Friday, July 14, 2017
THE PULSE OF THE PENINSULA
Vol. 92, No. 28
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GUIDE TO LIVING 50+
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TOWN TOUTS REPAVING PROJECTS
PAGES 33-40
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A not so hellish ‘summer of hell’ so far on LIRR
S AV I N G P E D E S T R I A N S
Local commuters report mostly smooth rides, but fear that could change soon BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN MTA Chairman Joe Lhota said this week would be a test for LIRR commuters. “There’s no question,� he said. Construction at Penn Station, meant to address long-term negligence of its infrastructure, was expected to disrupt rush hour commutes. Some politicians like Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who dubbed the emergency repair dates of July 10 to Sept. 1 as the “summer of hell,� and others were expecting the worst. But Monday seemed to receive passing grades in comparison with the last few months, which were highlighted by signal problems, train derailments, suspensions and delays. Many passengers reported arriving on time despite renovations that closed three tracks at Penn Station and several train reroutings. “They were anxious, they were concerned, and they just wanted to get there on time,� county Legislator Laura Curran, a Democratic candidate for county executive, who rode
from Hicksville to Jamaica, said of commuters she spoke with. “It was actually not terrible,â€? Curran added with a laugh, speaking about the commute. Rita Khabbaza, a Great Neck resident and commuter, said that while her 9:22 a.m. train made it on time on Monday, it may be too early to judge how hellish the summer could be. “It’s only the ďŹ rst day,â€? Khabbaza said over Facebook messenger. “Keeping ďŹ ngers crossed.â€? The second day also wasn’t bad for commuters like Sharon Elmaleh, a Great Neck lawyer who took an 8:19 a.m. train. “My commute yesterday and today was completely normal, as if there’s nothing going on,â€? Elmaleh said, noting there were no worse delays than usual. But Elmaleh also said that she believes this is just the beginning. “When they come out oďŹƒcially and say we’re going to have a hard summer, they wouldn’t alarm people for no reason,â€? she said. “It just Continued on Page 58
PHOTO BY JESSICA CHIN
Jivanna Bennaeim of Great Neck recounts the hit-and-run incident that killed her husband, Oren, last year at the intersection of Middle Neck Road and Barstow Road. See story on page 2.
Bringing together LGBT and Jewish advocacy BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN When Robert Zimmerman, Democratic national committeeman and executive of the Great Neck-based public relations ďŹ rm Zimmerman/Edelson, earned an award from the LGBT Network for his advocacy, he said he felt
truly humbled. “This award has special meaning to me because the LGBT Network truly does outstanding work throughout Long Island and Queens,� he said. The recognition came from his consistent advocacy for the LGBT community, be it as a commentator on CNN, Fox, MS-
NBC and Bloomberg, or defying his own party in favor of equal rights for the LGBT community. But Zimmerman also sees this as part of a larger ďŹ ght for social justice by groups like women, minorities and Jews. “The ďŹ ght for the LGBT community for civil rights and social Continued on Page 59
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