The Garden City News (2/27/26) by Litmor Publishing

BLOOD BROTHERS

GC celebrates America at 250

Across the country, Americans are planning unique and exciting ways to celebrate the United States semiquincentennial, and Garden City is looking for their logo!

• Open to all Garden City residents in grades 9 – 12

• All submissions must be in high resolution, vector art-supported, PNG or JPEG format

• Minimum 3000px wide: 300 DPI

• The ideal logo should be the-

matic: Americana and Garden City

The top three winning logos will de displayed and receive cash awards, certificates and will be featured in Village marketing.

• First Prize: $500

• Second Prize: $300

• Third Prize: $200 Firm deadline is Tuesday, March 3, time stamped by 5 p.m.

See page 48

Village to issue demolition RFP

Department software upgrades planned

BY RIKKI MASSAND

At the Garden City Village Board of Trustees’ meeting held on Tuesday, February 17, Superintendent of Buildings Giuseppe Giovanniello explained that his staff had prepared the RFP (request for proposals) for the potential demolition of the St. Paul’s main building, following the announcement weeks ago by Mayor Ed Finneran that the village was pursuing information on the cost and viability of demolition. Mr. Giovanniello said that Village Attorney Gary Fishberg’s office was in the process of reviewing the material and verbiage contained in the RFP, and the expectation was that counsel would complete its review and approval by the following week (Feb. 23-27).

He also shared updates on the Building Department’s review of paperwork concerning the buildout of Garden City Fire Station No. 2 at the corner of Edgemere Road and Stewart Avenue.

Giovanniello and staff were sorting through and answering contractors’ RFIs (requests for information).

“We are still awaiting executed contracts to come back so we can proceed with other necessary agreements. I believe so far the plumbing and electrical contractors have not submitted them yet, so hopefully we’ll have that soon. The timeframe is still providing for the project to begin by June 1st, hopefully sooner,” he told the Board.

A third item he brought up was the new software the Building Department has implemented: Municity. This has allowed Superintendent Giovanniello and his team of building inspectors to work on revamping application materials, “to make it more user-friendly.”

“We are implementing the online portal – our residents, applicants and contractors can actually upload their applications and information in the portal. The objective is making things work ‘paperless’ soon,” he said. Mayor Finneran asked if the software was functional or still in its test phase, and Giovanniello said the program is active and residents and contractors can

See page 42

A group of local high school boys has launched a campaign to raise $100,000 to help fund research into blood cancers. These childhood friends, who met on Centennials teams, Thunder football, GCAA basketball and baseball, and now are united for a different purpose. See page 56

Succinctity

There’s an old saying among writers, “If I had more time I’d have written something shorter.” As many of our letter writers this week have learned, it’s actually harder to get your thoughts into a tight space than it is to let them run on and on. You have to distill down your thoughts to the essentials and then look for words with very exact meanings to convey them. It’s not easy, but it does produce much cleaner, sharper writing.

This is the first of three weeks of an experiment in which we’ve asked our letter writers to limit their letters to the editor to 200 words so that we have space to fit them all. This week’s issue has 35 letters, but we were able to fit them onto four and a half pages.

As there are three issues (including this one) before the village election, the volume of letters has been huge, but the limit is making it more manageable. Several readers have suggested that we continue to limit letters even after the election, but we don’t intend to do that. The tradeoff with requiring shorter letters is that it becomes difficult to discuss complex issues in detail. Sometimes letter writers have a wealth of information to convey, and a limit to their words would do a disservice. (Of some letter writers would make better points if they were succinct. You know who you are.)

In any case, we appreciate everyone’s efforts to comply with this temporary rule.

Not just any issue, THE issue

To the Editor:

Our opponents and their supporters have said we talk a lot about St. Paul’s. It’s not that we have a single issue platform. In fact, our broad platform addresses many issues (and can be found at www.fabgc.org/platform). The reason we have focused so much on St. Paul’s is that we believe residents deserve transparency on THE BIGGEST financial issue in our village’s history.

With the exception of a casino at the hub, no other issue facing our village will impact property values, property taxes, our village debt levels, our credit rating, traffic and our ongoing ability to fund other village needs to the extent that the future of St. Paul’s will impact our village.

So the real question is, why aren’t CAP party candidates addressing St. Paul’s? Perhaps they can speak to why facadism was taken off the table, or why they didn’t include demolition as an option on last year’s survey. Or why the scope of their St. Paul’s committee failed to include any option other than Saving Every Brick, even after 52% of survey respondents opposed preservation. Why are CAP candidates silent on the biggest issue of all? It will not be resolved unless we address it, and the time has come.

Neha Bajaj

Rebuttal from Conservancy

To the Editor:

Earlier critiques of the Conservancy’s proposed St Paul’s fee paid by buyers ignore the critical factor of buyer’s desire to live in more exclusive communities like Garden City.

“Desirability” or the appeal of communities, drives home purchasers. Buyers of Garden City homes seek to live in our Village precisely because it is an attractive community with public and social benefits available in very few Nassau County villages. Consequently, Buyers recognize and accept that homes in Garden City are expensive.

Most importantly, there are more than sufficient potential buyers with financial means who will not be deterred by a one-time closing fee, especially when that fee can be included in their mortgage and reduced over 30 years with tax deductible payments. Buyers who really desire to move their families to Garden City will consider the 1% closing fee cost inconsequential.

The St. Pauls Conservancy has offered to debate publicly its financial plan including the St. Paul’s 1% fee. None of the plan’s critics, including recent letter writers, have accepted that invitation. Their criticisms could benefit from scrutiny at a public debate.

Peter Coll & Frank McDonough, Co-Chairs, St. Pauls Conservancy

No disclosure

or input

To the Editor:

On January 29th the Board’s Advisory Committee presented the St Paul’s Survey which recommended redevelopment of St. Paul’s and that the School District use it for a PreKindergarten program.

The Mayor stressed that the Committee’s report was independent of Board member involvement. Nothing could be further from the truth. Trustee Muldoon said, “I was fortunate enough

See page 38

During the three issues before the village election (Feb. 27th, March 6 and March 13th), the following rules for Letters to the Editor will be in effect:

• Letters must be 200 words or less.

• Letters must be received by our deadline of noon on Wednesday.

• One letter per person per week

Muldoon highlights first-term record in reelection bid

SUBMITTED BY THE CANDIDATE

Trustee Vinny Muldoon is running for reelection as a Community Agreement candidate with a message centered on transparency, fiscal responsibility, and stronger community engagement. Positioning himself as a practical problem-solver, Trustee Muldoon says his campaign is driven by a desire to ensure that local institutions operate effectively and in the best interests of residents, and a desire to foster an open line of communication with the residents, staff and business owners.

Trustee Muldoon brings a background rooted in community involvement and organizational leadership. Supporters describe him as approachable and solution-oriented, with a track record of working collaboratively across different viewpoints.

When asked what he is most proud of during his first term, Trustee Muldoon answered, “Everyone knows I am a genuine person. What you see is what you get. I am extremely proud to be a citizen of this great country and feel very blessed to live in Garden City. As I was building my business when my family grew, I made a point to volunteer in their activities. Now that my children are adults, I knew I was able to volunteer at this level to give back to this

Morgan Stanley Advice Matters.

Raymond George CRPC ® Managing Director, Wealth Management

Financial Advisor

amazing community.”

Trustee Muldoon feels he is fiscally conservative, being especially attentive to young families just moving into the village and our seniors, who may be living on a fixed income. Making strategic decisions about the village’s expenditure, while creating an inventory the needs vs. the wants of the village is first and foremost in his mind.

Clear and open communication with the residents, staff and business owners is something on which Trustee Muldoon prides himself. In his first term, he invited all the business owners to attend a meeting and was later told that it had been almost twenty years since they had been invited to Village Hall for such a gathering. “I also made it a point to do the same with our employees. They are a critical part of the success of Garden City, and work hard for us and with us.”

Says Trustee Mulddon. “As for the residents, I always encourage our residents to use our great, new MyGardenCity app, and utilize the official village social media pages and website. I’ve also encouraged residents to reach out directly, if they feel more comfortable, and I’ve met some amazing people that way. I am also very proud to say that we’ve returned the POAs contact information back to the village website, and

one or more of us makes it a point to attend their meetings. We can have our differences, and we can respectfully agree to disagree, but we need to be able to openly communicate and share ideas in a free way. I know I’ve been accused of ‘over communicating sometimes, but I think it’s better than centering all decision-making behind the closed doors of Village Hall.”

Some of the most important accomplishments of which Trustee Muldoon is most proud are the goals met immediately after his election: the overdue repairs at the Senior Center and the cleanup on Seventh Street and behind the businesses. “Doing the small things well” is something he says frequent-

See page 55

Cody George CDFA® Vice President L-R: Cody, Raymond, Taylor

Financial Advisor

Taylor George The George Group at Morgan Stanley 1200 Franklin Avenue Garden City, NY 11530 516-683-3282

Associate Vice President Financial Advisor raymond.george@ morganstanley.com advisor.morganstanley.com/the-george-group

Team: Forbes' Best-In-State Wealth Management Teams list for 2022-2026 Raymond: Forbes' Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list for 2019-2025

The use of the CDFA® designation does not permit the rendering of legal advice by Morgan Stanley or its Financial Advisors which may only be done by a licensed attorney

Source: Forbes.com (2023-2025) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC. based on 12-month time period concluding in March of year prior to the issuance of the award.

Source: Forbes.com (2019-2024) Data compiled by SHOOK Research LLC based 12-month time period concluding in June of year prior to the issuance of the award.

For more information on award methodology and criteria, scan QR code.

How Much Is My Home Worth?

Our Custom Home Value Report provides you with the information you need to get a better idea of what your home might be worth given current market conditions.

Your report will supply details on:

Buyer Demand | Statistical Data | Nearby Homes for Sale

Scan the QR code and enter an address to get up to three estimates of your home’s value today.

Garden City Village Trustee Vinny Muldoon

Center Hall Colonial in Huntington

Serene Living with Classic Charm Near the Coast

Nestled at the end of a peaceful cul-de-sac just moments from the shoreline, this beautifully landscaped home offers privacy and effortless living in a serene, countrylike setting. The classic center hall layout features a formal dining room, a cozy living room with a woodburning fireplace, and a comfortable den. Sliding doors open to a spacious deck, perfect for outdoor dining and relaxation. Upstairs, the primary suite boasts a remodeled ensuite bath with a walk-in shower, while two additional bedrooms share a full bath. The full lower level provides versatile recreational space, and the insulated, soundproofed garage includes heating and cooling. With a new roof, high-efficiency boiler, updated AC, and optional beach association membership, this move-in ready home blends classic design with coastal charm.

Offered at $869,000

Giannone Chrissy Giannone

Goeller

Kiely

Giacini

Theanne Ricci

Flushing 2/3 BRs, 2 bth. New kit, ductless units, lighting, appliances, doors, Andersen windows. Includes furnishings $1,008,000

NewListing! Stunning Brick Colonial Home

Clinton Road, Garden City O ered at $1,359,000

Welcome to this beautifully updated brick Colonial combining contemporary charm with up to date amenities. Located in the desirable Mott section, the home o ers four spacious bedrooms, two full baths and a rst- oor powder room. The kitchen is newly renovated and serves as the heart of the home with white quartz countertops and an island ideal for entertaining and everyday living. The kitchen ows into a spacious dining room and living room with a wood burning replace. The enclosed sunroom addition and o ce-den area on the rst oor o er exibility for extra living space for work, playtime or a quiet hideaway.

The second level o ers a roomy primary bedroom with ensuite bath, three nicely sized additional bedrooms and a full hall bath. Step outside to an enclosed yard surrounded by arborvitaes leading to a new paver patio area perfect for outdoor grilling and dining. Additional amenities include; updated 200-amp electric, whole house reverse osmosis water ltration system, central air conditioning, and in ground sprinklers. This Mott location is convenient to shopping, dining, transportation and all the amenities Garden City Village o ers.

With generous living space, thoughtful upgrades, and an open oor plan, this move in ready home is one you’ll love for a lifetime. Schedule a private showing today!

paprigliano@coachrealtors.com

Brand New Construction | Estates Section, Garden City

A newly completed luxury Colonial in the heart of the Estates Section, thoughtfully designed with timeless architecture, exceptional craftsmanship, and elevated modern nishes throughout. This impressive residence o ers 5–6 bedrooms and 5.5 baths and is introduced by a classic center hall layout with beautifully scaled formal living and dining rooms. The dining room connects to a sophisticated butler’s pantry featuring a wine refrigerator, bar sink, and two beverage refrigerator drawers, creating the perfect setting for e ortless entertaining. At the center of the home, a spectacular chef’s kitchen is appointed with custom white cabinetry, elegant white marble countertops and backsplash, and a striking walnut island with underlighting and designer pendants. A custom walnut-accented hood adds warmth and distinction, while the kitchen opens seamlessly to the inviting family room with replace—an ideal space for gathering. The main level also features a well-designed mudroom with custom lockers and cubbies, a marble powder room, and a private guest suite with ensuite bath, each enhanced with radiant heated oors.

Upstairs, the luxurious primary suite showcases tray ceilings, a statement chandelier, two walk-in closets, and a spa-inspired marble bath with double vanity and oversized shower. Additional bedrooms include a Jack & Jill bath, a private ensuite bedroom, a second- oor laundry room, and a walk-up attic. The lower level provides expansive space perfectly suited for recreation, media, or storage. Exterior details are equally impressive with James Hardie plank siding, copper gutters, an architectural roof, Andersen 400 Series windows, mahogany garage doors, and an epoxy- nished two-car attached garage, with EV charger hook up. Bluestone walkways lead to a covered bluestone patio with overhead fan, landscape lighting, and gas grill connection—ideal for outdoor entertaining. Re ned millwork, co ered and tray ceilings, recessed paneling, and modern conveniences including central vacuum, WiFi readiness, cable connectivity, and camera surveillance enhance both beauty and functionality throughout.

A rare o ering in one of Garden City’s most desirable and established neighborhoods. O ered at $3,599,000

Are you thinking of selling your home?

Let Jen Sullivan Guide you. Whether you are downsizing, or searching for your dream home, allow Jen’s experience, passion, and results to work for you. Reach out any time. 516.361.7190

Jen Sullivan

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Founding Agent of Long Island Member of the Luxury Division jennifer.sullivan@compass.com M: 516.361.7190

Park group presentation on March 3

St. Paul’s Park Group will be holding a presentation on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026 at the Senior Citizen’s Center from 7:00–8:30. We will be discussing the replacement of the building, historical pieces that can be saved both from the interior and exterior, costs and various uses future Boards of Trustees might want to consider. Presented by Walter Beal, former Mayor Mary Carter Flanagan, James Kumpel, Donald MacLeod and Tom Ryan. Image created using artificial intelligence

EPOA scholarship application open

It is with pleasure that the Eastern Property Owners’ Association announce that it will once again award a $1000 scholarship for 2026 to a graduating high school senior who resides in the Eastern section.

The candidates, or their family, must be dues paying members of the EPOA. They must be currently attending public or private high school and plan to attend college full time in the fall. The focus of this scholarship is community service.

Candidates need to submit an application which can be accessed from the EPOA website at www.gcepoa.org or obtained from the Garden City High School Guidance Department. The application should be sent to contactus@gcepoa.org. Should you have a question, you can call Barbara Garry at 516-248-1486. All interested, eligible seniors are encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is April 16, 2026.

Garden City Real Estate Market Information

RECENT REAL ESTATE SALES IN GARDEN CITY

The information about the homes and the photos were obtained through the Multiple Listing Services of Long Island. The homes presented were selected based solely on the fact that they were recently sold.

Mortgage Rates this week from www.nerdwallet.com

Long Island Sales Data From One Key MLS Nassau County Median Sale Price

23 Saint Paul’s Place

Date: 02/24/2026

Sold price: $1,800,000

3 bedrooms, 2 full baths

Architectural Style: Ranch Square feet: 2,040

Lot size:.29

Annual taxes: $22,913

MLS number: 942028

The Seller’s Team: Jill Palmeri, Howard Hanna Coach

The Buyer’s Team: Stephen and Laura Baymack, Compass Greater NY

Classic ranch style home in the Estates Section of Garden City. Located on a quiet tree lined street this 3 bedroom 2 bath ranch offers the best of one floor living. Formal entry foyer opens to large living room, with wood burning fireplace. Formal dining room, leads to sunny eat in kitchen with a walk in pantry. Off the kitchen is a charming wood paneled, vaulted ceiling den with sliders out to the deck overlooking the private well manicured yard.

The primary bedroom has its own bath and plenty of closet space.

Bedrooms 2 & 3 are generous and serviced by a hall bath.

A full basement, has more room to entertain, plenty of storage, laundry and mechanicals. CAC, IGS, 2 car attached garage.

209 Brompton Road

Date: 02/24/2026

Sold price: $1,365,000

3 bedrooms, 2 full baths

Architectural Style: Ranch

Square feet: 1,613

Lot size: .18 acres

Annual taxes: $18,979

MLS number: 922363

The Seller’s Team: Sofia Kalamaras, Signature Premier Properties

The Buyer’s Team: Louisa Pironi and Patricia Aprigliano, Howard Hanna Coach

Beautifully maintained 3-bedroom, 2-bath ranch located on a tree-lined street in the heart of Garden City Estates. This sun-filled home features hardwood floors, skylights, central air conditioning, and central vacuum. The finished basement includes a wet bar—perfect for entertaining or relaxing. Enjoy a private backyard, attached garage, and close proximity to village shops, schools, parks, and the LIRR. A rare find combining comfort, style, and convenience! Experience the ease and elegance of single-level living in one of Garden City’s most coveted neighborhoods.

This informational page is sponsored by Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Houses featured on this page were sold by various real estate agencies

We Know and Love Garden City

CMF Annual Bingo Night Fundraiser set for March 4th

On Wednesday, March 4th join the Garden City Children’s Medical Fund for its annual Bingo fundraiser.

The event will be held at the Garden City Community Church, 245 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, between 6 and 7:30 p.m.

It is open to all kids age 10 and over. Younger children are welcome with a caregiver. Cash or Venmo are accepted and siblings are discounted.

$35 per child includes a Bingo card, pizza, dessert, drink and three raffle tickets. Additional food and raffle tickets are also available.

The event will benefit the Children’s Medical Fund and Cohen Children’s Medical Center.

Michael S chroder ha s s uccessfully represented Garden City homeowners’ tax appeals for over 40 years. He has lived in the Village for 35 years .

RESU LTS

Schroder & Strom has a 96% success rate in Nassau Count y.

KNOWLEDGE

Michael and his team of attorneys know every section of the Village and key arguments for achieving the largest reductions possible .

Schroder & Strom is recommended by Garden City ’s most prominent attorneys and real estate agents for their clients’ tax appeals.

SAV INGS

Schroder & Strom is saving Na ssau Co unty homeowners an average of $1,400 annually on property taxes.

LAW FIRM AD VANTA GE

As a law firm, we are held to the highest standards and have more resources and options available for favorable outcomes – yet our property tax reduction fees are the same as tax consultants.

do not.

Chances are, your neighbors are already saving on their taxes with Schroder & Strom. The Tax Grievance deadline is March 31, 2026. Start saving today. Go to nytaxreview.com and complete the Resi dential P rofile Form OR call us at (516) 742-7430.

Garden City real estate, reimagined.

Christina M. Hirschﬁeld

Adrienne

Daniel Niebler

Demetrios

Alexander G. Olivieri

Kerry Flynn

List this winter with the #1 brokerage in Garden City.* Reach out to connect to a Garden City agent.

Stephen Baymack

The Baymack Team

Licensed Associate RE Broker

stephen.baymack@compass.com

M: 516.216.0244

Laura Baymack

The Baymack Team

Licensed RE Salesperson

laura.baymack@compass.com

M: 516.537.3050

New Listing 135 Adams Street, Garden City

$2,695,000 | 5 BD | 4.5 BA

This gorgeous brand-new 5-bedroom 4.5-bathroom center hall colonial boasts an impressive 3,457 square feet of living space on the first and second floors plus a full finished basement with exceptional ceiling height. Notable features include vinyl impression shake siding, Azek trim, Marvin windows, 4-inch white oak flooring throughout, Kohler bathroom fixtures, coffered ceilings, detailed wainscoting, and custom millwork throughout. Ideally located near schools, parks, shopping, and two LIRR stations, this home offers outstanding craftsmanship, an exceptional layout, and remarkable value — truly the perfect place to call home.

6 BOYLSTON STREET, GARDEN CITY

3 BD | 1 BA | $1,149,000

6 Boylston Street in Garden City is a well-maintained Colonial set on a 6,000-square-foot lot, featuring an inviting entry foyer that opens to a spacious living and dining area and an updated white kitchen with quartz countertops. Hardwood floors run throughout, complemented by central air conditioning for year-round comfort. The second floor offers a primary bedroom, two additional bedrooms, and an updated hall bath. A full basement provides ample storage and a dedicated laundry area. The backyard features a patio and comfortable outdoor space, and the home is move-in ready with a convenient location near the LIRR, parks, schools, shopping, and major highways.

OPEN HOUSES:

Friday, February 27 4:30pm-6:00pm Saturday, February 28 1:00pm-3:00pm Sunday, March 1 1:00pm-3:00pm

Laura Carroll

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

laura.carroll@compass.com

M: 917.370.5354

Adrienne McDougal

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

adrienne.mcdougal@compass.com M: 516.662.3872

NEW TO MARKET

27 AVALON ROAD

GARDEN CITY

3 BEDROOMS

2.5 BATHROOMS

$1,225,000

OPEN HOUSE

FRIDAY, 02/27 5–7 PM

SATURDAY, 02/28 12–2 PM &

SUNDAY, 03/01 12–2 PM

Searching for a first-floor primary suite? Your search is over! Welcome to 27 Avalon Road, a beautifully updated 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath expanded Cape set on a 65 x 100 lot in the desirable Northeast section of Garden City. The bright, open first floor features a renovated open-concept kitchen, dining area, and living room with oversized windows. This level also offers a home office/den, a spacious primary suite with a renovated en-suite bath with large glass shower and double sink vanity, a powder room, and convenient first-floor laundry. Upstairs, you’ll find two guest bedrooms with newly refinished hardwood floors and a full hallway bath. Additional highlights include: large basement with egress window, 1-car attached garage with new motor & remotes, double-wide driveway, freshly painted interior, gas heat, close proximity to park and school and LOW taxes! An ideal layout for easy, one-floor living. Truly a must see!

Jen Sullivan

Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Founding Agent of Compass Garden City

Member of Luxury Division

jennifer.sullivan@compass.com

M: 516.361.7190

Fibromyalgia - The Invisible Illness

You wake up some days and can’t get out of bed.

Most evenings the pain is so intense you can’t even make dinner for your family.

The exhaustion takes over and covers you like a heavy blanket.

And of course, depression hits: you can’t clean your house or play with your kids. You wonder if you’re any good to anybody like this.

This is life with Fibromyalgia.

