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Community Corner

🌱 Combatting COVID In Nassau + N. Hempstead Rejects Cannabis

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Mineola.

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Joanne Gallo, Neighbor
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(Patch.com)

Good day, people of Mineola! It's me again, Joanne Gallo, your host of the Mineola Daily.

First, today's weather:

A little morning rain. High: 47, low: 31.

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Here are the top stories in Mineola today:

  1. With the spread of the omicron variant, COVID-19 cases in New York state have increased by 400 percent in the past week. As of Monday on Long Island, the number of cases per 100,000 people was 112.50. In light of this holiday surge, Gov. Kathy Hochul outlined a plan to combat infection spread, including the opening of seven new testing sites statewide with one in Nassau County, and continued to urge residents to get their vaccines and boosters. (North Fork Patch)
  2. Following Mineola's recent decision to opt out of allowing retail cannabis sale, as well as many other nearby towns including Floral Park, New Hyde Park and Williston Park, the Town of North Hempstead unanimously voted against permitting cannabis sale in its unincorporated towns, including Manhasset, North New Hyde Park and Port Washington. Supervisor-elect Jennifer DeSena echoed the sentiments of many of the community members present at the meeting, urging leaders to protect the safety and character of our communities during the chaotic pandemic era. (The Island Now)
  3. A utility worker from Jacksonville, Florida, was sentenced to 3 - 1/2 years to 10 years in jail for striking and killing a bicyclist in a utility truck in Uniondale while high on drugs in August 2020. Matthew Mummaw, 34, was working in Nassau County at the time to repair damaged power lines. He pleaded guilty to driving out of the parking lot at Dave & Buster's in Westbury, striking five vehicles at Merchants Concourse and Corporate Drive, then veering out of his lane and mounting the sidewalk near the overpass for the Meadowbrook State Parkway, striking and killing 38-year-old Erik Canales as he rode home from work on his bicycle. (Press Release Desk)

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Today in Mineola:

  • HS Ugly Sweater Day — Mineola Public Schools. (All Day)
  • Baby Sign Language — Mineola Memorial Library. (10:30 a.m.)
  • Cover to Cover Book Club Discussion (In Person) — Mineola Memorial Library. (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • Nassau County Police Department: "Today, Commissioner Ryder received a visit from Michelle and Chris Panetta (Beyond the Badge NY) and they delivered hundreds of cards, handmade by children in our Nassau County Schools and our Nassau County Girl Scouts Communities. Thank you, from the entire Nassau County Police Family!" (Facebook)
  • Chaminade High School - Mineola: "Over the weekend Shane Meenaghan '23 was named champion and won the award for most pins in the least amount of time at the South Side Wrestling Tournament. You can watch upcoming wrestling matches and other athletic games live here: https://bit.ly/3EekTyD Go Flyers!" (Facebook)
  • Family & Children's Association - Garden City: "It has been an exciting week at FCA! We welcomed Mia, CEO of Power Pony who made a $5,000 matching gift pledge to FCA, we hosted the final Nonprofit Steering Committee meeting under the leadership of Office of the Nassau County Comptroller Jack Schnirman, and we graciously accepted a check donation from KeyBridge Smiles. Our friends at Elmont Strong helped spread holiday cheer by donating gifts through our Family Center program, and Santa made a guest appearance at the holiday party at FCA's Lynn Vanderhall Nursery Co-Op. We hope you had a great week and are getting into the holiday spirit!" (Facebook)
  • Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW: "Curious about your rights as workers? Check out this video by More Perfect Union which perfectly outlines the rights you're entitled to — and should be receiving. #1u" (Facebook)
  • Island Harvest: "Thank you! Operation Impact & Creating Generational Legacy for your contribution of 833 family holiday meals! Pictures are Randi Shubin Dresner, president & CEO, Island Harvest, Michael Dawes, Emily Schlangen and Vinny Pappalardo!" (Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Wednesday off right. See you all tomorrow morning for another update!

— Joanne Gallo

About me: Joanne Gallo is a lifelong resident of Long Island and a writer/editor for 30+ years. After earning a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Writing from NYU, Joanne edited and produced engaging, quality content for a diverse array of consumer publications, from the Johns Hopkins White Papers to Soap Opera Weekly. Raised in the nearby town of Roslyn, Joanne is happy to call Mineola her home for the past 7 years. She loves the arts, dining, gardening and all the natural beauty that Long Island has to offer.

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

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