Williston Times 2024_03_22

GUIDE TO SPRING

DALIMONTE, DeSENA CLASH

Herricks not liable in sex abuse case

Jury rejects $14M claim by exstudent molested by psychologist

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

A Nassau County jury Friday found the Herricks Union Free School District not negligible in the first Child Victims Act case against a Long Island school district to go to trial.

The plaintiff, referred to as J.G., alleged he was sexually abused in the 1980s by then-school psychologist Vincent Festa.

The jury found the school district did not act with reckless disregard in failing to protect the plaintiff from sexual abuse despite prior warnings and reports of abuse against Festa. The jury deliberated for eight hours over three days before reaching a verdict.

“We’re surprised and disappointed,” said attorney Jeffrey Herman, who represented J.G., following the verdict. “But at the end of the day, the most important thing was my client to have his day in court and to have a voice. I watched him in this trial barehis soul, and he was getting relief as the case went on.”

The plaintiff was seeking $14 million. He claimed that Festa abused him for eight years, starting when he was a student at Herricks Middle School.

Herricks Superintendent Tony Sinanis and Board of Education members issued a statement to district parents Friday: “We are pleased that justice

was served fairly and impartially for all parties involved. Furthermore, we are pleased that programs and services offered to our students throughout the district will not be adversely affected by a substantial monetary judgment in this case.”

The district has paid more than $1 million to settle four of the 21 claims against the district thus far.

The district’s proposed 2024-2025 budget is up by 5.2%, representing a budget-to-budget increase from last year of $6,990,394.

Without the costs being allocated toward legal fees, the budget would only increase by 3.25% as opposed to 5.2%.

There is currently one other trial involving Herricks. The case is also being heard by a jury in Nassau County Supreme Court. Like J.G., the plaintiff is seeking monetary damages for alleged abuse by Festa, claiming the district ignored initial reports of abuse in the 1980s, thus permitting the abuse to ensue.

The 2019Child Victims Act extended the statute of limitationsfor survivors of child sex abuse, granting survivors more time to press criminal charges against offenders. The act also applied to civil cases, allowing victims more time to file a claim for money damages.

Continued on Page 38

SENIORS CELEBRATE ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Newcomer Vaidya ousts incumbent trustee in E.W.

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Challenger Rushi Vaidya won one of the two trustee seats up for election Tuesday night in the Village of East Williston, ousting incumbent Trustee James Lark.

In the Villages of Williston Park and Mineola, incumbent candidates ran unopposed for their seats and were victorious.

Vaidya received a total of 203 votes, winning a trustee seat and pushing out Lark, who received a

total of 166 votes.

Incumbent Trustee Anthony Gallo received a total of 196 votes, securing his seat. And incumbent Village Justice Emil Samuels received 246 votes, securing his seat.

Two Cub Scout troop leaders turned East Williston village board trustees, Lark and Gallo, have been serving together since 2020. The pair make good friends, living just a few blocks apart. They are both fathers who like to volunteer for their kids’ organi-

zations, whether it be coaching the local Little League or heading up a scout troop. They have worked well together over the years, with both trustees viewing the East Williston board as a well-oiled machine.

But their time on the board together will come to an end this year.

Vaidya moved from Astoria to East Williston in 2022 with his wife and son.

Continued on Page 39

PHOTO COURTESY OF TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD RECEIVER JEANINE C. DRISCOLL

The Town of Hempstead celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with senior citizens at the Sands.

Schools facing cuts in state aid scramble

Assembly responds to changes in Hochul’s Foundation Aid formula with budget that protects all against reductions

BY CAMERYN OAKES

North Shore school districts are seeing drops in foundation aid for the first time since the state funding was introduced in 2007-2008, with many calling the governor’s proposal showing sweeping increases in state aid misleading as districts face budget challenges.

The New York State Assembly has now proposed a budget countering the governor’s that reinstates the lost foundation aid sought by local school districts.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2025 budget proposal includes $35.3 billion in state school aid. This is an increase of $825 million from the prior budget, or a rise of 2.4%.

The $825 million proposed increase from budget to budget encompasses a $507 million increase for Foundation Aid – the state’s main education operating aid formula that is based on equity. The remaining $318 million increase is attributed to all other school aid programs.

The 2025 budget proposal comes in the wake of the 2024 budget’s $3.1 billion increase in school aid – a historic rise in the state that amounted to a 10% increase from the prior budget.

New York State spends the most per pupil in the country. State aid spending per pupil has also continuously risen over the years, only seeing a dip in 2021, according to the Empire Center, with spending projected to continue increasing over the next four years.

Empire Center calculated that 185 New York districts, about a quarter, were in the top 5% for spending per pupil nationally. A majority of districts were in the top 10%.

Under Hochul’s proposal, a majority of North Shore schools are proposed to receive an increase in state aid.

But school districts have called the governor’s proposed school aid increase misleading, with districts seeing drops in their foundation aid for the first time and funds allocated to them that they are unable to use.

Foundation aid began as the state’s equity-based funding source for school districts, intended to alleviate disparities between districts. The New York State aid formula for schools is based on factors that evaluate enrollment, student need and district wealth.

Foundation aid was implemented in the 2007-2008 school year, with different state aid offerings provided before. But hold harmless initiatives have been in place for state aid funding since 1976, Manhasset Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations Sam Gergis said.

The state’s foundation aid has historically included a hold harmless protocol, which is a standard that ensures school districts either receive the same or more foundation aid from year to year regardless of enrollment.

But the protocol would be removed from this budget under Ho-

chul’s proposal, which the state budget director said would free up funds for high-need districts at a time when many school districts are flush with surplus funds as enrollment drops.

An op-ed written by state Division of Budget Director Blake Washington applauded the governor’s investment in schools and says her funding of schools is unprecedented.

“Instead of asking the question, ‘how much more money are our schools getting?’ it should be ‘why do we have a formula that forces us to pay for students that don’t exist?’” Washington wrote. “These are the hard conversations where the governor is trying to inject common sense as we engage with districts, families, the Legislature, and stakeholders in this upcoming budget. Only then can we find real, sustainable solutions that New York taxpayers rely on while also

Continued on Page 38

Mineola approves rise in water rates

Pereira says little impact on residents

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

The Village of Mineola Board of Trustees adopted three amendments to the village’s municipal code Wednesday to aid the village water department and raise residents’ taxes.

The approved amendments will raise water rates by 5% beginning June 1, 2024, 5.5% beginning June 1, 2025 and 6% beginning June 1, 2026, said Thomas Rini, Mineola’s superintendent of public works.

The total estimated cost of the projects is $34,970,788, Rini said.

“What we can’t lose sight of in all of this is that the most important thing is for us to deliver clean water to our residents and you can’t put a price tag on that,” said Mayor Paul Pereira.

The first code amendment makes anyone who turns on the village water service for use without permission from the village liable for costs and penalties.

This will have little to no impact on the average Mineola resident, explained Pereira, and the amendment is meant to mitigate rare rule-breaking from a contractor or builder who takes advantage of the village water service.

The third code amendment places the responsibility of water pipe costs onto the business doing work in the village, which Pereira said will also not have much of an impact on town residents.

The second amendment the board approved, which raised water rates and fees, will impact resident taxes the most.

“Many of our resident ratepayers may not be aware, [but] the village’s water division is not like any of our neighboring water districts,” said Rini. “Unlike [other] districts … the [Mineola] village’s water division does not have the ability or authority to recommend or levy taxes.”

This required the village board to approve the amendments.

A major topic of discussion was the construction of new contaminatedetecting facilities at multiple water wells around the village.

These facilities are large undertakings.

The first phase of the construction project for one of these treatment systems is expected to be completed by the end of May and the facility should be operational by late June.

Continued on Page 38

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The Mineola board of trustees approved amendments to the village’s municipal code Wednesday.

Dalimonte, DeSena spar over dysfunction

In letter and response to Blank Slate Media, 2 officials blame each other for lack of cooperation

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The dysfunction of the Town of North Hempstead Board is apparent at nearly every meeting where Democrat vs. Republican councilmembers lock horns over various issues.

In a recent letter to Blank Slate Media, Councilmember Mariann Dalimonte contended that dysfunction exists beyond the monthly meetings as she cited a lack of communication from Supervisor Jennifer DeSena. In response, the supervisor defended the public quarrels and called for Dalimonte to stop holding up town procedures with her personal interests.

“She can’t have it both ways and this petty political game she is playing needs to stop, for all our constituents’ sake,” Dalimonte wrote in her letter. “I will always remain willing to work with Supervisor DeSena on anything which improves the quality of life for the residents of District 6 and the Town of North Hempstead.”

DeSena, a registered Democrat elected as the town’s first Republican supervisor in decades, took office in 2022 and stepped onto a Democraticmajority board. This dynamic for her first two years in office fostered many examples of divisiveness between the board’s Republicans and Democrats, who held a 4-3 majority.

Democrat, provided five examples of dysfunctionality in town hall and cited DeSena as the catalyst in all five.

This included her invitation for the supervisor to discuss District 6 items that has not had a response, DeSena disinviting Dalimonte from a meeting with the Port Washington Police District about the new headquarters purchase and Dalimonte’s unanswered requests to the supervisor to get the previous agenda items uploaded to Novus Agenda – the town’s agenda building software. She also mentioned DeSena’s lack of response to requests aboutestablishing the annual shrink wrap recycling program and meeting to discuss the reopening of Manorhaven Beach Park.

Some of the requests, Dalimonte said, have been repeated multiple times and spanned months.

DeSena described Dalimonte’s grievances as a calculated distraction from the town’s broader responsibilities.

But after November’s election, the Town Board flipped to a Republican majority that took over in January.

The divisiveness and public displays of dysfunction have continued in the first three months since Republicans

assumed their 4-3 majority on the board.

“At my first inaugural, I stated that my goal was to remove the politics from Town Hall,” DeSena wrote in her letter to Blank Slate Media. “Council-

woman Dalimonte’s letter is precisely the type of partisan squabbling I was referring to as it quickly leads us to dysfunction and inefficient government for our taxpayers.”

The councilmember, who is a

“While I know that addressing her letter might unfortunately perpetuate the issue, I believe it’s time we get to the truth of the matter: it’s a blatant effort to have a personal agenda take precedence over the everyday business of the Town,” DeSena wrote. “My

Continued on Page 39

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SUPERVISOR, COUNCILMEMBER

Town Councilmember Mariann Dalimonte, right, accused Supervisor Jennifer DeSena of perpetuating the town’s dysfunction through due to her exclusion and lack of communication with her

Chaminade hires layperson as principal

Robert Paul will assume position beginning July 1, taking over from Brother Joseph Bellizzi

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Brother Joseph Bellizzi will be stepping down from his position as principal of Chaminade High School in Mineola on June 30 after 25 years. He has been named provincial of the Province of Meribah in the Diocese of Rockville Center.

Robert Paul will take over as Chaminade’s 12th principal on July 1. Paul will be the first layperson to serve as principal of the school.

“I know I join the entire Chaminade family in thanking Bro. Joseph for his 25 years of extraordinary leadership as principal and assuring him of our prayers as he takes up his new service,” said President Bro. Thomas Cleary.

A Chaminade alum himself, Bellizzi entered the Marianist Community at Chaminade in 1978 after graduation. He earned degrees from St. John’s University, a Catholic and Vincentian school in Queens, and New York University before joining the academic faculty at Chaminade in 1982.

Bellizzi served as assistant principal at Chaminade from 1987 to 1990. He then became assistant principal at Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale before returning to Chaminade as director of its Marianist Community in 1996.

He became principal in 1999 and

100th anniversary in 2030.

Paul, like Bellizzi, is a Chaminade alum, having graduated in 1992. He completed his undergraduate studies at Boston College, a private Jesuit university, and his graduate studies at LIU Post.

Paul joined the Chaminade staff as a member of the Science Department faculty in 2000.

He has served as assistant principal of academics since 2017 and is an assistant coach of the varsity basketball team.

“I am humbled and honored by the Marianist Community’s appointment,” said Paul. “We will work together so that Chaminade High School continues to be the gold standard of Catholic high school education.”

Paul’s appointment comes at a time when an increasing number of religious universities and high schools are being led by laypeople for the first time. There are not enough young men entering the priesthood in the United States to replace older priests who retire or die, narrowing the field for priests who are eligible to head universities and private schools.

continued to teach freshman religion classes during his tenure.

As provincial, Bellizzi will act as a representative for the province in communication with the administration in

Rome and work on a long-term care plan for the brothers at Chaminade and Kellenberg.

“I congratulate the Marianist Community for appointing Mr. Paul as Cham-

inade’s next principal,” said Bellizzi. “A competent and keen leader, Mr. Paul will certainly move our school in the right direction as we approach the centennial.” Chaminade will be celebrating its

The number of Catholic priests in the United States has dropped sharply in recent decades, from 59,192 in 1970 to 35,513 in 2020, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, a Georgetown University research initiative.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS

Brother Joseph Bellizzi will be stepping down as principal of Chaminade High School.

NHP alleged squatters ordered to leave

BY CAMERYN OAKES

After months of neighborhood squabbles, pleas to the Town of North Hempstead and a civil lawsuit, the residents of a New Hyde Park neighborhood were able to get the courts to side with them and vacate their suspected squatter neighbors.

But with delays in the eviction process, the suspected squatters remain in the home. Residents say they may have won this battle, but are still in the midst of the war to kick them out of the neighborhood.

“They picked the wrong neighborhood to pull their antics,” neighbor Al Moline said.

The individuals, 19-year-old Margaret Grover and 29-year-old Denton Gayle, moved into the Brussel Drive home in August with their baby and dog. The couple drives a Porsche Cayenne with a Pennsylvania license plate.

Neighbor Jerry Jacob said police were alerted to the living conditions at the foreclosed home occupied by the family and investigated the dwelling in October. This is when they discovered the home had no electricity, hot water or plumbing, Jacob said, which led to the arrest of the two individuals.

Both of the suspected squatters were charged with endangering the welfare of a child and pleaded not guilty.

In addition to the child endangerment charges, Gayle was charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.

In October, the Town of North Hempstead Building Department determined the home had failed its inspection and was unlivable without working bathrooms.

The couple presented in court a lease for the home at 39 Brussel Drive after they were arrested and removed from the home in October. They claimed they had been illegally locked out of the home by the landlord Edward Iacono.

The couple submitted a two-year lease to the court from Iacono on June 1, declaring they

were renting the property for $1,500 a month. It also included a rent-to-own provision.

Iacono did own the home, but he has been dead since 2016 and the house was foreclosed in 2013.

In December, Nassau County District Judge Christopher Coschignano granted them occupancy of the home on the grounds that the landlord was not alive and therefore could not sign a lease with the couple nor illegally lock them out.

Nevertheless, neighbors who have had some confrontations with the couple were not convinced the lease was valid, challenging their court-granted occupancy in a lawsuit.

On March 6, the judge reversed his original order granting them occupancy of the home and ordered the squatters to be evicted.

Grover and Gayle have appealed the judge’s eviction order, claiming there is no legal standing for their eviction, the New York Post reported.

While the court ordered their immediate eviction, Moline said the warrant of eviction has not been provided to police and therefore they are unable to evict the squatters yet.

“It’s frustrating because nobody has the piece of paper that says ‘here you go, sheriff, go in there and do your job,’” Moline said.

The town said it is giving the bank 90 days to finish the foreclosure. If not done, they said they will take over the property using the state’s Zombie law, which permits municipalities to inspect, secure and maintain vacant and abandoned properties.

The town said it would also pay for the commercial movers and 30 days of storage required for the eviction, according to the New York Post.

For months the residents of Brussel Drive have been living with the suspected squatters who they say created an unsafe environment, putting the neighborhood on edge.

“We lose sleep over this because now we’re so nervous, we’re so scared, especially for our kids,” Jacob said after several run-ins between the unwanted newcomers and residents.

Women’s Health Care of Garden City committed to personalized care

By John L. Gomes, MD

John L. Gomes, MD, founded Women’s Health Care of Garden City in 1995. It has remained an independent private practice, providing personalized obstetrical and gynecological services.

He employs the technical advances of conventional medicine with an integrative approach to navigate women through difficult pregnancies into the menopausal years. He treats a wide variety of OB/GYN conditions and is dedicated to providing the highest quality of care.

All tests are conveniently done on the premises, and a dedicated, compassionate staff is on call 24/7.

He is committed to excellence in patient communication, education and support, as many patients come with anxiety associated with past experiences and future concerns.

Dr. Gomes received his undergraduate degree from Brown University, and his Doctor of Medicine from Columbia University.

He is both Board Certified and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Women’s Health Care of Garden City is located at 1000 Franklin Avenue, Suite 200, Garden City.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JERRY JACOBS

The formerly abandoned house on Brussel Drive in New Hyde Park that neighbors say is occupied by squatters.

Lafazan drops out of Senate race

Ex-county legislators endorses Port’s Keiserman in 7th District primary to take on Martins

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Former Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan suspended his campaign in the Democratic primary race for New York Senate’s 7th District, endorsing Port Washington resident Kim Keiserman as he exits.

“Kim Keiserman is the right candidate for this moment to take on this fight and I’m proud to offer her my strong and enthusiastic endorsement to be our next State Senator here in District 7,” Lafazan said.

Lafazan’s exist leaves Roselyn resident Brad Schwartz as her only opponent in the race to represent the Democratic party in a bid to replace state Sen. Jack Martins, a Republican.

Schwatz, who ran in the 2018 race but dropped out before the primary against former state Sen. Anna Kaplan, is a former television editor and producer with a PhD in public policy.

