Hundreds of Long Islanders Expected to Join the Fight for Autism & Other Developmental Disabilities with three different events packed into one fun-filled day to benefit largest Autism provider on Long Island

(Smithtown, NY) Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI), the leading service provider for children and adults with autism on Long Island, will be hosting its “DDI Walk, Run and Ride for Autism,” on September 22, 2013 at the Holtsville Ecology Center. The walk, run and motorcycle/classic car rally will help to promote community support for individuals with Autism and other developmental disabilities.

Pictured (L-R) are the event Grand Marshals Liam Kenny, John Kenny, Michael Sardone, Nathan Holmes, Morgan Zajkowski, and Michael Cunnuth.

“This year we are hoping to make the event bigger and better with the addition of the Car Show and the memorial run in honor of DDI’s former student Matthew Stansky,” commented co-chair of the event Brian Brunjes. “All proceeds will help to benefit the more than 5,000 children and adults that DDI serves across Long Island with autism and other developmental disabilities. I encourage everyone to come out and take part in this worthwhile cause.”

“We are truly touched for the inclusion of the Matthew Stansky Memorial Run for Autsim,” stated the Stansky family. “This is a great way to keep Matthew’s name alive and to honor him and all that he accomplished during his short time with us.”

This years event Grand Marshals are six recent St. John’s University graduates who spent one week walking 128-miles in the blistering heat this past May from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Montauk Lighthouse in order to benefit DDI. Raising over $22,000, Nathan Holmes, John Kenny, Morgan Zajkowski, Michael Cunnuth, Liam Kenny and Michael Sardone have proved to be worthy honorees.

Registration for the Matthew Stansky Memorial Run for Autism will begin at 8 A.M. with the run to commence at 9 A.M. The scenic 5K Walk through Suffolk County’s Holtsville Ecology Park will feature activities for the entire family along the way, followed by a festival in the park complete with picnic lunch, music, games, a petting zoo and more. This year the event will not only feature a Motorcycle run, but also include classic and show cars, sponsored by Hansen Home Designs. Registration for the walk begins at 9:00 A.M. and the 5K Walk will start at 11 A.M. The family activities will continue throughout the day until 2:30 P.M. Biker and car registration begins at 9AM at Hansen Home Designs located at 1541 Smithtown Avenue in Bohemia. Kickstands are set to be up by 10AM. A rain date has been set for September 29h.

“This event is all about coming together as a community and helping those who cannot help themselves,” said co-chair of the event Charley Hudson. “It is heartwarming to have talented individuals enthusiastically lend themselves to help benefit thousand of fellow Long Islanders.”

For more information and to register please call 631-366-2914 or visit walk.ddiny.org.

DDI is a not-for-profit agency headquartered in Smithtown, NY, with more than 30 locations throughout Suffolk and Nassau Counties. Serving nearly 1,000 children and adults with a diagnosis of an autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), DDI is the largest provider of services for individuals with Autism on Long Island. It provides special educational, vocational, day and residential programs, as well as healthcare services for over 5,000 children and adults with autism or other developmental disabilities. DDI also operates family-centered preschool programs for both children with disabilities as well as typically developing students. DDI was founded in 1961 by a group of parents to address the special educational and therapeutic needs of their children with autism or other developmental disabilities. DDI is a member agency of the United Way of Long Island.

For more information about DDI, visit www.ddiny.org.

(Long Island, NY) Farrell Fritz is pleased to announce that partner Charlotte A. Biblow has recently been elected President of the board of directors of Sustainable Long Island. She will serve a two year term.  The following were also elected to the board: Lauren Furst, Executive Vice President; Robert Bernard, Treasurer and Len Axinn, Secretary.

Charlotte A. Biblow, recently elected President of the board of directors of Sustainable Long Island.

Ms. Biblow, a Bayside, NY resident, leads the firm’s environmental practice group.  She is a contributor to the firm’s Long Island Land Use & Zoning blog and writes a column for the New York Law Journal on State Environmental Regulation.  Ms. Biblow also serves on the boards of the Queensborough Community College Fund, Inc. and the Women’s Fund of Long Island (formerly the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls).

