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

Calhoun High School students got a small taste of what it's like to drive drunk last Friday, the final day of National Teen Driver Safety Week. The students suited up with bicycle helmets and special glasses that obscure users’ vision, hopped aboard one of two pedal carts and attempted to negotiate an obstacle course of orange highway cones. The students, who were not drinking, smiled and laughed as they maneuvered slowly -- and quite awkwardly -- through the course. But the message was serious: Drinking makes you lose your sense of control, and that can lead to dire consequences if you drive. 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

The race for Nassau County district attorney pits one-term Democratic incumbent Kathleen Rice, a former federal prosecutor and Brooklyn assistant district attorney, against Republican Joy Watson, a former assistant Nassau County district attorney who is now a law clerk for a county Supreme Court justice. more

From the day she took office in 1997, Norma Gonsalves has been in the political game for all the right reasons. Time and again, she has put her community before politics.Twelve years later, we are … more

Essential services and property taxes are often in the forefront of the issues in the Town of Hempstead, but in this year’s race for supervisor, the rhetoric has shifted toward the proposed … more

In what is becoming an increasingly bitter, partisan battle, Nassau County Legislator Ed Mangano, a Republican, is challenging incumbent Democrat Thomas Suozzi for the county executive’s seat. The race appears to boil down to three key issues: property taxes, a recently imposed 2.5 percent energy tax and the county’s troubled property-tax assessment system. Mangano is challenging Suozzi’s handling of all three issues, while Suozzi fires back that the county has consistently balanced its budget while improving its bond rating, which reduces the interest the county must pay when it bonds money for any number of projects. more

Merokeans opened their hearts and one special home to families in need on Oct. 6. Mary's Residence, a new home for unwed teenage mothers, is complete after volunteers spent months renovating the two-story house next to Curé of Ars Roman Catholic Church on Merrick Avenue. Owned and run by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Rockville Centre, Mary’s Residence is an extension of Regina Residence, a 40-year-old program offering housing and social services to young single mothers. more

A major switch upgrade project near the Valley Stream train station will affect Long Island Rail Road service across the south shore this coming weekend. more

In the race for Hempstead town clerk, incumbent Mark Bonilla, a Republican, is being challenged by political newcomer Anthony Rattoballi, a Democrat. more