Sea Cliff/Glen Head Herald 03-05-2026

Renee Swanson, left, Kristine Janusas and Sal Spina received the 2025

Cap Award for their contributions to Sea Cliff.

2025 White Cap recipients honored Sea Cliff celebrates service to the community

By JUlIA CAPITEllI jcapitelli@liherald.com

Friends, family and the community celebrated Sea Cliff residents Sal Spina, Renee Swanson and Kristine Janusas as they received the 2025 White Cap Award from the Sea Cliff Civic Association. The winners were honored Sunday at Foster Restaurant.

The White Cap Award, given annually since 1969, goes to at least one Sea Cliff resident who goes “above and beyond” in their contributions to the village. Its name comes from a nautical term for the froth that forms on top of waves, rising above the water.

According to Ann DiPietro, president of the civic association, the organization receives letters or text messages each year from village residents and organizations nominating individuals for the award. The civic association board reviews the nominations and chooses one or more recipients.

Only one resident, Karen Papasergiou, was chosen for 2024.

“We feel humbled when we hear about what people have done,” DiPietro said, “and then we’re so delighted that we can, in a small part, honor them for what they’ve done.”

Spina, a Sea Cliff resident of more than 30 years, was honored primarily for his work with the Sea Cliff Fire Department. He has been a member for more than 15 years and currently serves as a fire medic unit officer.

Civic association member Christine Abbenda Hughes gave a speech honoring Spina’s work at Sunday’s gala.

“His leadership, professionalism and commitment have made him a respected and trusted presence within the department, and yet his service doesn’t end when the sirens are silent,” she said. “Sal’s dedication

North Shore holds budget presentation

By JUlIA CAPITEllI jcapitelli@liherald.com

North Shore School District has announced its initial $129 million budget proposal for the 2026-2027 school year, a 2.9 percent increase from the approved 20252026 budget. Additions to classes and supplies throughout the district are included, and there are no cuts to positions or programs.

Isettlement as budgets in previous years, such as 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. He added that the greater concern is more revenue loss in 2027-2028.

t’s really a continuation

of what we’ve been doing. We’ve been trying to keep (the tax levy) as low as possible while preserving programs and personnel for our kids.

According to Superintendent Chris Zulbionis, the district is still affected by the 2022 settlement between Nassau County and Long Island Power Authority Glenwood Landing, but in a less substantial way. North Shore is losing roughly $80 thousand in revenue for the 20262027 school year. Zublionis said, in an interview in the days following the board meeting, that the 2026-2027 budget will not be as significantly impacted by the

North Shore is working with legislators to gain information on how much the district could lose that year. According to Zublionis, answers will arrive no later than January of 2027. At the initial budget presentation on Feb. 26, Zublionis compared the situation to scaling a mountain with more work to be done.

CHRIs ZUBlIoNIs Superintendent, North Shore School District

“We’re at the top of this plateau of this mountain that we climbed, see some other mountains in the distance,” he said. “Don’t know how tall they are, and so there is a lack of clarity on some possible mountains that we might find next year.”

Increases in the budget come largely from employee benefits,

Continued on pAge 17

things to know daylight saving time

Clocks spring forward as debate over practice continues

By BRIAN KACHARABA

bkacharaba@liherald.com

Daylight saving time returns during the early morning hours of March 8, when clocks across most of the United States move forward one hour at 2 a.m. The seasonal shift, designed to extend evening daylight, signals the unofficial start of longer spring days, while also renewing debate about its history, purpose and whether the practice should continue.

How a wartime measure became a yearly tradition

Daylight saving was first widely adopted during World War I as a way to conserve fuel and energy by making better use of natural daylight. Germany introduced the concept in 1916, and the United States soon followed. The practice ended after the war but returned during World War II before becoming standardized nationwide under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Observance was not uniform, and for decades most of Indiana opted out, creating a confusing patchwork of time rules within the state until statewide adoption in 2006. Over time, the practice shifted from an energy-saving strategy into a widely observed lifestyle tradition, influencing commerce, recreation, daily routines, and cultural events, becoming an ingrained part of modern life.

Springing forward can leave you a little sleep deprived

The spring transition to daylight saving time is often associated with sleep disruption and temporary fatigue, as people effectively lose one hour of rest overnight. Studies have linked the change to short-term increases in workplace accidents, traffic incidents and difficulty concentrating during the following days. However, supporters argue that extended evening daylight encourages outdoor activity, shopping and community events, benefiting local economies and public well-being. Schools, businesses and transportation systems must also adjust schedules twice each year, requiring coordination nationwide. Many health experts recommend gradually adjusting sleep routines before the change to reduce its impact on both children and adults alike.

Should daylight saving time become permanent?

In recent years, lawmakers at both the state and federal levels have debated whether daylight saving time should become permanent or be eliminated altogether. Supporters of permanent daylight saving time argue that later sunsets improve quality of life, reduce crime and boost economic activity. Critics counter that darker winter mornings can create safety concerns for students and commuters. Several states have passed legislation supporting year-round daylight saving time, but federal approval is required before changes can take effect nationwide. Public opinion remains divided, and despite repeated proposals in Congress, Americans continue to adjust their clocks twice a year while the debate remains unresolved.

North Shore Mock Trial team beats LUHi

North Shore’s Mock Trial team won its competition against Long Island Lutheran High School on Feb. 9. Under the guidance of high school and middle school Mock Trial advisor Tara Fabilli, North Shore students learn about the law, court system and U.S. Constitution. Participants compete against other school’s Mock Trial teams in simulated trials.

“They engage in research, real-life applications, and learn to work as a collaborative team,” said Eric Contreras, principal of North Shore High School. “Congratulations to all for this wonderful win and truly a wonderful experience.”

— Julia Capitelli

How Giving Increases Wealth

THe GreAT bOOK Guru

Family feud

Dear Great Book Guru, I was having a delicious breakfast with friends at Matt’s Deli here in Sea Cliff, when one of the group mentioned a book we might all enjoy - a family drama about a train wreck, business ethics, aging parents, and the dangers of medical googling. Needless to say - we were intrigued…

Book Book Lovers and Breakfasters, “Wreck” by Catherine Newman does indeed cover a myriad of subjects.

Rachel aka Rocky is the lead character and the novel opens with an inexplicable rash that she obsessively googles, with each piece of information offering a more dire diagnosis. Her husband Nick is a patient, loving mate and her recently widowed father is weighing his future housing options while staying with them.

Her anxiety ridden daughter Willa has

returned home after finishing college and son Jaimie has taken on a new job in New York City. Everything seems normal except for the family members’ obsession with a train/car fatality that happens shortly before the book opens.

Was it suicide …was it human error… or was it corporate malfeasance? We soon learn that Jaime’s new job involves representing the train company and as the story unfolds it appears there is a strong likelihood the company bears much blame. Throughout we see how every family member shoulders some guilt about this incident, but the question remains – how will they find absolution? A complex ethical dilemma and highly recommended.

Would you like to ask the Great Book Guru for a book suggestion? Contact her at annmdipietro@gmail.com.

News brief

Businesses wanted for TOB wellness fair

The Town of Oyster Bay invites local businesses to participate in an upcoming Health & Wellness Fair being held in conjunction with the 2026 Empire State Ride Long Island, taking place on the streets of Oyster Bay on June 13.

“The Empire State Ride is Long Island’s largest charitable cycling fundraiser to benefit cancer research, and this year the event will feature a Health & Wellness Fair on the streets of Oyster Bay,” said Town Councilman Andrew Monteleone. “This great event draws thousands of residents to our historic town, providing visitors with the opportunity to take part in interactive wellness stations, demonstrations and discussions. Interested

vendors are encouraged to sign up to participate in this year’s event.”

Event coordinators, including the Town of Oyster Bay, Oyster Bay-East Norwich Chamber of Commerce and Empire State Ride Long Island, are inviting potential vendors who believe their company would benefit from participating in the program to reach out today.

For additional information, or to request an application, interested businesses can contact the Town of Oyster Bay Special Events Division at (516) 797-4127 or email kludwig2@oysterbay-ny.gov.

— Will Sheeline

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A new garden is sprouting at Planting Fields

By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com

A new one-acre garden, designed by the renowned Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf, is taking shape at Oyster Bay’s Planting Fields Arboretum, and locals as well as visitors will soon get the chance to stroll the space.

The Oudolf Garden, scheduled to open this fall, will be located directly behind the Blue Pool Garden, also known as the Italian Garden, and adjacent to the historic Rose Arbor, designed by James Greenleaf in 1906. The site, long an open and largely undesigned area, will be Long Island’s first public garden by Oudolf, whose many projects include the High Line in New York City.

Gina J. Wouters, president and CEO of the Planting Fields Foundation, said the idea grew out of ongoing efforts to both restore historic Olmsted Brothers landscapes and add contemporary layers to the 409-acre estate. Wouters described the relationship between the early-20th-century arbor and the new design as a “really beautiful and interesting dialogue” between contemporary and historic elements.

“So we sometimes like thinking if the Coes” — the family who owned the property — “were alive today, building Planting Fields, who would they invite?” Wouters said. “So Piet Oudolf is definitely within that realm. He’s regarded as the

greatest living landscape designer of our time.”

Conversations with Oudolf began in 2023, with Wouters visiting him in the Netherlands before Oudolf traveled to Oyster Bay to view the site. After the space behind the Blue Pool Garden was deemed an ideal location, plans accelerated quickly.

Oudolf is widely known as the father of the new perennial movement, which designs gardens to naturally mimic wild plant communities. His designs often feature naturalistic, meadow-like compositions.

I

“It’s absolutely an inherent part of his ethos as a designer,” Wouters said of the garden’s environmental focus. She added that Oudolf’s work values “seasoned beauty,” and recognizes the importance of plants in four stages, from seeding to “when it’s blooming, when it’s dead, when it’s decaying, all of that.”

Hanna Packer, a Long Island-based landscape designer who has worked with Oudolf since 2010, is the project manager for the garden. “For the first time, we are getting renowned garden designers for a public project here on Long Island,” Packer said. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

feel it will be a magnet for a lot of visitors, which is great.

Oudolf’s approach at Planting Fields, she said, will include matrix plantings, dominated by a single grass species interwoven with perennials, as well as block plantings of large grouped species with accent plants, whose unique colors and shapes both contrast with and highlight the other plants and grasses, creating what Packer described as a “very harmonious and very beautiful, colorful scheme.”

HaNNa PackEr Landscape designer

Of the 24,000 perennials and trees to be planted, more than 90 species have been selected, many of them native to the United States and pollinator friendly. Foundation officials wrote in a prior statement that the garden would “honor Long Island’s native species and biodiversity” while offering a four-season experience for visitors.