Ms. Biblow earned her Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law; her Master of Science degree from Hunter College and her Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York at Albany.

Sustainable Long Island is a nonprofit organization focused on the economic development, environmental health and social equality of all Long Islanders.  To learn more visit http://sustainableli.org/.

About Farrell Fritz
Farrell Fritz is a full service law firm that has earned a strong reputation in the New York business community.  The firm handles legal matters in the areas of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights; commercial litigation; construction; corporate and banking; distressed assets; environmental law; estate litigation; health care; labor and employment; land use, municipal and zoning; real estate; tax planning and controversy; tax certiorari and trusts and estates for a variety of corporations, not-for-profit organizations and individuals.  For more information, please visit our website, as well as our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

The following was released today from Assemblyman Edward Hennessey Member of Assembly, 3rd AD in regards to the the Small Business Storm Recovery Program (SBSRP).

This program is part of Governor Cuomo’s NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program. The SBSRP was established to support independently owned and operated businesses with 100 or less employees.

Your Business May be Eligible If….

• It is located in a designated disaster area (DDA) as a result of Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, or Tropical Storm Lee. Suffolk County is one of these DDAs.
• The business must be defined as a small business by the U.S. Small Business Administration. (Priority is given to businesses with 100 employees or less.)
• The business must have experienced eligible, uncompensated losses as a direct result of one of these storms.

Small Business Grants
Grants may be provided to small businesses (including farming operations and non-profit organizations) for capital expenditures to repair or replace needed equipment, replace lost inventory, renovate facilities that were damaged/destroyed, or to provide working capital needed as a direct result of the storm. Additional grant assistance may also be made available to support mitigation efforts to protect businesses from future storms.

Small Business Loans
Loans may be provided to small businesses (including farming operations and non-profit organizations) in addition to grant assistance for capital expenditures to repair or replace needed equipment, replace lost inventory, renovate facilities that were damaged/destroyed, or to provide working capital needed as a direct result of the storm.

Apply for Assistance at http://nysandyhelp.ny.gov
After completing and submitting an application, you will be assigned a business recovery case manager who will contact you.

Urges Women: Make an Appointment Soon October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

(Queens, NY) On Friday, September 27, between 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., NYS Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., in collaboration with the American-Italian Cancer Foundation (AICF), is sponsoring a free Mobile Mammography Van with staff from Multi-Diagnostic Services (MDS), which will be parked outside the Maspeth Federal Savings Bank, 56-18 69th St., Maspeth (parking lot, upper level). Uninsured women ages 50 and over—as well as insured women ages 40 and over—are urged to have a free screening for cancer and clinical breast exam. This is the 12th free mammography event the senator has coordinated for women in his district since October 2008. An appointment is necessary; call toll free 1-877-628-9090.

Explains Senator Addabbo, “We know that early detection of breast cancer can save lives. Once again, I worked with the American-Italian Cancer Foundation to bring their Mammogram Van to my district, offering free, vital health care services for uninsured women ages 50 and over, and for women ages 40 and over who are insured by Medicare, Medicaid or other health insurance, which will be billed for services. Women may be turned away by AICF either if they have had a mammogram in the past year, or if under age 40 and they are without a medical prescription/referral from their primary care physician.”

For women without insurance, services will be paid for by the Screening Partnerships of the New York State Cancer Services Program (NYS CSP) or through generous contributions by the American-Italian Cancer Foundation’s donors. “However, even insured women will not be charged a co-payment and will not receive a bill,” added the senator.

On the day of the Mammogram Van visit, women with Medicare, Medicaid, or other coverage provided by Medicare, Medicaid or almost any other health insurance, must bring their membership card. For more details about the NYS CSP, call 866-442-CANCER (2262).

On the day of your appointment for a no-cost mammogram screening:

• wear a two-piece outfit;
• please do not use any oil, powder, deodorant, or perfume in the breast, underarm or chest area;
• if you do have Medicare, Medicaid or other health insurance, you must bring your card with you.

