New faces in familiar places
Two new administrators were at the helm of the Baldwin School District. Michael Roccoforte, formerly the director of curriculum technology and instructional support service, will serve as assistant superintendent for instruction, and Shirley Martin, new to the district, will take over as assistant superintendent for human resources.
A number of new courses were offered to district students, including two new science electives - forensic science and marine biology - and an advanced-placement English language and composition course for high school students.
In the middle school, the advisory program was extended to eighth-graders. New clubs, including Mathletes and Chess and Dance, were formed. Also new this year was a middle school newspaper and a peer-awareness conflict team.
Opening the books
With the school year set to begin, Alan Hevesi announced that Baldwin would be among 20 Long Island school districts to be audited by the state. Hevesi said the reason for the audit was "a number of requests from concerned parents and local officials" and reports of alleged financial scandals in the Roslyn and William Floyd school districts.
The audit focused on expenses, such as credit-card usage, meals and travel.
At the first board meeting of the school year, board president James Scannell predicted that the district would have its business practices validated by the upcoming state audit. "We welcome the audit, and we're confident that our practices comply with the letter and the spirit of the law," Scannell said.
In December, Hevesi found that Baldwin's spending within the district was appropriate. However, he cautioned the district to be more careful in the future. He advised the district to adopt written policies for district officials' spending on travel, meals, cell phones and gasoline.
Baldwin Superintendent of School's Dr. Kathy Weiss issued a statement, saying that the Board of Education has been in the process of implementing policies and procedures both prior to, and during the audit process. Furthermore, she says, procedures will continue to come in line with the suggestions in Hevesi's report.
Baldwin was selected because of concerns brought to the attention of Hevesi from citizens. However, only two complaints were lodged against the district. Both complaints were found to be unwarranted.
Nail and mail 'em
At a public forum held in the Echo Parkcommunity room, Hempstead Town Councilman Edward A. Ambrosino (R-No. Valley Stream) addressed the problem of illegal housing, which has been at the forefront of public consciousness and legislative agendas.
He said building inspectors would be able to post a summons on the door of an illegally rented house, and a copy will be sent by certified mail, requiring the landlord to appear in court by a certain date. This "nail and mail" technique will go a long way toward bringing those accountable before the courts.
A vision for the future
Long Island businesses banded together to ensure continued financial success in a forum held in Nassau County. For much of the county's early history, it was mostly suburban, residential sprawl, and residents traveled into Manhattan to conduct business. Eventually, mom-and-pop businesses found their way to the suburbs and created an identity all their own. Then, in the 1980s, those stores gave way to "big box" superstores, which have thrived in the area. Now, the group felt, the county's financial identity was once again at a crossroads.
In an effort to ensure that the county goes down the right road, the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, which represents more than 50 organizations throughout the county, held a "growth work session" on Sept. 15. More than 75 village representatives, chamber leaders and other community activists gathered, all eager to weigh in and learn more about the group's vision for the economic future.
Remembering September 11th
Dozens of Nassau County residents gathered in Eisenhower Park to mark the three-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and remember the nearly 300 county residents who lost their lives that day.
W. Hempstead residents charged with fraud
The Nassau County district attorney's office undertook a massive sweep of people allegedly participating in fraudulent unemployment claims, which resulted in more than 20 charges and arrests.
Twenty-five people were charged with fraud by the county's Criminal Frauds Bureau, including two West Hempstead residents, Wanda Stuart, 45, and William Richardson, Jr., 32, who, the bureau charges, collected $3,536 and $3,519, respectively.
Heavyweights
slug it out
It's not often a battle of heavyweights lives up to the advanced billing. Baldwin and East Meadow, however, fought for 48 minutes before the No. 5 Bruins (2-0) finally came out on top 14-13, when the Jets missed a 35-yard field goal with just 11 seconds to play.
"[The wins] are a big boost [for confidence]," Baldwin coach Steve Carroll said. "The guys now believe they can [do] anything. We just beat two huge teams [Oceanside in Week 1]."
The defense anchored Baldwin, making up for three first-half turnovers, and the offense mustered just enough on the scoreboard to help the team open up 2004 with consecutive victories in Conference I.
Don't move the First!
Baldwin residents, facing the very real possibility that the First Precinct police station would be relocated to Roosevelt, came out to voice their opinions.
More than 100 concerned citizens rallied at the Merrick Road police station to voice their objections to the removal and relocation of a well-established police presence from their community.
The backlash began immediately after County Executive Tom Suozzi targeted the precinct for relocation in his 2005 budget proposal, outlining a plan to move the precinct from its current location to a building on Nassau Road in Roosevelt.
By December, it appeared that plan to move the First Precinct out of Baldwin had failed.
In a press release issued by Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray and senior Councilman Anthony Santino (R-Baldwin), the two officials say that Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi is rescinding his proposal to move the precinct to Roosevelt.
Suozzi's proposal, which he said was never imminent, was met with disdain from the Baldwin community. More than 2,500 residents signed petitions indicating they oppose the move.
The September rally was sponsored by Santino and Nassau County Legislator Joseph Scannell (D-Baldwin). The rally, and the subsequent petition, came shortly after Suozzi targeted the precinct for relocation in his 2005 budget proposal. In the budget proposal, Suozzi outlined a plan to move the precinct from its current location to a building on Nassau Road in Roosevelt.
