the 8th, day of April 2025, at the Town Meeting Pavilion, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead, New York, on the proposed establishment and setting aside of a certain parking space for motor vehicles for the sole use of holders of special parking permits issued by the County of Nassau to physically handicapped persons, in accordance
DAVENPORT PLACEnorth side, starting at a point 249 feet east of the east curbline of Newbridge Road, east for a distance of 31 feet.
(TH-115/25)
ROOSEVELT
PENNYSLVANIA
AVENUE - east side, starting at a point 120 feet north of the north curbline of Hudson Avenue, north for a distance of 19 feet.
(TH-544/24)
VALLEY STREAM
CHARLES STREETwest side, starting at a point 94 feet south of the south curbline of Oliver Avenue, south for a distance of 20 feet.
(TH-119/25)
LAW STREET - west side, starting at a point 420 feet south of the south curbline of Stuart Avenue, south for a distance of 20 feet.
(TH-116/25) and on the repeal of the following locations previously set aside as parking spaces for physically handicapped persons:
FRANKLIN SQUARE CRAFT AVENUE - north side, starting at a point 195 feet west of the west curbline of Hall Street, west for a distance of 22 feet.
(TH-426/23 - 10/3/23)
(TH-121/25)
OCEANSIDE
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE, IN TRUST FOR REGISTERED HOLDERS OF LONG BEACH MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2004-2, ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2004-2, Plaintiff AGAINST ROLAND KATWAROO, CHANDRADAI KATWAROO, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered September 24, 2018, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on June 3, 2025 at 2:30 PM, premises known as 86 Fletcher Avenue, Valley Stream, NY 11580. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Valley Stream, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 37, Block 169, Lot 5, 6, 7. Approximate amount of judgment $272,870.67 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #002 574/2016.
Public Notices
William Boccio, Esq.,
Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 17-002896 85327 153191
LEGAL NOTICE
INDEX NO.: 620247/2023
Date Filed: 04/22/2025
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS WITH NOTICE
MORTGAGED
PREMISES: 392 Arkansas Drive, Valley Stream, New York 11580
SBL #: 37-554-44
Plaintiff designates NASSAU County as the place of trial; venue is based upon the county in which the mortgaged premises is situate.
STATE OF NEW YORK
SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF NASSAU United Wholesale Mortgage, LLC, Plaintiff(s), -againstSyed F. Azharuddin, if living and if he be dead, his heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees, and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid defendants; and all heirs-at-law, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees, and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid classes of person, if they or any of them be dead, and their respective husbands, wives or widows, if any, and all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to plaintiff, except as herein stated; New York State Department of Taxation and Finance; United States of America o/b/o Internal Revenue Service; John Doe #1 through #6, and Jane Doe #1 through #6, the last twelve names being fictitious, it being the intention of Plaintiff to designate any and all occupants, tenants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises being foreclosed herein.
TO THE ABOVE NAMED
DEFENDANTS:
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a
notice of appearance on the attorneys for the Plaintiff within 20 days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Amended Complaint.
NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE MORTGAGE COMPANY WHO FILED THIS FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT, A DEFAULT JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR HOME.
SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY OR GO TO THE COURT WHERE YOUR CASE IS PENDING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO ANSWER THE SUMMONS AND PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY.
SENDING PAYMENT TO YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY WILL NOT STOP THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION.
YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure $712,500.00 and interest, recorded in the Office of the Clerk of Nassau on April 8, 2022, in Liber 46519, Page 981 as Instrument No. 2022-43095 covering premises known as 392 Arkansas Drive, Valley Stream, NY 11580, SBL #: 37-554-44
The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. The Plaintiff also seeks a deficiency judgment against the Defendants
and for any debt secured by said Mortgage which is not satisfied by the proceeds of the sale of said premises.
TO the Defendants Syed F. Azharuddin, if living and if he be dead, his heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees, and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid defendants; and all heirs-at-law, next of kin, distributees, devisees, grantees, trustees, lienors, creditors, assignees, and successors in interest of any of the aforesaid classes of person, if they or any of them be dead, and their respective husbands, wives or widows, if any, and all of whom and whose names and places of residence are unknown to plaintiff, except as herein stated, the foregoing Supplemental Summons with Notice is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Hon. Jeffrey A. Goodstein, J.S.C. of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Nassau, dated February 10, 2025.
Dated: April 23, 2025 /s/ Deborah M. Gallo Deborah M. Gallo, Esq. McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLP 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 840 New York, New York 10170 Phone: 347.286.7409 Fax: 347-286-7414
Attorneys for Plaintiff, United Wholesale Mortgage LLC HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN
ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE.
The State encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process.
To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Banking Department of Financial Services at 1-800-342-3736 or visit the Department’s website at www.dfs.ny.gov.
FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS
Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services.
153183
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING, BUDGET VOTE AND ELECTION
VALLEY STREAM UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT THIRTY TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD AND NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK
NOTICE IS HEREBY
GIVEN that a public hearing of the qualified voters of the Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirty of the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, will be held at Shaw Avenue School, 99 Shaw Avenue in said District on May 12, 2025 at 7:00PM, prevailing time, for the transaction of such business as is authorized by the New York State Education Law, including the
following items.
1. Presentation of the budget document.
2. To discuss all of the items herein set forth, to be voted upon by voting machine, at the election to be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 as hereinafter set forth.
3. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that said vote and election will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 between the hours of 6:00AM and 9:00PM prevailing time, in the school buildings located in such districts as enumerated below:
District No. 1: Clearstream Avenue School
60 Clearstream Avenue Valley Stream, NY 11580
District No. 2: Forest Road School 16 Forest Road Valley Stream, NY 11581
District No. 3: Shaw Avenue School 99 Shaw Avenue Valley Stream, NY 11580 at which time the polls will be open from 6:00AM to 9:00PM, prevailing time, to vote by voting machines upon the following items:
1. VS30: To adopt the annual budget of the Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirty for the fiscal year 2025-2026 and that the sum be raised through a levy upon the taxable property in the Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirty, after first deducting the monies from state aid and other sources, as provided by law.
2. VSCHSD: To adopt the annual budget of the Valley Stream Central High School District for the fiscal year 2025-2026 and that the sum be raised through a levy upon the taxable property in the Valley Stream Central High School District, after first deducting the monies from state aid and other sources, as provided by law.
3. VSCHSD: To authorize to appropriate and expend the maximum amount of $4,500,000 as follows from fund balance for the purpose of completing capital improvements as follows: Restoration of Valley Stream South Streambank, Renovation of District Offices and Renovation of Classrooms. All of the above to include
labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs
4. VSCHSD: To authorize to acquire by purchase that certain real property and improvements known as 10 Fifth Street, Valley Stream, New York, Section 39 Block 27 Lot 4-7 & 418, at a cost not to exceed $6,400,000.00 dollars, and said sum is hereby appropriated for out of the District’s Capital Reserve Fund established on May 15, 2018 and unappropriated fund balance.
5. VS30: To elect one (1) member of the Board of Education for a five (5) year term commencing July 1, 2025 and expiring on June 30, 2030 to succeed James Lavery, whose term expires on June 30, 2025. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that petitions nominating candidates for the office of Member of the Board of Education of the Valley Stream UFSD 30 shall be filed with the District Clerk of said School District at the District Clerk’s office, 175 N. Central Avenue, Suite 220, Valley Stream, NY 11580 not later than April 21, 2025 between the hours of 8:00AM and 5:00PM prevailing time. All nominating petitions must be signed by 25 qualified voters (representing the greater of 25 or 2% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election); must state the name and residence of each signer, and must state the name and residence of the candidate. Each petition shall be directed to the District Clerk and shall describe the specific vacancy for which the candidate is nominated. Each vacancy upon the Board of Education to be filled shall be considered a separate specific vacancy. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that personal registration of voters is required either pursuant to New York Education Law §2014 or pursuant to Article 5 of the New York State Election Law. If a voter has heretofore registered pursuant to New York Education Law §2014 and has voted at any annual or special district meeting within the past four (4) calendar years, such voter is eligible to vote at this election; if a voter is registered and eligible to vote pursuant to
Article 5 of the New York State Election Law, such voter is also eligible to vote at this election. All other persons who wish to vote must register. Voters may register on any school day up to and including May 13, 2025 at the following locations: Clearstream Avenue School Main Office, Forest Road School Main Office, Shaw Avenue School Main Office, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., prevailing time, AND on May 13, 2025 at the same locations, between the hours of 4:00PM and 8:00PM to add any additional names to the registers to be used at the aforesaid election, at which time any person will be entitled to have her or his name placed on such registers provided that at the meeting of the Board of Registration he or she is known, or proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at such public hearing or election for which such registers are prepared, and that the registers so prepared pursuant to New York Education Law §2014 and the registration list prepared by the Board of Elections of Nassau County will be filed in the Office of the District Clerk of the School District, 175 N. Central Avenue, Suite 220, Valley Stream, NY 11580 and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the District on weekdays between the hours of 8:00AM and 4:00PM, prevailing time, on and after May 15, 2025, except Saturday and Sunday; AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to New York Education Law §2014, the Board of Registration shall meet on May 20, 2025, at all voting locations between the hours of 6:00AM and 9:00PM, prevailing time, to prepare the Register of the School District to be used at the annual meeting and election that is to be held in 2026, and any special meeting that may be held after the preparation of said Register, at which time any person will be entitled to have her or his name placed on such Register, provided that at such meeting of the Board of Registration he or she is known or proven to the satisfaction of such Board of Registration
to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the school meeting or election for which such Register is prepared. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that qualified voters with disabilities who seek information about access to polling places may, in advance of the day of the vote, contact the District Clerk at 516-434-3616 for information about accessibility.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to Education Law §2017, the Board of Education has divided the Valley Stream UFSD 30 into three election districts, said districts being bounded and described as follows: District No. 1: The area serviced by the Clearstream Avenue School: The place of registration, voting on the budget and voting for trustees will be the Clear Stream Avenue School.
