For die-hard Yankees fan Al Belbol of Merrick, the Bombers' World Series title was long overdue. To celebrate, Belbol painted the Yankees' logo onto his front lawn. Here, Belbol's children, Julianna, Anthony and Joseph, join in the revelry. more

Thalia Piacquadio of Merrick recently rallied friends and relatives in support of her 4-year-old daughter, Gabriella, who was diagnosed last year with osteogenesis imperfecta, a disease that causes brittle and easily broken bones. More than 200 people showed up for the second annual Making Stride for Better Bones: Long Island walk at Cedar Creek Park in Seaford on Oct. 24, raising $20,000 for the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people affected by the disease through research to find treatments and a cure, education, awareness, and mutual support. "Team Piacquadio" raised nearly $8,000. more

When Veronica Medina learned that more than 93,000 children on Long Island go hungry each day, she knew she had to act. Embarking on an 18-month, personal fundraising effort, the Bellmore resident raised just over $10,000 to sponsor a truckload of food and personal care items to help local families who have fallen on hard times. Medina's project became a reality as a tractor-trailer full of food recently rolled up to Westfield Sunrise Mall in Massapequa, and was then offloaded to Island Harvest, Long Island's largest hunger-relief organization. The group, in turn, distributed the goods to 50 of its member agencies, benefiting 400 Long Island families. more

Boosters to hold annual fund drive On Saturday, Nov. 21, the Calhoun High School Sports Boosters will hold their annual fund drive beginning at 10:30 a.m. All those who would like to participate should meet in Calhoun's west cafeteria starting at 9:30 a.m., where a bagel breakfast will be served. All students, parents and teachers are welcome and needed to make this event successful. The boosters ask the community to continue its upport for students by donating to this fund drive. Checks can be made payable to "Calhoun Sports Boosters" and are preferred, but cash is also welcome. Return envelopes will be left for mail-in donations for those who are not at home. Throughout the year, the Sports Boosters sponsor various events, including Homecoming, pep rally, parade, Battle of the Classes and Spring Fling. Boosters also donate to community and district events, including the "Midnight Madness" post-prom party for senior students. Calhoun Sports Boosters is there to support students in any way that it can, and to promote sportsmanship, school spirit and good will throughout the community. E-mail sportsboosters@optonline.net for further information. Any questions, call Phyllis at (516) 546-0994 or Debbie at 379-1661. more

For more than a week, Calhoun High School senior Tyler Seaman has looked for the right words to tell his classmates how he feels about them. On Thursday after press time, he was preparing to stand in front of his fellow students, teachers and parents, and share a speech of thanks. In return, students and faculty were preparing to take to the Calhoun auditorium stage to sing, dance and perform in the school’s first student-faculty talent show to benefit the Chordoma Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for this extremely rare form of cancer. more

Even energetic, gorgeous, talented and sexy people have to rest sometime — and that's just what the cast of Broadway’s “Burn the Floor” did recently at the Malverne home of two of their … more

Rockville Centre Guild for the Arts staged four performances of the musical "Gypsy" with local talent from Rockville Centre, Oceanside, East Rockaway and Merrick. Directed by Jon Grodeski, musical director Bill Margiotta, Produced by Diane Donoghue. more

I've recently written a series of articles chronicling what it's like to be arrested for drunk driving in Nassau County. Though I've had the participation of the district attorney's office, Nassau County police and a number of defense attorneys, as well as input from many readers, one voice has been noticeably absent. Until now. 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

The question of who will be Nassau's next county executive, Democratic incumbent Tom Suozzi or Republican challenger Ed Mangano, was still hanging over residents' heads as the Herald went to press on Tuesday. As the Board of Elections was taking time to recount ballots, community members took the time to talk about the outcome of local elections, and concerns about their neighborhoods and wallets. "The only thing I'd like to see gone is that tax, that energy tax, that 2.5 percent. That's bad," Marylou Swensen, a resident of East Meadow for 38 years, said. Though she declined to say who she voted for on Nov. 3, she said, "It's not fair. They screw up, and we have to pay for it. It's wrong, and that's my opinion." more