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Local Mariner saves the day in WWII Page 2 VOL. 130 NO. 12
ASD celebrates first 100 days of school Page 10
Town hosts Black History Month event Page 3
MARCH 19 - 25, 2025
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Amityville elects O’Neill as Mayor, Brooks and Russo join Board of Trustees By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com
Photo courtesy / Amityville School District
Amityville High School’s varsity cheerleaders are all smiles at Feb. 26 board of education meeting after being honored for their victory at UCA Nationals in Orlando, Florida.
Amityville’s varsity cheerleaders honored for victory at Nationals By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com
Amityville Memorial High School’s varsity cheerleaders were honored for their impressive performance at the United Cheerleaders Association, UCA, Nationals in Orlando during a recent Board of Education meeting. Amityville competed at the UCA Nationals in Florida from Feb. 7-10, and they finished ninth in the nation during the finals for
the Varsity Coed Division II Non-Tumbling Game Day. Under the direction of head coach Meredith Cohen, Amityville’s 2024-25 varsity cheerleaders exceeded their goals this season. Prior to the qualifying for nationals, they qualified for the Suffolk County Championships this past fall. “To our 14 talented student athletes and our phenomenal coaching staff, your dedication, your passion and your relentless pursuit of excellence has made all of us AmiCONTINUED ON PAGE 7
Rabid raccoon found in Amityville The Suffolk County Department of Health Services reported that a dead raccoon found in Amityville on March 4 tested positive for rabies. There was no known human or animal contact with the raccoon. This is the second case of locally acquired terrestrial rabies this year. The first case was found on January 28, in North Amityville. Before this year, Suffolk County had not reported a rabid raccoon since 2009. Since 2016, rabies has been confirmed
in 24 bats collected in Suffolk County. Each year, roughly 3 to 6 percent of the bats sent to the New York State lab from Suffolk County have tested positive for rabies. Rabies is a viral disease transmitted from infected mammals to humans. Left untreated, it can lead to death. Early symptoms include irritability, headache, fever, and sometimes itching at the site of exposure. Within days, the disease progresses to paralysis, spasms of the throat muscles, convulsions, delirium, CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
Trustee Michael O’Neill won a hotly contested race to become Amityville’s next mayor, securing 975 votes. He defeated Eric Onderdonk, a former Amityville police officer supported by the PBA, who garnered 768 votes, and fellow Trustee Kevin Smith, who received 220 votes, according to unofficial results. “I am humbled beyond belief,” O’Neill told a large group of supporters gathered to monitor the results. “It has been a wonderful four months of campaigning, knocking on doors and speaking to residents.” He also spoke about his running mates, Owen Brooks and Robert Russo, who were elected to the Board of Trustees. Brooks, serving his second four-year term, received 1,076 votes. Russo, running for the first time, received 957 votes. The two defeated Santiago Gallinat, who ran as a team with Onderdonk, and Peter Collorafi, an independent candidate. Gallinat received 759 votes, and Collorafi received 286 votes. Gallinat, who gathered with family and supporters at Angela’s Little Italy restaurant in Amityville, remained upbeat despite the loss. “We ran a good campaign, and this is a beautiful community,” he said, thanking those who supported him and his running mate. “Many people voted for us, and I will be back in the next election to
Credit: Carolyn James / Herald
Wendy O’Neill gives her husband a hug as results showed he was elected the Village’s new mayor. try again.” “I think the results showed that there are a lot of people who disagree with the way some things are going in the Village,” said another Onderdonk-Gallinat supporter. O’Neill expressed excitement about working with Brooks over the next four years and looked forward to collaborating with Russo. “These are great guys,” he said. “I am looking forward to working with them and doing great things together for the Village and its residents.” Meanwhile, one OnderdonkGallinat supporter took the results prophetically. “This is a beautiful community of friends, family, and neighbors,” he said. “It will be a beautiful community tomorrow, and we will continue to be together as friends and family.” Reelected to another term as Village Justice was Joe Calabrese. He faced no opposition.