The North Hempstead Town Board opted to table their vote on the 2025 budget after Troiano proposed a last minute option to cut taxes (Photo by Cameryn Oakes)
The North Hempstead Town Board postponed a vote to approve its budget Tuesday night after Council Member Robert Troiano proposed a budget change that he said would decrease taxes by $5 million.
The proposed $5 million tax cut, which Troiano estimated to be about a 20% reduction, would be made possible through use of $6 million of the town’s general fund reserves.
“It’s just a rainy day fund,” Troiano said of the general fund reserves. “But it’s your [taxpayers’] rainy day fund and the town is holding onto it.”
The town proposed a $98 million budget for 2025, a 6.6% year-to-year increase, with taxes set to remain the same. Last year, the board approved its 2024 budget with a 10% tax cut.
Troiano said he had been uncomfortable with the 2025 budget but did not understand why until early Tuesday morning. He acknowledged that this was poor timing as the budget faced a vote just hours later.
He called the budget “anti-taxpayer” as it cut funds from town resources and did not provide any tax cuts despite what he called a large general fund reserve.
“All I see in this season, this election season, are commercials about inflation is too high, home prices are too high, rent is too damn high and taxes are too high,” Troiano said. “We need to give something to our taxpayers. We just can’t take away from this and that’s what this [budget} does.”
He said the proposed decreases in the 2025 budget included $1 million from tree removals, $1 million from sidewalk repairs, $2 million from road repaving and $2.5 million in tax cuts.
Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena refuted claims that funds were being cut as Troiano had said (Photo by Cameryn Oakes)
Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said the decreases are not actually reducing the budget but represent the absence of one-time transfers that had been moved to these budget areas last year. She said they were not re-instated.
Troiano pointed to the general fund reserve, which is an accumulation of leftover revenue funds that can be used at a later time.
He cited DeSena’s words from a 2021 budget hearing, in which she condemned the $26 million reserves at that time and called them “grossly overfunded.” The general fund reserves are projected to be at $25 million at the end of 2025.
Troiano’s proposed tax cut would bring the general fund reserved down $20 million, about 20% of the budget expenses, which he said is still deemed safe.
He said it is only required that the general fund reserve be at 10% of the town’s projected expenses. He said with the $98 million general fund budget proposed, only about $9 million in reserves would be needed.
Deputy Supervisor Joseph Scalero confirmed that a 20% reserve fund is safe, but that the percentage is contingent on the budgeted expenses which grow every year and therefore diminish the percentage if the reserve does not grow with it.
DeSena said it is wise to keep a healthy reserve to cover unexpected expenses.
Troiano said residents face similar issues of unexpected expenses that a tax cut would help them with as well.
Troiano also asked why the budget adjustments he submitted Monday, which he argued were before the 24-hour deadline before the meeting, had not been added to the budget.
Town Attorney Richard Nicolello said his office had not received them until the afternoon before the meeting.
The board ultimately opted to table a vote and to determine whether or not Troiano’s numbers were correct and what budget options they had.
Despite the delay in voting on the town’s budget, the board did approve the assessment rolls for the Belgrave, Great Neck and Port Washington water pollution control districts.
Former Vice President Mike Pence spoke as the guest speaker at the Long Island Association Fall Luncheon (Photo by Cameryn Oakes)
Former Vice President Mike Pence told a room full of Long Islanders that, just one week away from Election Day, he could never endorse Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.
But, he also refrained from endorsing his former running mate Donald Trump.
“I’m conservative, I’m not in a bad mood about it, but they just represent a philosophy that I couldn’t ever support,” Pence said of Harris and Walz.
But the man who once served alongside Trump and later had his life threatened by a mob incited by the former president said he also could not endorse that ticket because he disapproves of the direction the Republican Party is shifting to.
“I see increasing voices in our party prepared to walk away from our allies and American leadership in the world, voices that are prepared to ignore the national debt, voices that are marginalizing the sanctity of life,” Pence said. “And the former president’s continued insistence that I should have set aside my oath on that fateful day [of Jan. 6, 2021].”
He cautioned against the Republican Party’s move toward the “siren song of populism.”
Despite questions over the civility, or lack thereof, that many anticipate after the election, Pence said he is not concerned because he has faith in the American people’s ability to get along.
“Our politics are more divided than any time in my life,” Pence said. “I’m just not convinced the American people are as divided as their politics.”
He compared today’s division to the New Yorker’s response in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks—the first time he had ever visited the city. He said the unification of the city and all those affected gives him hope that there is more that unites people than divides them.
“But it’s harder to see in ordinary times,” Pence said. “But on that day it wasn’t hard to see at all.”
Long Island Association President Matt Cohen interviewing Mike Pence at the luncheon (Photo by Cameryn Oakes)
The former vice president spoke at the Long Island Association’s fall luncheon on Tuesday afternoon, where he had a question-and-answer conversation with the organization’s President, Matt Cohen.
Pence’s conversation drew laughter from the crowd, and his responses included his impersonations of Ronald Reagan, self-deprecating jokes and his former Democratic alignments.
Pence spoke on topics ranging from his actions as vice president, the day of the Jan. 6 riots, his relationship with Trump, his denouncement of Russia’s war on Ukraine, his first meeting with Reagan – the politician who influenced him becoming a democrat – and his thoughts on the upcoming election.
