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HERALD VOL. 36 NO. 18
VSD flag football dominates
Southern State’s divided legacy
Page 6
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MAY 1 - 7, 2025
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Washington yanks food aid from L.I. Cares this spring. But by early March, the Department of Agriculture When Yovica Valentin steps abruptly canceled those delivinto the Valley Stream Long eries, freezing $500 million in Island Cares food pantry each B i d e n - e r a a i d d i s t r i bu t e d through the Emergency Food month, she’s not Assistance Projust picking up grogram and backed by ceries — she’s trythe Commodity ing to keep her life Credit Corporation. from unraveling. The cut—shavThe 29-year-old Air ing less than 0.01 Fo rc e N at i o n a l percent of the $6.8 Guard member and trillion federal buda neonatal intensive get—deals a crushcare unit nurse has i n g bl ow t o t h e been on extended regional food giant, medical leave for wiping out an estitwo years, g rapmated 250 million pling with undiagp o u n d s o f f re s h nosed health issues food. Now it is grapand mounting medpling with how to ical bills. fill the glaring The pantry’s shortfall on short offerings — staples notice at a time like eggs, meat, and when hunger is risb r e a d — h a v e DAN EgAN ing and funding become a lifeline. chief executive, streams are rapidly B u t u n d e r t h e Feeding New York drying up. Trump administra- State Long Island tion’s recent cuts to C a re s C E O Pa u l federal food aid, those basics may suddenly be Patcher warns that the pain of this decision will be felt across harder to come by. T r uckloads of federally Long Island, especially among promised poultry, produce, and working families, seniors, and other food shipments were set the many households “living to arrive at Long Island Cares ConTInuEd on pagE 9
By JUAN LASSO
jlasso@liherald.com
Y
Herald file photo
Jerry “The Bull” Seckler, right, the fierce heart of L.I. wrestling who lifted a sport and a generation, died in March. With him were fellow Central wrestlers Richard Earl and Steve Buscemi.
Jerry Seckler, Nassau’s wrestling Bull, dies at 87 By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com
Jerry Seckler — the Nassau County wrestling legend who could lift kids twice his size well into his 60s, and fought his entire life for the soul of the sport — died on March 10 in Rockville Centre. He was 87. In a world full of tough guys, Seckler wasn’t just tough. He was unforgettable. Those who knew him best say wrestling wasn’t just part of Jerry’s life — it was the rhythm of his life. From the time he first stepped on a mat as an eighth grader, he was hooked for life. He finished second in the Nassau County South Shore Championships that year, setting off a run that would make him one of Long Island’s most decorated
young wrestlers. As a freshman at Valley Stream Central High School, Jerry went undefeated in dual meets, winning the South Shore title and placing second at the Long Island Championships. A year later, he repeated as South Shore champion and took fifth at the National AAU Championships. By his junior year, he wasn’t just winning — he was dominating, claiming South Shore and Long Island titles, and adding a Senior Meet crown for good measure. His scholastic career was capped with a national prep school championship and the title of Outstanding Prep School Wrestler in the country — the kind of accolade that even now would stop wrestling enthusiasts mid-senConTInuEd on pagE 11
ou can’t replace food at this scale, at this speed, simply by getting more donations. That’s not a feasible choice here.