As it turns out, we have a new Nassau County executive. Democrat Thomas Suozzi conceded defeat to Republican challenger Ed Mangano last week. Suozzi lost by a mere 386 votes. more

Elmont School Board President Frank Ragona died Wednesday, stricken by an apparent heart attack. more

Talk about timeliness. Last week's column, "Responding to a Trio of Tragedies," was followed by three more incidents this week: a principal held hostage, resulting in his school going into lockdown; a 13-year-old boy committing suicide in the Bronx; and a report that two-thirds of all middle school students say they have been bullied. In each case, there was no outlet for rage. It is incumbent on us to prevent anger from escalating to that point. This week, I will examine a number of the anti-bullying programs that are proliferating in the schools, from the elementary to even the college levels. more

As concern over swine flu outbreaks spreads nationwide, schools in Elmont and Franklin Square are sticking to their game plan to prevent closings and event cancellations. So far, according to district officials in the area, everything is going according to plan. more

Saul Lerner, the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District athletic director, recently resigned his post as coordinator of the Nassau County Boys' Basketball Committee because, he said, the Section VIII Athletic Council rejected a proposal of his to fine-tune the seeding process that ultimately determines teams' playing schedules. In 2006, Lerner was the architect of an ability-grouping system that determined a team's conference by its record. Previously, teams were assigned to conferences without much regard to their records. Rather, officials used what they called the "snake," in which teams were seeded and then laid out on a grid that wound back and forth in serpentine fashion. more

Tulip Avenue right outside Sewanhaka High School was the place to be last weekend, as dozens of parents, students and teachers gathered to hold a flea market for a good cause. more

An Elmont Schools employee is suing the district, alleging sex-discrination for a series of e-mails that made the rounds in the district office earlier this year. The case, which was filed in federal court, could take as long as a year to be resolved as both the district and their accuser try and work their way through the federal system. more

Residents from across Elmont traded their costumes for rakes, brooms and shovels last Saturday morning, pitching in to help clean up Hempstead Turnpike. more

Children who are legal residents of Valley Stream District 13 and will be 5 years of age on or before Dec. 1, 2010, are eligible to register for kindergarten for the 2010-11 school year. more

Local school districts are scouring their budgets, looking for places where they can save after word came down last week that Gov. David Paterson will likely try to cut school aid mid-year by more than a half billion dollars statewide as part of his $5 billion Deficit Reduction Plan. more