Preparatory work is already underway. The garden is currently fenced off while soil solarization takes place. This occurs as the original grass is buried beneath layers of cardboard and mulch to eliminate turf and weeds without chemicals. State park regulations prohibit the use of glyphosate, an herbicide.

“Hardscaping,” the construction of walkways and other non-botanical features of the garden, is expected to begin early next month, with trees and shrubs planted in late April or early May. Oudolf will come to Long Island in late May or early June for the planting of 24,000

perennials, a meticulous process he prefers to oversee personally. More bulbs will be planted in the fall, after the grand opening.

The project’s estimated cost is $1.5 million, but the foundation aims to raise closer to $4 million to fund an endowment supporting long-term maintenance, including a full-time landscape curator.

The Planting Fields Foundation recently announced a $100,000 grant from Bank of America to support the garden’s development. As well, people can sponsor individual plants for $25, $50 or $100 through the foundation’s Sponsor a Plant program.

“That was also important for us,” Wouters said, “that there were entry points for everybody in the community to participate in the creation of the space.”

While deer and other wildlife remain ongoing considerations at the arboretum, Wouters and Packer are optimistic that the garden’s location and plant selection will help mitigate browsing.

Ultimately, Packer said, the garden represents a rare opportunity for her, as both a landscape designer and as a local resident who has been visiting the estate for decades. “Now Planting Fields becomes a destination,” she said. “I feel it will be a magnet for a lot of visitors, which is great.”

To donate to the project or learn more about the Planting Fields Foundation and its work, visit PlantingFields.org.

CAMP & SCHOOL – A guide to programs and activities

Think you know camp? Think again

Camp has become a staple of the summer season. Each year, millions of children, youth and adults head to the hills, lakes, valleys, and parks to participate in the time-honored tradition of camp. And, while most people easily conjure up images of campfires and canoes, there is a lot more to the camp experience. Here are some things you may not have known about the camp experience, courtesy of American Camp Association.

Camp is older than dirt, almost literally Started in 1861, the camp experience turned an impressive 150 years young in 2011. The secret behind the longevity? “Camps are adapting to meet the needs of today’s campers,” says Tom Rosenberg, formr president/CEO of the American Camp Association.“At the same time, the impact camp has on campers, the lifechanging experience, has remained after all these years.”

Camp is worth its weight in gold, and then some!

The camp experience is life-changing –developing friendships and memories that last well beyond the final campfire. And, there is a camp for literally every budget. Often camps offer special pricing or financial assistance, and some camp experiences qualify for tax credits or for payment with preGreen is “zen.”

Research shows that first-hand experience with nature, like those at camp, reduce stress in children and help them better handle stress in

the future. In addition to teaching children how to be good stewards of the environment, camps are teaching children how to enjoy the world around them and take a minute to breathe deep and feel the nature, which ultimately teaches them how to de-stress the natural way.

Mommies and Daddies do it too.

Camp is not just for children and youth. There are family camp experiences, and camps for single adults, senior adults, and any adult that wants to relax and enjoy all camp has to offer. Adults benefit from the same sense of community, authentic relationships, and selfdiscovery that children do. Camp is an excellent vacation option, allowing adults to try a variety of new activities in a safe and fun environment.

Try this on for size!

Camp is a great place to try new activities and hobbies. Afraid of rock walls? According to ACA research, 74 percent of campers reported that they tried new activities at camp that they were afraid to do at first. And, those activities often leave lasting impressions. In the same survey, 63 percent of parents reported that their child continued new activities from camp after returning home.

Manners matter, and often linger.

The camp experience teaches more than just archery or lanyard making. The entire experience is made of teachable moments, perhaps one of the biggest is how to live with a group of people. Campers learn to pick up after themselves, respect each other’s property, and to say

“Please” and “Thank You.”

Camp gets those neurons pumping Education reform debate and concern over summer learning loss have pushed academic achievement into the spotlight. Research shows that participation in intentional programs, like camp, during summer months helps stem summer learning loss. In addition, camp provides ample opportunity for developmental growth, which is a precursor to academic achievement. And, because of the “hands-on” nature of camp, often children who struggle in traditional edu-

STEAM & SPECIALTY CAMPS

cation settings do well at camp.

Camp builds leaders for the 21st century and beyond Independence, resiliency, teamwork, problem-solving skills, and the ability to relate to other people these are the skills that tomorrow’s leaders will need, and the skills camp has been adept at building for 150 years.

Photo: Long after the final campfire fades, the skills and friendships built at camp continue to shine.

Monday-Friday • 9am-4pm • extended day & lunch

Academic support

Making

tutoring

for busy families CAMP & SCHOOL – A guide to programs and activities

work

The hours after school can feel like a sprint to bedtime. There are snacks to serve, carpools to manage, practices to attend and homework to complete all while academics remain the priority. For families whose children need extra academic support, adding tutoring to the mix can feel overwhelming.

Yet when approached thoughtfully, tutoring can become a powerful and positive investment in your child’s growth not just another obligation on an already crowded calendar.

Start With A Supportive Conversation

Before beginning the search for a tutor, talk openly with your child. Frame tutoring as support, not punishment. A simple, reassuring approach “Reading feels tricky sometimes, so we’re going to find someone who can help” emphasizes growth rather than deficiency.

Most children are aware when they’re struggling. While they may feel apprehensive, involving them in the decision fosters cooperation and reduces resistance. Encouragement and confidence from parents go a long way toward building buy-in.

The Right Fit

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to tutoring. The right setting depends on your child’s needs, personality, schedule and budget.

Some families prefer one-on-one private tutoring. Others choose small-group instruction

at a learning center or opt for online services. When evaluating options, consider class size, location convenience and cost. Research shows that consistent, frequent sessions often yield stronger academic gains.

Recommendations from teachers, guidance counselors and other parents can help narrow your search. Be sure to check references and ask about measurable results, such as improved grades, stronger test performance or increased homework completion.

Set Goals — Together

Successful tutoring works best when everyone is aligned. Teachers, tutors, parents and students should collaborate on clear, realistic goals.

Parents remain an essential part of the learning process. After each session, ask what your child is expected to practice before the next one and provide gentle support at home.

Building Skills — and Confidence

One of the greatest benefits of tutoring is individualized attention. Whether a child needs help mastering multiplication facts, expanding vocabulary or strengthening study skills, oneon-one instruction allows lessons to be tailored to specific learning styles.

Tutoring isn’t only about catching up or getting ahead. It can also help students manage learning differences, organize assignments or gain confidence in challenging subjects.

Tutors may incorporate visual aids, discussion, hands-on activities or technology depending on what resonates most with your child.

Create A Supportive Environment

If you have other children at home, establish clear expectations during tutoring sessions. Institute “quiet Hours by encouraging quiet activities such as reading, homework or creative play. Turning off televisions and limiting device use can help maintain focus.

When possible, outdoor play or activities in another part of the house can give siblings space to burn off energy while preserving a calm learning environment indoors.

Coordinate breaks and boundaries. Children’s attention spans vary by age. Younger students may focus for 20 to 30 minutes before needing a short break; older students may manage 30 to 40 minutes. Work with your tutor to determine appropriate breaks, boundaries and incentives that suit your child. It’s often best for parents to step back during sessions. Hovering even with good intentions can disrupt concentration. Establish in advance where you’ll be during tutoring time, and allow your child to build independence.

Photo:Tutoring can become an opportunity for growth — not just extra homework.

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The physical therapist with a mission to serve

By HAILEY FULMER hfulmer@liherald.com

Emilian Emeagwali has built a life rooted in service, driven by a deep, generational commitment to uplifting and supporting the community around her.

Born and raised in Onitsha, Nigeria, Emeagwali, 60, emigrated to the United States in 1992, where she faced a dramatic change of lifestyle. In Nigeria, she had been surrounded by support, with help raising a baby girl and managing her daily responsibilities. “Everybody was helping with the baby,” she said. “I was like a queen.”

In America there was no such support system, leaving her to adjust to life with just her husband and their daughter, and to take on a variety of responsibilities herself, from child care to cooking and cleaning.

Determined to adapt, Emeagwali immersed herself in American culture. She spent time watching movies, listening to the news and reading books to better understand her new environment. Even everyday things like food and weather required adjustment.

After moving from Nigeria, Emeagwali received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brooklyn College. In 2003 she enrolled at Stony Brook University, where she earned a doctorate degree in physical therapy. Balancing school and family life proved difficult, because she was commuting 50 miles from Elmont and now caring for two children.

Despite these challenges, Emeagwali remained focused on her goal of helping others. After finishing her degree, she was motivated to continue her education by a desire to make an impact.

Her psychology classes helped her understand how to approach and connect with people, but she ultimately felt she could make a greater difference through physical therapy. While working as a therapist’s assistant in hospital settings, she became dissatisfied with the fastpaced environment, in which she often treated multiple patients in a short period of time.

Wanting to provide more personalized care, Emeagwali decided to open her own practice. In 2007 she founded State of the Art PT OT, a clinic in Valley Stream that has now been serving patients for nearly two decades. Her approach centers on treating people with the same care and attention she would give her own family.

That philosophy, she said, stems from her upbringing. As a child, she watched her parents give money to people in need, ensuring that they had food to eat. That instilled in her a lasting commitment to helping others and giving back.

“That is how I was raised,” she said. “I think that was embedded in me when growing up.”

In 2009, Emeagwali expanded that mission by founding the nonprofit Giving Back to Community Corp., headquartered in Valley Stream. The organization, which is funded by fundraisers and donations, focuses on providing food, educational resources and other support to underserved people in surrounding communities as well as in Nigeria.

Whether through her clinic or her nonprofit work, Emeagwali’s impact extends far beyond individual patients, strengthening entire communities and carrying forward the values that first inspired her to give back.

At South Nassau, a steady hand in cardiac care

By ABIGAIL GRIECO agrieco@liherald.com

As director of noninvasive cardiology at Mount Sinai South Nassau, Dr. Pilar Stevens-Haynes has built a career centered on precision, compassion and the belief that medicine can be both life-saving and lifechanging.

That sense of connection is what ultimately steered her toward cardiology. Born and raised in the Elmont/ Valley Stream area, Stevens-Haynes discovered her love of science in high school, drawn to biology and fascinated by a senior-year anatomy and physiology elective.

Though she once envisioned herself as a surgeon, clinical rotations changed her mind. “I thought I would just love surgery,” she said. “But I actually found I loved speaking to patients. In surgery, your patients are unconscious.”

Instead she chose a field that allows her to combine long-term patient relationships with moments of dramatic intervention. While many areas of internal medicine focus on managing chronic illness, StevensHaynes noted that cardiology allows physicians to intervene in acute, life-threatening situations — heart attacks, heart failure or dangerous arrhythmias — and dramatically improve outcomes.

