Community Corner

Nearby: Officials Urge Port Authority to Soundproof Schools Affected by Airplane Noise

News from around the region.

U.S. Reps. Grace Meng, D-Flushing, and Steve Israel, D-Great Neck, are calling on the Port Authority to look into soundproofing schools that are affected by ongoing airplane noise in northeast Queens.

The Congress members sent a letter Tuesday to Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, asking the agency to help schools in Bayside and Douglaston that are constantly being interrupted by planes flying over their communities.

“The barrage of increased aircraft noise over Queens continues to impact the quality of life in the borough, but it is imperative that we not let it affect our kids,” Meng said. “Our children should not be forced to attend schools where they need to wear earplugs during class. They deserve to be taught in quiet classrooms that are conducive to learning.” Read on. 

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Farmingdale State Enrollment Climbs

Farmingdale State College’s fall enrollment is 8,271—a 4.8 percent increase over a year ago—continuing a 13-year trend of significant increases in the number of students.

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Farmingdale now ranks second in undergraduate enrollment among all Long Island colleges and universities, behind only Stony Brook.

Farmingdale reached 105 percent of its total enrollment target and 111 percent of its target for continuing and returning students, an important measure of satisfaction among those already attending the college, college officials announced this week.

Running after a six-year-old can be taxing, but imagine if you couldn’t even stand up straight and needed to care for a young child. 

That was Tina DiGiovanni’s life up until a few months ago. 

DiGiovanni, of Lake Grove, began experiencing debilitating back pain last April and found herself relying increasingly on family members to complete daily tasks. The pain continued to send her life into a tail spin, causing her to quit her job and launching her into a depression. 

After trying a number of treatment options, DiGiovanni had a new, MRI-compatible spinal cord stimulator (SCS) implanted. Versions of this device have been around since the 1980s, but the new one allows patients like Tina to get MRI tests without needing additional surgery to remove the stimulator.
 
The device replaces pain with a tingling sensation. DiGiovanni was the first person in New York State to have the new device implanted in August at Syosset Hospital. 

Read on. 


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