Franklin Square/Elmont Herald 05-15-2025

Franklin square/elmont

HERALD

Revving engines and reverent hearts: Post 1033

By MElISSA PANIN Intern

American Legion Riders of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1033 gathered for their 18th annual Bike Blessing Barbecue—a powerful blend of patriotism, community and giving back that was as much about honoring service as it was celebrating life on two wheels.

Riders, veterans, families, and community members came together to share food, honor military service, and receive a special blessing for a safe riding season ahead.

Attendees stood together for the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a tribute to Prisoners of War/Missing in Action, reflecting on the service members who have not returned home.

Kevin Tirman, President of the American Legion Riders in Nassau County, led the ritual. A small round table sat at the heart of the gathering, draped in white ContinuEd on PAgE 11

Home repairs bring hope to a local disabled family

By RENEE DeloRENZo rdelorenzo@liherald.com

Rescuing Families, a Franklin Square-based charity that repairs homes for disabled families, has begun major renovations on a disabled family’s home in Valley Stream to better accommodate their needs.

On May 8, more than 30 volunteers from the charity and the Keller Williams Legendary real estate agency, of Franklin Square, helped clear furniture, dismantle cabinetry, and line the floors in preparation for the renovations of Douglas Reyes’s home.

Reyes, 44, has been partially

paralyzed since he had a surfing accident in the late 1990s.

His nephew, Justin Capera, said that a powerful wave crashed over Reyes, severely injuring his spine. He has used a wheelchair ever since.

Reyes’s father, Lorenzo Reyes, who lives with him, has Parkinson’s disease, and his mother, Alba Reyes, suffers from severe back pain. Both Lorenzo and Alba are in their late 70s.

Capera said that Douglas Reyes struggles with everyday tasks, including eating, bathing and picking things up. He works out with weights and has strong upper body strength, but

his movements remain limited.

“He needs a lot of help getting around,” Capera said. “This is exactly why we got Rescuing Families on board to help us.”

Three years ago, Capera said, his mother, Jessica Reyes, Douglas’s sister, wrote to Rescuing Families requesting help. The charity responded quickly, and Jessica has maintained contact with one of the organization’s cofounders, Gina Centauro, ever since.

Centauro recalled that Jessica Reyes’s letter included photos showing leaks in the ceiling of the Reyes home and holes in the walls left by a previous con-

tractor the family had hired.

Jessica also explained that Douglas’s parents were his primary caregivers.

“It was just way too much for elderly parents who have their own handicaps,” said Rescuing Families’ other cofounder, Vincent Centauro, Gina’s husband.

The Centauros, who are both

licensed contractors, will complete the renovations with help from a number of volunteers and three out-of-state contractors.

Last Thursday, Gina, wielding a Nestorbar—a tool invented by Rescuing Families volunteer Mark Slafkovsky, of Pry Guy Levers, that can pry heavy

Troop 93’s Mother’s Day

plant sale grows goodwill

By Rei Wolfsohn Correspondent

Scouting America Troop 93 and their families marked another successful year of their annual Mother’s Day Plant Sale, offering dozens of plant varieties while raising funds for camp and local veterans.

The Boy Scouts and their parents sold 35 different varieties of flowers, herbs and vegetables. Proceeds will help fund their summer camp and support Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2718. The first sale was held in 2020.

“It makes sure that all the flowers and love of Mother’s Day is filtered through the Boy Scouts and all the service organizations that help us make that day special,” said Town Councilman Tom Muscarella, who bought impatiens at the sale.

Town Supervisor Don Clavin and Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll also attended the plant sale.

“Mothers are just like flowers, they’re beautiful,” said Scoutmaster Steve “Smurf” DiTusa. “Anybody could be a dad. It takes somebody very special to be a mother.”

While many parents contribute to the sale’s success, organizers credit Bridget Stavola with leading the effort.

Nick Stavola, Bridget’s son, said she works hard every year to make the sale happen.

Bridget said the work doesn’t stress her out because it’s for a good cause. “It takes an army of parents and volunteers and Scouts, but it’s worth it,” she said.

The Scouts’ share of the funds will cover the cost of their summer camp T-shirts for a trip to Rhode Island this year. Another portion will benefit VFW 2718.

According to Bridget, the Scouts donate funds to the VFW to help cover expenses for building maintenance and hosting meetings.

Throughout the year, Scouts also raise money to support monthly overnight camping trips, fishing and canoeing outings, and the activities required to earn merit badges.

However, it’s not just the funds that benefit the Scouts.

“When they come up from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, it’s really an opportunity for them to learn what fundraising is all about,” said Deb Talbot, a Scout mother. “And hard labor. Keeping them away from their phones. They have to do service hours when they’re Scouts.”

Scouts say they value the community service aspect. According to Boy Scout Dylan Deede, there’s a purpose to all their work: “To make people happy,” he said.

“It’s always good to help people,” Nick added.

Scout leaders say these activities help shape the Scouts into the kind of men the community wants them to become.

“It’s showing leadership,” DiTusa said. “And leadership is a very important part of Boy Scouts. Sometimes the best way to lead is to follow. We’re trying to make tomorrow’s leaders today.”

Bridget added that the plant sale benefits the community by providing affordable flowers. And, she said, local Cub Scouts bought 10 flats to plant around the VFW.

“It beautifies a great community building,” Bridget said.

Uma Carpenter, a customer at the plant sale, said she enjoys buying the mixed hanging baskets she and her mother call “spinner wheels.”

“I like to support anything locally, instead of going to any other stores,” Carpenter said.

According to Talbot, the community looks forward to the plant sale each year.

“We’re very, very fortunate that the community knows this is a habit that we do every year,” Talbot said.

Where crafts, kindness and charity meet

By RENEE DeLORENZO rdelorenzo@liherald.com

Teens in the Franklin Square community enjoyed an evening of kindness activities during the Howie’s Heart Teen Buffet of Kindness at the Franklin Square Public Library on May 1.

Moe’s Southwest Grill on Franklin Avenue, Greek Xpress on New Hyde Park Road and Tulip Caterers donated trays of food to the organization, including mini burritos, chips, chicken, curly fries and pita bread.

As the teens grabbed food from the buffet on festive happy-face plates, along with desserts such as mini muffins and cupcakes, they got to work creating crafts of their choice, including bracelets, keychains and cards with words of kindness written on them.

“We love to be involved with the schools and any organizations on Long Island,” said Tricia Catalani, director of marketing for Moe’s Long Island regional franchise.

Catalani said the restaurant donated 20 burritos, as well as chips and salsa, as a way of supporting the community. “We want to help feed them and give them a little bit of ease for all the work they do.”

Jen Camacho, who founded Howie’s Heart with her siblings Melissa Cox and James Conklin, said the buffet was a way of giving back to the teen volunteers who help run events and spread kindness in the community through their hard work.

“The kids here have been so inspiring to me,” Camacho said. “They keep coming back and participating in all of our events.”

Many of the kids, Camacho said, have been attending Howie’s Heart events since the family began the charity in February 2024. The organization hosts bake sales, lemonade stands, craft activities and educational events. One event in March, in collaboration with Canine Companions, taught attendees about service dogs and how they are trained.

Leah Cujilan, a freshman at H. Frank Carey High School, said she began volunteering with Howie’s Heart about a year ago. Her mother originally found the organization through its Instagram account, @HowiesHeart, and thought it would be a good opportunity for Leah to get some friends together and give back to the community.

One of the reasons she keeps coming back, Leah said, is because of Camacho’s welcoming spirit and loving guidance.

“I love talking to Jen,” Leah said. “She’s so kind and so welcoming. She’s always open to hear people talk.”

Haleigh Kolmos, also a freshman at H. Frank Carey, said attending Howie’s Heart events is therapeutic. After a long, stressful day at school, she said, it’s nice to come and make simple crafts for others in the community.

“It’s nice knowing that you’re helping people with a good intention, and just lifting others up,” Haleigh said.

Both Leah and Haleigh said they’ve made many new friends since joining.

“It’s important to put yourself out

there because you never know when you can make a new friend,” Haleigh said.

Camacho, a social worker for more than 30 years, said helping the community comes naturally to her. She said her father, Howie Conklin, inspired her desire to give back, and she founded the charity in his memory.

Howie was known for his acts of kindness and making holidays and family gatherings feel extra special.

The family, Camacho said, experienced many challenges growing up. Her mother stayed home to raise the children, while Howie worked various jobs in construction. His inconsistent work created financial pressures and forced the family to prioritize spending and make sacrifices.

Camacho said she found it interesting

that she and her siblings all ended up in careers that serve the community—Cox is a special education teacher, and James is a court officer.

“I think living a life where you’re faced with challenges,” Camacho said, “and as a family just figuring out how to get through those together, I think it probably inspired the three of us to want to help other people in a similar situation.”

Cox said Camacho primarily leads the charity by organizing events and bringing new ideas to the table. As a special education teacher, Cox said she contributes by helping make the events inclusive for those who are neurodivergent.

Thanks to the charity’s inclusive approach, Cox said, people from outside

Franklin Square occasionally attend events. She recalled a girl from Smithtown who traveled 45 minutes to participate in an event.

“I think a lot of times it’s hard for kids to find services that are meaningful and really has camaraderie to it,” Cox said. She credited the Franklin Square library for fostering a strong sense of community at the events, adding that the library staff actively supports group interaction.

“If I do good, and you do good, and somebody else does good, then we can all keep doing good,” Cox said.

Linda Conklin, Howie’s sister and the aunt of Camacho and Cox, said she has formed close relationships with many of the kids who attend the events. She praised Camacho and Cox for passing down Howie’s legacy of kindness to their own children, who also volunteer.

“This is a big thing,” Linda said of Camacho’s work. “She’s got a lot of guts.” And, Linda added, as Camacho’s godmother, she will always be there for her and her siblings.

At the end of the event, Camacho announced the recipient of the red Mylar heart balloon, Jessiah Binondl, who was awarded for her positivity and “sunshine” personality. The balloon, handed out at the end of each Howie’s Heart event, is a tribute to one of Howie’s fondest traditions—greeting his grandchildren with a bouquet of red heart balloons each Valentine’s Day.

“My goal is to kind of plant new seeds for everybody—families and kids,” Camacho said. “Hopefully that grows.”

Camacho said anyone in the community interested in hosting their own event with Howie’s Heart is welcome to do so. Those interested in joining or attending future events can visit HowiesHeart.org.

“If there’s something you’re passionate about and you want to help out, come to us and we’ll teach you what to do,” Camacho said.

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A Forgotten American Treasure

Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac appeared from 1732 to 1758. Amongst other information, it provided pithy sayings and proverbs, many of which have withstood the test of time.

“An empty bag cannot stand upright.”

“Anger is never without a reason, but seldom a good one.”

“Anoint a villain and he’ll stab you: stab him and he’ll anoint you.”

“An old young man will be a young old man.”

“Don’t think to hunt two hares with one dog.”

“Eat few suppers and you’ll need few medicines.”

“Great almsgiving, lessens no man’s living.”

“Happy’s the wooing that’s not long a doing.”

“He that lies down with dogs, shall rise up with fleas.”

“If your riches are yours, why don’t you take them with you to the other world.”

“Lost time is never found again.”

“The noblest question in the world is, what good may I do in it?”

“They who have nothing to trouble them, will be troubled at nothing.”

“The sleeping fox catches no poultry.”

“The tongue is ever turning to the aching tooth.”

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Sewanhaka students excel at SkillsUSA conference

Twenty-four Sewanhaka Central High School District students in the Career and Technical Education program competed at the SkillsUSA New York State Conference, hosted April 23–25 in Syracuse.

SkillsUSA, a news release about the conference said, is an organization designed to help students become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens while ensuring that the country maintains a highly skilled workforce.

Sewanhaka’s CTE students participate in regional, state and national career competitions each year.

–Renee DeLorenzo

Students who placed at SkillsUSA

Culinary Arts

Third place: Mariah Champagne, Elmont Memorial

Senior-Level Cosmetology

First place: Daniela Garcia, New Hyde Park Memorial

Opening and Closing Ceremonies

Third place: Bridget Allen, Floral Park Memorial; Santina D’Amato, H. Frank Carey; Rhiyanna Ince, Floral Park Memorial; Gabriella Jacob, H. Frank Carey; Celeste Ramos, Floral Park Memorial; Sofia Solomon, H. Frank Carey; and Alessandra Varuzzi, H. Frank Carey

Bulletin Board

Second place: Sophia Barrera, H. Frank Carey; Kayley Chin, Floral Park Memorial; and Elisa Salcedo, Floral Park Memorial

Quiz Bowl

Third place: Marissa Cheng, H. Frank Carey; Sherwin Fernandes, New Hyde Park Memorial; Katherine Gilman, H. Frank Carey; Alex Krawczyk, New Hyde Park Memorial; Fiona Lin, H. Frank Carey; and Christian Osorio, H. Frank Carey

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VALENTINA KESABIAN

Clarke Senior Lacrosse

IT’S BEEN AN IMPRESSIVE rise for Clarke’s girls’ lacrosse program since it endured a winless 2022 campaign, and Kesabian has been a major part of the turnaround. Last spring she helped lead the Rams to 10 wins, scoring 26 goals and earning All-Conference honors in the process. This season, both the third-year attack and the team continued to flourish. Kesabian finished with 39 goals and 13 assists, and Clarke won 12 of 15 games.

GAMES TO WATCH

Thursday, May 15

Softball playoffs: First round at higher seed ...................TBA

Boys Lacrosse: Freeport at Kennedy .........................5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Elmont at Lawrence ..........................5 p.m.

Baseball: Elmont at West Hempstead

Baseball: Roosevelt at Uniondale

G.N.

Friday, May 16

Boys Lacrosse: Garden City at Carey....................4:30 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Oceanside at Farmingdale................5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Plainedge at South Side ...................5 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse: Massapequa at Syosset ...................5 p.m.

Saturday, May 17

Softball: Nassau quarterfinals at higher seed ................TBA

Monday, May 19

Softball: Nassau semifinals GM1 at higher seed ...........TBA

Tuesday, May 20

Softball: Nassau semifinals GM2 at lower seed.............TBA

Baseball: Nassau Class A quarterfinals GM 3................TBA

Baseball: Nassau Class B semifinals GM 2 ...................TBA

Baseball: Nassau Class AAA play-in games ...................TBA

Nominate a “Spotlight Athlete”

High School athletes to be featured on the Herald sports page must compete in a spring sport and have earned an AllConference award or higher last season. Please send the following information: Name, School, Grade, Sport and accomplishments to Sports@liherald.com.

Sewanhaka secures winning season

By MICHELLE RABINOVICH sports@liherald.com

The Sewanhaka baseball team has had a long journey this season, navigating tough losses, gritty wins and everything else the 2025 season could throw at them, according to coach Mike Senese.

Currently with 9 wins, 5 losses and a tie, the Ravens have amassed plenty under the belt with one week left in the season.

The season started out slow for Sewanhaka, with it losing the first three of the four games they played before the wins started to rack up.

“Throughout the season we get stronger, that’s what I’ve noticed here,” said Senese. “Big thing on defense; once our defense plays well, that’s how we win. You got to put the ball in play, you’re not going to strike everyone out.”

The first two games of the year were 13-2 and 13-3 losses to Valley Stream Central before the squad caught a break in a 15-5 thumping against Westbury. That relief was short-lived, when Westbury shut them out 5-0 two days later.

Senese mentioned that Gabriele Gil has been holding the third base corner well for the squad, plugging into shortstop if needed. There’s also freshman Logan Lievano at second base, who Senese said is also playing well in the infield.

An outstanding member of the defense, however, is the backstop: Joshua Weingart. “He’s being throwing out a lot of runners and that’s really been helping us,” Senese said.

The Ravens’ bats had a similar start to the season: cold at first but thawed out and ever-present now.

Ethan Tome is known to have a solid bat, especially after a 3-for-3 game where he left the yard and hit a pair of doubles against Lawrence in the team’s 16-3 win on April 25, putting up five RBIs and scoring three runs himself.

The only part of the equation left is the arms, the guys who set up real estate on the mound.

“Pitching’s been okay, I wish we went a little deeper into games with starting

pitching, but we have about four to five arms that I use,” Senese said. “It’s been better than the beginning of the year. Beginning of the year we never really do how we should, we just get better as the season progresses and as the weather gets warmer you can say.”

The two main arms have been Gabriel Gil and Nicholas Tome.

“[Gil] just throws the ball over, he throws strikes,” Senese said. “Nick threw a good game against Elmont.”

Against Elmont, Tome went 6.2 innings and fanned

11 in the team’s 12-7 win. His offense provided plenty of cushioning with Lievano’s 2-3 performance at the plate with two ribees and two runs scored.

Senese said that this year especially, Tome stepped up his game both at the plate and on the mound, and that both he and the team are reaping the rewards, regardless of where he plays on any given day.

Sewanhaka concludes the campaign this week with one game versus West Hempstead and a pair against Hempstead.

Water providers are tested in taste contest

By CHARLES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com

What’s the best-tasting tap water on Long Island?

That was the question posed to students at Farmingdale State College during the Long Island Water Conference’s 37th annual drinking water tasting contest, held during National Drinking Water Week.

The conference, also known as LIWC, is made up of members of public and private water suppliers across Long Island. According to LIWC Commissioner Robert McEvoy, the event has taken place at the Farmingdale campus for the past four years, sparking student interest in water quality.

“It draws in a lot of the students,” McEvoy said. “They’re interested in where the water comes from, and if there’s any variance in taste. We also try to promote tap water as being the most regulated and tested, even more so than bottled water.”

The finals, held on May 7, featured 16 Long Island water providers competing for the title of best-tasting drinking water in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Students, faculty and staff on campus participated in a blind taste test, sampling water from each provider and casting their votes.

The Oyster Bay Water District won the Nassau County competition, while

Charles Shaw/Herald

nity and have everyone get involved with local water,” Rich said.

He noted that most people aren’t aware of where their water comes from. On Long Island, drinking water comes from an aquifer system, a naturally formed underground storage area.

In an aquifer system, unwanted chemicals are capable of seeping into the water supply. The LIWC urges residents to dispose of hazardous household waste properly at designated town drop-off sites and never pour it down drains, into storm sewers or on the ground.

“Anything that we put on the ground will ultimately find its way into the aquifer,” Rich stated.

the Greenlawn Water District took the top spot in Suffolk. Both districts will advance to the New York State Regional Metro Tap Water Taste Contest in New York City in August, where they will compete for a spot in the statewide competition held later that month at the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse.

LIWC representatives at the event also took the opportunity to educate attendees about the water supplied to their homes, and assured them that Long Island’s drinking water remains of high quality.

McEvoy, who is also a commissioner

and the chairman of the Oyster Bay Water District, said that frequent testing is conducted by the state Department of Health to ensure the water’s quality.

“It’s safe, it’s highly regulated and it’s extremely affordable,” McEvoy said. “It’s something that should be utilized by the public, and it’s a far greater value than bottled water.”

Michael Rich, a commissioner and the secretary of the Oyster Bay district, has taken part in the competition for the past 10 years, educating the community about local water supplies.

“It’s great to come out to the commu-

Lawn irrigation, he said, accounts for much of Long Island’s water use. He urged residents to follow odd/even watering schedules, watering on days that match their house numbers. He also highlighted the importance of leak detection, noting that undetected leaks can waste hundreds of thousands of gallons each month, making it vital for both residents and water providers to monitor and address them.

Rich added that it doesn’t take much water to maintain a healthy lawn.

“You don’t have to water your lawn for a half-hour a day,” Rich said. “You’ll get the same results 15 minutes a day, so we try to stress that.”

For more information on the local water supply, visit liwc.org.

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Chalk S. State crashes up to bad judgment

By AINSLEY MARTINEZ amartinez@liherald.com

Second story in a series on the Southern State Parkway.

Ana Marte, 67, said that a fatal car accident on the Southern State Parkway in January changed her life.

