22 The QUEE NS Courier • FEBRUARY 25, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com Schneps Communications purchases Bethpage Best of Long Island BY THE QUEENS COURIER STAF editorial@qns.com @QueensCourier The best is getting better. Schneps Communications, owners of The Queens Courier, Courier Sun, Ridgewood Times, Times Newsweekly and 17 other publications in Brooklyn and Queens, announced it has purchased the Bethpage Best of Long Island program from Morey Publishing. Running in Nassau and Suffolk counties for more than a decade, the Best of Long Island was initially launched by the Long Island Press and highlights small businesses and individuals who capture the spirit of what it means to be the “best.” Much like Schneps Communications’ Best of the Boro series in Brooklyn and Queens, the program allows residents to nominate, vote and name the best in everything from auto mechanics to wedding planners, doctors, lawyers, restaurants, entertainment venues and more. Long Islanders truly identify with the program and demonstrate it with their incredible enthusiasm for their favorite businesses during the voting period. The Bethpage Best of Long Island had its most successful year to date, with more than 2.3 million votes cast and a record number of nominations. Bethpage Federal Credit Union serves as the program’s sponsor. Over the last 75 years, the credit union has grown into one of the strongest of its kind in the country. “It is a privilege to lead the Bethpage Best of Long Island program. Long Island has spoken over the past 11 years by nominating hundreds of businesses and placing millions of votes each year. The Bethpage Best of Long Island badge is displayed proudly by all the winners as it is a true symbol of excellence by the people that matter most, their customers and residents of Long Island,” said Schneps Communications Publisher Joshua Schneps. “I am grateful for Jed Morey for believing in our organization to continue an important program that he founded, fostered and built. Having Bethpage Federal Credit Union as our sponsor and partner in this program enables us to invest in building this program further.” “The Bethpage Best of LI program is the most successful of its kind in the United States for several reasons. Most importantly is the level of engagement and enthusiasm from the small business community on the Island,” said Jed Morey of Morey Publishing.“Moreover, having Bethpage Federal Credit Union as a partner brings everything and everyone together, because of their stellar reputation and commitment to the community. Partnering with Schneps Communications is the icing on the cake that will allow this program to grow and ensure its success for years to come.” Acquiring the Best of Long Island program further enhances Schneps Communications’ growing presence in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Star Network, the company’s premier networking event planner, held its first Power Women in Long Island business event in December (with another planned for Dec. 1 of this year), and will hold the Kings of Long Island networking event on April 12 at Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck. More details can be found by calling Amy Amato at 718-224-5863, ext. 201. Nominations for the 2017 Best of Long Island are now being accepted at www. bestof.longislandpress.com. HOW QUEENS CHANGED THE SUPREME COURT The sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia sent shockwaves throughout the political world that has reverberated around the country. Critical rulings ranging from abortion and birth control to unions and redistricting now hang precariously in the balance without the court’s most vocal and controversial Conservative on the bench. But whether you loved or hated the brash, outspoken associate justice, there are two things that can’t be denied. First, he changed the very way the Supreme Court hears arguments, and second, he was from Elmhurst, Queens. But these two facts aren’t mutually exclusive. Let me explain. Before Scalia entered the scene, oral arguments in the Supreme Court were a mostly stuffy affair with little questioning from justices. The court lacked meaningful back and forth dialogue. Then, all of a sudden, over 200 years of legal precedent in the high court changed when a kid from Queens, the youngest justice at that time, rolled in with his street-tough and in-your-face demeanor. He hit the ground running by frequently, and bluntly, raising controversial questions as a means to both galvanize his fellow justices, as well as force everyone inside of the courtroom to face difficult legal and philosophical issues out in the open. Even if they were uncomfortable. Scalia was often described as feisty, belligerent, candid about his feelings, and definitely not politically correct. He grew up in a time and in a city where these quintessential New York characteristics were apart of the status quo, so why would he change when he became a Supreme Court justice? The man who made it to the highest court in the land was fond of referring to himself as “an Italian from Queens.” He would frequently and eloquently quote Shakespeare, while in the same breath crudely tell people, both in manner of speech and with mixed hand gestures, that if they didn’t agree they could, not so kindly, “go elsewhere.” His legend as a scrappy, ambitious kid from Queens is still echoed in the halls of my high school alma mater, Xavier, where students and teachers love to mention how the Supreme Court justice was rejected from his first choice school, Regis, as well as his first choice college, Princeton. A life lesson that the effort you put in is greater than the grades you make. In the end, Scalia’s legacy will be based partly on one of his favorite Shakespearian lines from Hamlet, “To thine own self be true.” So, for all of those from Queens or elsewhere in New York who are afraid that their accent, or their background, or their strong-willed opinions will be judged, fear not. Embrace it head on like a Supreme Court justice. You may just change the country. Queens Politics & More BY MIKE FRICCHIONE
QC02252016
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