To improve and expand Zion Park, the Village of Lawrence filed an application in February with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program for a $25,000 tree planting and management grant. The village also formed a three-member committee to offer improvement recommendations. more

My last column, “Stop playing games with the budget deficit” (Feb. 3) was written one week before New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued his analysis of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget draft. The irrationality I outlined fell short of anticipating the following mea-culpa expressed in the comptroller’s analysis. “The SFY 2010-2011 enacted budget relied on $16.7 billion in non-recurring or temporary budget resources; and overly optimistic tax revenue projections, causing a dramatically worsened state structural deficit.” How dramatic? These tenuous entries constituted 30 percent of all the monies in the state’s operating fund. more

Emergency responders from Atlantic Beach Rescue and the Lawrence-Cedarhurst and Hewlett fire departments were part of a group of 23 other first responder agencies that took part in the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control Ice Rescue Technician II class hosted by the Port Washington Fire Department on Feb. 5 to 6. more

In one of its first orders of business in the new legislative session, the State Senate passed the Job Creation and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2011 on Jan. 19. Supporters of the three-part plan say it will encourage the creation of new private-sector jobs with a tax credit, ensure fiscal responsibility with the enactment of a 2 percent state spending cap and require a two-thirds “super-majority” vote to increase taxes if the Assembly, and then voters, approve a constitutional amendment. more

County officials have confirmed that the long-awaited renovation of the Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow is expected to begin in July.  According to county officials and … more

The Nassau County Legislature approved more than $3 million in contracts on Jan. 10 for new equipment and upgrades at the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant, in an effort to end months of illegal sewage discharge into Reynolds Channel, which many residents and local officials have called a serious environmental health hazard. more

As quickly as Jared Loughner shot his Glock model 19, 9mm semi-automatic handgun into the crowd at a Tucson Safeway on Jan. 8, killing six people and wounding 13, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, many demanded more stringent laws governing guns in this country. more

After visiting the proposed construction site a few weeks ago, the Town of Hempstead Board of Appeals granted approval on the height and parking variances for the anticipated new five-story Woodmere Rehabilitation Center & Health Center on Franklin Place in Woodmere. more

Due to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets no longer collecting dog license applications, incorporated villages throughout the state will now be responsible for issuing the tags, effective Jan. 1. more

Long Island’s nine senators will become part of the Republican majority in the New York State Senate next month, and as their leader, Sen. Dean Skelos of Rockville Centre is expected to have their … more