“In cardiology, you can treat someone and sometimes give them back the life they had before,” she said. “I find true joy in taking care of people over time and watching them heal.”

A graduate of SUNY Geneseo, Stevens-Haynes completed her medical training in the Mount Sinai system before joining South Nassau over a decade ago. Her current role centers on cardiac imaging, from

electrocardiograms and echocardiograms to multiple forms of stress testing. Four days a week she oversees the lab, ensuring that the facility meets national accreditation standards.

“The lab has to do what it says it’s going to do,” Stevens-Haynes said. “We have to perform the studies accurately and meet the standards that are set.”

Patient care remains central to her. “I’ve got the best

of both worlds,” she said. “I get to practice medicine, but I also get to do a little bit of curative medicine.”

Throughout her career, she has also navigated the realities of being one of few women — and often the only woman of color — in the room. “You have to get very comfortable by being the one and only,” StevensHaynes said. Early on, she admitted, she was “very, very quiet and shy,” hesitant to draw attention to herself. Over time, however, she came to recognize the importance of representation.

“Patients will say how wonderful it is to see women physicians and to see people that look like them take care of them,” she said. “They trust me because I look like me.”

Mentorship has become one of the most meaningful aspects of Steven-Haynes’s work. She recalled sitting down with a tearful young physician who worried that starting a family would jeopardize her medical career. Stevens-Haynes encouraged her to do both. That physician is now a cardiology fellow.

“It’s important that women know they can have grand professional goals and personal goals — and achieve them,” she said.

Stevens-Haynes credits academic medicine with offering flexibility that has allowed her to balance professional growth with family life. She and her husband, Hector Luna, are raising four children in Baldwin. She remains driven by the passion that first led her into medicine, and by her belief that physicians can build meaningful careers without sacrificing the aspects of life that matter most.

“Even if it feels overwhelming or like an all-boys club, you can find your niche anywhere,” she said. “Chase your dreams. You don’t have to sacrifice.”

Civic association recognizes contributions

to this position extends far beyond his official duties.”

According to DiPietro, the civic association tries to keep the winners unaware that they have been chosen until the announcements at the gala.

Spina said, in an interview the following day, that while it was nice to receive the award, he did not expect to be considered.

“You can probably throw a dart,” he said, “and hit 20 other people that are more deserving of the award than me.”

Swanson, whose selection for the award was announced by friend and village resident Ines Powell, moved to Sea Cliff in 1971 when her husband, John, was teaching at Hofstra University. Her involvement in the community began when she started taking her daughters, Monica and Catherine, to story time at the library. Swanson said she and others in the community wanted more books to be available at the library amid a shortage.

In response, they organized a thrift store in the library basement. The money made at the thrift store was used to buy more books. At Mini Mart, they set up a Café Bibliothèque which also raised funds for the library.

Additionally, Swanson has been a part of the village’s Tree Commission and has organized events such as a 5K and a fashion show. She currently volunteers for NOSH Delivers!, a food pantry based in Glen Cove.

Swanson described Sea Cliff, in an interview, as “an amazing village” and said that she was surprised to receive the award.

“It was just very sweet,” Swanson said, “and I’m very grateful, and I’m grateful to be part of this village.”

Sea Cliff Village Museum Director Courtney Chambers read her nomination letter for Janusas at the gala. Janusas became a museum docent roughly 25 years ago and continues to serve on the museum board of trustees. She is also a member of the vestry at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, where she organized Burns Night, a celebration of Robert Burns and Scottish culture, in January.

Chambers praised Janusas for her work at the museum and collaboration with other organizations like the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor and the Sea Cliff Arts Council.

In an interview, Janusas said she was surprised to

win and that she works to make Sea Cliff an enjoyable place to live.

“I love Sea Cliff so much,” she said, “and I always want it to be the best place it can be.” Janusas added that she felt honored to win alongside Spina and Swanson.

DiPietro described seeing the winners’ reactions as “so much fun” and said it was great to see a crowd spanning multiple generations at the gala.

The civic association will advertise later in the year for nominations online in the Village Bulletin, in the Sea Cliff Circle newsletter and on Facebook. Nominations can be emailed to sccivicassociation@gmail.com.

Celebrating centuries of Black history

By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com

The Town of Oyster Bay honored Black History Month on Wednesday night with music, prayer and reflections on both national and local history, drawing elected officials, clergy, educators and residents to Town Hall North for the annual celebration.

Let’s continue to celebrate black history. Let’s continue to celebrate each other.

The program opened with a brief video presentation before Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino welcomed the audience and detailed the town’s efforts to expand cultural programming. He emphasized the importance of respect and kindness starting in the home, and how building that respect shapes the next generation.

ANISSA MoorE

Deputy Nassau County executive

“I believe people are taught hate, and that we’re not born with hate in our souls,” Saladino said. “Just the same way hate can be taught, love can be taught, respect can be taught.

The supervisor later shared a personal story about his father’s friendship with Edward J. Perkins, a former U.S. diplomat and ambassador to South Africa under President Ronald Reagan, who served with Saladino’s father in the Marine Corps’ Criminal Investigation Division during the Korean War. Saladino urged the attendees to continue telling the stories of African-American leaders whose contributions may not be widely known.

The Rev. Adika Roberts, of Mount Olive Baptist Church in Oyster Bay delivered the invocation, and members of the Black Voices of Nassau County led the audience in the singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is also known as the Black national anthem.

Deputy Nassau County Executive Anissa Moore, representing County Executive Bruce Blakeman, gave a wideranging address that highlighted African-American history on Long Island. She emphasized that that history extends beyond well-known national figures.

“Black American history is American history, and Black History Month allows our nation to learn that we are more than just Dr. Martin Luther King and Barack Obama,” Moore said. “We have a rich history, and tonight there are many reasons to rejoice, for black Americans are a resilient people.”

Moore traced the presence of Africans in New York back to the 1600s, and spoke about the pivotal role that Long Island communities such as Westbury and Jericho played in the Underground Railroad. She noted that formerly enslaved people founded agricultural communities in areas including Glen

Cove, Lake Success and Manhasset.

She also mentioned African-American inventors whose innovations continue to shape daily life, including Lewis Latimer’s work on the light bulb, Garrett Morgan’s traffic signal and Marie Van Brittan Brown’s early home-security system.

“Every time we stop for a light, that was a Black inventor,” Moore said. “Every time you use a hair brush, that’s a Black invention. That’s an American who did that.”

Moore reflected on her own family history, explaining that her great-grandparents were born into slavery in the Carolinas.

“I was still alive when I got to see my great-grandparents,” she recalled. “It’s only one generation from that. But that’s the beauty of America. America makes all things possible.”

Lionel Chitty, Nassau County’s executive director of minority affairs, encouraged residents to learn more about local history, and to visit area museums and the Oyster Bay Historical Society. He described how he had shared some of the Black history of Oyster Bay with his staff, and how stunned even they were not to know the local legacy in their own backyard.

“You would be amazed at what great history is right here in Nassau County and right here in Oyster Bay,” Chitty said. “Black history is American history, and Black History Month is every month.”

Randall Edward, vice president for student affairs at SUNY Old Westbury, told a story about growing up in South Jamaica, Queens, and being told by a school guidance counselor that he was “not college material.” He credited a social studies teacher, who introduced him to the autobiography of Malcolm X, with changing the trajectory of his life.

“That history that I understood in that book that I read told me, ‘Look, you are part of a legacy of greatness,’” Edward said. “So that’s greatness in you.”

Edward said that learning history instills dignity and progress, echoing the words of historian Carter G. Woodson, who launched Negro History Week in 1926, the precursor to Black History Month.

“We are standing here before you because many, many, many people decided to do the right thing,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that we are perfect, because you can do the right thing and not be perfect. We’re probably all sitting here doing that, but just keep in mind that the essence of love needs one human being to embrace and the other human being to give.”

Denise Evans-Sheppard, executive director of the Oyster Bay Historical Society, focused her remarks on Oyster Bay’s deep African-American roots. She described Thomas Gall, the first person freed from slavery on Long Island, who she said was emancipated in 1685, and later purchased land in the Pine Hollow area.

Evans-Sheppard also spoke about her great-great-grandfather, David Carll,

who served in the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War, and about African-American families that migrated from Accomack and Exmore counties, in Virginia, to Oyster Bay in the 1930s, seeking better opportunities.

“Many people aren’t aware of Tom Gall,” Evans-Sheppard said. “People aren’t aware of David Carll, or any of the local history that’s here online. We were part of the civil rights movement, we were part of the economy, the maritime industry, the whaling industry, most of our families were part of that, such as my own.”

Throughout the evening, speakers returned to a common theme that Black history is inseparable from American history, and from the history of the Town of Oyster Bay. Despite the harsh weather, which reduced attendance, officials said they planned to continue hosting cultural programs throughout the year.

“Let’s continue to celebrate Black history,” Moore said. “Let’s continue to celebrate each other.”

New ICE office in Woodbury sparks concerns

By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is renting office space in Woodbury for what could be as many as 40 agency attorneys, Newsday has reported. The move is drawing concern from immigration advocates and prompting calls for transparency from local officials.

Last month, ICE began leasing offices in a four-story building at 88 Froehlich Farm Blvd., according to Craig J. Padover, president of the Hauppaugebased Aresco Management, which owns the property. The space, Padover said, is being used for legal offices, but he did not confirm the size or extent of the lease, nor could he verify how many ICE attorneys would ultimately work there.

He added that the space would not be used to house detained immigrants.

The expansion comes as controversy intensifies over President Trump’s deportation campaign. ICE received nearly $80 billion in funding through Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” passed last July, increasing the number of agents from roughly 10,000 to 22,000 this year, making it the largest-funded federal law enforcement agency.

ICE already maintains a presence at the federal courthouse in Central Islip and at the Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow, where detained

Luke Feeney/Herald

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is leasing office space at 88 Froehlich Farm Blvd. in Woodbury.

migrants are housed. Agents covering Long Island are based primarily in New York City offices.

“One of the most important things to remember is that the Department of Homeland Security and [Secretary] Kristi Noem has not been transparent about what’s going on,” Sylvia LivitsAyass, a partner at Livits Ayass Baskin PLLC and the immigration chair of the Nassau County Bar Association, said.

In Central Islip, marked and unmarked vans have been seen near district courts. Attorneys from ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor repre -

sent the Department of Homeland Security in immigration-removal proceedings, and can facilitate warrants and enforcement actions.

