Serving Williston Park, East Williston, Mineola, Albertson and Searingtown
$1.50
Friday, September 15, 2023
Vol. 72, No. 37
Guide to the
WILLISTON DAY STREET FAIR 17 Sunday, September 11am - 5pm On Hillside Avenue from
A BLANK SLATE MEDIA
WILLISTON DAY STREET FAIR GUIDE
SARATOGA MAY GET BELMONT STAKES IN ‘24
AIDE URGED SANTOS TO QUIT
PAGES 25-44
PAGE 12
PAGE 8
Willis Ave. East to LIRR
N • SEPTEMBER 15, 2023
SPECIAL SECTIO
Masterson gets 30 years for raping 2 women Ex-East Williston resident,‘That ‘70s Show’ actor sentenced in L.A. for assaults BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y Actor and North Shore native Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday for raping two women at his Hollywood Hills home in California over two decades ago, according to multiple reports. Masterson, 47, who was raised in Garden City and East Williston, showed no visible emotion after being sentenced by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo, according to NBC News. “Mr. Masterson, I know that you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you,” Olmedo said. “But Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here.” The “That ‘70s Show” star was found guilty of two rape charges in May earlier this year. Masterson was also tried on a third rape charge but the jury could not reach a verdict. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón thanked the women who came forward in a post-sentencing statement. “My hope is that this sentence will somehow bring them peace and that their bravery will be an example to others,” Gascón said according to NBC News. “One of my top priorities is to ensure that Los Angeles will no longer be a hunting ground for Hollywood elite who feel entitled to
prey on women.” Alison Anderson, the lawyer for two accusers, said the women “displayed tremendous strength and bravery” according to The New York Times The three charges against Masterson were first publicized in May 2021. Three separate women, identified at trial as Jane Doe #1, Jane Doe #2 and Jane Doe #3, accused Masterson of assaulting them in 2001 and 2003, according to court documents. Masterson’s first trial ended in November 2022 with a mistrial and his second trial began earlier this year the actor was found guilty of raping Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2 but not Jane Doe #3. Masterson did not testify during the trial and his lawyers did not call any witnesses. The Church of Scientology, of which Masterson is a member, reportedly played a significant role in the case against the actor, whose credits include the sitcom “Men at Work” and the 2008 Jim Carrey comedy “Yes Man.” All three women who accused Masterson are former Scientologists, according to the Associated Press. After Masterson’s conviction, the church said in a statement that did not mention Masterson by name that the introduction of religion into the trial by the prosecution was “an unprecedented Continued on Page 54
PHOTO BY CAMERYN OAKES
Nassau County Police Officers salute during the presentation of the colors at North Hempstead’s 9/11 memorial service. See story on page 2.
Villages reflect on 9/11 attacks 22 years later BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y Villages throughout the New Hyde Park and Williston area commemorated the lives that were lost during the Sept. 11 attacks during a rainy Monday night. The village of Mineola invited residents for a remembrance ceremony that was moved inside the village’s Memorial Library due to the inclement weather. The event’s keynote speaker was Mineola High School social studies
teacher John Fretz, a retired U.S. Marine Corporal who was on active duty from 2003 to 2007. Fretz served in combat operations, patrols and convoys for one year in Iraq’s Al Anbar province and described the parallels between the Marines he served with and the first responders in 2001. Fretz spoke about his time in Iraq patrolling for improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, learning quickly to do more with less. “Another lesson that you learned
in Iraq is that when disaster strikes, your equipment is going to fail,” Fretz said. “And your only hope is exceptional people.” Fretz went through by name the exceptional veterans he witnessed take action after a staff sergeant was seriously wounded when an IED exploded on the passenger side of his Humvee. Fretz spoke about the team effort it took to remove his staff sergeant from the wreckage and stabilize him as support came while thanking Continued on Page 54