10M in county cuts take effect

The approximately $9.8 million cut from Nassau County social service departments by County Executive Thomas Gulotta, in an attempt to close the budget gap caused by the repeal of the real estate transfer tax, went into effect on Jan. 1.Mr. Gulotta's Dec. 7, 1999 directive that departments cut overall spending in discretionary contracts by 50 percent became official as agencies were notified on, or immediately before, Christmas Eve.

Man, 75, dies near R.R. tracks

A 75-year old man apparently suffered a heart attack behind the wheel of his car and drove up onto the third rail of the tracks at Franklin Place in Woodmere, officials said.The victim, Fred Clausen of Far Rockaway, apparently managed to escape from the vehicle, but collapsed near the car, police said. Police were called and the victim was found unconscious outside of the vehicle, authorities said. Mr. Clausen was rushed to Franklin Hospital Medical Center in Valley Stream, where he was pronounced dead, police said.Keith Grant/Herald

Lawrence High School was again among the nation's top Intel winners with five semifinalists. Pictured are (top row, from left) science teacher Wayne Seyfert, senior Justin Mendelsohn, principal Dr. Steven Kussin, senior Tal Hirshberg and social studies teacher Joseph Scott; (bottom row) art teacher Stephanie Adler, science teacher Joan Angerer, seniors Shirley Chan, Rebecca Aledort and Naomi Lerner, and social studies teacher Stephen Sullivan.
Students rake in Intel honors

Eight local high school students joined the elite in science competition after being named semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search, once again proving that the Five Towns is the Mecca for scientific research.Lawrence High School yet again found itself among the top schools with its five winners: Rebecca Aledort, Shirley Chan, Tal Hirshberg, Naomi Lerner and Justin Mendelsohn. Hewlett High School senior Jodi Stillman and Lawrence Woodmere Academy's Tania Mucci also claimed a piece of the $600,000 prize money. Chavie Wolfish, a senior at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway, earned a place as one of eight Five Towns students honored as Intel semifinalists due to her research on hypertension. Each student received $1,000 for the achievement.

Area crime plummets in '99

Compared to previous years, major crime in 1999, comprising murder; rape, robbery, residential and business burglary, felonious assault and auto theft, declined 45 percent overall, police statistics showed.The number of burglaries of homes dipped 49 percent, from 67 in 1998 to 34 in 1999, according to year-end crime statistics provided by the Fourth Precinct. Break-ins at businesses in the Five Towns plummeted 68 percent, from 68 to 22. The statistics compiled by the Fourth Precinct compare serious crimes from January 1 to December 31, 1998 to the same period in 1999.

Food pantry reopens

With a single check, a Lawrence man helped keep food on the tables of nearly 500 families. On Monday, Jan. 10, Robert Edelman hand-delivered a check for $890 to the Long Island Council of Churches that effectively reopened a Hempstead food pantry. The pantry had been forced to close on Dec. 30, 1999 due to massive county budget cuts."It's 2,000 people we're talking about," Mr. Edelman said. "It's 2,000 people hurt because of a county screw-up." The check covered one month's rent for the emergency food center.

Proposed 'shop' outrages residents

Residents who live near the proposed site of the Hewlett-Woodmere School District maintenance facility, adjacent to Hewlett House on East Rockaway Road, met with architects and school administrators and were shocked to find that plans included construction of a two-story building in their backyards. Bowing to community pressure, the school district later decided to relocate the shop to Johnson Place in Woodmere, near the administration building. The shop will house the district's maintenance equipment, which will be moved out of Hewlett High School to free up classroom space to meet increased enrollment.

County cuts hit 5T

Faced with enormous cuts in funding, Five Towns social service agencies rallied desperately to avoid what they considered to be devastating effects on local programs.The nearly $10 million cut from county social service departments that went into effect had local agencies facing layoffs and the elimination of numerous programs. Various agency leaders were working feverishly to gather a groundswell of support in hopes of offsetting the losses and were planning to lend their support to a rally at the County Executive Building on Wednesday, Jan. 19.Jonathan Davis, executive director of the Five Towns Community Center, added, "You're talking about total devastation. We've been dealt cuts in increments before, but not 50 percent."

Good news, bad news for schools

Local public schools received good news and bad news from Governor George Pataki, who released his proposed education aid for 2000-2001.The $76.8 billion state budget proposal included just under $13 billion for schools, an increase of $355 million from the previous budget. While most of the state's 740 school districts saw a decrease in funding they received a year ago, Hewlett-Woodmere schools were among those slated for an increase. Under Governor Pataki's plan, the district would receive $3,634,301 in aid, compared with $3,555,696 of funding awarded in last year's final budget. Eight percent of Hewlett-Woodmere's budget was comprised of state money.In District 15, Lawrence Public Schools have been slated for slightly less than $5.5 million, a loss of about $200,000 from the current year's aid. Stephen Clements, president of the Lawrence Teacher's Association, said teachers state-wide would lobby legislators for increases to the governor's proposal. Janette Pellegrini/Herald

Speed the plow: A Town of Hempstead Highway Department truck plows the snow on Sherwood Lane in Lawrence on Tuesday, Jan. 25.

