Longtime school trustee resigns
Wendy Gargiulo claims harassment from teachers union
Longtime North Merrick Board of Education Trustee Wendy Gargiulo — who also represents the district on the Central High School District board — abruptly resigned last week. In her resignation letter, she alleged harassment and intimidation by members of the public and the teachers union.
Anti-semitism debate hosted by Jewish Centre
Panel discusses anti-semitism on college campuses
The Merrick Jewish Centre sought to open a conversation on Feb. 10 with Jewish high school students, their families and the larger community, about the kind of challenges or bias they may face when they head to college.
Central bowlers reach pin-nacle
Team captures county title, moves on to States
After 23 years during which a county championship win was a close but elusive dream, the Bellmore-Merrick bowling team struck victory on Feb. 2, and is now rolling toward the state tournament.
Bellmore-Merrick students soar to new science heights
Students from John F. Kennedy High School bolstered the school’s reputation for top-notch science education on Feb. 3, when they finished fourth out of 41 teams in the Nassau East Regional Science Olympiad competition.
Legislators tighten New York's gun laws
Brooks praises new ban on bump stocks, armed teachers
On Jan. 30, state lawmakers approved the first new gun control laws since the Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act passed in 2013. Gun control advocates cheered the further tightening …
JFK grad to study Kyrgyzstan in flux
For his Hofstra University study abroad program, Gurkamal Dadra could have chosen one of the many typically sought-after destinations — bustling cities such as Paris, Madrid or Rome. Instead, he will spend a semester in the Central Asian country Kyrgyzstan.
Bellmore-Merrick students speak on racial equity
Elaine Gross, president of ERASE Racism, wants to end racial injustice and inequity on Long Island. To tackle the problem in schools, the activist group enlisted a panel of nine concerned students — including two from the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District.
Disabled Merrick student finds freedom in dance
Sixteen-year-old Abigail Penny loves to dance, but spina bifida — a disease that impairs mobility — prevents her legs from moving to the beat. Luckily, Dancing Dreams gives her the outlet she needs to pursue her passion.
Letter to the Editor
Report on opioid monitoring misleads
New York, along with the rest of the nation, is in the middle of a deadly opioid epidemic. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the average life expectancy of Americans continued a three-year decline driven by deaths from overdoses. The rate of overdose deaths involving opioids other than methadone increased by 45 percent from 2016 to 2017.
Editorial
Challenges ahead for Democratic Senate
As New York Democrats look ahead to two years of majority control of the State Senate — and the Assembly and the governor’s mansion — they should also remember the past and learn from their predecessors’ mistakes.
Randi Kreiss
How well do you think you know your kids?
The operative word above is “think,” because no parent can ever know his or her child, especially during the firestorm known as adolescence.
Randi Kreiss
Shut the door on 2018. Nail that sucker shut.
We aren’t so much leaping into the New Year as we are fleeing the old one.
Editorial
Stamping out vaping among teens
Vaping gets its name from the cloud of water vapor that e-cigarettes produce, and it has become wildly popular among teenagers who believe it’s harmless. It’s not. In fact . . .