Flags were flying on the field of Sanford H. Calhoun High School before Thanksgiving break on Nov. 24, as student-athletes took part in a flag football tournament to benefit the Bellmore-Merrick … more

Wellington C. Mepham High School’s front lawn will soon be filled with American flags once again as part of its annual Flag Field of Honor benefit for the Bellmore-Merrick Community … more

Dolls; puzzles; yoga lessons; a dinner of home-smoked ribs with a side of coleslaw. These were just some of the items up for bid in a series of virtual auctions organized by North Merrick School … more

“We’re very lucky to be part of a school district that recognizes that there is a problem,” said Eric Caballero, an administrator in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, and co-chair of the Bellmore-Merrick Community Coalition. more

Wendy Tepfer, executive director of the Bellmore-Merrick Community Parent Center since 2002, was recently honored by State Sen. Michael Venditto as a “Woman of Distinction.” more

When ticking off the many and varied phys. ed. programs that Saul Lerner has brought to the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, you quickly realize what a profound and lasting impact he has had on the lives of thousands of students, his colleagues say. Among the programs are girls’ lacrosse, boys’ badminton, bicycling in gym classes, and first aid/cardiopulmonary resuscitation for all students, a program begun with the Merrick-based Robbie Levine Foundation, to name just a few. Lerner is the Central District’s director of physical education, health, athletics, driver’s education and adult education. After 19 years in the district and 35 years in education, Lerner, 58, will retire on June 30. “It’s been a great run,” he said during an interview last week, “and I loved every minute of it, and I love the community.” more

Opioid-based medications and heroin are being abused in epidemic proportions. To combat the large number of Long Islanders dying of heroin and other opioid-related overdoses, the Bellmore-Merrick Community Parent Center; the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District; the Bellmore, Merrick, North Bellmore and North Merrick elementary school districts; and the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence will host a free Narcan training for parents, families and community members. more

Merrick Chamber of Commerce members will celebrate at the organization’s annual gala at Chateau Briand in Carle Place on Jan. 22, and two Merokeans –– Neil Yeoman and Betty Lippai –– will be honored as the organization’s Man and Woman of the Year. more

A drug take-back event sponsored by the Bellmore-Merrick Community Parent Center, the Central High School District and the Heroin Task Force on Sept. 27 yielded more than 200 pounds of medications, representing hundreds, if not thousands, of the opioid prescription pain pills that a growing number of teenagers are abusing, according to Wendy Tepfer, the Parent Center’s executive director. more

Patients should stop thinking of powerful pain medications like Oxycontin and Vycodin as slightly stronger versions of Tylenol and Advil. Rather, they should think of them as “heroin pills.” That’s according to Dr. Andrew Kolodny, president of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing and chief medical officer for Phoenix House, a national, nonprofit drug treatment agency. more