High Tide

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Happy Passover, which began last night and Happy Easter, which is this Sunday!  We hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend!  And, if you are traveling, have a safe trip!

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Another year, another few awards in the books. We don’t love to toot our own horn over here at the Rockaway Times (we leave that to you guys! And Freddy!) but we are sure proud to share that we had yet another successful trip to the New York Press Association’s Spring Conference and Better Newspaper Awards. Our managing editor Katie McFadden added a couple of notches to her already impressive belt, and we even had a win from one of our loyal contributors, Tim Moriarty. We hope to bring home even more hardware next year!

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After four years, Tommy Morgan will be stepping down as the President of the Graybeards—the local non-profit, which has been a cornerstone of the community for over 20 years. The Graybeards made the announcement on Facebook on Wednesday, telling Tommy to enjoy his “vacation.” According to one longtime member, “Tommy has done so much for this organization and the community it serves. We could not have asked for a better President.” At a membership meeting this past Monday, Tommy announced to his fellow Graybeards that he would be stepping down, and that Dan Leary, another long serving Graybeard, will serve as the next President. Congratulations to Tommy Morgan, and we wish Dan Leary the best of luck moving forward!

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Sister Patricia Walsh, CSJ, former teacher at St. Francis, passed away on Sunday, April 2, 2023. She was in her 68th year of religious life.

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We have heard several locals express their displeasure with the NYC Parks Department after their children were disqualified from the lifeguard qualifying test due to failing the eye exam. The conditions of the eye exam have been reportedly substandard with poor lighting and nonprofessionals administering the exam. One local said that after her daughter failed the exam, she then brought her to an ophthalmologist who said she had 20/20 vision. Besides the fact that these test administrators are not qualified to administer such an exam, the City’s policy of requiring 20/20 vision without corrective lenses does not seem to square with the widespread use of contact lenses in all activities. This is especially true with the City simultaneously easing their swimming standards in this year’s qualifying test. Obviously good vision is a prerequisite to the job but for some reason wearing contact lenses is verboten. We believe that these children should not only be given another opportunity to pass the eye exam, but that passing one under the supervision of an actual eye professional should more than suffice for the City to allow them to continue onto the lifeguard training class.

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Speaking of displeasure with NYC Parks… we received official confirmation that there will be significant closures to the uptown beaches this summer. According to a press release from Parks, 10-15 beaches will be closed on a rolling basis from Beach 116th Street to Beach 143rd Street.

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The Rockaway Times’ Photo Contest submission period is beginning to wind down! Submissions will be accepted until next Friday, April 14. Make sure to send your photos to contest@rockawaytimes.com

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Last week, we mistakenly reported on an incident at Channel View High School on Facebook. The incident took place on the Beach Channel Educational Campus but did not involve Channel View. We apologize for that incorrect claim.