March 31 was a normal day for 18-year-old Daria Rose. The Baldwin resident and senior at Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead sat through classes, attended a prayer service and got something to eat before heading home. Once there, though, her day became anything but normal. more

Architects, engineers and builders are frantically rebuilding and elevating Hurricane Sandy-ravaged homes across Nassau County’s South Shore these days, and they are expected to get even busier … more

Kendall and Ciro Frulio and daughters Olivia and Emma were living in a quaint home on Franklin Street in East Rockaway, within the village limits but blocks from the Bay Park border, when Hurricane … more

Hurricane Sandy was our worst nightmare realized. This monster storm packed as much energy as two World War II era atomic bombs, causing massive destruction, the likes of which had not been seen since the Long Island Express of 1938, a now legendary Category III hurricane. Trapped on an island jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, we were front and center when Sandy attacked with a vengeance. Thousands of homes were inundated with seawater and sewage. Hundreds were left uninhabitable. Two and a half years later, we continue to rebuild our tattered shoreline. In this series we will look in the coming months at the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery’s ongoing effort to reconstruct worst-case homes, businesses and communities that Sandy ravaged on Oct. 29, 2012 — and the myriad issues that residents and officials face as they piece together our shredded infrastructure. At the same time, we will look at state and local officials’ efforts to reinforce Long Island in the hope that we might be able to withstand nature’s fury better when the next monster storm hits. —Scott Brinton, senior editor more

Facing pressure from state and local officials, New York Rising announced a major policy change on Thursday to part of its reimbursement formula that officials say has stalled the rebuilding process … more

After a meeting on March 11 with U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York, and Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, of New Jersey, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate announced that the agency had agreed to reopen and review every flood insurance claim — approximately 144,000 — filed in New York and New Jersey by victims of Hurricane Sandy, and not limit corrective action to just the 2,200 claims that are now in litigation. more

In his State of the County speech Wednesday night in East Meadow, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano painted a bright picture of Nassau’s present and future, touting his administration’s efforts to attract young people and families to the county, spur growth in the private sector, downsize government and hold down taxes. more

When it’s time for 19-year-old Rebecca to go to sleep, she does so on a living room couch in her Baldwin Harbor home. Her 21-year-old brother and 16-year-old sister are a few feet away in the dining room, where they sleep on mattresses. Rebecca’s parents, who are both disabled, spend most of their time upstairs as she runs the household. more

Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos announced that 6,700 refund checks will be mailed, beginning late December through early January, to compensate homeowners whose tax assessments were not … more

As we ring in the New Year, let’s reflect on the important issues and challenges our state and county faced in 2014. I believe 2015 will be a good year . . . more