TWF 286: Does The Earlene Hooper Saga Continue With Write-In Campaign?

Freeporters,

I hope you're all having a fantastic Thursday, and that you're keeping those suffering from Hurricane Michael in your minds as that storm rolls through the south, reminding us all of how Hurricane Sandy hit us.

Earlene Hooper is a name synonymous with "Freeport Legends," if for no other reason that she has been involved with myriad contentious issues with Village residents.  I've already chronicled this history multiple times (I encourage you to give it a read), but the two greatest conflicts she had with Freeporters in general remain, A; her adamant refusal to allow the Freeport Armory to be transferred to the Village Of Freeport, and, B; her extraordinarily surprising attempt, in collaboration with then-Freeport Mayor Andrew Hardwick, to convince Freeport to house a garbage incinerator.

I know I recycle this image a lot, but they made a whole frikkin' video about this thing.

I've spoken before, both on this very blog and even in-person at an event hosted by Adelphi University (I had the true honor of sharing a stage with Anthony J Miller, of the Freeport School District Board of Education!  Squeee!) about how New York State hasn't come close to escaping the gerrymandering that so many states embrace to limit voter turnout.  Freeport is, for those who don't know, split across multiple districts (on many levels of government...), meaning our full voice doesn't get to vote for any one leader, but rather many chunks of our populace are lumped in with those from many other communities also sometimes split into parts, all to create safety for incumbent politicians.  That's what makes Taylor Raynor's victory against Mrs. Hooper so impressive; while Freeporters might have been natural allies, she had to contend with many other small constituencies to win.

Is Hooper Running A Write-In Campaign?

Today I want to let everyone know that Earlene Hooper's time in politics is not necessarily over, for better or worse, because after her defeat in the democratic Primary for New York State Legislative District 18 at the hands of Taylor Raynor, rumors (from who I will happily concede is a credible source) are flying on Facebook trying to claim that she is planning on running a write-in campaign.  However, I'm going to assess what truth I can find in this concern.

First of all, Google is my friend; I searched for news articles having to do with Hooper running a write-in campaign and...Came up empty.  I next searched for any sort of website tied to Hooper running a re-election campaign.  I...Also came up empty!  I searched Facebook and Twitter, the top-two word-of-mouth machines necessary for such a campaign for active accounts and...Still, nothing.  Ballotpedia didn't chart anything about a write-in, either.  The only thing I found still up-and-running was her official NYS Assembly page, and that didn't look updated at all.

Now, maybe there is information that I'm yet to be aware of; or, maybe there was an effort, since-abandoned.  After all, I am not on any e-mail list Hooper may have accumulated over the years, and since I cannot find any active accounts (I mean, not even an official Twitter account? Or am I missing it?) for her, I can't be sure if I'm simply blocked or otherwise excluded from viewing it.

The Conclusion...

Let's be honest:  Write-in campaigns are long shots, anyway, often undertaken for farcical reasonsand made complicated by spelling errors and general electioneering trickery.  Lisa Murkowski, a U.S. Senator representing Alaska, is the most famous example of one working.  However, it took a massive political effort to effectively communicate with and mobilize volunteers to recruit voters who would be prepared to successfully cast a write-in vote.

The complete absence of any visible, easily-accessible social media presence, as well as a thorough lack of a serious campaign website for social media efforts to guide volunteers and donations towards, indicates that even if Mrs. Hooper were to decide at the last minute to try for a write-in campaign, she simply won't have the resources in place to succeed.

With that said, as always, The Weekly Freeporter as a publication does not endorse candidates, and we urge you to vote for who you think will best support your community.  Thanks for reading!


Jesse Pohlman is a long-time Freeport resident who sometimes just likes to share what he's thinking about it.  He's also a science-fiction and fantasy writer you can check out on Amazon!

TWF 285: LI Cares Provides Veterans' Resources And More!

Greetings, Freeporters!

First off, I just want to thank the many of you who took it upon yourselves to share the last topic I covered, the potential bias-attack which happened in Freeport. The story got picked up by the Long Island Herald's Nadya Nataly, to boot, but we're still looking out for who was responsible.  (Oh, and Earlene Hooper lost her primary, too!  But we won't go into that...)

On a much more positive note, today I'm covering something simple, cut up and dry: Military Appreciation Tuesdays sponsored by (if I'm reading this document right) LI Cares! Except maybe it's not that cut and dry, so I'll talk about why!

