Part one of a two-part series. Imagine building an incinerator next to a hospital nursery. That, critics say, is about what the Village of Freeport would be doing if it were to build a $550 million waste-to-energy incinerator alongside a wetland in south Freeport, near the Merrick border. Plans for the facility appear in doubt (see related story, "What's up with Freeport's incinerator plans?"). But if eventually approved, the project could have serious consequences for the local environment and human health. more

Richard Lawrence of Merrick, a former Nassau County Family Court judge, longtime legal counsel to a state senator, and well-respected, well-loved community activist, died suddenly on April 21 of complications from a bone-marrow transplant. He was 66. more

Welcome spring with some foot stompin' music from the Dukes of Dixieland, enjoy a performance of chamber music classics featuring retired New York Philharmonic clarinetist Stanley Drucker, or check out a performance by the Manhattan-based Aesthetic Realism Theatre Company. more

More than 100 residents of Freeport and neighboring communities like Merrick, Bellmore and Rockville Centre converged on Freeport Village Hall on Monday to protest Mayor Andrew Hardwick's reported proposal to build a $550 million waste-to-energy trash incinerator in south Freeport, near the Merrick border. more

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It’s opera with a twist when two “divas” take the stage, presented by Merrick-Bellmore Community Concert Association, Sunday, Feb. 21, at 4 p.m. Somewhere amid the many costume changes, … 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

In the race for Town of Hempstead clerk, the choice is clear: Republican incumbent Mark Bonilla of Bellmore. more

Due to the threat of inclement weather, the Bellmore Family Street Festival, sponsored by the Bellmore Chamber of Commerce, has been postponed, and has been rescheduled for the weekend of Oct. 24-25. more

Each year, drunken drivers cause deadly accidents and claim innocent lives. Their stories often become local and sometimes national lore, cautioning others about the potentially deadly consequences of a crime that some see as socially acceptable. But there is another type of loss that goes with drinking and driving, I recently learned. One that may be considered insensitive or politically incorrect to discuss. Three defense attorneys I interviewed saw the possible loss of one's reputation and even future employment as an unfair fate that befalls many of their clients. I contacted the lawyers after the Nassau County Police Department and the district attorney's office gave me a firsthand look at what a DWI arrest entails. Police simulated my arrest for DWI, including everything from handcuffing me to locking me up. Later, the district attorney's office brought me to District Court, where I took a tour of holding cells, courtrooms and assistant district attorneys' offices. I wrote about the experience for Herald readers. But as I spoke with defense lawyers, expecting to hear mainly about the financial burden of a DWI conviction, I learned that some of the most serious consequences for the convicted are harder to quantify. more