The district, which includes much of the North Shore and the Town of Oyster Bay as far east as Woodbury, is currently represented by Martins, who flipped the district in 2022.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Lafazan said his decision to end his campaign was decided after discussions with the Nassau County Democratic Party and its chairman Jay Jacobs.

He said the end of his campaign is in the interest of party unification – which he said is more important than “a drawn-out primary as we work to flip this seat.”

“It’s time for this community to come together and give our district the thoughtful, engaged repre-

bring to the Senate,” Lafazan said. “And they will vote for her because of her strong commitments to affordability, women’s rights, the environment, and public safety, especially from gun violence.”

Lafazan was ousted from his seat in the Nassau County Legislature in November when he was defeated by his Republican opponent Samantha Goetz.

His endorsement comes two weeks after Keiserman garnered a slew of endorsements from other local Democrats, including state Assemblymember Gina Sillitti, former state Sen. Anna Kaplan, Democratic National Committeeman Robert Zimmerman and Nassau County Legislature Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton.

The sentiments of Keiserman’s unification abilities expressed by Lafazan and her campaign were also echoed by many of the prior 10 endorsers.

Keiserman, who is an education consultant, serves as a commissioner for the North Hempstead Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, is the chairwoman of the Baxter Estates Planning Board.

sentation we deserve in the state Senate,” Keiserman said. “I know when we’re united behind the core values of compassion, decency, and respect, we can solve our biggest challenges and win here on Long Island.”

While Lafazan is suspending his campaign, he said this will not end his involvement in the race.

“I am going to do everything in my power to help Kim win this race and I look forward to hitting the campaign trail with her as we work to flip this seat in November,” Lafazan said.

Keiserman praised Lafazan and his history of local advocacy, thanking him for his endorsement and

calling him an “invaluable asset” to her campaign as they join forces to flip the district to blue once again.

Her campaign called the endorsement an example of the unification of the Democratic Party as they push forward a candidate they say is “best equipped to bring people together and deliver a victory in November.”

Lafazan said his 11-year tenure as District 18 county legislator and Syosset Board of Education member influenced his confidence in Keiserman.

“I speak confidently when I say that voters in these neighborhoods welcome a candidate with the empathy, compassion, and tenacity that Kim will

She also is co-president of the Baxter’s Pond Foundation and president of the Port Washington Democratic Club.

She said she plans to advocate for increased public school funding, sensible gun policies and combatting climate change to “create a future that reflects shared aspirations and ensures a fair, inclusive, and prosperous Long Island for all,” her campaign said.

The filing deadline for the state Senate election is April 4.

The primary election for party nominees is June 25. The general election will then be held on Nov. 5.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CANDIDATES

Former Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan has dropped out of the Democratic Primary race for New York Senate’s Seventh District race, endorsing Democrat Kim Keiserman instead.

S:11.45"

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E.W. voters OK rise in firefighter award

Referendums approved to reward department voluneers for length of service to village

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Village of East Williston residents voted through a referendum Tuesday night that will alter the village’s Length of Service Award program for firefighters.

The referendum proposed an increase in funding for LOSAP, which is a service award program in which active firefighters can earn service credit yearly up to a maximum number of years of service and begin receiving their service award at a fixed entitlement age.

Village residents approved an increase in funding for the LOSAP for volunteer firefighters. The LOSAP referendum passed during a village election Tuesday night with 199 votes yes, according to the East Williston village.

The LOSAP funding is not included in this year’s budget despite some confusion over this point at last month’s meeting, at which the funding was a large topic of discussion.

The LOSAP referendum voted through Tuesday proposed that the minimum age at which a firefighter may begin to draw benefits be lowered to 62 instead of the current minimum age of 65.

Currently, firefighters who have met their entitlement requirements are authorized to receive that entitlement for each year of service in which they satisfied the participation requirements up to a maximum of 40 years. The referendum proposed that this maximum be raised to 50 years.

The referendum also suggested that in the event a firefighter is severely disabled dur -

the increase in LOSAP funding will only result in an estimated additional $25 to each resident’s taxes.

Village of East Williston board members also introduced a tentative 2024-2025 village budget on March 11, for which there will be a public hearing in April.The proposed 20242025 budget is $3,055,253, according to Delury. The reserve fund balance is projected to be $357,570.

The budget represents a 2.056% increase in the tax levy from last year, which is under the tax cap.

The main reason for tax increases this year is a spike in medical and health premiums for the village, a financial stressor many villages and school districts across the county are facing, according to village officials.

The cost of medical insurance premiums in the village for 2023-2024 was originally projected to be $125,000. This cost increased to $166,000 in January due to an unforeseen rise in rates.

Now, insurance costs are estimated to increase again to $299,000 in 2024-2025, according to Mayor Bonnie Parente.

ing their time as a volunteer, the firefighter should continue to receive five points toward their LOSAP for each month they are disabled and prevented from volunteering.

Lastly, the referendum proposed that active volunteer firefighters should be able to receive one point per public education class taught on fire safety up to a maximum of five points per reporting period.

Although this referendum was passed Tuesday night, the increase in costs will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2025. The board intends to include money to offset these costs in the 2025-2026 budget, said Mayor Bonnie Parente.

Michael Delury, the village treasurer, said

Board members emphasized that the village has stayed below the tax cap for the past 11 years.

The 2023-2024 budget represented a 1.039% increase in the tax levy from the previous year.

The public hearing for the budget is set for Monday, April 1 at 7 p.m. in the East Williston Village Hall.

Ex Chaminade prez, accused of abuse, dies

BY CAMERYN OAKES

James Williams, a former president of Mineola’s Chaminade High School who was suspended from serving as a priest in 2016 after reports of alleged student sexual abuse was found to be “credible,” died in December at the age of 54.

His Dec. 12 death was not publically announced by his former religious order, the Marianists, who manage the all-boys school, but was confirmed in February to Newsday. His cause of death was not disclosed by the school.

Williams was a teacher and administrator at the Catholic Marianist school in Mineola from 1991 until 2012. He began his tenure as a math teacher until being appointed the school’s president in 1999.

He stepped down from his presidential role in August

2011 but remained a teacher and chaplain for another year.

In tandem with leaving his role as the school’s president in 2011, that same year he was also alleged to have abused a former student who the school said was a minor at the time. Williams denied the allegations.

An investigation into the abuse began in February 2015, and after 15 months determined the allegations to be credible. His suspension in 2016 was a result of these findings.

The Marianists, who manage the school, went to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office about the abuse allegations. The DA conducted its own investigation.

The victim, who the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said was an adult at the time of abuse despite the Catholic order claiming they were a minor, did not press charges against Williams. The

two-year statute of limitations had already expired by the time of the investigation.

The allegation was also forwarded to the Vatican, which also determined the abuse allegations against Williams to be credible , according to Newsday. He was then defrocked, meaning he was removed as a member of the clergy and could no longer serve as a priest permanently.

Williams was allegedly living in Rome during the investigation, with a September 2015 newsletter from the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Brookville stating he was going to Rome to pursue a doctorate at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas.

According to Newsday, Williams worked for a Manhattan-based residential cleaning service for three years as an operations manager. He was laid off from the role in October.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ISLAND 360 ARCHIVES

Former Chaminade High School president and priest James Williams, who was investigated for allegations of abusing a student that were later found to be “credible,” died Dec. 12. He was 54.

PHOTO BY JED HENDRIXSON

The Village of East Williston held an election March 19.

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T Bar brings taste of Manhattan to Roslyn

Upscales eatery joins growing number of city restaurants to opens locations in the area

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Keith Valenti, 48, is bringing Manhattan to Long Island with T BAR Roslyn, a luxury steakhouse located on Old Northern Boulevard.

Though now residing in the city, the restaurateur was raised in Westbury and attended W. T. Clarke High School. His work in restaurants traces back to his childhood.

“I’ve been in the restaurant business since I was probably about 12 years old, so it’s kind of always been there,” said Valenti during an interview at Felice Roslyn. “[And then] it was very convenient while I was playing in a rock and roll band.”

Since opening T BAR Roslyn less than two weeks ago, Valenti’s days have been packed full and each morning starts with a commute to Long Island from Manhattan.

“You know, somebody said to me, ‘Everybody tries to do Manhattan in Long Island and I think you guys actually kinda got it where the vibe is right,’” said Valenti, dressed sharp with long hair and shades. “But it’s not obnoxious or rude. You know, we have a lot of older clientele that we love, so we’re not just catering to the younger crowd. But the vibe is great. To me, that’s the hardest part.”

Valenti and his T BAR partner, Derek Axelrod, previously owned a juice bar in Hoboken together. This past experience explains Valenti’s hands-on care for the bar program, personally making the juices and sugars for the drinks.

And customers are certainly liking the menu.

“It’s been booked out completely,” said Valenti, just nine days after the restaurant’s opening night. “Like, rocketship kind of stuff.”

The restaurant’s success makes sense, considering the popularity of the other T BAR locations. Plus, this isn’t Valenti’s first venture into the restaurant business, having been involved in Brass Swan in Roslyn, which closed last October.

But in a way, T BAR Roslyn is somewhat of a passion project for Valenti and Axelrod.

The vibe, “very sexy” says Valenti, permeates throughout the business, from the valet service at the door — a rarity in Nassau County towns — to the ambient lighting and plush seating inside.

Along with its main dining room, T BAR Roslyn has several private dining rooms available for parties

and events. Larger groups can request full or partial restaurant buyouts.

The restaurant is ready for a Long Island summer, offering an upstairs dining room leading to an outside deck and separate upstairs bar.

The co-owner raves about the restaurant’s cocktail selection: “better than I’ve seen on Long Island at all.”

Much like T BAR Manhattan and T BAR Southampton, the steak bar is a standout at the restaurant, but the menu also offers yellowfin tuna tartare, extra crispy Long Island duck, a superior turkey burger and sushi, to name some of Valenti’s favorites.

The restaurant’s original owner, Tony Fortuna, died just two months ago. He was a career restaurateur, helping to run a host of trendy restaurants throughout New York City.

When Fortuna fell ill, Valenti left his job to join T BAR full time.

“Really, it’s Tony’s legacy,” said Valenti. “I think it’s really just about keeping the T BAR name and driving Tony’s legacy, you know, into the future.”

Mashadi host bat mitzvah for Israel’s bereaved

BY JASMINE SELLARS

In a heartwarming display of celebration and solidarity, the United Mashadi Jewish Community of America of Great Neck collaborated with OneFamily to host a special bat mitzvah reception for Israeli girls who have lost a parent or sibling in the Israel–Hamas war.

The event, created and organized by OneFamily CEO Chantal Belzberg, welcomed 20 United Mashadi women’s solidarity mission participants to join the group of 22 Israeli girls in Jerusalem, Israel for the special ceremony.

“To come to a nation that can pull this off beautifully, sensitively, and with the pure aim to make people happy in dark times — it’s incredible,” UMJCA participant Stephanie Aziz said.

OneFamily is a non-profit organization that primarily supports Israeli victims of terrorism with several resources, including financial aid, workshops, support groups, legal advice and more.

The memorable night featured a traditional evening filled with dancing, a multi-course meal, professional photography, makeup glam sessions, art-making, special guest speakers and heartfelt bat mitzvah gifts.

“It was emotional,” UMJCA participant Natalie Kamali said. “It was

Participants dancing at the bat mitzvah.

inspirational. It was intense. OneFamily did an incredible job planning it from beginning to end. There were moments where a lot of the bar mitzvah girls were crying, especially when the rabbi was giving a speech. And there were moments of extreme happiness and laughter and dancing and joy. So it was really bittersweet, but very beautiful.”

The UMJCA’s decision to join the OneFamily celebration came after they made a significant donation to a fundraiser that supports families in

Israel. In a kind act of appreciation, OneFamily extended an invitation to the mission participants when they realized that the donation would be going to one of the families involved in the group bat mitzvah.

“Of course, we said yes,” Kamali said. “Especially because we felt so connected to this idea. We thought it would be the perfect addition to our itinerary.”

UMJCA said the noteworthy celebration reminded them of their own annual traditional group bat mitzvah

called jamati in the Persian language.

“We came here to bring joy, but it also brings us much joy,” UMJCA representative Nicole Ben Yehuda said. “It is a privilege to be with these special young women.”

In light of the losses that many families have faced since the Oct. 7 attack, Belzberg emphasized the importance of unity and strength.

“At OneFamily, you are allowed to hurt, to talk about the pain, to cry — everything is allowed,” Belzberg said. “In this family, we celebrate even when it is not easy to do so, and we always feel embraced and accepted.”

The celebration was made to honor the young women who all shared poignant stories of loss in the last few months.

Noa Fisch, one of the bereaved, shared that her brother Capt. Eitan Fisch from the Armored Corps was killed in December in Gaza. Talia Rauchberger lost her brother, Golani Captain Shilo Rauchberger, who was killed in battle near the Gaza border on Oct. 7.

Adele Ben Yiftach is also among those who are still grappling with the absence of a loved one, finding solace and fortitude in the gathering. She said that her father, Oren Ben Yiftach, died in a terrorist attack on Israel’s Independence Day in 2022.

“At home, there is nothing we can

do,” UMJCA participant Jamie Kamall said. “We watch the news, and we’re angry. We came into a war, and Israelis uplifted us. This spirit is what weneeded.”

Among many of the distinguished guests included co-founder of Israel Impact Partners and former CEO of Mosaic Rabbi Benji Levi, who led the young women and party guests into a traditional prayer that parents give their daughters.

“You are the Queen Esthers of today,” Rabbi Levi said. “Your bravery comes through every day — when you are with your family and friends, and in everything you do. You are the absolute heroes of our generation. If a twenty-fifth book of the Tanach were meant to be written, you would be written in that.”

OneFamily also invited supporter Israeli Knesset Minister Idit Silman and several OneFamily regional coordinators who work closely with each of the young women and their families.

“I am moved to see you here tonight,” Silman said. “It is not a given that one would celebrate a bat mitzvah under these circumstances. Your pain is not yours alone. It is shared by all of us, the Jewish people. We are truly one family, and it is wonderful to see how OneFamily brings light to those who are struggling and in pain.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEIR PAVLOVSKY

PHOTO BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

T BAR Roslyn exterior.

Jenner joins Blakeman in trans ban fight

Gold medalist, reality star attends press conference to support county executive’s order

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Olympic gold medalist and reality television star Caitlyn Jenner, who famously transitioned in the public eye, endorsed Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s ban on transgender girl and women athletes during a press conference Monday in Mineola.

The executive order signed by Blakeman Feb. 22 bars transgender girl and women athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports at county facilities.

“I flew here this morning to stand with Nassau County in their fight for the protection of women and girls in sports,” said Jenner. “Let’s lead the way for all sports.”

Jenner touted her years of experience as an athlete, saying she “worked with everybody,” from fellow athletes to advertisers to politicians. And over the years, she said she has seen the improvement in protections for women, specifically the implementation of Title IX.

Title IX, which was passed in 1972, is an education amendment that prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and activities. The title expanded women’s participation in education programs and school athletics.

Jenner pointed to “massive advantages and undeniable differences from male development” for transgender girl and women athletes, saying that even transgender girl and women athletes who have undergone hormone treatments and surgeries should not be allowed to compete in girl and women sports.

David Kilmnick, the president of the New York LGBT Network, called Jenner’s arguments hypocritical.

“Caitlyn Jenner’s support for anti-LGBT initiatives stands as a baffling contradiction to her own identity and the struggles she has faced as a transgender woman,” said Kilmnick in a statement. “It is disheartening to witness someone who has experienced the challenges of being marginalized actively contribute to the oppression of others within the same community.”

Jenner said she is just trying to protect

ment in sports. Blakeman emphasized that these measures are meant to be preventative.

“One of [these women] said to me, ‘Do we have to get injured before anybody takes any action?’” said Blakeman. “You don’t have to wait to get punched in the nose to take action in government.”

Blakeman said his executive order is “not anti-trans” and that it has one goal: to ensure fair competition for women and girls. He called Nassau County a “welcoming” and “loving” place and said that transgender boy and men athletes can compete on boys’ and men’s teams because there is no fairness issue involved.

He believes his order will be deemed legal because women and girls are a protected class in the Constitution.

Most recently, the executive order was challenged by the New York Civil Liberties Union and Long Island Roller Rebels, a women’s roller derby league, when they filed a lawsuit March 11 against Blakeman.

women from harm.

“[The] biological realities that exist … lead to physical harm when trans women, or biological males, compete in sports against women,” said Jenner.

She recalled a North Carolina high school volleyball player, Payton McNabb, who received a concussion after being spiked in the head during a game by a transgender athlete. Jenner said the average volleyball spike for men is 82 miles per hour, while the average spike for women is 64 miles per hour.

She opposed President Joe Biden’s proposed changes to Title IX, which would prohibit discrimination based on gender identity, not just sex. If these proposals were to go into effect, Blakeman’s executive order would be in violation of Title IX.

Blakeman accused transgender girl and women athletes who join women’s sports of bullying, but Kilmnick argued it is transgender

students who are bullied.

“Jenner’s alignment with such positions not only perpetuates discrimination but also adds fuel to the rising number of violent and hate incidents committed against transgender individuals,” said Kilmnick.

Most recently, an LGTBQ teenager in Oklahoma died Feb. 8, just one day after an alleged fight in the high school bathroom. Nex Benedict, 16, reportedly used both he/him and they/ them pronouns. His mother, Sue Benedict, told The Independent that Nex told her that they were bullied because of their gender identity.

And when asked to name a single transgender athlete in Nassau County who attempted to play on one of these county-protected school athletic teams, Blakeman could not give a name.

