Long Beach Herald 10-23-2025

An arresting event

At the National Faith and Blue Weekend event at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, visitors were able to meet police officers, check out the equipment and learn about careers in law enforcement. Police officer Jack Castronova and EJ from the K-9 unit greeted siblings Lucia Mongiello, 1, and Giancarlo, 3. Gerard Norton, Rockville Centre police officer, a joined the county police at the meet-and-greet event with his daughter Madeline, 10 months. Story, additional photo, Page 10.

Torah walk unites a pair of synagogues

By EESHA BUTT Correspondent

Members of two synagogues — Temple Emanu-El of Long Beach and the South Shore Jewish Center, in Island Park — joined for a Torah walk from the Jewish center to Temple Emanu-El last week in celebration of the temples’ merger.

“South Shore Jewish Center has combined with us,” Jaclyn Feldman, the corresponding secretary for the newly created Temple Emanu-El of the South Shore, explained. “We put their Torahs in our synagogue. This was something very difficult for a synagogue to do because they are losing their home.”

to their new home,” Yvette Oppenheim, president of the newly formed house of worship, said, referring to members of the South Shore Jewish Center.

t’s symbolic to create a walk for them so they can walk to their new home.

YVETTE oppENHEIm President, Temple Emanu-El of the South Shore

Two dozen temple members came together Oct. 15 for the short walk from East Market Street, in Long Beach, to the combined synagogues’ new home, Temple Emanu-El, on Neptune Boulevard.

“It’s symbolic to create a walk for them, so they can walk

During the walk, four Torahs were carried to Temple Emanu-El. “They have Torah scrolls, (and) we’re bringing them over into our building, into our ark, their new home,” Rabbi Jack Zanerhaft, spiritual leader of the new Temple Emanu-El of the South Shore, said. “The temple in Island Park was smaller. We had a very large building, and it just made sense, economically and spiritually, for us to become one.”

The decision to merge was made two years ago, and in addition to legal requirements — in New York state, religious institutions must obtain approval to combine congregations from the State Supreme Court — the process also involved votes by both congregations. Formal state

Continued on page 8

L.B. baby is a finalist in national contest

By EESHA BUTT

Correspondent

Long Beach residents, Sade and Martin Bumberger are elated after learning that their miracle baby Elizabeth Bumberger, 2, has been named one of the top 10 finalists in the national Baby of the Year competition.

Colossal Impact, a company that works alongside various organizations, collaborated with Baby2Baby, a nonprofit that helps them in the mission to provide children across the U.S. with basic necessities. The joint campaign, Baby of the Year is an example of this partnership.

“Baby of the Year is a nationwide fundraising campaign that supports Baby2Baby, an organization that provides essential items to children living in poverty,” said Anne-Marie Pritchett, Colossal’s communications director.

Sade and Martin Bumberger have been married since 2013. A short time later, the couple wanted to start a family, but continued to have trouble conceiving a child naturally.

“We tried for several years to have a kid,” Martin said. “We went to the doctor to see why this was not working.”

Around 2015, they opted for in vitro fertilization. This is when egg and sperm are fertilized through reproductive technologies.

“When we got a diagnosis for why it (conceiving naturally) wasn’t working we started the IVF process,” Martin said.

Along with the stress and concerns, the cost also makes it a difficult journey was as IVF is expensive, costing anywhere from $5,700 to over $30,000.

“It is very costly because no insurance covers it,” he said.

Additional challenges for the couple occurred with the IVF process, outside of its hefty price tag.

“We tried one time but it failed. We paused for a year, seeing if we wanted to try this again. We did and it failed again. The third time was the charm,” Martin said.

On Aug. 4, 2023, the couple had their bundle of joy — Elizabeth Bumberger.

“I saw a sign-up for the Baby of the Year competition on social media and I was like, “why not?” She has a personality that shines,” Sade said.

The submission process is simple; participants have to submit images of their children, who must be under the age of 2 and a United States resident to qualify in the competition, along with a short summary of the child and their family.

The competition is based on a voting system, with the people’s votes determining who is chosen Baby of the Year.

“Progress is determined by supporters able to cast free daily votes or votes by donation, each dollar equals one additional vote,” Pritchett said. “This structure helps raise vital funds for families in need while celebrating the spirit of community support.”

Elizabeth had quite a few fans cheering her on as she climbed the charts, being named one of the top 10 finalists in the competition.

“I was excited and super proud of where she placed,” Martin said. “I was very thankful to the friends and family that supported us.”

The Bumbergers are grateful for everyone who voted for Elizabeth. They hope that their family’s story of pregnancy and IVF struggles gives others hope to never give up.

“I mean she’s just a joy, being a parent is extremely fulfilling and we thought why not spread it with the world,” Martin said. “We want to show the world that if you never give up and just keep going, whatever you wish for, eventually will come true.”

The competition’s final voting period is from Nov. 14-20.

The overall winner will be announced on or before Dec. 5. Winners are awarded $25,000 and a custom advertisement campaign in Variety Magazine.

Keep up on the competition or if you think your baby is qualified for next year’s competition, go to BabyofTheYear.org.

LONG BEACH DESERVES BETTER

We live in a beautiful City bordered by a stunning ocean - we shouldn’t have to worry about paying our taxes, finding parking, buying groceries or trying to sleep through bar noise blaring.

Your water bill went up by 42%, but has quality improved? The Republicans spent over $9 million more on our operations, yet the drive from LB Road down Pine Street keeps getting worse. How many projects can the Republicans claim as their own that were not started by the previous administration? The answer is none!

The Republican plan is not working, not here, not anywhere! Costs are rising, borrowing is rising, and backroom deals have become routine. Hidden contracts are put to vote, friends get favors, and guess who pays for all this? You do! Let’s face the facts. The Republicans look out for their donors and friends, not you! Can you name one time in the last two years they voted to save you money? Didn’t think so. It’s time for leadership that cares about everyone, with no hidden agenda.

Town dedicates turf field to late councilman

By CHARLES SHAW cshaw@liherald.com

A turf field at Seaman’s Neck Park in Seaford was recently named in honor of the late Councilman Christopher Carini, who dedicated his time in office to championing park and infrastructure improvements for Town of Hempstead residents.

He served as councilman for the town’s 5th Councilmanic District, which includes Bellmore, Freeport, Lido Beach, Merrick, Point Lookout, Seaford, and Wantagh and, since 2020. He died unexpectedly on July 14, 2024, while visiting family in Florida at the age of 49.

The dedication ceremony, held on the baseball turf field on Oct. 19, brought together friends and family of the late councilman. Elected officials, Beyond the Badge NY, the Wantagh Chamber of Commerce and members of law enforcement. The Seaford Little League and the Seaford Broncos, a football and cheerleading organization that competes in the Nassau County Youth Football League, were also in attendance.

Carini’s wife, Danielle, and their son, Joey, unveiled the sign hanging above home plate that read “Councilman Chris Carini Field.” Joey, 13, has played in the Seaford Little League and for the Broncos since kindergarten. Danielle called it “an honor” to have a field in his name and said she was happy to see the community come together to celebrate.

“He’d be so proud of this turnout and that kids will be able to play on this field for years to come,” she said.

Carini, a Seaford resident, was involved with local sports, having coached both the Seaford Little League and the Seaford Broncos. Supervisor John Ferretti called Carini a “dedicated public servant” who had an “immeasurable” impact on the community.

“Chris did so much for the Seaford community,” Ferretti said. “When kids and parents come here to enjoy America’s pastime, they’ll see Chris’s name, and his legacy of serving the community will live on.”

“He helped make this happen,” Christopher Roth, president of the Seaford Little League, said of the turf

The Town of Hempstead honored the late Councilman Chris Carini by naming a turf field at Seaman’s Neck Park in Seaford after him, recognizing his years of public service, dedication to youth sports, and key role in securing the $2 million upgrades that transformed the park into a safer, more modern recreational space for local families.

field. “He was an amazing supporter of the Seaford Little League.”

Councilman Chris Schneider, who was sworn in to fill Carini’s seat and won election to retain it last year, said the naming of the field was a “perfect” tribute to the late councilman.

“This is a place that he really loved being at,” Schneider said. “When I think of Chris Carini, I have good memories of him at Seaman’s Neck Park watching his son play baseball.”

State Sen. Steve Rhoads, a friend of Carini said providing safe places for kids to play was one of Carini’s passions as a councilman.

“To see this field — that he fought so hard to improve — dedicated in his honor is a fitting tribute to him,” Rhoads said. “It’s a reminder to all of us of what

public service is about: making our community better.”

Carini had a long career in public service, including more than two decades in law enforcement with the NYPD, MTA, and Port Authority Police Department of New York and New Jersey. A Seaford resident, he was involved in community safety, civic activities, and local quality-of-life initiatives.

After the ceremony, the Little League held an exhibition game on the field, with Danielle throwing the first pitch and her son Joey catching. A memorial sign with Carini’s biography was also unveiled on the fence leading to the ball field.

“Every time a child steps onto this field, and every time a family gathers here to cheer on a game, Chris’s legacy of public service and community involvement will live on,” Ferretti said.

Gamers gear up for Turkey Bowl 2025

By AIDAN WARSHAVSKY Correspondent

Members of the community can enjoy Turkey Bowl 2025 — a Madden NFL 26 Playstation 5 tournament at the Long Beach Public Library.

Gamers age 12 and over will be organized into a 16-player bracket–with competitors having the opportunity to select their own teams during the tournament.

Participants will be provided controllers, and are welcome to bring their own if desired.

Registration is free beginning at 10 a.m. on Nov. 8, and will last 45 minutes. Matchups will begin an hour later in the second floor program room. The championship round will take place in the library’s auditorium.

Turkey Bowl 2025’s champion will take home a Playstation copy of EA’s College Football 26. Second place will be rewarded with a Moko Keyboard — a keyboard plug-in for a Playstation 5 controller. Third place will receive

“The Story of Football in 100 Photographs,” a book from Sports Illustrated that gives readers a glimpse into the legacy of the sport.

“We want participants to walk away with a feeling that the Library and its staff care about their interests,” Jakea Williamson, the assistant director for Long Beach Public Library said in a statement. “We are constantly looking for ways to bring fun and relevant programs to our patrons.”

Jake Cohen, a Youth Services librarian, has been organizing this year’s Madden tournament.

people in the community.”

Cohen’s experience managing the fiction, comics and manga, as well as Nintendo Switch sections has helped him acclimate to what teens and different crowds are looking for, calling his civic-minded approach an opportunity to help recognize the communities “enthusiasms.”

W e want participants to walk away with a feeling that the library and its staff care about their interests

JAKEA WILLIAmSoN Assistant library director

It follows another library-hosted Playstation 5 tournament on Sept. 25, featuring the popular game Super Smash Bros, which received “great turnout,” with Cohen calling it a “great opportunity to serve different kinds of

“Programs like these can attract both new and old patrons, and allows for members of the community to take advantage of our great library.”

Cohen has spent time gathering information on rulebooks from different organizations in E-Sports to create an authentic and fun experience. He has also collected feedback on game settings such as quarter length, player fatigue, injury, and weather, as well as reviewed the skill-level rules, which affect the in-

game experience.

“I’ve been very receptive to feedback,” Cohen said.

Turkey Bowl 2025 is part of the library’s commitment to the gaming community, which includes their Teen Games, Jr. Gamers and Retro Gamers programs. Designed to target people of all ages, the three programs are now a regular part of the library’s monthly programming.

On the unique relationship between video games and the library, Cohen noted that a library functions to “provide access to various forms of narrative storytelling as well as technology” for its patrons.

“Videogames help foster imagination and empathy,” Cohen said of their impact. “Playing games with a group helps develop tangible skills such as cooperation, teamwork, compromise, and socialization.

The rules for Turkey Bowl 2025 are subject to change. For more information on the tournament and the library, go to LongBeachpl.librarycalendar.com.

News briefs

School district bond vote on Oct. 28

Long Beach school district residents who are eligible voters can head to the polls on Oct. 28 to cast votes on the districtwide capital plan funded by serial bonds. Polls will be open between the hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at East Elementary, Lindell Elementary and Lido/ Long Beach Middle School auditorium lobby.

The proposed $87,697,655 capital projects bond proposition aims to upgrade academic spaces, modernize athletic and community facilities and improve building infrastructure. If passed, the bond financing will not result in additional taxes for the community, as new debt service would replace expiring debt that supported the prior large-scale capital plan, approved by voters in 2009.

Among the key projects outlined is the installation of heating, mechanical ventilation and air conditioning systems in all district buildings. Projects also include playground renovations or additions at each of the four elementary schools, upgrades to middle and high school fields and locker rooms, and new instructional spaces at the high school, including a new wrestling

room, marine science lab and technology, carpentry and robotics classrooms.

In addition, the plan sets aside funding for infrastructure maintenance at the Long Beach Public Library, which is a district-owned building, including the replacing the roof.

The district is expected to receive 42.4 percent reimbursement in state building aid for every eligible dollar spent. This will help offset the cost of the project while ensuring long-term investment in the district’s infrastructure.

“This plan represents a thoughtful, fiscally responsible approach to addressing the needs of our schools and community spaces,” said Superintendent Jennifer Gallagher said in a statement. “By reinvesting in our facilities now, we are ensuring that current and future students benefit from comfortable, modern learning environments.”

For information on voting, as well as a complete listing of projects proposed through the referendum, go to district’s website, LBeach.org.

–Jeffrey Bessen

Long Beach man arrested for robbery

The Fifth Squad reports the arrest of a Long Beach man in connection with a robbery that occurred on Oct. 18 at 3:35 p.m. at the Valero Gas Station, 758 Franklin Ave.

According to detectives, 34-year-old Austin Harthman entered the gas station, caused a disturbance, and brandished a knife while demanding a lighter. The 25-yearold victim, fearing for their safety, complied, and Harthman left without paying.

Police found Harthman and arrested him without incident. He is charged with Robbery in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree. Harthman was arraigned on Oct. 19 at First District Court in Hempstead. His next court date is Oct. 27. As of press time, he does not have an attorney.

–Angelina Zingariello

the

Molloy University ranked in top 100 colleges nationwide

Molloy University has earned a spot among the top 100 colleges and universities in the United States, according to The Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges Rankings. The university placed 75th nationwide and sixth in New York state among all ranked institutions.

Out of nearly 4,000 degree-granting institutions in the country, The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse evaluated 584 colleges and universities. Molloy’s placement puts it in the top 15 percent of those ranked, alongside Ivy League universities and flagship public institutions. In New York, Molloy ranked sixth out of 270 colleges and universities, 55 of which were included in the rankings.

Molloy also outperformed all other Long Island-based colleges and universities.

The university earned high marks in several key performance areas. It ranked 52nd nationally and eighth in New York for Social Mobility, and 73rd nationally and 7th in the state for Best Salaries.

“This ranking is beyond outstanding,” James Lentini, president of Molloy University, said in a news release. “To be recognized among the top 100 universities in the country — ahead of major institutions that are household

names — is a testament to the academic excellence, student-centered mission, and real-world impact that define a Molloy education.”

In addition, Molloy placed 130th nationally and 17th in New York for Student Experience and 225th nationally and 23rd in New York for Best Value, reflecting continued investment in academic quality, personalized learning, and access.

The Wall Street Journal’s rankings are based on four primary categories: Student Outcomes (which includes salary impact and graduation rates), Student Experience (including surveys on career preparation, learning opportunities and campus facilities), and Diversity. The methodology places a strong emphasis on financial outcomes for graduates — particularly how much value a college adds to a student’s earning potential.

