Gun Found After Traffic Stop + Judge Denies Nurses Vax Challenge

Good day, people of Five Towns! It's me again, your host of the Five Towns Daily.

A man who was pulled over for a traffic stop in Inwood was arrested for illegal gun and drug possession. A Merrick man who pleaded guilty to strangling his wife received his sentence yesterday. A federal judge rejected two nurses' First Amendment challenge to the health care worker vaccine mandate. And Nassau Republicans are saying the county is overly relying on fees on residents for the budget and have a plan to change that.

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First, today's weather:

Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High: 79, low: 71.

Here are the top stories in Five Towns today:

1. Jerry Barmash reports that a gun was found in a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation in Inwood. Shaquez Erwin, 24, was arrested and officers also discovered what they believe is crack cocaine. (Patch)
2. Patch also has the story on a Merrick man who received 21 years in prison Monday for strangling his wife. John Gerges pleaded guilty to manslaughter last year for the strangling death of his wife in 2020. (Patch)
3. News 12 Long Island explains that a federal judge denied a request from two nurses at Syosset Hospital to temporarily block New York’s state vaccine mandate for health care workers. They objected to the mandated shots based on grounds for religious freedom in a First Amendment lawsuit. (News 12)
4. The Republican majority of the Nassau County Legislature proposed a plan on Monday that would cut nearly $100 million in fees from the upcoming 2021-22 budget, and make up the difference with sales tax revenue. The fees include things like mortgage "recording fees" and red light camera fines. (News 12)

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Today in Five Towns:

• FECC Welcome PTA Parent Breakfast -Franklin Early Childhood Center, 9:30 a.m.
• FECC Pizza on Playground - Franklin Early Childhood Center, 4 p.m.
• Board of Education Work Meeting, Hewlett High, 7:30 p.m.
• SHS 9th Grade “Welcome to High School,” South High School, 150 Jedwood Place, Valley Stream.

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That's it for today. I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow morning with a new update! If you're liking these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Jackie

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Five Towns Daily? You can reach me at fivetowns@patch.com.