New Hyde Park Herald Courier

Serving New Hyde Park, Floral Park, Garden City Park, North Hills, Manhasset Hills and North New Hyde Park

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Friday, January 1, 2021

Vol. 70, No. 1

N E W H Y D E PA R K

HEALTH, WELLNESS AND BEAUTY GUIDE

NASSAU PBA REJECTS CONTRACT

COUNTY BILL SEEKS TO AID RESTAURANTS

PAGES 19-22

PAGE 2

PAGE 6

N.Y. anticipates 259K vaccine doses this week

BELMONT ON ICE

North Shore nears 11,000 total virus cases since mid-March

BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that 140,000 New Yorkers had received one dose of a coronavirus vaccine as of Monday, with another 259,0000 doses expected to be received by the state this week.

Of the 259,000 anticipated doses, 139,400 will be coming from Pfizer and 119,600 from Moderna, Cuomo said. High-risk hospital workers, EMS employees, medical examiners, coroners, funeral workers, and staff and residents of the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities and Office of Medical Health facilities will be prioritized in obtaining the vaccines, Cuomo said.

“We can see the light at the end of the tunnel and New York is leading the nation in distributing the vaccine to get us there, but as we approach the end of the holiday season, the rest of us must stay tough,” Cuomo said on Monday.

“Remember – if we act smart, then we can avoid shutdowns and win this war.”

President-elect Joe Biden continued his criticism of President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the rate of vaccine distribution on Tuesday.

Biden promised the American people that 100 million vaccine shots would be conducted across the nation within his first 100 days in office. Since the current vaccines require two shots, Biden’s prediction would result in 50 million Americans obtaining the vaccine.

Biden said infections as a result of the holidays will produce an increase in deaths into February. He said he anticipated that the country may not see improvement until “well into March,” and said the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed, established to put the vaccine into the arms of Americans as quickly as possible, is “falling far behind.”

Continued on Page 27

PHOTO COURTESY OF UBS ARENA

The roof at UBS Arena in Belmont was closed just in time for the first major snowfall of the year last week.

Democrats find an ally in President Trump

BY R OB E RT PELAEZ Local officials called on U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (RKentucky) to push for $2,000 stimulus checks for American

citizens after President Donald Trump signed a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill into law on Sunday night.

Congress approved the nation’s second stimulus package to aid people in the ongoing

fight against the coronavirus pandemic last week. The bill passed in the House 359-53 and in the Senate 92-6.

The measure calls for direct payments of $600 to adults Continued on Page 28

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HC

PBA rejects contract Manhasset Bed Bath with Nassau County & Beyond to close Promised officers $3K stipend for wearing body cameras

One of 200 stores to do so in next 2 years

BY R O S E W E L D ON

PHOTO BY NOAH MANSKAR

The Nassau County Police Benevolent Association rejected an eight-and-a-half-year contract with the county’s Police Department last week.

BY R OB E RT PELAEZ The Nassau County Police Benevolent Association rejected a tentative contract that would provide police officers with a 25 percent raise over eight and a half years and a $3,000 annual stipend to wear body cameras, according to a Newsday report.

Union President James McDermott said the proposed contract was defeated on Dec. 23 by 143 votes, according to Newsday. McDermott did not provide further specifics on the action taken by the nearly 1,600-member union. Efforts to reach McDermott or another representative of the union for comment were unavailing.

The $3,000 stipend, according to Newsday, would be awarded annually, but put into the base pay of each officer at the conclusion of the contract. The proposed deal would have also provided a $2,500 cash

payment to each officer, along with another payment of $2,420 on Jan. 1, 2025, according to the report.

The stipend follows an executive order Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed in June that requires each police agency to conduct a plan to “reinvent and modernize police strategies” by April 1, when the state’s next fiscal year begins.

“There’s concessions; there’s always concessions in contracts and in arbitrations, but we do this in order to get guaranteed cash increases into your pocket,” McDermott said in a video circulated to members of the union earlier in December, Newsday reported.

According to figures from another Newsday article published in the summer, the average police officer in Nassau County makes more than $121,000 a year and has an average workweek of under 25 hours, without taking overtime into account. Contract provisions also provide officers with more than 70 days of paid time off.

With the proposed 25 percent increase to the reported average pay of $121,659, the average pay for the officers would increase to more than $152,000.

Nassau County spends $1,148 per capita on police and fire protection while the national median is $359, according to a U.S. News & World Report this year that deemed Nassau County the safest community in America. Public safety professionals account for 1.26 percent of the county’s population, compared with the national median of 0.70 percent.

According to data from SeeThroughNY.com, 26 officers in Nassau County retired since Jan. 1, 2020, and the collective pension payments total $3.37 million under the state’s Police and Fire Retirement System. Five of the top 10 officers with the biggest pension amounts have Nassau County listed as their last employer.

Continued on Page 27

Yet another major retailer on Northern Boulevard has fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bed Bath & Beyond store located in the Munsey Park area of Manhasset will close by the end of February, a spokesperson for the retailer said last week.

Bed Bath & Beyond spokesman Dominic Pendry said in a statement that the closure would be part of “a store optimization plan that will see us establish the right network of stores to serve our customers.”

The 2103 Northern Boulevard store shares a building with a Whole Foods Market located in the Munsey Park Plaza shopping center, directly across from the Americana Manhasset luxury shopping center. Jericho-based

landlord Kimco Realty Corp. says on its website that the two-level store occupies 41,393 square feet.

Parent company Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., based in Union, New Jersey, said in July that it planned to close about 200 stores over two years.

The chain’s stores in South Huntington and Inwood closed in November 2018. With the Manhasset store’s closure, there will be 11 Bed Bath & Beyond stores on Long Island, including locations in East Northport, Farmingdale, Plainview and Oceanside.

This marks the second major Northern Boulevard retailer to have closed over the course of the pandemic, with Lord & Taylor, just west of Bed Bath & Beyond, announcing the closure of its Manhasset store in August.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS

The Bed Bath & Beyond in Manhasset will close in February, according to a company spokesperson.

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Fate of iconic W.P. eatery uncertain Hildebrandt’s announced closure in summer, no word on whether landmark campaign succeeded

BY R O S E W E L D ON

The fate of a North Shore mainstay is still unknown, months after it was first reported to be closing.

In July, the owners of Hildebrandt’s Restaurant in Williston Park said in a now-removed post on its Facebook page that it would “no longer be in business within the next few months.”

The closing was said to be due to the building’s landlords deciding to sell it, and the new owners “creating something different.” It was explicitly stated that the closure was “unrelated to COVID-19.”

Management said in a later Facebook post that it was looking at ways to have the building named a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.

“With whatever time we may have we are working to make Hildebrandt’s a landmark so even when the building is sold, it will ALWAYS remain our beloved place,” the Facebook post read.

The news led to a movement among fans and patrons to have the building declared a

landmark, with a Change.org petition for the cause which over 13,000 people have signed.

Not long afterward, the shop reported in another Facebook post in August that the original buyer, who intended to close the store, had “backed out of the deal,” though the building remained for sale. Management then wrote in a comment on the same post that “to get [landmark] status the owner of the building has to want it to be a landmark. And he doesn’t.

We haven’t heard anything back about it.”

Another post in October said that “the new landlords cannot evict us till the end of the year.” A comment on that replying to a customer’s inquiry if the store would be able to move stated that moving would not be an option “because of the large expense.”

A source close to Hinrich Sparks and Henry Wittschieben, who owned the building at 84 Hillside Ave. that houses Hildebrandt’s, said they sold the building in the last several months but did not specify

PHOTO BY JANELLE CLAUSEN

The fate of Hildebrandt’s in Williston Park remains up in the air. when.

Most recently, in a comment on a Dec. 7 Instagram post, the management replied to a request for updates with unfortunate news.

“The only update we have is

that the building is bought and the new landlord wants us out,” the comment said.

No official announcements or comments on the possible closure have been made since then.

First opened by Henry Hildebrandt in the late 1920s, the restaurant was sold to Alma Steffens in the 1950s. Steffens then sold it to Helen Baum in 1974, and Baum sold it to Alfred and Joanne Strano in 1975.

The Stranos later sold it to their daughter Susan, who owned and operated it with her husband, Bryan Acosta, from 2007 until her death in 2015.

Since then, Acosta has kept the store going with his and Susan’s daughter, Hunter.

Films like “The Book of Henry,” starring Naomi Watts, and, most notably, Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman”have used the shop’s frozen-in-time interiors to evoke a cozy soda fountain aesthetic.

In 2011, the restaurant was featured on the Food Network program “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,”with manager Tom Bauman showing host and chef Guy Fieri a process of making butter pecan ice cream. Former owner Joanne Strano also appeared, making sauce and fried mozzarella with the chef. Fieri praised the location as “timeless.”

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HC

LIRR officials tout expansion progress Agency expects to finish third-track project by 2022 despite coronavirus restrictions

BY R OB E RT PELAEZ

As a tumultuous year came to a close, officials from the Long Island Rail Road’s expansion project reflected on the progress made in 2020.

The year in construction was highlighted by reaching the halfway point for completion of the project, which is putting in place nearly 10 miles of a new third track and has worked on making grade crossings safer and upgrading the architecture and technology for stations from Floral Park to Hicksville. Construction for the project began in late 2018 and is projected to be completed in 2022, officials said.

On the North Shore, hazardous grade crossings were removed and bridges were replaced.

Crews worked through one weekend in late June to replace the 78-year-old Glen Cove Road bridge, which carried the Long Island Rail Road over Glen Cove Road, with a new three-bay structure to allow for a third track. This was the sixth of seven bridges to be replaced or improved as part of

PHOTO FROM THE ISLAND NOW ARCHIVES

Officials from the Long Island Rail Road touted the agency’s progress on their expansion project this year, despite setbacks from the coronavirus pandemic. the expansion project.

The new bridge is 60 feet long, 45 feet wide, weighs 285 tons, and has a height of 14 feet, a standard clearance height for all new bridges along the corridor. It was assembled in the Macy’s parking lot adjacent to the site and was

lifted and rolled into place using specialized heavy-duty equipment after the old bridge was demolished.

The New Hyde Park underpass was completed in August, two months ahead of schedule, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo said waiting for the train to pass at the grade crossing that was replaced by the underpass created inconvenience for drivers and was bad for the environment since cars would sit idle while waiting.

“This was a traffic nightmare for decades,” Cuomo said during a news conference at Clinton G. Martin Community Center in New Hyde Park in August. “And it was one of those situations where you would say as you’re going through it, ‘why don’t they fix this.’”

In October, workers finished installing two interlockings, pieces of infrastructure to prepare for installation of the third track. The interlockings will allow trains to move from one track to another with the use of switches.

“Once the LIRR Expansion Project is complete, the interlockings and third track will provide the railroad with the ability to increase service by nearly 50 percent, route trains around problem areas, and provide true bidirectional service during peak morning and afternoon periods,” officials said in an October news release.

October also saw the elimina-

tion of the last of three crossings on the Main Line in New Hyde Park as the South 12th Street crossing was permanently closed. Transit authority officials stressed the need for the elimination of grade crossings after six fatal crashes at Main Line corridor crossings from 2007 to 2017.

Platforms at the New Hyde Park station are also being lengthened and positioned to accommodate the Main Line’s new third track.

In early December, Willis Avenue in Mineola closed to vehicle traffic from 3rd to 2nd streets for at least nine months. The MTA said the underpass is the last to be constructed as part of the expansion project.

“The Willis Avenue grade crossing elimination project will help strengthen the reliability of LIRR infrastructure and support the growth and development of Long Island as well as the entire region,” the MTA said in a statement. “In addition, it will enhance safety and provide for a quieter and more livable community along the railroad.”

Continued on Page 28

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5

Ex-E. Hills official, judge Stack dies Jackie served in D.A.’s office before eight years as state Supreme Court justice

BY R O S E W E L D ON Elaine Jackson “Jackie” Stack, a retired justice of the New York State Supreme Court who twice served as deputy mayor of the Village of East Hills, has died at age 89.

A Mineola resident near the end of her life, she died on Dec. 19 at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset due to complications from COVID-19.

Born and raised in the South Bronx as the youngest child of bookkeeper Elsa Kamioner and hotel caterer and Polish immigrant Bernard Jackson, Jackson graduated from Manhattan’s girls-only Hunter College High School in 1947 at age 16.

In 1951, she met numismatist Norman Stack, and married him two years later. Once he was drafted into the U.S. Army, they briefly lived in Bamberg, Germany, before moving to Jamaica Estates, Queens. The Stacks bought a home in Roslyn Heights and later moved to East Hills, where they raised their four children.

Stack had briefly attended Hunter College after graduating from high school, but left to support her family when her mother fell ill. In 1971 Stack studied at what was then C.W. Post College of Long Island University, graduating in 1973, and finished St. John’s University Law School in 1979 at age 48, a year before her youngest child graduated from high school.

Soon after passing the bar, Stack joined

the Nassau County district attorney’s office later that year, where she served as deputy chief of the Rackets Bureau and in other trial bureaus until 1986. Afterward, she spent five years in the Family Court of Nassau County, handling custody and parental access cases, guardianship matters and family offense cases. She also argued criminal, civil and family law cases at every level of the New York court system and in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

During her career in the D.A.’s office, Stack also became involved in local politics, serving first on the Zoning Board of Appeals for the Village of East Hills. She was elected to the village’s Board of Trustees in 1987 and served as deputy mayor twice, once from 1988 to 1991 and again from 1994 to 1995.

In 1996 Stack was elected to Nassau County’s District Court, and in 2000 she was elected a justice of the New York State Supreme Court. While there, she spent eight years serving in a matrimonial part of the court, hearing cases that involved divorce, property and custody cases.

Former Nassau County Court Judge David Ayres first encountered Stack in 1995 while he worked as an assistant district attorney for the county.

“The news around the office was never to go into her courtroom unprepared because then she’d rip you to shreds,” Ayres recalled in a phone interview. “Her reputation preceded her in every conversation. But she

ket Epstein, said that the “smart, fair and receptive” Stack was handling cases for the firm until she fell ill.

“She was always thirsty for more work, always looking to help out and give insight,” Ayres said. “You could talk to her about anything, and I marveled at the energy she had.

If I could have half the energy that she had her age, I’d sign up for it.”

“I wish that I could appear in front of a judge like her in every courtroom,” he added. “She was so well-prepared, she did her job as easily as if it was breathing.”

Following her retirement from Supreme Court in 2007 at age 76, Stack served on a PHOTO COURTESY OF BARKET EPSTEIN panel that adjudicated allegations of lawyer misconduct, and served as an adjunct professor of law at her alma mater and at the Elaine Jackson “Jackie” Stack, a retired justice of the New York State Hofstra University School of Law. Stack is survived by her children, RonSupreme Court and former trustee ald Stack (Barbara), Brenda Stack Freed, and deputy mayor for the Village of Dede Stack Unger (Scott) and Claudia Stack East Hills, has died.

Strobing (Frank), as well as 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Norman, was a delight to appear in front of.”

By the time Ayres retired from the bench in 1992 and by her partner, Sanford L. Goldin 2012 and began working at the Garden smith, in 2015.

The family said that donations in her City law firm Barket Epstein Kearon Aldea and LoTurco, Stack had been working there memory may be sent to the We Care Fund as of-counsel and head of family and divorce of the Nassau County Bar Association, www.

American mediation for several years, a role she held nassaubar.org/donate-now,or Friends of Magen David Adom,www.afmda. until her death.

Ayres, now a managing partner at Bar- org.

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Lafazan unveils plan to aid eateries Restoration Protection Act would cap fees that 3rd-party delivery services charge

BY R O S E W E L D ON

To provide financial relief to Nassau County restaurants struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, County Legislator Joshua Lafazan (I-Woodbury) has introduced a bill that would cap the fees that third-party food delivery services can charge.