Founded in 1955 by the Dominican Sisters of Amityville, Molloy University enrolls approximately 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offers degree programs in nursing, allied health, business, education, social work, music therapy and more.

–Kelsie Radziski

SPOTLIGHT ATHLETE

GIANNA VENTURA EAST MEADOW Senior FIELD HOCKEY

PICKING UP WHERE she left off last fall when she earned All-County honors, Ventura has reached new heights while leading the Jets to a 10-2 start in Nassau Conference II field hockey. Through Oct. 16, the Adelphi University bound standout was leading the county in goals with 20 to go along with 8 assists. She began 2025 with a bang, scoring all three of East Meadow’s goals in a win over New Hyde Park. Ventura has more than 50 career goals.

GAMES TO WATCH

Friday, Oct. 24

Football: Seaford at Island Trees

Football: Farmingdale at Port Washington

Football: Freeport at Oceanside

Football: Sewanhaka at Division 6 p.m.

Football: Hempstead at Plainview 6:30 p.m.

Football: Hewlett at Manhasset

Football: Long Beach at MacArthur

Football: East Meadow at Glen Cove

Football: Plainedge at Malverne

Saturday, Oct. 25

Football: South Side at V.S. South 11 a.m.

Football: Wantagh at Carey 11 a.m.

Football: Clarke at Floral Park

Football: V.S. North at Elmont 1 p.m.

Football: Garden City at Calhoun 2 p.m.

Football: Baldwin at Mepham 2 p.m.

Football: New Hyde Park at Kennedy 2 p.m.

Football: Roslyn at V.S. Central 2 p.m.

Football: Lynbrook at C.S. Harbor 2 p.m.

Football: East Rockaway at Locust Valley 2 p.m.

Football: West Hempstead at North Shore 2 p.m.

Football: Lawrence at Oyster Bay 2 p.m.

Football: Syosset at Massapequa 3 p.m.

Football: Herricks at Uniondale 3 p.m.

Nominate a “Spotlight Athlete”

High School athletes to be featured on the Herald sports page must compete in a fall sport and have earned an AllConference award or higher last season. Please send the following information: Name, School, Grade, Sport and accomplishments to Sports@liherald.com.

Long Beach wins playoff opener

By ANDREW COEN sports@liherald.com

The Long Beach girls’ soccer team entered the postseason with momentum on its side.

The Marines wrapped up the regular season (7-4-3) going unbeaten in their final four matches to earn the No. 6 seed in the Class AA playoffs. Long Beach then continued that winning feeling Monday with a 2-1 first-round playoff win to advance to the Class AA quarterfinals.

“I’m proud of how we stepped up the second half of the season, especially because we had some injured players that didn’t play in that middle portion of our season,” said coach Ashley Gervasi. “The girls stepped up to keep us in the fight and get us in position for playoffs.”

The playoff victory over Roslyn featured first-half goals from Maya Kallelis and Kaitlyn Kelly, both off assists from Ava Kolb. Senior goalie Vanessa Leddy recorded nine saves.

Long Beach closed the regular season with a 4-2 home win against Bethpage last Friday on goals from Kelly, Julia Russo, Jaymes Lin and Kolb. Natalie Claros and Alex Backlin also tallied one assist each in the combined effort.

The regular-season finale was the first time Long Beach was at full strength in quite some time with senior captain Alex Backlin and Kolb back in the lineup after battling injuries for around a month. The duo, who have been on varsity since eighth grade, provided the team a

lift as instrumental leaders on and off the field, according to Gervasi.

The Bethpage triumph followed another offensive explosion two days earlier in

a 3-2 win at Calhoun in which Claros registered a goal and assist. Kelly and Kolb also struck for goals in the victory, which helped the Marines maintain momentum after a 1-1 non-league tie with Oceanside the previous match.

Senior goalie Vanessa Leddy stepped up big for Long Beach in the home stretch of the regular season recording 13 saves in the Oceanside tie and eight stops in the Calhoun win. Leddy also made eight saves in a 2-0 shutout at Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK on Oct. 7 that jump-started the Marines’ late season unbeaten stretch.

“She’s really solid and it’s always good to have a good senior back there in goal,” said Gervasi of Leddy, who was second in saves in Conference II. “She has come up with some big time saves in big time moments.”

The defense was also anchored by Lind, a junior center back who has committed to play collegiate soccer at Loyola, Md. The backline has limited opponents to a goal or less in eight matches with three shutouts.

Gervasi said her team’s tenacity this season was particularly evident during the Oceanside tie on Oct. 9 when Long Beach played without any subs when six starters were out. The Marines are now healthy in the playoffs and will look to continue the run Friday against MacArthur.

“II feel like we’re at the perfect place at the perfect time,” Gervasi said. “You want to be playing your best soccer at the end of the year.”

Show Off Your Little Fans!

Snap a photo of your “Little Fan“ in their favorite football, hockey or any sports gear or outfit and enter our Little Fans Photo Contest!

Whether it’s your pet in a jersey or child in their favorite team’s colors, we want to see how you get into the sport spirit!

Scan the QR code to submit your photo today for a chance to win a pair of New York Islanders tickets to a game this season and be featured in your Long Island Herald.

Contest Ends 11/20/25

Merged temples celebrate Simchat Torah

approval came last month.

“It was right before Rosh Hashana, which has such significance to us,” Neil Vogel, chairman of the new temple, said. “It’s when the state signed off on it, so there’s a lot of symbolism.”

After the walk, temple members celebrated Simchat Torah, which commemorates the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle.

“Today’s walk focused on the Torah scrolls that were there in Island Park and bringing them here, so it ties into the holiday, celebrating the scrolls,” Zanerhaft said.

After the service, guests were ushered into Temple Emanu-El’s ballroom, where they gathered around the Torah scrolls as they were unrolled.

“Without the Torah, there would be no Judaism — there would be no Christianity,” temple member Linda Kotin said. “It’s the basis of everything, so it was an honor to be able to carry it.”

An evening of music, dancing and refreshments followed.

“Bringing these Torahs here was something very special,” Feldman said, adding of the new members from Island Park, “We are hoping that they will feel very comfortable and welcome here at this temple.”

“These are two equals coming togeth-

er to form a new, stronger entity,” Vogel said. “The whole coming together of the two temples is so important. We didn’t merge one into the other, we created a new temple, and it is the first new temple in Long Beach in forever.”

Temple Emanu-El is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, and will mark the milestone with a gala on Nov. 8.

“There are times that we thrived, there are times that were challenging,” Zanerhaft said, “but we feel that it was,

and still is, a part of our legacy to maintain and continue on.”

More information on future events and services at the new temple can be found at TempleEmanualEllongbeach. org.

Mullaney aims to listen, and to reconnect

By JEFFREY BESSEN jbessen@liherald.com

When Patrick Mullaney first took office in Nassau County’s 4th Legislative District nearly two years ago, succeeding longtime Legislator Denise Ford, he admits he didn’t quite know what to expect.

“Having absolutely no experience prior, I really didn’t have a metric to gauge it on,” Mullaney, 50, said with a laugh. “Everything’s been more or less a learning curve.”

Mullaney — who also serves as a special operations lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department — believes he’s stayed true to his core philosophy: to listen.

“I said it two years ago, and I still believe it: I have one job over anything else, and that’s just to listen to people,” the Long Beach resident said. “That doesn’t mean giving everyone what they want, but it means making sure they’re heard.”

Mullaney describes his approach as hands-on and constituent-driven. Much of his daily work, he said, revolves around resolving local concerns — anything from potholes to pension questions.

“People don’t always know where to go — whether it’s a town issue, a county issue, or a state issue,” he said. “So a big part of what we do is help them navigate that. “We’ve been very effective at handling those day-to-day problems.”

A self-described moderate, Mullaney emphasizes practicality over partisanship. “I like to think I’m as middle-of-the-line as you’re going to get,” he said. “Government shouldn’t be a tweet — it should be something people understand.”

Mullaney also chairs the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee, where he’s played a key role in securing

resources for law enforcement and first responders.

“We’ve hired more than 300 police officers in the past two years,” he said. “And I’ve been able to help allocate nearly a million dollars for local fire departments — for ambulances, first responder equipment, and SCBAs,” he added, referring to self-contained breathing apparatuses.

Mullaney noted the redevelopment of the longabandoned Long Beach Motor Inn into a 42-unit veterans’ village operated by Tunnel to Towers.

“It checks all the boxes,” he said. “We’re helping veterans, turning an eyesore into something the community can be proud of, and doing it without adding a

financial burden to taxpayers.”

Though upbeat about his work, Mullaney’s expressed disappointment at the low turnout for his community forums. “When you put together a meeting and only six people show up, it’s discouraging,” he acknowledged. “People have become disconnected. I’d like to see more folks take an active role in understanding how government works.”

Looking ahead, Mullaney said he hopes to strengthen that connection — through personal outreach more than social media.

“I’m 50 years old, so my ability to use social media to its full potential is limited,” he joked. “But if I meet you, I’ll give you my cell phone number. That personal connection still matters.”

As for the unusual circumstances of this year’s election — his opponent, Petros Krommidas, remains on the ballot despite being missing since April — Mullaney has deliberately toned down his campaign out of respect for Krommidas’s family.

“It’s just the right thing to do,” he said.

Mullaney said his decision to run came from a simple conviction. “If I say no, then I have no right to complain,” he said. “I was given the opportunity to get involved and maybe change things. If I walk away from that, who am I to sit around and just complain?”

Peace of Mind

In the midst of abundance such as we have never known, why are so many people unhappy? It may be that pursuing happiness is too vague a concept. Instead, we recommend pursuing peace of mind. Peace of mind can be found by eliminating those situations or circumstances that are preventing you from achieving it. Impossible, you say? Not if you are determined to fnd a way. Someone once said, “Tell me what it is that you want that you can’t have, and I’ll ask you what it is you aren’t willing to do.”

Recently, a client contacted me for advice on a family matter. She was the executor of an estate where the decedent had been in a second marriage and the two families were bickering over an old motorcycle, some personal effects and a relatively small amount of money. She wanted out as executor but her brothers wanted to fght. I asked her brothers whether they wanted peace of mind or to be right, since they couldn’t have both. They fnally relented.

Too many people want the thing but are un-

willing to pay the price. You want out of the relationship or situation but the other side is asking too much? Pay the price and get on with your life, it’s worth it. It doesn’t have to be fair, it just has to get done. Emerson said “Do the thing and you will have the power.” Many of the issues we see people grappling with involve fghting something or someone in a way that resembles Don Quixote tilting at the windmill. They are fghting all by themselves. We say “stop fghting”. Let it go.

We also meet a great many worriers. Worried about everything all the time. Perhaps it is no more than a bad habit. Why do we say that? Whenever we solved a client’s worry, they immediately started worrying about something else! Churchill recounted a dying friend telling him, “You know, Winston, I had a lot of troubles in my life. Most of which never happened.”

Finally, from the Canadian thinker, Brian Tracy, “Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it”

The Island F.C. kicks off its future on L.I.

By LUKE FEENEY lfeeney@liherald.com

The global game is coming to Uniondale as The Island F.C., an independent professional soccer club, was unveiled, alongside plans for a new stadium.

The team, launched by principal owner and chairman Mitchell Rechler and team president Peter Zaratin, is set to debut in March 2027 and will compete in MLS Next Pro, the professional development league of Major League Soccer.

“This is something that did not happen overnight,” Rechler said on Oct. 14 at the Long Island Children’s Museum in Uniondale. “We have been working on bringing pro soccer to Long Island for 18 years.”

Rechler is a managing partner of Rechler Equity Partners, one of the largest real estate developers on Long Island. Zaratin, a former soccer player, is the founder and CEO of Global Concepts, a metropolitan area-based sports management company.

Rechler and Zaratin also revealed their plans to build a privately funded outdoor 2,500-seat stadium — which can be increased to fit 5,000 — at Mitchel Athletic Complex, also in Uniondale.

Preseason games for the Island FC are set to begin in January 2027. Organizers confirmed that the launch was strategically timed to build on the antic-

ipated “national surge in soccer enthusiasm,” after the 2026 FIFA World Cup in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The team is estimated to be around $25 million undertaking. Around $20 million will be devoted for the new year-

round training facility and around $5 million to launch the club. Stadium designs are anticipated to be released over the next few months, with the intent of breaking ground next spring.

“Over the last few years, we heard

consistently about the strength, resilience and pride of Long Islanders,” MLS Next Pro President Ali Curtis said, adding that “Long Island is unique because while it’s its own community, the special people that live here are from all over the world, and soccer brings people together and is the universal language.”

Alongside the launch of a professional team, expanding opportunities for younger players to grow and succeed is another priority of the venture. Enhanced scholarship programs and a strengthened youth-college-pro pathway will be designed to help aspiring athletes to pursue their goals.

Plans are also underway to return a professional women’s soccer team to Long Island

“We’re building a legacy for Long Island,” Zaratin said, adding that the team’s mission is to “empower aspiring soccer players through an Island-wide development pathway that ensures every player–regardless of background or gender, can reach their full potential in the game.”

Several elected officials attended the announcement. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said that it was an honor “to have a professional soccer team right here in Nassau County, which will provide dynamic entertainment and create economic prosperity.”

Faith meets force in police meet-and-greet

By KELSIE RADZISKI

kradziski@liherald.com

Residents had the chance to meet local officers, explore police equipment and learn about careers in law enforcement during the annual National Faith and Blue Weekend event, aimed at strengthening community-police relationships.

“It’s an annual event where the police department partners with houses of worship in a collaborative manner or collaborative fashion, to have a collective event where the community can engage with the police in a positive way,” Detective Lieutenant James Pettenato said.

Officers set up interactive stations in the parking lot of St. Agnes Cathedral showcasing gear and equipment used in day-to-day law enforcement operations. A wide range of tools was on display to help residents better understand the department’s work.

“We bring all of the cool and exciting gadgets and gizmos over the police department now, and that way the community can see the police, see what we have, the tools of the trade,” Pettenato said. “It’s a positive atmosphere here, but if they need us when maybe things are not so positive, they’re comfortable to reach out.”

Beyond fostering dialogue, the event served as a career exploration opportunity for attendees of all ages.

“We have opportunities to learn about more jobs at the police department,” the officer added. “There are other lesser known jobs, such as a police medic, a police mechanic,

school crossing guard. We have the Explorer Youth Program, which is a co-ed youth program for young adults aged 14 to 21.”

Spot, the robot dog from Boston Dynamics, was one of the event’s standout attractions.

The department primarily uses the robot for reconnaissance, as it is equipped with various cameras and a gripper arm similar to their bomb squad robot. However, Spot is limited in its lifting capacity, able to carry only about 30 pounds, making it better suited for light-duty tasks rather than heavy recovery operations.

The robot can also be outfitted with radiation detectors and five-gas meters, allowing it to be deployed into hazardous environments, such as warehouse spills or potential bomb threats, without putting officers at risk. While it can drag a person in emergencies, it is not ideal for full recovery situations due to its limited strength.

As one of the department’s newest tools, Spot is still being worked into the regular equipment rotation. The system is considered intuitive, though some personnel still prefer using the older robots or simply putting on a protective suit for certain situations. Despite this, Spot remains a crowd favorite at events like this one, where the technology can be showcased in a more approachable and engaging setting.

With families exploring patrol vehicles, robotics, and educational booths, the event brought an upbeat, approachable face to policing — and gave community members a deeper understanding of the tools and people who serve them.

Aloise, a prosecutor, hopes to become D.A.

By LUKE FEENEY lfeeney@liherald.com

Nicole Aloise, a Democrat running for Nassau County district attorney, is focusing her campaigning on public safety, community investment, and experience forged in courtrooms.

