Long Island Now
The latest community buzz and updates. | Sign up for community newsletters.
The Bench 5K draws hundreds of runners to benefit Play Fit-Stay Fit
Photo credit: Jordan Gibbons
When Adrianna Oliva, 9, of Stony Brook was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 2, her parents, George and Michele Oliva, said doctors told them the tumor would likely leave their daughter disabled.
They remember specifically that doctors said she would never be able to ride a bike.
Since then, Adrianna has been through seven surgeries, and with the help of physical and occupational...
Read more »Smithtown trash-collection contracts to be put out for bid as deal with embattled Jody Enterprises expires
Photo credit: Handout
Trash-collection contracts held by a Bay Shore carting firm charged last year with stealing recyclable paper from Smithtown are among several expiring deals the town is putting up for bid next month.
Jody Enterprises and two employees were charged with grand larceny last year by Suffolk County prosecutors, who said they diverted more than $200,000 worth of paper from Smithtown to a West Babylon...
Read more »Hempstead Village group receives approval for Main Street enhancement grant
Photo credit: J.C. Cherubini, 2011
The Village of Hempstead Community Development Agency has received state approval for its $1.6 million Main Street Pedestrian Enhancement and Improvement Project.
The village was awarded the funding for pedestrian enhancements on Main Street in 2007 from the Federal Highway Administration through the state Department of Transportation. The village CDA is overseeing the federal grant and is...
Read more »Former heavyweight boxer David Brunelli crowned hot dog eating champion in Patchogue
Photo credit: Ann Luk
Former heavyweight boxer David Brunelli, 37, knocked out his competition during the First Hot Dog Chow Down contest by devouring 27 hot dogs in 8-and-a-half minutes at Rudi’s, a bar in Patchogue.
The victory didn’t come easy.
“I’ve been working out . . . I do water training, which is drinking gallons of water to stretch my stomach,” Brunelli said, “The other day I ate 10 pounds of food,...
Read more »Riverhead considers a ban on new houseboats, floating homes
Photo credit: Handout
Riverhead is preparing to join other Long Island towns such as Southampton, Huntington and Brookhaven in severely restricting or banning new floating homes.
The town board held a public hearing Tuesday on a local law that would ban new houseboats, house barges and floating cabanas, and require existing ones — officials say there are only about a dozen now in town waters and marinas — to get...
Read more »Shoreham-Wading River art students' mural destined for Sandy Hook school
Photo credit: Brittany Wait
Small and large butterflies float down a path leading to an open field at sunset in a painting meant to instill hope in the survivors of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
On the mural local students created, 20 small butterflies represent the children lost, and six larger butterflies represent the adults.
Art students from Shoreham-Wading River High School spent four months...
Read more »Riverhead Town board renames road for Heidi Behr, sets parking limits
Photo credit: Carl Corry
The Riverhead Town Board last week named a roadway along the Peconic River for Heidi Behr, a popular Riverhead ambulance corps volunteer who was killed in 2005 while riding in an ambulance with a patient.
The roadway, which had no name, is not actually a street and is not part of the town road system, but provides a way for people to drive behind the stores on East Main Street between Peconic...
Read more »North Bellmore schools superintendent to detail $50.5M budget proposal at civic meeting
Photo credit: Nicole Bartoline
North Bellmore school district superintendent Arnold Goldstein will be a guest speaker at the North Bellmore Civic Association meeting Monday night to talk about the district’s proposed $50.5 million budget for 2013-14 and the upcoming elections.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in North Bellmore Public Library, 1551 Newbridge Rd. The meeting room has a capacity of 150 people.
Assistant...
Read more »Hofstra broadcasters shine during Islanders playoff run
Photo credit: Josh Stewart
As an only child growing up in Levittown, Kevin Dexter said he often had to “create my own fun, in a sense.”
To that end, shooting hoops outside his house became an episode of ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” with Dexter describing the highlights in his head.
“It all started when I was about 5 years old,” Dexter said of calling the action. “I would put the TV on mute and read the lineup for the...
Read more »Cancer patients treated to makeovers in Look Good Feel Better demonstration in New Hyde Park
Photo credit: Tara Conry
When Selina Sears steps out of her house, she usually hides behind a headwrap and big sunglasses. Since being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in February 2012, Sears, 49, of Baldwin, has been undergoing treatments that have thinned her hair, discolored her skin and shaken her self-confidence.
That wasn’t the case Wednesday night, though, as Sears modeled a new look for more than 100 people...
Read more »