In recalling the day of the Jan. 6 riot, Pence said what guided him that day was the oath that he gave, with his left hand placed on former President Reagan’s bible, devoting himself to defending the Consitution.
“But it ended with a prayer: so help me god,” Pence said of his oath. “And as I told the Congress that day, I thought it was a promise that I had made to the American people but it was also a promise that I had made to god. The Bible says in Psalm 15 ‘he keeps his oath even when it hurts.’ I know something about that.”
After a video was shown of Pence’s speech given to Congress after the attack on the capitol, the room erupted in standing ovation.
Pence said it is against the intent of the presidency to dictate what votes were and were not counted.
“The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone,” Pence said.
Mike Pence refrained from endorsing a presidential candidate (Photo by Cameryn Oakes)
He said while it was a tragic day, it was also a “triumph of freedom.”
Pence said he and Trump never had a “cross word” between themselves over four and a half years, touting the accomplishments that the two of them achieved during the four-year term, but attributed their newfound difference amounting on Jan. 6 to a group of lawyers who were influencing Trump’s decisions.
He said they soon after reconciled but since have gone their separate ways.
“To be honest with you, I always thought he would come around to see that he had been misinformed,” Pence said about his validation of the 2020 election and Trump’s fueling of the Jan. 6 riot. “…But that was not to be; as time went on, he returned to much of the rhetoric that preceded that way.”
Pence defined himself as a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, exactly in that order. He referenced his Christian faith multiple times, saying it has guided him through every action.
by Geri Bain for Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com
If you had asked me whether I knew about Boston’s role in the American Revolution before my recent exploration of the Freedom Trail, I would have unthinkingly said, “Of course.” Hasn’t every American heard the story of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride and the Boston Massacre in their history classes? Even people who don’t know who the current president is could probably tell you what happened at the Boston Tea Party. But just as visiting the Roman Forum expands your view of the ancient past, a thoughtful visit to Boston’s Freedom Trail will forever deepen and perhaps change your view of American history.
And it’s fun. You won’t need any maps or preparation. While most tourism routes use the term “trail” figuratively, Boston’s Freedom Trail is an actual 2.5 mile “trail” marked by a red brick line that you can follow to some of the most iconic sites in the birth of our country. Detailed historic markers all along the way make it easy to dip into the stories of our past on your own.
For those who prefer a more structured visit, there’s a wide array of guided tours that provide a more interactive approach. The Freedom Trail Foundation’s several daily 90-minute group tours are led by costumed guides (thefreedomtrail.org) and based on what I heard in passing over the course of my time in Boston, the tours are lively and informative. The Foundation also offers a free online brochure that can act as a self-guided tour. There are also free apps from the National Park Service (nps.gov/boston) with recorded commentary for major sites and apps focused on Black heritage and other themes.
DAY ONE: To get grounded, I chose a three-hour VIP Freedom Trail Tour by Walks (booked through City Experiences (www.cityexperiences.com/boston) which limits its group size to 15 people. The day I went, it was just me and a family of four. Our guide, Alexandra (Alex) Smith, was a theatre artist and history buff (who was currently directing “Revolution’s Edge,” a historical drama that was playing at the Old North Church). She used anecdotes and questions to capture our imaginations.
Standing in the Boston Common, she pointed out that the corner where the Park Street Church stands was dubbed Brimstone Corner both for the fiery sermons given at the church and because of the gunpowder stored there during the War of 1812.
When we got to a statue of Paul Revere, Alex asked the two school-aged kids in our group if they’d heard about Paul Revere racing to Concord and shouting the warning “The British are coming”? They nodded.
“Well that’s not true.” They looked puzzled. First, she explained, all Bostonians considered themselves British back then, so those wouldn’t have been the words he would use. And second, the mission was a stealth operation so he wouldn’t have ridden through the streets yelling. And most important, the King’s soldiers were on patrol that night and Paul Revere was stopped and held for questioning before he could deliver his message to Concord. Wisely, he was not the only messenger who rode out that night, so the message got through.
Most people think of Paul Revere solely as a silversmith, but his work as a printer and an artist was key to his role as a patriot seeking to break with Great Britain. His print of the Boston Massacre was significant to organize public opinion against the British. Paul Revere, The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated on King Street, Boston. (Hand colored engraving, 1770. American Antiquarian Society. Gift of Nathaniel Paine.)
“So why does Paul Revere get the credit?” Alex asked us. She paused, then explained, that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wanted to create a dramatic hero for America so he took artistic license in his poem The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. It makes for a relatable and patriotically-motivating story to have a single hero.
Another example of drama trumping truth took place at the Old State House. Pointing out the plaque that commemorates The Boston Massacre, Alex showed us a picture of British soldiers shooting into the crowd. That image, engraved by Paul Revere and sent to all the Colonial newspapers turned the “Boston Massacre” into a rallying cry against the British Crown. However, like Wadsworth’s poem, the engraving took poetic license.
Tensions had been building between Boston residents and the growing number of soldiers sent there to enforce new taxes but also taking jobs from local workers. One argument between a soldier and a colonist escalated, with soldiers and Bostonians gathering into a standoff. The soldiers, under attack by the crowd with snowballs, clubs, and other objects, were told to hold their fire, but one of them panicked and shot and then another joined in. Five people were killed.
