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Serving Williston Park, East Williston, Mineola, Albertson and Searingtown

Friday, July 24, 2020

Vol. 69, No. 30

GUIDE TO WILLISTONS MINEOLA STREET FAIR CANCELED AND MINEOLA

NASSAU MOURNS JOHN LEWIS

PAGES S1-S32

PAGE 7

PAGE 2

Pressing feds for funds Bipartisan group seeks COVID aid BY R OB E RT PELAEZ Officials from Nassau County joined U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) in a call for action to provide municipalities with federal aid in response to the coronavirus pandemic that has devastated the economy. Suozzi was joined by Nassau County Executive and fellow Democrat Laura Curran, Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth and North Hempstead Councilwoman Veronica Lurvey last Wednesday. U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone also participated in the bipartisan effort to pass legislation that will provide federal aid to states, counties, localities and schools due to the budgetary shortfalls caused by the pandemic. “It has been two months since the House passed legislation, which would bring billions in local aid to our state, counties, towns, cities, villages Continued on Page 26

PHOTO BY ELLIOT WELD

Brianna Taylor (left) and Taylor Lewis leading a march down Franklin Avenue.

Teens lead Black Lives Matter march Strong police presence as group calls for social justice outside county seat BY E LL I OT W E L D A group of about 30 people walked from Nassau County Dis-

trict Court to the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building last Thursday evening, carrying signs reading “Black Lives Matter” and chanting slogans for social justice. About as many police oﬃcers, if not more, were waiting at the legislative building and on the streets nearby, with lights flashing

and cruisers blocking traﬃc. Police stood around the building while the organizers, two Nassau County teenagers, and others gave speeches to the crowd. Among the speakers was state Assemblywoman Taylor Darling (D-Hempstead), whom the two organizers call their mentor. The organizers were Brianna

Taylor, 18, of Freeport and Taylor Lewis, 19, of East Meadow. The two stopped the crowd when they reached the steps of the legislative building and spoke about injustice toward Black citizens, specifically Black women, and urged the crowd to vote in elections at the state and county level. Continued on Page 27

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The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

Mineola Street Fair Districts pressed canceled over virus to change mascots Chamber reverses course on October event

Indians usd by Sewanhaka, Manhasset as Indians” for a spirit day. BY “Despite trying to explain the ROSE WELDON AND racist, disrespectful, and hurtful ROBERT PELAEZ

nature of this act, the majority of Two North Shore school dis- them did not see and could not tricts with Indian mascots are be- understand why what they were ing urged to change them to avoid suggesting was wrong,” the alumnus wrote. “Their rationale was oﬀending Native Americans. The Manhasset and Sewan- that it was our school’s mascot and haka school districts are both thus they were representing our receiving heat from community school spirit. However a demeanmembers and alumni to retire the ing and racist depiction of an enmascots as the Washington Red- tire racial group that were killed skins football team announced and forced out of their home to that it would retire its name, create the town of Manhasset that which Native American groups stands today is not something have called a racial slur, and logo. that should represent any kind of A Change.org petition for ‘school spirit.’ The mascot needs Manhasset to change its mascot to be changed now to change this now has nearly 1,900 signatures. incorrect perception and belief.” Yet another commenter said PHOTO COURTESY OF JOEL HARRIS Commenters on the petition refer to the Indian mascot as outdated the mascot made Manhasset “look out of touch with the national diaand “racist.” The Mineola Street Fair, pictured in 2019, ordinarily attracts large crowds, which state of“Native American have been logue.” ficials have deemed dangerous due to the possible spread of the novel coronavirus. “How can Manhasset claim to abused and mocked enough for centuries,” one signer wrote. be a leader in education if it is so the plan was to go ahead with the rides, vendors from various busi- “Why would we want this?” behind other schools in this way?” BY E LL I OT W E L D fair but put restrictions in place nesses around Mineola and perOne alumnus called the mas- the commenter wrote. “I doubt Two weeks after it was re- regarding physical distancing formances from local musicians, cot “disrespectful,” and remem- Manhasset intentionally means to ported that the Mineola Cham- and mask requirements. Harris dance studios and other residen- bered getting into “an intense have a racist mascot, but public ber of Commerce was going said at the time that there were tial talents. argument” with her senior class perception nationally and locally Harris was hoping for the after one suggested “dressing up ahead with its annual Mineola still many questions about the Continued on Page 26 Street Fair scheduled for Oct. 4, event that would be answered fair to pay homage to the vilboard members of the chamber down the road. He said he did lage’s essential workers such as not think rides would be viable. village employees, medical provoted to cancel the event. One issue was that under fessionals and emergency service Chamber President Joel Harris said that at a recent board Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s coronavi- workers. The event’s cancellation meeting, one of the 15 members rus restrictions, only 50 people made a motion to cancel it and are allowed to gather at a time, comes as many fairs are bethe board agreed. Harris said he and the Mineola Street Fair gen- ing canceled across the country. believes this is the right decision, erally attracts a few thousand Among them are the New York State Fair, held each year in Syrasaying the chamber prides itself visitors each year. Harris took over organizing cuse, and the Big E, in Springon safety and wants to do everythe event three years ago but the field, Massachusetts. thing it can to promote that. The food service and retail “If you look at the posts we event has been going on much put on Facebook, a lot of people longer. According to Harris, the industries have been hit especialwere saying ‘thank you,’” Harris event started over 200 years ago ly hard by lockdown restrictions but adopted the name “Mine- since March, when the outbreak said. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SEWANHAKA CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL He added that it was a deci- ola Fair” in 1899. It was held began. However, Harris earlier DISTRICT sion nobody wanted to make, but in Mineola Memorial Park from this month said that the chamber the last thing anyone from the 1991 until 2013, when it moved doesn’t monitor revenue from chamber wanted was to hold the to Main Street. It then settled in the event and that its purpose is A Sewanhaka High School student dressed as an Indian, event and have someone get sick its current Jericho Turnpike loca- to highlight what the Village of the school’s mascot, at the 2017 homecoming parade. The Mineola has to oﬀer to outsiders. district is coming under fire for the mascot, seen as offention in 2016. as a result. The fair, in normal times, has On July 9, Harris said that sive to Native Americans.

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WILLISTON TIMES (USPS#685-100) is published weekly by Blank Slate Media LLC, 25 Red Ground Road, Roslyn Heights, NY, 11577, (516) 307-1045. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2020. All rights reserved. The newspaper will not be liable for errors appearing in any advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Periodicals postage paid at Williston Park, NY. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Williston Times, C/O Blank Slate Media LLC, 25 Red Ground Road, Roslyn Heights, New York, 11577.

The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

Suozzi declares victory in primary Incumbent claims to have 70% of vote; state Board of Elections yet to call race BY R OB E RT PELAEZ AND ROSE WELDON

Despite no confirmation from the New York State Board of Elections, U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) declared victory in the Democratic primary for the 3rd Congressional District on Friday. The vote tally for the part of the district in Nassau County showed Suozzi far ahead, according to county figures. And his campaign said he had received nearly 70 percent of the vote in the entire district. According to Suozzi, his opponent Melanie D’Arrigo, called to concede on Tuesday. “As of today, both of my primary opponents have called to congratulate me and both will be supporting me in November,” Suozzi said. “Let’s all work together to win! Let’s get Biden in the White House, the majority in the Senate and keep the majority in the House.” Eﬀorts to reach D’Arrigo or a campaign representative were unavailing.

The district includes Manhasset, Roslyn, Port Washington, Great Neck and Floral Park, among other areas, and stretches from Whitestone, Queens, to Kings Park in Suﬀolk County. Michael Weinstock of Great Neck had been in the running for the seat as well, but conceded to and endorsed Suozzi the day after the June 23 primary. “I am overwhelmed by the support I received in this record-high turnout primary,” Suozzi said in a statement on Friday. “With coronavirus, it was challenging to vote, but people came out in droves. I am honored that nearly 70 percent of Democrats said they want me to keep fighting for them. There is so much work to do.” The Suozzi campaign said that the incumbent congressman received 67 percent of the 54,000 votes cast across Nassau, Suﬀolk and Queens counties. D’Arrigo received 25.7 percent and Weinstock 7.5 percent, the campaign added. According to the campaign, those figures were provided

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CANDIDATES

U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), right, has declared victory in the 3rd Congressional District’s Democratic primary, while Melanie D’Arrigo of Port Washington has conceded. by the three counties’ election boards in phone calls. Of the 27,075 ballots cast in the Nassau County portion of the 3rd District, Suozzi received 18,418, or 68.03 percent, according to county figures. D’Arrigo received 6,663, or 24.61 percent, and Weinstock received 1,961, or 7.24 percent.

A total of 33 write-in votes were cast. Those totals include inperson and absentee ballots, according to the Nassau County Board of Elections. In June, Gov. Andrew Cuomo extended the deadline to submit absentee ballots for the congressional primary races

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until the day of the election on June 23. To be counted, the absentee ballots for the primary had to be postmarked by June 23, state officials said. While outlets like Politico have named Suozzi the victor in the race, New York State’s Board of Elections has yet to post final vote tallies due to issues in counting absentee votes, though the percentages have remained similar in the past three weeks. The board has not yet offered an explanation of why the results have been delayed, and efforts to reach the board for comment were unavailing. If recognized as the winner by the state, Suozzi will face off against Republican nominee George Santos of Queens, who was unopposed in his primary, in November. D’Arrigo has not yet commented on the results on social media, and efforts to reach her campaign, while acknowledged, did not get a response. Efforts to reach the Santos campaign for comment were unavailing. Continued on Page 37

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The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

Nicolello backs police and Martin pool additional training initiatives lawsuit moving BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z Nassau County Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) said he supports initiatives for additional police training in the aftermath of protests held throughout Nassau County and the nation as a result of the killing of George Floyd in late May. “There will always be a need to evaluate police methods and training,” Nicolello said. “I support initiatives for additional training for police.” Nicolello helped launch the county’s new “Blue Ribbon” campaign that emphasizes the importance of law enforcement officials throughout Nassau County. “The Blue Ribbon campaign is in response to the attempt by extreme groups to vilify all police for the actions of a tiny few,” he said. “It is intended to show our men and women in law enforcement that we as a county and community appreciate the professionalism, dedication and courage of the overwhelming majority of men and women in blue.” The Nassau County Legislature joined with local community members and law enforcement officials to unveil the campaign three weeks ago. On July

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NASSAU COUNTY LEGISLATURE

Nassau Legislature Presiding Officer Rich Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) at the opening of the Legislature’s “Blue Ribbon” initiative. 1, New Hyde Park residents and members of Nassau County law enforcement and New York City law enforcement joined members of the Legislature, including Nicolello, to unveil the campaign. Nicolello acknowledged that racism is still prevalent in society, despite Nassau County making “incredible strides”

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over the past 50 years. “Our country is one of the most open and tolerant nations in the world and has done more work for good than any other nation that ever existed,” he said. “No human system will ever be perfect, and we must be ever vigilant that no one is judged ... or restricted in their employment [or] housing accommodation because of the color of the skin, religion, ethnicity, gender, etc.” The campaign will highlight the work done by Nassau’s law enforcement. “There are laws and processes for the tiny few that violate their oath or commit acts that are unethical or criminal. It is important that those who commit such acts be dealt with through legal processes,” Nicolello said. “However, for the safety of all our communities, those who are serving in law enforcement must know that while extreme groups may be attacking them, the vast majority of residents appreciate their work.” Aside from protests that have taken place in the wake of Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, one of the other movements that has circulated on social media platforms is people calling on their local governments to defund the police. Continued on Page 26

ahead again

BY E LL I OT WELD A lawsuit that Gramercy Group, a contractor that renovated the Clinton G. Martin Park pool, brought against the Town of North Hempstead was delayed by the pandemic, but now is moving forward with depositions, a lawyer for the plaintiﬀ said. Michael McKenna, who is representing Gramercy in the Bankruptcy Court case, said he has finished taking a deposition from an engineer, James Ahrens, who worked at a company called LiRo and was in charge of overseeing the project at the pool in New Hyde Park. He plans to take the depositions of former North Hempstead Commissioner of Public Works Paul DiMaria and the engineer who

designed the project. McKenna said he believes that will be all the depositions needed. Ahrens said in his deposition that the town had not consulted him before declaring Gramercy to be in default on the Martin pool project, a move which contributed to the contractor declaring bankruptcy. He also said changes were made to the original contract for the project and Gramercy was told to go ahead with these changes, but the typical process for making such changes through Ahrens was not followed. McKenna said he believes one problem was the town running out of funds to complete the project. McKenna said the town has brought a motion to Continued on Page 37

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The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

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Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

Blank Slate PPP a ‘bridge’ for North Shore nonprofits in a dry time letters eyed by Washington Post BY R O S E W E L D ON

Nonprofit organizations across the North Shore said that loans from the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) helped sustain them as streams of revenue were cut oﬀ. According to data from the Small Business Administration (SBA), 39 nonprofits headquartered on the North Shore applied for and received PPP loans exceeding $150,000. An additional 113 unnamed nonprofits in the area applied for and received loans from the program under $150,000. Most of the loans will be forgiven. The Sands Point Preserve Conservancy, which maintains one of the Gold Coast’s most famous homes, was one of the over 150 nonprofits that applied. The conservancy first applied for a loan between $150,000 and $350,000 on the date the program opened, according to Executive Director Beth Horn, and was approved in the SBA’s second application cycle. “The loan has helped sustain the organization’s staﬀ while New York State mandates restrict our incomeproducing activities; all film/TV production, private events, and fundraising galas are suspended, seriously reducing the Conservancy’s income,” Horn said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS

The Girl Scouts of Nassau County was one of over 150 nonprofit organizations based on the North Shore to have received loans from the Payroll Protection Program. She said that the funds enabled the conservancy to “keep our whole staﬀ at work,” which was essential for maintaining the buildings and grounds. “The loan created a bridge to help the conservancy through this diﬃcult time, and the extension of the loan period to 24 weeks is especially helpful, [because] we’ll be able to utilize the entire loan amount,” Horn said. “Without the loan, the conservancy would have had to initiate a Shared Work Program

or furlough employees, which would have negatively impacted the Preserve and our visitors.” South of Sands Point, another estate-based nonprofit, Old Westbury Gardens, applied for and received a loan in a bracket of $350,000 to $1 million. Organization President and CEO Nancy Costopulos said that the funds provided much-needed relief for the century-old estate. “Every revenue stream at Old Westbury Gardens was negatively impacted by the pandemic,” she said. “All public programs, children’s programs and fundraising events were canceled, and we had no admission revenue. This loan provided an important bridge so that we could maintain our operations, and then be able to open safely to the public when we were permitted to do so.” Like the Sands Point Preserve, Costopulos said that the loan assisted in maintaining the gardens and readying them for reopening. “As you can imagine, a large property known for its excellence in horticulture requires a lot of care,” Costopulos said. “The loan allowed us to maintain the critical staﬀ that could support the gardens’ eventual reopening, which Continued on Page 31

BY R O S E WELDON A letter from a Great Neck resident was one among dozens published every week in the Blank Slate Media papers, but it came to the attention of a Washington Post reporter working on an article about the state of opinion sections in local newspapers. In the Post story, written by Elahe Izadi and published online with the title “They wanted to hear their readers’ opinions. Then the pro-slavery guy wrote a letter to the editor,” publishers and editors from newspapers in Buﬀalo and Cayuga County, both in New York; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Orlando, Florida; and Park City, Utah, discussed their experiences with controversial submissions to

their “Letter to the Editor” sections. As part of the story, Izadi quoted from a letter written by Great Neck News reader Joan Swirsky. Her article said Blank Slate Media “published a letter from a reader who described racial-justice protesters as ‘Marxist-inspired radicals – Antifa and Black Lives Matters’ running a ‘professionally orchestrated, bountifully financed rampage’ of America’s cities and suburbs.” “Another upset reader responded with his own letter, taking aim not just at the original letter-writer but the paper, arguing that such opinions ‘validated by publication, only stoke discord and further erode our already vulnerable democracy.'” Continued on Page 31

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

Nassau pols reflect on Congressman Lewis BY R OB E RT PELAEZ “From marching in Selma to serving in the House, Representative John Lewis spent his life fighting for civil rights for every single American,” U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said on Twitter. “He is an American hero and a giant. And we are all better for the ‘good trouble’ he made.” Schumer was among the oﬃcials throughout Nassau County and New York who shared their sentiments in mourning the death of the civil rights activist and Georgia congressman. Lewis died on Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Lewis, who survived a beating by law enforcement oﬃcials during a 1965 civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, was 80 years old. U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) has referred to Lewis as a friend in previous social media posts and interviews. Suozzi recently joined Lewis and other civil rights luminaries commemorating the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in March, a precursor to the 54-mile march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. “Tonight we lost a great man, a great American, and God’s faithful servant,” Suozzi said on Facebook. “It is such an honor to have known him, to have served with him on his committee, and, for an all too brief time, to have called him a friend.” U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) called Lewis one of the “great heroes in our lifetime.” “Every day [Lewis] fought for equality and

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Congressman John Lewis justice,” Rice said. “And because of him, our world is a better place. It was the greatest honor of my life to serve with him in Congress.” Nassau County Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs noted the character traits Lewis exemplified throughout his life. “The courage, compassion and leadership he demonstrated during his illustrious career as a public servant [are] second to none,” Jacobs said. “John Lewis made the world a better place, and losing such [a] heroic figure during these divisive times is particularly painful. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this difficult time.” Jacobs said in his statement that Lewis was physically attacked and arrested more than 40 times while working toward equality and social justice during the civil rights movement. “This is a heartbreaking loss,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran tweeted. “Congressman John Lewis was an American hero who dedicated his whole life to ensure our nation lived up to its ideals.” Town of North Hemp-

stead Supervisor Judi Bosworth also praised Lewis. “I am deeply saddened by the loss of Congressman John Lewis,” she said in a statement. “He was a champion of civil rights, a powerful community activist, and an extraordinarily dedicated congressman. His passion and commitment truly set him apart, and he will be sorely missed.” North Hempstead Councilwoman Lee Seeman, who has been active in pursuing racial equality with fair housing and civil rights, said: “America has lost the finest and most giving civil and human rights leader of our United States. Congressman John Lewis was a gift and an example for bringing all people together. He left us a legacy that reflects the best in our democracy and our nation.” Following his activist days during the civil rights movement, Lewis was elected to Congress in November 1986 and served Georgia’s 5th Congressional District until his death. “It is with inconsolable grief and enduring sadness that we announce the passing of U.S. Rep. John Lewis,” Lewis’ family said in a statement. “He was honored and respected as the conscience of the US Congress and an icon of American history, but we knew him as a loving father and brother. He was a stalwart champion in the on-going struggle to demand respect for the dignity and worth of every human being. He dedicated his entire life to non-violent activism and was an outspoken advocate in the struggle for equal justice in America.”