“My guess is that there will be a ramp-up in ICE presence in Nassau and Suffolk, and they’re probably going to try and facilitate these enforcement actions through warrants and by supporting these operations,” Livits-Ayass said, emphasizing that that remains speculation.

She explained that there are different types of warrants. An administrative warrant is not reviewed by a federal

judge, and is often signed by an ICE officer or agency official. A judicial warrant, by contrast, must be signed by a U.S. District Court judge and typically identifies the court, the name and birth date of the subject of the warrant, and the address to be searched.

“Just because they have a warrant doesn’t mean they can go wherever they want,” Livits-Ayass said.

Because immigration court for downstate New York is at Federal Plaza in Manhattan, she added, the Woodbury lease is surprising. She suggested that it could signal expanded enforcement operations, but also noted that it could simply be cost-effective for ICE to house its attorneys on Long Island. “The bottom line is we don’t know,” she said, “because they’re not telling anybody.”

In a letter to Noem, Rep. Tom Suozzi asked if the lease was accurate and how ICE has engaged with local governments.

In a statement to the Herald, Suozzi wrote, “Expanding deportation operations in safe communities creates fear and undermines trust in local enforcement, and would be a bad policy. Our focus should be on removing dangerous criminals while protecting families who contribute to our local economy and way of life.”

ICE offices in New York City did not respond to the Herald’s request for comment.

An invisible threat in Long Island’s waters

Researchers study acidification and its potential effects on the future of oysters and clams

By ABIGAIL GRIECO, WILL SHEELINE & JOSEPH D’ALESSANDRO of the Herald Community Newspapers

Third installment in a series about water.

For generations, the waters surrounding Long Island have defined its identity — from the wide-open waterfronts of the South Shore to the shellfish beds of the North Shore. But beneath the surface, a quieter transformation is underway.

Ocean acidification is often called climate change’s “evil twin,” and refers to the lowering of the water’s pH, the scale used to measure the concentration of hydrogen ions in the water. While global warming refers to rising temperatures, acidification describes a shift in seawater chemistry.

The science begins with carbon dioxide. As levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increase — predominantly from the burning of fossil fuels — the ocean absorbs roughly 25 to 30 percent of it. When carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater, it forms carbonic acid, making the water more acidic, and lowering its pH.

farmers — industries that have experienced both revival and setbacks in recent decades — these chemical changes aren’t just theoretical. They are measurable, seasonal and, increasingly, part of daily operations.

The ‘evil twin’ of climate change

Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, a nonprofit advocacy organization in New York and Connecticut, describes ocean acidification as a hidden but mounting crisis for Long Island’s waters — one intensified by warming temperatures, nitrogen pollution and poor circulation in local bays.

“It’s commonly understood that roughly a third of all carbon dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere are absorbed by the marine environment,” Esposito said. That absorption increases acidity levels in bays, estuaries and the open ocean.

RISING TIDES

The pH scale is logarithmic, meaning that even a small numerical drop represents a significant shift in chemistry. The ocean is naturally slightly alkaline, but since the Industrial Revolution, average ocean surface pH has dropped by about 0.1 units — roughly a 30 percent increase in acidity. That shift reduces the availability of carbonate ions, the building blocks shellfish such as oysters and clams need to form their calcium carbonate shells.

Ryan Wallace, assistant professor of environmental science at Adelphi University, explained that these acidity levels are not evenly distributed. Some bays and harbors on the North Shore are measured at 450 parts per million, close to the ideal level of roughly 300 ppm, while others, particularly in the western portion of Long Island Sound, measured as high as 2,000 ppm.

Wallace emphasized that while these may not sound like huge differences, even minor changes in CO2 levels can have a drastic impact.

it to

On Long Island, acidification is not driven by global carbon emissions alone. Local factors intensify the problem. Nitrogen discharged from wastewater, septic systems and fertilizer runoff flows into bays and harbors, fueling harmful algal blooms. When those blooms die and decompose, the process consumes oxygen and releases additional carbon dioxide in the water, further lowering pH.

The result is a compounding effect: global atmospheric carbon dioxide combined with local nitrogen pollution accelerates acidification in shallow, enclosed estuaries.

Warming waters add another layer of stress. As temperatures rise, marine organisms’ metabolic demands increase, but warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen. Together, warming and acidification can weaken shellfish during their most vulnerable larval stages, making it harder for them to survive and build shells.

For Long Island’s oyster and clam

“To put it into perspective, over the last 800,000 years or so, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was only about 300” parts per million, Wallace explained. “Two thousand is a lot more than that, so when you get to concentrations that are that high, this can have implications for, you know, organisms that are living in these ecosystems.”

While the data reflect a global pattern, the consequences are being felt at the regional level as well. As Esposito noted, Long Island’s problems do not exist in isolation.

“It’s being exacerbated by an increase in temperature of the waterways and more nutrient runoff, such as nitrogen, going into waterways,” she said. “All of that causes unfortunate degradation to our water bodies.”

While algae is an important part of a healthy ecosystem, excess nitrogen can fuel algal blooms that, when they die off, consume oxygen and further stress marine life — compounding the chemical impacts of acidification with biological ones.

In the South Shore’s Western Bays, limited water circulation compounds the problem. Research by Stony Brook

University has shown that it can take up to 180 days for water to fully flush out through an inlet into the Atlantic Ocean. Instead, Esposito said, the water “sloshes back and forth” before eventually reaching the ocean, trapping heat and pollutants in the process.

Coastal areas such as the western portion of the Sound are especially vulnerable because of limited circulation. Wallace stressed that scientists differentiate between open-ocean acidification and coastal-ocean acidification because of the unique challenges those areas face.

In Hempstead Harbor, the issue of acidification has been a focus for local environmental organizations for decades. The Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor was formed in 1986 to address a range of environmental issues facing the area, including acidification.

Michelle Lapinel McAllister, the coalition’s programs director, explained that pH monitoring is one of the core services that the nonprofit provides for the harbor. Measuring occurs yearround, with particular emphasis from May to October, when the harbor, in

common with other waterways, sees annual spikes in nitrogen levels.

“Each season we will see periods of low dissolved oxygen, and whenever dissolved oxygen gets low, then we’ll see pH drop as well,” Lapinel McAllister said. “That will typically happen around the hottest part of the year.”

Another complication is the fact that enclosed waters respond more quickly to environmental stressors than the open ocean, meaning local ecosystems can feel the impacts sooner and more intensely.

“The more stagnant the water body is, the more these acidity levels build up,” Esposito said. “The more the temperature builds up, the more damage the increase in acidity levels can do.”

She described three primary consequences of ocean acidification: “reduced water quality, the impact on shellfish and finfish and the degradation of the overall habitat due to low oxygen.”

Shellfish such as oysters and clams struggle to build and maintain their shells in more acidic conditions, while

Rising acidity, rising stakes for coastal shellfish

Continued from PreViouS PAGe

finfish larvae have lower survival rates — threatening both the ecosystem and the region’s maritime economy.

“Acidification actually reduces the availability of carbonate ions that are needed for these organisms to build their shells, so that’s a major issue,” Wallace said. “Like shellfish aquaculture, it can impact fisheries, and then there’s this cascading effect that can influence things like recreational activities and tourism.”

This is especially relevant because shellfish play an important role in regulating nitrogen levels. An adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, depending on size and environmental conditions, while a clam can filter roughly half that.

Across Long Island, and across the country, local environmental organizations and governments are throwing their support behind shellfish hatcheries and protection programs, including the towns of Hempstead, Oyster Bay and Babylon. Lapinel McAllister explained that while these efforts serve an important role in safeguarding healthy ecosystems, they can’t singlehandedly save marine ecosystems.

“On their own, shellfish can’t improve the water quality to healthy levels,” she said, “but having a good, healthy, strong population is going to be part of that overall puzzle of maintaining the stability of pH over long term.”

While local efforts to restore wetlands, upgrade sewage-treatment plants and rebuild shellfish populations are making progress, Esposito said the root cause remains global. “The main culprit of ocean acidification is the burning of fossil fuels,” she said. “The only thing we can do is support more renewable energy so that we’re not pouring more carbon dioxide into the waterways.”

The wet work of marine scientists

Across Long Island, scientists are working together to find ways to improve the quality of local waters. A leading solution is all-organic: Restoring local populations of filter-feeders could, with careful management, bear the brunt of decontamination efforts.

The Flax Pond Marine Laboratory, in Old Field, is nestled in the marshes of the North Shore, overlooking the Long Island Sound. This laboratory is a research hatchery, working toward “improving local coastal water quality and replenishing natural shellfish populations,” according to its shellfish restoration manager, Peter Martin.

The facility’s current focus is the Ribbed Mussel Bioextraction Project, in which staff test what growth strategies lead to the healthiest shellfish that could be reintroduced to coastal waters to rejuvenate them.

“There’s a lot of coastal communities and little inlets and even out-of-use small pockets of water that are just polluted and are in need of cleaner water,” Martin said. “Fundamentally … shellfish are natural filters. All they do is filter feed, so they’re cleaning the water as they grow.”’

“One of the big pollutants that we’re focused on is nitrogen removal,” hatchery Research Specialist Ashley Lopez said. “Shellfish take in the bad form of nitrogen, process it in their body, and they still expel some nitrogen, but it’s a safe and more bioavailable kind of nitrogen.”

The ribbed mussel program is exploring new methods of shellfish cultivation; according to Lopez, there is no consensus in the field about growing large amounts of these shellfish. In their nascence, ribbed mussels have delicate health — a larva is as small as a grain of sand. The Citizens Campaign for the Environment staff regularly sterilize equipment and filter externally sourced seawater to minimize diseases and infections from plankton and bacteria.

The researchers grow eight different varieties of algae to feed adult ribbed mussels, which are kept in temperature-stabilized basins. This conditioning pro-

nonprofits like the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor play a vital role in the fight against acidification. Staff members such as michelle Lapinel mcAllister, right, programs director, and Carol diPaolo, water-monitoring coordinator, track pH levels and coordinate a shellfish restoration program to keep the harbor healthy.

Acidification, by the numbers

■ 30 percent of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere is absorbed by the ocean.

■ From 2008 to 2017, fossil fuel burning and land use changes were responsible for 40 billion tons of emissions per year.

■ Surface waters are 30 percent more acidic than their pre-industrial levels.

■ While the ocean on average has seen a 0.06 decrease in pH units, meaning increasing acidity, since 1985, the Long Island Sound has seen a decrease of 0.04 per decade, according to UConn Marine Sciences.

■ In the past 25 years, the $6 billion clamming industry has seen a 93 percent reduction in harvests, according to the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation.

■ More than 12,000 acres of Long Island waterways have been closed to shellfishing due to algal blooms, according to the Suffolk County Health Department.