And it was everyday life for Kelly C. of Westbury, NY. “I would spend my days in bed as the pain traveled to different parts of my body. Often it would feel as though there were bugs scurrying under my skin, a sensation I wish on no one. Look, I knew my family needed me, and it was devastating to disappoint them day after day because I didn’t feel well,” shares Kelly.

Fibromyalgia is a complicated and chronic condition that disrupts the lives of over 4 million people in the U.S. because of inconsistent and allencompassing symptoms, fibromyalgia remains one of the most difficult conditions to diagnose and treat. Ultimately, it becomes a diagnosis of exclusion. Scans show nothing, tests come back inconclusive, and your questions don’t have answers so the doctors diagnose you with “fibro”. A majority of practitioners will recommend anti-inflammatory diets increasing you take of magnesium, or prescribe

prescription medications that come with a slew of uncomfortable side effects. All of these are band-aids, masking the symptoms rather than fixing them.

“All the doctors and specialists I met with couldn’t offer me a real solution. Some even had the audacity to tell me that my pain was all in my head. I had never felt so defeated and disrespected. I started doing my own researchreading articles that told me to go gluten-free and eliminate toxins, even in my face wash. I did all of it and didn’t find any relief. However, I was having such a hard time focusing and concentrating. I’m not entirely confident in anything I did.”

Kelly’s story is not uncommon amongst those suffering from fibromyalgia. The pain is inconsistent and unrelenting, causing debilitating chronic fatigue and brain fog, something the afflicted not-so affectionately refer to as ‘fibro fog.’

the staff at Westbury Acupuncture have a 90% success rate in treating Fibromyalgia?

There are a few suggested causes for fibromyalgia including genetics, infections, and physical trauma, but so much about this disease is still so unknown that it has been dubbed the ‘invisible illness.’

Until now!

“I saw something on the local newspaper featuring licensed acupuncturist, Jae Won and his work with fibromyalgia.

At this point, I was willing to try anything. And thank God I did. Going to his acupuncture clinic has allowed me to go from surviving to truly thriving!” Kelly exclaims. “Since starting treatment, I went from not being able to cook dinner for my family to cooking for my daughter’s entire graduation party and playing slip-n-slide with two dozen teenagers. I was even able to go visit my mother for the first time in two years! Before I was unable to make the ride because it put me in too much pain. I even hugged her!”

And why do Jae Won and

Jae Won shares all. “In addition to acupuncture, which has been used to treat pain for thousands of years, we use ATP Resonance BioTherapy. It’s a cutting edge technology that targets specific tissues in the body. It then reprograms them for optimal performance. We have protocols for a myriad of chronic conditions from neuropathy to tendonitis. We can even target the pain and inflammation caused by fibromyalgia.”

It’s in combining his experience, the time-tested science of acupuncture, and modern medical solutions like ATP Resonance BioTherapy that Westbury Acupuncture is giving much needed relief to those suffering with fibromyalgia and other complicated, chronic conditions.

Because Jae Won designs very personalized treatment programs for each of his patients, an initial consultation is required in order to receive treatment.

For a limited time the cost of that consult is free.

Visit WestburyAcupuncture.com to learn more or call (516) 500-8281 to schedule today.

GC Democrats meet on March 4

The Garden City Democratic Club will hold its March meeting on Wednesday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Senior Center on Golf Club Lane.

Registered Democrats in Garden City are invited to attend and take part in a lively discussion of current political events in Washington, Albany, and

locally, including this year’s mid-term elections and the races for Governor and local offices. Also, the Democratic Club will begin participation in the petition process to secure ballot positions for our candidates in November.

For more information, visit www.gardencitydemocrats.com

Knights host defensive driving course

The Knights of Columbus #15809 at St Joseph’s Church in Garden City is pleased to offer the community a Driver Defensive Driving Course. The course will be held on Saturday, March 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the St. Joseph’s Church, 130 Fifth St., Garden City - LL St Agnes Room. Call for directions.

Upon completion of this course,

Participants are eligible for 10% off their motor vehicle insurance for three years and/or a possible reduction of points from their driver’s license. The fee for the course is $55 per person, and advance registration is required. To register and for more information, please contact Louie Malave , 631-398-8922

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.

Spring ahead at March 28 Seafood & Wine Soirée

Are you ready for winter to be over? The Historical Society is - and have turned their January 31 dinner, postponed due to weather, into an ode to Spring at their “A Spring CatchSeafood & Wine Soirée Dinner” on March 28 at The Historical Society. Just a few tickets are left.

The exciting dinner and wine pairings have been created by the Historical Soci-ety’s partner, Les Dames d’Escoffier New York and will be hosted by Dame Michael-Ann Rowe, aka “The Fishionista”, along with Dame Cathy Coluccio Fazzolari, (“The Italian Daughter’s Cookbook” author).

Attendees at last year’s “Italian Daughter’s Cookbook” event will remember what a fabulous meal Cathy produced from the pages of her cookbook, working with Henry from Prime, who will also produce this event!

The evening begins with the freshest oysters donated by Dame Blake Leonard of Stew Leonard’s (who is donating all the evening’s seafood), and bubbly, ac-companied by passed savory bites of hors d’ oeuvres, followed by the perfect Caesar salad. A simple pasta with shrimp and elegant main dish with roasted vegetables are next. Artisan breads to dip in fine D. Coluccio & Sons Olive Oil will accompany. The finale is imported Italian Panettone, served with Francine’s Outrageous Cherry Chocolat sauce!

These are all dishes you can easily recreate at home. Michael-Ann and Cathy will share tips for how to choose and cook the best seafood!

To complement the menu, wine expert Dame Ellen Negrin has curated exclusive and perfect wine pairings from Italy and Spain to accompany each course and will demystify choosing wines to complement fish, including a robust Tuscan Red.

Exceptionally desirable raffle items and experiences, including a pasta & dessert cooking class for six in your home with The Italian Daughter and Dame Francine Ryan, The Sauceress from Francine’s Outrageous Kitchen; an immersive Seafood Experience with The Fishionista, Michael-Ann Rowe; VIP Wine Tour and Tasting, wine/spirits/gourmet baskets, fine Manhattan and Long Island restaurant dining, etc., etc., have been assembled by Dame Joyce Appelman.

The event will be held in the graceful, candlelit parlors of The Historical Society and executed by Prime. What a night!

Tickets are $150 pp, and there are just a few left. For more information about “A Spring Catch- Seafood & Wine Soirée Dinner” on March 28 and to purchase tickets, go to https:// TGCHSSeafoodFeast.eventbrite.com, or visit The A.T. Stewart Exchange at the Historical Society Museum, 109 Eleventh Street, Garden City. The Historical Society’s partnership with LDNY, an organization of women at the top of the culinary, wine and spirits, hospitality, cookbooks fields and culinary media, produces fascinating, delicious wine and food pairing events filled with the best of everything.

GC Kiwanis announces scholarship

The Garden City Kiwanis Foundation is pleased to announce that applications are now available for the 2026 Kiwanis Service Scholarship. The scholarship is open to any high school senior residing in the Garden City School District and is awarded in recognition of a student’s commitment to community service. Applications have been provided to

the Guidance Department of Garden City High School and to many of the private high schools in the vicinity. Interested students should contact their guidance department. The application may also be obtained by emailing Carole Russo at cartaxpro@aol. com. The deadline for submitting an application is April 1, 2026.

The National Charity League Garden City Chapter is currently holding a membership drive for the Class of 2032. NCL, Inc. Garden City Chapter is a group of mothers and daughters who have come together in a commitment to community service, leadership development, and cultural experiences.

Founded in 2016, the NCL Garden City Chapter is 330 members strong and serves over 40 philanthropies in the Garden City community and beyond.

Members currently consist of mother-daughter pairs, with daughters

currently in 7th through 12th grade. Enrollment is now open to rising 7th graders who reside in or attend school in Garden City.

NCL Garden City Chapter provides opportunities to serve and support the community, while fostering motherdaughter relationships, as well as building confidence and social awareness in young women.

The membership drive runs through March 1. For more information and to apply go to https://www.nationalcharityleague.org/chapter/gardencity/

As your Neighborhood Realtor, it is always my

to provide you with the value of your home upon request. It’s complimentary.

Village Trustee

FABGC candidates meet with residents

SUBMITTED BY THE FABGC CANDIDATES

Residents braved the snow to meet the four FABGC candidates - Neha Bajaj, Thomas Brosnan, Jo-Ann Frey and Thoma Ryan. The meet and greet began as the snow started coming down. The informal setting allowed the candidates to speak individually with residents and to discuss Village issues. While nibbling on cheese and crackers and sipping seltzer or Proseco, the candidates discussed a wide range of topics and issues.

The candidates expressed strong support for our brave firefighters. The recent devastating fire on Stewart Avenue highlighted the need for the Village to continue to support our firefighters who, quite literally, risk their lives to safeguard our safety. In all there were 90 firefighters from Garden City and the surrounding communities fighting the fire. The firefighters were under the command of the GCFD Chief Taunton. We support their needs for equipment and continued training. We are all safer for their volunteer service and the four FABGC candidates wholeheartedly support them.

The issue of St. Paul’s was discussed. It was acknowledged that, as beautiful as the St. Paul’s building may have been in it heyday, it is now too costly to ren-

ovate coupled with paying for ongoing operation and maintenance costs.

There was also robust discussion regarding the potential for a casino to be built at the Nassau Hub even though Sands has pulled out. The downsides of a slots casino, including damage to the aquifer, crime, traffic and depressed

real estate values were discussed. The FABGC candidates expressed their strong opposition to a casino and vowed to continue supporting efforts to derail building of a casino.

Other issues discussed included the candidates’ support of traffic calming as attendees noted certain areas where

speeding traffic on residential streets was a problem, In addition, the candidates were clear that they are not in support of the subdivision of properties as it can adversely affect the character and charm of the Village.

Those in attendance were reminded to vote. Election day is March 18.

BY: MARCH 10, 2026 -IF YOU ARE REQUESTING THE BALLOT BE MAILED TO YOU, DEAD;LINE IS: MARCH 17, 2026 -IF YOU ARE PICKING UP IN PERSON: ALL BALLOTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MARCH 18, 2026 BY THE CLOSE OF THE POLLS, AT 9PM, OR THEY WILL NOT BE COUNTED. VILLAGE HALL CLOSES AT 4:30PM. AFTER THAT, YOU CAN BRING BALLOTS TO ST. PAUL'S FIELD HOUSE UNTIL 9PM.

FABGC candidates held an informal Meet and Greet event on Sunday, Feb. 22.

B ROSNAN | FRE Y | RYAN | BA JA J

TRANSPARENCY IS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST VIDEOS…

T his Board of Trustees and CAP par t y candidates ignored feedback from over 50% of residents on last year ’ s sur vey who opposed effor ts to Save St . Paul’s.

T his Board of Trustees and CAP par t y candidates refused to include Demolit ion in the scope of the St . Paul’s Committee’s analysis.

T his Board of Trustees and CAP par t y candidates cont inue to stand behind anonymous cost est imates for Saving St . Paul’s.

Vote for Real Transparency

Our Priorit ies

Implement a sustainable solution for St . Paul’s, protecting our long-term financial health

Fund high-use village assets such as our fire depar tment , our librar y and recreational facilities

Improve the village by enforcing codes and ensuring traffic calming measures are implemented

Work with local businesses to improve our business districts and suppor t community events

Vote Row A on March 18th - Brosnan, Frey, Ryan & Bajaj

Stolen warm-up

On February 18th, an employee of a Railroad Ave. business started his car to warm it up, went back inside, and returned to find the vehicle stolen. Two days later, the owner spotted the car as it pulled into 7-11 in GC Park and recovered it.

Washed checks

A Euston Rd. resident was the victim of identity theft on February 18th when mailed checks were washed, altered and cashed. The investigation remains ongoing.

EBT misuse

On February 18th, a Jefferson St. resident reported identity theft after an EBT card was illegally used for an online purchase. Investigation continues.

Attempt flagged

A Hilton Ave. resident was the victim of identity theft February 18th when mailed checks were altered and an attempt was made to cash them. The bank flagged the transaction, preventing any monetary loss.

Burnt food alarm

Garden City Police and Firefighters

responded to the Adelphi University Sports Complex on February 18th for an automatic alarm, which was determined to have been triggered by burnt food.

More washed checks

On February 19th, a Sackville Rd. resident reported identity theft after mailed checks were washed, altered and cashed. Investigation continues.

Furnace odor

GCFD and GCPD responded February 19th to a Manor Rd. residence regarding an unknown odor. They determined the smell came from the furnace turning on.

Hair dryer trigger

On February 19th, Garden City Police and Firefighters were dispatched to a Wellington Rd. home for an automatic alarm that was ultimately caused by a hair dryer.

Threat report Officers responded to a Franklin Ave. business February 19th after a

client reported receiving threats. The complainant requested documentation for report purposes only.

Identity theft

A Kensington Rd. resident was the victim of identity theft on February 19th when mailed checks were washed, altered and cashed. The investigation contin-

Garden St theft

On February 19th, a Garden St. resident reported identity theft after mailed checks were washed, altered and cashed. The investigation remains active.

Wrong address

Officers responded February 19th to a Garden St. residence for a suspicious person knocking at the front door. Police say the investigation revealed the individual had gone to the wrong address due to a similar nearby location and provided paperwork clarifying the confusion.

Working fire

On February 20th, Garden City Police and Firefighters, along with multiple other departments, assisted at a working house fire at a Stewart Ave. residence. No injuries were reported.

Even more checks stolen

A Damson St. resident was the victim of identity theft February 20th when mailed checks were washed, altered and cashed. Investigation continues.

Detector malfunction

GCFD and GCPD responded February 20th to an Adelphi University building for a smoke detector activation that was determined to be a malfunction.

Home secured

On February 20th, officers responded to a 3rd St. residence after a homeowner returned and suspected someone may be inside. Both the interior and exterior were deemed secure, and nothing appeared out of place.

Speeders gone

Garden City Police responded to speeding autos on Boylston February 21st. However the vehicles were gone on arrival.

Dog mix-up

On February 21st, officers investigated a report of a suspicious per-

son knocking on a Brixton Rd. door. Authorities determined the individual was returning a dog to a friend and had mistakenly knocked on the wrong home.

Aerosol alarm

GCFD and GCPD responded February 21st to a Franklin Ave. business for an automatic alarm believed to have been triggered by aerosol spray in a bathroom.

Shower steam alarm

On February 21st, GCFD and GCPD were dispatched to a Huntington Rd. residence for an automatic alarm likely caused by steam from a shower.

Garage delivery

Garden City Police responded February 21st to a report of an unknown male inside a garage on Locust St. Investigation revealed he was a delivery person authorized to be there.

Door ajar

On February 21st, officers responded to a Brompton Rd. residence after a homeowner returned to find a door ajar. Investigation revealed the home was secure.

Kitchen fire

Garden City Police and Firefighters responded February 22nd to a Franklin Ave. business for an automatic alarm. Investigation revealed a minor kitchen fire that had been extinguished, and GCFD deemed the building safe for occupancy.

Uber dispute

On February 22nd, officers responded to Franklin Ave. and 12th St. for an Uber fare dispute in which it is alleged that the passenger threatened he had a gun. Investigation revealed he did not have a gun, and the Uber driver declined to pursue a harassment complaint.

Domestic arrest

Garden City Police say that a domestic incident on February 22nd ended with the arrest of a 20-year-old male from Garden City for harassment.

Electrical smoke

GCFD and GCPD responded February 22nd to a Suffolk Lane residence for an automatic alarm reporting smoke from a light switch. The fire department determined the smoke was caused by an overheated electrical switch, and power was isolated and shut off.

Hey folks: couple of quick updates: (a) we continue our conversations with the EPA regarding its plans for a significant upgrade of the water well testing apparatus, et.al of the Old Roosevelt Field Plume Superfund project in and around Garden Street and Grove Park. Our senior staff and environmental counsel have been in discussions with the EPA on the matter for over six months. I expect final plans will be agreed upon over the next couple of weeks. We will be back as soon as finalized and thereafter schedule informational meetings ahead of the not yet finalized commencement date; (b) no major update on the Marine Corps property itself; however, there is a current request from a construction company to rent the subject parking lot for trucks and apparatus for the duration of a major electric/power project scheduled to be undertaken on the adjacent property directly to the east on Stewart Ave.to date, no such permission has been granted; (c) Cedar Valley Lift Station: which transfers sewage from the eastern sections of the Village to the Nassau County system for treatment, is currently in the early stages of construction - we’ve been set back timing wise by the intense winter weather. The $5+mm project will replace the 90 year old building and pumping system to ensure that the Village has the most

Burning food

On February 22nd, police and firefighters were dispatched to a Stratford Ave. home for an automatic alarm believed to have been set off by burning food.

Storm damage

Garden City Police responded February 23rd to reports of tree limbs down due to the storm.

Storm parking

On February 23rd, officers addressed several parking complaints during the storm.

CO alarm

GCFD, GCPD and the Nassau County Fire Marshal responded February 23rd to an Old Country Rd. building for a carbon monoxide alarm. The condition was corrected.

Fare resolved

On February 24th, Garden City

updated and efficient system possible. It’s hard to predict when the project will be completed but the hope is by late fall 2026. In the meantime, the existing system is operational and performing adequately.

Blizzard of 2026

We survived the Blizzard of 2026! Did you know we experienced a bombogenesis? BOMBO what you ask? By definition, the barometric pressure must drop by at least 24 millibars in 24 hours for a storm to be called a bomb cyclone; the formation of such a storm is called bombogenesis. Kudos to our Sanitation and Rec & Parks crews for digging us out of this one and for their dedication, hard work and long hours logged in the 48-72 hour time period fighting the storm and its aftermath. Clearing nearly two feet of snow from roads and parking lots was no easy task but our crews were prepared and constantly tracking the weather changes throughout the twoday monster storm…it was quite the challenging undertaking.

Altered Checks

Gerard Kneisel would like to alert residents that the Garden City Police Department continues to see cases of stolen mail in Garden City. These thefts are occurring from residential USPS mailboxes throughout the Village at all times of the day and night. The Nassau County Police Department also reports an increase in these types of thefts throughout Nassau County. In most cases, the thieves use a weighted object attached to a string and covered in a sticky substance to retrieve mail out of the mailbox. The thieves are usually looking for checks or other items of value that have been mailed out. The following are recommendations to safeguard your mail:

• Place mail in receptacles inside the Post Office, or hand your outgoing mail directly to your mail carrier

• Do not send cash in the mail

• Use “secure” checks that cannot be altered

• If dropping your mail in a mailbox, drop your mail as close as possible to the collection time listed on the mailbox and primarily Monday through Friday, when possible. (The Department believes there is a higher rate of incidents on Sundays due to the perception that there will be more mail.)

• Do not drop mail in the mailbox if you see any sticky substances on the box

The Commissioner would like to remind residents to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity, persons or vehicles at or near a mailbox. If you see or feel a sticky substance on a mailbox, do not put your mail inside and promptly notify the Police Department. Any suspicious activity, such as a person or persons reaching inside a mailbox, should be reported to Garden City Police immediately. “It is a concern for every department, everywhere … Understand that there is no one or two particular remedies that we are aware of. These are rings. They are working in cooperation … We are taking measures proactively with respect to intense patrols,” Acting Commissioner Kneisel said.

Acting Police Commissioner

Police responded to a 7th St. location regarding a fare dispute, which was resolved upon arrival.

Transformer check

The GCFD and GCPD responded February 24th to a residence on Jefferson St. regarding a possible transformer issue.

Cooking steam

On February 24th, Garden City Police and Firefighters were dispatched to a Huntington Rd. residence for an automatic fire alarm determined to have been caused by steam from cooking.

Fraud report

Officers responded February 24th to a Commercial Ave. business for a report of fraud. Investigation continues.

Snow complaints

On February 24th, officers handled numerous complaints of noise and parking conditions related to snow removal.

Mayor Edward Finneran

From page 28

THE OFFICE CAT

Residents host CAP candidate Meet and Greets

SUBMITTED BY THE CAP CANDIDATES

Residents of Garden City Village gathered for two for a well-attended Meet and Greet evenings with can-

didates running on the Community Agreement slate, offering neighbors an opportunity to discuss key issues ahead of the upcoming village election. Held in the beautiful homes of

Delores and Joe McDonnell and Betsey and Bob Foxen, the event created a small group open forum where residents shared concerns and asked questions about the future of the village. Topics ranged from downtown development and infrastructure improvements to public safety, zoning regulations, and maintaining the character of the community, including the fate of St. Paul’s.

The Community Agreement candidates emphasized their commitment to preserving Garden City Village’s small-town atmosphere while planning responsibly for future growth. They discussed strategies for fiscal responsibility, transparent governance, and continued investment in roads, parks, and public facilities.

Residents raised questions about traffic congestion near commercial areas, stormwater management, and the impact of new construction projects

on neighborhood density. Candidates responded by outlining their plans to work collaboratively with village boards and commissions to ensure thoughtful planning and community input.

Several attendees expressed appreciation for the opportunity to speak directly with the candidates in an informal setting. Organizers noted that events like this help foster civic engagement and allow voters to make informed decisions before heading to the polls. Please remember to vote Row B on March 18th at the St. Paul’s Fieldhouse between 12 noon and 9pm and visit the village website at www.gardencityny.net for early voting options. Please visit www.gardencitycap.org for more information about the candidacies of Judy Courtney, Vinny Muldoon, Gerard Smith and Jessica Tai and the CAP platform.

Delores and Joe McDonnell with Mayor Finneran and the CAP Candidates

Betsey and Bob Foxen with the CAP candidates

IT’S BEEN A BUSY TERM

In just two years, your Community Agreement Party Trustees turned action into progress and plans into results - investing in infastructure, safety, transparency and quality of life for every resident. Here are just some of the projects and undetakings:

HISTORIC TOLL LODGE FULLY RENOVATED, INCLUDING LANDSCAPING

APPROVED MEADOW STREET DRAINAGE PROJECT

OLD WATER WORKS BUILDING RENOVATION UNDERWAY

NEW TURF FIELD AT ST. PAUL’S READY FOR SPRING ‘26

MAINTAINED OUR AAA MODDY’S BOND RATING

BOT MEMBERS NOW REGULARLY ATTEND POA & RESIDENT MEETINGS

LAUNCHED PUBLIC ACCESS MODULE FOR PROPERTY TAX/ASSESSMENT VIEWING

DEBUT OF NEW POLLINATOR GARDEN AT THE VILLAGE GREEN

HVAC UPGRADES COMPLETED AT CLUETT HALL & THE ST. PAUL’S FIELDHOUSE

OVER 50,000 TULIPS PLANTED THROUGHOUT GARDEN CITY

ENHANCED RELATIONSHIPS WITH GC’S REPRESENTATIVES IN THE U.S.CONGRESS, STATE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Visit Our Website www.gardencitycap.org

VOTE ROW B

St. Paul’s Feildhouse

12 Noon to 9PM Wednesday, March 18th

News from the Children’s Room

Please join us on March 4 at 4:00 p.m.: STEAM Fun Club - Grades K–2.