District No. 2: The areas serviced by the Shaw Avenue School: The place of registration, voting on the budget and voting for trustees will be the Shaw Avenue School.
District No. 3: The areas serviced by the Forest Road School: The place of registration, voting on the budget and voting for trustees will be the Forest Road School.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that beginning seven (7) days immediately preceding the May 12, 2025 public budget hearing, any resident in the District may request to review a copy of the proposed budget by appearing at the Office of the District Clerk, 175 N. Central Avenue, Suite 220, Valley Stream, NY 11580. Additionally, a statement of the estimated expenses for the ensuing year may be obtained by any resident in the District during the fourteen (14) days immediately preceding said election on the school district website www.valleystream30. com, at the School District Administrative Center, 175 N. Central Avenue, Suite 220, Valley Stream, NY 11580, and at each of the following school buildings in which school is maintained between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., prevailing time, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: Clearstream Avenue School 60 Clearstream Avenue
Public Notices
Valley Stream, NY 11580
Forest Road School Valley Stream, NY 11581
Shaw Avenue School 99 Shaw Avenue Valley Stream, NY 11580
AND FURTHER NOTICE
IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to Real Property Tax Law Section 495, the School District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how much of the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted, identified by statutory authority, and show:
(a) the cumulative impact of each type of exemption expressed either as a dollar amount of assessed value or as a percentage of the total assessed value on the roll; (b) the cumulative amount expected to be received from recipients of each type of exemption as payments in lieu of taxes or other payments for municipal services; and (c) the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted. The exemption report shall be posted on any bulletin board maintained by the District for public notices and on any website maintained by the District.
AND FURTHER NOTICE
IS HEREBY GIVEN, that applications for absentee and early mail ballots will be obtainable during school business hours at the office of the District Clerk beginning April 19, 2025 In accordance with Education Law §§ 2018a and 2018-e, completed absentee and early mail ballot applications may not be received by the District Clerk earlier than thirty (30) days prior to the election, and must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or to the agent named in the absentee or early mail ballot application. Absentee and early mail ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. A list of persons to whom absentee ballots shall have been issued, and a list of all persons
to whom early mail voter’s ballots shall have been issued, will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the office of the District Clerk on and after May 15, 2025, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on weekdays prior to the day set for the annual election and on May 20, 2025, the day set for the election.
Any qualified voter may, upon examination of such lists, file a written challenge of the qualifications as a voter of any person whose name appears on such lists, stating the reasons for such challenge. Any such written challenge shall be transmitted by the District Clerk or a designee of the Board of Education to the inspectors of election on election day.
AND FURTHER NOTICE
IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the Valley Stream UFSD 30 by requesting and returning a registration application to the District Clerk in person, or by email to districtclerk@vs30.org or fax sent to 516-9928602 The request for the registration application may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the registration application by either mail, fax or email. Military voter registration application forms must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the Valley Stream UFSD 30 may request an application for a military ballot from the District Clerk and return such military ballot application to the District Clerk in person, or by email to districtclerk@vs30. org or fax sent to 516992-8602. In order for a military voter to be issued a military ballot, a valid military ballot application must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m., on April 24, 2025. Military ballot applications received in accordance with the foregoing will be processed in the same manner as a non-military ballot application under Section 2018-a of the Education Law. The application for military
ballot may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the military ballot by mail, fax, or email. A military voter’s original military ballot application and military ballot must be returned by mail or in person to the office of the District Clerk at 175 N. Central Avenue, Suite 220, Valley Stream, NY 11580 along with the required signed affidavit by the voter.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk before the close of polls on May 20, 2025 showing a cancellation mark of the United States Postal Service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government; or received not later than 5:00 p.m. on May 20, 2025 and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is ascertained to be not later than the day before the election. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a rule adopted by the Board of Education in accordance with New York Education Law §2035, any referenda or propositions to change the number of Board of Education members, or a bond issue for capital improvements, or any other petition required by law to be stated in the Notice of Annual Meeting and Election must be filed with the District Clerk at 175 N. Central Avenue, Suite 220, Valley Stream, NY 11580, not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on March 21, 2025. Any other petition, except those petitions required by law to be stated in the Notice of Annual Meeting and Election, must be filed with the District Clerk at the 175 N. Central Avenue, Suite 220, Valley Stream, NY 11580, no later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time on April 20, 2025. All such petitions must be typed or printed in the English language; must be directed to the Clerk of the School District; must be signed by at least 25 qualified voters of the District (representing the greater of 25 or 5% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election); and must legibly state the
name of each signer. However, the Board of Education will not entertain any petition to place before the voters any proposition the purpose of which is not within the powers of the voters to determine, nor any proposition or amendment which is contrary to law.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that those voters seeking information regarding this Budget Vote and Election in Spanish should contact the Office of the District Clerk at 516-434-3616 or districtclerk@vs30.
org
Dated: March 25, 2025
By Order of the BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE VALLEY STREAM UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT THIRTY
Town of Hempstead, Nassau County Valley Stream, New York Ashley Starna, District Clerk 151763 thereto.
Place A Notice Call 516-569-4000 x232 LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING, BUDGET VOTE AND ELECTION
VALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
DISTRICT
NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing of the qualified voters of the Valley Stream Central High School District, Nassau County, New York, will be held in the James A. Dever School for District No. 13 on Monday, May 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM prevailing time, in the William L. Buck School for District No. 24 on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 7:30 PM, prevailing time, and for District No. 30 in the Shaw Avenue School on Monday, May 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM, prevailing time, for the transaction of such business as is authorized by the New York State Education Law, including the following items.
1. To present to the voters a detailed statement (proposed budget) of the amount of money which will be required for the 202526 fiscal year.
2. To discuss all of the items herein set forth, to be voted upon by voting machine, at the Budget Vote and Election to be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
3. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting pursuant to Education Law of the State of New York and acts amendatory
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that said Budget Vote and Election will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in such districts and at such time as enumerated below:
District No. 13:
Between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. (prevailing time)
District No. 24:
Between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. (prevailing time)
District No. 30:
Between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. (prevailing time) at which time the polls will be open to vote by voting machines upon the following items:
1. To adopt the annual budget of the School District for the fiscal year 2025 - 26 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District.
2. To authorize the Board of Education to appropriate and expend the maximum amount of $4,500,000 as follows from fund balance for the purpose of completing capital improvements, including restoration of Valley Stream South Stream bank, Renovation of District Offices and Renovation of Classrooms. All of the above to include labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs.
3. To authorize the Board of Education to acquire, by purchase, that certain real property and improvements located at 10 Fifth St., Valley Stream, New York, located in the Town of Hempstead, New York, Section 39 Block 27 Lot 4-7 & 418, at a cost not to exceed $6,400,000, and said sum is hereby appropriated for out of the District’s Capital Reserve Fund established on May 15, 2018, and unappropriated fund balance.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that personal registration of voters is required either pursuant to New York Education Law §2014 or pursuant to Article 5 of the New York State Election Law. If a voter has heretofore registered pursuant to New York Education Law §2014 and has voted at any annual or special district meeting within the past four (4) calendar years, such voter is eligible to vote at this election; if a voter is registered and eligible
to vote pursuant to Article 5 of the New York State Election Law, such voter is also eligible to vote at this election. All other persons who wish to vote must register.
In District No. 13, all qualified voters of the District pursuant to § 2014 of the Education Law may register at the Wheeler Avenue School, the James A. Dever School, the Howell Road School and the Willow Road School, on any school day prior to Tuesday, May 13, 2025, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., prevailing time. The Board of Registration shall meet on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., prevailing time, to add any additional names to the register to be used at the aforesaid election, at which time any person will be entitled to have her or his name placed on such Register provided that at the meeting of the Board of Registration he or she is known, or proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at such public hearing or election for which such registers are prepared. In District No. 30, the Board of Registration will meet for the purpose of registering all qualified voters of the District pursuant to § 2014 of the Education Law at the Clear Stream Avenue School, the Shaw Avenue School, and the Forest Road School, on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., prevailing time, to add any additional names to the register to be used at the aforesaid election, at which time any person will be entitled to have her or his name placed on such Register provided that at the meeting of the Board of Registration he or she is known, or proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at such public hearing or election for which such registers are prepared. In addition, open registration will be conducted through Tuesday, May 13, 2025, during the hours for enrollment of children for a school term at each of the District schools and between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., prevailing time, at each of the school buildings.