■ 76 percent of the nitrogen in the waters off Long Island — home to 40 percent of the state’s population — comes from faulty septic systems.

cess is meant to “ripen the gonads” of the mussels and help them reproduce as effectively as possible, according to Martin.

“What we’re doing is trying to find out the best way

to grow a lot of them from birth on and have them actually survive,” Lopez said. “And the starting point, we think, is the feeding regimens that we’re giving them. So that’s why we’re doing different diets — to see what kind of spawn they produce and see how the larvae survive after that.”

“This two-year project is Phase Two of a larger project,” Martin added. “Phase One was from ’23 to ’25. Each phase is getting further and further, doing more to figure out the best way to grow these things.”

In addition to ribbed mussel cultivation, CCE staff are involved with other restoration efforts, including a Community Aquaculture Restoration and Education program, in which scientists partner with community volunteers to sow “spat-on-shell” oysters into local estuaries, from which larvae will grow and mature into underwater custodians.

The Flax Pond hatchery works with groups ranging from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County and Stony Brook University to the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. It is one ecological collective of many working toward improving the quality of local waters from the east end of Long Island to the shores of Nassau County.

Setting course for a healthier future

Even as Long Island’s waterways face the threat of rising acidification, the experts emphasize that all is not lost. Thanks to the efforts of the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor and other environmental groups, the region’s waters have bounced back from near-toxic levels of acidity, not to mention numerous pollutionrelated threats of the 1980s.

According to Wallace, the efforts of scientists and local volunteers, from the South Shore to coastal Connecticut, to monitor and address these issues have already made an impact.

“There’s been a lot of positives,” he said, “but we can’t stop there. There’s more work to be done.”

Nominate a student under 18 for the Sustainability Champion Award to recognize their efforts in driving sustainable change.

Submit a nomination of approximately 100 words or less describing the student’s leadership in promoting sustainability: What motivates them? What impact have they had?

Be sure to include a photo or an example of their work—whether it’s a community garden, an environmental campaign, or a creative solution to a sustainability challenge.

STEP RIGHT UP

Ringling reinvents the Big Top

By Abbey Salvemini

Get ready to cheer, dance and gasp — the legendary Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is back, and it’s dazzling audiences in ways few could have imagined. The self-proclaimed “Greatest Show on Earth” has been boldly reimagined for a new generation, bringing a high-voltage spectacle to UBS Arena from March 6 through March 8.

This is not the circus of decades past. Gone are the traditional three rings and animal acts; in their place is a fast-paced, immersive experience that blends worldclass acrobatics, cutting-edge choreography, live music and vibrant storytelling. The arena transforms into a colorful celebration that feels as much like a concert and dance party as a circus performance.

The energy begins the moment everyone walks through the doors. An interactive pre-show sets the tone, introducing audiences to the dynamic Ringling Hype Crew — a lively cast of dancers and performers who invite everyone to move, clap and join in the fun. Before the first aerialist soars or the first stunt takes flight, the crowd is already part of the action.

At its heart are the performers.

• Friday March 6, 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, March 7-8, 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m.

• Tickets start at $39.35, $20 kids tickets for all performances; available at ticketmaster.com

• UBS Arena, 2400 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont

The 65-person cast, representing 17 countries, is a truly international ensemble that fuses time-honored circus traditions with bold, contemporary feats. Among the most buzzed-about moments is the crisscross trapeze act, in which elite aerialists launch themselves along intersecting flight paths, slicing through the air in breathtaking near-misses that leave audiences holding their collective breath.

The stars of this new incarnation of circus include 33-year-old trapeze artist Miles Postlethwait. He grew up in Florida, attending Ringling shows (and Disney on Ice). Caught up in the spectacle, he in love with trapeze at age 10. A trapeze performer for 10 years (six professionally), he landed at Ringling in November.

Recalling his early circus memories: “I remember going to see Ringling Bros when I was very young. Honestly, what I remember most was the toys (specifically the dragon sword) and the cotton candy. But my mom tells me I was enamored with the acrobats.”

That fascination stuck, leading him to his tour “home” and what’s now billed as “The Greatest Party On Earth,” according to the Ringling mantra.

“Who wouldn’t want to be a part of The Greatest Show On Earth? I saw the previous tour multiple times and loved the show. It’s nonstop fun because you’re part of the show the whole time, interacting with other performers and the audience,” Postlethwait says.

The vibe is fueled by today’s cultural influences — reimagined through the lens of pop culture, concerts and festivals.

Back to the aforementioned trapeze stunt, he points out that the crisscross rig is unique and requires intense precision, but years of training make the nearmisses almost instinctive.

“It keeps me on my toes, and the crowd’s reaction

STEPPING OUT

courtesy Feld Entertainment

A 150-year tradition leaps into the future as the reimagined spectacle delivers fresh thrills, bold artistry and gravity-defying feats that redefine the

is incredible.”

The thrills keep on coming. Other highlights include the Double Wheel of Destiny, in which four daredevils leap and jump rope on spinning wheels.

A Chinese acrobatic bicycle act, created exclusively for Ringling, features gravity-defying human pyramids and fearless athleticism, with one acrobat running across the backs of nine moving bike riders. Salsa Colombia, a fiery dance and acrobatics troupe, brings the energy of Latin rhythms to the arena floor. And audiences are fascinated by Cam, a content creator and unicycle rider, who stacks up to 25 wheels towering nearly 35 feet high. Also watch out for Bailey the Robo Pup, a high-tech canine character and PT (Party Time), Ringling’s first-ever hype character, who keeps the crowd engaged and amplifies the celebratory atmosphere.

Giant LED screens and cameras capture acrobats from impossible angles, giving every seat the feel of front-row access.

Music powers the show. A DJ spins everything from hip-hop to Latin beats, driving the action from start to finish, with beat drops, live drumming and dance battles.

Those in the audience are not just spectators — they’re all in. Kids are drawn into onstage interactions, while the LED screens highlight stunts from content creator Cam, adding an extra layer of excitement. From split-second trapeze timing to jaw-dropping acrobatics, the spectacle keeps everyone on the edge of their seats while leaving lasting memories for all involved. The result is a full-on celebration with a festival-style energy that transforms classic circus elements.

Postlethwait sums it up simply: “It’s a super fun, energetic party. Families come and say everybody had a blast. It’s a show where kids aren’t just watching — they’re a part of the action.”

Perhaps most importantly, according to Postlethwait, the spectacle inspires young audiences to dream big.

“I hope they see that anything is possible. Circus acts show that humans’ limits go so much further than we think.”

Whether you’re in it for the stunts, the music or the interactive fun, this version of “The Greatest Show On Earth” promises something for everyone. Experience firsthand why Ringling Bros. has thrilled audiences for generations — now with a fresh, modern twist that makes the circus feel entirely new.

Jessie’s Girl

Drag out that neon once again and give your hair its best ‘80s ‘do. Those crazy days are back — as only Jessie’s Girl can pull off, on the Paramount stage. The band of NYC’s top rock/pop musicians and singers gets everyone into that “Back To The Eighties” vibe with the latest edition of their popular concert experience. With a lineup including four pop-rock vocalists dressing and performing as 80s icons, backed by a dynamic band, this is the definitive ‘80s experience. Jessie’s Girl’s primary line-up includes a team of NYC’s top rock and pop vocalists: Jenna O’Gara, Jerome Bell-Bastien, and Mark Rinzel. They are backed by one of the tightest bands in the city comprised of 20+ year veterans of the NYC music scene, each with dozens of credits performing with authentic ‘80s icons who made the music famous to begin with! Their motto: There’s no decade like the Eighties and no party like Back To The Eighties with Jessie’s Girl.

Friday, March 6, 8 p.m. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com.

South Shore Symphony welcomes Jane Monheit

With a voice radiating warmth, refinement and emotional depth, jazz vocalist Jane Monheit brings her celebrated interpretations of Great American Songbook classics to the Madison Theatre in a special collaboration with the South Shore Symphony Orchestra. Renowned for breathing fresh life into beloved standards, she headlines an unforgettable afternoon, blending the intimacy of jazz with the grandeur of full orchestral sound. Under the baton of Music Director Adam Glaser, the South Shore Symphony accompanies her in a series of orchestral arrangements that highlight both her vocal artistry and the timeless beauty of these enduring songs. The program also offers audiences a more intimate jazz club feel, with Monheit backed by a trio, including Glaser on piano, for several selections.

Sunday, March 8, 3 p.m. Molloy University campus, 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre. Tickets available at madisontheatreny.org or (516) 323-4444.

Your Neighborhood CALENDAR

Mar

Spring Volleyball Instruction

North Shore Volleyball invites girls in third and fourth grade to sign up for instructional programs. Weekly instruction through May 21 is offered. No experience necessary. is open at NorthShoreVolleyball.org, but space is limited. The 14-week session costs $210.

• Where: 145 Glen Ave., Sea Cliff

• Time: 5 p.m. for third graders and 6 p.m. for fourth graders

• Contact: NorthShoreVolleyball.org

First Fridays: Through Stained Glass

Explore the extensive collection of medieval and renaissance stained glass at Planting Fields! During this walk and workshop for adults, participants will discover the travels and stories of some of the 40-plus stained-glass panes that illuminate the historic housemuseum, the Main House. Guests are guided by Collections and Exhibitions Manager Emily Leger and Archivist Marie Penny to view the Corpus Vitrearum, an International scholarly compilation of historic glass windows. Also make your own faux stained glass to bring home and enjoy! $25.

• Where: Main House, 1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay

• Time: 2-3:30 p.m.

• Contact: plantingfields.org or call (516) 922-9210

All You Need Is Love

Love Your Neighbor Project is hosting its annual All You Need Is Love Prom, held at the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall. This year’s retro theme has not been announced yet. Tickets are available on LYNP.org.

• Where: 253 Glen Ave, Sea Cliff

• Time: 6:30 p.m.

• Contact: goodness@lynp.org

Winter Forest Walk

Join naturalist Virginal Dankel for an interactive winter stroll across the Nassau County Museum of Art grounds. During this seasonal walk, participants can expand their knowledge of the natural world and strengthen their powers of observation. Adults only. $20, $10 members. Registration required.

