Serving Port Washington, Manorhaven, Flower Hill, Baxter Estates, Port Washington North and Sands Point
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Friday, February 15, 2019
Vol. 4, No. 7
Port WashingtonTimes GUIDE TO SPECIAL OCCASIONS
POLICE WARN OF CUOMO BOOSTS HUB TEEN VAPING PLAN WITH GRANT
PAGES 41-48
PAGE 4
PAGE 6
LIRR ticket costs doubled over 20 years
TINY DANCERS
Outpaced inflation, wage growth BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN The growth in the price of a Long Island Rail Road ticket will have outpaced wage and inflation growth on Long Island over the last 20 years when planned fare hikes hit in March, according to an analysis by Newsday. The average monthly ticket has gone up from $170 in 1999 to $335.50 and is slated to rise to about $344 in March thanks to a planned 4 percent fare hike, according to Newsday. This is a 102 percent increase since 1999. For contrast, the median income of Nassau County residents has only risen 86 percent from $58,155 to $108,133 from 1999 to 2017, while Suffolk’s has gone up from $52,080 to $94,750 – an 82 percent change, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This has been paired with an average annual inflation rate of 2.32 percent, which translates to a
nearly 55 percent inflation rate, according to Newsday. Aaron Donovan, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, which oversees the LIRR, said the increases come as the MTA plans to make “unprecedented levels of investment in the system” and aim to “hold the real cost of LIRR travel steady.” “We are pursuing the LIRR Forward plan to improve safety and on-time performance, and investing $6.6 billion in 100 capital projects like Main Line Third Track that are transforming and modernizing the LIRR and making up for past underinvestment,” Donovan said. “The recent increases, and the one that is pending, are designed to hold the real cost of LIRR travel steady while keeping pace with a two percent annual inflation rate.” Donovan also said there is an important ongoing conversation when it comes to congestion pricing and finding other forms of revenue Continued on Page 70
PHOTO BY JESSICA PARKS
South Salem Elementary School’s first-graders showcase their West African dance moves. See story on page 2.
Port musicians host a night of rock ‘n’ roll BY J ES S I C A PA R K S Mark Wood and Laura Kaye said it was only proper to host the fundraiser for their national music program in Port
Washington where they call home. Together, the married couple of 25 years, founded the Mark Wood Music Foundation in 2010, a program that focuses on supporting young musicians
and school music programs. Each year, with their team of artist mentors, Kaye and Wood travel to about 100 schools where they host music outreach programs and idenContinued on Page 82
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