Serving Williston Park, East Williston, Mineola, Albertson and Searingtown
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Friday, July 30, 2021
Vol. 70, No. 31
HEALTH & WELLNESS
TOWN, COUNTY TO BOYCOTT BEN & JERRY’S
LAVINE WARNS CUOMO ON AIDE’S COMMENT
PAGES 19-23
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Williston Park opts out of cannabis sales Board votes to prohibit retail stores citing lack of oversight of operators BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y The Williston Park Board of Trustees unanimously voted to opt out of allowing the sale of marijuana in the village. The move follows decisions by the neighboring villages of Floral Park and New Hyde Park to opt out of the adult-use cannabis industry that New York state projects to reach $350 million annually in tax collections. With Mayor Paul Ehrbar, Trustee William Carr and Trustee William O’Brien in attendance, the board voted for a law prohibiting the licensing and set up of retail marijuana dispensaries as well as consumption sites within its borders. Deputy Mayor Kevin Rynne and Trustee Michael Uttaro were not present at the meeting. Under the new state law, consumption and smoking of cannabis is now legal throughout New York wherever smoking tobacco is legal. Municipalities, however, have until
Dec. 31 to refuse to allow the retail sale of the substance, though they will not get to share in any generated tax revenue. Ehrbar cited the 4 percent local tax, access to minors, and lack of industrial zones as reasons for not approving the retail marijuana facilities. “I believe that this is not the appropriate place to have a marijuana dispensary. This only impacts recreational marijuana, not medicinal” Ehrbar said. “There’s a revenue aspect to it which is 4 percent that comes into North Hempstead, we get 2 percent of sales of marijuana sold in the village.” He continued, “If you equate that to a store and they were to sell $100,000 worth of marijuana, 10 percent of that would be $10,000 so there’s not a lot of revenue I believe we will be missing by doing this. I believe it’s in the best interest of the residents of Williston Park to opt out of this law.” Continued on Page 26
PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE CUNHA
Manhasset resident James Farrell was one of five people, including his brother Michael, to die in a car crash in Quogue on Saturday evening.
3 Manhasset men killed in car crash in Quogue BY S A M U E L E PETRUCCELLI
young Manhasset residents riding in the hired vehicle, local police said. Approaching midnight on A man driving along a narrow highway in Quogue a winding strip of the Montauk crashed head-on into an on- Highway last Saturday, the coming Uber, killing three driver veered on the two-lane
road and collided with a Toyota Prius carrying the Manhasset passengers, according to Quogue police. The drivers of both cars were also killed, raising the death toll to five. Continued on Page 27
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