Upcoming February and March Library Programs for Children

These programs are for children ages Birth through Grade 5. Registration is required. Visit https://www.gardencitypl. libcal.com to register for November programs.

Programs may be canceled due to weather, power outages, lack of registration, or other unforeseen circumstances. If contact information has been provided for registration, a direct attempt will be made to notify participants.

New Storytime Registration Rules

Children’s programs are extremely popular! To give as many children as possible the chance to enjoy storytime, beginning January 6 each child may register for one storytime per week. Please choose the session that best fits your child’s schedule and interests.

If a child is registered for more than one storytime, the librarian will select which session the child will attend. As space allows, we will continue to welcome children from the waiting list and walk-ins.

If your child is registered, please arrive at least 5 minutes early. At the start time of the program, if your registered child is NOT checked in, you will forfeit your child’s spot to a child on the waitlist or walk-in list.

• Friday, Feb. 27, at 11:00 a.m.: Dance Party - 2 to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Saturday, Feb. 28, at

10:30 a.m.: Matters of the HeART - 2–5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Monday, March 2, at 10:30 a.m.: Toddler Storytime - 18 Months to 3 Years

• Monday, March 2, at 11:30 a.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Tuesday, March 3, at 3:30 p.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Wednesday, March 4, at 10:30 a.m.: STEAM Preschool Building - 6 Months to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Wednesday, March 4, at 4:00 p.m.: STEAM Fun Club - Grades K–2

• Thursday, March 5, at 10:30 a.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Thursday, March 5, at 11:30 a.m.: Mother Goose StorytimeBirth to 17 Months

• Friday, March 6, at 10:00 a.m.: Chess4Community: Play and Learn - Grades K–5

• Saturday, March 7, at 10:00 a.m.: Tiny Songbirds - 2 to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Monday, March 9, at 10:30 a.m.: Toddler Storytime - 18 Months to 3 Years

• Monday, March 9, at 11:30 a.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Tuesday, March 10, at 3:30 p.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth

Please join us on March 6 at 10:00 a.m.: for Chess4Community: Play and LearnGrades K–5.

to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Wednesday, March 11, at 3:30 p.m.: Dance Party - 2 to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Thursday, March 12, at 3:30 p.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Saturday, March 14, at 10:30 a.m.: Inclusive Storytime Adventure - Grades 2–5

• Monday, March 16, at 10:30 a.m.: Toddler Storytime - 18 Months to 3 Years

• Monday, March 16, at 11:30 a.m.: Preschool Craft - 3 to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Tuesday, March 17, at 3:30 p.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Wednesday, March 18, at 4:00 p.m.: STEAM Fun Club - Grades K-2.

• Thursday, March 19, at 10:30 a.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Thursday, March 19, at 11:30 a.m.: Mother Goose StorytimeBirth to 17 Months.

• Thursday, March 19, at 6:30 p.m.: Books Before Bed - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Monday, March 23, at 10:30 a.m.: Toddler Storytime - 18 Months to 3 Years

• Monday, March 23, at 11:30 a.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Tuesday, March 24, at 10:30 a.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Thursday, March 26, at 10:30 a.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Thursday, March 26, at 11:30 a.m.: Mother Goose StorytimeBirth to 17 Months

• Friday, March 27, at 11:00 a.m,: Dance Party - 2 to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Saturday, March 28, at 10:30 a.m.: Matters of the HeART - 2 to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Monday, March 30, at 10:30 a.m.: Toddler Storytime - 18 Months to 3 Years

• Monday, March 30, at 11:30 a.m.: Mixed Age Storytime - Birth to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

• Tuesday, March 31, at 10:30 a.m.: Mother Goose StorytimeBirth to 17 Months

• Tuesday, March 31, at 11:30 a.m.: Preschool Craft - 3 to 5 Years (Not in Kindergarten)

Unattended Child Policy

It is Library policy that all children under age 11 must be accompanied by a parent or designated responsible person while in the Library. Also, if the young child is attending a Library program, we require the parent or designated responsible person to remain in the Library throughout the program and meet the child upon completion of the program.

WHAT DOES ‘HEALTH SYSTEM’ EVEN MEAN? IT MEANS A BIG DIFFERENCE FOR YOUR HEALTH.

A health system is more than a doctor. In our case, it’s 320+ locations with the exact same high standard of care. It’s integrated medical teams that achieve the best patient outcomes.

It’s leading the charge in medical discoveries. It’s the lowest mortality rates in the nation.

It’s being named #1 for quality care in the U.S. Our health system has the best doctors, and the best doctors are just the beginning.

Better health starts with a better health system.

It’s What’s Happening for Young Adults Through the Library

Teens kicked off February break hanging out with friends and playing games like Super Smash Bros., Mario Party, and Mario Kart on the Library’s Nintendo Switch consoles during Teen Gamers on Friday, February 13 at the Library! Teen Gamers will be held again on Friday, March 13, at 3:30 p.m. We will have our Nintendo Switch consoles available to play plus board games, snacks, and drinks. Register online via LibCal (gardencitypl.libcal.com) beginning Tuesday, March 3, at 10 a.m.

Chick Incubation Project is Underway!

The Library’s annual Chick Incubation program has returned this year! Eggs arrived on Wednesday, February 25 and are scheduled to begin hatching Tuesday, March 17. Chicks will be returned one week after they hatch. Eggs are picked up from Cornell Cooperative Extension at Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank, NY and chicks are returned back to Cornell Cooperative Extension at Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank, NY.

This year, the Library received a total of eight eggs of various colors. The brown eggs will hatch into either Black Star chicks, which are a cross between a Rhode Island Red rooster and a Barred Rock hen, or Cinnamon Queens, which are a cross between the Rhode Island Red rooster and the Silver Laced Wyandotte hen. Black Star female chicks hatch all black and the male chicks hatch black with a white spot on its head. Cinnamon Queen female chicks hatch red and the male chicks hatch yellow. The white eggs are from a White Leghorn mix breed and they will hatch yellow chicks. There is no way to determine the sex of these chicks when they are hatched.

Before they hatch, make sure to enter a name into our annual Name the Chick contest for your chance to name one of our chicks!

Upcoming and Ongoing Library Programs for Tweens and Teens

These programs are for tweens and teens in Grades 6-12 unless otherwise noted. Registration is required for these programs on LibCal at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com unless otherwise noted.

Teens who complete an online survey

During February break, teens enjoyed snacks and painted during Teen Paint Party, which was held Wednesday, February 18, at the Library. Teens used acrylic paint and canvas to create artwork. We will have another Teen Paint Party for Grades 6–12 during April break on Wednesday, April 8, at 2 p.m. Register online via LibCal (gardencitypl.libcal.com) beginning Tuesday, March 31, at 10 a.m.

after specific programs can receive community service for participating.

Registration is live online at https:// gardencitypl.libcal.com for the following programs:

• Ongoing: 100 Books Before Graduation - Register online here: https://forms.gle/j262hNm4tGsvR8wz9.

After you register, pick up your 100 Books Before Graduation packet located at the Library to participate!

• Monday, February 23, at 3:30 p.m.: Inclusive Storytime Volunteering (Grades 9–12)

• Friday, February 27, at 3:30 p.m.: Teen Clubhouse (Grades 6–12)

• Saturday, February 28, at 3 p.m.: Teen STEAM Workshop: Chemistry with Easy Bake Ovens with Chris Buchman

• Tuesday, March 3, at 4 p.m.: Teen Advisory Board (Grades 6–12)

• Friday, March 6, at 1 p.m.: Teen Movie Club: “Barbie” (PG-13, 2023) (Grades 6–12)

• Saturday, March 14, at 10 a.m.: Inclusive Storytime Volunteering (Grades 9–12)

Registration begins Tuesday, March 3, at 10 a.m. online at https://gardencitypl. libcal.com for the following programs:

• Thursday, March 12, at 4 p.m.: Dungeons and Dragons (Grades 6–12)

• Friday, March 13, at 3:30 p.m.: Teen Gamers (Grades 6–12)

Registration begins Tuesday, March 10, at 10 a.m. online at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com for the following programs:

• Tuesday, March 10, at 10 a.m.–Thursday, March 19 at 4 p.m.:

Ornaments for Community Service (Grades 6–12)

Registration begins Tuesday, March 17, at 10 a.m. online at https://gardencitypl. libcal.com for the following programs:

• Monday, March 23, at 4 p.m.: Teen Manga Mondays (Grades 6–12)

• Tuesday, March 24, at 4 p.m.: Teen VolunTuesday (Grades 6–12)

• Wednesday, March 25, at 4 p.m.: Teen Art Workshop: Oil Pastel Workshop (Grades 6–12)

• Thursday, March 26, at 4 p.m.: Pizza and Pages: Teen Book Club (Grades 6–12)

• Friday, March 27, at 3:30 p.m.: Teen Clubhouse (Grades 6–12)

• Saturday, March 28, at 3 p.m.: Teen STEAM Workshop: Edible Slime (Grades 6–12)

Ongoing Take-Home Community Service Opportunities

Looking to volunteer? Check out some of our ongoing take-home community service opportunities for tweens and teens in Grades 6-12. Please check at the Library for more information on each of these opportunities; all volunteer projects should be submitted at the Library with a Volunteer Form, which can be found outside the Tweens and Teens Room.

• Ongoing until Friday, April 17, 2026: Poetry for Community Service - No registration required. Up to 5 poems can be submitted per volunteer.

• Ongoing until Friday, May 15, 2026: America 250 Recipe Cards for Community Service - No registration required. Up to 5 poems can be submitted per volunteer.

• Ongoing until Friday, May 1, 2026: Teen Art and Creative Writing Showcase 2026 - No registration required. Up to 3 pieces of art and 3 pieces of writing can be submitted per volunteer.

• Ongoing until Friday, May 15, 2026: America 250 What America Means to Me Project for Community Service - No registration required. Up to 2 submissions (1 writing and 1 art) can be submitted per volunteer.

• Ongoing until Friday, May 15, 2026: America 250 Art and Writing Showcase for Community Service - No registration required. Up to 3 pieces of art and 3 pieces of writing can be submitted per volunteer.

• Ongoing until Friday, May 15, 2026: Teen Social Media Team’s America 250: What America Means to Me Video Project - No registration required, but parents must sign a volunteer form located at the Library. One video can be submitted per teen volunteer for this project.

• Ongoing: Teen Social Media Team - No registration required. Up to four social media content can be submitted per volunteer monthly.

• Ongoing: Bookmarks for Community Service - No registration required. Up to 20 bookmarks can be submitted per volunteer monthly.

• Ongoing: Kindness Cards for Community Service - No registration required. Up to 10 cards can be submitted per volunteer monthly.

• Ongoing: Friendship Bracelets for Community Service - No registration required. Up to 10 bracelets can be submitted per volunteer monthly.

Adult Services at the Garden City Public Library

Monday Movies

Monday Movies presented by the Friends of the Garden City Library at 1:30 p.m.: March 2026 MoviesWomen's History Month

3/2/26 -“Erin Brokovich”, R, 2000, 131 mins

3/9/26 - “Gorillas in the Mist”, PG-13, 1988, 150 mins

3/16/26 - “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, PG, 1980, 125 mins

3/23/26 - “Silkwood”, R, 1983, 128 mins

3/30/26 - “Norma Rae”, PG, 1979, 114 mins

March 2026 Programs

NYU Langone Hospital Presents: Fall Prevention Classes - A Matter of Balance

Tuesdays, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, and April 7, 14, 21 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Large Meeting Room

This is an 8-week program that offers tips to help avoid falls, build confidence, increase personal safety, and provide exercises to help build strength and balance.

Please register online at LibCal at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com/. For additional information contact Adult Services at (516)742-8405 ext. 5236 or email speakingofbooks@gardencitypl. org. Programs may be canceled due to weather, power outages, lack of registration, or other unforeseen circumstances. If contact information has been provided for registration, a direct attempt will be made to notify participants. Registration is limited.

Adult Crocheting and Knitting with Lupe

• Wednesday, March 11, 25 from 7–8 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room Crafter, knitter and crocheter Lupe Velasquez will be on hand to teach, help and suggest projects to do. Please register online at LibCal at https://gardencitypl.libcal.com/. Register once to cover the entire series. For additional information contact Adult Services at (516) 742-8405 ext. 5236 or email speakingofbooks@gardencitypl.org.

Mah-Jongg Open Play

Thursdays 6–8 p.m.

• Wednesdays, March 4, 11, 18, 25

• Wednesday, April 1

Small Meeting Room

(Room assignment is

based upon availability)

We are offering the opportunity to sign up for open play Mah-Jongg for all. In order to hold the room, registration is required. The room will be set up in groups of four and is open to all who would like to play. Please note there is no instruction for this program. You must bring your own mah-jongg board.

A

Celebration of Irish Music and Storytelling with Jim Hawkins

Tuesday, March 10, from 2 –3 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room

Please join us for a celebration of Irish culture featuring James Hawkins. Mr. Hawkins is an acclaimed storyteller who will regale us with stories of Ireland, and features Irish songs. His stories and songs are from Irish tradition, and are mostly humorous, including an explanation of these in relation to Ireland's history, traditions and culture. He encourages his audiences to speak of their own Irish memories and family connections. Everyone is Irish in this program!

Bingo for Adults

Fridays, , March 20, April 17 from 11 a.m.–12 noon in the Small Meeting Room

Join us for a fun morning of Bingo and win some fun prizes. Register for each Bingo online on LibCal (https:// gardencitypl.libcal.com) or call Adult Services Reference Desk at (516)742-8405 ext. 5236 or email speakingofbooks@ gardencitypl.org. Programs may be canceled due to weather, power outages, lack of registration, or other unforeseen circumstances. If contact information has been provided for registration, a direct attempt will be made to notify participants.

Chairobics and Strength Training

with Debbie Krzyminski

• Wednesday, March 4, 11, 18, 25, Wednesday, April 1 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room

We are happy to have Debbie Krzyminski from Fitness Figures, NY, Inc. back teaching “Chairobics and Strength Training.” This program covers strength training, balance, coordination, aerobics and flexibility. Most of the exercises are performed seated in a chair. Equipment will be provided. Feel free to bring your own free weights, if you are comfortable using them. Have water available, wear clothing that you can comfortably move in and be ready to have fun! This is a ten-week session. Register once for the entire series. Register online on Libcal (https:// gardencitypl.libcal.com) or call Adult Services Reference Desk at (516)742-8405 ext 5236 or email speakingofbooks@gardencitypl.org. Programs may be canceled due to weather, power outages, lack of registration, or other unforeseen circumstances. If contact information has

Jim Coll Presents: Madam Justice: Women of the Supreme Court Friday, March 20, from 1–2 p.m. in the Large Meeting Room

Just in time for Women in History Month, Jim Coll presents: Madam Justice: Women of the Supreme Court. Jim Coll has been a lecturer at the Garden City Public Library for several years, and his specialty lectures are on American history and the Constitution. Since this is the 250th Anniversary of America, Jim has agreed to do a lecture a month the entire year to celebrate the history of America. Join James Coll, a constitutional historian at Hofstra University and an adjunct professor of American and Constitutional history at Nassau Community College. He lectures to Library and community groups on the U.S. Constitution and history topics.

Empire Safety Council Defensive Driving Saturday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Join us on Saturday, March 21, 2026 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. for a Defensive Driving Course with the Empire Safety Council. Receive 10% reduction on automobile/liability insurance and qualify for a license point reduction. Register in person at the Garden City Public Library. Space is limited, so check with the Reference Department for availability. Register separately for each person. Proper ID is required when registering an absentee party. You must bring a $33 check made payable to Empire Safety Council and current Library card with you to register. Bring your valid New

York State driver's license and a pen to class.

Check Out A Museum Pass!

Through the generosity of the Friends of the Garden City Public Library, the Library offers free passes to select museums and cultural institutions. Reservations can be made via LibCal, which requires a Library card and a PIN. Please visit the Circulation Desk to verify or create your PIN. Once you have a PIN, you can make your reservations from home or at the Library. You can make a reservation to borrow a Museum pass from one of the member institutions in our Museum Pass Program. Some museum passes are now available to print from home, including the Vanderbilt Museum located at 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport. If you do not have access to a printer, the Library will be happy to print the pass for you. These passes will be good for one day only. Please note that not all museums participate. For a list of print-from-home passes, visit the Library website, www.gardencitypl.org. Passes for the following museums still need to be picked up at the Library: 9/11 Memorial & Museum, NYC (2 adults & 2 children); MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art), NYC (5 visitors); the Long Island Children’s Museum, Garden City (2 adults & 2 children) and the Empire Pass, which allows entry of the vehicle when the card is presented at most New York State Parks, Department of Environmental Conservation forest preserve areas, boat launch sites, arboretums and park preserves.

The following Library Museum Pass rules remain in effect.

• Museum passes are available only to Garden City Public Library cardholders in good standing who have signed the Museum Pass User Agreement. Museum passes may be reserved in advance and must be checked out by an adult (18 years and older) family member.

• Reservations will be taken up to one month in advance of the desired date, subject to availability on a firstcome, first-served basis. Reservations can be made in person at the Adult Services Desk or over the phone at 516-742-8405 x5236.

Additional rules and information are available at the library.

mountsinai.org/southnassau

Friday, February 27, 2026

over a year ago to head up this great Committee”. The Committee met in his home and discussed the PreKindergarten Program idea.

On March 21, 2025, the Board Survey contained over 40 possible uses for St Paul’s. There was no mention of Pre K. I was astonished that Trustee Muldoon was simultaneously campaigning for the Survey’s redevelopment options and working with the Committee for a Pre-Kindergarten program. Isn’t that deceitful?

The residents overwhelmingly rejected the redevelopment options.

Now we have Trustee Muldoon’s PreKindergarten Plan. This plan was developed in secret. There was no disclosure or input from the public, unlike any other St. Paul’s committee.

The School District’s 2025 capital plan reflects no need for a Pre-K Program.

The Mayor and Trustee Muldoon want “to kick the can down the road’ and “mothball” St. Paul’s without providing the funds for the unforeseen costs, precisely what 67% of the residents voted against. St Paul’s will continue to deteriorate, and Village residents will pay.

Let’s preserve our green space and build an iconic park for all our residents.

Vote for Thomas Ryan, Thomas Brosnan, Jo-Ann Frey, Neha Bajaj for Village Trustees

Thomas M Lamberti Former Trustee, Village Attorney, School Counsel

St. Paul’s Carousel

To the Editor:

The recent decision to abandon the Public-Private Partnership for St. Paul’s—weeks after proposing it—is the latest in a four-year cycle of municipal whiplash. Since 2022, the Board has pivoted from mothballing to facadism and phased reuse. This constant vacillation has now morphed into a call for yet another “pause,” which feels like a surrender to indecision while the building continues to decay.

Particularly troubling is the suggestion by one Trustee that parkland at St. Paul’s is redundant if the Cathedral of the Incarnation builds a private park. This logic is flawed. The Village has zero control over private initiatives. Taxpayers would have no say in design, no authority over hours, and no legal guarantee of perpetual access. Trading a guaranteed municipal asset for the hope of private benevolence is an abdication of responsibility. While the Board pushes for expensive restoration, momentum is building for a pragmatic solution: a village-owned St. Paul’s Park with the clocktower preserved as a centerpiece. It is time to end the reversals. We need a definitive commitment to a publicly-owned park that

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Email: Editor@GCNews.com

honors our history without a crippling financial burden.

John Regazzi

Transparency please

To the Editor:

Mayor Finneran mentioned at the last Board of Trustees meeting that the Village is “in discussions with the Chamber of Commerce (COC)” to have them occupy the Toll House. Considering the Toll House has been vacant for 18 months after an expensive rehabilitation that many residents questioned, why is the only negotiation going on with the COC? Since the COC has NEVER paid a market rate for the building, why have we not asked the real estate firms in the Village to market the property so we can finally get a market rent? Why have we not put out an RFP for the property? The fact that Trustee Muldoon is a member of the COC and the supposedly non-partisan COC President John Wilton decided to endorse his political party (are the GC COC members really aware of their President’s endorsement?), makes the potential appearance of this Board’s conflicts that much more complicated.

Like this Board’s PPP that appeared and disappeared with no meeting or resident input, the fact that this BOT is engaging in negotiations with a political supporter while potential market paying renters of the Toll House have no opportunity to engage, should be concerning for any resident that cares about good governance and transparency.

Donald MacLeod

Protecting character of GC

To the Editor:

As candidates of the Community Agreement Party (CAP), we are writing to express our strong support for the current Board of Trustees’ efforts to better manage subdivisions throughout the Village.

Over the past several years, concerns about overdevelopment and its impact on neighborhood character have grown. We believe the Board’s first step — eliminating subdivisions “as of right” and requiring every application to go before the Planning Commission for a thorough and transparent review — is both necessary and responsible. Equally important is the commitment to automatic notification of neighboring property owners whenever an application is filed, ensuring residents are informed and engaged from the start. These procedural improvements are a critical foundation. Once in place, we believe further evaluation of setbacks, Floor Area Ratio (FAR), and other zoning standards should follow to ensure our code reflects the priorities of today’s residents.

Protecting the character, scale, and beauty of our Village requires thoughtful action. We fully support these important initiatives and remain committed to smart, balanced planning that preserves what makes our community special.

Judy Courtney Vinny Muldoon Jessica Tai Gerard Smith

Grateful for GCFD

To the Editor:

The brave firefighters who volunteer for our Village distinguished themselves last week, as they do each and every week. We are very fortunate to have such dedicated firefighters.

On February 20th, the house next door to mine had a catastrophic fire. I saw first hand the danger that firefighters encounter whenever they fight a fire. Firefighters were in the house battling the fire while flames were shooting out of the roof. Debris could easily have fallen and injured any of the firefighters. Yet, they did not hesitate. They worked tirelessly for hours to contain the fire.

Where most of us see flames and run, they do not hesitate to enter. They are heroes, plain and simple.

While the house has sustained a colossal amount of damage, fortunately everyone is safe. This family will need the support that we as a community can provide.

For now, we need to thank each and every firefighter. They must be supported in their efforts to keep us safe! We are all safer for their valiant efforts. I am deeply grateful for their service.

Jo-Ann Frey, Candidate for Trustee

Keeping “Garden” in GC

To the Editor:

Our Village of Garden City is healthier, updated and operationally more effective thanks to the efforts of Jessica Tai, Judy Courtney and Vinny Muldoon.

Village Trustees are selected with the expectation that their role is advancing our village attributes on behalf of the village residents. These individuals though their personal effort and commitment have been proactive across all of the significant issues within our community. The current environment brings numerous challenges including healthy water, which is critical to the wellbeing of our families and the infrastructure supporting our families. Within each critical issue Jessica Tai, Judy Courtney and Vinny Muldoon have defined a shared vision for residents, actionable objectives and a path of implementation leading to results. This is apparent as we see beautification projects throughout the Village

including Seventh Street which is the center of social and commercial activity.