Lafazan unveiled the legislation, the Restaurant Protection Act, during a news conference outside Oyster Bay’s Coach Meeting House last Wednesday, where he was joined by County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove), a co-sponsor of the measure; Coach Meeting House owner Rustan Lundstrum; and John Zozzaro, owner of the Downtown Café in Glen Cove.

The legislator began by noting that Americans were ordering take-out more than ever and said that the delivery service apps UberEats, DoorDash and Postmates accounted for 81 percent of the market share.

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing and some “public anxiety” concerning inperson dining, he said, it made “perfect sense that cooking at home and ordering delivery are more popular than ever.”

But, he said, the apps and food delivery services often charged high fees for restaurants to use them.

“As it currently stands, in order to make

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF NASSAU COUNTY LEGISLATOR JOSHUA LAFAZAN

Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan (I-Woodbury), center, speaks about his Restaurant Protection Act outside the Coach Meeting House in Oyster Bay on Dec. 23, accompanied by Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove), Glen Cove Downtown BID Executive Director Patricia Holman, Coach Meeting House owner Rustan Lundstrum and Downtown Café owner John Zozzaro. food deliveries, third-party apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash charge restaurants a percentage fee per order, and this fee can be as high as 30 percent,” Lafazan said.

He showed an Uber Eats bill from an

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unnamed restaurant in his district, which was shown to sell $244 worth of meals on Uber Eats in a week. However, Uber Eats took 30 percent of the restaurant’s pre-tax sales, or $73.20, leaving the restaurant

with just $191.84.

“At that rate, many restaurants don’t make any money on the order. Worse yet, they can actually lose money,” Lafazan said. “In the middle of a global pandemic, this places restaurants in a vicious Catch-22.”

Lafazan’s proposal would prohibit third-party food delivery services from charging a delivery fee greater than 15 percent of the purchase price of each online order, and cap other additional fees at 5 percent of the order price.

The cap, which is modeled after actions taken in jurisdictions such as Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C., would be activated upon the declaration of a state of emergency and simultaneous restrictions that curtail indoor dining in Nassau County. Provisions of the law would apply until Dec. 31, 2022, and thereafter, the cap would be reactivated upon the declaration of an emergency and imposition of indoor dining restrictions, and last for 90 days after such emergency order expires and the restrictions are lifted.

“And as Long Island restaurants continue their struggle to keep their doors open, immediate aid is necessary,” Lafazan said. “That is why I am urging my colleagues to pass this bill unanimously in January.”

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7

Curran launches rent relief program Establishes $6M fund to provide relief to residents struggling to pay rent due to COVID

BY R O S E W E L D ON Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced last week that a $6 million county program has been launched to provide relief for residents struggling to pay their rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Rental Relief Program, which will be administered by the Community Development Corp. of Long Island, will provide up to three consecutive months’ unpaid rent for the period beginning April 2020.

Payment will be made directly to the landlord or property owner after the tenant’s loss in wages and income eligibility have been demonstrated.

“Nassau County’s rental relief program will extend a lifeline to renters and landlords struggling to make ends meet due to the pandemic. The need for relief has never been greater, and the County will continue to do all it can to help residents get to the other side of this crisis. I thank CDC-LI for their partnership in this endeavor and am grateful for the important services they provide for our residents,” Curran said in a statement.

“Home matters now more than ever,” CDCLI President and CEO Gwen O’Shea said in a statement. “CDCLI is proud to partner with Nassau County to provide housing stability for Nassau County renters. The financial burden and uncertainty this pandemic has caused is really unimaginable; especially for

households that were struggling prior to COVID. This program will begin to alleviate some of that burden for renters, landlords and our local economy.”

The county said it will use funds provided from its allocation of federal Community Development Block Grant–COVID-19 relief funds through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The funds were often directed throughout the pandemic to support Nassau residents and businesses, including food distribution efforts, “Boost Nassau” business loans and free PPE kits, and increased mental health and support services. Based on an estimate of rental support per individual/family and available grant funding, Nassau anticipates being able to support approximately 900 households.

Eligible applicants include individuals renting a home or apartment in Nassau County as indicated in a lease agreement in effect as of March. A renter’s total household income must be at or below 80 percent of the area median income; for a single person the maximum income is $70,900; for two persons $81,050; for three persons $91,150, and so on.

Monthly rental payments can go up to HUD’s established 2020 Fair Market Rents by unit size, as follows: efficiency ($1,298); onebedroom ($1,624); two-bedroom ($1,992); three-bedroom ($2,563) and so on.

ceived to assist with missed rent payments such as the New York State COVID Rent Relief Program.

Individuals may still qualify for the Nassau County Rent Arrears Program if there is still an outstanding rental arrears, but they are not permitted to accept a duplication of award/rent from both programs.

Eligible renters submit an online initial inquiry form, which will be received in a three-week period. Once the initial inquiry period closes, forms will be randomly assigned lottery numbers to ensure fairness, and then selected residents will be invited to complete a full application in numerical order. Although residents are encouraged to complete the process online, support will be PHOTO COURTESY OF THE available by phone if needed.

COUNTY EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE Payments will be made directly to the property owner or property manager, and the property owner or landlord must agree to acA $6 million county program has cept the program funds as payment in full for been launched to provide rental the covered months. relief for residents struggling to The program will kick off with a twopay their rent due to the COVID-19 week marketing and outreach campaign to be pandemic, Nassau County Executive conducted by CDC-LI to promote the program before the opening of the application process.

Laura Curran announced Tuesday.

Beginning Jan. 6, CDC-LI will ask interested Renters must have a demonstrated loss residents to submit an initial inquiry form, of income due to COVID 19; must have been which will allow staff to make an initial detercurrent on their rent prior to March and not mination about the potential applicant’s eligibe related to the property owner/landlord; bility. The form will be available online beginand will have to disclose any funds they re- ning at 8 a.m. on Jan. 6 at www.cdcli.org/.

8

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

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Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

9

Automatic voter registration system

Cuomo signs legislation allowing people applying for services to also become eligible to vote

BY R O S E W E L D ON State agencies will establish an automatic voter registration system after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law last week.

This “modernization” of the voter registration system, which Cuomo had touted in his past two State of the State addresses, is expected to expedite voter registration and create a straightforward process for New Yorkers applying for services at designated agencies to also register to vote.

The New York Automatic Voter Registration Act of 2020 is intended to help increase voter turnout while reducing administrative barriers to processing voter registration applications.

“The right to vote is one of, if not the most, sacred pillars of our democracy and for too long, bureaucratic red tape has made it unnecessarily difficult for New Yorkers to exercise this right,” Cuomo said in a statement. “From instituting early voting to making necessary reforms to the absentee ballot process, New York has already made elections more accessible, but we are far from finished.

With this new law on the books, we are taking this work a step further and not only instituting automatic voter registration, but creating a single uniform platform for registering online.”

State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), who sponsored the bill, expressed excitement in a statement.

“At a time in our country when voting rights are under assault, New York is living up to our potential as a progressive leader,” Gianaris said. “Access to the ballot box should be easy and fair, and enacting Automatic Voter Registration will go a long way towards improving voter participation. I am proud and thankful that the Governor has signed this bill, paving the way for over a million more New Yorkers to vote.”

State Assemblywoman Latrice Walker (D-Brooklyn), who served as prime sponsor of the bill in the Assembly, said in a statement that she was “proud” to have supported a bill representing “monumental election reform.”

“New York’s antiquated voter registration system is in dire need of updating and modernization,”

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ROSLYN LANDMARK SOCIETY

Early voting participants line up at the Gayle Community Center in Roslyn Heights, one of a number of early voting locations in October. A new bill has been passed enabling automatic voter registration in New York.

Walker said. “It is time for New York to join the growing number of states who have implemented Automatic Voter Registration (AVR).

This bill will remove one of many barriers in our election system to help New York improve its dismal record of voter turnout. This mod-

ernized voter registration system automatically transmits voter registration information from some of our most utilized state and local government agencies. This will reduce the costs involved in processing voter registrations and maintaining updated and accurate

voter registration lists. Thank you to my colleagues for joining me in the fight to make our process more equitable and thank you to Gov. Cuomo for signing this landmark AVR legislation.”

The new law designates the Department of Motor Vehicles and other state agencies that interact directly with New York residents to work with the state Board of Elections to integrate agency and voter registration applications, with the new, single application serving as both an application for services and a voter registration application.

Only eligible voters will be allowed to register, and applications will be transmitted to the state Board of Elections with the signature and consent of the applicant, who will also be allowed to choose a political party.

Pursuant to changes agreed to by the Legislature, the DMV will come online in 2023, followed by the Department of Health, Department of Labor and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance in 2024. The State University of New York will come online in 2025.

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10 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

The Herald Courier, Friday, January 1, 2021

HC

11

Port native, folk performer Pickow dies

BY R O S E W E L D ON Jonathan “Jon” Pickow, a musician and singer raised in Port Washington and best known for his work in the folk genre, has died at 62.

Pickow died on Dec. 6 near his home in Viper, Kentucky, following a battle with leukemia, the World Folk Music Association said in a statement.

Born in Brooklyn in 1958, Pickow was the son of George Pickow, a photographer, and Jean Ritchie, an Appalachian-born singer-songwriter often recognized as the “mother of folk” in America. Pickow was raised in Port with his brother Peter and graduated from Schreiber High School in 1976.

His career as a performer began at an early age as he appeared with his mother at concerts and folk festivals throughout the country, including the Newport Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the Mariposa Festival in Toronto and Carnegie Hall. Pickow eventually produced and performed vocals, banjo and mountain dulcimer on several of Ritchie’s later albums.

Outside of his work with his mother, Pickow was a member of the Düsing Singers for several decades and contributed several arrangements to the group’s repertoire. He also taught at the Swannanoa Gathering, Kentucky Music Week and Christmas Country Dance School at Berea College.

In addition to performing, Pickow worked in production for Canadian-American folk singer Oscar Brand, a friend and contemporary of Ritchie, on his weekly radio program “Folksong Festival” for WNYC (AM 820) in New York. He also performed on Brand’s albums and radio shows and appeared in his staged productions at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, where he shared the stage with Judy Collins, Theo Bikel, Odetta, Christine Lavin, Josh White Jr. and Tovah Feldshuh. He worked with Brand until his death in 2016.

In 2016, a year after his mother’s death, Pickow presented the second annual Jean Ritchie Lecture at the National University of Ireland at Galway, during which he met Irish President Michael D. Higgins.

Most recently, Pickow was a featured performer at the Great American Dulcimer Festival and Kentucky Music Weekend.

Pickow was predeceased by his father in 2010 and his mother in 2015, and is survived by his brother Peter, of Sherman, Connecticut, as well as many cousins. He was interred by Engle Bowling Funeral Home at a small, private family gathering in the Hall Cemetery in Viper, Kentucky, where he was buried beside his parents.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any interested parties send a donation in Pickow’s memory to the Appalachian Artisan Center, PO Box 833, Hindman, KY 41822.

ATTORNEY William J. Corbett

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PICKOW FAMILY

Jon Pickow, a Port-raised musician and performer best known for his work in the folk genre, has died.

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12 The Herald Courier, Friday, January 1, 2021

HC

COMMUNITY NEWS

A Zoom tribute to Town, St. Francis partner Frank Sinatra Musical maven Mel Haber will keep the romance going after Valentine’s Day with a special Zoom presentation about the life and music of Frank Sinatra. On February 15 from 7:30 to 9:30 pm (doors will open at 7:15), Haber will trace Sinatra’s career from his early days with Harry James and his band until the early 1980s.

Included will be not only some of Frank’s greatest recordings, but also his appearances in movies, television, and concerts.

In addition to the thematic “My Funny Valentine,” Zoomers will get to see him sing such songs as “One for My Baby,” “I Get a Kick out of You,” “That’s Life,” “Night and Day,” “Blues in the Night,” and “My Way.” As an extra added attraction, Sinatra will sing with Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah

Shore, Dean Martin, and Johnny Carson—yes, that Johnny Carson.

Dr. Mel Haber, a retired business writing teacher, is a devoted music lover, primarily of popular music and opera. His music programs at libraries, JCCs, adult education centers and Hutton House are sold-out events. Audiences have found him to be extremely knowledgeable, entertaining, and passionate in his presentations.

This event is sponsored by the Ethical Humanist Society of LI. The contribution amount is $20 per Zoom window. To sign up, email office@ehsli.org and instructions will be sent. Or, send a check to EHSLI, 38 Old Country Road, Garden City, NY 11530.

Include email with the check. The Zoom link will be sent when payment is received.

North Hempstead has announced announce that Project Independence, the town’s innovative ‘aging-in-place’ initiative, is once again partnering with St. Francis Hospital’s Community Outreach Program to provide residents with free health screenings.

“Project Independence is proud to partner with the St. Francis Hospital Community Outreach Program to hold free health screenings for our residents throughout the Town of North Hempstead with the goal of providing access to high-quality healthcare to all in our community,” said North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth.

The screenings, which will be offered at the St. Francis Outreach Bus, will include a brief cardiac history, blood pressure screening, a simple blood test for cholesterol and

diabetes screening with appropriate patient education and referrals as needed for clients above the age of 18.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, screenings will be held outside under the awning of the bus weather permitting.

Large indoor spaces are reserved in case of inclement weather. All patients will be required to wear a mask and will be asked to clean their hands with hand sanitizer prior to each screening. Additionally, patients will be asked COVID-19 screening questions and have their temperature checked before screenings.

Screenings will be held on: Tuesday, March 9, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Fuschillo Park, Carle Road at Broadmoor Lane, Carle Place Thursday, April 8, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the North Hempstead “Yes We

Can” Community Center, 141 Garden Street, Westbury Friday, April 16, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Clinton G. Martin Park, 1601 Marcus Avenue, New Hyde Park Tuesday, April 21, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Great Neck Social Center, 80 Grace Ave, Great Neck Monday, May 17, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Port Washington Adult Activities Center, 80 Manorhaven Blvd., Port Washington Wednesday, May 19, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Magnolia Gardens, 899 Broadway, Westbury Thursday, June 10, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Manhasset Valley Residence, 155 East Shore Road, Manhasset For more information, please call 311 or (516) 8696311.

Temple Judea celebrates Hanukkah virtually Not even the pandemic quarantine could keep the congregants and clergy of Temple Judea from celebrating Chanukah with gusto and excitement.

Each family, in their own homes, brought their family Menorah to the virtual celebration on each of the eight nights to light their candles, with the entire congregation singing the blessings together.

All this was done via ZOOM where Rabbi Todd Chizner, and Cantor Deborah Jacobson led the services. Congregants could see and hear each other and everyone felt part of the celebration.

Rabbi Chizner explained the history of Chanukah, which was about a great battle. Around the year 165 BCE, the Jewish nation of Israel was invaded. The foreign invaders took control of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and desecrated it. The Jewish people triumphed and immediately began to clean the temple to prepare it for dedication. The first ritual act was the kindling of the eternal light, a lamp that was meant to stay lit forever. However, there was only one small container of holy oil that had not been desecrated. Instead of lasting for only one day, the

lights remained lit for eight days giving the Jewish people enough time to make new holy oil. The temple was thereby rededicated and that is truly what Chanukah is all about to this day: Dedication.

This history explains why Chanukah Menorahs have places for eight candles plus a Shammus which is the candle that lights all of the others, starting with one candle on the first night, adding one each night and ending with eight candles on the eighth night.

Outdoors, on the Temple’s front lawn stands a nine-feettall electric Menorah. Each night of the holiday, a student of the religious school, accompanied by his/her family, lit the appropriate number of “candles” for that night. When that significant ceremony was completed, each family scurried back to their cars to join the virtual Chanukah celebrations in their warm homes.

The eight nights of Chanukah were filled with joyous singing, prayers and appropriate activities led by Rabbi Chizner and Cantor Jacobson. On the first night, Rabbi Chizner explained the background of the holiday.