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Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

Nassau housing prices fall off in June BY E LL I OT W E L D Homebuyers looking to flee New York City for a suburban environment combined with a number of people putting oﬀ moving plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic have created a build-up of housing demand in Nassau County, according to a Realtor from the area. Linda Lugo, a vice chairperson at One Key MLS, said pent-up demand for housing in the county is currently driving up prices, and she expects it will continue to do so for some time. Data from One Key MLS, a real estate agency based in downstate New York, shows that its monthly sales activity on Long Island was 2,273 in June, a decline of 34 percent from June of last year. However, the numbers increased from May, when just 1,853 houses were closed on. “I have a few homeowners in Nassau County who want to sell and move out of state but they’re holding oﬀ putting their house on the market because the area they’re going to has a high rate of COVID,” Lugo said. Coupled with that, Lugo said, some people living in the city are seeking to move to an area with fewer people amid virus transmission concerns, saying that many buyers are “tripping over themselves” to get houses. Another factor may have been a build-up of

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desire to sell during the 60-day shutdown that the real estate industry experienced in New York when the pandemic began. Since the pandemic began, there has been a sharp increase in the median selling prices for single-family, multifamily, condo and co-op properties in Nassau County. In April, the median price was $555,500, a 10 percent increase from a year ago. The median price continued to go up in May to $581,500 before dropping to $565,000 in June. Lugo said she is seeing a similar phenomenon in the rental market. In general, the rental market in Nassau County is small, according to Lugo, and mostly driven by short-term rentals only available for the summer. Some people, this summer, couldn’t even get a short-term rental because of the high demand. Despite the demand in Nassau County, Lugo would not characterize the wave of people leaving New York City as a mass exodus. “I think the prediction that people will high-tail it out of there is foolish,” Lugo said. She said that commercial real estate may change a bit in New York as some employers opt to have their employees work remotely. Lugo said this may be the case for some offices in Long Island as well, and if oﬃces get sold, some may be converted into residential condos.

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

NHP-based firm key in Silver’s sentence BY E LL I OT W E L D Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was sentenced to six and a half years in prison and fined $1 million on Monday on corruption charges for taking money in exchange for pushing favorable legislation. Formerly one of the most influential men in state politics, Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, served as speaker from 1994 until his arrest in 2015. Silver accepted payments from a real estate firm, Glenwood Management, of New Hyde Park, as well as Dr. Robert Taub, an oncologist associated with Columbia University. In return, Silver used his platform to direct state actions that benefited the two. Glenwood Management did not respond to requests for comment. Monday was Silver’s third time being sentenced for the same crimes. He was initially convicted of corruption in 2015 and sentenced to 12 years in prison but that verdict was overturned after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in another case narrowed the definition of bribery and increased the prosecution’s burden of proving an oﬃcial engaged in a quid pro quo. Silver was then found guilty again in 2018 on seven counts of bribery, extortion, money laundering and honest services fraud.

Silver was sentenced to seven years in prison. A series of appeals have kept him out of jail so far. U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni took six months oﬀ the sentence on Monday. Caproni said a sentence of this length was “long enough to send a message to Albany,” and added that the 17 to 22 years that federal sentencing guidelines recommend was “draconian,” The Associated Press reported. Defense lawyers tried to argue that Silver, 76, could die if he contracted the novel coronavirus in prison and therefore should have a more lenient sentence, but that was ignored by the judge, according to AP. Silver pleaded in 2018 as well to have his sentence reduced, saying that the yearslong legal proceedings had been humiliating enough. “Everything I ever accomplished has become a joke and a spectacle. I pray I will not die in prison,” Silver wrote in a letter to The New York Times two years ago. Former state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Republican, was indicted on corruption charges as well for taking payments from Glenwood Management. Skelos was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison in 2018 but was released in late April, over two years early, according to a Newsday report. The early release was due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

10 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

Caterer moves Son honors former Roslyn to North Shore Heights resident in book location BY R O S E W E L D ON

BY E LL I OT WELD Rob Leshansky started working behind the counter at Max’s Appetizing Kosher Delicatessen when he was 13 years old. Now the owner, he recently moved the business from Hewlett to Temple Tikvah in New Hyde Park. His renovations to the kitchen were interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he held its oﬃcial opening on Friday. Long having been a mainstay of the culinary scene on the South Shore, Leshansky said he will miss the rapport he had built with the community. Max’s had long ties to the area, having been in Leshansky’s family for three generations after opening in 1947.

He believes similar rapport can be built up in his new location, but it takes time. In the meantime, Leshansky is doing deliveries, free of charge, and some small in-person events. Leshansky looks to instill a reputation of topnotch service and product quality. He said he does not understand how people can choose store-bought, massproduced food. He said he puts people over profit, doing deliveries himself, even to far-away locations, if it means keeping a customer. He said he has one customer who lives in Atlantic Beach and the cost of driving and getting over the bridge may even cancel out the profit from the order, but he will still do it. “It’s all about service and quality and pleasing people,” Continued on Page 39

In 1996, Roslyn Heights native Don Cohen published the book “My Father, My Son,” co-written with his father, Dr. Max Cohen, and comprising over a decade of letters written between generations, exchanged between Don’s home in Connecticut and Max’s Long Island residence. Now, nearly 25 years later, the Cohens’ letters make up another book, “The Inside Ride: A Journey to Manhood.” This second volume comprises writings from the late 1990s until Max’s death in 2011, with a foreword by Don’s son Jared and an afterword by his daughter Emily. Father and son used the correspondence to analyze their relationship as they faced new experiences in their lives. Don worked as a marriage and family therapist, while Max was a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst with a practice in Garden City. Their contrasting schools of thought would lead to often witty, always thoughtful insights from both sides of the father/son divide. The earlier book had been a success and took the Cohens on the talk

PHOTO BY EMILY COHEN, COURTESY OF DON COHEN

Don Cohen, right, and his father Max, left, formerly of Roslyn Heights. Their letters from the late 1990s to Max Cohen’s death in 2011 are featured in a new book. show circuit while bringing the usually quiet Max out of his shell, Don says. “It was funny, he really was resistant to the whole project at first, but he couldn’t say no to me,” Don said. “My father had been much more introverted than me, so to see him really

enjoy being on talk shows and being interviewed with me was pretty cool.” But, he says, the relationship took a turn in 2000, when they got into an argument in their letters. “He gave an opinion about how I was raising my son which I didn’t particularly like,” Don said. “We wrote some pretty angry letters back and forth. You think you’ve written this whole book together and everything’s fine and dandy, but there’s still more stuﬀ to think about.” It took a few years to get back to “being father and son” again, Don said, but the two still made memories like taking Max to his boyhood home, Coney Island, and visiting a statue of beloved players Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese. The letters started up again, too. Then, in late 2009, Don suddenly stopped receiving letters from his father. Concerned, he drove down to Long Island for a visit, and Max told him why he stopped writing. “He told me that he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and he wasn’t physically able to write back,” Don said. “So I came up with a way for him to write.” Continued on Page 39

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12 The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

Judge in Doomchin trial seen Show won’t go announcing verdict on Aug. 12 on for Morgan Park music fest BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z

The verdict in the trial of Faye Doomchin, a Great Neck woman who is on trial for stabbing a guest to death, will be announced almost two years to the day after the August 2018 incident, according to multiple reports. State Supreme Court Justice Robert Bogle, according to Newsday, said he will decide if Doomchin is guilty of second-degree murder or not responsible as a result of mental disease or defect on Aug. 12. The prosecution has said that Doomchin intentionally stabbed Webster in the abdomen with a kitchen knife on Aug. 13, 2018, after the two women, who met for the first time that day, had lunch out. The defense does not dispute that Doomchin carried out the stabbing, but said she was not criminally responsible because of mental disease. On July 14, according to multiple reports, Doomchin listened via Skype to a psychologist testify about how she told him “the devil” was “jumping around from person to person” before she stabbed Denise Webster, a

PHOTO BY JANELLE CLAUSEN

Faye Doomchin’s murder trial in a stabbing two years ago is Long Island’s first criminal trial since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March. 61-year-old tourist from England, in her Great Neck home. The murder case is Long Island’s first criminal trial since the coronavirus pandemic forced court closures in March, according to oﬃcials. They said the use of virtual technology could also break further ground in the legal world.

Bogle said last week that he believed the case was the first time a “hybrid criminal trial” that combined virtual and in-person testimonies took place in New York, Newsday reported. According to Newsday, defense attorney Robert Gottlieb said during his closing argument on Friday, “There was no rational reason for Faye to have stabbed her,” referring to Webster. “Faye set out to destroy evil ... the devil that she perceived to be right there in her living room.” Prosecutor Martin Meany, according to Newsday, countered that Doomchin was aware that what she was doing was wrong when she thrust a kitchen knife into Webster’s stomach. “There’s a diﬀerence between being strange and getting away with murder,” Meaney said. “And I submit to you, Judge, that’s what the defense is trying to do in this case – get away with murder.” According to multiple reports, Bogle donned a face mask while presiding in a jury-less trial. On July 13, according to Newsday, Doomchin was present in court wearing a mask and face shield while sitting next to her attorney. Continued on Page 37

BY R O S E WELDON A historically crowdpleasing music festival on the cusp of its 61st year in Glen Cove has announced

that the show won’t go on due to concerns over safety measures. The committee for the Morgan Park Summer Music Festival announced in Continued on Page 27

PHOTO BY TAB HAUSER, COURTESY OF THE MORGAN PARK SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL

Beatles tribute band Strawberry Fields performs at the 2019 Morgan Park Summer Music Festival in Glen Cove. This year’s festival has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns.

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Opinion

OUR VIEWS

Put teeth in mask mandate, governor

ith the coronavirus raging in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order on April 17 requiring people to cover their faces in public when not practicing social distancing. But there was a problem with the executive order. It conflicted with state penal law, which characterized “unusual or unnatural facial alteration” as loitering subject to 15 days in jail. The law was introduced in 1845 because farmers were dressing up as Native Americans and donning masks before attacking the police in response to fluctuations in wheat prices, Slate reported. The 145-year-old law was quickly repealed, but Cuomo’s executive order had another problem: There was no penalty for violating the executive order – a problem that continues to this day. “Nobody will be taken to jail for violating the mask order,” Cuomo said in April. “And as of now, there are no fines or civil penalties either, meaning law enforcement can’t do much other than remind oﬀenders they must cover their face.” Cuomo, the CDC and virtually every health oﬃcial in America say that wearing a mask is essential to stopping the spread of the coronavirus and saving lives. “Wearing a mask is a matter of respect,” the governor said in a tweet last week announcing an effort to educate people about wearing masks. “We launched a campaign to encourage every American to wear a mask. Stop the Spread. Save Lives.” Getting celebrities to encourage people to wear masks, as the governor is now doing, is nice. But if wearing a mask saves

lives, why no penalty for not wearing them in public? We don’t encourage people not to rob banks. We pass laws with heavy penalties for the act. And is robbing a bank worse than spreading a virus during a deadly pandemic? With 3.7 million people in the United States infected and 140,000 dead, how does that make sense? Heck, if you jaywalk in New York the cheapest ticket is $197 and if you park illegally the least expensive ticket is $65. As for “encouragement” by law enforcement? East Hills Mayor Michael Koblenz said that when village security staffers asked residents on the street to put on masks, “they’d get abused.” “They’d do more than say no,” Koblenz added. This is a polite way of saying village security staffers were routinely told to perform an anatomically impossible act. Koblenz said that after such abuse he told the staff to stop asking. “My view is that people don’t take it seriously,” Koblenz said. “We don’t have any real enforcement power from the governor because the streets are the streets. I can’t protect people from themselves.” Incredibly, the East Hills experience is not unique – even in Nassau County where more than 42,000 people have been infected and nearly 2,200 have died. Stories of people refusing to wear a mask are, in fact, common. These are people who watched others burn their hands on a hot stovetop and are now reaching for the stovetop themselves. Now let us stipulate a few points. People in Nassau County are

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doing a better job of wearing masks than those in many other places in the country. And Nassau County’s rate of infection is now among the lowest in the country, at least in part, as a result. Cuomo may have waited a week too long before closing the state in March and his handling of people in senior facilities deserves further scrutiny. But he has led an otherwise forceful, competent, science-based response to the coronavirus that has gained him a following across the country. This is to say that there is a galactic diﬀerence between Cuomo and President Donald Trump, whose catastrophic failure in response to the coronavirus has cost tens of thousands of lives and cratered the economy. This has included Trump’s refusal to wear a mask, other than during one recent visit to Walter Reed Hospital, and until Tuesday downplaying its benefits. In doing so, Trump has turned wearing a mask into part of the culture wars — a tactic he apparently sees as his only path to victory in the upcoming election. The result is people who see not wearing a mask as a sign of their personal freedom and support for the president. One wonders whether to mention speed limits and drunk driving laws to these people for fear they will see them as further incursions REPORTERS Rose Weldon, Robert Pelaez, Elliot Weld

on their liberty. The result of this behavior can be seen in coronavirus’ explosive growth in the South and Southwest. Last week, 75,000 new cases were reported nationwide in a single day — the highest level seen since the pandemic began six months ago. At a time when European countries that initially had similar outbreaks to the United State are down to a few hundred cases a day. Unsurprisingly, the rise in coronavirus infections is led in states with Republican governors in lockstep with the president. There are also those who find wearing a mask can be uncomfortable. That may be true. But as doctors have noted it’s less uncomfortable than having the virus and far less uncomfortable than having a tube stuck down your neck. Would any of these people want to be operated on if the doctors and nurses were not wearing a mask? Cuomo did issue an executive order in late May allowing New York businesses to refuse entrance to anyone who doesn’t wear a face mask. “You don’t want to wear a mask — fine,” he said at a news conference. “But you don’t have a right to then go into a store if that store owner doesn’t want you to.” This is probably not so fine with store owners who now have

to police people who don’t comply with their policy. We have all seen videos of people throwing tantrums and worse after being told they are not complying with the store’s policy. To their credit, an increasing number of businesses across the country are barring people who don’t wear masks. In New York, they should have the force of law behind them. Cuomo on Monday called out partiers gathering in large crowds to not be “STUPID” and told bars and restaurants that are not abiding by the rules that he may force them all to shut if the state has to “roll back” its reopening. He also chided local governments and police departments for not strictly enforcing mask-wearing and social distancing. But Cuomo said nothing of giving local governments and police departments the authority to do so. We understand that Cuomo would probably be compared unfavorably by some to Josef Stalin and Adolph Hitler if he pushed for legal penalties for people violating the mask order. But that goes with the turf. And we are talking about people’s lives and livelihoods. There is no comparison between Cuomo and many other governors in responding to the coronavirus. But, Governor, you can and should do better. Put some teeth into the mask mandate.