Clearly the commitment of these individuals, who volunteer their time and expertise passionately has been evident in the results and refinements within the community. There is a level of dedication from each that is commendable, especially considering the challenges communities across Long Island face. This letter strongly supports the reelection of these current trustees who through their dedication and collaboration have produced visible proactive achievements for all residents of Garden City.

Terry & Ron Furman

Turned back on residents

To The Editor:

I am pleased to support Tom Ryan for Village Trustee.

Having lived in the village for 35 years, I have no doubt that the BOT has worked tirelessly, and thank them for their service. However, they don’t share my family’s interests relating to St Paul’s. The manipulated and biased St Paul’s survey, wasting thousands of dollars in the process, left me feeling disenfranchised and ignored.

Despite promises to be “fair and transparent” they turned their backs on 50% of the residents, taking ‘Demolition off the Table”; refusing to say why. That silence spoke volumes.

St Paul’s does not now and never has defined our village. Our village is defined by our sense of community, being good, kind neighbors; having pride in home ownership, valuing education, loyalty, fairness, and helpfulness. Things I think about when I think of Garden City.

Tom Ryan embodies all of the above. He won’t saddle future generations with unimaginable debt. His commitment to demolish St. Paul’s creating a memorial park in its place, will honor the past while preserving the future. Tom is honest and moral, a wonderful neighbor who represents my family’s sensibilities and commitment to fiscal responsibility.

I believe him at his word.

Please vote for Tom Ryan.

Elizabeth Colantonio

Tackling challenges

To the Editor:

It is natural--and healthy --for reasonable people to disagree on political matters, particularly when important decisions affect the future of our community. Diverse perspectives can strengthen public dialogue. What should unite us, however, is a shared expectation of transparency, accurate information, and civility in those conversations. Over the past two years, Trustee

Vinny Muldoon has demonstrated a clear commitment to those principles. He has made a consistent effort to keep residents informed with timely updates and substantive information – an approach that fosters trust and encourages meaningful engagement. When concerns are raised, he responds promptly and thoughtfully. His communication is open, respectful, and grounded in a sincere desire to serve the people of Garden City.

In our experience, Trustee Muldoon approaches his responsibilities with integrity and a strong sense of accountability to his neighbors. He listens, he engages, and he works diligently to address complex issues facing our Village.

For these reasons, we are proud to support Vinny Muldoon and the current Garden City Board of Trustees. We believe they are acting in good faith and tackling long-standing challenges, including the unresolved issues surrounding St. Paul’s and its escalating costs.

Andrew and Paula Umreiko

Time for a change

To the Editor:

We need a new set of eyes and some clear thinking. I support candidates Brosnan, Frey, Baja and Ryan.

Trustee Muldoon, Tsai and Courtney are up for re-election. It appears to me that their sole purpose for running for office was to preserve St. Paul’s. Early on they stated, “demolition is off the table”. This statement was the battle cry that started all the disputes and letters. It’s been two years and now demolition is back on the table, and they will be sending out a request for proposal. Very interesting timing?

Village debt (excluding water, tennis, pool) has grown from 11.8 million on May 31, 2015, to 41.3 million on May 31,2026. Not the fault of the current board. My concern is that they have not done any planning to slow it down. Why would they ever consider bonding 80 million for St Paul’s. That should have been taken off the table, instead of wasting hundreds of hours of committee time to create an inaccurate report.

Board has approved a bond of 1.0 million for phase 1 of the restoration of the Waterworks building. The estimated total cost of the project is 3.0 million. Have you ever seen this building? Does it have to be “restored”?

Bob Wolfe

Let’s move forward

To the Editor:

My family moved to Garden City in 2021, and it remains one of our best decisions. During our transition from Manhattan into a 1930s home needing significant repairs, Vinny Muldoon

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Email: Editor@GCNews.com

became more than a contractor — he became a trusted neighbor and advisor. The disconnect between the man I know and the personal attacks directed at him in our public discourse is deeply troubling.

Garden City is a community built on excellence. Yet the mudslinging surrounding the St. Paul’s debate paints a picture unworthy of us. Criticizing someone’s pricing is not evidence of character —price and value are fundamentally different things. It’s easy to attack from social media; it’s far harder to do the work Vinny does daily for this village.

My call to action: disagree on policy, scrutinize budgets, debate St. Paul’s merits—but stop the character assassination of those who serve.

Regarding St. Paul’s, we must accept that no resolution will satisfy everyone. This is an inherited, generational problem, and our current Board is doing the hard work their predecessors avoided. True leaders don’t shrink from inherited messes—they solve them.

Let’s trade vitriol for serious, results-oriented focus. Let’s move Garden City forward.

Timothy

James O’Mara, CFA

Protect village finances

To the Editor:

Protect Garden City’s finances and reputation by voting for Jo-Ann Frey for Village Trustee. Jo-Ann will be a passionate and trustworthy advocate for the people. She’s a candidate because she was concerned with the current board’s plan to throw even more money into an existing money-pit. She has the vision, foresight, and experience to understand that enormous expenditures to restore a once elegant now deteriorated building, with bonded funds and a consideration of transfer taxes, could ultimately position Garden City as less desirable than other local communities, thereby reducing home values. Jo-Ann felt she had no choice but to step up.

I have the privilege of calling Jo-Ann a friend for over 30 years. She is smart, loyal, and a life-long learner. Jo-Ann is also a realist and calls things as she sees them. She does the research to understand the issues, is willing to take the lead in making a plan, then does the work to make sure solutions happen. All this is evidenced in her professional achievements, her efforts with scouting, and her commitment to her community. Garden City would be fortunate to have Jo-Ann as a leader. Please vote Jo-Ann Frey for Village Trustee on March 18th!

Susan Steinberg

Will make GC a better place

To the Editor:

I am incredibly proud to support my

dad, Vinny Muldoon, as he runs again on the CAP line for Village Trustee. If you want someone who will truly make our village a better place, he is your guy.

During his time as Trustee, he has helped lead important infrastructure projects, including firehouse renovations, drainage improvements, and critical sewer system upgrades. He has also supported meaningful enhancements to parks, community spaces, and Village buildings to strengthen both safety and overall quality of life in Garden City. These improvements are not just achievements on paper — they are real results our community feels and benefits from every day. I am confident that for as long as he stays involved, our town will continue to thrive.

What truly sets him apart, though, is his commitment to transparency and open communication. He believes residents deserve clear updates, honest dialogue, and leadership that listens. He consistently works to keep neighbors informed and engaged- those who know trusteemuldoon on instagram know that!

My dad leads with integrity, collaboration, and a genuine desire to make Garden City an even better place to live. As Henry Ford said, “Don’t find fault, find a remedy.” That’s exactly what he does.

Katie Muldoon

Vote for Tom Ryan

To the Editor:

We have known and admired Tom Ryan for several years. We’re confident that you can depend on him to work and fix the debacle of St. Paul’s. And then a beautiful park will be built that our whole village will enjoy!

Susan and Jack Sheehy

Thoughtfulness, integrity, & dedication

To the Editor:

It is my great pleasure to offer my wholehearted support for Jessica Tai, my colleague, and fellow Trustee of Garden City. Serving alongside Jessica as Co-Chairs of the Environmental Advisory Board and as members of the Finance Committee has been both an honor and a joy.

Jessica brings thoughtfulness, integrity, and tireless dedication to every decision we make. Over the past two years, our Board has worked diligently to protect the character of our Village while delivering meaningful progress — from important code updates and a subdivision moratorium to critical infrastructure investments, including the Meadow Street drainage project, Cedar Valley Lift Station reconstruction, and Edgemere Fire Station renovation. We have enhanced community life through park and facility improvements, strengthened communication

with a new Village app, supported local businesses, and prioritized safety and beautification efforts that keep Garden City vibrant and welcoming.

Jessica’s steady leadership, collaborative spirit, and deep commitment to our community make her an exceptional public servant. I am proud to work beside her to keep Garden City a wonderful place to call home.

Michele Beach Harrington Trustee, Village of Garden City

Will examine all points of view

To the Editor:

I am writing to support Jo-Ann Frey for Village Trustee. I have known Jo-Ann for 35 years, both personally and professionally. Professionally, she has years of experience working to guide government decision making, to provide fair and balanced outcomes to multiple stakeholders.

Personally, she is dedicated, knowledgeable, and incredibly hard working. She holds multiple advanced degrees, because when she does something she learns all she can and makes good decisions. She is also very analytical and will examine all points of view before making a decision. But, what is most important to me is that she is honest, truthful and respectful in her dealings with others. I think these things will make her an excellent Village Trustee.

Jo-Ann grew up in Garden City and moved back long ago to afford her children the same advantages she had as a child. She has a keen interest in Village affairs, and very much wants to ensure that the Village is well run and retains the feel and spirit that it has had in the past.

The Village would be hard pressed to find a better Trustee. Vote for Jo-Ann Frey for Village Trustee on March 18th. Norman Murphy

Forward-thinking leadership

To the Editor:

I am writing to express my strong support for the current Board of Trustees of GC and for the four outstanding candidates seeking election: Gerard Smith, Judy Courtney, Jessica Tai, and Vinny Muldoon.

Over the past several years, the Board has demonstrated a clear commitment to village cleanliness and long-overdue infrastructure improvements that had been overlooked for more than 15 years. Their proactive planning ensures our roads, facilities, and public spaces are being properly maintained and thoughtfully upgraded.

They have also successfully negotiated fair agreements with our police and village employee unions, reflecting responsible fiscal management while supporting the people who serve our

Friday, February 27, 2026

community every day. Just as importantly, they have maintained a keen focus on protecting the highest quality of our water supply — a priority that impacts every resident.

Through effective collaboration with government officials across both parties, the Board has secured valuable grants to support numerous village projects, such as the $500,000 dollar grant from Laura Gillan to support the rebuilding of the Edgemere Fire House, reducing the financial burden on taxpayers.

I am firmly confident these candidates will tirelessly continue the responsible, forward-thinking leadership our village deserves.

Tricia Brown

Honest, truthful, respectful

To the Editor:

The Village would be hard pressed to find a better Trustee. Vote for Jo-Ann Frey for Village Trustee on March 18th. Norman Murphy

Commitment to residents

To the Editor:

As a resident of the Village for thirty years, I wholeheartedly support Vinny Muldoon for Trustee. Vinny, alongside the Board, has tackled numerous public safety and quality-of-life issues with dedication and urgency, always in line with the Village’s long-term vision. From improving roads and traffic safety to addressing the flawed restoration of the Edgemere Firehouse, and enhancing the St. Paul’s fields and Fieldhouse, Vinny has consistently prioritized the community’s needs. He has led efforts

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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to modernize our infrastructure, including replacing dangerous lead water lines, improvements to our library and inspecting all Village facilities.

Residents, local businesses, and new restaurants have all benefited from the beautification of Seventh Street and Franklin Avenue. Additionally, Vinny has championed the development of a long-term recreation plan that reflects the evolving needs of the community. Through an expanded social media presence, Vinny remains accessible and responsive to all residents, always bringing their concerns to the Board.

Vinny’s steadfast commitment to the Village residents is evident, and I urge residents to re-elect him to continue the effective work of this Board.

Guy R. Mione, Jr.

Time to end the drama

To the Editor:

I want to thank the members of our BOT for their hard work and dedication. Yours is an important yet thankless job, and I appreciate your service.

While I am grateful, we disagree when it comes to St. Paul’s. Survey burnout, cost-estimate anxiety, and growing frustration have become the norm in this long-running, town debate. It is time to end the drama.

I support Tom Brosnan, my friend of 20 years, and the FABGC slate in the upcoming BOT election. Tom grew up in Garden City. He values the beauty and traditions, but also has the courage and integrity to say, “enough is enough.” He brings a level-headedness this town needs.

My family supports the St. Paul’s Park Proposal because it represents a reasonable compromise. We all want to protect and improve the place we call home. Restoring the building — or rehabbing it without a clear, financially sound plan — appears fiscally unsound.

I want my kids and grandchildren to have the opportunity to live here one day. I want your kids to have that, too. I’m not sure that will be possible if common sense and compromise do not prevail.

Jackie Sullivan

Lucky to have him

To the Editor:

We are writing to show our support for Vinny Muldoon who is running for a second term as Village Trustee. In his first 2 years as trustee Vinny has done much to improve Garden City. Some highlights include: leading major Recreation and Park development projects including new tennis and pickleball courts at Grove Park, pool upgrades, a turf field at St. Paul’s, and renovations at Cluett Hall and the Fieldhouse. These improvements will benefit children and adults in the community.

Vinny also served as the Traffic Commissioner, addressing resident concerns quickly to improve village safety and efficiency. As the Fire Commissioner, Vinny ensured that Garden City is prepared for future emergencies and after years of talk, the Edgemere Firehouse restoration and expansion project has been approved. The list of Vinny’s accomplishments in his first term go on and on. Vinny is a person who works tirelessly at all he does.

We are fortunate to have him on the Garden City Board of Trustees and would be lucky to have him work for our village for another term. Please join us in voting for Vinny Muldoon for Village Trustee.

Stefanie and Tom Granville

Empathy and Experience

To the Editor:

I’ve had the privilege of knowing Neha Bajaj for many years, and I can say without hesitation that she is someone who truly cares about our community. She doesn’t just speak about making our village better — she shows up, listens, and will work hard to make sure residents’ voices are heard.

Neha brings a unique combination of empathy and experience. She understands budgeting, financial management, and planning, and she has put those skills to work through service on school and nonprofit boards. She is thoughtful, prepared, and guided by a genuine commitment to doing what is best for Garden City.

What I admire most is that Neha believes fiscal responsibility and community investment go hand in hand. She wants to protect taxpayer dollars while also supporting the places and services that bring people together — including our village library, which means so much to so many families.

Neha leads with integrity, compassion, and common sense. Our village would be lucky to have her leadership.

Heather Peavey

Thanks, Vinny!

To the Editor:

I want to give a shout out and a big thank you to Vinny Muldoon. During the storm the snowplow completely buried the fire hydrant on my corner with at least 5’ of snow. My neighbor called sanitation but got no response so she called Vinny Muldoon to see if he could get somebody to shovel it out. He personally drove over and quietly dug it out. He cares so much for our town and neighbors, and it is greatly appreciated. Nancy Poz

FABGC supports Library

To the Editor:

As a reference librarian with more

than 30 years experience (currently at Elmont Memorial Library) I appreciate the support expressed by the FABGC candidates for Board of Village Trustee positions for the wonderful new possible project unveiled at the recent Board of Trustees meeting when presented by Library Chair, Colleen Foley, and team of expert consultants.

The FABGC candidates, Neha Bajaj, Tom Brosnan, JoAnn Frye and Tom Ryan have expressed by letters and posts their firm stance in favor of this significant project to upgrade and modernize the lower level of our library. They deserve your vote. As a vital resource for every resident it is so important that our library achieve a high standard commensurate with the expectations and evolving needs of our community.

Lee Gorray

Meaningful improvements

To the Editor:

We are writing to express our strong support for Village Trustee Muldoon and to recognize the tremendous work that he has accomplished thus far during his time in office.

Our community has seen meaningful and visible improvements, including the renovation of the public parking lots, upgrades to our community swimming pool, and continued enhancements to our local parks. These projects are not just cosmetic — they reflect thoughtful planning and a clear commitment to improving daily life for all residents.

Beyond the physical improvements, what stands out most is Trustee Muldoon’s responsiveness and accessibility. He consistently makes himself available to all residents, listens carefully to concerns, and approaches issues with both professionalism and respect. It is clear that community input matters and is genuinely considered in decision-making.

Strong local leadership demonstrated by Trustee Muldoon makes a tangible difference and our village is better because of it. We are grateful for the dedication, transparency, and steady commitment to progress.

Katie and Steve Colavito

Fiscally responsible

To the Editor:

Fellow Garden City Residents unite behind Tom Brosnan, a FABGC candidate running for Trustee. Someone who finally has a common sense approach and ideas about St. Paul’s and other community issues. I have known Tom for over 25 years since our children were students at Homestead School. Tom is a loyal friend, faithful and always there to lend a helpful hand to those in need – trudging over to our house with his snowblower to dig us out after every

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Email: Editor@GCNews.com snowstorm.

Let’s elect Tom and other FABGC candidates who will be fiscally responsible and will finally do something with St. Paul’s that will benefit the community and put an end to the endless cycle of spending on Requests for Proposals and other nonsense that go nowhere and cost us Garden City tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Beth Simonson

Transparency is the key

To the Editor:

It is not surprising that many opposing views will be presented in an election. The facts are the facts, however. To my mind, transparency is the key to arriving at a decision that is based on actual facts that are presented by candidates and not hearsay. The suggestion to have a public debate between CAP and FABGC is a viable means to that end. Anyone and everyone would be welcome to obtain a clear understanding of who and what they are voting for. I have personally found Vinny Muldoon to be a man of his word. He backs what he says. He is NOT all talk and no action. His perseverance and dedication are exemplified in his role as a village trustee and his professional life.

Caron Gibbons

Wealth of experience

To the Editor:

Based on my review of Gerard Smith’s resume and his presentation at a recent “Meet the Candidates” session, which I attended, I strongly endorse Mr. Smith for the position of Garden City Trustee.

Mr. Smith has a wealth of experience in finance, budgeting, and planning gained during his long career as an executive at a major Wall Street firm. These skills are very important for GC Trustees to have. He has also demonstrated deep concern for his neighbors, of which I have personal knowledge, also very important for a GC Trustee.

I am very confident that Gerard Smith will make an excellent trustee along with the other hardworking and very accomplished CAP team members – Jessica Tai, Vinny Muldoon and Judy Courtney.

Henry Wysocki

Dedication and integrity

To the Editor:

I am writing to support Trustee Vinny Muldoon for reelection.

I have worked with him and can speak from firsthand experience about his dedication and integrity. He is hardworking, communicative, and focused on what is best for our village. I have personally seen him show up quickly to help neighbors whenever called (whether he knows them or is meeting them for

the first time).

Over the past two years, he has led and collaborated with the Board on numerous efforts that have strengthened our village and benefited local families in meaningful, practical ways, including infrastructure and traffic improvements, support for local businesses, and community initiatives, among many others.

His steady leadership and commitment merit continuity, particularly as important projects remain underway. Our village would benefit from his continued service and follow-through.

I encourage residents to support Trustee Muldoon in this upcoming election.

Cristina Handal

Open communication

To the Editor:

I have been a resident of Garden City for 50 years and raised my three beautiful girls here. Garden City is truly a town I am proud to call home.

I am writing in strong support of Vinny Muldoon’s re-election for an additional term on the Town Board. Vinny has consistently demonstrated transparency and open communication in his leadership. He is both a devoted family man and a successful businessman — someone who not only talks about results, but delivers them.

The pinnacle of Garden City lies in its unwavering sense of community — hardworking neighbors who look out for one another as if they are family. Vinny embodies those core principles. His steadfast commitment to our town and his genuine care for residents make him the right choice to continue serving our community. In addition to everything he has given to our town, the Muldoons have shown up for my family in our hardest days and our happiest ones.

Garden City is special because of leaders like Vinny, and I wholeheartedly support his re-election.

Christina Milone

Re-elect Vinny Muldoon

To the Editor:

I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for Vinny Muldoon for Village Trustee. If ever a resident were born to serve as a village trustee, it’s Vinny. His tireless dedication to our village is driven by a genuine desire to give back to the community that embraced him and his family.

Vinny’s hands-on approach is seen in his work as head of the Traffic Commission. He personally visits every site where traffic-calming measures are requested, recording and sharing videos with the committee to ensure every concern is fully understood. Another example is his proactive oversight of our

village’s response to the recent snowstorms to ensure our roads remain safe for all residents.

Vinny’s passion for public service and our village is undeniable. I encourage all residents to vote for Vinny and the entire CAP team—Judy Courtney, Jessica Tai, and Gerard Smith—on Wednesday, March 18th.

Richard Catalano

Deeply involved

To the Editor:

I am writing to support Judy Courtney for reelection as Village Trustee, along with the full Community Agreement Party team -- Vinny Muldoon, Jessica Tai, and Gerard Smith.

I have known Judy for many years, as our daughters grew up together, played sports, and enjoyed all that makes Garden City such a special place. Throughout that time, Judy has always been deeply involved in our Village in countless ways.

Over the past several years, I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Judy on the POA Engagement Team. Together we’ve helped plan the Family Fall Festival, the Halloween Decorating Contest, and other community events -all focused on bringing residents together. Judy has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make these events welcoming, organized and successful.

Her dedication, energy, and genuine love for Garden City are evident in everything she does. That is why I am proud to support Judy Courtney and the entire CAP team in this election.

Mary Ellen Terracciano

Tireless work ethic

To the Editor:

I enthusiastically endorse Trustee Vinny Muldoon for re-election. Throughout his tenure, Vinny has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to Garden City, combining a tireless work ethic with deep respect for every resident. As a proven local business leader, he is known for his honesty, integrity, and practical “can-do” approach to governance.

From serving as Fire Commissioner to overseeing public works, Vinny ensures our community’s needs are met and every voice is heard. By re-electing Vinny, we choose a leader dedicated to keeping Garden City a vibrant and beautiful home for future generations. I urge you to join me in voting for Vinny Muldoon and the Community Agreement Party on Wednesday, March 18th.

John Reilly

Understands the community

To the Editor:

I am proud to support Jo-Ann Frey for Village Trustee in the Village of

Garden City.

I’ve known Jo-Ann through the Welcoming Club Book Club and Craft Club, and it’s been a joy. She is thoughtful, approachable, and genuinely listens to others. She brings fairness, common sense, and a calm perspective to every discussion. She is honest, reliable, and someone neighbors can always count on.

As a long-time Garden City resident who grew up here and returned to raise her family, Jo-Ann understands our community deeply. Her career in government service, including employment law, ethics, and civil rights work, demonstrates her integrity, professionalism, and dedication to public service.

Jo-Ann would make an excellent Trustee because she combines experience, judgment, and a genuine commitment to the village. She prioritizes transparency, fiscal responsibility, and solutions that honor our community’s character while protecting residents from unnecessary debt or taxes. She listens, collaborates, and acts with integrity - exactly the leadership Garden City needs.

I wholeheartedly support Jo-Ann Frey for Village Trustee and know she will serve our village with dedication and care.

Amy Gustavsson

Hoops for Hope is Monday!

To the Editor:

My name is Katherine O’Hanlon and I am a senior at GCHS. I would like to invite you to mark your calendars for a very special event next Monday afternoon: Hoops for Hope. The Garden City Challenger Basketball team will be playing Hoops for Hope in memory of Bobby Menges, a GCHS alum who died of cancer. His family started the I’m Not Done Yet Foundation (INDY) and all of the money raised that day goes to this amazing foundation. INDY’s mission is to help adolescent and young adult cancer patients and survivors to live their lives the way they deserve.

Teamwork makes this day so great. Students, faculty and staff all attend. It has become a GC School district tradition.

We don’t sell tickets but ask for a $5 donation to INDY. There will be raffle baskets and a bake sale (cash or checks only please!) in the cafeteria. Anyone who attends will receive a coupon for some free chicken tenders from 7th Street Gourmet.

See you on Monday!