Instead, Blakeman said he has heard from a lot of women and girls that they are unhappy about transgender girls’ and women’s involve-

The suit calls Blakeman’s executive order “discriminatory” and “unlawful,” arguing that the order violates New York’s Human Rights Law and Civil Rights Law as well as guidance from the state Education Department.

The Long Island Roller Rebels, which are based in Massapequa, currently haveat least one league member who would be prohibitedfrom participating in their league under the executive order, according to the lawsuit.

“We try to be open to people of all types and this order really shuts down the possibilities for our league to grow,”Roller Rebels player and team Vice President Curly Fry told Newsday.

After Blakeman signed the executive order,New York State Attorney General Letitia James issued a cease-and-desist letterto Blakeman demanding that he rescind the order.

“We have no room for hate or bigotry in New York,” said James. “This executive order is transphobic and blatantly illegal.”

In response, Blakeman and the Floral Park parents of a 16-year-old girls’ volleyball playerfiled a federal lawsuit against James.

Devine hired as Town of Hempstead spokesperson

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Brian Devine, the former spokesperson for defeated congressional candidate Mazi Pilip and North Hempstead communications director under Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, was hired by the Town of Hempstead as its newest spokesperson.

Devine is replacing the former spokesperson, Greg Blower, who resigned to assume the town’s role of deputy commissioner in the Department of Planning and Economic Development. Blower began the town’s spokesperson position in 2020.

The Town of Hempstead voted on March 12 to tempo-

rarily appoint Devine to the director of communications position for the Department of General Services and Administration. The retroactive start date for the position was March 1.

He is paid an annual salary of $140,000 for the Hempstead position.

Four days after his official start date at the Town of Hempstead, Devine’s resignation from the Town of North Hempstead was approved by the town board at its March 5 meeting. His resignation from the position of director of legislative affairs for the supervisor’s office was retroactive to Feb. 29, one day before he began working for the Town of Hempstead.

The full-time position at

the Town of North Hempstead paid Devine an annual salary of $104,500.

Devine worked for the Town of North Hempstead’s communications team under DeSena beginning in 2022.

He took a leave of absence from his North Hempstead position on Jan. 3 to serve as Pilip’s spokesperson for her congressional bid in the special election to replace ousted representative George Santos. Pilip, a Republican, lost in February to her Democratic challenger, now Rep. Tom Suozzi.

Prior to his work at the Town of North Hempstead, Devine worked in the communications office for the Town of Oyster Bay from 2009 until 2022.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS The

SCREENCAP BY TAYLOR HERZLICH

Caitlyn Jenner spoke alongside Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman in Mineola Monday.

Tell Albany they need to help newspapers

On Jan. 18, the publisher of the Scarsdale Inquirer announced that the newspaper serving one of Westchester County’s most prominent suburbs had suspended publication after 123 years.

Gone was the newspaper’s coverage of government and schools, local businesses, local residents who have excelled and the athletic and academic exploits of students. A cost-effective way for businesses to reach their customers was no more.

The press release issued by the publisher said the award-winning paper was looking for “solutions to bring us back to sustainability.” But the paper has yet to reopen.

The Inquirer was joined by two other publications owned by its parent company that covered northern Westchester and what are known as the Rivertowns — Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Ardsley and Dobbs Ferry. They also shut their doors and have yet to resume publishing.

Despite the newspapers’ reputation for excellence, the closing of the three Westchester weeklies is hardly uncommon.

“More than 3,000 newspapers have been shuttered across the country since 2004 – and New York newspapers have been particularly hard hit,” according to Empire State Local News Coalition, a group of 150 newspapers that includes Blank Slate Media.

“In 2004, New York boasted 501 newspapers; today, it’s only 260,” the coalition wrote. “In 2022 alone, 30 newspapers closed across the state. A quarter of New York’s counties are now news deserts — down to their last newspaper. Orleans County recently became the first in the state to have none.”

Even those newspapers surviving have been forced to reduce staff — including reporters covering the news and editors overseeing their work.

Why does this matter?

Aren’t there other sources of information that will take their place? Isn’t this simply a matter of technological progress that has impacted countless

industries throughout the history of this country?

The short answer is no.

Help wanted and other classified advertising that were once the most profitable section of daily and weekly newspapers have moved online. And, to a lesser extent, advertisers who customarily appear throughout the paper have migrated to a digital ecosystem controlled by Google through its dominance of online ad sales.

But nothing has replaced local newspapers for gathering and reporting local news in an even-handed manner. And the impact can be measured.

Studies show that when a community loses its source of local news, it experiences decreased voter turnout and civic engagement; higher municipal borrowing costs as bond ratings go down and taxes up; and diminished transparency among government and business officials, leading to increased waste, fraud, and abuse.

Horse-drawn carriages were replaced by automobiles. But what is replacing local newspapers? TikTok?

More than eight-in-10 U.S. adults (86%) say they get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet “often” or “sometimes,” including 60% who say they do so often, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted Aug. 31-Sept. 7, 2020.

Many of these people are using news websites, but about half (53%) say they get news from social media where Russian Bots and the Chinese lurk.

Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank, found Americans who mainly get their news on social media are less likely to get the facts right about the coronavirus or politics and are more likely to hear unproven claims.

Tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Twitter remain protected by federal laws passed in the 1990s that say they are not publishers like newspapers so they are not responsible for defamatory posts on their sites.

Weekly newspapers such as ours also allow residents to share their opinions. But we require proof of the letter

BLANK SLATE MEDIA

E-mail:

writer’s identity and will not publish defamatory statements.

Some residents have questioned whether Blank Slate Media is evenhanded in publishing letters from readers and public officials.

Several residents said Blank Slate Media favored Tom Suozzi in his recent race against Nassau County Legislator Mazi Pilip for the 3rd Congressional District by the number of letters we published in our award-winning opinion pages favoring Suozzi.

But as we told our critics, we published all the letters we got from residents favoring both Suozzi and Pilip — as is our policy. The reason for the imbalance was that many more letterwriters supported Suozzi.

As if to prove our point, Democratic North Hempstead Town Councilmember Mariann Dalimonte sent us a letter this week criticizing how Republican Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena is running the town and DeSena responded with her own letter. Both are appearing in our current opinion section.

And one of our reporters is covering the charges and responses in a story that appears this week.

The state Legislature has introduced two bills recognizing the vital role local newspapers play in the communities they serve and the threat they

face.

The first is the Local Journalism Sustainability Act, a bipartisan bill that would provide tax credits to local news outlets to employ reporters and editors.

News organizations would receive a 50% tax credit against each newsroom employee’s salary, up to $200,000 per outlet. This benefit would be limited to print and online newspapers and broadcasters with 100 employees or less that cover local community news ensuring that truly local news outlets -and not large media companies — will receive this assistance.

This would allow newspapers to employ more reporters and editors. This would mean better coverage of local government, schools, business districts and people making a difference to our communities.

The tax credit is capped at $20 million statewide and would be awarded to qualifying outlets on a first-come, firstserved basis until the money is spent.

The legislation cleared an important hurdle last week with its inclusion in the state Senate’s proposed 2025 budget resolution.

But it needs Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Assembly to agree to fund the bill in this year’s budget.

We urge our readers to join the Em-

pire State Local News Coalition in calling for final passage.

A second bill introduced in the state Legislature would mandate New York State agencies to spend at least 50% of their annual print and digital advertising in local community and ethnic media outlets.

This would be an enormous financial boost to papers like the Scarsdale Inquirer and, yes, Blank Slate Media’s six publications, allowing them to stay profitable and hire more employees including reporters and editors here in New York – rather than sending the money to Silicon Valley

The mandate would also have the benefit of spending New York State taxpayer money wisely on a cost-effective way to get information from state agencies to residents.

Support for the spend-local mandate is less time-sensitive than the tax credits because it does not require additional spending – just direction on where the money is spent.

But both bills are urgently needed by local newspapers like ours – as well as residents who want to stay informed about the community they live in.

Your help is essential for that to happen. Let your state representatives know that you want them to support both pieces of legislation.

Cameryn

COLUMNIST

Stacy

Steven Blank

OFFICE MANAGER Holly Blank

Make room for ladies at 2024 Whitney Biennial

We all envy professional artists and athletes since they have managed to make a living by playing whereas the rest of us poor slobs must earn our keep by working. This is not to say that athletes or artists have an easy or a happy-golucky life. They do not. But they do remain childlike and playful throughout their lives in order to remain creative. This is why so many flock to museums and ballparks. We, the fans, admire and envy all those who have figured out how to make money by playing.

Picasso’s greatest secret was to remain playful throughout his life. A good example of Picasso at play is the giant sculpture of a woman’s head in Chicago.

And so this week I went to Manhattan to see this year’s Whitney Biennial, which shows us the best in contemporary American art over the last two years. I was pleased to see that the show has moved away from politics, photography and video and has gotten back to reviewing painting and painters which is what most museum goers want to see. When you observe painting, you are immediately connected to the artist and his work without any

technological go between.

I will give you some examples of the artists in the show;

Suzanne Jackson: This 80-year-old African-American woman has been a ballerina, poet, professor and important visual artist. She received her MFA from Yale and her abstract expressionist work is characterized by a layering of acrylics that is so thick it does not require a canvas but instead is hung from the ceiling like a sculpture. Her work gives one a sense of gravitas and pure creativity.

Mavis Pusey: Pusey’s work is geometric in nature and has been inspired by the buildings in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan that have been demolished or constructed. Her work reminded me of a feminine version of Frank Stella.

Takada Yamaguchi: Yamaguchi was born in Japan but has lived in Los Angeles since 1978. She received her MFA from University of California at Berkeley. Her work has been described as borrowing from American transcendentalism, Mexican muralism, Art Nouveau and Japanese decorative art. Her latest creations are forms borrowed from the sea but rendered and reduced

DR. TOM FERRARO

Our Town

to their purest design form.

Mary Lovelace O’Neal: This 82-year-old artist and professor at the University of California at Berkeley had some amazing pieces of art in the show. One of her most astonishing pieces in the show was titled “”Twelve ThirtyFour” (from the Doctor Alcocer’s Corsets for Horses series) and immediately reminded of three truly great works of art. Initially when I looked at this large canvas, I thought of Jackson Pollack’s “She Wolf” with the odd wolf-like fig-

ure in the middle. Then as I looked more carefully I began to see the image of Robert Rauschenberg’s “Monograph” combine with that strange goat with the tire around its stomach. Then I could see Jean Michel Basquiat’s last work, “Riding with Death,” alluded to in the way “Twelve Thirty-Four’ seemed to be unfinished. Any artist who can produce a work that conjures up great masterpieces from the past has got to be a master herself.

All in all, the show was a wonder featuring great American artists at play.

The Whitney has finally returned to featuring artists who actually paint and has veered away from videographers, political statements, photography and A.I. nonsense. Three cheers for this year’s Biennial and for the staff at the Whitney that has returned to showcasing real painters.

You may have noticed that the four main artists of the show were all woman. Move over, Jasper John’s; so long, Julian Schnabel; and sayonara, David Salle. It’s time to make way for the long-forgotten ladies of the art world.

“Twelve Thirty-Four” by Mary Lovelace O’Neal’ ON THE RIGHT

An Andrew Cuomo political comeback?

It appears that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo is taking steps to reenter public life.

Following his successful 2006 comeback strategy that led to his election to the New York attorney general post, Cuomo’s public activities are managed in a methodical way.

First there was the 2023 publication of “What’s Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics and Crisis” by Cuomo’s longtime top aide, Melissa DeRosa.

The most important chapter is the epilogue. DeRosa exposes the shoddiness of the accounts of Cuomo’s accusers and the reports released by state Attorney General Letitia James and the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Despite public threats, DeRosa points out, not one of the accusers has sued Cuomo and five district attorneys have cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Next, Cuomo has been reaching out to constituencies that have remained loyal to him, particularly African-Americans.

Just last week, he appeared at

the Mount Neboh Baptist Church in Harlem. In his talk, the New York Post reported he made this humorous comment: “I want you to know as a matter of full disclosure, I am a Catholic. Catholics basically believe the same teaching that Baptists believe. We just do it without rhythm. But we try. We are not as without rhythm as some of our Jewish brothers and sisters.”

Cuomo has also been writing oped pieces on pressing public issues.

In a December 12, 2023, in a Wall Street Journal essay titled “Migrants and the Urban Death Spiral,” he declared “the federal government sets immigration policy. It is outrageous to make cities shoulder the cost.”

“Forcing cities to pay for a migrant crisis that they have no business managing,” he added, “is government malpractice. Cities are already struggling and in crisis.”

Two weeks later, in a Post opinion piece, Cuomo went after the governor and the state Legislature for failing to address the migrant “right to shelter” issue in New York City.

“They have the state constitu-

GEORGE J. MARLIN

On The Right

tional authority,” he wrote, “to establish policies such as defining who has a right to shelter, what that entails and who is responsible for the cost. The Legislature could end the current confusion and court cases by establishing a uniform migrant (and homeless) policy for the state.”

Cuomo went on to take a shot at New York City’s state legislators: “Ironically the majority are from

New York City, so they are unfairly burdening their own constituents by imposing the cost on city taxpayers alone.

This year, Cuomo has focused his attention on the MTA’s congestion pricing plan.

While Cuomo concedes he approved the congestion tolls in 2019, he does not believe the MTA should commence the program at this time.

In the Post on March 12, he answered MTA critics who accused him of flip-flopping.

Citing the depressing facts that the city “still hasn’t recovered from COVID,” “office occupancy is still only at 48.5%,” and “mass transit is still operating 29% below pre-pandemic levels,” he concluded that the MTA “must seriously consider if now is the right time to enact it.”

Cuomo asked: “What impact will an additional $15 entry surcharge have on New York City’s recovery in this moment—when the migrant crisis, crime, homelessness, quality of life and taxes are all pressing problems?”

The MTA should address his con-

cerns before imposing the congestion toll on struggling commuters.

In the public arena, Cuomo is coming across as a “liberal with sanity”—a rare species in New York.

And many taxpayers may clamor for just such an elected leader, one who will stand up to the extreme leftist ideologues in the state Legislature or the City council.

So, if Cuomo is eyeing another run, will he take on the state’s hapless governor in 2026 or the city’s hapless mayor in 2025?

In my judgment, running for mayor is the better of the two.

In a gubernatorial primary, Cuomo and Hochul could cancel one another out, thus, permitting a radical to win with a 34% plurality.

In a mayoral primary, however, Cuomo could patch together a winning coalition of working-class whites, browns and blacks. He may even pick up the support of Upper East Side liberals who have had it with Mayor Eric Adams.

With the political knives out for Adams, 2025 may be the year for Cuomo to be the “Comeback Kid.”

PHOTO BY TOM FERRARO

Wetlands have value for us humans

We drive our cars across urban bridges and look down on acres of wetlands, or go out for a sail and glide by wetlands near to the shoreline, or gaze into a woods as we drive along an interstate and spot pockets of wetlands amid the trees. They are not hard to find even in our own neighborhoods.

In fact, right here in an upscale North Shore community, residents are concerned about development in an area with important ecosystems to save, including wetlands, which have great value to the environment and benefits to us, especially now as we move into unpredictable weather events due to climate change.

It was an eye-opener for me when I started researching wetlands. Did you know that wetlands are among the most productive and important ecosystems in the world, right up there with rainforests and coral reefs? Wetlands store as much as 100 times more carbon per acre than dry land. They also purify our groundwater, filtering out pollutants found in suburban lawn applications and prevent flooding. How?

Wetlands act like sponges that trap and then slowly release rain, snowmelt and flood waters due to their dense

vegetation and extensive root mats. Preserving wetlands can often provide flood control that would otherwise require costly infrastructure investments.

And like coral reefs and rainforests, they are home to wildlife. Many bird species rely on wetlands for food, water and shelter and they are especially important during migration by providing resting and breeding or nesting grounds. Wetlands are also considered “biological supermarkets,” providing unlimited food that attracts many animal species that live in them for their entire life cycle. Approximately 40% of plants and wildlife utilize the wetland ecosystem and 25% of all wetlands plants and animals are at risk of extinction.

Filling in and drainage of wetlands for conversion to human land use by developers have made them among the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Approximately 35% of the planet’s wetlands were lost between 1970 and 2015 and that loss rate has been accelerating annually since 2000. This loss is especially concerning to scientists studying climate change, who are urging the implementation of global plans to reverse trends on wetland loss and degradation.

PATTI WOOD Earth Matters

We are actually trying to address this right here in New York State with proposed legislation to add additional wetlands sites for protection. The legislation failed to gain traction last year, but is back for review and a vote in the current session. The fate of wetlands is in the hands of the current elected officials who may or may not have any idea of the importance of these critical ecosystems. And even more concerning are local officials who look only at the economic benefits of development and who, too, are unaware of nature’s

interconnectedness with us and all other living things. Maybe a course in protecting the natural world should be required of all elected officials?

I recently discovered the man and the writing of George Perkins Marsh, born in 1801 in Woodstock, Vt. Among environmental historians and professional conservationists he is considered the first environmentalist, although Rachel Carson, Henry David Thoreau or John Muir usually come to mind. But look him up and read about his almost impossible-to-believe lifetime accomplishments and you will join me in being inspired.

Among the many books he wrote is “Man and Nature,” and some think it was the most influential text of its time next to Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species.” In 1864, two years before the word “ecology” was coined, the publication of his book sounded an early alarm, a warning, about man’s effect on the environment. Marsh had originally proposed the title, “Man the Disturber of Nature’s Harmonies,” but it was rejected by the publisher. Perhaps too radical for the time?

A quote from a 1847 speech he gave as a congressman (he was a fourterm congressman for the Whig Party)

shows how remarkably prescient his thinking was.

