Port Washington 2023_03_03

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Bodkin new village justice

Manorhaven judge to serve until July 3

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The Manorhaven mayor and Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint village resident William Bodkin as the new village justice at a Feb. 22 meeting.

Bodkin was interviewed by the mayor and the Board of Trustees prior to his appointment. It was determined that he was qualified for the position upon reviewing his credentials and background, according to the meeting’s agenda.

His responsibilities as village justice are effective immediately, and Bodkin will serve in the post until July 3.

The appointment comes after former Village Justice Christian S. Alfaya’s resignation. Until the appointment, there was no sitting justice presiding over the village other than an associate justice who was unable to fulfill the vacancy, according to the meeting’s agenda.

Bodkin currently serves as the chief court attorney for the Nassau County Supreme Court and as a judicial hearing officer for the Office of Court Administration, where he presides over employee disciplinary hearings. He previously served as a principal law clerk for numerous judges in the Nassau County Supreme Court and as principal appellate court attorney for the New York State Supreme

Continued on Page 48

Legislature OKs new district maps

Dems accuse GOP of illegal gerrymandering, say litigation expected

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

The Republican-controlled Nassau County Legislature voted Monday along party lines to adopt a map with newly drawn electoraldistricts which Democrats claim is illegal and favors their GOP counterparts.

The Legislature voted 11-7 to adopt maps that were presented by

the majority caucus Feb. 21. Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport) criticized the Republican legislators for working in “secrecy” so they can keep their advantage over the next decade.

Republican Presiding Officer Rich Nicolello said the new maps featured Democratic officials having an enrollment edge in 15 of the 19 legislative districts, but Abrahams disagreed.

“It is not surprising that such a deeply flawed, self-serving process would produce an extreme partisan gerrymander that disenfranchises Nassau’s minority communities and violates numerous federal, state, and local laws,” Abrahams said in a statement.

“By passing this illegal map, the Republican Majority has recklessly placed Nassau County on a collision course

towards numerous lawsuits that will ultimately cost taxpayers millions of dollars.”

“Is this map perfect?” Nicolello asked during Monday’s session. “No. But perfection is impossible in redistricting. This map is a fair map, it provides equal representation for all our residents and protects community in-

Continued on Page 42

PHOTO COURTESY OF BEA HELFT

Bea Helft and fellow Plant a Row Board Member David Cohen with students at the Helen Keller National Center. See story on page 10.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS

Residents withdraw opposition to 12 Irma

Developer adjusts plans due to community concerns

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The informal coalition of concerned residents that opposed the original plans for an independent senior living facility at 12 Irma Ave. has withdrawn their objection to the project in light of changes made by the developers.

The developers for the proposed facility in Port Washington presented amended plans to the coalition at a Feb. 13 meeting that were intended to address the residents’ reservations.

This was the frst time the development plans were changed in response to the concerns of the residents. The new plans were submitted to the zoning board.

The proposed plans, which initially included three full stories and a partial fourth foor, were changed to only have two full foors and a partial third foor.

The original plans also included 18 units and 18 parking spaces, and now would only contain 10 units and 16 parking spots.

The living facility would be for seniors 62 and older, and the developers said they anticipate the units to be market-based rentals. The residential

Baxter Estates craft budget decrease

$896K proposal sees slight cuts

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Baxter Estates trustees presented a draft budget of approximately $896,600 for 2023-2024, a slight decrease from the current budget of $905,249, at a workshop meeting Tuesday night.

The trustees did a line-by-line review of the budget, discussing potential changes and adjustments it with Village Clerk and Treasurer Meghan Kelly.

The village is also projecting a tax levy limit adjusted for transfers plus exclusions to be about $675,799. This is an increase of about 2.2% compared to the current fscal year, which was established to be $661,358.

While the budget will potentially decrease, the village is projecting increases in budgeting for contractual

services, such as their alarm system and maintenance, as well as insurance and benefts, including state retirement, social security and medicare, workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance.

Other tentative budget increases include an 87.5% increase in money allotted to buildings, intended for village hall repairs, and a 300% increase in refunds of real property taxes.

The village is projecting that its total revenues will amount to about $222,000. Kelly said the village is “greatly under-budgeting” its revenues, which she said is a good budgeting practice.

The village budget must be presented by the clerk to the board of trustees by March 20. The board then has until the end of April to adopt the budget.

building will not provide assisted senior care.

In a prior interview with Blank Slate, Cheryl Littman, one of the organizers of the coalition and a Port Washington resident, said the initial plans had her concerned about the trafc that additional residents might bring to an already trafc-dense street.

This was compounded by the prior plans only ofering a single parking space per unit. She said she was also worried about environmental impacts from the previously proposed four-story building blocking the sun.

In a meeting Monday night, the coalition convened to discuss the amended development plans and work to craft a unifed response – discussing whether the new plans were acceptable for them or if they needed to request further changes for the well-being of their community. There were no guarantees that the meeting would result in an offcial response, pending the comments and concerns of the residents.

Linda Maryanov, a coalition member and Port Washington resident of 28 years, said that not everyone who is a member of the coalition was able to at-

tend the meeting held over Zoom, but those who were reached a consensus to approve the revised plans for the development.

The coalition ultimately opted to withdraw their opposition to the development when they determined the plans were adequate. Members plan to sign onto a letter stating this, and it will be provided to the zoning board.

Maryanov said each person who spoke at Monday’s meeting noted the revised plans appeared to be a “signifcant improvement” and that they addressed most of the community’s concerns.

She said the new plans do not address every aspect of concerns the community proposed, but they “met the community’s needs in important ways.”

Maryanov said she is satisfed with the revised development but is still worried about the impact of parking. But she also conceded that parking would be a concern regardless of the residential use in the location.

Maryanov has been communicating with the developer’s attorney Kathleen Deegan Dickson and emailed her Continued on Page 42

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The senior living facility proposed at 12 Irma was previously opposed by residents until changes to the project’s plans were made to address community concerns.

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Grand Central ridership increases

New station expands LIRR capacity, with Port Washington branch recieving 11% boost

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

The first round of full-service transit into Grand Central Madison kicked off on Monday, with 30% of the thousands of Manhattan-bound commuters traveling into the newly constructed train station, officials said.

“To be here today in the beautiful new Grand Central Madison concourse is a thrill, LIRR interim President Catherine Rinaldi said in a statement. “This project has been in planning and development since the 1960s and it is revolutionizing travel across the entire region. It has been great to greet so many customers and to see first-hand the benefit to customers who work on, and need to travel to, the East Side of Manhattan.”

The $11.1 billion project came to fruition with an increase of 2% overall ridership increase on Monday, transit officials said. The LIRR’s service is increased by 41% with the addition of the new station, with 271 trains operating each day, officials said.

Grand Central will handle increased capacity from the LIRR’s North Shore train stations produced by express service on the Port Washington line and more commuters from the agency’s 3rd Track Project.

Transit officials initially proposed eliminating some express service for

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the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington branch as part of the East Side Access project, but later abandoned plans in the face of strong opposition from elected officials and commuters.

Overall, the branch received an 11% boost in service, with more trains becoming available for commuters on the Port Washington Branch, according to the draft schedules following the agency’s announcement.

A total of 103 trains per day service the branch, 10 more than the current schedule has, officials said. On weekends, a total of five more trains, 81 in total, will be operating along the branch.

The draft morning rush hour schedule includes 15 trains arriving in Manhattan between 6:16 a.m. and 9:51 a.m., a 36% increase from the current 11 that arrive at Penn Station between 6:21 a.m. and 9:34 a.m., according to officials.

The branch’s afternoon and evening rush hour schedule will also see a 43% increase in service, including three express trains. A total of 20 trains will leave Manhattan between 4:06 p.m. and 7:43 p.m., six more than the 14 trains that currently provided that service to commuters on the Port Washington branch, according to officials.

In Nassau North Shore, the average sales price rose annually to the third-highest on record as listing inventory increased yearly from the lowest to the third-lowest on record. In the Long Island luxury market, the median and average sales prices rose annually and remained sharply above pre-pandemic levels. Listing inventory edged higher year over year but was less than half of pre-pandemic levels, causing more than one out of four transactions to sell above the last asking price.

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PHOTO BY CAMERYN OAKES

Grand Central Madison will begin offering its full services to the LIRR on Feb. 27.

Continued on Page 42

Federico Teti

Caravan drives efforts to remove Santos

BY BRANDON DUFFY

Dozens of NY-03 constituents staged a “Drive Out Santos” caravan Saturday morning throughout different North Shore locations to highlight the parts of Congressman George Santos’ resume that have come under scrutiny in recent months.

Chants of “New York 3, Santos-free” and “Hey Hey, Ho Ho, Santos has got to go” were two of the many heard by residents, who lined their cars with streamers, posters and writin 3gs to voice their ongoing displeasure.

“George Santos told real and significant lies that impacted all of us,” said resident Casey Sabella. “It’s unacceptable that he is still in Congress actively legislating against us, and he needs to be expelled.”

The groups responsible for organizing Saturday’s event include Concerned Citizens of NY-03, Courage For America and MoveOn. The organization previously held another rally weeks ago in Roslyn before constituents loaded up buses headed to Washington, D.C., to speak to Santos at his office in the Capitol.

Garden City Animal Hospital was the first stop for the caravan, highlighting the charity Santos said he founded, Friends of Pets United. Santos’ time with the charity has come under intense criticism in recent weeks.

Santos has been accused of scamming a disabled veteran out of thousands of dollars that would have been used to care for the man’s service dog.

Richard Osthoff said that he met Santos, who introduced himself as Anthony Devolder, in 2016 while living in a tent on the side of a New Jersey highway.

Osthoff ’s service dog, Sapphire, was suffering from a life-threatening stomach tumor, treatment for which would cost $3,000, the veteran told Patch.

A veterinary technician told Osthoff to use Friends of Pets United. Osthoff said he never saw any of the funds after a GoFundMe was set up and subsequently deleted once it got close to hitting the $3,000 goal.

Sapphire died in January 2017, he said.

Next on the tour was the Lake Success Jewish

Center. Prior to being elected, Santos’ campaign website said the Republican’s grandparents “fled Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium and again fled persecution during WWII.”

A review of genealogy reports done by The Forward, an independent Jewish publication, showed that his grandparents, Paulo Horta Devolder and Rosalina Caruso Horta Devolder, were both born in Brazil prior to 1930 when the Nazi Party secured more than 100 seats in Germany’s parliament.

The report claims Santos’ mother, Fatima Aziza Caruso Horta Devolder, was born to Paulo and Rosalina in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. His mother’s Facebook page does not contain references to Judaism but several pages she “liked” were for various Catholic groups.

Other posts she has shared on her Facebook page, which include pictures of her and the congressman-elect, include depictions of Jesus and quotes from the Bible. His mother died in 2016, according to an online obituary.

Santos, in a 2020 interview, said his family converted to Christianity while living in Brazil. Santos told the New York Post that he “never claimed to be Jewish” but that his “maternal family had a Jewish background,” which he meant as being “Jew-ish.”

The caravan then went to the Citibank branch on Union Turnpike in New Hyde Park, highlighting the false claims about his employment history.

In January The New York Times released the resume Santos submitted to the Nassau County Republican Committee in 2020. The two-page resume said Santos graduated in the top 1 percent with a 3.89 GPA at Baruch College, doubled revenue growth as a project manager at Goldman Sachs in an eight-month period and tripled sales growth within the first six months as a vice president at LinkBridge Investors.

Santos did not attend Baruch and never was an employee of Goldman Sachs.

“There is no question in my mind that Mr. Santos is not fit to represent the people of Congressional District 3,” Said resident Charlie Robbins. “We have no idea what he stands for except himself and his power and greed.”

Continued on Page 48

PHOTO COURTESY OF CONCERNED CITIZENS OF NY-03

Resident Casey Sadella holds a sign outside the office of Congressman George Santos.

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Gov. bashes Santos for promoting AR-15

used in mass killings national gun

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

Gov. Kathy Hochul bashed U.S. Rep. George Santos for co-sponsoring a bill to make the AR-15 the “national gun of the United States” last week.

Hochul, in a statement, criticized the embattled congressman for his connection to the bill. Santos had previously been seen on the House floor wearing an AR-15 lapel pin on his jacket before introducing the legislation.

“It’s outrageous and appalling that New York Congressman Santos would attach his name to legislation that would designate the AR-15 as the ‘national gun of the United States’,” Hochul said.

Hochul urged Santos to remove himself from the legislation, especially due to the recent mass shooting in Buffalo and for the connection a Dix Hills family has to the Parkland, Fla. shootings. AR-15s were used in both shootings.

“This weapon of war has been used in mass shootings across the United States — from my hometown of Buffalo, where the shooter used a modified AR-15 to murder ten people in a despicable act of white supremacist terrorism, to

Parkland, Florida, where the shooter killed seventeen innocent people with an AR-15-style weapon,” Hochul said.

Scott J. Beigel, who grew up in the Roslyn area, taught geography and coached the cross-country team at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland before he was one of the 17 people killed in February 2018. A gunman entered the school equipped with a AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and pulled the fire alarm.

Biegel was seen on footage herding 31 students to safety in his classroom before he was shot. His mother, Linda Beigel Schulman, has led a foundation in her son’s name and worked to pass gun violence legislation and spoken across the country on the topic of gun violence.

The Roslyn-area native attended the 2020 State of the Union with Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) and gave a talk on her experiences alongside Suozzi at Temple Beth Sholom in East Hills, the temple she attended growing up. Beigel Schulman agreed with Hochul’s comments on Santos last week.

“I stand with @GovKathyHochul against this deplorable act by

@Santos4Congress,” she tweeted. “New low for someone who can’t go lower.”

Efforts to reach Santos for comment on the matter were unavailing.

The newly elected congressman has been the subject of multiple investigations on various levels for lying about his personal, professional and financial background since being elected to the 3rd Congressional District seat in November.

Democratic U.S. Reps. Ritchie Torres and Dan Goldman filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee several weeks ago for allegedly violating the Ethics in Government Act, saying the Republican must be held accountable for deceiving voters and Congress.

The Ethics in Government Act, officials said, was created to “preserve and promote the integrity of public officials and institutions,” which Torres and Goldman said they believe Santos has failed to adhere to.

A nonpartisan ad hoc group, Concerned Citizens of NY-03 sent out a press release expressing their support for the expulsion resolution on Thursday, saying that Santos is “unfit to serve in Congress.”

Calls congressman’s backing of bill to make weapon

‘appalling’

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CONGRESSMAN

U.S. Rep. George Santos.

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NIFA okays Nassau contract with police

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

The Nassau Interim Finance Authority unanimously approved a new $170 million, 8 ½-year contract between the county and its Police Benevolent Association on Tuesday.

ecutive Bruce Blakeman described the negotiations between the two parties as “exhaustive,” but expressed his pleasure with the agreement.

“I believe this agreement keeps our police department at the highest levels of salary in the nation but at the same time has provisions that enhance the safety of our communities and guards the taxpayer’s money,” Blakeman said in a statement earlier this year.

“I think it is a good agreement,” Barsky said. “It does a lot of things that will help the county in the future, in terms of capping termination pay, providing more appearances and more work [and] providing necessary training for the officers.”

The agreement will run retroactively from Jan. 1, 2018 until July 1, 2026 and increase the top base pay for officers from $122,000 to $141,000. The agreement will also increase the starting pay for new officers from $35,000 to $37,333.

The contract also increases pay by 15% during the duration and includes nearly $6,500 in stipends for officers with six years of service and $3,750 stipends for those with 15 years of service, according to legislative documents.

The county legislature unanimously approved the deal on Feb. 6. Nassau County Ex-

The county failed to come to an agreement with the 1,800-member union during the tenure of Democratic County Executive Laura Curran. Contract proposals of the same length were submitted and provided officers with a 25% raise over eight-and-a-half years.

Annual stipends of $3,000 for officers wearing body cameras were agreed on by the county and the union, which officials said costs taxpayers $8 million each year.

Democrats attempted to add an amendment in the county’s budget to hire more than 100 new police officers. Blakeman’s $3.88 billion budget included the hiring of 36 additional officers.

“Police officers are often confronted with danger and put themselves in harm’s way as they fulfill their oath to serve and protect the public in Nassau County and across the nation,” Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport) said.

PHOTO BY NOAH MANSKAR

The Nassau County Legislative Building.

Plant a Row launches educational series

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Plant a Row for the Hungry is launching its third annual virtual vegetable gardening series Tuesday, starting with a topic at the root of all gardening. The session will not literally be about the roots, but rather about starting plants from seeds.

The fve-part Zoom series, which runs through the end of March, will cover a variety of topics in-depth. All sessions are intended to educate attendees on being successful in their gardening journey, wherever that may be for them.

Plant A Row is a local organization that plants, grows, harvests and delivers produce to local families and community members in need. The organization was founded to address issues of hunger through gardening. Since its foundation, the group has donated over 57,000 pounds of locally grown and fresh produce. The organization currently has a gallery in the Port Washington Public Library showing its full story.

Board Member Bea Helft created the series, which she said she’s been researching for her entire life. As a former professor at Baruch College, she said she’s always thinking and wondering how she can educate people, something she said she has “in her blood.”

She said that the series is “designed to educate the public and bring their knowledge level up” as to how they can grow food for themselves and their community.

Helft tailored the series for anyone in a gardening journey, from the person who can’t keep a house plant alive to an advanced gardener with a natural green thumb.

“Everybody’s a beginner, including me,” Helft said. “There is always some-

thing new to learn. That’s part of the fun.”

While Helft said the information from these workshops is valuable, it is still a lot of work. Instead of being overwhelmed with the plethora of knowledge that is ofered, she said it’s best to take it at a comfortable pace.

For those who may be intimidated in starting their pursuit of gardening, Helft said the sessions are a great way to begin. The sessions provide individuals with the chance to ask questions and learn as well as gain a support system through Plant a Row that they can rely on in the future.

“We’re trying to encourage people, regardless of their aptitude, to grow food at home,” Helft said. “There are a lot of reasons for this. Not only because getting your hands in the soil is a very therapeutic activity, but food has got very expensive in the supermarkets. There are a lot of really wonderful reasons to grow all kinds of things in the garden, but if you grow food, you’re nourishing your family as well.”

Helft said that when she put the last two series together, there were a lot of similar questions people would ask and topics that weren’t covered at all. In re-

New AEDs donated to Port fire department

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Ten new automatic external defbrillators were donated to the Port Washington Fire Department by the Peter and Jeri Dejana Foundation, replacing the old ones which were over ten years old.

