Nassau County Notebook: Funerals, Protests May Be Separated

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano proposed increasing the distance between military funerals and those protesting at them.

"I believe a family's right of privacy to grieve without disturbance is paramount," Mangano said.

Mangano's proposal came Monday, two days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas had the right to protest at military funerals. The county executive wants to extend the distance between the protesters and funerals from 300 feet to 1,000 feet, and require that protesters obtain a permit to hold their funerals.

Nassau Lawmaker: Residents Need LI Bus

On Monday, Nassau County Legis. Kevan Abrahams, D-Hempstead, stressed the importance of maintaining regular service on the Long Island Bus.

"Many of our residents depend upon bus transportation to conduct their daily routine," Abrahams said. "Bus transportation is the only choice they have. We must not abandon all the people who ride the bus to get to work, to school, to their medical appointments or to any other activity."

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the county-owned Long Island Bus system, is asking for an additional $24 million from the county to help stave off heavy cuts to bus service. With the county in poor financial shape, Mangano has communicated that Nassau simply does not have the money, and is looking to possibly have the bus system privatized.

Abrahams said privatizing the system would likely cost commuters more money, and instead expressed interest in sitting down with the Mangano administration to see if there is more money available to give the MTA.

But Brian Nevin, Senior Policy Advisor and Communications Director for Mangano, said there are no such funds. "The same Democrats who created Nassau's budget mess by spending lavishly over the past decade now think that magical dollars will appear," he said. "Rather than play make believe, the Democrats should admit Nassau cannot afford the MTA's demand for an additional $26 million without a property tax hike."

Registration Ongoing for Summer Programs

There's still time to register for the Nassau County Summer Recreation Program.

Children ages 5-12 can join the camp, which is held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays beginning July 5. Activities include swimming, arts and crafts, games, scavenger hunts, horseshoes, potato-sack races, and various sports.

Camps are held at Cantiague Park in Hicksville; Eisenhower Park in East Meadow; Nickerson Beach Park in Lido Beach; and Wantagh Park in Wantagh. Parents can register their children at the Eisenhower Park Administration Building on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Deadline is June 11.

For more information, call (516) 572-0245 or email avisconti@nassaucountyny.gov.