“Man cannot at his pleasure command the rain and the sunshine, the wind and frost and snow, yet it is certain that climate itself has in many instances been gradually changed and ameliorated or deteriorated by human action. The draining of swamps and the clearing of forests perceptibly effect the evaporation from the earth, and of course the mean quantity of moisture suspended in the air. The same causes modify the electrical condition of the atmosphere and the power of the surface to reflect, absorb and radiate the rays of the sun, and consequently influence the distribution of light and heat, and the force and direction of the winds. Within narrow limits, too, domestic fires and artificial structures create and diffuse increased warmth, to an extent that may effect vegetation.”

For those of you who understand the value of our natural world, I strongly urge you to share that with those around you. They will thank you for opening the door to understanding their place in nature and appreciate your opening their eyes to the beauty and solace found in the natural world.

Blame Blakeman, chair for hospital’s plight

It is the height of chutzpah to explode a budget deficit to the point the county’s only public hospital serving the most vulnerable in Nassau County may have to fire scores of health workers or shut down entirely while its employees face losing their health insurance for failing to pay into the system.

The Nassau Health Care Corp., a quasi-governmental public benefit corporation that runs Nassau University Medical Center, is insisting the state or federal government bail the center out to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars while refusing to agree to any recommendations or conditions.

Add to this, NuHealth is refusing to replace the overpaid board chairman who was appointed by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman despite having an SEC investigation into financial malfeasance.

And all of this is going on while the county sits on $300 million in federal pandemic aid that was intended largely to protect medical facilities from exactly the forces that led to an explosion in deficit that is now compounding its debt to the point of collapse.

As Newsday reported, Nassau Health Care Corporation had a record operating loss of $164 million in 2022, a $28 million increase, raising concern the hospital may not survive without a major infusion of funds. This is on top of the operating loss of $135.6 million in 2021, the year the Republicans took over control of the county, despite receiving millions in federal pandemic aid aimed at

helping hospitals meet the crisis. That is in addition to the $102.3 million loss in 2020, the year that COVID struck.

Yes, it is true that NUMC has had chronic financial problems – it posted losses of $64 million in 2019; $46.6 million in 2018, and $25.7 million in 2017 – which can be traced largely to woeful inadequacies of the Medicaid reimbursement formulas, since NUMC, the county’s only public hospital, mainly serves Medicaid and uninsured patients.

Also payments to NuHealth from the federal Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment program for achieving efficiencies, which was administered by New York State and generated tens of millions of dollars annually from 2011 through 2020 (thanks, Obamacare!), ended with a final $50 million payment in 2020.

NuHealth officials, who are appointed by the Nassau County executive and New York State, did not plan or adjust their finances, though the end of the program was known.

Also troubling is the $310 million NUMC owes the New York State Health Insurance Program, having failed to pay its obligation for years, violating an agreement to pay off the debt with an extra $2 million a month. That puts the workers’ health insurance at risk.

The Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the state control board that oversees county finances andsince 2020 the hospital’s finances as well, brought in an outside auditor, Grant Thornton, which found that NuHealth would run out of

employee benefits.)

What Blakeman conveniently failed to mention is that $100 million of that state funding were for capital projects and one-shot grants, not operating expenses.

“[NUMC Chairman Matthew Bruderman] came here roughly two years ago and said he’d turn the hospital around and today we’re at the brink of collapse,” said County Legislator Siela Bynoe, a Democrat. “It had become clear to us that [Bruderman] was going to become a detriment to our progress in so much that he was under the weight of a SEC settlement because of malfeasance and misappropriating funds from his clients.”

Private hospitals can charge outrageous amounts of money for certain procedures that help pay for money-losing patients. Why can’t services be added that contribute to the revenue stream?

cash by year’s end and could cease operating as a “going concern,” Newsday reported.

Blakeman, in his “State of the County” message, blamed the state for reducing aid as high as $189 million to $30 million. “This is not mismanagement, it’s not because of employees who are outstanding healthcare professionals– this is because the state has defunded our own hospital that is the safety net for the most vulnerable.”

He went on to say “you can’t take away $100 million in state aid and expect it to operate. NUMC is important to residents, firefighters. We should make sure they fulfill their obligation to Nassau County and the region.”

(Nassau County pays $5 million toward NUMC plus $21 million toward

What could be done? Medicaid reimburses NUMC at lower rates than private providers and Medicare, putting the hospital at a disadvantage compared with major hospital networks that rely primarily on patients with insurance. The formula needs to be rationalized.

Beyond correcting the reimbursement formula, dramatic restructuring is necessary for NUMC to be viable.

Why is this 19-story hospital plus the A. Holly Patterson nursing facility on 50 acres of land? Why can’t the facility either sell or lease land for added revenue stream?

Why does it have two floors that were never utilized, and has struggled even as major hospital systems like Northwell and NYU Langone have expanded and taken independent facilities into their networks?

Gov. Hochul, who has said saving NUMC — the only Level 1 trauma and burn center on Long Island that treats more than 80,000 emergency patients and handles more than 178,000 patients every year — is a major priority. The state health commissioner has agreed to provide $83 million in funding in exchange for what would seem reasonable conditions: submitting a detailed five-year plan and a list of highest-paid staffers, monthly progress reports, a review of its organizational structure and leadership accountability including replacement of some leadership.

But Bruderman, a businessman and big donor who Blakeman appointed NUMC’s chairman over opposition by Democrats who are again calling for his replacement, protested.

“I’m here for 18 months. The first six months was fighting idiots trying to remove me from the board. We’re still here because I’m collecting money and cutting overhead. Your requests are b——-. What else do you have?”

Instead of revealing an actual plan to salvage NUMC, Bruderman shunted off any talk that the hospital would fail, saying it has enough cash to last through July (really??), but said he would look for a new CEO after protesting that he would not and refused to step down.

Continued on Page 16

Stop the partisan bickering, do people’s biz

At the March 5, 2024, North Hempstead offered a resolution to install oyster gardens at Town Dock, in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County, to help demonstrate to residents and organizations with docks how they can also get involved to help improve the water quality of Manhasset Bay.

The resolution passed unanimously with bipartisan support. Yet despite their favorable votes, North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and Councilman Dennis Walsh then complained I did not do enough to work with the supervisor and her administration.

This was not the first time the two of them have publicly scolded me about how hard I work for the residents of District 6. But now is the time that I set the record straight about just how difficult it is to work with an administration more interested in partisan bickering than actually working together to conduct the people’s business.

A few examples of the working environment (or lack thereof) at Town

Hall: In January 2022, I emailed Supervisor DeSena a detailed list of 26 issues I was actively working on in District 6, and I invited her to discuss any of them with me at any time that was convenient for her. It’s now been over two years, some 27 months, and I have yet to receive any acknowledgment from the Supervisor regarding any of those issues. As elected officials, every council member may add items to the Town Board agenda using a program called Novus Agenda. Many items placed on the agenda are repeated and simply updated from past years. For this reason, it is helpful for Council Members and their Legislative Aides to be able to see past items when attempting to add new and similar items to the agenda. For months I have been asking the Supervisor and her administration to update Novus Agenda so that every Council Member and Aide have the ability to see past agenda items. For months this request has gone unanswered. Each spring when boats are taken out of winter storage their protective shrink wrapping is removed.

This plastic shrink wrapping is recyclable. Last year local boaters deposited over three tons of shrink wrap into dumpsters at Manorhaven Beach Park for recycling. I contacted the Supervisor and her office about coordinating the shrink wrap recycling effort again this year. While I am still waiting for a response, I am determined to move forward with this incredible program which was so successful last year.

Years ago residents were able to swim at Manorhaven Beach. I have asked the Supervisor to meet with me to explore the feasibility of reopening Manorhaven Beach for swimming. Then I asked her again. And again. And then again. Four meeting requests on this topic alone have gone completely unanswered. Most recently, Supervisor DeSena and I were invited to an official meeting with the Port Washington Police District to discuss their recent purchase of the Knowles Funeral Home property for their new headquarters. I was shocked, though hardly surprised, to learn that Supervisor DeSena asked that I be disinvited from this important meeting affecting the district and residents I represent. When I asked Supervisor DeSena about this she responded that she is entitled to her own meeting without me present. Not only is this wrong, but it could also cost the taxpayers more money for the Police District’s attorney to be present for two meetings as opposed to one.

During public comment at nearly every Town Board meeting for the

FROM THE DESK OF JENNIFER D e SENA

last year or so a resident has approached the microphone to say that their emails and phone calls to the Supervisor and her office have not been returned or addressed.

Based on my own experiences trying to work with the Supervisor’s office I believe what these residents are saying is true. This is shameful and not how good government works.

Several times during Town Board meetings the Supervisor has publicly accused me of not working with or informing her about issues I am working on, when the reality is that she does not respond to my meeting requests and actively cuts me out of important meetings affecting my district. She can’t have it both ways and this petty political game she is playing needs to stop, for all our constituents’ sake. I will always remain willing to work with Supervisor DeSena on anything which improves the quality of life for the residents of District 6 and the Town of North Hempstead.

Thank you,

Mariann

Mariann Dalimonte’s unwarranted charges

Iwant to thank Island360 for the opportunity to respond to Councilwoman Dalimonte’s letter and to speak directly to our North Hempstead neighbors.

While I know that addressing her letter might, unfortunately, perpetuate the issue, I believe it’s time we get to the truth of the matter: it’s a blatant effort to have a personal agenda take precedence over the everyday business of the town.

My challenge as your supervisor is to keep the collective goals of our town foremost for our team and to prevent that work from being undermined by any one person.

Ironically, her objectives are on full display in her letter. In true politicized fashion, she “headlines” a call for an end to “partisan bickering” and then proceeds to write a laundry list of complaints that is nothing less than partisan bickering.

Sadly, it exemplifies what has become a recurring problem at the town – how we address the ongoing displeasure and complaints of one elected official.

It’s a pattern of disruptive behavior that has spanned 27 months and is now culminating in her unwillingness to cooperate with me or the new majority on the town board.

To that end, what she calls “scolding” we call discourse and due diligence. The board did indeed pass her oyster garden resolution unanimously, but she takes issue with our expressing reservations.

Is the councilwoman publicly suggesting that her partners in government pass her initiatives without debate and abdicate their role as stewards?

Perhaps her past experience as part of a majority somehow convinced her that colleagues should

well that no amount of explanation will appease her. I have tried repeatedly to assure her, that despite her suspicions, the day-to-day activity of our town government does not center on drawing some type of response from her.

Nor must I or other elected officials report our activities or plans to her. I regret that the back-andforth, sometimes noisy exchange of good government has the councilwoman so unnerved, but that’s how we know it’s alive and well. It’s no place for hurt feelings or imagined insults.

I assure you I will not participate in this weekly soap opera, but given her letter, I felt I owed it to the taxpayers to address it here, once.

Intentionally manufacturing division is a tactic better left to our counterparts in Albany and Washington and I don’t want it infecting our Town Hall.

We can do without the bitterness. I continue to respect Councilwoman Dalimonte’s dedication to her district, but I will not let the work of government be held hostage by one person.

not offer viewpoints and simply rubber stamp each other’s initiatives.

The letter also specifically mentions a lengthy list of “26 issues.”

Speaking frankly, her list goes well beyond that, and I know full

At my first inaugural, I stated that my goal was to remove the politics from Town Hall. Councilwoman Dalimonte’s letter is precisely the type of partisan squabbling I was referring to, as it quickly leads us to dysfunction and inefficient government for our taxpayers.

I will actively debate legislation, vote for resolutions that merit my support, and continue my good-faith effort to rebuild North Hempstead government.

Respectfully,

Jennifer S. DeSena Supervisor

MARIANN DALIMONTE Council Member

JENNIFER DeSENA North Hempstead Supervisor

Dalimonte Council Member, District 6

FROM THE DESK OF GINA SILLITTI

GINA SILLITTI

Nassau County Assemblymember

Assembly budget plan aids education

The state Assembly’s proposed budget was released yesterday, and I’m proud that several priorities I fought for were included.

The biggest victory for our district was the rejection of the Governor’s education funding plan, which would have meant less money for our schools.

Reinstating the ‘hold harmless’ provision and rejecting the proposed inflationary factor changes to ensure that our school districts do not receive less Foundation Aid than they did the prior year was my top priority. After three years of historic investments in state funding for our school districts,

we should not settle for anything less for our children’s education.

Our proposal increases Foundation Aid by $818.6 million over the Governor’s proposal, a $1.3 billion increase over the 2023-24 school year.

Additionally, the Assembly proposal would provide $125 million to-

wards universal prekindergarten and allocate an additional $120 million to ensure every student gets free school meals.

As we continue budget negotiations in Albany, I’m optimistic that the final budget will support our schools and ensure that families have the resources they need to thrive.”

READERS WRITE

LIRR Jamaica capacity improvements not done

Long Island Rail Road riders have to ask why the MTA LIRR $168 million Jamaica Capacity Improvements Phase 2 was not completed prior to initiation of fulltime service for the $11.6 billion East Side Access to Grand Central Madison in February 2023. Completion of Phase 2 is scheduled to be done by December 2026. The scope of work would raise maximum allowable train speeds, increase train throughput and parallel routing capabilities,

implement universal 12-car platform capacity and implement a full stateof-good repair throughout the entire Jamaica Station complex.

It includes critical work on bridges carrying trains and expansion of the Hall Interlocking. Prior to this, there was the $450 million Phase One Jamaica Capacity Improvements. Funding was approved for Phase One in 2010 under grants from the Federal Transit Administration. Jamaica Capacity Phase One project

included capital improvements to operational areas in and adjacent to the station. The scope of work included track, signals, third rail power and interlockings. These improvements were designed to support increased operational capacity necessary to support future GCM service. At the time of FTA grant approval, this proposed new service was many years away. Thirteen years later, there was ample time to complete both Phase One and Two. Why weren’t Phase 2

of Jamaica Capacity Improvement not completed in time to coincide with the new LIRR GMC service?

Will completion of Phase 2 project increase overall rush hour capacity, including additional Atlantic branch Brooklyn service or reduce travel time between Jamaica and Penn Station, GCM, Flatbush Avenue, Hunters Point or Long Island City?

LIRR commuters, taxpayers, transit advocacy groups and elected officials deserve a detailed explanation for

why this work was delayed so long from MTA Chairman Janno Lieber and Acting LIRR President Robert Free.

Larry Penner Great Neck

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

The Village of Manorhaven can do better

Richard Li’s letter countering mine contradicts the very reporting in this paper—it was a sanitized one-sided version of last month’s board meeting. Anyone attending could see there was a concerted effort to diminish a particular trustee and to keep him from drawing attention to development on Manhasset Isle. There may be nothing amiss, but if that is the case, why the concerted effort to immediately discredit him

and stop any productive discussion?

The village government says they are transparent, but these actions show otherwise.

To be fair, I emailed the mayor before sending a letter to the editor asking why any one person can effectively shut down a trustee’s question about development and subsequently shut down a meeting. Despite touting transparency, I never received a response.

In Li’s letter, I was referred to as

the trustee’s “comrade” as if I have some nefarious business in showing any support for a trustee with whom Li doesn’t agree. It makes me wonder why he is so invested in discrediting people.

If the village supports transparency, they should welcome discussion including questions from trustees. It is not the “Lone Ranger” who benefits from the chaos and dysfunction of the village government and board meet-

ings.

After all, it should not be unreasonable to discuss development and there does not need to be a motive to ask the question. Yet it seemed there were many people acting together to thwart this effort, including Li, and that makes me wonder why. It would seem the people shutting down open discussion of major projects are the true beneficiaries of the chaos because in that environment there can be no

discussion.

I believe the current mayor has a good heart and can do better, but there are too many self-interested parties that do not facilitate good government, continue to be the loudest voices, and create scenarios where developments for better or worse are off the table for discussion.

Francesca Zahner Manorhaven

Blame Blakeman, chair for hospital’s plight

Continued from Page 14

“I’m not going to comply with the state’s demand to … remove the CEO,” Bruderman said. “We’re not exchanging things that they want: to remove myself and the organization that’s fighting for it. We’re not going to give them that in exchange for basically ‘extortion,’ ” Newsday reported.

Gordon Tepper, spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul, said in a statement: “NUMC is a county subsidiary and County Executive Blakeman has a responsibility to address ongoing problems with its management and operations. The State Department of Health has made recommendations on how to address these issues, and we urge the County Executive to review them.”

Blakeman’s prickly response? “It’s very clear what their objective is: It’s to close the hospital and blame my administration.”

But what exactly is Blakeman doing to fix NUMC’s crisis, except deflect blame and demand the state pony up millions? He’s busy taking photos with World Cricket executives.

Since Blakeman and Bruderman seem content to hemorrhage money, and since they keep complaining how Nassau County taxpayers are on the hook, why not spend some of the nearly $1 billion the county is hoarding in reserves, including nearly $300 million in federal pandemic aid, to repair its finances and revise the hospital’s operations so it can function sustainably?

BY KAREN RUBIN

YOUR GUIDE TO THE ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING

LI Children’s Museum brings children’s author to life for kids

Celebrated children’s author and illustrator Eric Carle is the subject of the newest Long Island Children’s Museum exhibit. “Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit.”

Rush to see it, since it is only running through May 12.

Developed by the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, this is the first North American traveling exhibit for children inspired by the art of Eric Carle.

It is an astonishingly beautiful, clever and engaging play-and-learn exhibit: children step into the pages of Eric Carle’s colorful picture books.

