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Friday, February 24, 2023
Vol. 11, No. 8
HEALTH AND WELLNESS GUIDE
SANTOS ADMITS TO SERIAL LYING
BLAKEMAN FREEZES ASSESSMENTS
PAGES 21-28
PAGE 2
PAGE 6
Full service to Grand Central kicks off
SPIRIT WEEK
LIRR riders will gain East Side access on Monday, reducing commute time BY C A M E RY N O A K ES Full Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Madison will begin Monday, the first time the railroad has offered regular rides to passengers arriving and leaving the East Side of Manhattan. Prior to the new terminal’s opening, the only station where the LIRR stopped in Manhattan was Penn Station on the West Side at 34th Street. The new Manhattan destination from 43rd Street to 48th Street on Madison Avenue is the first built in over a century. North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena echoed the impact and significance of the new terminal, which will bring riders from Long Island directly into Grand Central Station. “Grand Central Madison represents a transformative project that is the culmination of many years of hard work,” DeSena said. “I thank interim LIRR President Cathy Rinaldi and MTA CEO Janno Lieber for prioritizing the needs of Long Island, and especially the residents of the Town of North Hempstead.” The new terminal will bring changes to the LIRR schedule at all stations, effective Feb. 27. With additional trains now run-
ning into Manhattan at all hours of the day and throughout the week, trains will be split between Grand Central Madison and Penn Station. Overall, fewer trains will be servicing Penn Station than before the new schedule. Once full service begins on Feb. 27, Grand Central Madison will be closed from 2 a.m. to 5:30 a.m., routing all LIRR trains during that time to Penn Station. The new terminal will be able to handle increased capacity from the LIRR’s North Shore train stations as a result of continued express service on the Port Washington line and more commuters from the agency’s 3rd Track Project. After proposing changes to the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Washington branch that would have eliminated express service as part of the East Side Access project, transit officials said they abandoned plans to do so in October. A total of 103 trains per day will be servicing the branch, 10 more than the current schedule has, officials said. On weekends a total of five more trains, 81 in total, will be operating along the branch. The draft morning rush hour schedule includes 15 trains arriving in ManContinued on Page 38
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MANHASSET SCHOOL DISTRICT
Shelter Rock students took it back in time during Decades Day as part of the school’s Spirit Week.
Incumbents unopposed in Manhasset elections BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z
Mayor Barbara Donno and Trustees Matthew Clinton and James Baydar No challenging petitions have are up for re-election to two-year been filed in the March 21 elections terms. All three incumbents are running uncontested. Village Justice for the Manhasset area villages. Village of Plandome Manor Susan Katz Richman, who was ap-
pointed to fill a vacancy last year, will be running in the election for a four-year term. Efforts to reach representatives from the Villages of Plandome and Continued on Page 39
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