The third race between seven-term 5th District Nassau County Legislator Joe Scannell, a Democrat from Baldwin, and Chris Browne, a Republican from Rockville Centre, took a provocative turn last week. The flap was sparked by a mailing, produced by two Wantagh Republicans and distributed by the Nassau County Democratic Club, which asserted that in June 2010, Browne, a member of the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals, voted to approve construction of a strip club in Wantagh. more

The Rockville Centre Police Department recently put a new traffic enforcement vehicle on the road, a four-wheel drive Chevy Tahoe, purchased primarily with Nassau County funds made available through Legislator Joseph Scannell more

The Long Island Power Authority’s chief operating officer, Michael Hervey, toured storm-ravaged parts of south Merrick with Nassau County Legislator David Denenberg on Wednesday to reassure frustrated homeowners that power would be restored to their homes. more

The flooding rains that hit Long Island’s South Shore on Aug. 14 might be a preview of what could happen if a hurricane were to strike here. That’s why County Legislator Dave Denenberg, a Democrat from Merrick, hosted a hurricane-preparedness seminar last Wednesday at the North Bellmore Library. more

In a 3-2 decision last Thursday, New York State Appellate Division judges upheld new boundaries drawn by Nassau Republican lawmakers for the county’s 19 legislative districts. If the state Court of Appeals rules in favor of the Republican plan on Aug. 24, the GOP’s legislative map will reshape a number of districts, including those covering the Five Towns, Elmont, Baldwin and Merrick-Bellmore. more

My last two columns, “As promised: keeping tabs” (June 30 – July 6) and “Is the bloom off the rose?” (July 21-27) provided information to evaluate the session-ending accomplishments of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Two fundamental questions were raised. Has there been a real transformation in addressing the way the “people’s business” is being managed in Albany? Do our political leaders really understand that the state of New York is still headed down a path of fiscal instability and requires levels of real reform hardly evident to date? more

Members of the Rockville Centre Tea Party held a protest outside State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos’s district office on Front Street on July 15, prompting a spontaneous counterprotest by … more