Winter storm pummels area

Schools were closed and commuters weathered treacherous driving conditions on Tuesday morning, Jan. 25, as a fierce winter storm pounded the northeast, catching most of New York and the Five Towns off-guard."We reported a 50/50 chance on Monday afternoon that the storm could come up the coast," said Pat Pagano, a representative at Metro Weather Service in Valley Stream. "By 11 P.M. we sent out storm warnings. Unfortunately, most folks were already in bed and asleep by then."The storm hit several hours earlier than the prediction of 7 A.M., producing freezing temperatures and dangerous roads for thousands of morning commuters. A total of a possible seven inches hit the south shore of Long Island.

Lawyer charged with embezzlement

An Oceanside man, who is a former Rockville Centre attorney, was charged with embezzling funds from a couple trying to sell their home in Inwood, officials said.The defendant, Stephen Rothfeld, 58, of Murray Drive in Oceanside, was arrested and charged with one count of grand larceny in the third degree, according to Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon. He was accused of stealing about $7,500 that he was holding in escrow on behalf of his clients, Robert and Naomi Sauer. The Sauers moved to Florida about five years ago.

St. John's stands on its own

One of the most tumultuous years St. John's Episcopal Hospital, South Shore in Far Rockaway has faced ended with the facility avoiding both a potential sale and a feared shut-down. Officials believed the worst was behind them.Parent company Episcopal Health Services was said to be weeks away from a long-awaited sale of its Suffolk County hospital, leaving the Far Rockaway facility as its lone hospital and the center of the debt-ridden EHS network. In November, 1999 EHS began bankruptcy proceedings under Chapter 11 in a move to block creditors from essentially shutting the network down.While many staff layoffs and consolidations were carried out last year, St. John's Hospital officials said they are out of that phase of reduction.

FEBRUARY

Cabby's throat slashed

Detectives were combing the area for a vicious robbery team who held up a taxi cab driver in Inwood, slashing his throat and leaving him for dead, police said.The duo escaped with about $400 in cash, detectives said. The robbers may have slashed the driver's throat even though he offered no resistance to their demands for money, officials said. The victim, bleeding profusely from the deep neck gash, managed to stagger to a pay phone, where he called for help, authorities said."The doctor said that the way they cut him they really intended to do harm to him," said Kevin Laffaye, the victim's co-worker and a dispatcher for Towne Taxi in Inwood. "You have no time to resist when your throat is cut open like that." The driver, whose name was withheld by police, under went surgery to repair the damage done to his neck.Peter Matthews/Herald

Four occupants were plucked from a burning building at 72 Lord Avenue in Lawrence on Feb. 4.

Four saved from Sabbath blaze

Volunteer firefighters carried four people to safety from a burning home during a nighttime blaze in Lawrence. One victim remained hospitalized in critical condition four days after the fire, officials said.The Friday, Feb. 4 fire in the home of Sam and Rachel Septimus, at 72 Lord Avenue, ignited and filled the house with smoke while the occupants slept. Mr. and Mrs. Septimus were away at the time, but their children, two year-old Leora and 10-month-old Zvi, and family friends Robert and Shayna Millstone of Brooklyn were inside the home and overcome by smoke as they slept, authorities said. Mr. Millstone and the children were treated for smoke inhalation and released, but Ms. Millstone, 24, remained in the intensive care unit at Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow as a result of smoke inhalation, a hospital spokeswoman said. Ms. Millstone was listed in critical but stable condition as of Tuesday morning, Feb. 8. All of the victims have since recovered.

Snow plow kills woman

A 75-year-old woman, who was walking to a friend's house down the street from her snow-covered block in East Meadow, was fatally injured when a snow plow operated by a Lawrence man backer over her, police said.The victim, Sylvia Roberts, who lived in The Meadows retirement community, suffered a fractured pelvis and internal bleeding as a result of the accident, said Detective Lieutenant Andrew Fal of the First Squad.The accident occurred at 11:35 A.M. on Tuesday, Jan. 25 on Meadowoods Drive and Glenn Curtiss Crescent. She was rushed to Nassau County Medical Center in critical condition, police said. She was pronounced dead at 3 A.M. on Jan. 26. The operator of the snow plow, Rene Tobar, 39, of Spring Street in Lawrence, was not charged with a crime, officials said. But he was issued four violations of the Vehicle Traffic Law for having no reverse lights on the vehicle, no road warning devices, no fire extinguisher and for having two tires touching the second axle of the truck, police said.

