TRAIN TO THE BEACH: With trains running from Grand Central Station to Long Island, northern suburbanites can now pack their coolers and sunscreen and take the train to the beach. That was the message Friday from MTA leaders, who were on the Long Beach Boardwalk to promote summer travel to Long island via the Long Island Rail Road. The opening of Grand Central Madison makes it easier for Metro-North riders to get to Long Island beaches, they said, and avoid the traffic jams that are synonymous with summers on the island. "The LIRR is the best way to explore everything Long Island has to offer this summer,” LIRR interim president and Metro-North Railroad resident Catherine Rinaldi said in a joint statement. “Relax and skip the traffic while we get you to the beach, park, or winery. With increased service out of Grand Central Madison, we’re ready to serve communities across New York.” — Joseph Spector THRUWAY TOLLS: The state Thruway Authority plans to raise tolls on the 570-mile superhighway next year. But it needs to do a better job of collecting current tolls, an audit released Friday found. The Thruway Authority has $276.3 million in uncollected tolls now in the hands of a collection agency as of March, according to the audit from state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. In response, the Thruway said many of the audit’s recommendations are already underway and the amount unpaid is a small portion of the $3.3 billion it took during the four-year audit period. – Joseph Spector More here: As higher tolls loom, Thruway Authority has $276 million in uncollected tolls EDUCATION: Rep. Grace Meng announced legislation that would make Diwali, the South Asian and Indo-Carribbean festival of lights, a federal holiday. Under the Diwali Day Act, Diwali would become the 12th federally recognized holiday in the U.S.. Diwali typically takes place in October or November. “This is something that I am proud as an Asian American to introduce this during our heritage month, and as you may know we are also pushing similar efforts for Lunar New Year and Eid,” Meng said during a virtual press conference Friday. Assemblymember Jennifer Rajkumar, who previously introduced legislation that would give New York students the day off for the first day of Diwali, noted Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s announcement that the Assembly intends to pass legislation to observe Lunar New Year and Diwali as holidays in New York State before the close of the legislative session next month. “Congresswoman Meng intends to make history by making Diwali a federal holiday,” Rajkumar added. Schools Chancellor David Banks stressed the need to acknowledge individuals who are Hindu, Jain and Buddhist. “I think it’s really important that we show them through our actions that we value their heritage, not just with words and lip service,” Banks said. “I’ve been publicly supportive of state legislation that would allow for the New York City Public Schools to acknowledge and observe Diwali.” — Madina Touré
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