You do not have to be religious to know that NY can't close Nassau OTB, a public benefit corporation, on Roman Catholic Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday in preference to Greek Orthodox Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. See also NY Const. Art. 1, Sec. 3. Andrew Cuomo's beliefs are not shared by all.
NY PML Sec 109 is unconstitutional, does not apply to Nassau OTB and should be fried by a judge in a court of law.
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Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
Fire nearly destroys Merrick church
Photo credit: Howard Schnapp | A fire Friday night at St.
Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Merrick was caused by a lit candle,
resulting in damage to the church's main hallway, its sanctuary and a
second-story choir loft, authorities said. (Aug. 10, 2013)
Fire at St. Demetrios Church in Merrick
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Despite the extensive damage, parishioners at St. Demetrios on Hewlett Avenue planned to hold services Sunday in the church parking lot, as they begin what they expect to be a lengthy restoration.
The church's pastor, the Rev. Nikiforos Fakinos, said the fire had caused "enormous devastation," but the community "will rebuild the church and restore its original beauty."
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He said the parish "must carry on," even later in a temporary structure like a tent. This morning at 9, Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in the parking lot.
Police and fire crews were dispatched to the 29-year-old church after receiving a 911 call shortly before 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Fire destroyed the church's main entrance, a second-story choir loft and resulted in extensive water and smoke damage to the sanctuary, said Ron Luparello, a spokesman and former chief of the Merrick Fire Department.
Less than an hour before the fire, the church had been filled with parishioners attending a service in preparation for the dormition -- or death -- of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Fakinos had preached about a martyr who had burned to death, attendants said.
After the church cleared, the candles remained lit below the icons of Mary and St. Demetrios, a patron saint of military causes.
"The whole idea is to remind us to keep praying all night," said Cynthia Golding, a church member for 18 years. "It was an accident waiting to happen."
At least 75 firefighters from Merrick, North Merrick, Bellmore, North Bellmore, Wantagh, Seaford, East Meadow, Freeport, Baldwin, and Roosevelt responded.
Witnesses said firefighters saved key artifacts, including an icon of Mary. One Merrick firefighter was treated for carbon monoxide poisoning at Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow and released, Luparello said. A damage estimate was not immediately available.
Patty Lofkas, a longtime parishioner, said she noticed smoke coming from the church as she drove home and called 911. Early Saturday, she surveyed the damage: doors charred, pews scorched, icons and paintings blackened, and wooden boards in place of shattered stained-glass windows.
It was the building where Lofkas grew up, got married and had her children baptized. "This was our home," she said.
The church, which serves nearly 400 families, was built in 1984 after years of fundraising to move from a small building in Freeport, members said.
"Community means to come together in unity, in times of need and in times of joy," Fakinos said. "This is one of those times."
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