• Where: Manes Education Center, 1 Museum Drive, Roslyn Harbor

• Time: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

• Contact: nassaumuseum.org or (516) 484-9337

Celtic Woman

Mar 15

The Grammy-nominated global sensation returns to the stage with their highly anticipated new tour, Celtic Woman — A New Era. Featuring the mesmerizing talents of Mairéad Carlin, Muirgen O’Mahony, Ciara Ní Mhurchú, and the dynamic new addition Caitríona Sherlock, this production fuses the ensemble’s signature ethereal harmonies with innovative orchestrations, captivating stagecraft, and a contemporary energy that honors Ireland’s rich musical and cultural legacy while embracing Celtic Woman’s ongoing evolution. Audiences will be transported on a spellbinding journey through Irish music, from timeless classics to stirring original compositions. The evening promises breathtaking vocal performances, intricate instrumental mastery, and the rhythmic grace of traditional Irish dance. Accompanied by a full ensemble, the performers bring to life Celtic staples — including the bagpipe, bodhrán, tin whistles, and Uilleann pipes — creating a lush and immersive soundscape that resonates with both tradition and modernity. From evocative Irish ballads and contemporary favorites to classical masterpieces and fresh original songs, their tour celebrates the vibrancy of modern Ireland while paying tribute to centuries of musical heritage. It is a concert experience that blends elegance, passion, and cultural storytelling, offering audiences an unforgettable evening of artistry, energy and enchantment.

• Where: The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington

• Time: 8 p.m.

• Contact: ticketmaster.com or paramountny.com

Gatsby talk and tour series at Sands Point Preserve takes a closer look at the lives of George and Myrtle Wilson, the servants of East and West Egg, and the Valley of Ashes. Explore how Fitzgerald portrays the lower classes through the lens of the privileged Nick Carraway and how his personal biases impact the narrative. Join in a rare tour of the service areas and a thought-provoking discussion on invisible labor, exploitation, and the human cost of a society obsessed with wealth and status. $25, $20 members.

• Where: 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point

• Time: 6:30-8 p.m.

• Contact: sandspointpreserveconservancy.org or call (516) 571-7901

Branches in

aPr

Bloom Spring Festival

Mar 9

Sea Cliff Board of Trustees meet

Sea Cliff’s Board of Trustees hold their next meeting. Public hearings will be conducted on new legislation.

• Where: 300 Sea Cliff Ave., Sea Cliff

• Time: 7 p.m.

• Contact: seacliff-ny.gov or call (516) 671-0080

Grooves

with Sea Cliff Porch Pickers

Sea Cliff Arts Council invites all to hear local band Sea Cliff Porch Pickers. They’ll play Americana, country, folk and bluegrass. $20 per person.

• Where: 86 Roslyn Ave., Sea Cliff

• Time: 7 p.m.

• Contact: SeaCliffArtsCouncil.org

Children’s concert

Northwinds Symphonic Band visits Hempstead House for an afternoon of music fun for families with children of all ages. Conductors Helen P. Bauer and Brandon Bromsey have put together a program designed to engage young listeners and aspiring young

musicians. The program includes well-known selections from “The Sound of Music” and a medley from Disney movies. Band members introduce and demonstrate their instruments, and the children in attendance will be given the opportunity to take the podium as guest conductors! $10, $5 children.

• Where: Hempstead House, 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point

• Time: 1-2:30 p.m.

• Contact: sandspointpreserveconservancy. org or call (516) 571-7901

Ecotherapy Walk|

Join certified guide Linda Lombardo on an Ecotherapy Walk at Sands Point Preserve. Celebrate the Spring Equinox with balance, renewal and growth. Ecotherapy, also known as Forest Bathing, is not simply hiking in the woods, or a walk on a beach. The focus is on connection and relationship, allowing the heart to open to the beauty of the natural world. Register for individual walks or a series of three. $135 for series of 3, $120 members; $49 per session, $44 members.

• Where: 127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point

• Time: 2 p.m.

• Contact: sandspointpreserveconservancy. org or call (516) 571-7901

Notes

Mar

In Nature: Of Air And Water

Visit Planting Fields for the thrilling season opener of “Notes in Nature.” This program features a unique and atmospheric combination of the flute, harp, violin, viola, and cello with the Long Island Chamber Music collective that shouldn’t be missed! The program features a combination of flute, harp, violin, viola and cello. $45 per person in advance, $50 at the door if seats are available. Includes a complimentary glass of wine.

• Where: 1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay

• Time: 7-8:30 p.m.

• Contact: plantingfields.org or call (516) 922-9210

‘The Great Gatsby’ Talk & Tour Part II: Beneath the Glamour

This portion of Hempstead House’s

Visit Planting Fields during the magical time when the spring landscape comes alive with color and fragrance. Sweeping groves of magnolias, flowering cherries and other spring-blooming trees transform the grounds, creating a breathtaking seasonal display. All are welcome to a new spring festival taking root in celebration of Arbor Day. Centered on the spectacular collections of magnolias and flowering cherries, the festival showcases hundreds of trees at the height of their bloom: an unforgettable celebration of spring in full flower! With educational displays and demonstrations, guided tours of the historic grounds, entertainment, music, and family-friendly activities. $30 per car. Registration required.

• Where: West Lawn, 1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay

• Time: 11 a.m-4 p.m., also April 26.

• Contact: plantingfields.org or call (516) 922-9210

Having an event?

Items on the 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.

Initial budget has no position

contractual salary increases and special education services that schools are required to provide. The current budget proposal includes a 2.3 percent increase in the tax levy, roughly even with the amount by which the district is allowed to raise it.

“When we put the budget together in its most basic form,” James Pappas, assistant superintendent for business, said at the board meeting, “we’re putting together a balanced budget, balancing the expenses such as personnel and benefits, capital projects and material supplies that we use every day for the students, with revenue, state aid, other revenues, and, of course, the tax levy.”

North Shore did not raise taxes the maximum amount in years when the district was most affected by the LIPA settlement and the maximum was higher, at around 3 percent or more.

Zublionis, in the same interview, echoed Pappas’ point about balancing the budget.

“It’s really a continuation of what we’ve been doing,” he explained. “We’ve been trying to keep (the tax levy) as low as possible while preserving programs and personnel for our kids.”

Among the additional classes for which the budget would allow are increased special education services and new Advanced Placement courses. The proposal includes more co-taught classes in elementary schools to make learning more accessible.

There are currently many students who must move between elementary schools in order to get the coteaching services they need. Zublionis said this is something the district is hoping to mitigate.

“There are a lot of students in that program,” he said. “So hopefully, if this budget passes, we’ll move away from that and have (a co-taught class) in every

grade level at every elementary school.”

Two Advanced Placement courses, computer principles and human geography, could be added to North Shore High School for ninth grade students. Ninth graders are required to take English research and writing lab in addition to their regular English class. This is also the grade level where high school students are required to take a health class.

According to Zublionis, having to take English lab and health class simultaneously leaves ninth grade students without much flexibility or choice in their schedules. He said the implementation of computer principles and human geography would give students more options.

Ninth grade students who want to take one of the new Advanced Placement courses would be able to take that class in place of English lab if they and their guidance counselor decide it is an appropriate fit.

Zublionis noted that other smaller additions in the budget such as new choral risers for the high school music department and cameras for high school photography students are “directly going to help students.”

In the event that the budget fails when the community votes on it in May, the district will have the option to either revise the budget and hold another vote or go straight to a contingency budget. If a revised budget fails in a second vote, the district must go to a contingency budget.

North Shore could choose to delay the bond projects the community approved on Feb. 10 if a contingency budget forces the need for cuts. Delaying bond projects would give the district funds to use elsewhere if it is losing money from a budget failure.

The board of education will hold its first budget review meeting on Thursday, and the budget vote and election of trustees is currently set for May 19.

cuts

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10:00AM - 12:30PM

EXPERT PANEL + Q&A 11:30AM - 12:30PM

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Register for this FREE event: RichnerLIVE.com/march.expo

Public Notices

MARCH 20, 2026

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 1450 and 1452 of Article 14 of the Real Property Tax Law of the State of New York, I, Judith Phelps, Treasurer of the said Incorporated Village of Sea Cliff, will sell at public auction, in the manner provided by law, on the 20th day of March at 10:00 o’clock in the forenoon, in the Board Room at the Village Hall in said Village, so such of each of the following parcels of real estate upon which Village Taxes remain unpaid as will be sufficient to discharge the tax, fees, interest and charges which may be due thereon respectively at the time of such sale, and shall continue the same from day to day until the said sale shall be completed. Such purchaser at such tax sale will be required to pay ten percentum of his respective bid to the undersigned Village Treasurer immediately upon the conclusion of this sale and the remaining ninety per centum within ten days after the sale and upon such payment in full shall receive a written certificate of sale describing the real estate purchased and sum paid therefor.

THE NAMES OF OWNERS SHOWN ON THIS LIST MAY NOT NECESSARILY BE THE NAMES OF THE PERSONS OWNING THE PROPERTY AT THE TIME OF THIS ADVERTISEMENT. SUCH NAMES HAVE BEEN TAKEN EITHER FROM ASSESSMENT ROLLS PREPARED AS OF APRIL 2025 OR FROM THE RECORDS OF THE RECEIVER OF TAXES AND FREQUENTLY DIFFER FROM THE NAMES OF THE OWNERS AT THE TIME OF PUBLICATION OF THIS NOTICE. IT MAY ALSO BE THAT SUCH OWNERS ARE NOMINAL ONLY AND ANOTHER PERSON IS ACTUALLY THE BENEFICIAL OWNER. PROPERTY OWNERS MAY MAKE PAYMENT AT VILLAGE HALL PRIOR TO TAX SALE. PAYMENT MUST BE BY CASH OR CHECK ONLY.

The following is a list of the parcels of real estate to be sold, including the amount of the tax, fees, interest and charges thereon, all parcels being within Section 21 of the Nassau County Land and Tax Map, to wit:

LEGAL NOTICE

VILLAGE OF SEA CLIFF

PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a public hearing will be held as to the following matter:

Agency:Board of Trustees, Village of Sea Cliff

Date: March 16, 2026

Time:6:00 pm

Place:Village Hall, 300 Sea Cliff Avenue, Sea Cliff, New York

Subject:To solicit proposals for the housing and community development projects that the Village should undertake during the 2026-2027 program year.

Any person having a disability which would inhibit attendance at or participation in the hearing should notify the Village Clerk at least three business days prior to the hearing, so that reasonable efforts may be made to facilitate such attendance and participation.

Dated: March 3, 2026 BY ORDER OF THE MAYOR AND TRUSTEES

Sarah Beaudin, Village Clerk 158769

LEGAL NOTICE PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a public hearing will be held as to the following matter: Agency:Zoning Board of Appeals, Village of Sea Cliff

Date: March 19, 2026

Time:7:00 pm

Place:Village Hall, 300 Sea Cliff Avenue, Sea Cliff, New York

News brief

Bringing art to the park in Oyster Bay

Local artists and artisans from the Town of Oyster Bay are invited to participate in a day of creativity and community at Art in the Park. This year’s event will take place on May 30, at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park & Beach in Oyster Bay, offering a platform for talented individuals to display and sell their handcrafted creations. The deadline to apply is May 15.

