Long Island Now
The latest community buzz and updates. | Sign up for community newsletters.
Brittany Wait
Brittany Wait joined newsday.com as a community journalist in April after a stint at the Times Beacon Record Newspapers in Setauket. She is a 2011 graduate of the Stony Brook University School of Journalism.
BOCES students get surprise visit from Scooby-Doo, win $2,500 grant
Photo credit: Brittany Wait
Samantha Heins and her classmates sat anxiously in a room waiting to be lectured by their principal about bullying.
Instead, a 6-foot-tall Scooby-Doo and others walked in holding balloons and a large $2,500 check.
Heins was among the 13 Eastern Suffolk BOCES students told Tuesday they had won first place in the 3rd annual Mutt-i-grees “America Adopts” National PSA Contest.
The...
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 »Deer Park High School 'Battle of the Belts' aims to teach car safety
Photo credit: Brittany Wait
Kevon Thompson wasn’t the fastest at putting on a seat belt, but he says he'll never forget to buckle up after racing his classmates during a “Battle of the Belts” contest at his school.
Thompson was one of 40 students who formed groups of four to race to buckle their seat belts in each seat of a parked car in Deer Park High School’s parking lot Thursday.
“This competition shows that...
Read more »Moms, daughters start Mother’s Day weekend with Habitat for Humanity build
Photo credit: Brittany Wait
Alexandra Casazza, wearing a bandanna on her head and equipped with a hammer and nails, was ready to help her mother, Teresa, build the framework of a new home for a local family in need.
“I never handled a hammer in my life, but this is what my mom wanted to do on Mother’s Day weekend,” said Casazza, 17, of Sayville. “It’s her early Mother’s Day gift.”
The Casazzas were among the seven...
Read more »Guinness World Record attempts also combat bullying in Kings Park
Photo credit: Brittany Wait
After seeing a news report about a boy his age who committed suicide after being bullied, ninth grader Luke Carlin wanted to bring his community together to stand up against bullying.
Carlin, a student at Kings Park High School, had been bullied up until he told his mother, Anne Carlin, last year. He then teamed up with his mom, secretary of the Kings Park Civic Association, who got area anti-drug...
Read more »Bindi Irwin, daughter of late 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin, helps LI's Alisa Messeroff in ‘Best Jobs in the World’ contest
Photo credit: Handout
Alisa Messeroff just got one step closer to landing one of the “Best Jobs in the World.”
The Baldwin native, currently between backpacking jaunts and settled in Perth, Australia, is in the running of the Tourism Australia-sponsored contest, which will award six winners with a six-month job in Australia for a $100,000 salary.
In mid-April, Messeroff, 29, was selected as one of 25 finalists...
Read more »Dairy Queen comes to Long Island with Massapequa location
Photo credit: Dairy Queen
Laura Maier grew up on ice cream from the Dairy Queen in her hometown of Old Tappan, N.J.
But after moving to Massapequa nine years ago and finding the franchise didn’t exist on Long Island, she decided she wanted to leave the health care field and open her own business.
That dream has finally come true, and Maier expects to open Long Island’s only Dairy Queen Grill & Chill, at 5366...
Read more »Hampton Bays student Luke Gustafson wins culinary competition, scholarship
Photo credit: Brittany Wait
Dishing out chicken with tomato and mushroom sauce on top and garlic mashed potatoes and seared string beans, Luke Gustafson felt confident he had done his best.
For his creativity, presentation and technique, Gustafson, a senior at Hampton Bays High School, placed first at the 5th annual High School Student Chef Competition at Suffolk County Community College's Culinary Arts Center in Riverhead...
Read more »2nd annual PortFest will bring live music, Harlem Shake to Port Washington
Photo credit: Tara Conry
Listen to live music, catch an impromptu performance of the Harlem Shake and spend the day with the family at the second annual PortFest on May 11 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Rain or shine, PortFest, organized by Helping Enrich the Arts (HEARTS) in Port Washington, will celebrate the community'’s musical, artistic and cultural resources.
“PortFest provides a platform for local musicians and...
Read more »Combat, kimonos at Stony Brook Cherry Blossom Festival
Photo credit: Brittany Wait
Wearing a purple kimono with pink flowers, Carolina Favorite sat underneath a cherry blossom tree, watching students from Stony Brook University’s drumming club perform.
“They drummed their hearts out,” said Favorite, 25, of Port Jefferson Station. “With the beautiful drumming and light breeze, it felt like being transported to Japan.”
Favorite was among the nearly 200 people passing...
Read more »
