The Rockville Centre Electric Department reported a new record for peak electric use on the afternoon of July 22, when the mercury at JFK airport reached 103 degrees. A village spokesman reported the preliminary figure for the village’s electric use at approximately 58 megawatts. He said the exact amount, which will be calculated later this week, could be somewhat larger or smaller. The previous peak was 55.6 megawatts, set in August 2006. more

A neighborhood trend has started to spread. Several local families are illuminating their homes with power generated by solar panels, saving money and benefiting the environment at the same time. “It’s unlimited, free electricity,” said Daryl Altman, a Lynbrook resident. “We got tired of paying for electricity that’s generated using foreign oil, supporting the countries that contributed to 9/11. Solar is clean, affordable and virtually maintenance-free.” more

With metal coils, Nikola Tesla made electricity dance through the air in wild, hyperactive arcs, which led many in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to believe he was a magician, others to say he was a mad scientist. more

Two workers were seriously injured in Lynbrook on Saturday when the pole they were both holding was blown into a power line, causing a severe shock to both men. According to Nassau County detectives, the men, who were working for Brook Window Cleaning, headquartered on Sunrise Highway in Lynbrook, were preparing to wash the windows at Bank of America, at 300 Merrick Road, using 
a telescoping washing pole. Nicholas Genovese 58, of Staten Island, and his co-worker, Alan Weinberg 64, of Long Beach, were standing on the ground, both holding the bottom of the pole. Weinberg was “footing” — or bracing — the pole while Genovese was walking it up the building when a gust of wind blew the pole into a nearby power line. Both men were thrown to the ground by the shock.
 According to detectives, two … more

A Queens contractor who makes his home in Bellmore was arrested and charged last week with cheating his employees out of legal wages. Maurizio Randazzo, principal of Queens-based ANR Electrical Contracting, Inc. and Grand Electric, Inc., allegedly stole more than $26,000 from the New York City Department of Education, according to State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. more

Last Saturday's nor'easter, which featured heavy rainfall and tropical-storm-force winds, devastated parts of the Five Towns, toppling hundreds of trees and leaving thousands of residents without power. Many described it as one of the worst natural disaster to ever strike the area. more

Photos by Andrew Vardakis for the Nassau Herald. more

Franklin Square and Elmont residents, like the rest of Nassau County, spent the early part of the week recovering from a storm that downed trees, power lines and parts of homes, and left more than 250,000 people on Long Island without power. more

About four inches of rain and high-winds hit Long Beach on Saturday and Sunday, felling trees, taking down power lines and flooding streets. While power was knocked out in pockets throughout the … more

High winds with gusts up to 75 miles per hour sent a multi-story oak tree crashing into the home of 16-year-old Nick Attanasio of Seneca Drive North in Merrick on Saturday. more