On another night, a Chanukah trivia game was led by Educa-

Cantor Deborah Jacobson leads songs and prayers. tion Director, Lauren Resnikoff, testing everyone’s knowledge of the holiday. One night, Cantor Jacobson led the group with joyous singing. Friday evening

services followed the lighting of the Chanukah candles and Saturday evening services observed Havdallah, the ending of Shabbat. The youngest folks in the

Temple family had a special program one evening of songs and Chanukah games, led by Cantor Jacobson and Lauren Resnikoff.

Because so much emphasis of this holiday is on oil, many customs have arisen, mostly concerning food. One of them is serving and eating donuts, which of course are fried in oil. Rabbi Chizner, (also a master chef !), demonstrated how to make donuts (“sufganiyot“ ). Another culinary custom is serving latkes, potato pancakes which are fried in oil.

On the eighth and last evening of Chanukah, members of the Social Action Committee presented a program to the congregation describing the work of this committee. The committee is currently working on projects involving food and winter coat collections for distribution.

The holiday ended with a fervent prayer that next year, Chanukah will be celebrated in a time of good health and that covid-19 will be a long-ago memory.

Temple Judea is located at 333 Searingtown Road, Manhasset NY 11030. (516) 621-8049 www.temple-judea.com; New members are welcome! The first year of membership is free.

For the latest news, visit us at w w w.theislandnow.com

The Herald Courier, Friday, January 1, 2021

HC

COMMUNITY NEWS

13

Town celebrates ‘Blankets of Love’ senior group North Hempstead has announced announce that the town’s Project Independence “Blankets of Love” will be making a donation of youth blankets, baby blankets, and baby hats to local community organizations.

“Blankets of Love” is a crocheting and knitting group formed by Project Independence members. The group provides an opportunity for senior residents in the community to come together and work in a collaborative manner on a meaningful and rewarding project.

“Thank you so much to our ‘Blankets of Love’ participants, who made this donation possible,” said North

Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth. “The blankets turned out beautifully, and your hard work will put a smile on so many faces this holiday season.”

The group has been working on their projects remotely since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They have created 42 blankets and 13 baby hats. Items were donated to the North Hempstead’s Veterans Donation Drive, Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park, and Bethany House.

North Hempstead’s Veterans Donation Drive, benefiting the Northport Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center, is a holiday donation collection de-

signed to assist and give back to the veterans who served our country.

The Ronald McDonald House charities help provide accommodations for families with sick children seeking medical treatment. Families are provided the support they need in order to stay close to their children.

Bethany House addresses the needs of homeless families providing emergency shelter and services for women and their children since 1978.

“Blankets of Love” is currently meeting virtually on Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. For more information on the program, please call 516-8696311

“Blankets of Love” blankets to be donated to the Ronald McDonald House.

A virtual lecture on NYC’s Jewish history The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County presents a virtual lecture series of four talks, given by Dr. Thorin Tritter, HMTC’s Museum and Programming Director, that will focus on the history of Jews in New York City. Jews have made New York their home for more than 350 years.

Hardly a monolithic group, however, no singular experience

captures the way Jews have fit into the melting pot of the Big Apple.

In some periods, they were welcomed, in others, they were feared, but throughout, Jewish residents have not only been shaped by New York, but have changed the city’s character around them. Think of bagels, babka, the Lower East Side, and Jerry Seinfeld. No other city is as linked to Jewish culture and the Jewish community as New

York.

The talks will take place on the following days: Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.: A look at early Jewish settlers in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam and some of their experiences up through the American Revolution.

Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.: Examines the largest wave of Jewish immigration in the period from 1890-1920, focusing in particular on Ellis Is-

land, the gateway to America.

Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.: Arrival process to the neighborhood that many Jewish immigrants made their home, focusing on housing and settlement patterns in the Jewish Lower East Side.

Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.: A look at work and other aspects of life for immigrants in the Jewish Lower East Side.

Registration for each indi-

vidual talk in the series is $10.

Registration is free for all the lectures in the series for HMTC members. To register for the series visit https://www.hmtcli.org/events/ history-of-jews-in-new-york-city.

To become a HMTC member visit https://www.hmtcli.org/memberships. For more information contact Dr. Thorin Tritter at (516) 571-8040 or programs@hmtcli. org.

Virtual programs at Holocaust Center The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County presents its calendar of January 2021 virtual public programs: Wednesday, January 6 at 12:00 noon – Curator’s Corner: A Wall Clock that Hints at Life in Pre-War ParisIn this virtual edition of “Curator’s Corner,” HMTC’s Museum and Programming Director, Thorin Tritter, will talk about a wall clock that hung in the dining room of Rosette Fishman’s childhood home in pre-war Paris. It remains today a reminder of the joyous times the family knew before the Nazi invasion of 1940, the horrors that the Nazis brought with them, and the resilience of this one family. Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VUq7HO4SQemPDtTyJgMFpA Wednesday, January 13 at 12:00 Noon– Virtual Gallery Tour of HMTCJoin the HMTC’s Director of Education, Helen Turner, the Museum and Programming Director, Thorin Tritter, along with Museum Educators Gail Kastenhoz and Mireille Taub, as they lead visitors through a virtual tour of HMTC’s galleries, exploring the history of the Holocaust and the lessons that resonate with us today. Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/

WN_65Lw3_0aR7uWfPyxFizOZA Thursday, January 14 from 7:30 PM — 9:30 PM – HMTC’s David Taub Reel Upstanders Film Series: Screening and Discussion of “Defining Moments: The Civil Rights Movement in North Hempstead”HMTC and the NAACP are marking Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend with a screening and discussion of “Defining Moments: The Civil Rights Movement in North Hempstead,” which documents more than a dozen oral histories of North Hempstead residents who had a role in the Civil Rights Movement. A post-screening discussion, which will connect the history to contemporary concerns, will include the filmmaker Alan Ginsberg, Civil Rights activist Bernice Sims, and the Program Director for Nassau County Office of Minority Affairs, Dexter Hedgepeth.Register at: https:// us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_WnPDDTS7SQC8EorTBLGB7Q Wednesday, January 20 at 12:00 Noon– Curator’s Corner: A Light Bulb from a Synagogue in GreeceIn this virtual installment of HMTC’s Curator’s Corner, Dr. Thorin Tritter, HMTC’s Museum and Programming Director, will discuss a light bulb in the museum’s permanent collection that is likely the only piece left from a synagogue that once stood in Drama, Greece, a town

that was home to more than 1200 Jews before the Holocaust.Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/ register/WN_L__hdHnoQROWeSU5TgFPwg Thursday, January 21 at 11:00 AM– The Wannsee Conference: Understanding the Origins of the “Final Solution,” presented by Dr. Matthias Hass, The House of the Wannsee Conference HMTC is partnering with the Memorial and Educational Site at the House of the Wannsee Conference in Berlin to provide a presentation on the 90 minute meeting that took place in Wannsee on January 20, 1942 which launched the involvement of the entire German State administration in the planning for the murder of the Jews of Europe. The presentation will be given

by Dr. Matthias Hass, who is a scientific advisor at the House of the Wannsee Conference and oversees their education programs.Register at: https:// us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_-V2V_sfxSpmB7yV3ReTAFA Wednesday, January 27 from 6:007:00 PM – International Holocaust Remembrance Day HMTC is joining together with other local Holocaust centers to host a region-wide program to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day on the anniversary of the liberation of

Auschwitz in January 1945. Focusing on contemporary antisemitism in the United States and the ground-level efforts to combat hatred in the New York City area, the centerpiece of the program will be a conversation between Mark Weitzman, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Director of Government Affairs, and Michael Brovner, the Bureau Chief of the Hate Crimes Bureau in the Queens District Attorney’s Office, who will discuss the political dimensions of antisemitism in America today and the challenges involved in prosecuting antisemitic and hate-based crimes at the local level.Register at: https:// us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/ WN_-E2sbLFKTZOm08NuRWn1Vg Registration is free for all of the January public programs but donations to HMTC are welcomed. After registering participants will receive a Zoom link to join each program they wish to attend. For more information contact Dr. Thorin Tritter at (516) 571-8040 or programs@hmtcli.org.

For your latest community news visit us 24 hours a day 7 days a week at www.theislandnow.com

14 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

Opinion

OUR VIEWS

Nassau relies on kindness of strangers

N

assau County has come up with a familiar plan to balance its budget in 2021 – a state bailout.

County officials aren’t calling it a bailout. In fact, county Republican legislators are hailing the plan as a great achievement on their part.

“After months of negotiations, members of the Legislative Majority have reached a deal with NIFA, and the Curran administration that will save Nassau taxpayers more than $200 million over the next 15 years,” Republican legislators said in a news release.

For this, the Republican legislators – or “Legislative Majority” as they like to refer to themselves – deserve an Olympic medal for selective use of facts.

The complete picture is that the county’s $3.3 billion budget for 2021 is being balanced on the restructuring of existing Nassau Interim Finance Authority and county debt that will provide more than $400 million in financial relief.

NIFA, you may recall, is the state agency that was created in 2000 to oversee Nassau’s finances after the then “Legislative Majority” went hat in hand to the state Legislature in search of a bailout.

The county, one of the wealthiest in New York, got $100 million in state aid and authority to borrow $400 million more. The only catch was that the country’s finances were placed under NIFA supervision by then Gov. George Pataki, a Republican.

This was a continuation of Nassau County’s habit of following Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire” by depending on the kindness of strangers. In

Nassau’s case, the strangers are taxpayers in upstate New York, New York City and the rest of the state.

The plan to refinance the county’s debt for 2021 was developed by Nassau County Executive Laura Curran in October.

NIFA Chairman Adam Barsky said the state authority’s assistance would allow Nassau to “avoid a massive property tax increase and cuts to critical services for those most in need.”

The agreement called for NIFA, whose credit rating allows it to borrow at a lower rate than Nassau County, to refinance the debt and give the county 30 years to pay the money back.

The “Legislative Majority” initially refused to back giving NIFA the authority to refinance the county debt because doing so would extend the life of the control board for decades more.

The Republican legislators finally relented after getting NIFA and Curran to agree to a reduction in the repayment term from 30 years to 15. Hence the claim of saving $200 million over the next 15 years.

But this assertion is kind of like claiming to have saved money when you buy something on sale. It is true but disingenuous since not buying the item would actually save you more money.

In this case, that would be a matter of not having to borrow the money, which will cost Nassau taxpayers over the long term.

Needless to say, the “Legislative Majority” is not taking responsibility for all the money they have cost Nassau County taxpayers by needing to be bailed out in 2000.

BLANK SLATE MEDIA LLC

Editorial Cartoon

As proof of Nassau County voters’ ability to forgive, some legislators who were part of the “Legislative Majority” in 2000 are actually still legislators now.

Notwithstanding the Republicans’ claim of financial prowess, Nassau’s finances remain in dangerous waters.

Even with the refinancing plan, the county could face a $111.2 million deficit in 2021, $137.3 million in 2022, $285.7 million in 2023, and $359.7 million in 2024, according to NIFA’s projections from October.

And neither the “Legislative Majority” nor Democrats appear to be addressing the problem.

“This plan right now isn’t a plan. It lacks any initiatives to ad-

dress those out years,” said NIFA board member Paul Annuziato in casting the lone vote against the county’s budget. “In short, my conclusion of the county’s budget, it is nothing more than a plan that says let’s delay and hope. Let’s hope sales tax skyrocket much greater than we’ve projected. Let’s hope that the federal government gives us some relief.”

Barsky, who voted to approve the county budget, added that “this remains a short-term extraordinary measure to address the unprecedented impact of the global pandemic. There still exists a longer-term imbalance that must be tackled sooner rather than later.”

NIFA board members are not alone in criticizing the county for

failing to address its financial failings.

A group of government experts said the same thing in October at a town hall hosted by Blank Slate Media.

The panel included Michel Imber, who developed a detailed financial plan to cut expenses and raise revenues for the county at NIFA’s behest in 2011.

The plan, according to Imber, was completely ignored by Nassau County.

Another member of the panel, Adam Haber, who served as deputy chief of staff for economic development and government efficiency in the Town of Hempstead, offered a lengthy list of sensible Continued on Page 35

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Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

15

ON THE RIGHT

Business as usual for Hempstead Republicans

I

n recent years, Nassau’s Republicans have suffered serious political setbacks. Not only have they lost the county executive post, state Senate and Assembly seats, many of their political stars have been found guilty of various criminal offenses.

Have GOP leaders learned from electoral defeats and criminal misconduct? I think not.

When longtime GOP boss Joe Mondello resigned, his successor, Joe Cairo, insisted on keeping his $198,000-a-year job as CEO of Nassau’s Off-Track Betting Corporation and his law practice. He also accepted a salary as the Republican county leader.

The New York Post reported Cairo ignored fiscal watchdog warnings that “allowing people to simultaneously hold top positions in government and parties opens the doors to conflicts of interests and potential corruption.”

In other words, Republican Party business as usual.

Which brings me to GOP activities in the Town of Hempstead.

In 2017 Hempstead voters, tired of Republicans being more concerned with rewarding cronies and favored contractors, elected reform candidate Laura Gillen as their town supervisor.

The loser, incumbent Anthony Santino, was rewarded for failure by the GOP with a $160,000-ayear job at the County Board of Elections. He was soon joined by

current Hempstead Councilman Anthony D’Esposito. In this patronage position, D’Esposito collects a taxpayer-funded, six-figure salary as an “administrative assistant,” plus the $71,000 he receives from taxpayers as councilman.

Before Santino departed, he and the Republican-controlled town board rammed through resolutions that prevented their lackeys from being fired and gave away about $2 million in raises and new hires.

For the next two years, vicious Republicans on the town board blocked most of Gillen’s reform efforts. But, after releasing the shocking legal fees paid to GOP Chairman Mondello’s law firm, Gillen was able to shame the board into passing reform legislation that established procurement procedures for professional contracts.

Sadly, in a tightly contested 2019 election, the tenacious Gillen lost to Republican Don Clavin, a pol in good standing with GOP bosses.

And in 2020, it was back to Republican business as usual.

Four months after taking office, Clavin—during the height of the COVID pandemic that left thousands of his constituents unemployed—approved raises for political cronies and new hires.

In October, while state orders declared gatherings of more than 50 people a public health

GEORGE J. MARLIN On The Right violation, Clavin hosted a political fund-raiser for over 200 contributors at a local beer garden.

At the Dec. 8 board meeting Republicans dismantled Gillen’s procurement reforms. They also diverted approximately 53 percent of federal CARES funds, gifted to help address COVID hardships, to the town itself to plug budget gaps.

In response, Long Island office holders, including Congresswoman Kathleen Rice and County Executive Laura Curran, sent a letter to the U.S. Treasury requesting an investigation into how the Town of Hempstead spent $133 million in federal stimulus money.

The letter said: “The lack of transparency with regard to how CARES ACT funding is being spent by the town and the length of time it has taken the town to spend this

money … necessitates an immediate investigation.”

Less than a week later, the U.S. Treasury Department agreed to investigate how Hempstead spent the money, particularly the $70 million allocated to payroll expenses.

Another example of business as usual: On Dec. 8, the Republican-controlled Hempstead board also gifted a brand new, 15-year, no bid contract to Dover Gourmet Corporation of Freeport to operate the town-owned Malibu Beach Club.

Republicans claimed the contract was gifted to settle a lawsuit between Dover and the town and was in the “best interests” of taxpayers to settle.

In that litigation, Dover asked the court to declare that a five-year extension of its 2009 contract entered without town board approval in 2019 was valid. The town, in response, sought about $1 million in unpaid rent from Dover. Republicans failed to explain how it came to conclude it was best to settle the case when the lawsuit was still in its very early stages and when Dover’s history of nonpayment was not in dispute.

There appears to be no real benefit to the town in this settlement. While the arrears are to be paid off, the credits exceed the arrears payments, plus Dover pays no interest, no late fees and has until 2022 to pay off the arrears it

has sat on for years.

Interestingly, a lawyer for Dover is none other than GOP boss Joe Cairo and Dover’s “consultant” is Cairo’s son. Newsday has reported they have received more than “$1 million over 10 years for legal and project management work at Malibu.”