Her grandson Anthonie Marte, 23, was severely injured in a one-car crash shortly after 11 p.m. on Jan. 12, in the eastbound lanes not far from Exit 30, near Farmingdale and Massapequa, according to the New York State Police.

Investigators said that the car in which Marte was a passenger, a black 2016 Dodge Dart, was traveling at a high rate of speed and weaving between lanes before the driver lost control and crashed into a tree.

Two rear-seat passengers, ages 23 and 21, were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, Jaden Dsouza, 19, of College Point, Queens, and Marte, of East Elmhurst, Queens, who was in the front passenger seat, were both extricated from the vehicle and transported to a nearby hospital in serious condition.

Marte’s grandmother said he suffered major head injuries, and she still takes care of him daily, feeding him and giving him pain medicine. He is slowly recovering, with doctors’ appointments and physical therapy. “He’s like a baby again,” she said. “He doesn’t want to go outside because he’s scared, and all he does is sleep.”

Marte does not remember the accident, his grandmother said.

Dsouza was later charged with one count of driving while ability impaired by drugs, second-degree manslaughter, first-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault and aggravated vehicular homicide, police said.

Crash data from the New York State Police shows a fluctuating, but persistent, pattern of accidents on the Southern State Parkway over the past six years, with the number of fatal crashes in a year reaching as high as six.

Crashes resulting in serious personal injury in Nassau have remained relatively low throughout the period, with no more than two reported in any given year.

While most incidents are non-fatal, serious crashes often involve an added risk: intoxication. Speed and distraction remain consistent contributing factors, but impairment by drugs or alcohol increases the potential for deadly outcomes.

“It’s on the driver for the most part,” State Police Capt. Mike Rhodes said. “If they’re inattentive, if they’re speeding, if they’re not following the vehicle and traffic law, they do not understand the severity of what could happen.”

Rhodes oversees 56 state troopers and eight sergeants, many of whom patrol the 25.3-mile long Southern State. Most accidents, he said, occur during peak congestion, at around 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Crash data from the state police show a fluctuating but persistent pattern of accidents on the parkway over the past six years, with fatal crashes increasing in 2024.

In 2019, there were 3,127 crashes on the Nassau County stretch of the parkway, including six fatalities. That number dropped to 2,331 in 2020, but rose again in subsequent years, reaching 2,716 in 2022 and 2,725 in 2023. In 2024, state police recorded 2,549 crashes and five fatalities. Thus far this year, there have been 328 crashes and one fatality.

“A lot of these things, they hit every single age category,” Rhodes said.

To combat the persistent problem, state police focus on enforcement and outreach. Not every traffic stop results in a citation; many serve as opportunities for education.

Personal injury attorney Stephen Cohen said that in his more than five decades of handling lawsuits, most of those that involve accidents on the Southern State involve intoxicated drivers.

Cohen, a partner at the law firm Cohen and Jaffe, in New Hyde Park, said that speed, intoxication and reckless driving continue to be the common factors in the region’s most serious accidents.

“I don’t believe road design is an issue at all,” Cohen said. “Posting more signs to slow down isn’t an answer, because when somebody is either speeding or just intoxicated, they don’t really care what the sign says.”

Many collisions during rush hour, he explained, stem from traffic congestion and insufficient braking distance. “People are gliding along, and they hit a certain spot, and all of a sudden they weren’t prepared, because they’re going 70 miles an hour,” Cohen said. “So you

see a lot of rear-end collisions, not necessarily death-related.”

Fatal crashes, he noted, often involve younger drivers, high speeds and intoxication or impairment.

“You don’t see fatalities at 11 o’clock in the morning,” Cohen said. “You just don’t. You may see them at 4 in the morning. When your ability to observe is not sharp because of either impairment or intoxication, the car is going to go airborne. And if there happens to be a tree there, that’s the next thing you’re going to hit.”

In his practice, Cohen said, the firm represents victims or passengers, but not intoxicated drivers.

Under state law, he noted, lawsuits require plaintiffs to meet the “serious injury” threshold defined in insurance law. In cases involving fatalities, death, families must petition a Surrogate’s Court to appoint a representative for the estate before filing a lawsuit. That process can take over a year, he said.

Insurance coverage limits often dictate how quickly a case can be resolved. “If somebody has — let’s say, the responsible party — has a $100,000 policy, that case is going to be over in two seconds,” Cohen said.

Efforts to reform wrongful death laws in New York have repeatedly stalled, despite advocacy from legal organizations.

Despite changes in laws and vehicle technology over the years, Cohen said, the root problems remain unchanged.

“It only seems to get worse because cars are faster than they were 20, 30 years ago,” he said. “There’s more people drinking or doing some sort of drugs. And that’s what you see in all horrific accidents.”

Additional reporting by Mohammad Rafiq.

Accident data from the New York State Police

2019 – Total: 3,987

(3,127 Nassau, 860 Suffolk)

Serious personal injury: 2 (Nassau)

Fatal: 8 (6 Nassau, 2 Suffolk)

2020 – Total: 2,977

(2,331 Nassau, 646 Suffolk)

Serious personal injury: 3 (2 Nassau, 1 Suffolk)

Fatal: 9 (6 Nassau, 3 Suffolk)

2021 – Total: 3,566

(2,782 Nassau, 784 Suffolk)

Serious personal injury: 1 (Nassau)

Fatal: 9 (6 Nassau, 3 Suffolk)

2022 – Total: 3,552

(2,716 Nassau, 836 Suffolk)

Serious personal injury:

5 (1 Nassau, 4 Suffolk)

Fatal: 13 (5 Nassau, 8 Suffolk)

2023 – Total: 3,500 (2,725-Nassau, 775-Suffolk)

Serious personal injury: 1 (Nassau)

Fatal: 6 (3 Nassau, 3 Suffolk)

2024 – Total: 3,405

(2,549 Nassau, 856 Suffolk)

Serious personal injury:

2 (1 Nassau, 1 Suffolk)

Fatal: 15 (5 Nassau, 10 Suffolk)

2025* – Total: 426 (328 Nassau, 98 Suffolk)

Serious personal injury: 0

Fatal: 3 (1 Nassau, 2 Suffolk)

* To date

Christian Mothers uplift through service

St. Catherine of Sienna hosted their annual rummage sale, sharing devotion to community spirituality

By RENEE DeLORENZO rdelorenzo@liherald.com

The St. Catherine of Sienna Church chapter of the Confraternity of Christian Mothers, a parish in Franklin Square, hosted its annual rummage sale inside the Sienna Center on Holzheimer Street from May 2–3. Funds raised from the sale go toward the St. Catherine parish to support church programs, services and activities, as well as other charitable endeavors.

Items for sale at this year’s event ranged from home furnishings, games, books and records to clothing and much more. Tables lined the church’s gym with items arranged by category, allowing visitors to browse thousands of items with ease.

The Christian Mothers, which is a national organization, was founded in 1850. According to Regina Murawski, a longtime member of the association, the Franklin Square chapter was established around the time the parish’s school—St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic School—opened in 1956. She said the Mothers have been hosting the rummage sale ever since.

Many parish members have been contributing to and participating in the sale for years. As they clean out their homes in the spring, they often set aside items to donate to the Mothers. Volunteers collect items over the course of two days—April 30 and May 1 this year—and organize them for the sale.

More than 4,800 families are registered with the

school closed in 2012 due to dwindling enrollment, the Christian Mothers eventually slowed down their fundraising efforts. But, Murawski said that has not discouraged the Mothers from sticking together.

Nine & Dine

Teeing Off for Change

also supports other ministries in the church, added Liz Baldini, president of the St. Catherine chapter of the Christian Mothers. They meet every third Monday of the month.

Baldini said she has been involved in the St. Catherine parish since 2010. While she doesn’t have children, she still considers herself a motherly figure in the community, which is what keeps her connected with the other members. She stressed that members do not need to be mothers to join the cause.

The association offers plenty of community support, Baldini said, and reaches out to anyone in the parish going through a difficult time with prayers and messages of positivity. “It’s a beautiful group of women,” she said.

Theresa Brady, vice president of the St. Catherine chapter of Christian Mothers, said she has been part of the parish since she was a child, but she officially joined the association six years ago.

“I just wanted to be part of a group of people that were supporting the parish,” Brady said. “The fellowship is something that I feel is really important, as far as being with other women who are practicing faith and realizing how important it is in their lives.”

Many people, Baldini explained, tend to go to church as children and stop once they become adults. However, she finds that as people get older, they are drawn back in. Baldini said she herself went through a period when she did not attend church, but once she started going again, she realized there was nothing in

ter and you put Jesus into your life,” Baldini said.

HONORING MEN & COMPANIES ADVANCING WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

Local vendors showcase crafts for a cause

Crafters raised funds to aid Rescuing Families in their mission to improve disabled families’ homes

By RENEE DeLORENZO rdelorenzo@liherald.com

Rescuing Families hosted its annual Spring Craft Fair from April 26–27 at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2718 in Franklin Square.

This year’s event featured 36 vendors, ranging from home bakers and knitters to graphic designers and woodworkers. Each set up shop inside the VFW to sell their crafts from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Gina Centauro, co-founder of Rescuing Families, said she put out applications for vendors interested in joining the craft fair in January. Some are regulars at the fair, Centauro said, and the charity keeps them on a list to contact when events are hosted. Other vendors reach out via social media or the organization’s website, RescuingFamilies.org.

Linda Lamberta, who has been friends with Centauro for around 40 years, said she and Centauro have been doing crafts together for over 20 years.

Lamberta creates and sells intricate decorations, hand-sewn clothing, embroidered hats, bedazzled sandals and more. She said the creative process varies greatly by project. Because her crafts require a range of artistic skills, each one takes on a life of its own.

“Sometimes you have an idea in your head and it doesn’t completely go in the direction you want it to,” she said. “You go down, you pick it up again. But I eventually end up loving what it becomes.”

She has worked with the charity since it was founded about nine years ago by Gina and her husband, Vincent Centauro. Lamberta now serves as a board member, helping to develop fundraising ideas through community events.

“The charity is very important to me,” Lamberta said. “It has a place in my heart because it’s for people who don’t have a voice. The disabled community gets overlooked.”

Giselle Rodriguez, founder of Custom Cakes by Giselle, sold homemade baked goods and lemonade at the fair. She started her business from home about 15 years ago and officially became a Limited Liability Company in 2020.

Rodriguez caters events such as sweet 16s, weddings and holidays. Her signature items include cookie jar cakes in flavors like cookies and cream and chocolate with cookie dough filling. She also sells “grandpa’s lemonade,” a vanilla-infused lemonade named after her father-in-law, Joseph Rodriguez.

“I always enjoy doing little pop-ups,” Rodriguez said. “Especially when it’s for a nonprofit. I believe in giving back to the community, so this is my little way of doing it.”

Rodriguez attends several craft fairs each year and can be contacted for special events through her Instagram account, @CustomCakesByGiselleLLC.

Megan Riecken, founder of Bookworm George Creations, sells crocheted plush toys including bees, cacti, chickens and mushrooms. She said she learned to crochet as a child, stopped for a time, and picked it back up a few years ago. This was her third year at the Spring Craft Fair.

“I like to know the money is going somewhere good,” Riecken said. “You know, there’s some good in the world out there. So, I want to be part of that.”

Each plush toy takes between 20 minutes and two days to complete, depending on size. Since crocheting is not her full-time job, she works on projects in the evenings and on weekends. Riecken also accepts custom requests through her Instagram account, @BookWormGeorgeCreations.

Liana Kramer, attending her first craft fair with Rescuing Families, sold handmade accessories such as keychains, bookmarks, pot toppers, earrings, coasters and more, alongside her sister Samm Kramer.

Joe Mangiapanello, founder of Joe’s Wooden Creations, has

makes custom pieces for clients who request them.

Liana began crafting over 20 years ago, starting with coasters. She earned a fashion design degree from Kent State University in 2018 and has since expanded into beading, sewing and knitting.

She said it’s important her work supports a good cause because that’s how her business began.

“My first sale was actually to a friend who has a charity in the name of her son,” Liana said. “That kind of built this desire to reach out and raise awareness for charities.”

Liana sells her creations on Etsy under the name Lazanny and shares her work on Instagram, @Lazanny_ArtAndDesign.

Joseph Mangiapanello, founder of Joe’s Wooden Creations, has been a longtime vendor at Rescuing Families events for the past three years.

Mangiapanello handcrafts wood items such as cutting boards, serving boards, keychain holders and engraved home décor. He primarily sells at craft fairs in Nassau County and accepts custom orders via Instagram, @JoesWoodenCreationsLLC.

One of his favorite aspects of craft fairs is face-toface interaction with customers.

“I just enjoy them, their organization, and this whole family,” Mangiapanello said of the charity and vendors. “I feel like I’m giving back in a way that’s not just making sales.”

All proceeds from the fair, Centauro said, go toward helping disabled families with home renovations to meet their needs and improve accessibility. The charity’s most recent project began May 8, with volunteers renovating the home of Douglas Reyes in Valley Stream.

Centauro said the fair benefits the community by giving local business owners an opportunity to network and advertise their products and services.

“More people found out that, hey, we have people in our community that actually create these beautiful things,” Centauro said. “We always like to support local crafts people.”

American Legion Riders host bike blessing

cloth, and adorned with poignant symbols—a single rose, a slice of lemon, salt, an inverted glass, an empty chair, and a flickering candle.

Each element has a meaning, Tirman explained—for example, the lemon symbolizes their bitter fate, and the inverted glass represents the toast they cannot make. The ceremony reminded attendees of the riders’ deeper mission, never forgetting the fallen or missing soldiers.

After a moment of silence, Deacon Bruce Burnham, a VFW member and clergyman from Our Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church, offered the annual blessing for the bikes and their riders.

Burnham has presided over the bike blessing for nearly a decade. He emphasized the safety of the riders as well as the spiritual bond forged through service, sacrifice, and the open road. His prayer asked for divine protection on the highways and for the Lord’s presence in every encounter the riders may have.

Burnham acknowledged that his prayer may mean something different to each rider. Some riders pray for a season of good weather, he said, and others for smooth roads.

“Only a biker knows why a dog sticks its head out the car window,” he said with a grin, earning chuckles from the crowd before blessing each rider’s bike. The afternoon was filled with story-

telling as veterans reminisced and appreciated one another’s military service.

Legion is all about.”

The American Legion Riders Post 1033 began with just five charter members—Sal Martella, Phil Velez, Bill DePietro, Pete Foltmer and Pete Busch.

W

Dawn Samuel, director of Post 1033, is known among the Riders as “Tigger.” She is an Operation Desert Storm veteran and a current fifth-grade teacher. Samuel sees her role in the Legion Riders as a continuation of her commitment to serve.

“I was work-raised in the military,” she said with a laugh, recalling the rigorous discipline that shaped her.

While joking about her smaller stature, Samuel shared a story about practicing her motorcycle skills in a library parking lot and being mistaken for a teenager.

“Somebody had called the police on me,” she laughed, “They thought I was some kid playing on a Harley.”

e all have one symmetrical purpose. It’s just to give back.

Phil Velez Veteran

of Foreign Wars and charter member, American Legion Post 1033

Samuel’s journey into the Riders began with encouragement from a fellow veteran who pushed her to get her motorcycle license. With determination and support from mentors, she sharpened her skills and grew into a leadership role.

“I love them all,” she said, talking about her fellow Riders’ close-knit bond, comparing it to the camaraderie she knew in the military. “That’s what the

Over the years, Martella said, they’ve grown into a family of 37 active riders who now organize and participate in events across Long Island and beyond.

Martella, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, now in his late 70s, shared his own story with deep pride. Martella, a charter member, has stood strong through all 18 bike blessings and more to come.

He’s been married to his wife, Connie Martella, for 56 years. They have been together since he was deployed in 1968.

“There’s only one thing wrong with my marriage I could never fix,” he said with a smile. “I can’t be married to her long enough.”

Martella remarked on the numerous charities that the Legion donates to and supports. From escorting funerals to fundraising rides for cancer research and children’s hospitals, their calendar is filled with service-driven missions.

Bill “The Can Man” Urianek, now in

his 90s, is a former Marine who does not ride anymore but continues to serve in the Mineola Memorial Post 349. Drafted during the Korean War but never deployed due to the war’s end, Urianek still found a cause to fight for—charity.

Since 2004, he’s collected more than 1,540,000 aluminum cans—nearly $80,000 worth—and donated the funds to support disabled veterans, build homes for heroes, fund seeing-eye dogs and support over a dozen other causes.

“If you get one can, it’s a nickel,” he said. “And that’s a nickel more than you had yesterday.”

Urianek attends every bike blessing he can, reminding younger generations of the quiet strength found in everyday service. His charity work has helped countless people, and his example continues to inspire a new wave of veterans and volunteers.

Another charter member, Phil Velez, enlisted at age 17. He was injured during training and is now continuing to serve as a founding member of Post 1033. Velez shared the Legion’s dedication to giving back. “If they’re sponsoring a ride, we’re there,” he said.

The Riders left not only with their bikes newly blessed but also with a strengthened sense of connection, united by shared values and a commitment to service.

“We all have one symmetrical purpose,” Velez said. “It’s just to give back.”

RichnerLIVE and Herald Gives Back

On April 8th the Herald and RichnerLIVE hosted the Top Lawyers of Long Island Awards Gala at the Heritage Club of Bethpage. The WE CARE Fund, the charitable arm of the Nassau County Bar Association, which supports a range of local nonprofits was the evening’s charity beneficiary and the recipient of $2000.

From left to right: Herald publisher and CEO Stuart Richner; RichnerLIVE executive director Amy Amato, Elizabeth Post, Jeffrey Catterson and Sandy Strenger of the Nassau County Bar Association.

A bipartisan effort to protect IVF access

Gillen leads push for bill safeguarding fertility treatments, hoping for congressional momentum

By HERNESTO GALDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com

U.S. Rep. Laura Gillen, a Democrat representing New York’s 4th Congressional District, and Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, of the 17th District, have reintroduced a bipartisan bill aimed at protecting access to in vitro fertilization across the country.

The Access to Family Building Act, which Gillen is shepherding with support from Lawler and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, seeks to federally codify the right to access IVF services. The legislation is in response to growing concerns that reproductive technologies like IVF are being threatened by recent state-level legal developments and court rulings.

During a virtual press conference on May 7, Gillen emphasized the importance of ensuring legal certainty for families relying on reproductive technology. Infertility, she said, is a widespread issue affecting Americans of all backgrounds, and she called for Congress to act swiftly to protect the procedure.

“We believe, like most Americans do, that the right to start and grow family through IVF should be protected,” Gil-

len said. “The Access to Family Building Act will simply ensure that IVF remains accessible to families in every state.”

Lawler echoed Gillen’s sentiments, sharing his own family’s experience with fertility challenges. He reaffirmed his support for protecting IVF access, calling it a nonpartisan issue with widespread public backing. Lawler also referenced other related legislative efforts he supports, including tax credits and insurance mandates to reduce the financial burden of IVF treatments.

“Access to IVF should not be a partisan issue,” he said. “We want to help people through this journey and certainly make sure that their right to IVF is protected.”

The press event also featured Barbara Collura, president and CEO of Resolve: The National Infertility Association, who stressed the emotional and financial toll of infertility and the need for guaranteed nationwide access to IVF.

“There are so many challenges that our communities face in building their families,” Collura said. “Our goal is to reduce and eliminate those barriers. We know firsthand that our communities want to know that IVF is protected in all 50 states.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, IVF accounted for nearly 3 percent for U.S. births in 2022, with over 91,000 babies born through assisted reproductive technology.

Democrats that year introduced the Right to Build Families Act, to protect access to IVF and other fertility treatments amid concerns after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The bill was blocked by Senate Republicans.

The lawmakers emphasized the bipartisan nature of the new legislation, with Gillen noting that Republican support like Lawler’s is vital to passing it in the current Congress.