In District No. 24, for the purpose of registering all qualified voters, the Board of Registration will conduct a continuous registration of the qualified voters during the hours of enrollment of children for a school term at the principal’s office of each schoolhouse and at the office of the District Clerk of District No. 24 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., prevailing time. The Board of Registration shall meet on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., prevailing time, at the William L. Buck School, to add any additional names to the register to be used at the aforesaid election, at which time any person will be entitled to have her or his name placed on such Register provided that at the meeting of the Board of Registration he or she is known, or proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at such public hearing or election for which such registers are prepared. The registers so prepared pursuant to New York Education Law §2014 will be filed in the Office of the Clerk of the School District in the district offices of Union Free School Districts No. 13, No. 24 and No. 30, Valley Stream, New York, and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the District on weekdays prior to the vote, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., prevailing time, beginning Thursday, May 15, 2025, and Saturday, May 17, 2025 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., prevailing time, at the District Office, and at the polling place(s) on the day of the vote. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to New York Education Law § 2014, the Board of Registration will meet on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., prevailing time, in District No. 13, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., prevailing time, in District No. 24, and between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., prevailing time, in District No. 30, to prepare the Register of the School District to be used at the annual meeting and election that is to be held in 2026,
and any special meeting that may be held after the preparation of said Register, at which time any person will be entitled to have her or his name placed on such Register, provided that at such meeting of the Board of Registration he or she is known or proven to the satisfaction of such Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the school meeting or election for which such Register is prepared, or any special district meeting held after Tuesday, May 20, 2025. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that qualified voters with disabilities who seek information about access to polling places may, in advance of the day of the vote, contact the District Clerk at (516) 872 - 5628 for information about accessibility. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that beginning seven (7) days immediately preceding the May 7, 2025 public budget hearing for School District No. 24, and the May 12, 2025 public budget hearing for School District No. 13 and School District No. 30, a copy of the proposed budget will be made available, upon request, to residents of School District No. 13, School District No. 24, and School District No. 30, by appearing at the Office of the District Clerk, One Kent Road, Valley Stream, New York. Additionally, a statement of the estimated expenses for the ensuing year may be obtained by any resident in the District during the fourteen (14) days immediately preceding said election on the school district website www.vschsd.org, at the Henry Waldinger Memorial Library during its normal hours of operation, located at 60 Verona Plaza, Valley Stream, New York, and at each schoolhouse in the High School District between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., prevailing time, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to Real Property Tax Law Section 495, the School District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how much of the total assessed value on
Public Notices
the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted, identified by statutory authority, and show: (a) the cumulative impact of each type of exemption expressed either as a dollar amount of assessed value or as a percentage of the total assessed value on the roll; (b) the cumulative amount expected to be received from recipients of each type of exemption as payments in lieu of taxes or other payments for municipal services; and (c) the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted. The exemption report shall be posted on any bulletin board maintained by the District for public notices and on any website maintained by the District.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that applications for absentee and early mail ballots will be obtainable during school business hours from the District Clerks in Union Free School Districts No. 13, No. 24, and No. 30, beginning Monday, April 21, 2025. In accordance with Education Law §§ 2018a and 2018-e, completed absentee and early mail ballot applications may not be received by the District Clerk earlier than thirty (30) days prior to the election, and must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or to the agent named in the absentee or early mail ballot application. Absentee and early mail ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. A list of persons to whom absentee ballots shall have been issued, and a list of all persons to whom early mail voter’s ballots shall have been issued, will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the office of the District Clerk on and after Thursday, May 15, 2025, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., on weekdays prior to the day set for the annual election and on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the day set for the election. Any qualified voter may, upon examination of
such lists, file a written challenge of the qualifications as a voter of any person whose name appears on such lists, stating the reasons for such challenge. Any such written challenge shall be transmitted by the District Clerk or a designee of the Board of Education, to the inspectors of election, on election day.
AND FURTHER NOTICE
IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the Valley Stream Union Free School Districts No. 13, No. 24, or No. 30, by requesting and returning a registration application to the District Clerk of the respective District in person, by email, or fax. The request for the registration application may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the registration application by either mail, fax or email. Military voter registration application forms must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the Valley Stream Union Free School Districts No. 13, No. 24, and No. 30, may request an application for a military ballot in person, by email, or by fax, during school business hours, from the District Clerks in the Union Free School Districts No. 13, No. 24, and No. 30. In order for a military voter to be issued a military ballot, a valid military ballot application must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m., on April 24, 2025. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk before the close of polls on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, showing a cancellation mark of the United States Postal Service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government; or received not later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is ascertained to be not later than the day before the election.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a rule adopted by the Board of Education in accordance with New York Education Law §2035, any referenda or propositions to amend the budget, or otherwise to be submitted for voting at said election, must be filed with the District Clerk, Board of Education at the District Office, One Kent Road, Valley Stream, New York, to permit notice of the proposition to be included with the Notice of the Public Hearing, Budget Vote and Election required by Section 2004 of the Education Law on or before Friday, March 21, 2025, no later than 4:00 p.m., prevailing time. All such petitions must be typed or printed in the English language; must be directed to the Clerk of the School District; must be signed by at least 105 qualified voters of the District (representing the greater of 25 or 5% of the number of voters who voted in the previous annual election); and must legibly state the name of each signer. However, the Board of Education will not entertain any petition to place before the voters any proposition the purpose of which is not within the powers of the voters to determine, nor any proposition or amendment which is contrary to law.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that those voters seeking information regarding this Budget Vote and Election in Spanish should contact the Office of the District Clerk at (516) 8725628 SCHOOL ELECTION DISTRICTS AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the Election Districts have been established in the School District. The Boundaries of the Election Districts, as adopted by resolution of the Board of Education, and the place in each election district for voting shall be as follows:
13-1: The place of voting is the Wheeler Avenue School;
13-2: The place of voting is the James A. Dever School;
13-3: The place of voting is the Howell Road School;
13-4: The place of voting is the Willow Road School
24-1: The place of voting
is the South Corona Avenue Firehouse, between Jamaica Avenue and Hawthorne Avenue;
24-2: The place of voting is the William L. Buck School;
24-3: The place of voting is the Brooklyn Avenue School;
24-4: The place of voting is the Robert W. Carbonaro School;
30-1: The place of voting is the Clear Stream Avenue School;
30-2: The place of voting is the Shaw Avenue School;
30-3: The place of voting is the Forest Road School.
Dated: By Order of the BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE VALLEY STREAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT Valley Stream, New York Mary E. Colgan, District Clerk 152359
LEGAL NOTICE AVISO DE AUDIENCIA PÚBLICA, VOTACIÓN PRESUPUESTARIA Y ELECCIÓN
DISTRITO CENTRAL DE ESCUELAS SECUNDARIAS DE VALLEY STREAM CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK
POR LA PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA que se llevará a cabo una audiencia pública de los votantes calificados del Distrito Central de Escuelas Secundarias Valley Stream, Condado de Nassau, Nueva York, en la Escuela James A. Dever para el Distrito No. 13 el lunes 12 de mayo de 2025 a las 7:30 p.m., hora prevaleciente, en la Escuela William L. Buck para el Distrito No. 24 el miércoles, 7 de mayo de 2025 a las 7:30 p.m., hora prevaleciente, y para el Distrito No. 30 en la Escuela Shaw Avenue el lunes 12 de mayo de 2025 a las 7:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, para la transacción de dichos negocios según lo autorizado por la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York, incluidos los siguientes elementos.
1. Presentar a los votantes una declaración detallada (presupuesto propuesto) de la cantidad de dinero que se requerirá para el año fiscal 2025-26.
2. Discutir todos los puntos aquí expuestos, para ser votados por máquina de votación, en la Votación y Elección de Presupuesto que se llevará a cabo el martes 20 de mayo de 2025.
3. Para llevar a cabo cualquier otro asunto
que pueda presentarse adecuadamente ante la reunión de conformidad con la Ley de Educación del Estado de Nueva York y las leyes que la modifiquen.
Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que dicha Votación y Elección del Presupuesto se llevará a cabo el martes 20 de mayo de 2025, en los distritos y en el momento que se enumeran a continuación:
Distrito Nº 13: Entre las 6:00 a.m. y las 9:00 p.m. (hora prevaleciente)
Distrito Nº 24: Entre las 7:00 a.m. y las 9:00 p.m. (hora prevaleciente)
Distrito Nº 30: Entre las 6:00 a.m. y las 9:00 p.m. (hora prevaleciente) momento en el cual las urnas estarán abiertas a votación por las máquinas de votación sobre los siguientes puntos:
1. Adoptar el presupuesto anual del Distrito Escolar para el año fiscal 2025-26 y autorizar que la parte requerida del mismo se aumente mediante impuestos sobre la propiedad imponible del Distrito.
2. Autorizar a la Junta de Educación a asignar y gastar la cantidad máxima de $4,500,000 de la siguiente manera del saldo del fondo con el propósito de completar mejoras de capital, incluyendo la restauración del banco Valley Stream South Stream, la renovación de las oficinas del distrito y la renovación de las aulas. Todo lo anterior incluye mano de obra, materiales, equipos, aparatos y costos imprevistos.
3. Para autorizar a la Junta de Educación a adquirir, por compra, ciertos bienes inmuebles y mejoras ubicados en 10 Fifth St., Valley Stream, Nueva York, ubicados en la ciudad de Hempstead, Nueva York, Sección 39 Bloque 27 Lote 4-7 y 418, a un costo que no exceda los $6,400,000, y dicha suma se asigna por la presente del Fondo de Reserva de Capital del Distrito establecido el 15 de mayo, 2018, y el saldo de fondos no asignados.
Y POR LA PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA ADICIONALMENTE que se requiere el registro personal de los votantes de conformidad con la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2014
o de conformidad con el Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral del Estado de Nueva York. Si un votante se ha registrado hasta ahora de conformidad con la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2014 y ha votado en cualquier reunión anual o especial del distrito dentro de los últimos cuatro (4) años calendario, dicho votante es elegible para votar en esta elección; si un votante está registrado y es elegible para votar de conformidad con el Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral del Estado de Nueva York, dicho votante también es elegible para votar en esta elección. Todas las demás personas que deseen votar deben registrarse. En el Distrito No. 13, todos los votantes calificados del Distrito de conformidad con § 2014 de la Ley de Educación pueden registrarse en la Escuela de la Avenida Wheeler, la Escuela James A. Dever, la Escuela Howell Road y la Escuela Willow Road, en cualquier día escolar antes del martes 13 de mayo de 2025, entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 3:30 p.m., tiempo prevaleciente. La Junta de Registro se reunirá el martes 13 de mayo de 2025, entre las 5:00 p.m. y las 9:00 p.m., en el momento prevaleciente, para agregar cualquier nombre adicional al registro que se utilizará en la elección antes mencionada, momento en el cual cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se coloque en dicho Registro, siempre que en la reunión de la Junta de Registro se sepa, o se demuestre a satisfacción de la Junta de Registro, que tiene derecho a votar en dicha audiencia pública o elección para que se preparan dichos registros. En el Distrito No. 30, la Junta de Registro se reunirá con el propósito de registrar a todos los votantes calificados del Distrito de conformidad con la Sección 2014 de la Ley de Educación en la Escuela Clear Stream Avenue, la Escuela Shaw Avenue y la Escuela Forest Road, el martes 13 de mayo de 2025, entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m., en el momento prevaleciente, para agregar cualquier nombre adicional al registro que se utilizará en la elección antes mencionada, momento en el cual cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se coloque en dicho Registro, siempre que en la reunión de la Junta de Registro se sepa, o se demuestre a satisfacción de la Junta de Registro, que tiene derecho a votar en dicha audiencia pública o elección para que se preparan dichos registros. Además, la inscripción abierta se llevará a cabo hasta el martes 13 de mayo de 2025, durante el horario de inscripción de niños para un período escolar en cada una de las escuelas del Distrito y entre las 4:00 p.m. y las 8:00 p.m., en el horario prevaleciente, en cada uno de los edificios escolares.