Sam Adams arranged and funded a huge funeral parade for the five victims of the Boston Massacre and paid for the five victims to be buried in his plot in the Granary Burying Ground where he now lies as well. The parade made a big impression both on the British soldiers and on the residents of Boston, Alex said. “Great propaganda!”
That’s just one of many stories waiting to be told at the Granary Burying Ground. Once the very edge of 17th century Boston, this small patch of cemetery is now like a who’s who of the American Revolution. For example, across the grounds from Adams is the tombstone of James Otis, who coined the phrase “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” Otis was one of the great minds behind the Revolution but he suffered from periods of insanity which kept him out of the limelight.
The cemetery is also the final resting place of Paul Revere, John Hancock, the parents of Benjamin Franklin and an estimated 5,000+ other people. We asked Alex how so many people could fit in such a small space and learned that bodies were often buried one on top of the other.
The tour also included a visit to the Old North Church, and strolled through Little Italy, where Alex explained the difference between the two most popular cannoli spots. Along the way, Alex also shared tips on exploring the city, how to learn about free concerts and events at the Boston Common, and a list of her favorite eateries, making us feel a bit like insiders in the city.
DAY 2: My husband and I were joined by his cousins for a leisurely stroll along the Freedom Trail. We stopped to read the signs at spots that grabbed our attention and toured Paul Revere’s home, where we learned that the Wadsworth poem might have been quite different had his dad not anglicized his Huguenot name from Appolos Rivoire to Paul Revere. (Rivoire is a harder name than Revere to rhyme.)
We also spent some time in Faneuil Hall, which was built and gifted to the city of Boston in 1743 by philanthropist Peter Faneuil to serve as a meeting hall and a marketplace. It was where the “Sons of Liberty”— and activists ever since—gathered and gave speeches.
The hall now houses a moving exhibit called “Slavery in Boston” underscoring how much of Peter Faneuil’s and Boston’s wealth came from goods produced by enslaved labor and slave trafficking. The exhibit also looks at the lives of individual enslaved Africans. One of the most touching was the story of Caesar, an enslaved Black boy, “owned” by one of Boston’s richest families, serving them and children including a son who was his age.
Not far from Faneuil Hall is another stirring site, the New England Holocaust Memorial, (www.nehm.org), an outdoor space that takes you by surprise if you’re not expecting it. As we were walking through Carmen Park, I noticed steam rising from between towering plates of glass that line a black granite path. Walking towards it, I began reading quotes from Holocaust survivors etched into the glass and realized that the steam is a reminder of the smokestacks of the crematoriums at the Holocaust death camps. Looking down through the metal grates, I saw small lights that represent the charred embers of those murdered in the gas chambers. Signs told me that the glass towers represent the smokestacks and the Menorah-like lights atop them are symbols of strength and endurance. It was an impressive experience.
On a lighter note, a great spot for recreation or simply a relaxing sit-down is the Rose Kennedy Greenway, (www.rosekennedygreenway.org/). It was built as an over-the-highway park linking the waterfront to the city. It was a great spot to sit and socialize and our visit was enriched by reading the self-guided tour (available on the website), which provided fun information. For example, the dirt removed to make the Greenway possible could fill a stadium to its rim 16 times, and the concrete used to create it is equivalent to laying a sidewalk three feet wide and four feet thick roundtrip from Boston to San Francisco three times It’s amazing to think about that when you’re strolling through the lovely gardens. We also enjoyed the free (ever-changing) contemporary art installations and exhibitions and food trucks.
For lunch, we chose the Union Oyster House, an attraction in its own right. It’s the city’s oldest restaurant and a National Historic Landmark. The brick line of the Freedom Trail passes right in front of it. More importantly, it serves some of the best seafood in the city in a genuine historic and unpretentious setting. In fact, in 2023, the restaurant earned a spot among the Taste Atlas Top 50 Most Legendary Restaurants in the World.
Our six-person hardwood booth was across from one with a plaque memorializing the one reserved for John F. Kennedy and family when they dined there. We took quite some time to look around after we ate; the restaurant is filled with fascinating memorabilia and its walls are covered with paintings, photos and newspaper clippings about the famous people—from Daniel Webster to Meryl Streep—who have been patrons here over the centuries. My husband and I liked the restaurant so much that we dined there again the next day.
Day 3: Before leaving Boston, we went for one last stroll through the Rose Kennedy Greenway. We stopped to observe a tai chi group and to watch children scrambling to get on their favorite hand-carved animals which included a peregrine falcon, a green sea turtle and imaginary creatures that were chosen from a fun project drawing on the imaginations of local children.
A harbor cruise offers a lovely perspective on the city.
We then took an enchanting one-hour narrated Historic Boston Harbor Cruise, where our guide pointed out how much land was created by landfill, including Back Bay, the Seaport and parts of downtown and Logan Airport. In fact, one-sixth of the city is landfill—a process that began in the 1700s. (The cruise and a hop-on/hop-off bus pass we used, were part of an all-inclusive GoCity.com/boston pass that included entry into more than 45 attractions.
The Langham, Boston combines elegant architecture with modern art and an inviting pool.