In addition to a mammogram performed by a certified, licensed mammography technologist, professional medical services from Multi-Diagnostic Services (MDS) staff will include:

• clinical breast exam and instruction in breast self-exam by a trained professional
• radiological interpretations performed by Board Certified Radiologists
• results will be sent to each woman and/or her doctor within 10 business days (please provide MDS staff with full name, address to send results to the doctor)
• if you provide MDS staff with previous mammogram films, a comparison radiological study will be done, which in some cases eliminates the need for additional testing.

For more information about MDS, please call 1-877-628-9090.

Senator Addabbo notes, “Give yourself and your loved ones an early Breast Cancer Awareness Month gift by making that call for a free exam. I want to thank all the generous donors who have funded these American-Italian Cancer Foundation’s Mobile Mammography screenings in my district: Avon Foundation Breast Health Outreach Program, National Breast Cancer Foundation, New York City Council, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, The Greater NYC Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and the New York State Department of Health.”

Flyers: Polish-language flyer coming soon; Please click here for English and Spanish flyers.

(NEW YORK, NY) Political prankster Mark Dice asks Latinos in San Diego, California to sign a petition supporting the release of all illegal aliens from prison “no matter what crimes they’ve committed” as part of immigration reform. He makes it clear this includes “murderers, burglars and rapists” because “everyone deserves a second chance,” but person after person signs it anyway to support “their people,” and grant them amnesty. The video was just posted to YouTube August 5th 2013 and can be seen below or by visiting: http://youtu.be/wjEh0QfM-WE

“It’s amazing how Mexicans want amnesty for their people so bad, they’ll support a blanket amnesty for anyone, no matter what,” explains Dice, who has done previous petitions to “repeal the Bill of Rights.”

Dice is an author and media analyst, author who, in an entertaining and educational way, gets people to question our celebrity obsessed culture and the role mainstream media plays in shaping our lives. His YouTube channel gets over three million views a month and his viral videos have been mentioned on ABC’s The View, Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor, CNN, the Drudge Report, TMZ, and other mainstream media outlets. Mark has also been featured in the New York Post’s Page Six, Rolling Stone Magazine, USA Today, The New York Daily News, The Washington Times, and others.

He is the author of several books on secret societies and conspiracies, including Big Brother: The Orwellian Nightmare Come True, a nonfiction analysis of George Orwell’s famous novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, comparing it to current privacy issues regarding technology, the government, and society. He has a bachelor’s degree in communication from California State University and lives in San Diego.

For more information please visit http://www.markdice.com/

(Rockville Centre, NY) Sandel Senior Center Volunteers have been busy assembling “Necessities Bags” for recovering mastectomy patients. These bags include small pillows that are handmade by our seniors, personal notes and various items essential to the comfort of women recovering from mastectomies.

Photo: Sandel Center volunteers with various “Necessities Bags” for recovering mastectomy patients.

The bags are distributed to women by local Doctors.

Seamless And GrubHub Agree To Eliminate Exclusive Arrangements With Manhattan Restaurants, Addressing A.G.’s Concerns With Proposed Merger

(NEW YORK) Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced a settlement with the two leading online food ordering services in Manhattan, addressing concerns that the companies’ proposed merger would improperly undermine competition in the online food ordering business. The two companies, Seamless North America, LLC and GrubHub, Inc., have agreed to a package of commitments to ensure that alternative online food ordering platforms can compete with the newly combined business on a level playing field, with equal access to key Manhattan restaurants and business partners.

“New York’s restaurant industry is the best in the world, but its success depends on an environment of free and fair competition,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “With the recent growth in online food ordering, it’s especially important that restaurants – particularly smaller restaurants – have fair and equal access to online platforms to reach new customers and obtain much-needed extra business. This settlement ensures that no single online platform will have a monopoly on access to Manhattan restaurants, and it allows consumers and restaurants the freedom to do business with the website or app of their choice.”

