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

Saul Lerner, the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District athletic director, recently resigned his post as coordinator of the Nassau County Boys' Basketball Committee because, he said, the Section VIII Athletic Council rejected a proposal of his to fine-tune the seeding process that ultimately determines teams' playing schedules. In 2006, Lerner was the architect of an ability-grouping system that determined a team's conference by its record. Previously, teams were assigned to conferences without much regard to their records. Rather, officials used what they called the "snake," in which teams were seeded and then laid out on a grid that wound back and forth in serpentine fashion. more

Tens of thousands of local folks thronged Bedford Avenue and its environs last Saturday and Sunday for the annual Bellmore Family Street Festival, sponsored by the Bellmore Chamber of Commerce. At this year's fair -- touted as Nassau County's largest -- there was a little something for everyone, from carnival rides to crafts to live marshal-arts demonstrations to pony rides, a petting zoo and any number of expos, from crafts to sports. Additionally, there was entertainment at the Town of Hempstead Showmobile throughout the weekend. And in the middle of it all, the Bellmore Herald had booth, staffed by Bellmore Herald Accountant Executive Ilene Dixel, Senior Editor Scott Brinton, and reporters Nancy Hiler and Sari Zeidler. more

In the race for Town of Hempstead clerk, the choice is clear: Republican incumbent Mark Bonilla of Bellmore. more

The 23rd annual Bellmore Family Street Festival, organized by the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores, was originally scheduled for Oct. 17-18, but had to be rescheduled because of the threat of rain. The fair, touted as Nassau County's largest family festival, is now set for this weekend, Oct. 24-25. With this year's theme, "Sweet Dreams: Filled with Spice and Everything Nice," the festival will take place 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Bellmore Long Island Rail Road station and along Bedford Avenue, with carnival rides every evening. more

The race in the 13th Legislative District pits longtime incumbent Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow) against Democratic challenger Pat Maher.Both candidates hope to address high property taxes, … more

As they have at recent Central District Board of Education sessions, roughly a half-dozen parents and members of a recently formed, ad hoc community group, Time for Turf, spoke again at the Oct. 7 board meeting, reiterating their desire to see artificial-turf football fields at Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham high schools. And, they said, they're not going away. In two recent meetings at which Time for Turf members spoke, they were unchallenged in their calls for synthetic-turf fields, with Central District officials primarily listening to their concerns and, most recently, forming a district committee to examine ways to improve all of Central's 31 athletic fields at its three high schools and two middle schools. This time, the calls for artificial turf were met by vocal opposition from Fred Kleiman, a local resident. Repeatedly noting the per-field cost for synthetic turf of more than $1 million, Kleiman said it would be "fiscally irresponsible" of the Central District to consider such a proposal, given that it would likely mean a property-tax increase amid a deep recession. more

Due to the threat of inclement weather, the Bellmore Family Street Festival, sponsored by the Bellmore Chamber of Commerce, has been postponed, and has been rescheduled for the weekend of Oct. 24-25. more

Police charged Leonidas Cotsifas, 50, of Bethpage with attempted murder and several other crimes on Thursday afternoon after he allegedly struck a 71-year-old man on the head with a paving stone in his Nassau Street home in Bellmore, critically injuring him. more

Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham high schools all celebrated Homecoming on Saturday, and students had a blast at the pre-game parades and at the big football games, despite all three home teams losing. Calhoun went down to Massapequa, 24-20. Kennedy lost a heartbreaker to Division, 21-20, after being up 20-0 at halftime. And Mepham was overpowered by No. 4 seed Wantagh, 30-7. more