NuHealth System Receives $7 Million Capital Grant

Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System, announced that the New York State Department of Health has awarded $7 million in HEAL NY Phase 19 program (Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers). The HEAL funding is being provided to hospitals to assist them in restructuring and in the reconfiguration of their facilities to further improve the delivery of care to patients.

In a letter dated Sept. 30, Richard F. Daines, commissioner of the NYS Department of Health said, “We are pleased to inform you that your facility has been selected to receive a $7M award under the HEAL NY Phase 19, to support and fund capital projects to address unmet health care needs in New York State.”

Gross, Senior Center Honor Unsung Hero Shirley Wright

Volunteer Described as ‘So Humble, So Wonderful’ and ‘One in a Million’

During a bustling ceremony at the Westbury Senior Center featuring close friends and local officials from the Town of North Hempstead, volunteer Shirley Wright was honored as an “Unsung Hero” for her work at the center and within the community over the years.

Town of North Hempstead Clerk Leslie Gross presented Wright with a citation recognizing her long list of contributions to the Senior Center, while Wright’s peers spoke very highly of her as stories were shared during the ceremony.

LIPEN Launches ‘Cyberbullies Beware’ Anti-bullying Program

Plainview-Based Professional Education Network Takes on Cyberbullying

Long Island Professional Educators Network (LIPEN) has been fighting the idea that schoolyard bullying is inevitable for years with the aid of “Bully Frog”, a particularly bellicose cartoon amphibian with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. Over the course of the first Bully Frog children’s book, used by LIPEN as a part of an interactive anti-bullying program conducted within schools, the titular Bully Frog (actually Billy Frog) learns how to deal with other children in a more positive way, and the other children learn how to stick up for each other as well. However, is even a kid as tough as Billy Frog safe in the era of 24-hour text messaging?

Community Programs Introduced for New Cassel Revitalization Plan

Residents Encouraged to Participate and Provide Feedback

On the evening of Sept. 16, a Town of North Hempstead public meeting was held at Westbury’s Park Avenue School as a component of the town’s ongoing plan for the redevelopment and renewal of the New Cassel community.

The purpose of this meeting, which was hosted by Town Councilwoman Viviana Russell, was to present and discuss two specific parts of the Town’s current strategy: the New Cassel Brownfield Opportunity Areas (BOA) Program and a community Arts Initiatives project for New Cassel. 

9/11 Memorial Ceremony and Westbury Street Fair

Events Displayed True Sense of Community

On Sept. 11 and 12, the Westbury Business Improvement District sponsored the annual Post Avenue Street Fair, an event that was well attended, entertaining and successful.

This year, the street fair commenced in a very significant and meaningful manner. The Village of Westbury commemorated the ninth anniversary of 9/11 with an interfaith Memorial Ceremony at the Village Piazza. It was a beautiful and solemn event.

School District Terminates Employment of Former Middle School Principal

Attorney for Powell Responds To District’s Action

Darnell Powell, former principal at the Westbury Middle School, along with his attorney Steven Morelli of Garden City, said they are planning on “going after anyone who did this to him” after Powell was removed from his position at the end of August following what Morelli stated were sexual harassment allegations.

According to a written statement emailed to The Westbury Times, the Westbury School District said, “Darnell Powell was reassigned out of his position as principal of Westbury Middle School in the spring of 2009. After an investigation and a hearing as provided by law, his employment within the district was terminated in the summer of 2010. It would be inappropriate for the district to comment further on the dismissal, to respect the privacy regarding personnel matters.”

ShotSpotter: One Year Later

Crimestopping Technology Could See Expanded Use in Nassau County

In the “old” days, police would receive a 911 call about shots fired in an area and respond to the scene with possible fatalities or severe injuries. For one year now, police have been able to respond within seconds of a shooting occurring.

Aug. 23 marked the one-year anniversary of the first arrest due to the ShotSpotter System at the Nassau County Police Department. The system is currently in full operation in Roosevelt and Uniondale. County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey said the department is looking to expand the system’s use to other communities in Nassau County.

Mayor Cavallaro Wraps Up Summer Business at Board Meeting

Soccer Club Temporarily Closes Until ‘Questions Sorted Out’

At the last Village of Westbury Board of Trustees Meeting before the fall equinox, Mayor Peter Cavallaro and the other board members looked back on the events of a busy summer and highlighted some of what the village can expect in the coming months.

Benevetto Soccer Club, located on Post Avenue, had received what Cavallaro called “complaints of illegal gambling” on the premises and as a result, the mayor temporarily suspended operations because of several unresolved issues at the site. 

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy Lays Out Legislative Priorities

Childhood Obesity, Border Control, the Wars, Aircraft Noise Among Topics Discussed

Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy sat down with editors of Anton Community Newspapers last week to discuss some of the hot-button issues in Washington and some specific to the 4th District that she represents.

She addressed various topics ranging from local airplane noise to Iraq, Afganistan and education. But it is her work on childhood obesity that she says has become one of her champion causes. McCarthy started working on the issue when she took over the chairmanship of Education and Labor Committee four years ago. She said that when she was considering the position, she researched the subject and it entailed everything she would want to work on. Prior to her political career, McCarthy was a nurse for 32 years.

Westbury’s Rick Collins Raises $32K for LiveSTRONG Foundation

Family, Friends Join Attorney in ‘Leap for Life’ Event

Rick Collins, a Westbury resident and attorney in Mineola, brought his “Leap for Life” idea from a local, one-man jump in 2009 to a 75 person skydiving weekend throughout North America in support of Lance Armstrong’s LiveSTRONG Foundation.

 “I did it last year as a solo effort and then I thought, ‘If I can raise 15 grand for an important cause on my own, let me get others involved and raise a lot more money,’” said Collins, whose daughter, Lauren, and family friends leaped alongside him.