I didn't want to make this article into more than it already was:  Promoting and signal-boosting a flier letting Veterans know that on Tuesdays, Veterans are being offered a five days' supply of food from LI Cares and the Harry Chapin Food Bank. Their location is at the Nassau Service Center, 21E Sunrise Highway, and that's what the flier says!

...Except that I went to LI Cares' website and was hit with the stunning realization that, honestly, there's a lot here that doesn't get talked about very much, at least not with regards to the digital walled gardens on the internet. It's more than just a place that offers food; it offers full-fledged nutritional advice, as well as opportunities for people to volunteer (Maybe you need a PIG Project, Freeport student?) and to help raise funds for. There's a lot one could pick up on as a way to help out, or receive help, as necessary. If you're doing well, consider donating!

Anyway, take care and best wishes!

Jesse Pohlman is an author from Freeport, New York and he occasionally likes to talk about positive things in his old home-town.  Do YOU have a charitable event you'd like to see promoted?  Are you putting on a public service type of activity?  Let us know!

TWF 284: A Call For Help w/a Bias Crime in Freeport!

Greetings, Freeporters,

I hope you had a refreshing holiday, but unfortunately I have to tell a terrible tale, today. Just before Labor Day Weekend, a very good family was the victim of a subtle vandalism that verges, in my humble opinion, into the "Bias" or “Hate Crime” territory – and it happened right here, in Freeport. The silver lining to this situation is that you – yes, you! - may be able to help fix the problem.

Celia and Patricia (last names redacted) who live on Miller Avenue (not too far from my old home, actually!), are fond of flying their rainbow flag next to their American one. For those who don't know, the rainbow flag is a symbol of the LGBTQ+ rights movement – shorthand for Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, and others. On August 29^th, early in the morning, a strange man who none of them knew walked up onto their porch and snatched their rainbow flag down and tossed it into the bushes.  The below still image was taken from a video re-posted at the bottom of this article:

Take a moment to think that even in 2018 there is clear and deliberate discrimination taking place in our own community. Freeport Police have already been contacted by the family as well as their neighbors, but if you're wondering what we can do to help, here it is – we can signal-boost the story and, hopefully, one of you dear readers will know who is responsible. For, you see, Celia shared a picture – and even some video- of the deed being done with me (and the rest of Facebook). I asked her if it would be alright for me to write an article to draw attention to the incident using her pictures, and she agreed.

The good news here, besides the fact that this family isn't backing down, is that if you can recognize who did it, it would be greatly appreciated for you to call the Freeport Police and inform them of your tip. The WORST case scenario, if you recognize the person, is that you mis-identify them; there would be no harm done in the long run, because they would be cleared. Afterwards, you can reach out and we can all meet up and talk about it, but the key thing is to help detectives at FPD make progress.

(Editorial Note:  I will include video once we can ensure the source file's security is appropriate for the victims)

TWF 283 - Ethan's Lemonade Stand Hits Freeport, August 12th, Supporting Freeport Educational Foundation!

Hello, Freeport!

I recently came across this little poster, and it encouraged me to dip back into my roots and talk about some Freeport-related stuff.

So, let's break it down:  Ethan's Lemonade Stand can be found on Go Fund Me, a charity crowd-funding website. This is apparently the third annual event put on by Mrs. Juanita Francois, with all proceeds going to the Freeport Educational Foundation.  I'll let FEF tell you about itself:  "The mission of the FEF is to change the lives of the children in the Freeport Public Schools by funding innovative educational programs that provide extraordinary learning experiences."  With that in mind, it's operated primarily by the Freeport Public Schools Board of Education (or, at least a prior incarnation of it).  It's an organized effort to basically raise money to help Freeport students, and that's a great cause!

And I'm not saying that just because I spent nigh-on five years being a part of Freeport's educational success stories.

So, let's talk about the event in question, and - again - I'll let the organization speak for itself!  "In the past all of the proceeds have went to Alex's Lemonade Stand and also The Prostate Cancer Foundation. This year I've chosen Freeport Educational Foundation (FEF), which is a local organization. On Sunday, August 12th, 2018  from 11am to 4pm, at 28 Elinor place, Freeport NY 11520, I will be hosting my 3rd annual Lemonade Stand. Come join us as we will have raffles and of course LEMONADE! "

On the downside, I have no idea what the parking for this will be like, but even if you can't make it, you can definitely still contribute via GoFundMe - it's actually a pretty brilliant way to integrate your fundraising.  With that said, hey!  Lemonade!  And fundraising for a good cause!  What more could you want?  Anyhow, I just wanted to shed what little light I could on this group and the fundraiser in question.