In addition, in August 2019 the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District subpoenaed the town for all records concerning the Dover corporation.

Other observations concerning the Malibu-Dover relationship: The annual license fee under the 2009 contract was originally $400,000 per year but had increased to $560,000 by 2019. The new 15-year agreement fixes the annual license fee at $560,290 for the entire term, escalating only if cabana tenants’ rents are raised.

The original 2009 contract called for $10 million in improvements.

There was no provision in that contract that gives Dover any right to offset payments owed to the town for extra capital improvements. However, in the new Dover deal, the board gave it a $2.4 million credit for past improvements.

These will reduce its rent under the new deal to $400,000 per year—the original 2009 rate.

Yes, it looks like business as usual for Hempstead Republicans.

The question now is how long will overburdened taxpayers put up with these shenanigans

A LOOK ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

Don’t let door hit you on way out, 2020

W

ell, it appears that against all the odds we will actually make it into 2021, so it’s finally time to make some New Year’s resolutions.

The very first thing I plan to do, starting as soon as I wake up on Thursday the 31st, is spend all day saying “Good Riddance!” to the year 2020. It’s not really 2020’s fault, poor thing, and normally I would have been fond of such a nice round number, but as with everything else this year, nothing went as planned.

In fact, planning itself went by the wayside this year. That’s why I’m not really going to make anything as elaborate as “resolutions.”

They’re going to be more like “suggestions” — you know, the way people look at stop signs in a shopping mall parking lot. (Remember shopping? Remember parking lots?

People denting the side of your car with their door? Ah, good times!)

My plan — I mean “sugges-

tion” — for party wear will be the oddest costume I can manage after the sun goes down (which happens right around lunchtime in this house) even if only my husband will see it. I hope he appreciates my pandemic “mix-match” of a tiara and a Japanese kimono over sweatpants and turtleneck sweater.

We won’t actually be with any of the family or friends we usually visit this time of year, so I’m thinking I’ll run up the phone bill calling them all. Sure, email is good for short, useful messages — like “Do you have any tomato paste I can borrow? One of my cans has been in the pantry since 1998 and it’s oozing something out the seams.”

But it sucks for asking such openended questions as “How are you doing?” and “How are you really doing?” and “Cooked anything interesting? Made any sourdough bread? Me neither — at least, not on purpose, though one of the soups was a little sour….”

I might set up a game of chess

JUDY EPSTEIN

A Look on the Lighter Side to play with one of my kids by text message. If they never get back to me, that’s OK, too; I enjoy just handling the pieces. Similarly, I may set out the dominoes I bought in a tavern in Colonial Williamsburg. Just the sound they make reminds me of the cozy candlelight, the sawdust on the floor and the cider we all enjoyed that night.

Come to think of it, we usually have some apple cider on hand, and if I can find the recipe, I’ll attempt the wonderful mulled cider my son made when he was here for Thanksgiving. It’ll be the most exercise I’ve had all year, just scuffing back and forth from the couch to the stove for more cider. That’s not counting the ritually required wild dancing to “The Time Warp” from our DVD of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” always viewed in the midnight-to-whenever time slot.

Last year I almost dislocated something dancing to “The Time Warp.” I’m in even worse shape this year — well, of course I am, where have I been? Nowhere! I look forward to the challenge.

Plus, I have a bottle of Grand Marnier that appears to have been left over from World War I. I plan to finally finish it.

I will also look over all the photos I took with my cell phone this year and title them somehow before I completely forget why I took

them—like that one of the tomato paste can oozing.

It occurs to me—belatedly— that I should have started the labeling before I opened the bottle of Grand Marnier. You see what I mean about planning.

Instead, I’ll stick to some short “suggestions” for my life next year: “More cooking, less cleaning” (though in all fairness there’s not much less cleaning I could do. Still, I can try.)

“More smiling, less frowning.”

“More fun, less worry!” Yes, this will require a sizeable change on my part, but in 2020 I did enough worrying to last me ALL THE REST OF MY LIFE IF I LIVE TO BE 100! I was terrified every single day and yet I’m still here. So every time I start to worry, I’ll just remind myself that there is probably nothing I can do about whatever it is anyway, so what would be something fun to do instead? Then I’ll go have the fun!

That’s my “plan” for 2021.

Happy New Year!

16 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

E A R T H M AT T E R S

Environmental resolutions for the new year

I

doubt anyone is sad to see the end of 2020, the year that seemed to last a decade.

A new year is a time to make a fresh start and despite the threat of COVID still lingering as the vaccines start to roll out, 2021 feels more hopeful. A terrible disease tamed, new administration and a likelihood of horrific anti-environmental policies rolled back, a resumption of activities that we used to take for granted.

Still, we are reaching a point of no return with climate change and it’s going to take each one of us, with actions large and small, to make a difference.

This isn’t something that can be left to government policy, it’s our actions, purchases and choices that will change the path. It appears that soon we’ll be able to resume a more normal lifestyle, seeing friends, eating out, shopping and traveling.

But before that happens, it’s time to take a hard look at what

we used to take for granted and see if there are improvements to be made.1. Food. Eat less meat.

If you don’t want to go full vegan, chicken and pork are more sustainable than beef, and look for locally produced via farmer’s markets or butchers.

Make meat a flavor instead of the main dish – one chicken can provide multiple meals, ending with soup using the carcass for broth. Plan a vegetarian or vegan meal at least once a week. There are tons of recipes to try available online.

My family’s favorite is chickpea coconut curry, with chickpeas, carrots, sweet potato, onions and massaman curry paste simmered in coconut milk and served over rice.

Support local farmers and buy a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share this spring.

Plan your menus, buy only what you are going to eat and eat your leftovers rather than tossing them

JENNIFER WILSON-PINES Earth Matters

two weeks later.

While 1 in 6 American children live in a state of food insecurity, somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the United States’ food supply is wasted. Use the money you saved sticking to your shopping list to support organizations, both local and global, that work to end hunger.2. Waste less.

Cut back on disposables. Pick one thing to change out. I still see

cases of bottled water going out of stores. This is just water from another municipality, and the over extraction by bottling plants in some areas has left homeowners with dry wells. All sorts of reusable water bottles are available.

BYO stainless or bamboo straws if eating out, also widely available.

Bring a sippy cup for the prek crowd rather than asking for a covered take out cup. Use Swedish cellulose dishcloths instead of paper towels, they wash up in the laundry or dishwasher. My original pack of ten is still going strong after a year. Cloth napkins instead of paper. Recycle as much as possible – not just the No. 1 & 2 plastics, paper and glass at the curb, but by donating and purchasing from local consignment or thrift shops, using free cycle and ebay.3.

Travel. Carpooling will become a safe option again. Trains, buses, bikes and feet are all better options than a one-person car trip. If you need to haul home more than

you can carry, package all your errands into one trip. If you are in the market for a new vehicle, consider hybrid or electric.4. Garden.

Insect biomass has dropped an alarming 75 percent in some areas and over 3 billion birds have vanished in North America since the 1970s. This is due to pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers and loss of habitat.

Restore some habitat in your yard by planting native to our region perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees to provide an outdoor buffet and shelter for birds and bugs.

Don’t use a leaf blower- rake your leaves into garden beds – many butterflies and beneficial insects are over-wintering in the leaf litter. The beautiful Luna moth is close to extinction mainly due to leaf blowers. Start composting. Only veggie and fruit scraps, fats can attract scavengers.

Continued on Page 24

VIEW POINT

Human history hit a rough spot in 2020

N

ew Year is typically a reflective time – a time for resolutions and contemplation of time already spent on this Earth and time left.

As we turn the page on the calendar, I will share a mind game I have been playing: There are presently 7.8 billion people alive on planet earth today, how many human beings have ever walked this Earth over the course of our 200,000 years in evolutionary history?

In that time, humans have almost gone extinct at least three times (from climate catastrophes) and have had to start over from virtually scratch with a handful of humans (perhaps this explains the origin of the Adam and Eve story, and how Cain could be cast out with a mark to let the rest of humanity know his sin; could the story really be a parable of climate destruction?).

Then you have to calculate for plagues (30-50 percent of Europe’s population was killed in the Black Plague, 1347-1351; 3-5 percent of all humanity died in the 1918-1920 Spanish Flu a century ago). Add in volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, fire, flood, tornadoes, hurricanes, famine and drought. Then there are the catastrophes humanity has done to ourselves: genocides, civil wars, world wars, religious wars.

From “it will magically disap-

pear by Easter” to almost 20 million infected (double the number on Nov. 3) and more than 350,000 dead in the United States alone (125,000 more than on Nov. 3), 82 million infections and 1.8 million dead worldwide, the coronavirus pandemic is the latest scourge on humanity, but certainly not the last.

So, figuring out how many humans have ever lived, based on 7.8 billion today, working back 200,000 years is not a solution, because you can’t figure out how many managed to reproduce themselves before they died.

But apparently some insurance actuarial can figure it out because I recently heard a statistic that twothirds of everyone over the age of 69 who has ever lived is living now.

Why is this bottom line number important to me?

It goes back to the old saw that “most people are good.” How do we know that? What if the majority of the 7.8 billion people who we know are alive today, even 51 percent, were not “good?” And what if only a small percentage of the 7.8 billion we share this planet with were actually evil? If say 10 percent, that would mean 780 million evil doers roaming the world today.

And as we have seen, it only takes a few to do maximum damage to the many.

There were 10 million Native Americans living in North America

KAREN RUBIN View Point

at the time of Columbus. A few bands of explorers and then a few colonists came and decimated them, first by plague and then by calvary. (They even called it the “New World” as if the continent hadn’t been inhabited for 10,000 years.)

It took only 19 hijackers commandeering four airplanes, flying around for two hours until they reached their mark, to fundamentally change American society. Six men have been indicted for allegedly conspiring to kidnap and kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Two men set off the bomb that felled the federal building in Oklahoma City; one man massacred 61 in Las Vegas; one man snuffed out the young lives of 26 in Sandy Hook; one man murdered 17 in Parkland school.

The human body, the human mind is so vulnerable, so exposed.

It doesn’t take many or much to inflict pain and suffering.

It only takes one disturbed individual, one “lone wolf” bent on suicide or depraved vengeance or political vendetta to show just how vulnerable the many are to the few.

We make it so easy for one person to do such horrific carnage, making weapons used for war readily available.

“This bombing was a reminder of the destructive power that individuals and small groups can muster, and the need for continuing vigilance,” President-Elect Joe Biden remarked at a national security briefing after an RV exploded in downtown Nashville on Christmas.

It only took one man to unleash a world war and genocide that killed 75 million soldiers and civilians.

And, apparently, it only takes one narcissistic sociopath to cause mass havoc and fear over a threat to shut down government for a second time, to cast tens of millions into poverty and into homelessness in the middle of winter amid a runaway pandemic, one man to tear children away from their parents, to execute more prisoners in a month than in 130 years while liberating mass murderers, to set policy that has resulted in the death of

one in every 1,000 Americans.

This country was founded on the principle that no one person – no monarch, no czar, no dictator – could have the power of lifeand-death or claim a “divine right” to rule.

But apparently it takes only one wielding the power of the presidency in a blip of an eye, a mere four years, to undermine 250 years of a democratic republic, snuff out the light in that “beacon on a hill” of human rights and decency and break that arc that was supposed to bend toward justice.

This country was founded on a guiding principle of “Rule of Law” and “equal justice under law,” but what if “Might makes right” and “He who has the gold makes the rules” after all?

I should be ecstatic at the prospect of 2021, not merely for putting the mega-horrific 2020 behind, the prospect of getting the coronavirus under control (still months away) and especially for Joe Biden taking the reins of government from the monster who callously, criminally rooted for millions to sicken and die for his own political and personal gain and fiddles while he puts a match to America and the planet. But I am still having nightmares.

For me, the New Year this year won’t begin at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, but at 12:01 p.m. on Jan. 20.

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

17

OUT OF LEFT FIELD

Will Donald Trump be punished for misdeeds?

T

he word “punished” may seem unusual when applied to the president of the United States. But then it is easy to recall the many Trump staffers and relatives who describe him as having the “petulance of a child” in his words, moods and actions.

Tuft professor David Drezner actually entitled his new book on Trump “The Toddler-in-Chief.”

How does Trump’s often-infantile, nasty, hostile manner, with his almost complete lack of empathetic consideration for others, affect the 45th president’s chances of being punished?

Let me count just a few of the ways.

At a recent meeting North Shore historians saidthe professional practice of delaying leadership evaluations until there are perspectives over time need not be used for Trump because his abuses have been so numerous and so dangerous that he is already a “loser’ – beyond his crushing 8 million vote defeat by Joe Biden.

This discussion affirmed the judgment of a recent essay by Steve Inskeep, “Trump’s OneTerm Legacy,” showing that Trump would join the list of one-term presidents who have been judged as failures – and, indeed, often as dangers to American society.

Trump is certainly well on his way to being punished by history. The book by David Rothkopf, “Traitor: A History of Betrayal from Benedict Arnold to Donald Trump,” is among many recent publications that punish Trump with condemnations. The gravity of Trump’s offenses is also described in another recent book, “What Were We Thinking: A Brief History of the Trump Era.” [Literary critic Carlos Lozado read more than 150 books about Trump, and he built an indictment that will further public opinion punishments of Trump in the U.S. and globally] Perhaps, even Fox News will lose interest in defending his erratic, insane conduct.

It will not be long before historians are confirming the judgment of former Long Islander, and major presidential historian, Douglas Brinkley, citing Trump as “the worst president in all of American history” (a view confirmed by John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign leader, Steven Schmidt, one of the founders of the Lincoln Project). Schmidt placed Trump at the bottom of the historical rating as he announced that having left the Republican Party to become an Independent because of Trump, this past week he joined the Democratic Party.

Schmidt said, “I became a

MICHAEL D’INNOCENZO Out of Left Field one-issue voter: I believe in democracy!” He no longer trusts the Republicans still beholden to Trump to serve the public good or even to provide national security. [Former Republican Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described Trump as a “f—ing moron.”] The Republicans and Conservatives who joined with Schmidt at the appropriately named Lincoln Project have already punished Trump by renouncing him as a profound danger to democracy and by publicly giving their support to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

The Lincoln Project Republicans and Conservatives are properly credited for bolstering Biden’s victory and his huge popular vote margin. Loser Trump has already been punished by unprecedented

and sustained criticisms from members of a president’s own party. That has never happened before in American history.

Well and good that Trump will be punished severely by history, many aver, but we would like to see more punishment now.

Recently, a group of North Shore folks concurred with the views of a person in their group who said: “I’d like to see Trump in hell, but I will settle to see him in prison.”

Have you noticed that with all of his Cabinet nominees, Biden as of Dec. 28 had not yet named an attorney general. He is feeling pressure from angry Democrats, and citizens repulsed by Trump, to appoint a person who will prosecute Trump.

You have surely noticed that Trump has begun using extreme presidential pardoning power to redeem many of the most reprobated characters in recent history.

Will he have the audacity to grant pre-emptive pardons to his family, to the buffoon Rudy Giulianiand others? If he tries to go in those directions will Chief Justice John Roberts have the Supreme Court intervene?

Whatever Trump tries to do as he exits the White House (perhaps to flee the country on the excuse of going to one of his international golf courses), a chief executive’s

pardons do not extend to state convictions.

It has long been felt that the easiest prosecution of Trump, and the one most likely to be successful. can be conducted by the Southern District of New York’s federal attorneys – some wishing that a tough lawyer like Preet Bharara was still heading that unit. The New York state attorney general has also been collecting evidence (some given by Trump family insiders) for crimes of fraud that will make Donald Trump and his children a focus of criminal investigation and prosecution.

Perhaps a deal will be struck for Trump to leave the country if he and his children are not prosecuted. This could be an alternative path to Gerald Ford’s pardon of Nixon in order to spare the nation continued focus on the failures of a president, and what the depth of those deficiencies might indicate about the people who voted for him or endured him.

