Long Island

VGEASTSG

School advocates said Wednesday that 90-percent-plus passing rates in statewide budget elections prove voters want to decide for themselves how education dollars are spent. 
Their main point: Maintaining local control is better than the 2 percent property-tax cap proposed by Gov. Andrew M. <a href="/topics/Andrew_Cuomo">Cuomo</a> to curb school spending. 
"We already have a democratic process for capping property taxes, and it works pretty well," said Richard Iannuzzi, president of the 600,000-member <a href="/topics/New_York_State_United_Teachers">New York State United Teachers</a> union. 
Iannuzzi, who taught in <a href="/topics/Central_Islip%2C_NY">Central Islip</a>, noted that school spending increases have slowed in recent years, both statewide and on Long Island. He called Cuomo's tax-cap plan "ill-conceived." 
Not surprisingly, the governor drew a different conclusion from Tuesday's vote. Island residents approved all but five of 124 district budgets -- a 96 percent passage rate. 
"I think the message is getting out," Cuomo said Wednesday. "We've reined in state spending. We now have to rein in local government and school spending. I think you saw that in a lot of these school district budgets." 
On the Island, the average budget will rise less than the 2.3 percent inflation rate next year, as districts trim staffs and unions agree to salary concessions. But taxes will increase nearly 4 percent to make up for cuts in state school aid. 
In the <a href="/topics/William_Floyd">William Floyd</a> district -- to cite the most dramatic example -- voters on Tuesday narrowly agreed to a 12.47 percent hike in next year's taxes. That's on top of an 8.53 percent increase this year. 
School advocates cite voters' action as evidence that they will accept higher taxes to save music classes, sports and other popular programs. Residents would resent any state attempt to dictate how much they can spend, advocates add. 
"Do they want to pay higher taxes? No, they don't," said Wendell Chu, superintendent of <a href="/topics/East_Islip%2C_NY">East Islip</a> schools. "But when they're given a choice of higher taxes or cuts in programs, they're voting against cuts in programs." 
Relatively few people actually voted, however. The 288,590 who participated on the Island on Tuesday represented less than 16 percent of voters in <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> and <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> counties, according to April 1 figures on registered voters from the state Board of Elections. 
Tax activists contend voters are discouraged by state rules that sharply limit the amount of money saved when school budgets are rejected. 
"Most people don't even want to bother anymore," said Fred Gorman of <a href="/topics/Nesconset%2C_NY">Nesconset</a>, organizer of a regional tax group, Long Islanders for Educational Reform. "You've got to listen to the governor -- he's absolutely right." 
Cuomo's proposed 2-percent limit would kick in during the 2012-13 school year. The only costs exempted from the cap would be for construction and legal settlements. The cap could be overridden by vote of the local governing board and a 60 percent majority in a local referendum. 
The <a href="/topics/U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a>-led Senate has passed the governor's bill. The Assembly, controlled by <a href="/topics/U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a>, has not taken it up, but has promised to introduce its own version soon. 
Some school officials such as Joseph Laria, who is <a href="/topics/Glen_Cove%2C_NY">Glen Cove</a>'s superintendent, think a cap might work, if exemptions are added for such costs as state-mandated pensions and health care. Laria notes that his colleagues managed to find savings when state fiscal pressures demanded it. 
"Isn't it interesting," he said, "that when our backs were to the wall, we all tightened our belts and made do with less, and people supported our budgets."