Jesse Pohlman is a writer, educator, and general person born and raised in Freeport, and still a lover of the Village Of Freeport.  If you enjoy reading, why not pick up one of his novels?  They're available digitally and cheap!

TWF 282 - The Freeport Weatherman (No, not really) Predicts Another Storm.

Hi, again.

Look, I know you don't want to hear about the incoming weather, anymore.  Spring has sprung and all of that, and you wanna be done with the snow.  You'd probably rather save yourself the click on this Accuweather link explaining it all more scientifically than your local blog-writer ever could, right?

Let's just get down to brass tacks:

In case you're wondering:  Yes, Long Island is in that 12-18 inch band that'll hit us by Wednesday night.  That's significantly more snow than we got with regards to the previous two storms, most of which had melted off of our sidewalks by the end of the day.  It's being called Nor'Easter 4, but as one Twitter user, Robbie, explained:

#Noreaster4 ??? Everyone realizes #Foureaster is dangling right in front of them as the much better hashtag???

— robbįe? (@rj_batch) March 20, 2018

Basically put another way by Mary Flaherty, whose name is quite alliterative by the way:

Yesterday, I was supposed to only be getting 1-3 inches of snow. Now I'm getting 1-3 inches PER HOUR. #Noreaster4

— Mary Flaherty (@Nightinghawk) March 20, 2018

So, you know the drill.  Now for me to re-post some common winter safety tips:

- Try to stock up on anything you need before the snow gets heavy.  It goes without saying that if you can't drive safely, if you can't move well, then you are at risk of getting injured while walking around, or crashing your car if you risk driving.  I know it's kind of an old motif, but get your "bread and milk" now.

 - Keep your pets and beloved animals inside!!!  They won't be able to move through two feet of snow any better than you will, and if the temperature is cold out, they can get sick or even freeze to death.  Have some compassion.  If you can, put out a large styrofoam box/cooler/something, stuffed with a spare blanket or two, for local stray cats/animals to take shelter in; in these days, compassion is a must.  If you've got some spare pet food, put that out - staying warm burns calories.

 - Help your neighbors clear the snow from their sidewalks if you can.  If possible - and I mean unless you absolutely cannot - clear out a 3-feet circle around your nearby fire hydrants.  (via TJ Johnson.)  Make sure to dress warmly, wear sturdy and stable boots, and take your time shoveling!

 - If the power goes out, be careful with candles! Nobody needs a fire!

 - Keep a cell phone handy; a battery-powered radio is a good idea, too.  If you need to report a non-life-threatening emergency, call the Nassau County line at 1-888-684-4274.  For medical emergencies ONLY, use 911.

 - Get your car off the road!  Park your cars in your driveway, if you can. (Via FFD member Robert Volpe).

 - Try to have cash available!  In the event that there is no electricity to run credit cards or operate ATMs, you'll want to have money around if you need to pay for anything.

Jesse Pohlman is the editor/producer/whatever of The Weekly Freeporter, which is in Retirement Mode and mainly only covers issues that effect all of Nassau County/Long Island.  If you're a science-fiction/fantasy fan, he also writes those kind of novels, available through Amazon.

TWF 281 - Major winter storm "Quinn" coming to the Long Island region, 3/08/2018

Hello folks!

I didn't want to fail to comment on this coming storm, but I'm taking care of some family business so it's not going to be a long post.

Starting later tonight, around 10pm according to Accuweather.com, it's going to start snowing quite significantly.  The storm is supposed to carry on until Thursday morning.  School cancellations are possible, and will likely be listed on the school's webpage, www.freeportschools.org.

Refresher On Severe Weather Tips

Freeport, we've survived a lot worse than this storm guy (Sandy, anyone?).  However, this isn't a push-over, either.  Just yesterday we received a few inches of snow, plus a great deal of rain.  Make no mistake - This effects our water run-off technologies, in the form of storm drains.  If you're familiar with the Dunkin Donuts on Atlantic Avenue (My local favorite), you know how it is an unfortunate victim of this problem:  Heavy rain will clog up its drainage system.  Heavy rain plus cold temperatures could freeze it, along with other drains around town and even around Long Island.