“Art in the Park provides an incredible opportunity for local artists and artisans to showcase their best work, connect with the community, and gain recognition,” said Town Councilman Tom Hand. “Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your creativity and be part of a vibrant community event, featuring live music, food trucks, and fun activities for kids.”

Artists and artisans must be 18 years

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU, US BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR VRMTG ASSET TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. EDWARD YOUNG; KERRY YOUNG, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee’s Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on December 3, 2025, I,

the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 30, 2026 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 17 Wellington Road, Greenvale, NY 11548. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of North Hempstead, County of Nassau and

State of New York, Section 20, Block N and Lot 57. Approximate amount of judgment is $604,889.34 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 602545/2023. Cash will not be accepted. Jane P. Shrenkel, Esq., Referee Knuckles & Manfro, LLP, 120 White Plains Road, Suite 215, Tarrytown, New York 10591, Attorneys for Plaintiff 158618

Subject:Application of Jason and Aileen Martin, 43 Laurel Avenue, Sea Cliff, New York, to construct a single story addition, which construction requires variances of the following Village Code sections: (a) 138-511, to permit a side yard setback of 9.2 feet, where a minimum of 15 feet is required, and (b) 138-513.1, to permit an encroachment into the height/setback plane, where no encroachment is permitted. Premises are designated as Section 21, Block K, Lot 748 on the Nassau County Land and Tax Map.

Application of Kevin and Jane McGilloway, 307 8th Avenue, Sea Cliff, New York, to construct a two (2) story addition, which construction requires a

or older and can only display and sell original, handcrafted pieces. Commercial or mass-produced items will not be permitted. Participants are responsible for supplying their own 10x10 canopy and any additional equipment needed for their space. Full details, including associated costs, are outlined in the application available online.

Organized by the town’s department of community and youth services, cultural and performing arts division, Art in the Park celebrates a diverse range of handcrafted works, including ceramics, watercolors, glass, jewelry, wood, leather, sculptures, and more.

To apply, visit the Town’s website at OysterBayTown.com/capa or contact the Cultural and Performing Arts Division at (516) 797-7932 for more information.

Public Notices

variance of Village Code §138-414.1, to permit a floor area of 2,317 square feet, where a maximum of 2,034 square feet is permitted. Premises are designated as Section 21, Block 127, Lot 320 on the Nassau County Land and Tax Map. Application of Daniel and Katherine Gold, 332 Carpenter Avenue, Sea Cliff, New York, to alter a pool and patio, construct a spa and trellis, and demolish and reconstruct a garage, which construction requires variances of the following Village Code sections: (a) 138-514.1, to permit a floor area of 5,161.96 square feet, where a maximum of 4,200 square feet is permitted, (b) 138-516, (i) to permit a garage 4.1 feet from a rear property line and 1.6 feet from a side property line, where 5 and 10 feet are required respectively, (ii) to demolish and reconstruct a garage that will be 505 square feet where 500 square feet is the maximum permitted and 16.8 feet in height where a maximum height of 15 feet is permitted, and (iii) to permit a garage, trellis, new deck and outdoor fireplace,

where not more than three (3) accessory buildings are permitted, (d) 138-519, to permit an impervious area of 10,457 square feet, where a maximum of 6,559.75 square feet is permitted, and (e) 138-1703(B)(3), to permit a pool, patio and spa 10 feet from the northerly property line, where a minimum of 30 feet is required. Applicants also seek a special permit pursuant to Village Code §138-1703 to alter the swimming pool and patio and construct a new spa. Premises are designated as Section 21, Block 60, Lot 57 on the Nassau County Land and Tax Map. At the said time and place, all interested persons may be heard with respect to the foregoing matters. All relevant documents may be inspected at the office of the Village Clerk, Village Hall, 300 Sea Cliff Avenue, Sea Cliff, New York, during regular business hours. Any person having a disability which would inhibit attendance at, or participation in, the hearing should notify the Village Clerk at least three business days prior to the hearing, so that

reasonable efforts may be made to facilitate such attendance and participation.

Dated: March 2, 2026 BY ORDER OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS 158770

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT NASSAU COUNTY DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, FORMERLY KNOWN AS BANKERS TRUST COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR SACO I, INC., MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2000-1, Plaintiff against JEFFERY BETTAN, et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Fein Such & Crane, LLP, 28 East Main Street, Suite 1800, Rochester, NY 14614.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered January 28, 2026, 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 April 7, 2026 at 2:30 PM.

Premises known as 57 Parkway Drive, Roslyn

Heights, NY 11577. Sec 7 Block 174 Lot 12. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon, erected, situate, lying and being at Roslyn (unincorporated), Town of North Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $603,836.20 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 005162/2006. 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.”

Mark S Ricciardi, Esq., Referee File # SPSJN399 158740

L.I. pays the price for New York City’s failed leadership

Long Islanders work hard for what they have. Families here build their lives around safe neighborhoods, good schools and the ability to provide for their children. The suburban way of life exists because generations believed in responsibility, accountability and earning their success through hard work.

Increasingly, the policies shaping Long Island’s future are not coming from Long Island. They are coming from New York City. That reality became unmistakably clear on Feb. 11, during a public hearing in Albany. As ranking member of the Assembly Local Governments Committee, I was questioning New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in a televised hearing. My questions focused on public safety, antisemitism and the realworld consequences of the Mamdani administration’s decisions.

In the middle of my questioning, my microphone was turned off. The supporters of the mayor, who control the committee, silenced the ranking mem-

ber while he was performing his official duties. Other legislators were permitted to continue speaking freely. My questioning was stopped the moment it became uncomfortable for Mamdani.

That moment revealed everything Long Islanders need to understand. If the elected representative of suburban communities can be silenced while questioning the mayor of New York City, the voices of everyday Long Islanders are even easier to ignore.

IThis imbalance defines how Albany operates. Legislative priorities are driven by New York City’s political pressures. Housing policies punish property owners. Regulations expand government control. Tax burdens continue to rise. These policies may serve New York City’s political leadership, but they undermine the suburban communities that form the backbone of New York state.

across the state, including Long Island families.

Mamdani frequently speaks about working people. He has never lived the life of a working-class laborer. I have.

n the middle of my questioning of Mayor Mamdani, my mic was turned off.

I’m originally from Franklin Square, and I am a carpenter who has spent five decades swinging a hammer, building homes and working with my hands. I understand what it means to wake up early, work in the heat and cold, and earn every dollar through physical effort. Working people deserve leaders who understand their lives, not politicians who only talk about them.

ties like ours.

This issue is bigger than party labels. Long Islanders care about preserving their suburban way of life. Residents want safe streets, affordable living and leadership that respects the people who built these communities.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has demonstrated that suburban communities can be protected and strengthened. His leadership has prioritized public safety, fiscal discipline and defending the interests of Long Island residents. He understands that Long Island is not an extension of New York City. Long Island is its own community, with its own values and its own identity.

Mamdani recently proposed raising New York City property taxes by nearly 10 percent while draining billions from reserve funds. That approach reflects a pattern of fiscal irresponsibility. When New York City mismanages its finances, Albany responds with policies that place additional pressure on taxpayers

Long Islanders live those values every day. Residents here prioritize safe communities, homeownership and fiscal responsibility. Families invest their savings in their homes and neighborhoods because they believe in stability and opportunity. These principles created the quality of life that makes Long Island one of the most desirable places to live.

New York City’s political leadership increasingly embraces a different model. Government expands. Taxes rise. Accountability disappears. The consequences spread far beyond city limits and reach suburban communi-

New York state needs leadership that understands that distinction. Long Island deserves a governor who will stand up for suburban communities, restore balance in Albany and ensure that our voices are never silenced or ignored.

The events of Feb. 11 were a reminder of what’s at stake. Long Islanders can’t afford to remain silent while decisions are made that shape our future without our input.

Long Island deserves to be heard, deserves to be respected and deserves leadership that will fight for its future.

Ari Brown represents the 20th Assembly District.

We’re finding out how expensive wind power really is

Ashort article appeared in Newsday last month, announcing that New York state had canceled new wind power bids. This was a big deal that required wider coverage. And then, two weeks later, another article appeared, with the headline that wind farms’ impact on average Long Island electric bills had increased near fivefold since 2019. This story spelled out what many of us had warned for years: The true cost of wind power is coming in at costs far higher than the initial low-balled estimates.

This is an enormous fall from grace for wind power, which was supposed to be the panacea for our costly energy needs.

Courts reversed President Trump’s decisions to halt wind projects that were already underway, and rightly so. But there was no such protection for newer projects.

These projects should have to rise

and fall on their own merits, and for too long they were propped up by misinformation and huge ratepayer and taxpayer subsidies. We have long argued that the public was not getting a transparent accounting of what these offshore wind projects were going to cost.

AIn fact, the woke, virtuesignaling politicians in Albany were just signing off on these projects without even knowing how much they would cost. When then Gov. Andrew Cuomo boasted at a 2019 press conference that these massive new windmills would cost about 73 cents per month per customer, he was clearly drifting in the wind. It is estimated that by 2028, the true cost will average $3.54 per month. This is in addition to fuel, delivery and other increases that will come about. The impact on commercial users will be even greater.

Imagine if we didn’t have adequate natural gas capacity as we weathered this brutally cold winter.

Here’s what our center wrote two years ago about these potential costs, after Newsday reported that officials were signing off on these projects having no idea of their true costs:

lbany was signing off on these projects without even knowing how much they’d cost.

“The head of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which oversees offshore wind contracts and bidding, admitted that she did not know what the total cost will be of the project for the construction of wind turbines off Suffolk County.”

You can’t make this stuff up.

So many of these pols simply wanted to placate the burgeoning wind power cottage industries — which showered them with substantial donations — and repeat the mantra that wind was clean and cheap and would save the day from fossil fuels. But as we now know, wind power isn’t cheap, and it’s not reliable.

“When asked by a Newsday reporter how much the ballyhooed Sunrise wind project will cost, she stated: ‘The total cost of the project, I defer to Orstad.’” Orstad is the private company constructing the offshore wind turbines. When the spokesperson for that company was asked the cost, she had the temerity to state: “That’s something that publicly we do not share.”

Are you kidding us?

This isn’t to say that some wind projects could not be an important supple-

ment to an “all of the above” strategy. But our legislators were making dangerously foolish decisions to block natural gas pipelines and close down upstate nuclear power plants, all while banking on the idea that solar and wind were going to save the day. They wouldn’t, and they couldn’t.