Historians use an analytical approach called “content analysis” to gauge leaders by the frequency of words they use. One of Trump’s most often used terms was “disgrace.” He called many people and actions a disgrace. One of the ultimate punishments of Trump will be to define him as a disgrace.

THE BACK ROAD

‘I’ve lost my spine and I can’t get up!’

D

id it really surprise anyone that President Trump would pardon four mass murderers?

As we all know by now, he did just that when he set free the four men involved in the killing of 9-year-old Ali Kanani, the Iraqi boy who was shot to death, murdered along with 13 other unarmed Iraqi civilians on Sept. 16, 2007 in Baghdad.

Upon inspecting his body, Ali’s father reported that the boy’s brains were literally blown out of his head.

One would think that the story of Ali’s brutal murder would have reached its final chapter when the murderers were tried and convicted in U.S. federal court in 2014. Three were sentenced to 30 years in prison and the fourth to life.

They were all employees of Blackwater, a private military company that the U.S. government contracted with to provide security services in Iraq.

The ease with which Trump let these mass murderers off the hook is no surprise. But, have we become

so desensitized to his cruelty that collective outrage is beginning to dissipate? If you will recall, in the second year of Trump’s tenure we first learned about the kidnaptorture-murder-dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi at the behest of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018 and he was never seen again.

In the U.S. when a murder-forhire is carried out to its conclusion, the person who orders the hit will be charged with conspiracy to commit murder and murder. In the case of Khashoggi’s murder, Trump refused to hold the Crown Prince accountable, despite the fact that the Central Intelligence Agency investigators concluded that Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s assassination.

In a Washington Post report on Oct. 1, 2020, reporter Jason Rezaian cites Bob Woodward’s book “Rage.”

He says that, Trump viewed the

ANDREW MALEKOFF The Back Road

handling of the public outcry over Khashoggi’s murder a success because he helped MBS evade justice.

“I saved his ass,” Trump told Woodward. “I was able to get Congress to leave him alone. I was able to get them to stop.” He went on the explain that he gave him cover because MBS denied guilt and the Saudis spent $400 billion for stateof-the-art weaponry. It has always been transactional with Trump; right and wrong be damned.

It seems clearer by the day that

Donald Trump has acquired a taste for blood during the last four years.

After separating thousands of migrant children from their parents, Trump had no problem whatsoever granting freedom to four White men who executed a 9-year-old child of color.

As he nears the end of his first and final term in office, Trump was just coming into his own, crowing that there were no limits to his power at every opportunity he had.

We can all recall him genuflecting before despots like MBS and Putin. He would accept their every word as gospel, choose their lies over U.S. Intelligence truths, always believing that through the power of personality, like some deranged Dale Carnegie, he would prevail in winning them over as he had tens of millions of American voters who are now more than eager to empty their pockets for him.

Four more years of Trump and I think he would have joined his spiritual compatriots MBS and Putin, trying his hand at the dark arts, but of course always at a distance

by either suggestion or with a sufficient supply of buffers to ensure plausible deniability.

He would never get his own hands dirty. Never! Ask Michael Cohen.There have to be buffers.

After all, he is the third generation in a four-generation white-collar crime family. You remember The Godfather II scene at the legislative hearing into organized crime, don’t you?

Sen. Pat Geary: Mr. Cici, was there always a buffer involved?

Willi Cici: A what?

Sen. Pat Geary: A buffer. Someone in between you and your possible superiors who passed on to you the actual order to kill someone.

Willi Cici: Oh yeah, a buffer.

The family had a lot of buffers!

Trump has a lot of buffers who adhere to the code of silence, most notably the Republican members of the House. They know that their reward is in the promise of a pardon.

Their motto: “I’ve lost my spine and I can’t get up!”

Andrew Malekoff is a New York State licensed clinical social worker.

18 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

OUR TOWN

Winter dreams spin many tales on our journey

W

inter is the season of dreams. We sleep more during the long dark days of winter and thus we dream. The most well-known winter tales are often about Christmas and they always include a dream.

“The Nutcracker,” written

by E.T.A Hoffman in 1892 and made into a ballet by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, had a scene where a girl who falls asleep on Christmas Eve and dreams of a Christmas tree that grows through the ceiling encounters a Mouse King and is saved by a nutcracker that comes to life and saves her.

Petipa and Ivanov thought they would hit it big with this ballet, but it closed within weeks. It took George Balanchine to give it new life in the 1950s.

Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” penned in 1843, was about Ebenezer Scrooge’s nightmare on Christmas Eve when he is visited by his partner, Jacob Marley, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. This novella has never gone out of print and

has been adapted to film, opera and stage, but Dickens’ dream of becoming rich and famous through this story never came true. The copyrights were stolen and he made nothing.

Who does not have a big dream that is secretly nourished, wished for and worked on? It may be the dream of perfect love or the dream of drinking from “the great and glorious poisoned chalice of money and fame.”

But I wonder what would it feel like to actually obtain one’s biggest dream. Would happiness be achieved? And for how long? Would the dream seem to vanish before our eyes the moment we grabbed hold of it?

Captain Ahab dreamt of killing Moby Dick, but his dream led to his own death in the end.

Don Quixote dreamt of winning the heart of Dulcinea by becoming a knight-errant, but he never received much love from her. And the Holy Grail was the principal quest of the knights of King Arthur’s Round Table and was said to satisfy the taste and needs of all who ate and drank

DR. TOM FERRARO Our Town

from it. I can see why they wanted to find that treasure.

What these stories tell us is that dreams do come true.

But these stories also inform us that any dream of perfection is a falsehood. There is no such thing as a grail which has a magic wafer that will nourish us forever. There is no such thing as a big white whale whose capture will make us happy. Isn’t that the moral behind Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea”? He does catch that big marlin, but since it was so big he had to tie it to his boat and it was eaten by sharks long before

he got to shore.

Dreams are a lot like going to the florist and ordering some beautiful cut flowers. Roses, tulips, daisies or lilies are all perfect things to see. You bring them home, arrange them in a vase and look. But soon enough they begin to wilt and die and out they go. Indeed, there is something heartfelt, poignant and sad about these beautiful flowers that must wilt and die too soon. They were real and they were beautiful but did not last too long.

I suppose it’s right for humans to dream big dreams. For a girl to dream that the nutcracker will come to life and be her protector or for a knight to dream that he will find the Holy Grail and thus obtain glory and joy. But it is also true that there may be no such thing as the golden ticket or the winning lottery ticket. My college friend John Mikals once said to me that all things in life are temporary and subject to change. He was right. And that includes any dreams that one achieves.

Research in psychology tells

us that your mood is remarkably stable and that no matter what good fortune befalls us, whether it’s a raise or winning Lotto, your mood will return to its baseline within 90 days.

Many years ago I worked with a PGA tour player who won a tournament. He was on the road, received the applause, got his trophy and check, did his press interviews and went back to his hotel room to sleep. As he was eating dinner alone in his room, he started to cry and when I asked him why, he said “Is that all there is? I kill myself to train and finally win a big event and what I get to do is go back to my room and eat a meal by myself. It doesn’t seem right, does it?”

I agreed with him. Such is the nature of things when you achieve your big dream. All the wonder of it seems to vanish before your eyes. What this means is to keep your hopes in check and try to focus more on today’s little joys and not tomorrow’s big one. As the saying goes, “the secret to life is to enjoy the journey, not the destination.”

READERS WRITE

Some Jews doubt place in Democratic Party

I

begin with full disclosure — born and raised a moderate Democrat by two Holocaust survivors; raised in the South Bronx during a horrible period of deterioration, eventually migrating to Rego Park; married and resided in Forest Hills — and currently living in Great Neck and Manhattan.

Spent my pre-wealth management career in government, working successively for the FBI, Congressman Tom Manton, Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, Mayor Ed Koch, U.S. Sen. Al D’Amato and finally Gov. George Pataki. I migrated to the Republican Party about 18 years ago now rendering my political say in the city I have loved worthless. I have seen it all and it pains me.

Apart and aside from the poor administration, budgeting, waste, homelessness (including violently mentally ill), rebounding crime, infrastructure deterioration — all these things of general concern — there is a particular Jewish impact which cannot be ignored.

Jews for whom their identity and Israel’s security are paramount in their lives — and I don’t

mean those who have merged their own views of social justice into the former as one and the same — are beginning to doubt their security and their place in the Democratic Party. And it’s not just about the elected officials attaining office possessing antipathy towards Israel and Jews; it’s also ill alignments such as with the Democratic Socialists of America.

This ill phenomenon has been building for quite some time, led

by America’s university system, which turns out leaders diverse in every way save intellectual diversity. Increasingly, these leaders emerge in the Democratic Party almost monolithically.

I make it clear that hardright radicals represent a physical danger — as we witnessed in Pittsburgh and Poway — and considerable expense is required to harden targets. These extremists must be pursued and incarcerated for threats made.

That said, let’s get our proportions straight: These hard rightists are regarded by the general public and our government as losers. They have no influence either in the welcome which Jews

in America have had or on America’s relationship with Israel.

On the other hand, DSA socialists and anti-Israel Democrats, often interchangeable or cross-endorsed, are increasingly elected to office and, of course, predominate in academia and media circles.

This is a grievous threat to American Jewry and our long-term relationship with America’s greatest ally — Israel.

In recent months, we’ve been made aware of DSA boycott questionnaires directed specifically against Israel and seeking boycott commitments from candidates.

Understand that to Jews who are bound by Israel as our ancestral home, who readily cherish Israel as a critical element in the survival of our faith and in view of the singular focus of these leftists and “DSAers,” these people are unequivocally, gross anti-Semites.

As with any group, there is always a small proportion who act against the majority’s interest. In this respect, we Jews are no different. But we are also not stupid.

When the DSAers, OcasioCortez, Menchaca, Tlaib, Omar and the like break bread with the misnamed Jewish Voices for

Peace, Rabbis for Peace, the Neturei Karta and other anti-Jewish, born-Jewish individuals, they reveal themselves.

It occurs to some of us that because of Jews’ and Israelis’ incredible share of historic accomplishments — in this instance not referring to Nobel prizes but simply to medicine, technology and science generally — if these boycotters would simply be sincere in their boycott efforts, that is, if their anti-Semitic rhetoric were to be matched by their boycott commitment, they would wither and disappear.

Relief from these Israel-obsessed haters will not cease in this fashion. We have reached a rubicon in our city, state and nation.

These people must be confronted politically. There is no hiding.

The gerrymandering of political districts was designed to increase minority representation, not to harm the interests of others.

“Tikkun olam,” or “saving the world,” an exaggerated quotation from the daily Jewish prayer book most employed by more liberal Jews and others, should be reciprocal in nature.

We Jews, especially in America, have always been there for others. It is not acceptable for us to shy away when individuals who represent us work against Jewish interests. This is precisely what is happening.

Two of America’s most prominent Jewish communities, Scarsdale and Riverdale, will now be represented by a BDS-dabbler and DSA-endorsee, Congressman-elect Jamaal Bowman. This reverse-disenfranchisement is transpiring with increasing frequency with each succeeding election.

I pen these comments today as a call to arms for New York and American Jewry, but the DSA and the hard leftists among the Democrats have been grievously harmful to the management of America’s big cities, the increase in social pathologies and through intersectionality, they have the Jews and Israel in their crosshairs.

What begins with the Jews never ends with the Jews.

Jeffrey S. Wiesenfeld Great Neck Letters Continued on Page 24

a blank slate media special section â&#x20AC;˘ january 1, 2021

20 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

Fresh herbs that can reduce your reliance on sodium

S

alt has long been used to add flavor to people’s favorite foods.

In fact, the use of salt as a means to preserving foods and adding flavor to recipes dates back to ancient times and has led to countless conflicts ever since.

According to History.com, wars over access to salt reserves in China are believed to have been fought as early as 6,000 B.C. Though that shows just how

valuable salt has been throughout much of human history, it doesn’t indicate the negative effects that can result from diets that feature excessive amounts of sodium.

The American Heart Association notes that sodium plays an essential role in the human body by regulating the kidneys and helping to control the body’s fluid balance. Sodium also helps send nerve

impulses and affects muscle function.

However, excessive amounts of sodium can compromise heart health. The AHA notes that excessive amounts of sodium in the bloodstream pulls water into the blood vessels, increasing the total volume of blood within them. As more blood flows through blood vessels, blood pressure increases. Over time, that can adversely affect blood vessels and speed up the build-up of plaque that can block blood flow. Higher blood pressure forces the heart to work harder and increases a person’s risk for heart disease.

So what about sodium, a mineral so valued, and indeed vital to human existence, that it’s led to wars and created countless devotees in kitchens over the centuries? If it’s flavor cooks are aiming for, it’s possible to reduce reliance on sodium and increase the use of fresh herbs without sacrificing flavor. Such a transition can improve heart health and introduce a host of new flavors at meal time.

Basil

The AHA notes that basil has a sweet and fresh flavor profile and is best added to a dish right before serving. Freshly cut basil leaves can be added to any number of dishes, including tomato sauces, pastas, salads, pizzas, and eggs.

Cilantro

Cilantro are the delicate leaves and stems of the coriander plant. Like basil, cilantro should be added to a dish right before serving and should not be cooked. Cilantro can be paired with beans, tomatoes, corn, and avocados among other foods, and is widely used when preparing Mexican foods at home.

Oregano The AHA notes that Greek dishes often combine oregano, mint and lemon to create a memorable, delicious flavor profile. If chopping fresh oregano, strip the leaves from the stem and then discard the stem.

Parsley Parsley isn’t just a garnish used to add aesthetic appeal to plates. Flat-leaf parsley provides a light and fresh flavor, while the AHA notes that curly parsley offers a slightly peppery profile. Parsley is typically added to a dish during the final minutes of cooking or right before serving, and can be paired with chicken, fish, potatoes, and pasta among countless other foods.

These are just a handful of herbs that can give meals a flavorful punch and help chefs avoid an overreliance sodium in their recipes.

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

21

Preventive care and the pandemic

P

rocrastination is not typically considered a good thing. But as the world spent much of 2020 confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, putting certain things on hold became part of the new normal.

In an effort to reduce infection rates, public health officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization urged people to limit their in person interactions with people outside of their own households.

As a result, many of the things people do on a regular basis, including seeing their physicians for wellness visits, were rescheduled.

It’s understandable that many people postponed preventive care and wellness visits during the pandemic, but it’s also potentially dangerous. For example, researchers with the Health Care Cost Institute found that childhood vaccinations declined by roughly 60 percent in midApril 2020 compared with 2019. Other screenings and preventive exams, including mammograms, pap smears and colonoscopies, also declined by significant percentages during the pandemic compared to the previous year.

The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion notes the power of preventive care is undeniable. In fact, the NCCDPHP points out that, while chronic diseases are among the most common and costly of all health problems, they’re also among the most preventable.

Annual wellness visits and early detection efforts like routine screenings for at-risk populations can uncover problems before they escalate into something more serious.

In addition, annual physicals, which are provided free of charge through many health insurance policies, provide great opportunities for doctors to advise patients on their overall health and how to improve it if exams and blood work turn up any red flags.

Visiting a doctor during the pandemic As vital as preventive care can be, it’s understandable if people are hesitant to visit their doctors during the pandemic.

But patients can take certain steps to calm their nerves about booking preventive care appointments during the pandemic. · Schedule telemedicine appointments.

The number of telemedicine appointments has skyrocketed during the pandemic.

While the transition from predominantly in-person appointments to telemedicine might have been a reluctant and rocky one at the start of the pandemic, many doctors’ offices have since firmly established their telemedicine protocols. The Mayo Clinic advises patients who have not yet tried telemedicine to contact their doctors’ offices to arrange an appointment. · Inquire about office procedures. Doctors try to keep patients healthy, not get them sick. Various medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, have provided thorough checklists to help physicians prepare their offices to welcome patients during

the pandemic. Patients can ease their concerns by contacting their doctors’ offices and asking them about their pandemic-related protocols. · Don’t hesitate to make requests. There’s no such thing as being too safe from COVID-19, so patients can work with their doctors to calm their fears even further.