When the Herald asked about the path forward, both lawmakers said they planned to advocate within their parties and with the congressional leadership to advance the bill through committee and onto the House floor.

The legislation comes amid renewed national attention to IVF following recent court rulings in states like Alabama, where embryos created through IVF were legally recognized as children, prompting clinics to suspend services due to the legal risks.

“I think it’s really important to dem-

onstrate that this is not a partisan issue,” Gillen said. “This is an easy one for us to agree on. We want to support couples and individuals who want to bring a child into the world. IVF may be the only way that they can do that.”

Focusing on

Yourconnectionmind-body

A balanced life starts with your emotional fitness

Some people think that only people with mental illnesses have to pay attention to their mental health.

But the truth is that your emotions, thoughts and attitudes affect your energy, productivity and overall health. Good mental health strengthens your ability to cope with everyday hassles and more serious crises and challenges. Good mental health is essential to creating the life you want.

It’s always important to take stock of your mental well-being and its connection to overall health. Just as you brush your teeth or get a flu shot or other immunization, you can take steps to promote your mental health. A great way to start is by learning to deal with stress.

How stress hurts

Stress can eat away at your well-being, like acid eating away at your stomach. Actually, stress can contribute to stomach pains and lots of other problems, like headaches, insomnia, overeating, back pain, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, irritability, vulnerability to infection, and poorer brain functioning.

Stress also can lead to serious mental health problems, like depression and anxiety disorders. If you think you have such a problem, get help. Of course you can’t magically zap all sources of stress. But you can learn to deal with them in a way that promotes the well-being you want — and deserve. You can figure out ways to cope better with whatever comes your way. And decades of research suggest which steps are most likely to work.

The evidence

The concrete steps mental health professionals suggest are not based on guesses, fads or advice from grandma (though she probably got a lot right). They represent hundreds of research studies with thousands of participants, often conducted over decades and backed by major universities or government agencies.

This research shows that how good you feel is to a fairly large extent up to you. No matter how stressful your situation, you can take steps to promote your well-being.

Focus on self-care

In order to maintain and strengthen your mental and emotional health, it’s important to pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Don’t let stress and negative emotions build up. Try to maintain a balance between your daily responsibilities and the things you enjoy. If you take care of yourself, you’ll be better prepared to deal with challenges if and when they arise.

Taking care of yourself includes pursuing activities that naturally release endorphins and contribute to feeling good. In addition to physical exercise, endorphins are also naturally released when we:

Do things that positively impact others. Being useful to others and being valued for what you do can help build self-esteem.

Practice self-discipline. Self-control naturally leads to a sense of hopefulness and can help you overcome despair, helplessness, and other negative thoughts.

Appeal to your senses. Stay calm and energized by appealing to the five senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Listen to music that lifts your mood, place flowers where you will see and smell them, massage your hands and feet, or sip a warm drink.

Engage in meaningful, creative work. Do things that challenge your creativity and make you feel productive, whether or not you get paid for it — things like gardening, drawing, writing, playing an instrument, or building something. Make time for contemplation and appreciation. Think about the things you’re grateful for. Meditate, pray, enjoy the sunset, or simply take a moment to pay attention to what is good, positive, and beautiful as you go about your day.

Limit unhealthy habits like worrying. Try to avoid becoming absorbed by repetitive mental habits — negative thoughts about yourself and the world that suck up time, drain your energy, and trigger feelings of anxiety, fear, and depression.

Sometimes it all seems too much to handle

Keep your ‘thought life’ healthy and your stress level low

Life gives people plenty of reasons to be stressed.

Relationship problems, child-rearing issues, job woes and a lack of money are just some of life’s complications that can weigh people down — and cause health problems.

In today’s society, stress and change often are thought of as the same thing. Stress is a physiological and psychological response to a change in a situation the body and mind find to be overwhelming.

With the fast pace of work and home, being constantly inundated with technology and still wanting to have time to connect with those around you, life can feel overwhelming and stressful at times.

“It’s difficult to stay healthy and energized when stress is a daily reality,” says Dr. Greg Wells. “Chronic stress can damage your body, threaten your mental health, put a strain on relationships, and take the joy out of life.”

But there’s no reason to surrender to stress, Wells, author of “The Ripple Effect: Eat, Sleep, Move and Think Better,“ says. He suggests some techniques that can help you have a healthier “thought life” and recover from chronic stress.

Move your body. Rhythmic, repeated motion is particularly soothing to the mind and body. A long walk, cycling, swimming, or running will all work, but any kind of movement relieves tension, improves circulation and clears your mind.

Get into nature. Head to the garden or the park to lower your blood pressure, strengthen your immune system, reduce tension and depression, and boost your mood. “It’s stunning how good it is for your health to be in nature,” Wells says. “And I recommend you leave the cell phone and earbuds at home.”

Practice yoga or Tai Chi. Therapy, yoga and Tai Chi are good ways to decrease stress and anxiety, increase energy and boost the immune system. They also give you more staminaand improve the quality of your sleep. Have perspective. Don’t be so quick to conclude that you “can’t handle” a stressful situation. “This is truly a mind-over-matter opportunity,” Wells says. “Believing that you are strong and resourceful actually makes you stronger and more resourceful.”

Change the nature of your response. Research indicates that taking an active, problem-solving approach to life’s challenges relieves stress and can transform it into something positive. If you withdraw, deny the problem, or spend all your time venting, you’ll feel helpless. Instead, be determined to make a change, put effort into it, and plan for better results.

Practice slow, deep breathing. Start applying the power of deep breathing each day. It will make a huge difference. Wells recommends you start small by taking three deep breaths each time you sit down at your desk — in the morning, after breaks, after lunch and so on. It will help you become more patient,

Block time for single-tasking. Each day, schedule time in your calendar for focusing exclusively on one task. This task should be something that is important to you. “People love to talk about multi-tasking, but while doing several things at once might make it seem as if you are working hard, it’s an illusion,” Wells says. Your body and mind are not designed to work that way and it causes extra stress.

“Ultimately, it’s important to remember that your thoughts have a strong influence over stress levels,” Wells says. “What you choose to think about, or not think about, dictates how your body and mind react to everyday life.”

Photo: Stressful experiences are a normal part of life, and the stress response is a survival mechanism that primes us to respond to threats. Some stress can be considered positive; but when a stressor is negative and can’t be fought off or avoided — such as layoffs at work or a loved one’s medical crisis — or when the experience of stress becomes chronic, our biological responses to stress can impair our physical and mental health.

Parker Jewish Institute hosts Medal Day for NYPD’s 105th Precinct

Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation proudly hosted the 2025 Medal Day for the New York Police Departments 105th Precinct.

At the ceremony, which was held in Parker’s spacious auditorium, NYPD officials recognized officers who exemplified extraordinary merit and excellence in their police duties. In attendance were community leaders and supporters, as well as family members who had gathered to show their appreciation.

Michael N. Rosenblut, Parker’s president and CEO, accepted an NYPD award on behalf of Parker. The award recognized Parker’s dedication to the 105th Precinct and Parker’s continued commitment to community partnership with local first responders.

“We were honored to host NYPD’s 105th Precinct Award Ceremony and show our support to New York’s Finest,” Mr. Rosenblut said. “These highly skilled, empathetic officers help ensure the safety

of the Parker Jewish Institute community each and every day.”

About The Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation

The Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation is headquartered in

New Hyde Park, New York. The facility is a leading provider of Short-Term Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care. At the forefront of innovation in patient-centered health care and technology, the Institute is a leader in teaching and geriatric research. Parker Jewish Institute features its own

Parker Jewish Institute • (718) 289-2212

Health memos are supplied by advertisers and are not written by the Herald editorial staff.

medical team, and is nationally renowned as a skilled nursing facility, as well as a provider of community-based health care, encompassing Home Health Care, Medical House Calls, Palliative Care and Hospice. Parker Jewish Institute is also home to Queens-Long Island Renal Institute (QLIRI) — providing patients with safe, comfortable Hemodialysis treatments in a relaxed setting — as well as PRINE Health — a Vascular Center offering advanced vascular services. The Center and QLIRI further Parker’s ability to expand access to essential health-care services to adults in the greater New York metropolitan area. For more information, visit parkerinstitute. org or call (877) 727-5373.

Alcohol and cancer — what will

In a recent Mount Sinai South Nassau “Truth in Medicine” public health poll, 51 percent of metro area residents said they would consider drinking less as a result of the advisory by former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, linking alcohol use to certain types of cancer.

According to the Surgeon General’s advisory, alcohol consumption contributes to nearly 100,000 cancer cases and about 20,000 cancer deaths each year in the United States. Studies show alcohol use increases the risk for breast, colorectal, liver, and esophageal cancer, as well as cancers of the mouth, throat, and voice box.

The poll, sponsored by Four Leaf Federal Credit Union, has sparked a debate over the benefits of reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption, highlighting the tough road ahead for public health experts trying to shift behaviors. Although 58 percent of respondents agree that alcohol can lead to overeating and smoking, fewer than half—46 percent—said they believe it increases the risks of cancer. Meanwhile, 58 percent believe there is a safe level of alcohol that can be consumed without raising one’s risk of cancer.

“Alcohol is a carcinogen, so the more alcohol a person drinks — particularly over time — the greater their risk of developing an alcohol-associated cancer,” said Adhi Sharma, MD, President of Mount Sinai South Nassau. “It would be prudent to add the cancer risk to the warning label, which could have a dual effect of reducing alcohol-related accidents as well as a range of serious health complications, such as liver and heart disease, stroke, depression, and brain damage.”

Studies show that alcohol may increase cancer risk by disrupting cell cycles, triggering chronic inflammation, damaging DNA (which controls cell growth and function), and elevating hormone levels, including estrogen, which plays a role in breast cancer development.

“As a hepatologist and gastroenterologist, I remind my patients

that while complete abstinence is the safest path, reducing consumption (no more than 1 standard drink for women and no more than 2 for a man), staying hydrated, avoiding binge drinking, and supporting liver health with a balanced diet might help mitigate some of alcohol’s toxic effects,” said Pruthvi Patel, MD, Associate Program Director of Outpatient Hepatology, Division of Gastroenterology, Mount Sinai South Nassau, and Associate Professor of Medicine (Liver Diseases), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “But there’s no completely safe level when it comes to cancer risk.”

According to the American Association of Cancer Research’s 2024 Cancer Progress Report, 40 percent of all cancer cases in the United States are associated with modifiable risk factors like alcohol consumption. The Surgeon General affirmed in the advisory that, “The largest burden of alcohol-related cancer in the United States is for breast cancer in women, with an estimated 44,180 cases in 2019, representing 16.4 percent of the approximately 270,000 total breast cancer cases for women.”

Adding the cancer risk warning to alcohol labels may be the inspiration some need to quit drinking alcoholic beverages, as 54 percent of poll respondents say they generally trust warning labels on food and beverages. Seeing the warning in print could provide the motivation for the 20 percent (of those who said they drink alcoholic beverages) to act on their desire to cut back on alcohol.

“I strongly encourage everyone to make it a priority to consider whether they should reduce the amount of alcohol they drink,” said Aaron Glatt, MD, Chief of Infectious Diseases and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau. “Additional benefits of drinking less include lowered blood pressure, weight loss, a healthier complexion, sharper mental clarity, balanced mood, reduced anxiety, and better liver function.”

Mount Sinai South Nassau has provided behavioral health and substance use disorder services to Nassau County residents for more than 50 years. The hospital is committed to providing the highest-quality treatment and support to children, adults, and

Health memos are supplied by advertisers and are not written by the Herald editorial staff.

A recent Mount Sinai South Nassau “Truth in Medicine” public health poll revealed that 51 percent of metro area residents said they would consider drinking less as a result of the advisory by former U.S. Surgeon General, linking alcohol use to certain types of cancer.

families with a wide variety of symptoms and diagnoses, from substance abuse to anxiety and depression to attention deficithyperactivity disorder and more.

The hospital counseling centers offer outpatient, in-person, and telehealth services in Baldwin and Hempstead; they accept a variety of payment options and use a sliding scale for uninsured patients. Treatment is provided in English and Spanish, as well as in more than 100 other languages via interpreter services. Call (516) 3775400 to schedule an appointment.

Mount Sinai South Nassau is Improving Health Care on the South Shore

The new Fennessy Family Emergency Department at Mount Sinai South Nassau doubles the size of our previous emergency department, o ering 54 private exam rooms with clear lines of sight for physicians, nurses, and support sta . Our new emergency department also o ers a separate triage area, dedicated areas for children and behavioral health patients, and has been designed to reduce wait times and improve patient outcomes.

The Fennessy Family Emergency Department is located within the new Feil Family Pavilion, opening later this year, which will have 40 new critical care suites and nine new operating rooms, designed to support the most complex surgeries on the South Shore.

To learn more visit www.mountsinai.org/feilpavilion

Queens-Long Island Renal Institute offers Home Hemodialysis/ Certified Home Health Care available through Parker Jewish Institute

Queens-Long Island Renal Institute (QLIRI), a 2025 Bests of Long Island winner and located at The Parker Jewish Institute, now offers a state-of-the-art Home Hemodialysis Program for people battling kidney disease. Those patients who also require Certified Home Health Care can access it conveniently through QLIRI’s affiliate, Parker Jewish Institute.

With QLIRI’s Home Hemodialysis Program, patients can transition from an in-center setting to receiving hemodialysis from the comfort of their home, using the Tablo Hemodialysis System. Enrolled patients are first trained by a registered nurse. The nurse provides step-by-step guidance four days a week over the course of four weeks, or longer if necessary. With this training, patients learn to use the system before transitioning to the convenience of home hemodialysis.

If needed, patients of Parker’s Certified Home Health Care Agency receive individualized nursing, medical, and rehabilitation services, so they can maintain maximum independence in the comfort of their homes. Home-care services can include skilled-nursing care; physical, occupational and speech therapy; home-health aides; medical social services; medical supplies; and 24-hour telephone availability.

Call (718) 289-2600 with questions. To learn more about QLIRI’s Home Hemodialysis Program, visit qliri.org.

For more on Parker’s Certified Home Health Care, visit parkerinstitute.org.

Health memos are supplied by advertisers and are not written by the Herald editorial staff.

STEPPING OUT

Young imaginations shine

Little Learners Art Lab at Long Island Children’s Museum is filled with year-round creativity

By Danielle Schwab

Long Island Children’s Museum transforms into a colorful hub of creativity for some of its smallet visitors, every Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Its Little Learners Art Lab welcomes young artists — and the grownups with them — for a handson art adventure designed to spark curiosity and imagination.

Whether it’s painting, planting or playing with textures, sessions offer an inviting space where toddlers and preschoolers can explore the world through art. This is more than about creating something beautiful — it’s about growing minds and nurturing self-expression.

“We try to infuse in all of the themes different mediums, exposure to different artists and different approaches to art,” says Ashley Niver, the museum’s director of education. Each week, children are introduced to artists, techniques, and styles through engaging projects and materials, led by museum educators. Parents and grandparents are welcome to join in the fun, making it a bonding experience that’s as enriching for adults as it is for kids. Through these immersive projects, the tots explore their creativity and even make new friends.

“Around a third of our visitors are under the age of five. It’s important for early childhood development to have activities that are process-focused to give them that expressive freedom [to create],” Niver explains.

In each class, young learners are encouraged to ask questions, try new things and take the lead in their creative journey. The program mixes play with gentle guidance, helping children explore big concepts in age-appropriate ways.

The activities act as a gateway to talk about new concepts for young learners as they discover the world around them, combining inquisitive thinking with instructional supervision. On the schedule, May 22, families can explore the lifecycle of a plant while decorating terracotta pots during Art In Bloom. Kids will plant seeds in those pots and take their tiny gardens home to watch, water and nurture as litle sprouts grow into blooming plants.

That’s followed by Crystallized Creations on May 29. The salt-based art project allows kids experiment with textures and observe how salt and paint interact — adding a rocky twist to their creativity.

“Science isn’t just happening behind the scenes. It can

‘Murr’ goes solo

Get ready to laugh — and laugh you will. Prepare for an unforgettable night filled with comedy, chaos and wild antics as Impractical Jokers’ James “Murr” Murray hits the stage on The Errors Tour. Known for his outrageous pranks, laugh-out-loud moments and unpredictable humor, Murr brings the party to you with a show packed full of hilarious stories, ridiculous mishaps and plenty of jaw-dropping moments. With his signature style of comedy and a few unexpected surprises, Murr will have you in stitches from start to finish. It’s surely a non-stop ride of comedy, antics and pure fun you won’t want to miss. For more than a decade, Murr and his lifelong Friends — Sal, Joe and Q — have been making audiences laugh across the country, and now he’s bringing the laughs to you. Murr Live is hysterical — of course, interactive — stand-up comedy, in true Impractical Jokers style. Hangout with Murr as he tells funny stories, shows off his own personal never-before-seen videos from Impractical Jokers and plays Jokers “live” on stage with the audience.

• Weekly Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-noon

• Admission: $18 adults and children over 1 year old, $16 for seniors, free to members and under one year; additional fees for theater and special programs may apply

• For more information, visit licm.org or call (516) 224-5800

happen when you’re mixing paint and looking at changes in color or how, for instance, the salt disperses the paint pigment,” Niver says.

Other sessions examine techniques like pointillism or even introduce self-portraits in a thoroughly kid-friendly approach.

“When the parents see these ‘sticky moments’ for younger kids where they’re ingrained in these memories and these experiences, they are right there for the ride,” Niver adds.“They’re going through it with their children, and seeing their children light up and experience joy and learning of these new concepts connects the parents to the activities.”

Of course, art doesn’t have to happen in a classroom or museum space, it can also be done right at home! Niver encourages families to use these classes as an accessible way to bring the creativity back to their households.

“We want to give the opportunity for parents to incorporate making art in easy forms at home that may be less daunting for them,” Niver says.

And often, the youngsters can try materials and methods they may not have access to elsewhere. The sessions offer an introduction to new media as well.

“We also try to balance with materials that maybe they wouldn’t be exposed to normally at home. We could bring in easels one day and have the kids do canvas painting,” she adds.

The fun doesn’t stop when class ends. The museum’s exhibits and upcoming events are often tied into the weekly themes. So, when the class concludes, there’s plenty more to explore!

For example, in celebration of National Zoo and Aquarium Month, in June, kids can make majestic underwater creatures using recycled materials and bubble wrap. This is a creative “sneak peek” teaser what’s to come as the museum prepares to open its newest permanent exhibit, “Saltwater Stories,” in October.

Accessibility is another important component of the museum’s approach to arts programming. Little Learners Art Lab provides families with high-quality early childhood education at a fraction of the cost of private art classes or specialized preschool programs, according to the leadership team. The program’s affordability ensures that all children in the community have access to enriching artistic experiences that contribute to cognitive, social, and emotional development.

“Our whole point is to bring people in, and celebrate and cater to the audience that is coming to us daily, and that is the early childhood audience,” Niver says.

“We hope that for years to come families will bring back other children in their family, as their family grows, and continue to value the museum.”

Kids and their adult partners play and create together at the Art Lab. Artistic inspiration involves developing young motor skills as everyone fully engages in the moment.

Friday, May 16, 7 p.m. $65, $55, $45, $35. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny. com.

David Finckel, Wu Han and Chad Hoopes

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Artistic Directors David Finckel (piano) and Wu Han (cello) have assembled a scintillating collection of works that reveal the joy and depth of the chamber music literature. Starting as frequent collaborators, Finckel and Han have been married since 1985. As a duo, they began to tour regularly while retaining residencies in New York. In this program, volin sonatas from the Baroque and Classical eras are performed by the young virtuoso Chad Hoopes, followed by Mendelssohn’s invigorating Second Sonata for cello and piano, a gem of the Romantic era. The art of romantic music hits a high point in the concluding work, in which all combine for a trio by the founder of Czech music, Bed�ich Smetana.

Sunday, May 18, 3 p.m. Tilles Center, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or tillescenter.org or (516) 299-3100.