Chief of Department Brian Waterson said the department uses AEDs frequently, “more than [the department would] like to use them.” When used, he said they are efective and provide “excellent results” in life-saving measures, vital in saving lives.

“Studies show that the survival rate of a patient defbrillated within the frst 3 minutes of a cardiac arrest can produce survival rates of between 50%

Continued on Page 48

sponse, she tailored this year’s series to address them.

The frst information session Tuesday will teach attendees how to start seeds in both indoor and outdoor settings, to be accessible to people at varying levels of knowledge and abilities.

Helft said there are so many types of seeds of vegetables that are not sold in grocery stores, so another upside to growing your own food is the variety that becomes available to you.

The second session will cover how to grow food in containers, something workable for people who do not have ample space for a garden or even a yard in which to plant in the ground. The third session will teach attendees how to maximize the produce they can grow through methods such as companion planting and succession planting.

The fourth session will include special guest Jessica Damiano, the Associated Press’s gardening columnist, to speak about wise usage of water.

The Town of North Hempstead gets its water from an aquifer, a limited supply, so Helft said it is important that it’s used in a “judicious way” to prevent waste.

Helft said planting native plants is an easy way to be sustainable with water usage since they are intended to grow in Long Island’s natural climate. Annual plants, like vegetables, are typically not native but water optimization can be implemented through methods like drip irrigation systems.

An upside, Helft said, is that water optimization techniques will lower your water bill as well.

The last session will be an information workshop to troubleshoot any issues that could, and are bound to, happen while gardening. This will include

instructions on home remedies that are natural and benefcial in combatting certain issues.

Helft said that the goals of this series are to remind and educate people of the work done by Plant a Row, seek out volunteers, contributors and donators for the organization and inform community members of the need to provide fresh food to food insecure community members.

“The more food homeowners grow, and very often they grow more than they can actually eat, the more food that we can deliver to our families in need,” Helft said.

She said the Port Washington community prides itself on its supportiveness of each other in many ways. Plant a Row is one way in which individuals can get involved to care for the needs of the community.

“Whatever we can do to be a community is really important,” Helft said. “What are the values that one lives by? I think being part of a community is one of those values and that’s what we strive to do.”

Potential attendees can register for the Zoom sessions on the Port Washington Public Library’s events page. Participants do not have to be Port Washington residents in order to attend.

All Zoom sessions will be recorded, excluding the fourth workshop of the series on March 21. Anyone can watch the recordings afterward for a limited amount of time.

Helft said she is hopeful that the series will garner more support for Plant a Row.

“Once you come and be part of this, it’s hard not to want to do it more,” Helft said. “I’m hoping people catch the same bug I caught.”

Body recovered from G. Cove marina: Cops

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The body of a 68-year-old man was recovered from the Safe Harbor Marina in Glen Cove Monday morning, according to Nassau County Police ofcials.

The police told Blank Slate they could not release information regarding the identity of the man. It was not known if he had been identifed.

Police could also not provide information on the manner of death nor how the man’s body got into the water.

A witness called 911 around 8:30 a.m. Monday to report a body foating in the water at 128 Shore Road. The man was retrieved from the water and pronounced dead at 10:48 a.m. by frst responders.

The Glen Cove Police Department, Nassau County Marine Bureau, Nassau County Emergency Service Unit and the Glen Cove Fire Department responded to the scene.

The investigation was ongoing and being investigated by the county’s homicide unit.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARVIN MAKOFSKY

Bea Helft giving a presentation for Plant a Row at the Port Washington Public Library.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PORT WASHINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT

Port Washington Fire Department Board of Directors and Chief’s Office receiving the AEDs from Jean-Marie Posner, the Peter and Jeri Dejana Foundation secretary.

PHOTO BY CAMERYN OAKES

A body was retrieved from the waters of the Safe Harbor Marina in Glen Cove Monday morning.

County corrects errant bill sent to NHP parish

BY BRANDON DUFFY

A tax bill for more than $1.1 million wrongly sent to the Notre Dame Parish in New Hyde Park was reversed by the Nassau County Legislature Monday.

Earlier this month, the Legislature’s Finance and Rules Committee advanced multiple Correction of Error petitions that amounted to over $2 million in erroneous tax bills. Of that total, the bill sent to the parish, which is tax-exempt, was $1,165,324.68.

Last winter, the parish was sent two diferent tax bills for its 2023 general taxes. The initial Nassau Assessment Department error led to a $16.7 million assessment on the property.

The Diocese of Rockville Centre, which owns the property, received the bill. State law exempts houses of worship, which are nonprofts, from property taxes.

Town of North Hempstead Receiver of Taxes Charles Berman, who was told of the error by the diocese, wrote at the time to acting County Assessor Matthew Cronin that the county failed to apply a full property tax.

In November, Berman told Blank Slate Media the parish, located at 45 Mayfair Road, sold a single-family home on its property for $630,000, the amount the county should have removed the tax exemption for rather than using the value of the entire property.

County Legislator Debra Mulé (D–Freeport) was critical of county leadership for what she

said were avoidable mistakes.

“Unfortunately, the Blakeman administration’s track record of errors and questionable assessment decisions gives us little faith that there are not more errors on the way,” Mulé said in a statement. “It’s time to get to the bottom of this by ordering an independent investigation into how these errors occurred, how the Department of Assessment missed them, and the steps that should be taken to prevent the waste of even more taxpayer money in the future.”

In October 2022, the Minority Caucus identifed 842 property owners who had been overcharged by a total of approximately $1.55 million because the fve-year phase-in of the 2020-2021 reassessment was not applied correctly to the impacted second-half school tax bills.

Cronin, an Amityville resident, was appointed acting assessor by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman in May last year. Prior to his current role, Cronin was an assistant assessor with previous experience in the Department of Assessment.

He served as the county’s commercial and industrial assessor in 2020 before being promoted.

Cronin was appointed after Blakeman, a Republican, did not renew the contract for acting Assessor Robin Laveman, who was appointed to fll the shoes of her predecessor, David Moog, by former County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat.

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Linda Mangano out after five months

Wife of former county executive to serve remainder of 15-month sentence for corruption at home

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

Linda Mangano, the wife of former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, will serve the rest of her sentencing from a political corruption scheme she and her husband were convicted of at her home, officials told Newsday.

Both Edward’s and Linda’s sentencings were delayed before they ultimately began their respective time in prison. Linda’s 15-month prison sentence began on Sept. 9, according to reports.

Her home confinement, officials said, is scheduled to end on Aug. 12.

Officials did not disclose why Mangano had been released from prison early following a five-month stay at the federal facility in Danbury, Conn. Eff orts to reach officials for further comment on the matter were unavailing.

She was found to be guilty of two counts of lying to the FBI, conspiring to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice in a case that involved the former Nassau County executive.

Edward Mangano’s 12-year sentencing began in mid-September. His conviction is based on a deal he made with Harendra Singh, a res-

taurateur on Long Island and a star witness in the trial, in which Singh kicked back money and personal benefits in return for the county executive pushing the Town of Oyster Bay to authorize loans for Singh, ac-

Sport Psychology

job worth $450,000 for Linda Mangano as a marketing director for Singh, prosecutors said.

In 2019, Singh pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy, bribery and tax evasion, along with being charged with collecting nearly $1 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency Funds after he falsely claimed his Long Island City restaurant suff ered damages from Superstorm Sandy.

The guilty plea was part of an agreement that required Singh to cooperate with federal prosecutors in their case against the Manganos.

Prosecutors initially sought to have Mangano serve a 17-1/2-year sentence for accepting bribes and kickbacks for governmental action. Mangano’s actions were far from one mistake and his “criminal conduct began the moment he was elected as Nassau County executive and continued for years” prosecutors said.

cording to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Prosecutors said that several weeks after Mangano took office, he used his political influence to have the Town of Oyster Bay “indirectly guarantee” $20 million worth

of personal loans to Singh for improvements to Tobay Beach and the town’s golf course.

Singh in turn paid for five vacations, hardwood flooring, a custom office chair, watch and a “no-show”

Mangano was confirmed to be working at Huntington’s Oheka Castle in 2020, owner Gary Melius told Newsday. Prosecutors previously said Mangano “led a culture of corruption that permeated throughout his administration: it rotted from the top down.”

Dr. Tom Ferraro has specialized in sport psychology for 20 years and works in the fields of golf, tennis, soccer, baseball, football, wrestling, lacrosse, figure skating, gymnastics, softball, fencing and more. He has helped professional teams, Olympians and elite young athletes learn how to manage the intense pressure of competitive sports. He appears on both TV and radio and has sport psychology columns in 5 different newspapers and has been featured in The New York Times, Wall street Journal and the London Times. Golf Digest includes him in their list of top mental game gurus in America. For a consultation see below:

Williston Park Professional Center

2 Hillside Ave, Suite E. Williston Park NY 11596

(building parallel to E. Williston railroad station) drtomferraro.com

drtferraro@aol.com

(516) 248-7189

PHOTO BY JOE NIKIC

Linda Mangano, left, was released from prison and will serve the remainder of her sentence at home, officials said.

OUR VIEWS Editorial Cartoon

Tax people what they owe, now

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced two weeks ago that he had frozen the tax rolls used to determine what property owners owe the county, schools and special districts for the 20242025 school year.

This is the third consecutive year the tax rolls have been frozen in Nassau and the 11th consecutive under Republican county executives. And the third reason cited for justifying a freeze on assessment rolls.

The latest freeze means that the last time property owners in Nassau paid their fair share in taxes was 2008. And the next time will be in the 2024-2025 school year at the earliest. That’s 17 years.

Former County Executive Ed Mangano, a Republican, froze tax assessments when he took ofce in 2009 following Superstorm Sandy. Mangano said damage from the storm had caused a massive change in county property values that would be unfair to reassess.

But even as the impact of the storm subsided, Mangano did not reassess properties in Nassau, while he allowed the assessment department’s staf to shrink and did not appoint a certifed tax assessor.

According to a Newsday report, $2.7 billion in property taxes was shifted over the eight years in which no reassessment was done from people who challenged their property taxes to those who didn’t.

The people who hadn’t challenged their property taxes – generally younger, less afuent and more likely to be members of a minority group – were assessed at a level 29.2 percent greater than those who did, Newsday reported.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat, ordered a reassessment of all properties in 2018 after winning ofce partly on the pledge to fx the assessment mess

Curran’s reassessment, conducted by a certifed assessor, was found by a Newsday analysis to be “well within every major professional standard of accuracy and fairness.”

The new values took efect for the 2020-21 tax year. The next year, assessors updated property values slightly to keep pace with the market

Still, the assessment was challenged repeatedly by Republican legislators who remained silent during Mangano’s administration as well as residents – 50% to 75% of whom would have to pay more under the new property assessment.

The diference was so great in property values that Curran phased in the changes over fve years.

But on her way out of ofce, Curran ordered the rolls completely frozen for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 tax years with no public announcement. She cited a second reason — instability in the housing market during the coronavirus pandemic Blakeman, a Republican, and Acting Assessor Matthew Cronin cited several reasons for the latest freeze, including a third given by a county executive — a Jan. 12 audit of Curran’s program by GOP county Comptroller Elaine Phillips.

It said the Curran administration relied on “fawed data” and made 23,000 last-minute changes before the roll went live.

Blakeman also said the “phase-in” of assessment changes implemented by the previous administration — supported by Republican legislators — exacerbated profound disparities. The COVID pandemic, he said, further destabilized the real estate market and associated home values.

David Moog, who oversaw the reassessment under Curran, has said all changes cited by Phillips were made in his second year to improve the accuracy of the roll.

And Democratic legislators and assessment professionals said the latest freeze will only make the county’s assessment system more unfair.

Larry Clark, the retired director of strategic initiatives for the nonproft International Association of Assessing Offcers, said freezing values “assumes that there’s absolutely no change in the market from the year that the values were set through the year that the values were

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frozen — and that’s just not true.”

Nassau County Legislator Debra Mulé (D-Freeport) told Newsday the lastest freeze is “putting all of the hard work and money that was put into the new assessment that much out of whack, and guarantees that unless you grieve your taxes, you’re going to be paying more than your fair share.”

Blakeman’s decision to freeze assessments raises several questions.

Does he oppose a phase-in of assessments during his administration? If so, he should say so. That would allow property owners to prepare for large changes in their tax bills in the future.

Why, if Phillips had discovered faws in the data, did the county not fx the faws and use the corrected information to accurately assess homes for the 20242025 school year?

And do county Republicans actually want a fair assessment system?

Or do they beneft politically from a broken system in which older, white and more afuent voters actually pay less than their fair share?

Blakeman’s decision to freeze assessments comes at a time when Republican majorities in the Nassau County Legislature and Hempstead Town Board are being accused of gerrymandering new district maps in a way that gives minorities short shrift. Just as the assessment

system does.

Is this a coincidence? We don’t think so.

There are other political benefts to a broken assessment system enjoyed by both political parties – the generous campaign benefts provided by the many law frms that challenge assessments.

These certiorari frms, in turn, usually receive half the money saved – a very lucrative business in a county with a broken assessment system.

Elected ofcials of both parties also get to take credit for providing constituent service in the form of workshops on how to challenge their assessments – and save money.

This is a good thing for property owners and elected ofcials.

But a very bad thing for Nassau County’s fnances, which under yet another disastrous fnancial decision made long ago by the county guarantees to refund money awarded in assessment challenges not only to the county but for schools and special districts as well.

The school districts account for nearly two-thirds of a property owner’s tax bill; the county is a mere 16% or 17%. But Nassau absorbs the total hit when assessments are successfully challenged.

This helps explain the fnancial problems faced by the county, one of the wealthiest in New York State, that to this

day remains under state oversight via the Nassau Interim Finance Authority.

Yes, other countries around the state can handle property tax assessments. But perhaps it’s not Republican or Democratic politics in Nassau that make it so difcult to assess property. Perhaps it’s the property tax system.

County executives have now frozen assessments due to Superstorm Sandy, COVID and bad data for all but two years from 2009 to 2025 – a remarkable 16 years.

That would seem to indicate that property taxes are not a very reliable way to pay for government – at least in Nassau.

And even if assessments are 100% accurate, property taxes are often unfair because they are based on the value of a person’s home – not the homeowners’ income or ability to pay.

The most common alternative to the property tax is the income tax. The federal government uses one. The state uses one. New York City uses one.

Perhaps it’s time for Nassau County to use one, either to cover all or part of its expenses.

Either that or the county should determine the actual value of properties starting next year. And property owners should start paying what they actually owe without any further delays.

COLUMNIST Karen Rubin

Stacy Shaughnessy, Melissa Spitalnick, Wendy Kates, Barbara Kaplan ART DIRECTOR

Yvonne Farley

Sen. Fetterman’s gift to mental health aid

By now we are well aware that U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, a recent stroke suferer, has sought help for depression. Depression is common after stroke, afecting nearly one third of stroke survivors.

How did we fnd out that the senator was depressed? Was it leaked from his ofce? No. Did a journalist run with a tip? No.

So how did we learn that Sen. Fetterman was living with a mental illness? He told us.

He told the world what millions of people before him have carefully hidden due to the steep price of stigma, which for far too many is reinforced by shame and isolation born of ignorance, bias and fear.

By coming out about his clinical depression with such transparency, Fetterman struck a mighty blow in the battle against the stigmatization of mental illness. Yet his openness about depression posed a signifcant risk to him, especially considering the insensitivity and cruelty that shadowed him after his May 13, 2022, stroke.

For example, childish Donald Trump Jr. mocked him as the “vegetable senator from Pennsylvania” on

his podcast, taunting him for the auditory processing disorder he developed after experiencing a stroke.

Others, like Fox “news” propagandist Tucker Carlson followed suit. As Carlson addressed the issue with Fetterman’s Republican adversary Mehmet Oz, the show’s chyron read: “You’re not allowed to point out that Fetterman is a giant walking vegetable.”

U.S. Navy veteran Travis Akers tweeted a universal rejoinder and cautionary note about the collateral damage that can result from such public ridicule: “It’s very unlikely that John Fetterman will see your tweets making fun of him, calling him a vegetable, and being mean about his seeking help for his mental health and depression, but it’s very likely that your friends and family who are dealing with the same issues will.”

The matter of Fetterman’s mental health generated a wide-ranging response on social media. It is encouraging that many months after his stroke, perhaps with some refection if not for pure political expediency, the support regarding his having sought help for depression is more bipartisan.

Fetterman showed character, courage and class in revealing to the

world that he was seeking help for depression. Following is a small sample of the feedback he has already received on social media.

Dr. Ben Carson, former U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development, tweeted about the importance of all Americans uniting in support of the senator, regardless of political diferences: “I don’t agree with Sen. Fetterman, and I didn’t support him in his race. I am, however, praying for him. I applaud him seeking the help he needs and I know he is in good

hands with the Walter Reed staf. We are all Americans and we should pray for others even when we disagree.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez added to the chorus about the gift that was delivered by his disclosure: “Sen. John Fetterman’s willingness to share his experience with depression serves as a reminder to those struggling with mental health that they’re not alone, and that help is out there.”

AOC’s fellow squad member Rep. Aryanna Pressley added, “By publicly sharing that he is seeking care I know he has saved lives.”

Journalist Mini Racker ofered a historical perspective on the risk of public exposure of one’s mental illness. She tweeted: “In 1972, news that V.P. nominee Eagleton checked into the hospital to be treated for depression in the ’60s led him to withdraw his candidacy. The stigma still exists—politicians are rarely open about getting mental health care, as Sen. Fetterman is today.”

There is an ongoing mental health crisis in America. It has been exacerbated in recent years, especially for America’s children, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Even prior to that, though, we con-

sistently failed to treat illnesses above the neck the same as illnesses below the neck. Yet our children have profound troubles and live in a profoundly troubled world.

A report issued recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in three girls seriously considered suicide in 2021. This is just the tip of the iceberg as the CDC reported that “feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness affected more than one-third of kids of all races and ethnicities and increased over previous years.”

A parent who would not hesitate to reach out for help if their child was in an accident and appeared to have broken an arm might wait weeks and months, if not longer, to ask for help if it was a mental health or substance use problem.

The good senator, in his personal time of need, has taken a giant leap toward making people think twice before hesitating to ask for help for anxiety or depression for themselves or a loved one.