“I firmly believe in the job of a prosecutor,” she said. “It’s all I’ve done in my career.”

Aloise, 41, has worked as a prosecutor for 16 years in both Nassau and Queens, most recently as a senior assistant district attorney in the Queens Homicide Bureau. She began her legal career in 2008 after graduating from St. John’s University School of Law. While in Queens, she secured more than 20 violent felony convictions and helped establish case law by making use of NYPD body camera footage for the first time in a trial in New York City.

Aloise moved with her family from Astoria to Garden City in 2019. From 2019 to 2023, she prosecuted homicides and violent felonies as senior litigation counsel in the Nassau D.A.’s office. She returned to Queens for a brief period before stepping down in 2024 to launch her campaign.

Despite its staff of hundreds, one of the largest D.A.’s offices in the country, it has fallen behind, Aloise said. “The office now being run,” she said, “is not appropriate for a 2025 D.A.’s office.”

She criticized what she called a lack of courtroom experience in the office’s current leadership, and said that has led to high staff turnover. The issues that are central to her platform include strengthening the county’s Hate Crimes Bureau, especially when it comes to antisemitic and anti-Asian attacks; sup-

porting a statewide “death by dealer” law to hold drug suppliers accountable in fatal overdoses; and increasing funding for youth, mental health and violence prevention programs.

Aloise has also pledged to pursue tougher prosecutions in drunken-driving cases, and expanding cooperation

‘It’s been my life’s work,’

By LUKE FEENEY lfeeney@liherald.com

For Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, pursuing justice and supporting crime victims isn’t just a job — it’s a passion.

“It’s been my life’s work,” she said. “I have worked in every bureau in the office. I have been a boss, a supervisor, and I’m very passionate about what we do.”

Donnelly, 61, a Republican and a longtime prosecutor, defeated former State Sen. Todd Kaminsky in 2021 to become district attorney — the fourth consecutive woman to hold the office. A Garden City resident who graduated from Fordham Law School in 1989, she is seeking a second term on a platform of public safety, gang enforcement and law enforcement support.

Since taking office in 2022, Donnelly has created three county law enforcement units. The Firearms Suppression and Intelligence Unit, focuses on illegal gun sales and weapons trafficking. “We’ve had an uptick of guns being taken off the street, and I wanted to know why,” she said. The Pharmaceutical Diversion and Cybercrimes Unit targets opioid diversion by medical professionals and prosecutes cybercrimes, including dark web activity. The Hate

DISTRICT ATTORNEY

with local police departments. “I’ve got the best experience to be in this job,” she said, “because I won’t be asking anybody to do something I myself personally haven’t done, and I will know what resources and guidelines to put into place to make sure they’re successful.”

Like the Republican incumbent, Anne Donnelly, Aloise has criticized New York’s 2020 discovery and bail reform laws. “It absolutely makes our job harder,” she said. “I’ve been outspoken about these laws since prior to their inception.”

But, she noted, she successfully worked under the same rules in Queens, and argued that the county badly needs an upgraded functioning discovery system. “They have one in Queens,” she added. “They have one in Suffolk.”

“I won’t run a stagnant office,” Aloise said. “I’ve got the passion, I’ve got the energy and I’ve got the vision to make the Nassau’s district attorney’s office one of the premier offices in the country — because we have the resources, if used correctly.”

Anne Donnelly says

Tim Baker/Herald

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly is seeking a second term as the county’s top prosecutor.

Crimes Unit is tasked with investigating bias-motivated violence and boosting community outreach, training and reporting.

“There’s always going to be crime,” Donnelly said. “The important aspect of maintaining or keeping Nassau safe

is to target the crimes that we see increases in.” She has been an outspoken critic of New York state’s bail reform and Clean Slate laws, which she described “problematic,” and argued they allow repeat offenders back onto the streets.

She also raised concerns about the state’s discovery reform law, passed in 2020, which requires prosecutors to quickly share evidence with defense attorneys. Under the law, prosecutors originally had 20 to 35 days after a defendant’s arraignment, depending on pretrial custody, to provide all evidence — with a possible 30-day extension.

“It’s not like we’re trying to hide anything from them,” Donnelly said. “Getting all the information within the window is the challenge.” A 2025 amendment now allows cases to proceed if prosecutors show “good faith and due diligence” in providing evidence.

On the subject of the 2019 bail reform law, which eliminated cash bail for many non-violent offenses, she pointed to aggravated animal abuse and DWI as examples of “violent and dangerous” offenses that don’t meet the law’s definition of violence.

With nearly 250 attorneys and a staff of more than 450, the Nassau County district attorney’s office is one of the largest in the country. Donnelly said that her management experience stands in contrast to her challenger in next month’s election, Democrat Nicole Aloise. “She’s a very nice person, but has never managed one person,” Donnelly said. “I don’t think she’s the person for it. I think I am.”

Long Island Cares names new regional CEO

By JOSEPH D’ALESSANDRO jdalessandro@liherald.com

Katherine Fritz became the new regional president and CEO of the Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank, a Long Island Cares nonprofit that benefits people dealing with food insecurity, on Oct. 8.

Fritz has over 30 years of experience working for nonprofits. She joined LIC in 2019, just before the coronavirus pandemic began, which left many Long Islanders dealing with food insecurity.

“During that really crazy time period, I had to help the organization move forward quickly with fundraising and communicating with our donors about how money was being spent,” she said.

Fritz told the Herald that her leadership will prioritize patience, understanding and stability while pursuing the group’s goal of eliminate hunger on Long Island. “The mission of the organization is always going to be at the forefront of everything I do,” she said.

ICrawford estimated that Fritz, as a fundraiser, managed to bring in $8 million for the organization in five years, which was “a testament to how hard she works, how she builds her team and stewards our donors,” Crawford said.

“After a nationwide search, the Board of Directors of Long Island Cares found its next leader down the hall from the boardroom,” board President David Herold stated in a news release. “She will lead us in meeting the ever-increasing need ahead, which is what the battle against the challenging climate surrounding food insecurity requires.

think we are going to be able to help a lot more people.

KIm CRAwfORD Marketing director, Long Island Cares

Before Fritz’s appointment, she was the organization’s vice president for development and communications. Her predecessor, Paule Pachter, retired earlier this year after serving for 17 years.

Marketing Director Kim Crawford has known Fritz from her beginnings at LIC. “She has a passion and a kindness that she is able to balance with her leadership, which is why she has such an incredible team now,” Crawford said. “I think we are going to be able to help a lot more people.”

“We believe that with her steady hand on the tiller, our mission will be advanced and the future of the people we serve will be brighter,” Herold added.

Fritz’s major goals include increased collaboration among more than 300 LIC food pantries, schools and community centers, supporting advocacy efforts and addressing the root causes of hunger — all while making LIC’s 2025-30 financial plans into realities.

“We’re in another critical time for food banking with the current government shutdown, in addition to the federal cuts that have already been enacted,” she said. “We need to focus on ensuring that we can provide appropriate food to the people in the community that are really needing assistance right now.”

Heading into the holiday season, LHC plans to provide healthy food for people of all cultural backgrounds and dietary restrictions in Long Island’s

diverse communities.

“There’s so many ways for people to help support their neighbors,” Fritz said.

To volunteer, donate or find food, visit LICares.org.

SponSored

CN Guidance Breaking Down Barriers

Making Mental Health & Substance Use Services More Accessible for Long Islanders

By Oliva Sims

For many Long Islanders, accessing help for mental health or substance use challenges can feel overwhelming and discouraging. Long wait times, high costs, and stigma often leave individuals and families without the support they urgently need, sometimes at the very moment a crisis arises.

CN Guidance & Counseling Services is working to change that, breaking down barriers and creating a system where care is not only available but accessible, when and where it matters most.

Barriers to Care

Across Long Island, behavioral health services are stretched thin, leaving many residents struggling to get the care they need. Clinics are often overwhelmed, resulting in long waitlists for intake appointments that can stretch for weeks. For those seeking ongoing therapy, high co-pays or out-of-pocket costs make regular treatment fnancially unsustainable. People with complex needs, particularly those managing both mental health and substance use conditions, often hear that their situation is “too complex” for a single program, forcing them to navigate multiple providers or go without care altogether.

Dana Pope, a CN Guidance client, knows

the frustration frsthand.

“The wait time to get therapy is the biggest problem. Just waiting for intake, it can feel endless. I’ve seen friends have to stop treatment altogether because the out-of-pocket costs were just too much,” she says.

Lived Experience at the Center

CN Guidance also recruits, trains, and relies on staff with lived experience to guide and support clients. Kathie Lombardi, a certifed recovery peer advocate, has been abstinent from substances for 35 years. She recalls how diffcult it was to fnd care when she was pregnant and struggling with substance use.

“No one would take me. Programs weren’t set up for pregnant women or for people with both mental health and substance use needs. I felt shut out,” she says.

That experience drives her work today.

“At CN Guidance, we never say no. If insurance is a barrier, we work on

a sliding scale. If someone doesn’t have ID, we help them get it. And if someone has both mental health and substance use needs, we make sure they have a team, a clinician and a peer, so they don’t feel like they’re being turned away,” Kathie says.

Open access hours have been a major shift for the community.

“When I tell people they can just walk in and be guaranteed to talk to someone that day, it’s huge. It gives people hope,” she adds.

Kathie has also trained more than 7,000 Long Islanders in how to save lives through administering opioid overdose reversal drugs (OORD), such as naloxone. While overdose numbers remain high, she notes that fatalities are fnally decreasing.

“Education works. It saves lives,” she says.

Programs That Open Doors

CN Guidance tackles barriers to care through a range of programs designed to meet people where they are. At the Hicksville clinic, open access hours are offered twice a

week, allowing individuals to walk in without an appointment and be seen the same day. This immediate access can be a lifeline for those facing urgent mental health or substance use challenges.

Outreach efforts focus on populations who often face additional obstacles, including veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and others who may fall through the cracks. Kathie is also a key member of CN Guidance’s “clinic on wheels,” called the Mobile Recovery Unit (MRU), which drives across Long Island to substance use hot spots in many high needs areas, providing on-the-spot substance use and mental health care to those who might not be able to come to their clinic]

CN Guidance also provides care coordination programs such as Critical Time Intervention (CTI) and Health Home Care Management,

helping clients navigate transitions between housing, hospitals, or recovery programs. These initiatives prevent gaps in treatment, reduce the risk of relapse, and ensure clients maintain consistent, personalized support.

By combining immediate access, targeted outreach, and coordinated care, CN Guidance is creating a safety net that adapts to the needs of every individual.

For Dana, the difference came when all her care was consolidated under one roof.

“When I got case coordination, therapy, and psychiatry all through CN Guidance, everything changed. My team works together and shares notes. There’s no phone tag. They build a plan catered just for me, and that should be given to everybody,” she says.

Building a Future of Accessible Care

With open access hours, coordinated treatment, mobile services and peer support, CN Guidance is steadily removing the obstacles that keep people from recovery. The agency’s work is reshaping behavioral health care across Long Island, making sure that people are met with help instead of hurdles.

Later this fall, CN Guidance will take another major step forward with the launch of a Community Crisis Center, a welcoming, communitybased alternative to the emergency room. Open 24/7 year-round, the center will provide urgent mental health and substance use care for both adults and children in crisis and their families. Individuals can walk in or be brought in by family, friends, police, or mobile crisis teams. With onsite nursing, peer support, evaluation, treatment, and dischargeaftercare planning, the center will offer immediate, compassionate stabilization care while easing the strain on local emergency departments.

To learn more about CN Guidance & Counseling Services and its programs, visit cnguidance.org.

VOTERS GUIDE 2025

Candidate profiles, ballot Information and more inside! LOCAL ELECTIONS

TOWN clERK ElEcTION ‘25

Kate Murray is running for re-election as Town Clerk of Hempstead. She was first elected to the position in 2002 and returned to the office in 2019 after serving as Hempstead Town Supervisor from 2003 to 2016, making her the first woman to hold the position.

She has also served in the New York State Assembly representing the 19th District.

On the issues:

As Town Clerk, Murray has focused on improving accessibility and convenience for residents. Her initiatives include the “One-Stop Passport Shop,” online access to permits and licenses and commuter parking permits available directly at LIRR stations. She oversaw the construction of a $6 million multipurpose center for the ANCHOR Program, which offers programs in

athletics, aquatic activities, theater, computer skills, nutrition and social engagement.

Murray’s office has also advanced renewable energy initiatives, including a green energy park and a solarpowered government office recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for its zeroemission design.

The Town Clerk’s Office handles vital records, marriage licenses, permits, public notices, town board records, official records and historical archives dating back to 1644. The office also performs wedding ceremonies and processes applications for zoning changes, public garages, and other municipal permits.

Democratic candidate Yveline Dalmacy has not responded to requests for an interview for a roundtable.

Nassau County Legislator Patrick Mullaney, the Republican incumbent representing the 4th Legislative District, is seeking re-election for the two-year term in a race shaped by the disappearance of his opponent, Petros Krommidas, a Baldwin native and Long Beach resident who has been missing since April.

Reflecting on his first term, Mullaney, 50, describes the experience as “a learning curve” but says the most important lesson he’s carried forward is simple: listening. “I have one job over anything else,” he said. “And that’s just to listen to people.”

For Mullaney, a FDNY special operations lieutenant, listening doesn’t always mean agreeing it means ensuring residents feel heard and that government remains accessible.

On the issues:

“My number one question is, ‘Where

do we go?’” he said. “Sometimes it’s a town issue, sometimes the city of Long Beach, sometimes the county. We try to guide people to the right place.”

He has hosted several community forums and informational sessions on topics like scam awareness and Narcan training, though he expressed disappointment with turnout.

Taxes remain a frequent point of confusion, he added, noting that many residents don’t realize county taxes are only a small fraction of their overall bill.

Mullaney said the county has maintained a zero-percent tax increase, and he aims to continue helping residents better understand how tax dollars are used.

A 30-year Long Beach resident, Mullaney said his deep community ties have helped foster cooperation with city officials.

TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD SUPERVISOR

Republican John Ferretti, appointed Hempstead Town Supervisor in August following Don Clavin’s resignation, is running to retain the position with a focus on fiscal discipline, public safety, and community values.

On the issues:

A former Nassau County legislator, Ferretti, a lifelong Levittown resident, has emphasized his record of opposing tax increases and supporting responsible budgeting.

officials to increase patrols at houses of worship and co-authored legislation to prevent individuals from concealing their identities during acts of intimidation.

In addition to his focus on safety and fiscal management, Ferretti has positioned himself as a defender of suburban neighborhoods, opposing proposals for high-density housing developments he believes would alter the character of local communities.

Democrat Joe Scianablo, a Marine combat veteran, former NYPD officer, and prosecutor, is running for Town of Hempstead supervisor with a pledge to restore transparency, lower taxes, and hold local government accountable.

During his tenure, he led efforts to reduce county taxes by $70 million and block $150 million in proposed hikes. He has said government should operate within its means, similar to the financial discipline of local families.

Ferretti’s platform highlights a commitment to maintaining public safety and supporting law enforcement. As a legislator, he helped expand police presence, reopen a closed precinct, and invest in advanced public safety technology. He also worked with town

Before his election to public office, Ferretti served as Chief Deputy County Clerk, overseeing a staff of more than 100 employees and managing over $240 million in annual revenue. Ferretti has also prioritized strengthening community infrastructure and ensuring that development and town policies reflect the needs and values of local residents, supporting initiatives that preserve open spaces and enhance the quality of life in Hempstead.

