Franklin Square/Elmont
HERALD Christians pray for safe schools
Groups hand out food in elmont
F.S. man debuts album
Page 7
Page 23
Page 4
Vol. 22 No. 34
AUGUST 20 - 26, 2020
$1.00
Officials seek utility reforms Dismayed by response to Isaias
time she had lost thousands of dollars’ worth of food, and she was still having issues with her Heidi Goeb called PSEG near- internet service on Monday. ly 40 times, by her count, over Goeb was only one of thouthe six days that she sands of Franklin did not have electricSquare and Elmont ity following Tropiresidents who had cal Storm Isaias, but to make do without kept getting disconpower for several nected. A recorded d ay s a f t e r t h e voice would tell her storm. Glen Victor to report the issue previously told the on the utility’s webHerald that the lack site, which wasn’t of power was makworking. ing it difficult for The utility’s outhim to work from age map showed that h o m e, a n d B e n only three people on Vega reported that 1st Street in Frankhe had to keep his lin Square, where cat’s insulin and Goeb lives, reported other essential issues, despite all of items in a cooler her calls to the utiliwith ice. ty — and those of Now, elected offiher neighbors. cials are taking on They were each the issue of utiligiven different times ties’ responses to for restoration, and natural disasters. when Goeb saw a State Sen. Anna crew drive by 2nd Kaplan, for examStreet on Aug. 8, four ple, proposed seven days after the storm, different bills on ANNA KAplAN s h e a s ke d t h e m Aug. 11 that would: wh e n h e r p owe r State senator would be restored, ■ Ensure that but it seemed they were unaware police, fire and ambulance serof the transformer that blew on vices are prioritized for power her street. restoration within 24 hours, and H e r e l e c t r i c i t y f i n a l l y if power cannot be restored by returned that night, but by that Continued on page 5
By MeliSSA KoeNiG mkoenig@liherald.com
Nicole Alcindor/Herald
oN AUG. 12, about 50 nurses and community members gathered in front of Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital for a protest, demanding safer staffing.
LIJ Valley Stream nurses protest Demand better pay, safer working conditions By NiCole AlCiNdor nalcindor@liherald.com
Nurses joined elected officials, community members, labor and religious leaders in a rally outside Long Island Jewish Valley Stream h o s p i t a l o n Au g . 1 2 t o demand safer working conditions and higher pay in cont r a c t n e g o t i at i o n s w i t h Northwell Health, the hospital’s operator. The 50 or so protesters
gathered around noon, and many said that Northwell was not treating nurses at the hospital fairly, particularly during and after the worst of the coronavirus pandemic hit the area. Some 45 nurses who work there have contracted Covid-19, and one is still in critical condition in the intensive care unit, according to the New York State Nurses Association, the union representing LIJ’s nurses in the nego-
tiations. Despite the dangers posed by the pandemic, the NYSNA says, Northwell has yet to give nurses at LIJ a contract guaranteeing better pay and safer conditions. “We aren’t asking for much, but we want a better pension,” said LIJ nurse, NYSNA representative and Valley Stream resident Yasmine Beausejour. “Being a nurse is stressful, because Continued on page 3
W
e have to do everything in our power to make sure this doesn’t happen again.