His “Very” series, all illustrated in his hand-painted tissue paper collage technique, introduces five special insects who take journeys of discovery. Each story is a testament to Eric Carle’s love of nature, his respect for the emotional lives of children, and his recurring themes of friendship, creativity, and the power of imagination.

Each of the centers features a different interactive, immersive activity, that draws on different learning styles:

Become the Very Hungry Caterpillar as you follow his path• Weave a web with the Very Busy Spider• Find your light with the Very Lonely Firefly• Make the Very Clumsy Click Beetle flip and jump• Compose a night symphony with the Very Quiet Cricket• Create artwork using many of Eric Carle’s materials and techniques• Enjoy a gallery of prints from Eric Carle’s “Very” book series

The mission of Long Island Children’s Museum is to connect all our communities’ children, and those who care for them, to a life of wonder, imagination and exploration. The museum’s exhibits are designed to inspire, engage, and let children discover their passions and their relationship to the world we share.

The 40,000-square-foot museum serves over 300,000 children and adults a year.

The private, not-for-profit institution chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, offers museumbased educational programs and cultural experiences, as well as an extensive community outreach program offered in schools, libraries and youth centers across Long Island.

Additionally, the Children’s Museum operates the historic Nunley’s Carousel in association with Nassau County, one of three intact Stein & Goldstein carousels still in existence. Recognized with several honors, including the National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library

Services, LICM is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the gold standard of museum excellence. It is currently the only accredited children’s museum in New York State and is one of only 16 accredited children’s museums nationwide.

LICM has earned 4-stars on Charity Navigator and has Platinum Transparency on Candid.

The Long Island Children’s Museum is located on Museum Row, 11 Davis Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530, 516-224-5800, www.licm. org

Long Island Children’s Museum exhibit

Great Neck Library is having a lecture on “Grants, Assistance, and Government Programs presented by Veronica Ferrero” on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at the Main Library, 159 Bayview Avenue in Great Neck.

This workshop will provide very important details about the grants that are available, who and how to qualify, the process, and timing. Presented by Veronica Ferrero, Vice President Community Lending Officer and Senior Mortgage Consultant at Emigrant Mortgage.

Ferrero has worked on several committees, including LIREG and NAPMW, and is a member of several associations such as the Queens Chamber of Commerce, the Melville Chamber of Commerce, the Greater NY Chamber of Commerce, and AREAA, to name a few.

Ferrero is an avid learner, actively taking webinars and seminars to keep abreast of information related to credit, cyber security, and the intricacies of first-time homebuyer programs offered by FNMA, FHLMC, and SONYMA.

Register to save your seat! Open to all. Sign up online, in person, or via phone. For more information, please contact Great Neck Library at (516) 466-8055 or email adultprogramming@greatnecklibrary.org.

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Tips to revitalize a garden this spring

Gardening is a rewarding hobby that pays a host of significant dividends. Many people love gardening because it allows them to spend time outdoors, and that simple pleasure is indeed a notable benefit of working in a garden. But the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture notes that gardening provides a host of additional benefits, including helping people get sufficient levels of exercise, reduce stress and improve mood.

With so much to gain from gardening, it's no wonder people look forward to getting their hands dirty in the garden each spring. As the weather warms up, consider these tips to help bring a garden back to life.

· Discard the dead weight. Winter can take its toll on a garden, even in regions where the weather between December and early spring is not especially harsh. Discard dead plants that have lingered into spring and prune any perennials that need it. Branches that fell during winter storms also should be removed at this point if they have not previously been discarded.

· Test the soil. Soil testing kits can be purchased at local garden centers and home improvement retailers. Such tests are inexpensive and can reveal if the soil needs to be amended to help plants thrive in the months to come.

· Mulch garden beds. Mulching benefits a garden by helping soil retain moisture and preventing the growth of

weeds. Various garden experts note that mulching in spring can prevent weed seeds from germinating over the course of spring and summer. That means plants won't have to fight with weeds for water when the temperature warms up. It also means gardeners won't have to spend time pulling weeds this summer.

· Inspect your irrigation system. Homeowners with in-ground irrigation systems or above-ground systems that utilize a drip or soaker function can inspect the systems before plants begin to bloom. Damaged sprinkler heads or torn lines can deprive plants of water they will need to bloom and ultimately thrive once the weather warms up.

· Tune up your tools. Gardening tools have likely been sitting around gathering dust since fall. Serious gardeners know that tools can be expensive, so it pays to protect that investment by maintaining the tools. Sharpened pruners help make plants less vulnerable to infestation and infection. Well-maintained tools like shovels and hoes also make more demanding gardening jobs a little bit easier, so don't forget to tune up your tools before the weather warms up.

It's almost gardening season, which means gardeners can start on the necessary prep work to ensure their gardens grow in strong and beautiful this spring.

Healthy exposure to the sun

Spring is the time of the year when the great outdoor beckons more strongly than it does in fall and winter. Temperate climates and abundant sunshine encourage people to leave their homes and bask in the warm rays of the sun.

Spending time outdoors is good for mental health and it's a natural way for people to get adequate vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin. The National Institutes of Health say exposure to sunshine for five to 30 minutes a day, most days a week is optimal to make vitamin D. A large percentage of the population is deficient in vitamin D. The NIH says there are many studies correlating vitamin D insufficiency with increased risk of numerous chronic conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, myocardial infarctions, and brittle bones. However, sun exposure to make vitamin D needs to occur without sunscreen for maximum impact. That begs the question of just how safe it may be to spend time outdoors without sun protection, and what are the risks of doing so? Also, do the risks of vitamin D deficiency outrank those involving sun exposure and cancer causation? It's a conundrum, to be sure.

The good news is that most people can safely enjoy the sun and obtain vitamin D. Here are some tips and safety precautions.

· Keep in mind that the sun's rays are strongest between 10 am and 4 pm. Therefore, if you must spend time in the sun, do so outside

of this time period.

· Promptly apply sunscreen. After a short period of unprotected sunshine of no more than 30 minutes, put on sunblock right away. Also, reapply as indicated on the packaging depending on activity. Harvard Health says that sunscreen cannot block all UV rays, and even usage of sunblock will not staunch all vitamin D production.

· The National Cancer Institute suggests using an SPF of at least 15, but some doctors recommend SPF 30.

· Ultraviolet radiation is the number one cause of skin cancer. Utilize wide-brimmed hats, sunscreen and protective clothing to prevent cumulative sun exposure, which can lead to basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers.

· Keep in mind that episodes of severe sunburns, usually before age 18, can raise the risk of developing melanoma. Children should be just as mindful of sun exposure as adults.

· It is challenging to define what "too much sun" actually is, says the European Code Against Cancer. Strength of the sun (UV index), skin type and the strength of sunscreen all merit consideration A person with very fair skin exposed to an ultraviolet index of 6, which is easily reached at noon in summer, can suffer sunburn in as little as 10 to 15 minutes.

It's a fine line to balance healthy sun exposure to obtain vitamin D and avoiding sun damage to the skin. But it's best that people walk that tightrope with sun safety in mind.

Makeup tips for enhancing be auty this spring

Millions of women turn to cosmetics to help them put their best faces forward. The online people skills resource the Science of People indicates an estimated 44 percent of American women do not like to leave their homes without makeup.

Research published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science says that the primary reasons women use makeup are to camouflage and seduce. Women who are anxious and insecure may use makeup to appear less noticeable, while women who want to garner extra attention may use makeup to be more sociable and assertive.

Some women may wear makeup to feel more confident and improve their appearance, both in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. Learning how to apply makeup so that it enhances beauty rather than covering up features can take practice. However, these tips can help get women on the right path.

· Consider lightening up. “No makeup” makeup is a growing trend. Barely there products can tweak features just enough to avoid looking washed out and brighten up skin where needed. Look for lighter formulations.

· Smooth out texture. A plumping serum can help make mature skin more smooth to prepare the face for makeup application. In ad-

dition to a moisturizer, this can fill in fine lines and help the face appear more youthful and dewy.

· Use a light hand. Rather than drowning the face in product, use certain items like concealer sparingly. You can always layer as you go.

· Opt for cream-based makeup. Creambased foundations, blushes and highlighters can definitely make a difference in how the makeup wears on the face. People who tend to have dry skin or aging skin may find that creamy formulas help hydrate the skin and make it more radiant, offers makeup artist Neil Scibelli.

· Modify day to day. Makeup artist Kristofer Buckle suggests skipping a daily makeup ritual and using products depending on what is needed each day. Some days dark circles may need to be addressed, while other days redness may be the biggest issue.

· Choose two makeup shades. Leave the store with two close foundation hues that can be blended accordingly depending on skin color at particular times of year. Skin color varies from season to season. Match foundation to the jawline down to the neck.

Makeup trends and tips evolve depending on the look women desire. Right now a natural face is all the rage, with dewy radiant skin at the helm.

Moderate temperatures makes it much more comfortable and inviting to

outdoors, particularly for families with children who might not adapt to the cold as well as adults. The following are some family-friendly activities that make the most of spring renewal.

Visit botanic gardens

If there’s a botanical garden nearby, a visit in spring is a great time to soak in the beauty of nature. That’s because an abundance of flowers bloom during the spring, meaning a garden will be in peak form. Visitors can meander through rows of rose bushes or tour the labyrinth of trimmed hedges. Beautiful, flowering cherry trees, with their delicate pink or white petals, also are sights to behold in spring.

Prepare a home garden

Visiting a garden is one thing, creating one at home is another. In addition to planning a vegetable garden to enjoy tasty pickings throughout summer, you can devote some property to flowers that will attract wildlife. Check with a garden center about which flowers and plants attract butterflies and other beneficial insects. Many garden centers sell butterfly and hummingbird mixes to attract wildlife.

Go animal watching

Flowers are not the only thing on display come the spring. Many animals, including birds, are born this time of year. Baby animals are not only adorable, they can be entertaining to watch grow. Families can spend time viewing the animals that visit their yards or surrounding parks, being careful to keep their distance. Adults may be quite protective of their young, so it’s better to watch from the lens of a camera or with binoculars. Always resist the urge to help a baby animal who seems like it was abandoned. The parent may be a short distance away gathering food or trying to avoid drawing attention to the young to deter predators.

Get out on the water

A bright, warm day is an ideal time to enjoy the open water. Spring is a season when many marinas reopen and avid boaters put their vessels back into the water. You also can venture into streams or lakes aboard kayaks or canoes, getting exercise and seeing the scenery in the process. Bring a fishing pole along and cast it into the water for a few hours of recreation.

Make wind chimes

Enhance the garden or decor around the home by making wind chimes or other percussion items that can create beautiful music when spring breezes blow. Commercially available kits are sold, but wind chimes also can be made from items like bamboo or even strung shells.

Fri 3/22

Abstract Art by Women Artists

@ 11am

Societal shifts in the post WWII era made it possible for more women to work profes‐sionally as artists, yet their work was often dismissed in the male dominated art world.

Re�ecting an interna‐tional Mineola Memorial Library, 195 Marcellus Road, Mineola

NCAA Mens

Basketball Tourna‐ment - Session 1 @ 12pm

Barclays Center, 620 At‐lantic Avenue, Brooklyn

Nate Charlie Music @ 6pm Dark Horse Tavern, 273 Main St, Farmingdale

Joanie Madden: Cherish the Ladies ~ Irish Music, Song & Dance @ 7:30pm

Irish American Society Nassau, 297 Willis Ave, Mineola

Rick Wakeman @ 8pm / $29.50-$75

The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Hunting‐ton

The Yardbirds-Autho‐rized: The Yardbirds Play Bay Shore, NY @ 8pm Boulton Center For The Per‐forming Arts, 37 W Main St, Bay Shore

Brad Upton @ 8pm

Governor's Comedy Club, 90 Division Ave, Levittown

Sat 3/23

Run For Tomorrow's Hope 5K Run/Walk @ 10am / $30 St. Joseph School, 450 Franklin Avenue, Garden City. events@ elitefeats.com

Olivia Hughart: New Heights Brass Band in Rockville Center @ 12pm Rockville center N Y, 10 N Park Ave, Rockville Centre

Egg Drop Challenge Family Workshop at the Science Museum of Long Island @ 10am / $20

Our Family workshops are fun for the whole family and a great way to be involved in your child's science educa‐tion while rediscovering your own inner child!

Science Museum of Long Island, 1526 North Plandome Road, Manhasset. info@ smli.org, 516-627-9400

New York Riptide vs. Saskatchewan Rush @ 7:30pm / $24-$42 Nassau Veterans Memorial Col‐iseum, 1255 Hempstead Turn‐pike, Uniondale

Men Without Hats @ 8pm

The Space at Westbury, 250 Post Ave, Westbury

Last Night - Wallen Inspired Dance Party @ 9pm Mulcahy’s, 3232 Railroad Av‐enue, Wantagh

Sun 3/24

Princess Day at the Castle - Three sessions @ 12pm / $70

A Grand Event at the Sands Point Preserve! Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point. info@sand spointpreserve.org, 516-570-2185

New York Islanders vs. New Jersey Devils

@ 5pm / $30-$246

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

PWHL: New York V Boston

@ 7pm / $19.50-$51.50 UBS Arena, 2400 Hempstead Turnpike, Belmont Park - Long Island

David Cross

@ 7pm

The Sultan Room, 234 Starr St, Brooklyn

Saturday Mar 23rd

Easter Egg Hunt + Children's Party

@ 3pm

Church of Our Saviour Lutheran, 1901 Northern Boule‐vard, Manhasset. youthdirector@manhasset lutheran.org, 516-627-2430

Bring the family for arts and crafts, a bouncy castle, a visit from the easter bunny and lots of happy egg hunting outside! The event is free and all are welcome!

Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn Styx @ 8pm / $21.50-$129.50 NYCB Theatre at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury

Thu 3/28

Mon 3/25 //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Tue 3/26

Gold Coast Cinema Series - HOLY FRIT!

@ 7pm / $16

A nail-biting tale of a huge stained-glass win‐dow! Manhasset Cine‐mas, 430 Plandome Road, Manhasset. info @goldcoastarts.org, 516-829-2570

Long Island Nets Vs. Grand Rapids Gold

@ 7pm / $12-$102

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

Wed 3/27

Alzheimer's Community Forum

@ 6pm / Free

Join our upcoming community forum in El‐mont. Elmont Public Li‐brary, 700 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont. longis landchapter@alz.org, 800-272-3900

Zach Bryan @ 7pm

Dino Egg Hunt

@ 10am

Mar 28th - Mar 30th

Join the hunt for di‐nosaur egg surprises!

Hidden treasures and a craft to take home. Free with paid museum ticket. Tanglewood Pre‐serve, 1 Tanglewood Road, Rockville Centre. helpdesk@cstl.org, 516-764-0045

The Roni Ben-Hur Trio @ 7:30pm

Hewlett-Woodmere Public Li‐brary, 1125 Broadway, Hewlett

Drake: It's All a Blur Tour - Big As the What? @ 8pm / $83.50-$414 UBS Arena, 2400 Hempstead Turnpike, Belmont Park - Long Island

John McEuen (with Les Thompson, co-founders of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) & the Circle Band's hot pickers: Bryan McDow‐ell and Danny Knicely @ 8pm My Father's Place at The Roslyn Hotel, 3 Pratt Blvd., Glen Cove

Fri 3/29

The Joni Project featuring Katie Pearlman & her band at the Argyle TheatreCourt and Spark 50th Anniversary Tour @ 7:30pm

The Argyle Theatre at Babylon Village, 34 W Main St, Babylon

Brooklyn Nets v. Chicago Bulls (Friday Night Live) @ 7:30pm / $75-$5950

Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn

Academy of St Mar‐tin in the Fields with Music Director & Violinist Joshua Bell @ 8pm / $80

Mendelssohn: Violin

Concerto Brahms: Sym‐phony No. 2 The Joan and David Steinberg

Annual Endowed Con‐cert. Tilles Center, LIU Post College, 720 Northern Boulevard, Greenvale

Marc Ciprut Band featuring Kim Lesley @ 8pm Finley’s Of Greene Street, 43 Green St, Huntington

Start Making Sense @ 8pm

The Space at Westbury, 250 Post Ave, Westbury

Nicolls Road @ 11:30pm

Nutty Irishman, 323 Main St, Farmingdale The

https://theisland360.com/local-events/

Calendar information is pro‐vided by event organizers. All events are subject to change or cancellation. This publica‐tion is not responsible for the accuracy of the information contained in this calendar.

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N.Y. Tech researchers aim to prevent blood clots in gamers

As competitive esports continues to grow in popularity, blood clots formed in the legs, or deep vein thromboses, are being increasingly reported in gamers, the majority of whom play between three and 10 hours per day.

In fact, given the number of continuous hours spent being sedentary, gamers have nearly double the risk of developing these blood clots, which can become life-threatening, especially if the clot travels to the lungs.

A new study from researchers at New York Institute of Technology’s Center for Esports Medicine analyzes whether compression sleeves worn below the knee or short walking breaks can enhance blood flow and reduce DVT risk in gamers.

The research, which was conducted on the Old Westbury campus and published on February 8 in the American Journal of Physiology—Heart and Circulatory Physiology, is the outcome of a collaboration with the global esports organization Fnatic.

Over the course of three visits, the researchers analyzed 10 healthy, college-aged gamers, all of whom were ranked esports players with more than 500 hours of playing time. In one visit, players engaged in two hours of unin-

terrupted, continuous gameplay with no interventions.

In a second visit, gameplay was interrupted halfway through, and players took part in a six-minute walking break at a comfortable pace. On a third visit, players wore a fitted compression sleeve below the knee while playing continuously for two hours.

Using Doppler ultrasound, the researchers took measurements of the players’ left popliteal artery, a primary vessel that delivers blood to the area near the knee and lower leg and is prone to blood clots.

