The question of who will be Nassau's next county executive, Democratic incumbent Tom Suozzi or Republican challenger Ed Mangano, was still hanging over residents' heads as the Herald went to press on Tuesday. As the Board of Elections was taking time to recount ballots, community members took the time to talk about the outcome of local elections, and concerns about their neighborhoods and wallets. "The only thing I'd like to see gone is that tax, that energy tax, that 2.5 percent. That's bad," Marylou Swensen, a resident of East Meadow for 38 years, said. Though she declined to say who she voted for on Nov. 3, she said, "It's not fair. They screw up, and we have to pay for it. It's wrong, and that's my opinion." more

Frank Carney, a 16-year-old from Bellmore, was arrested on Nov. 6 and charged with committing a hate crime in Merrick, police said. According to authorities, a dark Nissan pulled up in front of a 22-year-old man walking on Alice Avenue in Merrick. Two people got out of the car, one armed with a knife, and began to chase the man, yelling anti-gay slurs. more

Anthony Badalamenti, the personal trainer accused of severely beating his girlfriend's 6-year-old son with a belt in their Merrick apartment last October, was given the maximum sentence of seven years in prison last week. Jessica Muniz, the boy's mother, was sentenced to two years, according to the District Attorney's Office. Badalamenti, 31, was convicted by a jury of three counts of second-degree assault, two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and endangering the welfare of a child. Muniz, 30, pleaded guilty to the same charges. more

Veterans, elected leaders, firefighters and Boy Scouts circled around the Town of Hempstead Showmobile parked at the Merrick War Memorial in North Merrick on Wednesday to salute America's veterans. more

The Herald was there for North Shore Animal League's 4th Annual DogCatemy Award Celebrity Gala, presented by Purina ONE. more

The Herald was there for North Shore Animal League America's 4th annual DogCatemy Celebrity Gala in the Cipriani Ballroom in Manhattan on Novemeber 5, presented by Purina ONE. Beautiful and famous two and four-legged celebrities walked the green carpet, smiling and barking for the cameras. more

It's a safe bet that any dust settling on the blackboard in Lisa Drewes's classroom at Fayette Elementary School in North Merrick is a byproduct of abandonment rather than chalk. The fourth-grade room is outfitted with one of 15 SMART Boards in the North Merrick School District, a new tool that teachers are crediting with revolutionizing teaching methods and making conventional blackboards obsolete. "I put my schedule on it every day, aside from that I don't write on my blackboard at all," Drewes said. more

More than 600 people dressed in costumes of all kinds walked up and down Merrick Avenue this Halloween, making this year's annual costume parade sponsored by the Merrick Chamber of Commerce and the Merrick Herald the biggest to date. What's N Store was a contributor to the event. more

With several close races on Election Day including the one for county executive, the Nassau County Board of Elections began its review of votes on Monday. more

Nassau and Suffolk County Republicans await voter results — and ultimately celebrated — in Westbury, NY more