Scianablo, a Garden City resident, says families across the town are feeling the strain of rising costs, from a 12 percent property tax hike to increases in water, power, and fuel bills. He is calling for a full financial audit of all departments, a freeze on nonessential spending, and new measures to root out waste and corruption.

On the issues:

If elected, Scianablo said his first 100 days would include converting all town streetlights to LED to save $1 million annually, implementing zero-based budgeting where every dollar is justified, and exploring shared services with nearby towns to eliminate duplicate

costs. His platform emphasizes “commonsense solutions,” including proactive infrastructure maintenance, performance-based funding, and energy efficiency upgrades. He has also vowed to hold monthly town halls and establish resident oversight to keep taxpayers informed.

Scianablo said improving public safety and supporting veterans would also be key priorities. Drawing on his law enforcement background, he aims to strengthen trust between communities and public safety departments. As a Marine veteran, he wants to expand access to healthcare, housing, and employment programs for fellow veterans. He has also criticized the closure of the Safe Center and pledged to expand domestic violence services by working with Nassau County and community partners.

OF THE HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS PULL OUT

NASSAU COUNTY COMPTROllER

Elaine Phillips, the Republican Nassau County Comptroller, is seeking re-election on a platform centered on fiscal responsibility, government efficiency, and taxpayer protection. Since taking office in 2022, she has focused on modernizing Nassau County’s financial systems, strengthening oversight of county spending, and ensuring residents receive measurable value for their tax dollars.

payments owed to Nassau County, identified inefficiencies in procurement and contract management, and implemented updated auditing procedures to prevent waste and fraud. She has also emphasized modernization, leading efforts to digitize accounting systems.

On the issues:

A former New York State senator representing the 7th District, Phillips previously served as mayor of Flower Hill, where she managed local budgets and enacted cost-saving reforms. Before entering public office, she built a successful career in finance with senior roles at J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and MetLife, bringing private-sector expertise to government operations.

As comptroller, Phillips has prioritized accountability and transparency in county finances. Her office has recovered millions in outstanding

Phillips has focused on strengthening fiscal stability, monitoring contract performance, and scrutinizing the county’s partnerships with major public entities such as the MTA. She has also overseen audits addressing delayed payments to small businesses and service providers, ensuring timely reimbursements and greater financial clarity. Phillips points to her background in both finance and local government as key to her pragmatic approach to fiscal management. She has emphasized longterm planning, responsible borrowing, and efficiency-driven reforms designed to safeguard public resources.

Wayne Wink, the Democratic candidate for Nassau County Comptroller, is running on a platform centered on transparency, fiscal integrity, and restoring independence to the county’s chief financial office. With more than two decades of public service, he brings extensive legislative and administrative experience to the race.

A resident of Roslyn, Wink began his career in local government on the North Hempstead Town Board, where he served from 2003 to 2007. He was later elected to the Nassau County Legislature, representing the 10th District from 2007 to 2014, which includes parts of Great Neck, East Hills, Roslyn, and Manhasset. During his tenure, he developed a reputation for fiscal diligence and constituent advocacy, focusing on responsible budgeting and government accountability.

In 2014, Wink was elected North Hempstead Town Clerk, a position he held until 2021. In that role, he oversaw

On the issues:

modernization of the town’s recordkeeping and licensing systems, implemented digital accessibility initiatives, and ensured compliance with open government and transparency laws. His administrative experience as clerk further solidified his focus on efficiency

On the issues: Wink has framed his campaign for comptroller around independence and transparency. He emphasizes the need for unbiased financial oversight, ensuring that county contracts, audits, and expenditures are handled with integrity and free from political influence. His platform includes expanding digital access to county financial data, improving internal controls, and strengthening collaboration with local municipalities to enhance fiscal efficiency. Wink holds a bachelor’s degree from Union College and a law degree from St. John’s University School of Law.

ElECTION ‘25

NASSAU COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is seeking a second term, emphasizing public safety, fiscal stability and preserving suburban character as the foundation of his administration. He said Nassau remains the safest large county in America, citing expanded law enforcement ranks, a stable budget and seven Wall Street bond-rating upgrades as evidence of sound fiscal management. Blakeman has repeatedly highlighted that county taxes have not increased during his tenure and that Nassau’s average home value has risen, which he sees as proof of prosperity and stability.

A central point of pride for Blakeman has been Nassau’s partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — the first of its kind in the country — which dedicates jail space and crosstrained detectives to assist federal agents. He said the agreement improves safety and has strong support among Hispanic residents who want “safe

neighborhoods and strong schools.” On crime prevention, Blakeman defended his creation of a volunteer emergency database, which critics have called a militia, describing it instead as a vetted roster of former police and military members who could be mobilized Blakeman continues to challenge the state’s takeover of Nassau University Medical Center, calling it “illegal” and harmful to residents who rely on it as a safetynet hospital. He contends the move is part of a broader state plan to reduce local control and diminish services. On housing, he opposes state-mandated density requirements, arguing that Nassau is already one of the nation’s most developed suburban counties and that zoning decisions should remain local.

Overall, Blakeman’s campaign message centers on fiscal prudence, public safety and protecting Nassau’s suburban quality of life.

On the issues:

Democratic Nassau County Legislator Seth Koslow, of Merrick, is running for county executive on a platform centered on transparency, fiscal accountability and restoring public trust in local government.

A former Queens assistant district attorney and small business owner, Koslow said his decision to run was motivated by frustration over what he views as secrecy and mismanagement under the current administration. He cited ongoing problems at Nassau University Medical Center and the county jail as examples of a government unwilling to answer questions or plan for the future.

Seth Koslow Party: Democrat

waste and redirect resources toward infrastructure, housing and public services. He supports using county-owned properties for new mixed-use housing and simplifying the permit process for small businesses to boost local revenue without raising taxes. Koslow also said he would end Nassau’s cooperation agreement with federal immigration authorities, arguing it strains community relations and overextends county resources.

Koslow criticized County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s creation of a civilian militia, saying it undermines law enforcement and creates liability, and argued that Nassau’s shortage of detectives poses a more urgent safety threat. On fiscal issues, he said the county must better track its spending, cut

On social policy, he has rejected measures like the county’s bans on transgender athletes and public masking as divisive distractions from more pressing issues of affordability and public safety. His approach, he said, would emphasize collaboration with state and regional leaders, community input on major development projects such as the Nassau Hub, and long-term planning to keep future generations living and working on Long Island.

PULL OUT WHO’S ON THE BALLOT FORM COURTESY OF

GENERAL ELECTION Candidates

Amendment to Allow Olympic Sports Complex In Essex County on State Forest Preserve Land. Allows skiing and related trail facilities on state forest preserve land. The site is 1,039 acres. Requires State to add 2,500 acres of new forest land in Adirondack Park. A yes vote authorizes new ski trails and related facilities in the Adirondack forest preserve. A no vote does not authorize this use.

Enmienda para Permitir Complejo Olímpico de Deportes En el Condado de Essex en Tierra de Reserva Forestal Estatal. Permite el esquí e instalaciones relacionadas de pistas en tierra de reserva forestal estatal. El sitio es de 1,039 acres. Requiere que el Estado añade 2,500 acres de nueva tierra forestal en el Parque Adirondack. Un voto afirmativo autoriza nuevas pistas de esquí e instalaciones relacionadas en la reserva forestal Adirondack. Un voto negativo no autoriza este uso.

November 04, 2025

County Executive

Ejecutivo del Condado

Seth I. Koslow

District Attorney

Fiscal del Distrito

DEM, MOD Nicole Aloise

Comptroller

Controlador del Condado

DEM, MOD

Wayne H. Wink, Jr.

County Clerk

MOD Joylette E. Williams

Bruce A. Blakeman

Justice

Anne T. Donnelly

R. Phillips

Long Beach Council Member

Concejal

DEM, REP, CON

Roy J. Lester

Michael G. Reinhart

Peggy Lenette Butts

Tracey A. Johnson

Lillian E. Mosley

George W. Ennis

Joseph C. Pastoressa

Bronwyn M. Black-Kelly

PULL OUT WHO’S ON THE BALLOT FORM COURTESY OF

10th Judicial District 2025 JUDICIAL CANDIDATES

Bronwyn Black-Kelly

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties

Age: 65

Legal career: Bronwyn Black-Kelly has served as a Suffolk County District Court judge since 2023, following a long career in both public service and private practice. From 1990 to 2022, she was a partner at the Law Offices of Black & Black, a general practice firm. Earlier in her career, she worked as an assistant district attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office from 1985 to 1989.

Black-Kelly earned her law degree from Hofstra University School of Law in 1985, and her bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University in 1981. She was admitted to the state bar in 1986, and is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a member of both the Suffolk County and New York State bar associations.

James Malone

Endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 59

Legal career: Since 2018, James Malone has been a District Court Judge. From 2014-2017, he was a principal law clerk for State Supreme Court Justice William Condon. He received his undergraduate degree from Clarkson University in 1983 and a law degree from Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in 2005.

Carl

Copertino

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties

Age: 69

Legal career: Judge Carl Copertino currently presides over family cases in the Family Court of Suffolk County and has served as a New York judge for 13 years.Previously, he spent five years as an attorney with the New York City Transit Authority. He received his law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1981. He was admitted to the New York State bar in 1981.

Mark Cuthbertson

Endorsed by Republican and Democratic parties

Age: 59

Legal career: Mark Cuthbertson, a lifelong Huntington resident, focused his legal career on commercial real estate, municipal litigation, and the representation of municipalities and notfor-profit cemeteries.

Admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut, Cuthbertson earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Albany Law School of Union University. There, he served as the executive editor of the Symposium for the Albany Law Review. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Villanova University.

In addition to his legal practice, Cuthbertson has served on the Huntington Town Board since 1998, where he has worked to reduce and stabilize taxes while advancing environmental protection and smart growth initiatives. He sponsored legislation preserving hillside areas and open space throughout the town.

Matthew McDonough

Endorsed by the Conservative party Age: 36

Legal career: Matthew McDonough, of Massapequa, has been admitted to practice law in New York since 2019. He is also admitted to the District of Columbia, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern districts of New York, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. McDonough, a graduate of the City University of New York School of Law at Queens College, he earned his Juris Doctor before serving a clerkship with the State Supreme Court. In 2020, he opened his private practice in Babylon, focusing on municipal and public sector law. He works often with local governments, businesses and residents on municipal policy, taxation and regulatory compliance.

Joseph Pastoressa

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 66

Legal career: Justice Joseph C. Pastoressa has served on the state Supreme Court in Suffolk County since 2012. Before that, he was an acting Supreme Court justice from 2004 to 2011, while also serving as a Court of Claims judge. Earlier in his career, Pastoressa worked in private practice, and later as a principal law clerk for a justice on the state Appellate Division, a Court of Claims judge and a state Supreme Court justice. He earned his bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University, and graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School.

Steven Pilewski

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties

Age: 69

Paul Kenny

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 64

Legal career: Paul Kenny, a Glen Head resident, began his career in 1986 as a court attorney in the New York City Criminal Court and later joined a general practice firm in Queens. He served as co-counsel to the State Court Officer’s Association. From 1992 to 2007, he worked in the Kings County Supreme Court Law Department, as a court attorney-referee for matrimonial matters, and from 2000 as the deputy chief court attorney. He was appointed chief clerk of the Appellate Term, Second Department in 2007 and edited the Election Law Handbook for more than a decade. He serves on the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, is an instructor at Lehman College, an adjunct professor at the NYC College of Technology and lectures at the Appellate Division, Second Department and State Judicial Institute on election law.

Margaret Reilly

Endorsed by Republican, Conservative, and Democratic parties Age: 61

Legal career: Steven A. Pilewski is a longtime member of the state’s court system, with more than two decades of experience in judicial chambers. From 2000 to 2022, he served as principal law clerk to Justice Guy J. Mangano Jr. in the state Supreme Court in Kings County. Before that, he worked as a principal appellate law clerk for the Appellate Term of the 2nd Department from 1995 to 2000. Pilewski earned his law degree from Touro College in 1994, and received a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University in 1989. He has been a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association since 1999.

Legal career: Margaret Reilly has served as a Nassau County Surrogate’s Court judge since 2016. She was previously a Nassau County Supreme Court Justice from 2012 to 2015, an acting justice from 2007 to 2012, and a twice-elected County District Court judge from 1998 to 2011. Earlier in her career, Reilly practiced law as a deputy Nassau County attorney, the Stewart Manor village prosecutor and a senior associate at Mulholland Minion & Roe and the Law Office of Vincent D. McNamara. She has lectured at Hofstra and Touro law schools, co-chaired the Nassau County Courts’ Women in the Courts Committee, and served as an adjunct professor in trial advocacy at St. John’s.

2025 JUDICIAL CANDIDATES

County Court Judge

Nancy Nicotra Bednar

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties

Age: 54

Legal career: Nancy Nicotra Bednar is a lifelong Nassau County resident raised in Elmont. She lives in Rockville Centre.

A 1993 Notre Dame graduate with a bachelor’s in English, she graduated from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City in 1996 She has over 25 years of legal experience working with the Innocence Project to her leadership roles in the Nassau County Attorney’s Office and state courts.

In 2003, Bednar became a deputy bureau chief-for the General Litigation Bureau in the County Attorney’s office until 2008. Then a senior principal law clerk for Appellate DivisionSecond Department She is now a principal law clerk in the County Supreme Court

Court Judge, 2nd District

Robert G. Bogle

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties

Age: 68

Legal career: Bogle has served as a New York judge for over 40 years and began his term after election in 2015. He also serves as a supervising judge of the Village Courts in the county. He received his law degree from Hofstra University in 1982 after receiving his bachelor’s degree in political science from Niagara University in 1979. Bogle has received awards such as the Magistrate of the Year Award from the State of New York in 2006 and the Frank J. Santagata Memorial Award from the Nassau County Magistrates Association in 2008. A lifelong resident of Valley Stream, he and his wife, Kathleen, have two children. He is a Knights of Columbus member.

Donald X. Clavin Jr.

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 56

Legal career: Donald X. Clavin Jr. is the former Town of Hempstead Supervisor who served almost 3 terms from 2020-2025. He stepped down in August. Clavin was the Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes from 20012019.

Previously Clavin worked as a trial attorney and as deputy county attorney in Nassau County’s Attorney’s office. Clavin holds a law degree from Hofstra University and a bachelor’s in history from Canisius College. Clavin lives in Garden City with his wife and two children. He has stated “tax relief” as his top priority. He also helped develop the town’s 2019 and proposed 2020 budgets, including tax cuts. He has also hosted public information forums

Robert E. Pipia

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 61

Legal career: Robert E. Pipia is a judge on the Nassau County District Court in the 10th Judicial District of New York. He was first elected in 2014.

Before that, Pipia was the executive assistant to then Town of Hempstead Supervisor’s Office. This followed his work as deputy town attorney for the town’s Attorney’s Office where he served as the Americans with Disabilities Act compliance coordinator.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Albany in 1987, and earned his law degree from Hofstra University in 1992. He was licensed in New York in 1993.

Born in Queens and raised in Elmont, he attended the Henry Viscardi School.

Court Judge, 3rd District

Maria Boultadakis

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties

Age: 39

Legal career: Maria Boultadakis is a candidate for district court judge in Nassau County’s 2nd District. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2012 and is registered with the New York State Unified Court System. She earned her law degree from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. Boultadakis has served as a law clerk for three New York State Supreme Court justices, and she also held the position of deputy county attorney in Nassau County from 2022 to 2023.

Karen L. Moroney

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 55

Legal career: Karen L. Moroney serves as a judge in the Nassau County District Court, first elected in 2007, she was re-elected in 2013 and is currently serving a five-year term that expires at the end of this year.