En el Distrito No. 24, con el propósito de registrar a todos los votantes calificados, la Junta de Registro llevará a cabo un registro continuo de los votantes calificados durante las horas de inscripción de los niños para un período escolar en la oficina del director de cada escuela y en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito No. 24 entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 3:00 p.m., tiempo prevaleciente. La Junta de Registro se reunirá el martes 13 de mayo de 2025, entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 3:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, en la Escuela William L. Buck, para agregar cualquier nombre adicional al registro que se utilizará en la elección antes mencionada, momento en el cual cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se coloque en dicho Registro siempre que en la reunión de la Junta de Registro esté conocido, o probado a satisfacción de la Junta de Registro, que tiene derecho a votar en ese momento o en lo sucesivo en dicha audiencia pública o elección para la cual se preparan dichos registros. Los registros así preparados de conformidad con la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2014 se presentarán en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito Escolar en las oficinas del distrito de los Distritos Escolares Libres de la Unión No. 13, No. 24 y No. 30, Valley Stream, Nueva York, y estarán abiertos para la inspección de cualquier votante calificado del Distrito en días laborables antes de la votación. entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 3:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, a partir del jueves 15 de mayo de 2025 y el sábado 17 de mayo de 2025 entre las 9:00
a.m. y las 12:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, en la Oficina del Distrito y en los lugares de votación el día de la votación. Y POR LA PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA que, de conformidad con la Ley de Educación de Nueva York § 2014, la Junta de Registro se reunirá el martes 20 de mayo de 2025, entre las 6:00 a.m. y las 9:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, en el Distrito No. 13, entre las 7:00 a.m. y las 9:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, en el Distrito No. 24, y entre las 6:00 a.m. y las 9:00 p.m., tiempo prevaleciente, en el Distrito No. 30, para preparar el Registro del Distrito Escolar que se utilizará en la reunión anual y la elección que se llevará a cabo en 2026, y cualquier reunión especial que pueda celebrarse después de la preparación de dicho Registro, momento en el cual cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se coloque en dicho Registro, siempre que en dicha reunión de la Junta de Registro se sepa o se demuestre a satisfacción de dicha Junta de Registro que tiene derecho a votar en la reunión escolar o elección para la cual se prepara dicho Registro, o en cualquier reunión especial del distrito que se celebre después del martes 20 de mayo de 2025.
Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que los votantes calificados con discapacidades que buscan información sobre el acceso a los lugares de votación pueden, antes del día de la votación, comunicarse con el Secretario del Distrito al (516) 872-5628 para obtener información sobre la accesibilidad. Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que a partir de los siete (7) días inmediatamente anteriores a la audiencia de presupuesto público del 7 de mayo de 2025 para el Distrito Escolar No. 24, y la audiencia de presupuesto público del 12 de mayo de 2025 para el Distrito Escolar No. 13 y el Distrito Escolar No. 30, una copia del presupuesto propuesto se pondrá a disposición, previa solicitud, para los residentes del Distrito Escolar No. 13, el Distrito Escolar No. 24 y el Distrito Escolar No. 30, presentándose en la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito, One Kent Road, Valley Stream, Nueva York. Además,
Public Notices
cualquier residente del Distrito puede obtener una declaración de los gastos estimados para el año siguiente durante los catorce (14) días inmediatamente anteriores a dicha elección en el sitio web del distrito escolar www.vschsd. org, en la Biblioteca Conmemorativa Henry Waldinger durante su horario normal de operación, ubicada en 60 Verona Plaza, Valley Stream, Nueva York, y en cada escuela del Distrito Escolar Superior entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, excepto sábados, domingos y feriados.
Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que, de conformidad con la Sección 495 de la Ley de Impuestos sobre Bienes Inmuebles, se requiere que el Distrito Escolar adjunte a su presupuesto propuesto un informe de exención. Dicho informe de exención, que también formará parte del presupuesto final, mostrará qué parte del valor total de la tasación en la lista de liquidación final utilizada en el proceso presupuestario está exenta de impuestos, enumerará cada tipo de exención otorgada, identificada por la autoridad legal, y mostrará: (a) el impacto acumulativo de cada tipo de exención expresado como un monto en dólares del valor tasado o como un porcentaje del valor tasado total en el rollo; (b) el monto acumulado que se espera recibir de los beneficiarios de cada tipo de exención como pagos en lugar de impuestos u otros pagos por servicios municipales; y c) el efecto acumulativo de todas las exenciones concedidas. El informe de exención se publicará en cualquier tablón de anuncios mantenido por el Distrito para avisos públicos y en cualquier sitio web mantenido por el Distrito. Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que las solicitudes de boletas de voto en ausencia y por correo anticipado se podrán obtener durante el horario escolar de los Secretarios del Distrito en los Distritos Escolares Libres de la Unión No. 13, No. 24 y No. 30, a partir del lunes 21 de abril de 2025. De acuerdo con la Ley de Educación §§ 2018-a y 2018-e, el Secretario del Distrito no puede
recibir las solicitudes completadas de boletas de voto en ausencia y por correo anticipado antes de treinta (30) días antes de la elección, y el Secretario del Distrito debe recibirlas al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección si la boleta se va a enviar por correo al votante, o el día antes de la elección, si la boleta se va a entregar personalmente al votante o al agente nombrado en la solicitud de boleta de voto en ausencia o por correo anticipado. Las boletas de voto en ausencia y por correo anticipado deben ser recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente, el martes 20 de mayo de 2025.
Una lista de las personas a las que se les habrán emitido boletas de voto en ausencia, y una lista de todas las personas a las que se les habrán emitido boletas de voto anticipado por correo, estará disponible para inspección para los votantes calificados del Distrito en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a partir del jueves 15 de mayo de 2025, entre las 9:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m., los días laborables anteriores al día fijado para las elecciones anuales y el martes 20 de mayo de 2025, el día fijado para las elecciones.
Cualquier votante calificado puede, después de examinar dichas listas, presentar una impugnación por escrito de las calificaciones como votante de cualquier persona cuyo nombre aparezca en dichas listas, exponiendo las razones de dicha impugnación. Cualquier impugnación por escrito será transmitida por el Secretario del Distrito o una persona designada por la Junta de Educación, a los inspectores de elecciones, el día de las elecciones.
Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL, que los votantes militares que no están registrados actualmente pueden solicitar registrarse como votantes calificados de los Distritos Escolares Libres No. 13, No. 24 o No. 30 de Valley Stream Union, solicitando y devolviendo una solicitud de registro al Secretario del Distrito respectivo en persona, por correo electrónico, o fax. La solicitud de la solicitud de registro puede
incluir la preferencia del votante militar para recibir la solicitud de registro por correo, fax o correo electrónico. Los formularios de solicitud de registro de votantes militares deben recibirse en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m. del 24 de abril de 2025.
Y SE DA AVISO
ADICIONAL POR LA PRESENTE, que los votantes militares que son votantes calificados de los Distritos Escolares Libres de Valley Stream Union No. 13, No. 24 y No. 30, pueden solicitar una solicitud para una boleta militar en persona, por correo electrónico o por fax, durante el horario escolar de trabajo, de los Secretarios del Distrito en los Distritos Escolares Libres de Union No. 13, Nº 24 y Nº 30. Para que a un votante militar se le emita una boleta militar, se debe recibir una solicitud de boleta militar válida en la oficina del Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m., el 24 de abril de 2025.
Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que las boletas militares serán escrutadas si son recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito antes del cierre de las urnas el martes 20 de mayo de 2025, mostrando una marca de cancelación del Servicio Postal de los Estados Unidos o del servicio postal de un país extranjero, o mostrando un endoso fechado de recepción por otra agencia del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos; o recibidas a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m. del martes, 20 de mayo de 2025, y firmada y fechada por el votante militar y un testigo de la misma, con una fecha que se determina que no será posterior al día anterior a la elección.
Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que de conformidad con una regla adoptada por la Junta de Educación de acuerdo con la Ley de Educación de Nueva York §2035, cualquier referéndum o proposición para enmendar el presupuesto, o de otra manera que se presente para votación en dicha elección, debe presentarse ante el Secretario del Distrito, Junta de Educación en la Oficina del Distrito, One Kent Road, Valley Stream, Nueva York, para permitir que la notificación de la
proposición se incluya con la Notificación de la Audiencia Pública, la Votación del Presupuesto y la Elección requerida por la Sección 2004 de la Ley de Educación en o antes del viernes 21 de marzo de 2025, a más tardar a las 4:00 p.m., hora prevaleciente. Todas estas peticiones deben ser mecanografiadas o impresas en el idioma inglés; debe dirigirse al Secretario del Distrito Escolar; debe estar firmada por al menos 105 votantes calificados del Distrito (que representen el mayor de 25 o 5% del número de votantes que votaron en la elección anual anterior); y debe indicar de manera legible el nombre de cada firmante. Sin embargo, la Junta de Educación no admitirá ninguna petición para presentar a los votantes cualquier proposición cuyo propósito no esté dentro de los poderes de los votantes para determinar, ni ninguna proposición o enmienda que sea contraria a la ley.
Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que aquellos votantes que buscan información sobre este Presupuesto Votación y Elección en español deben comunicarse con la Oficina del Secretario del Distrito al (516) 872 - 5628
DISTRITOS
ELECTORALES
ESCOLARES
Y POR LA PRESENTE SE DA AVISO ADICIONAL de que los Distritos Electorales se han establecido en el Distrito Escolar. Los límites de los distritos electorales, según lo adoptado por resolución de la Junta de Educación, y el lugar en cada distrito electoral para votar serán los siguientes: 13-1: El lugar de votación es la Escuela de la Avenida Wheeler; 13-2: El lugar de votación es la Escuela James A. Dever; 13-3: El lugar de votación es la Escuela Howell Road; 13-4: El lugar de votación es la Escuela Willow Road
24-1: El lugar de votación es la estación de bomberos de South Corona Avenue, entre Jamaica Avenue y Hawthorne Avenue; 24-2: El lugar de votación es la Escuela
William L. Buck; 24-3: El lugar de votación es la Escuela de la Avenida Brooklyn; 24-4: El lugar de
votación es la Escuela
Robert W. Carbonaro; 30-1: El lugar de votación es la Escuela de la Avenida Clear Stream; 30-2: El lugar de votación es la Escuela de la Avenida Shaw; 30-3: El lugar de votación es la Escuela Forest Road.
Fechado: Por orden de la JUNTA DE EDUCACIÓN DE LA ARROYO DEL VALLE
CENTRAL
DISTRITO DE ESCUELAS
SECUNDARIAS
Arroyo del Valle, Nueva York
Mary E. Colgan, Secretaria de Distrito 152361
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF BUDGET
HEARING, ANNUAL DISTRICT ELECTION, AND BUDGET VOTE OF VALLEY STREAM UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT THIRTEEN, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU, STATE OF NEW YORK
TO BE HELD ON MAY 20, 2025
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Board of Education of Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirteen shall hold a public hearing for the purpose of discussion of the proposed budget of expenditure of funds for the school year 20252026; that such public hearing will be held on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the vote by the qualified voters of Valley Stream Union Free School District
Thirteen upon the following propositions and elections will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at the polling places set forth herein, between the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Daylight Savings Time on said day.
PROPOSITION NO. 1 DISTRICT THIRTEEN BUDGET
The vote upon the appropriation of the necessary funds to meet the estimated expenditures of Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirteen for the school year 20252026 and authorizing the levy of taxes to meet the estimated expenditures of money during said school year will be held on May 20, 2025 as set forth herein. Copies of the proposed budget, together with the text of any resolution which will be submitted to the voters as well as copies of the
estimated expenditures of Valley Stream Central High School District for the school year 20252026 may be obtained by any taxpayer of the School District at the Principal’s Office of each school building on each school day, during the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., during each of the 14 days preceding the voting day, except on Saturday, Sunday or holidays, and at such annual election. Notice is further given that pursuant to Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law, the District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted by the statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payments in lieu of taxes and the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted.
PROPOSITION NO. 2
DISTRICT THIRTEEN EXPENDITURE FROM CAPITAL RESERVE RESOLVED, that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, the Board of Education hereby authorizes the placement of a proposition to expend monies from the District’s Capital Reserve Fund, established on May 15, 2018, at the Annual Budget Vote and Election on May 20, 2025, and directs the District Clerk to place said proposition in the Annual Notice of said Vote and Election:
SHALL the Board of Education of the Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirteen be authorized to expend from the Capital Reserve Fund which was established on May 15, 2018, for the following capital improvement project of improving the field at Wheeler Avenue School, the playground at Willow Road School, the prekindergarten playground at Howell Road School, security fencing District wide, replacing the main play structure at Wheeler Avenue School, and upgrading door security District-wide and other improvements, additions, renovations and other work required
in connection therewith; and to expend from the Capital Reserve Fund therefor, including preliminary costs and costs incidental thereto an amount not to exceed the estimated total cost of $1,200,000.
PROPOSITION NO. 3
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET
SHALL the proposed budget of expenditures of Valley Stream Central High School District, Nassau County, New York for the year 20252026 be approved in the amount of $166,848,681, and that the sum be raised through a levy upon the taxable property in the Valley Stream Central High School District, after first deducting the monies from state aid and other sources, as provided by law.
PROPOSITION NO. 4
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
DISTRICT VOTER
PROPOSITION 2025
SHALL the Board of Education hereby authorize the placement of the following voter proposition at the Annual Budget Vote and Election on May 20, 2025 and directs the District Clerk to place said proposition in the Annual Notice of said Vote and Election: SHALL the Board of Education be authorized to appropriate and expend the maximum amount of $4,500,000 as follows from fund balance for the purpose of completing capital improvements as follows:
Restoration of Valley Stream South Streambank, Renovation of District Offices and Renovation of Classrooms. All of the above to include labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs.
PROPOSITION NO. 5
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
DISTRICT CAPITAL RESERVE PROPOSITION 2025
SHALL the Board of Education hereby authorize the placement of the following voter proposition at the Annual Budget Vote and Election on May 20, 2025 and directs the District Clerk to place said proposition in the Annual Notice of said Vote and Election:
RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Valley Stream Central High School District is authorized to acquire by purchase that certain real property and improvements known as 10 Fifth Street, Valley Stream, New York,
Section 39 Block 27 Lot 4-7 & 418, at a cost not to exceed $6,400,000.00 dollars, and said sum is hereby appropriated for out of the District’s Capital Reserve Fund established on May 15, 2018 and unappropriated fund balance.
ELECTION OF TRUSTEES PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that for the purpose of electing two members of the Board of Education of the Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirteen, an election will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at the same times and at the same polling places as set forth herein.
The following are the vacancies to be filled on the Board of Education:
a) The office of Vincent Caposio, a member of the Board of Education, for a threeyear term commencing May 21, 2025 and expiring June 30, 2028.1 b) The office of Milagros Vicente, a member of the Board of Education, for a threeyear term commencing July 1, 2025 and expiring June 30, 2028.
NOMINATION PETITIONS
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that each vacancy is a separate, specific office and a separate petition is required to nominate a candidate to each separate office. Each petition must be directed to the Clerk of the District, must be signed by at least 26 qualified voters of the District, must state the residence of each signer, must state the name and residence of the candidate, and must describe the specific vacancy for which the candidate is nominated, including at least the length of the term of the office and the name of the last incumbent. Petitions nominating candidates for the office of the Board of Education must be filed with the Clerk of the District between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. except that on the thirtieth (30th) day preceding the date set for election of trustees, namely Monday, April 21, 2025, nominating petitions may be filed between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The deadline for submitting petitions is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 21, 2025. No person shall be nominated for more than one separate office on the
Public Notices
Board of Education. A nomination may be rejected by the Board of Education if the candidate is ineligible for office or declares his/her unwillingness to serve.
In the event of the physical absence of the District Clerk from the District, nominating petitions are to be received and acted upon by the Acting District Clerk in the same manner as required of the District Clerk. Voting machines will be used for the tabulation of all votes upon propositions and the election of Trustees. The meeting and the election will be conducted according to the Education Law and the rules previously adopted by the Board of Education.
REGISTRATION
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE
THAT qualified voters may register at the James A. Dever School, Howell Road School, Wheeler Avenue School and Willow Road School any day up until Tuesday, May 13, 2025 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. except Saturday, Sunday, and school vacations and at such times that the school facilities are open.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER
NOTICE that the Board of Registration of this School District shall meet on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at the James A. Dever School, Howell Road School, Wheeler Avenue School and Willow Road School for the purpose of preparing a register of the qualified voters of this District for said annual District election, at which time any person shall be entitled to have his/her name placed upon such register provided that at such meeting of the Board of Registration, he/she is known, or proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration, to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the annual District election for which such register is prepared.
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER
NOTICE that 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 shall have been previously registered for any annual or special District meeting
or election and who shall have voted at any annual or special District meeting or election held or conducted at any time 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 the County of Nassau.
The register shall be filed in the office of the District Clerk at James A. Dever School, 585 N. Corona Avenue, Valley Stream, New York where it shall be open for inspection by any qualified voter between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on each of the five days prior to the day set for the election, except Sunday, and between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon on Saturday, May 17, 2025; and at each polling place on election day.
EARLY MAIL AND ABSENTEE BALLOTS
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that applications for absentee and early mail ballots will be obtainable during school business hours from the District Clerk beginning March 21, 2025. Completed applications may not be received by the District Clerk earlier than April 21, 2025, and must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or to the agent named in the absentee or early mail ballot application.
Absentee and early mail ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. A list of persons to whom absentee ballots shall have been issued, and a list of all persons to whom early mail voter’s ballots shall have been issued, will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the office of the District Clerk on and after Thursday, May 15, 2025, between the hours of 9:00 a.m.3:00 p.m. on weekdays prior to the day set for the annual election and on May 20, 2025, the day set for the election. Any qualified voter may, upon examination of such lists, file a written challenge of the qualifications as a voter of any person whose name appears on such lists, stating the reasons for such challenge. Any
such written challenge shall be transmitted by the District Clerk or a designee of the Board of Education to the inspectors of election on election day.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the Valley Stream Union Free School District 13 by requesting and returning a registration application to the District Clerk in person, or by email to districtclerk@ valleystream13.com. The request for the registration application may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the registration application by either mail or email. Military voter registration application forms must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025.
AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the Valley Stream Union Free School District 13, may request an application for a military ballot from the District Clerk and return such military ballot application to the District Clerk in person, or by email to districtclerk@ valleystream13.com. In order for a military voter to be issued a military ballot, a valid military ballot application must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m., on April 24, 2025. Military ballot applications received in accordance with the foregoing will be processed in the same manner as a non-military ballot application under Section 2018-a of the Education Law. The application for military ballot may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the military ballot by mail or email. A military voter’s original military ballot application and military ballot must be returned by mail or in person to the office of the District Clerk at 585 N. Corona Avenue, Valley Stream, New York 11580.
