Town Focus: A Week in Hicksville, Day 2

(Editor's Note: Community journalist T.C. McCarthy is spending the entire week in Hicksville, visiting hamlet favorites and talking to residents.)

In the eight short hours I spent in Hicksville yesterday, I learned quite a bit about what locals enjoy and dislike about the hamlet. I got an update on renovations for a Hicksville puppet theater and saw first-hand the community’s diversity just by sitting in the library.

Today I’ll be visiting local polling places to find out what Hicksvillians (a term coined by Hicksville historian James Janis) are thinking about when they cast their ballots. Are locals thinking about the reconstruction of the municipal parking garage or downtown revitalization when they elect town officials? What other issues linger in their minds? In this economy, do party lines matter?

This afternoon I am headed to Martial Arts America on South Broadway to see karate students train for a Thanksgiving fundraiser to be held next week. I’ll be tweeting throughout the day, so be sure to follow me @TC_McCarthy. Send me your story ideas and election thoughts at tc.mccarthy@newsday.com. I want to hear from you!

Above: Michael Donohue, owner and senior instructor at Martial Arts America, teaches a free self-defense class for kids earlier this year.