Air freight co. lands in 5T

North Lawrence landed up to 50 new jobs which were expected to be created by a major air freight export company moving into the neighborhood.Texas-based Eagle Air Freight was building a new $7 million warehouse in North Lawrence in hopes to increase its business on Long Island. Under construction at the end of Inip Drive on the edge of Jamaica Bay, the building will eventually add about 50 jobs to the area.According to the Town of Hempstead's Industrial Development Agency, the North Lawrence site had to compete with a potential Queens location for the deal.

The new Town of Hempstead

As part of his 1997 ruling to create councilmatic districts in the Town of Hempstead, United States District Judge John Gleeson approved the creation of six areas of almost equal populations.Until then, residents of the town have always voted for all six town board members. Residents will now vote for one member only representing their geographic area.

Hewlett H.S. co-ed attacked

Police bolstered patrols around Hewlett High School after an attacker tried to sexually assault an 18-year-old student who was taking a shortcut to school, authorities said.The attacker grabbed the student from behind, knocked her to the ground and forced her into a parked car, where he tried to carry out the sexual assault, said Detective Sergeant John Azzata of the Fourth Squad. But the assailant apparently was scared off, possibly by passing traffic, the sergeant said.Detectives refused to give the exact location of the attack, because they were holding back any information that could lead to her identity since she lived close to where the attack occurred. Investigators did say that it occurred near an apartment building in the vicinity of the school, at Broadway and Everit Avenue, at 7:30 A.M. on Wednesday, Feb. 9. Police stressed that the incident did not take place on school grounds.The route the female student was taking was not a normal route to school, Sergeant Azzata said, and was not accessed by other students."This is not a normal walkway for any other students," he said. "I don't want people to think that students are being pulled off the sidewalk. She was the only one taking that route to school, accessed by her only."

Syd Mandelbaum case dismissed

An attempt to remove trustee Syd Mandelbaum from the Lawrence Board of Education was rejected by the state commissioner of education. A six-page decision handed down on Friday, Feb. 11, found no grounds for the removal of Mr. Mandelbaum over an incident of alleged misconduct that followed the May 1999 school board election, where Mr. Mandelbaum was accused of making an obscene comment and gesture towards trustee Gale Srulevich.Expressing relief over the ruling, Mr. Mandelbaum said, "I just want to go forward as I always have for the kids." He then issued a statement that read: "I was confident the commissioner would rule in my favor after reviewing all of the facts. It is comforting to see that somewhere in the educational process the rules of law are still adhered to, if not with the Lawrence Board. I will continue to work hard for the members of our community, especially all of the children."

Teen caught in 'net' sting

A 16-year-old Inwood boy who apparently was fooling around on his home computer was swept up in an undercover sting after he allegedly transmitted child pornography over the Internet to a state trooper in Pennsylvania, officials said.Following a joint investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Nassau County Police Department, the suspect, Joseph Rizzo, was arrested, officials said. Armed with a court order, police went to his home and seized two computers which were believed to have sent the images.

MARCH

Peter Matthews/Herald

Fireman Joe Tazalaro rescues a cat from a house fire in North Lawrence on Sunday, Feb. 27, a blaze which severely injured an elderly woman.

Woman, 83, injured in fire

An 83-year-old woman was severely burned on the night of Sunday, Feb. 27, during a house fire in Hewlett, which officials believe may have been caused by a lit cigarette.Pauline Sayers of 1496 Peninsula Boulevard was reported in critical condition at Nassau County Medical Center. Hewlett firefighters responded to a call from a neighbor of Ms. Sayers at about 9:45 P.M. They arrived to find Ms. Sayers had been helped from the home by neighbor Ellen Kraus. Rescuers immediately began treating Ms. Sayers for her burns, which covered about 50 percent of her body, before a police ambulance transported her to the burn unit at Nassau County Medical Center.

County freezes out senior center

The Five Towns Community Center was forced to take an unscheduled holiday during the last week of February when the building was left with no heat. For the third time in the winter, the county had reportedly failed to pay the building's oil provider, leaving the building's seniors in the cold."This is the third time," said Annie Reyes, the community center's program director. "It's kind of irritating. With all of the cuts on poor people's backs, we feel like we're just forgotten." The building, which houses the Inwood Senior Center and a Head Start day care program, apparently ran out of oil on Saturday, Feb. 25. By the time employees showed up on Monday morning, President's Day, the building was said to be "freezing."Kristen Sendlein/Herald

Police investigate an incident in which a man was struck by a westbound train on the border of Lawrence and Cedarhurst.
Train kills A.B. man

A 55-year old Atlantic Beach man was struck and killed by a Long Island Rail Road train as it was pulling into the Cedarhurst station, authorities said."It appears that his intentions were to step in front of the train," said Detective Lieutenant John Allen of the Fourth Squad, who added that the investigation was continuing.The incident occurred at about 10:45 A.M. on Monday, March 6, when the victim ended up in the path of the westbound train. He was struck at the east end of the Cedarhurst station, at the Washington Avenue railroad crossing, officials said. It appears that he was dragged by the train because he ended up several feet away from where he was initially hit, said Lieutenant Allen. He was pronounced dead at 11:25 A.M. at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway, said police officials.