Education

LISKUL19

School advocates: Results rebut guv plan

School District Budget voting

Long Island's school districts are saddled with $3.7 billion in long-term debt, the price of years of borrowing for construction and improvements ranging from solar panels and upgraded ventilation systems to science labs, refurbished auditoriums and updated athletic fields. 
While the state picks up part of the tab -- in some cases, the majority of it -- property owners, too, are on the hook for this fixed cost, which is plugged into district budgets already straining under dramatic cuts in state aid and the expense of government mandates. 
School budgets that residents in most of the Island's 124 districts will be asked to approve Tuesday include principal and interest due annually on bonds -- indebtedness that over the past decade was encouraged by state policies. 
Debt service on the Island's school district bonds last year totaled $468.9 million, up from $146.1 million in 1990, according to the state Department of Education. 
&nbsp; 
Footing the bill 
As with any IOU, the piper must be paid. 
"The thing you have to consider is, what is the alternative?" said Wendell Chu, superintendent of the <a href="/topics/East_Islip%2C_NY">East Islip</a> school district. "This type of debt that's being picked up is generally for capital projects that are not easy to include in regular budgets." 
The annual debt service is a small piece of a school district's overall spending, which also includes state aid. Last year, debt service ate up 4.5 percent of total expenditures in the Island's districts -- up from 3.1 percent in 2000 and 3.8 percent in 1990. 
In the 1990 fiscal year, <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> and <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> school districts had a combined $542.6 million in outstanding bonds, according to data provided by the state comptroller's office. By 2010, those bonded debt obligations had grown to $3.7 billion. Adjusted for inflation, that's a 309 percent increase. 
Consider <a href="/topics/Syosset%2C_NY">Syosset</a> as one example. When children were dismissed from <a href="/topics/Syosset%2C_NY">Syosset</a>'s schools in the summer of 1990, paying off the district's long-term debt bonds would have taken about $7 from the pocket of every man, woman and child in the district. In 2010, the payoff was $1,389 per person. The district's bonded indebtedness grew in that time from $225,000 to $47.5 million. 
Increased debt by itself doesn't necessarily mean that school districts are borrowing too much -- indeed, as Long Island became wealthier, it could afford more. Overall school spending grew from $3.89 billion in 1990 to $10.37 billion last year, a 60 percent increase after adjusting for inflation. 
"Just to focus on increases in the amount of debt is just a partial view," said Kate Hackett, an analyst at Standard &amp; Poor's. "You have to look at the growth in the economy. It's a very strong economy out in Long Island." 
&nbsp; 
Outpacing inflation rate 
Still, borrowing by many districts has outpaced inflation. The state's growing obligation to fund a portion of school construction and renovation over the past decade prompted changes in law this year that will bring to the fore the trade-off between construction and other costs, such as hiring teachers. 
"New York State has done a number of things over the years to encourage school construction, and some projects were sorely needed and others may have been done because the state's reimbursement was so generous that it was hard to say no," said Morris Peters, spokesman for the state Division of Budget. "The problem with that is it drives up state expenses for school construction." 
In the 1990-91 school year, New York paid school districts throughout the state $380 million for building aid. Twenty years later, that figure had risen to $2.49 billion, an increase of 295 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars. The amount of aid available for eligible projects is largely determined by a district's wealth, with the state paying a greater portion of poorer districts' costs. 
&nbsp; 
The borrowing boom 
Borrowing really took off in the new millennium, fueled by a confluence of factors that created fertile ground for debt. Part of it was simply cyclical need. Many Long Island schools were built in the 1950s and required renovation, or more classrooms were needed in growing districts. Enrollment increased during the 1990s and through 2005, driven by a number of factors, including offering full-day kindergarten in more districts and expanded curriculums. Falling interest rates in the 1990s and 2000s made borrowing cheaper, and rising wealth and property values made more money available. 
Observers point to state policy changes that encouraged borrowing: a temporary state increase in building aid, imposition of a payment schedule that spread reimbursement over fixed time periods, and a grant program that prompted sale of more bonds. 
Starting in 1998, the state temporarily increased building aid available to all school districts, prompting many to go out with bond referendums. 
Chu said that state incentives spurred districts to make needed investments in their facilities. 
"That incentive caused a lot of school districts to do those projects -- projects that they may have decided to put off for a later point in time or might have even enhanced projects to allow them to do better things," he said. 
Then, in 2002 the state changed the way it reimbursed school districts so that it paid them over 15, 20 or 30 years, depending upon the type of project, which discouraged pay-as-you-go spending. 
"Governor Pataki, when times were tougher, turned around immediately and stretched out the repayments over the life of the project," said John Bierwirth, superintendent of the <a href="/topics/Herricks%2C_NY">Herricks</a> school district. "In a relatively short period of time, the state was one moment encouraging construction and in the next moment encouraging people to go into debt." 
Finally, a program called EXCEL encouraged districts sell more bonds, though that cost generally fell more on state taxpayers than individual districts. The borrowing bonanza prompted state lawmakers to change the system this year. The 2011-12 budget capped growth in school aid, including building aid. That means as more funds are approved for districts' capital projects, less money will be available for other things. 
"This dynamic has existed for a long time -- of expense-based aid growing as a percentage of the total," Peters said. "Going forward, as we're constraining school-aid growth, that problem is going to essentially be compounded, and this will focus a little more attention on the issue."