AND FURTHER NOTICE
IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk before the close of polls on May 20, 2025 showing a cancellation mark of the United States Postal Service or a
foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government; or received not later than 5:00 p.m. on May 20, 2025 and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is ascertained to be not later than the day before the election.
ELECTION DISTRICTS
The boundaries of the four election districts are as previously adopted by the Board of Education by a resolution adopted on January 28, 1959, and which resolution is filed in the minutes of the District Clerk’s Office.
The places of voting and the general boundaries of the election districts are:
Election District One
The place of voting will be the Wheeler Avenue School, Wheeler Avenue and Rockaway Parkway, Valley Stream. Said District is the area in the vicinity of the Wheeler Avenue School and the southwesterly portion of the District.
Election District Two
The place of voting will be the James A. Dever School, 585 N. Corona Avenue, Valley Stream. Said District is the area in the vicinity of the James A. Dever School and the southeasterly portion of the District.
Election District Three
The place of voting will be the Howell Road School, Howell Road and Dana Avenue, Valley Stream. Said District is the area in the vicinity of the Howell Road School and the northwesterly portion of the District.
Election District Four
The place of voting will be the Willow Road School, Willow Road and Catalpa Drive, Franklin Square. Said District is the area in the vicinity of the Willow Road School and the northeasterly portion of the District.
Two convicted in fatal foam party shooting
Two men were convicted on April 10 in the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old man and the wounding of three others at an underage party in Valley Stream last summer—an ambush prosecutors say was the product of calculated gang retaliation.
Kyle Matthews and Isaiah Gonzalez, both 23, were found guilty of seconddegree murder, conspiracy, and weapons charges after a nearly monthlong trial in Nassau County Court. A third man, Kenny Greene, 24, was acquitted of conspiracy.
“This case is yet another tragic reminder of the kind of devastation gang violence wreaks in our community,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly. “These defendants meticulously plotted to murder a member of a rival group in their community. As a result, a young life was taken in the name of gang warfare.”
The gunfire erupted around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2023, outside a party illegally organized at a rental hall known as Dopie’s World on Ocean Avenue, where alcohol was sold to minors. The event had been advertised on social media as a “Foam Party” offering free admission for girls during the first hour.
Police officials said the venue was packed with teenagers, many of whom had no ties to gang activity. But the gathering was allegedly hosted by associates of the Crips gang, and that alone may have marked the party—and its attendees—as targets.
A volley of eight bullets from two .380 caliber pistols tore into the crowd, killing 20-year-old Deandre Carter of Brooklyn and injuring three others, including a 12-year-old boy who was struck in the shoulder while standing in a doorway. Two 17-year-old boys from Elmont were also wounded—one shot in the leg, the other in the knee. A 17-yearold girl suffered a hand laceration.
Detective Captain Stephen Fitzpatrick said none of the victims were known gang members, but Carter’s presence at the party may have been enough to make him a target. “Our victim has no listed membership, but he’s at a Crips party, so the perception is
that he’s a Crip for being there,” Fitzpatrick said.
Surveillance video captured Matthews and Gonzalez driving a Mercedes-Benz near the venue prior to the shooting, according to prosecutors. Both men fled toward the Queens border immediately afterward, sparking a two-week manhunt.
Matthews, of Uniondale, and an alleged member of the Bloods gang, was arrested on Sept. 6 and arraigned without bail. Gonzalez, of Far Rockaway, was captured two days later. Both men have denied wrongdoing, and Gonzalez also disputes any gang affiliation.
Their convictions mark a grim milestone in a case that ignited concerns over youth safety, gang recruitment, and New York’s bail reform policies. Matthews, in particular, had a troubling history with the law.
Matthews and Gonzalez now face up to 65 years to life in prison at their sentencing on May 9.
“We cannot and will not stand for this type of brutality on our streets,” Donnelly said. “My office remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to prevent these senseless acts of violence.”
Neighbors had long raised concerns about Dopie’s World and a nearby smoke shop, calling them magnets for underage drinking and violence.
Elizabeth Rios, who lives near the venue, said she shielded her children as gunfire rang out. “Ever since those parties started, it hasn’t been peaceful,” she said. “We knew something like this was coming.”
In the weeks before the shooting, a separate daytime shooting occurred just blocks away. At a community meeting held afterward, residents demanded tighter oversight of local venues and enforcement against alcohol sales to minors.
While officials pointed to bail reform and the suspects’ criminal records as systemic failures, some locals said much earlier warnings were left unheeded.
–Juan Lasso
PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that this Board shall convene a special meeting thereof within twenty-four hours after the filing with the District Clerk of a written report of the results of the ballot for the purpose of examining and tabulating said reports of the result of the ballot and declaring the result of the ballot; that the Board hereby designates itself to be a set of poll clerks to cast and canvass ballots pursuant to Education Law 2019-a, subdivision 2b at said special meeting of the Board.
DRIVING INSTRUCTOR
Mail Resumes to: Bright Max Inc., d/b/a Fresh Smoothies, Space # 1106, Green Acres Mall, Ste 2K15A, Valley Stream, NY 11581. Job Loc: Valley Stream, NY. OUTSIDE SALES Richner
Homes
Fixing things up downstairs
Q. Our basement is unfinished, and we plan to put in walls and a finished ceiling. We know we need an escape window, but what are your suggestions on other things, like the kind of ceiling? I’m thinking about just sheetrock, but what kind of access do you recommend for the pipes and wires I’ll need to get to?
A. There are many items to include in your thought process for finishing your basement. Mistakes are made, first, by ever assuming that the people doing the work know the laws.
The biggest problem I see is that the ceiling is just a little too low, that someone dropped the entire ceiling level just because of one pipe. The minimum ceiling height in the current code is 6 feet 8 inches clearance, with 6 feet 4 inches under the center beams, air ducts or soffits anywhere in the basement. Always leave access for shutoff valves, wiring connections, cleanouts and other controls.
If you need to move pipes that were installed without any care for your future use of the basement, move them. Piping should go around the perimeter of the basement, no matter what excuse you hear. Because of poor planning and even worse execution, pipes are the No. 1 problem, because someone thoughtlessly put them in a place that was good for them and not for you.
The ceiling finish can be sheetrock in the larger areas with perimeter “hung” track ceilings outfitted with removable ceiling tiles. Again, even those lowered perimeter and under-beam soffits need to be no less than 6 feet 4 inches above the floor. Tall firefighters need to avoid hitting their heads when they’re running though your smoke-filled basement to rescue you or your loved ones.
Although you know you need an escape well window or exterior door entry, placement of the well in some side or front yards can cause a code violation if it’s closer than allowed to a property line. Verify your setback requirements for your zone, and even confirm that with an official at your local building department.
Many jurisdictions require a permit with plans and inspections, so don’t forget these important requirements. There are so many people who are frustrated that their contractor didn’t tell them that they needed a permit, and even worse, that they now have a violation that requires reconstruction to pass inspections. Don’t be one of those people.
Other important issues include what to do with enclosing your heating equipment, putting laundry sinks and washing machines too close to the main electrical service panel, using the wrong kind of wall studs for perimeter walls, not insulating correctly and forgetting to put handrails on the access stairs, inside and out. Heating equipment, to the code, must follow the manufacturer’s specifications. Installers rarely leave a manual. Sometimes the internet helps. There must be 5/8-inch type X gypsum board on the ceiling extending at least 1 foot in each direction around the boiler. Best of luck!
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opinions
Battery storage is key to economic competitiveness
As a lifelong Long Islander, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when our energy system fails. I lived through Superstorm Sandy and helped lead recovery efforts in its aftermath — and I don’t need to remind those who went weeks without power and spent hours on gas lines that grid resilience isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a necessity — one we must urgently prioritize.
Unfortunately, more than a decade later, the challenge not only persists, but it’s more complex than ever. The surge in electric vehicles, the rise of data centers and the electrification of homes and businesses are pushing Long Island’s energy demand to unprecedented levels. This isn’t just about the next superstorm — it’s about how we power everyday life for families and small businesses right now. Our existing grid wasn’t designed for this kind of load, and without proactive investment, we risk higher costs, decreased reliability and a system stretched to its breaking point. And the pressure is mounting. The Long Island Power Authority anticipates a steep rise in electricity demand in the
As I fight tooth and nail for every dollar, every program, every piece of support that I can secure for my constituents, a clear pattern has emerged in the performance of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman — one that it is marred by self-promotional pageantry, misplaced priorities and big promises that ultimately collapse.
The most recent example is the failure of the NYU Langone hospital project that was supposed to rise on the campus of Nassau Community College. When Blakeman introduced it, he billed it as a multibillion-dollar economic engine that would create thousands of jobs, deliver cutting-edge medical care and provide opportunities for our students.
When it was withdrawn in March, it became just another abandoned plan — another missed opportunity that could have changed lives and transformed our economy. Questions from the public and lawmakers have been met with a lack of
coming years. Storage will be key. Planned battery storage projects in Shoreham and Hauppauge are expected to deliver 129 megawatts of capacity, enough to power 25,000 homes once they’re operational in 2028. These aren’t theoretical solutions; they’re essential to keeping Long Islanders’ lights on. And they demonstrate that the public and private sectors can work together to address infrastructure challenges with innovative solutions.
important in ensuring that clean power doesn’t go to waste.
Without it, rising demand can trigger price volatility, hurting small businesses.
Battery energy storage systems are a smart response to this challenge. By storing excess energy during off-peak times and discharging it when demand peaks, these systems stabilize the grid without requiring massive infrastructure overhauls. They help prevent blackouts, curb price spikes, and improve efficiency. In short, they let us do more with what we already have, and that’s a win for everyone.
