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

When I was the editor of the Nassau Herald in the late ’80s and ’90s, the running joke when anything happened anywhere in the world was, “What’s the local connection?” … more

Merrick Herald Life Senior Editor Scott Brinton, third from right, who is an adjunct journalism professor at Hofstra University, recently brought his Issues in Science Reporting students to a cleanup in the Merrick woodlands off the Meadowbrook Parkway to help out and report on the event. More than 50 volunteers attended the cleanup. more

Kendall and Ciro Frulio and daughters Olivia and Emma were living in a quaint home on Franklin Street in East Rockaway, within the village limits but blocks from the Bay Park border, when Hurricane … more

Purchasing a home is one of the most important decisions in a person’s life — and deciding on a particular house comes with many options. Buyers in … more

Herald Community Newspapers staff came home from their weekend in Saratoga Springs with 14 awards, earned in the New York Press Association’s 2014 Better Newspaper Contest. more

I’ve heard a lot of local chatter lately about Common Core. I know teachers are distressed and parents confused. To be honest . . . more

Facing pressure from state and local officials, New York Rising announced a major policy change on Thursday to part of its reimbursement formula that officials say has stalled the rebuilding process … more

Florrie Schwartzberg was my first boss in the newspaper business. I know it’s slightly irregular in an obituary not to sing praises exclusively . . . more

The Herald endorses Rita Kestenbaum in the race for the Nassau County Legislature’s 19th District. Kestenbaum, a Democrat from Bellmore, is running against Steve Rhoads, a Republican from Bellmore, in a special election to fill the seat left empty when David Denenberg recently resigned from the post shortly before pleading guilty to eight counts of federal mail fraud. The election is set for next Tuesday, March 10. more