As you might expect, historic hotels abound in Boston. The Omni Parker House is where Longfellow drafted his poem about Paul Revere. The former Boston Police Department headquarters is now the AKA Back Bay Hotel, and a former jail has embraced its past as the Liberty Hotel.
We stayed at The Langham, Boston, a five-star hotel that is just a short walk from the Freedom Trail and the waterfront and is itself a National Historic Monument. Built in 1922, it was home to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston until 1977. Its banking past lives on in details like the green bank-style lamps, the tweed furnishings, and the lock box-style drawers behind the concierge desk.
It’s also a great choice for art lovers. Two N.C. Wyeth murals commissioned by the bank are still in their original spots and The Grana restaurant, which occupies the former grand hall, still has the Federal Reserve Bank emblem at its center, and portraits of eight Fed presidents grace its walls. The hotel also has an extensive collection of modern art, with a series of videos, cued by QR codes, of the artists explaining their works.
One of the best things about staying at The Langham (LanghamHotels.com/Boston was unwinding in the pool, hot tub and sauna after a day of delightful surprises on the Freedom Trail.
Useful Links:
theFreedomTrail.org; provides great info plus special interest and Freedom Trail tours, apps, and more
Voters entering the polling location to vote on the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees election on Oct. 28. (Photo by Cameryn Oakes)
Three board trustees and two nominating committee trustees were elected, and the proposition to amend the Great Neck Library’s bylaws failed at the library’s board of trustees election on Oct. 28.
Brachah Goykadosh was elected by 1,039 votes to fill the board seat currently held by Josephine Mairzadeh. She will serve until January 2029.
“Since before I can remember, the library has been one of my favorite places,” Goykadosh wrote in her candidate statement. “It is where the community congregates, where our horizons are expanded, where we are immersed in ideas, stories, and poetry.”
Aliza Reicher was elected by 502 votes to fill Kathleen Gold’s seat on the board. She will serve until January 2029.
“I have served a short but productive term on the board and there is so much more to do,” Reicher wrote in her candidate statement. “The library needs a long-term capital plan for necessary and sustainable improvements while continuing to prioritize the funding of book acquisitions, patron programming, and technology services.”
Neal Hakimi defeated Matt Klein 810-364 and will fill Aliza Reicher’s seat on the board until January 2026.
Hakimi is a medical director at an intensive care unit at South Shore University Hospital. He received his Bachelor of Arts from SUNY Binghamton University and graduated from Ross University’s School of Medicine.
He completed his residency in internal medicine at Norwalk Hospital in Connecticut and a fellowship in pulmonary disease and critical care medicine at Norwalk Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital.
Inna Amir was elected by 1,018 votes to fill Steve Jacob’s seat on the nominating committee until January 2028.
“Candidates must prioritize serving the community over personal agendas, respect our diverse demographic, and embrace open-minded, objective thinking,” Amir wrote in her candidate statement.
Joshua Ishal defeated Sabine Margolis 808-339 and will fill Sabine Margolis’ seat on the nominating committee until January 2028.
“I believe public libraries are essential for promoting education and community engagement,” Ishal wrote in his candidate statement.
The five individuals elected will start their term in January.
The proposition to amend the library’s by-laws lost to a vote of 653-439.
The 2025 Nassau County budget, proposed by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman's administration, is full of 'significant' structural holes that put the county's financial wellbeing at risk, according to a report by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority
The 2025 Nassau County budget is full of financial holes that continue to put the county’s fiscal well-being at risk, according to a report by its oversight board, the Nassau Interim Financial Agency.
Next year’s budget, proposed on Sept. 16 by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s administration, contains “several significant risks” that may “threaten the county’s long-term fiscal stability,” NIFA’s 28-page Oct. 22 report stated.
These risks include overestimating revenues and underestimating costs, not budgeting for possibilities like economic downturns or emergencies, not following legally mandated generally accepted accounting principles, and over-relying on one-time federal stimulus money that the county was given because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
NIFA — a nonpartisan board established by the state in 2000 to help bring Nassau back from near-bankruptcy after irresponsible budget management — projects a deficit of up to $207 million next year, which may grow to more than $345 million by 2028.
Even that is without the added labor costs that will likely come into effect when unions strike new collective bargaining agreements with the county after their contracts end in June 2026, which will only serve to widen the already significant deficit.
The Blakeman administration points to keeping property taxes flat in the budget as a sign of fiscal health, and a selling point for the majority-Republican Nassau County Legislature.
But this only serves to shroud the deeper-lying problems in the county’s financial well-being, said Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove).
“Their (NIFA’s) findings corroborate our conclusions about how the county executive is continuing to spread a false narrative and create illusions about Nassau’s fiscal health,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “When, in fact, his plan is riddled with obvious budgetary holes that could cause ballooning deficits in the future.”
Blakeman did not respond to requests for comment.
Nassau would have ended the 2024 fiscal year in a deficit if not for the one-shot infusion of money from the American Rescue Plan Act, that President Joe Biden passed in March 2021 to help local and state governments stay afloat during the pandemic.
The administration used those funds to “mask” the county’s structural financial imbalance in 2024, the NIFA report said. Those imbalances continue in the proposed 2025 budget and through 2028, but are more obvious without the ARPA money to hide behind.
