I started at Newsday 24 years ago, initially working as a technology reporter and columnist. Born in Queens, I grew up in Bay Shore, graduated from Islip High School, and spent college years upstate and in California, where I earned a bachelor&rsquo;s degree in journalism from San Diego State University.



	For most of my career at Newsday I&rsquo;ve covered the energy beat, but my work has led me to other regular areas of coverage, including agriculture and Long Island&rsquo;s wineries, Indian Nations, and fisheries. After spending my early teens delivering Newsday in my Bay Shore neighborhood, I worked summers as a clammer, a pool builder and boat-yard hand. I once flipped a dump truck full of concrete onto a Great Neck lawn, raked clams on the Great South Bay, and climbed steel-bar walls as an ironworker&mdash; all before I left college.



	Many of my journalism heroes were institutions at Newsday before I arrived, and some were here when I joined &mdash; columnists like Jimmy Breslin and consumer watchdog Henry Gilgoff, international reporters like Tina Susman and Letta Taylor. My early work at Newsday took me around the world &mdash; to China to write about Charles Wang&rsquo;s homeland, to London to cover subway bombings, to Belfast as the IRA was disarming, and to Sweden, where I tracked an American fugitive to a seaside village on the Baltic Sea.



	I&rsquo;ve always been energized by the passion and bravery of the people who take risks to tell us their stories &mdash; about misdeeds, inconceivable truths, and hidden conflicts. When there&rsquo;s an absence of public information, journalists thrive on the mission to fill the void, to paint the full canvas. It was evident last year when a cyberattack shut down many Suffolk County government services, and information was scarce.



	Reporters often get criticized for failing to cover the positive stories and focusing on the negative, but the criticism misses the point. On Long Island, there are often more than two sides to each story, some happy, some not. I feel obligated to give equal voice to as many of them as I can squeeze into 600 words. It&rsquo;s not always easy, balancing that tension among opposing forces, but it&rsquo;s central to the role of Newsday, and it&rsquo;s the part of the job that&rsquo;s most rewarding.

Mark Harrington

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Mark delivered Newsday as a youngster. For the past 24 years, he&rsquo;s been uncovering the truth from the business desk to the energy beat with an unwavering dedication to reporting on the diverse issues that shape your community.

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Newsday Journalists: Mark Harrington

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I developed a reverence for news while quite young, thanks to strict parents. My TV viewing was largely limited to network news, a mainstay &mdash; and major perk of staying &mdash; at my grandparents&rsquo; apartment. I realized reporting could introduce me to people and places I&rsquo;d never otherwise encounter.

After college, I took a job in a field I had long put on a pedestal. I worked for local outlets near and in New York City, covering everything from the lax enforcement of lead paint laws to the legacy of a mansion built for broke aristocrats. I savored having a socially-sanctioned reason to approach strangers, the challenge of sorting through various narratives and the adrenaline of a deadline.

When the opportunity arose, I welcomed the chance to join one of the last local newsrooms with real muscle. Newsday has smart people, a wealth of institutional knowledge and the will to wrestle with the industry&rsquo;s challenges through experimentation and innovation.

I initially covered commercial real estate. During the throes of the pandemic, I wrote about tenants maxing out credit cards, borrowing from family and friends and scrimping to pay as much of their rent as possible. I also reported on how unpaid rent hit landlords &ndash; and what resources were available for both parties. My work uncovered several hurdles with federal rent relief distribution, including how the Town of Hempstead undercounted its aid by $4.7 million.

As the urgency faded, I highlighted how consumers were slow to return to happy hours, and what venues were doing to try to get them back. I explored how one town was toying with an attempt to transform empty office parks into apartments, and the many pitfalls of retrofit projects.

I now cover the business side of health care. A lot of what I delve into can feel esoteric: health insurance, pricing, provider consolidation. I am committed to explaining how the market is changing in a clear, colloquial way &ndash; and what it means for Long Islanders. My biggest priority is empowering people. I strive to highlight consumer rights and ways researchers think the system could be improved.

Sarina Trangle

I started writing about sports when I was 10 years old, and I haven&rsquo;t stopped since. My passion and enthusiasm for sports writing remain as strong now as they were then. I still enjoy seeing my byline and having the opportunity to tell the stories of Long Island&rsquo;s high school athletes.



