HERALD________________ GLEN COVE _______________ Gazette Ice champions INSIDE: Celebrations 18/21 itc FG — Getting ready for on tour that special day Demi Condensed Page 23 Page 15 Page xx Vol. 28 No. 16 APRIl 18-24, 2019 $1.00 New bills would tackle veteran homelessness By MIKE CoNN on their veteran status. [email protected] According to Lafazan, veterans across the country use vouchers County officials and veterans to pay for housing, which land- alike appeared before the Nassau lords sometimes reject. In other County Legislature in Mineola on instances, Lafazan said, “Some April 4 as Legislator Josh Lafazan, landlords have brazenly rejected an independent veterans altogeth- from Woodbury, er,” perpetuating introduced two new the problem of vet- bills aimed at end- ut somebody eran homelessness ing veteran home- around the nation. lessness in Nassau. Bwho serves Under the new leg- “I stand here in the nation, islation, landlords solidarity with vet- who discriminate erans from across somebody who against veterans Nassau County,” would be held legal- Lafazan said, “in puts on the ly accountable. Courtesy Pete Prudente declaring a new day uniform, deserves With the second GlEN CoVE FIREFIGHTER Pete Prudente donated a kidney to Carmen Sanchez, whom he didn’t in our shared com- bill, Lafazan seeks know, and saved her life. mitment to the men not only our to create a Nassau and women who admiration, but Commission on have served this Ending Veteran nation in uniform.” deserves housing. H o m e l e s s n e s s , Firefighter with a ‘great heart’ The bills, which which would com- Lafazan has nick- JoSH lAFAZAN prise 12 members named the Dignity Nassau County from a variety of donates a kidney to a stranger for Our Heroes b a c k g r o u n d s Package, would legislator appointed by Coun- By lAURA lANE “All of us try to catch him — a kidney, which he donated work together to ty Executive Laura [email protected] each year, but we can’t,” said to a stranger on March 25, two ensure that roughly Curran. One of the Rich, her blue eyes twinkling. days after he turned 59. 5,000 homeless veterans in Nassau commission’s key goals, Lafazan Maryann Rich, a lifelong “He is so thoughtful, a wonder- “It’s important that people County would be able to find hous- explained, would be to address the Glen Cover, receives a gift ful person that always takes step up and help each other,” ing. The first bill would establish lack of transitional housing for veterans as a protected class every year on Mother’s Day in care of everyone.” said Prudente, a Local Union homeless veterans in the county. It the form of a plant, which is Rich and a group of people under the Nassau County Human would create a written report con- 15 operating engineer by pro- always waiting outside her that included some Glen Cove Rights Law, legally protecting taining recommendations for the fession. “My parents always front door. There is never a firefighters headed to North them from discrimination based CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 told me there are givers and card or any kind of clue as to Shore University Hospital in whom it’s from, but Rich said Manhasset last Friday for takers, and encouraged me to she doesn’t need any identifi- Organ Donor Day, which help others.” ers. She knows it’s from Pete included a presentation that in Prudente prepares lunch — Prudente, a Glen Cove fire- part honored Prudente for and donates the food — for the fighter who has become a another act of generosity. This Glen Cove or Port Washington friend of hers. time the gift was much bigger CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 2 ALL ARE INVITED April 18, 2019 — GLEN COVE HERALD GAZETTE 2019 — GLEN COVE April 18, THIRD ANNUAL COMMUNITY EASTER DAWN SERVICE Bilingual (Spanish and English) Toda la Comunidad Están Invitados al Servicio del Amanecer de Pascua Morgan Park, Glen Cove NY 7:00 am – 7:30 am Easter Morning • April 21, 2019 Hosted by / Auspiciado por St. Boniface Martyr Carpenter Memorial Roman Catholic Church Iglesia Ciudad de Refugio United Methodist Church of Sea Cliff Asambleas de Dios of Glen Cove Calvary AME Church de Glen Cove First Baptist Church of Glen Cove First Presbyterian Church of Glen Cove St. John’s of Lattingtown of Glen Cove St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Episcopal Church of Glen Cove Leading the Service / Dirigiendo el Servicio Rev. Dr. Craig J. Wright Rev. Juanita Lopez Rev. Joan Finck Pastor Calvary AME Church Pastor Iglesia Ciudad de Refugio Pastor First Presbyterian Church Rev. Fr. Mark L. Fitzhugh Rev. Roger C. Williams Rev. Gia Lynne Hall Pastor St. John’s of Lattingtown Pastor First Baptist Church Pastor Carpenter Memorial Episcopal Church Rev. Fr. Kevin J. Dillon United Methodist Church Pastor St. Boniface Martyr Roman