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Rhoads takes oath of office in Albany defeating his democratic opponent, Lisa Lin, in the November election. Rhoads said he wants to conState Sen. Steve Rhoads, of tinue to address the needs of Bellmore, took his oath of office at the New York State district residents, ensuring Capitol in Albany on Jan. 8, their concerns are heard all the when he was sworn in to repre- way up to Albany. Two days sent the 5th Senate District for after taking his oath, his office a second term. announced the Rhoads, re pre retur n of the senting the commumobile office hours nities of Wantagh, pro g ram, where Seaford, Levittown, Rhoads engages in Merrick, Bellmore one-on-one converand East Meadow, sations with resiexpressed a dedicadents at libraries tion to making New throughout the disYork an affordable trict. During the and safe state to live past two years, in. Rhoads hosted more “ R i g h t n o w, than a dozen mobile wh e t h e r i t ’s o u r office hour sessions, seniors, young peospeaking with resip l e — e v e r yo n e dents about issues seems to have their StEVE RHoAdS that matter most to N e w Yo r k e x i t State senator them. plan,” Rhoads, a “From tackling Republican, told the issues from affordHerald in a roundtaability to public ble interview in October. “As a s a f e t y a n d eve r y t h i n g i n state government, as long as we between, I believe in transparcontinue to make New York ency and open communicastate unaffordable and uncom- tion,” Rhoads said in a news petitive for businesses and for release, “and it’s this connecresidents, we’re going to con- tion to the community that tinue to suffer — and that has truly drives my fight for comto change.” Continued on page 10 He was re-elected after
By CHARlES SHAW
cshaw@liherald.com
I
Courtesy Wantagh School District
Giving the gift of reading Wantagh High School juniors, from left, Lea Vagnone, Sophia Zanelotti and Danny Donahue spearheaded a collection drive this month for the Book Fairies, a nonprofit based in Freeport, through the National English Honor Society.
Researching ways to help others
MacArthur High’s Melody Hong is a Regeneron semifinalist By CHARlES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com
Hours of late-night studying and support from mentors has led Melody Hong to be named a semifinalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, a national science research competition for high school students. Since 1942, the talent search has been a prestigious program of the Society for Science, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., and dedicated to expanding science literacy and access to education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM studies. This year, 300 students were selected as Regeneron semifinal-
ists. Hong, a senior at General Douglas MacArthur High School, in Levittown, is one of 49 semifinalists from Long Island, which boasts more than any other region of the country. She has known about the competition since she was a freshman, thanks to upperclassmen who took part. “I thought it would just be great to become part of such a really talented community of young people,” Hong said. For the talent search, she submitted a project titled, “A Bayesian Exploration into more Flexible trans-Methylation Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping,” in which she developed alternative Continued on page 4
t’s time to liberate New York and build a better, safer, healthier and more affordable tomorrow for all New Yorkers.