When the true price of these windmills became known, people started clutching their pearls. These policies are partly responsible for our having seen a 50 percent increase in energy rates over the past five years in New York. See our center’s white paper on this subject at cenetrforcosteffectivegivernment.org.

Now the subsidies are gone, and wiser folks are saying “no more” until we can see that wind power is truly reliable and affordable. We can have more wind projects, but they must be costeffective, and they cannot, at the present time, replace natural gas, either in cost or reliability.

The fantasy has finally come to an end.

Steve Levy is executive director of the Center for Cost Effective Government, a fiscally conservative think tank. He has served as Suffolk County executive, as a state assemblyman and as host of the podcast “On the Right Side.” He can be reached at steve@commonsensestrategies.com.

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Phone: (516) 569-4000

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HERALD

Sunshine week keeps democracy in the light

every March we observe Sunshine Week, a national initiative dedicated to one of democracy’s most powerful disinfectants: light. This year, Sunshine Week will be celebrated March 15 to 21, anchored by Freedom of Information Day on March 16, the birthday of James Madison. The timing is symbolic and significant. Sunshine Week reminds us that open government is not a luxury. It is a necessity.

Launched in 2005 and rooted in the pioneering 1972 Colorado Sunshine Act, Sunshine Week was created to raise awareness of the public’s right to know. At its core is a simple but profound idea: Democracy works best when the people can see what their government is doing. Transparency is not about satisfying curiosity, it’s about accountability, trust and ensuring that power remains where it belongs: with the citizens.

Sunshine Week’s foundation is the principle that government records and proceedings belong to the public. Taxpayer dollars fund government operations; therefore, the public has both a legal and moral right to understand how decisions are made and how money is spent.

Freedom of Information laws at the federal and state levels give citizens access to public documents, from village board minutes to federal agency communications. But these laws are only as strong as the public’s willingness to use them. Like muscles, transparency laws weaken without exercise. When citizens

stop requesting records, attending meetings and asking questions, secrecy grows stronger.

Open meetings and public records are not bureaucratic technicalities; they are the mechanisms that keep democracy breathing. Transparency reveals how taxpayers’ money is spent, how contracts are awarded and how policies are shaped. It enables watchdog groups, journalists and everyday citizens to trace decisions from proposal to outcome.

Without openness, the risk of waste, fraud and abuse increases. History repeatedly shows that secrecy breeds complacency and, at times, corruption. Open government, by contrast, ensures that decisions must withstand scrutiny. It does not weaken institutions — it strengthens them. Sunshine Week underscores a critical truth: When the public can see the process, officials are more likely to act responsibly.

In times of crisis — economic downturns, national security challenges or public health emergencies — secrecy often expands. Officials may argue that swift action requires less oversight. While emergencies can justify temporary discretion, they must never become permanent excuses for opacity.

Democracy demands vigilance. Sunshine Week serves as an annual reminder that transparency must be defended, especially when it feels inconvenient. Freedom of information cannot be indefinitely sidelined without eroding public trust.

Supporting Sunshine Week means protecting democracy itself. Openness prevents the concentration of unchecked power and ensures that elected officials remain responsive to citizens rather than to special interests.

Transparency helps parents question school board policies, residents examine zoning proposals and taxpayers track infrastructure spending. It provides communities with the tools to advocate for fair and effective governance.

It also allows us, as journalists, to do our jobs. We rely on open-records laws to uncover stories about misuse of funds, conflicts of interest and public safety failures. It’s why studies show that the presence of a local newspaper in a community mitigates waste, fraud and abuse.

Public trust in government is fragile. One of the most effective ways to build and sustain that trust is through transparency. When agencies proactively release information and conduct business in public view, suspicion diminishes.

Transparency does not guarantee agreement. Citizens, and government officials, may still debate policies and priorities. But openness fosters understanding, and understanding is the bedrock of trust.

So this Sunshine Week, take a moment to reflect on the importance of open meetings and public records. And vow to step up whenever someone tries to turn off the light of transparency.

It’s ‘the power of the state against the people of the nation’

To the Editor:

Re Peter King’s column, “There are better ways to resolve the immigration crisis,” in the Feb. 12-18 issue: Immigration is a problem, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement exemplifies the real, much larger crisis. Immigration is a longstanding issue, and many “better ways” have been proposed over the past 30 years, as Mr. King knows. In fact, one such proposal was on track for bipartisan approval last year until President Trump and his allies killed it.

ICE has operated for decades with little notice. Violence was seldom used, citizens were not arrested, and habeas corpus was observed — until Trump. The Border Patrol previously confined its racist brutality close to the Mexican border, until Republicans expanded the “border” to a 100-mile-wide

opinions

What does ‘academic freedom’ mean?

while the accusations and demands of the federal government against Harvard, Columbia and other elite institutions garner national headlines, the administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education offered to other universities should give further pause. The compact would confer preferred access to federal research funds in exchange for agreeing to demands that would compromise academic freedom and institutional independence.

University leaders must protect these priorities embedded in state-awarded institutional charters and regionally accredited campus mission statements. They are supported by many agreements on academic freedom and tenure, dating to 1915.

Support is also found in Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter’s 1957 concurring statement in Sweezy v. new Hampshire. In it, he said, “It is the business of a university to provide that atmosphere which is most conducive to speculation, experiment, and creation. It is an atmosphere in which there prevail ‘the four essential freedoms’ of a university — to determine for itself on

Letters

academic grounds who may teach, what may be taught, how it shall be taught, and who may be admitted to study.”

But what do we mean by academic freedom? This form of freedom is not freedom from responsibility to students, colleagues, institutional mission or society. Instead, it is freedom to inquire, i.e., interrogate assumptions and assertions to expose the questions hidden by answers, as James Baldwin said, and special interests in government, media and even institutions. It is the freedom to think independently, to have rights, and to consider consequences, both intended and not.

sleadership?

urprisingly few college trustees have any professional experience in higher education.

It also is the freedom to imagine — to consider what might be, and how humanity might develop its humaneness. It is the freedom to express ideas without fear of reprisal or censorship.

Finally, it is the freedom to innovate, to realize what is imagined in new forms and methods.

We know these priorities and principles. Do we know how to protect them? How do we prepare university trustees for their roles as fiduciaries and guardians of them? How do we prepare campus presidents for their duties as “chief purpose officers” responsible for ensuring that the principles guide decisionmaking? How do we prepare faculty for their responsibilities in governance and

zone. Even then, cities were not invaded — not even El Paso or Brownsville, much less Portland or Milwaukee — until Trump.

The Department of Homeland Security pursued its intended mission: defending against 9/11 or Beirut- and Benghazi-style attacks by foreign terrorists, seldom making the news. Then Trump decided that the homeland itself — Chicago, Los Angeles, Springfield, Ill. — was the “enemy within,” rife with “domestic terrorists” like Alex Pretti, who must be prevented from voting. Meanwhile, Trump allied himself with Saudi Arabian interests, the major sources of the 9/11 and other “homeland” assaults. Remember Jamal Khashoggi.

The FBI, formerly our premier law enforcement agency, is now Trumpified, refusing to investigate homicides by federal agents, interfering with state ballots, arresting journalists and charging members of Congress with sedition. In earlier times, Peter King himself might have been among those in such felonious jeopardy. The depth, breadth and pervasiveness of corruption in all of this is obvious, with beneficiaries openly paying well for more of this new form of republican government — modeled on ancient Rome’s republic of patricians and plebes, paterfamilias all. Our government is using the power of the state against the people of the nation. That is the crisis. Currently, the best — and perhaps only — way to resolve both the crisis and the problem is to end MAGA’s abuse of government, from Blakeman and Garbarino to Vance and Trump.

BRIAn KELLy Rockville Centre

Boards of trustees are responsible for preserving academic freedom and free speech, which are necessary for teaching and scholarship that challenge assumptions and assertions. Furthermore, college and university boards have three legal duties like those of corporate boards, the duties of care, loyalty and obedience. Care means that board members must prepare diligently, participate actively and protect the institution through appropriate oversight, including guarding against external interference.

The duty of loyalty requires that board members act in good faith and in the institution’s best interests, not out of selfinterest or the interest of a particular constituency, including alumni or a governor. The duty of obedience means that boards must uphold the institution’s charter and mission, maintaining public trust through transparent stewardship.

Surprisingly, fewer than 15 percent of American college and university trustees have any professional experience in higher education. This underscores the need for rigorous orientation in academic governance, the meaning of mission and academic freedom and the highereducation landscape.

Campus presidents are too seldom

Framework by Tim Baker

thought of as educators, the keepers of an institution’s mission and legacy for transformational teaching and learning as well as protectors of academic freedom. But they have the opportunity and responsibility to define how they fulfill their roles. Are they chief executive officers or chief mission officers?

Chief executive officers focus on size and scale, organization and delegation, short-term goals, the efficiency of means, money and markets, customers, personnel and labor. By contrast, chief mission officers focus on purpose, the long term, the integrity of ends and means, the quality of programs and services, student success, and faculty as partners in a moral enterprise. Both require balanced budgets.

The faculty is the guardian of academic standards. The curriculum is a covenant in fulfillment of the mission for student learning. This requires a focus on students, third-party quality reviews, and faculty as partners in governance and leadership. These roles require preparation and continued learning, not just memories of how mentors fulfilled their roles.

The three parties to academic governance constitute a system that is intended to support academic freedom — the freedom to inquire, imagine and innovate, in fulfillment of missions for teaching, research and service.

Dr. Robert A. Scott is president emeritus of Adelphi University and the author of “How University Boards Work.”

Office Production, Unit & Listing Leader

Damian

“Five stars all the way”

We had an absolutely amazing experience working with Damian! From start to finish, he was professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely cared about helping us sell our home. He was always available to answer questions, explain the process clearly, and make sure we felt confident every step of the way. His attention to detail, strong negotiation skills, and dedication truly sets Damian apart. What could have been a stressful experience was smooth and even enjoyable thanks to his guidance. If you are looking for an agent responsive, and committed to getting the best results, I highly recommend Damian. Five stars all the way!

“Hard working, honest, and a pleasure”

Epitome of professionalism. Hard working, honest, and a pleasure. He was easy to reach and responsive. Damian has an unassuming way of getting things done. His knowledge and guidance was invaluable throughout the process. We highly recommend him and look forward to working with him in the future if the opportunity presents itself.

“Excellent”

Damian was excellent. He gave good advice and made sure to attract legitimate buyers. He also knew exactly how to price and present my property to get a quick sale. I will call upon his services again.

For all your real estate needs.

Damian Ross | Associate Real Estate Broker | Gold Circle of Excellence 329 Glen Cove Avenue, Sea Cliff, NY | c.516.369.5868

Visit Online: damianross.danielgale.com | damianross@danielgale.com