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KREMER’S CORNER

Is America a sinking ship in the world?

have to confess that I have never been on a cruise ship. But once many years ago, I was on a sailboat that made a harrowing trip from an Italian island Ponza to Rome, that ran into a serious storm. During a frightening eight hours, the boat tossed and turned, and for a few moments, I seriously thought that my life was coming to a premature end. Each day, when I turn on the morning news, I get that same helpless feeling that we are living in a country that, like that sailboat, is being tossed and turned, with no idea what the next day will bring. Two months ago, we seemed to be on the road to a declining number of deaths from Covid-19 and very few reported cases. New York State, thanks to Gov. Cuomo, had flattened the curve, and the number of deaths and new cases had declined rapidly. Most other states were either stabilizing or announcing few or no cases and the nation seemed to be moving in the

right direction. And then in the name of re-opening our economy everything went wrong. I have no doubt that when President Trump was a highflying real estate executive, he would consult with his team to see what the trends were and who were his prospective buyers. But because of pure politics, and the coming November election, Mr. Trump decided that virus be damned, it’s time to open up America for business. Because the president has a number of Republican governors who will do anything to make the boss happy, they willingly let their states relax any and all precautions were thrown to the wind. Having ignored the concerns of federal health oﬃcials, these states are now suﬀering from a rising infection rate and an increasing death toll. Some of the nitwits, like Gov. DeSantis of Florida, claimed that the rising number of cases was due to more testing. But that theory has been de-

JERRY KREMER Kremer’s Corner

bunked now that most of Florida’s ICU units are at capacity. A few months ago, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said that he was willing to let a few old folks die if that’s what it took to get the economy rolling. Now with an exploding number of cases, he is calling for masks and stay at home protection. During the early stages of the pandemic, the country was suﬀering from a lack of gloves, masks and other protective equipment. New York, like

many other states, was begging for federal help to get these items. For a few short weeks, the president was paying attention to the crises, and his Covid-19 team and other agencies jumped in with support. I like others, thought that over the next few months, the government would begin filling up its warehouses with all of these items and that any future emergency could be swiftly dealt with. Sadly, with 31 states suffering from spiking numbers of infections, the warehouses have only a minimal supply of any vital supplies. I clearly remember President Trump standing in a Michigan auto plant in May proclaiming that “there are plenty of testing materials available and everyone who wants a test can get one.” It’s now late July, and it turns out that his remarks, like many others, is a bold-faced lie. One suﬀering state after another is reporting a lack of testing capacity and is begging for fed-

eral help. The president in turn says it’s a state problem. To show how bad things are, his ex-chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, just pronounced that it is “inexcusable that at this point in the pandemic there are problems getting tested.” If you watch the faces of the governors and local officials in affected states, you will sense that they are in full panic, fearing that the worst that is yet to come. Where is the president? He is busy commuting prison sentences for his friend Roger Stone and is fighting with China, a few months after he proclaimed they were his “best friends.” In his spare time he tweets and tweets. It reminds me of Nero fiddling while Rome burns. This very moment feels like the nation is heaving to and from in uncharted waters, while our president is totally disconnected from the needs of America. I pray that between now and Election Day, when the voters will speak, that the ship of state doesn’t sink.

A LOOK ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

Thoughts on dealing with separation anxiety

ears ago, when my older son decided to return to his college campus a few days early from spending spring break with us, I told him I wouldn’t be sad. But as soon as his car was out of sight, I took the pruning shears and hacked a giant hole in the forsythia hedge. His younger brother, then still in high school, could only stand by and watch, helplessly waiting for the carnage to end. But he never forgot; and that’s why this week, he made me pinkie-swear not to harm a single hair or a single leaf on anything in the garden before he drove back to his own apartment in D.C. He had quarantined in order to spend the past month with his dad and me — just in time to celebrate Father’s Day, show me how to make challah, and watch his older brother become a Ph.D. (yes, he did it!). And before heading back to D.C., not only did he make me

promise to take good care of the garden, but to send weekly photos, or as I call them, “proof of life.” I guess you could say I’m not good at separations. Okay, I suck at them. Back when the boys were little and we took them to visit my parents, it was always a dark day when we had to return home to New York. My husband tells me that he used to steel himself for the inevitable cloud that would descend upon me as soon as we got into the car. He used to time how long it took me to cheer up (hours!). He’d have us linger at every rest stop, hoping that something there might distract me — even if it meant having to chase after little boys who somehow always headed straight for the dog-poop — I mean dog-walking — areas. But it never occurred to me to wonder if my own mom and dad were feeling a little blue. Of course, mine were probably the only parents on the

JUDY EPSTEIN

A Look on the Lighter Side planet who said, “Now remember, don’t call us when you get home!” This arrangement had evolved because we usually got home at two or three in the morning. (All that lingering!) And you can’t call your parents at two in the morning. So they sat up all night, worrying and imagining our horrible deaths. Instead, they began to say, “If you’re going to get in so late,

just call us in the morning.” Which I always did. There’s only one time I remember my Dad making a comment about my travel plans. It was after I graduated from college when I told him and Mom that, rather than moving back near them, I was going to find a job and apartment in New York City. Dad responded with what I thought was a non-sequitur. He brought up the herb garden we had planted together while I was in high school, and said, “I think that the sage plant has died.” Apparently, I can even kill a garden long distance. But it wasn’t until many years later that I realized this wasn’t about the garden, at all. For a man who had no shortage of opinions — about politics, baseball, the weather…even the best type of apple (McIntosh) — he never said, “I wish you were living closer to home,” or even just, “I miss you.” Now, too late, I realize that’s

what my Dad was trying to say. But now that I think about it, he’s also shown me the way out. Because if he HAD said those things, I would certainly have responded that I had my own life to live, and I couldn’t lead it just to please him. Which, if I’m honest, is the exact same thing my kids would say to me. They have their own lives to lead — and thank goodness! If my younger kid hadn’t been so stubborn about coming to visit — when I thought it was unsafe to travel — we still wouldn’t have seen him; and the older one wouldn’t have expedited that Ph.D. for the ridiculous reason that he wanted to move to take up a post-doctoral position. So I’m growing reconciled to the fact that I am not in control, and that my kids will insist on leading lives of their own. I’m also very lucky that I have a garden to keep me busy; it will be all I can do to keep it alive!

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16 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

E A R T H M AT T E R S

My groundwater mea culpa during pandemic

’m coming clean. The guilt I’ve been carrying around is a burden too great to bear these days. Plus, I want to be the one to tell you before you hear it from someone else:I’ve been watering my front lawn. A lot. So much, in fact, that the Port Washington Water District sent me a letter last month suspecting a leak somewhere in my house. Eeeeek. Caught red-handed. Kinda. Yes, I’m the columnist that brags that I haven’t used my lawn irrigation system the past two summers in order to save our precious and limited groundwater. And, on top of that, in years past I’ve probably berated you (or your house, more likely) when I’ve seen your sprinklers going late at night on my walk home from the bar. And so, please accept my sincere apology, for there are few

things worse than being a hypocrite. In my defense, I’ve been continuing along on my Rewilding journey this year, and part of phase two has been to replace my front lawn with native grass; grass that not only doesn’t need watering but also doesn’t need mowing, hence its nickname — “No Mow” grass. Too good to be true? It gets better- No Mow grass is also gorgeous (thin, long and blows in the wind). No Mow is a cool-season grass (suitable for temperate and colder climates) and the best time to sow is from late August thru mid-October. As warned on the Prairie Nursery website, “Coolseason lawns that are seeded in fall experience much less competition from weeds than spring seedings ” But this April and May I had roughly 100 native plants, shrubs

No Mow grass

FRANCINE FURTADO Earth Matters and trees delivered to my property and while planting them I rearranged the yard a bit, and so it made sense in the moment to tack the new turf onto the alreadymassive project to avoid a summer with a lawn scattered with patches of dirt. Couple the wrong seeding season with the misfortune of using our former landscaper— who didn’t do as I instructed him to do, damnit —and we now have a lawn full of crabgrass with small glimpses of No Mow grass. Shoooooot. How the heck am I going to convince people to stop wasting groundwater on their lawns by planting No Mow grass if said grass looks absolutely terrible? (Per capita water use on Long Island is the highest of all communities in the North Atlantic Coastal Plain, an area stretching from Long Island down to the middle

of North Carolina. And water use continues to increase on Long Island!) Luckily for me, a busy-everymoment-of-the-day mom, this home-improvement disaster coincided with the coronavirus pandemic. The “gift of the pause” has provided me with the unlimited time necessary to weed so that the stunning No Mow grass can thrive. And it was during these first several days spent outside that I began to succumb to the Instagram posts begging us to “use this time wisely” to choose what parts of our lives we actually want to return to. What do we want our world to look like post-pandemic? For me, this process began with examining what it is I spend my days doing. Are the commitments of my time worth the energy and life they require? Are they bringing me joy? How can I become a happier person? Recent research suggests that our happiness is due to the quality of the relationships in our lives. Harvard’s ground-breaking Study of Adult Development, spanning over 70 years and released in 2015, revealed that “close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives.” Go ahead and scroll thru your list of relationships. And because it is 2020, a year like no other, let’s take it a few steps further, past your significant other, your kids,

your friends, your neighbors. What about our planet? What is your relationship like with the Earth? How great is your respect for the Earth? Do you spend quality time with her? Do you express gratitude to her? Or is this one relationship you need to devote some more time to in 2020 and beyond? Please consider, for she provides an abundance of resources and means for humans to flourish! In closing, I’d like to give thanks to the Earth for providing me with the outlet to bury (most of) my rage and anger and disappointment and regret into. Without all of the digging, raking, planting and watering, I might not be here today. (The spring was THAT bad.) My time spent in the company of the Earth’s beauty, my feet bare on her soil absorbing her energy and dispelling my own, no doubt saved my life. Additionally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t express a smidgen of gratitude for the opportunity the pandemic has aﬀorded me. If not for the shutdown of the planet this spring and summer I would never have had time to do all of this critical work on my freshly xeriscaped garden, for my old and pink house, with my now feral children, alongside my complaining yet yielding husband. Please oh please let me finish weeding by the end of the summer.

KIDS F IRST

If you didn’t know, how old would you be?

lthough he was first denied entry into major league baseball, Satchel Paige began his professional career in the Negro Leagues in 1926. It wasn’t until he was 42 in 1948 that the Cleveland Indians signed him to a contract. Years later he became a two-time all-star with the St. Louis Browns, in 1952 and ‘53. After a stint in minor league baseball, Paige re-emerged in the majors in 1965 at age 59 and pitched three shutout innings for the Kansas City Athletics. When questioned about playing at his advancing age, Paige quipped, “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you was?” It’s a great question. I’m closing in on 70 but if I didn’t know, I’d

tell you I was half that. Nevertheless, according to the medical experts, I fall into the high-risk category when it comes to exposure to COVID-19. And, I get bonus points for a pre-existing condition. Yet, I’m reading that I’m expendable in the eyes of some younger folks. For example, in a March 2020 interview, the ex-health minister of Ukraine said that people over 65 were already “corpses” and the focus should be on people who are “still alive.” Adding insult to injury, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that people around my age should make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the country. Let’s see, I get up before 5:00 a.m. every day, walk three or four miles and work fulltime-plus. Does it seem like it is time for me to be put out to pasture? Is

ANDREW MALEKOFF Kids First

everyone my age and older helpless, useless cannon fodder for the coronavirus? It is true that 80 percent of the people who die from COVIDrelated illness are 65 years and older. But, I thought destiny was character, not age.

I’ve been wondering, are those who so aggressively forgo the use of masks simply exercising their independent spirit and freedom of speech, so to speak, or are they so virulently bigoted against older people that they see our right to live as inconsequential and our deaths as a simple matter of collateral damage? Someone with the handle ‘Karen Green’ on Twitter expressed the sentiments of many so-called non-maskers. She tweeted: “Lockdowns, social distancing and masks are deliberate overt means to control and take over a nation, to force people to submit to tyranny.” Really, Karen Green? In closing, I’m not ready to die just yet. I need about another seven years in order to make it past my mom and dad’s ages when

they died. I like to breathe fresh air and so I keep my distance. When I can’t keep my distance, I wear a mask. Won’t you kindly do the same? Or, are you banking on seeing this old guy loaded up onto one of those refrigerated tractor-trailers? And, my age? Lighten up Karen. It’s just a number. As Satchel Paige observed, age, “is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind it doesn’t matter.” Andrew Malekoﬀ is the executive director of North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center, the leading children’s mental health agency on Long Island. The Guidance Center is seeing new and existing clients via telephone and video during the COVID-19 crisis. To make an appointment, call (516) 626-1971. Visit www.northshorechildguidance.org for more information.

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

OUT OF LEFT FIELD

Wisdom of the crowd and hospital care

erhaps you have had experiences similar to mine. As I grew older and spent time with fellow elders, we often talked about our medical challenges. Indeed, we needed to agree to time limits if we hoped to get to other topics (as ROMEOs strive to do). Among these old guys, Romeos stood for “Retired Old Men Eating Out.” I have not checked to see if ROMEOS have regional or national groups. But they were eager to get beyond medical updates to apply their experiences for the betterment of society. The chance to do a more democratic diagnosis of ailments occurred at monthly programs I led in several libraries. At these mixedgender gatherings men still did most of the talking. My approach was to apply the premise of “wisdom of the crowd.” That term has been used in various ways, essentially contending that collective experiences and judgments are better than individual views (some apply this to the jury system, seeing a decision by twelve likely to be more eﬀective than one made by a single judge). My view was that we older people had extensive and diverse medical experiences, and if we

discussed them we could find out what worked and why for some individuals. Then, others could apply that learning, that “wisdom” to improve their own situation. None of this was intended to minimize the role of doctors (after all, seeking a second or third medical opinion can be considered part of the wisdom of a special crowd). Library program directors cautioned me not to spend too much time on my journeys of democratic diagnosis because, given the age of the patrons, it might take all available time. I confess that I had a personal stake in asking others if they could relate to one of my problems (they then had turns seeking views from the experiences of others). For a brief time, I felt there was a startup business potential in this activity (what do you think?) Shamelessly, I asked a group of nearly 100 folks if any could advise me about how to deal with a persistent problem of peripheral neuropathy (too common among elders, without clear paths to escape). I can’t take space now to detail that first discussion except to say that a few folks said they would speak with me privately at the end of the program. The most creative suggestion I received was

MICHAEL D’INNOCENZO Out of Left Field to switch to suspenders instead of using a belt. The folks who spoke privately with me were more pronounced than those who oﬀered the same view publicly: “There is no cure; you just need to learn to live with it.” Several folks said the worst aspect of the neuropathy was experiencing nonstop tingling in one’s feet, sometimes the same single foot – making it so hard to fall asleep, that several folks would need to get out of bed, walk around, or just fall asleep in a chair. I am sorry to say I have no proven remedy to give you if you are part of the neuropathy crowd.

My situation has improved (but not due to consultations with a range of medical specialists). Because of various medical issues, more and more medications have been added to my daily regimen (although nowhere close to the dozens taken by the WNBA basketball star Elena Della Donne; she was recently denied a medical exemption for this season). My left foot neuropathy is only occasional these days, but I am afraid to change any medications because no one can discern what caused the progress (I am still using a belt instead of suspenders). I have benefitted in many ways from democratic diagnosis and the wisdom of the crowd. Having recent experiences at NYU Winthrop Emergency Room and as a patient, I appreciated the excellence of the collaboration of doctors, nurses, and staﬀ. When I left the hospital I was given a printed list of actions and consultations, with time frames. That constituted wisdom of the crowd of Winthrop medical folks. As a bonus for reading this far, I will leave you with a view on a transformative treatment. Entering the hospital, I could barely hear anything. That got worse in the hospital. When I came home, I was essentially deaf.

