During this election season, which will culminate in the Nov. 3 vote, the Herald has asked the Long Beach City Council candidates for their view on topics of concern to residents. This is the first in a series of questions we have posed to the six candidates who are vying for three seats on the Council. more

Erwin Pitnick, one of several mortgage holders on property at 835 W. Beech St., at the corner of Nebraska Avenue, told City Manager Charles Theofan at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that he will fight Theofan’s plan to use eminent domain to take over two vacant lots at the corner in order to use them for 10 residential parking spaces. more

George Maragos, CEO of a financial services business, is challenging two-term incumbent Howard Weitzman in the race for Nassau County comptroller. Maragos said that the county’s finances have been poorly managed for the past eight years, and he believes his experience can bring needed change. more

From breaking news updates on 1010 WINS, to traffic reports on Z100, to sports recaps on WCBS 880, to political debates on national television, the alumni of Hofstra University’s radio station can be heard across the metropolitan area and around the country. more

Although the Herald Community Newspapers have had an online presence since 1999, an expanded, more comprehensive Web site has recently been launched to help readers keep in closer touch with their communities. The new LIHerald.com has more news, sports, local business and arts coverage and event listings than ever before. more

During this election season, which will culminate in the Nov. 3 vote, the Herald has asked the Long Beach City Council candidates for their view on topics of concern to residents. This is the first in a series of questions we have posed to the six candidates who are vying for three seats on the Council. Comments on this Q&A? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213. more

On a plot of land called the Mariner’s Burying Ground in the Rockville Cemetery in Lynbrook, an 18-foot-tall marble obelisk pays tribute to the terrible tragedies of the Bristol and the Mexico, shipwrecked just days apart in the winter of 1836-37 off the coast of Long Island. 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

Most residents may put a sign or two on their lawns that promote a favored political candidate. But last week, Long Beach resident Richard Boodman had a contractor post seven custom-made signs — most of them blaming the Republican administration in Long Beach for a man’s death —across the wooden deck that wraps around his East Olive Street home. more

It was a first in Long Beach. more