Battle over $85M bond

Opponents and supporters of Hewlett-Woodmere School District's $85 million bond referendum to rehabilitate school buildings were working feverishly to get the word out in the last crucial days before the Tuesday, March 14 vote.They flooded District 14 residents with mailings, flyers, advertisements and phone calls, trying to persuade them to vote for or against the bond issue. The bond has stirred heated debate at many school board meetings since November, 1999. If the bond passed, it would have enabled the school board to go ahead with a district-wide school renovation project, including additions at the high school and a new middle school. The bond was overwhelmingly voted down, forcing school officials to cut the bond to $22.6 million for a June 20 vote, which passed.

Inwood may get city garbage

The Town of Hempstead fought a plan to use Inwood as a site to dump a few truckloads of garbage from its New York City neighbors, as the city prepared to close its Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island.Under the terms of several proposals under consideration at the time, municipal waste from Brooklyn and Queens would be re-routed to the Sanitary District No. 1 transfer station in Inwood and several other stations in Nassau. This would mean as much as 400 tons of waste per day added to the Inwood station.

Barish gets heat for political ads

Geri Barish, president of 1 in 9: the Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition, received heat for lending her support to the Presidential campaign of Gov. George W. Bush.Ms. Barish, who appeared with Gov. Bush during a campaign stop on the State University of Stony Brook campus Friday, March 3, has been closely aligned with the local Republican party. She twice ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Nassau County Legislature. Her decision to speak in the Bush ads, depicting Republican Presidential challenger Sen. John McCain as anti-breast cancer research, led to a maelstrom of controversy, putting the 55-year old Baldwinite in an awkward position.

Herald sweeps state press contest

Herald Community Newspapers swept the New York Press Association's 1999 Better Newspaper Contest, taking home nine awards for journalistic excellence. The Herald papers placed seventh among newspaper groups statewide, garnering more awards than all other Nassau County newspapers combined. The awards were announced during the association's annual convention in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.Some 164 weekly newspapers submitted 3,002 entries in all to the annual Better Newspaper Contest.Herald publisher Clifford Richner, the immediate past president of the press association, called the crop of awards "an impressive achievement. Winning top awards for news coverage, education coverage, opinion writing and photography demonstrates the depth of talent and commitment of our staff. I couldn't be more proud of the Herald team."Janette Pellegrini/Herald

phillip stern gets ready to pull the curtain shut and cast his ballot at Hewlett High School during the special election.
$85M H-W bond defeated

Voters overwhelmingly rejected the Hewlett-Woodmere School District's $85 million bond referendum on Tuesday, March 14. Residents voted against all three propositions, leaving the school district with no current options for funding the rehabilitation project, which included the construction of a new Woodmere Middle School."The people have spoken," said superintendent Dr. Charles Fowler. "I think the board would have been faulted if it didn't present the needs to the community."

Hewlett House to open by Memorial Day?

After several delays, the Hewlett House breast cancer resource center needed another $150,000 to $175,000 for additional renovations to the building, to meet a Memorial Day weekend, 2000, opening deadline, officials said.Jerry Kessler, project manager for Hewlett House, said the building on East Rockaway Road was 96 percent completed at the time. If there were no other construction problems or unforeseen costs, "There should be no physical reason we shouldn't open by Memorial Day weekend," he said, during a Tuesday, March 7 meeting of the Hewlett House Advisory Council. As Memorial Day approached, the completion of the house was beset by other delays and has yet to open.Angela Marshall/Herald

Anthony Ewers
Ewers races to national title

Lawrence High School track star Anthony Ewers became the school's first individual national champion, winning the 400 meter title in Bloomington, Indiana.Ewers posted the nation's best time of the year, 48.10, edging Ricky Harris of Virginia by two-tenths of a second. The win came barely a month after an injury forced Ewers to miss both the county and state championships, where he had won last year."I was disappointed I couldn't defend my state title," Ewers said, "but this feels good. This was the top 400 runners in the country."

Doc charged in sex abuse

A Lawrence doctor was charged with sex abuse for the second time in about a year when he was accused of inappropriately touching a female patient who came into his office with a sinus condition, detectives said.Investigators arrested Dr. Eduardo A. Sanchez, 47, at his office at 135 Rockaway Turnpike, where he practices general medicine, police said. Police arrested the doctor in the lobby of the building at 6:55 P.M on Wednesday, March 15., authorities said.According to police, the 30-year-old patient was visiting the doctor for a sinus problem at 8:10 P.M. on Monday, March 13, when he took her to the examination room alone and asked her to partially disrobe. She was visiting the doctor because the sinus problem was causing her to snore heavily.