LIBOND13

School debt soars on Long Island

lirally

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Amagansett%2C_NY">AMAGANSETT</a> 
Vote Approved, 135-52 
Budget $9,190,546, a 5.81% increase 
Tax levy $8,107,825, a 4.97% increase 
Average home Assessed at $6,000 will increase 5.44% to $1,645 
Proposition Approved, 143-88, to spend $873,834 for library maintenance and capital improvements 
School board Patrick R. Bistrian (144) and Phelan Wolf (101) defeated Vinvent Vigorita (94) for seats with three-year terms.

News

VGAMAG15

Amagansett School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Bridgehampton%2C_NY">BRIDGEHAMPTON</a> 
Vote Approved, 136-55 
Budget $10,576,714, a 5.63% increase 
Tax levy $9,188,731, up 8.62% Average home Assessed at $1 million increases 7.85% to $1,522.18 
Proposition Approved, 131-57, authorizes collecting $125,000 through taxes for the <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Bridgehampton%2C_NY">Bridgehampton</a> Child Care and Recreational Center. 
School board Incumbents Nicki Hemby and Elizabeth Kotz unopposed for three-year terms.

VGBRID15

Bridgehampton School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/East_Hampton%2C_NY">EAST HAMPTON</a> 
Vote Approved, 540-271 
Budget $64,413,444, a 0.56% decrease 
Tax levy $45,623,013, a 3.64% increase 
Average home Information not provided 
School board Jacqueline M. Lowey (490) and Patricia Hope (464) defeated Liz Pucci (351), Paul Fiondella (257) and Marie Klarman (88) for three-year terms.

VGEHAM15

East Hampton School District

EAST <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Quogue%2C_NY">QUOGUE</a> 
Vote Approved, 366-292 
Budget $22,026,040, a 2.97% increase 
Tax levy $19,255,069, a 5.69% increase 
Average home Assessed at $500,000 will pay $5,106, an increase of 11.46% 
Proposition Approved, 522-123, to extend the contract with <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Westhampton_Beach%2C_NY">Westhampton Beach</a> to provide high school education for one year 
School board Incumbents Patricia Tuzzolo (416) and Mario Cardaci (396) defeated Arthur Solnick (238) for three-year terms.

VGEQUO15

East Quogue Union Free School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Eastport%2C_NY">EASTPORT</a>-SOUTH MANOR 
Vote Approved, 1,040-525 
Budget $82,595,650, a 4.09% increase 
Tax levy $45,787,346, a 4.99% increase 
Average home Assessed at $3,440 increases 4.99% to $7,809 
School board Incumbent Janet Stevens (854) and challenger Donna Moeller (787) defeated Raymond Navarrete (680) for three-year terms.

VGEPRT15

Eastport-S. Manor Central School District

FISHERS ISLAND 
Vote Rejected, 39-28 
Budget $3,460,000, a 1.8% increase. 
Tax levy $3,020,646, a 1.9% increase 
Average home The district declined to offer an estimated school tax impact because of the widely varying housing stock on the island. 
School board Newcomers Jamie Doucette (53) and Laurie Finan (45) and former incumbent Sara McLean (37), a write-in candidate, were elected. Two seats have three-year terms and the remaining seat has a one-year term. Each of the top two vote-getters will choose which seat she wants, and the third will fill the final seat.

VGFISH15

Fishers Island School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Greenport%2C_NY">GREENPORT</a> 
Vote Approved, 282-65 
Budget $14,100,005, a 1.91% increase 
Tax levy $10,684,428, a 5.64% increase 
Average home $67.43 per $100 of assessed valuation, a 5.64% increase 
School board Michael Mazzaferro ran unopposed for a three-year term.

VGGREN15

Greenport School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Hampton_Bays%2C_NY">HAMPTON BAYS</a> 
Vote Approved, 977-598 
Budget $44,949,233, a 2.59% increase 
Tax levy $40,735,893, a 5.18% increase 
Average home $5,106.07, a 5.92% increase 
Propositions Approved, 1,039-526, to spend $300,000 from the unreserved fund balance to repair and upgrade the district's buildings and grounds; approved, 976-529, to establish a districtwide capital reserve roof or HVAC replacement reserve fund in order to finance the cost of replacing roofs or systems in the district's buildings. 
School board Dorothy Capuano ran unopposed for a three-year term.