Ask to pay copays over the phone and request that the front desk call you when the doctor is ready so you don’t have to sit in the waiting room.

Preventive care is an important component of health care, even during a pandemic.

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The role different vitamins play

A

nutritious diet is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle. When it’s part of a health regimen that includes routine exercise, a healthy diet

that’s rich in fruits and vegetables can help people reduce their risk for various illnesses, including chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Many adults have known about the value of fruits and vegetables since they were youngsters and their parents repeatedly told them how important it was to eat healthy foods. Despite those early lessons, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that less than 10 percent of adults and adolescents eat enough fruits and vegetables.

That’s unfortunate, as fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins that benefit the body in myriad ways.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine notes that vitamin deficiency occurs when people do not get enough of certain vitamins. Recognizing the many functions vitamins serve may compel adults and adolescents to include more fruits and vegetables in their diets. · Vitamin A: The USNLM notes that vitamin A helps form and maintain healthy teeth, bones, soft tissue, mucous membranes, and skin. According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children and increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections.

· Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 helps form red blood cells and maintain brain function. Though the National Institutes of Health notes that isolated vitamin B6 deficiency is uncommon, a deficiency has been associated with various conditions, including a weakened immune system and dermatitis cheilitis, a condition marked by scaling on the lips and cracks at the corners of the mouth. · Vitamin C: Vitamin C is an antioxidant that promotes healthy teeth and gums, helps the body absorb iron and maintains healthy tissue. In addition, vitamin C plays an integral role in helping wounds heal. Vitamin C deficiency impairs bone function, and Merck notes that in children that impairment can cause bone lesions and contribute to poor bone growth. · Vitamin D: The USNLM notes that 10 to 15 minutes of sunshine three times per week is enough to produce the body’s vitamin D requirement for people at most latitudes. It’s hard to rely on food to supply ample vitamin

D, which helps the body absorb calcium that is necessary for the development and maintenance of healthy teeth and bones. · Vitamin E: Vitamin E helps the body form red blood cells and utilize vitamin K. Green, leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli are good sources of vitamin E. The Office of Dietary Supplements notes that a vitamin E deficiency can cause nerve and muscle damage, potentially leading to muscle weakness and vision problems.

· Vitamin K: Vitamin K helps to make certain proteins that are needed for blood clotting and the building of bones. The T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard notes that the main type of vitamin K is found in green leafy vegetables like collard greens, kale and spinach. Vitamin K deficiency is rare, but it can lead to bleeding, hemorrhaging or osteoporosis.

Vitamins are crucial to human beings’ overall health. Eating ample amounts of fruits and vegetables is a great and delicious way to avoid vitamin deficiency.

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Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

23

IDA-paid consultant achieved little: county audit

BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z Nassau County Comptroller Jack Schnirman released an audit of the county’s Industrial Development Agency that found a consultant was paid more than half a million dollars to develop a cybersecurity industry but has little to show for it.

The agency has been prominent in the news this year, providing incentives and initiatives to promote local businesses in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The audit, which covered 2015 to 2019, also found that nearly 70

percent of the projects reviewed did not accomplish their employment goals in one or more years, as required by the agency.

The audit found that the agency did not review the accuracy of the number of jobs created by various projects and that unidentified board members paid for a $1,600 holiday dinner by using mileage reimbursement funds without first obtaining consent from the board.

“We came in to ask these questions to find out if we are getting the best return on our investment as well as informing people of the process,” Schnir-

man said. “I made it a priority to audit the Nassau County IDA so that residents and taxpayers would have a clear picture if the Agency was providing value to the County and our economy.”

While the identity of the consultant who was paid $556,250 was not provided in the audit, reports submitted by the agency to state officials identified the person as Syosset resident Brian J. Noone, according to Newsday.

Noone, who was appointed as the Town of Oyster Bay’s inspector general last year, told Newsday that he brought two companies to the county that hired

students from the New York Institute of Technology, and that he helped the institute qualify for federal research programs and develop a business incubator.

“To say nothing came out of this [IDA contract] is so erroneous ... It borders on ridiculous,” Noone told Newsday. “I’m not going to sacrifice my reputation for a couple of dollars.”

Noone told Newsday that he “did nothing for the [agency] without a contract.”

Efforts to reach Noone for further comment were unavailing.

Continued on Page 35

We’ve got this!

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Apply online at mptrg.com/LInow or call 516.715.1215 today!

Maidenbaum Property Tax Reduction Group, LLC 483 Chestnut Street, Cedarhurst, NY 11516

Wishing You a Happy, Healthy, and Safe 2021 Filled with Joy and Many Treasured Moments.

Gisele (Gigi) Politoski Licensed Real Estate Salesperson O 516.627.2800 | M 516.815.9300 gisele.politoski@elliman.com

©2021 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY.

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24 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

READERS WRITE

Rubin lays out sensible The Tlingit Basket case for gun reform I was searching for something But found a basket full of sunshine And brought it home instead.

K

aren Rubin’s insightful article, “Biden must tackle gun reform in first 100 days” is interesting and informative.

Ms. Rubin wisely charts urgent legislative measures neededto reduce illegal gun possession, thereby reducing senseless gun violence deaths. She surely has it right, not only is the time ripe for real gun safety sense, but it is imperative to initiate change.

I believe that gun violence is

essentially a three-pronged issue: Political, legislative and human.

While Ms. Rubin enumerates important legislative measures that President-elect Biden must quickly address, it is a human issue that can be focused on through education.

The following are measures that I would like to see: programs on anti-violence in schools and community centers, a national program regarding respect for people and their safety, allow

doctors/pediatricians to talk about gun safety with their patients and initiate programs for the police to go into schools to talk about gun safety.

We have heard enough of negative rhetoric. We need to be proactive legislatively and educationally to take basic, positive steps to save lives — not destroy them.

Lois Schaffer Great Neck

COVID relief bill not vetted

T

oday’s congressional generation could learn much from the late Idaho Republican Sen. James A. McClure. For 18 years, he read every word of every bill before voting on it. Even taking an Evelyn Wood speed reading class would not have provided sufficient time for any Congress member to absorb the 5,593 pages contained in the $1.4 trillion legislation for funding the federal government and $892 billion more for a second CARE COVID-19 relief package.

Only lobbyists and key con-

gressional staff members (employed by the House and Senate leadership teams) who actually wrote the fine print on behalf of their bosses have any idea of the details buried in the actual contents. There should be adequate time for members of Congress, ordinary citizens, the media and independent good government watchdog groups the opportunity to understand all of the contents contained in this legislation. Everyone would also have the option under an open process to comment and discuss the benefits or consequences before others

vote up or down for adoption.

Congress should have held public hearings in the light of day instead of meeting in the back room offices of House Majority Speaker Pelosi, House Minority Leader McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Schumer.

The result will be increasing our national debt by $1 trillion to a record $28 trillion, $83,000 per citizen or $220,000 per taxpayer.

So much for open transparency in government.

Larry Penner Great Neck

Environmental resolutions Continued from Page 16 We keep a stainless steel container next to the sink and it goes out to the compost bin 2-3 times a week, even during the winter. I’ve had the same 30” square compost bin for over 20 years, it doesn’t have to be fancy.

Turning the materials and making sure it’s balanced between brown and green materials and feeding it a shovel of dirt every

once in a while are all good practices, but if you are not in a rush, compost will happen eventually.

Feed your garden with your homemade fertilizer instead of chemicals. Turn off the tap – irrigation is an enormous use of freshwater which is a limited resource on Long Island.

If you have a system, make sure it has a working rain sensor so it’s not going off while it’s raining.

Obey watering restrictions, but watering for 20 minutes every other day doesn’t build deep droughtresistant roots. It’s better to water deeply (2 hours) only when the plants need it, which means not until a week or 10 days after a cumulative rainfall of an inch.Saving the planet will happen one choice at a time. Make your resolutions for 2021 to green your life and community and support those in need.

We’ve carried the scars of wounds long enough, Let’s walk in the forest, Let’s walk along the shore, Let’s travel the city streets streaming Our light evenly in all directions—let it all out To regain the blue and restore the familiar seasons.

We carry it rightly to banish winter.

How brightly we go, nothing dimmed or flickering.

Step by step looking forward, dignified and consequential.

Say you can count on a better world And carry the light drawn from the sun Slicing through the dark, It matters and changes everything.

Stephen Cipot Wishing everyone the very best 2021 Garden City Park Inspired by the works of Preston Singletary, NW Coast Tlingit artist Visit http://www.prestonsingletary.com/work/detail/baskets

Time to offer help to those in need

2

021 is upon us and 2020 is a most sad time in history. This year has been laced with much loss and is one year most of us would rather forget. We had the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused the deaths of over 300,000 men and women and young and old and the toll is still rising. We have a number of vaccines that may end this virus in 2021.

In 2020 we had political unrest and racial disharmony not to mention attacks on our Finest. In the past year due to the pandemic millions of Americans are out of work. Added to all this many of my fellow Americans are hungry and that means their children as well. My New Year’s resolution suggestions for those who can is to extend acts of kindness and love by giving to food pantries and food kitchens and donating blood. You

BLANK SLATE MEDIA WELCOMES YOUR SUBMISSIONS. PLEASE E-MAIL THEM TO NEWS@THEISLANDNOW.COM

can also check on your elderly neighbors and see if they need anything.

Now how about saving lives by wearing masks, social distancing and testing for COVID-19? I know these resolutions are doable. I know this for a fact because my wife and I have done it. I myself as grand knight of St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus in Douglaston. My council has donated funds to Common Point in Little Neck which has a food pantry.

We have truly walked the talk.

Please do what you can to make 2021 a better year for all concerned.

In closing let me extend best wishes to President-elect Joseph Biden in hopes he will do right for all Americans in 2021.

Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Bellerose

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

Business&RealEstate

25

Home buying rebounds in terrible year

S

o many lives, businesses, jobs, and families have been impacted, disrupted, and devastated during 2020 and you would think that there were no positive situations or events whatsoever. However, for those renting, at least there were laws passed where one could not be evicted or foreclosed upon, and those have now been extended as of Dec. 27. However how long that will be in effect is anyone’s guess, especially if you have lost yourbusiness, job, or your salary was drastically reduced.

How about the small landlord whose income is dependent upon the tenants paying their rent, what about them? It appears that President Trump had finally signed the next stimulus package to help the millions who are unemployed and in desperate need of money to survive. What about those restaurateurs and small business people who applied but never received any assistance through the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) or the EIDL (Economic Injury Disaster Loan) program? I wonder how many thousands of restaurants and small and large businesses and jobs have been and will be lost forever due to not having enough money to weather the storm and survive through the last nine months and in 2021.

So many are barely in a survival mode which can be verified and experienced from all the reports and visuals online and on TV by the countless food lines in and around Long Island and throughout the country. My Rotary Club of Great Neck through the smart and hard work of Roger “the Organizer” Chizever and all the volunteers (including myself), put together and provided 1,200 complete turkey dinners for a family of four to those who were financially unable to provide their own dinners on Thanksgiving. Some good and caring moments and events occurred during 2020, so everything wasn’t a total disaster.

One of the remarkable shining stars and beneficiaries of the Covid-19 pandemic were those who purchased a primary residence, already owned their home, as well as

those with rental investment properties outside major cities e.g.(NYC, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston and Miami). Those investors were able to rent their places to those leaving densely populated locations and their higher infection rates and were part of the real estate boom as well. Those fortunate enough to become first-time purchasers gained above-average appreciation and increased value year over year.

Prices around the United States have gone up quite aggressively from 9.3 percent to over 10 percent depending on the town and state. Nassau Country showed a September median price of $590,000 with an increase of 9.3 percent. Suffolk Country median prices in September rose to $464,375 year over year with a startling increase of 13 percent as per One Key MLS (our new corporate name of the multiple listing service of Long Island since we partnered with Westchester MLS, Hudson-Gateway, making our membership more than 40,000 strong). All increases were way above the inflation rate of 1.18 percent as of October 2020 and the core inflation

PHILIP A. RAICES Real Estate Watch

rate of 1.61 percent, excluding the energy and food sectors, because they have wide swings making the inflation rate less accurate.

The year 2020 was a perfect storm for real estate as it came in like a lion, then became a lamb for a few months, and has now roared back like a lion once again with the help of our crazy 50-year low in interest rates, still very strong demand, and the historical lowest inventory on record contributing to this event. Even though our industry was shut down from March 22-June 10, the market came back like a bull and remarkably sales skyrocketed be-

yond anyone’s wildest dreams and expectations. Although lower than 2019, prices ended up much higher compared to 2019 as noted earlier. So 2021, should continue the surge in demand, rates should similarly hold over the next 12 months, and supply will still be historically low.

As prices continue to escalate, however, there will be more families and individuals who will not be strong enough financially to qualify for a mortgage or not have enough for their down payment. So for the time being they will have to drop out and continue to rent or stay put in their in-laws’ or family’s homes to continue to save more money and this could slow our market a bit.

But eventually they will jump back into the game sooner if prices were to stabilize or possibly decrease, which for the foreseeable future I really do not see occurring. But no one can really know or accurately predict the future until the future arrives and what will and does happen that could curtail sales and lower prices for those sitting on the sidelines waiting to come back in the game and purchase their first home.

On a personal note, I want to wish my wife a happy 45th anniversary today Dec. 28 and at least another 30-plus to go!

I hope everyone will let their hair down, have some crazy fun, relax a bit on New Year’s Eve to end the year on a higher note, and try to put aside the worst year that we’ve ever experienced! But we are not out of the woods just yet.

Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 39 years of experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned designations as a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (G.R.I.) and also as a Certified International Property Specialist (C.I.P.S). For a “FREE” 15 minute consultation, a value analysis of your home, or to answer any of your questions or concerns he can be reached by cell: (516) 6474289 or by email: Phil@TurnKeyRealEstate.Com Just email or snail mail (regular mail) him with your ideas or suggestions on future columns with your name, email and cell number and he will call or email you back.

26 The Herald Courier, Friday, January 1, 2021

HC

Recent Real Estate Sales in

New Hyde Park

244 Violet Avenue, Floral Park

25 N Tyson Avenue, Floral Park

4 bd, 2 ba, 1,751 sqft, Sold on: 10/4/20, Sold Price: $830,000 Type: Single Family, Schools: Sewanhaka

4 bd, 3 ba, 1,653 sqft, Sold on: 10/25/20, Sold Price: $770,000 Type: Single Family, Schools: Sewanhaka

19 Cisney Avenue, Floral Park

90 Broadway, New Hyde Park

4 bd, 2 ba, 1,799 sqft, Sold on: 11/9/20, Sold Price: $665,000 Type: Single Family, Schools: Floral Park-Bellerose

2 bd, 2 ba, 1,618 sqft, Sold on: 10/22/20, Sold Price: $595,000 Type: Single Family, Schools: Sewanhaka

Editor’s note: Homes shown here were recently sold in New Hyde Park, by a variety of real estate agencies. This information about the home and the photos were obtained through the Zillow.com. The homes are presented solely based on the fact that they were recently sold in New Hyde Park and are believed by Blank Slate Media to be of interest to our readers.

Warm Wishes For a Happy and Safe Holiday Season.

New Hyde Park Office | 516.746.0440 1700 Lakeville Road elliman.com

© 2020 DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY.

110 WALT WHITMAN ROAD, HUNTINGTON STATION, NY 11746. 631.549.7401.

The Herald Courier, Friday, January 1, 2021

HC

27

N.Y. expecting 259K vaccine doses: Cuomo Continued from Page 1 “As I long feared and warned, the efforts to distribute the vaccine is not progressing as it should,” Biden said. “If the pace of the vaccination distribution continues as it is now, it is going to take years, not months, to vaccinate the American people.”