Your Neighborhood CALENDAR

MAY

Garden Days

Garden lovers, green thumbs and spring seekers: Old Westbury Gardens’ beloved Garden Days return. Four vibrant days are filled with plants, programs, and purpose, highlighted by the much-anticipated Plant Sale Preview Party on Friday evening. On May 16 (6–8 p.m.), guests are invited to sip, shop and stroll through the gardens during this exclusive first-look event, featuring live music, sweet and savory treats, and early access to a lush array of rare perennials and signature plants grown right here on Long Island. The two-day plant sale runs May 17–18, (10 a.m.-4 p.m.), where shoppers can select from a curated selection of garden favorites with expert guidance from the Gardens’ horticulture staff. Addition highlights include a panel discussion, Guided walks and garden tours and spring celebration chamber concert.

•Where: 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury

•Time: Ongoing, May 15-18

•Contact: Visit oldwestburygardens.org/2025garden-days for full schedule and ticket details

On Exhibit

Nassau County Museum of Art’s latest exhibition, the original “Deco at 100” coincides with the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Paris International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts (Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes) that publicly launched the movement. The direct follow-up to the well-received 2023 exhibit, “Our Gilded Age,” it comparably links the period’s signature innovation in the decorative arts, Art Deco, to the fine arts. On view through June 15.

•Where: 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor

•Time: Ongoing

•Contact: (516) 484-9337 or nassaumuseum.org

‘Elephant & Piggie’s

We Are in a Play!’

The beloved musical adventure, ripped from the pages of Mo Willems’ beloved award-winning, best-selling children’s books, is back on stage at Long Island Children’s Museum. Willems’ classic characters Elephant and Piggie storm the stage in a rollicking musical romp filled with plenty of pachydermal peril and swiney suspense perfect for young audiences.

•Where: Museum Row, Garden City

•Time: Also May 17 and May 20-22, times vary

•Contact: licm.org or call (516) 224-5800

Jon Lovitz

Comedy legend Jon Lovitz brings his signature wit and unforgettable characters to the Paramount stage for a night of nonstop laughs. Best known for his Emmy-nominated run on SNL and roles in hit films like “A League of Their Own” and “The Wedding Singer,” Lovitz has been a staple of comedy for over 30 years. He got his start acting in high school productions, developing his skills at the University of California, Irvine where he earned a B.A. in Drama. He also studied acting with Tony Barr at the Film Actors Workshop. At the advice of Tony Barr, Jon decided to concentrate solely on comedy. From there his trajectory took off. He began taking classes with the famed improv comedy group The Groundlings in 1982. One year later, Jon got his first acting job on the television show “The Paper Chase: the Second Year.” Two years followed and then he was accepted into The Groundlings main company. In March 1985 The Groundlings appeared on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” where Jon premiered his character “Tommy Flanagan of Pathological Liars Anonymous. SNL and numerous other offers followed and Jon was on his, working non-stop since. Along with his comedy, Jon is well known for his distinctive voice. It has served him will in his varied TV and film career. He is one of the few performers to start as an actor and then become a stand-up comedian who successfully headlines venues nationwide. Jon’s humor is unique, which is attributable to his quirky personality, and he is sure to entertain. $59.50, $49.50, $39.50, $29.50.

MAY 17

Hometown Hero Banner Dedication Ceremony

Franklin Square Civic Association hosts a dedication ceremony for this year’s Hometown Hero Banner Program, which honors military and first responders in Franklin Square.

•Where: Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2718, 68 Lincoln Road

• Time: 11 a.m.

•Contact: HometownHeroes@ FSQCivic.org, or call Adrienne McKenna at (516) 592-3405

Spring Fling Dog Walk

EPIC Family’s South Shore Guidance Center encourages everyone and their four-legged companions to participate in the annual walk for mental wellness. With face painting, games, raffles, and more. Free t-shirts while supplies last. Registration requested.

•Where: Cow Meadow Park, Freeport

•Time: p2p.onecause.com/ springfling2025

Art Explorations

Converse, collaborate and create at Nassau County Museum of Art. Kids

and their adult partners can talk about and make art together. Enjoy reading and play in the Reading Room, and contribute to The Lobby Project, a collaborative art installation. Registration required.

•Where: 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor

•Time: noon-3 p.m.

•Contact: (516) 484-9337 or nassaumuseum.org

Das Bock! Lager Festival

New York’s Original Lager Festival returns to the Plattdeutsche Biergarten. This one-of-a-kind event is a must for beer lovers of all levels. Enjoy food, live music, and connect with brewers and industry pros behind your favorite pours.

•Where: Plattdeutsche Park Restaurant, 1132 Hempstead Tpke., Franklin Square

•Time: Noon-5 p.m.

•Contact: Buy tickets at parkrestaurant.com or call (516) 354-3131

Concert of Contrasts

Join the Long Island Choral Society and Music Director Michael C. Haigler for their final concert of the season. “From the Sublime to the Ridiculous”, offers the beautiful melodies of Johannes Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes as

•Where: 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont.

• Time: 2:30 p.m.

•Contact: plazatheatrical.com or call (516) 599-6870

New York Equestrian Center Horse Show/ Camp Open House

Bring the family for unforgettable day at the stables. Highlights include free pony rides, bounce house, hobby horse race at $10 per entry (fun for all ages). With summer camp tours and info sessions. Whether you’re a seasoned rider or just curious, this is the perfect opportunity to explore NYEC, meet the team, the horses and experience the excitement of this horse show.

•Where: 633 Eagle Ave., West Hempstead

•Time: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

•Contact: (516) 486-9673

Irish Music Festival

•Where: The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington.

• Time: 7 p.m.

•Contact: ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com

well as the ridiculous antics of P.D.Q. Bach’s Liebeslieder Polkas. Liebeslieder translates as Love Song and this concert will give two very different visions of musical expressions of love. Act I features Brahms lush waltzes, scored for 4-hand piano and sure to elicit emotions and romantic memories through its lush melodies and sublime poetry. Act II presents P.D.Q. Bach’s interpretation of love songs through energy driven polkas scored for 5-hand piano in such a manner as to create chaos, musical mayhem, visual hijinks and some seriously bad puns. $20, $10 youth. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at door.

•Where: Garden City Community Church, 245 Stewart Ave., Garden City

•Time: 7 p.m.

•Contact: lics.org or call (516) 652-6878

MAY 18

Tunes with Parrot Beach

Plaza Theatricals welcomes the Jimmy Buffet tribute band. Get ready for summer with your favorite Buffet classics. Enjoy “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” “Margaritaville,” “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere,” and “Volcano.” $40, $35 seniors. Groove along at Plaza’s stage at Elmont Memorial Library.

Join Matt Wahl, Shilelagh Law and the Narrowbacks as they celebrate Irish heritage with music performances at Plattdeutsche Park Restaurant’s Irish Music Festival. Tickets are $20 at the door. Kids under 16 get in for free.

•Where: 1132 Hempstead Tpke., Franklin Square

•Time: Noon -7 p.m.

•Contact: parkrestaurant.com or call (516) 354-3131

MAY

Unclaimed Funds workshop

County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, in partnership with State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, gives a presentation at Elmont Memorial Library. Discuss what unclaimed funds are and how to search for them. No registration required.

•Where: 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont

•Time: 6-7 p.m.

•Contact: elmontLlibrary.org or call (516) 354-5280

Having an event?

Items on the Calendar page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to kbloom@ liherald.com.

Rescuing Families prepares for construction

objects from surfaces—began removing the kitchen’s countertops and cabinets.

“I think the most beautiful thing was to see Mr. Reyes’s face when he walked in the door,” she said of Lorenzo. “It was just complete joy on his face. It was a wonderful thing to see.”

Renovations will include full window replacements, new kitchen cabinets low enough for Douglas to access from his wheelchair, a handicapped-accessible bathroom and shower, a custom deck and ramp outside, and a new open floor plan to help him move around more easily. If the charity raises enough money, Vincent Centauro said, they also plan to replace the roof.

“It’s life-altering for them,” Gina said of the families the charity helps. “It gives them freedom in their own home.”

Capera, who is familiar with the charity’s work, saw the renovations Rescuing Families completed two years ago for Gina’s sister, Dina Cantone, of Franklin Square, describing the experience as “mind-blowing.”

Cantone is autistic, deaf and developmentally disabled, and suffers from knee pain that makes it difficult for her to move around her home. Gina said the renovations were tailored to Cantone’s specific needs, to make it easier for her and her caregivers to navigate the house.

Vincent explained that his own experience with his father was the reason Rescuing Families was founded. His late father, Henry Centauro Jr., was a Vietnam War veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange—a chemical used by the U.S. military to kill jungle foliage— causing irreparable nerve damage and impairing his use of his arms and legs.

Keller Williams Legendary volunteers with Rescuing Families one day a year because the charity holds

a special place in the heart of the agency’s owner since 2019, Linda Chen. Chen’s son, Jason, is autistic, which presented many challenges for her and her family as he was growing up. He received speech and occupational therapy, but, Chen said, it was hard to find time for those services while she was working.

“It’s not easy,” she said, adding that she wishes more people helped those with disabilities. “I feel for other individuals.”

Jason Chen, now 27, works at Spectrum Designs Foundation, a custom apparel and merchandise busi-

ness in Port Washington that offers career opportunities for autistic adults. He helps create, embroider and print designs on merchandise such as T-shirts and hats.

“I know there’s not enough education and knowledge about disabilities,” his mother said. “So I’m also out there teaching and telling people about these causes, because the disabled community needs a voice, too.”

Once a year, she explained, the agency observes Red Day, when it closes for business to volunteer in the community on various projects, including partnerships with charities like Rescuing Families.

“We just love doing it every year,” she said.

Red Day began in 2009 as a way to uphold the company’s philanthropic responsibilities to the communities it serves.

Baldassare LaRussa, a Keller Williams sales agent for the past five years, said the agency’s family-oriented culture drives its community work.

“I love to volunteer,” LaRussa said. “I feel like community is everything. If you’re not helping the people in your community, it’s not a real community.”

The Centauros, he said, are among the best people he has ever met, and he encourages others to donate to their cause.

As the renovations on the Reyeses’ home are completed, Douglas and his parents are staying with family in Huntington. Capera said he is deeply grateful for the work Rescuing Families is doing.

“It feels great,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

The Centauros said they are a looking forward to seeing the family’s reaction when the work is done.

“You see a whole change in their personality,” Gina said. “It’s miraculous.”

“Honestly,” Vincent added, “I think we are excited to get this family the ease and freedom that they need.”

May 15, 2025 —

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

Public Notices

SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU, FLAGSTAR BANK, FSB, Plaintiff, vs. NICHOLAS YAWORSKI A/K/A NICHOLAS M. YAWORSKI, ET AL., Defendant (s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on January 11, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Courthouse, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on June 4, 2025, at 2:00 PM, premises known as 101 FRANKLIN STREET, FRANKLIN SQUARE, NY 11010. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Franklin Square, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section: 33, Block: 422, Lot: 118. Approximate amount of judgment is $640,101.55 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 618231/2019. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee’s attorney, or the Referee. For Sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832.

ELLEN DURST, Esq., Referee Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff 153240

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT.

NASSAU COUNTY.

FNA DZ, LLC, Pltf. vs. HERNAN RAIGOZA, et al, Defts. Index #607595/2024.

Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered April 23, 2025, I will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on June 10, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. premises k/a Section 32, Block 330, Lot(s) 67, 68. Sold subject to terms and

conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. The foreclosure sale will be held, “rain or shine.” SCOTT H. SILLER, Referee. LEVY & LEVY, Attys. for Pltf., 12 Tulip Dr., Great Neck, NY 11021. #102289 153358

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, 999 HEMPSTEAD LENDER LLC, Plaintiff, vs. 999 HEMPSTEAD TURNPIKE LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on November 1, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on June 10, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 993-1007 Hempstead Turnpike, Franklin Square, NY 11010. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 35, Block 4 and Lots 1-7 and 28-34. Approximate amount of judgment is $5,331,601.33 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #600185/2023.

Peter H. Levy, Esq., Referee Vallely Law PLLC, 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 165, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff 153348

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, AS SUCCESSOR-ININTEREST TO U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE ON BEHALF OF THE HOLDERS OF THE J.P. MORGAN MORTGAGE ACQUISITION TRUST 2006-NC1 ASSET BACKED PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-NC1, Plaintiff AGAINST GEORGIA SARANTIS, GERASSIMOS

ALEXATOS, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered March 6, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on June 5, 2025 at 2:00 PM, premises known as 140 Hunnewell Avenue, Elmont, NY 11003. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Franklin Square, near Elmont, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 35 Block 29 Lot 1067. Approximate amount of judgment $546,398 .58 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #608283/2023.

Francesco P. Tini, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 22-004882 85444 153339

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Article 9 of the New York State Constitution, the provisions of the Town Law and Municipal Home Rule of the State of New York, both as amended, a public hearing will be held in the Town Meeting Pavilion, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead, New York, on the 27th day of May, 2025, at 10:30 o’clock in the forenoon of that day to consider the enactment of a local law to amend Chapter 202 of the code of the Town of Hempstead to INCLUDE and REPEAL “REGULATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS” to limit parking at the following locations:

BELLMORE Section 202-15

NATTA BOULEVARD (TH 169/25) North Side - NO PARKING BETWEEN 8 AM TO 2 PM EXCEPT SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS & HOLIDAYS - starting at a point 11 feet west of the west curbline of Clemons Street, west for a distance of 53 feet. ELMONT SECTION

202-19

MURRAY HILL STREET (TH 167/25) North Side - THREE HOUR PARKING - starting at a point 43 feet east of the east curbline of Biltmore Avenue, east for a distance of 22 feet.

ALSO, to REPEAL from Chapter 202 “REGULATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS” to limit parking from the following locations: MERRICK

Section 202-11 LOINES AVENUE (TH 236/09) North SideTWO HOUR PARKING 7 AM to 4 PM EXCEPT SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS and HOLIDAYSstarting at a point 176 feet east of the east curbline of Hewlett Avenue, east for a distance of 34 feet.

(Adopted 8/04/09) ALL PERSONS INTERESTED shall have an opportunity to be heard on said proposal at the time and place aforesaid.

Dated: May 13, 2025 Hempstead, New York BY ORDER OF THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD

DONALD X. CLAVIN, JR.

Superviso

KATE MURRAY Town Clerk 153507

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that pursuant to Section 202-48 of the code of the Town of Hempstead entitled, “Handicapped Parking On Public Streets,” a public hearing will be held in the Town Meeting Pavilion, Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead, New York, on the 27th day of May 2025, at 10:30 o’clock in the forenoon of that day, to consider the adoption of a resolution setting aside certain parking spaces for motor vehicles for the sole use of holders of special parking permits issued by the County of Nassau to physically handicapped persons at the following locations:

BELLMORE

OCEAN AVENUE - west side, starting at a point 393 feet south of the south curbline of Merrick Road, south for a distance of 14 feet.

(TH-177/25)

ELMONT

MADISON STREETnorth side, starting at a point 416 feet west of the west curbline of Cross Street, west for a distance of 20 feet.

(TH-156/25)

(NR)VALLEY STREAM LAW STREET - east side, starting at a point 532 feet south of the south curbline of Stuart Avenue, south for a distance of 20 feet.

(TH-176/25) and on the repeal of the following locations previously set aside as parking spaces for physically handicapped persons:

ELMONT

MURRAY HILL STREETnorth side, starting at a point 43 feet east of the east curbline of Biltmore Avenue, east for a distance of 22 feet.

(TH-37/14 - 9/16/14)

(TH-3/25)

TRAVIS AVENUE - east side, starting at a point 74 feet south of the south curbline of Surprise Street, south for a distance of 20 feet.

(TH-115/19 - 5/23/19)

(TH-173/25) ALL PERSONS INTERESTED shall have an opportunity to be heard on said proposal at the time and place aforesaid.

Dated: May 13, 2025 Hempstead, New York BY ORDER OF THE TOWN BOARD OF THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD DONALD X. CLAVIN, JR. Supervisor KATE MURRAY Town Clerk 153510

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., Plaintiff, AGAINST UNKNOWN HEIRS OF THE ESTATE OF BARBARA J. ARNOLD, if they be living and if they be dead, the respective heirs-at-law, next-of-kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignees, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant(s) who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or inheritance, any right, title or interest in or to the real property described in the Complaint, MICHAEL J. ARNOLD A/K/A MICHAEL ARNOLD AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN OF BARBARA J. ARNOLD, et al. Defendant(s) Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale duly entered on January 3, 2025

I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on June 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM premises known as 94 Crown Avenue, Elmont, NY 11003.

Please take notice that this foreclosure auction shall be conducted in compliance with the Foreclosure Auction Rules for Nassau County, and the COVID 19 Health Emergency Rules, including proper use of masks and social distancing.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Elmont, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Section 0032, Block 00305-00 and Lot 00102.

Approximate amount of judgment $389,082.05 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment. Index #602903/2022.

Ronald J. Ferraro, Esq., Referee, Aldridge Pite, LLPAttorneys for Plaintiff40 Marcus Drive, Suite 200, Melville, NY 11747 153503

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT NASSAU COUNTY U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR VELOCITY COMMERCIAL CAPITAL LOAN TRUST 2021-2, Plaintiff against MILLER COMMERCIAL CONSULTANTS CORP., et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC, 28 Corporate Drive, Suite 104, Halfmoon, NY 12065. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered December 24, 2024, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on June 16, 2025 at 2:00 PM. Premises known as 1717 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont, NY 11003. Sec 32 Block 453 Lot 9 and 10. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being at Elmont (not an incorporated Village),

Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $795,715.93 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 609476/2023. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 10th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the Court Appointed Referee shall cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”

Oscar A. Prieto, Esq., Referee File # 23-001035-01 153505

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU The Bank of New York Mellon FKA The Bank of New York, as Trustee for the Certificateholders of the CWABS Inc., AssetBacked Certificates, Series 2005-16, Plaintiff AGAINST Jules Fabien, Carine Fabien, et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered July 26, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on June 17, 2025 at 2:30 PM, premises known as 1692 Greenway Boulevard, Elmont, NY 11003. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Elmont, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section: 37, Block: 655, Lot: 17. Approximate amount of judgment $881,221.94 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #611126/2019. For sale information, plea se visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832. Ronald J. Ferraro, Esq.,

Referee Frenkel Lambert Weisman & Gordon, LLP 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, NY 11706 01-091013-F01 85596 153493

LEGAL NOTICE REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff - against - SHIRLEY GARTNER, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on March 1, 2024. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501 on the 17th day of June, 2025 at 2:00 PM. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Floral Park, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Premises known as 100 Geranium Avenue, Floral Park, NY 11001. (S/B/L#: 32./188/41 and 42)

Approximate amount of lien $782,990.97 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Index No. 000151/2018. Karen C. Grant, Esq., Referee. McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC

Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 840 New York, NY 10170 Tel. 347/286-7409 For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832

Dated: March 20, 2025

During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued

Public Notices

by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale.

153479

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE

COMPANY, Plaintiff, vs. JENNY A. EBERT, AS ADMINISTRATOR TO THE ESTATE OF RICHARD EBERT, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on August 24, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on June 17, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 23 Franklin Street, Elmont, NY 11003. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 32, Block 474 and Lots 17 & 18. Approximate amount of judgment is $184,387.44 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #613100/2021.

Louis B. Imbroto, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 191150-3 153499

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT. NASSAU COUNTY. FNA DZ, LLC, Pltf. vs. DONNA MANGAL, et al, Defts. Index #607965/2024.

Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered April 14, 2025, I will sell at public auction on the North Side steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on June 17, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. premises k/a Section 32, Block 449, Lot 121. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale and the right of the United States of America to redeem within 120 days from the date of sale as provided by

law. The foreclosure sale will take place, “rain or shine.” MARIA SIDERIS, Referee. LEVY & LEVY, Attys. for Pltf., 12 Tulip Dr., Great Neck, NY 11021#102279 153497

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF ANNUAL ELECTION ELMONT UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to the Education Law of the State of New York, and pursuant to Resolution adopted by the Board of Education of the Elmont Union Free School District, Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, on February 11, 2025 to vote on the school budget, and to vote on the library budget, and pursuant to Resolution duly adopted by the Board of Education of Central High School District No. 2 of the Town of Hempstead and North Hempstead, Nassau County, the vote on the school budget and capital reserves of said Central High School District will take place on MAY 20, 2025 in the seven (7) separate election districts as hereinafter in this notice stated and provided.

NOTICE IS HEREBY

FURTHER GIVEN that for the purpose of electing THREE (3) members of the Board of Education of the Elmont Union Free School District; one (1) member for a term of THREE (3) YEARS to the seat now occupied by MICHAEL A. JAIME, whose term expires on June 30, 2025; one (1) member for a term of THREE (3) YEARS to the seat now occupied by DR. TAMEKA BATTLEBURKETT, whose term expires on June 30, 2025; and one (1) member for a term of THREE (3) YEARS to the seat now occupied by TRECIA WONG, whose term expires on June 30, 2025.

NOTICE IS HEREBY

FURTHER GIVEN that for the purpose of electing TWO (2) members of the Board of Library Trustees of the Elmont Library; one (1) member for a term of FIVE (5) YEARS to the seat now occupied by LIVINGSTONE YOUNG, whose term expires on June 30, 2025; and one (1) member for a term of FIVE (5) YEARS to the seat now occupied by SUZANNE SCHATZ,

whose term expires on June 30, 2025.

NOTICE IS HEREBY

FURTHER GIVEN an election will be held on MAY 20, 2025, between the hours of 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM, voting to take place in the seven (7) separate election districts at the polling places hereinafter stated, and for the further purpose of voting upon the following propositions:

PROPOSITION NO. 1

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

BUDGET

RESOLVED, that the amount of the estimated expenses for the school year 2025-2026, as presented in writing by the Board of Education of the Elmont Union Free School District, Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, shall be raised by tax upon the taxable property of this school district after first deducting the estimated monies available from State Aid and other sources.

PROPOSITION NO. 3

LIBRARY BUDGET

RESOLVED, that Elmont Union Free School District of the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, appropriate the amount of estimated expenses for the school year 2025-2026, as presented in writing by the Board of Trustees of the Elmont Public Library, to be levied and collected annually as are other general taxes for the equipment, support and maintenance of the existing free public library including its existing branches.

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN that pursuant to the Education Law of the State of New York and pursuant to Resolution adopted by the Board of Education on February 11, 2025, a public hearing for the purpose of discussion of the proposed budget to be voted upon May 20, 2025 will be held on May 13, 2025 at 8:00 PM at Clara H. Carlson School.

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN, that no person will be entitled to vote at the annual election whose name does not appear on the register of the Elmont Union Free School District prepared for such annual election. Otherwise, qualified residents may have their names placed upon such register at the office of the school within their election district on any day school is in session between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM up to MAY 12, 2025. In addition, the Board

of Registration of each separate election district will meet at the Registration place herein above stated on MONDAY, MAY 12, 2025, between the hours of 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM, at which time any person shall be entitled to have his/her name placed upon such register, provided that upon such meeting of the Board of Registration he/she is known or proved to the satisfaction of such Board of Registration to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at such election for which such register is prepared. The register of the qualified voters of the said school district prepared at the last annual election and for any subsequent school district meetings or elections in said school district shall be used by said Board of Registration as the basis for the preparation of the register for this annual election. Any person whose name appears on said register prepared at and for said district meetings and elections will not be required to register for said annual election to be held on MAY 20, 2025, between the hours of 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the registrar of voters shall include (1) all qualified voters of the District who shall personally present themselves for registration; (2) all previously qualified voters of the District who shall have been previously registered for any Annual or Special District Meeting or Election and who shall have voted at any time within the four calendar years prior to preparation of the said register; and (3) voters permanently registered with the Board of Elections of the County of Nassau.

The register will be filed on May 13, 2025, in the office of the District Clerk at the Elmont Road School and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the school district between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM on each day thereafter, including the day of the annual election, except that on Saturday the hours shall be 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and the school will not open for the said inspection on Sunday.

Commencing May 21, 2025, otherwise qualified residents

may have their names placed upon such register at the office of the school within their election district on any day school is in session between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, for the purpose of preparing a register for elections held subsequent to May 20, 2025.

ABSENTEE BALLOTS:

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, that applications for absentee ballots for voting on said Proposition may be applied for at the Office of the District Clerk. Such application must be received by the District Clerk, completed at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or by 5:00 PM on the day before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter.

A list of all persons to whom absentee ballots shall have been issued will be filed in the Office of the District Clerk and available for public inspection during regular business hours on each of the five (5) days (except Sunday) prior to the day of said vote and such list will also be posted on the day of the voting at the Office of the District Clerk, Elmont Road School.

MILITARY BALLOTS:

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, that pursuant to Education Law Section 2018-d, any person serving in the military, including a spouse, parent, child or dependent accompanying or being with such voter, may register to vote in the upcoming school district election no later than 5:00 PM on April 24, 2024. A military voter who is a qualified voter may obtain a registration form by contacting the District Clerk.

A military voter who is duly registered may apply for a military ballot by requesting an application from the District Clerk. Completed applications must be personally delivered or mailed to the District Clerk and received no later than 5:00 PM on April 24, 2025. Completed military ballots must be received by 5:00 PM on May 20, 2025, if signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto with a date which is not later than the day before the election, or not later than the close of polls on May

20, 2025, if postmarked or endorsed by an agency of the United States government.

A military voter may designate a preference to receive a military voter registration form, military ballot application or military ballot by mail, facsimile or electronic mail in the request for such registration, ballot application or ballot. Such designation will remain in effect until revoked or changed by the voter. If no preference is designated, the District will transmit the military voter registration by mail.

EARLY MAIL VOTING BALLOTS: NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, that pursuant to Section 2018-e of the Education Law, applications for early mail ballots may be obtained at the Office of the District Clerk of the School District, during all days in which the School District is in session. Completed applications must be received by the District Clerk no earlier than April 21, 2025, and by May 13, 2025, if the early mail ballot is to be mailed to the voter. If the early mail ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter at the Office of the District Clerk the completed application must be received by the District Clerk no later than May 19, 2025. No early mail voter’s ballot will be canvassed unless it has been received in the Office of the District Clerk of the School District no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 20, 2025. A list of all persons to whom early ballots have been issued will be available in the Office of the District Clerk during office hours on May 14, 2025, including the day of the annual election, except that on Saturday the hours shall be 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and the school will not open for the said inspection on Sunday.

A challenge to an early voting ballot may not be made on the basis that the voter should have applied for an absentee ballot. The boundaries of the seven (7) separate election districts and the voting places for each of said separate election districts as established by the Board of Education are as follows: ELECTION DISTRICT 1. The place of registration and voting will be the STEWART MANOR SCHOOL, Stewart

Manor, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point in the north line of School District No. 16 where the same adjoins School District No. 22 at the intersection of Third Avenue (which point is approximately 50 feet south of the south line of the main line of the Long Island Railroad); running thence along the boundary line between School District No. 16 and School District No. 22 as it runs generally south, then generally east and again south crossing the Hempstead Branch of the Long Island Railroad; thence continuing east and south along such boundary line to Tulip Avenue; thence southerly along the Covert Avenue center line for about 100 feet and continuing southeasterly 100 feet south of and parallel to Tulip Avenue to the easterly boundary line of School District No. 16; thence continuing in a general northerly direction along the easterly boundary of School District No. 16 to the northeast corner of the School District; thence westerly along the northerly boundary line of School District No. 16 to the point or place of beginning. In addition the said Election District shall include the following: a point commencing at a point on the boundary line between school District No.16 and School District No. 22 at the intersection of the center line of Memphis Avenue and a line about 100 feet North of and parallel to Chelsea Street; thence continuing easterly along this line to it’s intersection with the extension of a line midway between and parallel to Fredrick Avenue and Arthur Avenue; thence proceeding north easterly along said line to the boundary between School District No.16 and School District No. 22; thence north westerly along the said boundary line and continuing north westerly along the said boundary line to the point and place of beginning.

ELECTION DISTRICT 2. The place of registration and voting will be the COVERT AVENUE SCHOOL, Elmont, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point midway between and parallel to Frederick Avenue and Arthur Avenue and proceeding

south along this line to its intersection with the center line of Makofske Avenue; thence south in a straight line to the intersection of the center line of Hempstead Turnpike at a point midway between Emporia Avenue and Stone Street; thence continuing easterly along the Hempstead Turnpike center line to a point 100 feet west of Butler Boulevard; thence continuing southerly along a line 100 feet west of and parallel to Butler Boulevard to a line approximately 100 feet north of Omega Street; thence easterly along the said line 100 feet north of and parallel to Omega Street to a line approximately 25 feet east of South Covert Avenue thence southerly along the said line 25 feet east of and parallel to South Covert Avenue to the intersection of an extension of the Elliott Street center line thence easterly along the Elliott Street center line to an intersection with the Sun Avenue center line; thence continuing along the Sun Avenue center line to an intersection with the Meacham Avenue center line; thence proceeding south along the Meacham Avenue center line midway between E Street and F Street; thence proceeding north easterly and continuing northerly along the District No. 16 boundary line to a point about 100 feet south of Tulip Avenue; thence proceeding in a northwesterly direction along a line about 100 feet south and parallel to Tulip Avenue to the center line of the District No. 16 western boundary where the center line of Covert Avenue and Tulip Avenue intersect; thence continuing on the boundary line, southeasterly, southerly and westerly on a line approximately 100 Feet south of Webster Street to a line midway between Fredrick Street and Arthur Street approximately 50 Feet south of the point or place of beginning. ELECTION DISTRICT 3. The place of registration and voting will be the CLARA H. CARLSON SCHOOL, Elmont, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point midway between Emporia Avenue and Stone Street on the center line of Hempstead Turnpike; thence continuing easterly

Public Notices

along the Hempstead Turnpike center line to a point approximately 100 feet west of Butler Boulevard; thence continuing southerly along the said line 100 feet west of and parallel to Butler Boulevard to a line approximately 100 feet north of Omega Street thence easterly along the said line 100 feet north of Omega Street to a line approximately 25 feet east of South Covert Avenue; thence southerly along the said line 25 feet east of and parallel to South Covert Avenue to the intersection of an extension of the Elliott Street center line; thence continuing easterly along the Elliott Street center line to an intersection with the Sun Avenue center line; thence continuing along the Sun Avenue center line to an intersection with the Meacham Avenue center line; thence proceeding south along the Meacham Avenue center line to a point midway between Collier Avenue and Star Avenue; thence proceeding westerly on a line midway between Collier Avenue and Star Avenue to the boundary of Beth David Cemetery ; to an extension of the easterly boundary of the Beth David Cemetery; thence north westerly along the northerly boundary of the Beth David Cemetery; then, northerly along the boundary of the Beth David Cemetery to a point midway between Emporia Avenue and Stone Street; thence northerly along the midway line between Emporia Avenue and Stone Street to the point or place of beginning.

ELECTION DISTRICT 4.

The place of registration and voting will be the ELMONT ROAD SCHOOL, ELMONT, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point in the boundary line between School District No. 16 and School District No. 22 at the intersection of the center line of Plainfield Avenue and a line approximately 100 feet north of and parallel to Chelsea Street; thence continuing easterly along this line to the intersection of Chelsea Street and Makofske Avenue thence south in a straight line to the northern boundary of Beth David Cemetery; thence westerly along the northern boundary of Beth David Cemetery to the center line of Elmont Road; thence

northerly along the center line of Elmont Road to the intersection of Elmont Road and the Hempstead Turnpike; thence westerly along the center line of the Hempstead Turnpike to the intersection of the Hempstead Turnpike and Plainfield Avenue, thence northerly along the center line of Plainfield Avenue to the point or place of beginning.

ELECTION DISTRICT 5.

The place of registration and voting will be the GOTHAM AVENUE SCHOOL, Elmont, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point on the westerly boundary line of District No. 16 at its intersection with the center line of Hempstead Turnpike; thence easterly along the center line of Hempstead Turnpike to its intersection with the Elmont Road center line; thence south along the center line of Elmont Road to the extension of a line forming the northerly boundary of Elmont Memorial High School ; thence westerly along said line to a point 25 feet west of Kirby Road north westerly to a point approximately 25 feet east of Rye Street northerly on a line parallel to Rye Street to a point approximately 25 feet north of Baylis Avenue to a point approximately 100 feet west of 4th Street; thence north to the southerly side of Hathaway Avenue west on a line formed by the southerly side of Hathaway Avenue to the north along the westerly boundary of School District No. 16 to the point and place of beginning.

ELECTION DISTRICT 6.

The place of registration and voting will be the DUTCH BROADWAY SCHOOL, Elmont, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point on the Linden Boulevard center line where it intersects the Elmont Road center line; thence proceeding southeasterly along the Linden Boulevard center line and continuing on a projection of this line along the Southern State Parkway to its intersection with the District No. 16 easterly boundary line; thence continuing in a northeasterly direction along the District No. 16 easterly boundary line, to the intersection of Meacham Avenue and F Street; thence northerly along a center line of Meacham Avenue to a point approximately

20 feet northerly of Star Avenue; thence westerly along said line to the eastern boundary line of the Beth David Cemetery; thence southerly along the east boundary line of Beth David Cemetery; thence westerly along the south boundary line of Beth David Cemetery to its intersection with the Elmont Road center line; thence continuing in a southwesterly direction along the Elmont Road center line to a line formed by the extension of the Northerly Boundary of Elmont Memorial High School ; thence westerly said line to a point 25 feet west of Kirby Road; thence north westerly to a point 25 north of Renfrew Avenue; thence westerly on a line approximately 25 feet north and parallel to a point approximately 25 feet east of Rye Street northerly on a line parallel to Rye Street to a point approximately 25 feet north of Baylis Avenue to a point approximately 100 feet west of 4th Street; thence north to the southerly side of Hathaway Avenue continuing west on a line formed by the southerly side of Hathaway Avenue to the western boundary of School District No. 6 and then south along the western boundary of School District No. 16 to the center line of Dutch Broadway; thence last along the center line of Dutch Broadway to the intersection of Dutch Broadway and Elmont Road; thence south along the center line of Elmont Road to the point and place of beginning.

ELECTION DISTRICT 7.

The place of registration and voting will be the ALDEN TERRACE SCHOOL, Valley Stream, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point in the westerly boundary of District No. 16 at its intersection with the center line of Dutch Broadway; thence southerly along the westerly boundary line of School District No. 16; to the intersection of Elmont Road and Sobro Avenue thence southeasterly along the center line of Sobro Avenue continuing southeasterly then northeasterly along the boundary of School District No. 16 to the northerly side of the Southern State Parkway thence westerly along the Southern State Parkway to the center

line of Linden Boulevard thence westerly along the center line of Linden Boulevard to the intersection of Linden Boulevard and Elmont Road thence northerly along the center line of Elmont Road to the intersection of Elmont Road and Dutch Broadway thence westerly along the center line of Dutch Broadway to the point or place of beginning.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that nominations for the office of members of the Board of Education and members of the Board of Trustees of the Public Library shall be made by petition, which petition shall name the specific seat the candidate seeks by naming the Board member who occupies the seat and whose term expires on June 30, 2025 and which petition shall be subscribed by not less than THIRTYEIGHT (38) qualified voters of the school district, addressed to the District Clerk and filed with the District Clerk at her office no later than 5:00 PM on Monday, APRIL 21, 2025. Please be advised that the schools and district offices will be closed the week of April 14, 2025. Said petitions to run for a seat on the Board of Education and the Library Board will be available in the District Office at 135 Elmont Road, on any day school is in session between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM and on Monday, April 21, 2025 until 5:00 PM.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that copies of the written estimates of expenses for the school year 2025-2026 (proposed budgets) to be voted on, together with the text of any resolution which will be presented to the voters will be available on request to any qualified voter of the district on and after May 13, 2025, and may be obtained at each school building of the District between the hours of 9:00 AM and 3:30 PM on each school day on and after such date.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that any proposition or question to be placed upon the voting machines shall be submitted in writing by petition subscribed by at least 1,000 qualified voters of the District and filed with the office of the District Clerk between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM, not later than the 30th day

preceding the meeting or election at which time such question or proposition shall be voted upon, except that this rule shall not apply to those questions or propositions which are required to be stated in the published or posted notice of the meeting or to those propositions or questions which the Board of Education has authority by law to present any Annual or Special Meeting of the District.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that pursuant to Chapter 258 of the Laws of 2008, Section 495 was added to the Real Property Tax Law and requires the School District to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value of the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted by statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) and the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted. In addition, said exemption report shall be posted on any bulletin board maintained by the district for public notices and on any website maintained by the District.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Board authorizes the District Clerk to appoint qualified persons as Chairpersons for the annual District elections at the following locations:

Election District No. 1

Election District No. 2

Election District No. 3

Election District No. 4

Election District No. 5

Election District No. 6

Election District No. 7

The Board authorizes the District Clerk to appoint qualified persons as Co-Chairpersons for the annual District elections at the following locations:

Election District No. 1

Election District No. 2

Election District No. 3

Election District No. 4

Election District No. 5

Election District No. 6

Election District No. 7

The Board authorizes the District Clerk to appoint qualified clerks to assist the District Clerk, the Board of Registration, and the Inspectors of Election on the registration

day and at the annual District elections at the following locations:

Election District No. 1

Election District No. 2

Election District No. 3

Election District No. 4

Election District No. 5

Election District No. 6

Election District No. 7

The Board authorizes the following qualified person to be appointed, as Coordinator, for the annual District election: Diana Delahanty

The District Clerk shall attend on registration day and on Election Day each of the seven (7) separate election districts.

The Superintendent of Schools is authorized to arrange with the County Board of Elections for use of voting machines at such annual district election; and counsel is authorized to have the candidate labels and the proposition labels printed for the voting machines.

By order of the Board of Education

ANNA BARBAGALLO

Dated: 2/11/2025

District Clerk I, ANNA BARBAGALLO, District Clerk of the Elmont Union Free School District of the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, hereby certify that the foregoing annexed extract from the minutes of a meeting of the Board of Education of said School District duly called and held on February 11, 2025 has been compared by me with the original minutes as officially recorded in my office in the Minute Book of said Board of Education, and is a true, complete and correct copy thereof, and of the whole of said original minutes so far as the same relate to the subject matters referred to in said extract.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the corporate seal of said School District this 11th day of February 2025. ANNA BARBAGALLO DISTRICT CLERK 152448

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING, ANNUAL DISTRICT ELECTION, AND BUDGET VOTE OF VALLEY STREAM UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT THIRTEEN, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU, STATE OF NEW YORK TO BE HELD ON MAY 20, 2025

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Board of Education of Valley

Stream Union Free School District Thirteen shall hold a public hearing for the purpose of discussion of the proposed budget of expenditure of funds for the school year 20252026; that such public hearing will be held on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the vote by the qualified voters of Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirteen upon the following propositions and elections will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at the polling places set forth herein, between the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Daylight Savings Time on said day.

PROPOSITION NO. 1

DISTRICT THIRTEEN BUDGET

The vote upon the appropriation of the necessary funds to meet the estimated expenditures of Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirteen for the school year 20252026 and authorizing the levy of taxes to meet the estimated expenditures of money during said school year will be held on May 20, 2025 as set forth herein. Copies of the proposed budget, together with the text of any resolution which will be submitted to the voters as well as copies of the estimated expenditures of Valley Stream Central High School District for the school year 20252026 may be obtained by any taxpayer of the School District at the Principal’s Office of each school building on each school day, during the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., during each of the 14 days preceding the voting day, except on Saturday, Sunday or holidays, and at such annual election.