	As an athlete myself, I learned at a young age how meaningful it was to have my name appear in the pages of Newsday. I played baseball, football and was on the bowling team at Newfield High School back in the &rsquo;70s. I then went on to play baseball at Dowling College.



	I also learned another valuable lesson back then that I have carried with me throughout my 38-year career at Newsday &ndash; spell people&rsquo;s names right!



	Believe it or not, it&rsquo;s not as easy as you may think. My name, a little tricky but not difficult to spell, appeared in Newsday nine different ways over my high school and college career. Nine!



	I threw a no-hitter against Patchogue-Medford in high school and it appeared as George Sarra in the paper. That&rsquo;s my dad. One time, I threw a touchdown pass and one of my teammates got the credit. I hit two home runs in a game for Dowling, and they misspelled both my first and last name.



	It was so frustrating that my girlfriend at the time, Katherine (my wife for the past 34 years), wrote a letter to the sports editor to complain about the errors and misspellings.



	When I joined Newsday in 1985, I made it my mission to strive for accuracy and to spell every athlete&rsquo;s name right. While I can&rsquo;t say we&rsquo;re perfect, I can tell you it&rsquo;s not for a lack of effort.



	I love the excitement of high school sports, and I love telling stories. My favorite stories are the ones about athletes who have overcome incredible adversity, the people who don&rsquo;t let anything get between them and their dreams. A few have stood out over the years.



	One of the most inspirational stories was that of East Islip wrestler Rohan Murphy, who had no legs and reached the Suffolk County championship in 2001. He went on to wrestle at Penn State and is now a motivational speaker. Another is the story of Copiague High School&rsquo;s Amaya Williams, who played varsity basketball with two prosthetic limbs. Also, the story of the incredible bond between twin brothers Joey and Johnny Tardif, who were born seconds apart. Johnny was born a quadriplegic, and Joey became a high school baseball star who always took care of his brother.



	Just last year, I was able to tell the story of Long Beach wrestler Dunia Sibomana, who was disfigured in a chimpanzee attack in the Congo as a child. He came to Long Island and would go on to win the New York State wrestling championship. What a story. I look forward to writing more about Dunia in the future.



	I&rsquo;m proud of those inspirational stories, and they still bring a tear to my eye when I think about the trust each of those people showed in me.

Gregg Sarra

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Newsday Journalists: Gregg Sarra

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Matthew Chayes is a general assignment reporter with a focus on New York City. He got his start at The Chicago Tribune&#39;s D.C. bureau before freelancing in New York City and then joining Newsday&#39;s staff in 2007. He&#39;s been a guest on CNN, NY1, Fox News and the BBC, among other outlets. He has lectured on journalism at Columbia, New York University and CUNY, and served as a contest judge for the Deadline Club and Society of Professional Journalists.

Matthew Chayes

Long Island

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Hundreds of youths fighting on Jones Beach were dispersed Thursday by police with the help of a helicopter, according to the authorities.

Jones Beach reopens after police break up crowd of 500

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Freeport native Morgan Taylor has an interesting job in sports: She is the vice president of business operations for both the Long Island Nets and the New York Liberty. NewsdayTV's Jolie Katzen reports.

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Firefighters were battling a blaze that broke out at a Suffolk County recycling facility, closing nearby roads to traffic. Residents were warned to close windows due to heavy smoke. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

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The Long Island location will hold a series of promotions to celebrate the opening.

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William, "Billy" McClelland, is known as "The Mayor" in the halls of Comsewogue High School. The 19-year-old senior works in the school's coffee shop, Brew Crew Cafe where he is greeted with smiles from his classmates. 

Extraordinary Senior: William, "Billy" McClelland

The plane took off from East Hampton Airport and landed at Kennedy Airport Tuesday, the first time passengers took an electric flight to a major airport in the NYC area. 

Fully electric airplane makes milestone flight from East End to Queens

NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa heads to Long Island Yarn and Farm in Yaphank to shear llamas.

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The original makeshift memorial could not hold up to the elements through the years, but West Islip's Sara Ferro wanted to change that. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports. 

