It was a shocking night in Nassau County for several local Democrats, most notably County Executive Tom Suozzi, who, as the Herald reached deadline, was ahead by a razor-thin 237 vote margin. more

The following are profiles of candidates running for seats on the Nassau County and district court. more

Children who are legal residents of Valley Stream District 13 and will be 5 years of age on or before Dec. 1, 2010, are eligible to register for kindergarten for the 2010-11 school year. more

Local school districts are scouring their budgets, looking for places where they can save after word came down last week that Gov. David Paterson will likely try to cut school aid mid-year by more than a half billion dollars statewide as part of his $5 billion Deficit Reduction Plan. more

A gas station attendant in Elmont showed an iron will with a gutsy display of bravado last week, as he swiped a 12-gauge shotgun out of the hands of a would-be robber trying to steal cash from his register. more

Kathleen Rice ascended to the district attorney’s post four years ago as a virtual unknown -- a former federal prosecutor and Brooklyn assistant district attorney who had never run for political office before. Back then, she appeared a tad unsure of herself, slightly nervous in her interviews with the Herald. And why not? She was opposing the legendary Denis Dillon, who had served as Nassau County district attorney for 31 years. Despite being a political neophyte, Rice ran a strong campaign, and was elected with 51 percent of the vote to Dillon’s 49 percent. Four years later, we’re happy that Rice was elected. She has proven herself to be a consummate professional who only improved an already well-run D.A.’s office. Cases are processed nearly twice as fast as they once were. Conviction rates are up. And Rice has garnered a national reputation for her aggressive stance against driving while intoxicated. Many now call her the toughest DWI prosecutor in the country. more

It’s hard to argue with a track record like that of Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, a Democrat from Glen Cove. Over the past eight years, he took a fiscally mismanaged, virtually insolvent county and turned it around, consistently balancing a budget that seemingly could not be balanced. Suozzi saved money by cutting the county work force by 1,000 employees and instituting tried-and-true management practices that were previously nonexistent. At the same time, he has put in place a host of programs to improve residents’ quality of life, from smoking-cessation regimens to energy-efficiency incentives. more

When Gina Capone of Valley Stream was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2000, she began scouring the Internet to find someone with diabetes whom she could talk with; someone who knew what she was going through. Capone’s aunt was the only person she knew with diabetes, and her aunt’s case was filled with complications. more

Valley Stream North celebrated Homecoming last Saturday with a 20-12 victory over Conference IV rival Locust Valley. more

Franklin Square and Elmont saw their fair share of parade floats and gleeful teenagers last weekend, as three separate homecomings turned the area into one long parade. H. Frank Carey, Sewanhaka and North high schools held their Homecoming festivities on Saturday, filling the local streets with marching bands and parade floats, not to mention the most all-American of royalty, the Homecoming courts. more