Winthrop doctors thought a medication I had taken for 50 years was part of the problem. The medication was halted, and my hearing improved, but it was still inconsistent. My best development was following the instruction of Winthrop for a visit to an ENT doctor. I saw Dr. Michael Ditkoff in Manhasset. Now, I feel fortunate to be back as a hearing person (no longer using hearing aids, and, amazingly, hearing better than when I began the aids three years ago.) Dr. Ditkoff used a motorized instrument I had never encountered before to remove wax from my ears (probably many of you, like me, were told never to poke anything into your ears). I am enormously grateful to Dr. Ditkoff and the Winthrop advisory crowd for regaining my best hearing in years. At Dr. Ditkoff ’s office, I sat facing a wall that was filled with drawings (by youngsters) as well as written tributes When I complimented Dr. Ditkoff on all those commendations, he smiled gently and said: “I did them all myself.” I appreciated his modest wit, but the wisdom of the crowd has dramatically affirmed his excellence.

F R O M T H E D E S K O F S TAT E A S S E M B LY M A N E D W A R D R A

Policing discussions have spun out of control

ince the tragic killing of George Floyd by disgraced police officers in Minneapolis, Americans are discussing issues regarding race, law enforcement and criminal justice with renewed passion and openness. Many of these discussions have been productive. Many of them are long overdue. As a lawmaker, I can confirm that there is an appetite for common-sense criminal justice reform on both sides of the aisle. I’m a proud Republican. I supported a bill outfitting New York State Police officers with body cameras. I was one of the few members on my side of the aisle to support the STAT Act, legislation requiring law enforcement agencies to collect and publicize demographic data about an array of interactions between officers and residents. These were thoughtful reforms. Even as a legislator open to compromise, however, I am deeply concerned about the damaging rhetoric, radical actions, and misguided policy proposals we’ve been hearing from the left.

It seems that for every measured step forward we take, there are radical voices demanding we carelessly leap in the wrong direction. Sen. Jessica Ramos actually called for defunding the police on the Senate floor. While there was initially some debate as to whether or not progressives meant for their plea to be taken literally, their standard-bearer, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, made their stance crystal-clear. “Defunding the police means defunding the police,” she said. In the eyes of leftists, Mayor de Blasio’s billion-dollar cut to the NYPD budget wasn’t misguided because escalating violence is tearing families and neighborhoods apart. They hate it because it wasn’t enough. It’s part of a broader pattern. Last session, Democrats pushed dangerous changes to our bail laws through the Legislature in the middle of the night. They prevented judges from imposing pre-trial detention on dangerous defendants, even when they knew the criminal presented

EDWARD RA

State Assemblyman an imminent threat to public safety. Cartel operatives, sex criminals, killers, and all manner of repeat oﬀenders walked out of their arraignments and back into their communities without even posting bail. We argued that this was an extreme policy. My colleagues and I knew it was guaranteed to compromise public safety. The results speak for themselves. I attended a press conference this week with law enforcement leaders from across the state. We

highlighted some alarming statistics. Homicides in New York City have increased 27 percent since last year. Shootings are up 63 percent. In Buffalo, homicides are up 88 percent. In the state capital, homicides have increased by a staggering 800 percent. At a time when public safety is eroding across the state, we need committed, dedicated, fair-minded police officers more than ever. Lucky for us, nearly all of them are. Recently, the Democrats passed a deeply misguided bill that would make all disciplinary records of police officers public. Even unsubstantiated or false claims would be presented without context or explanation. I knew this would do absolutely nothing to improve the already fraught relationship between some citizens and some police departments. I asked my colleagues to do exactly what I’m going to ask you to do now: imagine that it is the morning of September 11, 2001. You just arrived to your morning shift at your precinct. You’re having your first cup of coffee, you’re filling out paperwork.

You glance up at the television, only to see the most harrowing, indelible image in recent American history- a commercial airplane is crashing into the World Trade Center. You don’t think. You don’t weigh your options. There’s no cost-benefit analysis, no hesitation. You just go. You go because you promised to protect and serve. You go put your life on the line because that’s the job. Building a safer, fairer, and more prosperous society is going to take Republicans and Democrats working together to build consensus. There are lot of options on the table. There’s one that we need to dismiss demonizing the brave men and women who protect us, no matter how dangerous the circumstances. We can work together to promote racial equality. We can work together to pass sensible criminal justice reform, and we can work together to ensure we’re carrying out the most essential function of state government- promoting public safety.

18 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

OUR TOWN

The great fear of success many of us feel

eek after week the sports fans are treated to the sight of athletes who must stare down fear in order to enter the glorious city of fame and fortune. This week was no diﬀerent. The player standing on the threshold of fame was the swashbuckling Spaniard Jon Rahm and the setting was The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin Ohio. Rahm was 8 shots in the lead with only nine holes to go and all he had to do was par in to win $1,674,000 and take over the hallowed No. 1 spot in World Ranking.When an athlete nears the finish line he must answer a riddle that an invisible gatekeeper will ask. This is what we call liminal space and the gatekeeper always stands guard over this mysterious passageway. There are many examples of this. In the play “Oedipus Rex” written by Sophocles in the year 429 BC, the Sphinx asks all travelers a riddle before they enter the

city of Thebes. The Sphinx askes “Which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed, then two-footed and then three-footed?” The answer to this riddle is “mankind” since we all start out crawling on fours, then walking on twos and then must use a cane in old age. This riddle implies that we must have self-awareness before we can enter the kingdom of happiness. However, if you don’t know yourself through and through the monster will eat you up and kill your dreams.I don’t think that the fame monster was pleased with the way Jon Rahm first answered his riddle because before you knew it Jon Rahm he was racking up all sorts of bogeys and penalties on his way to his glorious city of success. Thanks to talent and the confidence of youth, he managed to stumble across the finish line ahead but the passageway was shaky and filled with terror both for himself and his adoring fans. In golf, there are enumerable fears that one must face on the road

DR. TOM FERRARO Our Town

to victory. For the casual spectator, the star athlete may not look nervous but I assure you they are. In golf, a benign downhill twofoot putt can produce shame and despair if missed, and conversely even greater and more unconscious fear of the putt is made. Going deep is scary.To date, there is only one golfer who speaks knowingly about the fear of victory and that was Jack Nicklaus. He realized that most golfers fear winning and so he would patiently await their collapse by playing

conservatively on the way in.Freud was the first to pick up on man’s fear of success by analyzing “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles written way back in 429 B.C. This was the play that included the riddle of the sphinx and included Oedipus Rex killing his father and marrying his mother. Freud’s analysis of this play gave birth to the Castration Complex which is another way of saying people unconsciously fear victory because it could produce dreaded retaliation by the father symbolized by the opponent.My favorite modern-day story of the fear of success was well described in the film “Yesterday” by director Danny Boyle. When sudden fame thrust upon the lead character Jack Malik, his agent Deborah Hammer warned him “Buddy, what I’m offering you is the great and glorious poisoned chalice of money and fame. If you don’t want to drink it…go back and have a warm beer in bonny England. If you do want to drink, I need to hear you say ‘

Debra, I’m so thirsty, give me the goddamn chalice.’” She was warning him that success will have its challenges and its problems.The other theory about success which has gained traction over the last 70 years relates to shame versus pride. Many turn to sports to undo shame instilled in childhood and this serves as both a motivator to success as well as a barrier.In “The Divine Comedy” Dante realized that a hungry shewolf, a ravenous leopard and a ferocious lion were blocking his way to heaven. He had to go through the circles of hell and purgatory first before he gained entrance to the heavenly plane. This is how it is for athletes and for the rest of us. One must solve the riddle of who we really are and are we willing to face our deepest fears before we gain access to victory, fame, success or happiness. That is a word is why so many fail. After all who really wants to go through hell and purgatory to get to heaven?

VIEW POINT

Eyeing public health policy post-COVID-19 A silver lining to this COVID-19 tragedy, ironically, is a new focus on health and wellness. And just as we are hearing about “sustainability” in “building back better” infrastructure as key to resuscitating the economy, the corollary in health is wellness, and “wellness” actually factors into infrastructure planning, as much as government policy. Wellness isn’t talked about as much in the debate (to the extent there is one) over universal health care. But back in the day when there was serious discussion about healthcare as a right, not a privilege, it was brought out that with all the innovations and breakthrough in medical science, unless

only the rich could take advantage, you couldn’t possibly afford a health care system capable of taking care of everyone whose lives could be extended indefinitely with treatment, surgery, medication and technology. It comes down to a fear that if everyone has access to health care, how will you ration it? Will there be death panels?Beyond the obvious solutions of training more doctors, nurses and health workers, opening up more clinics, offering tele-medicine, wellness checks and early-detection tests and affordable prescription drugs, the solution is wellness. People living longer, healthier lives without the need for costly, intrusive medical treatments.

KAREN RUBIN View Point

There are big things that municipalities can do – like promoting clean, renewable energy over carbon-based fuel, doing more to eliminate pollution from air and

water, and protecting the food supply from toxins. But it turns out that there are relatively simple things we can do in society if we really care to enable as many people as possible live better. For example, when you build a bridge, like the Mario Cuomo Bridge (that replaced the Tappan Zee), build a biking/walking path alongside. This approach also was on view when County Executive Laura Curran announced Nassau was joining the state’s Climate Smart Communities Program, embracing a “green innovation economy” that, among other things, calls for green infrastructure — parks, pools, beaches, boating, bike paths, golf courses.

And it was on view when she opened the expansion of the Motor Parkway Trail, an 11-mile contiguous multi-use trail from Hofstra University to Eisenhower Park, that oﬀers a commuting alternative to the Nassau Hub area.In significant ways, this is an un-doing of the original design and premise of Suburbia which prioritized cars, while creating isolated islands rather than build community and neighborhoods. That strategy for integrating wellness into our physical places was a focus of the recent Vision Long Island’s “Complete Streets: Healthy Citizens, Healthy Main Streets” seminar. Complete Streets strategies figure significantly in the Continued on Page 28

READERS WRITE

America lost a good man in John Lewis

ep. John Lewis of Georgia, a civil rights icon has passed away at age 80 and that has brought much sadness to many. Here was a brave lion who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and suﬀer much for the cause

of civil rights and was beaten and jailed for his beliefs. Rep. John Lewis went on to serve in Congress since 1986 for many decades. He had fought for the rights of the many that had not achieved the American dream.

As a white man, I believe we are all brothers and sisters and should as such treat each other with respect and dignity. In the 1960s as a teenager for a short time I had marched for civil rights. Rep. John Lewis was a man of character, honor and dignity who

fought for the greater good of our countrymen and women. In my opinion, he thought well, spoke well, and did well. There are those who would disagree in some things he did or did say but I believe others would agree he was the personification

of this phrase: “Evil thrives when good people do nothing.” America will surely mourn the loss of a good man. Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Bellerose Letters Continued on Page 22

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

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“When NYU Winthrop’s TAVR team replaced my heart valve, they gave me my life back.”

For John Elliott, sailing is living. He’s been on the water for most of his 90-plus years. In all three theaters during World War 2, as a merchant seaman, and for the last 70 years sailing out of the Rockaway Point Yacht Club. But recently John was so fatigued and short of breath, he could only walk a few steps. His aortic valve was failing. His daughter, a nurse, told John about a valve replacement procedure called TAVR. She took him to NYU Winthrop Hospital, part of NYU Langone Health. With some of the country’s highest quality TAVR programs on Long Island and in Manhattan, NYU Langone Health is a leader in this procedure. They replaced John’s valve through an artery in his leg. In no time at all, he was back to sailing off Breezy Point. If you suffer from aortic stenosis, you may be a candidate for TAVR. To learn more, call 1-866-WINTHROP or visit nyulangone.org/tavr.

259 First Street, Mineola, New York 11501 • 1.866.WINTHROP • nyuwinthrop.org 259 First Street, Mineola, New York 11501 • 1.866.WINTHROP • nyuwinthrop.org

22 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

READERS WRITE

Allowing border crossers not compassionate

his is in response to Dr. Hal Sobel’s August 12, 2019 letter, “Accused of helping the undocumented.” The title of his letter should be changed to, “Accused of enabling the death and exploitation of illegal border crossers.” Supporters of the Marxist agenda are not compassionate or tolerant in any fashion. One has only to follow the actions of their enforcers “Antifa” to prove the point. The similarities of the violent tactics of Antifa and Hitler’s “Brown Shirts” are striking and should be alarming to everyone. Marxists have no regard for the laws or Constitution of this country and only wish to achieve their ultimate goal of turning this great nation into a Marxist totalitarian state. As for quoting partisan sources, The Cen-

ter for Constitutional Rights, according to Wikipedia, “is a progressive non-profit legal advocacy organization based in New York City, New York, in the United States. It was founded in 1966 by Arthur Kinoy, William Kunstler and others particularly to support activists in the implementation of civil rights legislation and achieve social justice.” According to the Aug. 23, 2018 article in the National Review, ‘Essentially a Fraud’ by Kyle Smith, “The SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) can no longer be fairly termed a nonpartisan watchdog group. It has become a hate group itself. Actual political violence is of no interest to it unless it can be deployed in service of the SPLC’s thinly veiled campaign to damage the right.”In response to the statement, “Dictatorships hold that

using horrific means to achieve noble ends is acceptable,” one can only imagine the carnage resulting from a compassionate and tolerant Marxist totalitarian state violating 2nd Amendment rights and forcibly trying to confiscate 300 million guns from American citizens.Democratic Socialists quoting Jesus to make their point is very puzzling. According to author David Horowitz, a man who probably knows more about Marxist Democratic Socialists than they know about themselves, “Unfortunately, the people who hate America on the left, and this embraces so much of the Democratic Party these days, have conducted a 50-year, 60-year attack on Christianity in this country. They’ve driven prayer and religion out of the schools.”In conclusion, people who

love, honor and respect all people without knowing anything about them are naïve to say the least. Except for immediate family, love, honor and respect must be mutually demonstrated and earned. Those adults who enter this country illegally must be detained and treated with courtesy. The children that accompany them must be protected and treated with kindness. All processing and medical conditions should be addressed at border facilities as soon as possible after which the detainees who have violated laws passed by Congress must be returned to their country of origin. Walter J. Jaworski New Hyde Park

On opening Herricks schools full time

n July 10, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AASA, and the School Superintendents Association issued a Statement regarding the safe return of students, teachers, and staﬀ to schools, citing the relevance of benefits of returning to school, academically and socially, as well as the vital role played by our educators, as most parents realized this recent spring. On July 13, 2020, Gov. Cuomo issued guidelines for school re-openings in the

State of New York. During the next several days, the Herricks Union Free School District and selected “Task Force” will consider multiple options for the re-opening of our school in the fall of 2020, with the final decision made by the governor. HUFSD, like many school districts in Nassau County, is in the unique position of utilizing multiple and vast open spaces on each respective campus to aide in reopening schools. There is no question that the health

and well-being of our children and staﬀ is paramount and there is no “one-size fits all category” for how to open our schools. However, the concept of a “hybrid” or half-school/half online system will further contribute to our children’s academic, social, emotional and psychological deterioration. A proposed “hybrid” system will further contribute to an undue burden on families as many employers are not allowing for on-line work. Finally, the HUFSD did not have the infrastructure in place when sud-

denly forced into “virtual” learning this past spring. The use of our wonderful open spaces, as linked to the reopening of the schools, with proper climate control, security measures and proper reallocation of funds for teacher’s assistants can allow for social distancing to ensure our children’s and staﬀ ’s safety as well as allow our children to resume the road of learning and socialization. Kostas A. Katsavdakis Williston Park

Protests, democracy and this newspaper

add my support to your liberal policy of printing letters to the editor expressed in your editorial, “Rules for a robust public debate (10 July),” notwithstanding my disagreement with some of your basis, specifically its assertion that some of your published Joan Swirsky opinions are “nonsense.” A correspondent, Nicole Biton, characterized Ms. Swirsky’s letter of that issue as “racist.” At the risk of incurring similar criticism, I write to state that Ms. Swirsky’s letters are neither nonsense or racist. They are

equitable, astute and patriotic. I share Ms. Swirsky’s indignation at the extreme double standard that has overtaken our nation. A good example is a new buzzword that the “woke” Ms. Biton accused Ms. Swirsky of without giving an example; “microaggression.” Microaggression is the interpretation by which every silver lining is found to conceal a cloud. Woke folks can take the most sincere compliment and discover hidden malicious intent. By this standard saying “All lives matter” is considered

racist. I’m aware of no one who was not horrified at George Floyd’s murder, no one who does not seek justice to avenge his death. The woke support the resultant “peaceful” demonstrations that are actually violent and result in murder, injury, destruction of the businesses even of Black proprietors who lost their life savings, and fires set to police stations. Very few of these supporters say a word about the 18 Chicago Blacks murdered on the Floyd weekend

by other Blacks; and many more murdered since, including young children. Is calling attention to such racist? The National Association of Police Oﬃcers which supported Obama and Biden, in both 2008 and 2012, endorsed President Trump for a second term last week. Is this nationwide organization of nearly a quarter-million oﬃcers also racist? The violent protests we are seeing by BLM and Antifa are not in

any way democratic. They are the stirrings of a revolution. No one should be complacent about them. But the Democrat Party is completely silent except for their support for defunding the police. Ms. Biton emphasized the racial but said not a word about the Democrat-Party “resistance,” aspects of Ms. Swirsky’s letter. I remind Ms. Biton that someone who rides a tiger will likely end up inside. Len Mansky Roslyn

