Temperatures might have dipped into the 20s and 30s on Saturday, with the threat of a blizzard, but that didn't stop members of the Merrick Fire Department's Empire Hose Company No. 3 from holding their 13th annual Christmas tree fundraiser, with funds raised benefiting the Merrick F.D. more

Dana Brown and Kaitlyn Paeth, both fifth-graders at Camp Avenue Elementary School in North Merrick, are dancing in the children's cast of the Eglevsky Ballet's 2009 production of "The Nutcracker," Dec. 19 to 21 at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. They were among 66 of Long Island's most talented young dance students selected through competitive auditions to appear in this year's production. more

It was a weekend full of holiday fun on Dec. 5 and 6 in Merrick, thanks to the Chamber of Commerce. The chamber was proud to present two holiday celebrations at the Merrick train station gazebo to ring in the start of the holiday season. A visit from Santa lit up children's faces with smiles on Saturday, and on Sunday, two community icons -- Merrick Avenue's own Christmas tree and Menorah - brought cheer to the neighborhood at the annual lighting ceremony. more

The villages of East Rockaway and Lynbrook celebrated the arrival of the holidays with winter festivals on the same evening. There was plenty of fun, music and entertainment, with sleigh rides and great … more

Sopranos star (Vito) and East Rockaway resident Joseph R. Gannascoli will be hosting a book signing for his novel, "A Meal to Die For:A Culinary Novel of Crime" on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Village Book Shoppe, 7 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre. For more information, call (516) 764-1395. more

South Nassau Communities Hospital has used a $15,000 gift donation from the Rapaport Family Charitable Trust to to purchase a new infant transporter for the hospital's Labor and Delivery Suite. The … more

Arson is the cause of a roaring fire that gutted the former landmark Bellmore restaurant, Smithville Café, early Monday morning, police and fire investigators say. more

Holiday FunTurkeys, Pies And Other Good Things...If you missed it last weekend, there’s still time to experience a traditional Thanksgiving as it was celebrated in the 19th century, during Old … more

For die-hard Yankees fan Al Belbol of Merrick, the Bombers' World Series title was long overdue. To celebrate, Belbol painted the Yankees' logo onto his front lawn. Here, Belbol's children, Julianna, Anthony and Joseph, join in the revelry. more

Thalia Piacquadio of Merrick recently rallied friends and relatives in support of her 4-year-old daughter, Gabriella, who was diagnosed last year with osteogenesis imperfecta, a disease that causes brittle and easily broken bones. More than 200 people showed up for the second annual Making Stride for Better Bones: Long Island walk at Cedar Creek Park in Seaford on Oct. 24, raising $20,000 for the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people affected by the disease through research to find treatments and a cure, education, awareness, and mutual support. "Team Piacquadio" raised nearly $8,000. more