The recordings, which were taken at 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes, collected data on vessel diameter, blood flow velocity, and blood flow volume. After the experiments were completed, participants were then also asked to reflect on each intervention and how they felt it affected their gaming performance.

The findings showed that during the two hours spent playing without any intervention (no compression sleeve or walking break), players experienced a greater decrease in blood flow and blood velocity, with blood flow volume dropping 46 percent after two hours.

When the compression sleeve was used, blood flow decreased by 31 per-

cent after two hours, offering moderate benefits over the control group. However, the six-minute walking break proved superior, with players experiencing a 20 percent decrease at the two-hour mark.

These findings build on the center’s2021 research, which found that walking breaks can improve gamers’ processing speed and executive function.

The player survey responses re-

vealed that more than 67 percent believed that the walking break had a positive impact on their gaming performance, whereas only 11% felt the compression garments positively impacted performance. I

Interestingly, more than 78 percent still agreed that they would consider wearing compression garments in the future.

While the research stands to benefit

any gamer who plays continuously— professional, collegiate, or even recreationally—lead author Joanne Donoghue, professor and director of clinical research at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, notes that the findings could also improve health outcomes in any individual who sits for a prolonged period.

“Even though our study was conducted in gamers, any person who sits for a long time throughout the day, including office workers, could benefit from our findings and apply this knowledge to proactively reduce their risk of developing blood clots,” she says.

Donoghue also hopes her team’s findings will help establish the first health guidelines for collegiate esports players.

“As collegiate esports continues to grow, we’ve seen that coaches are desperate for information on how to make their players healthier. However, because esports is not yet NCAA-regulated, there are no available health regulations like those that exist for traditional sports, such as football. Hopefully, our research will inspire additional studies and conversations that eventually lead to these much-needed rules at the college level,” Donoghue said.

Old Westbury to participate in Black Leadership Institute

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced on March 5, the launch of the SUNY Black Leadership Institute, and two SUNY Old Westbury representatives will play prominent roles.

Along with SUNY’s Hispanic Leadership Institute, BLI is designed to ensure that “emerging leaders across our system benefit from rigorous support and training to expand their career at SUNY,” King said. “Programs like BLI and HLI are critical to our work to ensure excellent leaders across SUNY’s campuses.”

BLI’s inaugural class of seven fellows includes Danielle Lee, associate dean of academic institutes and programs for the campus’ School of Arts and Sciences and assistant professor of English.

Lee also directs the University’s Social and Environmental Justice Institute.

Additionally, President Timothy E. Sams has been appointed as an advisor to the 10-person BLI steering committee. Tamara Frazier, the deputy chief operating officer for SUNY, serves as

the BLI’s executive director, with guidance from the steering committee.

“As one of the largest educational systems in the world, SUNY is uniquely positioned to be the leader in developing and retaining diverse, world-class talent that impacts future leaders, New York State, and the entirety of our nation,” said Sams. “Equally important, with culture wars and more threatening the progress of our nation, SUNY’s leadership in this work ensures our systems’ future as place that guarantees access, is inclu-

sive, provides outstanding educational value and meets today’s national and global challenges.”

The BLI is designed for faculty and administrative professionals on a leadership trajectory at their respective institutions serving in mid- to seniorlevel roles. Fellows are guided through leadership assessments, interactive online and in-person workshops, and professional mentoring sessions designed to advance leadership skills.

Lee is a 2010 graduate of SUNY Old Westbury where she earned her

B.A. in English, with a specialization in multicultural literature.

She received her doctorate in English from St. John’s University in Queens. Aside from her dean and director duties, Lee also teaches Early Modern British Literature, Shakespeare, and Topics in African American literature.

Lee’s research is rooted in Premodern Critical Race Studies, examining precolonial African agency in the construction of the Atlantic Trade System.

Troop 201 Eagle Scouts honored Assemblyman Lavine bill would decriminalize adultery

Troop 201 from Herricks honored their two newest Eagle Scoutsthe highest honor in Scouts BSA. Justin Doan and Naman Chordia

were honored at a ceremony that took place on Sunday, March 10 at the Archangel Michael Church in Port Washington.

You may not realize it, but the act of committing adultery is illegal in New York State.

Believing the state has no business regulating consensual sexual behavior between adults, Assemblymember Charles Lavine (DNorth Shore) is trying to change that.

Lavine introduced A.4714, to repeal and decriminalize the act of adultery in the State of New York. After passing unanimously through the Codes Committee last week, the bill passed in the full chamber on Monday (3/12/24) by a vote of 137-10 and is now in the hands of the Senate.

Lavine believes the bill is important as it allows for the removal of what he calls an “archaic” piece of law. “This outdated statute criminalizes sexual behavior between consenting adults.” Lavine said. “It is long past time for us to remove it from the penal code. If a law is not enforced, there is no reason it should be maintained,” he added.

Since 1972, only 13 people have been charged with adultery. Of those, only five were convicted of the crime. In virtually every one of those cases, there was some other crime involved, and the prosecuting attorney added adultery as just one of many crimes committed.

Lead researcher Joanne Donoghue meets with New York Tech gamers in the university’s esports arena on the Old Westbury campus.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TEDDY TONG

Troop 201 in Herrick, newest Eagle Scouts Justin Doan and Naman Chorida.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF ASSEMBLYMEMBER CHARLES LAVINE

Business&

Our ex-prez isn’t the only one getting fined

If you haven’t seen or read the recent new, I will tell you the two colossal stories. The National Association of Realtors settled its case with the Justice Department concerning the “supposed” fixing of commissions. It was a whopping $418,000,000. However, Berkshire Hathaway is the only brokerage that is appealing their case, as Warren Buffet has unlimited funds of $168 billion in cash to pursue the company’s innocence.

Whereby, the ex-president penalty was considerably more. He has to come up with 110% of the charges of $454 million by about March 25 or lose the opportunity to appeal his case!

The National Association of Realtors decided to settle the case. If they were to appeal, like Berkshire Hathaway, the costs of fighting the case might have bankrupted the corporation, especially if they lost. I am wondering who is going to pay the $418 million over approximately four years and will it be divided over all of the 1,554,604 Realtors in 106,548 brokerages (as per The National Association of Realtors) in the U.S. in 2024? There are some 2 million licensed agents. If you aren’t part of an MLS, you are not considered or allowed to use the Realtor’s name or logo. Calculating the cost per agent, if divided among all the current licensed Realtors, it would be $268.88, and in the big picture and in the scheme of things

that isn’t that bad.

My professional opinion is that it all revolved around the sellers having to pay a commission to a buyer’s agent if their client purchased and closed on the home. However, there are times when the buyer does pay the fee to their buyer’s agent who represents them. But indirectly, it is the seller who pays the buyer’s agent. However, listing agents have the right and the choice not to pay a buyer’s agent. But what usually happens is the buyer’s agent includes their commission in their offer, so the net to the seller is minus the commission to the buyer’s agent. Thus indirectly the seller is still paying their fee.

However, if they are bringing their clients to view the available homes on the market, isn’t it a benefit to the homeowner by creating more showings? So, why not remunerate them? The more traffic the better, especially with our 50-year low in housing inventory. The buyer is already paying a hefty sum for their purchase, so why should they pay the fee? I do not see why this was such a monumental part of the issue in the Department of Justice lawsuit.

When it comes to fixing commissions by brokerages getting together and conspiring and colluding together, which was part of the DOJ case, I find that very suspicious, sketchy and extremely rare

ing, business cards, as well as E and O (errors and omissions insurance in the event of a lawsuit, an agent is covered w/the exception of fraud or other events and situations that might not be included). In addition, there are car expenses, e.g. gas, repairs, wear and tear, etc.

When one calculates all the costs, the fees asked for are warranted and proper for those true professionals who are part of the 10% club in earning an excellent income. They will always handle their clients in a transparent, upfront, and candid fashion while doing their business to find their purchasers the next place to call home. For those who tarnish the industry and sometimes give it a bad name, they are far and few between.

to the overwhelming response, we have extended our contest until 4/15/24 at midnight. The final drawing will be on 12/28/24 and the winner will be notified.

on Long Island, at least from my 42 years of experience in the industry. Of course, there is always a possibility that it might have occurred, but is a rarity.

Sellers have the right to discuss the commissions, say no, and then negotiate. But sellers and buyers need to realize the cost of doing business today since that commission check isn’t all profit. I have seen commission splits that can range from a 50/50 split to 100% for the agent.

But there are other fees that those agents on the higher commissions have to pay from desk and transaction fees, advertis-

Lastly, New York State has a larger number of spotters out there in 2024 to watch over and catch those who do not abide by the rules, regulations, and code of ethics, so they need to watch their back and be aware not to break the law.

P.S. Have you entered my contest yet? Whoever provides the correct answer on how many interest rate reductions or possible increases plus the total percentage reduced or increased this year will be the winner. Your reward will be a dinner with my wife and me and a special surprise bonus! The contest was going to end on 3/15/24, but due

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Business&RealEstate

North Shore appoints new HR leader

North Shore University Hospital today announced the appointment of Anwau Huffman, MHA, as associate executive director of human resources (HR) at the hospital. He succeeds Donna Cice, who was promoted to a system role.

Cice spent the last six years as an HR leader at NSUH and in Northwell Health’s Central Region. Her new post will oversee business leader services at Northwell as vice president, enterprise HR officer.

Huffman has spent the last 12 years at Northwell, most recently as vice president of human resources at Huntington Hospital. Under his watch, Huntington achieved a 90.5% favorability rating for team member engagement. Prior to that, he served as director of operations at Northwell’s Center for Advanced Medicine in New Hyde Park.

“We are grateful for the extraordinary leadership provided by Donna Cice and excited to have Anwau Huffman join the North Shore University Hospital team,” said Jon Sendach, executive director of NSUH and deputy regional executive director of Northwell’s Central Region. “Anwau spent time in this building earlier in his Northwell career and grew up blocks from the hospital. We’re happy that he’s come home and expect him to continue the top-tier, employeefocused engagement we expect at one of the nation’s great hospitals.”

Huffman began his career in college athletics, first as assistant athletic director of facilities and event management at Fordham University in the Bronx and later associate director of athletics for facilities and operations at Willamette University in Salem, Ore.

Huffman holds a bachelor of science degree in business management and finance from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn., along with a master’s degree in health care administration from Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H. He also is a graduate of Northwell’s 2021 High Potential Program.

“Words cannot express the level of gratitude that I feel to now work at the same hospital where my mother was a 20-year team member,” said Huffman. “Unfortunately, she lost her battle with cancer in 2001, but I remember the way that the people at North Shore University Hospital took care of me. They saw me as one of their own. This opportunity is not only a dream come true but an attempt to repay that debt. We have great team members, and this is my opportunity to play a small part in our journey.”

Langone brings his team to Daniel Gale

Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty recently welcomed John Langone and seven other real estate advisors to its North Shore team.

Recruited by North Shore sales manager Bryan McMillen, Langone and his team were formerly with Richard B. Arnold Real Estate, where Langone was a partner.

They will continue to operate out of their existing office at 329 Glen Cove Ave. in Sea Cliff, which is currently being renovated and rebranded by Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty.

“As one of the premier real estate agents working this part of the North Shore, John Langone is something of a regional legend,” said McMillen. “We have been friendly competitors for years, and know each other well from the transactions we’ve closed together over that time. John and his team are top shelf and abide by the same code

of professionalism and service that we do here at Daniel Gale Sotheby’s.”

For his part, Langone said he has long been an admirer of the Daniel Gale organization. He briefly worked out of Daniel Gale’s Sea Cliff office when he was first licensed, but as a business owner since the 1970s and an independent spirit, soon charted a different path.

Early in his career the father of four, one of whom has also joined Daniel Gale, worked a variety of jobs. He was a teamster and interstate carrier and also owned Bellacicco Bread Routes.

What laid the foundation for his real estate success, though, was the relationships he formed behind the counter as the owner of some of the first video stores in Glen Head and Glen Cove.

He recalls that the very day he got his real estate license, a video store

customer told him she was going to move. He got the listing within hours and his career was off and running!

Langone’s decision to bring his team to Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty was based on numerous factors.

“It was time to bring my agents to an agency that will support their careers with the technology, training, marketing and global reach necessary for optimal success,” Langone explained. Langone’s seasoned team includes his daughter, Deana Langone Roper, Howard Taub, Denise Schuld, Jennifer Mahoney, Thomas Doyle, Angelina Curcio and Susan Yazdanfar.

“My working relationships with Daniel Gale’s Locust Valley, Sea Cliff, Glen Head, Glen Cove and Roslyn offices have always been outstanding and professional, and their customer service is second to none. That’s what I want for my team.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHWELL HEALTH

Anwau Huffman has been named associate executive director of human resources at North Shore University Hospital.

Mineola learners earn 7 DECA awards Upcoming events at the Williston Park Library

From March 6-8, the Mineola High School DECA Chapter attended the New York DECA State Career Conference in Rochester.

Sixteen learners participated in competitive role-play events, focusing on different career clusters such as Human Resource Management and Business Financial Services. There were over 2,000 attendees at this respected event.

On the first night of the conference, seniors Eunice Lee and Arnav Shah were invited to the stage to accept an award for the creation of the first DECA Chapter at Mineola High School, which was officially formed at the start of this school year.

Following the series of rigorous competitions and simulations, the Mineola team was invited back to the stage to collect a total of seven medals, an outstanding result of their overall professionalism, tenacity and skill in the DECA arena.

Eunice Lee received three Top 10 medals for exceptional performance in the Human Resources Management events.

Arnav Shah received a medal for Top 10 placement in the Business Management exam. Junior Jordan

Chaver received medals for Top 10 placement in Business Services Marketing exam and the role-play event. Senior Luigi Sartori received a medal for Top 10 placement in the Business Administration Core exam.

“We’re tremendously proud of our learners’ accomplishments at this year’s State Career Conference,” said DECA chapter advisor Michael McShane. “The success our chapter has seen at both the Regional and State level in its inaugural year is a testament to how motivated and determined our learners are.”

Mineola District Coordinator of Career, Community and STEAM Opportunities Nicole Culella added, “Mineola Schools is delighted to be able to partner with the DECA program to provide learners with meaningful career-focused, industry ready skills.”

DECA is a national organization with over 250,000 high school members from all fifty states. DECA programs are designed to prepare emerging leaders for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management by giving them real-life experiences that can teach them about business and entrepreneurship.

From the Director

The Friends of the Williston Park Library are looking for adults in the community to volunteer for the organization. Some of our core members are “retiring” and we’re looking to fill those vacancies, specifically, that of President. If you’re interested, please call Carolyn Stalters (742-0412). The Friends of the Llibrary sponsors many things for the library, such as the museum passes, Bookpage magazine and supplies for the summer reading program. Potential dissolution of the group would mean the loss of these services to the library.

We are suspending donation acceptance until further notice. We are at storage capacity. Please consider donating to The Book Fairies. Their contact number is 516-557-6645.

The library is still distributing Covid-19 tests while supplies last. Please ask at the Reference Desk.

New titles added to the collection:

Fourteen Days—Margaret Atwood

Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships—Nedra Glover Tawwab

Clover Hendry’s Day Off—Beth Morrey

Teacher—Freida McFadden

Desified: Delicious Recipes for Ramadan, Eid and Everyday—Zaynah Din

Hidden Life of Cecily Larson—Ellen Baker

Lone Wolf—Gergg Hurwitz

Still Point—Tammy Greenwood

Mercury—Amy Jo Burns

Messy Life of Jane Tanner—Brenda Novak

Adult Programs

Reiki—March 28; April 4 & 18—6pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall. $10 p/person; p/session.

Yoga—Saturdays—March 23, 30—Noon-1 pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall. $10 p/person, p/session. Please bring a yoga mat, water bottle and towel; Wear comfortable clothes. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

Friends of the Library Presents: Spring Songfest—Sunday—March 24—2pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall. Join guest performer Roberta Fabiano for an afternoon of Irish, Italian and other musical favorites. Book Discussion—Wednesday—April 3—7pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall and via zoom. Copies of Dark Matter by Blake Crouch are available at the Circulation Desk. https://adelphiuniversity.zoom.us/j/96885670102?p wd=VGtSYnkyUW9acVJyV0tyNUtUZnMyZz09

Meeting ID: 968 8567 0102 Passcode: WPBookClub or just call 1-929-205-6099 on your phone and it will ask for the meeting id and password above

Cactus Rocks Craft with Lisa Colon—Monday—April 29—6pm in the Library. $10 material fee p/person due at registration. Per vendor, limited to 20 participants. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@ gmail.com to register.

Empire Safety Defensive Driving Course—Thursday—May 16—10am-4pm in the Assembly Room of Village Hall for drivers of all ages. $33 p/person ($35 p/person for Spanish workbook). Registration forms are available at the Circulation Desk. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

Children’s Programs

Storytime with Miss Beth—Tuesdays—March 19, 26; April 2, 9 & 16—12:00-12:45 in the Children’s Room. Please no walk-ins. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

Children’s Movie—Saturday—March 23—12pm in the Children’s Room for all ages. Light refreshments will be served. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

Easter Craft Afternoon—Saturday—March 30—12-1pm in the Children’s Room. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

Solar Eclipse—Monday—April 8—2-4:30pm in the Village Hall parking lot. Glasses and activities will be available. Cal the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register and reserve your glasses.

Children’s Movie—Saturday—April 20—12pm in the Children’s Room. Light refreshments will be served. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

STEAM Craft—Saturday—April 27—12-1pm in the Children’s Room. Learn about 2 & 3D printing and create your own mini Eiffel Tower. Call the library (742-1820) or email willistonparkprograms@gmail.com to register.