One of BESS’s most powerful features is its flexibility. It can store energy from any source — solar, wind, natural gas — and dispatch it where and when it’s needed most. This ability to smooth out fluctuations in supply and demand is crucial not just for stability, but also for affordability. And as more renewable sources come online, storage becomes even more
And we don’t have to look far to see BESS in action. On Long Island, Brookhaven recently approved two major battery storage projects that will add more than 300 megawatts of capacity to the grid. These facilities will store renewable energy when production is high and release it during peak usage — cutting costs, improving reliability and reducing emissions. As New York state accelerates its clean energy goals, battery storage projects like these will prove to be a critical tool for making our power system cleaner, smarter and more resilient. They also mean job creation and local investment, as the clean energy economy continues to grow.
Beyond environmental benefits, BESS has an economic upside. Without storage, rising demand can trigger price volatility, hurting working families and small business owners most. Battery storage helps keep costs predictable by reducing reliance on expensive “peaker” plants. And for high-tech industries like AI, data processing and advanced manufacturing, energy stability isn’t just a bonus — it’s a requirement for doing business. The long-term economic competitiveness of our region depends on
getting this right. Of course, safety must be top of mind. Modern battery storage systems are equipped with cutting-edge fire-prevention measures, modular designs and rigorous safety protocols. Proposed updates to fire codes will go even further, requiring comprehensive emergency planning and more frequent inspections. These systems aren’t just high-performing — they’re engineered to be safe and dependable, with oversight from both developers and local authorities.
If we want Long Island to stay competitive, battery storage must become a core part of our energy strategy. That means updating regulations to enable faster deployment, incentivizing private investment and supporting community engagement. Doing nothing is not an option. The longer we wait, the more vulnerable we become — not just to storms, but also to soaring costs and system failures. The future of energy here doesn’t hinge on simply generating more power — it depends on using the power we already have more wisely. Battery storage is the bridge between today’s strained grid and tomorrow’s resilient, affordable and sustainable energy future. Let’s not wait for the next storm or the next blackout to act. The time is now.
Sammy Chu is chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council-Long Island Chapter and chief executive officer of Edgewise Energy.
Nassau has little to show for Blakeman’s big promises
transparency, and no explanation.
Just up the road from NCC, you’ll find the Uniondale Hub, where Blakeman unsuccessfully chased a casino license. Whether you supported or opposed it, you couldn’t help but notice that the pursuit was fraught. The first time it went through the Legislature, the process was so flawed that a court made him start over. The project, with his promises of jobs and tax revenues, finally fell through, and billions of dollars in promised economic development and opportunities for union workers disappeared with yet another failed attempt to develop the Hub.
accounting for how the money was used.
The same can be said of the handling of the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup. After major portions of Eisenhower Park were closed for months, and there was the promise of an economic windfall, all Nassau got in return (from what we can tell so far) is major disruptions to the park’s operations, questions about whether taxpayers made a dime and, once again, no accountability.
H e favors political theater over policies that will address our serious issues.
Worse yet, the Blakeman administration blocked the use of project labor agreements to build the temporary stadium, squandering an opportunity to boost the livelihoods of local workers.
world-class burn center and lifesaving drug detox facilities, fails, it won’t just be a health care catastrophe — it will also be an economic earthquake. Working families will lose access to care, and thousands of jobs in the medical field could vanish overnight. Finger-pointing does not suffice as a strategy.
And let’s not forget the fundamentals: Blakeman passed a county budget that was so out of balance that it violated generally accepted accounting principles, and Nassau’s fiscal monitor forced him to fix it. The county’s most recent capital infrastructure plan was stalled for months because of Blakeman’s inexplicable refusal to fund more than $1 million in grants for first responders in Democratic districts, adding political rancor where there should be none.
These are not the only things that have vanished under this administration. Remember Blakeman’s plan to use $10 million in federal coronavirus recovery funds to promote himself under the guise of the county’s 125th-anniversary celebration? While families struggled to get back on their feet after the pandemic, his administration concluded that the best use for a significant portion of those funds was gala banquets, golf outings, fireworks and parades. Yet many of these events never happened, and there is little
The disrespect for labor is further exemplified in the treatment of CSEA employees and retirees, the backbone of our county workforce. They were promised affordable health care in exchange for their service. Instead, Blakeman gutted their benefits.
Then there’s the future of Nassau University Medical Center. Instead of delivering on promises to save the hospital, the administration has installed political cronies and further deepened the crisis. If NUMC, a Level 1 trauma center with a
As someone who is fighting to make things better for our communities, it is profoundly frustrating to pick up the pieces after an administration that prioritizes political theater over implementing policies that will address the most serious issues facing our communities. Nassau County deserves better than disappearing headlines. We deserve leadership that delivers.
Seth Koslow, who represents Nassau County’s 5th Legislative District, is the Democratic candidate for county executive.
sAMMY CHU
sETH i. KosLoW
There should be nothing but support for law enforcement
in recent weeks I have been at a number of events sponsored by police organizations, including a gala honoring 100 years of the Nassau County Police Department. I also spoke at a meeting of the Long Island Shields, which comprises retired police and law enforcement officers from New York City’s five boroughs as well as Nassau and Suffolk counties. And I attended a news conference with County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Police Commissioner Pat Ryder, at which they announced the creation of a house of worship desk, and demonstrated how drones can be deployed within minutes of mass shootings at houses of worship to determine the precise location of the shooter.
I regularly attend NCPD briefings on possible terror threats on Long Island. This isn’t new for me, since for my final almost two decades in Congress after 9/11, both as chairman and as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I worked very closely with the New York
The lessons of the Holocaust are for everyone opinions
Last week, millions of people of the Hebrew faith observed an event known as the Shoah. It is the Hebrew word for catastrophe or disaster, and it is frequently used to refer to the Holocaust, the deliberate killing of six million Jews by the Nazi regime. While not all of us pause to formally recognize this event, it is a painful reminder of man’s inhumanity to man, and deserves to be observed every year.
I am very much aware of the need to pause to remember the Holocaust, because many members of my immediate family were either innocent victims of the Nazi killing machine or managed to escape the horror. Despite the fact that many of my aunts and uncles were Holocaust survivors, there was rarely any discussion about their experiences, because they were too painful to recount.
City and Nassau and Suffolk police departments on counterterrorism strategies and resources. Unfortunately, I was also in Congress during the summer of 2020, when we saw massive demonstrations against the police, a number of which turned violent, and the coordinated effort to “defund the police.” Tragically, I have also attended too many funerals of cops who have been shot and killed in the line of duty.
Too many people take the police for granted, or in some cases are even anti-police.
I say all this because too many people too often take the police for granted, or in some cases even join or support the anti-police movement, focusing on inappropriate actions taken by the smallest minority of police while ignoring that no one does more than the men and women in blue to safeguard all of us while respecting the rights of everyone regardless of race, creed or national origin — all while putting themselves at great risk.
While I understand why everyday people, who are busy trying to make a living and provide for their families, can overlook the outstanding work cops are doing to protect us 24/7, I have little tolerance for elected officials who enact laws or implement policies to tie the
hands of the police or, even worse, turn against them when it suits their political purposes. Support for police shouldn’t be subject to the shifting political winds. It is hypocritical to see politicians who, just a few years ago, were riding the “defund the police” bandwagon, or saying nothing in defense of the police, now shamelessly demanding more funding for more police. Similarly hypocritical are those legislators who hailed themselves for passing “bail reform” now claiming they never intended it to put more criminals back on the streets.
Recent elections have shown that everyday Americans are rallying for the police and supporting policies best described as pro-law and order. For instance, most observers, Democrats and Republicans alike, would agree that Anne Donnelly was elected Nassau County district attorney over her much more well known opponent, State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, four years ago not just because of her decades-long career as a prosecutor, but because of Kaminsky’s previous outspoken support of cashless bail, which he unsuccessfully attempted to run away from during the campaign.
Similarly, the most obvious example of this growing pro-cop sentiment was Donald Trump’s election last fall. Trump ran on a clear pro-police, toughon-crime platform, moving many traditional Democrats to cross party lines to vote for him over the party they believed abandoned them.
I must admit that my support for the police is due in part to personal dealings I’ve had with members of law enforcement over the years, beginning with my father, who was in the NYPD for more than 30 years, and friends of mine who joined the NYPD and NCPD. There were also my close dealings with all levels of law enforcement — federal, state and local — in the years after 9/11, including the officers assigned to my security detail because of foreign and domestic threats against me.
But support for law enforcement must be based on more than personal or family friendships and relationships. Very basically, it is in all of our best interests to support the men and women who — often against the odds — put themselves at risk to protect our streets and communities. It’s also simply the right thing to do.
Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Comments? pking@ liherald.com.
Those members of my family who were survivors were blessed to live long lives even though they suffered greatly during the war. A few lived into their 90s, and my grandma Sarah lived to be 100. Some might say that for them, long life was a blessing, but I believe it was a testament to their willingness to be living examples of what they had seen so that we didn’t forget their ordeal, or the millions who didn’t survive.
M y Grandma
Sarah never spoke of her confinement until her late 90s.
At this point, I choose to write about my grandmother and my aunt Irene. On a few rare occasions, they put aside their reticence to tell us something about the horrible past. In the case of Irene, she spoke of how she had been sent to a concentration camp, along with her mother and sister. When they got there, a German soldier directed her mother and sister to go to one area, and Irene to another. After that moment, she said, she never saw them again, because their fate was sealed. Grandma Sarah had another story, but she never spoke of her confinement
until her late 90s. We had been forced to put her in the Komanoff Pavilion, in Long Beach, due to her many physical needs. On the few occasions that we visited her, she told us that “they beat me last night.” She told us many other things that we knew she would never willingly reveal if she had control of her faculties. I share these stories out of my fear for where the world is going.
