For many Long Islanders, the unofficial kickoff to summer fun starts with a trip to Jones Beach to watch some of those high flying aerial maneuvers at the Bethpage Federal Credit Union Air Show over Memorial Day weekend. more

Once again, New York state’s two biggest enemies — the ravenous unions and the legislators who are afraid to vote against them — have reared their ugly heads. Love him or hate him, let’s give our lame duck governor, David Paterson, credit for taking a stand. more

Richard Lawrence of Merrick, a former Nassau County Family Court judge, longtime legal counsel to a state senator, and well-respected, well-loved community activist, died suddenly on April 21 of complications from a bone-marrow transplant. He was 66. more

The Rockville Centre Police Department has put a new mobile command post and a new patrol car into service to replace the one that was destroyed by a fleeing burglary suspect who deliberately crashed into it in July 2008. more

They line up every day inside an off-white office resembling a trailer across the street from the Long Beach Medical Center: two neat rows of average-looking people, waiting patiently, as if they are there to buy a cup of coffee from the local deli. But they are there to save their lives. more

A year ago, Long Island legislators dismissed Albany as the home of a government not of the people, but of “three men in a room.” And that wasn’t the first time that criticism was leveled; it’s been a perennial complaint. But now we’re lucky if we can get that many in a room, and even luckier if we know which three they are. more

The wagon used by Rockville Centre resident Edna Buckman Kearns, a women’s suffragist who was active from 1912 through 1920 in the New York State and national campaigns to get women the vote, is … more

Anyone can have a change of heart and mind. Just after the health care reform bill passed last week, I realized the critics were right: Why should we provide insurance for 30 million uninsured … more

Only a year ago, the New York State Legislature was wrangling behind closed doors over a deal to bail out the fiscally troubled Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The agreement, which imposed a commuter payroll tax on counties served by the MTA, including Nassau County, was supposed to put the authority on a sound financial footing. more

Calling for legislative relief, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli has said that many Long Island school districts — including Rockville Centre — have “overfunded” their Employee Benefits and Accrued Liability Reserve funds. He says districts should be able to use that extra money that they can’t now touch, for tax relief. The EBALR is used to pay eligible school district employees for accrued sick and leave time when they retire. DiNapoli has said that Rockville Centre is overfunded by $1,669, 278. But Robert Bartels, Rockville Centre’s assistant superintendent for business, along with the district’s external auditors, might beg to differ. more