According to Cuomo, Northwell Health, which is spearheading vaccine distribution in New York, is required to submit a plan for Long Island to the state government by the first week in January.

Nearly 900 people on the North Shore tested positive for the coronavirus over the past week, bringing the total to nearly 11,000 since the pandemic hit in March.

The figures were the most up-to-date ones that the Nassau County Department of Health provided on Wednesday.

After trailing the Great Neck peninsula, the only North Shore area to be deemed a “yellow zone” by the state, the area that incorporates the Willistons and Mineola had 2,280 cases as of Wednesday, the most of all analyzed areas. The Village of Mineola once again saw the highest increase of cases over the oneweek period with nearly 90 new cases.

Mineola’s 994 cases and Garden City’s 870 cases accounted for 1,864 of the 2,280 cases in the area.

The Great Neck peninsula saw an increase of 161 cases over the past week, one of the lowest one-week increments over the past month, according to figures.

The Village of Great Neck’s 679 coronavirus cases were the most throughout the peninsula, followed by the Village of Kings Point’s 460 and the Village of Great Neck Plaza’s 387.

The New Hyde Park area accounted for 2,260 of the North Shore’s cases, with North New Hyde Park having the third most confirmed positives, 832, out of any analyzed area. The villages of Floral Park, with 714 cases, and New Hyde Park, with 537 cases, were also among the top seven villages or unincorporated town areas in terms of positive tests and have been for the entire month of December, according to Health Department statistics.

CHART BY ROBERT PELAEZ

Nearly 11,000 people throughout the North Shore had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday, according to county Health Department figures.

The Port Washington area eclipsed 1,000 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic, and the area’s 1,062 cases accounted for nearly 10 percent of the North Shore’s total cases. Sands Point and Port Washington North both surpassed 100 cases over the past week, according to the figures.

Municipalities and unincorporated areas that stretch into more than one North Shore area such as Flower Hill, Herricks, Albertson, Garden City Park, Searingtown and North Hills were counted separately and accounted for 1,450 cases, according to county statistics.

Manhasset, which has remained comparatively low since the beginning of the pandemic, had 726 cases, with around half coming from town-governed areas. It is the only analyzed area with fewer than

800 cases.

The Village of Roslyn’s 200 cases may not seem high compared with other North Shore areas, but the cases per 1,000 residents, 70.13, is one of the highest rates in Nassau County, according to Health Department figures. Despite this, the village has seen one of the lowest one-month increases of any analyzed municipality, with fewer than 50 new confirmed cases since Nov. 11, according to county statistics. The Village of Roslyn Heights had 340 total cases as of Wednesday, and the Village of East Hills had 247.

A total of 85,023 Nassau County residents had tested positive for the virus as of Wednesday, and 2,374 had died since the pandemic began. More than 650 Nassau residents remained hospitalized due to the virus, with 74 in intensive care

units and 48 on ventilators, according to county figures. The county’s sevenday positivity rate was 6.16 percent as of Wednesday.

“The risk of contracting COVID in Nassau County is higher than it has been in months, which calls for increased vigilance from all of us,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said on Tuesday.

“Let’s keep wearing our masks and avoiding unsafe gatherings so we can avoid lockdowns and build momentum for a strong recovery in 2021.”

Throughout New York, more than 939,000 people had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday, according to state figures. Of that total, more than 37,000 people had died. In New York City, 417,000 people had contracted the virus, and 25,008 had died.

PBA rejects contract with $3K stipend Continued from Page 2 Nassau County spokesperson Michael Fricchione said the proposed deal “recognized current financial difficulties and delivered meaningful raises to police officers.”

“The Majority looks forward to the next step in the process and will continue to support agreements that are in the best interest of Nassau residents and the men and women who serve law enforcement,” Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park), presiding officer of the County Legislature, said in a statement.

The tentative deal would increase the out-of-pocket costs for health insurance, according to the report. The agreements between the county and the Superior Officers Association and the Detectives Association

both have provisions that provide financial compensation and health benefit parity for public employees, according to Newsday.

The rejection came two weeks after more than 100 people gathered outside the Nassau County legislative building in Mineola to demand more be done for police reform aside from the $3,000 annual stipend for body cameras.

“This police contract is not considering needed reforms to the police,” Shanequa Levin of Long Island United to Transform Policing & Community Safety said at the protest. “They need to hear us because they don’t care. We need them to know that Black lives matter to us.”

Levin said that the body camera initiative was not a satisfactory resolution to the

need for effective police reforms.

“There should be real, structural changes [to the police], and I’m not just talking about damn body cameras where they’re going to get a stipend to wear them,” Levin said. “I’m talking about real change, like how ticketing can be handled differently, how we handle mental health cases differently, how we handle drug cases differently, I’m talking about reducing the footprint of the police in our streets.”

Fred Brewington, a Hempstead-based civil rights attorney, said it is time to take the message of police reform “from the streets to the suites.”

“If we don’t rise up, our ancestors will roll over,” Brewington said. “When we say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ we’re talking about a

historical statement that needs to be said.

We’re talking about a reason that Black people have been subjugated for 400 years when they came over in the bottom of slave ships.”

William Biamonte, chief of staff to the County Legislature’s Democratic minority caucus, said the group supports police reform.

“It is our duty to hear the public’s voice as we seek to produce a comprehensive, community-driven plan that meets the diverse needs of Nassau County residents while ensuring officers are optimally and appropriately equipped to uphold the highest standards of professionalism as they serve and protect the public,” Biamonte said in a statement two weeks ago.

28 The Herald Courier, Friday, January 1, 2021

HC

Dems find ally in Trump on stimulus Continued from Page 1 and children, payments of $300 per week for workers receiving unemployment benefits through March 14 and $20 billion in Economic Injury Disaster Grants.

Despite signing the legislation after a five-day delay, Trump advocated for an increase of $1,400 for the second wave of stimulus checks for American citizens. “$2000 for our great people, not $600! They have suffered enough from the China Virus!!!” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

Local officials on Long Island and in New York expressed support for the increased payments.

“With Trump finally signing the bipartisan agreement, more relief is on the way. But it is not nearly enough,” U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) said Monday. “Today, the House will vote to increase direct payment checks to $2,000, just like the President wishes. Now he must get his Republican colleagues in Congress on board.”

On Monday, the Democratic-led House voted 275-134 to increase the payments to $2,000, but the measure’s fate in the Republican-controlled Senate was unclear.

“The President’s cynical ploy to threaten the COVID relief package to obscure his dark of night pardons has resulted in a

fighter’s chance to provide people with a $2,000 stimulus check if we can only get Mitch McConnell to show some empathy,” U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) said.

“Let’s get this done. People need relief.”

McConnell, the Senate majority leader, on Tuesday did not promise any action on the $2,000 proposal and objected

PHOTO BY STEVEN ROMANO

President Trump signed the new $900 billion coronavirus relief package into law on Sunday night.

to proposed action by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) to have the Senate pass the stimulus proposal by unanimous consent. “$600 is not enough,” Schumer tweeted. “Democrats will fight for the Senate to take a vote.”

Also featured in the relief package is $284 billion to replenish the Paycheck Protection Program, targeting small businesses with fewer than 300 employees that have seen at least a 25 percent decrease in their revenue.

“This bill will provide new direct payments to individuals and families, expanded unemployment insurance, and provide new resources to help small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat,” Rice said.

Officials said the maximum loan amount is 2.5 times a business’ monthly payroll costs up to $2 million. Borrowers are required to spend at least 60 percent of the funds on payroll costs.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday that New Yorkers will begin to receive their unemployment benefits of $300 per week starting on Jan. 4.

“This pandemic has created an unprecedented economic crisis, and New Yorkers have waited in uncertainty for far too long,” Cuomo said. “I have repeatedly called on the federal government to do the

right thing by renewing critical benefits to support millions of unemployed families through to the end of this pandemic – and now that Washington has finally acted, New York is immediately delivering those funds.”

The bill will also provide $4 billion to the MTA, far less than the $12 billion the agency has sought.

Despite a potential for increased funds to residents, local officials were displeased at the lack of funding for state and local municipalities.

“Unfortunately, [the new package] does not provide enough resources for state and local governments who are also in desperate need of relief,” Rice said last week. “Our communities will need further federal assistance as we continue to combat this virus, and I will keep fighting for the resources Long Island needs to recover when Congress returns in the New Year.”

“I’m absolutely devastated that state and local aid is not included in this package because it will have such a negative effect on my state, and the counties, cities, towns and villages I represent,” Suozzi said last week. “I recognize, however, that too many people are suffering right now and there are many other important provisions in this compromise that will help Long Islanders and New Yorkers. We cannot let perfect be the enemy of the good.”

LIRR officials tout progress on expansion Continued from Page 4 Despite the improvements on the Long Island Rail Road, the future remains grim for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in the absence of $12 billion in federal aid after a proposed 2021 budget called for a 50 percent reduction in rail service and a “drastic reduction” to the agency’s workforce due to the coronavirus pandemic.

MTA Chairman and CEO Pat Foye said this financial crisis surpassed the Great Depression’s impact on transit revenue and ridership.

“No one at the MTA wants to undertake these horrific cuts but with federal relief nowhere in sight there is no other option,” Foye said in November. “As I have said, we cannot cut our way out of this crisis.”

A COVID-19 relief bill approved by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on Sunday will provide $4 billion to the MTA, far less than the $12 billion the agency has sought.

Fare and toll revenues, according to the agency’s November plan, are projected

to eclipse July estimates by $319 million while nonlabor expenses are projected to be lower by nearly $300 million in 2020.

While those projections seem encouraging, the transit authority still faces an immediate $2.5 billion in deficits due to the pandemic. Officials estimated the deficit will grow to $6.1 billion in 2021.

The transit authority proposed cutting 9,367 jobs in various subsidiary organizations such as the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North, subways and buses. The main layoffs, transit officials said, would

SEND US A NEWS TIP! WE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT NEWS IN OUR COMMUNITY. LET US KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON! WWW.THEISLANDNOW.COM

come from the city’s subway and bus systems, with nearly 7,000 job cuts proposed in those two areas. The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North would see a combined 933 layoffs if the proposals are enacted.

“The MTA continues to face a once-in100-year fiscal tsunami and this is without a doubt one of the most difficult and devastating budgets in agency history,” Foye said. “We are once again urging Washington to take immediate action and provide the full $12 billion to the MTA.”

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

PROFESSIONAL GUIDE ▼ ATTORNEY ▼

COMPUTER / TECH SUPPORT ▼

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30 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

BUYER’S GUIDE ▼ ANTIQUES

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NOVENAS/PRAYERS PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN (Never known to fail). Oh Most Beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine of Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin assist me in this necessity. Oh Star of the Sea help me and show herein you are my Mother. Oh Mary Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth I beseech thee from the bottom of my heart to succor me this necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh show me herein you are my Mother.

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STEPHANIE A. D’ANGELO, ESQ. Elder Law, Wills & Trusts Asset Preservation, Estate Planning, Probate & Estate Administration/Litigation 901 Stewart Ave, Ste 230 Garden City, NY 11530 516-222-1122 www.dangelolawassociates.com

REAL ESTATE FOR RENT

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34 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

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35

Nassau relies on IDA consultant has kindness of strangers little to show: audit Continued from Page 14 suggestions at the town hall and in a subsequent column in Blank Slate Media.

Thus far, Haber’s suggestions have also fallen on deaf ears.

This is strange since Republicans keep saying they want NIFA’s oversight to end.

Former state Sen. Jack Martins even made early elimination of NIFA’s oversight role a centerpiece of his failed election bid for county executive against Curran.

Martins was the author of one of Nassau’s most imaginative bailouts when as a state senator he succeeded in inserting a provision in legislation that allowed Nassau to “transfer” its rights to operate a video-slot-machine parlor to Aqueduct Racetrack for $43 million over three years.

The state Legislature had granted Nassau and Suffolk counties potentially lucrative video slots as part of the wideranging expansion of gambling in 2013.

Nassau-Off-Track Betting Corp. withdrew plans for two potential sites after heavy opposition from residents and local officials complained about traffic and the increased cost of policing.

Nassau officials did like the money and, thanks to the state Legislature, they got it for three years. For video slots the

county refused to use. By transferring the slots to Queens.

Chris Wright, a longtime member of NIFA who was also part of Blank Slate Media’s panel, said that notwithstanding Republican legislators’ repeated calls to end state oversight, they have yet to come up with ideas to fix the county’s finances.

This can be explained in a word: politics.

Republican legislators successfully ran for election during the administration of Republican County Executive Edward Mangano based on the county not raising taxes – not even by the 2 percent allowed and implemented by virtually every other government under the state tax cap.

Wright said at the town hall that the county could have balanced its finances if it merely raised spending by the 2 percent every year.

Nassau Democrats have apparently learned the political benefits of not raising taxes, cutting costs or developing new sources of income from their Republican counterparts.

Hence Nassau’s lack of a plan.

If history is any guide, don’t bet on Nassau coming up with a plan any time soon.

Continued from Page 23 The audit also found that a public relations firm was used to “flow through” $375,000 in funds for the agency’s advertising campaign to other forms to sidestep the traditional request-for-proposal procedures. The audit said that 87 percent of the funds were targeted to Nassau County, something deemed “counter-productive” in an attempt to bring new firms to Nassau, according to the report.

Of the five years the audit covered, three were from the tenure of former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, a Republican, before Laura Curran, a Democrat, took over in 2018. Richard Kessel, chairman of the agency, said the problems highlighted in the audit stemmed from the previous administration.

“The IDA has worked collaboratively with the Comptroller to ensure that we take whatever steps are necessary to avoid any of the problems caused by the prior administration from ever happening again,” Kessel said.

The report noted that the agency is now “actively monitoring job creation compliance” and is taking the proper action if those tasks are not achieved. The agency recouped more than $300,000 from a firm that failed to follow through on promises to create jobs.

“This audit shows that not only can we make things work better and more transparently, but most of all we can get the best value for our residents and taxpayers,” Schnirman said. “In this economic climate, we need job creation, we need to grow our tax base, and we need to keep competitive as a region.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COMPTROLLER’S OFFICE

The office of Nassau County Comptroller Jack Schnirman conducted an audit of the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency.

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Our top priority is our patientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; safety and comfort and we are working to maintain the high standard we have established over the past forty-six years.

WE CARE BYâ&#x20AC;Ś

â&#x20AC;˘ Providing you the highest quality in dental services â&#x20AC;˘ Protecting you and us against Covid-19 â&#x20AC;˘ Spraying the office multiple times a day for airborne and stationary viruses using Medical quality HEPA air filtration units to remove airborne germs â&#x20AC;˘ Exceeding all CDC recommendations.

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The Herald Courier, Friday, January 1, 2021

HC

37

COMMUNITY NEWS

NHP-GCP appoints Outstanding physical new assistant principal education students New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Union Free School District announced that Denise Connolly has been officially appointed as assistant principal, districtwide. She has served as interim assistant principal since August 2020 and has been the supervisor in charge of remote learning for this school year.

Connolly is no stranger to the NHPGCP community, as she started her career with the district in 2005 as an ENL and special education teacher.

She most recently served as the district’s ENL liaison for grades K-6. Among her various responsibilities in that position, Connolly provided staff development on ENL mandates and NYSITELL and NYSESLAT exams, and attended all ENL coordinator meetings for Nassau and Suffolk counties through the Long Island Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network. Additionally, she wrote and received a grant to be used for ENL resources and oversaw the registration of all new students and ENL placements.

She is also bilingual in English and Spanish.

Connolly earned her Bachelor of Arts in elementary education/special education from St. Joseph’s College, her Master of Science in education with a focus on teaching English to speakers of other languages in K-12 from Queens College, her Master of Science in Education in elementary reading and literacy K-6 from Walden University and her advanced certificate in educational leadership from LIU Post.

“I am excited to have this opportunity to continue to work in the New Hyde

Sewanhaka High School seniors Kristen Pink and Frantz Compere received Outstanding Physical Education Student Awards on Dec. 7.