VGHBAY15

Hampton Bays School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Mattituck%2C_NY">MATTITUCK</a>-<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Cutchogue%2C_NY">CUTCHOGUE</a> 
Vote Approved, 703-552 
Budget $37,363,239, a 2.25% increase 
Tax levy $32,886,839, a 2.06% increase 
Average home Assessed at $500,000 will rise 2.24% to $4,240. 
School board Gerard E. Diffley (807) and <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Charles_Anderson">Charles Anderson</a> (778) were elected to two seats with three-year terms. Laura Jens-Smith (740) edged out Joan Ferris (591) for a seat with a one-year term completing the unexpired term of a former board member.

VGMATT15

Mattituck School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Montauk%2C_NY">MONTAUK</a> 
Vote Approved, 205-139 
Budget $18,131,631, a .90% increase 
Tax levy $16,319,657, a .75% increase 
Average home Tax of $2,619.50, a 2.55% increase 
School board Incumbent Patti Leber ran unopposed for a five-year term.

VGMONT15

Montauk School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/New_Suffolk%2C_NY">NEW SUFFOLK</a> 
Vote Approved, 37-1 
Budget $747,168, a 10.82% decrease 
Tax levy $747,168, A 23.44 decrease 
Average home Tax rate drops 23.4%, but district has no figures for an average home 
School board Tony Dill ran unopposed for a three-year term.

VGNSUF15

New Suffolk Common School District

OYSTERPONDS 
Vote Approved, 138-70 
Budget $5,626,644, a 1.44% increase 
Tax levy $4,861,765, a 1.53% decrease 
Average home Assessed at $400,000 increases from $2,200 to $2,400 
School board Janice Caufield and Jeffrey Demarest ran unopposed for three-year terms.

VGPOND15

Oysterponds Elementary School

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Quogue%2C_NY">QUOGUE</a> 
Vote Approved, 79-28 
Budget $7,546,553, a 3.56% increase 
Tax levy $6,856,225, a 3.98% increase 
Average home Assessed at $1,500,000 increases 2.73% to $2,820 
Proposition Approved, 104-5, tuition for students in seventh through 12th grade in the <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Westhampton%2C_NY">Westhampton</a> School District. 
School board Incumbent Larry Berman ran unopposed for a three-year term.

VGQUOG15

Quogue School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Remsenburg%2C_NY">REMSENBURG</a>-<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Speonk%2C_NY">SPEONK</a> 
Vote Approved, 198-179 
Budget $12,172,350, a 2.8% increase 
Tax levy $11,156,708, a 6.4% increase 
Average home Increases to $4,959, a 9.4% increase 
Propositions Approved, 292-81, contract with <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Westhampton_Beach%2C_NY">Westhampton Beach</a> and <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Eastport%2C_NY">Eastport</a>-South Manor. 
School board Deirdre DeVita (177) beat <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/John_Kerry">Kerry</a> Horton (151) for seat with a three-year term.

VGREMS15

Remsenburg-Speonk School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Riverhead%2C_NY">RIVERHEAD</a> 
Vote Approved, 1,936-1,153 
Budget $109,594,658, 1.26% increase 
Tax levy $86,794,515, up 4.93% Average home A typical home in the <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Riverhead%2C_NY">Riverhead</a> part of the district assessed at $42,401 will pay $4,009, a 4.92% increase. Officials said they did not have the information to calculate the change in the <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> and <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Southampton%2C_NY">Southampton</a> parts of the district. 
Proposition Approved, 2,069-930, transfer of up to $5 million from existing reserve fund for school repairs. 
School board Ann Cotten-DeGrasse (1,960), Gregory Meyer (1,957) and Kimberly Ligon (1,823) defeated Patricia Sapienza-Brown (1,661) for seats with three-year terms.

VGRIVE15

Riverhead Central School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Sagaponack%2C_NY">SAGAPONACK</a> 
Vote Approved, 49-5 
Budget $1,636,766, an increase of 2.60% 
Tax levy $1,535,721, a decrease of 0.51% 
Average home Assessed at $4.5 million, increases by 1.76%. 
School board Fred Wilford ran unopposed for a three-year term.

VGSAGA15

Sagaponack School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Sag_Harbor%2C_NY">SAG HARBOR</a> 
Vote Approved, 917 to 698. 
Budget $33,226,084, a 5.48% increase 
Tax levy $30,995,209, a 4.69% increase 
Average home Increase of 0.06%, to $4,943. 
Proposition Approved, 917-557, to establish a capital projects reserve fund. 
School board Incumbent Mary Anne Miller (1,065), incumbent Theresa Samot (1,053) and Sandi Kruel (886) defeated Annette Bierfriend (801). Terms are three years.