Since 2017, she has also served as principal law clerk to Justice Sharon M.J. Gianelli of the Nassau County Supreme Court, and previously held similar roles for three other county Supreme Court justices. Her legal experience includes work as an attorney for the state Supreme Court and as an assistant district attorney in Queens County from 1992 to 1999.

Moroney earned her law degree from St. John’s University School of Law and was admitted to the bar in 1992. She is also admitted to practice before multiple federal courts.

Diana Hedayati

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 41

Legal career: Diana Hedayati is an attorney based in Plainview and a candidate for district Court judge in Nassau County’s 3rd District. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2010 by the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department and is currently registered with the New York State Unified Court System.

Hedayati graduated from Pace University School of Law. Her professional background includes over a decade of legal experience in the public sector, with a focus on administrative and regulatory law.

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 66

Legal career: Howard E. Sturim is a New York Judge in the Supreme Court of Nassau County and has served for 10 years. His career began as an assistant district attorney for the Nassau County District Attorney’s office from 1991 to 2004. He prosecuted misdemeanor and felony cases then became head of the Arson Unit and Major Offenses Unit. He then became a principal law clerk for the state Court of Claims to Alan L. Honorof before his term as New York Judge began in 2016.

Sturim earned his bachelor’s degree from the New York Institute of Technology in 1987 before receiving his law degree from Hofstra University in 1990 in the Maurice A. Deane School of Law.

Court Judge, 4th District

James A. Saladino

Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 60

Legal career: James A. Saladino is a district court judge in Nassau County, appointed in March of this year. He has over 30 years of legal experience, including service as a judge, law clerk, prosecutor and private practitioner. From 2019 to 2024, he served as a district court judge in Suffolk County, presiding over criminal and civil matters. Before that, he spent eight years as a principal law clerk in the New York State Supreme Court and practiced law as a partner at Saladino & Hartill, LLP. Earlier in his career, he was an assistant district Attorney in Suffolk County from 1991 to 2002.

Saladino earned his law degree from St. John’s University School of Law and a B.A. from Boston University. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1991.

Nassau COuNty DistriCt attOrNey

Anne Donnelly, a Republican and prosecutor for over 30 years, defeated former State Sen. Todd Kaminsky in 2021 to become Nassau County’s top prosecutor; becoming the fourth consecutive woman to do so.

Donnelly, 61, is campaigning on her record as a career prosecutor who has prioritized public safety, gang enforcement and support for law enforcement. She is a Garden City resident and took office in 2022.

On the issues:

To address gun violence and online drug trafficking, she created a Firearm Suppression Unit and a Cyber Crimes and Pharmaceutical Unit. Her office has also expanded education programs in schools and invested in hate crime prevention efforts.

Nicole Aloise, a Democrat and candidate for Nassau County District Attorney, is mounting a campaign centered on addressing crime in the county, community investment and public safety.

run for district attorney.

Upon taking office she assembled a team of prosecutors and law enforcement officials—including a former police commissioner—to focus on violent crime, narcotics, and unsolved cold cases.

Donnelly also assisted in the Gilgo Beach serial killer investigation and helped close multiple cold cases from the 1960s and 1970s. Donnelly has said her administration prioritizes justice for vulnerable populations, including animals, and has prosecuted abusers under animal cruelty laws.

Donnelly has been an outspoken critic of New York’s “Cashless Bail” and “Clean Slate” laws, which she argues put repeat violent offenders back on the streets. She has called for their repeal while voicing continued support for police.

Before her election, Donnelly served 32 years in the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, most recently as deputy bureau chief of the Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau. Her cases included murder-for-hire schemes, narcotics rings, and a counterfeit electronics bust that led to the largest asset forfeiture in county history.

Donnelly holds degrees from Fordham University and Fordham Law School.

Aloise, 41, brings 16 years of experience as a prosecutor in both Nassau and Queens counties, including recent work as a senior assistant district attorney in the Queens Homicide Bureau. She began her career in 2008 after earning her law degree from St. John’s University. In Queens, she helped secure more than 20 violent felony convictions and made case law by introducing the first NYPD body camera footage used in a New York City trial.

From 2019 to 2023, she served in the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office as senior litigation counsel, prosecuting violent felonies and homicide cases. She returned to Queens in 2023 and continued her work until stepping down in 2024 to

Nassau COuNty ClerK

Maureen O’Connell, Nassau County Clerk since 2006, is seeking re-election to continue her work modernizing the office and expanding services for seniors and non-English-speaking residents. With over 30 years in public service, O’Connell brings experience as both a registered nurse and attorney, having previously served in the New York State Assembly and as Deputy Mayor of East Williston

On the issues:

Maureen O’Connell Party: Republican

During her nearly two decades as clerk, O’Connell has overseen a major transformation of the office’s operations. Under her leadership, millions of backlogged documents were processed, and the office transitioned to a fully digitized system for court and land records. This modernization has allowed residents and attorneys to file and access official documents online, reducing the need for in-person visits.

O’Connell implemented one of the

On the issues: Her platform includes strengthening the county’s Hate Crimes Bureau to better address attacks on Jewish and Asian communities, supporting the creation of a “death by dealer” statute to hold drug traffickers accountable in fatal overdose cases, and boosting funding for mental health, youth and violence prevention programs.

Aloise has also pledged to crack down on DWI cases through the county’s Vehicular Crimes Bureau and continue partnering with local police departments to improve public safety.

She lives in Garden City with her family, serves on her school’s PTA, coaches youth soccer and teaches legal ethics as an adjunct professor at Molloy University.

state’s earliest Supreme Court e-filing systems and integrated digital connections with state and local agencies. She has also prioritized digitizing historical documents, making decades-old records more accessible for residents, particularly seniors who often need to retrieve property information.

In an effort to protect homeowners, O’Connell launched a Property Fraud Alert Program, allowing property owners to receive email notifications if deeds or mortgages are filed in their name, helping to prevent fraud.

If re-elected, she plans to continue digitizing older records and expand parking at the Mineola office. She also intends to further adapt services for residents who speak languages other than English, building on the existing language line currently in place.

A lifelong Nassau County resident, O’Connell lives in East Williston and teaches nursing at SUNY Farmingdale.

Joylette E. Williams, a longtime educator and community leader, is running for Nassau County Clerk with a platform focused on modernization, accessibility, and administrative efficiency. A county resident since 1993, Williams has spent over two decades in public service and education, currently serving as a professor of English at Nassau Community College and a two-term member of the Hempstead School Board.

Williams holds a Ph.D. in English and is completing a second doctorate in Higher Education Administration at the University of Connecticut. Her academic and professional background includes extensive experience in document management, recordkeeping, and organizational leadership—skills she says directly translate to the responsibilities of the clerk’s office.

Her public service includes prior roles as a Village of Hempstead trustee and current board member of the Town of

Hempstead Industrial Development Agency. Williams is also actively involved in civic organizations, including the NAACP, the Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club, and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, among others

On the issues: If elected, Williams plans to prioritize the digitization of county records, improve online access to public documents, and expand the use of the clerk’s mobile outreach van to underserved communities. She also proposes extending office hours one day a week to better serve working residents and increasing language accessibility for non-English-speaking residents.

Williams advocates for reducing or waiving fees on property transactions for groups such as seniors, veterans, first responders, and first-time homebuyers, citing Nassau’s fees as higher than neighboring counties.

brief

Checking out the science pilot program

The Long Beach Director of Science PK-12 Cristie Tursi presented October’s student showcase — a hydroponic grow tower pilot program at the East and West Elementary schools — at the Oct. 14 Board of Education meeting.

Joining Tursi’s presentation was Long Beach Director of Food Services Kyle Swan, who is enthusiastic about the lessons the program offers students.

He noted that basil is growing and will soon be featured as a pizza topping or used for pesto sauce, allowing students to experience the journey from

seed to table. The initiative is considered an innovative pilot program introducing Flex Farm hydroponic grow towers to the students. The program promotes hands-on learning in science, sustainability and nutrition.

Long Beach Superintendent Jennifer Gallagher also shared a presentation about artificial intelligence in the district schools. The presentation can be found at TinyUrl.com/39c8axhz.

To watch the full meeting, go to youtube.com/watch?v=KuoRPSkfvNU.

–Jeffrey

Bessen

ATTENTION STUDENTS:

THE HERALD IS HOLDING A CONTEST TO DESIGN HOLIDAY WRAPPING PAPER

THE WINNING DESIGNS WILL BE PRINTED AS HOLIDAY GIFT WRAP IN 12/4/25 & 12/11/25 ISSUES OF YOUR HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER CONTEST

RULES:

Who can enter: There will be 2 categories: Students in grades k-5. Students in 6-12

One entry per student

Deadline: Entries must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, November 14, 2025

Requirements: All entries should have the student’s name, age, address, telephone number, email, grade and school printed on the back. Design can be reflective of all religious holidays. Entries will not be returned.

Can’t spell ‘restraint’ without AI elevate the Conversation

Ihave never gotten ahead of the curve when it came to technology. Never had a Discman, or Blu-ray player, or Apple watch. Never spend a lot of time on social media: defending, sharing or swearing.

But when I had the chance to start learning about artificial intelligence through an academic and marketing lens, I decided I wouldn’t stop when the early sessions adjourned or the most recent article was printed. I decided I would stay committed in my way to read and expose myself to all points of view despite the rapid changes inherent in AI.

Despite an open mind and proponent of AI use in certain ways, three distinct resources have set my teeth on edge in recent days.

The first one: a recent article sent to our marketing communications department: “(What) is going on with AI and education?,” published by The Neuron.

essay from 2007 written by David Brooks, titled “The Outsourced Brain.”

The writer laments that the information age doesn’t allow us to know more, but less. He goes on to reference his use of GPS, iPod and Blackberry, externalizing his memory to other resources while he suggests that young people are “…forgoing memory before (they) even have a chance to lose it…”

But if that’s not a good enough reason to use Artificial Intelligence simply as a support tool not as a thinking/memory device, consider the moral and legal responsibilities of AI – no longer science fiction but ironically fiction on the book shelf in 2025.

Mail or hand-deliver to:

Wrapping Paper Contest

Herald Community Newspapers

2 Endo Boulevard, Garden City, NY 11530 OR Scan and email to:

ekimbrell@liherald.com

(No Photos of Artwork Will Be Accepted).

Winners will be notified by email or phone by November 21

Although raw in its language, the article suggested that to get the best out of learning in an AI world, humans need “desirable difficulties”. Desirable difficulties are doing the hard work without automated answers, such as relying on our memory for long-term retention rather than searching online line for a fact. If the work gets difficult, despite our natural propensity to take the easy way out, stay engaged to really learn. Struggle on your own to get better at problem solving and — as suggested in my May 2025 essay — build critical thinking skills.

“…Do the heavy mental lifting and get a mental workout to build cognitive muscle...” Work hard, learn more, retain more and cognitively grow more. In short – no pain, no gain.

Second, a fellow professor suggested I source the New York Times opinion

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger, examines the five members of the CassidyShaw family and their role and responsibility regarding AI, specifically in the context of a tragic accident with their autonomous minivan. The book is harrowing in its “everyday man” and “life changing in an instant” storyline given the viewpoint of the parents of three youngsters including the 17-year-old at the wheel at the time of the accident. Whew.

Artificial Intelligence is here. Period. Full stop.

So how we navigate, how we stay in the driver’s seat and manage its capabilities for creating — not destroying — can remain as unique as our fingerprint and as individual as our ChatGPT password.

A contributing writer to the Herald since 2012, Lauren Lev is a direct marketing/ advertising executive who teaches marketing fundamentals as well as advertising and marketing communications courses at the Fashion Institute of Technology and SUNY Old Westbury.

• Must use 8 1/2 x 11” unlined paper, copy paper or construction paper.

• Be creative & original.

• Use bright colors.

• Fill the entire page.

Everyone safe after Island Park house fire

All residents of a house on Quebec Road in Island are safe after an fire forced them to evacuate at 5:20 p.m. on Oct. 20, the Nassau Arson Bomb Squad said.

The Nassau County Fire Marshal also responded to the scene, and the investigation is continuing.

–Jeffrey Bessen

The Island Park Fire Department and neighboring fire departments responded to extinguish the flames. No injuries were reported.

STEPPING OUT

Scare up a Halloween soirée

Get your ghoul on with a tricky treat of a bash

By Karen Bloom

The big day of tricks — and treats — is fast approaching. Ir’s the perfect excuse to let your spooky side shine. Whether you’re hosting little ghouls or adults who love a good fright, transform your home into a playful (or slightly spooky) party lair. Think mad scientist candy tables,“frightfully” delicious bites, bubbling mocktails, and enough treats to satisfy every sweet tooth.

Costumes optional, fun required. Not everyone wants to go all out with a full costume — and that’s fne! A Halloween Disguise Table lets guests add just a touch of whimsy. From goofy glasses and wacky hats to plastic fangs and spinning bow ties, everyone can join the fun, one accessory at a time.

Go for some spooky eats and magical drinks. Turn everyday foods into Halloween delights with cookie cutters, clever renaming, or inventive presentation. Sandwiches become tombstones, cookies turn into ghosts, you get the idea. Drinks? Pour them into vintage bottles and jugs and label them “magic potions” for an instant wow factor.

With a little imagination, your Halloween gathering can be a playful mix of tricks, treats and memorable moments — no matter your age. Try these tricked-out goodies for tasty spooking.

Spooky Ghosts

These friendly ghosts are sweetly spooky.

• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature

• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

• 1 cup extra-fne Baker’s Special Sugar

• Chocolate mini chips, for eyes

Preheat the oven to 200°F, with a rack in the center. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare a pastry bag with a 1/2” plain tip. Place the room-temperature egg whites into the bowl of a mixer. Add the cream of tartar. Beat on slow speed until the cream of tartar is dissolved and the egg whites are foamy. Slowly increase the speed of the mixer. When

the volume of the eggs has doubled and they begin to look opaque, sprinkle in about half the sugar. Continue to beat until the whites are glossy and getting stiff. Add the remaining sugar and mix until it’s evenly distributed and the whites hold a stiff peak.

Transfer the meringue to the pastry bag and, holding the bag perpendicular to the baking sheet, pipe, with even pressure, about 2”-high mounds of meringue.

Carefully press two chocolate mini chips into each meringue ghost, to make eyes.

Bake the meringues for approximately 60 to 90 minutes, or until they’re dry and crisp to the touch.

Turn off the oven, open the door a couple of inches, and leave the meringues in the oven to fnish drying several hours, or even overnight.

Remove the ghosts from the completely cold oven, and store them loosely covered. They should keep for several days at cool/dry room temperature. Yield: 20 to 24 ghosts.

Meatball Mummy Bites

Take a bite out of these mummies if you dare.

• 1 can (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls

• 20 meatballs, pre-made

• Ketchup or mustard

• Marinara sauce, as desired

Heat oven to 375°F. Line work surface with cooking parchment paper. On parchment-lined surface, unroll dough and press perforations to seal; cut into 4 rectangles.

With knife or pizza cutter, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough.

Wrap 2 pieces of dough around each meatball to look like “bandages,” stretching dough slightly to cover meatballs.

Separate “bandages” near one end to show meatball “face.” On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped meatballs.

Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and meatballs are hot. With ketchup and mustard, draw “eyes” on mummy

bites. Serve with warm marinara sauce.

Monster Mouths

A spooky treat you’ll want to sink your teeth into.

• 1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated peanut butter cookies

• 3/4 cup hazelnut spread with cocoa

• 1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 16 balls. On ungreased cookie sheet, place balls 3 inches apart.

Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Spread hazelnut spread on bottom of each cookie; cut each cookie crosswise in half. For each “mouth,” press 4 to 5 marshmallows into hazelnut spread along rounded edge of 1 cookie half. Top with second cookie half, bottom side down; gently press together.

Melted Witch Punch

Take a sip and you’ll be feeling “witchy.”

• 6 cups water

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 (6 ounce) package lime-favored gelatin mix

• 1 (46 fuid ounce) can pineapple juice

• 2 quarts orange juice

• 1/2 cup lemon juice

• 2 (2 liter) bottles chilled lemon-lime soda

Mix water, sugar, and gelatin mix in a large saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook at a boil, whisking frequently, until gelatin and sugar have dissolved, about 3 minutes. Stir pineapple juice, orange juice, and lemon juice into gelatin mixture and transfer into resealable plastic bags. Place in freezer until slushy, about 4 hours.

Pour mixture into a large punch bowl and stir in lemon-lime soda; foat a black plastic witch hat atop the punch.

Ruthie Foster is eager to share tunes from her new CD, “Mileage.” Renowned for her ability to weave together a tapestry of diverse musical infuences ranging from gospel and blues to folk and soul, Foster’s musical odyssey has taken her from singing in churches in rural Texas to earning multiple Grammy nominations, gracing the stage with the Allman Brothers, and collaborating with Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. With her milestone 10th studio album, Foster continues to tell stories that refect her personal triumphs, losses and the universal human experience. Born into a family steeped in gospel tradition, she initially shied away from the spotlight, preferring to play guitar, piano and write songs for others. Now, many albums later, she stands as a testament to the power of authenticity and resilience in music.

Friday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m. $43, $38, $33. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. Tickets available at landmarkonmainstreet.org or (516) 767-6444.

Little Feat

One of America’s most distinctive and longest-running rock bands, Little Feat is back in a big way with a revitalized lineup and a stellar new album — its frst of original material in over a decade. The venerable band is touring in support of ‘Strike Up the Band,” their frst new studio album reliant on new material since 2012’s Rooster Rag. It’s Little Feat’s triumphant return to rock ‘n roll with plenty of swampy Southern soul. The band builds on a deep, over 50-year history of elite musicianship and brilliant, idiosyncratic songwriting that transcends boundaries. California rock, funk, folk, jazz, country and rockabilly mixed with New Orleans swamp boogie has kept audiences grooving for decades.

Saturday, Oct 25, 8 p.m. $141.25, $120.25, $99.75, $77.75, $66.25. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com.

YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD CALENDAR

Squeaky Feet in concert Bright Eye Beer Co./ hosts Squeaky Feet, a band known for blending progressive rock, jazz fusion, and dance rhythms into a dynamic live performance. Experience a fresh take on the jam band sound in an intimate upstairs setting.

• Where: 50 West Park Ave.

• Time: 8-11 p.m.

• Contact: brighteyebeerco.com

Zoning Board Meeting

Agendas for upcoming Zoning Board of Appeals meetings can be picked up in Room 304 of the Building Department the Friday before each session. Online summaries are available after meetings.

• Where: 1 W Chester St.

• Time: 7 p.m.

• Contact: longbeachny.gov/ zoning

OCT

Arts in the Plaza crafts fair Arts in the Plaza welcome all to check out the scene. Arts in the Plaza features handcrafted art by local artists including custom jewelry, unique handmade gifts, photography and fine art. The weekly art festival will be in Kennedy Plaza every Saturday through Oct. 25.

• Where: Kennedy Plaza, 1 W. Chester St.

• Time: Weekly, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Farmer’s Market

Every Wednesday and Saturday farmers, artisans, bakers and makers bring their best to share with the community. From fresh, locally grown produce to handmade goods and unique treats, every vendor offers worthwhile items.

• Where: Kennedy Plaza

• Time: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

‘Uncle Vlad’s Pumpkin Patch: Under New Management’

Long Island Children’s Museum welcomes all to its latest theater production. Horrible news! The Mountain Boo Soda Company has their eyes on a piece of property for their new factory — Uncle Vlad’s pumpkin patch! Join Uncle Vlad, his nephew Chad, and their freakish friends as they team up to protect their Halloween home from the bony fingers of big business. The company is run by a skeleton, after all! With puppeteers and actors from LICM’s Theater, this musical adventure will tickle your funny bone as a Halloween treat for the

Orchestre National de France

downloading ebooks to your device? Join Long Beach Library’s Tech Guy, every Wednesday, to get answers to your pressing tech questions.

• Where: 111 W. Park Ave.

• Time: Ongoing Wednesdays, 2-3 p.m.

• Contact: longbeachlibrary.org

Taxpayer Forum

Attend the free Town of Hempstead seminar on important property tax exemptions at Conservation and Waterways Administration Building. Review eligibility requirements and get your questions answered. Know your rights as a taxpayer.

• Where: 1401 Lido Blvd., Point Lookout

• Time: 10:30 a.m.

• Contact: (516) 538-1500 or email taxforums@hempstead. ny.gov

OCT

30

Little Learners

Art Lab

• Where: Tilles Center, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville

• Time: 7 p.m.

Music Director Cristian Maˇcelaru leads the Orchestre National de France on its frst U.S. tour in nearly 10 years, performing with Grammy-winning pianist Daniil Trifonov. Their brief three-concert tour, with a stop at Tilles Center, culminates in a much-anticipated return to Carnegie Hall. Founded in 1934 and prized as France’s leading orchestra, the Orchestre National frst toured in North America in 1948. Joined by the pianist-extraordinaire (whose career has taken him far and wide, to Paris, throughout France, and to the most prestigious classical music venues in the world), the Orchestre National de France, the orchestra performs repertoires that lie at the core of its identity: Maurice Ravel (to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth), Elsa Barraine and Camille Saint-Saëns. Their brilliant repertoire features Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, along with Elsa Barraine’s Symphony No. 2 and two works by Ravel — Concerto in G and Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2 — with Trifonov as soloist on both of the program’s concerti. Under the baton of Cristian Maˇcelaru, this masterful program stuns in the musical story it provides, bringing the listener on a picturesque journey from start to fnish. The programming of Elsa Barraine’s Symphony No. 2 with its gumptous string lines that compliment the playfulness of the work’s structure sits beautifully in the program with Ravel’s Daphnis & Chloé. The two piano concertos bring different stylistic characters to the stage, with Saint-Saëns offering late romantic era lushness and Ravel offering the lavish fancy. Hearing these two works performed by Trifonov, a performer with a dedication to perfecting concerto repertoire for piano, is iconic.

whole family. $5 with museum admission ($4 members). $10 theater only.

• Where: Museum Row, Garden City

• Time: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., also Oct. 26

• Contact: licm.org or (516) 224-5800

Dog Days Weekend

Enjoy the glorious grounds of Old Westbury Gardens with your pooch (leashed of course), With fall dog parade and costume contest on Sunday. Prizes awarded to best dog costumes, including Prettiest, Most Handsome, Most Original, Best Duo or Group, Funniest. Costume contest participants must register.

• Where: 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury.

• Time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.: also Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., with costume parade/contest, 3-5 p.m.

• Contact: oldwestburygardens. org or call (516) 333-0048

Double Double Toil and Trouble

Families are invited to celebrate the spooky season at Long Island Children’s Museum by brewing up your own magical potion bottle to

take home at the drop-in program. Free with museum admission. For ages 3+.

• Where: Museum Row, Garden City

• Time: Noon-2 p.m.

• Contact: licm.org or call (516) 224-5800

‘Fright Night Flashback’ Halloween Party

Join in fun at JJ Cooper’s 7th Annual Halloween Party. “Fright Night Flashback” invites guests to dress in horror-inspired costumes from past decades. With an open bar, a costume contest and a haunted atmosphere spanning multiple eras of classic scares. Admission is limited to guests 25 and older.

• Where: 124 W. Park Ave.

• Time: 8:30 p.m.

• Contact: jjcoopers.com

Haunted Halloween

Step back in time at Old Bethpage Village Restoration for some Halloween fun. Enjoy safe trick or treating, a kids’ costume parade and contest, witch-broom making, pumpkin painting, and other family fun. Meet the Headless Horseman and listen to a reading of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Enjoy the spooky fun while you

• Contact: ticketmaster.com or tillescenter.org or (516) 299-3100

appreciate the colors and beauty of the fall season in the farms, woods, and fields of the historic site. $15, $12 seniors and children 5-12.

• Where: 1303 Round Swamp Rd., Old Bethpage

• Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Contact: oldbethpagevillage restoration.org or call (516) 572-8409

Suicide Awareness Walk

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Long Island Chapter holds their Long Island Out of the Darkness Community Walk at Jones Beach. Register to walk or become a sponsor.

• Where: Field 5, 2400 Ocean Parkway, Wantagh

• Time: 10 a.m.

• Contact: Carrie Aronson at (516) 865-3944 or afsp.org/ longislandwalkwest

OCT 29

Ask the tech guy

Do you have questions about your computer or laptop? Want to learn more about Zoom, streaming movies, or

Each week in this engaging workshop, participants are introduced to hands-on materials, artmaking, and inspiration from artists and techniques. Young kids, ages 2-5, build critical thinking skills, expand vocabulary, and support imaginations as they play, create and explore. This week create a pumpkin patch pal. $4 with museum admission.

• Where: Museum Row, Garden City

• Time: 11:30 a.m.-noon

• Contact: licm.org or (516) 224-5800

NOV

Kristallnacht Commemoration

2

The Holocaust Memorial Committee of Long Island welcomes all to a Kristallnacht Commemoration Ceremony. Join city, county and state offcials, religious leaders, and Holocaust survivors for prayer, remembrance and testimony.

• Where: City Hall, 6th foor, 1 W. Chester St.

• Time: 1 p.m.

• Contact: longbeachny.gov

Having an event?

Items on he Calendar page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to kbloom@ liherald.com.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT

NASSAU COUNTY

CHRISTIANA TRUST AS CUSTODIAN FOR GSRAN-Z LLC, Plaintiff against AGNES H. TRABULSI, et al Defendant(s)

Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Hersko & Ehrenreich P.C., 555 Willow Avenue, Cedarhurst, NY 11516, (516) 942-4216.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered August 28, 2025, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on November 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being, and identifed on the land and tax map of the, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau in the State of New York. Premises known as 69 Hewlett Avenue, Point Lookout, NY 11569. Sec 61 Block 027 Lot 15 (Group Lot 15, 49). Approximate Amount of Judgment is $46,260.65 plus interest, fees, and costs and attorney fees.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fled Judgment Index No 604975/2022. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 10th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the Court Appointed Referee shall cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”

Jane Shrenkel, Esq., Referee File # 18-5854 156323

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU PHH MORTGAGE CORPORATION, -againstMATTHEW CASALE A/K/A MATTHEW DOMINICK CASALE A/K/A

MATHEW CASALE, ET AL.

NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Offce of the Clerk of the County of Nassau on October 15, 2024, wherein PHH MORTGAGE CORPORATION is the Plaintiff and MATTHEW CASALE A/K/A MATTHEW DOMINICK CASALE A/K/A MATHEW CASALE, ET AL., are the Defendants. I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, NORTH SIDE STEPS, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on November 13, 2025 at 2:00PM, the premises known as 751 WEST PARK AVENUE, UNIT #120 F/K/A UNIT #20, LONG BEACH, NY 11561; tax map identifcation 59-250-143U; and description: THE RESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUM UNIT KNOWN AS UNIT NO. 20 IN THE BUILDINGS (“BUILDINGS”) KNOWN AS THE BAY CLUB CONDOMINIUM, LOCATED AT 751-789 WEST PARK AVENUE, LONG BEACH IN THE COUNTY OF NASSAU, CITY OF LONG BEACH, STATE OF NEW YORK . Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fled Judgment Index No.: 606001/2023. Scott H. Siller, Esq., as Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES. 156318

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: Inquiziti LLC Articles of Organization were fled with the Secretary of State of New York, (SSNY) on 10/02/25. NY Offce location: Nassau County. SSNY has been designated as an agent

of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of the process to: 20 Franklin Blvd. Apt#106, Long Beach NY 11561

Purpose: To engage in any lawful act or activity 156274

LEGAL NOTICE AVISO DE REUNION Y ELECCION ESPECIAL DEL DISTRITO ESCOLAR, REGISTRO PERSONAL Y DISPONIBILIDAD DE BOLETAS DE VOTACION EN AUSENCIA, POR CORREO ANTICIPADO Y MILITARES

Distrito Escolar de la Ciudad de Long Beach Condado de Nassau, Nueva York

TOME NOTA Que se llevará a cabo una Reunión y Elección

Especial del Distrito Escolar de la Ciudad de Long Beach, Condado de Nassau, Nueva York, el 28 de Octubre del 2025 en los lugares descritos a continuación, en los cuales las urnas se mantendrán abiertas entre las 7:00 a.m. y las 9:00 p.m., tiempo predominante, con el propósito de votar en una máquina de votación sobre la siguiente proposición de Bonos:

PROPUESTA DE BONOS:

Deberá adoptarse la siguiente resolución, como sigue:

¿Deberá adoptarse la resolución de Bonos adoptada por la Junta de Educación el 9 de Septiembre del 2025, autorizando la construcción de mejoras y reconstrucción de varios edifcios e instalaciones del Distrito Escolar, incluidas las mejoras en el sitio, el campo deportivo y el patio de recreo, y el mobiliario original, el equipo, la maquinaria, los aparatos, las mejoras incidentales y gastos relacionados con las mismas, a un costo máximo estimado de $87,697,655, y la emisión de bonos por $87,697,655 de dicho Distrito Escolar para pagar el costo de los mismos, con vencimiento en un período que no exceda los 30 años, disponiendo que dichos bonos serán pagaderos con los montos que se recaudarán en cuotas anuales sobre la propiedad inmueble imponible de dicho Distrito Escolar; comprometiendo la fe y el crédito del Distrito para el pago de dichos bonos; delegando

poderes al Director Fiscal Ofcial con respecto a la emisión y venta de pagarés anticipados de bonos, los cuales contienen una cláusula de impedimento por la que se anticipa la publicación de un anuncio, se aprueba?

DETERMINACION

SEQRA: Se ha determinado que dicho proyecto de capital es una “Acción Tipo II” de conformidad con 6 NYCRR Parte 617.5 (c) (1), (2) y (10) de las regulaciones del Departamento de Conservación Ambiental del Estado de Nueva York promulgadas de conformidad con la Ley de Revisión de Calidad Ambiental del Estado (“SEQRA”) en cuanto a elementos del proyecto de capital, distintos de los de Long Beach High School que se han determinado como una “Acción no listada, “ que el Distrito Escolar ha determinado en cada caso, no resultará en ningún impacto ambiental adverso signifcativo.

LUGARES DE VOTACION: TOME NOTA que según la resolución de la Junta de Educación adoptada el 9 de Septiembre del 2025, esta votación y elección se llevará a cabo en los siguientes distritos electorales escolares (la descripción precisa de los límites está archivada y puede inspeccionarse en la Ofcina del Secretario del Distrito, Edifcio Administrativo, 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, New York 11561):

(1) DISTRITO ELECTORAL

ESCOLAR DE LINDELL

GIMNASIO DE LA ESCUELA LINDELL 601 LINDELL

BOULEVARD, CIUDAD DE LONG BEACH

Este distrito electoral abarca el territorio limitado al oeste por una línea paralela y a sesenta (60) pies al oeste de Malone Avenue, al norte por Canal Reynolds, al este por la línea central de Long Beach Boulevard y al sur por el Océano Atlántico.

