Thursday, October 1, 2026
Preparedness is particularly important for Long Island residents. We know that severe weather can bring flooding, dangerous winds and extended power outages. A house fire or medical emergency can happen without warning. And while we can’t always be ready for anything, having a plan, and the right supplies, can make a significant difference.
This year’s crowd at John Burns Park was the largest ever. Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joe Saladino and Firefighter Ken Haskell, Tom and Tim’s brother, spoke. There was mournful violin music, stirring patriotic songs sung aloud and prayers from local clergy. I was privileged to be asked to speak. The ceremony concluded with a helicopter dropping white roses on the crowd. It was particularly moving afterward to talk with family members and friends of 9/11 victims who were once again reliving the horrors of that fateful day, but had never lost their faith in America.
Recently I’ve come to believe that the strongest influence on developing human beings is the times in which they live. Try as I might, summoning all the empathy I possess, I simply can’t know what it was like to endure the London Blitz during World War II. Or the Dust Bowl in America, or the Holocaust, all of which changed the way people lived and thought.
The problem, however, is that data centers are a legitimate challenge to elected officials who aren’t always capable of understanding what the centers do and how the public may react. It’s a balancing act that isn’t working well, and the public has now become fired up, because people are afraid of rising electricity rates and don’t want their water supply depleted.
For two decades I have worked with children, parents and families. Whether in my office, giving a speech, leading a workshop or discussing parenting on social media, I hear remarkably consistent hopes. Parents want their children to become happy, successful and independent adults. I would argue that happiness and success depend, at least in part, on independence. And one quality runs through all three — resilience.
Coastal high tides, downed trees and suspended train service were the results of a weekend nor’easter that struck Long Island on Friday and continued with rain on Monday.
Long Island Rail Road service on the Long Beach Branch is scheduled to resume Sunday night after flooding from the weekend’s nor’easter forced a temporary suspension.
A nine-year-old Rockville Centre native’s son honored his 9/11-victim grandfather at Ground Zero with a heartfelt, sports-themed tribute to the Knicks and Jets that drew laughs, cheers and widespread attention online.
Former Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano was re-sentenced to 10 years in prison on Sept. 23.