Political correctness goes Fascism blossoms under Trump too far on team mascots

hen is enough political correctness enough? American Indians are a part of our history and yet we keep removing references to that history on a daily

basis. Will the next movement center around changing the name of the State of Oklahoma, which is derived from two Choctaw words, “okla” and “humma” that mean

“Red People”? Let’s come to our senses on matters of this nature. Robert Spina Albertson

ascism has blossomed in the United States under disgraced consigliere Barr and Treasonous

Trump. When we have unidentified federal thugs in camo and armor

throwing people into unmarked vans, this is fascism! We are truly on the precipice of seeing our democratic republic melt away. Eric Cashdan Sands Point

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

READERS WRITE

My plan to save Nassau County’s finances

fter heroically defending a statue that wasn’t going to be touched, our county executive hopes that some federal money will come in to plug the massive funding gap the Coronavirus has given Nassau. Actually, the County has a perpetual funding gap, but this one is really serious this time. But I have a plan that will not only rescue Nassau, but will enshrine the current administration in the pantheon of Long Island’s greatest leaders. (Relax, it’s a very small Pantheon.) The county’s budget is about $3.6 billion a year. So instead of NIFA just refinancing existing debt and adding in some more to plug the hole, to hell with the Feds, let NIFA bond for $36 billion and fund the County for the next decade. This has several advantages: 1) Since we’ll only be paying debt service, your county tax bill will drop to about $700 a year. A lot of us will then fall under the SALT cap, and we won’t have to listen to any more whin-

ing from certain elected officials who are making a career out of something they can’t change. I imagine the County’s retail sector should recover handsomely. 2) Sure, the county’s debt will balloon, but it’s not like we haven’t been doing this for over 30 years, so why complain now? As it is, The Great Long Island Rube is still paying off the Shoreham nuclear plant, so please, no lectures. Consider it “policy consistency.” 3) Ten years from now the debt will come due, but by that time you will be:A) In BocaB) In AshevilleC) In Beth David Cemetery So, no worries. Every prior county executive has generally left the county in fiscal ruin, and I expect no different now. Joking aside, this episode bares the farce that is Nassau County government. People have to realize something: a construct like NIFA doesn’t exist anywhere else in the United States, and no such lifeline has ever been offered to any other municipality. What generally happens is

those municipalities that find themselves in trouble have leaders who make hard decisions. They suﬀer through these episodes, but the problems get fixed, and they do what they were called on to do. Ours are thrown a perpetual lifeline, and spared from making the tough calls. In eﬀect, your county, alone, has its very own Federal Reserve window it can borrow from whenever it finds itself in a sling. This is an escape hatch no other municipality has, and it’s a free pass for any dounty executive to avoid making the decisions to make the County

solvent, or govern with even a hint of a fiduciary responsibility. Why was Nassau, alone in the entire country, given such an enormous privilege? Simple. You don’t have an elected government. What happens is the respective party leaders tee up a “candidate” for you to vote for. The winning candidate doesn’t really “govern.” They are simply handed the keys to a perpetual franchise maintained by the CSEA, the PBA, and the NYSUT. They take their orders from them. That folks, is power. It’s also a license to plunder, while keeping the government’s hands tied. It’s why NIFA was created. To protect the franchise. It has no other reason to exist. We are now in the second fiscal holocaust in a single decade. And while businesses shutter again, food banks beg for provisions, employment withers, mortgages go unserviced and the county treasurer stands ready to lard on the late fees and penalties, there is one group among us who never pays the price for its own greed, prof-

ligacy and nihilism, no matter how hard the economy tanks. Who’s to blame? You are. You allow yourselves to get played like this. All across this country, governors, mayors and department heads were blindsided inside the space of a month, with revenues in freefall. But they’re doing what they have to do. This is where leadership is tested. Nassau “government” never faces the consequences of its own actions, and simply makes bagholders out of its own citizens. Nassau’s singular tragedy is that while the post war economy grew it to an unimaginable scale, a political class with the maturity and integrity needed to meet the size of the job never materialized. And until we get an executive and a Legislature with the courage, public spirit, an unbending commitment to good government and the breadth of imagination to tackle this decades long dysfunction, we’re stuck. Donald Davret Roslyn

Using your sprinklers: the civilized edition

his is an article on how to use your sprinklers to remain the safest, smartest and most respectful lawn-growers this side of the rest of the island that doesn’t matter. Why should you trust me? Honestly, you probably shouldn’t. I am just a well-educated young woman trained in simple areas, such as basic physics and the behavior of our beloved chemical H2O. Okay, I learned those in high school, I dealt more with graduate-level math in college. I’m also not educated on the laws in Port Washington or Nassau county! Too much work. This is an etiquette article. Pick your system. Don’t ignore this step, it’s very important. Many lawns are not just a square block, but a deformed one full of variety and divots. Choose a sprinkler that hits the required distance and no more. No extra spray.Alternative: hire a nice man or woman to come over and spray your lawn with a hose for you for a small sum. Support local businesses and let others choose your schedule.

Positioning. This is where it gets complicated. With sprinklers, your goal is to maximize coverage to your lawn while minimizing the number of sprinklers used, otherwise you’re just lazy and don’t care where your water goes.This is where my professional knowledge comes in. I know for a fact that due to the properties of water and gravity, hitting your yard just short is fine. Why? Because all of your properties angle towards the street (unless you’ve been flooded in the last year), and water likes to spread out and travel using the power of adhesion. Not only is your water going to move downhill, but it also wants to get to every nook and cranny that will have it. Thus, your corners are gonna be fine. Alternative: hire a nice man or woman to come over and spray your lawn with a hose for you for a small sum. Support local businesses and let others choose your schedule. Extraneous Spray Considerations. Sometimes your water will go places other than your lawn, but this wastes water. See below for some watersaving tips.You should know

that the sidewalk (concrete) does not benefit from being watered. It looks so barren and you just want to nurse it back to health, I know! But it will never happen, and in the meantime, you’re forcing your neighbors or friendly travelers into the would-you-rather-game of “Would you rather get sprayed aggressively with 3+ sprinklers, or step out into traﬃc?” Alternative: hire a nice man or woman to come over and spray your lawn with a hose for you for a small sum. Support local businesses and let others choose your schedule. Timing. I’m not an expert on HOA and other town ordinances so let’s leave it at that. Legalities aside, why would you run them during the day when you know there are people who might not want to get sprayed? Strategies could be: Try some other, less populated time. Try 2 a.m. or even earlier at 12 a.m. Mix it up, I’m sure you creative fleshy containers of thought can come up with something.Alternative: hire a nice man or woman to come over and spray your lawn

with a hose for you for a small sum. Support local businesses and let others choose your schedule.That strip of grass between the sidewalk in the pavement. Let’s be clear, this isn’t yours. Town landscapers will come on by and trim the trees, they just won’t make the underbrush live past its natural lifecycle. You have about three options:Let it be, knowing the circle of life will complete a little earlier, but the grass will rise again in the spring.Set up your own sprinkler system on this patch (responsibly) so that the water only covers the strip of grass, not the sidewalk.Set up your own sprinkler system on this patch (irresponsibly), making both the sidewalk and the street a bothersome walking location. This is the ideal situation if you want to be a jerk.Alternative: hire a nice man or woman to come over and spray your lawn with a hose for you for a small sum. Support local businesses and let others choose your schedule. In case you’re thinking “Well, this young woman is just a dirty pedestrian, use a car you herb!”, it is true that

I have been known to be a young woman and dirty pedestrian, and I do own a car without using it all the time. Keep in mind though, being sprayed interferes with the principles of the founding fathers: my right to life (I lose a year oﬀ my life every time I’m hit by sprinkler water), liberty (from sprinkler water and and people driving like their children don’t live there), and the pursuit of happiness (I get grumpy when I’m sprayed by water.) Alternative: hire a nice man or woman to come over and spray your lawn with a hose for you for a small sum. Support local businesses and let others choose your schedule. My personal opinion, outside of all those stated above which are a loose attempt at seeming objective, is that maintaining your front lawn is an outdated, wasteful status symbol, and that desiccated lawns actually look cool. Embrace the future! Kendra Garwin Port Washington Letters Continued on Page 36

24 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

Business&RealEstate

Why owners staying in their homes longer The demand from purchasers in buying homes has been growing in strength and there is no end in sight and bidding wars have become almost the norm, especially from those that have been in rentals. I have been conversing with many buyers and they want to take advantage of the historically lowinterest rates and the lower cost per month to purchase making it more aﬀordable and are willing to provide higher oﬀers and move out of their current rental (or parents home) into an ownership position. Many are looking at the long term (not the short term) in building equity and wealth as well as participating and growing roots in their communities. However, many are losing the battle to purchase due to bidding wars, lack of inventory as well as job loss due to COVID-19. Banks have been more carefully scrutinizing jobs and income to eliminate those that they feel might be a greater risk of not being able to pay. With debts increasing, debt to income ratios will also come into play when determining mortgage

approvals. Currently, there is a multitude of reasons why inventory is historically low and will continue to be that way. Prior to COVID-19, there was a housing shortage. Demand had been continuously reducing what was available. Also, there were and are still those investors throughout the U.S. who instead of fixing and flipping homes were actually keeping and holding onto homes due to the demand and availability of renters who weren’t or couldn’t buy. It was a perfect and safer environment for investors to build their long term wealth compared to other investments, like stocks that were and are perceived to be riskier with less control. Another action related to lower inventory, noted by a study by RedFin a real estate brokerage, was the fact that a greater percentage of homeowners continue to stay in place and now are staying anywhere from three to five years longer than they did in 2010, (around 13 years) depending on where you are referencing around the U.S. Many more are renovating for their later years as people are living longer. As more downsize and still

PHILIP A. RAICES Real Estate Watch

desire to be in a home as opposed to a development or building, I would imagine ranches will continue to become more and more popular as there are generally fewer steps to deal with. Also, due to the very low-interest rates in refinancing and availability of reverse mortgages using the equity to live on, we are seeing an increase in applications allowing more to stay in place further reducing future inventory. During the Covid-19 greatly impacted the public from earning a living and foreclosures and evic-

tions were halted and now have been extended a second time until August 31; which will hopefully allow those additional time to figure out their next consideration in moving. This too has also reduced available inventory initially for investors who would put the house back onto the market, for endusers who would maintain it as a primary residence. Lately with Florida, Texas, California and other states seeing huge infection spikes on a daily basis, due to early openings of businesses and lack of people wearing masks many that are coming to New York State (now having some of the lowest daily infection rates in the U.S.), are required to quarantine for 14 days. However, monitoring, controlling, and enforcing the rules with the influx of returning or new residents has been challenging. I believe that those who had been thinking and potentially considering decisions on selling here and other safer states to permanently relocate to their second or another home have seen the Covid-19 infection rates increase in more than 50 percent of the

states, have been put on the back burner for the foreseeable future, thus keeping much-needed housing stock oﬀ the market. Aging in place is another reason and in September 2018, data was compiled and released as part of the senior advocacy group’s Home and Community Preferences survey, showed that almost 80 percent of adults age 50 and older wanted to remain in their homes and communities as they age. For now, as long as the demand is greater than the available inventory and low-interest rates prevail allowing more to enter the market, prices should remain strong over the next several years. But after that period with so many variables in the mix, it’s anyone’s guess as to what changes will occur. Philip A. Raices is the owner/ Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has earned designations as a graduate of the Realtor Institute and also as a Certified International Property Specialist. To contact by cell call (516) 647-4289 or by email: Phil@TurnKeyRealEstate.Com to answer any of your questions or concerns.

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The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

Recent Real Estate Sales in the

Willistons

121 High Street, East Williston

1 Bengeyfield Drive, East Williston

5 bd, 4 ba, 2,497 sqft, Sold on: 2/17/20, Sold Price: $1,180,000 Type: Single Family, Schools: East Williston

1 bd, 1 ba, 1,100 sqft, Sold on: 2/5/20, Sold Price: $549,900 Type: Condo, Schools: East Williston

6 Birchwood Court, Mineola

100 Bradley Place, Mineola

2 bd, 2 ba, 950 sqft, Sold on: 4/10/20, Sold Price: $355,000 Type: Cooperative, Schools: Mineola

3 bd, 2 ba, 1,236 sqft, Sold on: 3/24/20, Sold Price: $644,000 Type: Single Family, Schools: Mineola

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

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26 The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

Bipartisan group seeks federal funding Continued from Page 1

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CONGRESSMAN’S OFFICE

Nassau County officials joined U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) in a bipartisan call for action to increase federal funding for municipalities in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

and school districts,” Suozzi said. “As demonstrated by the bipartisan group of elected oﬃcials here today, every local municipality needs Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans to negotiate a deal and pass the Heroes Act.” “The alarm bells are ringing loudly for the Senate to act immediately,” Curran said. “Nassau County is ready to emerge from the pandemic stronger than before but requires the hands of all our partners on the federal level.” The news conference was held exactly two months after the House of Representatives passed the Heroes Act, which includes a special fund of $49 billion provided to states based on a “rate of infection.” Suozzi said he estimates the legislation would generate $10 billion to $12 billion for New York residents. “New York state would get about $22 billion overall based on population and unemployment rates, but $12 bil-

lion is just from this special fund for $49 billion that I helped to advocate for,” Suozzi said in a May interview with Blank Slate Media. Additionally, the act would eliminate the cap on the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes, which Suozzi and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) advocated for last Tuesday. “When it comes to SALT, if you think Long Islanders needed and deserved this money before the coronavirus took hold, the stakes are even higher now because the cap is costing this community tens of thousands of dollars they could be using amid the crisis,” Schumer said. The Restoring Tax Fairness for States and Localities Act, sponsored by Suozzi, would increase the tax deduction for state and local taxes in 2019 to $20,000 for individuals filing a joint tax return if the adjusted gross income of the taxpayer does not exceed $100 million. The act would also eliminate the

current $10,000 cap on the deduction in 2020 and 2021 except for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $100 million. Also featured in the Heroes Act is $87.5 billion allocated toward municipalities with more than 500,000 residents and $37.5 billion for municipalities with less than 50,000 residents. Bosworth thanked Suozzi for his eﬀorts in obtaining federal funding for municipalities. “The pandemic is unfortunately far from over and receiving federal funding will go a long way in helping local governments recover faster,” Bosworth said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has presented local municipalities with a variety of financial challenges that we are all currently navigating through,” Lurvey said. “It is imperative that the federal government step up and recognize that financial aid will be necessary to allow local municipalities to continue to provide vital services for our residents.”

2 districts pressured to change Indian mascots Continued from Page 2 puts us on the wrong side of this.” District Superintendent Vincent Butera said in a statement to Blank Slate Media that he was “aware of the petition.” “I have and will continue to meet with groups of students and alumni regarding this issue in order to gain input from a variety of stakeholders within our community,” Butera said. “I am committed to examining this issue in a thoughtful and inclusive manner as we move forward.” As was noted by many petition signatories, a Native American head logo, similar to the design used by the former Redskins, that used to adorn the Manhasset football field was removed some years ago and replaced with an M, but the Indi-

an name and logo remain on the school’s uniforms. On its website, the Manhasset Booster Club sells clothing, including T-shirts and hats, and other merchandise with the Indian name, but does not have any apparel with an Indian head logo. Eﬀorts to reach the Booster Club for comment were unavailing. An Indian logo remains in Manhasset Secondary School’s lobby, and the school’s newspaper is called Indian Ink. Additionally, a graphic used by the district comprises an M with an orange and blue feather hanging oﬀ its top left corner. “It may be expensive to change our uniforms,” a petition commenter wrote on Change.org. “It may be ‘sad’ to remove the Manhasset Indian from the lobby of

the high school. We have so many other things to be proud of, and I’m sure we can find something diﬀerent to put on our orange and blue sweatshirts.” Southwest of Manhasset, Sewanhaka High School’s mascot, also an Indian, was brought into question during a July 7 Board of Education meeting, according to a Long Island Herald story. “As a result of some community concern, the Board of Education and administration will be surveying each of the school mascots to gauge their appropriateness to the school and their community values,” Sewanhaka Central High School District Superintendent James Grossane said. “We will be sharing any updates on this matter at future Board meetings.” A Change.org petition that was cre-

ated to change the school’s mascot on July 6 had 638 signatures as of Tuesday. “To have students dress up in feathers and diﬀerent outfits that belong to Natives is disrespectful,” the petition’s description reads. “They do not understand the history behind these outfits and accessories. They most likely do not know much about Native history in general because Native history is not taught in school.” One signer who commented on the petition said, “I swear to god I’ve been saying this for years. They dressed up a white guy as our ‘mascot’ in a Native American headdress!!! This has gotta go.” Sewanhaka’s school newspaper is called The Chieftain, and the yearbook is called Totem.