Senior home planned for N. Woodmere

North Woodmere may soon house a nursing home at the mostly dormant Hungry Harbor Shopping Center. The secluded mall features little more than a CVS pharmacy and a long row of vacant stores.Town of Hempstead officials confirmed that site plans were filed for construction of an assisted living facility on the property, a plan that has been vigorously opposed by the North Woodmere Civic Association.

Neighbors win shop site fight

Bowing to fierce community pressure, the Hewlett-Woodmere school board scrapped plans to construct a new maintenance shop behind the Hewlett House, and instead decided to build it in the parking lot at the Woodmere Education Center on Johnson Place.Ever since the school board announced in November plans to re-locate the maintenance facility from Hewlett High School to behind the Hewlett House on East Rockaway Road, neighbors responded with outrage, lashing out at the proposal for potentially destroying their quality of life. They also argued that the historical Hewlett Homestead property, which was the original site chosen for the shop, was not suitable for a maintenance facility. Hewlett House is a comprehensive breast cancer resource center.

Group lobbies for airport pollution study

For the second time in a year, the New York State Assembly passed a bill requiring a study of air pollution surrounding Kennedy Airport. Five Towns residents hope to get the bill through the senate, where it previously has stalled.Known as the Bubble Bill, the legislation would require the state's Department of Environmental Conservation to conduct a feasibility study on regulating the air pollution in and around both Kennedy and LaGuardia airports. Modeled on a plan passed in California, emissions from all sources within a three-mile radius would be measured, with a committee then recommending to the state how this pollution can be reduced.Members of the Town-Village Aircraft Safety and Noise Abatement Committee (TVASNAC) declared plans to lobby the senate to take action on the bill. In January, the bill died without ever coming to a vote- seven months after the assembly first passed it. The assembly passed it again unanimously on Monday, March 20.

APRIL

Conflict on Hungry Harbor Rd.

Site plans for a proposed assisted living facility in North Woodmere revealed a three-story building extending nearly to the sidewalk, a structure considerably larger than the current shopping center that it would replace.Plans for the Hungry Harbor Road property were filed with the Town of Hempstead building department, and area residents hoped that was as far as the plans go. The more than 100 people who attended the Tuesday, March 28 meeting of the North Woodmere Civic Association demonstrated unanimous opposition to the proposed development at the near-vacant Hungry Harbor Shopping Center. The mall houses only a CVS pharmacy and a row of abandoned stores.The plans, filed in November, were obtained by civic association co-president Gary Carlton through the Freedom of Information Law and were displayed for the public at the March 28 meeting. Initially, Mr. Carlton was refused access to the documents, he said, but appealed and had that decision reversed by the town's attorney. The structure was proposed to be 52 feet high and 43,610-square feet.

Changes anger Lawrence teachers

Irate Lawrence High School teachers registered a vocal complaint with the administration over plans to replace existing department chair positions with district-wide directors, a plan that was expected to be approved by the Board of Education.Teachers packed the board's public meeting on Tuesday, March 28, to protest the plan, which was revealed as part of the preliminary 2000-2001 district budget. About $132,000 was allocated for the new positions. The proposal called for directors to be hired to oversee the curriculum being taught from kindergarten through the 12th grade.While no speakers disputed the value of such directors, several teachers expressed fear of the loss of their department chairpersons. English teacher Michael DeVito, speaking on behalf of the entire high school faculty, said, "I polled every teacher in the building, and I found as many different reasons to oppose the plan as there are people in the high school."

Resident riders blast bus cuts

Hundreds of outraged commuters whose daily routines depend on mass transit filled the auditorium of Nassau County Medical Center in East Meadow on Tuesday, March 28, to voice protests during a hearing over Long Island Bus Company's proposed elimination and reduction of 40 bus routes across Nassau County. The overflowing crowd spilled into the hospital corridors and the street outside.The public hearing, run by Metropolitan Transit Authority, began at 4 P.M. and ended at 11 P.M., said Frank Ryan, chief administrative operating officer of Long Island Bus, who estimated that 123 people spoke at the meeting. The money was later restored in a bi-partisan effort by the state senate and assembly.

Four-hour standoff with cops

Four suspects, who allegedly robbed a man at gunpoint on a Queens street, fled to Inwood and holed up in two buildings for almost four tense hours as cops surrounded the area in an effort to negotiate their surrender, police said.The standoff with police, which began at 3:19 P.M. on April 8, ended at 7:15 P.M., with three of the four suspects being arrested without incident from 64 Lawrence Avenue in Inwood, authorities said. A fourth suspect was captured earlier in a crawl space in the basement at 14 Clinton Avenue, police said.The incident unfolded at 3:05 P.M. when four suspects allegedly robbed a 27-year-old man on Rockaway Boulevard and Guy R. Brewer Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, according to Police Officer George Jensen, a spokesperson for the New York Police Department.