Katherine O’Hanlon

Are you a professional?

Our Professional Guide is sure to bring results. Call 294-8900 for rates and information.

Village to issue demolition RFP for St. Paul’s

See page 42

The

get started using it. “It works through our portal, from the kiosks outside the department office or if a person is at home or work and they want to upload an application, apply for building permits and so forth, they can now do so online,” he explained.

The next report for the Board of Trustees at last week’s meeting was another upgrade to important departmental software, presented by Matt Nordt, chairman of the Village Board of Cultural & Recreational Affairs (Rec. Commission). Nordt explained the proposal for the village to add parks maintenance management software by contracting with Productive Parks, LLC, an Illinois-based vendor, in a “Master Service agreement” to utilize its software product for tracking projects, daily management, and inventory of parks supplies. The cost for Garden City is $7,489 for implementation and $5,242 in annual subscription fees, with a oneyear agreement that can be renewed annually. Funding was available in the budget line for “Parks - Contractual Services,” and the Village Board unanimously approved the item.

Trustee Michele Harrington wanted to know if Nordt had used the same software when he was leading another Recreation and Parks Department in upstate New York, but he said he had only researched it prior to coming to the village for this position last fall.

“It’s actually something that our Parks Supervisor has been looking at bringing in for a while. Productive Parks has completely upgraded its software now to fit all the needs we have. This will become a tremendous help for our day-to-day and future uses of every-

thing,” he explained.

In another move to provide a substantial upgrade within Recreation and Parks — one that addresses facility needs — Nordt explained a request for Board authorization to allow for the redesignation of $275,000 in capital funds in the current project account, “Recreation Window ReplacementCluett Hall & Fieldhouse.” He said the funds were previously approved for the installation of new windows at Cluett Hall and St. Paul’s Fieldhouse, and with the redesignation the amount would be reutilized for upgrades to Cluett Hall, particularly the interior.

With the Board’s approval on February 17, the $275,000 in project funding is being reallocated, with the bulk of it — $131,032 — going toward the ambiance, functionality, and settings inside Cluett Hall to address items including sound systems, stage lighting, monitors, screens, and electrical work. Next, the interior would feature LED lighting, with an allocation of $15,995 covering that portion. Another significant amount is for ADA accessibility improvements, including replacement of the existing wooden ADA ramp and installation of an ADA lift, at a cost of $117,000.

At last week’s meeting, the Board of Trustees also approved equipment purchases for the Recreation and Parks Department. The department will be receiving two new 2026 Ford F350 XL Crew Cabs with rack bodies and liftgates, per the proposal from Van Bortel Ford of East Rochester, New York, at a cost of $170,344. The purchase is being made on NYS Onondaga Contract No. 0011171. This price for the two trucks exceeds the original $150,000 budgeted for new Recreation and Parks vehicles;

however, funding is available in the equipment budget line due to savings on other items.

Mayor Finneran asked Mr. Nordt if the addition of the two new F350s will allow for better rotation in the use of other Recreation and Parks vehicles. Nordt confirmed that benefit and said there are two current vehicles that will be coming off-line, as they need to be replaced after approximately 10 years in service.

Next, Deputy Mayor Judy Courtney asked for the mileage of those two trucks, but Nordt said he did not have the numbers in hand at the meeting. She also checked whether these trucks are typically taken home by village employees, but Nordt assured her that they are used solely for Recreation and Parks operations around the village.

Trustee Bruce Torino then asked if the usage of the trucks and other Recreation and Parks vehicles is monitored “by clock hours or by mileage, or both.” Nordt said utility trucks are tracked by mileage, while other equipment is tracked by hours of use.

Another item approved at the February 17 meeting included multiple changes to the Department’s 2025-26 capital equipment budget, including a reduction of $75,000 with the removal of the purchase originally budgeted for an R-75 Leaf Vacuum (costing $75,000).

“We are seeking to reappropriate the money to buy a number of different field equipment items which are required to do our daily tasks. This is also going to save us on our fiscal year 2026-2027 capital budget requests,” Nordt noted.

The equipment budget changes include purchasing Ventrac tractor accessories — including a Snow Broom, V-Blade, Snow Blower, and Vacuum

Collection System — from Ronkonkomabased Storr Tractor, through New York State Contract No. PC69682, at a cost of $30,736.40. Another item being purchased from Storr Tractor is a new Toro 30” Stand-On Aerator with Spreader Attachment, also through NYS Contract No. PC69682, at a cost of $13,120.68. The department was also approved to purchase a new Hustler Super Z Hyperdrive Mower with Mulch Kit from All Island Equipment in West Babylon for $15,713 through a Sourcewell contract, as well as a 40HP Vanguard EFI Stand-On Blower from Liffco Inc., based in New Hyde Park, for $17,078.

Trustee Jessica Tai said one of the key ways for the village to improve grass playing field conditions at St. Paul’s and Stewart Field, for example, would involve concentrating on aerating and deep-tining. She reflected that the purchases outlined by Recreation and Parks were being made to support that effort. Nordt confirmed that the items listed for purchase on the February 17 agenda can be used for “multiple applications.”

“Some pieces are to ride on, and others are to be attached to pieces the department already uses. Some of it is new as we do have equipment going down because the pieces are older. With purchases, we look for anything to use that we can attach to the equipment we already have; that way we make better use of each item and use the machinery as much as we can,” he explained. Previously, the Ventrac was noted as a quality machine that the department has relied on to perform various types of landscape and green space work around Garden City.

Why getting stronger is one of the best ways to prepare for surgery

Here’s Why Getting Stronger Is One of the Best Ways to Prepare for Surgery

Column Text:

You have the date marked on your calendar…

The pre-testing has been done…

And you’re getting a confirmation call for your surgery.

How prepared you are for that day can change everything.

Here’s the thing…

The time after surgery can feel daunting.

The frustration of relying on others while putting on a shirt, climbing stairs, or carrying groceries…

Simple activities you once did without a second thought…

Can suddenly become difficult tasks that drain your confidence as you heal.

But here’s the good news…

Whether you’re facing a joint replacement, hernia repair, or rotator cuff surgery…

The one powerful thing you can do to prepare your body is exercise.

Think of it like prepping before hosting a family dinner…

The work you do ahead of time makes everything run smoothly later.

You can give your body a proven way to return to the life you know and love.

Ahmed Ahmed

Research looking at hundreds of trials has found that people who exercise before surgery have roughly half the risk of complications afterwards. Why is this?

For one thing, your metabolism

improves when you exercise…

Your body delivers oxygen and nutrients more efficiently, helping strengthen your immune system.

This lowers your chances of infection after surgery and helps your body handle the stress of recovery.

But that’s not all exercise does…

As you strengthen your muscles, you protect your mobility.

If you can fully bend and straighten a joint before surgery because the muscles around it are strong…

You’re more likely to regain control of that movement faster after surgery.

This means you’ll be able to recover with less downtime…

Get back to doing day to day activities faster…

And live the life you love with the people you love.

Ahmed Ahmed is the owner of Lotus Fitness. Contact him at (646) 415-2349 or ahmed@lotusfitnessny. com https://lotusfitnessny.com/

About to hit a milestone?

Share your life accomplishments with your neighbors! Put your engagement, wedding, or baby announcement in the paper, (and it's free of charge for subscribers!) Email editor@gcnews.com

Books Before School encourages reading

NEW! Encourage Reading through 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten and

500 Books Before Middle School

Our Children’s Department is thrilled to introduce exciting new reading initiatives designed to help young readers discover the joy of books!

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten

Encourage your child to embark on a journey of reading 1,000 books before entering kindergarten. This program fosters a love for reading, improves literacy skills, and provides fun milestones to celebrate along the way.

500 Books Before Middle School

For older readers, we offer the 500

Books Before Middle School program. This challenge promotes independent reading and helps children continue developing their imagination and comprehension skills.

Why Join?

These programs are designed to help children experience the pleasure of reading, build lifelong habits, and nurture a natural curiosity of stories.

How It Works:

Start reading and track your books.

Celebrate your progress with fun sticker rewards!

Together, let’s inspire a generation

of readers!

For more information, contact the Children’s Department Staff.

NEW! The Grades K-5 After School Hive!

Weekdays after school starting in February, children in Grades K–5 are encouraged to play, build, craft, and work together! Starting at 3 p.m. every weekday after school, children in Grades K–5 can join us in the Children’s Room for a different after school activity!

• Board Game Mondays: Board games will be available in the Children’s Room for kids to play until 8:30 p.m.

• Craft Tuesdays: Craft supplies like beads, yarn, scratch art, and more will be available in the Children’s Room until 8:30 p.m.

• LEGO Wednesdays: Build with LEGO in the Children’s Room until 8:30 p.m.

• Puzzle Thursdays: Work on jigsaw puzzles in the Children’s Room from Thursday through the end of the weekend!

Activities will also be available for kids in the STEAM Workshop if there isn’t a program. No registration required. Children must be accompanied by an adult in the Children’s Room and STEAM Workshop.

GCHS hosts whole-school reading program

On Feb. 12, Garden City High School students and faculty members came together through literature for the ninth annual whole-school community read program.

Coordinated by high school librarian Margaux Calemmo, this year’s event featured the contemporary dystopian thriller “Sunrise on the Reaping,” a prequel to “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. The gathering was the culminating event of an ongoing initiative that began with student and staff voting on a title to read collectively in December of 2025.

The final reading celebration featured small group “chat station” discussions about the themes of the novel and parallels to modern day society. For the second year, the event had a special twist as the chat stations were run entirely by student volunteers from the high school’s English language arts classes.

Guided by their student facilitators, with support from teachers from all subject areas, students shared their perspectives on the character development and themes of the novel. Emphasis was placed on the contemporary aspects of the book, as this year’s selection, a dystopian novel, was a departure from the historical and realistic fiction that has often been chosen as the winning title.

The whole-school community read is a unifying event that has become part of the fabric of Garden City High School, with a large part of the student population from grades 9-12 participating. Planning by the committee

typically begins in September, and the voting process is always inclusive of student voice and choice, as students are given three titles to choose from with “Sunrise on the Reaping” emerging as this year’s winner.

The growing popularity of the whole-

school community read at Garden City High School over the years has promoted interest from other school districts and public libraries, thereby prompting Calemmo to coauthor the book “The Whole-School Community Read,” published by Bloomsbury in November 2025.

The district is thankful to the PTA for donating copies of the book and the Garden City Public Library for making print, electronic and audiobook versions available.

Let your voice be heard!

Is there an issue in your community you want to discuss? Want to respond to something you saw in our paper?

Then write a letter to our editor and bring it to everyone’s attention! Send your letter to editor@gcnews.com and we’ll publish it for you!

Garden City High School students participated in and facilitated sessions during the whole-school community read. Photo courtesy of the Garden City School District

FOR SENIORS fyi

Garden City’s Senior Center is open. Please visit the Senior Center Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for further information on activities and events!

Downsizing & Estate Planning Seminar

Join us at the Senior Center for a Downsizing & Estate Planning Seminar, Thursday, March 5, at 11:00 a.m. A complimentary brunch will be served, hosted by Erin Fleischmann, Douglas Elliman. Join Erin and a panel of trusted professionals from Cross Country Mortgage and estate planning/real estate law for an informative discussion on planning your next chapter.

Speakers: Cross Country Mortgage, Peter Lucia, Senior Vice President, Sam Mogavero, Mortgage Advisor, Michael O’Connor, Regional Sales Manager – Reverse Mortgages. Attorneys, Anthony W. Russo, Esq. – The Law Office of Anthony W. Russo, P.C., Craig A. Andreoli, Esq. – Law Office of Craig A. Andreoli, P.C. Elder Law & Estate Planning.

Topics Covered: Downsizing in today’s market, Financing & income options, Reverse mortgages, Estate planning & trusts.

Unable to attend? For a personal and confidential consultation, call Erin Fleischmann | 516-864-1977. To register, please stop by the Senior Center front desk or call (516) 385-8006.

Bingo

Join us for BINGO with Erin Fleischmann from Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Wednesday, March 11, at 12:15. Space is limited, to register, please stop by the Senior Center front desk or call (516) 385-8006.

Navigating Home Care and Medicaid Made Simple

Join us for an educational workshop with Dr Desirie Sykes “Navigating Home Care & Medicaid Made Simple” Thursday, March 12, at 11:00. To register, please stop by the Senior Center front desk or call (516) 385-8006.

St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon

Join us for our St Patrick’s Day Luncheon at noon on Monday, March 16th. Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and live music with Dinny Keg. Cost $15.00 cash. To register please visit the Senior Center front desk. Deadline: March 13.

Managing Your Medicine Cabinet

NYU EMS will be at the Senior Center on Tuesday, March 17, at 11:30, presenting, “Managing Your Medicine

Cabinet”. To register, please stop by the Senior Center front desk or call (516) 385-8006.

Book Club

The next book club meeting will be on March 19 at 1 p.m. at the Senior Center. The book is titled, “The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman. All are welcome.

Know Before You Go

Join us Thursday, March 26, at 11:00 for a presentation “Know before You Go” Understanding and navigating discharge from hospital/rehab, what to expect at rehab, ensuring legal and financial matters are properly organized, and about medicare coverage. RSVP to Kerri Winans Kaley by 3/23 at (631) 372-2392 or kwkaley@thebristal. com

Tai Chi

Beginning December 12, join us at noon for Tai Chi on the second Friday of each month, sponsored by the Bristal at Garden City. For the month of February, Tai Chi will take place on Friday the 27th.

Open Mah Jongg and Canasta

Every Tuesday we will be offering pickup Mah Jongg, Canasta, and Rummikub games, open to all residents from 12:00–2:00. Bring a set and have some fun.

Open Ping Pong

Senior Center Ping Pong on Tuesdays from 1:00–3:00. This is no longer a dropin program, If you are interested in playing, please stop by the Senior Center front desk or call (516) 385-8006 to have your name put on an interest list.

Chair Yoga

Chair Yoga schedule for Tania at the senior center. Thursdays 9:15–9:45 Meditation, 9:45–10:45 Chair Yoga class.

Open Chess

Join us for Open Chess at Senior Center, every Friday at 2:00–3:30. Beginning December 5. No registration is required, just stop by and play!

Senior Center Lunch Group

Join our Senior Center Lunch Group at 12:30–3:30 on Wednesdays, or, if you miss your pool friends, join the Garden City Pool Chat Group at the center, on Thursdays beginning at 1:00-3:30. For both groups, coffee and tea will be served, just bring your lunch and chat!! Also, call to inquire about our two book clubs, one meets on Thursdays during the day and the other on Wednesday evenings.

THI S WEEK AT ROTARY

Guest speaker Giuseppe Giovanniello, Superintendent of the Building Department, Village of Garden City, will report to Rotary on Tuesday, March 10.

Superintendent to Report on Functions of Village Building Department

At its lunch meeting on Tuesday, Mach 10, 12:15, at Mineola’s Davenport Press restaurant, the Mineola-Garden City Rotary Club will welcome as guest speaker, Giuseppe Giovanniello, Assoc. AIA, NYS CEO, superintendent of the Building Department, Village of Garden City. Superintendent Giovanniello will report on the myriad functions of the Department.

As noted on the Village website, any action relating to residential and/ or commercial property should be reviewed with the Building Department as to what regulations, if any, are applicable and whether a permit, inspection or prior approval is required. The building department should be contacted relative to such items as new buildings, additions (interior or exterior), accessory structures such as fences, sheds, decks, central air conditions, signs and many other actions.

Superintendent Giovanniello reports that Garden City’s Building Department faces a wide range of challenges with the main focus to enforce the Village Code and ordinances to ensure that all building construction meets the latest

New York State Codes’ standards and to protect the lives and safety of all Village residents. Giuseppe reports that the Building Department reviews approximately 1500 applications each year, and performs over 2000 inspections (COs) on residential homes and commercial buildings for compliance as well.

Giuseppe says that the Building Department consists of six inspectors and two administrative staff; also, of three board commissions with which the Department works closely: the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and the Architectural Design Review Board. “Our commitment is to address today’s building needs for improvement while protecting the Village and making Garden City a unique place to live,” he says.

Superintendent Giovanniello joined the Village in 2016 as assistant building superintendent and was promoted to building superintendent in 2018. Prior to that, he had worked for Nassau County as a building construction estimator/project manager and inspector. His numerous assignments included estimating, inspecting and managing a variety of infrastructure projects throughout the county.

Giuseppe holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture and civil engineering from New York Institute of Technology. He was declared an associate member of the American Institute of Architects in 2004 and was declared a member of the New York State Division of Code Enforcement Officials in 2011.

At the helm of the Village Building Department, Giuseppe has had more than 25 years of experience. He says he is committed to advancing infrastructure throughout the Village, ensuring public safety for our residents and visitors while supporting the needs of the Garden City community; also, to help and assist the Chamber of Commerce, when needed.

For more information, questions or concerns, you may contact Giuseppi Giovanniello at 516-465-4050 or email GGiovanniello@GardenCityNY.net Open to the public, Rotary invites all who are interested in learning more about the workings of our Village Building Department to attend Rotary’s lunch meeting on Tuesday, March 10, 12:15 at Mineola’s Davenport Press restaurant. Fee: $40 each person, payable at the door. To reserve, email mineolagardencityrotaryclub@gmail.com.

ATTENTION STUDENTS!

Getting married?

Email editor@gcnews.com to put your engagement or wedding announcement in the paper

We invite you to send details of your academic achievements, along with your name and contact info, to editor@gcnews.com for a chance to be featured in our paper! Submissions from students of all ages are welcome!

THE VIEW FROM HERE

The United States and Mexico

BY BOB MORGAN, JR.

The relationship between the United States and Mexico continues to be an important and challenging one for both countries.

Mexico is a neighboring country with whom the United States has had a long history, sometimes relatively amicable, sometimes contentious. Of course, the United States went to war with Mexico in the 19th century, which resulted in Mexico losing over half of its territory.

I’ve visited Mexico many times and I like the place. It’s an interesting mix of cultures, part American, part European and part native American. The beaches are beautiful, historic sites like the Chitzen Itza pyramids are fascinating. Mexican food is unique and there is a liveliness in the music and overall interactions among its people. Mexico City is one of the great capital cities of the world. While you have to keep alert traveling in a foreign country, I have never been the victim of a crime or violence in Mexico.

Nevertheless, there is another side to Mexico that makes many Americans wary. It is, and always has been, much poorer than the United States, and this relative poverty has been an underlying basis of tensions between the two countries. For example, Ross Perot. the 1992 independent presidential candidate, in opposing the NAFTA trade agreement, argued that ratification of the treaty would lead to “a giant sucking sound” whereby American jobs would be lost to Mexico, due to its relatively low wages, fewer regulations and lower environment standards. For their part, Mexican have feared being exploited by their neighbor to the north. For years prior to NAFTA, which has now been replaced by the USMCA Agreement, Mexico had strict protectionist policies limiting imports of foreign goods. For example, it was difficult to buy a reasonably priced television in the country.

And the poverty gap is reflected in the longstanding issue of immigration, as the relative disparity of wages has made many migrants want to come the United States, whether through legal means or not. Over the years there

have been guest worker programs, inflated claims of refugee status and hosts of illegal crossings. The Trump Administration, in sharp contrast to its predecessor, has effectively closed the United States southern border

This week, Mexico made headlines in the U.S. when the country's security forces, aided by American intelligence, tracked down and killed Nemesio Oseguera, a drug kingpin known as El Mencho. This led to significant violence in the nearby tourist mecca of Puerto Vallarta, a pretty place that is home to many American retirees, as well as Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city.

The response to drug cartels by Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, was a welcome one. The cartels are responsible for a huge influx of dangerous drugs, including fentanyl, into the United States. In addition, El Mencho's organization, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), and a number of others, have exercised their own source of paramilitary power in parts of Mexico, in effect competing with the government, while involved with bloody conflicts with rival gangs.

Even with a resulting wave of gang violence, the demise of CNJG's leader has potential salutary effects. It strengthens the position of the central government, and demonstrates a will to win, in its war against the cartels. In addition, while much of the United States drug problem is demand-driven, a reduction in the supply channels bringing dangerous and illicit drugs into our country is surely a good thing.

President Trump again urged the Mexican government to let American armed forces fight the cartels, but nationalistic impulses in Mexico make that unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Nevertheless, the hope is that Ms. Sheinbaum’s willingness at least to accept American investigative help against the cartel might portend a greater level of cooperation It’s possible to hope that a serious effort by Mexico against the drug plague might be matched by real and respectful negotiations and progress on trade and more lawful immigration.

Honor society students visit Stratford classes

On Feb. 10, Garden City High School senior Spanish Honor Society students visited Stratford Elementary School for a day of interactive learning in their Foreign Language in Elementary School classes.

The visit began with the high school students and teacher Antonietta Gutierrez reading a book aloud to each class, which was written by some of the honor society members. After the reading, students broke into four smaller

groups which the high schoolers rotated through to lead games and activities designed by a variety of Spanish Honor Society members, helping younger students strengthen their foundational Spanish skills.

For the Spanish Honor Society members, the visit was a full-circle moment, returning to the classrooms where they first learned Spanish in FLES and sharing their knowledge with the next generation of learners.

GCHS students played games with Stratford students.

Photos courtesy of the Garden City School District

PTA Dinner on March 31

We know it doesn't seem that way, but the annual PTA dinner is right around the corner! This year's theme is "I belong just as I am." YOU belong at the PTA's biggest fundraiser of the year - we hope to see you all there! There will be assigned tables again this year, so start creating your table of 10 now. Tickets will go on sale just after February break. Emails regarding monetary donations for grade level raffle baskets have begun to be distributed. It is never too late to donate your time or empty baskets to the dinner committee. If you have any donations of goods or services please contact

Betsy Masters Blattmachr

Betsy Masters Blattmachr passed peacefully on February 22, 2026, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. She was 81.

Betsy was born in northeast Pennsylvania on October 13, 1944, to parents Richard “Dick” Masters and Eloise Williams Masters, the third of five children. Betsy was brought up in little Harford, PA surrounded by a large extended family. She was a Girl Scout and spent her summers with her beloved cousin Suzanna Masters at Girl Scout camp. While a girl, she was trekked to Scranton, some 30 miles (when there was no Interstate, just a

Garden City PTA News

dinnerdonations@gardencitypta.org

Career Resources CommitteeVolunteers Wanted!

We’re excited to announce the return of our interview skills practice opportunity for high school students March 20 and 27, 3–4:30 p.m. at GCHS, and we need your help! Experienced parent volunteers are wanted to guide students through mock interviews, offering constructive feedback and support. If interested, please email careerresources@ gardencitypta.org to request the form.

PTA Nominations Open For 2026–27

It’s never too early to nominate

GREAT candidates for our 26–27 PTA Executive Committee.

Open positions this year: PresidentElect, Executive VP, VP of Curriculum, VP of Legislation, VP of Communications, Middle School Director, Homestead Director, Locust Director. Nominate yourself or someone you know TODAY at gardencitypta.org. Deadline to submit is March 11, 2026.