We owe Sen. Fetterman a debt of gratitude for his courage and the hope he has inspired, along with our best wishes for him in recovery.

Belmont, Coliseum: A tale of two venues

This is a tale of two venues. One has been long neglected and the other has been deliberately overlooked. One is about to be showered with money. The other is dark and rarely used. One has direct access to highways and the other relies on the Long Island Rail Road. It is a tale of government neglect and indifference. One is the Belmont Race Track and the other is the Nassau Coliseum.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed a $455 million upgrade for the longsufering Belmont facility. The public knows little about Belmont, other than it is the site of a major stakes race every June that draws national attention. Belmont is a beautiful facility that has been overlooked by the state for over 50 years. It has one of the most challenging tracks and many a fan favorite horse has been unable to survive its length.

Renovating Belmont has been under discussion since the early 1960.

It did get a face-lift in 1968, which at least put some lipstick on the track’s image. But Belmont has needed more than some paint and lumber. Racing devotees have praised the beauty of the facility for many years and its special charm on the big racing day. If you have ever visited the much-publicized Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY., you will see that there is no valid claim of superiority. It is famous, but it is old and not very attractive.

Critics of the racing industry do not really understand what a revitalized Belmont could mean for Long Island and the state. Some say that racing is a dead industry and has nowhere to go. Others complain about racing in general and claim it is cruel to the animals. If you take the time to visit the Saratoga Race Track in midsummer, you will get an idea about what a new Belmont Park could do for the region. The city of Saratoga comes alive and benefts from the thousands

of people who fock to the area. Hotels and restaurants are crowded with visitors.

The Saratoga facility is a very old track, but it has a charm that Belmont

could once again experience. Horse people will tell you that a new Belmont will attract better racehorses and the owner, the New York Racing Association, would probably increase the winning purses to get those horses. A new Belmont will have many more attractions, which will fll up Long Island hotels and restaurants and no doubt help local merchants. The $445 million is a loan to the racing association and not a gift. It has to be repaid over a period of 20 years.

The Nassau Coliseum is a diferent story. It is a pure case of government malpractice. This once important building sits empty and awaits either demolition or the possibility of being part of a casino complex. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was in a rush to build the Belmont arena and there were no discussions with local ofcials about the fate of the Coliseum. The RXR Company has yet to reveal its plans for the Nassau Hub, which includes the

Coliseum. It is possible that the site will be used for some badly needed housing, but it is doubtful that the Town of Hempstead will want any housing on the site.

Part of the blame for the moribund Coliseum rests on past and present lease-holders who never aggressively sought to attract major events. Other than Islander hockey games, there were many attractions over the years that flled the building right up to the rafters. I still fondly remember a Frank Sinatra farewell tour stop at the Coliseum as well as dozens of other musical oferings that were sold out.

It is sad to think that no one cares anymore about the Coliseum, but it is a fact. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than there is of there being a casino on the site. I am personally happy that Belmont will be restored to its deserved glory, but sad to see a once viable property sit and wait for the wrecking ball.

Heights,

‘Having fun yet?’ Why people play games

The average annual salary of an MLB player is $4.41 million.

The average salary in the NFL is $2.7 million. A PGA Tour player makes on average about $1.48 million per year. The salary of NBA star Stephen Curry is $48 million. You can buy a lot of sneakers with $48 million, but he undoubtedly gets sneakers for free anyway. The world values, admires and adores professional athletes, but the question is why.

Indeed, these athletes provide the viewer with excitement as they compete and provide “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,” but I think there is much more going on in the fan then being plugged into the thrill of it all. I am employed as a sport psychologist and so I am the envy of many a sports fan, given the fact that I have an inside the ropes

glimpse into the mind of the athlete.

I am often asked by friends, sports fans or media people exactly what I do with the athlete and what areas we work on. Here is a hint. One of the basic questions that I am asked by athletes who come to my ofce is how do they reacquire that fun, playful and enjoyable aspect of their game? Our work is often geared toward helping them to relearn the ability to relax, have fun and become creative once again.

It may seem ironic, but I think the reason that athletes are envied, admired and paid so well is because they have chosen an occupation that is fun to do. Every kid in America loves to play touch football, stickball or stoopball. But soon enough we all grow up, lose the ability to have fun and enter the rat race of life. Goodbye to fun. And so our last American hero, our “Captain America,” is the athlete because they are the ones that held to the idea that life ought to be flled with leisure, fun, creativity, magic, excitement, imagination and joy.

That is one of the primary reasons that the fan goes to see sporting events or watches them so voraciously on TV. It was just last week that the world watched the Super Bowl and soon enough we will be turning our expectant and hopeful eyes toward opening day in MLB and The Masters in golf. It is

as if unconsciously we are saying “well, I may not be able to play and have fun anymore, but at least it’s good to know that some adults out there are still embracing the concept that spirit, fun and meaning exist.” One of the great challenges in adulthood is how to still have fun, play and create without the aid of alcohol or pot.

One of the greatest symbols of play and growth seen in the cinema was when Stanley Kubrick converted the Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel” into the epic science fction flm “2001, A Space Odyssey.” The opening scene was set in prehistoric times on a savannah in Africa. A clan of apes was

EARTH MATTERS

barely surviving by eating shrubs and avoiding hungry lions. One morning a large black monolith appears which confuses and excites the apes, and one goes up to it and after hesitating he touches it.

The next scene takes place later that day when the ape who touched the monolith is playing with some bones and as he holds one bone and begins to hit some other bones with it, he suddenly realizes that this will make a very good weapon to kill things with. Thus, the beginning of mankind occurs, all based upon the ability to “play” with a bone.

I can recall listening to a radio review of this flm when it frst came out in 1968 and the way the reviewer ridiculed the use of this monolith as “a meaningless incomprehensible object.” The reviewer should not be blamed for this since it has taken me 57 years to fnally fgure it out. Clarke was exploring the way men need to become playful and creative to become a human and to grow.

Dutch historian Johan Huizinga wrote the classic text on the value of play, but it was the British psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott who explained why the ability to play and be creative was crucial to live a mature meaningful life. Winnicott also developed concepts such

as false self/true self, transitional objects and how playfulness must be learned in psychotherapy if the patient was to grow beyond neurosis and mental illness.

Play and fun are key aspects of good therapy and also one of the primary reasons that fans watch athletes and why athletes are paid so much. Former NBA player Charles Barkley was wrong when he said, “Athletes are not role models.” Athletes, as well as artists and actors, are cultural role models in the very best sense of the word. They are modeling what it’s like to live a life of full of fun and freedom. Every fan who loves the game of sports is in some way trying to relearn what it’s like to be a kid again and have fun. Winnicott called this process “being in the potential space.” The potential space is where the child or the adult is relaxing, being creative, fnding their true self and their reason for being.

The Nike slogan “Just do it” was incorrect. It should have been “Have some fun.” If you can relearn that childlike ability to have fun, you are on your way to living a good life. I recall my wife once talking about Pablo Picasso and she said, “Picasso’s greatest secret was that he never forgot how to play and have fun.” And so it was with Tiger Woods, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth and Mohammed Ali. They all stayed young at heart and that’s one thing we can learn from them.

Hochul’s high-density housing goal needs scrutiny

Gov. Kathy Hochul has included a proposition in her fscal 2024 budget to increase housing, particularly in New York City and surrounding suburbs. Her proposal calls for high density housing within a half mile of all train stations. The highest density is targeted to areas within 15 miles of the New York City border, which includes almost all of Nassau County.

It removes environmental considerations and ignores environmental issues already facing the Island. Unlike NYC with its extensive system of reservoirs,

Nassau and Sufolk are dependent on our sole source aquifer for drinking water, and we are already withdrawing supplies faster than water is being recharged. Add more impervious surface in the form of high-density housing and even less water will be able to infltrate into the ground.

More people produce more poop, taxing already at capacity sewage treatment systems, increasing nitrogen pollution. Nitrogen is identifed as a pollutant of most concern, identifed as leading to algal blooms and hypoxic dead zones in the bays and Sound.

JENNIFER WILSON-PINES Earth Matters

Some areas that would fall into this high density zone, like Plandome and Manhasset, are not sewered, so all of that additional human waste is being injected into the ground and eventually adjacent waterbodies or the aquifer unless new high tech septic systems are installed.

Most municipalities on the island fall under the MS4 regulations from the state and federal government to improve surface water quality and remove pollutants like nitrogen and pathogens. They are required to make progress and report annually on how they are doing this. These imposed changes to zoning will make complying with regulations more difcult if not impossible.

According to the memo of support for the legislation, municipalities located within 15 miles of New York City would have to allow for an average of 50 housing units per acre within a onemile circle around train stations. Cities, villages and towns would not be permitted to enact regulations that “efectively prevent” this. Cities, villages, and towns would be required to amend their comprehensive plans and local land use regulations to conform to this density requirement.

Let’s look at that. I live in the most densely populated village in Nassau, Manorhaven-2,800 housing units and 7,000 residents in a half square mile. Our standard building lot is 40×100 for one- and two-family houses. That’s 10 to 20 homes per acre. Fifty units would eliminate one- or even two-family homes, with a footprint of 871 square foot per unit, so multi-story buildings are going to be required to meet this target. In that one-mile radius of roughly 502 acres around a train station, that could potentially add over 25,000 units of housing, all multi-story, at full build out.

There are clauses that allow developers to appeal any restrictions imposed by local municipalities to the state, and penalties for municipalities that fail to meet target goals (3% increase in housing in three years) essentially turning over zoning control to a state board.

This ignores basic realities of life on

Long Island. Limited and fnite water supply. The struggle to reduce nitrogen pollution from sewage treatment plants and unsewered residences. The increased pressure on remaining open space for recreation, the loss of habitat for birds, insects and animals. Increased air pollution from thousands of additional vehicles that won’t have designated parking posts.

The reality of the burbs is that even if you commute to work via a train, you shop in a car. Less than 20% of Nassau County residents work in NYC, so the other 80% generally need cars as intercounty transportation is sorely lacking. Trafc congestion and lack of parking are already major areas of complaint, not to mention the additional air pollution afecting human health.

No one argues that afordable housing and work force housing are lacking on the Island. Redeveloping commercial corridors, like the apartment complexes in Mineola built adjacent to the train station and on a major roadway, Old Country Road, across from government buildings, is what is needed. Abandoned commercial sites, like the Sears building in Hicksville, would be ideal for this kind of increase.

This is not a NIMBY issues, it’s one of imposing a radical one-size fts all formula without consulting local ofcials and environmental experts, highdensity housing at the cost of accelerated environmental degradation.

DR. TOM FERRARO Our Town

To save democracy save the local press

Many in the aggrieved NY-03 Congressional district are blaming the George Santos calamity on the failure of local press – when actually it underscores the failure of communities (residents) to support their local press, especially amid the changes in digital journalism and social media that have upended their fnancial viability.

Even The New York Times was blamed for not allocating scarce resources sufcient to cover any but the marquee congressional contests, and the Democratic candidate, Robert Zimmerman, bemoaned having tried to alert the media to Santos’ deception, only to fail to spark the investigations that only came after the election.

Well, one of the local papers did publish — the North Shore Leaderhad sounded the alarm months earlier, but no one paid attention.

And yet local press are the ones to uncover monumental corruption –Mississippi Today broke the story about $77 million in welfare funds in the poorest state of the nation embezzled by a former governor and friends, which included steering money to pet projects, like the $7 million volleyball stadium at Bret Favre’s daughter’s college and the Jackson water crisis scandal that fnally brought in federal help.

Santos told broadcaster Piers Morgan he felt he could get away with his litany of lies because he had already gotten away with it in the 2020 election– a lesson in the need to hold those who would undermine our election process to account.

In fact, he had a stunning role model

in this: Donald Trump and has 33,000 lies while in ofce and the Biggest Lie of All, regurgitated in localities around the nation, sufcient to rally thousands to commit violence.

Indeed, throughout these years, Trump – and now his mini-me, Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis – undermined trust in the press, calling any report that criticized him, published the latest accusations or prosecutions “fake news” – the language of dictators like Stalin and Putin — while propping up the media outlets that propagated disinformation and propaganda that served his interests.

The Santos debacle underscores the importance of local press – we see it every day – in the way the Nassau County Republicans can ram through gerrymandering redistricting and completely ignore the public outcry against their map, and in the failure of the Blakeman administration to efectively tap into once-in-acentury federal and state resources ($4 trillion!) to address the county’s biggest issues that would be ruinous to tackle on its own.

Without a robust local press – and an engaged readership – ofcials can wield enormous power and abuse their ofce – and get away with it. But when there is efective local reporting, locals are engaged and those who represent them, who control the purse strings, actually do have to be responsive.

This was the experience in Detroit.

“Newsrooms like Bridge Detroit, what we’re charged to do is understanding Detroit, identifying, addressing concerns, providing coverage that engages people in the democratic process and

KAREN RUBIN View Point

ofers some level of transparency,” said Catherine Kelly, executive director and editor of the nonproft, at a recent Knight Media Forum focused on new strategies to fund a robust local press. “It makes people feel empowered and can change their lives. A lot of our coverage has changed how our dollars are spent.”

For example, instead of the mayor using COVID relief for gunshot detection technology, “the constant drumbeat of housing info helped direct dollars to housing programs in Detroit –the city council proposed plan that passed that would provide assistance for renters facing eviction,” she said.

That’s why Desantis, like Trump before him, wants to control the press, passing a law to make it easier to sue journalists for defamation and libel (and thereby intimidate them from publishing altogether) and essentially overturning the long respected precedents that shield journalists.

In this scenario, dark money would play an even greater role in shaping a candidate’s image for voters, thanks to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

“The press is the only private sector institution called out in the Constitution,” said Jessica Rosenworcel, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. “It is important at the foundational level [of democracy].” The press has been given protection because it is widely recognized as the Fourth Estate – a watchdog of the powerful and privileged.

Indeed, under the 1934 Federal Communications Act, radio and television stations that sought licenses, were regarded as stewards of the public air waves with a responsibility to serve the public interest.

And despite a decades-long campaign of undermining confdence and trust in “mainstream” news, local press has remained one area that retains a high level of trust, higher than national media, according to a Gallup/Knight Foundation study.

But because the economic landscape for local press has been upended because of digital platforms like Google and social media, in order to survive many local media are seeing new life by going to a nonproft model and fnding support among foundations, philanthropies, sponsorships, memberships, and collaborations with public media and are even steering government advertising into local media.

“This is a moment in time when we have funders who have always thought about their No. 1 priority to be existential crises [climate change, gun violence, criminal justice reform, health care,

FROM THE DESK OF JENNIFER D e SENA

education, housing]. But they are fnding that if people aren’t informed about those things, they can’t act on them, and change can’t happen,” said Kristen Mack, spokeswoman for Fellows & Partnerships at the MacArthur Foundation. “The polarization that exists, the information polarization that exists, is because of these information deserts – that can only be addressed by insuring people get information from local news.”

“Whatever your frst priority is journalism should be second; whatever you care about as a foundation, journalism helps get better information out to the world,” said Jim Brady, vice president of the Knight Foundation.

But just as local media outlets need to reinvent themselves in order to be economically sustainable with adequate resources to research, report, and distribute information critical to a functioning community, the community has a responsibility to engage.

“Journalism without civic engagement and civic engagement without journalism don’t work,” said Jef Cohen, senior adviser for new journalism nonproft Arnold Ventures.

“The reason given by the media as to why Santos lies not being investigated before the election is an example to me why newspaper subscription is so important to our democracy,” commented Betsy Golan of Port Washington, who attended one of the Expel Santos rallies. “Paying readership supports newspapers’ fnancial health. Proftable newspapers can support sufcient reporters and reporting and sufcient reporting supports a more informed readership necessary to a voting public.”

Gov. Hochul is wrong on housing plan

Long Island has always had a suburban aesthetic. For a century now, families have chosen to call Long Island (and in particular the Town of North Hempstead) home because of the appeal that comes from our lush, quiet and peaceful treelined streets. From New Cassel to Kings Point, families from all backgrounds come here to escape the cramped conditions of New York City. For generations, towns and villages across our state have had the power to determine what is consistent with the character of our own communities through local

control zoning.

However, under a new proposal included in Gov. Hochul’s budget, the ability to control local zoning would be effectively eliminated and replaced with state-mandated, high-density development, with a special emphasis on the immediate vicinity surrounding LIRR stations. This proposal, which purports to address the lack of affordable housing, in reality does not mention affordability at all, but rather serves as a green light for high-rises in our backyards. Taking local control away from our communities and placing it in the hands of far-off

JENNIFER DeSENA

North Hempstead Supervisor

Albany bureaucrats would spell disaster for our town.

I acknowledge that the cost of living is a problem that our communities face. However, the solution to this concern is to find ways to bring down the high cost of living by governing effectively, just as I have in the Town of North Hempstead where I recently proposed an 11% tax cut in this year’s budget.

Restricting the will of our residents and imposing the will of faceless Albany bureaucrats with no accountability to our communities is just wrong. Gov. Hochul

should be focusing on working with local governments to reduce the cost of living, and not attempting to impose her will in a poorly designed, one-size-fits all approach.

Thinking about snakes

I’m not sure what got me going—oh, right, a friend used a Greek word that means some people are like snakes. But I’m not referring to people, however true. Not directly, anyway.

Like the time I’ll never forget in Oklahoma. A rig hand at a well location collected rattlers between shifts and kept them in a steel barrel “for fun.” Which he occasionally hit with a wrench, hard, just to hear the angry hissing and wild strikes inside. This I found unsettling.

Bad enough until I exited a trailer in the dark one morning, to be assaulted by the distinct bang and ungodly commotion next to me. I surely jumped 10 feet, only to see the same silly grin as I picked myself up and dusted of. Rig hands were known to have side arms and liked to shoot things between shifts, for fun— I knew to bite my tongue.

Next day a blowout below 16,000 feet made a mess that knocked the barrel over. Needless to say I slept in a car for weeks. The company thought we hit a mother lode—it turned out to be an over pressurized gas pocket that drained quickly, taking a good chunk of budget and several wells with it.

Then there was the time in Texas. I was hoisting up onto an outcrop seen from a distance, to get a better look. There it was, sunning at eye level feet away, coiled. I dropped down, somehow without twisting an ankle. My team knew why by the rattle. We went elsewhere. My colleagues were from the south so knew better— and encouraged me to lead without the warning. Later admitting it was “just because I was a Yankee thing.” It put the Oklahoma incident in perspective.