Nicolello backs police, training initiatives Continued from Page 4 According to a New York Times article in early June, calls for defunding the police are representative of people wanting to cut spending for police departments whose expenses have taken up a large share of city and county budgets. Cuts that have been discussed among supporters include overtime, expensive equipment or other expenses that relate strictly to the physical act of policing. While some people who support the movement want the expenses to be shifted to other areas such as in-

creased training, mental health services or education, others have interpreted the movement as a way to abolish law enforcement in their communities, according to The Times. Nicolello said the movement is “as radically wrong a policy toward law enforcement as can be conceived.” “We have already seen the eﬀects of these policies in major cities in our nation,” he continued. “Murders, shootings and crimes in general are increasing at an exponential rate in the places where police are under attack. Unfortunately, it is the must vulnerable in

our society who are the victims of this movement and the failure of politicians to support eﬀective policing.” Nicolello expressed his views on George Floyd’s death and its aftermath on Facebook in early June. “The actions resulting in George Floyd’s death were reprehensible and indefensible,” he said. “It is reassuring to see governmental authorities moving swiftly to bring the police oﬃcers responsible to justice. They must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Nicolello also supported residents throughout the county and nation who

have chosen to express their right to peacefully protest and call for change to police brutality and systemic racism but noted that some have taken advantage of it. “While citizens across our country have engaged in the great American tradition of peaceful protest, it is disgraceful that in many of these places these protests have been used by anarchists and extremist groups to rampage and destroy communities,” he said. “The United States has no place for extremists who use violence to try to tear down our communities and nation.”

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

The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

Teens lead Black Lives Matter march Continued from Page 1 “Justice isn’t about the number of people, it’s about the people who are here,” Taylor said as the crowd stopped. Taylor coincidentally has a name similar to that of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman from Louisville who was killed in her home by police in March. Her death, among others, has sparked a national uprising of grassroots civil rights demonstrations. Her story is especially important to Brianna Taylor. “We need to fight for Breonna Taylor like we fought for George Floyd,” Taylor said. “Black women are fighting two battles in this country, we’re fighting racism and we’re fighting sexism. We need support and coalition on all sides and at every end.” Indeed, the crowd was composed almost entirely of women of color and several of the speakers pointed out that it is often Black women who lead the charge when it comes to social activism. Darling gave an emotional speech on

her experience and said how proud she is of her two activist protégés for their work. Darling said her sister had pressured her to run for the state Assembly. Darling was reluctant at first because she did not think government was “eﬀective” but in the end she did run and unseated 30-year incumbent Earlene Hooper. “All of us have things that we can do and when I get discouraged in this role, because I represent that side of the block,” Darling said, referring to her district, the 18th Assembly District, which is less aﬄuent and has a larger population of people of color than Garden City, only a few blocks away. Darling talked about how the contrast between the two areas is stark and obvious to people from Brooklyn who had come for protests. She said once they crossed the “invisible fence of opportunity” from Garden City into Hempstead they asked “where are the trees and how is this allowed?” “This is all by design,” Darling said.

“What I’m left with is that if it was designed, it can be modified.” One theme of the speeches was the need to vote and be politically involved and write and call county and state representatives. Darling said she will not have her position forever and the seat cannot be left open, adding that you only need to be 18 years old to run. “We need to take our pain and anger to the polls,” Taylor said. The two activists met Darling separately. Taylor met Darling when she did some grassroots campaigning for her during the election. Taylor said the two connected at Darling’s inauguration and Taylor was asked to join a youth action coalition the assemblywoman was trying to build. Lewis met her when Darling came to speak at a workshop of the Jack and Jill group Lewis is part of. “She was leaving and I actually chased after her and said ‘wait!’” Lewis said. “I asked her if there was anything I could do for her or be a part of her team in any

way.” Lewis said one policy change she would like to see is a reallocation of funds away from police and into communities that are in need of it and diﬀerent types of training for police forces to deter violence. Both said they’d like to see changes within the education system as well. “We never question why we learn about the Holocaust or World War Two and the horrible destruction that happened during that time but there’s constantly a question of morality when we’re talking about Black people and the history of Black lives in this country,” Taylor said. Taylor called for a more “holistic” education system when it comes to talking about social issues surrounding the Black experience in America. All who spoke pointed out disparities between white communities and communities of color in Nassau County and cited a need to change the system responsible for that. “Capitalism can’t exist without racism,” Taylor said during the rally.

Show won’t go on for Morgan Park festival Continued from Page 12 an emailed statement that its 2020 season of free concerts in the park has been canceled. Eﬀorts to hold the festival this year, the statement said, saw the organizers coordinate with the City of Glen Cove, the Glen Cove Police Department and Nassau County, “each of which worked closely with the committee to establish rigorous protocols to assure a safe summer concert season for Long Island audiences.” “Unfortunately the safety protocols established were rejected by New York State,” the statement said, leading to the event’s cancelation. U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove), whose parents, Joseph and Marguerite Suozzi, were instrumental in the festival’s founding and evolution, chaired the committee that organizes the festival. In a phone call Wednesday morning, Suozzi said the cancellation was “another sad casualty of the coronavirus,” and said that the board had been through a process of deciding protocols to take in order to hold the festival in a socially distant fashion. “We’d laid out a whole season [of performers], and our board went through a whole deliberative process to lay out these protocols,” Suozzi said. He said that plans included having circles on the lawn to accommodate social distancing, as well as having hand sanitizer, restroom attendants and signs

describing the rules. Seating, he said, could have accommodated “over 800 people, socially distanced.” “We had worked with the city [of Glen Cove], as well as Nassau County, then we went to the state and it just wasn’t possible to do,” Suozzi said. “They’ve already said no to graduations and other events. But even with these protocols it just wasn’t possible.” Organizers said in a statement that they will be corresponding with donors who contributed to the support of the 2020 summer season, and that they are oﬀering to either return their donation or apply this support to the 2021 season, as they prefer. The festival, which marked its 60th anniversary last year, is a not-for-profit organization, administered by an allvolunteer team to present free concerts in Morgan Park each summer and funded entirely through tax-deductible contributions by businesses and individuals. This year, six concerts had been lined up through the end of July and all of August. Performers were to include tribute bands for the Grateful Dead, Jimmy Buffett and the Partridge Family, as well as a salsa orchestra, a country band, and a journey through American folk music. Suozzi added that while he understood the state’s reasons for refusal, he was “sad” over the cancellation, and that it brought to mind what his mother, a longtime chairperson of the event, would

Blank Slate Media welcomes your submissions. Please e-mail them to news@theislandnow.com

say when the festival faced adverse conditions. “My mom would always say, whenever there was bad weather, the show

must go on,” Suozzi said. “So that was what was guiding us, and we really had a great team eﬀort to do it along with us.”

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Post-COVID public health Continued from Page 18 health, wellness and safety of a community – actually saving money when you factor in increased productivity for individuals and decreased health costs for society. COVID-19 has highlighted the higher risks due to “co-morbidities” like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory problems. On the other hand, it has also brought people out and about, walking, biking in their community. Complete Streets strategies involve calming vehicular traﬃc to reduce pedestrian and cyclist fatalities (in 2019, 38,800 lives lost in car accidents, 4.4 million seriously injured). But it also turns out that communities can be designed to make it healthier and safer to bike or walk, and get out there and move. “For every hour you walk, you can add an hour to expected healthy lifespan; for every hour you sit in a car, subtract,” said Dr. Keshia Pollack Porter of Johns Hopkins. “We need to change mode priority.” “We are so focused on people not getting COVID, but we need to shift to promoting heath – nutrition, walking, biking — so that if and when we have a situation, we want healthier citizenry across board,” said Denise Carter of Greenman-Pedersen Inc. A similar theme was sounded by Dan Buettner, an explorer, National Geographic fellow and journalist, who has made his life’s work the study of “Blue Zones” – communities with extraordinary longevity and high “happiness” index. And one key common factor is natural movement that is integrated into daily life. “In America, the notion of exercise has been an unmitigated public health failure. We continue to hound people to get exercise, but fewer than 20% get the minimum 30 minutes a day,” he said during a Global Wellness summit (GlobalWellnessSummit.com) “What works in Blue Zones, is every time people go to work, meet a friend, go out to eat, go to school, is an occasion to walk. They don’t have every mechanized convenience to do housework or gardening; they do things by hand, have a garden. What this produces is a day where people are nudged to move every 20 minutes. It is folly to sit at desk 8 hours and go to a gym a couple times of week. That’s not how we evolved as humans. In Blue Zones, people are moving every 20 minutes.” Such physical movement integrated into daily life also gets those endorphins popping and reduces stress. But it also means that distances – to school, work, activities – are close enough (and safe enough) to walk or bike, which means a more integrated, closer community that also promotes socialization, another factor in longevity. “When it comes to COVID, the world’s hair is on fire with disease,” Buettner stated. “The United States alone is likely to hit 800,000 deaths –a terrible tragedy – but 5 million will die of chronic disease and we are not paying attention to that. Chronic diseases are more avoidable than infectious –the number one risk factor in the world for getting COVID for those under 55 is obesity that is almost completely avoidable. In Blue Zones the average rate of obesity is less than 2 percent, not because of better genes but better surroundings, environments. “To avoid all disease, especially chronic disease, even infectious disease, follow these rules: surround yourself with people you enjoy being with; eat mostly plant-based foods; have a sense of purpose in the way you live, work, play; live in a place and work in a place where you are constantly nudged, moving more, eating less junk food and processed food, socializing more, and living on your feet.”

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

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NO JOB TOO BIG OR SMALL â€œOld Fashioned Craftsmanshipâ€?

Commercial & Residential

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EXTERMINATING

15-YEAR RESIDENTIAL WARRANTY

NOT EPOXY

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! Wood Destroying Insect Treatments ! Mosquito Control Programs ! Rodent Control ! General Pest Control

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Ä‘ WONâ€™T CHIP OR PEEL Ä‘ EASY TO CLEAN Ä‘ INDOOR/OUTDOOR

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ISA

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HOURS: Tuesday - Saturday 10-5 @jacks_custom_framing jackmccullough@me.com

Ä‘ 4X STRONGER THAN EPOXY Ä‘ 1 DAY INSTALLATION

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! Retaining Walls ! Patios ! Brick

Quality Care & Workmanship Thousands of frames to choose from

www.ComputerRepairForce.com 33 Great Neck Rd. Ste. #5 2nd Floor, Great Neck Open 7 Days â€˘ Patient & Friendly

! Renovations Interior & Exterior ! Waterfalls ! Concrete ! Steps

! Bathrooms ! Crown Molding

CUSTOM FRAMING

JACKâ€™S CUSTOM FRAMING Over 30 Years in Business We can frame anything!

â€˘ Screen Fix â€˘ Computer Repairs â€˘ Onsite Service â€˘ Tutoring â€˘ VHS to DVD

COMPLETE JUNK REMOVAL/DEMOLITION

Design & Construction

New Doors Old Plaster Removed New Drywall Installed Rotted Wood Replaced

HOME IMPROVEMENT New Construction & Conversions, Dormers, Extensions, Mason Work, Stone, Kitchens, Windows, Siding, Decks, Porticos, Baths, Basements, Carpentry Work

Free Estimates 516-581-9146

Nass#HO444640000 Suff#HI-61446 â€˘ Insured

â€˘ We Remove Or Demo Anything & Everything â€˘ Entire contents of home and/or office â€˘ We clean it up and take it away Residential - Commercial Bonded Insured / Free Estimates

ONE DAY FLOORS Ä‘ GARAGE FLOORS Ä‘ LAUNDRY ROOMS Ä‘ĆŤ ĆŤÄ‘ĆŤ ĆŤ Ä‘ RECREATION ROOMS Ä‘ BASEMENTS Ä‘ SERVICE AREAS Ä‘ OFFICES Ä‘ SCHOOLS Ä‘ĆŤ ĆŤÄ‘ RESTROOMS Ä‘ PRODUCTION AREAS Ä‘ VETERINARY CLINICS

516.676.8469

STRONG ARM CONTRACTING, INC.

516-538-1125

iPaintFloors.com CONCRETE COATINGS

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30 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

BUYER’S GUIDE ▼ LAWN SPRINKLERS

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Elegant Touch Remodeling

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• • • •

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Dumpsters to meet your home cleaning or renovation needs

631.281.7033 Licence #H18H2680000

MOVING

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LAMPS FIXED $ 65 In Home Service Handy Howard 646-996-7628

N.Y.D.O.T.#10405

MOVING & STORAGE INC.

Long Island and New York State Specialists

• Residential • Commercial • Piano & Organ Experts • Boxes Available FREE ESTIMATES www.ajmoving.com

516-741-2657

*If booked by 11am. Some restrictions apply, call for details.

MASONRY

WB-113-BlankSlate-2.8x4-June2020.indd 1

ALL PHASES OF RUBBISH REMOVAL & DEMOLITION Residential • Commercial Construction Sites

Kitchens • Bathrooms Clean-Ups • Attics Basements Flood/Fire

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114 Jericho Tpke. Mineola, NY 11501

JUNK REMOVAL

COMPETITIVE PRICING * SAME DA DAY DELIVERY DAY

Fully Insured

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PAINTING

6/9/20 12:04 PM

FREE ESTIMATES LOU: 516 850-4886

FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED

DRIVEWAYS & PARKING LOTS RETAINING WALLS FOUNDATIONS DRYWELL WATER DRAINAGE WATER PROOFING

SIDEWALKS PATIOS / PAVERS BRICK / BLOCK BLUE STONE STEPS / STOOPS BELGIUM BLOCK CULTURED STONE

Contracting LLC

MASONRY • PAVING • CONCRETE

FULLY INSURED

LIC: #H2219010000

PAINTING, POWERWASHING

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516-884-4016 Lic# H0454870000

PLACE YOUR AD

ROOFING

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est. 1978

Interior and Exterior • Plaster/Spackle Light Carpentry • Decorative Moldings Power Washing www.MpaintingCo.com

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POWERWASHING

PAINTING & WALLPAPER

516-385-3132 New Hyde Park

• Spring Turn-Ons • Backflow Device Tests • Free Estimates • Installation • Service/Repairs

Quality Workmanship 30 Years Experience

516-983-0860 Licensed & Insured Nassau Lic #H1859520000

• Slate Roof Repairs • Copper Flashing Replacements • Snow Guards • Asphalt Shingle Roof Repairs • Gutter Clean Outs

SLATE ROOF SPECIALIST

To advertise, call 516.307.1045 or fax 516.307.1046

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

BUYER’S GUIDE ▼ TREE SERVICE

OLD VILLAGE TREE SERVICE 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE Owner Operated Since 1989 Licensed & Insured

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Member L.I. Arborist Assoc.

