8 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • NOVEMBER 2019
IN THE NEWS
WEB BRIEFS LI AT A GLANCE
NY, HEMPSTEAD SCHOOL OFFICIALS
MEET POLS
New York State lawmakers and education policymakers
met in October with Hempstead School
District officials to discuss how they can work
together to solve the many problems facing the
troubled district, participants said.
State Board of Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa, who
called the meeting, described it as the first of many.
Among the topics discussed was settling differences
between state legislators, who passed a bill that
would enact a fiscal oversight panel, and district
administrators, who oppose the move.
“I think there is an openness about taking
the bill, looking at the language, and
perhaps looking at strengthening
that language so that we can
all collectively get to a better
place,” Rosa told reporters
after the meeting.
The bill, which passed in June,
currently awaits a decision by Gov. Andrew
Cuomo, who has declined to say whether he will
veto it or sign it into law.
NORTHPORT JUDGE SUSPENDED
The New York State Court of Appeals temporarily
suspended in October longtime Northport Village
Justice Paul Senzer, who plans to appeal a recent
judicial watchdog panel’s recommendation that he
be removed from the bench.
Senzer, who has held the part-time title since
1994, was suspended with his $10,000 annual pay,
effective immediately, according to the unanimous
ruling from the panel of seven judges at the state’s
highest court who are reviewing the matter.
The state Commission on Judicial Conduct has
recommended Senzer be permanently removed
for using “vile” language in email exchanges with
a client of his private law practice. That includes
referring to his clients’ daughter as a “bitch,” their
daughter’s attorney as a “c*** on wheels,” their
grandson’s school as “assholes,” and other foul
language, according to the agency.
The panel rejected Senzer’s defense that he should
not be sanctioned because the comments were
made to clients of his private practice and not in his
role as a village justice. But the agency maintained
that his conduct as an officer of the court “reflects
adversely on the judiciary as a whole.”
NEW STONY BROOK CHILDREN’S
HOSPITAL OPENS
A much-anticipated new four-story expansion of
the Stony Brook Children’s Hospital debuted on
October 17 as officials showcased its cutting-edge
treatment options in a setting designed to make
kids feel comfortable.
The new nautical-themed facility features single
patient rooms, a live stream of the Long Island
Aquarium, and an abundance of playrooms, lounges,
homework areas, and a garden. As for the medical
side, 180 pediatric
physicians
in more than
30 pediatric specialties
work around the clock utilizing the latest
in painless medicine. Hospital beds even record
and download patient information directly to the
patient’s chart.
Billed as Long Island’s only children’s teaching
hospital, the new facility is part of a $450 million
expansion at Stony Brook Medical Center. The $73
million poured into the children’s hospital for construction
of a 71,500-square-foot facility adjacent to
the general university hospital.
LIU TO OPEN VETERINARY COLLEGE
Long Island University is planning to open next fall
its new College of Veterinary Medicine, the first of
its kind in the New York Metro area.
LIU recently received an assurance from the American
Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on
Education enabling LIU to begin accepting applications
for students to begin the doctor of veterinary
medicine program in fall 2020.
The college will offer one of only four veterinary
programs in the Northeast.
SECOND LIER HAS EPSTEIN TIES
A high-profile chef who grew up on Long Island
reportedly was a former private chef for convicted
pedophile and accused sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein,
but the chef denies knowledge of Epstein’s
crimes.
Adam Perry Lang, who was raised in Roslyn and
runs the celebrity hot spot APL in Los Angeles, issued
a statement revealing his ties to Epstein after
a pilot claimed in court documents that the chef
flew with the late financier on Epstein’s private jet
to Florida, New Mexico, and the Virgin Islands,
according to Eater, which noted that Lang wasn’t
accused of any criminality involving Epstein.
“Almost 20 years ago, as a
young chef I was
hired to work
for Jeffrey Epstein,”
the chef
said in the statement,
Eater reported. “My role was
limited to meal preparation. I was
unaware of the depraved behavior and
have great sympathy and admiration for the
brave women who have come forward.”
Lang’s ties to Epstein aren’t the first time the case
linked back to LI. Darren Indyke, who graduated
from Glen Cove High School in 1982, is one of the
two lawyers that Epstein named to be executor of
his nearly $600 million estate before Epstein died.
VISION LI SPINS OFF LI BIZ COUNCIL
The Long Island Business Council, a local advocacy
group dedicated to finding solutions to regional
economic challenges, has struck out on its own
after a decade as part of Vision Long Island.
LIBC, which regularly hosts forums with local leaders
on business-related topics, officially relaunched
on October 22 during a forum in East Farmingdale
with presiding officers of the Nassau and Suffolk
county legislatures. It is led by Nassau Co-chair
Richard Bivone, Suffolk Co-chair Robert Fonti, and
Executive Director Michael Allen Harrison.
“We wish Bob, Rich, and our friend Michael
Harrison well as they transition the group into a
truly independent entity that will have an agenda
outside downtown and infrastructure issues,” said
Eric Alexander, director of Vision Long Island.
Alexander said Vision LI, a nonprofit group that
advocates for smart growth development in Nassau
and Suffolk, managed the operations of LIBC,
which he described as a project within Vision LI,
between 2008 and last year. Bivone and Fonti are
members of Vision LI’s board of directors.
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