My frst experience was during feld camp in upstate NY. My team was traipsing through a feld of tall dry summer grass on the way to an outcrop hundreds of millions of years old, which made me that old, in a way—I liked delving into the earth’s environments, and reconstructing ancient realms from the barest evidence. It’s what geologists love.

Someone yelled having seen a large snake and “copper head!” I saw it too. But we were spread out which boxed it in, the grass streamed back and forth between us several times. We began running in the same direction which didn’t help. The last time I saw the fow coming at me the snake was gone. We were running from a cornered rabbit. It froze and looked at me, cringing in fright with those beautiful stone eyes, wishing me gone, not knowing what to do next. Seeing us as harbingers of death in a beautiful dun colored feld under the sun.

Back at camp people scofed and said we ran from a rabbit all along. I faced the charges head on with, “No, it wasn’t the Monte Python killer rabbit. It was a snake. I saw it, too. Really.” The laughing was hearty around the campfre that night. We were advised to study bird watching, which was lost on me because I already did.

Thinking back there was no sound. Only the rush of energy through the body. That built up and drained away.

As you notice one thing you begin to notice more and more, what was hardly noticeable. We think we know everything here to the horizon—ah, yes, the easy familiar, for example.

The world is like that, full of countless fragile and improbably things. Full of energy moving in and out of the shadows without a sound. Burning so brightly in a land of alarm and honey.

Rilke said that all beauty is terrifying. He also asked this:

“Who, if he cried out, would hear him among the orders of angels?”

Finally, whatever my place that was my frst visit. Though I wish to tread more softly.

Stephen Cipot Garden City Park

Shoplifting is on the rise

Shoplifting is a big problem and some businesses are taking steps to combat the problem. Businesses have no choice but to protect their business with guards and K-9 dogs to stop shop shoplifters since Albany lawmakers are unwilling to punish repeat ofenders. This is being done by the 34th Street Partnership that includes Macy’s Herald Square, Penn Station and

Madison Square Garden.

Now I have worked in retailing and have seen shoplifting frsthand. In the Seventies I worked for Mays Department stores in Jamaica, Models in East Meadow and Great Eastern Stores in Elmont and as a department manager I saw shoplifters in action and would call security to take action. That was a problem back then but nowhere what it is today.

As reported shoplifting complaints across the city have risen to more than 63,000 in 2022, up 45% over the 2021 level and up almost 275% from the frst decade of the century. Now shoplifters should beware of Fido and the rest of the K-9 units who will fnally take the bite out of crime.

Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Bellerose

Setting record straight

At the conclusion of the Feb. 15 Great Neck Public Schools Board of Education meeting, I announced my intention to step down from the Board on June 30, 2023.

In the days since I spoke, word obviously traveled quickly because to date I have heard from hundreds of parents, community members, past and present teachers and administrators, and friends.

It has been most heartwarming! I’ve been amazed at just how many have implored me to reconsider my decision and I’ve been humbled by the gratitude expressed for my many years of service. I’ve also been touched by all the memories shared of various times spent together, as well as the ofers of other boards for me to now join.

Thirty-one years of service on the Board of Education, more than half of them as an ofcer, including a record

15 consecutive years as president, has been a unique privilege.

I’ve had the honor of working closely with four superintendents, eight assistant superintendents, 11 Board Trustees, many staf members, and watched with pride as thousands of students passed through our schools.

During these years, I am very proud of having been a part of several outstanding accomplishments, among them: creating a Family Math Program and a Multicultural Parent Appreciation Program in our elementary schools; passage of two major Bond Propositions; participation at all levels of PTA leadership and UPTC involvement, which included being both a moderator and panelist at two, community-wide UPTC Landmark Conferences; the creation of a new Board of Education Policy Manual; and the implementation of the Prekindergarten Program at JFK.

Since my announcement, there has been some confusion about when I intend to step down. At present, my intention is to resign on June 30. I have NOT as yet submitted my notice to the district clerk. To do so, by law, would mean that I must vacate my seat within 30 days.

It is imperative, therefore, that I ofcially wait to submit my letter to the district clerk so that there will not be three seats up for election on May 16 (one, in addition to the seats currently held by Rebecca Sassouni and Jefrey Shi). To ensure that this does not happen, I will only be turning in my paperwork at a date yet to be decided after June 1.

I expect that this information clears up any confusion that has circulated within the community.

Barbara Berkowitz Trustee, Great Neck Board of Education

A good way to aid animals

In these distressing times, our companion animals so often are left by the wayside. Those of us who can are needed to be their voice.

A staggering number of cats, dogs and other companion animals are being brought to shelters. Even worse, pets are being left behind,abandoned due to the overwhelming efects of infation and the rising costs to pay for food, medicine, and healthcare. The scarcity of Pet Friendly housing adds signifcantly to this tragic situation.

People are being uprooted, experiencing job loss, some becoming homeless and they no longer can aford the cost of housing. They live the heartwrenching reality of having no choice but to give up their beloved pets. They cannot aford to care for them any longer. In this country, it should never have come to this. Think about the heartbreak from the animal’s perspective. They do not understand why their people are giving them up.

There are so few rental apartments, co-ops and condos that are Pet Friendly. Long Islanders must urge landlords, residential building owners and co-op and condo boards to accept companion

animals in apartment buildings. Have incentives for those buildings that welcome pets.

A powerful friend to animals is Sandra Atlas Bass, Sol G. Atlas Realty Co. Inc. For decades Sandra Bass has made all her apartment buildings Pet Friendly and does not charge additional fees for pets. Building owners are needed to follow her lead.

Animal Rescue shelters are overwhelmed due to disasters and war-torn areas throughout the world. Many are going above and beyond to rescue animals and bring them to safety. Burdened fnancially, having limited space, they need a tremendous amount of assistance. The animals they rescue need homes.

Local ofcials, including town mayors and supervisors, county executives, council, assembly members and state senators must be called upon to advocate for animals.

Encourage your local village halls, libraries, food markets and places of worship to have pet food bins to help those in need to feed their companion animals. Imagine having to part with your pet because you cannot aford to

feed them.

Create a community that can change the landscape for companion animals. Be a champion for buildings that welcome pets, and advocate for pet food bins to be placed in our communities. Help dogs, cats, and other companion animals to stay with their families, and more rescues to be adopted.

Express your comments to your local papers. Mention your Pet Friendly building or if you would like your building to be Pet Friendly.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

If you are fortunate, open your heart and home to share your life with a companion animal. They truly are family. They save lives in countless ways.

Gary Feldman Food, Health, Environment Instructor/Writer garyteach1@gmail.com

Letters Continued on Page 36

YOUR GUIDE TO THE ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING

ARTS CENTER A PLACE TO DEVELOP TALENT

BY ANNABEL HOFMANN

If you want to try out, develop or simply experience any kind of visual or performing arts, the Gold Coast Arts Center is for you.

“We are dedicated to promoting and supporting the arts through education, exhibition, performance and outreach” said Caroline Sorokoff, associate director of Gold Coast Arts Center in Great Neck and festival director of the Gold Coast Film Festival.

When she says the arts, she means all the arts. From painting, to ceramics, to dance, to music lessons and more, the Gold Coast Arts Center has a program for it. They have even taught classes in belly dancing and jewelry making.

Sorokoff also emphasized that the center and its events are for everyone. They have programs for any people of any age, from babies up to senior citizens. They also strive to cater to all varieties of skill levels in the arts.

“There are people who want to perfect their craft because they’re thinking of going into a career that would involve that,” she said. “Or they’re bored or they just love it, and they just want to do it all the time. And then there are people who want to do it as more of a hobby, so we can really meet the needs of whatever age you are, whatever background or skill you are.”

Additionally, the center wants to reach as many people across Long Island as possible through different events, classes, programs and more.

“We are open to anyone from anywhere,” Sorokoff said. “People often get confused and think we’re only for Great Neck. We’re not; we actually have people from close to 200 different zip codes.”

The 10,000-squitare-foot facility seems to represent the mission of the non-profit perfectly.

Immediately upon entering there is an art studio with miniature chairs for classes for the younger ages and a room that can be converted to host any type of event imaginable, from black box theater productions to Q&As with people in the arts, to Beatles cover bands.

“It’s really a whole gamut. Like almost anything you can think of, we figured out how to have it here,” Sorokoff said.

Even the bathrooms are immersed in the arts, with stalls beautifully painted by teachers at the center.

Sorokoff described why the arts

and providing access to all different types of visual and performing mediums is so important.

“Arts is not just about learning how to make a bowl, it’s about learning about yourself,” she said. “It’s about learning to work with others, it’s about, you know, how there’s no right or wrong.”

She added that great life lessons can be learned through making art.

“One of the lessons that I always love is how sometimes you make art for the greater good as part of a whole,” she said as she showed me a ceramic totem pole with each section

made by a different kid from a school class. “You’re creating something that’s part of a whole that’s going to beautify something else.”

As part of the center’s mission to support the arts, it also does arts education outreach programs in schools and senior centers in the region.

Additionally, as partners with the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since 1996, the center is part of a program called Partners in Education that aims to promote educating teachers on how to incorporate the arts in the classroom.

“Sometimes it’s not enough to

just be sitting all day and loading information [on them],” Sorokoff said. “Why don’t we get up and learn how the circulatory system works by using movement? Why don’t we use [makes stomping and clapping noises] to figure out how to add. Or using drama in history classes.”

The other substantial programs that the Gold Coast Arts Center run are film screenings and film festivals. Sorokoff explained how they work with local movie theaters and libraries to show independent movies or foreign films. They have one-night-only screenings and a yearly film fest, both highlighting a large variety of films.

“There’s a documentary, a slapstick comedy, thriller, a little bit of everything in there,” she said. “It’s really about having great films that you can’t see anywhere else, especially you can’t see it on a big screen.”

Sorokoff emphasized how important the arts are in bringing people together.

“People need to have fun; they need to learn. You have to keep your mind and your body stimulated, and you need to interact with other people in a positive way,” she said. “The Art Center is a place where people come together to learn together, to laugh together, to enjoy something together.”

She concluded by emphasizing that anyone and everyone is welcome at the Gold Coast Arts Center.

“The arts don’t care what color you are, what your religion is, what your political affiliation is, what your age is. Everyone is there for the same reason,” Sorokoff said. “And that’s one of the reasons, I think, why all of us stay here and work here. It’s because we believe in that.”

More information about the Gold Coast Arts Center at 113 Middle Neck Road in Great Neck and the Gold Coast Film Festival can be found on its website.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY GOLD COAST ARTS

The Gold Coast Arts Center offers music lessons in countless different instruments, including guitar.

Landmark on Main an Imagine Awards finalist

Landmark on Main Street was named a finalist in The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award category in the 11th annual Long Island Imagine Awards.

The Long Island Imagine Awards was created to offer formal acknowledgment to some of Long Island’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations.

Having successfully transitioned to virtual platforms for the past two years due to the pandemic, the Long Island Imagine Awards is thrilled to celebrate its 11th annual event in person as well as offering a hybrid feature.

Winners will be announced Live at the awards gala at the Crest Hollow Country Club on Tuesday, April 25. Nominated organizations, their constitu-

ents and the Long Island business community are expected to attend.

More than 190 nonprofit applications were submitted for consideration in six categories: Arts & Culture, Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star, Social Impact, and NEW for 2023 — Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. Landmark an Main Street is one of four finalists in

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture category.

After being closed for 18 months due to Covid-19, Landmark returned with renewed energy in September 2021.

Led by new Executive Director Richard Mayer, Landmark has since launched a new website, expanded its programming lineup, added a lobby bar and undergone significant facility renovations. These renovations include acoustic improvements, upgraded stage lighting and new removable seats which allow the theater to host general admission standing shows.

In April 2022, Landmark was the first North American stop for DakhaBrakha, a world-music quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine; Landmark transformed the concert into a fundraiser, raising over $10,000 to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Poland.

“It’s an honor to have our hard work and dedication recognized by the Imagine Awards,” Mayer said. “We’re proud to be an integral part of our community and the greater Long Island arts scene.”

Finalists were chosen by Long Island business professionals during preliminary judging. Members of the Awards’ Distinguished Judging Panel selected the Imagine Awards winners from among the finalists during final judging.

“Being named a finalist in The Long Island Imagine Awards is an important achievement,” Ken Cerini, founder of the Long Island Imagine Awards, said. “It means that the organization has been identified as a leader on Long Island, exhibiting impactful and innovative operations. Congratulations to all of the finalists on their achievement.”

Details about the Long Island Imagine Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at https://imagineawardsli.com/the-awards/

PHOTO BY STEVEN SANDICK, COURTESY OF RICHARD MAYER

Travis Book and Andy Falco performance at Landmark on Main Street, January 2023.

DESIGN

Cook Up a New Kitchen

Quick and easy ways to give your kitchen a new look

A Room for Relaxation

Let the outside in with an all-season room

Creating Curb Appeal

Simple landscaping strategies that can transform a home’s exterior

Quick and easy ways to give your kitchen a new look

Kitchens are often described as the busiest rooms in a home. Kitchens are where meals are prepared and tend to be go-to gathering spots on holiday get-togethers and during other events when homeowners host family and friends.

With so much time spent in the kitchen, it’s easy to see how homeowners might grow a little bored by these rooms. The cost of a kitchen remodel won’t be cheap, as the home improvement resource Angi.com notes that the typical cost of such a project in the United States is between $13,000 and $38,000. Angi.com estimates even indicate that a high-end remodel could cost

homeowners as much as $61,000. That’s beyond many homeowners’ budgets. But the good news is that there are many quick and easy, not to mention less expensive, ways to give a kitchen a new look.

• Repaint and restyle the cabinets. Cabinet space is an undeniably precious commodity in a kitchen, especially as more and more homeowners embrace their inner chef and cook more complicated meals at home. After all, the more expansive a home chef’s culinary repertoire, the more space that person needs to store all the tools of the cooking trade. A full cabinet

replacement is unnecessary if the cabinets are still functional and not overcrowded, so repainting them can be a great way to give the kitchen a new look while keeping costs reasonable. During the painting project, homeowners can install new cabinet knobs and/or drawer pulls to freshen up the style of the cabinets even further.

• Install under-cabinet lighting. Another inexpensive way to give a kitchen a new look is to install under-cabinet lighting. Undercabinet lighting serves both an aesthetic and practical purpose. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, under-cabinet lighting can make a kitchen feel more warm and keep the kitchen

• Install under-cabinet lighting. Another inexpensive way to give a kitchen a new look is to install undercabinet lighting. Under-cabinet lighting serves both an aesthetic and

illuminated when meals aren’t being prepared and homeowners don’t want to have their overhead lights on but still want to be able to navigate the kitchen safely. During meal prep, under-cabinet lighting can illuminate counters so it’s easier to chop, peel and perform other prep tasks.

• Replace existing backsplash. Replacing backsplash is another simple, inexpensive and effective way to give a kitchen a new feel. Homeowners can opt for something neutral that won’t upset their existing decor or go with a more bold backsplash that immediately draws the attention of anyone who enters the room. This simple job can be done by the average do-it-yourselfer and the cost of new backsplash won’t break the bank.

the attention of anyone who enters the room. This simple job can be done by the average do-it-yourselfer and the cost of new backsplash won’t break the bank.

• Replace existing seating. Whether you have an island countertop with bar stools or a breakfast nook with cushioned seats, replacing the seating is a budget-friendly job that can create a new look when entering the room. Countertop bar stools come in many styles, so giving this area of the kitchen a new feel can be as simple as shifting from classic, high-back stools to more modern swivel stools with a chrome base. For the breakfast nook, replacing a light-colored bench cushion with a bolder alternative can instantly transform the look of the space.

.

gathering spots on holiday gettogethers and during other events when homeowners host family and friends

✔ MASONRY

✔ BRICK

✔ BLOCK ✔ PAVERS

✔ EXTENSIONS

With so much time spent in the kitchen, it’s easy to see how homeowners might grow a little bored by these rooms The cost of a kitchen remodel won’t be cheap, as the home improvement resource Angi com notes that the typical cost of such a project in the United States is between $13,000 and $38,000. Angi.com estimates even indicate that a high-end remodel could cost homeowners as much as $61,000. That’s beyond many homeowners’ budgets. But the good news is that there are many quick and easy, not to mention less expensive, ways to give a kitchen a new look.

homeowners embrace their inner chef and cook more complicated meals at home After all, the more expansive a home chef ’s culinary repertoire, the more space that person needs to store all the tools of the cooking trade A full cabinet replacement is unnecessary if the cabinets are still functional and not overcrowded, so repainting them can be a great way to give the kitchen a new look while keeping costs reasonable. During the painting project, homeowners can install new cabinet knobs and/or drawer pulls to freshen up the style of the cabinets even further.

Replacing backsplash is another simple, inexpensive and effective way to give a kitchen a new feel. Homeowners can opt for something neutral that won’t upset their existing decor or go with a more bold backsplash that immediately draws

Kitchen remodels can break the bank. But there’s a host of budget-friendly ways for cost-conscious homeowners to revitalize these popular spaces in their homes.

• Replace existing seating. Whether you have an island countertop with bar stools or a breakfast nook with cushioned seats, replacing the seating is a budget-friendly job that can create a new look when entering the room Countertop bar stools come in many styles, so giving this area of the kitchen a new feel can be as simple as shifting from classic, high-back stools to more modern swivel stools with a chrome base For the breakfast nook, replacing a light-colored bench cushion with a bolder alternative can instantly transform the look of the space.

Kitchen remodels can break the bank. But there’s a host of budget-friendly ways for cost-conscious homeowners to revitalize these popular spaces in their homes.

The interior of a home may be where homeowners and their families spend the majority of their time, and there’s no denying that a well-planned interior goes a long way toward making a house a home. However, the exterior of a home, including its landscaping, can serve as a source of pride and catch the eye of prospective buyers when the home hits the market. It’s easy to walk past a home with an eye-catching exterior and assume the homeowner has a green thumb or has spent lots of time and money working on the landscaping. Though that may be true, oftentimes it’s the simplest strategies that make all the difference. Homeowners can keep these strategies in mind as they look to transform the exterior of their homes.