The budget proposes using $30 million of fund balance every year from 2025 to 2028 to bridge the gap between its projected revenues and expenditures that would otherwise result in a deficit, but this is not allowed under GAAP, which the county must follow by law.
It’s “extremely troubling,” the report said, “and a sign the county remains fiscally challenged.”
Multiple county spending habits have been called into question over the past year. The Legislature approved along party lines — with Republicans supporting and Democrats objecting — $10 million of COVID relief money to be spent on Nassau’s 125th anniversary celebrations. Blakeman justified the expenditure, saying it would increase tourism to the county.
Further, the Nassau County Attorney’s Office more than doubled its spending on outside counsel over the past three years, from a little over $6 million in 2022 to more than $14.5 million this year.
NIFA unanimously passed a request for proposals so a firm could audit the county attorney’s office, which has “potentially shown a lack of management,” the request said.
NIFA was created to bring Nassau back from the brink of insolvency, which it found itself in, in part, because of increased spending by the county attorney’s office, then-Republican Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta’s refusal to raise taxes, and relying on a property tax assessment system that used outdated data, according to mid-2010s retrospective reports.
Today, Nassau has frozen its property tax assessments for four straight years.
Ultimately, the NIFA report said, the county can manage some of these risks by dipping into its reserves, but some problems are so glaring that they “raise doubt whether the county can navigate the long-term headwinds if the economy significantly declines.”
The Nassau County Legislature is scheduled to vote on the budget on Oct. 30.
Laura Gillen, Democratic nominee for the fourth congressional district, met with Latino community members in a roundtable to discuss her plan to lower healthcare costs for Latino families. (Photo by Ben Fiebert)
Laura Gillen, the Democratic nominee for Congressional District 4, outlined a plan to address healthcare disparities impacting Latino families, such as rising premiums, prescription drug prices, lack of coverage and underfunded local health centers.
Gillen discussed how she would tackle these issues at a roundtable with members of the Latino community on Oct. 24.
Her plan includes extending expiring premium tax credits, passing the Emergency Access to Insulin Act, pursuing Medicaid buy-in and increasing funding for community health centers in Latino communities.
“We have to consider the families living in this district across the country who don’t have health insurance coverage, which is true particularly for a lot of Latino families here in the fourth congressional district, who tend to be uninsured at higher rates” Gillen said.
Gillen said about 29,000 residents in the district don’t have health insurance, including 5,000 children. She said her goal is to reduce the uninsured rate by expanding coverage options.
“Sometimes buying insurance even through the affordable care exchanges is not affordable,” Gillen said. “So I am supporting the idea of allowing participants to buy into Medicaid so if they are not at the level where they qualify for it and they’re close, they might be able to contribute and buy into the Medicaid program.”
Gillen’s opponent, U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, said on DEspositoForCongress.com he also believes in increasing access to high-quality, affordable health care, including individuals with pre-existing conditions.
“To protect our economy and our health care system, Congressman D’Esposito adamantly opposes a government takeover of our health care system — costing trillions of dollars and controlling Americans’ personal medical decisions,” stated on DEspositoForCongress.com.
Gillen said one priority in her policy outline is to extend subsidies to keep premiums low.
“Healthcare costs are putting huge economic strain on so many families in the fourth congressional district,” Gillen said. “We have premium costs, and increasing prescription drug crisis are blowing up many family’s budgets, health insurance is becoming outrageously excessive and many Long Island families do not even have health insurance.”
Along with premiums, Gillen said the cost of prescription drugs has dramatically increased over the last couple of years, particularly for those who have chronic conditions, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease. She said those with these conditions are disproportionately impacted by drug costs.
“We made progress with the inflation reduction act by allowing Medicare to negotiate prices and lower prices for participants in that program on prescription drugs and capping insulin at $35,” Gillen said. “However, there was so much more we can do. It’s only really affected about 10 classes of drugs, but we need to do more.”
Maria Rawley, a Baldwin senior, attended the roundtable to “show support for Laura Gillen” because she believes her plan will help Latino seniors, particularly those with prescription drug costs.
“Latinos tend to suffer from ‘triple play’ — high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. And they’re forced to pay a very high price for those essential medicines,” Rawley said.
Gillen said she wants to make insulin more affordable by supporting the Emergency Access to Insulin Act, which will deliver insulin in crises and promote market competition to lower the cost. She said she also wants to reach across the aisle and try to cap insulin for all families, not just those participating in Medicare.
“We have a ton of children who suffer from juvenile diabetes, and we need to make sure that no families are choosing between whether they can pay for their electric bill or groceries on their table or buy insulin for their child,” Gillen said.
Gladys Linares, a breast cancer survivor, was at the roundtable talking about how people in the community need to be aware about access to healthcare. She said she was grateful to know about it when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“As Maria was saying, we do suffer from diabetes, hypertension and we need awareness,” Linares said.
Gillen said she also wants to strengthen regulatory enforcement to crack down on price gouging.
“Finally, I think we need to work and I will work to invest in our underfunded institutions that provide vital, low-cost care to many of the residents in our district,” Gillens said.
Gillen said in Congress that she would support bipartisan measures to invest in local community health centers and expand their capacity to handle dental issues and mental health services.
