As I mentioned in my previous column, "Reforming New York's dysfunctional state government" (Aug. 12-18), reforming state affairs will be easier said than done, requiring political support across party lines. “New Yorkers are frustrated with their government, with the economy, with politics, with the way things are today,"Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver recently said. Not exactly a mea culpa. But apart from Silver, someone's gotta do something! more

With Hurricane Earl approaching and Tropical Storm Fiona right behind it, the Village of Rockville Centre reminds you to add your cell phone number to its Swift 911 notification system and check its website, www.rvcny.us and the Herald’s website, www.liherald.com for up-to-date information. more

Vera Rooney Clark, who lives in Halandia Court on N. Centre Avenue, celebrated her 100th birthday on July 29. more

Ninety years ago, the United States was a different place. There were 107,000,000 people living here; life expectancy was 54 for men, and 55 for women; the average annual salary was $1,236, and gangland crime was rampant in major cities. The Ford automobile was mass produced and one could be had for $290 — although it took 13 days to reach California from New York due to the lack of paved roads. And, on Aug. 26, 1920, women were granted political power for the first time. After 72 years of a determined battle fought by American suffragists, women won the right to vote with the 19th amendment. more

Gary Kondor, right, chairman of the Rockville Centre Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, swore in two new resident commissioners — Herbert  Coleman and Cecelia Brown — to the Housing Authority board. They took office on Aug. 1. more

Residents of Maple Point Assisted Living, 260 Maple Avenue, has raised over $1,100 for the Maurer Foundation, a Mineola-based non-profit organization specializing in breast health education. more

In response to the extreme heat this week, the Village of Rockville Centre, in conjunction with the Nassau County Dept. of Emergency Management, opened a cooling center for the public on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the Sandel Senior Center, 50 S. Park Ave. until 9 p.m. each evening. more

Two residents of Old Mill Court — Charles Parsley and Kasaun White — were indicted on June 10 by a Westchester County grand jury for their alleged role in the fatal shooting of a Yonkers woman. The two were arrested in Rockville Centre on May 20 and charged with the murder of Sandra Hackley, 36, and the injury of her husband, Rafael Cornielle, 31, and her 12-year-old daughter. more

Most of the women in the room, now in their 80’s, were in their teens or early 20’s during World War II. But these senior ladies, residents of Maple Pointe Assisted Living at 260 Maple Ave., had vivid memories of wartime. Those memories were brought to light on May 25 during the first meeting of Maple Pointe’s Red Hat Society, an informal ladies-only club that seeks to bring together common interests and vibrant memories. more

Fran Klier is a self-taught chef from Rockville Centre. She runs a modest-sized catering business that she started when she left her former position as executive chef at Temple B’nai Sholom. After some pressure from her family, she decided to attend an open casting call for the reality show “Hell’s Kitchen” that was being held in New York City in October 2008. “So I’m lined up on the street in the middle of October,” said Klier, “and the next thing I know, my life is just turned inside-out.” more