Notice is further given that pursuant to Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law, the District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted by the statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payments in lieu of taxes and the

cumulative impact of all exemptions granted.

PROPOSITION NO. 2 DISTRICT THIRTEEN EXPENDITURE FROM CAPITAL RESERVE RESOLVED, that upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools, the Board of Education hereby authorizes the placement of a proposition to expend monies from the District’s Capital Reserve Fund, established on May 15, 2018, at the Annual Budget Vote and Election on May 20, 2025, and directs the District Clerk to place said proposition in the Annual Notice of said Vote and Election: SHALL the Board of Education of the Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirteen be authorized to expend from the Capital Reserve Fund which was established on May 15, 2018, for the following capital improvement project of improving the field at Wheeler Avenue School, the playground at Willow Road School, the prekindergarten playground at Howell Road School, security fencing District wide, replacing the main play structure at Wheeler Avenue School, and upgrading door security District-wide and other improvements, additions, renovations and other work required in connection therewith; and to expend from the Capital Reserve Fund therefor, including preliminary costs and costs incidental thereto an amount not to exceed the estimated total cost of $1,200,000.

PROPOSITION NO. 3 CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET SHALL the proposed budget of expenditures of Valley Stream Central High School District, Nassau County, New York for the year 20252026 be approved in the amount of $166,848,681, and that the sum be raised through a levy upon the taxable property in the Valley Stream Central High School District, after first deducting the monies from state aid and other sources, as provided by law.

PROPOSITION NO. 4

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT VOTER

PROPOSITION 2025 SHALL the Board of Education hereby authorize the placement of the following voter proposition at the Annual Budget Vote and Election on May 20, 2025 and directs the

Public Notices

District Clerk to place said proposition in the Annual Notice of said Vote and Election: SHALL the Board of Education be authorized to appropriate and expend the maximum amount of $4,500,000 as follows from fund balance for the purpose of completing capital improvements as follows: Restoration of Valley Stream South Streambank, Renovation of District Offices and Renovation of Classrooms. All of the above to include labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs.

PROPOSITION NO. 5

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT CAPITAL

RESERVE PROPOSITION

2025

SHALL the Board of Education hereby authorize the placement of the following voter proposition at the Annual Budget Vote and Election on May 20, 2025 and directs the District Clerk to place said proposition in the Annual Notice of said Vote and Election: RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Valley Stream Central High School District is authorized to acquire by purchase that certain real property and improvements known as 10 Fifth Street, Valley Stream, New York, Section 39 Block 27 Lot 4-7 & 418, at a cost not to exceed $6,400,000.00 dollars, and said sum is hereby appropriated for out of the District’s Capital Reserve Fund established on May 15, 2018 and unappropriated fund balance.

ELECTION OF TRUSTEES

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that for the purpose of electing two members of the Board of Education of the Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirteen, an election will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025 at the same times and at the same polling places as set forth herein.

The following are the vacancies to be filled on the Board of Education:

a) The office of Vincent Caposio, a member of the Board of Education, for a threeyear term commencing May 21, 2025 and expiring June 30, 2028.1

b) The office of Milagros Vicente, a member of the Board of Education, for a threeyear term commencing July 1, 2025 and expiring June 30, 2028. NOMINATION

PETITIONS

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that each vacancy is a separate, specific office and a separate petition is required to nominate a candidate to each separate office. Each petition must be directed to the Clerk of the District, must be signed by at least 26 qualified voters of the District, must state the residence of each signer, must state the name and residence of the candidate, and must describe the specific vacancy for which the candidate is nominated, including at least the length of the term of the office and the name of the last incumbent.

Petitions nominating candidates for the office of the Board of Education must be filed with the Clerk of the District between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. except that on the thirtieth (30th) day preceding the date set for election of trustees, namely Monday, April 21, 2025, nominating petitions may be filed between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The deadline for submitting petitions is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 21, 2025. No person shall be nominated for more than one separate office on the Board of Education. A nomination may be rejected by the Board of Education if the candidate is ineligible for office or declares his/her unwillingness to serve.

In the event of the physical absence of the District Clerk from the District, nominating petitions are to be received and acted upon by the Acting District Clerk in the same manner as required of the District Clerk.

Voting machines will be used for the tabulation of all votes upon propositions and the election of Trustees. The meeting and the election will be conducted according to the Education Law and the rules previously adopted by the Board of Education.

REGISTRATION

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE

THAT qualified voters may register at the James A. Dever School, Howell Road School, Wheeler Avenue School and Willow Road School any day up until Tuesday, May 13, 2025 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. except Saturday, Sunday, and school vacations

and at such times that the school facilities are open. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Board of Registration of this School District shall meet on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at the James A. Dever School, Howell Road School, Wheeler Avenue School and Willow Road School for the purpose of preparing a register of the qualified voters of this District for said annual District election, at which time any person shall be entitled to have his/her name placed upon such register provided that at such meeting of the Board of Registration, he/she is known, or proven to the satisfaction of the Board of Registration, to be then or thereafter entitled to vote at the annual District election for which such register is prepared.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the register shall include (1) all qualified voters of the District who shall personally present themselves for registration; and (2) all previously qualified voters of the District who shall have been previously registered for any annual or special District meeting or election and who shall have voted at any annual or special District meeting or election held or conducted at any time within the four calendar years (2021-2024) prior to preparation of the said register; and (3) voters permanently registered with the Board of Elections of the County of Nassau. The register shall be filed in the office of the District Clerk at James A. Dever School, 585 N. Corona Avenue, Valley Stream, New York where it shall be open for inspection by any qualified voter between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on each of the five days prior to the day set for the election, except Sunday, and between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon on Saturday, May 17, 2025; and at each polling place on election day.

EARLY MAIL AND ABSENTEE BALLOTS

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that applications for absentee and early mail ballots will be obtainable during school business hours from the District Clerk beginning March 21, 2025. Completed applications may not be received by

the District Clerk earlier than April 21, 2025, and must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or to the agent named in the absentee or early mail ballot application. Absentee and early mail ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.

A list of persons to whom absentee ballots shall have been issued, and a list of all persons to whom early mail voter’s ballots shall have been issued, will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the office of the District Clerk on and after Thursday, May 15, 2025, between the hours of 9:00 a.m.3:00 p.m. on weekdays prior to the day set for the annual election and on May 20, 2025, the day set for the election. Any qualified voter may, upon examination of such lists, file a written challenge of the qualifications as a voter of any person whose name appears on such lists, stating the reasons for such challenge. Any such written challenge shall be transmitted by the District Clerk or a designee of the Board of Education to the inspectors of election on election day.

AND FURTHER NOTICE

IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are not currently registered may apply to register as a qualified voter of the Valley Stream Union Free School District 13 by requesting and returning a registration application to the District Clerk in person, or by email to districtclerk@ valleystream13.com. The request for the registration application may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the registration application by either mail or email. Military voter registration application forms must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the Valley Stream Union Free School District 13, may request an application for a military ballot from the District Clerk and return such military

ballot application to the District Clerk in person, or by email to districtclerk@ valleystream13.com. In order for a military voter to be issued a military ballot, a valid military ballot application must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m., on April 24, 2025. Military ballot applications received in accordance with the foregoing will be processed in the same manner as a non-military ballot application under Section 2018-a of the Education Law. The application for military ballot may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the military ballot by mail or email. A military voter’s original military ballot application and military ballot must be returned by mail or in person to the office of the District Clerk at 585 N. Corona Avenue, Valley Stream, New York 11580.

AND FURTHER NOTICE

IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk before the close of polls on May 20, 2025 showing a cancellation mark of the United States Postal Service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government; or received not later than 5:00 p.m. on May 20, 2025 and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is ascertained to be not later than the day before the election.

ELECTION DISTRICTS

The boundaries of the four election districts are as previously adopted by the Board of Education by a resolution adopted on January 28, 1959, and which resolution is filed in the minutes of the District Clerk’s Office.

The places of voting and the general boundaries of the election districts are:

Election District One

The place of voting will be the Wheeler Avenue School, Wheeler Avenue and Rockaway Parkway, Valley Stream. Said District is the area in the vicinity of the Wheeler Avenue School and the southwesterly portion of the District.

Election District Two

The place of voting will be the James A. Dever School, 585 N. Corona Avenue, Valley Stream. Said District is the area

in the vicinity of the James A. Dever School and the southeasterly portion of the District.

Election District Three

The place of voting will be the Howell Road School, Howell Road and Dana Avenue, Valley Stream. Said District is the area in the vicinity of the Howell Road School and the northwesterly portion of the District.

Election District Four

The place of voting will be the Willow Road School, Willow Road and Catalpa Drive, Franklin Square. Said District is the area in the vicinity of the Willow Road School and the northeasterly portion of the District.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE that this Board shall convene a special meeting thereof within twenty-four hours after the filing with the District Clerk of a written report of the results of the ballot for the purpose of examining and tabulating said reports of the result of the ballot and declaring the result of the ballot; that the Board hereby designates itself to be a set of poll clerks to cast and canvass ballots pursuant to Education Law 2019-a, subdivision 2b at said special meeting of the Board. Dated: March 27, 2025 Valley Stream, New York BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, VALLEY STREAM UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT THIRTEEN, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU, NEW YORK Jennifer Mercatante District Clerk 152582

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING, REGISTRATION AND ANNUAL DISTRICT MEETING SEWANHAKA CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT ELMONT, FLORAL PARK, FRANKLIN SQUARE AND NEW HYDE PARK, IN THE COUNTY OF NASSAU, NEW YORK NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to the Education Law, a public Budget Hearing of the Sewanhaka Central High School District of Elmont, Floral Park, Franklin Square and New Hyde Park in the County of Nassau, New York, will be held at Sewanhaka High School, within said district, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that at the Annual District Meeting to be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, a vote upon the propositions

hereinafter set forth will be held at the times and places hereinafter set forth.

(a) Within the area of New Hyde ParkGarden City Park Union Free School District from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Michael J. Tully Park, 1801 Evergreen Avenue, New Hyde Park, NY.

(b) Within the area of Franklin Square Union Free School District, in the John Street School, Polk Street School and Washington Street School between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

(c) Within the area of Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the John Lewis Childs and Floral Park-Bellerose Schools.

(d) Within the area of Elmont Union Free School District from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at your designated polling place.

For the purpose of voting upon the following two (2) Propositions: Budget RESOLVED, that the proposed budget of expenditures of Sewanhaka Central High School District of Elmont, Floral Park, Franklin Square and New Hyde Park, in the County of Nassau, New York for the year 20252026 in the amount of $264,214,795 (Two hundred sixtyfour million, two hundred fourteen thousand, seven hundred ninetyfive dollars) for the purpose shown in the statement of estimated expenditures adopted by the Board of Education, be and the same hereby is approved and the amount thereof shall be raised by a levy of a tax upon the taxable property within said Sewanhaka Central High School District, after first deducting the monies available from state aid and other sources as provided by law.

2025 Capital Reserve Fund SHALL the Board of Education of the Sewanhaka Central High School District, pursuant to Education Law Section 3651, be authorized to establish a Capital Reserve Fund known as the “2025 Capital Reserve Fund” (the “Fund”) which shall be for the purpose of paying all or a portion of the costs of the following: performing capital improvements at the District’s buildings, facilities, and athletic facilities and fields, including masonry

renovation, plumbing upgrades, electrical upgrades, mechanical upgrades (including heating, ventilation and air conditioning), replacement of underground storage tanks, security upgrades, technology upgrades, telephone upgrades, roof replacements, door replacements, window replacements and glazing, site work, classroom and corridor renovations, furnishings and equipment, purchase of district vehicles, all of the foregoing to include all labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs related thereto. The ultimate principal amount of the Fund shall be $15,000,000.00, plus accrued interest and investment earnings thereon. The probable term is to be ten (10) years; the source of the funding to be surplus monies or unexpended unassigned fund balances in the general fund at the end of the current and future fiscal years and/or other legally available reserve funds that may be placed into said Fund, sufficient to fund said ultimate principal amount.

The voting will be by ballot on voting machines as provided by the Education Law and the polls will remain open during the hours above stated for each Component District and as much longer as may be necessary to enable the voters then present to cast their ballots. A qualified voter shall vote within the election district of the Component District in which he/she resides. The Sewanhaka Central High School District has been divided into thirteen election districts: one for New Hyde Park-Garden City Park; three for Franklin Square; two for Floral Park-Bellerose and seven for Elmont, numbered 16-1, 16-2, 16-3, 16-4, 16-5, 166, 16-7. The second portion of this number indicates the election district within Elmont. NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law requires the School District to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value of the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from

May 15, 2025 —

Public Notices

taxation, list every type of exemption granted by statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) and the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted. In addition, said exemption report shall be posted on any bulletin board maintained by the District for public notices and on the District’s website.

NOTICE IS FURTHER

GIVEN that for the purpose of preparing a register of the qualified voters within each of the following school districts: New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Union Free School District, Franklin Square Union Free School District, Floral ParkBellerose Union Free School District and Elmont Union Free School District (each hereinafter referred to individually as a “Component District” and collectively as the “Component Districts”), the Board of Registration of each of said Component Districts will meet as follows:

In New Hyde ParkGarden City Park Union Free School District, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at Manor Oaks-William R. Bowie School.

In Franklin Square Union Free School District, on Mondays through Fridays between 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., when school is in session, in the Office of the District Clerk at 760 Washington Street, Franklin Square, New York prior to May 15, 2025.

In Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District, registration will take place on May 8, 2025 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at the Floral Park-Bellerose School and John Lewis Childs School.

In Elmont Union Free School District, open registration in the office of the school within their election district on any school day, on or before Monday, May 12, 2025, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Last day to register to vote is Monday, May 12, 2025, between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. A qualified voter must present himself or herself in person for registration in the Component District

in which he or she resides and in Elmont and Floral ParkBellerose Union Free School Districts within the election district of such Component Districts in which he or she resides and the board of registration shall place his or her name upon the register provided he or she is known or proven to be such qualified voter for the district meeting or election for which said register is prepared. If a voter has heretofore registered pursuant to Section 2014 of the Education Law and has voted at any annual or special district meeting or election within the prior (4) calendar years, such voter is eligible to vote at this election. If the voter is registered and eligible to vote pursuant to Article 5 of the Election Law, such voter is also eligible to vote at this election. All other persons who wish to vote must register. Immediately upon the completion of each register, said registers will be filed in the respective office of the District Clerk of each Component District, and will be open for inspection at all reasonable times thereafter by any qualified voter of each respective Component District or of this school district as follows:

In New Hyde ParkGarden City Park Union Free School District, the register so prepared will be filed with the Clerk of the district and such Register will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the District between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday in the Superintendent’s Office at the Manor OaksWilliam R. Bowie School, on each of the five (5) days prior to and on the day of election, except Saturday and Sunday.

In Franklin Square Union Free School District, in the Office of the District Clerk, beginning on Thursday, May 15, 2025, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., prevailing time, on Saturday by appointment only, on each day prior to the day set for the election, except Sunday, and at the polling place(s) on the day of the vote.

In Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District, each register, upon its comple-tion, will be filed in the District Clerk’s office, and will be open for inspection from 9:00

a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on each of the five (5) days prior to the meeting or election for which it was prepared, except Saturday and Sunday by appointment only.

In Elmont Union Free School District, in the Office of the District Clerk at the Elmont Road School beginning May 13, 2025, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on each day thereafter, including the day of the annual election, except that on Saturday the hours shall be 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and the school will not open for the said inspection on Sunday.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that applications for early mail ballots and absentee ballots for said Annual District Meeting may be obtained at the office of the District Clerk of the Component District in which the voter resides beginning April 21, 2025 as follows:

In New Hyde ParkGarden City Park Union Free School District, in the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, in the Manor Oaks-William R. Bowie School, 1950 Hillside Avenue, New Hyde Park, N.Y., on school days, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The applications are also available on the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park District website.

In Franklin Square Union Free School District, will be obtainable during school business hours from the District Clerk beginning April 22, 2025. The application is also available on the Franklin Square District website https://www. franklinsquare.k12. ny.us/ under “voter information.”

In Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District, in the office of the District Clerk (Administrative Offices, 1 Poppy Place, Floral Park, New York), or by contacting the District Clerk by email, sclifford@fpbsd.org or phone (516) 434-2728.

In Elmont Union Free School District, at the Office of the District Clerk, Elmont Road School, 135 Elmont Road, Elmont, N.Y. Completed applications must be received by the District Clerk of each Component District in which the voter resides at least seven (7) days before the vote/election if the absentee or early mail ballot is mailed to the voter, or the day before the vote/election if the ballot is to be

delivered personally to the voter. No absentee or early mail ballot shall be canvassed unless it is received in the office of such District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 20, 2025. No absentee or early mail ballot will be accepted more than 30 days prior to the election.

A list of all persons to whom absentee or early mail ballots have been issued will be available in said office of the District Clerk of each Component District, beginning at least five (5) days prior to the vote/election during office hours as set by each Component District. Any qualified voter present in the polling place may object to the voting of the ballot upon appropriate grounds by making their challenge and the reasons therefore known to the Inspector of Election before the close of the polls. A challenge to an early voting ballot may not be made on the basis that the voter should have applied for an absentee ballot.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, that pursuant to Education Law Section 2018-d, any person serving in the military, including a spouse, parent, child or dependent accompanying or being with such voter, may register to vote in the upcoming school district election no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025. A military voter who is a qualified voter may obtain a registration form by contacting the District Clerk of the Component District in which the voter resides as follows:

In New Hyde ParkGarden City Park Union Free School District, in the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, in the Manor Oaks-William R. Bowie School, 1950 Hillside Avenue, New Hyde Park, N.Y, or on the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park District website www. nhp-gcp.org.

In Franklin Square Union Free School District, at the Office of the District Clerk at 760 Washington Street, Franklin Square, N.Y., or on the Franklin Square District website https:// www.franklinsquare. k12.ny.us/ under “Voter Information.”

In Elmont Union Free School District, at the Office of the District Clerk, Elmont Road School, 135 Elmont Road, Elmont, N.Y.

A military voter who is duly registered may apply for a military ballot by requesting an application from the Component District Clerk. Completed applications must be personally delivered or mailed to the Component District Clerk and received no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 24, 2025. Completed military ballots must be received by 5:00 p.m. on May 20, 2025, if signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto with a date which is not later than the day before the election, or not later than the close of polls on May 20, 2025 if postmarked or endorsed by an agency of the United States government.

A military voter may designate a preference to receive a military voter registration form, military ballot application or military ballot by mail, facsimile or electronic mail in the request for such registration, ballot application or ballot. Such designation will remain in effect until revoked or changed by the voter. If no preference is designated, the District will transmit the military voter registration by mail.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that qualified voters with disabilities who seek information about access to polling places may, in advance of the day of the vote, contact the Component District Clerk for information about accessibility.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that copies of the estimated expenditures of the Sewanhaka Central High School District during the school year 20252026 shall be completed at least seven (7) days prior to the date of the public hearing and will be made available upon request to residents within the district during the period of fourteen (14) days immediately preceding the Annual District Meeting at all of the high schools within

In Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District, at the Office of the District Clerk, 1 Poppy Place, Floral Park, N.Y., by telephone (516434-2728), facsimile (516-434-2739), email (sclifford@fpbsd.org), mail (One Poppy Place, Floral Park, NY 11001), or in person (during regular office hours or between the hours of 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.).

the district, as well as the elementary schools of the component districts, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on each day oth-er than a Saturday, Sunday or holiday. The boundaries of the seven (7) separate election districts and the voting places within the boundaries of the Elmont Union Free School District are as follows:

ELECTION DISTRICT 1.