• Dress up the walkway. A longer walkway can give guests a strong first impression of a home and won’t break the bank. Create new planting beds and plant bright plants and flowers along each side of the walkway. If it’s necessary and within budget, lengthen the walkway to create the feel of a more grandiose entryway.

landscaping strategies that can transform a home’s exterior

he interior of a home may be where homeowners and their families spend the majority of their time, and there’s no denying that a well-planned interior goes a long way toward making a house a home However, the exterior of a home, including its landscaping, can serve as a source of pride and catch the eye of prospective buyers when the home hits the market.

T• Make things more symmetrical. A messy landscape can give a poor first impression, even if the area features some beautiful plants. In such instances, a little effort to make things more symmetrical, with equal parts grass and vegetation, can create a cleaner, more inviting look.

• Mulch your flower and tree beds. Mulch is a relatively inexpensive but effective way to add aesthetic appeal to a landscape. Freshly mulched beds beneath trees and flowers creates a clean and organized look, and the mulch also serves a practical purpose, as it reduces weed growth and helps the soil retain moisture so plants stay healthy and look better throughout the warmer months when rainfall may not be steady or significant.

organized look, and the mulch also serves a practical purpose, as it reduces weed growth and helps the soil retain moisture so plants stay healthy and look better throughout the warmer months when rainfall may not be steady or significant

• Plant shade trees. Shade trees can be especially useful when selling a home. The shade provided by trees can shield grass from blistering summer sun, potentially helping it stay green. A lush green lawn appeals to buyers and gives the impression the home has been well maintained. In addition, shade trees can be used to create the look of a backyard oasis. A well-placed bench beneath a large shade tree can entice buyers who want a relaxing spot to enjoy warm summer days outdoors without getting a sunburn.

It’s easy to walk past a home with an eye-catching exterior and assume the homeowner has a green thumb or has spent lots of time and money working on the landscaping

Though that may be true, oftentimes it’s the simplest strategies that make all the difference. Homeowners can keep these strategies in mind as they look to transform the exterior of

• Consider maintenance. The more exotic an exterior landscape is, the more maintenance it’s likely to require. Lawn and garden enthusiasts may not be turned off by landscape features that require steady maintenance, but homeowners who don’t have much time for such work should keep things simple. A poorly maintained landscape, even if it includes exotic plants and elaborate designs, will adversely affect curb appeal. Another feather in the cap of low-maintenance landscape features is they could prove more appealing to prospective buyers, who may view elaborate, exotic landscaping as a lot of extra work they won’t want to do.

Some simple landscaping strategies can help homeowners transform their home exteriors without requiring a significant investment of time or money.

• Plant shade trees. Shade trees can be especially useful when selling a home The shade provided by trees can shield grass from blistering summer sun, potentially helping it stay green. A lush green lawn appeals to buyers and gives the impression the home has been well maintained In addition, shade trees can be used to create the look of a backyard oasis. A well-placed bench beneath a large shade tree can entice buyers who want a relaxing spot to enjoy warm summer days outdoors

add aesthetic appeal to a landscape. Freshly mulched beds beneath trees an owers creates a clean and

t of extra work they

ome simple landscaping strategies n help homeowners transform eir home exteriors without requiring a significant investment of time or money

Long Island’s most popular and efcient waste removal company ofers the right dumpster to fit your spring cleaning or renovation needs.

Let the outside in with all-season rooms

room However, those who experience all four seasons may need a more insulated space to make the room usable throughout the year

Many homeowners express interest in creating fewer barriers between the interior and exterior of their homes. Some may have backyards built for entertaining and want to facilitate the transition between the inside of the residence and the outside when guests arrive. In other instances, homes may back to a nature preserve that homeowners want to enjoy more readily. Whatever the reason for bringing the outside in, all-season rooms can serve as a welcoming bridge between indoor and outdoor spaces.

What is an all-season room?

Also known as a four-season room, allseason rooms are specially engineered spaces that provide a connection to the outdoors no matter the season. They are like sunrooms, but climate-controlled so that they will be comfortable throughout winter, spring, summer, and fall.

What is the difference between a three-season room and an all-season room?

Features of all-season rooms

One of the more notable features of an all-season room is an abundance of windows, which allow plenty of natural light to shine in. All-season rooms also can feature creature comforts like a reading nook, outdoor kitchen spaces and televisions. Retractable screens can be installed when privacy or shade is desired

The biggest difference between these two spaces is the level of usage and the capacity of the room to be heated and cooled. Individuals who reside in climates with moderate year-round temperatures may get by with a three-season room. However, those who experience all four seasons may need a more insulated space to make the room usable throughout the year.

Features of all-season rooms

One of the more notable features of an allseason room is an abundance of windows, which allow plenty of natural light to

Many homeowners express interest in creating fewer barriers between the interior and exterior of their homes. Some may have backyards built for entertaining and want to facilitate the transition between the inside of the residence and the outside when guests arrive. In other instances, homes may back to a nature preserve that homeowners want to enjoy more readily Whatever the reason for bringing the outside in, all-season rooms can serve as a welcoming bridge between indoor and outdoor spaces

What is an all-season room?

Also known as a four-season room, all-season rooms are specially engineered spaces that provide a connection to the outdoors no matter the season They are like sunrooms, but climate-controlled so that they will be comfortable throughout winter, spring, summer, and fall.

What is the difference between a three-season room and an all-season room?

Maintaining a comfortable temperature

All-season rooms can be built with adequate thermal insulation and energy-saving features Insulation will be installed in the walls and roof, and homeowners may have a choice of window ratings for efficiency Some all-season rooms are specially equipped with HVAC systems that may or may not be tied in to the home’s general heating and cooling system. Some people use portable heaters or air conditioners to control the temperature in all-season rooms. It’s best to speak with an allseason room contractor to identify heating and cooling needs.

How much does an all-season room cost?

Prices vary by region and are contingent on the features homeowners desire. According to the outdoor resource Garden Center Care, a three-season room can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $50,000 to build A four-season room can cost $20,000 to $80,000 to add If there is an existing three-season room, it may be more affordable to upgrade the space into an all-season room, but an architect and contractor

shine in. All-season rooms also can feature creature comforts like a reading nook, outdoor kitchen spaces and televisions. Retractable screens can be installed when privacy or shade is desired.

Maintaining a comfortable temperature

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All-season rooms can be built with adequate thermal insulation and energy-saving features. Insulation will be installed in the walls and roof, and homeowners may have a choice of window ratings for efficiency. Some all-season rooms are specially equipped with HVAC systems that may or may not be tied in to the home’s general heating and cooling system. Some people use portable heaters or air conditioners to control the temperature in all-season rooms. It’s best to speak with an all-season room contractor to identify heating and cooling needs.

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How much does an all-season room cost?

Prices vary by region and are contingent on the features homeowners desire. According to the outdoor resource Garden Center Care, a three-season room can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $50,000 to build. A four-season room can cost $20,000 to $80,000 to add. If there is an existing three-season room, it may be more affordable to upgrade the space into an all-season room, but an architect and contractor should inspect the space to determine the scope of the project.

All-season rooms can be an ideal addition to a property, providing extra space for entertaining or lounging and a connection to the outdoors.

FURNITURE STORE Advertiser Here

The many styles of front doors

• Modern: Modern front doors tend to boast a bold look and many are made up of large glass panels Some homeowners prefer modern front doors because the glass in them allows lots of natural light into their home’s interior. The added light in the entryway appeals to homeowners who want to brighten up these spaces, which tend to be dark in homes with more traditional doors

• Traditional: Traditional front doors may be the most recognizable to today’s homeowners Often solid wood but sometimes enhanced with glass, traditional doors may feature subtle, yet ornate designs

Agrand entryway simply wouldn’t be complete without an impressive front door. A front door can dazzle guests and create a homeowner ’s desired vibe before anyone even steps inside, which only underscores how important the choice of door style can be

When shopping around for a new front door for their homes, homeowners can consider the many popular styles as they seek to choose one that fits an existing scheme or use a new front door as a springboard to a redesigned home interior

• Farmhouse: Farmhouse doors are not all one and the same Traditional farmhouse doors provide a rustic look that’s become popular in home decor over the last decade or so. Modern farmhouse doors are a little less rustic because they incorporate more contemporary elements into their design Each option is ideal for homeowners who aspire to create a farmhouse vibe in their home interiors and exteriors

Traditional front doors might feel out of place in modern or rustic homes, so they’re generally best suited to homes with owners that prefer more traditional decor inside their homes

• Custom: It’s important that homeowners recognize they need not pigeonhole themselves into a particular design style for their front doors Custom front doors may be costly, but many door manufacturers or contractors customize front doors Custom doors may suit homeowners’ with unique ideas about decor, and some can even mimic other popular styles while still featuring subtle differences. For example, homeowners can request an arched double door that, while unique, features many of the same qualities that characterize traditional doors, including ornate designs

A front door can greatly influence the first impression people get of a home That makes it worth homeowners’ time and effort to explore the many different front door styles now available

Spring cleaning tips and tricks

Spring is a time of year when change is in the air. Trees are budding, plants are flowering, and homes laden with dark or heavy fabrics and clutter could use some lightening up.

Spring cleaning projects are popular this time of year as residents take inventory of their living spaces and aim to declutter, clean and increase efficiency. Some people find the prospect of getting organized overwhelming. Here are some tips that can help anyone master spring cleaning.

• Create a plan. Make a checklist and establish a cleaning plan of attack. Focus on areas that are not regularly cleaned, as they probably need a little attention.

• Assemble your cleaning kit. Spring cleaning can be slowed down considerably if you don’t have all of your equipment at the ready. Items to have on hand include an all-purpose cleaner, concentrated cleaner, microfiber cloths, paper towels, mop, vacuum, dusters, and a squeegee. Adjust your equipment based on the task at hand.

• Curate your cleaning playlist. Create a playlist with songs that will get you moving and motivated to clean.

• Work from top to bottom. Work efficiently by cleaning shelves, ceiling fans and other

elevated items first, as dust and debris will trickle down and need to be cleaned next.

• Purchase or rent a carpet cleaner. According to the experts at Clean That Up, carpets help filter indoor air by trapping debris and allergens. By deep cleaning carpets, homeowners can improve the indoor air quality of their homes. Use a carpet cleaner on a warm, dry day so that windows can be opened and cross breezes will help dry the damp rug.

• Clean windows. Wash windows inside and out and utilize their screens to help brighten indoors spaces.

• Deep clean the kitchen. Clean out and disinfect the refrigerator by wiping it down with warm water and baking soda or a vinegar-and-water solution. While in the kitchen, set the oven to the self-clean function so it becomes cleaner as well.

Homeowners also can focus on cleaning curtains (including shower curtains), steamcleaning upholstery, removing clutter from closets, cleaning out the dryer vent and duct tubing, wiping inside kitchen drawers, and vacuuming under beds and other furniture. Spring cleaning can bring the revitalizing nature of this beloved time of year into your home.

d debris will trickle to be cleaned next rent a carpet ding to the experts at p, carpets help filter indoor air by trapping debris and allergens. By deep cleaning carpets, homeowners can improve the indoor air quality of their homes Use a carpet cleaner on a warm, dry day so that windows can be opened and cross breezes will help dry the damp rug

• Clean windows. Wash windows inside and out and utilize their screens hten indoors spaces.

• Deep clean the kitchen. Clean out and disinfect the refrigerator by wiping it down with warm water and baking soda or a vinegar-andwater solution While in the kitchen, set the oven to the self-clean function so it becomes cleaner as w

H owners also can focus on cleaning curtains (including shower curtains), steam-cleaning upholstery, removing clutter from l l h d

Blending traditional timeless design with luxurious modern living, this completely renovated & expanded showplace by TJ Costello of The Hierarchy Architectural Firm offers meticulous attention to design & detail with the finest of finishes including a true bespoke gourmet kitchen with chic white oak cabinetry, a Lacanche French range & stunning Calacatta Gold marble island. Beautiful entertaining rooms include a formal living room & family room with a dual gas fireplace surrounded by exquisite Calacatta Viola marble & a sun-drenched formal dining room. Relax in the primary suite with a serene spa like primary bath with walls of Eastern White marble. Enjoy summer entertaining with a custom outdoor kitchen for ease. A very special offering not to be missed.

By private appointment.

L.I. Music, Entertainment Hall of Fame March events

Here are some of the exciting scheduled LIVE Music performances at the newly opened Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (97 Main St., Stony Brook)

Events during regular museum hours are free with general admission ticket. Events after hours require separate ticket purchases. More details and for tickets visit: https://www.limusichalloffame. org/tickets-and-gift-cards/

March 5 Original Gossip Band 3-4 pm

March 12 Gene Casey Duo 3-4 pm

March 19 Mark Newman 3-4 pm

March 26 The Eagle River Band 3-4 pm

About Original Gossip Band

From Farmingdale, Original Gossip is an all-original rock band made up of five seasoned musicians from Long Island. Each member has more than 20 years of experience covering all aspects of music including song writing, performing, recording, sound engineering, and teaching.

While Original Gossip was formed 3 years ago, the band has over 30 original songs in their repertoire. They found that an audience of all ages has gravitated towards their music through streaming sites, social media, and live performances in popular clubs on Long Island and in the heart of New York City.

Original Gossip remains highly dedicated to creating new music. They enjoy the recording and performing processes and look forward to bringing their music to the next level and beyond.

Tania Purpora — Vocals, Al Cubisino

— Guitar, Aaron Needle — Guitar, Rob Coren — Drums, Jeff Frohman – Bass

The band just announced that it will be auctioning off a Johnson Acoustic guitar at their performance as a fundraiser to benefit LIMEHOF.

About Gene Casey

In the latter part of the last century, GENE CASEY departed New York City and its Punk rock/New wave scene for Long Island’s East End. There, he formed the Lone Sharks, “the house band of the Hamptons,” where bars were plentiful and audiences – both the local and the celebrated – were robust and loyal. Over the course of the next few decades

Gene and the evolving line-up of Sharks

“played – and tore up – every roadhouse, bar, and honky tonk from Manhattan to Montauk” (Bop Magazine), sharing the bill and backing legendary roots rock & roll acts as Wanda Jackson, the Band, Bo

Diddley, Sleepy LaBeef, NRBQ, and the Ventures.

Gene’s original music met with great acclaim with local and international indie radio play. Several of his roots-drenched songs have been used in “A Prairie Home Companion” and on the soundtracks to television and feature films, including “Justified” and “Sons of Anarchy” ; the 2012 thriller “The Tall Man” starring Jessica Biel, the 2013 release “The Killing Season” starring Robert DeNiro, and Rob Reiner’s “Being Charlie.”

In 2014 Gene and the Lone Sharks were inducted into the Dan’s Papers “Best of the Best” Hall of Fame, having been honored over 20 times. A year later Gene, “the premier barroom troubadour of Eastern Long Island” (author Josh Alan Friedman) received the Long Island Sound Award by the L.I. Music Hall of Fame, “for contributions to the Island’s musical landscape.”

About Mark Newman

Growing up in New York, Mark Newman’s musical journey has taken him around the world several times as both sideman and singer/songwriter. This ace stringman (guitar, lap steel, mandolin, dobro) and accomplished songwriter is the type of singer whose warm and expressive voice sounds like an old friend. He put it all together on 2006’s “Must Be A Pony” (Danal Music, LLC). In 2010 he took a quantum leap forward with the stunning “Walls Of Jericho” (Danal Music. LLC) and has just released, “Brussels”( Danal Music. LLC), a live solo EP. “Empirical Truth”, his latest CD was released in June, 2018 (Danal Music, LLC, distributed by WBA Records). It won best CD from the Long Island Blues Society.

Sharing the stage with such notables as soul legend Sam Moore (Sam & Dave), John Oates (Hall and Oates), Jim

McCarty (Yardbirds, Renaissance),the late Willy DeVille (Mink DeVille), Bobby Whitlock (Derek and the Dominos), Sam The Sham and Darlene Love has given Newman the perspective to craft an individualistic sound framed in straight-from-the-hip rock’n’roll, simmering with the subtle flavors of blues, R’n’B, funk, folk and soul.

About Eagle River Band

This 6-piece Eagles Tribute Band has been entertaining audiences from Fire Island to Greenport since 2017. We are eager to bring the music of the Eagles to the stage at theLongIsland Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame this March. The band features six vocalists and three guitarists bringing the soaring harmonies and signature riffs of the Eagles to life. Hope to see you there!

For more details, visit https://www. limusichalloffame.org/museum/

Joe Pianos @ 5pm

Dang BBQ, 3864 Merrick Rd, Seaford

Hall, 3232 Railroad Avenue, Wantagh

Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St, Port Washington

Tuesday Mar 7th

A Conversation with Trevor Noah

@ 8pm / $65-$145

Tilles Center Concert Hall, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville

An intimate conversation with Trevor Noah as he wraps his stellar seven-year run as the host of “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” and embarks on his 2023 Off The Record Tour. A New York Times best‐selling author and Grammy Award-nominee, Trevor has written, pro‐duced, and starred in 12 comedy specials, including his upcoming, “I Wish You Would,” his third for Net�i�, which premiered globally in November. Emmy-nominated comedian, writer, producer and actor Roy Wood Jr., known for his stand-up comedy and work as a corre‐spondent on "The Daily Show," will moderate the discussion.

The Hot Sardines @ 8pm / $46-$60

Niko Moon: Ain't No

Better Place Tour @ 7pm The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Hunting‐ton

Nate Charlie Music @ 7pm EGP, 2823 Long Beach Rd, Oceanside

Fueled by the belief that classic jazz feeds the heart and soul, the Hot Sardines are on a mission to make old sounds new again and prove that music can bring people together in a disconnected world. Jeanne Rimsky Theater, 232 Main Street, Port Washing‐ton. Richard@land markonmainstreet.org, 516-767-6444

Dan Reardon Band @ Publicans @ 10pm Publicans, 550 Plandome Rd, Manhasset

3/04

Brandon "Taz" Niederauer @ 8pm / $30

Nineteen-year-old Bran‐don Niederauer, nick‐named “Taz” for his fe‐rocious guitar playing, is living proof that dreams really do come true. Jeanne Rimsky Theater, 232 Main Street, Port Washing‐ton. Richard@land markonmainstreet.org, 516-767-6444

Sun 3/05

Great Neck Winter Market

@ 10am

Great Neck Indoor Win‐ter Market Great Neck House, 14 Arrandale Avenue, Great Neck. deeprootsfarmersmar ket@gmail.com, 516318-5487

Hewlett-Woodmere

Jim Norton @ 8pm / $29.50-$59.50

Lovesong The Band: Flock of Seagulls @ 8pm

The Space at Westbury, 250 Post Ave, Westbury

Warped Tour Band @ 9pm / $15

Mulcahy's Pub and Concert

New York Islanders vs. Detroit Red Wings @ 12:30pm / $31-$1000

UBS Arena, 2400 Hempstead Turnpike, Belmont Park - Long Island

Brandon "Taz" Niederauer @ 7pm

The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Hunting‐ton

L.Shankar @ 8pm

NYCB Theatre At Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Rd, Westbury

Public Library Presents: Deni Bonet & Chris Flynn

@ 2pm Hewlett-Woodmere Public Li‐brary, 1125 Broadway, Hewlett

Brooklyn Nets vs. Charlotte Hornets

@ 6pm Barclays Center, Atlantic Av‐enue, Brooklyn

Bobby Wilson "Mr Entertainment": Bobby Wilson Live @ 7:30pm

Jeanne Rimsky Theater, 232 Main St #1, Port Washington

Join Old Westbury Gardens on a Bus

Trip to the Philadel‐phia Flower Show!