DWI driver gets max in deaths of 2

A Valley Stream man who was convicted in the drunk driving deaths of two passengers in his car in Atlantic Beach last May appealed to the judge for leniency during sentencing."I'm not a threat to society. I'm not a substance abuser. I'm not a criminal," said Louis Chirco, 26, of Wood Lane, in addressing Nassau County Court Judge Donald DeRiggi before sentencing.Calling Mr. Chirco "a nightmare to every parent of a child out there" because he was speeding and driving drunk, Judge DeRiggi sentenced him to the maximum 2 1/3-to-7 years in prison on Wednesday, April 12.

County committee okays zoning for A.B.

After 38 years as an incorporated village, Atlantic Beach appeared to finally get the power to pass its own zoning regulations.After heated debate on Monday, April 10, by the Nassau County Legislature's Towns, Villages, and Cities Committee, it voted, 5-4, in favor of Atlantic Beach gaining control over its own zoning. Atlantic Beach is the only village in the state without power over village zoning issues, with the Town of Hempstead having the final say on mostly all zoning matters.

$40 M bond on District 15 table

District 15 residents faced a potential $40 million bond to pay for major renovations to Lawrence High School and district-wide upgrades, including a $4 million swimming pool at the middle school. The bond would have cost the average district home owner about $220 per year. But, sensing that it lacked community support, the school board decided to scrap the bond.

Gunman mugs couple in HBP

An elderly man and his wife returning from religious services at a neighborhood synagogue were mugged at gunpoint near Cedar Avenue in Hewlett Bay Park, when the robber threw the woman to the ground and threatened to shoot her if she did not comply with his demands for cash, detectives said. The couple insisted they had no money and, after rifling through their pockets, the robber ran away empty-handed. No one was reported injured

Robber gets 18 years in crime spree

A 26-year-old man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for a robbery spree which hit convenience and grocery stores in Valley Stream, Lynbrook and North Lawrence, authorities said.Richard Thomas of 144th Avenue in Rosedale, Queens was sentenced by Nassau County Court Judge Donald DeRiggi on Thursday, April 20, after pleading guilty in February to six counts of robbery in the first degree, officials said.

MAY

Inwood teen missing

An Inwood teenager was reported missing after she failed to show up for work at a day care center in her neighborhood.Sabrina Robinson, a Lawrence High School student, failed to show up for work all week-and even missed picking up her paycheck. She was the focus of a week-long search by police, friends and family. From the beginning, police said they did not believe that she was the victim of foul play but were taking her disappearance very seriously. Days after the story appeared, Ms. Robinson called the Herald to say that she was safe and sound, that she was staying with someone and did not know what all the fuss was about over her disappearance.

Personnel moves at 4th Precinct

The Fourth Precinct underwent a number of personnel moves as a countywide effort to reduce overtime costs and to shift officers from "desk jobs" to patrol.Several officers assigned to desk jobs at the Fourth Precinct and the seven other county precincts were asked to patrol neighborhoods in an effort to make the department more cost-effective and potentially protect officers from layoffs. One of the moves involved shifting crime analyst, Police Officer Gary Monahan, who had handled requests for information from the media, back onto street patrol.

Man shot on way to work

Police were searching for three men who shot and wounded a 23-year-old man on his way to work on Bayview Avenue in Inwood, officials said.Police were trying to figure out a motive in the shooting, which occurred while the victim was walking in the parking lot of Airborne Express, at 600 Bayview Avenue, at 9:30 P.M. on Friday, May 5. The man, who lives in Brooklyn and whose name was being withheld by police, was confronted by the three assailants, one of whom was armed with a small silver revolver, detectives said.The man was on his way to work at a local warehouse when he was ordered by the trio to lie on the ground, officials said. When he apparently disregarded the order, he was shot in the right thigh, said Detective Sergeant John Azzata of the Fourth Squad. The three assailants then ran away. Police investigators could not say whether the victim worked at Airborne Express or a nearby building.

Upset in District 14 elections

In what was called a stunning upset, three challengers for seats on the Hewlett-Woodmere school board defeated three incumbent board members.Robert Jay, Elyse Coleman and Stephanie Gallo beat incumbents Francis Fiumano, Marsha Penzer and Rebecca Ovadia for seats on the school board on May 16. Ms. Coleman collected 1,287 votes, Ms. Gallo won 1,100 votes and Mr. Jay garnered 1,272 votes. Mr. Fiumano, a 13-year trustee, captured 817 votes; Ms. Penzer, a board member for 12 years, earned 1,010 votes; and Ms. Ovadia, a board member for 15 years, won 853 votes. The District 14 election is at-large, which means that the top three vote-getters earn seats.

