Throughout the long, at times agonizing health reform debate, conservatives and insurance-industry lobbyists have argued that we don’t need a public insurance plan to compete with private insurers. more

Sophomore Gavin Enright and his classmates at Long Beach High School often find themselves bored. To combat staring at ceilings, Gavin, 15, is proposing that the district sponsor a monthly teen … more

As it turns out, we have a new Nassau County executive. Democrat Thomas Suozzi conceded defeat to Republican challenger Ed Mangano last week. Suozzi lost by a mere 386 votes. more

Talk about timeliness. Last week's column, "Responding to a Trio of Tragedies," was followed by three more incidents this week: a principal held hostage, resulting in his school going into lockdown; a 13-year-old boy committing suicide in the Bronx; and a report that two-thirds of all middle school students say they have been bullied. In each case, there was no outlet for rage. It is incumbent on us to prevent anger from escalating to that point. This week, I will examine a number of the anti-bullying programs that are proliferating in the schools, from the elementary to even the college levels. more

Board meeting The Long Beach Board of Education will hold a regular meeting at the middle school at 8 p.m. on Dec. 8. Science fair The annual middle school science fair will be held on Nov. 24 at … more

American flags lined the driveway leading to the Long Beach Middle School to greet more than 30 veterans from six wars in honor of Veterans Day last Friday. The veterans arrived to speak to the … 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

Long Beach Middle School recently held a kickoff celebration to mark the sixth year of its Mentor Program. Fifty-three teachers and staff members have volunteered to take part in the program, … more

Senior Michelle Leonetti is the first student from Long Beach High School to be named a regional finalist in the Siemens Competition in math, science and technology. Leonetti, along with … more

Board meeting The Long Beach Board of Education will hold a regular meeting at the middle school at 8 p.m. on Dec. 8. Morning Madness needs youThe high school PTSA Morning Madness Committee … more