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Other Important Dates

• March 2 - PARP Virtual

IN MEMORIAM

two-lane back road, Route 11) to take piano and ballet lessons. While a young mother, she came back to ballet, with kids in tow, taking lessons until she popped a hamstring from the teacher’s pushing her into a stretch too hard. We applaud her for her efforts.

Betsy was the star student. Valedictorian of her graduating class, Mountain View High, she was also a cheerleader (and these other things).

After school, she moved to Holland to spend a year with her adoptive Dutch family, the Baxmeiers. She sailed under the in-construction Verrazzano and landed in (Amsterdam) in August 1962. She spent a year being scorned by teachers for having a not-British accent in English class and put on 15 pounds. (The butter.)

Upon her return home, she enrolled at Bucknell University (BA 1967). She majored in English and later humblebragged about reading several books each week. Her lifelong love of reading is well-known; she devoured novels, history, newspapers, and magazines, even getting through the entire New Yorker each week, cover to cover.

And Bucknell is where she met her husband, Jonathan. While on a date to a fraternity party, she spied Jonathan for the first time, playing the piano with no sheet music; he couldn’t read music, she couldn’t play by ear. She dropped the stiff and marched right over to introduce herself. They were married in 1970, back in Harford.

Jonathan was now in the Army, and they moved where the job took him, Ft. Benjamin Harrison (Indiana) and Ft. Lee (Virginia) (and fortunately, not to Vietnam).

After the Army, they settled in

Farmingdale and Garden City while Betsy taught ungrateful high school students and pursued a Masters (all As, one credit shy of qualifying) and Jonathan worked.

After retiring from teaching, Betsy found her real passion: volunteering. She was a matriarch of Planned Parenthood on Long Island, inspiring generations of supporters and advocates through her unwavering commitment to reproductive freedom. She began as a health center volunteer in 1978, quickly realizing she wanted to do more. In 1982, she joined the Board of Directors, becoming its longest-serving member and remaining a guiding force until the organization’s merger in 2020.

Betsy served an unprecedented two terms as Board President and helped lead the capital campaigns that built health centers in Hempstead, Glen Cove, and Massapequa, ensuring that compassionate, high-quality care would be accessible to communities across Long Island for decades to come. A passionate and fearless advocate, she taught fellow board members how to fundraise and showed by example that supporting the mission required both conviction and action.

She understood how fragile reproductive rights could be and made her voice heard at every level of government, traveling frequently to Albany and Washington, D.C. to advocate for patients and providers. Betsy was always the first to volunteer, whether for an event committee, a bus trip, a phone bank, or a rally.

Though small in stature, she was fierce in spirit: curious, outspoken, and unafraid to stand firmly in her values. She cared deeply about the health cen-

Author Visit with Susan B. Katz

• March 3 - Joint Primary Meeting

• March 10 - Joint MS/HS Meeting

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ter staff, working tirelessly to ensure they had the resources and support needed to care for patients with dignity and excellence.

She also fought in the trenches, serving as an escort on weekends to shield patients from protesters. She nearly bled for it, too: While waiting in the parking lot, an attacker jumped in the front seat of her car with a gun and demanded she drive. In a brilliant flash, she went into her purse and grabbed a handful of cash, to exchange while on a trip to Holland scheduled for the next day. While pulling the money with her right hand, she grabbed the door handle with her left. “I know you are here for money. Here!” Threw the pile on his lap and bolted for the safety of the building. Betsy served on the board of the Epilepsy Foundation and started and chaired the Friendship Connection, a charity to provide those with learning disabilities a safe space to make friends and have fun. She did it all for her son, Jeff.

Betsy is survived by Jonathan, and her sons, Jon and Jeff, their spouses, Stephanie and Allison, three grandchildren, her sisters Joyce Berish and Mary Jacqueline “Jackie” Phillips. Betsy’s sister Marcia Housel and baby brother Richard “Ritchie” Masters predeceased Betsy. She was the rock for many female relatives whom she counseled and supported. She was a great friend to many, especially Joyce Hilding and Cheri Lorenz, who she loved like family. She is deeply, painfully missed by her loving family, who ask in lieu of flowers to make a donation to Planned Parenthood of Greater New York: https://www.weareplannedparenthood.org/a/mem-betsyblatt

Have you lost someone?

If you would like to post an obituary for a loved one, simply send a short biography of them along with (if desired) their photo, details of their funeral/visitation services, and/or any donation requests to editor@gcnews.com, or call our office at 516-294-8900 to inquire.

IN MEMORIAM

Terence F. Cooke

Terence “Terry” Francis Cooke passed away peacefully on February 21, 2026, at the age of 91, leaving behind a life rooted in faith, family, and quiet strength.

Born on February 17, 1935, in the Bronx, New York, Terry carried his Irish heritage with pride. He loved sharing stories of his childhood and of his parents’ journey from Ireland, often with a twinkle in his eye and a knowing laugh. Predeceased by his parents, Terry Cooke and Mary (Halloran) Cooke, he grew up an only child and, together with his wife Anne, built the large, close-knit family he cherished most.

A graduate of Iona College, Terry built a distinguished career at Brown Brothers Harriman ultimately serving

as Head of Operations. He also was proud to have served in the Fighting 69th Reserves and approached both work and life with integrity.

Deeply devoted to his Catholic faith, Terry prayed the rosary often, especially for those in need. His faith was constant and quietly guiding.

He married his beloved wife, Anne Marie Hyland, on February 10, 1968, and together they raised their family in Garden City, New York, with cherished time spent in Naples, Florida; East Quogue, New York; and Stratton, Vermont. Whether at the beach, on the ski slopes, or around the dinner table, he was happiest surrounded by his children and grandchildren. He took immense pride in each of his grandchildren and followed their lives closely, always eager to hear their stories and celebrate their accomplishments.

Terry is survived by his devoted wife Anne; his twin daughters Alison Palmer and Jennifer Ritter; his son Terry Cooke; his grandchildren Jack, Ryan, Annie, Will, Mollie, Grace, Anna, Terence, and Phoebe; his sons-in-law Dave Palmer and Curt Ritter; and his daughter-in-law Catherine Cooke.

Terry lived by a simple truth: it’s not where you live, but how you live. He lived well — with steadiness, humor, and love.

Until we meet again, may God hold him in the palm of His hand.

Services will be held at Saint Joseph’s Church in Garden City at 9:30 AM on Saturday, February 28.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Brain Cancer Research Center or the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

Valentines for Veterans Bronze Award Project

Garden City Juliette Girl Scout Alexandra Boyle recently complete her Bronze Award project, Valentines for Veterans. The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Junior (grades 4-5) can earn, requiring them to team up with others to identify and address a community issue they care

about. The project is girl-led, with adult guidance, and involves a suggested minimum of 20 hours.

Alexandra helped to highlight and support the Valentines for Veterans program. Valentines for Veterans is a campaign that encourages people to send Valentine cards to veterans. Alexandra

partnered with Garden City's American Legion Auxiliary (William Bradford Turner Unit #265) and Garden City Association of Girl Scouts to express gratitude for the service and sacrifices of military members, ensuring they know they are valued and not forgotten. Alexandra encouraged troops to learn

about veterans by including a Veteran's Day book list.

Thank you to all of the Garden City Girl Scout troops who participated – 170 scouts – who supported our local veterans by making over 300 Valentine cards.

Terence F. Cooke

Over 300 Valentine cards were created by GC Girl Scouts to show their support for our veterans.

Alexandra making Valentines for Veterans

America

at 250

From page 1

Regretfully, we will not be able to accept any late entries. Winners will be announced to the Village at the March 5th Board of Trustees Meeting.

Submissions may be made to: Trustee Curtney at jcourtney@ gardencityny.net or Trustee Harrington at mbharrington@ gardencityny.net We are so excited to see the artwork from our talented residnts!

LEGAL NOTICES

NASSAU

COUNTY NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Notice of formation of Kamaboo LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/15/26. Office location: Nassau County. SSNY designated as an agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to Kamaboo LLC: 31 Buckminster Rd, Rockville Center, NY 11570. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Our Professional Guide is sure to bring results. Call 294-8900 for rates and information.

Candlelight Celtic to illuminate Adelphi PAC

Adelphi University’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) will host “Candlelight Celtic,” an immersive Irish music and dance performance, on March 14. This enchanting show will take place in Adelphi PAC’s Concert Hall at 8 p.m.

Surrounded by the warm glow of over 1,000 candles, the

audience will experience classic Irish tunes, songs, and stories in an intimate setting. This show was created by world champion Irish dancer Scott Doherty and renowned Irish musician Chris Smith.

Tickets are currently on sale online for all performances, with discounts available

to seniors, students, Adelphi alumni, and employees. For more information, contact the Lucia and Steven N. Fischer Box Office at 516-877-4000 or email boxoffice@adelphi.edu.

The box office is open for phone and in-person sales Wednesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and is also open two hours

before all ticketed performances. Ticket sales and additional information are available online.

For more information on upcoming Adelphi PAC offerings, visit pac.adelphi.edu

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Let us help you promote your business. Tell us what kind of ad you want designed, and well make it! Simply set up an ad campaign within our newspapers and watch your sales boost!

Adelphi University’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) will host “Candlelight Celtic,” an immersive Irish music and dance performance, on March 14.

February 27, 2026

Family Travel is Booming in 2026

BY KAREN RUBIN TRAVEL FEATURES SYNDICATE GOINGPLACESFARANDNEAR.COM

Family travel is booming, along with multigenerational travel. The Baby Boomers who are today’s grandparents value travel as an essential experience, have the discretionary resources to share that experience, and most importantly, cherish the bonds and memories that traveling together engender. .

Here is a sampling of family travel experiences, far and near, for 2026: Mediterranean Gulet Gathering: Gather the whole family and charter a traditional gulet with Peter Sommer Travels to explore Croatia, Greece or Turkey like Indiana Jones. Visit ancient sites with an archaeologist or historian, then enjoy time to swim, snorkel or kayak in secluded coves, or simply relax onboard (https://www. petersommer.com/gulet-charters)

Make the Lion King Come Alive: From wildebeest herds thundering across the Serengeti to elephants grazing beneath acacia trees, Gondwana Ecotours’ private Tanzania: Great Migration Safari brings Africa’s magic to life for families. Spot lions, zebras, giraffes, leopards and hippos on daily game drives, with window seats in every pop-top safari vehicle. Visit a remote Maasai boma and meet a family clan, learn about their culture and join their traditional jumping dance. Sleep to the sounds of the savanna in deluxe tented camps and enjoy pop-up bush lunches (https://www.gondwanaecotours.com/adventure-tours/great-migration-serengeti-safari-tour-tanzania/)

Greek Islands Multi Adventure: Experience Greece’s Ionian Islands by boat, bike and on foot on a family-friendly cruise from Islandhopping. Visit olive tree-covered Paxos, the white sand beaches of Lefkas, a colorful port on Cephalonia, peaceful Arillas. Swim in the crystal clear Ionian Sea,

Housekeeping 2026 Travel Awards.

Gondwana Ecotours’ private Tanzania: Great Migration Safari brings Africa’s magic to life for families © photo: Gondwana Ecotours

ride to a waterfall, row to a cave accessible only from the water, tube behind a dinghy and bike through a national park (https://www.inselhuepfen.com/ en/cycling-tours/greece/multi-adventure-ionian-islands)

Amazon Rainforest Immersion: Deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Sacha Lodge offers a responsible way for families to explore one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. Guests participate in low-impact activities like guided canopy walks, wildlife spotting by dugout canoe, and nature hikes led by local guides, while staying in secure, private, thatched-roof cabins that ensure a luxurious and comfortable experience. https://sachalodge.com

Chase the Northern Lights Together: From chasing the aurora to walking with reindeer, Gondwana Ecotours’ private Alaska: Northern Lights Adventure is an unforgettable family journey. Days are packed with dog sledding, curling lessons, hot springs and a visit to Santa’s Village, while nights light up with nature’s most dazzling show. Stay cozy under the covers until your nighttime aurora guide sounds the buzzer, signaling it’s time to step outside and watch

the northern sky come alive. https:// www.gondwanaecotours.com/adventure-tours/northern-lights-tour-fairbanks-alaska/

Arizona Dude Ranch Getaway: Play cowboy or cowgirl among the saguaro cactuses of the Sonoran Desert at the family-owned and operated White Stallion Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. Enjoy horseback riding, hiking, shooting and archery, fat tire e-biking and rock climbing, and entertainment like cowboy singing, trick roping and a weekly rodeo (https:// whitestallion.com/)

Grand Canyon’s North Rim: Escape Adventures invites families to discover the cool, high-altitude sanctuary of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim on an unforgettable five-day mountain biking and camping expedition (https://escapeadventures.com/tour/ grand-canyon-north-rim-mountainbike-tour/)

Princess Cruises’ Discovery

Princess Named ‘Coolest Way to See Alaska’

Princess Cruises’ Discovery Princess has been named “Coolest Way To See Alaska” in the prestigious Good

GOING PLACES NEAR AND FAR

Family-oriented programming includes having Park Rangers onboard in Glacier Bay with live narration and Junior/Teen Ranger programs; a Storyteller series with cultural ambassadors, adventurers, authors, photographers and Iditarod champions; Puppies in the Piazza and Campfire Movies Under the Stars; and youth and teen activities like Gold Rush Treasure Hunt and Great Alaskan Fishermen’s Race. In the cruise line’s biggest-ever Alaska season, in 2026 Discovery Princess sails the popular “Voyage of the Glacier” route between Vancouver and Anchorage (Whittier), featuring Glacier Bay National Park. Another highlight is the debut of Star Princess, its newest ship, sailing weekly seven-day Inside Passage cruises roundtrip from Seattle. In total, the May through September 2026 Alaska program features eight ships, 180 departures and 19 destinations. Guests can extend their adventure with a Princess Cruisetour, pairing a seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise with 3-10 nights at Princess-owned Wilderness Lodges to explore Alaska’s interior, including Denali National Park. (Visit www.princess.com/alaska, 800-774-6237, princess.com)

The Regent Grand Introduces ‘Grandymoon’

The Regent Grand on Turks & Caicos is debuting its new “Grandymoon” offer. Amenities include: spacious multi-bedroom suites or villas; $200 resort credit; family photo session; concierge-arranged celebratory family dinner; spa treatments for all ages, island excursions such as jetski tours, fishing trips, boat cruises, scuba and snorkeling, paddleboard and kayak safaris and beach horseback riding; family tennis or pickleball tournament; resort bikes and eco bikes; in-room babysitting services. To book, just add “Grandymoon” in the reservation notes section (theregentgrand.com)

BY DENNIS MAMMANA

Week of March 1-7, 2026

Attention, night owls and insomniacs! The sky show this week is just for you!

Much of North America is about to see the moon experience one of nature’s most beautiful sky shows: a total lunar eclipse.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the full moon slips into the Earth’s shadow far out in space, either partially or completely, and that’s just what will happen during the wee hours of March 3. Skywatchers throughout North America will see the start of this eclipse (weather permitting, of course), but depending on where you live, you may see only a portion of the sky show. In general, the farther west you live, the more of the eclipse you will see before the moon sets behind the western horizon.

The eclipse begins at 12:44 a.m. PST (3:44 a.m. EST), when the moon enters the Earth’s light outer shadow (known as the penumbra), but this shadow is so thin that no one will notice a darkening of the moon’s appearance.

Within an hour or so, that will change significantly. As the moon approaches the dark inner shadow of the Earth (known as the umbra), skywatchers will notice the eastern side of the moon beginning to darken slightly.

The real show begins at 1:50 a.m.

Shadow on the Moon

PST (4:50 a.m. EST) when the moon officially enters the umbra. No one gazing skyward will have any doubt that a “bite” has been taken out of the moon -- a bite that will grow larger with each passing minute.

For the next hour or so, the moon will dim as it slips more deeply into our planet’s umbra, until 3:04 a.m. PST (6:04 a.m. EST) when it’s completely engulfed and the total eclipse begins. Unfortunately, those in the far eastern part of North America may miss this since the moon will lie quite close to (or even below) the western horizon.

During the total phase, the moon will take on a dim coppery hue. This occurs because sunlight passing through our atmosphere is reddened and bent inward toward the darkened surface of the eclipsed moon, now suspended eerily against the stars of Leo, the lion.

Only those viewing from the Midwest to the West Coast will see mideclipse, which occurs at 3:33 a.m. PST (5:33 a.m. CST). Those in the Midwest may miss the end of totality at 4:02 a.m. PST (6:02 a.m. CST), however, as the moon will be setting in the west.

The entire event will end at 5:17 a.m. PST (4:17 a.m. MST) with the moon approaching the western horizon for viewers in western North America.

Unlike an eclipse of the sun, a lunar eclipse is perfectly safe to view without protective filters. Your eyes are all you

LOST IN

A total lunar eclipse will occur in the wee hours of March 3.

need to enjoy the show, but you’ll have even more fun viewing through binoculars or a small telescope. If the sky is cloudy that morning, or if you live where the eclipse won’t be visible, you can watch a livestream of the sky show online. Visit timeanddate. com and click on “Sun, Moon & Space” at the top to find details for your loca-

SUBURBIA

A Plant by Any Other Name

BY TRACY BECKERMAN

“What do you think of our new succulent?” I asked my husband as I presented the small plant resting on our family room coffee table. I had decided to take the leap from plastic plants to live ones and figured this would be one I couldn’t kill too easily.

He looked at it and scrunched up his face.

“It’s OK ... but can you get something else?” He asked.

“Why?” I wondered aloud. “You don’t like it?”

“I don’t like the name.”’

“What? ‘Succulent’?”

“Yeah. It bothers me,” he replied.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “And so therefore you don’t want it in the house?”

“Right.”

“Thank goodness you don’t mind my name,” I said irritably.

I was quite dumbfounded. Who the heck rejects an item because they don’t

like what it’s called? I guess I really shouldn’t have been surprised, though.

My husband is a wonderful guy, but he has always been a little word-intolerant. He has passed on desserts at restaurants that were described as “moist” or “tasty,” refuses to eat anything with a “spork,” and won’t have anything to do with a product that comes as an “ointment.” He avoids at all costs using our outdoor “spigot,” or associating with anyone with a lot of “spunk.”

“If it really bothers you, we don’t have to call it a succulent,” I said. “We can just refer to it as ‘the Plant That Dare Not Be Named.’”

“Ugh. Don’t say that name.”

“Succulent?”

“I can never unhear that,” he complained.

I sighed. I decided that if this was going to be an issue, I really should go ahead and make it a huge issue.

“Do you know what a synonym for succulent is?” I asked him.

“No, what?” he asked. “Moist.”

He glared at me.

Also, tasty.”

“I see what you’re trying to do here,” he said.

“And did you know that aloe comes from a succulent?” I continued. “And aloe is an ointment.”

He sighed.

“See, honey, you can’t escape it,” I said. “But they’re just words. They don’t bite.”

“But I don’t like them.”

“OK, I get it,” I finally replied. “I don’t want to make you miserable. I’ll replace it with something else. Do you have a problem with the word ‘cactus’?”

“No, cactus is fine.”

“OK, it’s a cactus, then.”

“I can work with that,” he replied.

“Great. By the way, a cactus is a succulent.”

Tracy Beckerman is the author of

the Amazon Bestseller, “Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble,” available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online! You can visit her at www. tracybeckerman.com.

REAL ESTATE WATCH

Why insurance companies are redefining ‘uninsurable’ homes

For decades, homeowners assumed one thing was virtually guaranteed: if you could afford the premium, you could insure your home. That quiet certainty is now eroding. Across the United States, insurance companies are not just raising rates — they are fundamentally redefining what it means for a property to be “insurable.”

This shift is happening unevenly and often quietly, but its implications for homeowners, buyers, lenders, and real estate professionals are profound. We are witnessing the early stages of a structural change in housing finance — one that could reshape property values and migration patterns over the next decade.

Let’s unpack what’s really happening.

The New Math of Risk

Insurance has always been about probabilities. But today’s insurers are no longer relying primarily on historical loss data. Instead, they are increasingly using forward-looking catastrophe models that project future risk based on climate trends, development patterns, and replacement costs.

That shift matters enormously.

In the past, a home was considered insurable if past losses in the area were manageable. Now, insurers are asking a different question: What is the probability this property becomes a major loss in the next 5–30 years?

As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, insurers face mounting payouts and higher reinsurance costs. The result is a quiet re-calibration of underwriting standards nationwide.

The Climate Multiplier Effect

The single biggest driver behind the redefining of “uninsurable” is climate risk — but not in the simplistic way many headlines suggest.

Yes, wildfires in California, hurricanes in Florida, and flooding in coastal areas are obvious factors. But insurers are now modeling secondary and emerging risks as well:

• Inland flooding in previously low-risk areas

• Severe convective storms in the Midwest

• Extreme heat stressing building systems

• Rapid brush growth followed by drought conditions

Climate change has already accounted for more than 30% of insured natural-catastrophe losses globally in the past decade. That is not a marginal shift — it is a structural one.

In response, insurers are raising premiums, limiting new policies, or refusing renewals altogether.

Between 2018 and 2023 alone, insurers canceled nearly two million home-

owner policies due to rising climate risks. That number should get every homeowner’s attention.

When the Spreadsheet Stops Working

Insurance companies are not charities. Their business model requires that premiums plus investment income exceed claims paid.

BY PHILIP A. RAICES

Three financial pressures are colliding:

1. Catastrophe Losses Are Spiking

Major disasters are producing record insured losses. When a single wildfire season or hurricane year wipes out years of underwriting profit, insurers reassess entire regions.

2. Reinsurance Costs Are Surging Insurance companies buy insurance themselves (reinsurance). Those costs have risen sharply, forcing primary carriers to either raise premiums or reduce exposure.

3. Replacement Costs Keep Climbing

Labor shortages, material inflation, and stricter building codes mean homes cost far more to rebuild than even five years ago.

When these three forces intersect, insurers reach a simple conclusion: some homes no longer pencil out.

The Quiet Rise of Non-Renewals

Most homeowners expect dramatic cancellations. Instead, the industry’s preferred tool is more subtle: non-renewal.

Rather than loudly declaring areas uninsurable, carriers simply:

• Stop writing new policies

• Reduce capacity in certain ZIP codes

• Non-renew higher-risk properties

• Tighten underwriting guidelines

• From the outside, it looks incremental. From the inside, it is strategic withdrawal.

In several high-risk states, major insurers have already scaled back or exited markets entirely, leaving homeowners scrambling for coverage.

The FAIR Plan Pressure Cooker

As private insurers retreat, staterun insurers of last resort — FAIR Plans and similar programs — are absorbing the overflow.

These plans were never designed to handle mass migration from the private market. Yet in many regions they are now the only option.

The danger is systemic:

• Coverage is often limited

• Premiums are typically higher

• Financial reserves can be thin

• Exposure is growing rapidly

• Analysts warn that the exodus of private insurers could place enormous strain on these government-backed programs.

If those backstops falter, the consequences for housing markets could be severe.

