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Community Corner

🌱 Mineola Mayor Not Up For Re-Election + Blakeman's Mask Order

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)

Happy Saturday, Mineola! Here are the most important things happening today in town.

First, today's weather:

Cold with plenty of sun. High: 30, low: 23.

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Here are the top stories today in Mineola:

  1. Scott Strauss, the mayor of Mineola since 2011, announced that he will not be running for re-election this year. Strauss is currently the assistant vice president of corporate security at Northwell Health based in New Hyde Park, and said time and workload were the two factors that determined his decision. Current Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira said he will run for mayor of Mineola this March. (The Island Now)
  2. New Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman signed a controversial executive order this week giving public schools the authority to impose a mask mandate or not, taking the power away from New York State. Blakeman's message is that the wearing of masks is optional, as he has also signed similar orders for indoor businesses and county workers. Gov. Kathy Hochul said Blakeman's action is not only irresponsible for COVID-19 spread, but illegal to defy state authority. Long Island residents came down on both sides of this hot-button issue. (CBS New York)
  3. A larger storm than predicted hit Nassau County on Friday, as most of Long Island received up to 8 inches of snow and the North Shore was blanketed with up to 10 inches, forecasters said. Most schools were closed, and residents were advised to stay off the roads Friday morning unless absolutely necessary. (Newsday)

Today in Mineola:

  • District Council PTA Cultural Arts (Program TBD) — Mineola Public Schools. (2 p.m.)

From my notebook:

  • Chaminade High School: "The second trimester has begun, and athletics and activities are up and running! The winter Flyer season is back! You can catch most games and matches live on our website." (Facebook)
  • Master Jeon Taekwondo: "Our Black belt. Awesooooooome~~ #Owen #Tyler #masterkim #masterjeontaekwondo" (Facebook)
  • Family & Children's Association - Garden City: "Be sure to shop at the Stop & Shop in Hempstead (located at 132 Fulton Ave.) for an easy way to give back to FCA! Throughout the month of January, $1 from each reusable bag sold at this location will be donated back to FCA. Once you've shopped, post a picture with your reusable bags and tag us so we can share! Can't make it to Stop & Shop this month but still want to give back? You can donate to FCA at the link below: https://bit.ly/2NszmQo" (Facebook)
  • Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW: "#ThankEssentialWorkers: Robert Dayes is a bus driver for First Student! This year will be his 20th year as a member of our union family — congratulations, Robert! #1u" (Facebook)
  • Island Harvest: "Shout out to the Floral Park Memorial High School Student Council who recently concluded its annual holiday food drive for #IslandHarvest Food Bank. Students, faculty and staff raised over 2,000 pounds of non-perishable food items, as well as several hundred dollars in cash contributions for Island Harvest. Thank You!" (Facebook)

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You're officially in the loop for today! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow with a new 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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