Editorial: A Great Town, But Not Mayberry

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Editorial: A Great Town, But Not Mayberry

Friday, 25 January 2013 00:00

Massapequa is a great town. It’s a wonderful place to live. However, like any other place, anywhere in the world, it isn’t perfect. We would all love to go to the fictional town of Mayberry where doors are always unlocked, the sheriff doesn’t carry a gun, and crime is nonexistent. However, that town doesn’t really exist.

Recently, there has been an increase of crime in the Massapequas. Vehicles left at the railroad station have had the catalytic converters stolen from them. Personal property has been taken from the inside of vehicles parked on the streets. Some residents have been the target of phone scams. This doesn’t mean we still don’t have a great town. It just means we have to use a little more common sense.

There is very little we can do about the theft of catalytic converters except for calling the police if we do see something suspicious.

However, we can take simple steps to avoid the other scams. By simply locking the doors to our vehicles, and not leaving expensive property in plain sight, we can deter most would-be criminals from ever entering our cars. A sergeant from the Seventh Precinct said that 99 percent of all property thefts from inside of vehicles occur when the doors are left unlocked. So the solution is fairly simple. Lock your car doors.

Too often I’ve been at a 7-Eleven and have seen people pull up in their cars, leave the motor running, and go in to grab coffee. It would be great if we lived in a world where we could do this without fear of the car being stolen, but we don’t. So I urge all of you to practice common sense. Lock the doors to your car, lock the doors to your home at night, and if you receive a suspicious phone call requesting money, be very suspicious and do some investigating. If a long-lost relative is suddenly in need of quick cash, there’s probably more to the story than you are being told.

Massapequa and Massapequa Park really are great towns. They just aren’t Mayberry and neither is any other town on Long Island for that matter.

- Ronald Scaglia

News

Massapequa Park Set To Name New Mayor Monday

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 12:26

After 13 years presiding over Massapequa Park, James Altadonna stepped down as mayor last week and was appointed Oyster Bay Town Clerk.

Altadonna, who was elected to his seventh term in March, will be take over for Steve Labriola, who resigned in February. Altadonna’s name began to pop up in connection with the Town Clerk position in April, and he was nominated by Republicans to run for the job in late May.

Massapequa Catering Hall Suddenly Shutters

Tuesday, 18 June 2013 00:00

Manor East evicted as customers scramble for new venues

After Massapequa catering hall Manor East closed suddenly following an unexpected eviction last week, New York Assemblyman Joseph Saladino and Butch Yamali of the Long Island Caterers Association came together to offer assistance to those whose weddings, proms and other events were upended.

“We’re here to protect the victims, protect our community and do everything possible to ensure that they don’t lose their big day,” said Saladino, who was joined by owners of the catering hall outside his Massapequa office.

Sports

Chiefs Baseball Not Deterred By Loss

Thursday, 13 June 2013 00:00

For a town with such a proud tradition of baseball excellence, the goal is always to reach the mountaintop. There is no reason to be demoralized, however, by a 1-0 season-ending defeat in the Long Island Class-AA Championship game, according to Head Coach Tom Sheedy.

“It was such a competitive game,” said Sheedy. “We had our chances, but today we didn’t come through.”

Massapequa put together a tremendous season, finishing with a 20-6 record and capturing another Nassau County title. They defeated MacArthur 7-5 in the prior week at Farmingdale State College to capture their 10th county title and first since 2009.

Runners Race Against Prostate Cancer

Thursday, 13 June 2013 00:00

Two Massapequa residents from the opposite ends of the age spectrum led a strong contingent of runners down the stretch at Belmont Park and scored great finishes in the 2nd annual Belmont Stakes Blue Ribbon 5-Kilometer Run to Fight Prostate Cancer June 2.

As the first woman in the 15-19 age group to cross the finish line, 16-year-old Chelsea Hroch of North Massapequa finished in 23 minutes and 10 seconds. Meanwhile, 81-year-old Howard Kestenbaum took second place in the 80 to 84 age group, with a time of 43:11.