The Attorney General’s investigation into the proposed merger revealed that Seamless has a uniquely strong market position in Manhattan, with GrubHub as its key competitor. The investigation also revealed that Seamless had entered into a large number of exclusive agreements with Manhattan-based restaurants that – if enforced by the merged company – would prevent those restaurants from contracting with competing online food ordering platforms. Online food ordering is a vibrant and highly dynamic business, as demonstrated by the recent announcement by Yelp, Inc. that it will enable consumers to order food for delivery or takeout on its website and mobile applications, in a partnership with two smaller competitors of Seamless and GrubHub. But the proposed merger of Seamless and Grub Hub raised the possibility that Seamless would aggressively enforce its exclusivity provisions with Manhattan restaurants and use its strong market position to coerce additional restaurants – or key partners, such as Yelp – to do business with it exclusively. This prospect created a significant risk that the transaction would have anticompetitive effects in Manhattan.

The settlement announced today by Attorney General Schneiderman has three elements:

• Waiver of existing exclusive rights with restaurants. Within 45 days after the Seamless/GrubHub merger, the new combined company must provide notice to all Manhattan restaurants under an exclusivity obligation that Seamless is waiving the exclusivity provision. This leaves all Manhattan restaurants free to contract with the combined firm’s competitors and to participate in any new platforms.
• Prohibition of future exclusive contracts with restaurants. With limited exceptions, the parties agreed not to enter into new exclusive deals with Manhattan-based restaurants for 18 months.
• Prohibition of any future exclusive agreement with Yelp. The parties agreed that if the merged company enters into a business relationship with Yelp in the next 18 months relating to online food ordering, that relationship will not be exclusive and will not force Yelp to cease doing business with Seamless/GrubHub’s competitors.

These three commitments ensure that competitors of Seamless and GrubHub will be able to compete on a level playing field with the newly merged company and eliminates the possibility that competition would be foreclosed in a significant portion of the Manhattan market. After providing time for competitors and other market players to adjust – and compete in a market free of exclusivity – the prohibitions are scheduled to terminate after 18 months. Attorney General Schneiderman’s office will continue to monitor these markets for anticompetitive activity, and Seamless and GrubHub have agreed to notify the A.G.’s office if they enter into any of the practices prohibited by the settlement within six months after termination of the 18 month period.

The A.G.’s investigation was led by Eric J. Stock, Chief of the Antitrust Bureau, Geralyn Trujillo, Acting Deputy Chief of the Antitrust Bureau, and Karla G. Sanchez, Executive Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice, with the valuable assistance of Assistant Attorneys General Zachary Biesanz, Linda Gargiulo and George Laevsky.

A copy of today’s settlement can be viewed here.

Events Aimed at Promoting Police and Community Partnerships

(Long Island, NY) The Suffolk County Police Department will once again participate in the National Association of Town Watch’s National Night Out with a variety of events on Tuesday, August 6.

National Night Out is a year-long, community-building campaign designed to heighten crime prevention awareness, generate support and participation in local anti-crime programs, and strengthen neighborhood spirit and police/community partnerships.

First Precinct
Wyandanch Park
792 Mount Ave., Wyandanch
4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Second Precinct
Manor Field
East 5th Street, Huntington Station
2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Third Precinct
Target Store parking lot
838 Sunrise Highway, Bay Shore
5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Fourth Precinct
Target Store parking lot
98 Veterans Memorial Hwy., Commack
5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Fifth Precinct
Martha Avenue Park
Martha Avenue, North Bellport
6 p.m.

(GLEN COVE, NY) The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC) announced today that it received a $100,000 contribution for a new state-of-the-art classroom. With building already underway, the classroom will be housed in the Claire Friedlander Education Institute.

The new classroom, with a seating capacity of up to 25 students, will offer state-of-the-art audio-visual aids and cutting edge technical equipment that augment the educational experience of HMTC visitors. Using the new classroom, HMTC staff will offer specialized Holocaust video-conferencing programs and provide a wide variety of workshops for students, educators, employers and law enforcement personnel.