PEN PAL PROGRAM

The library is proud to work with Kayla, of Girl Scout Troop 1825 on her Gold Award. She has established a Pen Pal Program for children in grades 1-8. If any children are interested, parents are welcome to stop by the Reference Desk to complete a small registration form. This is not a sponsored library activity; Kayla will be in charge of the project. All information is confidential.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MINEOLA SCHOOL DISTRICT

Sixteen Mineola High School learners attended the New York DECA State Career Conference in Rochester, where they took home seven medals for their performance in business simulation competitions, exams and role-plays.

Herricks

Continued from Page 1

Prior to the law, child sex abuse survivors had between one and five years to bring a civil lawsuit against their abuser, with that one- to fiveyear period starting after the victim turned 18 years old.

Following the act, which was in effect through 2021, survivors could file a claim any time before they turned 55 years old.

The case decided Friday is one of 21 lawsuits filed by former students against Herricks under the act alleging they were abused by Festa between 1973 and 1991.

Herman said the abuse his client endured could have been avoided if the district had investigated Festa and removed him from the district after a pair of students reported instances of abuse to the high school principal in 1980.

Knowledge of Festa’s alleged

abuse was so rampant in the years that followed that he was widely referred to in school as “Festa the Molester,” according to Herman.

During the trial, the district conceded that Festa did sexually abuse the plaintiff, but denied that school officials permitted his actions.

“Vincent Festa must bear the full weight of responsibility for the evil things we heard [at trial],” said Melissa Jampol, the district’s lead attorney.

Festa was arrested in 1993 after he was accused of sexually abusing six teenagers in his Ronkonkoma neighborhood.

He was sentenced to five years of probation and required to register as a sex offender. He was latercharged with one count of Sex Offender Registration Violationafter failing to register his email addresses and internet service providers. He died in 2011 at 82.

School districts facing loss of state aid scramble

Continued from Page 2

ensuring our teachers get the resources they need to educate the next generation of New Yorkers.”

Washington said the hold harmless initiative disregards district wealth, student needs or population changes and opposes the foundation aid formula as it limits state resources for high-need or growing school districts.

Gergis said the removal of hold harmless was a shock to the Manhasset school district as they received no prior indication that the proposal would occur.

He said the state has guaranteed foundation aid for decades, implementing a hold harmless protocol that ensures districts receive the same amount or more in foundation aid from year to year. The removal of this guarantee, Gergis said, is what has blindsided the district.

The Manhasset School District is proposed to receive a 20.74% drop in its foundation aid from the prior school year, amounting to $629,105 less in the allocated state funds.

Gergis said this is a “significant funding limitation” for the district which could affect areas

throughout its 2024-2025 budget.

Amid the drops in foundation aid, the Manhasset School District has proposed cuts, including the removal of 14.45 full-time equivalent positions.

While Gergis acknowledged that Manhasset is deemed a more affluent community, the district still warrants receiving comparable amounts of foundation aid from prior years as it is the state’s primary funding source for school districts. He added that despite the general affluence in the school district, it still services low-income families and students.

“That state aid does leverage,” Gergis said. “It helps us run our programs and it’s also directed towards equitable distribution for all kids because not every kid or family in Manhasset is really wealthy.”

Other school districts are also seeing a drop in their foundation aid, including Great Neck, which is proposed to receive a $27,497 reduction.

Calls for preserving hold harmless have been made by many other school districts, including Roslyn, which is proposed to receive the highest

increase of state aid on the North Shore.

The district is proposed to receive an increase of $255,548 in its foundation aid.

“Just enrollment alone is going to eat that up,” Roslyn’s assistant superintendent for Business and Administration, Susan Warren, said. “Enrollment is increasing significantly.”

The Roslyn School District has seen an increase of 2.8% in its enrollment from the 20122013 school year to 2022-2023.

But also included in each district’s state aid proposal is a grant for universal pre-K programs, yet for school districts that don’t operate a pre-K program like Manhasset these funds are virtually unavailable to them.

For Manhasset and other districts without a pre-K program, Gergis said this omits nearly $1 million from its granted state aid proposal.

The net losses for the Manhasset district in total state aid, Manhasset Superintendent Gaurav Passi said, amount to $511,000 – a 9.8% decrease. This counters what the state said Manhasset would receive, which amounted to an 8.43% increase in state aid.

The New York State Assembly proposed its

own state budget on March 12 that countered the governor’s school funding proposal and addressed the concerns from school districts heard throughout Long Island.

The assembly’s proposal increases foundation aid by $818.6 million from the governor’s proposal. This would constitute a $1.3 billion increase from the current school year.

“Reinstating the ‘hold harmless’ provision and rejecting the proposed inflationary factor changes to ensure that our school districts do not receive less Foundation Aid than they did the prior year was my top priority,” state Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti said. “After three years of historic investments in state funding for our school districts, we should not settle for anything less for our children’s education.”

Also included in the Assembly’s budget proposal is an allocation of $125 million for universal pre-K and an additional $120 million for free school lunches.

“As we continue budget negotiations in Albany, I’m optimistic that the final budget will support our schools and ensure that families have the resources they need to thrive,” Sillitti said.

Mineola trustees approve increase in water rates

Continued from Page 2

The second phase of the project would be the construction of a building around the treatment system. That project is slated to go to public bid and is estimated to cost $9,612,000, Rini said.

Multiple water well treatment facilities are being proposed, which explains the high price tag. Pereira says that the hike in water rates is not meant to cover the $34,970,788 in water projects, though.

“These water rates and fees, obviously, are not being raised to try to pay down the $34,970,788. We would never get there with fees,” said Pereira. “But the cost of chemicals, the cost of electricity, the cost of doing business. Obviously, everything has gone up.”

Rini acknowledged the high expenses and said the public works department has been work-

ing to mitigate costs.

So far, the village has been awarded multiple New York State Water Infrastructure Improvement grants and has amassed a total of $15,010,000 in funding.

Pereira said that while rate increases of 5% and 6% may seem extreme, residents should put into perspective that the Village of Mineola gets “a lot of bang for our buck when it comes

to our water service” when compared to nearby villages.

“Trust me, I have a teenage daughter and a teenage son. And lots of laundry and long showers, so I am definitely above the average of a single-family home,” said Pereira. “And these [water rate increases] would come out to about $25 a year increase for me. For most people, it would certainly be less than that.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF HERRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Herricks High School.

Vaidya ousts incumbent trustee in E.W.

Continued from Page 1

He volunteers for the local fire department and is currently attending fire school. Although a fairly new resident, Vaidya’s admiration for the town dates back to the early days of his 10-year relationship with his now-wife, who grew up in East Williston.

“I remember, with my wife growing up here, there was a recreation committee and the recreation committee would host events on the weekends or in the evenings and residents would show up to that,” said Vaidya. “But over the years, involvement has dropped down.”

He hopes to improve communication between village board members and town residents.

“I am young. I’m 34,” said Vaidya. “I’m hoping that the residents in the village who are closer to my age want to get more involved.”

Vaidya would like to implement sending out summaries after village meetings so all residents can keep up to date on town matters.

He said he has not only the time and energy to give back to the community but a background in engineering and construction project management that could be useful for the board.

With a 2-year-old son at home, Vaidya foresees another 30 years in East Williston for him and his wife. He would like to be a go-to person for other East Williston residents during that time.

“I’m willing to be present,” said Vaidya. “I’m willing to have my neighbors call me up at three in the morning if they have a problem.”

But Lark and Gallo have fulfilled that role for the past few years, and although neither were ready to stop anytime soon, Lark will now have to step down.

Lark has lived in East Williston for 12 years and he works for an insurance company in New York City. But the biggest resume standout that helped him clinch a trustee position in 2019 is his time spent volunteering in the community.

After longtime trustee Anthony Casella resigned midterm in 2019, Mayor Bonnie Parente asked Lark to assume the position after she noticed him participating at multiple board meetings. Lark stepped up to the plate after years spent working, coaching Little League teams and forming Cub Scout dens for his daughter to join.

“When the mayor originally asked me to step up, I viewed it as community service,” said Lark. “I love our village. I love living here. And the more people who step up in any capacity, the better.”

Just one year later, Lark found himself guiding Gallo through a similar situation when trustee Chris Siciliano decided not to run again. Lark, who knew Gallo through scouting, encouraged him to run.

Gallo has lived in East Williston for more than

10 years and works as a civil engineer. Gallo was first appointed trustee in 2020. He said his engineering knowledge has come in handy many times during his work as a trustee. The mayor agrees.

“Anthony works as a civil engineer and dives deep into our infrastructure projects and contractor bids and translates them into a language we can all understand,” said Parente. “He does this on his own time.”

Parente “enthusiastically” endorsedboth Lark and Gallo.

Lark and Gallo shared many of their achievements during their time as trustees, including upgrading all of the LED lighting in the village and overseeing the redoing of gas line mains through the village. Gallo said he was particularly proud of the resurfacing of the tennis courts in the village, since many residents can now enjoy the use of the courts.

Both incumbent candidates had hoped to do more of the same if elected for another term. Both candidates ran with the Community Party.

Lark and Gallo praised Parente’s long-term plan for the village and said they hope to work

with her on future tasks, including a large road repaving project coming to the village this year.

While Vaidya said he does not have any concerns for the village except for a lack of communication, both Lark and Gallo said their major concern for the village is the upcoming village-wide assessment of water lines for lead.

“How is this going to impact us as a village in terms of both cost and disturbing residents?” said Lark. “We don’t yet know what the extent of that is going to entail.”

Both Lark and Gallo emphasized that the assessments for lead and the repaving projects should be aligned to minimize disturbance to residents and avoid ripping up the same road twice.

While Lark joked that the board members do not always see eye-to-eye, he commended the board on always being able to reach decisions and respect one another.

“I think as a trustee I’ve done a good job of upholding the standards of the village, interacting with residents, and I think we have a really good board and mayor in that regard,” said Lark. “We work together very well. I think we have things

running very smoothly.”

Gallo also praised board members on their working relationship.

“I think that residents should re-elect me this year so I can continue to offer what I can to the village. I feel like I did a good job – I’m doing a good job so far, and I want to continue to do it,” said Gallo. “I feel like my background ties in well with the rest of the board. Each one of us has our own little niche.”

Incumbent trustees Paul Cusato and Donna Solosky both won their trustee seats again in the Village of Mineola election Tuesday night. The two incumbent trustees ran unopposed. Cusato received 166 votes. Solosky received 153 votes. There were eight write-in ballots cast, though the names on the write-ins are unavailable.

Incumbent trustees William Carr and Michael Uttaro both won their trustee seats again in the Village of Williston Park election Tuesday night.

The two incumbent trustees ran unopposed. Carr received 114 votes. Uttaro received 125 votes. There was one write-in ballot cast for Richard Sais.

Dalimonte, DeSena blame one another for dysfunction

Continued from Page 3

challenge as your supervisor is to keep the collective goals of our Town foremost for our team and to prevent that work from being undermined by any one person.”

Dalimonte said the letter was sparked by criticism from DeSena and Walsh at the town’s March 5 meeting where they alleged that she did not make enough of an effort to inform the supervisor and her administration before presenting an item on the installation of the town’s oyster gardens ahead of the vote.

“Several times during Town Board meetings the supervisor has publicly accused me of not working with or informing her about issues I am working on, when the reality is that she does not respond to my meeting requests and actively

cuts me out of important meetings affecting my district,” Dalimonte wrote.

Dalimonte said that the same radio silence she has received from the supervisor is also affecting residents, citing examples of residents speaking at Town Board meetings about reaching out to DeSena and not receiving a response. She said this has been occurring at almost every meeting for the past year.

“Based on my own experiences trying to work with the supervisor’s office, I believe what these residents are saying is true,” Dalimonte said. “This is shameful and not how good government works.”

While the oyster garden initiative was passed unanimously by the board, Dalimonte described the incident as a public scolding, which she said

had occurred before.

DeSena refuted that description rather calling it “discourse and due diligence” by her and the board.

“Is the councilwoman publicly suggesting that her partners in government pass her initiatives without debate and abdicate their role as stewards?” DeSena wrote. “Perhaps her past experience as part of a majority somehow convinced her that colleagues should not offer viewpoints and simply rubber stamp each other’s initiatives”

DeSena said that while Dalimonte’s letter calls for an end to partisan bickering, the letter itself is a blatant example of that issue.

“Sadly, it exemplifies what has become a recurring problem at the Town – how we address

the ongoing displeasure and complaints of one elected official,” DeSena wrote. “It’s a pattern of disruptive behavior that has spanned 27 months and is now culminating in her unwillingness to cooperate with myself or the new majority on the Town Board.”

While DeSena said she respects Dalimonte’s dedication to her district, she will continue to debate legislation, vote for resolutions she supports and continue her efforts to rebuild the town’s government. She said she won’t let the town be “held hostage by one person.”

“I regret that the back-and-forth, sometimes noisy exchange of good government has the councilwoman so unnerved, but that’s how we know it’s alive and well,” DeSena wrote. “It’s no place for hurt feelings or imagined insults.”

PHOTO BY JED HENDRIXSON

The Village of East Williston held an election March 19.

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Variance from §70-49.C to construct a rear addition that would make a house too big. Plans are available for public viewing at https://northhempsteadny.gov/ bza.  Persons interested in viewing the full file may do so by any time before the scheduled hearing by contacting the BZA department via e-mail at BZAdept@northhempsteadny. gov.  Additionally, the public may view the live stream of this meeting at https://northhempsteadny.gov/ townboardlive. Any member of the public is able to attend and participate in a BZA hearing by appearing on the scheduled date and time.  Comments are limited to 3 minutes per speaker. Written comments are accepted by email up to 60 minutes prior to the hearing. Timely comment submissions will be made part of the record. DAVID MAMMINA, R.A., Chairman; Board of Zoning Appeals

3 Northwell hospitals receive patient safety award

Three Northwell Health hospitals were named Patient Safety Excellence Award recipients by Healthgrades, the leading resource consumers use to find a hospital or doctor.

North Shore University Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital, and Long Island Jewish Medical Center all received the Patient Safety Excellence Award from Healthgrades, reflecting their commitment to delivering safe, high quality care. Only 14 hospitals in New York were recognized by Healthgrades.

“Keeping our patients safe, minimizing complications and targeting outstanding clinical outcomes is the priority of all employees at Northwell,” said Dr. Peter Silver, senior vice president, chief quality officer and associate chief medical officer for Northwell. “We are pleased that our excellent level of care is reflected in this Healthgrades report. Although these ratings are excellent, we still strive to

improve even more every day.”

Healthgrades evaluated risk-adjusted complication and mortality rates for approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide to determine this year’s top-performing hospitals for patient safety.

Healthgrades’ analysis revealed that patients treated in hospitals receiving the 2024 Patient Safety Excellence Award have a significantly lower chance of experiencing one of the four leading safety indicators than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals: in-hospital fall resulting in fracture,collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, or catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital.

North Shore University Hospital is the only hospital in Nassau County to receive the

award six years in a row (2019-2024), and Lenox Hill is the only hospital in Manhattan to earn it three years in a row (2022-2024).

“Northwell Health has cultivated an outstanding safety culture that prioritizes the well-being of both patients and staff, setting a high standard for patient safety nationwide,” said Dr. Brad Bowman, chief medical officer and head of data science at Healthgrades. “We’re proud to recognize Northwell for providing top-quality care while preventing serious injuries to patients during their hospital stay.”

Additionally, Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson received Healthgrades’ Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ for the fourth year in a row (2021-2024). It is one of only five hospitals in New York to do so. The award is based on data from patient surveys about their stay in the hospital.

Solomon named 2024 Macy Foundation Scholar

Dr. Philip Nathan Solomon, assistant professor of Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, program director for Northwell Health’s Geriatrics Fellowship Program, and director of Geriatric Education and Clinical Integration, has been named a 2024 Macy Faculty Scholar.

Part of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, the Macy Faculty Scholars Program identifies and nurtures promising early career educators in medicine and nursing and supports them in optimizing learning in clinical environments.

Solomon is one of five medical educators selected nationwide to join this year’s elite group of scholars. He will receive support for his work developing geriatrics curricula for undergraduate and graduate medical education at Northwell Health.

“I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to be a Macy Faculty Scholar,” said Solomon. “It embodies the support I have received from my mentors at Northwell Health and the Zucker School of Medicine, and I am honored to represent the school and health system through this prestigious award.”

Throughout the two-year program, the Scholars will receive mentorship, training, and the support of a broad network of current and alumni Scholars while pursuing a mentored educational project at their home institution.

The projects address important

themes spanning health equity and justice, climate change and health, and health professions curricula. Each Scholar may also receive up to $100,000 per year for two years in stipend support, along with an additional $25,000 per year for professional development activities and project expenses.

Since its inception in 2010, the Macy Faculty Scholars Program has identified and supported dozens of outstanding educators, physicians, nurses, and role models to become national leaders in medical and nursing education.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Philip Solomon to the 2024 cohort of Macy Faculty Scholars,” said Dr. Holly J. Humphrey, president of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation. “As a geriatrician within a large health system, Dr. Solomon is ideally positioned to develop geriatrics curricula across the interprofessional clinical spectrum. We are grateful for his important and meaningful work, which focuses on optimizing care for older adults—a growing patient population whose health and health care needs often touch multiple generations.”

Northwell Health’s Graduate Medical Training Program is one of the largest in the nation, educating more than 2,000 residents and fellows each year.