(2) DISTRITO ELECTORAL

ESCOLAR DEL ESTE

GIMNASIO DE LA ESCUELA DEL ESTE

456 NEPTUNE

BOULEVARD, CIUDAD DE LONG BEACH

Este distrito electoral abarca el territorio limitado al oeste por la línea central del Boulevard Long Beach, al norte por el Canal Reynolds, al este hasta la línea límite de la Ciudad de Long Beach

y al sur por el Océano Atlántico.

(3) DISTRITO ELECTORAL ESCOLAR DE LIDO ESCUELA MEDIA, VESTIBULO DEL AUDITORIO DEL COMPLEJO LIDO 239 LIDO BOULEVARD, LIDO BEACH, NEW YORK

Este distrito electoral abarca el territorio del área conocida como Lido Beach, limitado al oeste por una línea que comienza al este de la ciudad de Long Beach, al norte por el Canal Reynolds, al este por la línea límite de Point Lookout y al sur por el Océano Atlántico. La información sobre los límites legales de cada distrito electoral y las instrucciones para llegar a los lugares designados para el registro de votantes y los lugares de votación se pueden obtener en la Ofcina del Secretario de Distrito durante el horario comercial normal.

REGISTRO PERSONAL: Se AVISA que el Distrito ha establecido un registro personal de votantes y ha dividido el Distrito Escolar en 3 distritos electorales. En consecuencia, las únicas personas con derecho a votar el 28 de Octubre del 2025 son aquellas que son “votantes califcados” y que están “registrados” para votar como se establece en este documento. Para ser un “votante califcado”, una persona debe ser ciudadano de los Estados Unidos, tener al menos 18 años de edad y ser residente legal del Distrito por un período de treinta (30) días inmediatamente anteriores al 28 de Octubre del 2025. Si un “votante califcado” se ha registrado previamente en el Distrito o en la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau y ha votado en los últimos cuatro (4) años calendario, es elegible para votar en la Reunión y Elección Especial del Distrito del 28 de Octubre del 2025 sin volver a registrarse. Todas las demás personas que deseen votar en la Reunión y Elección del Distrito Especial deben preinscribirse en el Distrito como se establece a continuación, o estar registradas en la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau para votar en las elecciones generales, de conformidad con las disposiciones del Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral, en la fecha de la Reunión y Elección del Distrito

Especial del Distrito. ADEMAS, TOME NOTA: Cualquier persona que no esté registrada en el registro personal permanente desde el 1 de Enero del 2018 o antes, o en las listas de registro complementarias proporcionadas por la Junta Electoral del Condado de Nassau, o que no haya votado en una elección intermedia del distrito escolar, debe presentarse personalmente para registrarse entre las 2:00 p.m. y las 8:00 p.m. (hora prevaleciente) el 14 de Octubre del 2025, en el vestíbulo del Auditorio de la Escuela Media Long Beach, 239 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, New York 11561 para tener derecho a votar.

POR FAVOR TOME NOTA ADICIONAL Que cualquier persona que se haya mudado de un distrito electoral escolar en el Distrito Escolar de la Ciudad de Long Beach a otro, y que no se haya registrado en el nuevo distrito electoral escolar, y que todavía esté registrado en el distrito electoral del que se mudó, puede votar en el distrito electoral en el que se registró. Dichas personas deben informar, al momento de votar, a los inspectores electorales de su nueva dirección para corregir dicho registro. POR FAVOR TOME NOTA ADICIONAL Que solo aquellos votantes califcados cuyos nombres aparecen en los registros preparados para dicha elección del distrito escolar tendrán derecho a votar el día de las elecciones. El registro se archivará en la Ofcina del Secretario del Distrito y estará abierto a la inspección de cualquier votante califcado del distrito escolar de 8:00 a.m. a 4:00 p.m. de Lunes a Viernes a partir del 21 de Octubre de 2025 y los Sábados, cuando estará disponible de 9 a.m. a 12 del mediodía solo con cita previa. BOLETAS DE VOTACION EN AUSENCIA Y POR CORREO ANTICIPADO: POR FAVOR TOME NOTA ADICIONAL Que las solicitudes de boletas de votación por correo anticipado y boletas de votación en ausencia para la elección del Distrito Escolar deben completarse en un formulario prescrito por la Junta Electoral del Estado y se pueden obtener visitando la página de internet del Departamento

de Educación del Estado de New York (http://www.counsel. nysed.gov/common/ counsel/files/absenteeballot-applicationandinstructionsenglish.pdf; http://www. counsel.nysed.gov/ common/counsel/files/ absenteeballotapplicationand- instructionsspanish.pdf), o comunicándose con el Secretario del Distrito por correo electrónico a sfamiletti@lbeach.org o por teléfono al 516-8972108. Las solicitudes completas deben ser recibidas por el Secretario de Distrito no antes del Viernes 26 de Septiembre del 2025 y al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección el Martes 21 de Octubre del 2025, si la boleta se enviará por correo al votante, o el día antes de la elección, el 27 de Octubre del 2025, si la boleta debe ser enviada personalmente al votante. Las boletas de votación en ausencia deben ser recibidas por el Secretario del Distrito a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m., hora predominante, el Martes 28 de Octubre del 2025. Un listado de las personas a las que se emitieron boletas de votación anticipada por correo y boletas de votación en ausencia estará disponible para su inspección a los votantes califcados del Distrito en la Ofcina del Secretario del Distrito a partir del 23 de Octubre del 2025, entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m., hora predominante, en cada día anterior al día fjado para la elección especial, excepto el Domingo, y el 28 de Octubre del 2025, día fjado para las elecciones. Cualquier votante califcado presente en el lugar de votación puede objetar la boleta de votación por los motivos apropiados haciendo que las razones de su impugnación sean conocidas por el Inspector de Elecciones antes del cierre de las urnas. No se puede impugnar una boleta de voto en ausencia sobre la base de que el votante debería haber solicitado una boleta por correo anticipado. VOTANTES MILITARES: TOME NOTA ADICIONAL Que los votantes militares que no están registrados actualmente, pueden solicitar como votantes califcados en el distrito escolar.

Se puede solicitar un formulario de registro como votante militar comunicándose con el Secretario del Distrito por teléfono (516) 897-2108, fax (516) 771-3944, o por correo electrónico sfamiletti@ lbeach.org, correo postal a 235 Lido Boulevard, Lido Beach, NY, 11561, o en persona (durante el horario regular de ofcina o entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m.). La solicitud de registro debe recibirse en la ofcina del Secretario de Distrito a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m. del 13 de Octubre del 2025. En la solicitud del formulario de registro, el votante militar puede designar su preferencia para recibirlo por correo, transmisión por fax o correo electrónico. TOME NOTA ADEMAS Que los votantes militares que son votantes califcados del distrito pueden solicitar un formulario de boleta militar al Secretario del Distrito; para recibir una boleta militar, la solicitud debe recibirse a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m. del 13 de Octubre del 2025. En la solicitud de un formulario boleta de votación militar, el solicitante puede designar su preferencia para recibirla por correo, transmisión por fax o correo electrónico. Todas las solicitudes de boletas de votantes califcados y las boletas militares deben devolverse por correo o en persona. Las boletas para votantes militares se distribuirán a más tardar el 14 de Octubre del 2025. Las boletas militares deben ser recibidas por el Secretario de Distrito (1) antes del cierre de las urnas, el Martes 28 de Octubre del 2025, y el documento debe mostrar un sello que marque el pago del servicio postal de los Estados Unidos o del servicio postal de un país extranjero, o deben mostrar una confrmación con la fecha de recibo por otra agencia del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos; o (2) a más tardar a las 5:00 p.m. del día de la elección y estar frmada y fechada por el votante militar y un testigo, con una fecha determinada que no sea posterior al día anterior a la elección.

Un listado de las personas a las que se les otorgaron boletas de votación militares estará disponible para ser inspeccionado por los votantes califcados del Distrito en la Ofcina del

Hospital garners $900K for cardiac care

By KELSIE RADZISKI kradziski@liherald.com

More than 340 supporters gathered for Mount Sinai South Nassau’s annual Soirée Under the Stars gala, raising nearly $900,000 to support the hospital’s efforts to expand cardiovascular services for residents of Nassau County’s South Shore.

Held at The Lannin in Eisenhower Park on Oct. 4, the event marked the launch of “Bringing Heart Home,” a $5 million, three-year philanthropic campaign to fund infrastructure and technology for the hospital’s cardiac surgical program, including adult open-heart surgery. The campaign will also support the expansion of interventional cardiology with an additional cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology lab and a new CTangiography lab. Net proceeds from the gala, estimated at $734,000, will help fund the initiative.

The evening included the presentation of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s inaugural Heart of the Hospital award to longtime donor and Rockville Centre resident Jeffrey J. Feil. Feil, the hospital’s largest individual donor, has pledged more than $17 million in recent years through personal contributions and the Charitable Lead Annuity Trust established by his late parents, Gertrude and Louis Feil.

WAynE LIpton Advisory Board member

During the event, Anthony Cancellieri, co-chair of the hospital’s Advisory Board, announced an additional $1 million pledge from Feil to expand the hospital’s Physical Therapy Center, which serves patients recovering from orthopedic and other surgeries.

“Jeffrey Feil continues to support Mount Sinai South Nassau because he believes in our mission to bring world-leading care directly to the South Shore so patients and their families don’t have to travel to Manhattan or

to the North Shore for advanced procedures,” said Adhi Sharma, MD, president of Mount Sinai South Nassau. “We are deeply grateful to him and his family. He embodies the spirit of the ‘Heart of the Hospital’ award.”

Philip Shuman, vice president of The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, was named the 2025 Soirée honoree. Debbie Jonason, RN, assistant nurse manager of Cardiac Catheterization, and Arthur Golbert, senior cardiac rehabilitation exercise physiologist, received the hospital’s Mary Pearson and Cupola Awards, respectively.

“The work and dedication of Ms. Jonason, Mr. Golbert, and Mr. Shuman represents the team spirit of our staff and stakeholders who come together every day to make this hospital better so we can best serve our patients,” said Sharma.

The annual Soirée is Mount Sinai South Nassau’s largest fundraising event. Advisory Board members Wayne Lipton and Steven Gold co-chaired the

Donor Jeffrey J. Feil, left, and Trustee Joseph J. Fennessy,at Mount Sinai South Nassau’s annual Soiree Under the Stars gala, where Feil was honored with the inaugural Heart of the Hospital award.

event, leading a committee of 40 civic, community, and business leaders.

“Once again, the community came together on a beautiful night to celebrate the accomplishments of Mount Sinai South Nassau and to look to the future and support the mission of the hospital,” Lipton said. “

“We are so grateful for the generosity of our supporters who show up year after year to support our local hospital, which in recent years has been transformed into a regional leader in the health care field,” said Gold.

Major sponsors of the Soirée included the Lee and Jeffrey Feil Family Foundation, Terri and Steven Gold, Mount Sinai South Nassau’s Medical Staff, Long Island Thoracic, PLLC and Flagstar Bank.

For more information about the Bringing Heart Home campaign, contact the Mount Sinai South Nassau Development Office at (516) 377-5360 or visit SouthNassauLifeSaver.org.

Our window replacement looks complicated

Q. With winter coming, we’re realizing that our windows are drafty and hard to open. It’s time to replace them after 40 years in our house. As we start shopping around, are there windows you recommend, and why? We keep seeing commercials for replacement windows, and were wondering if there’s a difference since our window openings aren’t standard. I took some measurements, and some of the windows are very uniform — like 4 feet tall, and others are off by 2 or 3 inches and those don’t match one another. Will the new windows be custom fit to the openings, or will we need to change the openings? I’m concerned, because our house is brick, and it seems like not every window is going to fit. What should I look for when talking to a contractor, and will we need a permit?

A. The most important thing to look for with windows is energy compliance and the strength and ease of operating the hardware. Windows that will lose more energy are a poor investment, followed by those that can’t be opened easily as they age. The strength of the frames goes hand in hand with the window operation, because less costly vinyl windows are made of less costly materials that will distort over time and directly affect the seal around the frames, making for more difficulty opening and closing.

Lately I’ve noticed that clients are searching for unique styles and brands from faraway places and even other countries. One person asked me to look at a lift-out window from Southern California that was meant for a café serving counter, but they wanted to use it for a second-floor bedroom. The window was a push-out-and-up type that didn’t look like it could handle our weather in the Northeast. There was no energy data to show resistance to our winters, and nothing published that could pass our local codes.

Another client is getting windows from Poland. They’re very strong, triple-pane units that cost less and will probably comply with the energy codes, but it was a struggle to get the energy data in a format required in your state codes.

The rule with most building departments in your area is that direct replacement doesn’t need a building permit, but altering window sizes does. You should still verify this with your building department, because you want to avoid receiving a warning or summons during the installation and then having to stop to get plans made and permits filed.

Custom window sizes require creating extra framing to attractively insert standard sizes. If you reduce the window opening, it must still comply with safety requirements. Consult either a local official or an architect to be sure that you comply. The codes vary for existing window openings, which require 4 square feet versus altered openings that bump the required size up to 5.7 square feet. The architect can also give you some guidance about wood versus

fiberglass versus metal, etc. Good luck!

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Finds Under $100 (2) 30 X 36 mirror, bevelled edge, etchings in corners, hardware attached. beautiful 516-579-9089 $45.00 36 INCH DOG crate $35.00. Call 516-872-8486

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GIRLS SIZE 10, Hoodies, Long-sleeve tops & pants, New with Tags $10. Text (917) 420-5814

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IKEA SOLID OAK: Unassembled, Media Storage Cabinets, New in Box: DVD, CD VCR $50 each. 516-486-7941

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Home Improvement

Finds Under $100

SEIKO SCHOOLHOUSE CLOCK: Like New, Excellent condition, Chimes, $80 (516) 486-2363 Jack Taylor.

WOMAN'S REVERSIBLE BLACK shearing coat for $90.00. Pictures upon request. 516-668-7286

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opiNioNs

How does this shutdown fnally end?

The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1. I can’t stand it. I’ve been back and forth to Washington, but the Capitol is relatively quiet. Federal workers are missing paychecks; Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare applications can’t get processed; flights are being delayed; and without any action come Nov. 1, millions of Americans will be notified that their health insurance premiums are going up by over $1,000 — per month!

Why can’t we fix this? Republicans have the White House and majorities in both the Senate and the House, but they need eight Democratic votes in the Senate to pass a government funding bill. Despite the high stakes and the need for high-level bipartisan negotiations to end this crisis, no one is talking. Why?

Republicans say they won’t negotiate until the government is reopened. House Speaker Mike Johnson hasn’t called us back to Congress for a month. Senate Majority Leader John Thune refuses to budge, and President Trump continues his my-way-or-the-highway

“Nposture, unilaterally — and likely unlawfully — firing federal employees, cutting projects in Democratic states and eliminating programs to try to impose his will, making this shutdown as painful as possible.

The Democrats are just as dug in. They warn that those health insurance premiums will soon skyrocket because Republicans refuse to extend the tax credits that keep the premiums down. We’re running out of time.

We need a solution that staves off spikes in health insurance premiums.

If the credits expire, 22 million Americans, including more than 100,000 Long Islanders, will see their premiums spike. Healthy people all over the country will choose to forgo coverage, which will shrink the risk pool and raise premiums for everyone. The results will be catastrophic.

The crazy thing is, most Democrats want to reopen the government, and many Republicans want to extend the tax credits. The problem is that no one trusts one another. Republicans want to open the government with a handshake promise to talk about health insurance later. Democrats want it dealt with as part of the reopening. There must be compromise, often a dirty word in D.C.