Recently there was an election in Germany. Before it, Vice President J.D. Vance decided to meet with the leaders of all of the nation’s political parties. He gave special support to the far right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party, which has strong pro-Nazi leanings. Its platform has frightened the country, and Europe in general. Vance made a plea for the party to be recognized as a partner in future governments. His visit was totally unnecessary, and sent a message to bigots around the world that their antisemitism has the approval of a White House occupant. We are currently hearing a great deal
of talk about antisemitism on college campuses as well as in the rest of America. Leaders of the Anti-Defamation League recently reported that there have been over 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. since the horrific tragedy of Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023. It is believed to be the highest number of incidents ever recorded in a similar period since the ADL started tracking them in 1979.
History tells us that hate crimes don’t just single out one particular group. People of Italian, Irish, Chinese, Muslim and other backgrounds have suffered at the hands of wicked political leaders who strategically pick some group as their scapegoats. The observance of the Shoah is a stark reminder that, once again, these horror stories can be repeated, unless we are vigilant and willing to fight against hate in all forms. The forces of evil are always there waiting to strike, especially when we fail to ignore them.
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.
pETER KinG
JERRY
KREMER
Your Board of Education needs your attention
oWn Long Island and across New York state, incumbent trustees and new candidates for school district boards of education have submitted their petitions and are now on the ballot on May 20, when residents go to the polls to vote on their school budgets and capital improvement referendums, and elect their trustees.
For the next two and a half weeks, the candidates will hold forums with residents and plant lawn signs across their communities in an effort to keep their names in voters’ minds, as well as their stances on the districts’ spending plans.
While elected positions from village trustee to state legislator might appear more important and larger in scope, the decisions that shape our daily lives are frequently made on those school boards. And, from voters’ perspective, lifeimpacting decisions about where they choose to live are more often than not made based on where their children will go to school.
Quality public education not only prepares our children for bright futures, but also increases communities’ property values, attracts new residents, reduces crime and promotes social mobility.
For the 125 school districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties, boards of education, typically consisting of five to nine people, play a critical role in overseeing and shaping the educational system. Their responsibilities include creating a vision for the district, setting goals and
letters
Gillen’s
establishing policies, overseeing multimillion-dollar budgets, and collaborating with administrators to help ensure the schools’ smooth operations. They must be accountable to the community, and offer regular, constructive public engagement.
Though trustees are volunteers, they are entrusted to guide the district and have a duty to represent their constituencies during their three-year terms. That includes being aware of, and understanding, the influence they wield.
All of the above are great reasons why you should care about your local school board: because its members represent the beating heart of civic responsibility, and because our schools deserve leadership that is not only competent and informed, but also reflective of and responsive to the communities they serve. Board trustees may have none of the glamour of state or national office holders, but the impact they have is often more immediate, and more personal. Their decisions don’t just affect students — they affect entire neighborhoods, in so many ways.
Residents have a responsibility to know who represents them and what those representatives stand for. That means researching school board candidates, attending their town halls, asking tough questions — making sure community concerns are heard — and judging the results with your vote. You can learn
‘town hall’ wasn’t much of one
To the Editor:
U.S. Rep. Laura Gillen advertised a “Town Hall Meeting” on April 16. Sadly, it was nothing more than a performative press release with an audience. What a disappointment. and waste of her constituents’ time! A 30-minute presentation with no comments, feedback or questions from the audience.
While technically meeting the definition of a Q&A by reading pre-submitted — and perhaps prescreened — questions, Gillen answered them with superficial, pre-fabricated responses that, in some cases, matched exactly the column she wrote for the Heralds last month. We could have just stayed home and read our copy of the Herald!
Gillen told us why she chose which committees she wanted to serve on, her hope and plan to work in a bipartisan fashion, and her desire to reduce roadway deaths and dangers. She shared her reason for supporting the Laken Riley Act, which requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal immigrants who commit certain crimes, but when there was criticism from the audience, the person was removed by security.
more about candidates before elections, and then their effectiveness as trustees, each week in the Herald.
And anyone can run for their local school board. You don’t need a background in teaching, or a master’s in education policy, or to be working in a profession that has anything to do with either one. What you do need is a commitment to fairness, a willingness to listen and a passion for serving your community by providing its children with the highest-quality education possible.
Public education needs leaders who understand the complexities of modern classrooms and the myriad challenges faced by working families who have kids in school, and public servants who put the needs of students above special interests. That leadership doesn’t have to come from somewhere else. It can come from you. We need more residents to step forward — not for the prestige of being a trustee, but for the purpose.
At a time when trust in institutions is fragile and divisions run deep, school boards offer a rare opportunity to focus on unity and progress, where politics can — and certainly should — take a backseat to the shared goal of improving children’s lives.
So let this be a call not only to vote, but also to get involved. Attend meetings. Volunteer to help with a school activity. Speak up — ask questions. And if you’re ready to lead, step up. Our children are depending on us.
What was never touched on was the elephant in the room, the reason so many people wanted to attend the meeting: We are in crisis in this country, our rights are being overridden, the Consti-
tution trampled. The current administration is committing illegal acts in our name, “disappearing” people and shipping them to foreign countries where our tax dollars are used to keep them
L.I. should build on Pro-Housing Communities Program
with the State Legislature in budget season, there is a ripe opportunity to improve one state program that works to combat New York’s limited housing supply by helping fund local infrastructure: the Pro-Housing Communities Program. On Long Island, that limited supply of housing has caused prices to soar to record heights.
The average home price stands at nearly $780,000 in Nassau County and over $662,000 in Suffolk County.
Gov. Kathy Hochul created the $650 million ProHousing program in 2023, enabling cities, towns and villages to apply for ProHousing designation and pursue related state funding. That funding is broadly focused on downtown revitalization and economic development, but it includes housing-related infrastructure such as
water and sewage.
So far, 26 localities on Long Island have applied for the designation. Fifteen have been certified. The others are still pursuing it.
Those 15 localities include the cities of Glen Cove and Long Beach, as well as the Towns of Babylon, Brookhaven, East Hampton and Riverhead. They also include the villages of Farmingdale, Freeport, Hempstead, Mineola, Port Jefferson, Port Washington North, Sag Harbor, Valley Stream and Westbury.
it’s an important step in making affordable housing more available.
Those 15 localities have also now applied for related state funding. The funding decisions will be announced in June.
This is a start, but the $650 million covers the entire state. With high construction costs, these funds will not be enough to make the improvements necessary to satisfy Long Island’s housingrelated infrastructure needs. More is required.
In the governor’s proposed fiscal year
Letters
detained without due process. Our confidential personal data is being taken by rogue invaders without any security clearance. Our Social Security, health care system and Medicaid are in grave danger. This was not addressed in Gillen’s “town hall.” The fear, concern and dissent were not acknowledged in any way.
While I guess we should be happy that at least there was a performance of a town hall, since so many legislators are totally ignoring their constituents, and in fact hiding from them, this event was barely better. She can and should do better!
LINdA ROBERTSON West Hempstead
New chief program officer at United Cerebral Palsy-LI
To the Editor:
United Cerebral Palsy of Long Island would like to introduce Robin Lane as the organization’s first-ever chief program officer.
A dedicated member of the UCP-LI family since 1993, Lane has over 35 years of experience providing services to people with disabilities.
“Robin’s career with UCP is a testament to her unwavering dedication, passion and leadership,” Colleen Crispino, president and CEO of UCP-LI, said. “Her promotion is not only well-deserved, but also a natural progression for someone who has made such a lasting impact on our organization and the people we serve.”
2026 budget, a $100 million infrastructure fund would be set aside for certified Pro-Housing Communities. Yet this fund represents a drop in the bucket of what is needed to cover the infrastructure needs across the state and Long Island. Just one project, the recently completed Central Islip sewer expansion, had a price tag of $13.7 million.
An additional $10 million in the governor’s proposed budget would fund a new housing ombudsman’s office, which would work to assist municipalities with their housing needs and provide technical support for the Pro-Housing Communities Program. These are vital steps, but they still don’t go far enough.
Recurring funding is needed, and it is crucial. This should not be just a piecemeal allocation.
The program should also provide data on the amount of housing created by it. Promoting housing is the overall goal, so its specific impact should be
Lane began her journey with UCP-LI as a residential manager, and has held various leadership roles in the program, including associate director. Her most recent position was director of quality management and corporate compliance. In that role she had the responsibility for incident management, quality assurance and compliance, ensuring adherence to regulatory standards.
As chief program officer, Lane will oversee the planning, development, and management of all program areas, including adult day services, the Children’s Center, residential services, and a wide range of family support programs.
She will also serve as a key member of the executive leadership team, where she plays an integral role in strategic planning, systems development and program innovation.
“I am honored and excited to step into the role of chief program officer,” Lane said. “UCP has been my professional home for over three decades, and I am deeply committed to advancing our mission, supporting our dedicated staff, and continuing to provide the highest quality services to the individuals and families we serve.”
Lane earned a bachelor’s degree in health policy and administration from Pennsylvania State University and a graduate degree from Stony Brook University.
For more information about UCP of Long Island and its programs, visit UCP-li. org.
JILLIAN CAVALIERI
Community relations specialist, UCP of Long Island
reported.
One improvement has been made. In response to feedback from communities on Long Island like Patchogue, applicants across the state can now be judged on a wider range of activities over a longer time frame.
The demand is clear. In July 2024, the Village of Mineola stood alone as the only Pro-Housing Community on the island. Now, 15 Long Island localities have been certified, and 11 more are pursuing it.
The momentum is growing. The need for more housing has never been greater.
The Long Island communities that are pursuing this program are taking important steps to improve the availability of more affordable housing. More localities should move in this direction, thereby creating more equitable opportunities.
The state should continue to reinforce and improve this program. Everyone will benefit.
April Francis Taylor is acting president of ERASE Racism, the regional civil rights organization based in Syosset.
Framework by Tim Baker At
apriL FranCis taYLor