@ 8am / $125

Old Westbury Garden is heading back to the Philadelphia Flower Show at the Pennsylva‐nia Convention CenterPhiladelphia, PA (Philly) on Monday, March 6th!

Old Westbury Gardens, 71 Old Westbury Road, Old Westbury. tickets@ oldwestburygar dens.org, 516-333-0048

Long Island Nets Vs. Motor City Cruise

@ 11am / $17-$502

Nassau Veterans Memorial Col‐iseum, 1255 Hempstead Turn‐pike, Uniondale

Forever 9-An Evening of Helping Hearts @ 6:45pm Bayview on the Water, 395 Woodcleft Ave, Freeport

Derek War�eld & The Young Wolfe Tones: Live at Lily Flanagan'sBabylon - NY @ 7pm Lily Flanagan's Pub, 345 Deer Park Ave #2360, Babylon Parmalee @ 7pm

Mulcahy's Pub and Concert Hall, 3232 Railroad Ave, Wan‐tagh

Jim Breuer @ 8pm / $29.50-$79.50 The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Hunting‐ton

Steve Angrisano @ 2pm Holy Trinity Diocesan High School Hicksville, 98 Cherry Ln, Hicksville

Ernie & The Band: Ernie & TB3 @ 6pm Industry Lounge & Gallery, 344 New York Ave, Huntington

Screaming Orphans at My Father's Place @ 7pm My Father's Place, 3 Pratt Blvd, Glen Cove

Disco Unlimited at Mulcahy's Pub & Concert Hall @ 9pm Mulcahy's Pub and Concert Hall, 3232 Rail‐road Ave, Wantagh Band of Make Believe @ 11:30pm

Nutty Irishman, 323 Main St, Farmingdale

ART DRIVES SOCIAL ACTION: "THE PLANT A ROW STORY" @ 9am AT THE HEART OF PLANT A ROW'S SUC‐CESS IS ART! Port Washington Public Li‐brary, 1 Library Drive, Port Washington. marv‐@plant-a-row.org, 516510-8408

303 Live Figure Drawing for Adults & Teens (4 wks)

@ 5pm / $200

Mar 8th - Mar 29th

The Long Island Academy of Fine Art, 14 Glen Street, SUITE 305, Glen Cove. 516-590-4324

Cuthbert Live: Solo at Chadwicks Chop House @ 7pm Chadwick's American Chop House & Bar, 49 Front St, Rockville Centre

Sarah Hart and Steve Angrisano In Concert @ 7pm St Rose of Lima R.C. Church, 2 Bayview Ave, Massapequa

The Como Brothers @ 7pm FIRE ISLAND VINES (FIV), 17 E Main St, Bay Shore

Joe Samba @ 7pm Mulcahy's Pub and Concert Hall, 3232 Railroad Ave, Wan‐tagh

The best place to promote your events online and in print. Visit us @ https://theisland360.com/local-events/ powered by

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Business&RealEstate

When preparing your house for sale

I am not sure which is more neglected these days, the upkeep of your home or one’s yearly physical. I am fairly sure that it would be a tie as many homes’ interior and exterior need anywhere from some basic fxes to major repairs and upgrades. I also know from conversing with many people, that there are those that also neglect their yearly checkups, colonoscopies (after age 50), or even going to the dentist on a regularly scheduled basis. It doesn’t always matter what the income may be, people procrastinate and put of personal things and agendas because they may not have the budget, don’t care or just plain don’t worry about anything, until an issue or emergency arises.

If and when you are ready to sell, it is important to have your home prepared before your buyer’s inspection. You need to look at your home as if you were the purchaser. Observe and ascertain what repairs and upgrades that may be required. Be smart and proactive to deal with them as much in advance as possible before you decide to put your home up for sale. Do you have the money or budget to do those basic simple repairs, like fxing leaks,

caulking around your bathtub, and grouting where needed. Do your wood foors need a facelift, light sanding 2 coats of polyurethane to create a fresh appearance? How about an interior paint job? If it is a major repair, that you may not have the money to do, like your roof or upgrade your boiler, you might want to get an accurate estimate, before your purchaser does their inspection. You will then have a basis for negotiations. A thorough de-cluttering, organizing, and cleaning will go a long way when your buyers arrive. You don’t get a second chance at a frst impression.

My professional opinion is to do a home pre-inspection if your home is 20 years or older to determine what issues may be lurking that you aren’t aware of. Listen, you don’t do your own dental work or physical, right? So there is a need to hire a licensed and insured home inspector who will go through a very thorough checklist from your roof to your basement checking all your utilities, plumbing, cac, heat, and electric. In addition, they will also check the exterior too for hazards, broken steps, cracked sidewalks, poor drainage, etc.

If you are considering downsizing or purchasing a larger home, you must have a plan. As I sometimes say, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” It would be prudent to create a list beforehand, so you will know what you are taking with you, selling, giving away, and lastly discarding. So you must begin determining what you will take with you; and those things that you will

either have a tag or garage sale for. Donations to your local charity may allow you deductions to your taxable income. However, always speak to your CPA or whoever does your taxes to provide you with the necessary advice. The rest will be thrown away. Being consistent and doing a little bit every day will minimize your stress and simplify your move.

Unfortunately for most purchasers, it is still a seller’s market for homes, assuming they are priced correctly using comparables from 2-3 months ago. Inventory is still historically low and even with the higher mortgage rates, demand is still very much apparent There is increased competition for Condos and co-ops by those who could no longer aford a single-family home, but still want to own. However, pricing is critical and what prices were 6-12 months ago have very little relevance in the current market. So again, preparing your condo and co-op will be crucial in the showing process so maximize your sale price with fewer chances of adjustments by your purchasers.

The links below are clickable online to donate (if you are a subscriber or become one, go to: https://www.

wallitbits.io/island360-ofers to provide to a friend or business associate) to go online to read my 350+ archived columns: https://theisland360.com/?s=philip+A+Raices

Donate to Turkey Relief

Continue to Donate to the Ukrainian Crisis and save a life or the

Donate to The Ukranian Relief Fund

InternationalOrganizationforMi grationa501(c)3Corporation OR:

Donate to Ukranian Project:

Philip A. Raices is the owner/ Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 40 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 Certifed International Property Specialist (C.I.P.S) as well as the new “Green Industry” Certifcation for eco-friendly construction and upgrades. For a “FREE” 15-minute consultation, value analysis of your home, or to answer any of your questions or concerns he can be reached by cell: (516) 647-4289 or by email: Phil@TurnKeyRealEstate.Com or via https://WWW.Li-RealEstate.Com

Phishing: A Real and Present Danger to Small Business

Phishing is a form of cyber fraud that uses bogus emails in order to lure victims to part with something of value, such as passwords and credit cards. It does this by mimicking a trusted sender, convincing an employee to click a link. This immediately installs malware like viruses and ransomware to the company’s network where it can access invaluable data.

Sandwire Technology Group fights back on behalf of its clients, small and midsize businesses (SMBs), with limited budgets. Our CyberSafe stack serves as a defensive shield, featuring:

• Email/data backup to retrieve and restore data

• Spam filtration, secure email platform

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven anti-phishing software

• Dark web monitoring/credential exposure protection

• Employee training with phishing tests and educational videos

Phishing emails are becoming increasingly difficult to spot, a trend that sees no end. Today, nearly every major data breach begins with a successful attack. Is your company protected?

PHILIP A. RAICES Real Estate Watch

Business&RealEstate

Daniel Gale names top producers in ‘22

Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, one of the nation’s leading realtors and the top ranked luxury real estate organization on Long Island, recently announced its top production leaders for 2022.

Chief Executive Ofcer Deirdre O’Connell revealed the Top Producing real estate team and individual advisors at its annual companywide “Embrace and Empower” meeting, addressing an

audience of more than 500 real estate advisors, management and staf.

The Top Producing Teams are, in order from the number one position: The Friedman Team; The Lois Kirschenbaum Team; and The Evangelia Boudourakis and Irene Nictas team. Top Producing Individuals, from the number one position are Gigi Malek, Astoria; Patricia Moroney, Manhasset and Bayside/Flushing; Nancy Jarvis, Carle Place;

Peggy Moriarty, Cold Spring Harbor, Heidi Karagianis, Great Neck; Pamela Doyle, Cold Spring Harbor; Helen Deng, Locust Valley; Beth Catrone, Port Washington; Ann Hance, Manhasset; and Leah Tozer, Long Beach.

O’Connell praised all of the production leaders and teams for their hard work, ingenuity, drive and outstanding professionalism. “Our top producers epitomize our shared core values of profes-

READERS WRITE

sionalism, ethics and luxury service at every price point,” she said. “While markets may shift, the top earners fnd opportunity every day by staying in touch with their clients and contacts, providing market updates and sowing the seeds for the weeks and months to come. Their extraordinary success refects positively on our entire company and upholds our reputation as the real estate organization of choice on Long Island.”

George Anthony Devolder Zabnovsky Santos (whatever his name is) has admitted to being a “bad liar” in his interview with Piers Morgan. In my opinion, he is a “good liar” in his creative, enormous deceptions. Aside from his many aliases, lying about the history of his schooling, employment, his questionable fnancial exploits, there is another basic problem. He is uneducated. Would any person in their right mind consult with an attorney, an ac-

countant, or even worse go to a dentist or doctor who has lied about their training, let alone a college degree?

While Santos undoubtedly aspires to having been a product of reputable institutions, (Baruch and Goldman Sachs), he has not put in any time to warrant recognition for an elected position nor any place of leadership for that matter.

My advice: frst, be a “mensch” (a Jew-ish expression you profess to be proud of) and step down. Second, it is never too

late to gain knowledge. Get a college degree. Learn nuanced thinking, let alone the classics. Third, obtain employment in any feld where you can grow as you learn.

Perhaps those experiences will contribute to the respect you so desire. Right now you have not earned it.

Lois Schafer Great Neck

Never too late to earn your degree, George Port LIRR riders change twice to reach UBS

MTA Chairman Janno Leiber and LIRR President Catherine Renaldi claim that as of Monday, February 27th, the Elmont-UBS Arena station has become a full time station with service 365 days a year, eliminating the need for many to transfer at Jamaica. No longer needing to change at Jamaica depends upon which branch riders are arriving from. Hempstead branch trains will stop full time. Huntington and Ronkonkoma branch trains be less frequent. They will only stop week -

day evenings (coinciding with UBS Arena events) and frequently on weekends. Babylon, Speonk, West Hempstead, Long Beach, Far Rockaway and Oyster Bay branch riders will continue having to change at Jamaica. Port Jeferson branch riders will have to change at Huntington or Jamaica. The Atlantic Brooklyn branch became a shuttle service operating between Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn and Jamaica. Riders on this line will also have to change at Jamaica. Most Port Washington branch riders will have an additional

second transfer at Woodside before arriving at Jamaica. So much for truth in advertising by the MTA & LIRR.

Larry Penner Great Neck

Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former Director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Ofce of Operations and Program Management.

Ideas for Manorhaven’s existing waterfront

Back on Dec. 26, 2019, while I was still a trustee for the Village of Manorhaven, I prepared an information packet relating to the B.O.L.D. for Mixed Use Live/ Work Apartments — Chapter 155.20.1 of our Village Code. I had disseminated this information to the mayor and trustees, of whom one of those trustees is now the mayor of Manorhaven, regarding any future use of this B.O.L.D. law.

I strongly believe, according to the actual public hearing minutes from that April 7, 2005 meeting that the B.O.L.D. section was designed for apartments over existing buildings, not new buildings along the C-1 zone or other zones. Comments from that public meeting as well as Chapter 155.20.lD(l) specifically mentions Manorhaven Blvd. and Sintsink Drive East pertaining to the various zones. I sincerely hope that our Village Board will take the time and efort to look over this B.O.L.D. section to get a clear view of exactly what purpose there was for this section in our zoning laws.

Please keep in mind that any building request along our waterfront properties should be cleared with the New York State

Department of Environmental Conservation, as well as the Nassau County Department of Health for waterfront construction as well as required testing of the soil and groundwater for possible contamination from past industrial uses (i.e. iron works, boat yard/marinas, etc.). Chapter 155.20.1((3) mentions “any existing industrial uses and any uses where toxic chemicals are stored shall not be permitted as part of the B.O.L.D.”

Recent environmental site testing at 22 Sagamore Hill Drive as well as 5 Sagamore Hill Drive in past years has exposed unacceptable higher levels of tetrachloroethene in the groundwater samples taken. The property at 12-20 Matinecock Ave. has been used as a marina/boat yard for about 50 years and may possibly have similar contaminants in the soil/ groundwater from toxic fuids and chemicals used over the years in this type business.

B.O.L.D. was designed to allow studio or one-bedroom apartments above stores on Manorhaven Blvd. and Sintsink Drive East (Chpt. 155.20.lD(l)). The reason for this law was to allow businesses to add second-story apartments above their

existing building rather than taking down existing structures. Our Village Board cannot and should not allow any more building along our wonderful waterfront that has been continually disappearing over recent years.

They need to adhere to Section G(l) of B.O.L.D. that states, “All proposed new projects using B.O.L.D. shall be subject to site plan review procedures before the Board of Trustees. The Architectural Review Board shall act as a consulting review agency.”

Both of these Boards, and possibly the Board of Zoning Appeals, need to roll up their sleeves and explore all the pertinent aspects of B.O.L.D. Chapter 155.20.1 of our Village Code to protect what is left of the waterfront we love.

Ken Kraft Manorhaven Trustee 2016-2020

PSYCHOTHERAPIST

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Recent Real Estate Sales in

Legislature approves maps Dems call illegal

Continued from Page 1

terests as much as possible.”

Abrahams, under the new map, is put into a district inhabited by more Republicans than the current 1st District. Democratic county Legislator Arnold Drucker, in a statement, expressed his displeasure with the proposal that splits Plainview and redraws the lines in his district.

“The current proposal is an extreme partisan gerrymander that carves apart Plainview and other communities across the 16th Legislative District,” Drucker said. “This is not about the political fate of one person over another – it is much more signifcant. This is a brazen attempt to dilute and render irrelevant the voices of all Democrats residing in the 16th District and it must not stand.”

Legislator Josh Lafazan will be pushed into the 16th Legislative District, represented by Drucker, according to the map.

Abrahams said there is likely no scenario in which the maps “will not be challenged in court.” Other changes to North Shore areas include the expansion of the 10th District into Munsey Park, Plandome and Plandome Manor.

Under the map, the villages of Roslyn, Roslyn Harbor and parts of Glenwood Landing are included in the 11th District, with Greenvale, East Hills and other parts of Glenwood Landing in the 18th District, Roslyn Estates in the 10th District and parts of Roslyn Heights in the 9th District.

The 9th District population will increase by 1,160 residents, the 10th District will increase by 780, and the 18th District will increase by 709, but the 11th District population will decrease by 246, according to data released by the Legislature. The 9th District’s population increase is the second-largest under the newly drawn map, with 18 fewer residents than the 2nd District.

The GOP’s Nicolello is the 9th District legislator, the 10th District is represented by Republican Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip, the 11th District is represented by Democrat Delia DeRiggi-Whitton and the 18th District is represented by Josh La-

fazan, who ran in this past year’s Democratic primary for the state’s 3rd Congressional District.

Abrahams bashed the GOP proposal for “diluting the voting power of minority communities across” Nassau County, including having an “Asian-American infuence district.” In 2010, Asian Americans made up 7.6 percent of Nassau’s population, which increased to 11.7 percent in 2020, according to data from the U.S. Census.

Abrahams said the map goes against parts of the federal Voting Rights Act and the John. R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York.

The map was last redrawn in 2013. Democratic ofcials have chastised Republicans for their lack of transparency in developing the 2023 map. They contend that the Republican map allows offcials to select their representatives rather than the public.

Republicans held a 12-7 majority in the Legislature before Republican Steve Rhoads stepped down to become a state senator. A special election Tuesday to fll Rhoads’s seat will decide if the majority will return to 12-7 or not.

The Legislature was put in charge of reviewing maps, presented by the county’s Temporary Districting Advisory Commission, which split along party lines and failed to agree on a map of its own.

Commission Chairman Frank X. Moroney said in December that Democratic Committee member David Mejias’ prediction of litigation was something he had heard from the start of the redistricting process.

Moroney said Republican ofcials asked the Democratic commission to work across the aisle, saying the Democrats “did not want to do that.”

“The only thing that happened here is that the Republicans of Nassau County have guaranteed litigation over an illegal map,” Mejias said in December. “If and when they lose, it’s going to cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.”

The Legislature was required to select newly drawn lines before March, ofcials said.

LIRR full service into Grand Central increases ridership

Continued from Page 3

North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena echoed the impact and signifcance of the new terminal, which will bring riders from Long Island directly into Grand Central Station.

“Grand Central Madison represents a transformative project that is the culmination of many years of hard work,” DeSena said. “I

thank interim LIRR President Cathy Rinaldi and MTA CEO Janno Lieber for prioritizing the needs of Long Island, and especially the residents of the Town of North Hempstead.”

While Grand Central Madison is a step in the right direction in providing for the needs of commuters from Long Island, DeSena said that the work does not stop here.

“While I am hopeful that this increase in

service will be a boon for our residents and businesses, I will continue to push for expanded express train service and station upgrades for residents on the Port Washington line, as the full benefts of Grand Central Madison can only truly be felt once increased service is offered to ofset what was lost to accommodate this project,” DeSena said.