The First Precinct's jurisdiction stretches from its western boundary, Long Beach Road, to the Wantagh Parkway, and includes areas north of Sunrise Highway and south of Hempstead Turnpike. East Meadow, North Bellmore, Bellmore, Merrick, North Merrick, Roosevelt, Uniondale, Freeport and Baldwin are all within the precinct.
October
Race for 4th was heated
U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and her opponent, Village of Hempstead Mayor James Garner, were verbally slugging it out, with the winner-take-all-prize being the Fourth Congressional seat.
Garner, a Republican and Hempstead's mayor since 1989, challenged McCarthy, a Democrat who was seeking her fifth two-year term in Congress.
Included in the Fourth Congressional District are: the Five Towns, Atlantic Beach, Woodsburgh, part of Baldwin, East Meadow, Lynbrook, East Rockaway, Elmont, Franklin Square, part of North Merrick, North Bellmore, part of Oceanside, Rockville Centre, South Valley Stream, Valley Stream, Malverne and West Hempstead.
Sen. McCarthy was re-elected in the November elections.
Murder on Rose Boulevard
A heated dispute between mother and son turned fatal. Police reported that Aaron Clark, a 15-year-old Baldwin resident who attended an alternative high school in Hicksville, stabbed his mother, Gail, 48, to death after she reprimanded him for having his 19-year-old girlfriend sleep over.
First Precinct police officers received a call from Aaron Clark's girlfriend in which she claimed a man was in front of 575 Rose Boulevard, the Clarks' home, and that he might have a handgun. Upon arrival, they found Clark outside his house, preparing to drive off in his mother's 2003 GMC Suburban. After questioning him, police discovered that he was indeed in possession of a weapon.
In November, Clark was indicted on three counts of Murder in the Second Degree (one count of Intentional Murder and two counts of Felony Murder). In addition to allegedly stabbing his mother, police said that Clark also stole his mother's handgun. For that, he was indicted on two counts of robbery in the first degree, one count of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. He was also indicted for one count of tampering with physical evidence.
According to Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon, "the indictment alleges that Aaron Clark stabbed his mother Gail Clark to death and stole money and her off-duty handgun."
Numbers going down
The Baldwin school district was among the worst performers in Nassau County in math scores, according to figures released by the New York State Education Department. The numbers were well below those of neighboring school districts at both the fourth- and eighth-grade levels.
Dr. Michael Roccoforte said that while the results are disappointing, the numbers don't tell the whole story. The state exams are given as a means of identifying students who might be in danger of not passing Regents exams given in high school.
Baldwin School Board president James T. Scannell said students' performance on state-mandated fourth- and eighth-grade math tests don't present an accurate picture of the district.
The numbers don't take into account the "finished product," that is, the seniors that graduate from high school, Scannell said at the School Board's October 13th meeting.
"A community can be held hostage to these scores," he said. Baldwin performs better in the number of its students moving on to two- and four-year colleges, on Regents exams, and in extracurricular programs such as music and drama.
Lady Bruins volleyballers ace Carle Place tournament
It didn't take long for the Lady Bruins (10-4) to bounce back from consecutive defeats to Massapequa and Long Beach on the volleyball court. In fact, a first-place finish in a 12-team tournament at Carle Place High School on Oct. 23 was viewed as a means of propelling into the playoffs on a high note, keeping their collective eye on the No. 2 seed in the division.
November
Five teens and a lady
Five teenagers and one woman were arrested and charged with an overnight robbery spree in Baldwin, Oceanside and Rockville Centre that involved a shooting.
The five suspects were charged with first-degree robbery, criminal use of a firearm and two counts of first-degree attempted robbery on Oct. 30. Police said that the suspects attempted to rob two 24-year-old men on Grand Avenue in Baldwin and then confronted two teenage boys, robbing one of his wallet and $4, on Hempstead Avenue in Rockville Centre at midnight.
Just over an hour later, the six subjects confronted a man on Tilrose Avenue in Oceanside and attempted to rob him. "Basically, they confronted him and he ran immediately," Detective Sgt. Gary Schriffen told the Herald. "Three shots were fired - two missed, one hit him in the leg."
Ragtime rich in praise
Baldwin High School put on a lavish production of the Broadway musical "Ragtime." This production marked the first time a school had performed the play and the cast and crew did a fantastic job.
Beefing up efforts for brown-out
A 35-acre field at the end of Coes Neck Road in north Baldwin has long been an eyesore, as well as a source of frustration for those looking to clean it up.
Many who live near the field, which is owned by Nassau County, say that the county's lack of planning led to the land's sorry state. What was once a large lake in the middle of the field is now a mere puddle. The once-green field has turned brown and the county has deemed it unsuitable for development.
But this ugly piece of real estate may at long last be getting an upgrade. At a meeting of the Baldwin Oaks Civic Association, representatives of Nassau County delivered some good news: the county is in the process of entering into contracts with engineering firms that will conduct a "land boring" process.
December
Taking hold of the future
The future of the Baldwin School District began to emerge.
Representatives of School Leadership LLC, an educational consulting firm, have been meeting with teachers, support staff and students in order to determine what qualifications and attributes the next Baldwin superintendent of schools should possess.
The Baldwin community has also been given a chance to weigh in. The firm hosted a community-input meeting in the Baldwin High School auditorium to gather opinions from parents, business leaders and homeowners on what they would like to see in the next leader of the schools. With the current superintendent, Dr. Kathy Weiss, set to retire next summer, about 30 people attended the meeting to voice their opinions.
