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Friday, April 19, 2019
Vol. 94, No. 16
EARTH DAY GUIDE
BOOK COMMITTEE CHAIR APPOINTED
GOP LEGISLATORS OPPOSE CONGESTION PRICING
PAGES 37-44
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PAGE 6
Actress, activist and icon
S K AT I N G T O V I C T O R Y
Shirley Romaine of G.N. dies at 96 BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN Shirley Romaine, a television personality, champion of the arts, and crusader for progressive causes and peace, died on Sunday morning. She was 96. Romaine, a 50-year resident of Great Neck, played many roles in her life, with actress, show host, teacher, activist, mother and wife among them. But, family, friends and colleagues said, one thing proved consistent throughout Romaine’s life: she was a presence brimming with kindness, passion, conviction and an unparalleled eloquence. “She was involved in her family, she was involved in the arts, she was involved in politics, and they all mattered deeply and they all managed to be intertwined,” Rabbi Robert Widom of Temple Emanuel said at her funeral service on Tuesday. “They fed on each other in a very full life.” Romaine was born on Feb. Continued on Page 76
PHOTO COURTESY OF GIGI PILITOSKI
Tracy Wang of Manhasset, Amie Adjakple from Great Neck, and Alyssa Politoski of Manhasset, helped Team USA bring home another medal in synchronized skating. See story on page 3.
G.N. schools adopt $234.4M budget Officials also step back on facility fee hike after outcry from CYO program users BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN The Great Neck Board of Education stepped back from a threefold increase in fees for nonprofit groups using its facilities on Tuesday night while
adopting a nearly $234.42 million budget subject to voter approval on May 21. Children wearing St. Aloysius Church’s CYO basketball jerseys lined the front rows of the auditorium, with some wielding signs calling on school officials to “save CYO.” Parents and coaches, who argued that the school district’s charges could make the CYO program unviable, joined them. John Sobolewski, a
veteran coach of St. Aloysius Church’s CYO basketball program, said that because of a board decision in February, the group’s fees for using the facilities were slated to rise from $8,000 to $24,000. He said other districts like Manhasset and Syosset do not charge for use of their facilities, the fees amount to “double taxation,” and the hikes should be rescinded. “Your actions have jeopar-
dized the viability of our excellent programs,” Sobolewski said. Jason Pinsky, a coach with CYO basketball for four years, said that the program is the one thing that really connects the church to the community. He also said that if the fee increases went through, it could drive many children to programs in other areas like Port Washington and Manhasset. “We’re literally jumping over dollars to grab pennies,” Pinsky Continued on Page 64
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