VGSHAR15

Sag Harbor Union Free School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Shelter_Island%2C_NY">SHELTER ISLAND</a> 
Vote Approved, 383-132 
Budget $9,640,614, a 0.97% increase 
Tax levy $8,727,224, a 1.45 % increase 
Average home Unavailable 
Propositions Approved, 341-170, to spend up to $2,237,000 for repairs and renovations at the <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Shelter_Island%2C_NY">Shelter Island</a> School; approved, 326-184, to spend up to $600,000 for a new generator and to make electrical improvements at the school; approved, 366-144, to establish a capital reserve fund that could accumulate up to $10 million for improvements at the school under its Fitness Improvements to ballfields and Tennis (FIT) courts program. 
School board Elizabeth Melichar-Lechmanski (361), Linda C. Eklund (306) and Alfred Brigham (44) won three-year terms.

VGSHEL15

Shelter Island School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Southampton%2C_NY">SOUTHAMPTON</a> 
Vote Approved, 621-363 
Budget $58,485,815, a 2.12% increase 
Tax levy $47,756,817, up 4.31% increase 
Average home Assessed at $500,000 increases 1.8% to $1,130. 
Propositions Approved, 639-325, to spend $3.1 million from capital reserve fund on school building repairs and alterations; approved, 604-331, bus garage repairs; approved, 617-344, bus purchases; approved, 633-331, funding for <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Southampton%2C_NY">Southampton</a> Youth Association; approved, 553-403, funding for <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Parrish_Art_Museum">Parrish Art Museum</a>; approved 580-345, funding for <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Southampton%2C_NY">Southampton</a> Historical Society. 
School board Nicholas Palumbo (423) and Amy K. Pierson (423) won two seats, defeating Natasha Jeffries (299), Myron Glucksman (224), Charles A. Styler (203) and Edward S. Simioni (170). Terms are five years.

VGSOUT15

Southampton School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Southold%2C_NY">SOUTHOLD</a> 
Vote Approved, 645-447 
Budget $26,254,778, a 2.25% increase 
Tax levy $22,828,921, a 1.42% increase 
Average home Assessed at $6,400 pays $4,799, an increase of 2.08% 
Proposition Approved, 730-349, to spend up to $250,000 to buy three buses. 
School board Scott Latham and Scott DeSimone ran unopposed for three-year terms.

VGHOLD15

Southold School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Springs%2C_NY">SPRINGS</a> 
Vote Approved, 562-436 
Budget $24,874,071, a 6.59% increase 
Tax levy $21,784,671, a 7.67% increase 
Average home Assessed at $600,000 sees taxes go up 5.8% to $5,261.23. 
Propositions Approved, 704-246, authorizing school board to transfer money annually from its fund balance to its repair reserve fund; approved, 793-186, authorizing three-year tuition agreement, through 2015, with the <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/East_Hampton%2C_NY">East Hampton</a> School District to educate <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Springs%2C_NY">Springs</a> students in grades 9-12. 
School board Liz Mendelman (503) and Timothy Frazier (442) defeated Arthur Goldman (416) and Phyllis I. Mallah (281) for three-year terms.

VGSPRI15

Springs Public School

TUCKAHOE 
Vote Approved, 165-157 
Budget $17,061,391, up 3.5% 
Tax levy $15,584,142, a 2.76% increase 
Average home Assessed at $905,912 pays $5,739.28, an increase of 3.62% 
Proposition Approved, 191-124, to spend $53,320 for district participation in the <a href="/topics/Southampton%2C_NY">Southampton</a> Youth Association; approved, 191-124 to spend $7,868 for district participation in the <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Parrish_Art_Museum">Parrish Art Museum</a>; approved, 205-110 to contract with <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Southampton%2C_NY">Southampton</a> and <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Westhampton%2C_NY">Westhampton</a> Beach school districts for education of grade 9-12 students and provide transportation for students attending those high schools. 
School board Incumbent Robert E. Grisnik ran unopposed for a three-year term.