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PLACE YOUR AD

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To place your ad, call 516.307.1045 or fax 516.307.1046

PPP aids N. Shore nonprofits Continued from Page 6 happened in July.” Rande Bynum, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County, said that the Garden City-based organization’s loan, listed as $350,000 to $1 million, allowed the Girl Scouts to maintain their workforce. “The Girl Scouts quickly pivoted to virtual programming when girls and their families needed additional support, new ways of engaging socially and educationally, and a sense of normalcy during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Bynum said in a statement. “This critical financial support was paramount to the health of our organization during a time when other revenue streams were disrupted.” Bynum added that the organization was “grateful to Congress for this lifeline, if only for a few months.” “It not only helped with short- and long-term initiatives tied to our mission but also directly benefited the girls who are living through these unprecedented times,” she said. A representative from the Regency at Glen Cove Assisted Living, listed by the SBA as National Health-

plex Inc., said that working with a local bank proved instrumental in acquiring a loan in a bracket between $350,000 and $1 million. “Our prior existing banking relationships were with national banks that received a lot of demand for the PPP,” the representative said. “Therefore, it was helpful to work with a community bank that was focused in ensuring the funds benefited local businesses. Similar to the diﬃculties other applicants faced, it was diﬃcult to interpret the rules, but the application approval and funding process was not lengthy.” The funds covered the Regency’s payroll for approximately two months, the representative added, and were “critical” for the organization’s operations due to the “increasing expenses during pandemic and no admissions during lockdown.” The representative said that the “flexibility” in the use of the funds allowed the organization to “meet our financial obligations and maintain a high quality of care for a residents during a challenging time.” “It’s clear that no one imagined that the pandem-

ic would be continuing for so long,” the representative from the Regency said. “Small businesses across the country, the Regency included, may need additional federal financial support to weather the storm.” Sid Jacobson JCC in East Hills was listed as having received a loan from the program between $2 million and $5 million. The organization declined to comment. The SBA said that Life’s WORC and Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting Corp., both based in Mineola, also received loans between $5 million and $10 million and between $2 million and $5 million, respectively. Efforts to reach both for comment were unavailing. The agency also said that North Shore Animal League America, an animal rescue and welfare organization based in Port Washington, received a loan in a bracket between $2 million and $5 million. Efforts to reach the league for comment were unavailing. St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Manhasset and Harbor Day Care Center and ICNA Relief, both based in New Hyde Park, each received loans

between $1 million and $2 million. Efforts to reach the organizations for comment were unavailing. Advantage Care Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Glen Head; the Greentree Foundation in Manhasset; St. Peter’s of Alcantara Church in Port Washington; Temple Israel and the United Mashadi Jewish Community of America, both in Great Neck; and Temple Sinai and Temple Beth Sholom, both of Roslyn; all received loans in a bracket between $350,000 and $1 million. Efforts to reach the organizations for comment were unavailing. The Glen Cove Boys and Girls Club at Lincoln House, the Glen Cove Child Day Care Center, Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, Our Lady of Grace Montessori School in Manhasset, the Jewish Reconstruction Society of the North Shore in Plandome, the North Shore Early Childhood Center in Roslyn Heights, and Congregation Beth Israel in Port Washington all received loans in a bracket between $150,000 and $350,000. Efforts to reach the organizations for comment were unavailing.

Washington Post eyes paper Continued from Page 6 Izadi then wrote that publisher Steven Blank “defends the ‘Readers Write’ section as a way to inform readers about what their neighbors think, ‘even if it’s extreme’ — and that’s different, he says, than giving a platform to dangerous ideas without challenge.” “In a perfect world, you have people who will respond and counter those ideas,” Blank told The Post. “We know those ideas are out there. It’s not that we’re introducing something into the body politic. These are prejudices that have been there forever.” Swirsky, an author and writer who has contributed to The New York Times and Newsday, among other publications, responded to the Post story in an email to Blank Slate Media. “Only in my community of Great Neck (which I also call the Mecca of Marxism ... it actually had a Marxist

Forum for decades) is factbased, conservative thought considered extreme and the oh-so-delicate sensibilities of the largely leftist population considered credible,” Swirsky wrote. “If it weren’t so dangerous to our Republic, it would be downright

comical.” Blank said in an interview that he encourages those who are unhappy with the letters they read to write their own letters and “do it in a way that educates and explains why they believe it’s wrong, instead of

name-calling.” “We have an interested audience reading the paper, and they’re interested in seeing an exchange of ideas outside their own,” he said. “On our pages, an open section means anyone can submit.”

PHOTO BY ROSE WELDON

A “Letter to the Editor” by Joan Swirsky of Great Neck, portions of which were quoted in The Washington Post.

nassau

32 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

COMMUNITY CLASSIFIEDS To advertise here call:516.307.1045

▼ EMPLOYMENT To Place Your Ad Call Phone:

516.307.1045 x 218

Fax:

516.307.1046

e-mail:

DFlynn@theislandnow.com

In Person:

25 Red Ground Rd. Roslyn Heights, NY 11577

We’re Open:

Mon–Thurs: 9am-5:30pm Fri: 9am-6pm

Deadlines

Tuesday 11:00am: Classified Advertising Tuesday 1:00pm: Legal Notices/ Name Changes Friday 5:00pm Buyers’s Guide Error Responsibility All ads placed by telephone are read back for verification of copy context. In the event of an error of Blank Slate Media LLC we are not responsible for the first incorrect insertion. We assume no responsiblity for an error in and beyond the cost of the ad. Cancellation Policy Ads must be cancelled the Monday before the first Thursday publication. All cancellations must be received in writing by fax at: 516.307.1046 Any verbal cancellations must be approved by a supervisor. There are no refunds on cancelled advertising. An advertising credit only will be issued.

• Great Neck News • Williston Times • New Hyde Park Herald Courier • Manhasset Times • Roslyn Times • Port Washington Times • Garden City News • Bethpage Newsgram • Jericho Syosset News Journal • Mid Island Times • Syosset Advance

EMPLOYMENT

HELP WANTED

SEEKING PART TIME BOOKKEEPER

VILLAGE CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER NEEDED

For Port Washington Marketing Firm • 20 hours weekly • 2 year minimum experience in Quickbooks Please Email resume to: specialsales@gocontinuum.com or fax 516 626 2985. No calls please

Position: The Inc. Village of Bellerose is seeking a Code Enforcement Officer (CEO)

• GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES: The Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) patrols an assigned area and enforces laws, rules, and regulations relating to vehicular parking at meters and in parking areas adjacent to the Long Island Railroad Station; reports building activity in the Residence and Apartment & Business District; performs related duties as required, such as Process Server of Village Ordinances. The CEO reports to the Village Clerk. Maximum 25 hours per week.

Applicants are requested to file a job application form that is available on the Village website https://www.bellerosevillage.org. Bellerose Village is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

HELP WANTED JOB OPPORTUNITY: $18.50 P/H NYC$16 P/H LI$13.50 P/H UPSTATE NYH. CDPAP Caregiver Hourly Pay Rate! Under NYS CDPAP Medicaid program you can hire your family or friends for your care. Phone: 347-713-3553 PHYSICIAN’S OFFICE FLORAL PARK RECEPTIONIST P/T Seeking a mature, experienced individual with good phone & communication skills, work ethic & adaptability. Computer & prior Medical-Tech experience helpful. Email resume: EVADUPPS@GMAIL.COM PHONE: 516-488-1414

SITUATION WANTED CERTIFIED HOME HEALTH AIDE FULL OR PART TIME 25 years experience, light housekeeping, shopping, activities, appointments, etc. valid driver’s license. Excellent references. Live in or out. Please call 516-236-1711

Certified HHA

• Experienced • Excellent references.

We will provide you the best caregivers in America. Filipino men and women. Kind, loving and caring at this very difficult time.

Call Gertrude

347–444–0960

SITUATION WANTED

AS S IS TAN T TO MAN A G ER Looking for a Bright/Personable/Dependable individual that can help Manager with computer work, orders, inventory and customer service. 30+ Hours. • DRIVER - P/T, clean record & must be able to lift 50 lbs. • BUTCHER- Experienced or willing to train For More Info: Call Christina @ Pellegrini Meats: 516-775-8666 SITUATION WANTED

NOW HIRING HHA’s

“A Special thank you to all the Nurse Aides and all who Save Lives.”

• Competitive Pay Rate • Flexible Scheduling • All Shifts & Locations available

COVID-19 Coronavirus testing is available by appointment in our Floral Park facility Mon., Wed. Thurs. at Floral Park MD across from Lady of Victory Church in the village square. Please call (516)488-1414

718-850-3400

HOMECARE ATTENDANT European lady, Garden City resident, experienced, looking for full time live in/live out position or part time 4-5/hr day. Excellent references. Own transportation. Call Jeanette (516)741-6347 or (516)510-7271

CAREER TRAINING COMPUTER & IT TRAINING program! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Now offering a $10,000 scholarship for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! (844) 947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET)

CAREER TRAINING TRAIN AT HOME TO DO MEDICAL BILLING Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get trained, certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-543-6440 (M-F 8am-6pm ET)

ADOPTION Family oriented single woman looking to welcome a child into her life. Any ethnicity welcome, expenses paid. Please call 347-470-5228 or my attorney 800-582-3678

EVENTS

Certified Home Health Aides

EXPERIENCED NURSES AIDE / COMPANION My references are excellent and verifiable. I am also a careful, reliable person to be with at this difficult time. Call Grace 917-499-9520.

ADOPTION

NOVENAS/PRAYERS

ANNOUNCEMENTS BOY SCOUT COMPENSATION FUNDAnyone that was inappropriately touched by a Scout leader deserves justice and financial compensation! Victims may be eligible for a significant cash settlement. Time to file is limited. Call Now! 844-587-2494 GET DIRECTV ! ONLY $35/month. 155 Channels & 1000s of Shows/ Movies on Demand (w/SELECT All Included Package). PLUS Stream on UP to FIVE Screens Simultaneously at No Additional Cost. Call DIRECTV 1-888-534-6918 Recently Diagnosed w/Lung Cancer or Mesothelioma? Exposed to Asbestos Pre-1080 at Work or Navy? You may be entitled to a significant cash award! Smoking history ok! 888-912-3150

LIST YOUR JOB OPENINGS HERE 516.307.1045

NOVENA TO ST. CLAIRE: Ask St. Claire for 3 favors; 1 business and 2 impossible, say 9 Hail Mary’s for 9 days with lighted candles. Pray whether you believe or not. Publish on the 9th day. “May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored and glorified today and everyday”. Request will be granted no matter how impossible it seems. Publication must be promised. (JRE)

MARKETPLACE 1860’S SLEIGH 1860’s Restored Sleigh with shafts. Red and ready for Santa. It has given us so much joy! $1500 Please call: 516-747-7046 A.T. STEWART EXCHANGE CONSIGNMENT SHOP 516-746-8900 Antiques-Furniture-Jewelry-SilverMirrors-Lamps-Artwork Come to Consign & Stay to Shop Visit.... Our Shop 109 Eleventh St. Garden City Our Website tgchs.org Our Online Store stores.myresaleweb.com/ at-stewart-exchange Items to Consign? Email photos (with sizing info) to: store@atstewartexchange.org All proceeds benefit The Garden City Historical SocietyLike us on Facebook & Instagram

MARKETPLACE INVITED ESTATE SALES BY TRACY JORDAN is doing VIRTUAL TAG SALES and ONLINE AUCTIONS now! Sell the contents of an entire house or sell just a few things! You can host your own sale on invitedsales.com and Facebook and Instagram or we can do it for you. We can photograph, advertise and handle the winning pickups for you within a week! Don’t worry about your closing date, we can get your house ready on time! We are a one stop service for all your needs when you are moving or selling a property! Selling, donating, discarding and cleaning out services can be done to meet your time frame with minimal stress. Contact info@invitedsales. com for more information or call 516-279-6378 to schedule a consultation or receive more information. Visit us at www.invitedsales.com for a listing of our upcoming Virtual Tag Sales and Weekly Auctions! SOLID CHERRY FURNITURE End Tables & Matching Coffee Table. 60yrs old. Very Good Condition. Best Offer Call: 516-725-1819

WANTED TO BUY Freon Wanted: We pay CA$H for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. Certified Professionals. Call 312-361-0601 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com LOOKING TO BUY! Estates, Oriental items, Gold, Silver, Costume Jewelry, Dishes, Flatware, Watches, Clothing, Old Photos, Coins, Stamps, Records, Toys, Action Figures, Comics, Art and Furniture. Immediate Cash Paid Call George 917-775-3048 or 718-386-1104 TOP CASH PAID: ESTATE CONTENTSALL OBJECTS OF ART JEWELRY, ETC. Please call 718-598-3045 or 516-270-2128 www.antiqueassets.com

TAG SALE GARDEN CITY INVITED ESTATE SALES BY TRACY JORDAN Tuesday, July 28 9:30 a.m. 33 Magnolia Ave Garden City, NY 11530 Furniture, household, barware, basement, garage and outdoor items. Visit www.invitedsales.com for pictures & details!! GARDEN CITY INVITED ESTATE SALES BY TRACY JORDAN Thursday, July 30 9:30 a.m. 11 Merillon Avenue Garden City, NY 11530 Public Sale selling desks, barware, tons of exercise equipment, office equipment, outdoor items, basement, garage and more..... Only 10 people will be let in the house at a time and sign in that morning. First come first serve. Please bring mask /gloves. Visit www.invitedsales.com for pictures & details!!

PETS

PET SERVICES A GARDEN CITY ANIMAL LOVER doesn’t want to leave your precious pooch or fantastic feline alone all day. I’m reliable, dependable and will walk and feed your pet while you work or travel. Please call Cheryl at 516-971-3242

Visit un online theIslandnow.com

Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

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!"#$%&'#()%*'#%+,-./012%34)%5#,6#4%6)$%'#,()'#.72%8#%#9./:-&/#4%)(&/;-&)%<-./7%0#$%=%1)-$2%!!%3>)$%<-./7%-&%)(&/;-&)%#4.12%CSLB# 1035795 DOPL #107836585501 License# 7656 License# 50145 License# 41354 License# 99338 License# 128344 License# 218294 License# 603 233 977 License# 2102212986 License# 2106212946 License# 2705132153A License# LEAFFNW822JZ License# WV056912 License# WC-29998-H17 Nassau HIC License# H01067000 Registration# 176447 Registration# HIC.0649905 Registration# C127229 Registration# C127230 Registration# 366920918 Registration# PC6475 Registration# IR731804 Regis&$-&/#4?%=@ABCDDE@DCC%%F):/(&$-&/#4?%GHCID@J@%%K,>#.L%BMN%O/5)4()?%EPPPDQB%%%

VACATION RENTAL MATTITUCK Bayfront spacious 2BR Cottage. Ideal for family vacation. Perfect for swimming and boating. Close to vineyards and shopping. Available 8/1-8/8 and 8/29-9/5 $1,650/week. Please call 631-2988433

THEISLANDNOW.COM/COVID19-ANNOUNCEMENTS/

LOTS FOR SALE

HANDYMAN Careful & Reliable Covid-19 Conscious and Safe Serving GARDEN CITY and surrounding area since 2003 Repairs & Installations of all types Carpentry, Moldings, Lighting and More 35-yr Nassau Resident References Phone /Text Friendly Frank: 516-238-2112 Email: Frankcav@optonline.net

NORTHERN NEW YORK RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY with St. Lawrence River views! A unique 7.6 acres, with main house and guest house on the property. Inquiries: threeriverspropertysales@gmail.com

REAL ESTATE WANTED

HOMES WANTED

SERVICES

GLEN HEAD PROMENADE 2 BR Apt or 1BR w/Office/Den Near all. Post Office, LIE, LIRR, North Shore Univ Hosp. North Shore School District and NYCOM, NYIT, CW Post College. Great for single business person or retiree. Lovely country setting on 2nd flr. Excellent cond. Legal and lease required. Rent $2,400/mo + required 1/2 mo. sec. dep. Includes 1 full bath & kitchen w/dw, stainless steel kit sink. New appliances. Granite counter tops. Laundry in apartment. Fully carpeted. Wi-fi/Internet access. Great view. Electric hoist installed. A/C. Heat incld. (Elec not incld) Priv. Ent. 1 car gar.w/shared storage space. Snow removal in winter. Non-smoker, no pets. No yard use/area for outdoor grill. Avail 8/1/2020 to see and/or move in. Please call or text 516-660-6228

ADD YOUR BUSINESS TO OUR DIRECTORY

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

SERVICE DIRECTORY

GARDEN CITY PRIME 7th STREET LOCATION 2 second floor windowed offices available. 285 sq ft 2 room suite overlooking 7th St., asking $1225 and 150 sq ft 1 room office, asking $725. Rent includes everything. Call Owner 516-510-9452.

