Too often, we hear the horror stories of DWI. A drunken driver rips apart a family, maiming or killing a father, a mother, a brother or sister. Since the outbreak of World War I in 1914, more Americans have died in drunken driving crashes than in both World Wars and the Vietnam War combined — 594,161 U.S. soldiers compared with 1.6 million DWI victims and counting, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. more

Millions of iPhones and BlackBerrys are being used every second, and few adults in Nassau County are without a cell phone of some kind. These devices enable more than phone calls. We can type text messages, read e-mails, connect to the Internet and type Twitter messages and Facebook updates. We can find out where the nearest pizzeria, gas station or hospital is. We can check the weather. We can get a movie review, find the closest theater where that movie is playing and when the next show starts, and then get directions to the theater. All on the phone. more

Traditionally, food drives to benefit the hungry are scheduled around Thanksgiving and extended through the December holidays, at most through the turn of the New Year. This year, however, as the economy took a turn for the worse, Assembly Dave McDonough, a Republican representing Bellmore-Merrick, kept his annual food drive going year 'round, the need for food just as compelling this summer and early fall. Since November, hundreds of pounds of food have been collected, but much more needs to be done, the assemblyman said. Donations of canned goods and other non-perishable food items may be dropped off at McDonough's district office at 404 Bedford Ave. in Bellmore. All donations are delivered to local food pantries in the area for distribution to families in need. more