“Runaway healthcare costs are hurting families on Long Island and in this congressional district,” Gillen said. “Rising premiums, prescription drug prices and not having insurance is really, really hurting families here and we need to provide additional relief for them.”
Gillen said it’s important to have a Congress in 2025 that is looking to address these high healthcare costs and “get things done for the families in this district.”
Igor Sikiric, superintendent of the New Hyde Park Department of Public Works, pictured in front of the construction site of the new DPW facility in New Hyde Park. (Photo by Ben Fiebert)
The foundation walls for the new four-bay truck garage have been put up, as construction is well underway for the new Department of Public Works facility in New Hyde Park.
The project, which started in June, is funded by a $5.1 million state grant. It comes after the nearly 100-year-old DPW storage facility started to deteriorate, and the village was looking at ways to upgrade the property.
Christopher Devane, mayor of New Hyde Park, said the original plans for the new DPW building came in a few years ago at over $7 million, which was more than the village’s budget of $5.1 million and has led to the delay on a bid until this past January.
Devane said the DPW employees deserve a new building “within reason” that includes an administration building with a new break room, offices and working area.
Igor Sikiric, superintendent of the New Hyde Park Department of Public Works, said the first part of this project involves knocking down two buildings at the current DPW site. A five-bay garage was “dilapidated” and unusable, which was torn down to make way for a brand new four-bay truck storage building.
“We tore down the salt shed that was in the far left corner and then that salt shed is going to the far right corner,” Sikiric said.
The construction site is next to Nuzzi Baseball Field, which is temporarily closed until construction is finished. Nuzzi Park will also be renovated once the new DPW building is finished.
Sikiric mentioned that the road in the DPW parking lot is in bad shape due to years of heavy trucks driving in and out of the lot. The road will also be refurbished and additional concrete pads will be placed in areas where the dumpsters will be located.
The Wheatley School students creating birthday birthday boxes for homeless children during their Day of Service and Learning event. (Photos by Ben Fiebert)
Hundreds of students at The Wheatley School participated in the annual Day of Service and Learning by giving back to dozens of local groups.
The morning of Oct. 24 began with students visiting three presentations by non-profit organizations. Some students then attended off-site activities, leaving around 10 a.m. and returning before the end of the school day.
Over 500 students participated in 49 service activities.
Some of the onsite activities included making birthday boxes for homeless children, designing and building sturdy dog houses that will be donated to animal shelters in need, assembling 1,600 hygiene kits filled with essential sanitary items to support individuals facing homelessness and extreme poverty and constructing new planting beds for an expansion of the gardens.
Students constructed new planting beds to expand the gardens at The Wheatley School.
“It was founded in September of 2009 and it was founded on the principles of service that were done following the events of 9/11,” Samantha Vulpin, co-host of the event, said.
The event has been held in the district for about 15 years. This year, Nikki Girgenti, an art teacher, and Vulpin, a special education teacher, hosted it for the first time.
“I love being involved in the school community, outside of the classroom,” Vulpin said when asked why she wanted to host the event this year.”Just getting to know the student body as a whole. I get an opportunity to learn more about the students outside of the classroom.”
Vulpin said the event is a day when students give back to various community groups by participating in many volunteer opportunities onsite and offsite. She said these opportunities give students a day to reflect on volunteering.
The speakers, from from 8:45 a.m. to 10 a.m., were the North Shore Land Alliance, Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide and the North Shore Animal League. They spoke to the students about the various opportunities that their organizations offered.
From 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., some students went offsite and some stayed on campus to work on various volunteer activities.
Vulpin said students then returned to the school for a wellness fair where they participated in mindfulness activities.
“Since they’ve been working all day helping people, they should fuel themselves and participate in these mindful activities like walking on the track, reading books, listening to podcasts,” Vulpin said.
“Students are getting the opportunity to get out in their community to work in a variety of different areas from environmental volunteering to medical volunteering or working with youngsters and seniors, they’re getting a breath of experience,” Girgenti said.
Girgenti said these experiences might lead the students to additional opportunities later in life or inspire them to go on a different career path.
“We sometimes forget there’s a whole world around us, and this lets students get that hands-on experience and something they generally might not have the opportunity to do,” Girgenti said.
Girgenti said the scope of this event is the most impressive to her. She said 521 students leave the campus to participate in service work, while other students stay in the school also doing service work and Girgenti said the “amount of teamwork involved” shows that when you work together, you can get a lot done.
Vulpin said she hopes students learned the importance of giving back from this event.
Girgenti said she would like to see this program be sustained at the school and continue to have more outside opportunities.
“We are very open to anything,” Girgenti said. “If there’s an organization that wants to join, they can reach out to us and every year we’re bringing more variety to what we offer. So our vision for the future of this event is for it to be sustained and expanded upon.”
The administration of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman decides which requests for funding are moved forward for a vote. Until last week, they moved 20 Republican-led requests to a vote, but only one for Democrats. Now three more are making their way through the legislative process.
Three Democrat-led funding requests have advanced in the Republican-majority Nassau County Legislature, signaling the end of a months-long partisan divide in which dozens of similar allocations have not come up for a vote, officials said.
Under Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, his GOP colleagues in the Legislature have had 20 requests to fund various initiatives in their districts approved.
