________________ LONG BEACH _______________
HERALD Also serving Point Lookout & East Atlantic Beach
Celebrating unity through diversity
Robots taking over schools
Child advocacy across Nassau
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Vol. 37 No. 18
APRIl 30 - MAY 6, 2026
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LBHS teacher Eric Krywe wins achievement award By AIDAN WARSHAVSKY awarshavsky@liherald.com
Courtesy Eric Krywe
Long Beach High School’s Eric Krywe has been instrumental in creating the school’s television production studio, helping to design the space more than two decades ago.
Eric Krywe was a sophomore at SUNY Oswego in 1999, and can recall walking toward the school library and spotting a pamphlet under a single spotlight about teaching technology. Now a Long Beach High School television production teacher for 24 years, Krywe has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Long Island-based Broadcast Alliance for Senior High. The organization, formerly known as the Broadcast Awards for Senior High and commonly known as BASH, recognizes teachers for their contributions to high school media education. The Long Beach High television studio started as an idea on the first floor of the building, where teachers and students in a photography class developed black-and-white photos. For Krywe (pronounced CRY-wee), who grew up making stopmotion videos on his grandfather’s VHS, there was a drive to make it something more. “When I started, I really had the vision of creating a teleContinuEd on pagE 10
Capt. David Wagner, 45-year F.D. veteran, dies at 63 By CHRIS ColUCCI ccolucci@liherald.com
After serving the community for over four decades as a dedicated volunteer with the Long Beach Fire Department, 63-year-old Capt. David Wagner died unexpectedly on April 17. On March 30, Wagner celebrated his seventh wedding anniversary with Denise Jones, herself a seven-year volunteer with the Fire Department’s rescue company. The couple had been together for nearly 14 years, during which their long friends h i p evo l ve d i n t o a romance. Wagner has three daughters
from a previous marriage — Joanna, Jessica and Jeanette. Jones has a son, Michael, and a daughter, Stephanie. Collectively the couple have seven granddaughters, ranging in age from 18 to 2, and their first grandson is due in July. “He used to say, ‘I’m done with my girls,’” Jones said of her husband. “‘It’s all about the grandkids now.’” While the Fire Department was a major focus, Wagner made time to enjoy family life. Like many Long Beach natives, he was an avid fisherman. He also had a pilot’s license, and flew recreationally. Jones said he earned the pilot’s license before his driver’s license.
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verything and anything, Dave was involved in.
JoSEPH MIllER Commissioner, Long Beach Fire Department After a honeymoon in Aruba, the couple took regular vacations to the Dominican Republic, often with friends. “He was a wonderful husband, father, mentor and leader,” Jones said. “He was a gentleman. He loved his family.” LBFD Commissioner Joseph
Miller noted Wagner’s deep ties to the department. “He was on committees. He was involved with the companies, with training, with procedures, with the t r i a l b o a rd , ” M i l l e r s a i d . “Everything and anything, Dave was involved in. He brought a positive touch with his knowledge and sincerity of trying to make things better.
His loss definitely will be felt by everyone.” Wagner began his volunteer firefighting career as a member of Engine 2, later transitioning to Engine 4 to safeguard the city’s center, and earning the rank of captain. In recent years he shifted to the department’s command post and served in a ContinuEd on pagE 4