The Mortgage Domino Effect

Here is where the issue moves from insurance problem to housing problem. Without acceptable property insurance:

• Most lenders will not issue mortgages

• Buyers cannot finance purchases

• Property liquidity declines

• Values come under pressure Federal Reserve officials have already warned that lack of insurance could reduce homeownership and accelerate neighborhood disinvestment.

In plain English: uninsurable homes risk becoming unmortgageable homes. That is the real headline.

The Geographic Expansion of Risk

One of the biggest misconceptions is that this is only a coastal or wildfire-zone problem.

It isn’t.

Insurers are now using high-resolution data and predictive analytics that evaluate risk at the parcel level. Areas once considered safe are being reclassified based on:

• Micro-flood mapping

• Wind and hail history

• Vegetation density

• Distance to fire services

• Roof age and materials

• Local building code enforcement

This means the definition of “high risk” is expanding — often faster than public awareness.

Even markets in the Northeast and Midwest are beginning to feel the ripple effects through higher premiums and tighter underwriting.

Technology Is Accelerating the Shift

Artificial intelligence and advanced catastrophe modeling are speeding up the redefinition of insurability.

Today’s insurers can:

• Analyze satellite imagery of individual roofs

• Model wildfire spread street by street

• Predict flood depth property by property

• Score homes on resilience features

In short, the industry’s visibility into risk has improved dramatically. And when risk becomes measurable,

it becomes price-able — or avoidable. This technological leap is one reason the shift feels sudden. The data has finally caught up to the risk reality.

What This Means

for

Homeowners

For current homeowners, the implications are significant:

Expect More Volatility

Premium swings, carrier exits, and underwriting changes are likely to continue.

Property Condition Matters

More Than Ever

Roof age, mitigation features, and maintenance now directly affect insurability.

Location Risk Will Be Priced More Precisely

The days of broad ZIP-code pricing are fading.

Shopping Early Is Critical

Waiting until renewal season may leave fewer options.

What It Means for Buyers and Sellers

Real estate professionals need to pay close attention.

For sellers:

• Pre-listing insurance checks may become standard

• Disclosure around insurability could expand

• High premiums may affect buyer pools

• For buyers:

• Insurance quotes should be obtained during due diligence

• Debt-to-income calculations must include realistic premiums

• Some properties may require specialty carriers

• Increasingly, insurance is becoming a front-end transaction issue, not a back-end afterthought.

The Long-Term Market Question

Are we heading toward large numbers of truly uninsurable homes?

Probably not nationwide.

But we are likely moving toward a tiered housing market, where:

• Low-risk homes enjoy competitive insurance

• Moderate-risk homes face rising premiums

• High-risk homes rely on last-resort markets

• Extreme-risk properties struggle to obtain coverage at any price

• Over the next 10–20 years, this stratification could influence:

• Migration patterns

• New construction locations

• Municipal tax bases

• Long-term property values

In fact, some analyses suggest climate-driven insurance pressures could ultimately reduce U.S. home values by more than $1 trillion over the coming decades.

Continued on page 5

BY TOM MARGENAU

In prior columns, I gave readers a brief history of Social Security by highlighting the major changes to the program brought about by annual amendments to the original Social Security law. Every once in a great while, there is a dramatic change, such as the addition of the disability program in 1956. Most years, these amendments are minor and introduce only small technical changes to some of the program’s laws. And occasionally, the annual Social Security amendments introduce relatively modest reforms, such as the 1977 amendments that lowered the duration of marriage requirement for divorced women from 20 years to 10 years.

But the point I am getting at in today’s column is that almost without fail, every amendment to the original Social Security law over the years has expanded or increased outlays or liberalized the rules allowing more folks to qualify for the program’s various benefits.

In the 90-year history of the program, I can think of fewer than a half dozen times when Social Security benefits were actually reduced. Here is a brief overview of the Social Security cuts that have been made over the years.

Raising the Retirement Age

This change, brought about by the 1983 Commission on Social Security Reform, wasn’t a “cut” per se, in existing benefits. But by raising the retirement age from 65 to 67, it delayed the amount of time a person could collect his or her full retirement age benefit. By the way, this change, enacted in 1983, will not go fully into effect until people born in 1960 and later reach their full retirement age in 2027. And the point I am making here is that if Congress decides to raise the retirement age again as part of any upcoming reforms to the program, it won’t happen overnight. It will probably be implemented over many future decades.

Student Benefits

Since the very earliest days of Social Security, the dependent minor children of a retired or deceased parent and since the mid 1950s, the dependent minor children of a disabled parent, were eligible for monthly benefits on the parent’s Social Security record.

Those benefits were paid until the child turned 18, but could continue beyond age 18 in two circumstances: First, if the child was disabled, in which case they could continue for the rest of the child’s life, even into their adult years; and second, if the child was still in school, in which case they would continue until age 22.

In 1981, Congress decided to eliminate benefits to students over age 18. They reasoned that because so many other forms of government loans and grants were available to students, there was no need to further subsidize higher education

Social Security Benefits Rarely Cut

through the Social Security program.

Mother’s Benefits Curtailed Congress was looking for other ways to trim Social Security outlays in 1981 and widowed mothers and dependent wives/mothers of retired or disabled husbands with minor children ended up in their crosshairs.

For decades, the law had prescribed that wives and widows of any age with young children in their care could receive monthly benefits (in addition to the benefits paid to their kids) as long as at least one of their children was eligible for benefits. But in 1981, they changed the law to say that benefits to the mother would end when the youngest child turned 16. They figured that once all the children were over age 16, the mother ought to be able to work, if necessary, to help support her family.

(By the way, although these situations rarely occur, the same benefits and the same cutbacks also applied to widowed fathers and dependent stay-athome husbands with minor children.)

Death Benefit Restrictions

In the early days of Social Security, Congress offered a one-time death benefit to the family members of a taxpayer who died before having a chance to collect Social Security benefits. Over the years, this partial refund of Social Security taxes morphed into an official Social Security death benefit payable to the family members of anyone who died, even if he or she had been a Social Security beneficiary.

Most people mistakenly referred to the one-time payment as a “burial benefit.” It was never meant to be that, especially considering that it was capped at $255 many years ago. As anyone who has ever planned a funeral knows, $255 would barely cover the cost of flowers, let alone all the other burial or cremation costs.

Anyway, in yet another attempt to curtail Social Security expenditures, Congress in 1981 decided that the death benefit should be paid only to a widow or widower who was living with the deceased at the time of death, or to any minor children.

Benefits to Prisoners

Suspended

Before 1992, it was assumed that people getting Social Security had earned their benefits, so they were legally due their Social Security checks no matter where they lived. But in the early 1990s, Congress came under intense pressure to suspend monthly benefits to anyone in jail or prison. People felt that since prisoners were already getting their room and board paid for by the taxpayers, they didn’t need taxpayer-funded Social Security checks.

Drug Addicts and Alcoholics

There was a rash of news stories in the mid 1990s highlighting certain disabled people who were allegedly spending the proceeds of their Social Security disabil-

ity checks on drugs and alcohol. Knuckling under the pressure to do something about this, Congress eventually passed a law that essentially denied such benefits to anyone whose only disabling condition was drug addiction or alcoholism. The law was largely pointless, though, because most of these folks have other conditions that qualify for disability. For example, a hardcore alcoholic probably had some kind of kidney or liver damage and that impairment keeps the disability checks rolling in.

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has two books with all the answers. One is called “Social Security -- Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” The other is “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts.” You can find the books at Amazon.com or other book outlets. Or you can send him an email at thomas.margenau@comcast.net.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Why insurance companies are redefining ‘uninsurable’ homes

Continued from page 3

The Bottom Line Insurance companies are not loudly declaring homes uninsurable — but make no mistake, the definition is being rewritten in real time.

Driven by climate volatility, rising rebuild costs, expensive reinsurance, and powerful new analytics, the industry is moving toward far more surgical risk selection.

For homeowners and real estate professionals, the message is clear:

Insurability is becoming as important as location, condition, and price.

Those who adapt early — by understanding risk, improving property resilience, and verifying coverage upfront — will navigate this transition

far more successfully than those who assume yesterday’s rules still apply.

Because in today’s housing market, the most dangerous words a homeowner can hear may soon be:

“We’re sorry — we can’t renew your policy.”

Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 43+ years experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned 3 significant designations:

National Association of Realtors Graduate Realtors Institute (what I consider a Master’s degree in real estate). Certified International Property Specialist - expert in consulting and completing international transactions.

National Association of Realtors Green designation: eco-friendly low carbon footprint construction with 3-D printed foundations, Solar panels, Geothermal HVAC/Heat Pumps).

He will also provide a copy of “Unlocking the Secrets of Real Estate’s New Market Reality, and his Seller’s and Buyer’s Guides for “Things to Consider when Selling, investing or Purchasing your Home.

He will provide you with “free” regular updates of what has gone under contract (pending), been sold (closed) and those homes that have been withdrawn/ released or expired (W/R) and all new listings of homes, HOA, Townhomes, Condos, and Coops in your town or go to: https://WWW.Li-RealEstate.Com and you can “do it yourself (DYI) and search at your leisure on your own. However, for a “FREE” no obligation/ no strings attached 15-minute consultation, as well as a “FREE printout or digital value analysis of what your home might sell for in today’s market without any obligation or “strings” attached call him at (516) 647-4289 or email: Phil@ TurnKeyRealEstate.com

Women’s History Month: A writer & a dancer

BY CLAIRE LYNCH

March is Women’s History Month and I am recognizing writer Joan Didion and dancer and choreographer Martha Graham for their achievements.

Joan Didion

Joan Didion was born on December 5, 1934, in Sacramento, California, to Eduene and Frank Reese Didion. She had one brother who was five years younger. Didion recalled writing things down as early as age five, although she said she never considered herself a writer until after her work had been published.

She attended kindergarten and first grade, but, because her father was a finance officer in the Army Air Corps and the family relocated often, Didion didn’t attend school regularly. She loved to read and considered herself a shy person.

In 1944 her family returned to Sacramento and her father went to Detroit to negotiate defense contracts for World War II. Didion wrote about her family’s many moves in her 2003 memoir, “Where I Was From.”

In 1956 Didion received a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley. During her senior year she won first place in the “Prix de Paris” essay contest, sponsored by “Vogue” and was given a job as a research assistant at the magazine. The topic of her winning essay was the San Francisco architect William Wurster.

During her seven years at “Vogue,” from 1956 to 1964, Didion worked her way up from promotional copywriter to associate feature editor. “Mademoiselle” published Didion’s article “Berkeley’s Giant: The University of California” in January 1960. While working at “Vogue” she was homesick for California so she

wrote her first novel, “Run River,” published in 1963 about a Sacramento family as it comes apart.

It was writer and friend John Gregory Dunne who helped Didion edit the book. John, the younger brother of author, businessman, and TV mystery show host Dominick Dunne, was writing for “Time” magazine at the time. He and Didion married in 1964.

The couple moved to Los Angeles in 1964 and California remained their home for the next 20 years. In 1966, they adopted a daughter named Quintana Roo Dunne. Joan Didion and John Dunne wrote many newsstand-magazine assignments as a means of paying the bills. In Los Angeles, they settled in Los Feliz from 1963 to 1971, and then, after living in Malibu for eight years, she and Dunne moved to Brentwood Park.

Didion said that as a teenager she observed how accomplished writers crafted their stories. She said, “I learned a lot about how sentences worked. How a short sentence worked in a paragraph, how a long sentence worked. Where the commas worked. How every word had to matter. It made me excited about words.”

Joan Didion noted in “Why I Write” that she knew she was a writer because she was always paying attention to the periphery - the way leaves fell from the tree out the window, the smell of the Greyhound bus on her daily commute, the way certain streetlights became sinister in the evening - rather than strictly focusing on ideas.

For four decades Joan Didion had her own special way of expressing thoughts in her novels and essays about love, loss and the world around her - publishing five novels and a dozen nonfiction books. In 2013, she was awarded a National Humanities Medal by President Barack

Obama and the PEN Center USA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Didion died on December 23, 2021, in NYC at age 87.

Martha Graham

An American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer: Martha Graham’s style, often called the Graham technique, reshaped the dance world and is still taught in academies worldwide.

Born on May 11, 1894, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Graham moved to California as a teenager where she was inspired by Ruth St. Denis and joined her Denishawn School. It was her father, a physician interested in body language, who instilled the idea that “movement never lies.” That principle that shaped her work.

Graham danced and taught for over 70 years. She was the first dancer to perform at the White House, travel abroad as a cultural ambassador and receive the highest civilian award of the US: the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction. In her lifetime she received honors ranging from the Key to the City of Paris to Japan’s Imperial Order of the Precious Crown.

In the 1994 documentary, “The Dancer Revealed,” Martha Graham said, “I have spent all my life with dance and being a dancer. It’s permitting life to use you in a very intense way. Sometimes it is not pleasant. Sometimes it is fearful. But nevertheless it is inevitable.”

In 1926, Martha Graham founded her dance company and school, living and working out of a tiny Carnegie Hall studio in midtown Manhattan. The Martha Graham School is the oldest school of dance in the U.S. The school currently has two different studios in New York City. In developing her technique, Martha Graham experimented endlessly

with basic human movement, beginning with the most elemental movements of contraction and release.

In her NYC dance school Graham focused on raw emotions through sharp, angular movements. She believed that dance speaks directly to our emotions and inner feelings. It’s a reminder that we can express ourselves without using words.

She choreographed a ballet called “Appalachian Spring” and explored Greek myths, collaborating with artists like sculptor Isamu Noguchi and composer Aaron Copland. Touring globally, Martha Graham became a cultural ambassador and performed until she was 75. Her innovations in movement, storytelling, and collaboration made her a foundational figure in modern dance.

Graham has been called the “Picasso of Dance” because she was important to modern dance in a way that Pablo Picasso was enormously important to modern visual arts. Her impact has been also compared to the influence of Stravinsky on music and Frank Lloyd Wright on architecture.

In 2013, the dance films by her were selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the registry’s owner, the Library of Congress. Martha Graham is well known for saying, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.”

Martha Graham choreographed until her death in December 1991 in NYC at age 96.

Writer Joan Didion and dancer Martha Graham both felt that their craft had chosen them and they spent their lives working at their professions. Graham once said, “Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.”

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Hit the sweet (potato) spot with homemade bread

Sweet Potato Bread

Many people have a passion for baking. Baking can be a rewarding hobby and fill a home with an aroma that’s unique, welcoming and instantly identifiable.

There’s no shortage of options when the desire to bake arises. Homemade bread is a go-to among baking enthusiasts, who can whip up a loaf of this “Sweet Potato Bread” courtesy of Lines+Angles. Makes 1 loaf

1 1⁄2 cups granulated sugar

1⁄4 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1 3⁄4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1⁄3 cup water

1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

1⁄2 cup shelled chopped pecans or walnuts

In Addition:

Pure maple syrup, for drizzling Whipped cream, to serve

1) Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil; beat well. Add eggs, one at a time and beat between each addition. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with water. Stir in mashed sweet potatoes and chopped nuts.

3. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for about one hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

4. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack to cool further. Slice and serve with maple syrup and whipped cream.

Fourth graders begin Kindness Week with Blankets of Hope

Fourth graders at Garden City’s Stewart Elementary School kicked off Kindness Week by participating in Blankets of Hope, a service initiative that provides warm blankets and messages of encouragement to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The project, made possible through a grant, gave students the opportunity to make a tangible impact in their community.

After watching an informative video about homelessness and the goals of Blankets of Hope, a nonprofit organization, students wrote cards with messages of friendship and encouragement and

wrapped blankets to be donated to local shelters.

“Participating in this project was such a meaningful experience for our students,” said Brenda McCarthy, service learning coordinator at Stewart. “It helped them see how acts of kindness and empathy can make a real difference in the lives of others.”

By combining service, education and creativity, Stewart’s fourth graders set an inspiring tone for Kindness Week and demonstrated how they can make an impact in their community.

Students wrote cards with messages of encouragement and kindness.

Students with their cards.

Students with their blankets.

Photos courtesy of the Garden City School District

Primary Literacy and Mathematics Family Fun Night

On Feb. 11, Garden City hosted its Primary Literacy and Mathematics Family Fun Night at Hemlock School, where they welcomed students and families for an evening of hands-on learning and fun. The event featured 12 teacher-facilitated workshops, with families selecting sessions to attend based on their interests.

Literacy offerings included “Heads Up!,” where participants wore hats displaying secret sentences for partners to read aloud before writing them down; “Play, Read, Repeat,” which reinforced sight words through games like bingo, hide and seek, and tic-tac-toe; and “Let’s Talk About It!,” where families built storytelling and conversation skills through picture sequencing, wordless books and phonological awareness activities.

Math sessions were equally interactive, featuring “Subtraction Bowling,” where students solved subtraction problems based on pins knocked down; “Place Value Power,” which used UNO cards to explore tens and ones; and “Tenzie,” a fast-paced dice game that strengthened number recognition and fluency.

Families also visited the Scholastic Book Fair, which was coordinated by Garden City Schools, PARP and Alyssa Vitez with support from the Gardenia Chapter of the National Charity League, including mothers and daughters Maureen and Kaitlyn Clemente, Mariella and Tami McQuade and Lori and Natalie Madden.

“Watching students run into the building with excitement to see their teachers and learn alongside them and their families was such a joy,” said Lauren Kaufman, director of literacy K-12, and Christina Cardella, director of mathematics and STEAM. “From the thoughtfully planned, engaging interactive experiences to the smiles and laughter shared throughout the evening, it was a night our families will not forget and neither will we.”

The Primary Literacy and Mathematics Family Fun Night was a success, bringing families together through engaging, interactive experiences that made learning both meaningful and memorable. Photos courtesy of the Garden City School District

Primary students participated in Primary Literacy and Mathematics

The Gardenia Chapter of the National Charity League: Mothers and daughters Maureen and Kaitlyn Clemente, Mariella and Tami McQuade and Lori and Natalie Madden.

Family Fun Night.

LEGAL NOTICE

INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF GARDEN CITY

GARDEN CITY, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK NOTICE OF SALE OF REAL ESTATE FOR UNPAID 2025 VILLAGE TAXES

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on March 20, 2026 at Village Hall, 351 Stewart Avenue, in the Village of Garden City, New York, pursuant to direction of the Board of Trustees of said Village, I, the undersigned, Treasurer of said Village, will sell the following described real estate in said Village together with any improvements thereon, to discharge the unpaid 2025 Village tax, interest and other charges which may be due thereon at the time of the sale. Such real estate will be sold subject to any unpaid assessments thereon levied by said Village prior to the date of such sale and any unpaid tax liens for years prior to 2025 purchased and held by said Village, and subject to the provisions of the New York State and Federal Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Acts, as amended, insofar as the same may be applicable to the owners of any said following described real estate. Purchasers will be required to pay the amount of their respective bids to the undersigned within ten days after the sale, pursuant to the provisions of Section 1454 of the Real Property Tax Law of the State of New York, as amended, and upon such payment shall receive a written certificate of sale describing the real estate purchased and the sum paid therefor. Please be advised that the Incorporated Village of Garden City intends to bid-in for any and all parcels to be sold at this year’s sale. Therefore, any and all tax liens sold at this sale will become village-owned tax liens. The following is a list or statement of the real estate upon which such 2025 tax is unpaid, with the amount of such 2025 tax, together with interest and other charges due thereon to March 20, 2026.

Muldoon highlights first-term record in reelection bid

ly. The Edgemere Firehouse project is finally underway, after many years. As the Fire Commissioner, Trustee Muldoon has worked collaboratively with the Fire Chiefs, the POAs and the local politicians to help secure grants and finalize the plans to bring that firehouse into the modern firefighting era, while retaining the charm of the building. Says Trustee Muldoon, “We are stewards of our history and the future of our beautiful village.”

Along those lines, Trustee Muldoon cites the work done on the fate of St. Paul’s, and the commitment to decide on a solution in 2026. A lot of hard work has been done over the last year and a half to finally come up with a solution for St. Paul’s that is fiscally responsible and will serve as a compromise for the betterment of the future of our great village.

When asked about the best part of being on the Board, Trustee Muldoon says there are a few things. “I love this great group. I feel our Mayor is moti-

vated by a deep sense of service. I am only one of eight. We are not people who operate under a ‘group think’ mentality. Behind closed doors, we have healthy debates, and sometimes the residents have seen those debates in the public sessions, but we have a healthy respect for each other. We may have differences about how to do things, but once we vote and the majority rules, we get behind the decision as a cohesive unit and get things done. We have had a extremely productive two years.”

Another perk: meeting so many new residents, listening to them and getting them engaged. “An example that comes to mind is the moratorium on subdivisions the Trustees recently enacted. Residents were extremely concerned about new developers coming into our village and subdividing our existing lots building two homes where only one home existrs. They reached out and, as a group, attended the Board Meeting and stated their concerns. While we couldn’t reverse what had already been done, those residents directly had a

Village Treasurer Garden City, New York February 27, 2026 The Incorporated Village of Garden City does not

and has designated Kelly Galanek, Village Clerk, as Disability Compliance

should contact Kelly Galanek at least 24 hours in advance of meeting at: 351 Stewart Avenue Garden City, New York 11530 (5l6)465-4051

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

hand in the moratorium imposed and new codes that will be put into place.”

He goes on to say, “We have been diligently working to do the things we saw needed attention as well as listening to the concerns residents brought to us. Things like the Toll Lodge refurbishment and the fight against the casino are very visible things the Mayor and the Trustees accomplish, but accomplishments like the Cedar Valley Lift Station are less visible, but extremely important. That infrastructure is about a hundred years old and if it breaks, think about how many homes will have a sewage back up! For many reasons, so many critical infrastructure jobs were not done, and they need attention now.”

Trustee Muldoon cites the continuity of government as one of the many reasons he feels you should reelect the CAP candidates on March 18th, 2026. Voting takes place at the St. Paul’s Fieldhouse from 12 noon until 9pm. Residents unable to vote in person are encouraged to stop by Village Hall for their early voting options and applications. Early

mail and absentee ballot applications must received by March 10th. All ballots are due by March 18th by the close of polls. Residents can visit the village website at www.gardencityny.net for more information.

“We ask you to vote Row B and reelect your CAP Candidates: Trustee Judy Courtney, Trustee Jessica Tai, Candidate Gerard Smith and myself on Election Day. We the embody ‘real progress, real results” for which your CAP Trustees are known.” says Trustee Muldoon. For more information on the candidates and broader look at what the Board of Trustees has accomplished so far, please visit www.gardencitycap. org or reach out to any of the Trustees. The Community Agreement candidates thank you for your support and invite you all to join them on Sunday, March 1st at Repeal (55 New Hyde Park Road) over in the west from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. for an informal Meet & Greet and to toast the fabulous Women’s and Men’s Olympic Hockey Teams doing America proud!