The Nassau Zone of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance virtually honored two outstanding students from

2021 graduating classes across Nassau County who met the required Physical Education Outstanding Student criteria for achievement.

As recipients of the award, both Pink and Compere recorded brief video statements on Flipgrid that were played during the ceremony.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NEW HYDE PARK-GARDEN CITY PARK UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Denise Connolly has been appointed

by New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Union Free School District as its new districtwide assistant principal.

Park-Garden City Park school district in this new role,” Connolly said. “I am honored to continue to be working with the wonderful families and staff in our schools as an assistant principal.”

“I am so thrilled that Ms. Connolly is now an administrator with our district,” Superintendent of Schools Jennifer Morrison added. “I am confident that she will be an incredible asset to our staff, students and school community.”

Sewanhaka High School senior Frantz Compere received an Outstanding Physical Education Student Award.

John Lewis Childs toy drive deemed a success John Lewis Childs School students were encouraged to bring in storebought, unwrapped gifts for the annual Toy Mountain drive, held on Dec. 15.

Due to this year’s need for social distancing, each class in the building

received a specific drop-off time during their recess. This kept the students separated and safe while they dropped off the toys in the school’s Hunt Gym. Student Council members, wearing masks and gloves, were stationed in the gym

to assist the younger students pile their gifts on the mountain. They also helped to pack up the toys once the drive was finished.

By the end of the day, approximately 15 large garbage bags were filled

with gifts and toys. The Hance Family Foundation picked them up so that they could be distributed throughout New York City, Brooklyn, Harlem and Jamaica, as well as Floral Park. This year, they are being safely delivered by the NYPD.

Town gives schools $5.5M in relief grants The Town of Hempstead has announced the allocation of $5.5 million in funding to address unbudgeted expenses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Up to $150,000 will be made available to each of the town’s 36 school districts and Nassau BOCES to pay for expenses incurred to alter their facilities and supply students and staff with personal protective equipment.

These reimbursements allow these school districts to recoup some of the unbudgeted expenses needed to keep students and faculty safe. This initiative to provide assistance to local school districts is a key component of a myriad of initiatives undertaken by the Town and made possible by the $133 million received from the federal CARES Act funding.

“As the year is coming to an end,

I would like to thank Senator Schumer one last time for his part in securing the funding for initiatives like this that have and continue to help tens of thousands of Hempstead residents,” said Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin. “Our schools stepped up to their responsibility of educating children in spite of the challenges arisen by the pandemic. One of the challenges has been equipping the schools according

to protocols to protect students, staff members and their families.”

Each individual grant has been allocated to reimburse for COVID-related expenses that have already been paid by the schools since the start of the pandemic. Acceptable reimbursements will be distributed for items such as masks, gloves, face shields, hand sanitizer, sanitizer and other cleaning supplies, testing, desk shields and partitions.

38 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, January 1, 2021

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The Herald Courier, Friday, January 1, 2021

HC

39

COMMUNITY NEWS

Ra again top GOPer on Ways and Means State Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) is pleased to announce that Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay has re-appointed him the top Republican on the Ways and Means Committee. The committee vets all legislation with a fiscal impact to the state and is responsible for helping craft, adopt and negotiate the state budget.

“I’m so appreciative for Leader Barclay’s trust. This committee’s mission is always important, but this year is a whole new ballgame. Our state’s finances have been decimated by the pandemic. Moving forward, we need a balanced approach that sparks new economic growth, delivers for our small business owners, and protects hardworking taxpayers. The recov-

ery starts now, and so much of the work is going to happen in this committee. I’m focused and I’m ready to roll,” said Ra. One of Ra’s top budget priorities is delivering much-needed aid to Long Island schools.

Barclay also appointed Ra to the state Assembly Committee on Rules. It’s a critical post. No legislation can reach the floor

of the Assembly for a vote unless its authorized by a majority of the members on the Rules Committee.

“It’s an honor, and it’s another platform that I have to advocate for the people of the 19th Assembly District,” said Ra. “I want to work in a bipartisan way to get legislation on the floor that stabilizes our state so we can move forward.”

Happening at the Great Neck Library For certain events that require registration, any further meeting info will be released by the date of the event for registered users. Check your email before joining the event. Online Programs are held live on Zoom unless specified. Open to all. No Zoom account required. You may join Zoom events by going to join. zoom.us, and enter the program’s Meeting ID and Password. You can also dial in at 1 (646) 558-8656 or find your local number at zoom.us/zoomconference.

January 1, New Year’s Day: All Library locations are closed.

Monday, January 4 9:00 — 10:00 a.m. Make Something Good Out of 2020. All Ages. Repurpose your calendar by creating it into an amazing 3D star. The Stem Lab’s laser engraver can cut out a star shape for you. Learn how to fold it and glue it to make a beautiful piece of artwork. Just bring your old calendars with you. Appointments are required, and are for 1-2 people max. Please state how many people you are making the appointment for when you set it up. If you have any questions about the event please contact the STEM Lab. Create an in person appointment online, by phone at 466-8055, ext. 230 or by emailing STEMLab@ GreatNeckLibrary.org 4:00 — 4:45 p.m. Family Trivia. Join librarians Justin and Kat on the first Monday of the month to test your knowledge on assorted topics. The trivia will take place in Zoom using Kahoot. Meeting ID: 987 2746 8900 Passcode: 291275 4:30 — 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 — 9:30 p.m. Adventurer’s Watercolor Painting.

Teens in grades 7+. Pick up your own Adventure’s Inventory Kit, and draw and paint along to a series of creative prompts. Craft kits will be available for pickup starting January 4 after 3 p.m. so register by January 3 to reserve a spot.

Each kit comes with a sketchbook, watercolor set, and brush. All you need is a pencil and imagination. lsweeney@ greatnecklibrary.org 7:30 — 8:30 p.m. Jeopardy! Teens in grades 7+. Celebrate Trivia Day by testing your knowledge.

Tuesday, January 5 10:00 — 11:00 a.m. Learning Photos on Your Mac. Adults. Worried about losing old pictures? Running out of storage

on your cell phone? We’ll talk about Photos, Apple’s free software for storing and viewing your photos on your Mac computer. We’ll look at ways to organize your photos, how to access them, and how to back them up. Meeting ID: 927 3628 1086 Passcode: Photos STEMLab@greatnecklibrary.org (516) 466-8055, ext. 230 4:30 — 5:30 p.m. Table Games.

Teens in grades 7+. Board Game Arena is an online tabletop platform that contains a catalogue of digital board games for members to play with their friends. The platform offers various digital games for free. mmeehan@greatnecklibrary.org 6:00 — 7:30 p.m. Board of Trustees Annual Reorganization Meeting Via Webex. https://gnlskype. my.webex.com/gnlskype.my/j.php?MT ID=m419fa9ee215b2a52c0a9bb1bbb8 166b2 Meeting number: 175 967 8559 Password:JPeZUnVt827 (57398688 from phones)Join by phone +1-650-215-5226 United States Toll Wednesday, January 6 10:00 AM — 4:00 p.m. Creating Comfort for Critters. Register on Eventkeeper beginning Wednesday, January 6 at 10:00 a.m. to receive yarn, pattern and tools to make a pet-sized blanket for North Shore Animal League through Comfort for Critters starting Wednesday, January 6. 4 hours of community service will be awarded for each blanket made.

Please bring blankets to the Lakeville Branch by Friday, February 26th. Looking for help? Join us at Sticks in the Stacks on Zoom, Wednesdays at 3:30.

2:00 — 2:45 p.m. Graphic Chat: Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang. Join Librarian Justin for a discussion of the graphic novel. Superman Smashes the Klan. Book available through Hoopla: https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/13338135 Meeting will take place via Zoom: https://zoom. us/j/97811223560?pwd=aFNZenFmaD EzZVphZi81ajc0aXZIUT09 6:00 — 7:00 p.m. Creative Writing.

Teens in grades 7+. Write and share short stories and poems. jrobinson@ greatnecklibrary.org 7:00 — 8:30 p.m. Home Improvement — Your Home’s Electrical System. Is your electrical service providing enough power to your home? Do your lights dim when the refrigerator or

a/c unit goes on? Are your kitchen and bathroom outlets protected with GFCI outlets? Do your wall light switches feel loose? Do they work? Where should you install smoke detectors? Teaches students how important an understanding of the electrical system in our house is and how important it is to have it maintained. If you send Brian pictures and a brief description of your home repairs/concerns, he will address them at the end of the class presentation. Please send no later than 2 days prior to scheduled class to klhinspection@gmail.com and include Great Neck Library in the subject line.

Brian Schnee is a Licensed Home Inspector with 30 years of construction experience. Meeting ID: 896 3317 3737 Passcode: 436425 Thursday, January 7 10:00 — 11:00 a.m. Google Calendar 101. Seniors, Adults, and Parents. Learn how to unlock the power of Google’s Calendar which comes free with your Google or Gmail account. We will cover how to create events, reminders, customize notifications, add and remove events, and more. Don’t have a Google account? It is free to get one so sign up for one today or contact the STEM Lab and we would be happy to assist you. Meeting ID: 962 3640 1436 Passcode: Google STEMLab@ greatnecklibrary.org (516) 466-8055 ext.

230 10:00 AM — 5:00 p.m. Paint Party.

Materials Pickup. Register to reserve your materials, pick them up with our curbside pickup, and then follow along with our instructions at home to create a work of art.(516) 466-8055 childrens@greatnecklibrary.org 5:00 — 6:00 p.m. Jr. Levels Virtual Project Runway. 5th and 6th graders only.

Show off your fashion design skills and draw up virtual looks. jrobinson@greatnecklibrary.org 6:00 — 7:00 p.m. Ukulele. Teens in grades 7+. Learn chords, melodies, and songs. mfisher@greatnecklibrary.org 7:00 — 8:30 p.m. Author Event with Michael Hartnett: Memorable Buildings and Streetscapes of New York. Michael Hartnett will discuss the best and the worst of his discoveries about the City’s streetscapes and architecture. Includes images of New York’s more intriguing visual elements, stories from his own writ-

ing and from the City’s history. Meeting ID: 839 5178 0580 Passcode: 472326 7:30 — 9:30 p.m. Spring Theatre Proposal Meeting. Teens in grades 7+.

Levels’ shows are chosen by students in 7th grade and up. Join us for this meeting (on Zoom) to present your ideas for what our Spring 2021 virtual show should be, or just discuss and vote. This show is planned to be performed live online in April or May 2021. If you’re proposing a show, please contact Barry Weil at bweil@greatnecklibrary.org so we can help to find out if your title is available for virtual performance. bweil@greatnecklibrary.org Friday, January 8 10:00 — 11:30 a.m. Zoom and Google Meet 101. Seniors, Adults, and Parents. Learn how to navigate Zoom and Google Meet, how to create and join meetings, and even how to adjust settings to improve your use of these two programs. Join our meeting by phone, or through the zoom website: https:// zoom.us/join and then enter the meeting idea and passcode below. Meeting ID: 944 3213 4731 Passcode: Meet! (516) 466-8055 ext. 230 STEMLab@greatnecklibrary.org 11:30 AM — 12:30 p.m. Bilingual Storytime. Join us for songs, stories, and activities in both English and Spanish.

Whether you are a native speaker, a super beginner, or somewhere in between — you and your child can follow along in this fun online storytime.(516) 466-8055 childrens@greatnecklibrary.org 12:00 — 1:00 p.m. Friday Film Discussion. The Italian Job (1969) G,1 hr.

39 min., Action, Comedy, Crime. Comic caper movie about a plan to steal a gold shipment from the streets of Turin by creating a traffic jam. Watch at your leisure.

Join the media staffa nd fellow patrons in a Zoom discussion of the film. Streaming free with your Great Neck Library card on Kanopy, on Prime Video with subscription, and with ads on Pluto, and Tubi.

Meeting ID: 623 987 3994 Passcode: filmscdipietro@greatnecklibrary.org 3:00 — 4:30 p.m. Socrates Salon with Conversation Host Ron Gross. Share your life experiences, knowledge, and wisdom about topics that matter. To Join this online conversation email Ron Gross at grossassoc@aol.com

For the latest news, visit us at w w w.theislandnow.com

40 The Herald Courier, Friday, January 1, 2021

HC

WE ARE OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FOR LUNCH AND DINNER

Sun - Thurs 11:30-9pm Fri & Sat 11:30-10pm

980 Franklin Ave, Garden City • (516) 294-6565

!"#$%&'()#$*)(+,-.(/0$1',2$345-.$-(6#$'4$3(0"$ %7#)894.:$,$;,<<:$,&.$;#,-'":$;4-(.,:$1#,04&= HOLIDAY PACKAGES

Available November 20, 2020 - January 3, 2021 for lunch and dinner • Take out only

PACKAGE #1 $80 Plus Tax

PACKAGE #2 $115 Plus Tax

• (2) 18” regular pizzas • 1/2 tray chicken parmigiana • Complimentary Bottle of Cabernet or Pinot Grigio

• (2) 18” regular pizzas • 1/2 tray Caesar salad • 1/2 tray chicken parmigiana • Complimentary Bottle of Cabernet or Pinot Grigio

PACKAGE #3 $145 Plus Tax

• (1) 18” regular pizzas • 1/2 tray Caesar salad • 1/2 tray chicken parmigiana • 1/2 tray penne ala vodka • Complimentary Bottle of Cabernet or Pinot Grigio

*Additional items may be purchased at regular menu price. *Toppings available for additional cost; may not be combined with any other coupon, discount, offer or Groupon; prices do not include tax or gratuity; available for take out only; no substitutions.*

CATERING MENU APPETIZER SELECTIONS

ANTIPASTO

$80

Homemade mozzarella, oven roasted sweet red peppers, genoa salami, sicilian olives

ASSORTED BAKED PINWHEELS $70

Variety of spinach, pepperoni, buffalo chicken and sausage and bacon rolls, served with a side of sauce

GRIMALDIS ORIGINAL RECIPE BUFFALO WINGS

$80

BRUSCHETTA

$70

Buffalo wings tossed with our homemade buffalo sauce. Served with celery and carrots and choice of blue cheese or ranch Seasoned chopped tomatoes, topped with a parmesan dusting served on crustini bread

TOMATO MOZZARELLA

Large slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella with a basil pesto drizzle over a bed of greens

$80

18” DESSERT PLATTER

Combination of Jr. Cheese Cake, Cannoli, Chocolate Decadence & Rice Pudding $80 Grimaldi’s Cannoli Platters (15 cannolis) $75

Grimaldi’s Gift Certificate Sale!

18” SALAD SELECTIONS

House Caesar Chopped Spinach Portobello Mediterranean Add Fresh Mozzarella $15 Add Grilled Chicken $20 Add Salami $15

$80 $70 $80 $80 $80 $80

For Every $50 Grimaldi’s Gift Certificate Purchased, Receive a $20 Complimentary Gift Certificate.

Available ONLY Monday, December 14 through Thursday, December 24 Cash Only!

ENTREÉ SELECTIONS

Chicken Parmigiana Chicken Marsala Eggplant Parmigiana Eggplant Rollatini Penne Ala Vodka Penne Bolognese

TAKEOUT & DELIVERY

SUNDAY - THURSDAY 11:30-9 FRIDAY & SATURDAY 11:30-10

Half $55 $60 $55 $55 $50 $55

Full $95 $100 $95 $90 $80 $90

Gift certificates are $50 denominations only in order to receive a complimentary $20. Maximum purchase amout $250. Cannot be redeemed for gratuity. Only one redeemed per table, per visit.

Change will be in a gift certificate form. $50 gift certificates Do Not Expire. $20 complimentary gift certificates are valid from 1/2/21 to 12/30/21

We Are Open For Inside Dining at 50% Capacity You must wear a mask to and from the tables.

Thank you for your cooperation

Now Accepting Reservations For Parties of 6 or More

A $25 fee will be applied if canceling within 3 hours of reservation.

Delivery through: www.grimaldisgardencity.com