Hurricane Sandy led to one of Long Island’s worst environmental disasters ever, if not the worst. Sandy’s massive storm surge flooded hundreds of South Shore homes. Fuel oil tanks broke loose and floated away, spilling oil as they went. Cars were flooded as well, which sent a witches’ brew of chemicals spilling out. Sewage leaked from the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant. more

In the chaotic weeks after Hurricane Sandy rolled across Nassau County, residents, desperate for the gasoline that was in such short supply, learned a new routine: get up before dawn and get to an open gas station before your friends and neighbors did. more

Last week, Governor Cuomo unveiled his 2013-14 budget. He proposed to increase school aid statewide by 3 percent while keeping overall state spending growth under 2 percent. more

The effort to rebuild our communities after Hurricane Sandy’s devastation has not been without a sense of urgency, especially when it comes to reconstructing homes and critical infrastructure “stronger, smarter and safer.” more

President Obama was officially sworn in for his second term on Sunday, and the inauguration festivities got under way early on Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. more

The eight students and one teacher shuffled into the center of what was left of the dining room of a red-brick ranch home on a canal in Long Beach’s East End last Friday. more

Some doctors tell us that us “time heals all wounds,” but for the victims of Hurricane Sandy, a great deal remains to be done, and the public has to be reminded of it as often as possible. more

Hurricane Sandy attacked without mercy, leaving more than a million Long Islanders without power and wrecking tens of thousands of homes near the shoreline. Then a second disaster struck. more

“A hundred-year storm” was I phrase I heard politicians and meteorologists use to describe this mysterious Sandy. With the memory of Hurricane Irene still fresh in my mind, I figured that once again these warnings were an exaggeration, nothing more than a precaution. more

The effects of Hurricane Sandy continue to dominate the headlines, yet it’s an encouraging sign to see the shifting focus from the long road ahead to the current progress being made, particularly on the local level. more