Former longtime Inwood resident Dorothy Benson Brown recently passed away. more

On Dec. 8, 2004, then Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback and then County Executive Tom Suozzi met at an empty lot on Harris Avenue in Inwood, steps from the Number Four School, to announce plans for eight new affordable homes to be built on the site by the Long Island Housing Partnership. more

The staff of Catholic Home Care celebrated National Home Care Month, and Thanksgiving, at a breakfast on Nov. 17 in their Rockville Centre office more

Q. Our house is undergoing changes, and we forgot to ask about who does the alarms. Neither the contractor nor the electrician wants to do it, and told us to get an alarm company. While we can’t blame them for not figuring the cost into the work, we feel put upon to start interviewing security people, especially with full-time jobs and with everyone seeming ready to take other jobs if we don’t decide fast. We also want to know if we should have security cameras installed. Do people really use them? What do you suggest? more

Long Beach broker Joyce Coletti has had more closings since January, 45 in all, than she has had in many years in Long Beach. About 60 percent have involved first-time home buyers who have taken … more

On Oct. 24, Manuel F. Martinez, co-founder and owner of Utopia Home Care, was honored by the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce during the organization’s 21st annual gala at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale. Martinez previously served as the chamber’s president. more

Seventeen real estate professionals from Coach Realtors’ Rockville Centre office were among 62 sales associates from the firm who attended and completed the Certified Home Marketing Specialist Course on Oct. 16 at the Huntington Crescent Club, learning a new approach for timely, efficient home sales. They acquired new skills to decrease market time and maximize selling prices. more

Eighty years ago, Curtiss Airfield opened its runways for some of the greatest pilots of the last century to take flight. Last Saturday, about 50 people braved the cold at the site of the former airport — where the Green Acres mall now sits — to witness the unveiling of the historical landmarker in front of Home Depot. more

Q. We have a turn-of-the-(last)-century front-porch colonial. It needs substantial modernization, and I've found that problems that seem unrelated in fact do contribute to one another, leading to bigger costs than expected. For example, we need a new boiler, new wiring, a rebuilt chimney and insulation in the walls. Further, the house has a lead water main and a sewer line that has been penetrated by tree roots. The boiler connects to the chimney, which has never been lined and doesn’t have a rain cap. To replace the boiler, we have to line the chimney with a liner that fits the new boiler, and we have to rebuild at least part of the chimney above the roof. more

Standing on the putting green at the Hempstead Country Club on Monday, Army Ranger William Castillo, 29, couldn’t believe the turn his life had taken since he returned from his third tour of duty in the Middle East in 2007. more