VGTUCK15

Tuckahoe School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Wainscott%2C_NY">WAINSCOTT</a> 
Vote Approved, 38-6 
Budget $3,579,870, a 0.64% increase 
Tax levy $2,677,870, a 1.72% increase 
Average home School taxes on the average single-family home would rise 1.91 percent. District officials would not estimate dollar amounts, citing variations in the value of houses in the district and complications because the district includes locations in both <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/East_Hampton%2C_NY">East Hampton</a> and <a href="/topics/Southampton%2C_NY">Southampton</a>. 
School board Incumbent Iris Osborn ran unopposed for a three-year term.

VGWAIN15

Wainscott School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Westhampton_Beach%2C_NY">WESTHAMPTON BEACH</a> 
Vote Approved, 436-233. 
Budget $50,357,732, up 2.84% 
Tax levy $25,588,819, up 3.31% 
Average home Assessed at $600,000 will see taxes increase 3.83% to $3,285. 
School board Challenger George R. Kast Jr. (345) defeated incumbent Aram V. Terchunian (303) for a five-year term.

VGWBEA15

Westhampton Beach School District

East End school districts

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Hundreds of hands happened to be on deck for scheduled training the day of the Westhampton fire.

'Luck of the draw': How the 106th rescue wing defended their base against Westhampton wildfire

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Members of Eco Rotaract of Nassau County, Long Island planted bat-friendly native vegetation and installed boxes for the flying mammals at Brookside Preserve in Freeport on Saturday. 

Making a home for bats, with hopes of cutting down on Nassau's mosquito population

Suffolk County police said no injuries were reported and the cause of the fire was "believed to be noncriminal."

Fire at Denny's auto body in Selden, authorities say

Homeland Security said that the facility "does not and has not performed research on Lyme disease."

RFK Jr. says 'highly likely' Lyme disease came from Plum Island. Why scientists say it's impossible

Alexander Cerda, 21, was driving a stolen car in Bay Shore while intoxicated when he hit a pedestrian, the Suffolk DA's office said.

Bay Shore man pleads not guilty in fatal hit-and-run

Work burnout, more college career options, lagging salaries and a growing number of retirees are behind the shortage.

Accountant shortage forcing LI firms to boost pay, improve office culture

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by three Connetquot district teachers over the 2022 removal of Pride flags from district classrooms.

Judge sides with Connetquot district in dispute over removal of Pride flags

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A 15-year-old boy faces murder charges after police said he fatally stabbed his 56-year old grandmother at her home Selden.

Selden teen facing murder charges

The U.S. ICE agency and Nassau County police have made public their agreement empowering 10 Nassau detectives to work with federal authorities to arrest and help deport immigrants without legal status. Newsday reporter Bahar Ostadan has the story.

New partnership between Nassau police and ICE

In his annual State of the County address, Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine spoke of infrastructure projects and economic headwinds. Newsday politics editor David Cruz reports.

'There is uncertainty ahead'

The Great Neck Library will have a 3D printed model of the Gatsby mansion on display and paintings inspired by the novel to celebrate the 100th anniversary of "The Great Gatsby."

'Relive the experience of the novel' 

The Amityville Union Free School District announced its teams will now be called the Hawks. Newsday sports' Gregg Sarra reports.

'We picked the best of the choices that were out there'

NYU Langone's plan to build a $3 billion teaching hospital at Nassau Community College has been put on hold. 

NYU Langone pauses plans at NCC

The bird flu outbreak has been found in at least two household cats in New York City. Newsday reporter Robert Brodsky has more. 

Household cats test positive for bird flu 

Nassau police said they are investigating the fatal shooting of a man whose body was found near the Extended Stay hotel in Bethpage.

Gunshot victim found near hotel

Suffolk police fatally shot, Bruce Boyd, 54, after he allegedly charged officers with a knife at his Brentwood home. 

Police: Brentwood man lunged at responding officers 

Rescued cats were examined outside of Happy Cat Sanctuary in Medford in a mobile veterinarian clinic by Paws of War animal support group. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports. 

'It's very hard seeing the situation that they are in'

Suffolk SPCA gave a tour of its mobile MASH unit that will be used to give medical treatment to animals in need of rescue from the Happy Cat Sanctuary fire in Medford.

'The veterinarians can service the animals on an emergency basis'

The federal funding freeze is impacting nonprofits across the country. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports. 

'You're talking about life and death situations'

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In Episode 8 of "Sarra Sounds Off," Gregg Sarra and Newsday's high school sports team look back on the winter sports season, this year's winners and big surprises.

Looking back at the winter's big winners in HS sports

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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.

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