In short:  Flooding is most definitely possible in any snowstorm.

More importantly, there will be a lot of snow, possibly in the 1-2 foot area.  Cars don't like this.  People can barely walk through it, with a lot of effort.  With that in mind, I want to refresh some of our infamous winter weather tips.  If you have a tip to put forward, let us know!  (Editorial note:  I have no idea what's up with this formatting.)

- Try to stock up on anything you need before the snow gets heavy.  It goes without saying that if you can't drive safely, if you can't move well, then you are at risk of getting injured while walking around, or crashing your car if you risk driving.  I know it's kind of an old motif, but get your "bread and milk" now.

 - Keep your pets and beloved animals inside!!!  They won't be able to move through two feet of snow any better than you will, and if the temperature is cold out, they can get sick or even freeze to death.  Have some compassion.  If you can, put out a large styrofoam box/cooler/something, stuffed with a spare blanket or two, for local stray cats/animals to take shelter in; in these days, compassion is a must.  If you've got some spare pet food, put that out - staying warm burns calories.

 - Help your neighbors clear the snow from their sidewalks if you can.  If possible - and I mean unless you absolutely cannot - clear out a 3-feet circle around your nearby fire hydrants.  (via TJ Johnson.)  Make sure to dress warmly, wear sturdy and stable boots, and take your time shoveling!

 - If the power goes out, be careful with candles! Nobody needs a fire!

 - Keep a cell phone handy; a battery-powered radio is a good idea, too.  If you need to report a non-life-threatening emergency, call the Nassau County line at 1-888-684-4274.  For medical emergencies ONLY, use 911.

 - Get your car off the road!  Park your cars in your driveway, if you can. (Via FFD member Robert Volpe).

 - Try to have cash available!  In the event that there is no electricity to run credit cards or operate ATMs, you'll want to have money around if you need to pay for anything.

TWF 280: Nor-Easter/Bomb Cyclone heading for Long Island, 3/2/2018

Hello, world!

Hope you're all having a great time.  This is just another voice to echo the calls for caution in the coming days.  As per Accuweather.com, a significant storm is heading to the neighborhood.  They contend, "Winds as strong as predicted can knock down trees, cause damage property and make loose objects into projectiles. Walking, standing or driving through areas where there is a canopy of trees may be very dangerous during the storm."  By Friday, Accuweather predicts that it will be about 35 degrees with a significant risk for a thin layer of snow.

Clearly, this is not a storm to be played with.

Citing the National Weather Service, the Village of Freeport's Office of Emergency Management issued this warning at approximately 10:00 PM:

"FREEPORT'S OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS ISSUING THIS WEATHER NOTICE TO FREEPORT RESIDENTS, THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2018

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A COASTAL FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM

7:30 AM FRIDAY MORNING TO 11 AM

8:30 PM FRIDAY EVENING TO 11:30 PM

8 AM SATURDAY MORNING TO 11 AM AND

9 PM SATURDAY EVENING TO 12:30 AM SUNDAY MORNING.

ALSO A HIGH WIND WARNING 11 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING.

WINDS EXPECTED TO BE 25 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS UP 60 MPH

RESIDENTS SHOULD PLAN ON MOVING PERSONNEL PROPERTY AND THEIR CARS TO HIGHER GROUND DURING THESE TIDE CYCLES. WITH THE HIGH WINDS PLEASE TIE DOWN ANY LOSE ITEMS IN YOUR YARD

FREEPORT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS MONITORING THIS IMPENDING EVENT AND WILL KEEP EVERYONE UPDATED AS NEEDED.

ADDITIONAL STORM RELATED INFORMATION MAY BE FOUND ON TV OR NOAA RADIO ON RADIO STATION 1690 AM ON FREEPORT’S EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT’S RADIO STATION 24/7."


What that basically means is that the southern end of Freeport can expect significant flooding, especially during high tide.  We can also expect some significant wind damage on Long Island, in general, with the potential for power outages.  Then there's the rain which may turn to snow!  What fun!

If you need to stock up on any goods, do so between the times listed above, in particular between 11:00 AM and 8:30 PM.  This will be early enough in the day that you won't get caught in the snow, and the risk of flooding is reduced.


The Weekly Freeporter is a freely available, but no-longer-weekly publication by Jesse Pohlman, who also writes science-fiction and fantasy novels you can pick up on Amazon.  It typically only comes out of retirement for weather/safety purposes.