Friday, October 6, 2023
Vol. 83, No. 39
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SERVING BETHPAGE, OLD BETHPAGE, AND PLAINVIEW
HHS seniors named Natl. Merit Semifinalists
Hicksville High School National Merit Semifinalists Siddh Agarwal, Jack Beaudette with Hicksville High School Principal Raymond Williams. Two Hicksville High School seniors, Jack Beaudette and Siddh Agarwal, were named a National Merit Semifinalist in the 69th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The two Hicksville seniors are among approximately 16,000 semifinalists selected nationally from an estimated 1.3 million who entered the academic competition upon taking the Preliminary SAT/
National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test as juniors. Being recognized as a National Merit Semifinalist means they will have a chance to win a National Merit Scholarship, which will be offered next spring. A Semifinalist represents the top 1% of United States high school seniors and highest-scoring entrants from each state. Jack and Siddh will now
move forward with a scholarship application which will spotlight their academic record, participation in school and community activities, leadership experience, employment and other awards and honors they have received. The two will also be endorsed by a Hicksville High School official and each will need to write a compelling essay. Photo courtesy of Hicksville Public Schools
The Bethpage Newsgram is published every Friday by Litmor Publishing Corp. Periodical Postage paid at Hicksville, N.Y. 11801 Telephone 931-0012 - USPS 3467-68. Postmaster: Send Address Change to: The Bethpage Newsgram, 821 Franklin Ave., Suite 208, Garden City, N.Y. 11530 • Meg Norris Publisher
Town files lawsuit against Grumman BY GARY SIMEONE
The Town of Oyster Bay has had enough of the stall tactics from the former Northrop Grumman Corporation. Town officials recently filed a federal lawsuit against the corporation for the decades-long stalled cleanup of Bethpage Community Park, which was closed to the public in 2002 due to high levels of contaminants in the soil and groundwater. Town Supervisor, Joseph Saladino, said Grumman has been dragging their feet for multiple years to cleanup the ballpark and surrounding area, which is unusable due to the high levels of contamination. “They’ve known about the contamination for decades and have refused to do anything about it or come to any sort of compromise. It’s outrageous,” said Saladino. “Their time is up and we’re going full-tilt with legal action, to make them pay the cost for remediation and most importantly to protect the safety
of our residents and the environment.” He said that action was taken several months ago, with a ‘Notice to File,’ after several attempts to contact Grumman officials including the CEO and president. “I personally had written the CEO of Grumman on multiple occasions and they had failed to contact us in any way shape or form. They are trying to cheap out on what is their sole responsibility for this remediation. It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this, but we will stop at nothing to ask Grumman to right their wrongs and remediate this ball field to the highest of standards.” In 2002, DEC and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) testing discovered elevated levels of contaminants, including PCB’s in the soil surrounding Bethpage Community Park. Sections of the park were immediately closed to the public allowing for remediation of soil and See page 12
Man assaulted, robbed
A 43-year-old pedestrian on Jerusalem Avenue in Hicksville was assaulted at 11:35 p.m. on Tuesday, September 27. According to Nassau County Police, the victim was travelling on Jerusalem Avenue when he was approached by four unknown suspects. Police say the suspects began to punch and kick the victim as they removed assorted jewelry from him. They then fled the scene in an unknown direction. The victim
suffered injuries to his left leg, right eye, a laceration to his face with swelling and pain about his head. He was transported to a local area hospital for treatment of his injuries. The investigation is ongoing. Detectives request anyone with information regarding the above listed crime to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244TIPS or to call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.
Bethpage spirit shines at homecoming PAGE 14 Creating a positive vision at Central Blvd PAGE 22