NYU Langone plans, LIRR fare evaders, Nassau town parking fines, 1956 infant kidnapping

NYU Langone vows open Melville plan

NYU Langone Health appreciated meeting with Newsday’s editorial board and reporters on June 1, in which we affirmed our commitment to an open and public process as we plan a state-of-the-art academic medical center in Melville “NYU Langone plans need collaboration,” Editorial, July 7]. We understand there are many outstanding questions but emphasize that we are still in the very early stages of a multiyear project that will include many phases and approvals as well as opportunities for public comment. We have already begun reaching out to key stakeholders across the community, and that is ongoing. As we make progress, we will continue to share information.

This project allows us to expand and deepen our commitment to providing Long Islanders with the highest-quality care, following our investments at NYU Langone Hospital-Suffolk, which have improved care in that community, and alongside our ongoing dedication to Mineola, where we will retain a strong presence.

NYU Langone Health remains dedicated to Long Island, where we currently employ more than 13,000 residents and operate more than 120 physician practices, with more coming soon. We look forward to a continued dialogue as we create a campus that benefits the community and enhances healthcare on Long Island.

— Elizabeth Golden, New York City

The writer is executive vice president for communications, marketing, government and community affairs at NYU Langone Health.

Readers pitch LIRR fare-evader fixes

If the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Long Island Rail Road want to collect more fares from riders on their trains, they should equip staff with a handheld computer that could process credit card payments [“Fewer LIRR fare IOUs,” News, July 7].

Too many people are tired of websites, apps, and other complicated ways of paying for routine services. Also, there should be no penalty for paying on the train since many stations no longer have a station attendant to sell tickets.

— Robert Palermo, Nesconset

It mystifies me that the high-priced management of the LIRR cannot figure out how to eliminate free riders. The solution may be simple.

Perhaps the well-paid conductors could also be designated as private security conductors and carry numbered handcuffs. If someone cannot pay the fare, instruct them that they are trespassing, photograph them, and log the event into the conductor’s phone. Then handcuff the free rider to the seat. If help is needed, appeal to the fare-paying riders for assistance.

When the train gets to the final terminal, a law enforcement officer could arrest and give the person a free ride to jail. The number of free riders should diminish rapidly. This plan, of course, would need to be analyzed for legality.

— Fred Katz, Hauppauge

Nassau keeps cut of town parking fines

The article on Glen Cove parking fees erroneously compares the parking fine schedules of the City of Glen Cove and the Town of North Hempstead [“Filling a budget pothole,” Towns, July 6].

The comparison overlooks a significant difference: Glen Cove operates its own traffic court and retains 100% of parking fine revenue. In contrast, the Town of North Hempstead relies on Nassau County to adjudicate its parking tickets under an agreement in which the county retains more than half the fine. The county’s share increases further when collection agencies are involved.

For example, while an expired meter ticket issued in North Hempstead may carry an $85 fine, the town receives only about $28 after Nassau County surcharges, fees, and revenue-sharing deductions are applied. As a result, most of the revenue from a town-issued parking ticket ultimately goes to Nassau County rather than to North Hempstead, which paid for the enforcement effort.

— Shawn Brown, Jericho

The writer was a Town of North Hempstead public safety commissioner.

Tribute to teacher who endured tragedy

Since Betty Weinberger’s sons could not be reached for comment, I felt compelled to say something on her behalf “1956 LI infant kidnapping forever changed America,” News, July 5].

She was my biology teacher at Sewanhaka High School. That in itself is nothing monumental, but that I was born in the same year as her kidnapped baby is. I don’t recall when I learned about the kidnapping, but I was oblivious to it at the time.

In retrospect, as Mrs. Weinberger watched my classmates and me dissecting frogs, she may have been thinking that her son would’ve been the same age if he survived.

I never had an inkling of any pain she likely was harboring inside. She came into class with a smile on her face every day and soldiered on. Thank you, Mrs. Weinberger.

— Mark Piotrowski, Wading River