Photo (L to R: Howard S. Maier, HMTC Chairman Emeritus; Barry Skolnick, Skolnick Family Charitable Trust Trustee; David S. Rosen, HMTC Vice Chairman; Steven Markowitz, HMTC Chairman; Peter J. Klein, HMTC Board Director; Jennifer Carpenter Low, HMTC Director of Development)

“I can think of no greater investment we can make in our collective future than education,” said Skolnick Family Charitable Trust Trustee Barry Skolnick. “As a global society, we will only be able to realize our potential by continually learning about the lessons of the Holocaust and how each of us can make a positive impact on others and help to build more inclusive communities. HMTC has a tremendous amount of knowledge to share in that endeavor.”

“The new classroom in the Claire Friedlander Education Institute is crucial for HMTC to reach additional educators, students and other community members in our continued work to teach universal lessons that combat prejudice, bigotry and intolerance,” said HMTC Chairman Steven Markowitz. “We are grateful to the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust for their generous support of the Institute, which we hope and expect will be extremely valuable to our region.”

The Claire Friedlander Education Institute is scheduled for completion in January 2014.

About the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County
The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County is the pre-eminent Holocaust resource on Long Island, with a contemporary museum and is one of the largest and most comprehensive education program providers in the region. Since 2007, nearly 210,000 students, educators, employers and law enforcement personnel have participated in the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center’s education programs.

With the Louis Posner Memorial Library, the Center offers over 7,000 volumes of Holocaust, genocide, multicultural, anti-bias and anti-bullying material for youth and adults, from Kindergarten through post-graduate researchers. It is the largest such collection on Long Island. Additional information is available online at: www.holocaust-nassau.org

About the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust
Founders Allen and Connie Skolnick established the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust. Formerly known as the CAMBR Charitable Foundation, there are three principal areas of interest. The first is education; from the broadest prospective including all age groups and all areas of study. Second, medical research which includes, but is not limited to, complementary medicine therapies; and, third, scientific research with a particular emphasis on nanotechnology, stem cell research, alternative energies and related fields.

The Trust continues to support a combination of Jewish-sponsored institutions and activities, as well as various secular and non-denominational programs.

For more information about this release and the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, please visit www.holocaust-nassau.org

Honored for outstanding sales achievement among worldwide network

(Westbury, NY) Sir Speedy of Westbury, a leading Long Island printing and marketing services company, recently received the Top 25 Sales Volume Award. The annual award, which is based on 2012 sales revenue, recognizes Sir Speedy of Westbury as one of the top twenty-five businesses in the worldwide Sir Speedy franchise network. The Top 25 Award was announced at the annual Sir Speedy Convention and Vendor Show held July 24-28 at the Indianapolis Marriott. Sir Speedy of Westbury is owned by Jack Bloom and his sons Evan and Brandon Bloom.

“I commend Jack and his sons Evan and Brandon for leading the network with the character and foresight that make the Sir Speedy brand synonymous with quality, integrity, and leadership,” said Richard Lowe, President and COO of Franchise Services, Inc., the parent company of Sir Speedy. “This achievement proves that dedication to growth and excellent customer service will generate great results.”

“Achieving a Top 25 in sales volume in the Sir Speedy network reflects our hard work, willingness to embrace new technologies and innovative solutions to satisfy the needs of consumers and to build our relationships with our customers. We specialize in creating and executing growth-oriented printing and marketing solutions for small-to medium-sized businesses. With the integration of cutting edge services, we have been able to provide our customers with a more focused and effective way to reach their clients and to expand our own business in a competitive marketplace,” said Evan Bloom, co-owner of Sir Speedy of Westbury.

Sir Speedy of Westbury offers digital and offset printing, integrated marketing campaigns, data and mailing services, signage, promotional products, graphic design, and online services that help companies advance their Web presence. Whether branding, lead generation, customer retention, reactivation, cross-sell, upsell, or campaign measurement is the objective, Sir Speedy of Westbury offers more ways for businesses to grow. Sir Speedy of Westbury is part of a word wide network of printing brands and affiliates in more than 500 locations.

For more information visit www.sirspeedyny.net or call (516) 334-7400.