Catholic Church Leading the Singing / Dirigiendo las Canciones Merle Richards Josue Correa Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews Choir President / Evangelist Associate Pastor / Pastor Asociado Elder Calvary AME Church Erika Bautista First Presbyterian Church Song Leader / Líder de la Canción Iglesia Ciudad de Refugio This is a rain or shine event. / Este evento es con sol o lluvia. Please join us as we celebrate the risen Savior! Thank you to American Paving and Masonry, Digital Graphic Imagery, Dr. Maxine Cappel Mayreis, Minuteman Press, 1032177 and The Petrizzo Family for underwriting this advertisement. Glen Cove schools excel in state budget 3 By Mike Conn tion Aid that a district should receive. 2019 April 18, HERALD GAZETTE — GLEN COVE [email protected] According to Gaughran, this has been bad for Glen Cove because the dispro- The Glen Cove City School District is portionately large amount of wealth in part of a collection of districts known a small collection of the city’s families as New York’s “Harmed Suburban overshadows the needs of the rest of Five,” alongside Ossining, Port Chester, the city’s residents. This gives Glen Riverhead and Westbury. The defining Cove an illusion of wealth in the eye of characteristic of this group is that they the state, making it seem as though the all receive roughly 50 percent or less of district does not need as much funding the maximum potential Foundation Aid as it actually does. funding provided by the state, which is Rianna said the demographics and significantly lower than the state aver- needs of children in Glen Cove schools age of 80 percent. Foundation Aid is have changed drastically over the last money provided to a district by the 10 years, something which the state’s state that goes toward the district’s budget formula has not taken into many programs. account. For example, roughly 60 per- However, things will be looking up cent of the district’s students apply for for Glen Cove schools during the 2019-20 free or reduced lunch due to low family school year from a budgetary perspec- Courtesy Office of Senator Jim Gaughran income, far more than Nassau County’s tive. Thanks in large part to the lobby- Senator JiM GauGhran, left, lobbied for an increased about of funding for Glen Cove 20 percent. However, due to the city’s ing of Superintendent of Schools Dr. schools due in part to the advocacy of Dr. Maria Rianna, Superintendent of Schools. vast disparity in wealth, the district has Maria Rianna and Sen. Jim Gaughran, not received a proportionate amount of a Democrat from Northport, the district $7.8 million tabulated in the state’s Foundation Aid. funding in years. will receive just over $9 million in school budget formula at the end of New York’s budget formula relies Rianna explained that the district Foundation Aid funding, over 13 per- January. The distrcit will now receive heavily on a district’s perceived wealth cent more than the expected amount of 52 percent of its maximum potential when it determines how much Founda- CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Lafazan introduces Dignity for Heroes Package CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE construction of a new transitional housing facility for vet- erans. The commission would also research and design a “vet- erans transitional supportive housing curriculum,” which would comprise a number of programs dedicated to helping veterans ease back into everyday life, such as vocational training, financial literacy aid and physical and mental health services. “I believe that these two bills . will help Nassau County get closer to our goal of eradicating veteran home- lessness,” Lafazan said, “and we will not stop until every veteran who served this nation in uniform has a roof over their head. They fought for us, and now it’s time we fought for them.” “The idea that anyone who has worn this county’s uni- form is sleeping under a train overpass or in a remote wooded area is unacceptable,” Curran added, announcing her support for the bills. She also said she was pleased with the bipartisan support for Lafazan’s efforts, which Mike Conn/Herald Gazette was evidenced by the presence of Legislators Delia DeRig- LeGiSLator JoSh Lafazan, at lectern, introduced two bills to end veteran homeless in Nassau County on April 4. gi-Whitton, a Democrat from Glen Cove, and Bill Gaylor, a Republican from Lynbrook and an Army veteran. ber constantly fluctuating. DeRiggi-Whitton said that undiagnosed post-traumatic “Veterans, they put their lives on the line,” Jimenez stress disorder plays a key role in perpetuating veteran said, “and I find that a lot of them, when they come back homelessness, which she feels is now getting the attention home, they’re discriminated against.” Veterans in nassau it deserves.