Transit historian Larry Penner, who pre-

viously served as the director of the Federal Transit Administration’s Region 2 ofce of operations and project management, said there need to be improvements in the station.

A lack of newsstands, recycling options, seating capacity, restroom facilities and missing escalators, he said, are some areas in need of improvement.

Residents withdraw opposition to 12 Irma development

Continued from Page 2

Tuesday morning with the coalition’s decision to withdraw their opposition.

“It could have been a long battle,” Maryanov said. “Now it won’t be, so that’s good because now we can turn our energies towards other possible projects.”

Deegan Dickson told Blank Slate in an email that her clients are “very pleased” that the residents withdrew their opposition.

“We would like to thank community members who participated in this process and provided their input, and believe that the current plan will be a real credit and complement to the area,” Deegan Dickson wrote. “We look forward to introducing this much-needed new housing option to the residents of Port Washington.”

The plans now have to face the zoning board because they include multiple variances, or aspects of the development that are contrary to lo-

cal zoning regulations governing the structure’s height, parking and density.

With the changes, the development now only has four variances to present to the board: becoming compliant with the density regulations, the approved number of parking spaces, the height, and now the lot size, parking and building setbacks.

The next zoning board meeting for the Town of North Hempstead is scheduled for March 22, but it is not known yet whether the 12 Irma Ave.

development will face the board on that date. The following meeting is scheduled for April 5.

Now that the coalition has withdrawn its opposition, Maryanov said their action going forward will be to ensure that the developers abide by the plans and the community’s needs.

She said that a community member involved told her that “the end result here is a perfect example of a small, realistic community-approved project that can work in our community.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NASSAU COUNTY LEGISLATURE

The newly-proposed Nassau County legislative district map.

Town officials celebrate Black History Month

North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Council Member Robert Troiano Jr., members of the Town Board and Nassau County Legislator Siela Bynoe recently celebrated Black History Month at the Westbury Middle School on Feb. 15.

The theme of this year’s event was “Black Resistance” and celebrated the works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, John Lewis, Ella Baker and local civic activists. The African American Museum of Nassau County curated a special exhibit for the day.

“This celebration serves as an opportunity to not only refect on our history, but also to further embrace Black history, Black culture, and highlight and support our diversity as a town,” DeSena said. “Black History Month is an opportunity to spotlight and celebrate the achievements that African Americans have accomplished, and I am proud to honor these amazing honorees for all their good works and for all they do each day to serve as role models to the communities through-

out the town.”

“This Black History Month, we joined together to recognize and honor the countless contributions that African Americans have made throughout our nation’s history,” said Troiano Jr. “We were proud to recognize four outstanding honorees and celebrate their achievements. Learning from past injustices and hardships, while embracing diversity, will allow us to make progress in creating a more inclusive future for all.”

The event featured a cocktail hour with refreshments provided by Pleasures Pot of Westbury. The invocation was given by Pastor Elon Sylvester of the Westbury United Methodist Church. The event also featured the Westbury Middle School Senior Choir, local students and a performance by Layla’s Dance and Drum.

During the event the Town Board recognized Robin Bolling, Dr. Pless M. Dickerson, Michelle Brice and Major General Joseph McNeil for their advocacy and contributions to the community. Each were presented a proclamation of recognition for their work. The Town

Kalman recognized as a top woman in health care

Dro. Jill Kalman, who oversees all clinical aspects at Northwell Health, New York state’s largest health system and private employer, has been named one of the top women health care executives in Modern Healthcare’s Top Women Leaders in Healthcare.

Kalman, who serves as Northwell’s executive vice president, chief medical ofcer and deputy physician-in-chief, is the health care provider’s frst woman to hold its top clinical role.

Previously, Kalman served as executive director at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, where she elevated its reputation as a regional, national and global destination for top-quality tertiary care and guided it through the heart of the pandemic.

“Dr. Jill Kalman has an amazing capacity to deliver clinical change as well as lead an organization, as her track record at Lenox Hill has proven,” said Michael Dowling, president

and CEO of Northwell Health. “We’re incredibly proud of Dr. Kalman’s recognition by Modern Healthcare. The larger story here is that great people make an organization great. Her success represents our overall excellence in patient care.”

Kalman has risen through the ranks of the organization to create top-ranking hospitals within the system. She joined Northwell in May 2014 as associate medical director in the Ofce of the Chief Medical Ofcer and as the associate medical director at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park. She later served as the medical director of Lenox Hill Hospital and was responsible for the quality of patient care, safety and day-to-day operations. Next, she was tabbed to lead Lenox Hill as executive director.

One of Dr. Kalman’s priorities is to create the “hospital of the future”

that can be adapted across the country. She is working to deliver care in the right place at the right time and

to bring services to patients outside of the hospital – where possible – in varied settings, whether that is ambulatory centers, clinician ofces or care in the home. This enables patients in the hospital to have the appropriate services focused on them. When she thinks of the hospital of the future, one of the lessons learned from the pandemic was the need to be prepared for unprecedented events and to have the innovation and creativity to deliver care diferently depending on the situation.

“It’s both humbling and an honor to be included among so many powerful women in health care,” said Kalman, who was appointed chief medical ofcer in October 2021. “I’m incredibly proud of being able to lead the way for women in medicine, but I’m equally concerned about breaking down barriers to access of care for all.

I’m also intensively focused on physi-

cian wellness and resiliency – and for all healthcare workers who sacrifced so much during the pandemic. It’s my job to drive quality of care for patients and quality of life for our team members.”

After graduating with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, Kalman received her medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency, chief residency and cardiology fellowship at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, including a research fellowship in heart failure and cardiac transplantation.

Modern Healthcare’s annual program recognizes top women healthcare executives who infuence the policy and care delivery models across the county. For more information, go to: https://www.modernhealthcare. com/awards/top-women-leadershealthcare-2023

NYU L.I. School of Medicine gets full accreditation

Mineola, New York: The Liaison Committee on Medical Education has granted NYU Long Island School of Medicine full accreditation. The medical school, which frst opened its doors in September 2019, is the only one in the country that ofers a tuition-free three-year degree in primary care.

“Without the pressure of medical debt, the world’s brightest medical students are now free to follow their passion for primary care and improving

health in the community,” said Gladys M. Ayala, MD, MPH, Dean of the NYU Long Island School of Medicine.

While the school was previously granted provisional accreditation to educate students and conduct research, achieving full accreditation is the culmination of over six years of work by more than 100 faculty members, staf, and students. This work has included rigorous and continuous selfstudy to chart the school’s future.

NYU Langone Health is the only health system in the U.S. to have two medical schools. Its nationally and internationally renowned NYU Grossman School of Medicine in Manhattan has set the pace for launching groundbreaking initiatives in medical education.

With full accreditation, NYU Long Island School of Medicine will have access to federal funding and be eligible to participate in medical school

rankings by organizations such as U.S. News & World Report. Full accreditation also brings validation of the nation’s foremost medical body.

Each graduate of the school who stays in their initial specialization track is given an opportunity to become an accreditation resident at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island, helping to enhance the hospital’s mission to provide top-notch primary care in underserved communities.

“We are so grateful to all of the faculty, staf, and students-past and present who helped us attain full accreditation,” said Joseph J. Greco, MD, Vice President and Chief of Hospital Operations. “Their dedication to exceptionalism will ensure that NYU Langone Long Island School of Medicine remains a beacon of hope for the future of primary care and for the many underserved communities in desperate need of healing.”

of North Hempstead celebrated Black History Month on Wednesday Feb. 15 at the Westbury Middle School.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NORTHWELL HEALTH

Dr. Jill Kalman has been named one of the top women health care executives in Modern Healthcare’s Top Women Leaders in Healthcare.

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Garden City News

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Caught in a bad romance at 87

They met on a dating website. He was in his 80s, a Holocaust survivor looking for romance.

She was in her 30s, a one-time psychic looking for riches. It wasn’t long before she plied him with a ruse, convincing him that she was due a big settlement from a car accident, but her lawyer refused to release the funds until paid a $25,000 fee. He loaned her the money. The lies would continue, and so would the payments, until he was bled dry.

The Daily Beast reported earlier this year that since 2017, a woman using the name “Alice” defrauded an 87-year-old unnamed New Yorker, a casualty of the Shoah, of over $2.8 million – his life savings. Alice had no qualms about taking the 62 checks, most written monthly and often in increments of $50,000, and depositing them in her bank account. It wasn’t until late 2021, after nearly five years of being bilked, that the victim confided to his son that he had been scammed.

Without his savings, he was forced to relinquish his apartment. Meanwhile, Alice was living a life of luxury, according to federal prosecutors, using his money to purchase a house in a gated community, a condo, and numerous cars, including a Corvette.

Stergo, from Champions Gate, Fla., not far from Walt Disney World, created a “Magic Kingdom” of her own. She took expensive trips, staying at places like the Ritz Carlton, and spent many tens of thousands of dollars on expensive jewelry and designer clothing from stores like Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, and Neiman Marcus.

Her high-end shopping days are now over. Alice was arrested, charged with wire fraud, and is facing up to 20 years in prison. STATUS OF CASE?

While online dating can be a great way to find lasting love, it too often is the best way for scammers to find opportunities to steal your money. Romance scams typically start when a criminal creates a fake profile on a dating app or website, or on social media. They then strike up a relationship with their target, building affection and trust.

Not long after, they make up a story and ask for money. These expert scammers, who come across as genuine, caring, and credible, prey on the victim’s heartstrings and kindness.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government that promotes consumer protection, individuals reported losing a staggering $1.3 billion to romance scams in 2022. However, because the vast majority of frauds aren’t reported, this figure reflects just a small fraction of the actual monetary harm.

Here are some warning signs and actions to take:

Romance scammers are masters of disguise, swiping photos from the internet and assuming the identities of real people. They may study information you share online and then pretend to have common interests, which results in them coming across as too perfect. Try a reverseimage search of their profile picture. They don’t intend to ever meet you in person, and they’ll make up excuses (“I’m overseas on business” or “I’m in the military”) to avoid doing so. When they ask for money on a gift or pre-paid card, by money transfer, or even by cash or check, it’s a scam. Full stop. Remember what Leonardo da Vinci said: “It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.” Once Pergo’s mark made that first payment, it was game over. According to the feds, after each check was deposited, Pergo told the victim that her bank needed more money or else her account would be frozen and he would not be paid back. Pergo was adept at understanding human behavior, and our inclination towards loss aversion.

If the victim didn’t make the next payment, he may not have gotten back the first, and so on, until all his money was gone. If that’s the case, err on the side of caution by resisting a request for money up front if you feel uneasy. Your gut feeling may be your best instinct.

Pleas for money involve a variety of reasons: medical expenses for them or a family member, local ATMs being down after a disaster, wanting to meet

but not being able to afford the plane ticket. If the connection started on a dating website, they tend to lure you off of it. Reports of unexpected private messages on social media or gaming platforms (e.g., Facebook, Words with Friends) are common. Many victims, mostly younger ones, report being pressured into investment opportunities, especially concerning cryptocurrency (e.g., bitcoin). File a complaint at the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov) and/or with the FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov). It helps the authorities build cases and bring cybercriminals to justice.

The reason this fraud is so successful is because love is often blind. There are many cases, even with clear evidence presented, where the victim refuses to believe they’ve been duped. It’s difficult to overcome. If you’re a friend or family member of someone who has been ripped-off in romance, then be supportive. When speaking with them, keep the conversation friendly and relaxed.

Ask questions while maintaining their comfort in discussing and reflecting on it. The objective is to get them to question the story on their own and come to the realization that they’ve been defrauded. Tell them it’s not their fault and that it can happen to anyone. Above all, don’t blame them for what occurred.

Experts say that the effects of frauds on individuals are similar to the psychological aftermath experienced by victims of violent crimes and war. As such, they can experience anxiety, depression, even posttraumatic stress disorder. Give them understanding, kindness, love, and respect.

Online criminals are comforted by their anonymity, and view their prey as less than human. For at least the second time in his life, the unnamed victim described above was stripped of his dignity. Don’t let it happen to you, or your loved ones.

John Rotondi s the author of “Stand Up to Elder Financial Abu$e” (2017).

A LIRR miracle in commuter service

Since about 1910, when the railroad finished the four rail tunnels under the East River, Port Washington residents have been able to enjoy a ride into Manhattan’s Pennsylvania Station. This trip to the west side of 34th Street takes about 35 minutes.

If, however your destination was the Upper East Side, north and east of Grand Central Station, the additional subway trip(s) would add at least another half hour each morning and each evening.

Now, with the completion of the Grand Central Madison terminal, and the incredible engineering which defines comprehension, we can take a train from Port Washington directly to the Upper East Side. For those of us who commuted for decades, the sheer wonder of this heroic achievement by the MTA cannot be overstated.

Chris Bain President Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society Port Washington

Berkowitz lost her compass on BOE

Barbara Berkowitz’s recent resignation and letter is consistent in that it is all about Barbara.

Berkowitz turned public service into a full-time job and lost her compass and with that GNPS have suffered. Berkowitz was part of the BOE in the early 1990s that hired Bill Shine and consistently rotated the president of the board. Starting in 2006 Berkowitz ended that tradition. Since then GNPS have increased administrative expenses and have refused to expand the BOE despite the fact that almost all school system this size has seven members

The policy of hiring new teachers to replace existing teachers at the

lowest steps also flourished under Berkowitz. GNPS have become less competitive in the compensation package offered in other districts (watch Jim Desanski’s comments to the BOE). Even when resigning the theatrical nature and the letter seems disingenuous. Her recent narrow re-election to the BOE and the BOE voting someone else as president tells a different story than the hundreds Berkowitz references as imploring her to stay. The board should consider term limits and rotating the presidency going forward.

Gary Cohen Floral Park

John Rotondi Port Washington

Caravan drives efforts to oust Santos

Continued from Page 4

The final stop before the caravan drove to his district office was Little Neck’s Il Bacco, the restaurant where Santos held his victory party on Election Night and his campaign spent over $14,000 through Nov. 28 during the

2022 election cycle.

Rallies calling for Santos to resign and be expelled from Congress have been held since he was sworn-in earlier this year.

Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan (D-Woodbury) tweeted to San-

tos on Feb. 23 that he held a protest outside his office before delivering a letter telling him to stop wasting police resources. Santos originally tweeted that Lafazan stopped by his office to discuss issues in the district.

“I want to personally thank @

JoshLafazan for stopping by my Douglaston office today. It was great to sit down & discuss the concerns that were addressed in the letter he brought in. #NY03,” Santos tweeted on Feb. 23.

New AEDs donated to Port fire department

Continued from Page 10

& 70%,” the press release states.

“AEDs are as essential as fire extinguishers to the Department.

Waterson said there is a life expectancy for AED units, and changes are done in manufacturing over time, so new units provide the benefit of updated software and increased effectiveness in saving lives.

“We pride ourselves on our rapid responses to emergencies, and rapid

response means rapid defibrillation which results in cardiac saves,” Waterson said.

The new AEDs are “state of the art,” according to a press release, and are still compatible with the Advanced Life Support heart monitor/defibrillators used in the department’s ambulances.

The new AEDs will be in all department chiefs’ cars, in emergency

medical response vehicles and inside the department headquarters building.

While the new AEDs will be similar to the old ones used by the department, Waterson said department employees will be working to familiarize themselves with the new defibrillators during in-service training.

The Dejana Foundation is a longtime supporter of the Port Washington Fire Department, as well as the

broader Port Washington community. Previously they purchased the department’s ALS heart monitors and prior defibrillators, as well as contributed to the purchase of their last two ambulances.

“We’re just thankful for Mr. Dejana’s constant support of the department,” Waterson said. “The money is being put to good use in purchasing life-saving equipment.”

Bodkin new village justice

Continued from Page 1

Court’s appellate division’s First Department.

“The trustees and I are thrilled to have an attorney of Judge Bodkin’s qualifications and experience serving as village justice,” Mayor John Popeleski said in a news release. “We strongly believe that Judge Bodkin has the temperament and knowledge to be a great Justice for Manorhaven.”

William Bodkin was sworn in as the Manorhaven village justice on Feb. 22

Port Washington Library March 1 - March 9

1-2-3 Play with Me, Wed., March 1 @ 11:30 am, Lapham Meeting Room. Spend time with your child and meet new people in an educational and creative environment. Each week a diferent resource professional will be on hand to discuss sign language, the importance of play, language development, movement, and dental hygiene. For children ages 1 1/2 to 3 years-old with an adult. Registration required.

Chess, Wed., March 1 @ 5:00 pm, Children’s Workshop Room. Learn the rules and strategies of chess and practice what you have learned by playing against your peers. For children in 3rd to 6th grade. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library in memory of Lawrence Kamisher. Registration required.

Discussion Group (Ages 60+): Einstein’s Insight to Ease Our Loneliness, Wed., March 1 @ 7:00 pm, Lapham Meeting Room Join us for an informal discussion that aims to build community with intelligent discussion, laughter, and social interaction.

Finance Workshop: Foundations of Investing- (Week 1), Wed., March 1 @ 7:30 pm in Hagedorn Meeting Room. Building your investor IQ starts with understanding the basics. Learn the importance of developing a strategy, the impact of asset allocation, and the infuence infation can have on your long-term goals.

Baby Rhyme Time, Thurs., March 2 @ 9:30 am, Children’s Room. A lapsit storytime with songs, music and bouncing rhymes that emphasizes early literacy skills. For children ages birth to 17 months. Registration required.

Virtual Sandwiched In with JoAnn Tufo — Women of Valor: Heroines of the American Revolution, Fri., March 3 @ 12:00 pm, Zoom. Explore the lives of women who bravely participated in the American Revolution. Their contributions demonstrate an example of the strength

and determination of our “Founding Mothers” for future generations. Please note this is a virtual-only event.

Coding for Kids, Fri., March 3 @ 4:30 pm, Children’s Workshop Room. Ignite the love of coding by learning to create animations and computer games using Scratch. For kids with no prior programming experience in 3rd to 6th grade. To register, pwpl.org/events

Film: “Moon, 66 Questions” (2021-108 min.). Fri., March 3 @ 7:00 pm, Lapham Meeting Room. In Greek with English subtitles. Artemis has to get back to Athens due to her father’s frail state of health and discovers her father’s secret, allowing her to understand her father in a way she was not able before.

FOL Paperback Swap, Sat., March 4 @ 2:00 pm, Lapham Meeting Room. The Friends of the Library’s popular Paperback Swap returns! At this free event, patrons of all ages share thousands of books. Please visit pwpl.org/ events for more information.