Dr. Philip Solomon, assistant professor of Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell, program director for Northwell Health’s Geriatrics Fellowship Program, and director of Geriatric Education and Clinical Integration, is one of only five medical educators selected nationwide to become a 2024 Macy Faculty Scholar, recognizing his dedication to advancing geriatrics medical education and patient care.

The training and clinical experiences around aging and care of older adults vary from program to program. With the support from the Macy Faculty Scholars Program, Solomon plans to enhance the learner experi-

ence by developing a fully integrated geriatrics curriculum to increase collaboration, improve the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals, and ultimately lead to better patient care for the vulnerable older adult population.

“The gold standard for care of older adults requires interprofessional providers collaborating to achieve the best outcomes,” explained Solomon. “For my project, we will conduct a comprehensive review of different geriatrics curricula across Hofstra University’s health professions education schools and Northwell Health’s training programs. Subsequently, we will unite interprofessional trainees to develop an integrated geriatrics curriculum comprising workshops, didactic sessions, and self-directed learning.”

While working on his Macy Faculty Scholar project, Solomon will be mentored by Dr. Edith Burns, professor of Medicine and director of research in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

Burns has known Solomon since he joined the Division in 2020. They have worked closely to update, strengthen, and expand the fellowship curriculum and training experience.

“Phil is an ideal choice as a Macy Faculty Scholar and is uniquely qualified to carry out the proposed educational plan,” said Burns, who, as a primary mentor, will help ensure project

milestones and facilitate collaboration and networking both within Northwell and on a local and national level. “He is a superb and empathetic clinician with the rare ability to communicate and teach others from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds. His experience in health systems and ability to collaborate provides added depth and substance, and his innovation and energy make him a wonderful role model for our field.”

As the population of older adults continues to rise, it is estimated that in the next ten years, the need for geriatricians will be double the supply.

Through his work, Solomon also intends to reframe geriatrics for earlycareer trainees in hopes of re-energizing a field that is often misunderstood and mischaracterized.

“We need to redefine Geriatrics for trainees early in their career arc, so they do not carry negative stereotypes and perceptions about the field as they work with other learners,” said Solomon. “Even if we do not fully meet the need for formally trained geriatricians, most future doctors will care for older adults.

Early exposure to the tenets of geriatrics will allow interprofessional providers to improve care to this growing population.”

Visit the Macy Foundation Faculty Scholars website to learn more about the 2024 Macy Faculty Scholars and their projects.

LI surgeon joins nonprofit to help cancer patients

The Basic Six, a nonprofit organization that helps cancer patients look their best when they feel their worst, welcomed Dr. Lyle S. Leipziger, a plastic surgeon, to serve as its medical director.

Leipziger is chief of plastic surgery at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital.

He said, “Most doctors do a wonderful job addressing cancer patients’ physical health, but sometimes a patient’s emotional health may not get the same amount of attention. I’m happy to help The Basic Six fill that gap. We know that the cosmetic changes cancer treatment causes may lead to anxiety and depression.”

As medical director, Leipziger will serve as an advisor to the board and team of cosmetologists. He’ll also provide expertise to patients who have questions about cosmetic enhancement and self-esteem.

Basic Six co-founder June Bleich said, “Dr. Leipziger was the perfect choice for this volunteer role because he understands that the

best medical providers consider not just health, but also humanity. They see the patient as a whole person, not just a cancer diagnosis. This is especially important right now since we’re seeing a rise in cancer diagnoses among young people.”

The Basic Six’s specially licensed cosmetologists are trained to work with cancer patients’ unique skin -

care and makeup needs. They host lessons that teach women quick, easy, and safe beauty routines. The routines use just six products and take about six minutes to complete. “It’s important that this can be done quickly because women undergoing chemotherapy often have limited energy,” said Leipziger.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHWELL HEALTH North Shore University Hospital received the Patient Safety Excellence Award from Healthgrades.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHWELL HEALTH

Students at NYU LI celebrate Match Day FCA to honor Isabel Alysa, Sol Marie Alfonso-Jones

Finding out where they will fulfill their medical residencies can be a dream come true for aspiring physicians.

After months of waiting and wondering if they would find their perfect match, students at NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine in Mineola took part in the nationwide ceremony known as Match Day — the day when future doctors learn the location of their residencies.

The 24 member class of 2024 will be the third graduating class of the Mineola medical school, which recently received a major donation from Home Depot founder Ken Langone and his wife Elaine, and was renamed after Dean Robert I. Grossman. The school is the only one in the country to offer a three-year, tuitionfree medical degree focused on training primary care physicians for all of its students.

JCC Care Day symposium

On Friday, March 8, Sid Jacobson JCC in East Hills hosted the annual “Lawrence Rosenbloom Care Day Symposium,” which is designed to teach professional or family caregivers strategies and to build resilience in the face of degenerative illnesses like Alzheimer’s or dementia.

The symposium is named for the father of SJJCC Board Member Penny Kaufman.

The SJJCC was honored to have Alaina Hoschke and Adria Thompson, who presented on various dementia care-related topics. Their informative and engaging presentations provided valuable insights and

resources to all.

Attendee Dorothy Roper commended the event, “As in the past, my experience with the JCC was topnotch right from the start.

The speakers were spot on and provided information from two different perspectives on challenges that we, as caregivers, face each day. Both connected with their audience and offered ideas that were practical and easy to understand.”

To learn more about Sid Jacobson JCC’s Fay J. Lindner Foundation Senior Services Center Adult Day programs, visit sjjcc.org/specializedadult

In the heart of Women’s History Month, Family & Children’s Association, one of Long Island’s largest health and human services agencies, will honor women past and present with its third annual Long Island Women in Philanthropy event on Thursday, March 28 at The Lannin at Eisenhower Park.

The doors open at 8:30 a.m. for a morning of philanthropy, fashion, and fun honoring FCA’s 140-year history and the vision of all women with this year’s honorees, entrepreneur and businesswoman Isabel Alysa, CEO & Founder of Dolce Glow self-tanner and Sol Marie Alfonso Jones, program director for Long Island Community Foundation.

An inspiration to young women around the nation, Isabel Alysa survived childhood trauma that at age seven placed her, along with her twin sister, in foster care. As a young adult, she was hired by Los Angeles tanning salon.

After working her way up to tanning artist, she was able to launch her beauty empire in the self-tanning industry with her product Dolce Glow.

Today, Isabel counts among her clients Kim Kardasian, JLO and Megan Fox. Dolce Glow is carried in Ulta beauty, department stores such as Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, and sold online.

For more than three decades, Sol Marie Alfonso-Jones has been working

in the nonprofit sphere to better the quality of life for all on Long Island. In her current role as program director at Long Island Community Foundation (she manages the Foundation’s competitive grantmaking programs in the areas of education, youth development, and community and economic development.

She also leads the foundation’s strategic initiatives, including ensuring an accurate census count, developing regional solutions to racial and economic inequities, advancing fair and affordable housing, improving the performance of minority-owned small businesses, and supporting an inclusive and representative democracy.

A fashion show follows with clients,

volunteers, and staff walking the runway and speaking about the impact FCA has had on their lives and on Long Island as a whole. Volunteers from Sewanhaka High School’s Cosmetology program will be onsite to prepare the models for their runway debut.

Before and immediately following the program, FCA will host a Women’s Market featuring a wide variety of products from local, women owned businesses. Attendees are encouraged to stop by the marketplace to support these female entrepreneurs.

“We experience the philanthropic ideal every day among our volunteers, donors, and all the women within the organization,” said FCA President and CEO Jeffrey L. Reynolds. “These women are past, present, and future heroes, striving to help each other achieve their potential and strengthen themselves and others within the community. This event was created to inspire a sisterhood of women, to help FCA continue to grow, and serve the Long Island community.”

For more information, to see a full list of the marketplace vendors, and to purchase tickets/sponsorships, contact Paige O’Brien, Vice President of Strategic Advancement and Chief Development Officer at 516- 746.0350 x 4320, PObrien@fcali.org or visit www.fcali.org/ events.

Nassau Bar recognizes Rivkin

Radler for pro bono provider

On Tuesday, March 5, Rivkin Radler was recognized as a Top Pro Bono Provider for 2023 by the Nassau County Bar Association Access to Justice Committee at its Annual Pro Bono Recognition Dinner.

Rivkin Radler has been honored as a Top Pro Bono Provider in the large firm category since the program’s inception in 2015.

This year, 19 firms were recognized for providing free legal representation and information to indigent individuals on Long Island; Rivkin Radler was one of four firms acknowledged in the Large Firms category. Honorees within a firm were selected based on the number of volunteers and hours they contributed in 2023.

“Rivkin Radler understands the value of giving back to the community through volunteer and pro bono legal services. We are proud to be recognized by the leadership of the Nassau County Bar Association for the ninth consecutive year,” said Managing Partner Evan Krinick.

The NCBA Access to Justice Committee and Pro Bono department of the NCBA, directed by Madeline Mullane, work alongside Nassau Suffolk Law Services – a nonprofit organiza-

The event’s keynote speakers included Hon. Rowan D. Wilson, chief judge of the Court of Appeals of the State of New York; Norman St. George, first deputy chief administrative judge; Vito M. DeStefano, Nassau County administrative judge; and Conrad D. Singer, Nassau County Supreme Court justice.

tion dedicated to helping low-income Long Islanders in crisis access justice and The Safe Center LI – a nonprofit organization that works to protect, assist and empower victims of family violence and sexual assault – to develop innovative programs that provide free or reduced-fee access to legal counsel, advice, and information.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NASSAU COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

Pictured left to right Ann Burkowsky, marketing coordinator; Laurie Bloom, marketing director; Bryan Ramdat, associate; Rowan D. Wilson, chief judge of the Court of Appeals; Henry Mascia, partner; and Roberta Scoll, staff attorney and coordinator at Nassau Suffolk Law Services.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SID JACOBSON JCC

Penny Kaufman, the daughter of Lawrence Rosenbloom, speaks to the audience at the Care Day Symposium named for her father at Sid Jacobson JCC

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PORT ROWS IN BOSTON

High and middle schoolers tests skills at Charles Regatta

Some kids come once, see how hard it is, and never come back. Others, like Schreiber’s Sasha Wright (who’ll be a coxswain at George Washington next year; a coxswain is like the stage manager/director of the boat, telling all the other rowers what to do and strategizing during the race) come out once and are hooked forever.

“My parents had a friend who thought I might like rowing, so in 7th grade I started and I was terrible,” Wright laughed. “So, so bad, no one worse than me. I’m only 5-foot-1 so I didn’t have the strength others had. But I loved it so much, I needed to find a way to keep doing it.”

“You get kids who haven’t quite found their place in other sports, and come out here and decide they want to dedicate themselves to it,” Bosgang said. “It’s not easy when you train for weeks and weeks and row miles and miles for months, and then you have a six-minute race and it’s over. But the culture that has been built has really made it so that we welcome everybody.”

One belief that outsiders may have about rowing, that it’s all about upper body strength, is dispelled by the Port rowers.

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

The competitive instincts had kicked in, and Spyros Baris was as fired up as could be.

He was working his butt off and racing toward the finish line, with another competitor to his right. He kept glancing over to see where they were, as the lead changed a few times. First him, then his opponent, all the way to the end.

Finally, exhilaratingly, Baris and his teammates won, and collapsed into each other, exhausted but thrilled.

Was this a track meet? Nope. This was a sport you don’t hear much about on the scholastic level, but one that’s gaining popularity more and more in Nassau County, New York state and beyond.

Baris, a sophomore at Schreiber High School, and his seven teammates were competing last year at

a state championship meet for rowing, beating out the freshman boat of RowAmerica Rye.

The Port Rowing team has been giving boys and girls from middle school and high school the opportunity to push themselves and have fun since 2010, when the club was founded by Port Washington resident Monika Dorman.

And while Port Rowing is the name of the club, the moniker isn’t quite accurate, as the 100-person strong team has athletes from as far away as Riverhead, Manhattan and the Bronx.

Their “home water” is at North Hempstead State Park, with the boats heading out for practice at Hempstead Harbor as long as the weather holds up.

But the team competes in regattas and events all up and down the east coast, including in Sarasota, Florida and Saratoga Springs in upstate New York.

And their success is extraordinary: This year alone, 12 rowers (3 from the boys team, nine from the girls team) have signed to compete in college, at schools like Boston University, George Washington, Lehigh, and the University of Central Florida.

So what is the appeal of the sport, that makes teenagers wake up for 5 a.m. workouts and push their bodies in ways they didn’t know possible?

Ask five different rowers and get five different answers, though the one answer that’s consistent is their friends think they’re certifiably nuts for doing it.

For senior Vince Dipalo, who goes to Kellenberg in Uniondale and is signed to row for Division I Fairfield (Conn.) University, rowing appeals to his competitive nature and ability to concentrate.

“You get so locked in when you’re in the boar, and all you see is the

straight line ahead of you, and the back of the head of the guy sitting in front of you,” Dipalo said. “It’s exhausting, six minutes of pushing yourself so hard. You get done, and your legs are like jelly.

“But it’s just so awesome.”

Baris, a sophomore at Schreiber High School, said he gave up soccer for rowing because he loved the team aspect with each member of the boat being equally important.

“In basketball or some other sports, you could have 2-3 star players and the team is really good, even if some of the other players aren’t,” Baris said. “Here, if someone isn’t pulling their weight, that affects everybody. Each person has to be mentally and physically ready or else you’re not going to succeed.”

One of the main aims of Port Rowing, boys coach Aaron Bosgang said, is to make rowing accessible to everybody.

Dipalo and others say leg strength is paramount; the ability to push off during the stroke and keep a strong core is just as important as arm and shoulder power.

“There’s a lot of physics involved,” Dipalo said. “Your arms work if you’re sculling (a technique in rowing), but if you’re using one oar, you’re being light with your upper body.”

Once you’ve decided rowing is for you, and want to do it in college, there’s a lot of recruiting work to do. Port Rowing kids splice highlight tapes, email scads of coaches and follow up as much as possible to get their abilities seen.

For Ana Woodside, a senior at Schreiber whose twin sister, Estella, is also going to Boston University to compete next year, her decision to try rowing has given her major callouses and ripped skin on her hands, but the benefits have been so much more.

“I’m eternally grateful that I took the chance to try this sport out,” Woodside said, beaming. “My life it’s changed forever because of this sport.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PORT ROWING

Members of the Port Rowing team compete at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston last year.

G.N. North proves tops in table tennis

BY JOYCE CHEUNG

The Great Neck North High School gymnasium transformed into a table tennis arena on Sunday, March 10th. This is the 8th annual event for Great Neck North High School attracting kids from grades 1-12 throughout Long Island and the New York City boroughs.

This year, 24 schools were represented with 10 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, and 7 high schools! Dan Holtzman, principal of Great Neck North High School proudly shares that “

This annual tournament is an incredible opportunity for students of all ages and levels to compete in a supportive environment and foster relationships within the table tennis community,” Holtzman said.

The morning commenced with the School Teams event as well as the Elementary School Singles competition. Students from E.M Baker, Saddle Rock, Lakeville, North Shore Hebrew Academy, and The Schechter School of Long Island were joined by students from the Queens area.

“It is wonderful to see that our participants are getting younger. This year, we have more 5-7 years old kids and more girls participating,”

“It is wonderful to see that our participants are getting younger. This year, we have more 5-7 years old kids and more girls participating.”

TENNIS

— Amy Ford

NORTH

SCHOOL.

said Amy Ford, the table tennis club and team adviser for North High School.

Jason Jiang (3rd grade) was the 1st place winner for the Elementary Beginners Division and Rachel Xiao (4th grade) placed 2nd. Both players were from Jackson Elementary School in Jericho.

For the Elementary Advanced Division,

Moataz Elmallah, (1st grade) from PS 244Q placed 1st and Rachel Xiao from Jericho came in 2nd.

Secondary school students competed in the afternoon. Tournament director and COO of AYTTO, Edmund Suen, helped run the tournament and noted that “with close to 70 participants, half held USATT ratings!”

He added that “This is very impressive and shows how our school table tennis is contributing to the USATT’s Olympic Championship ambition.” In the Secondary School Beginners Division, So Yeon Lee, (9th grade) from Cardozo High School claimed 1st and Andrew Lee, (6th grade) from Great Neck South Middle School came in 2nd.

All eyes were then focused on the Advanced Division finals game between two 9th graders, Jay Chen from Stuyvesant High School and Nathan Zhong from Great Neck North High School. There were many intense moments, impressive rallies, tricky serves, and loud cheers. Jay Chen ultimately claimed 1st place and Nathan Zhong took home 2nd.

The School Teams event did not conclude until the afternoon. Each secondary school team was comprised of 3-5 players. They competed

in a round robin format playing 4 singles and 1 doubles match.

Brooklyn Tech High School came in 2nd place. Max Lee (11th), Kayden Li (10th, team captain) and Nathan Zhong (9th) secured first place for North High!

The fun filled day was made possible by the supportive North High community. Parents volunteered at the concession stands and assisted as referees and score keepers to help the younger players.

Spectators came to cheer on their children and friends. Even North High table tennis team alumni Timothy Lee and Ryan Chen dropped by to support the North High team.

Thomas Hu, the head of AYTTO and PongSpace leaked out that “PongSpace, former Chinese National Team head coach Xu Shaofa, and AYTTO are collaborating towards a virtual coaching program utilizing remote coaches and AI robots to further help bring table tennis into the schools.

With more students playing table tennis in the schools, we hope to see even more participation next year!”

TABLE

CLUB AND TEAM ADVISER FOR

HIGH

North High Table Tennis Team, from left to right, Kayden Li (Captain), Nathan Zhong, Max Lee, Amy Ford (Team adviser)