Norma Gonsalves, a Republican from East Meadow is running for reelection to represent the 13th Legislative District against Democratic challenger Ed Kraus, a firefighter from North Bellmore. Gonsalves, who has held the position since 1998, became the Legislature’s Presiding Officer in 2012. Kraus has been in the North Bellmore Fire Department since 2004, is a former chief of department, and current fire commissioner. The 13th Legislative District includes East Meadow, North Bellmore, North Merrick, and parts of Seaford and Wantagh. more

Publishers Clifford and Stuart Richner announced July 10 that Richner Communications has agreed to acquire L&M Publications, a Long Island weekly newspaper group that includes the Merrick Life, Bellmore Life, Freeport-Baldwin Leader and the Wantagh-Seaford Citizen. Both Richner Communications and L&M are privately held companies, and terms of the sale were not announced. The sale is expected to close this quarter. more

Maureen Beccaris has been an officer in the Nassau County Police Department’s 1st Precinct for 26 years, but for the last six months, she said, she came to work every day not knowing where she would be the next week. She explained that her office’s supplies and papers were still in boxes, waiting to be moved to Seaford when the scheduled merger of the 1st and 7th precincts took place.But when Beccaris returned to work after a weekend of visiting colleges with her daughter two weeks ago, her coworkers greeted her with news that the 1st Precinct in Baldwin would remain open. After months of uncertainty, she said, the mood in the station house shifted to a sense of relief. more

Nassau County and New York State will again host a pre-registration assistance program this Saturday at three Nassau County Disaster Recovery Centers in Long Beach, Island Park and Seaford for Hurricane Sandy victims. more

The Nassau County Police Department’s 1st Precinct, in Baldwin, will remain open for the near future, and possibly for good. Police officials announced on Monday that they were postponing the closure, attributing the revision of their plans to the effects Hurricane Sandy had on the South Shore. more

Nearly 300 veterans convened at the Knights of Columbus Council in Seaford for a pancake breakfast hosted by State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. on July 9. more

John Brooks, a Democrat from Seaford, and former volunteer fire chief and Board of Education vice president in his hometown, is battling Republican Assemblyman David McDonough of Merrick, a former civic activist and business leader, for the 19th Assembly District seat. more