District 15 incumbent defeated

Challenger Kathy Raquet-Barry unseated incumbent Dennis Brown for a District 15 school board seat, defeating the trustee 1,490 votes to 1,130. In addition, the $73 million budget passed easily, 1,276 to 1,034, and newcomer Frank Parise, who ran unchallenged, won a seat on the school board, collecting 1,678 votes and taking the seat vacated by Robert Clark.The election issue that took center stage was the teachers' contract negotiations and deal. Mr. Brown reversed his decision to support the newly-ironed out contract, which he had supported a month earlier in closed-door negotiations. His reversal was cited for leading to the rejection of the deal. He said the four-year cost figures trustees were given were not accurate, leading to his change of position.

Retired cop foils carjacking

A retired New York City police officer thwarted a carjacking at the Cedarhurst train station, after the robber assaulted a victim and attempted to flee in her employer's Mercedes-Benz, police said.The retired officer, whose name was withheld, blocked the thief's path with his own vehicle, which forced the carjacker to abandon the Mercedes. The incident occurred at 2:15 P.M. on May 11, when the 38-year-old victim, a hairdresser at Rodolfo Valentin hair salon on Spruce Street, was retrieving some papers from her employer's car, which was parked nearby at the train station on Chestnut Street.She entered the car when a man approached her from behind, put a choke-hold on her and knocked her to the ground. She struggled with the attacker and he struck her in the face. He then jumped into the driver's side of the Mercedes and that is when the retired officer foiled the carjacking. The robber then managed to escape into an awaiting car occupied by three other men.

Salary cuts for child care workers

A salary cut for Nassau County child care workers may cost the Five Towns Community Center much of its staff and child care programs, it was reported in the May 25 issue.Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta removed $2.5 million in salary enhancement funds, which since 1988 had helped county child care workers maintain a livable wage. The loss would mean a 30 percent pay cut for child care teachers, bringing annual salaries at the center to as low as $14,000 for some employees.

Homeless man charged with sex abuse

A homeless man was arrested after he allegedly kissed and fondled a 44-year-old woman on Sprague Road in Inwood on May 17, when she caught him rummaging through her garbage at the side of her home, police said.Daniel Syska, 51, was arrested a day after the alleged sexual assault and was charged with sex abuse in the third degree, police said.

JUNE

Lawrence teachers' contract ratified

Lawrence teachers finally got their deal. The Board of Education ratified a new contract two weeks after the previously agreed-upon deal failed to earn approval. Trustee Chickie Granet, a previous opponent of the agreement, provided the necessary fourth vote required for passage.Ms. Granet stated that she was changing her vote to "end the embarrassing impasse" over the deal that had been approved during closed-door negotiations in April. That deal's ratification had been blocked by Trustee Dennis Brown when he switched his vote to oppose it in a May 9 public vote. Mr. Brown was defeated in the following week's school board election.

Sentenced to 20-to-life for burglary

Fernando Poncedeleon, who has been in and out of prison since the late 1970s for burglary and larceny in New York City, gambled and lost when he took his criminal act to Nassau County, prosecutors said.Mr. Poncedeleon, 43, of Seagirt Boulevard in Far Rockaway, was sentenced on Tuesday, May 23, to 20 years-to-life in prison for an August 12, 1999, burglary at Bay Boulevard in Atlantic Beach, authorities said. With an extensive rap sheet working against him, the defendant was declared "a persistent felony offender" by Nassau County Court Judge Daniel Cotter, making Mr. Poncedeleon eligible for life in prison. He was tagged with persistent felony offender status and was branded a "career criminal" after a hearing before the judge on May 23.He would not be eligible for parole until he serves at least 20 years, officials said. Prior to his latest conviction, he was convicted of nine misdemeanors and five felonies over the last 25 years, prosecutors said.

Construction worker accused of rape

A construction worker who was helping to build a home on Beechwood Drive in Lawrence was arrested and charged with raping and sodomizing a 19-year-old woman in the bedroom of a nearby building used for storage of construction material, police said. Jemal Moore, 31, of the Bronx, was charged with rape in the first-degree and sodomy in the first-degree after he was nabbed by police on Rockaway Turnpike and Mott Avenue in North Lawrence on June 2, police said. Officials said the suspect escorted the young woman, who lives in Far Rockaway, to Beechwood Drive to show her the house he was helping to build.

Funeral for Wendy's victim

A funeral at Trinity-St. John's Episcopal Church was held for Anita Smith, one of five workers gunned down by robbers at a Wendy's in Queens.Ms. Smith and her fiancŽ Sheldon Ferguson had planned to marry in that church in the summer of 2001, but instead of wedding plans, Ms. Smith's family tragically were making funeral preparations. The funeral service on June 3 attracted hundreds of mourners who remembered the young woman as a "true and beautiful person" who embraced life and followed her dreams of becoming a social worker.Two men have been charged in the murders, which occurred on May 24 in the Wendy's on Main Street in Flushing.