But of the 27 funding requests that Democratic legislators made for their districts, only one has made its way to the floor for a vote in September—$1.75 million for the Village of Hempstead to treat its hazardous drinking water.
And even that was hard-fought, Nassau County Legislature Alternate Deputy Minority Leader Siela Bynoe (D-Westbury) said at the time.
“We’re here to serve our communities, and they deserve the same thing as every other community,” Legislator Seth Koslow (D-Merrick) said at the legislature’s Oct. 21 meeting. “There’s no excuse that we … are over 27 [CRPs] with a million dollars that we want for first responders and public safety that has not made it to the legislature.”
Seven Republican-led requests for funds totaling $674,000 were approved by both parties at that meeting. But more than $1 million earmarked for Democrat-led districts still had not made its way to the floor for a vote, despite some requests going back as far as 2019.
The Blakeman administration decides which requests are brought to the floor for a vote.
Of the three Democrat-led requests now moving forward in the legislative process, one would provide the Mid-Island Y Jewish Center — a nonprofit focused on fostering Jewish identity and community — with up to $950,000 to recover funds lost because of the pandemic.
Another would provide Rising Stars — a nonprofit that promotes education and character-building for kids through basketball — with up to $100,000 to recover losses sustained during the pandemic and fortify its capacity to service surrounding communities.
And the third aims to support food pantries on Long Island, but has not yet been filed while the administration is sorting out the details, according to county spokespeople.
Blakeman and the Nassau County majority caucus did not respond to the Press for comment.
Hyperlocal district funding primarily comes from the Community Revitalization Program and the American Rescue Plan Act.
CRP funding comes from the county, and each district is allocated $300,000 each year.
President Joe Biden signed ARPA into office in 2021 to provide federal stimulus money to state and local governments amid the pandemic. Nassau received $15 million, which legislators can allocate as they see fit.
The three Democrat-led funding requests filed by the Blakeman administration — the $1.75 million for Hempstead’s water supply in September, and recently the funds for Mid-Island Y Jewish Center and the Rising Stars Foundation — have all been ARPA funds.
While Democrat-led districts still have had zero CRP requests make their way to the floor as opposed to Republicans’ 20, county Dems are hopeful that the Blakeman administration’s willingness to move these ARPA funds along is a sign of more bipartisanship to come.
Lance Belcher, owner of Doodyman, with his two sons helping out at the Hurricane Helene Relief donation in New Hyde Park last week. (Photos courtesy of Village of New Hyde Park)
Within 48 hours, the New Hyde Park community collected enough supplies for Hurricane Helene victims to fill 24 pallets in a 53-foot trailer.
The trailer — donated by North Shore Neon Signs — left the village at 10 a.m. on Friday and arrived at the America Cares distribution center in Arden, N.C., at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. From this distribution center, truck drivers made deliveries to Ashville, Chimney Rock and Lake Lure, which are mostly inaccessible due to washed-away roads.
The pallets contained clothing, outerwear, boots, cleaning supplies, pet supplies, personal hygiene products, flashlights, batteries, first aid kits, diapers, baby supplies, blankets, water, 500 dozen eggs, 450 pounds of butter, 400 pounds of cheese, 250 pounds of bacon and 3,000 loaves of bread.
Truck loaded up with boxes of supplies, ready to be shipped to North Carolina.
“We adopted two towns in North Carolina that were hit very hard — Chimney Rock and Lake Lure,” Christopher Devane, mayor of New Hyde Park, said. “We knew a local business owner that had a brother down there and he was telling us all about it and they were completely wiped out.”
Devane hosted the drive in coordination with Lance Belcher, owner of Doodyman Plumbing, and his assistant, Ann Marie Superville; Ronnie, Roger, and Reid Sakowich, owners of Sakowich Plumbing; Lakewood Bakery; and the Nuzzi family.
“The mayor was the driving force behind this,” Cheryl Nowak, event coordinator for the Village of New Hyde Park, said. “And the people he enlisted like Reid Sakowich, like Lance Belcher from Doodyman, all of them. They are the ones that really, really did an amazing job on this. They got the trucks, they got the driver, they got everything. It was all hands on deck.”
The donation site was located at the Village Hall parking lot from Oct. 16 to Oct. 17. Troy Belcher, Tyler Belcher, Louis Miller and Tommy Kane helped organize items there. Patrick Connell, Michael Keuler and Miguel Juarez assisted with loading the items on the truck.
Nowak said all of the items were separated by categories, such as water, food and cleaning essentials. She said they were placed in marked boxes so the people in the distribution center could send them out quickly.
“We reached out to Chimney Rock and the problem was they had no supplies to clean their houses,” Nowak said. “We had a list of the things they wanted and the last thing they wanted was clothing.”
Devane said that on the first day of collecting supplies, the residents of the two towns asked for nonperishable items such as clothes, gloves and water. Midway through the day, they told Devane that they had enough of those items and needed cleaning supplies.
Nowak said people were continuing to donate clothes, so she immediately told the workers at the donation site to start prioritizing and asking for cleaning supplies like mops and brooms. She said homes and businesses in North Carolina were filled with mud.
With the excess donated clothes, Nowak said the village donated them to a clothing drive at New Hyde Park Road School. She said the village was able to take care of two things — hurricane relief and helping the PTA at the Road School.
