Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt Dies At 62

Longtime legislator passes away suddenly while on the job

Nassau County Legislature Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt died suddenly on the morning of Oct. 3. According to Ed Ward, spokesperson from the legislator’s office, Schmitt, 62, collapsed while in a budget meeting with Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano in the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building and was rushed to Winthrop Hospital. He died at 11:55 a.m.

“Nassau County has lost a dedicated public servant,” said Mangano in a statement. “My wife Linda and I lost a friend of over 20 years. Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt served the residents of Nassau County with great integrity and pride. I had the privilege of serving closely with Peter in the legislature since its creation in 1996, where he distinguished himself as an outspoken advocate for the residents of the 12th Legislative District.”

Superintendents Join To Restore Service Programs

Long Island school district leaders call on Nassau County to restore $8 million in funding

Local school district superintendents on Tuesday, Oct. 2 called on Nassau County to restore youth and family programs that were cut or eliminated from the county budget on July 5. Representatives from Elmont, Great Neck, Long Beach, Massapequa, Mineola, Uniondale and Westbury protested the decision to slash nearly $8 million in program funding that went to counseling, tutoring, crisis intervention, after school programs, among other areas.

These programs were the victim of the ongoing tug-of-war between party lines in the county concerning borrowing and redistricting. Organizations across Nassau County, like the Gateway Youth Outreach in Elmont and Mineola Youth and Family Services in Mineola were blindsided when the cut came down three months ago.

‘Creative Cups’ Returns For Third Year

Project honors and raises money for those suffering from breast cancer

Whether it is a grandmother, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend or a colleague, it is likely that most people will in some way be affected by breast cancer in their lifetime. Now there is an opportunity to give back to the cause and help others. And with October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the timing couldn’t be better.

For its third year, the Creative Cups program is back at Adelphi University. The project encourages artistic expression for participants, who design and build works of art using bras, which will be exhibited and auctioned at a gala reception in the spring.

‘Arts Alive LI’ Fostering Arts, Creativity All October

Island-wide, multi-venue festival showcasing finest in culture, artistry

For the month of October, Long Islanders won’t have to travel into Manhattan to get an art and culture fix.

On Sept. 27, the Cradle of Aviation Museum, located at 1 Davis Ave. in Garden City, hosted representatives from the Long Island Arts Alliance (LIAA), Bethpage Federal Credit Union, the Long Island Community Foundation and local elected officials as they announced the month-long festivities promoting Long Island’s finest artists and their works.

Construction Time Again

2009 School Investment Bond results shown off in tour of new look Homestead School

New was the operative word last Thursday at the Homestead School.

New year, new students, and in this case, a new look.

Before the Garden City Board of Education held its first regular meeting for the new school year, it was time to take a tour. The 2009 School Investment Bond has allowed the district to make significant improvements to its buildings, and all were invited to check out some of the changes at Homestead.

Opening Day In Garden City Public Schools

Not much matches the first-day excitement of a new school year. Waiting at the bus stop or walking to school sporting a brand new outfit and carrying a backpack filled with fresh school supplies occupies a special place in a student’s life.

On Sept. 4, the sense of a new beginning was palpable across the district as parents’ hopes and dreams waved goodbye from departing buses to be received by a sea of face-scrunching smiles, high fives, fist bumps and open arms from staff and one-year-older classmates as students entered their buildings for the first day of the 2012-13 school year.

Back To School Safety Series

This the final part of the four-part series of articles by the Garden City Police Department addressing Back to School Safety Issues. In the previous three newspaper articles we addressed “Safe Driving Practices,” “School Bus Safety” and “Pedestrian/Bicyclist Safety.” This week’s article will cover “Stranger Danger.” Parents, grandparents, guardians and teachers are encouraged to use this article to help teach their children about Stranger Danger.

GC Honors 9/11 Victims On 11th Anniversary

Mayor Brudie leads turnout of officials and residents in paying homage to local residents

Over 50 Garden City residents attended a memorial at the Village Green for the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Held by the Garden City Fire Department and attended by Village of Garden City Mayor Donald T. Brudie and other village officials, everyone stood silently in prayer and remembrance for the 23 Garden City residents who were killed 11 years ago.

Ex-chief John Casey opened the ceremony with a prayer, saying: “We gather today to recall the events of September 11. We lift up to you, all the people who died in 9/11...those who died in the attacks, those who responded, those who now fight in wars as a result of that dark day, and those who are still mourning the loss of their loved ones every day.”

Meditating On The Evils Of Sex Trafficking

One Love Long Island hosts 2012 Yoga Festival

According to a 2009 report released by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), more than 1.2 million children are involved in prostitution and sex trafficking in that country. It’s these kind of horrific statistics that gave the ladies who make up One Love Long Island (OLLI) the impetus to get involved working with Off the Mat, Into the World (OTM), an organization that uses the power of yoga to inspire conscious and sustainable activism in order to ignite grassroots social change. Every year, OTM sponsors an international service project called the Global Seva Challenge that involves picking a country and cause in need. This year India is the country and the scourge that is sex trafficking is the social ill that’s being addressed.

St. James Celebrates 85th Anniversary

Church has storied history in town of Stewart Manor

St. James Lutheran Church held its first service on Ash Wednesday, March 2, 1927, in a home at 62 Salisbury Ave., with only twelve people in attendance. Now 85 years later, the church has grown and resides at its permanent location since 1939 on Chester Avenue and Elton Road.

As of 1996, Pastor John S. McKenzie has been the fourth standing pastor of the church. Despite the long history, the church has only had a total of four pastors, beginning with Pastor Morecraft during its opening in 1929.