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Friday, February 19, 2021
Vol. 70, No. 8
SPECIAL OCCASIONS
EX-ROSLYN ED BOARD PREZ DIES
CUOMO ADMITS WITHHOLDING NURSING HOME DATA
PAGES 19-21
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Man held in death of Nicki Minaj’s dad Struck in hit-and-run incident crossing Roslyn Rd. BY R OB E RT PELAEZ A 70-year-old Mineola man was arrested on Wednesday and faces felony charges in connection with the death of Robert Maraj, the father of rapper Nicki Minaj. Maraj died on Saturday after Charles Polevich of 165 Roselle St. in Mineola allegedly hit Maraj with his white 1992 Volvo station wagon on Roslyn Road in Mineola, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
Officials said the 64-yearold Maraj was hit on Friday after 6 p.m. while walking through the intersection of Roslyn Road and Raff Avenue. Officials said Polevich initially stopped after hitting Maraj before he fled the scene and left Maraj on the side of the road. Maraj was taken to a local hospital, where he was initially listed in critical condition, according to the police. Health officials declared Maraj dead on Saturday. Multiple news outlets reached out to Minaj for com-
ment unsuccessfully, but representatives of the rapper confirmed the death of her father. In several earlier interviews, Minaj, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj, said her father displayed various forms of abuse, ranging from drugs and alcohol to setting her childhood house on fire while her mother was still inside in Jamaica, Queens. “It’s the price you pay when you abuse drugs and alcohol,” Minaj said in a 2010 Rolling Stone interview. “MayContinued on Page 27
Port doc named to Biden task force on COVID-19 Expert in prison medical care to sit on health equity panel PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT VIVERITO
Bill Viverito, who ran from Manhasset to Manhattan in the 1970s, died at his home in Mineola. See story on page 2.
BY R O S E W E L D ON Dr. Homer Venters, an expert on prison medical care and a resident of Port Washington, has been appointed to President Joe Biden’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’ COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, the White House announced last week.
A physician and epidemiologist specializing in prison health care and social justice, Venters works as an independent consultant addressing COVID-19 responses in jails, prisons and immigration detention facilities, and was touring prisons in Florida when he found out about his appointment. “I found out with the official
announcement,” Venters said in a phone interview. “And you know, I’m excited.” Venters will join an 18-person team led by Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, an epidemiologist and Yale University professor, and representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, Department Continued on Page 28
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