The place of registration and voting will be the STEWART MANOR SCHOOL, Stewart Manor, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point in the north line of School District No. 16 where the same adjoins School District No. 22 at the intersection of Third Avenue (which point is approximately 50 feet south of the south line of the main line of the Long Island Railroad); running thence along the boundary line between School District No. 16 and School District No. 22 as it runs generally south, then generally east and again south crossing the Hempstead Branch of the Long Island Railroad; thence continuing east and south along such boundary line to Tulip Avenue; thence southerly along the Covert Avenue center line for about 100 feet and continuing southeasterly 100 feet south of and parallel to Tulip Avenue to the easterly boundary line of School District No. 16; thence continuing in a general northerly direction along the easterly boundary of School District No. 16 to the northeast corner of the School District; thence westerly along the northerly boundary line of School District No. 16 to the point or place of beginning. In addition the said Election District shall include the following: a point commencing at a point on the boundary line between School District No.16 and School District No. 22 at the intersection of the center line of Memphis Avenue and a line about 100 feet North of and parallel to Chelsea Street; thence continuing easterly along this line to its intersection with the extension of a line midway between and parallel to Fredrick Avenue and Arthur Avenue; thence proceeding north easterly along said line to the boundary

between School District No.16 and School District No. 22; thence north westerly along the said boundary line and continuing north westerly along the said boundary line to the point and place of beginning.

ELECTION DISTRICT 2.

The place of registration and voting will be the COVERT AVENUE SCHOOL, Elmont, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point midway between and parallel to Frederick Avenue and Arthur Avenue and proceeding south along this line to its intersection with the center line of Makofske Avenue; thence south in a straight line to the intersection of the center line of Hempstead Turnpike at a point midway between Emporia Avenue and Stone Street; thence continuing easterly along the Hempstead Turnpike center line to a point 100 feet west of Butler Boulevard; thence continuing southerly along a line 100 feet west of and parallel to Butler Boulevard to a line approximately 100 feet north of Omega Street; thence easterly along the said line 100 feet north of and parallel to Omega Street to a line approximately 25 feet east of South Covert Avenue thence southerly along the said line 25 feet east of and parallel to South Covert Avenue to the intersection of an extension of the Elliott Street center line thence easterly along the Elliott Street center line to an intersection with the Sun Avenue center line; thence continuing along the Sun Avenue center line to an intersection with the Meacham Avenue center line; thence proceeding south along the Meacham Avenue center line midway between E Street and F Street; thence proceeding north easterly and continuing northerly along the District No. 16 boundary line to a point about 100 feet south of Tulip Avenue; thence proceeding in a northwesterly direction along a line about 100 feet south and parallel to Tulip Avenue to the center line of the District No. 16 western boundary where the center line of Covert Avenue and Tulip Avenue intersect; thence continuing on the boundary line, southeasterly, southerly and westerly on a line approximately 100

Feet south of Webster Street to a line midway between Fredrick Street and Arthur Street approximately 50 Feet south of the point or place of beginning.

ELECTION DISTRICT 3. The place of registration and voting will be the CLARA H. CARLSON SCHOOL, Elmont, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point midway between Emporia Avenue and Stone Street on the center line of Hempstead Turnpike; thence continuing easterly along the Hempstead Turnpike center line to a point approximately 100 feet west of Butler Boulevard; thence continuing southerly along the said line 100 feet west of and parallel to Butler Boulevard to a line approximately 100 feet north of Omega Street thence easterly along the said line 100 feet north of Omega Street to a line approximately 25 feet east of South Covert Avenue; thence southerly along the said line 25 feet east of and parallel to South Covert Avenue to the intersection of an extension of the Elliott Street center line; thence continuing easterly along the Elliott Street center line to an intersection with the Sun Avenue center line; thence continuing along the Sun Avenue center line to an intersection with the Meacham Avenue center line; thence proceeding south along the Meacham Avenue center line to a point midway between Collier Avenue and Star Avenue; thence proceeding westerly on a line midway between Collier Avenue and Star Avenue to the boundary of Beth David Cemetery; to an extension of the easterly boundary of the Beth David Cemetery; thence north westerly along the northerly boundary of the Beth David Cemetery; then, northerly along the boundary of the Beth David Cemetery to a point midway between Emporia Avenue and Stone Street; thence northerly along the midway line between Emporia Avenue and Stone Street to the point or place of beginning.

ELECTION DISTRICT 4.

The place of registration and voting will be the ELMONT ROAD SCHOOL, ELMONT, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point in the boundary line between School

Public Notices

District No. 16 and School District No. 22 at the intersection of the center line of Plainfield Avenue and a line approximately 100 feet north of and parallel to Chelsea Street; thence continuing easterly along this line to the intersection of Chelsea Street and Makofske Avenue thence south in a straight line to the northern boundary of Beth David Cemetery; thence westerly along the northern boundary of Beth David Cemetery to the center line of Elmont Road; thence northerly along the center line of Elmont Road to the intersection of Elmont Road and the Hempstead Turnpike; thence westerly along the center line of the Hempstead Turnpike to the intersection of the Hempstead Turnpike and Plainfield Avenue, thence northerly along the center line of Plainfield Avenue to the point or place of beginning.

ELECTION DISTRICT 5.

The place of registration and voting will be the GOTHAM AVENUE

SCHOOL, Elmont, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point on the westerly boundary line of District No. 16 at its intersection with the center line of Hempstead Turnpike; thence easterly along the center line of Hempstead Turnpike to its intersection with the Elmont Road center line; thence south along the center line of Elmont Road to the extension of a line forming the northerly boundary of Elmont Memorial High School; thence westerly along said line to a point 25 feet west of Kirby Road north westerly to a point approximately 25 feet east of Rye Street northerly on a line parallel to Rye Street to a point approximately 25 feet north of Baylis Avenue to a point approximately 100 feet west of 4th Street; thence north to the southerly side of Hathaway Avenue west on a line formed by the southerly side of Hathaway Avenue to the north along the westerly boundary of School District No. 16 to the point and place of beginning.

ELECTION DISTRICT 6.

The place of registration and voting will be the DUTCH BROADWAY SCHOOL, Elmont, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point on the Linden Boulevard center line where it intersects the

Elmont Road center line; thence proceeding southeasterly along the Linden Boulevard center line and continuing on a projection of this line along the Southern State Parkway to its intersection with the District No. 16 easterly boundary line; thence continuing in a northeasterly direction along the District No. 16 easterly boundary line, to the intersection of Meachem Avenue and F Street; thence northerly along a center line of Meacham Avenue to a point approximately 20 feet northerly of Star Avenue; thence westerly along said line to the eastern boundary line of the Beth David Cemetery; thence southerly along the east boundary line of Beth David Cemetery; thence westerly along the south boundary line of Beth David Cemetery to its intersection with the Elmont Road center line; thence continuing in a southwesterly direction along the Elmont Road center line to a line formed by the extension of the Northerly Boundary of Elmont Memorial High School; thence westerly said line to a point 25 feet west of Kirby Road; thence north westerly to a point 25 feet north of Renfew Avenue; thence westerly on a line approximately 25 feet north and parallel to a point approximately 25 feet east of Rye Street northerly on a line parallel to Rye Street to a point approximately 25 feet north of Baylis Avenue to a point approximately 100 feet west of 4th Street; thence north to the southerly side of Hathaway Avenue continuing west on a line formed by the southerly side of Hathaway Avenue to the western boundary of School District No. 6 and then south along the western boundary of School District No. 16 to the center line of Dutch thence last along the center line of Dutch Broadway to the intersection of Dutch Broadway and Elmont Road; thence south along the center line of Elmont Road to the point and place of beginning.

ELECTION DISTRICT

7. The place of registration and voting will be the ALDEN TERRACE SCHOOL, Valley Stream, New York, with said Election District commencing at a point in the westerly boundary of District No.

16 at its intersection with the center line of Dutch Broadway; thence southerly along the westerly boundary line of School District No. 16; to the intersection of Elmont Road and Sobro Avenue thence southeasterly along the center line of Sobro Avenue continuing southeasterly then northeasterly along the boundary of School District No. 16 to the northerly side of the Southern State Parkway thence westerly along the Southern State Parkway to the center line of Linden Boulevard thence westerly along the center line of Linden Boulevard to the intersection of Linden Boulevard and Elmont Road thence northerly along the center line of Elmont Road to the intersection of Elmont Road and Dutch Broadway thence westerly along the center line of Dutch Broadway to the point or place of beginning. The boundaries of the two (2) election districts located within the Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free School District are as follows:

FIRST ELECTION DISTRICT. From the easterly side of Tulip Avenue and Jericho Turnpike, east to Keene Avenue, following the boundaries of U.F.S.D. 22, Northeast to Hillside Avenue and Cherry Lane, the Southwest side of Cherry Lane, even numbers from 34 to 284, to Jericho Turnpike, then South between Sycamore and Lewis Avenues, including both sides of Sycamore Avenue. Boundary continues south of Long Island Railroad Main Line along Easterly side of Floral Park Village Playground and Discharge basin to Hempstead branch of Long Island Railroad. Easterly to School District line south on Westerly side of Covert Avenue to Tulip Avenue, both sides of Tulip Avenue, Northwesterly to Birch Street. Birch Street Southwest to Carnation Avenue, all even numbers 6 through 68 on the Westerly side of Birch, then Northwesterly on Carnation Avenue, then to Tulip to Jericho Turnpike. Generally, with a few exceptions, parents of children attending John Lewis Childs School will vote in the First Election District. All voting and registration within this election district shall

take place at the John Lewis Childs School, Elizabeth Street, Floral Park.

SECOND ELECTION DISTRICT. From the Easterly corner of 225th Street and Jericho Turnpike, east along the Northern border of the school district to Tulip Avenue and Jericho Turnpike. All the even numbers on Jericho Turnpike. This takes in the area of Bellerose Terrace and Bellerose south of Jericho Turnpike, Southeast on Tulip Avenue, to Carnation Avenue, then generally Southeast on Carnation Avenue to Birch Street, all the even numbers on Carnation Avenue from 2 to 342, then Northeasterly on the East side of Birch to Tulip, numbers 1 through 69, then East South to Tulip Avenue to Landau Avenue, South on Landau Avenue along District Line to Webster Street, West on Webster Street, both sides of Webster Street along the southern boundary of District 22 to 225th Street, then north to Jericho Turnpike, to place of beginning. The areas east of Birch Street on Aspen, Oak, Cypress Streets, and Carnation Avenue are included in the second district; Aspen Street from 155 to 260, Oak Street from 126 to 237, Cypress Street from 93 to 222, Carnation Avenue from 348 to 480. Generally, with a few exceptions, parents of children attending Floral Park-Bellerose School will vote in the second election district. All voting and registration within this election district shall take place at the Floral Park-Bellerose School, Larch Avenue, Floral Park.

The boundaries of the three (3) election districts located within the Franklin Square Union Free School District, are as follows: FIRST ELECTION DISTRICT: The place of registration and voting will be the John Street School Beginning at the point of intersection of the rear lot line of the properties fronting on the west side of Claflin Boulevard projected northerly to the center line of Hempstead Turnpike; thence easterly along said center line to the easterly boundary line of the school district; thence southerly and westerly along the said boundary line to the rear lot line of the properties fronting on the west side

Islanders, Anthem launch Business Boost program

The New York Islanders and UBS Arena announced a multi-year partnership with Anthem, naming the health insurance provider the presenting partner of the Islanders’ inaugural local business program, Islanders Business Boost.

According to a news release about the partnership, the program will give local businesses the opportunity to apply for a one-year marketing partnership with the Islanders. As part of the application process, businesses are asked to provide a brief description of their engagement with the local community and their involvement in local health care initiatives.

Renee DeLorenzo/Herald UBS Arena and the New York Islanders have partnered with Anthem to launch Islanders Business Boost for the 2025–26 NHL season.

Two local businesses will be selected each year, the news release said, and receive an Islanders media package to promote their company on Islanders channels. The program will begin during the 2025–26 National Hockey League regular season. Local businesses can apply at NHL.com.

“This partnership underscores the strength of our business relationships and Anthem’s commitment to supporting communities on Long Island and in Queens,” said Adam Cross, senior vice president of corporate partnerships for the Islanders and UBS Arena. “Together, we will provide valuable opportunities for local businesses to grow and thrive.”

As presenting partner of Islanders Business Boost, the news release said, Anthem will have the opportunity to reach more than 150,000 small business-

es on Long Island and Queens.

“As New Yorkers, we are proud to support the Islanders and their commitment to local businesses,” said Mark Miller, regional vice president and general sales manager of the New York commercial market for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. “Working together to support our communities is central to our purpose of improving the health of humanity right here where we live and work.”

Anthem works with communitybased organizations across the state to improve whole health in the neighborhoods it serves. The company offers health insurance coverage options for businesses, individuals, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage in 17 counties in New York. –Renee DeLorenzo

Public Notices

of Dogwood Avenue; thence northerly along said rear line to its intersection with the rear lot line of the properties fronting on the north side of Plato Street and the projection thereof easterly; thence westerly and along the said projection and the rear lot line of the properties fronting on the north side of Plato Street to the rear lot line of the properties fronting on the east side of Jefferson Street; thence northerly along said rear lot line and along the center line of the brook and projection thereof northerly to the center line of Naple Avenue, thence easterly along said center line to the projection southerly and the rear lot line of the properties fronting on the westerly side of Claflin Boulevard; thence northerly along said projection and the said rear lot line to the point or place of

beginning (excluding Jackson Street).

SECOND ELECTION

DISTRICT: The place of registration and voting will be the Polk Street School Beginning at the intersection of the westerly boundary line of the school district and the intersection of the center line of Hempstead Turnpike; thence easterly along said center line of Hempstead Turnpike to the intersection of the back lot line of Claflin Boulevard; thence southerly along the rear lot line of the properties fronting on the westerly side of Claflin Boulevard to the center line of Naple Avenue; thence westerly along the said center line to the center line of the brook; thence southerly along said center line and the rear lot line of the properties fronting on the easterly side of Jefferson Street including properties fronting on Jackson

Street to the rear lot line of the properties fronting on the northerly side of Plato Street; thence easterly along said rear lot line and the projection thereof easterly to the rear lot line of the properties fronting on the west side of Dogwood Avenue; thence southerly along said rear lot line to the southerly boundary line of the school district; thence westerly and northerly along the said boundary line to the point or place of beginning.

THIRD ELECTION

DISTRICT: The place of registration and voting will be the Washington Street School Beginning at the northwesterly corner of the school district (at Fernwood Terrace); thence easterly along said boundary line to the northeasterly corner of the school district; thence southerly along the easterly boundary

line of the school district to the center line of Hempstead Turnpike; thence westerly along the said center line to the intersection of the westerly boundary line of the district; thence northerly along said line to the point of origin. The place of registration in the New Hyde ParkGarden City Park Union Free School District will be at the Manor Oaks-William R. Bowie School, on May 7, 2025, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Voting will be at Michael J. Tully Park, 1801 Evergreen Avenue, New Hyde Park, NY, from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Only qualified voters who are registered to vote will be permitted to vote.

BY THE ORDER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Dated: April 24, 2025

Joanne Murnane District Clerk

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TRedoing a basement, Part 3

Q. We bought our home three years ago, and are finally ready to finish our basement to make a family room, guest bedroom and a bathroom while enclosing our laundry. Right now it’s just a big open space with a lot of columns. The ceiling is low, and we’ve had estimates to cut down the basement floor. It seems like a lot of money to do all these things at once, but we understand that we need to do it before the prices for materials, as we’ve been warned, go a lot higher. We want to know what needs to be done if we want to lower the floor, take out two columns so our recreation room is bigger, and put in a bathroom. Is there any way to save money?

of comfort and joy.

A. This third column ties together the previous two to state that, basically, you get what you pay for, and sometimes less. I explained that basement bathrooms may not be allowed to have a bathing fixture, tub or shower, depending on the municipal requirements, and that many communities also won’t allow a bedroom in a basement, for safety reasons. I also outlined the process for figuring out beams so that columns can be removed, and that while “guessers” may save you some money up front, repairs can erase the savings.

Now we’re up to lowering the basement floor. “Saving money” and “lowering a basement floor” should rarely be in the same sentence, except for when writing an answer as to why. In general, you want more living space, structurally sound and waterproof. Both of those needs are hard to achieve if any part of the process is left out.

It’s always best to gain the most amount of interior space, and I can often tell when either saving money was the focus or amateur work was done when I see a foundation wall projecting into the basement like a concrete bench. To avoid this look and to get the most use out of the space, you have to start with knowing where the underground water table is. Unless you dig a hole or order a soil-boring test from a professional company, you may soon find out why the floor wasn’t lower to begin with. This test could save you great expense.

The process of correctly supporting the exterior concrete foundation walls is called “underpinning.” The excavation can be done from the interior side of the foundation wall if the exterior isn’t accessible. Either way, the underpinning process must be done in sections, not all at once. There would be complete collapses of walls and floors above if entire foundations were removed at one time. When this is done, it usually causes tremendous damage, possible death and news coverage.

Engineered sections, with waterproofing to the exterior, have to be planned. The old sections are carefully cut out, and then replaced several feet apart before the next sections are removed. Good luck!

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Local voices matter, and the RAPID Act listens

Last month, a handful of Nassau County town supervisors stood in front of a firehouse on Barnum Island and took the low road, whipping up fear, distorting facts and conflating fallacy and fantasy with reality to try to block progress. Their target was the Renewable Action through Project Interconnection and Deployment, or RAPID, Act, a new state law designed to streamline the approval process for large-scale renewable energy and electric transmission projects.

The RAPID Act creates a more efficient and transparent process for reviewing the major infrastructure projects we desperately need. If we’re serious about clean energy, grid reliability and energy security, this is our path toward resiliency and sustainability. It’s good for consumers and developers because the streamlined process reduces costs, making investments in the grid more affordable.

Unfortunately these days, facts don’t seem to matter much to some. But here are the facts.

Before the RAPID Act became law in April 2024, New York state had a patchwork of laws that made siting energy

projects difficult, confusing and expensive. Today there is a clear, easy-to-follow, streamlined system under the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission. The new system saves time and money, increases consistency, and gives communities a meaningful voice from the very beginning.

Here’s how it works.

Before even submitting an application, developers are required to consult with local officials. Throughout the process, the public is invited to comment. Each project must have meaningful community outreach in which residents are invited to participate, along with ORES.

Tfor clean, reliable energy.

The reality is that most projects comply with local laws almost entirely, and the few disputes thus far have largely been resolved through mutual agreement. Waivers aren’t done casually. They must be fully justified. And towns can challenge them. As of last month, only five towns in the entire state had appealed such rulings, and all five rulings were upheld.

here have been over 50 energy project siting hearings across the state.

To date, there have been over 50 hearings across the state. That’s not secrecy. That’s real public engagement. Your comments have been heard, as have developers — who often modify projects in response to public feedback.

Another fallacy is how the RAPID Act treats local laws. It did not create new authority for the state to waive local laws — that ability has been part of the siting process in New York for decades. The act was designed to make those waivers less likely by addressing points of conflict early. And the law allows ORES to waive those laws only when they are unreasonably burdensome and conflict with the state’s goals

If that sounds like a heavy-handed state bulldozing towns, you might want to check the script the town supervisors are reading from, because it’s fiction. What we saw last month was not thoughtful concern for our future infrastructure needs. It was a political strategy that assumes that every environmental policy from Albany is a threat, every clean-energy initiative a conspiracy and every step forward something to block. Lumping everything together and crying foul to whip up outrage doesn’t benefit the New Yorkers that we public servants are here to serve. Meanwhile, our infrastructure is aging, and doing nothing is no longer an option. The RAPID Act moves us forward. It helps make sure our homes have power during extreme storms. It helps reduce pollution. It helps create good-paying jobs in clean energy. That

should be something we can all get behind.

If the supervisors want to sit down and talk seriously about how to improve the process, our door is always open. But yelling about non-existent dangers doesn’t help anyone. It misleads the public. It slows progress. And it makes it harder to build the kind of energy future Long Island deserves and desperately needs.

We believe in transparency, community input and in building a future in which Long Island is stronger, safer and cleaner. The RAPID Act is a big step in that direction.

It’s time to stop the political games. Time to stop pretending that doing nothing is somehow safer. I know firsthand that Long Islanders care about their communities, and the environment. They’re smart enough to see through rhetoric designed to instill fear, and they deserve better: They deserve leadership that tells the truth about the very real needs and demands of our infrastructure and its impacts on growing our economy. As I’ve said in countless hearings and committee meetings, the RAPID Act isn’t about taking power away from towns. It’s about keeping the lights on, making sure everyone has a seat at the table, and making sure we’re ready for the future.

Let’s move forward together.

Rory Christian is chairman of the New York State Public Service Commission.

Companies that produce packing waste must recycle it opinions

Consumers have changed our shopping habits across New York state. The transition to online shopping has significantly increased plastic, paper and cardboard packaging waste. Those materials go to Reworld, which takes our trash, and are turned into ash. The ash needs to go somewhere, but where?

On Long Island, most of the ash goes to Brookhaven Landfill, but that clock is ticking.

The Brookhaven facility will soon reach its capacity for ash, and that means it will close in the next few years, leaving towns such as Hempstead and North Hempstead with no ash-disposal options on Long Island. As packaging waste increases, recycling rates remain lackluster, which adds to our solid-waste burden. The good news is that we can reduce packaging waste and increase recycling rates to help address this challenge. Citizens Campaign for the Environment

chairs a statewide coalition of environmental leaders, local governments, stakeholders and elected officials who have joined to back state legislation called the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. This important bill is urgently needed.

New York is experiencing a solid-waste crisis, with skyrocketing costs to municipalities, abysmal recycling rates, and plastic pollution littering our communities and waterways. Our state generates more than 17 million tons of municipal solid waste annually. Long Island is responsible for 1.6 million tons per year, 205,000 tons of which go to landfills off Long Island, and 1.4 million tons are sent to waste-toenergy facilities, resulting in 400,000 tons of ash that must be landfilled. There is currently no plan to manage this ash once the Brookhaven landfill is closed. The one wise choice everyone agrees on is to reduce our waste stream, and this legislation would do just that. The financial burden of managing recyclable waste falls on local taxpayers. Municipalities are struggling with

p ass the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act!

recycling costs and outdated infrastructure that significantly limits the volume of materials that are recycled. It is estimated that local governments statewide spend more than $200 million each year to keep local recycling programs going. That is not sustainable.

The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act would revolutionize New York’s approach to solid waste by shifting the responsibility of managing plastic, paper and packaging waste to corporations, not taxpayers and local governments. Those that put packaging into the waste stream are best positioned to reduce the amount of packaging that’s created in the first place.

The measure would require large corporations to reduce consumer packaging by 30 percent in 12 years, increase post-consumer recycled content in packaging and invest in new reuse/ refill infrastructure. The bill includes strong oversight and enforcement provisions to ensure that corporations comply.

Other states, including California,

Colorado, Maine and Oregon, have passed such laws, and similar policies have been in effect in parts of Europe and Canada for over 30 years. Where fully implemented, recycling rates exceed 70 percent, and the cost of consumer goods has not increased one penny.

It is time for corporations take out their own trash! Each year, companies ship billions of products with excess packaging, exacerbating the solid-waste crisis, yet they bear no responsibility for managing the waste they create. This sensible legislation promises to save money for municipalities and taxpayers, remove toxic substances from packaging, increase recycling and require producers to reduce waste.

We need to modernize New York’s recycling system and make producers take responsibility for managing their packaging waste. We need the governor, the State Senate and the Assembly to support this critical bill and get it signed into law this year. Every year we do nothing is another year we waste money, and allow our solid-waste management problem to grow. We can do this!

We must restore Musk’s cuts of the 9/11 health fund

it is essential that Congress do all it can to fully restore the World Trade Center Health Program. I commend Long Island Congressmen Andrew Garbarino and Nick LaLota for leading a bipartisan effort to undo the damage, intentional or not, to this program by Elon Musk’s chainsaw cuts of government health programs.

During my years in Congress, no issue was more vital or intensely personal to me than ensuring that all of the surviving victims of the attacks of Sept. 11 — police officers, firefighters, emergency responders, construction workers and civilians — receive the care they require and deserve for the illnesses caused by the toxins they breathed in at ground zero in the days, weeks and months afterward.

It wasn’t until several years after 9/11 that evidence emerged of a growing number of blood cancers and lung and breathing disorders suffered by 9/11 first responders and nearby residents and students. The concern was bipartisan. Democratic Representatives Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney and

ARepublicans Vito Fossella and I were the original prime advocates. We introduced legislation in 2005 and again in 2007 to establish and fund a 9/11 illness detection and treatment program.

ed a rare and fatal blood cancer after working together at ground zero. The chances of this being a coincidence were infinitesimal. And there were countless similar situations.

session, our efforts paid off: Zadroga passed both the House and Senate.

TToday we know that more people have died from 9/11 illnesses than from the attacks, but in those early years, the numbers of victims weren’t yet especially high, and there was no proof of direct linkage to 9/11, which made it difficult to generate strong interest or support outside the New York and New Jersey congressional delegations.

hey’re causing many of the 9/11 doctors and experts to be terminated.

Soon enough, however, there was too much evidence to ignore. Anecdotally, I would see FDNY and NYPD neighbors who had worked at ground zero wearing oxygen masks as they watched their kids’ Little League games or stopped by 7-Eleven for coffee.

Those scenes were repeated across Long Island and the entire downstate region, and there would eventually be victims among rescue workers who had come to New York from almost all 50 states. To make our case, we asked 9/11 heroes to visit Congress to make direct appeals to individual members. I particularly recall NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly sitting in my Washington office telling me about two cops who contract-

The enormity of what was becoming a 9/11 health crisis could no longer be denied. In 2008, we thought our legislation — named the Zadroga Bill, after James Zadroga, who was believed to be the first NYPD officer to die from a 9/11 illness — would be included in a large year-end package of legislation agreed on by Congress and the White House. Unfortunately the combined tumult of a Presidential election and a stock market collapse prevented it from coming to a vote, and there was no opportunity to salvage it.

After close but disappointing nearmisses over the next two years, primarily because of opposition from Republicans in Southern and Western states, I and others fought furiously to get Zadroga passed. I had no tolerance for opposition from the crowd who primarily represented states and districts that received disproportionate levels of federal assistance at the expense of donor states like New York, which effectively subsidized them. Finally, on Dec. 22, 2010, the last day of the congressional

Unfortunately the bill had a five-year limit, so we had to wage the fight again in 2015. This time the struggle wasn’t as difficult, and Zadroga was extended. But then, in 2019, we learned there were many more victims than expected, and the fund was running short. With the bipartisan support of Democrats like then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and House Republicans like then Whip Steve Scalise and Representatives Doug Collins and Mike Johnson, Zadroga was extended to the end of the century. I was proud to be with President Trump when he signed this legislation at a ceremony on the White House lawn.

Now the fund is seriously threatened by Musk’s misplaced cuts, which, probably made unknowingly, are causing many of the 9/11 doctors and experts to be terminated, including program Director Dr. John Howard.

Though the White House has promised to fully reinstate the program, so far it has not been done. Victims are being denied necessary testing. This insanity must end. Our nation’s commitment to the victims of 9/11 must be honored!

Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Comments? pking@ liherald.com.

The new state budget is a victory for Hochul

merica is fixated on picking winners and losers. We use that term every day, applying it to sports, the stock market and every other field of endeavor. I heard it during the trial of O.J. Simpson, and I remember hearing it as far back as the 1960s, when, following a massive snowstorm, some parts of Queens were the last neighborhoods in New York City to see snowplows. Winners and losers are proclaimed extensively in politics, because politicians are tested on an almost daily basis.

Which leads to a discussion of the long-delayed New York state budget. Over the years, when there was an agreement between the three leaders — the governor, the leader of the State Senate and the Assembly speaker — they would all show up at a much-heralded news conference, at which each would take credit for some portion of the budget bill. For the past few years, that practice has changed, because the only person who has been taking the

Lmedia spotlight is Gov. Kathy Hochul. Before talking about winners and losers, it’s worth looking at this year’s budget process. The new spending plan budget is the latest to be finalized since 2010. Since the April 1 deadline, there have been 11 legislative extensions, which assures state employees that they can collect their paychecks. Could the governor have refused to delay the passage of an agreed-on budget and submitted her own spending plan on a take-itor-leave-it basis? The answer is yes. During the administration of Gov. David Paterson, the courts decided that if the Legislature can’t agree on a budget by March 31, the governor can force a vote on his or her own plan with no further delays. But in the spirit of harmony, succeeding governors have chosen to go through the arduous process of countless meetings and formal extensions until all of the parties sign on to a final accord. This year, Hochul made it clear that she had a long list of priorities, and had no plans to give in on them. She presented the Assembly and Senate with a long list of programs covering criminal law, edu-

cation, housing, mental hygiene and tax reform. When the dust settled, the two leaders got their asks, but the governor got the lion’s share of what she proposed back in January.

ooking to next year’s election, she set aside money for every region of the state.

With an eye on next year’s election, Hochul set aside money for every region of the state. She addressed subway crime, and sided with the state’s district attorneys on their demand for reforms that will allow them to prevent the dismissal of pending cases. Taxpayers can anticipate expansion of childcare tax credits and many other goodies, including $400 checks for families on limited incomes. School districts will get a hefty increase in education aid, and students won’t be unable use their cellphones from the first school bell to the last.

During a typical give-and-take that is part of the negotiating process, each of the parties shows some willingness to bend on their key issues. But this time, the governor stuck to her guns and yielded on very few issues. Facing what could be a very tough re-election campaign next year, Hochul dug in on almost every proposal she made and

gave little ground, which added to the delays. Albany insiders were surprised at her insistence on winning on so many issues, but she has powers, and used them.

An outsider might wonder why budgets take so long these days, compared with the process 20 and 30 years ago, when spending plans were adopted days and weeks before the deadline. Once upon a time, the state budget was strictly a numbers game. The leaders would promote their pet programs, and possibly sneak in a new program or two. But in the late 1980s, the leaders began to introduce items that were controversial and had little to do with the budget. Wrapped up in one big bill, these nonfiscal items would pass, because the members would have no choice but to swallow the whole document.

Is there a chance that state budgets will once again become just a numbers package? That’s highly unlikely, because all of the leaders have developed an appetite for inserting proposals in the budget that would have no chance of passing as stand-alone bills.

Jerry Kremer was a state assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. Comments about this column? jkremer@ liherald.com.

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Incorporating the Franklin Square/Elmont Record

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aWelcoming home your freshman

s college dorm rooms empty across the nation, millions of parents are preparing for a significant homecoming. Your freshman is returning — perhaps changed, certainly tired, and undoubtedly with more laundry than you thought humanly possible. This transition marks the beginning of a new chapter in your family story, one that requires delicate navigation, open communication, and occasional deep breaths as you adjust to your evolving relationship.

The transformation that occurs during college’s freshman year is nothing short of remarkable. The timid student who needed reminders about deadlines may return with strong opinions about political systems you’ve never discussed. The picky eater might come home raving about kimchi or curry. The once-shy teenager might stride through your door with newfound confidence and independence. Your child has spent months making independent decisions, forming new social circles, and discovering aspects of themselves that may surprise you — and them.

What parents sometimes fail to acknowledge is that we’ve changed, too. We’ve adjusted to quieter evenings, reclaimed bathroom counter space, and perhaps discovered new routines or even aspects of our identities that had been subsumed by active parenting. Your student’s return disrupts not just their new normal, but yours as well.

The first summer home represents uncharted territory for both generations. Your student has grown accustomed to complete autonomy — deciding when to eat, sleep, study and socialize without consultation or explanation. Meanwhile, you’ve maintained a household with certain rhythms and expectations. Within the first few days of your college student’s homecoming, have a detailed conversation with them about expectations to prevent misunderstandings.

letters

We have to be cautious while supporting sustainability

To the Editor:

What routines did they develop at college? What do they need to feel comfortable at home? How will household responsibilities be shared? This opens the door to compromise rather than confrontation.

For many freshmen, college is their first opportunity to define themselves beyond their family context or high school reputation. They’ve experimented with new identities, beliefs and social circles. Coming home can feel like stepping backward, especially if you still see them as the person they were before they left.

This identity navigation works both ways. Your student may struggle to integrate their college self with their home self. They might seem different with college friends than with family. They might challenge family traditions or political views that once went unquestioned. These explorations, while sometimes uncomfortable, represent healthy development and should be met with curiosity rather than defensiveness.

Don’t be surprised if your student spends the first week home sleeping extraordinary hours, eating everything in sight, or displaying emotional volatility. Freshman year is physically and emotionally exhausting — particularly its conclusion, with final exams, packing and goodbyes to new friends. The transition home often reveals the school year’s toll. Students maintain a frantic pace during the semester, running on adrenaline and caffeine. When they finally reach the safety of home, their bodies and minds demand recovery time. Parents should view excessive sleeping or emotional sensitivity as necessary healing, not regression or laziness.

The social landscape for your adult child has likely shifted dramatically as well. High school friendships that once seemed permanent may have drifted. New romantic relationships may have formed. Your student might spend little

As communities across New York and the nation explore ways to transition to cleaner energy, there is growing momentum behind battery energy storage systems, particularly those using lithium-ion technology. However, we must not let the promise of sustainability blind us to the inconvenient truths of our present reality.

The concept of a circular battery economy — in which batteries are reused, repurposed, and ultimately recycled to recover key materials — is a commendable goal. Yet we are far from achieving it. Our current

time at home as they reconnect with local friends or process the changes in these relationships. Alternatively, they might seem isolated if their primary social connections now exist at school. Both scenarios require your patience and understanding.

And while your instinct might be to recreate family traditions exactly as they were before, this summer presents an opportunity to develop new ways of connecting that honor your student’s developing adulthood. Ask them to teach you about their newfound passions. Take them to places that were once offlimits — a sophisticated restaurant, an art exhibit — that signal your recognition of their maturation. When they share stories about college experiences, practice active listening without immediately offering advice. Questions like, “How did you handle that?” communicate respect for their problem-solving abilities and invite deeper conversation. There’s a poignant truth most parents discover during this first post-college summer: Each homecoming from now on will be temporary. Your child’s primary residence increasingly exists elsewhere — in dorms, apartments and, eventually, their own home. The full nest you’ll experience this summer will empty again, with each cycle of departure becoming more permanent.

This realization, while sometimes painful, also brings opportunity. The time-limited nature of these summers encourages making the most of the moments you share. Rather than focusing on the inevitable goodbye at summer’s end, embrace the gift of time together, even if it seems fleeting.

What awaits in these summer months is a delicate dance of holding close and letting go — a choreography that, when performed with grace, becomes the foundation for a relationship that will sustain you both long after the last box is packed for sophomore year.

Wnal, someone and deserves is far more

during have a sonal experience of the behind My arrived hope and HerNesto GaldaMeZ

opinions

Not all immigrants are criminals

when we hear the term “illegal immigrant,” it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that the individual is a criminal, someone who has broken the law, and deserves punishment. But the truth is far more nuanced. For many immigrants, coming to the United States without legal documentation isn’t an act of criminality, but an act of survival — an effort to escape violence, political persecution or a situation so dire that the only option is to flee.

As the child of immigrants who fled El Salvador during its civil war in the late 1980s, I have a perspective that is shaped by personal experience and an understanding of the deeper human motivations behind these decisions.

My parents, both from El Salvador, arrived in the U.S. with nothing but hope and fear for their lives. They

understood the risks they were taking by entering this country without legal documentation, but the alternative was staying in a country where the government was killing its own people.

El Salvador’s civil war, which began in 1979, was marked by brutal violence, corruption and ruthless repression. The Salvadoran government, heavily supported by U.S. military aid, waged war against leftist insurgents and civilians it accused of being sympathetic to them. Throughout the conflict, military and paramilitary forces committed countless atrocities — massacres, forced disappearances and the destruction of entire villages. Thousands of innocent civilians were murdered or disappeared simply for being suspected of opposing the government.

wasn’t just about seeking a better life; it was about survival. It was about fleeing a government that viewed its citizens as expendable.

F or my parents, staying in El Salvador meant living in constant fear.

This is not to say that I support illegal immigration or that breaking the law should be excused. But I believe it’s essential to understand the perspective of those who make the difficult decision to flee their homeland. My parents did not come here to exploit the system or cause harm. They came to escape unimaginable violence, and to find a place where they could live without the constant threat of death.

the mechanic, my father was the only one in his family to leave, and he never got the chance to see his parents again. A few years ago, he and I stood at their graves for the first time — a painful reminder that the cost of leaving isn’t just physical, but deeply emotional and enduring. His journey wasn’t about breaking the law; it was about survival. It’s easy to forget that behind every “illegal immigrant” label is someone with a story, and usually with pain, sacrifice and hope for a better future. These people don’t come here to break the law. They come to escape the laws and systems that were oppressing them. And for every immigrant like my father or that mechanic, there are countless others who face the same impossible decision every day.

For my parents, like many others, staying in El Salvador meant living in constant fear — fear of being killed, of losing loved ones, or of being caught in the crossfire of a war they had no part in starting. Their decision to leave

Letters

infrastructure for battery recycling is still in its infancy, and the environmental and economic costs of lithium extraction remain extraordinarily high.

Lithium mining is not benign — it consumes vast amounts of water, devastates ecosystems, and often occurs in regions with poor labor and environmental protections. Meanwhile, the lack of cost-effective and widely available recycling facilities means that today’s lithium-based storage systems could become tomorrow’s toxic waste problem.

Until we have robust recycling infrastructure, updated fire and safety codes, and enforceable end-oflife regulations for BESS, policymakers must exercise caution. Approving large-scale lithiumbased projects now, without these safeguards, risks trading one environmental crisis for another.

Sustainability must be more than a buzzword. It requires fullcycle accountability — from cradle to grave and, ideally, cradle to cradle. Let’s not build the clean-energy future on the unstable foundation of unresolved waste and extraction.

These are my beliefs as a private citizen, and do not reflect the official stance or opinion of the Village of Sea Cliff.

BrUCE KEnnEdy Glen Cove Sea Cliff village administrator

We must urge Israel to cease its military campaign

To the Editor:

I am not a Jew, but I am a Zionist, in that I support Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign state.

I regard Hamas as a terrorist organization guilty of a barbaric attack on Israeli civilians in October 2023 as well as vicious repression of the people it purports to represent. Hamas must free all hostages immediately and unconditionally.

But the time has come for American Jews and gentiles alike who share these views to publicly urge the Israeli government to cease its military campaign in Gaza. Our voices can be powerful — if we exercise our moral duty to speak out.

Even if Hamas has inflated the death count, it is incontestable that many thousands of non-combatant Palestinians, including children and aid workers, have been killed in Israeli strikes. It is likewise certain that civilian suffering, already acute, is intensifying as a result of Israel’s two-month-long blockade of food and medicine deliveries to Gaza. And any escalation of the war is sure to further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages, according to the Israeli forum of families of the hostages.

There’s nothing antisemitic

My father eventually found work managing an apartment complex in roslyn, contributing to society, paying taxes, and respecting the country that took him in, belying the false narrative that immigrants don’t pay taxes or contribute to the economy.

My parents’ story is far from unique. not long ago, I met a mechanic who had fled Venezuela to escape violence — just as my father had decades earlier. Like

Framework by Tim Baker

So, I ask: If you were living in a country where your government was killing its own people, where staying meant a likely death, would you remain and accept your fate, or would you flee in search of safety? Would you risk breaking the law for a chance at survival?

Hernesto Galdamez is editor of the Baldwin Herald.

about opposing Israel’s disproportionate response to Hamas’s atrocities. Indeed, this stance should rest firmly upon the core Jewish values of rachamim (mercy and