Serving New Hyde Park, Floral Park, Garden City Park, North Hills, Manhasset Hills and North New Hyde Park
$1
Friday, September 27, 2019
Vol. 68, No. 39
N E W H Y D E PA R K
AUTUMN INSPIRATIONS
NICOLELLO IFFY ON VAPE BANS
SUOZZI BACKS IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY
PAGES 35-62
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Protesters take on NRA raffle at Inn at NHP Mother of Parkland victim speaks BY TOM M CC A RT HY
PHOTO BY TOM MCCARTHY
Gun safety advocates protested a Friends of the NRA fundraiser being held at the Inn at New Hyde Park last Thursday.
More than a dozen people who oppose gun violence filled the sidewalk outside the Inn at New Hyde Park last Thursday to protest an NRA fundraiser, shouting slogans such as “Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! The NRA has got to go!” Rachel Klein, founder of Long Islanders for Gun Safety, said that this was the second year this Nassau County Friends of the NRA event was hosted at the New Hyde Park catering hall. “Last year they said it was too late to cancel the contract, but that
was obviously a lie. They have no problem doing business with the NRA and if they have no problem with that and then we’re here to let them know that we do have a problem with that,” Klein said. The protesters shouted “Shame!” at attendees entering the event. Neither the Inn at New Hyde Park nor the Nassau County Friends of the NRA responded to requests for comment. A flyer from the group said the event, meant to celebrate a “legacy” of shooting sports traditions, was to feature dinner, raffles and auctions, Continued on Page 83
Cuomo breaks ground at Belmont BY TOM M CC A RT HY
opment project at a ceremony Monday. The project will include a Gov. Andrew Cuomo ceremonially broke ground on 19,000-seat arena to house the the “transformative” and “long New York Islanders, 350,000 overdue” Belmont Park redevel- square feet of shops and restau-
rants, a hotel with 250 rooms and parking on 43 acres of vacant state-owned property. Also being built with the project is the first new full-time LIRR station in 50 years. During his speech, Cuomo, a self-described “old Queens boy,” said that as a child he looked at Belmont Park while traveling on the Cross Island Parkway and
said, “Why doesn’t somebody do something with that site?” “It sat widely unused for a long, long time. Well, today is a different day, my friends. This is going to be a transformative project that I think is going to energize all of Long Island,” Cuomo said. Cuomo said that bringing the LIRR station to Elmont will be a “game-changer” with El-
mont residents being able to take the train into the city and Long Island residents being able to take the train straight to Islanders games. “It’s going to be state of the art and it is exactly what Long Islanders deserve. The Islanders were just more than a hockey team; they were a Long Island identity,” Cuomo said. “They said Continued on Page 83
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