!"#$%&'%!()"

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

GARDEN CITY Retired GC couple Sold larger home and seek to buy Ranch or Cape Cod style home in Garden City. Can close immediately. Move at your convenience. Principals Only Call : 516-747-1024

Auto Wrecking Frank & Sons

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AUTOS WANTED AUTO BUYERS! We visit you. Highest cash paid. Or donate, tax deduct + cash. DMV#1303199. Please call Luke 516-VAN-CARS OR 516-297-2277

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AUTOMOTIVE

COLLEGE ESSAY CONSULTANT High School Seniors, get your essay done NOW before the start of school. Over 20 years of experience in College Counseling and over 30 years of teaching. If you are interested, please call: 516-289-3939 EXTERMINATING SERVICES Esquire Exterminating Svcs. *Mosquito Control Programs *Wood Destroying Insect Treatments *Rodent Control *General Pest Control Residential, Commercial, Industrial Free Estimates No Obligation Family Owned/Operated Call: 516-499-0676 or 646-533-6500. JACK’S CUSTOM FRAMING We can frame anything! Quality Care & Workmanship Thousands of frames to choose from!! Over 30 years in business! 92 Covert Ave, Stewart Manor 516-775-9495

ATTORNEY STEPHANIE A. D’ANGELO, ESQ. Elder Law, Wills & Trusts Asset Preservation, Estate Planning, Probate & Estate Administration/ Litigation 901 Stewart Ave, Ste 230 Garden City, NY 11530 5 1 6 - 2 2 2 - 1 1 2 2 www.dangelolawassociates.com

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READERS WRITE

How to achieve to global peace in our time

’m not sure how much clearer it can be at this point in time that the way the world works is not working. Tens of thousands are children are dying of malnutrition every day, war and violence is raging, storms are destroying, and people are sicker than ever. If our best thinking got us to this point, I believe it’s time to

consider a completely diﬀerent global security strategy based on generosity and care for the entire planet and all of its people. The Global Marshall Plan is a plan based on the original Marshall Plan in which the U.S. sent aid to Germany and other European nations following WWII to fix what was destroyed by war.

This new Global Marshall Plan discussed by Al Gore in his 1992 book, “Earth in Balance,” is an all-encompassing visionary plan to change the consciousness of humanity from that of domination and fear to global generosity and care. By directing 1-2 percent of the US’s annual GDP towards this initiative, the goal is to end

global hunger, homelessness, poverty, provide adequate education & healthcare, and restore the planet. While this is a global plan that all countries would eventually be a part of, it is imperative that the US steps up as a world leader in pioneering and demonstrating the spirit of generosity and love towards others that

this plan embodies. We can’t sustain this world and achieve global peace without a bold new vision like the Global Marshall Plan. To learn more and find out ways to help,visit www.spiritualprogressives.org. Marci Quinn Manhasset

Suozzi is the good in an imperfect world

t is said that “the perfect is the enemy of the good.” Joan Swirsky is a heroic local writer and political thinker. I have known her for nearly 40 years, going back to my Ed Koch, D’Amato and Pataki years. Twenty years ago, I was a conservative Democrat. Such species are now as rare as White Bengal Tigers, so draw your own conclusions. The more recent radicalism

and deconstructionism of the Democratic Party has presented a grave threat to American ideals, history and free-market capitalism. It is particularly egregious for Jews and supporters of Israel. That nationally significant Jewish enclaves such as Riverdale and Scarsdale essentially have no Congressional representation with the loss of Eliot Engel and other Democratic friends of Israel is truly an

egregious outcome. When AIPAC presents Nancy Pelosi as a great friend of Israel while she endorses a cretinous anti-Semite, Ilhan Omar, over a legitimate, urbane African-American primary opponent — the anti-Semitic infection has arrived at the very top of Democratic leadership. AOC, Tlaib, so many others Let’s just say that history shows that Jews don’t have a scent for im-

pending danger. Here on the north shore of Queens and Long Island, we have Tom Suozzi. Even up here, there are “progressive-regressives” nipping at his tail. I am not an orthodox party person. A Republican, yes — but political aﬃliation is not a religion — albeit so many of my brethren on the other side seem to meld the two. We are lucky that Tom Suozzi

prevailed in his primary. He has taken a lot of heat on the Israel front. Sad but true in today’s Democratic Party. We’re duty-bound to reward him. We don’t need to end up as Riverdale and Scarsdale. To Joan and all my neighbors — Tom is the good. There is no perfect. Jeﬀrey S. Wiesenfeld Great Neck

NYC Transit’s lack of organization chart

recent interview conducted by New York Daily News transportation reporter Clayton Guse with interim NYC Transit President Sarah Feinberg revealed some shocking information that taxpayers, commuters, elected oﬃcials and MTA funding agencies should take note of. After reading the article “Cut ouf the “s-t,” Transit boss: Who’s doing what is a mystery,” which appeared in the New York Daily News on Monday, July 13, you have to wonder who has been minding the store after learning about the latest New York MTA example of potential waste, fraud and abuse. After only four months on the job, Ms. Feinberg admitted that her agency has no complete organization chart. The most basic information explaining the tasks assigned each of 70,000 employees and their supervisor was not available. Any CEO, of a public or private organiza-

tion, with a budget in the billions, should have these details readily available. Any human resources department should also have this basic information on file for every employee. How can a supervisor perform an annual performance appraisal without this information? How can each NYC Transit department head manage their own large numbers of mid-level supervisors and employees? Ms. Feinberg also found she had to deal with multiple lists of consultants under contract to perform work for NYC Transit. It is a challenge just to determine what work each consultant is performing. How essential is their assigned work to the agency? Why wasn’t more of this work assigned to in-house resources? Based upon Ms. Feinberg’s shocking revelations, one has to ask if the presidents of Long Island Rail Road, Metro North Rail Road, MTA Capital Construction and

MTA Bus have up to date organization charts, complete lists of staﬀ assigned to each supervisor and department head, tasks assigned to each employee and complete understanding of their respective outside consultants program. Give Ms. Feinberg credit for instituting a freeze on travel out of state and employees’ use of MTA vehicles for private trips and travel to work. I would exempt those engineers visiting out of state manufacturing plants to perform inspection, quality assurance and quality control for any ongoing work. Has MTA Chairman Pat Foye directed all the other MTA operating agency Presidents to follow these excellent examples by Ms. Feinberg? The same reforms should also apply to several hundred MTA HQ employees. How could current and previous MTA chairman, board members along with NYC Transit presidents not have known about these critical issues for years?

Dems will redistribute wealth

n response to Eric Cashdan’s Letter, “Fascism blossoms in U.S. under Trump,” one can only come to the following conclusion:Trump-hating, Hillary-loving, Biden supporters will only be happy in a Marxist, leftist, progressive totalitarian state where

BLM (Bolsheviks, Leftists and Marxists) answer their 911 calls as Antifa peaceful protesters come through their front doors to redistribute their wealth. Walter J. Jaworski New Hyde Park

This scandal is reminiscent of what was found under the LIRR East Side Access to Grand Central Terminal project being managed by MTA Oﬃce of Capital Construction 10 years ago. A simple audit was performed by an accountant who reviewed a budget for train platforms being constructed under Grand Central Terminal. The accountant found that funding was provided under the project budget to pay for 900 workers, but could only find paperwork to justify 700 workers. No one on the MTA LIRR Eastside Access project could explain what tasks the other unaccounted for 200 workers performed. These 200 potential phantom employees were being paid at $1,000 dollars per day. They were subsequently removed from the payroll. No one ever determined how long they were on the payroll or how much they were paid. There is no evidence that these lost dollars were ever recovered. The MTA needs to do a far better job rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. Stop crying that the sky is falling and services will be drastically cut without a second $3.9 billion CARE COVID19 bailout from Washington. The MTA must put its own $17 billion annual operating and $51 billion Five Year 20202024 Capital Program in order first.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, NYC Office of Management and Budget and NYC Independent Budget Office need to investigate these findings. The federal Department of Transportation, state Department of Transportation and MTA’s own inspector general need to follow up. Other major MTA funding agencies such as the Federal Transit Administration also need to take a close look at these issues. NYC Transit averages spending 70 percent of the $12 billion available in open active FTA grants. They will be receiving 70 percent of the $1.4 billion in the federal fiscal year 2020 and even more in 2021. FTA has a legal and moral responsibility to ensure NYC Transit and all MTA operating agencies have the technical capacity to avoid having to deal with these critical issues raised by Ms.Feinberg. Never shy around a camera or microphone, why are Gov. Cuomo and Sen. Schumer so silent on these revelations? Larry Penner Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously worked 31 years for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office.

The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

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Suozzi declares victory over D’Arrigo Continued from Page 3 In a New York Times article posted on Friday, John Conklin, spokesman for the state’s Board of Elections, said the “astronomically high number of absentee ballots” overwhelmed a system that was not designed to handle that many. “The system is built

to process 3 to 5 percent of the election in absentee ballots, not 40 to 60 percent of the election,” Conklin told The Times. “You will see a similar extended counting period [in November] if we see an equally high number of absentee ballots.” Conklin told The Times that additional re-

sources such as overtime and hiring pay would be necessary to avoid delays in coming elections. In the 4th Congressional District, Republican candidate Douglas Tuman remains in the lead in the party primary to challenge Democratic incumbent Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) in November’s general

election. According to county figures, Tuman received 10,898, or 70.65 percent, of the votes, while his opponent Cindy Grosz received 4,292, or 27.82 votes. A total of 236 write-in votes were also submitted, according to the figures. The district is situated in central and

southern Nassau County, including Floral Park, Garden City, Hempstead, Mineola, Carle Place, New Hyde Park and Westbury. Tuman has not declared victory on any social media platform, nor has Grosz conceded. Efforts to reach both candidates for comment were unavailing.

Martin pool lawsuit moving forward Continued from Page 4 withdraw the matter from Bankruptcy Court, which he believes is a move to slow the litigation process. The Town of North Hempstead declined to comment on the suit. McKenna said the courts have been holding hearings remotely on a “conference call basis” and was able to move through litigation since the pandemic started. A number of subcontractors that were involved in the project have become wrapped into the case. Gramercy was awarded the contract to renovate the pool in 2017; its initial value was $20.7 million. On May 17, 2019, Gramercy declared bankruptcy and it filed suit against the town last July. Reports at the time said that the contractor encountered problems in the contract that caused delays in the project and extra ex-

penses. The suit is for $2.8 million. McKenna said Monday that he has attempted to get the town to agree to mediation, but the town has “been reticent” so far. The suit said that the

original contract did not contain detail of various components the town wanted included in the project, yet Gramercy was still expected to include them. The work then caused additional cost

and time constraints for Gramercy, which the company says it was not reimbursed for. Examples of issues that caused delays were the installation of shade structures around the pool and

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD

North Hempstead officials and New Hyde Park residents posing on July 6, 2017, before breaking ground at the Clinton G. Martin pool.

fire sprinkler systems in the indoor portions of the area. The deposition said that the town continuously added aspects to the shade structures, which caused delays. The suit also claimed that the town asked that Gramercy demolish an overflow system at no additional cost. Ahrens’ deposition said that Gramercy complained to LiRo that the town had continuously added more and more work to its scope. The original date for the project to be finished was April 2018, but by March, it was clear that would have to be delayed. Even after the pool opened following its renovation, the town had changes it wanted made to the pool area, according to reports last year. The case is ongoing and McKenna said that, if not for the novel coronavirus pandemic, the case would be “quite far along.”

Date set for verdict in Doomchin trial Continued from Page 12 The 68-year-old Doomchin wore a jail uniform the next day while she listened via Skype to testimony from forensic psychologist Chuck Denison and prosecution witness Mitchell Kessler, Newsday reported. According to Denison, Doomchin told him during a psychological exam, “I remember just attacking,” Newsday reported.

Efforts to reach Gottlieb and court officials for comment were unavailing. In an August 2018 arraignment, Assistant District Attorney Jared Rosenblatt said that Doomchin, who was brought out in handcuffs, had said she’d made a “terrible mistake,” she “meant to do a good thing,” and that “God should strike me dead.” But, Rosenblatt said,

the stabbing was likely motivated by “some sort of jealousy” because a male friend – not identified in court – was paying too much attention to someone “evil” in Doomchin’s eyes. Rosenblatt also referred to a 1999 case in which Doomchin stabbed a woman twice in the back with a 10-inch kitchen knife in a “place of business” and recommended

that, given the seriousness of the current case, Doomchin remain in custody. Gottlieb said in that prior case his client, a recently retired legal secretary who has lived in Great Neck for 20 years, had always returned for court dates. That case ultimately showed Doomchin had schizoaﬀective disorder and that she was not responsible for the stabbing, Gottlieb said.

In addition to her regular treatment with a Great Neck-based psychiatrist, Gottlieb said, Doomchin received outpatient psychiatric treatment for 10 years. That treatment was discontinued in 2011 after a finding from doctors, Gottlieb said, but Doomchin made sure to continue seeing her psychiatrist and take a number of medications in recognition of her illness.

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

38 Blank Slate Media Newspapers, Friday, July 24, 2020

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The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

Caterer adjusting to life on North Shore Continued from Page 11 Leshansky said. “If a person comes to me to service an event, it’s a party for everybody. I have the best smoke in the world.” Leshansky said he’s lost his kitchen staﬀ since the coronavirus pandemic began. He now has one person come in part-time but he sometimes works 90 hours a week. “I’m nearly a workaholic,” Leshansky said, adding that the hours have been taxing and he won’t be able to sustain that amount of work. Leshansky has a vast knowledge of quality food products and the process of their making. Max’s started as a kosher deli but has since branched out into smoked fish and other products. He grew up in the Five Towns area. Leshansky marveled at how things have changed in the food world in his lifetime. For one thing, the prices of fresh foods have skyrocketed. He said you used to be able to get a pound of sturgeon for under a dollar. Nova salmon was once a similar price, but now will go for around $49 per pound in some supermarkets. There used to be many smokehouses around the state, but he said there are only two “regular” smokehouses left in New York. Food businesses cater more and more to the masses, he said, sacrificing flavor and quality, something he doesn’t tolerate in his diet.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROB LESHANSKY

An early photo outside Max’s in it’s original location on the South Shore. “I ask people, how can they go to the supermarket and buy something and eat it when they don’t enjoy it?” Leshansky said. He attributed this to people not having an understanding of quality food and the process of making it. Leshansky said once the pandemic ends he will stick with a mix of deliveries, takeout and live events. He plans to start doing business through Uber Eats and Doordash and wants to get a website running. Above all, he said he plans to continue going above and beyond with the quality of his food and courtesy of his service.

Father honors former Roslyn Heights resident Continued from Page 11 Don would drive down semi-regularly to visit Max, with a letter in tow. After he read it, the father would dictate a response, which the son would handwrite. “I didn’t want to stop the letters,” Don said. “I couldn’t lose that connection with him.” Don visited his father for another letter on July 24, 2011, his 87th birthday. “Having my grandchildren and my children is what makes life meaningful,” Max wrote that day. “It’s about love and feeling you have an impact on others. You want to feel like you matter to the people who are important to you, and that they too have the same eﬀect on you. At this point, Donald, I have nothing more to say.” It would be his last, as Max died that September. In the following years, Don began working on a follow-up to their father-son volume, albeit with a diﬀerent, more “mature” perspective. “I became a man who’s now going through a lot of the same things that he went through with me,” Don said. “So I had a dif-

ferent understanding and insight now about what it was like to you know be a father with older children, and then to be a grandfather. It gave me a deeper appreciation for some of the things that I challenged him on in the first book.” Still residing and practicing in Connecticut with his wife, Dee, a native of Sands Point, Don said he is the “proud grandfather” of two grandsons and three granddaughters, who range from ages 1 to 9. He added that he hopes they can use the book as a way of getting to know their family’s past. “They’ll get to know what kind of relationship that their grandfather had with their great-grandfather,” Don said. “They’ll get a model of inspiration of a family legacy. They’ll learn a lot about where they came from and where they’re going. And hopefully, it’ll be passed down through generations.” He added that he sees the book as “a legacy piece.” “My father said that his kids were his immortality,” Don said. “Now I see that my kids and my grandkids are mine.” “The Inside Ride: A Journey to Manhood” is available through Amazon.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Happening at the Williston Park Library The Williston Park Library Is Open for Browsing! After being closed for three months due to the pandemic, The Williston Park Library is now open for browsing! For now, we have limited hours while we adjust our operations. Our New Daily Hours Are: Open for Browsing: Monday-Friday: 10am-5:30pmVestibule Pick-Up: Monday-Friday: 10am-5:30pm “Open for Browsing” means you can come inside, walk around the Library, and look for books and other items. Please limit your time to 30 minutes. Only one family at a time will be permitted in the Children’s Room. Items requested over the phone can be picked up in the Library vestibule. Please maintain social distancing

practices while in the Library. You will notice markers at the Circulation and Reference Desks and directional markers on our floors. All customers and staﬀ are required to wear face coverings at all times while in the Library, per Executive Order 202.17. Face coverings must cover both your mouth and nose. Congregating is not permitted. Please return items in the outside book drops. For safety reasons, we cannot accept items returned inside the library! The computer center and OPAC are unavailable until further notice.Newspapers are unavailable until further notice. Thank you for cooperating with the guidelines we have in place to keep us all safe.

@TheIslandNow

40 The Williston Times, Friday, July 24, 2020

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