Normally, I’d advocate for trust. I don’t believe shutdowns should be used

as negotiating tactics for these kinds of policy debates. But these aren’t normal times. For the past nine months, the administration has ignored the Democrats, unilaterally eliminating jobs and cutting key programs, reversing budget decisions without warning and generally steamrolling Congress’s constitutional authority over “the power of the purse” and the use of the military in our cities.

Johnson and Thune have refused to negotiate with Democrats. I’ve voted to keep the government open more than 40 times over my five terms in Congress. Each time, the governing majority has negotiated with the minority party, with the understanding that they simply don’t have the votes on their own.

How can Democrats reasonably be expected to trust that health care will be dealt with after the reopening in an environment of such fear, anger and distrust in Washington?

Nevertheless, we need to find a way to reopen the government as soon as possible, or things will only get worse. We need a solution that also staves off spikes in health insurance costs.

That’s why I’m leading a bipartisan effort with Republican Congresswoman Jen Kiggans. Our bill, the Premium

Tax Credit Extension Act, would extend the credits for one year, protecting families while giving Congress time to reach a broader health care deal. It’s not perfect. Like most of my Democratic colleagues, I’d prefer extending the credits permanently. But we’re in the minority, and we can’t let our aspiration for perfection stop us from achieving the good. Republicans, who can’t open the government without Democrats, must also see that truth.

The sticking point in this shutdown is health care affordability: Polling shows that the top concern in our country is the cost of living, and health care costs are a key contributor. At Trump’s inaugural address, he said he would “rapidly reduce prices.” I, like many Americans, hoped that he would.

Now inflation is up, costs are climbing, and Americans feel duped. They want us to reopen the government, prioritize lowering costs —health care a big part of that — and stop playing partisan games while they pay the price.

For many Americans, Washington hasn’t just shut down this month — it’s felt closed for far too long. We need to reopen it in every sense: by rebuilding trust, negotiating honestly, and committing to working together to find solutions for the people we represent.

Tom Suozzi represents the 3rd Congressional District.

Returning to autumn in New York, 2025

o man can step into the same river twice.” — Heraclitus, 500 B.C.

After spending the past few years in Florida, my husband and I decided this season to rent a place near Woodmere, where we lived in the same house for 51 years. I taught in the local schools, our kids grew up here, and our roots in the community run deep.

We’ve been back in town for about two months.

I don’t have meteorological data, but I believe we’ve had the most glorious autumn weather ever experienced in southwestern Nassau County. Until the nor’easter, of course, which brought back memories of Hurricanes Belle and Irene and Sandy.

I took myself to Woodmere Dock and found the seascape of the bay, the waterside holes of the Rockaway Hunting Club and the vast marshes all the same. I imagine I’m one of few people who

recall that the dock was owned at one time by the Ike family, who rented rowboats by the hour and owned an access road to the dock known as Ike’s Lane.

You can go home again, but if you do, be prepared. Everything is the same, but entirely different. And, of course, you are different, too. Our old house looks as if we closed the door and walked away yesterday. The tiny memorial to our dog Sheba still rests in a flower bed where we buried her ashes.

You can go home again, but be prepared. Everything is the same, but entirely different.

The second day up North, I walked into a doctor’s office and into a friend from our kids’ high school days. We looked the same, other than dusted and stamped by time. That afternoon, a woman jogged by our rental house, and I realized she was in a book group I ran 25 years ago. I kept running into people who looked as if a makeup artist had worked them over. And they did double takes when I reintroduced myself.

Things are where I remember them — firehouses and supermarkets and a few restaurants. But some stores are now banks, and many small businesses

have been replaced by medical megapractices, gyms or nail spas. Community boards advertise unfamiliar events and groups. I felt like Emily in “Our Town,” when she returns from the dead to revisit her 12th birthday and realizes that no one ever appreciates the everydayness of their lives while they’re living them. I took the LIRR to the city from Lawrence one day. I didn’t know where or how to park, how to buy a ticket or how to find the train schedule. Since I last rode the Snail, it went digital. I got a tutorial from my granddaughter and enjoyed a glorious day with her traipsing through downtown Manhattan. BTW, despite the fearmongering of many Floridians, the subway was clean, and it all felt safe.

Penn Station was emblematic of my experience, looking completely new and kind of brazen and futuristic, but foundationally the same. Track 19 is still Track 19, and the train back to Lawrence still left from there.

Another day, I drove from the Five Towns to Astoria. I hadn’t driven in city

traffic for six years. That was hell and a half. I felt gratified that my memory of the roads was accurate, and the Van Wyck still went to the Grand Central and then to Steinway Street — but what a holy mess the roads are. Everything is under construction, and cement trucks terrorized me all the way from here to there. My Waze app told me to go right so I could go left, and then an 18-wheeler backed into my lane. More people gave me the finger salute during that 50-minute ride than in all of my years driving. The Woodmere and other towns of my younger self have evolved and, in some cases, disappeared. That’s what happens. New people, new shops, new activities festoon the old infrastructure. All the little back roads are the same, though. I realized I knew 10 different ways to drive anyplace.

I also know the origin stories, the history, of people and places, and it all came flooding back as I zipped about town. I felt grounded in the way you can only feel when your present is layered with rich memories of the past.

It’s autumn in New York again, and it’s good to be home.

Copyright 2025 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

Herald editorial

Science strengthens justice on Long Island

For decades, justice in Nassau and Suffolk counties often depended on eyewitnesses, confessions and detective work that, while diligent, was limited by the science of its time. But today, the breakthroughs of modern forensic science are rewriting history, freeing the innocent and holding the guilty accountable.

Last week, the Nassau County district attorney’s office announced a stunning development in one of Long Island’s most haunting cold cases, the 1984 murder of 16-year-old Theresa Fusco in Lynbrook. Fusco disappeared after finishing her shift at the Hot Skates Roller Rink. A month later, her body was found in a nearby wooded area.

For nearly 40 years, her family lived with grief and confusion, compounded by the wrongful convictions of three men whose lives were destroyed before DNA technology could prove their innocence. Those men — Dennis Halstead, John Kogut and John Restivo — spent nearly two decades in prison before DNA testing cleared them in 2003.

Now, that same science has brought the case full circle. Investigators linked Richard Bilodeau, 63, of Center Moriches, to the crime after obtaining DNA from a discarded smoothie cup earlier this year. When tested, it was a 100

letters

percent match with evidence preserved from the Fusco crime scene.

“Science and DNA evidence doesn’t lie,” the district attorney’s office stated. And it doesn’t coerce confessions. It doesn’t forget. It doesn’t play favorites. It tells the truth when the truth is hard to find.

The Fusco case isn’t just about closure — it’s a lesson in progress. Four decades ago, detectives couldn’t imagine a world in which a cold case could be revived by a few microscopic cells. Today, the Nassau County forensic unit has reopened a number of cases, identifying both victims and suspects through genetic technology once considered science fiction.

Science is also central to another major Long Island case now unfolding in court: that of Rex Heuermann, the Massapequa Park architect accused of being the Gilgo Beach serial killer. There, too, DNA stands at the center of the search for truth. Prosecutors are relying on cutting-edge testing from Astrea Forensics, a California lab that analyzes even the tiniest hair fragments. Defense attorneys have tried to discredit the science as “magic,” claiming that New York courts haven’t yet accepted it.

But experts such as Dr. Kelley Harris,

There should be funding in the county budget for a safe center

The following letter was sent to Nassau County legislators.

The South Shore Women’s Alliance is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advocating for the rights of women and families. In line with this mission, SSWA hosted “Not Me” workshops for parents and their daughters, in which the Safe Center LI, of Bethpage, played a crucial role, providing instruction on fundamental prevention and protection strategies, as well as education on the warning signs and cycles of abuse.

In addition to serving as the primary center for people affected by domestic violence and sexual abuse, the Safe Center operated as an advocacy center for child-abuse prosecutions, maintained a crisis-intervention hotline and offered an advocate-response program that dispatched trained volunteers to emergency rooms to assist survivors of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence.

The Safe Center was the lifeline for over 5,000 people each year, providing crucial resources and support to victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, the only center of its kind in Nassau County. It is unconscionable that County Executive Bruce Blakeman allowed it to close.

Nassau provided $2.9 million to the Safe Center in 2023. But when asked for county grants to keep the center going, Blakeman failed not only to provide the needed funding, but also to facilitate a takeover by another organization, forcing the center to shut its doors.

The Safe Center board’s former president, Shanell Par-

a University of Washington geneticist, defend the method as “elegant and powerful”— a reminder that while justice is constant, the tools to attain it evolve. Every forensic innovation, from fingerprints to fiber analysis to DNA sequencing, was once new and controversial. Yet each step forward has given law enforcement stronger, fairer tools to uncover facts that human memory or intuition alone could never provide.

Whether it’s exonerating the innocent, as in Fusco’s tragic case, or convicting the guilty, as prosecutors hope in the Gilgo Beach murders, forensic science is reshaping the path toward justice on Long Island. It demands accuracy. It demands accountability. And it demands that we trust evidence grounded not in guesswork or coercion, but in chemistry, genetics and time-tested truth.

For the Fusco family, science may finally bring the closure they’ve waited for since 1984. For the families of the Gilgo Beach victims, it may soon bring answers to a mystery that has haunted this area for years.

From Lynbrook to Massapequa Park and across Long Island, one message is clear: Science keeps faith with the facts — and with the people who deserve justice.

rish-Brown, said, “The county sort of left the Safe Center out to dry.”

As reported in Newsday, County Legislator Seth Koslow “said the impending closure could have been avoided with better county planning.”

“This was a failure of leadership in Nassau to ensure the safety of these children who have been victim-

ized once and are now being victimized again by the Blakeman administration,” Koslow said. “This wasn’t something that just fell out of the heavens — people saw this coming.” Why weren’t there hearings about the future of the center when the financial problems first became known? Why hasn’t the Legislature’s

opinions

My grief for my late grandma is love imploding

my 2025 began in a way that no one wants their new year to kick off: i got the flu. i woke up the first Monday of the year with a 103-degree fever, body aches that were almost unmanageable and a headache so intense i could barely keep my eyes open. The one thing that made me smile that day was a text from my sweet grandma, a nurse, who wrote, “Hang in there. Eat some nice warm soup and toast. Comfort food.”

Grandmas always know best. in my dreary state, i decided to kick-start my annual reading goal of at least 50 books. i opened up “Sandwich,” by Catherine Newman, a witty tale of a family that has spent nearly every summer on Cape Cod, told from the perspective of its matriarch, rocky. The book explores love, lost dreams, hope and more, offering a well-rounded glimpse into the many life stages we all experience.

When i read, i highlight lines that leave an impression on me, either by writing them down or using a tool on my kindle. “Sandwich” was filled with them. i noted several things, but the one i kept thinking about in the days and weeks after i finished reading it was this: “Maybe grief is love imploding. or maybe it’s love expanding.” like everyone, i’ve experienced grief for different things, for different people, but i hadn’t truly encountered its profound weight — the type of grief that makes it hard to breathe.

iCatholic, she was devoted to her church, its people and myriad ministries.

t’s hard to put into words how much those fnal chats with her meant to me.

My grandma died unexpectedly on May 4, at age 85. She took excellent care of herself, and besides a few minor incidents in her later years, she was generally in great shape. All it took was a brief, serious illness that led to sepsis and eventually organ failure. Her last few days were filled with moments i fear i’ll never be able to comprehend.

She was an exceptional woman, as most grandmothers are. She had seven children, 10 grandchildren, and family and friends galore in her neighborhood of Middle Village, Queens. A devout

Letters

Health and Social Services Committee held hearings about how it might save the center?

Even more egregious is how Blakeman uses women’s trauma as a political ploy in mailings and TV ads against his opponent, while abandoning survivors of rape, abuse and domestic violence — effectively casting them onto the streets.

The South Shore Women’s Alliance gathered hundreds of Nassau resident signatures urging that, rather than spending millions of dollars on outside legal fees for frivolous culture war lawsuits or for his own personal militia, Blakeman reinstate the county’s only domestic violence center.

The SSWA requests that Nassau County allocate funds in the 2026 budget for opening a new facility that shelters and provides the services that the Safe Center provided to women and children of Nassau County.

ClAudiA BorECky Executive director, South Shore Women’s Alliance

Should D’Esposito be an inspector general?

The following letter was sent to United States Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

it has been reported that the u.S. Senate is advancing the confirmation of former Congressman Anthony d’Esposito to

be inspector general of the u.S. department of l abor. Nassau residents for Good Government is a nonpartisan group concerned about transparency, accountability and integrity. We believe Mr. d’Esposito is wholly unqualified for this job, and ask that you block his confirmation.

Anthony d’Esposito’s history of questionable hiring practices has been well documented. While at the New york City Police department, he reportedly broke labor rules by working a second job. More recently, d’Esposito was at the center of a scandal. in September 2024, it was reported that that while he was serving as a congressman in the 4th district, he put his fiancée’s daughter and his mistress on his congressional payroll, despite the House Code of Conduct prohibition against employing spouses, relatives and stepchildren.

There are also questions about his judgment. d ’Esposito was part of the GoP’s slate of 2022 freshmen candidates for Congress, which included the disgraced George Santos, who was expelled in 2023 (and just released from prison).

d’Esposito reportedly had a close financial relationship with Santos, and coordinated with him during their concurrent 2022 House campaigns, sharing a campaign treasurer (who later pleaded guilty to conspiring to defrauding the u.S. government) and raising money together through the Santo d’Esposito Nassau Victory Committee.

d’Esposito says that if confirmed, he

The last day i saw her was April 19, the day before Easter. it was exceptionally warm — over 80 degrees in Queens — and we had lunch and a long chat about baseball. A tried-and-true yankees fan, she reminded me that she never rooted against the Mets, unless they were playing the yankees. That day, she told me her favorite Met was francisco lindor — who had hit a walkoff home run the night before, much to her delight. i guess we yankees fans know a thing or two about good shortstops.

it’s hard to put into words how much those final conversations mean to me. i never could’ve imagined that the next time i saw her would be our last moments together.

As i write this, i feel that overpowering sense of grief. This year didn’t start off the way i wanted it too, and really, it hasn’t gotten much better. There have been good moments, of course, but there have been a lot of sad ones, too.

it’s funny, though: As i think about

“Sandwich” — a book i decided to read maybe an hour or so after Grandma sent me well-wishes for the new year — i realize i can feel this way because before grief, there was love.

What i’m feeling is love imploding. i can’t say i’ve enjoyed the experiences i’ve endured this year, but i’m grateful that Grandma loved us so deeply that her absence leaves me with such a profound sense of loss, which is really just a testament to the type of person she was. All of us would be lucky to be loved so deeply, so consistently, by someone like her.

They say time heals all wounds, but i don’t always think that’s fair. The hurt i’ve felt these past few months may fade, but there will always be this void in my heart that only she could fill. i’ll wait forever, i hope, to see her again.

As her love expands in her absence, i hope to carry it with me everywhere — through every book i read, every milestone i reach and every ordinary day in between. if grief is love imploding, then maybe what follows is love reshaping itself, reminding me that she’s still here, in everything i do.

Jordan Vallone is deputy managing editor of Herald Community Newspapers. Comments? Jvallone@liherald.com.

will bring “grit, independence and accountability to the department of labor.” in fact, his record is antithetical to that position and that promise. As detailed above, his record is one of corruption and a general disregard for ethical considerations.

President Trump chose d’Esposito despite his ethical lapses amid lingering questions about his hiring practic-

es. But the Senate doesn’t have to. Here in Nassau County, we have seen up close d’Esposito’s labor practices, which we believe should disqualify him from consideration. i nstead of advancing d’Esposito’s confirmation, it should be blocked.