Irene Woo, CPA, CMFO

Blood Brothers raise funds for cancer research

BY COLIN COONEY, CHAMINADE 10TH GRADER

This winter, a group of sophomores is proving that high school students can make a meaningful impact far beyond the classroom. This ambitious group has launched a fundraising campaign for Blood Cancer United with a goal of raising $100,000 for blood cancer research and patient support. What truly sets this endeavor apart is that it is almost entirely student-led. Co-captains, Brady Ahern and Gavin Macchio assembled a team of their peers which is comprised of students from Chaminade, Garden City High School and Kellenberg. These childhood friends, who met on Centennials teams, Thunder football, GCAA basketball and baseball, and now are united for a different purpose.

At the onset of the campaign, each participant created a personal fundraising page which included his motivation for getting involved. For many, the cause hit close to home, as nearly everyone has been affected by cancer in some way. Gavin Macchio shared, “Eleven years ago when I was only four years old, my older sister was diagnosed with lymphoma. Her diagnosis was serious and making sure that she recovered became my family’s driving force. Blood Cancer United is a remarkable organization that helps patients and families who are fighting this disease and funds cancer research. I’m so grateful to my team for supporting a cause that is very important to me.“ Working together toward a common goal has been transformative for these students.

One standout initiative was a special CYO basketball event that took place at St. Joseph’s Church. On Saturday, February 14th, students received permission from CYO to dedicate all games played at St. Joe’s from 9:00 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. to blood cancer patients.

Not pictured: Mason Gottsegan, Colin, Cooney, Ethan Dorsenvil, Mark Escher, Matt Grimple, Dominick Trimarchi. The boys wore red wristbands in support of blood cancer patients at St Joe’s CYO games on February 14.

Red wristbands were distributed and an additional prayer was said before each game in honor of those battling cancer. The team also displayed QR codes on posters and handouts to collect donations throughout the event. In addition, a “Wall of Support” allowed the players and spectators to write messages of encouragement to cancer patients which were later delivered to a local hospital. Reflecting on the experience, team member Andrew Torre said, “When we step onto the court, we are usually focused on the score and winning. Last Saturday was different because we were thinking about something bigger than basketball. These games brought everyone together for a really great cause.” It is inspiring to see how these students combined athletic competition with faith and community involvement to make a difference.

In addition to organized events, personal outreach has played a major role in the campaign’s progress. Students

have diligently contacted family members, friends, and local organizations through emails, letters, and social media explaining the mission and asking for donations. However, it is important to note that this initiative is about more than raising money. It is an exercise in leadership, responsibility, and advocacy. By engaging in these activities and speaking openly about a serious issue, these students have been pushed to step outside their comfort zones. At a time when it can be easy to feel disconnected or overwhelmed, these students have united around a common mission and have grown in confidence. In the coming weeks, they hope to demonstrate that significant progress can be sparked by a small but deliberate act like sending an email, having a conversation, or inviting a friend to a basketball game.

As the campaign marches on, this team of sophomores remains committed to the difference their efforts can make within and beyond the Garden

Let your voice be heard!

City community. This effort officially kicked off on January 26th and will run through March 19th. Though the timeline is brief, the students’ dedication is substantial. Their work demonstrates how focus, creativity, and collaboration can make a real impact. If you are inspired by their efforts and would like to learn more and contribute to their campaign, please use the QR code to access the team page.

In addition, you can support the team by attending one of their upcoming events:

Bake Sale at St Paul’s - February 28th, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Eat to Support at Tap RoomMarch 5th, noon-11 p.m. (use code BLOODBROS when dining in, ordering delivery or take out for 30% of your meal’s price to be donated to the team)

Theory in Manhasset Give Back Day with L.A.E. jewelry Pop-UpMarch 14th, noon – 4 p.m.

Is there an issue in your community you want to discuss? Want to respond to something you saw in our paper?

Then write a letter to our editor and bring it to everyone’s attention! Send your letter to editor@gcnews.com and we’ll publish it for you!

From left to right: Ryan Rafferty, Andrew Torre, Brady Ahern, Ciaran Olcott, Declan Serkes, Gavin Macchio, Jack Brudie, Alessio Colusuanno and Connor Doherty.

Environmental Tip of the Week

S.T.O.P. Schedule 2026

The S.T.O.P. program (stop throwing out pollutants) enables us to safely recycle materials that would otherwise harm the environment.

The Town of Hempstead provides monthly S.T.O.P. sites March through December 2026. A partial listing of materials to

bring to a S.T.O.P. locations which can’t be recycled locally include the following: batteries, bleach, flammable liquids, latex and oil

based paint, paint thinners/strippers, pesticides, propane tanks 20 lb, weed killers. See www.hempsteadny.gov for a complete listing.

Prepared by the GC EAB. See gardencityny.net for details.

Knights host defensive driving course

Get the news ever yone’s reading about!

their motor vehicle insurance for three years and/or a possible reduction of points from their driver’s license. The fee for the course is $55 per person, and advance registration is required.

To register and for more information, please contact Louie Malave , 631-398-8922

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With current events, announcements, restaurant reviews, puzzles, and much more, there’s always something for everybody to enjoy!

Cathedral announces Lenten programming

BY JENNIFER REHM

The Cathedral of the Incarnation is launching an expansive array of Lenten programming designed to offer the community multiple pathways for spiritual reflection, growth, and renewal during this holy season.

Ash Wednesday Begins the Journey

Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent, a 40-day season of penitence and preparation leading to Easter, during which Christians are invited to reflect on their mortality and need for God’s grace. The imposition of ashes — accompanied by the words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return” — serves as a powerful outward sign of humility, repentance, and the Christian hope of resurrection.

That same evening, Dean Michael

Sniffen hosted the second in his series of four “In Good Company with the Dean” gatherings in the Historic Deanery on Fifth Street, offering an opportunity for fellowship and connection as the Lenten journey begins centered around the topic “Spirituality at Home: Prayer, Practice, and Presence.” Please register at linktr.ee/incarnationgc

Evensong Marks New Beginning and Milestone Anniversary

On March 1 at 4:00 p.m., the Cathedral will celebrate Evensong for Lent, marking a significant milestone for the community. The service will be the first Evensong - a service of evening prayer from the Anglican tradition, combining the ancient monastic offices of Vespers and Compline - led by the Cathedral’s new Director of Music, Canon Martin

EPOA scholarship application open

All interested, eligible seniors are encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is April 16, 2026.

Green, and will be followed by a special reception celebrating Dean Michael Sniffen’s tenth anniversary as Dean of the Cathedral. All are welcome.

This moment, nestled amidst Lenten contemplation, brings together new leadership in the Cathedral’s renowned music program with a decade of pastoral leadership, congregational growth, and new and exciting programs under Dean Sniffen’s guidance.

Wild Hope Discussion Series

Following the wildly successful All Creation Waits series during Advent 2024, the Cathedral will continue its exploration of faith and the natural world with a new four-week discussion series centered on “Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing” by Gayle Boss.

“‘Lent,’ at its root, means ‘spring,’ a time for our stiff hearts to thaw and open to a fuller compassion,” Boss writes in the book’s opening. “Their stories also wake in us a wild hope that from all this death and ruin something new might rise. The promise of Lent is that something new will rise.”

The Very Rev. Canon Dr. Michael Sniffen, Dean of the Cathedral, emphasized the spiritual importance of the series. “This Lenten journey invites us to expand our understanding of God’s renewing work in all creation,” he said. “As we reflect on these endangered creatures, we’re reminded that resurrection isn’t just a promise for humanity—it’s God’s hope for the entire created world.”

Each week, participants will explore portraits of endangered creatures from around the globe, reading chapters alongside appointed lectionary texts to reflect on traditional Lenten themes of repentance, renewal, and resurrection.

Deacon Lisa DeBenedittis, Director

of Formation for Cathedral College, the co-located seminary program of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, noted the power of this approach to spiritual formation. “What we discovered during Advent 2024 was that these stories of God’s creatures open our hearts in unexpected ways,” she said. “Participants found themselves connecting more deeply with scripture, with each other, and with their own call to be stewards of God’s creation. We’re excited to continue that transformative work this Lent.”

The Dean’s Forum meets at 10:15 am Mercer School, 65 Fourth Street. Coffee and refreshments are always served. Copies of Wild Hope are available for a suggested donation of $10.

Contemplative Prayer Gatherings

On March 4 at 7:00 p.m., the Cathedral will offer the first in a series of Contemplative Prayer gatherings for Lent led by Subdean Canon Adam Bucko. These sessions, wondrously set by candlelight, invite participants to practice making conscious contact with God by showing up as they are, gathering all of their fears, anxieties, and life circumstances that need special care, and simply bringing them to God. Subsequent contemplative prayer gatherings are set for April 15 and May 6. Please visit linktr.ee/incarnationgc to register for any of these sessions.

Additional Lenten Opportunities

The Cathedral’s sacred spaces remain open for quiet reflection and prayer from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday–Saturday. Please check www. incarnationgc.org for updates. Also, The Center for Spiritual Imagination offers several online programs to prepare for Holy Week and Easter, with more information available at www. spiritualimagination.org

Have you lost someone?

If you would like to post an obituary for a loved one, simply send a short biography of them with (if desired) their photo, details of their funeral/visitation services, and/or any donation requests to editor@gcnews.com, or call our office at 516-294-8900 to inquire.

Subdean Canon Adam Bucko imposes ashes at the noon Ash Wednesday mass at the Cathedral.

Photos from the Village Archives

Herricks-Rockaway-Old Country Rd.

A 1930 view facing west of the intersection of Rockaway Ave., left, Old Country Rd., bottom, and Herricks Rd., right. A Nassau County stormwater recharge basin has just been constructed beyond the intersection. It and the property beyond it still serve that purpose, in somewhat altered form. All the roads are one lane each way, no stop signs necessary yet, A lone car passes the service sta-

tion at the corner. The future Garden City High School will be off the picture to the left. Until 1927 Rockaway Ave. existed in a srtraight line from this intersection to Stewart Ave. It was then relocated to avoid cutting through the golf course. From 1837 until about 1877 the LIRR had a stop at Herricks Rd. called Clowesville, which initially serviced Hempstead until a branch was built from now Mineola to

that location in 1839. It also serviced the Queens County courthouse, then located on Jericho Tpk. at Herricks Rd. [also known as Clowesville Lane]. Samuel Clowes was a Queens County judge with property nearby. The eastern part of Queens County became Nassau County in 1899.

Archives identifier: str45

A selection from the extensive Village Archives. Others can be seen at www.NYHeritage.org - click on Organizations, G, and Garden City Public Library. Comments/questions: email Historian@gardencityny.net - Wm. Bellmer

GCHS Varsity Fencing salutes its graduating fencers

Olivia Allsbrook, épée captain

Ronan Comerford, épée captain

The Garden City High School Varsity Fencing team salutes its graduating seniors:

• Olivia Allsbrook, èpèe captain

• Ronan Comerford, èpèe captain

• Henry Conlon, foil captain

• Keathan Ho, èpèe fencer

• Matthew Isobe-Russell, saber fencer

• Sara Shamail, foil captain

Olivia Allsbrook, Èpèe Captain

Olivia joined the GCHS Varsity Fencing team as a freshman in 2022. She loved the camaraderie of the team and worked hard to improve her fencing skills. In anticipation of becoming the èpèe co-captain as a junior, she trained at Long Island Fencing Club (LIFC). She has especially enjoyed helping to train new fencers and is thrilled Girls’ Varsity Fencing made the playoffs this year. She thanks her coaches and team parents for their time and energy in support of the squad. In addition to lasting friendships, she’s grateful for the leadership and teamwork skills that she has developed. She is planning to study economics in college. Go Trojans!

Ronan Comerford, Èpèe Captain

Ronan joined the fencing team as a freshman. He had never fenced before, but he was encouraged by Patrick Bohn to join the team and was assured that no experience was required. Ronan quickly became an epee, and he has fenced in that category for all four years. When he first joined the team, some team members even gave him equipment so that he could start practicing right away. The team has always had great camaraderie and fostered teamwork, as it takes contributions from the whole team to win matches. Ronan has always loved the friendships and team first attitude, which makes being on the team more enjoyable. Although fencing may seem a little mysterious as a sport, in the end it simply requires hard work, agility, leg

strength and lots of calisthenics. As I am sure everyone on the team would observe, having good teammates makes all the work easier. After completing his first year, Ronan started as an epee his sophomore year, and he has been a leader and teamcaptain his junior and senior year. In addition to fencing, Ronan has been a member of the volleyball team and plays doubles for the tennis team. Ronan is excited to attend college next year and plans to major in marine biology. He is also looking forward to being in a sunny climate that is more conducive to fishing and being outdoors year around.

Henry Conlon, Foil Captain

Henry began his fencing career in 9th grade, quickly transitioning into a starting foil role to meet the needs of the Garden City varsity fencing team.

Despite entering the sport with limited experience, he embraced a “trial by fire” first season, using the challenge to fuel a deep passion for the sport. To accelerate his development, he began training at 5T Fencing Club in Mineola, mastering the technical discipline and strategic analysis required for “physical chess” on the strip.

By his senior year, Henry’s dedication earned him a position as teamcaptain, where he led his teammates through the competitive highs and lows of the season. He improved his ranking at the Brentwood Fencing Tournament each year, ultimately achieving an impressive 8th place finish out of 54 competitors in his final season. Henry qualified for the Nassau County Individual Championships, though the tournament conflicted with a long-awaited trip to perform at Disney World with the GC Band.

Henry plans to major in mathematics and is weighing his options for college, where he intends to continue fencing at the club level.

Keathan Ho, Èpèe

Fencer

Keathan joined the GCHS fencing team his freshman year, fulfilling his

dream of hitting people with swords and being congratulated for it. In this supportive and spirited environment, he quickly found his place as an épée fencer and has loved the sport ever since. Keathan is proud to be a strong contributor of points for the team, often using his unorthodox footwork and unique timing to keep opponents guessing. His dedication on the strip is matched by the friendships he’s built, and he’s especially enjoyed mentoring younger teammates and helping them grow in confidence.

Academically, Keathan has consistently challenged himself, often choosing AP classes over lunch; proof of both his work ethic and appetite for success. He has a true passion for mechanical engineering and loves understanding how things work. Keathan will soon be making his final decision on which engineering college he will attend.

Matthew Isobe-Russell, Saber Fencer

Matthew joined the GCHS Boys' Varsity Fencing team in 11th grade as a sabre. Although he was new to fencing, he completed his first season as a starter and thoroughly enjoyed the fastpaced weapon. He continued his training with Long Island Fencing Center during the off-season to further improve his skills. Now in his second year, he helps new fencers learn the weapon and has also qualified for the Nassau County Individuals Championships. Matthew would like to thank Coach Boelsen, all the parents, and his teammates for their continued support, and specifically, his teammate Keathan for encouraging him to join the fencing team. He is still weighing his college options, but he plans to pursue nuclear engineering and plans to join a fencing club in college as well!

Sara Shamail, Foil Captain

As a four-year starter on the Garden City Varsity Fencing team, Sara began

her fencing career as a foilist in 9th grade. Forming her foundation and admiration for the sport, she continued her training at 5T Fencers Club, where she honed her skills and guided the technique, conditioning, and practices of her school peers. Formalizing her role ascaptain her senior year, Sara aided her teammates both on and off the strip, while earning a placement of Top 10 at the Brentwood Holiday Individual Tournament.

Along with fencing, Sara was a member of the girls' cross-country team and served as a two-yearcaptain of both the Colorguard and the Badminton team. As an advocate for immersive and inclusive physical activity, she initiated the first Intramural Badminton club, hosting weekly badminton sessions both at school and the Long Island Badminton Center. Sara was also president or officer of various high school organizations, including Science Olympiad, Robotics, Chemistry Club, Math Team, Pre-Health Club, German Club, National German Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Jazz Ensemble, Marching Band, World Language Magazine, and the StudentAthlete Advisory Council. Sara can play five instruments and knows five languages; she enjoys volunteering at NYU Langone Hospital and caring for her little sister, Zainab.

As both a competitor and a team leader, Sara strives to better herself and her peers, aiming to make this individual sport as collaborative and advantageous as possible. She is proud of all the experiences that came out of this sport and will cherish the memories made and bonds formed throughout her journey on the GC Fencing team. Sara is looking forward to continuing her academic journey at Vanderbilt University, studying biomedical engineering on the pre-med track beginning fall of 2026.

Matthew Isobe-Russell, saber fencer

Henry Conlon, foil captain

Sara Shamail, foil captain

Keathan Ho, épée fencer

Jabba the Snowman

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The Blizzard of 2026 dropped record breaking snow on our village, turning it into a snow globe. As residents dug out, it was a perfect day to make a snowman! In Franklin Court we have "Jabba The Snowman" courtesy of the Danisi family. Snowstorms give everyone pause and it's an opportunity to make some fun memories. Stay warm and safe.

Photo by Regina Moran

GC Tradition K & 1st grade spring lax clinics

Is your Garden City kindergarten or 1st grade daughter interested in exploring the sport of lacrosse? Tradition Lacrosse, a GC non-profit, will again be hosting weekly Sunday morning one hour clinics at St. Pauls fields beginning in April, led by varsity players and parent volunteers. In addition to games and drills aimed at introducing basic stick skills, clinics will include introduction to small-sided games, specialized clinics, continued skill development and

introductory rules/positional coaching. The total registration cost is $200 and will include a Garden City Tradition t-shirt, giveaway and all fees for fields and equipment. Families registering multiple daughters can use discount “multi” for a discount. All participants will need a stick, mouthguard and goggles and are required to have a U.S. Lacrosse membership valid through 5/28/26. Please visit traditionlax.org/ pal for more info.

Get rid of your unwanted items by placing an ad for them in our Classifieds! We have reasonable rates, and you’ll have prompt results! Call our Garden City office at 294-8900 for rates and other info.

Sports Events

Portraits

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How to Create a CommunityPass Account!

Three simple steps to create a CommunityPass account:

• Create an account through this link: https://register.capturepoint. com/GCRecandParks

• Verify your residency with 2 proofs of residency (ID and utility bill) by email (gcrec@gardencityny.net) or stop by the Cottages (108 Rockaway Avenue)

• Log in to your new account and hit the “Click Here To Register” button to find the type of Membership or Class you want to sign up for.

Stay Up to Date On All Things Recreation!

Follow our new Instagram and Facebook “GardenCityRecreation” for all Recreation content! Any questions regarding programs or facilities can be directed to our new Recreation email, GCRec@gardencityny.net .

Fencing Program

This program introduces the Olympic sport of fencing to children in grades K-8 in a safe, structured, and engaging environment. Fencing fosters discipline, focus, agility, and sportsmanship, making it an excellent complement to youth development. Coach will provide

all equipment for class. $375 per child.

Family Fun Time Hours at St. Paul’s Family Fun Time (for all residents, elementary aged children must be accompanied by an adult) - Sundays, 3 p.m.–5 p.m.

On Sunday afternoons beginning December 7, St. Paul’s Field House will be open for “Family Fun” for Village of Garden City families. This open time provides the opportunity for families to enjoy various gym activities in an indoor environment. The gym will be available for use from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. each Sunday until March 10.

This time is designated for family time only. No organized practices or workouts will be allowed. Although there will be staff to monitor activity, this is not a drop off program. We ask that all elementary and middle school aged children must be accompanied by an adult/guardian. For the safety of our users, sports involving paddle, stick, or bat equipment will not be allowed.

Pioneer

Sports

Pioneer – Flag Football- starting Fridays 3/20 – 5/8 at 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. at St. Paul’s Fieldhouse Girls Volleyball - starting

John

Mondays 3/16 – 4/27 at 3:30 p.m. –4:40 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Fieldhouse. Each is $160 per child, contact at www. playpioneersports.com or call at (516) 470-8343.

Sports & Recreation Network: Hockey Clinic which will emphasize fundamentals, teamwork, and sportsmanship. The clinic will help in growing skills, capturing smiles, and making memories. There will be highlight moments and interviews put on video. Will be held at roller rink in Community Park on Saturday, April 18. Ages 4–6 at 9 a.m., ages 7–11 at 10:15 a.m., and ages 12–14 at 11:30 a.m. More information at www.sportsrecnet.com

Yoga in Cluett Hall

Yoga at Cluett Hall on Feb: 28, Mar: 7, 14, April: 4, 18, 25, and May: 2, 9, 16, 23. For 10 classes it will be $100, $15 drop in.

There is also a Valentines Day special! Try it for just 3 classes for $35, or 4 classes for $50! Contact Amanda at amandaadamo123@gmail. com for more information.

Enrichment Camp

Young Entrepreneurs

Enrichment Camp Young

Entrepreneurs for Grades 3-5, will be held on April 6–10 from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. for $450 at the Cottages (108 Rockaway Avenue). This program empowers students with an entrepreneurial mindset develop a plan for their very own business ideas drawing from such disciplines as marketing, finance and strategy, in a supportive environment fostering teamwork. From designing marketing flyers to estimating profits, students have fun while developing business savvy. Sign up using Community Pass!

Enrichment Camp Junior CEOs for Grades 6–8, will be held on April 6–10 from 9:00–4:00 p.m. for $450 at the Cottages(108 Rockaway Avenue). How would you like to the boss of Apple or Amazon for a day? In this leadership program, you can! Students act as CEOs for leading companies and work in groups to make strategic recommendations to address real business issues. Case studies include companies, such as Coke McDonald’s, Under Armor, Nike, Tesla, Uber and more! Students enhance their problem-solving skills, develop business savvy and cultivate a strategic mindset as future leaders. Sign up using Community Pass!

Michael J. Capogna, D.D.S. Laura M. Bodner, D.M.D.

Michael

John

Michael

Hoops for Hope set for Monday

The big day is almost here! In a few days you can be a part of something really special. Come to Hoops for Hope and cheer on the Challengers on Monday, March 2, 2026 at Garden City High School. Doors open at 3 and tip off is at 3:30. The game is being played in memory of Bobby Menges, a GCHS alum who lost his battle with cancer. All proceeds from the game will be donated to the I’m Not Done Yet Foundation. INDY’s mission is to help adolescent and young adult patients who are fighting cancer and other serious, chronic and long-term illnesses.

Students and faculty from all of the GC Schools, along with residents, come to cheer on the Challengers. The annual event has become a special tradition in the community. Let’s all do it again!

A suggested donation of $5 includes a coupon for some free 7th Street Tenders from Seventh Street Gourmet, 100 Seventh Street, GC.

These Challengers inspire all of us.

Raffle tickets will be available for purchase for a chance to win great prizes. Family and business sponsorships are available. If interest -

ed please contact Liz Menges at efmenges131@gmail.com. Quesions?

Contact Katherine O’Hanlon at 516-760-7868.

Advertise in our papers!

Hoops for Hope is probably already on your calendar. If it’s not, it’s time to put it down NOW! See you all on Monday!

If you own a business or have a service to provide, we’ll create professional ads to promote it and help you be seen by thousands of local readers! Call 1-516-294-8900 to inquire!

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For more than 20 years, I’ve been a top-producing real estate professional delivering exceptional results in Garden City, guiding buyers and sellers with experience, strategy, and a personalized approach. Now, I’m bringing that same level of proven expertise and dedication to the North Fork, where vineyards, pristine beaches, historic towns, farm stands, and renowned restaurants offer not just a home, but a lifestyle.

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