“The more I read, the more I realized it was really hard to be able to even get to these two towns — Chimney Rock and Lake Lure — so then we reached out to Ashville, which was the closest largest city to these places,” Nowak said.
Nowak said the village was able to contact people in Ashville, who said that many of the roads were closed and that it would be difficult for them to bring supplies directly to Chimney Rock and Lake Lure.
The people in Ashville told Nowak that the victims needed eggs, fresh bread, bacon and cheese.
“The following day, in the morning, we get a heads-up that they need food,” Devane said. “And we adjusted and the community responded.”
“I said, ‘Guys, here’s another thing they desperately need’ and the minute I said that, Reid got on the phone, called all of his friends that owned businesses and told them what they needed,” Nowak said.
Devane said Lakewood Bakery provided a good portion of the food after two hours of the requested change.
“How impressive is that,” Devane said. “And talk about the community stepping up.”
Nowak said that when she called people in Ashville to tell them about the food being shipped, they were “rejoicing.”
With the hundreds of items the village donated, Nowak said the distribution center is sending about one truck of supplies a day to nearby towns, including Chimney Rock and Lake Lure.
The Manhasset Middle School String Ensemble has been selected to perform
at the New York State School Music Association All-State Music Festival this December in
Rochester, NY (Photo courtesy of the Manhasset Public Schools)
Manhasset Public Schools is proud to announce that our Middle School String Ensemble has been selected to perform at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) All-State Music Festival.
The event, which draws over 2,000 music educators and thousands of students from throughout New York State, takes place Dec. 5-8 in Rochester.
Having attended the prestigious conference in the past, Manhasset Middle School music teacher Kristin Benson was aware of the level of talent that is submitted and how rarely middle school ensembles are selected.
Undeterred, she was confident that her students were prepared and ready to accept the challenge. The selection process included a video audition that was recorded during the last school year and was reviewed by a panel of judges made up of musicians and music educators.
Upon learning that the ensemble was selected, Benson couldn’t wait to share the news with her students.
“This group worked hard to prepare for this competitive audition and is so deserving of this honor,” Benson said. “Not only do they possess remarkable musical talent, but also a high level of confidence and stage presence that is engaging and captivating to watch. The NYSSMA attendees are in for a musical treat!”
“I’m incredibly proud of our Middle School String Ensemble,” Director of Fine and Performing Arts Joseph Owens said. “Their performance showcases the strength of our
K-12 music and arts program and reflects the dedication of our teachers and the community’s commitment to the arts.”
Manhasset Public Schools congratulates each student and our music faculty on this outstanding achievement.
Northwell Health nephrologist Dr. Rimda Wanchoo was recognized for clinical excellence by the American Nephrologists of Indian Origin (Photo courtesy of Northwell Health)
Northwell Health nephrologist Rimda Wanchoo, MD, has been recognized for clinical excellence by the American Nephrologists of Indian Origin (ANIO) and was recently honored at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2024 in San Diego.
ANIO is committed to bringing together like-minded nephrologists, trainees and health
care leaders in the field of nephrology, connecting people of Indian origin with similar interests in the field providing professional and career development.
“I am thrilled that American Nephrologists of Indian Origin, an organization that has
contributed so much to nephrology, is honoring Dr. Rimda Wanchoo,” said Steven Fishbane,
MD, chief of the Division of Medicine for Kidney Diseases and Hypertension at Long Island
Jewish Medical Center and North Shore University Hospital. “It’s a pleasure to work with Dr.
Wanchoo and I can think of no one more deserving of an award for clinical excellence. She puts her absolute heart and soul into the care of her patients and promotes clinical excellence in her teaching of fellows, her work as a director of quality and as a dialysis medical director.”
Wanchoo has been an attending nephrology physician in the Division of Kidney
Diseases and Hypertension and the Department of Internal Medicine at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park since 2013. Prior, she was an attending nephrology physician at the Rogosin Institute, Division of Nephrology, at Weill Cornell Medical Center for five years.
Wanchoo has been a professor at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
since 2021. Nationally, she is one of the founding members of American Society of Onconephrology, a governing member of the American Nephrologist of Indian Origin and an
associate editor for Clinical Kidney Journal and Journal of Onconephrology.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the award for clinical excellence from the
American Nephrologists of Indian Origin,” said Dr. Wanchoo. “It’s a privilege to be recognized, and I remain committed to providing the highest quality of care to my patients, particularly those facing the challenges of chronic kidney disease. I am committed to making a meaningful difference in their lives.”
Wanchoo earned her medical degree in India. She completed her residency at St. Barnabas Medical Center and completed a fellowship in nephrology and a fellowship in research
at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell.
“Dr Wanchoo is an exemplary and astute clinician. She has been a great leader at
Northwell Health in leading a large dialysis unit and co-directing the onconephrology services,” said Kenar Dinesh Jhaveri, MD, associate chief of the Division of Kidney Diseases and Hypertension at Northwell and Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. “She has gained national prominence in the field of onconephrology, a field that connects cancer and kidney related complications. Most importantly, she is a great colleague to work alongside.”
For more information or to book an appointment, go to https://www.northwell.edu/find-
care/find-a-doctor/dr-rimda-wanchoo-md-11362235.
