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Friday, February 4, 2022
Vol. 10, No. 5
VALENTINE’S DAY GUIDE
REDISTRICTING PLAN SHAKES UP L.I.
SUOZZI BLASTS HOCHUL AGAIN
PAGES 31-42
PAGE 3
PAGE 6
Indoor masking may remain until March 2 Mandate granted a reprieve by court BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE
Parents and children advocating for making masks optional in school gathered at the Nassau County Legislative Building on Monday with County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
New York’s mask mandate, issued by Gov. Kathy Hochul, was granted a reprieve by a state appellate court on Monday, which could result in protective face coverings remaining in schools and indoor settings until March 2. Officials said the mandate, which expires Feb. 10 for indoor settings and Feb. 21 for schools, can stay in effect until at least March 2, the deadline for the state to file documents for its appeal of a lawsuit filed by a group of 14 parents. The lawsuit, filed on Jan. 24, claims Hochul’s
mask mandate was unconstitutional. “I commend the Appellate Division, Second Department for granting a full stay to keep our masking regulations in place for the duration of our appeal,” Hochul said in a statement following the court’s ruling Monday. “My primary responsibility as Governor is to keep New Yorkers safe. Mask regulations keep our schools and businesses safe and open, protect vulnerable New Yorkers, and are critical tools as we work to get through this winter surge.” On Jan. 24, Judge Thomas Rademaker of State Supreme Court in Continued on Page 55
Denton Ave. bridge repairs set to begin BY R OB E RT PELAEZ
the Long Island Rail Road’s Expansion Project plans to install a substructure for the bridge this A month after a delayed month in an attempt to meet start to replacing the Denton a December target completion Avenue bridge in Garden City, date.
After months of litigation between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Village of Garden City, the project remains roughly 11 months behind schedule and is at risk of exceeding its budget and not meeting the December deadline. Despite the delays, officials from the third track project indicated work on the bridge has been go-
ing well since starting in January, with the installation of a substructure – vital for weight distribution of a bridge – to be installed this month. As part of a $2.6 billion Long Island Rail Road project, the Denton Avenue bridge is to be removed and replaced to accommodate a third track being added to the Main Line from Floral Park to Hicksville. The agency
said in the initial lawsuit that it is critical to the project because widening the bridge would allow for the extra train track. The delays on its repairs date to July, when MTA officials said the organization had not received permits to commence work on the bridge from the Village of Garden City. MTA officials also pointed to Continued on Page 55
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