Gilgo Beach killings: Victims memorialized on park benches near where remains were found

Starting this fall, a bell-to-bell smartphone ban will be implemented under the state budget, requiring school districts to ban students from using phones during the entire school day. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports. 

What you need to know about the statewide school smartphone ban 

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Jones Beach reopens after police break up crowd of 500

The Wantagh and Connetquot school districts have been granted extensions to comply with the state's Native American mascot and imagery ban. Newsday education reporter Darwin Yanes and NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa report.

School districts making a 'good faith effort'

Jake's 58 remains closed Wednesday because of an "unexpected issue" that workers have been trying to resolve throughout the day. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Jake's 58 remains closed Wednesday

A charity flag football event was held at The Park in East Hills on Sunday to raise funds for Camp Kehilla, which serves campers who are neurodivergent. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

'It's a good cause for charity and fun for everyone'

'My heart's always been with the families'

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More than 700 people have been placed on the list for performing home improvement work unlicensed.

See which contractors landed in Suffolk's 'Wall of Shame'

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"The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets" promises exclusive interviews with Heuermann's family and friends that will "unravel a chilling portrait of a man accused of living a double life," a news release says.

Alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer's voice heard on new documentary premiering Tuesday

Suffolk's "Wall of Shame" identifies unlicensed contractors, who face fines or jail time.

Suffolk's 'Wall of Shame' nets over 700 home improvement violators

The man was a passenger in a car that collided with two other vehicles and a tree and overturned, according to Nassau police.

Man, 82, killed in 3-vehicle crash in Woodmere, police say

Andrew Woodstock filed a lawsuit against the village, arguing officials engaged in a "conspiracy" by disqualifying his petition.

Mayoral hopeful claims 'conspiracy' in lawsuit after he's disqualified from ballot

Homeownership feels out of reach for many on Long Island. This widowed father and LIRR worker has a rare chance through a community land trust and a modular home. 

Widower, father of 2 wins shot at $275G newly built home on LI

Quanta's bid was selected by LIPA's top officials to operate the Long Island electric grid, but  was rejected by LIPA's board.

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The 3 victims of Sunday morning's fiery Bethpage car accident have been identified as Vincent Cavaliere, of Bethpage, Nicholas Rivera, of Glendale, Queens, and Gino Vicale, of Seaford. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Deadly Bethpage crash victims ID'd

Researchers have found harmful "forever chemicals" in certain beers, though experts said the significance for LI's dozens of small breweries was likely limited. Newsday Reporter Nicholas Spangler explains. 

PFAS found in certain beers

The state can choose to accept the findings or the matter will be sent to the U.S. Department of Justice, Linda McMahon said. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

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NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa sits down with LGBT Network President & Founder, David Kilmnick and talks about what's happening for Pride Month on Long Island.

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The Farrell twins were named valedictorian and salutatorian at Mount Sinai High School and they're also both attending the same university in the fall. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports. 

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Sources say the man who discovered a body in his backyard pool is a member of the police task force that had been searching for homicide suspect Matthew Zoll. 

'One of the portions of the Loop Loc cover was undone'

Neighbors said they were unsettled to learn that a body had been found in a backyard swimming pool on Pal Court in East Shoreham and that police were investigating that it might belong to Matthew Zoll, a suspect in his father's death. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.

'Beyond shocking'

Caretakers with miitary backgrounds find purpose in keeping the grounds pristine at the Long Island National Cemetery where fallen service members are buried. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'You feel like you're still serving even after service'

NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie talks with the families of three fallen war heroes, who have preserved their sons' bedrooms as memorials.

'I walk in here and I feel pride'

Police are investigating the disappearance of an Old Brookville couple missing since March 30. 

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Crowds gathered at Jones Beach for a preview of the FourLeaf Air Show. 

FourLeaf Air Show preview held at Jones Beach 

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<a href="https://www.newsday.com/video/newsdaytv-top-stories">Get more on these and other NewsdayTV stories</a>

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On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra talks to young people who are turning to game officiating as a new career path.

SARRA SOUNDS OFF: The shortage of game officials on LI 

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Find out what's happening with Nassau & Suffolk news, Long Island schools, plus the latest crime, courts, politics. Coverage includes Fire Island, the Hamptons & North Fork.

Matthew Chayes

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