Serving Great Neck, G.N. Plaza, G.N. Estates, Kensington, Kings Point, Lake Success, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock and Thomaston
$1
Friday, August 14, 2020
Vol. 95, No. 33
LIVING 50+ PAGES 21-28
MANHASSET LORD & TAYLOR TO STAY OPEN PAGE 4
STATE CERTIFIES SUOZZI RACE 6 WEEKS LATER PAGE 7
Some still without electricity in Nassau PSEG Long Island blasted for response failures BY R O S E W E L D ON
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID ZIELENZIGER
A tree on Beach Road in Great Neck was uprooted by strong winds during Tropical Storm Isaias.
“Before the major storm knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of Long Islanders, the electric company promised that they were prepared,” Nassau County Legislator Delia De-Riggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) wrote in a letter to her constituents Aug. 7. “Then, the website for reporting power outages crashed and the phone lines jammed, text messages and apps fared little better, trees tangled in electrical wires blocked major thoroughfares days later and the company couldn’t track what traffic lights were still out.” DeRiggi-Whitton wrote. “Are we talking about Superstorm Sandy in 2012 – or
Tropical Storm Isaias just a few days ago?” Over a week after winds from Tropical Storm Isaias rocked Long Island for under three hours, thousands of PSEG Long Island customers remained without power, and state officials were launching probes into the utility’s perceived ineffective response in terms of preparedness and communications, said by some to rival the Long Island Power Authority’s response to Superstorm Sandy. THOUSANDS WITHOUT ELECTRICITY PSEG initially said on Aug. 6 that the storm affected approximately 440,000 customers across Long Island, but walked back its claim in
a statement on Wednesday, claiming the actual figure was 420,000 affected. About 15,528 customers remained without power as of Wednesday morning. “Due to the large number of crews from other utilities brought into our service area before Tropical Storm Isaias, power restoration is progressing faster than can be displayed on the outage map,” a statement said. “The map will fluctuate as we refine the data.” PSEG also said that while it “experienced issues with our communications systems, at no time did these challenges impact restoration efforts.” The power map originalContinued on Page 34
Doomchin found not responsible for stabbing BY R OB E RT PELAEZ
Justice Robert Bogle ruled on tal disease or defect” for fatally Wednesday that Great Neck na- stabbing a British tourist in tive Faye Doomchin “was not 2018, according to Newsday. The 68-year-old Doomchin Acting State Supreme Court responsible by reason of menwas charged with seconddegree murder after she stabbed Denise Webster on Aug. 13, 2018, in her Great Neck home. The two women, who met for the first
time that day, had had lunch out. The defense did not dispute that Doomchin carried out the stabbing, but said she was not criminally responsible because of mental disease. Efforts to reach officials for comment on a potential course of action for Doomchin were unavailing.
“This was the right verdict,” Doomchin’s attorney Robert Gottlieb told Newsday. “It reflected the true meaning of justice.” “We respect the judge’s verdict,” Nassau District Attorney spokeswoman Miriam Sholder told Newsday. “This case was a horrific tragedy, and our Continued on Page 47
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