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VOL. 35 NO. 48

District 13 celebrates fall

Ready to Find Your Dream Home or Sell with Conﬁdence?

V.S. schools sue Green Acres over tax breaks By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com

Courtesy Matteo Somma

Matteo Somma, a 17-year-old triathlon phenom, recently clinched the M16-19 age group world title at the Sprint Triathlon World Championships in Spain, clocking the fastest time across all age groups.

Meet the V.S. teen triathlete who can’t be stopped By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com

Matteo Somma, a 17-year-old elite triathlete, follows his training plans with the discipline of a drill sergeant and the patience and foresight of a man twice his age. In the past few weeks, he has been riding a victory high. Last month, the Malverne resident captured the M16-19 age group world title for Team USA at the Sprint Triathlon World Championships in Torremolinos, Spain. Closer to home, he finished 19th in the New York State Cross Country Championships. He says his relentless regiment, refined and built on over the years, has helped him come

this far. “I really just enjoy the everyday aspect of training and getting up and having a structured plan to look forward to throughout the day,” Somma said. “I want to be the best.” Equipped with his racing bike, Somma flew thousands of miles to compete with other teen athletes from dozens of countries. He clocked the fastest overall time across all age groups, a blistering 1 hour, 4 minutes, 6 seconds for the 750-meter swim, 20-kilometer bike ride and 5-kilometer run. “In terms of specific training leading up to this specific event, I typically train about 20-hour training weeks, swimming six days a week, running six to seven days a week ConTinued on page 16

Valley Stream schools have launched a fresh legal battle against Green Acres Mall, aiming to reverse a controversial extension of tax breaks for the properties. In the new lawsuit, filed in August, the school districts argue that the extensions of payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, agreements approved by the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency this spring are illegal because Green Acres Mall failed to meet the job creation commitments outlined in the original tax deals in 2014 and 2015. The extension agreement is slated to save the Californiabased Macerich, the Sunrise Highway property owner, an additional $174.1 million over five years. Critics argue that the tax breaks siphon potential revenue away from the school districts, shifting the financial burden onto taxpayers who are left to cover the difference.

Macerich faces allegations of falling short on job promise “Absent court intervention to reverse the actions taken by the IDA, the Valley Stream commu-

The mall’s recent history 2014 - Green Acres and Green Acres Commons apply for two PILOTs. April 2017 - The IDA revokes the malls’ tax breaks, citing failure to create jobs. May 2017 - Difficulty in drafting school budgets; confusion about the malls’ tax status. July 2017 - A judge freezes tax breaks in place until lawsuit verdict. December 2017 - The IDA finds the malls hit job benchmarks; audit published. February 2018 - A county court rules in favor of the malls.

nity will continue to subsidize the tax breaks granted to the mall without accountability for the economic development the tax breaks were intended to create,” attor ney Christopher Shishko said in a statement. The dispute hinges on Macerich’s failure to meet the ConTinued on page 6