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UNIONDALE _____________
HERALD BEACON
NUMC sues state
Nonprofits hand out hot meals
PAL hosts breakfast
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DECEMBER 5 - 11, 2024
Town files suit opposing new pricing plan According to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin, the lawsuit, filed in Nassau The Town of Hempstead has County Supreme Court on Nov. filed a lawsuit against the Met- 21, states that Hochul and the r o p o l i t a n T r a n s p o r t a t i o n MTA “circumvented procedurAuthority and the state of New al requirements that enable York, opposing the revised con- residents to speak and be gestion-pricing plan in Manhat- heard,” referring to the legally required 45-day comment peritan. The suit comes after several od for a governmental regulation. town supervisors According to and state senators Town of Hempstead across Long Island attorney Josh Liebvoiced their objecman, the revised tion to the initiatolling program is tive. an entirely new law Last month, Gov. that should be subKathy Hochul rejected to a renewed launched the conpublic comment gestion-pricing properiod. gram, which would “When a governrequire operators mental body makes of passenger vehiDoN CLAviN a rule, the public cles traveling south Town of Hempstead has a specific right of 60th Street in to comment on it Manhattan to pay a supervisor a n d t o g ive a ny one-day $9 charge. This marked a 40 percent drop objections they have,” Liebman from the initial cost of $15 said. “What happened here was before the plan was paused in a complete rush job. It’s a new June, after state officials voiced law, and it was done without concer ns over the financial any kind of public participaburden the initiative would tion whatsoever.” Gordon Tepper, a spokesman impose on commuters. On Nov. 18, the MTA board for Hochul, said that the state approved the revised plan, cannot comment on pending which is set to take effect on COntinued On Page 11 Jan. 5.
By CHARLES SHAW
cshaw@liherald.com
Kelsie Radziski/Herald
Philip-Michael Pierre, 13, sells cookies from his business, Philip’s Cookie Shop, at local festivals and fairs, including Lawrence Road Middle School’s Health Fair in October.
Baking up sweet success At just 13, Philip-Michael Pierre has already established himself as a successful entrepreneur. An eighth-grade student at Lawrence Road Middle School, he has his own cookie business — Philip’s Cookie Shop — that has not only attracted loyal customers, but also earned him recognition at a number of local fairs and festivals. Pierre’s entrepreneurial journey began when he was 7, as a spark ignited by his mother and grandmother’s cooking company, Choices by M&R. They specialize in international cuisine, and the time Philip-Michael spent in the kitchen with them, watching and learning, was a huge influence. “They’re really what inspired me to do this,” he said. What started as a simple interest in baking soon blossomed into a full-fledged business. Pierre now makes and decorates all of his cookies from scratch, focusing primarily on sugar cookies. His large ones sell for $4, and
the smaller ones for $2. He takes pride in crafting cookies that reflect the events at which he sells them, with one of his recent creations being apple-shaped cookies that were sold at his school’s Health Fair. His talents have earned him a fairly steady customer base, Pierre said, with at least 10 regulars who look for his cookies at fairs and festivals year-round. One of the highlights of Pierre’s developing business career came earlier this year, when he sold his creations at Raymour & Flanigan in Garden City. “To be in a store like that and be selling really made me think of the scale I was at,” he said. Despite the pressures that come with running a business, Pierre said he manages to balance it with school and other activities. He is an active member of Lawrence Road’s National Junior Honor Society, and participates in various school clubs, including the debate COntinued On Page 2
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his is going to have an effect on people who are seeking medical treatment.