Woman charged in
hit-and-run

A New Jersey woman, who police said was driving drunk, was arrested after she struck and critically injured a Woodmere man as he crossed a Lawrence street following religious services at a synagogue, police said.After her car struck the man, the suspect drove off but was captured by police more than a mile away in Woodmere, police said. The incident was one of three separate serious traffic-related accidents that occurred during that weekend.The Lawrence incident occurred at 12:10 A.M. on Friday, June 9 when Samuel Zomber, 52, of Woodmere was walking across Broadway, about 100 feet west of Sutton Place in Lawrence. He was struck by a 1991 Mazda operated by Farashta Dastagirzada, 55, of Clinton Place in Elizabeth, N.J., detectives said.

Teen held in 'wilding' spree

An Inwood teenager was held on $50,000 bail in the "wilding" spree in Central Park, when as many as 50 women claimed to have been sexually abused by large groups of young men and teenage boys following the Puerto Rican Day parade, officials said.Roberto Camacho, 16, of Monroe Street in Inwood was one of 17 suspects arrested and charged in connection with the sexual assaults on Sunday, June 11. The 16-year-old, who has been labeled one of the major instigators in the June 11 attacks on women in the park, was arrested at 6:30 P.M. on Thursday, June 15, and charged with sexual abuse in the first degree and riot in the first degree, authorities said. He reportedly slipped out a back window of his Monroe Street home as detectives were questioning his mother on Wednesday, June 14. He turned himself into police at the 13th Precinct in Manhattan the following day, officials said.

Gulotta rejects A.B. zoning

Atlantic Beach officials and local legislators blasted Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta after he vetoed a bill on Thursday, June 15, which would have granted the village authority over its own zoning."I'm very disappointed," said Nassau County Legislator Michael Zapson (D-Long Beach), who sponsored the bill in the legislature. "The only people affected are the people of Atlantic Beach." A majority of the residents of Atlantic Beach favored the village adopting its own zoning authority, since it is the only village in the state without zoning powers, officials said. Legislator Zapson added that this is not the first time that County Executive Gulotta has vetoed a crucial bill.The bill that would have given zoning powers to the village was passed by the legislature in a 11-8 vote on May 15 and was then turned over to County Executive Gulotta, who took the entire 30 days to make his decision on the bill, said Jake Lynn, deputy press secretary for the legislature's Democratic majority. Legislator Francis Becker (R- Lynbrook) was the only Republican who crossed party lines on May 15 to vote for the bill.

HHS to expand after bond vote passes

The Hewlett-Woodmere School District is preparing for the expansion of Hewlett High School to meet growing enrollment after the $22.6 million bond was approved by 53 percent of voters on Tuesday, June 20.The final tally: 969 voters cast their ballots for the bond and 841 voted against it. Dennis Sheridan, the school district's director of facilities, said the high school may not see any construction until the Spring of 2001.The vote outcome was greeted by school officials with enthusiasm. Richard Braverman, president of the school board, said, "I am delighted that our residents have seen fit to support the badly needed space at the high school."Dr. Charles Fowler, schools superintendent, added, "For the kids in the high school and the community this was critical and will allow us to help them to meet new standards and quality programs the community deserves."

A.B. incumbents unseated

Challengers Janice Goorland and Sam Mevorach said they are looking forward to settling into their new posts as trustees in the Village of Atlantic Beach after their stunning upsets over incumbents Edward Radburn and Francine Rosenberg.A total of 1,504 village residents cast their votes in the Tuesday, June 20 election, with Mr. Mevorach, the village's sanitation commissioner, receiving 343 votes and Ms. Goorland garnering 338 votes. Ms. Rosenberg collected 233 votes and Mr. Radburn, 189 votes. The new trustees took office on July 5 at the village board's reorganization meeting. Mayor Stephen Mahler, who ran uncontested for re-election, received 401 votes.

Shoe magnate arrested

Steven Madden, a former Lawrence resident who built a footwear empire from his humble beginnings as a Five Towns' stock boy and salesman, was arrested on Tuesday, June 20, and charged with schemes to manipulate stocks and defraud investors, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.Mr. Madden, chairman and chief executive officer of Steven Madden, Ltd., a designer and retailer of women's shoes, was arrested on separate indictments filed in the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, charging that Mr. Madden participated in schemes to manipulate initial public offerings (IPOs), including the IPO of his own company, officials said. The alleged manipulations add up to about $7 million in illegal profits for Mr. Madden, officials said.The indictments charge Mr. Madden, 43, now a resident of Mercer Street in Manhattan, with multiple counts of conspiracy, securities fraud and money laundering, all arising from the initial public offerings underwritten by Stratton Oakmont, Inc., a now-defunct broker-dealer of securities, which was based in Lake Success, N.Y., and Monroe Parker Securities, Inc., a now defunct broker-dealer of securities formerly located in Purchase, N.Y. Mr. Madden, whose shoes are particularly popular with fashion-conscious girls and young women, faced a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines and penalties, if found guilty of the charges. Steven Madden Ltd. was not charged with any wrongdoing.Mr. Madden was released after posting $750,000 bail.