Concert: Violinist Lun Li in Concert, Sun., March 5 @ 3:00 pm, Lapham Meeting Room. Join the Music Advisory Council and the Port Washington Public Library as we welcome Lun Li for an exceptional performance at the Library.

ATime For Kids-Baby Start, Mon., March 6 @ 10:00am, Lapham Meeting Room. Come join A Time for Kids, Inc. as we introduce our littlest learners to the wonderful world of library programs. For children ages 3 months to 17 months. Registration required.

A Time For Kids, Mon., March 6 @ 10:45am, Lapham Meeting Room. Ms. Karen presents educational activities, movement, music and a craft. For children ages 18 months to 5 years with an adult. Registration required.

Preschool Story Time, Mon., March 6 @ 1:30 pm, Children’s Room. Enjoy great stories,

songs, and fngerplays, while your child develops essential early literacy skills. For children ages 2 1/2 to 5 years with an adult. Registration required.

Teen Gaming, Mon., March 6 @ 3:30 pm. Teens in grades 7-12 are invited to the TeenSpace to come play Nintendo Switch games with other teens after school. No registration required.

Film: “The Painted Veil” (1934-85 min.). Mon., March 6 @ 7:00 pm, Lapham Meeting Room. A wife neglected by her husband, a medical researcher in China, falls in love with a dashing diplomatic attaché.

AARP Tax Help, TUES 03/07/2023 from 10:00 am –3:00 pm, Hagedorn Meeting Room. Register for private tax help sessions, courtesy of AARP. To register, visit the Reference Desk or call 516-883-4400 ext. 1400.

Support Group for Caregivers of Elderly Relatives, Tues., March 7@7:00pm, Children’s Workshop Room. This support group will give participants the chance to talk with others experiencing similar circumstances and share ideas for the best ways to handle various situations.

Robo de identidad y cómo prevenirlo (en español), Tues., March 7 @ 7:00pm, Hagedorn Meeting Room. Entérese de las diversas formas de robo de identidad y los diferentes tipos de estafas de los que puede ser víctima y aprenda a protegerse. Conozca también cómo funcionan los informes de crédito, qué hacer si hay errores, qué es el crédito alternativo, cómo desarrollar y mantener buenos hábitos crediticios. Para más detalles, consulte pwpl.org/events

Virtual Vegetable Gardening Series – Part 2, Tues., March 7 @ 7:00pm, Online. Part Two — You CAN Grow Food in Containers. Learn where to fnd these gems, and how to cultivate them. Sponsored by Plant a Row for the Hun-

gry Port Washington. For details, visit pwpl.org/ events

1-2-3 Play with Me, Wed., March 8 @ 11:30 am, Lapham Meeting Room. Spend time with your child and meet new people in an educational and creative environment. Each week a diferent resource professional will be on hand. For children ages 1 1/2 to 3 years old with an adult. Registration required.

Chess, Wed., March 8 @ 5:00 pm, Children’s Workshop Room. Learn the rules and strategies of chess and practice playing against your peers. For children in 3rd to 6th grade. Sponsored by the FOL in memory of Lawrence Kamisher. Registration required.

Finance Workshop: Stocks and the Basics of Equity Investing (Week 2), Wed., March 8 @ 7:30 pm, Hagedorn Meeting Room. Learn the diferences between common and preferred stock, the importance of dividends, ways to craft your stock strategy and diferent ways to own stock. For people who are serious about their fnancial goals — whether getting started or seasoned investor.

Baby Rhyme Time, Thurs., March 9 @ 9:30 am & 10:30am, Children’s Room. A lapsit storytime with songs, music and bouncing rhymes that emphasizes early literacy skills. For children ages birth to 17 months. Registration required.

Nonfction Book Club Thurs., March 9 @ 1:30pm, Hagedorn Meeting Room. Join fellow readers at the Library for an engaging discussion of “Life on the Mississippi” by Rinker Buck.

Art Lecture with Thomas Germano — The Art of Dublin (hybrid), Thurs., March 9 @ 3:00pm, Lapham Meeting Room and on Zoom. Professor Thomas Germano will explore the art treasures of Dublin, Ireland.For details and registration, visit pwpl.org/events

Happening at the Port Washington Public Library

Sandwiched In with Ron Brown — The Royal Avenue of London (hybrid), Fri., March 10 @ 12:00 pm, Lapham Meeting Room and on Zoom. The Royal Avenue of London has been the ofcial route for royal weddings, funerals, enthronements, birthdays, and military victories. Jon Ron Brown to fnd out more. Sponsored by the FOL. For full details, visit pwpl.org/events

Medicaid Sign-Up Help, Fri., March 10 @ 2:00 pm, North Study Room. Free walk-in assistance from the Nassau-Sufolk Hospital Council.

Coding for Kids, Fri., March 10 @ 4:30 pm, Children’s Workshop Room. Ignite the love of coding by learning to create animations and computer games using Scratch. For kids with no prior programming experience in 3rd to 6th grade. To register, visit pwpl.org/events

Family Film: “Space Jam” (1996-88 min.), Fri., March 10 @ 7:00 pm, Lapham Meeting Room. In a desperate attempt to win a basketball match and earn their freedom, the Looney Tunes gang seeks the aid of retired basketball champion Michael Jordan.

The Great Vegetable Seed Give-Away, Sat., March 11 @ 2:00 pm, Lapham Meeting Room. Meet fellow gardeners and take home vegetable and herb seeds. This event will include instructions on how to plant seeds at

home. This event is sponsored by Plant A Row for the Hungry Port Washington.

Read with Walter, the Therapy Dog, Sat., March 11 @ 2:30 pm, Children’s Room. Read out loud to a certifed pet therapy dog for a 10-minute session. For elementary-aged students. Registration required.

Irish Musical Celebration with Peadar Hickey, Sun., March 12 @ 3:00 pm, Lapham Meeting Room. Join Dublin city’s Peadar Hickey, who will perform his one-man show in celebration of the St Patrick’s season. Sponsored by the FOL.

Teen Gaming, Mon., March 13 @ 3:30 pm. Teens in grades 7-12 are invited to the TeenSpace to come play Nintendo Switch games with other teens after school. No registration required.

First & Second Grade Book Discussion, Mon., March 13 @ 4:00 pm, Children’s Workshop Room. Monthly book discussion for children in frst and second grade. Registration required.

Film: “These Three” (1936-93 min.), Mon., March 13 @ 7:00 pm, Lapham Meeting Room. Two schoolteachers and the man they both love face ruin when a malicious student cooks up a lie.

AARP Tax Help, Tues., March 14 from 10:00 am- 3:00 pm, Hagedorn Meeting Room.

Register for private tax help sessions, courtesy of AARP. To register, visit the Reference Desk or call 516-883-4400 ext. 1400.

Hypertension Screenings, Tues. March 14 @ 11:00am, Joan and Arnold Saltzman Reading Room. St. Francis Blood Pressure screening

Medicare and Social Security, Tues. March 14 @ 7:00pm, Lapham Meeting Room. Considering retirement? Join us to learn more about your options for Social Security and Medicare benefts, including the enrollment process and choices for specifc plans. No registration required.

Virtual Vegetable Gardening Series (Part Three), Tues., March 14 @ 7:00pm, Online. Planning before the season starts is the best way to maximize the output from the area you have designated for growing food. Topics include companion planting, succession planting and cover cropping. This series is sponsored by Plant a Row for the Hungry Port Washington. For full details, visit pwpl.org/events

Pajama Story Time on Zoom, Tues., March 14 @ 7:00 pm, Online. Put on some comfy pajamas, grab your favorite stufed animal, and gather around to enjoy some books, rhymes, and songs. Registration required. The Zoom log-in information will be emailed to you with your confrmation.

1-2-3 Play with Me, Wed., March 15 @ 11:30 am, Lapham Meeting Room. Spend time with your child and meet new people in an educational and creative environment. Each week a diferent resource professional. For children ages 1 1/2 to 3 years old with an adult. Registration required.

Chess, Wed., March 15 @ 5:00 pm, Children’s Workshop Room. Learn the rules and strategies of chess and practice playing against your peers. For children in 3rd to 6th grade. Sponsored by the FOL in memory of Lawrence Kamisher. Registration required.

Budget Hearing/Board of Trustees Meeting, Wed., March 15 @ 7:30 pm, Lapham Meeting Room. Board of Trustees Meeting Finance Workshop: Focus on Fixed Income and the Basics of Bond Investing (Week 3), Wed., March 15 @ 7:30 pm, Hagedorn Meeting Room. Owning investments that may provide you with regular income can be a smart decision. Learn how fxed-income investments such as bonds can help you to reach your fnancial goals.

Baby Rhyme Time, Thurs., March 16 @ 9:30am and 10:30am, Children’s Room. A lapsit storytime with songs, music, and bouncing rhymes that emphasizes early literacy skills. For children ages birth to 17 months. Registration required.

Sports

Manhasset girls team roars into semis

Basketball squad advances to third round of Nassau County tournament after 19-1 season

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

History does not always repeat itself.

This year’s Manhasset girls basketball team is not last year’s.

There are some diferent players, players from last year who’ve gotten stronger, and other players in new roles.

Still, in the back of the Indians’ players’ minds, what happened in last season’s Class A quarterfnals had lodged for a while. The top seed in the 2022 tournament, Manhasset was stunningly bounced by No. 9 seed Lynbrook, and a season with such promise ended with a thud.

This year Manhasset again roared through the regular season, going 19-1, and easily won a frst-round matchup with Carey High School.

And once again, back in the quarters on Feb. 21, Manhasset’s players admitted there was some nervousness before the game.

“You think a little bit like, ‘we’re not going to let the same thing happen two years in a row when we’re the top seed,” junior co-captain Mia

LoPinto said. “We had talked about it, we knew we were a diferent, stronger team.

“Still, it was such an amazing relief to get past it.”

“A huge mental block to get past, for all of us,” senior co-captain Ali McIntyre added. “We had been waiting to wipe that (memory) away.”

Manhasset rolled past MacArthur that night and now will play Monday night against Bethpage in the Class A semifnals.

Looking for its frst county title since before anyone had an email address (1993), the Indians hope to advance to Saturday’s championship game at noon at Hofstra.

“There’s no ego, no selfshness at all on this team, and that’s not something you can say every year,” said head coach Lauren Sadeh. “I’ve told the kids, ‘We know we didn’t get it done last year, but we’re bigger and better, and this is our year to do it.'”

Hoping to duplicate the Manhasset boys’ state title win last season, the girls team has been dominant.Boasting a record of 21-1, Manhasset

has rarely been threatened this year and is led by senior point guard Caitlin Barrett.

Signed to play lacrosse at Duke next year, Barrett has had a sensational campaign, averaging 15.3 points, four assists and four steals while being double and triple-teamed often.

“Sometimes I’ll see her on a fast break and I’ll jog behind her in case she needs backup, but really I know she’ll be fne,” McIntyre said with a laugh. “She can take on all fve defenders at once, while we’re all just standing around the perimeter. She’s amazing.”

LoPinto has also been key on the perimeter, averaging 9.6 points per game, and being the team’s leading three-point threat.

Manhasset has also benefted from added size on the frontline this year. In addition to the 5-foot-9 McIntyre (6.4 rebounds per game) and 5-foot-10 junior Lauren Perfetto (6.5 rebounds per game), 6-foot-1 freshman center Lauren Connolly has been a revelation this year, showing skills beyond her age and helping on the boards.

“She allows us a layer of confdence when she

steps on the court,” Sadeh said. “She rebounds the ball well, she works hard, and the girls are very supportive of her. She’s an easy kid to root for.”

Barrett and LoPinto also pointed to this year’s team’s closeness on and of the court as a big reason for success.

“We’ve done a lot of team bonding stuf, and everyone has been pushing the pace and playing really hard in practice,” said Barrett, one of the standouts on last spring’s Manhasset state titlewinning girls lacrosse team. “We all know that this year has to be when we get it done.”

On paper Manhasset seems a good bet to win the counties, but last year’s playof loss means they’re certainly not taking anything for granted.

“We talk about ‘fear no one, but respect everyone,’ because when you’re the top seed you’re getting everyone’s best game and there’s a huge target on your back,” Sadeh said. “But this team has really bought into everything we’re trying to do and bought into our system.

“They know there’s still a lot of work to do.”

PHOTO BY KRISTIN PERFETTO

Manhasset’s Lauren Perfetto (10) and Mia LoPinto (13) have helped lead the girls basketball team to a 21-1 record and into the Class A semifinals.

Survivor gives talk at Holocaust Center Lights. Action. Fundraiser

Holocaust survivor and author Leo Ullman recently gave a moving lecture at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, located at the Welwyn Preserve in Glen Cove.

During his Feb. 14 presentation, the longtime Port Washington resident spoke about his harrowing experiences as a very young boy hiding from the Nazis in occupied Amsterdam during World War II and his family’s subsequent emigration to America.

During his lecture, he showed the audience a rug that was given to his father before his family went into hiding. The man who gave Ullman the rug believed that praying on it would protect his family. Ullman still has the rug in his home to serve as a reminder of the strength and sense of hope it provided to his family while they were in hiding in Amsterdam and for the decades that have followed.

“Leo Ullman is doing a tremendous service by continuing to share his family’s story of survival and perseverance in the face of evil,” Nassau County Legislator Delia Deriggi-Whitton

(D – Glen Cove) said. “It is always a privilege to hear my courageous friend speak and lend his powerful voice to ensuring that future generations never have to endure the atrocities that the Nazis inficted upon his family and so many others.”

Ullman is the author of a powerful book entitled “796 Days,” which chronicles the remarkable strength and resolve that his family demonstrated during their more than twoyear ordeal of evading capture by the Nazis.

Previously, Ullman served as director of the Anne Frank Center USA for more than two decades. Located in Manhattan, the center’s mission is to educate young adults about discrimination and the dangers of intolerance.

Ullman’s family was in hiding in Amsterdam at the same time as Anne Frank and her family.

Visit hmtcli.org to learn more about the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center. Visit annefrank.com to learn about the Anne Frank Center USA.

North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center’s family-friendly fundraiser at Manhasset Cinemas was a big hit with kids and parents alike. “Morning Movies with the Guidance Center,” which was held on Feb. 11, featured three flm choices –The Amazing Maurice, 80 for Brady and Minions –and everyone enjoyed bagels, popcorn and drinks.

“We all know that children and teens are experiencing issues like depression, anxiety and even suicidal thinking more than ever before, and that’s why I’m proud to support the Guidance Center’s lifesaving work,” said Jefrey Greenblatt, one of the event’s co-chairs and a Guidance Center board member. “Plus, my family had a wonderful morning, and I’m sure we’ll be back next year for this new tradition.”

Co-chair Joshua D. Brookstein, who also brought his family to the fundraiser, said, “There is nothing more important than the well-being of our kids. It is an honor to help the Guidance Center bring hope and healing to our communities.”

Kathy Rivera, executive director and CEO of the Guidance Center, thanked all who came out, along with the event’s sponsors: Liberty Utilities, Sahn Ward Braf Koblenz PLLC, Americana Manhasset, PSEG LI, Harris Beach PLLC, Cullen and Dykman LLP, the Marcell Family and the

Slade Family, as well as Manhasset Cinemas, Tate’s Bake Shop and Bagel Boss of Roslyn.

“The Guidance Center team works hard each and every day to serve the families of Nassau County,” Rivera said. “We couldn’t succeed without the support of the community, our donors and the generous companies who partner with us.”

To learn more about North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center, visit www.northshorechildguidance.org.

Valentine’s Day renewal of vows

North Hempstead Town Clerk Ragini Srivastava did the honors as the host and marriage ofciant for this year’s Annual Recommitment Ceremony and luncheon at Clubhouse at Harbor Links, Port Washington. The Town welcomed 24 happy couples as they exchanged vows and celebrated signifcant milestone anniversaries surrounded by an overfowing room of residents, Town ofcials, and friends.

First-time bride and groom, Neha and Harsh Patel were united in marriage before the Town Clerk who called the wedding ceremony, “sacred and solemn”. Amid the traditional symbols of love and romance, the hearts and red roses added to the beautiful décor and created a memorable setting for this year’s Valentine’s Day event.

Clerk Srivastava was joined by Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and members of the Town Board who ofered warm and, at times, humorous remarks, advice and best wishes on the institution of marriage.

“Many thanks to Town Clerk Ragini Srivastava for hosting this special event that gave these couples the chance to renew their decades-long commitments to one another, as well as one special couple the opportunity to say, ‘I do’ for the frst time,” Supervisor DeSena said. “Love was defnitely in the air at Harbor Links and it was wonderful to share this special day with the happy couples in attendance who declared their endless love for one another.”

At the end of the day, love wins, the ring as a symbol of eternity; and, marriage, friendship and relationships are based on love were important themes for the Valentine’s and

re-commitment celebration.

A champagne toast was followed by a frst couple’s dance to the tune of a sentimental favorite, Elvis’ Can’t Help Falling in Love. With over one hundred guests, many joined in the dancing and fun as La Macarena and other songs invited lively participation.

Milestone anniversaries celebrated included: Edith and William Joseph of Westbury celebrating a 60-year wedding anniversary. The Town of North Hempstead Receiver of Taxes Charles Berman and wife Lisa, celebrating 40 years. Rita and Greg Addamo (New Hyde Park), 57 years; Sherrie and Michael Pollack (Port Washington), 56 years; Pat and Fred Blumlein (Port Washington), 55 years; Jackie and Alan Caines (Westbury), 51 years. Mayor of the Village of East Hills Michael Koblenz and Bonnie (East Hills) 49 years; Irma and Ralph Rubino (Great Neck), 48 years.

Refecting on the day’s event, Clerk Srivastava noted, “It is such a privilege to be part of a deep, personal and special anniversary moment in a family’s life”. “I thank our couples for allowing the Town to share their joy in a public and community way.

This year’s sponsors included: Maria Santiago, Founder and CEO, Home Health Aide Training Institute and Jenny Toskana, Toskana Café and Restaurant of Westbury and Little Neck.

North Hempstead TV will be airing highlights from this event. Tune in to NHTV on Channel 18/65 on Cablevision and Channel 46 on Verizon FIOS or log on to www.myNHTV.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF DERIGGI-WHITTON

Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (left) and Leo Ullman holding a rug his family prayed on while in hiding during the Holocaust.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD