_______ Malverne/West HeMpstead ______
HERALD
No Overpromising. No Misleading. Just Real Savings.
Also serving Lakeview
DEADLINE MARCH 3RD
WH basketball star dies at 84
Prep for science competition
Page 3
Page 8
Vol. 32 No. 6
FEBRUARY 6 - 12, 2025
THE LEADER IN PROP ERTY TAX REDUCT ION
Sign up today. It on ly tak Apply online at mptrg es seconds. .com/heraldnote or call 516.715.1266
$1.00
Maidenbaum Property Tax Reduction Grou p, LLC 483 Chestnut Street, Cedarhurst, NY 11516 Habl
amos Español
Six more weeks of winter! Malverne Mel makes his 30th annual prognostication By MADISoN GUSlER mgusler@liherald.com
Madison Gusler/Herald
Mayor Tim Sullivan listened to Malverne Mel’s 30th annual prognostication at last Sunday’s Groundhog Day celebration.
Last weekend, Malverne Mel made his 30th annual prognostication before a crowd at Chester A. Reese Veterans Memorial Park. This year, Mel found himself in agreement with Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil, as both rodent prognosticators saw their shadows and predicted six more weeks of winter. “I, Mayor Tim Sullivan, of the Incorporated Village of Malverne, do today proclaim that on the second day of February, in the year 2025, I witness to Malverne Mel, Long Island’s pre-eminent prognosticator of all prognosticators, that he prognosticated to me that upon looking for his shadow, it surely could be seen, so I must now announce, to skiers’ delight, there will be six more weeks of winter!” the mayor stated. The festivities, which have take place at CrossConTinueD on paGe 7
Know your rights: How to act in police encounters By MADISoN GUSlER mgusler@liherald.com
Lawyer Uchenna Emeagwali instructed Malverne and Lakeview youth the proper way to act if they are stopped by police officers, cautioning them that they can’t talk their way out of trouble. Emeagwali, a supervising attorney with The Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Of fice, led a “Know Your Rights” discussion for the youngsters and their families on Jan. 26 in the Community Room at Harold Walker Memorial Park. He explained how the legal system works and how to
respond when interacting with law enforcement. “I’m always talking with my sons about the subject,” Emeagwali, whose work is mostly focused in his native Queens, said during the workshop. “And I realized a lot of people don’t really know what to do when they’re interacting with the police.” The workshop, which Emeagwali organized after seeing expressed interest from the community, involved role-playing as a mode of working though hypothetical interactions with police. Emeagwali, who lives in Malverne, coached attendees in the correct ways to
react in different situations based on his legal expertise and experience. “If our kids ever do get stopped by the police, they should know how to respond,” he added. Throughout the workshop, Emeagwali emphasized that whenever anyone interacts with police — whether during an arrest or stopped for questioning — they should request to speak with a lawyer. This protects defendants by guaranteeing their right to an attorney at every stage of a criminal proceeding. Attorneys can protect the client, ensuring their rights are upheld throughout the legal
process, he said. He also told the middleschool age crowd attending the workshop that, as minors, police are not allowed to speak to them without a parent present. While parents are important, according to Emeagwali, a lawyer should be a priority because police officers in New York are allowed to use the Reid tech-
nique, an interrogation method employed to create high-pressure situations to extract information from suspects or trick them into confessing. Other methods of coercing a c o n f e s s i o n f ro m s u s p e c t s include placing them in isolation, sleep deprivation, or withholding food and water, among ConTinueD on paGe 20