Drug suspect nabbed

Police officials hailed as "significant" the arrest of an alleged drug dealer in Lawrence, after he was nabbed with 88 bags of crack-cocaine and 11 bags of heroin, officials said.The suspect, Ceron Smith, 37, of Beach 25th Street in Far Rockaway, was arrested at 12:49 A.M. on Wednesday, June 28. He was nabbed by undercover police officers who were on the lookout for drug activity on Mill Street, investigators said."They are out there every night looking around to try and see what they could find, and they saw something interesting," said Detective William Butler of the Fourth Squad.According to Detective Butler, the undercover officers spotted a man acting suspiciously. They stopped him and questioned him and determined that he was carrying several bags of drugs, police said. The undercover officers asked him from whom he purchased the drugs and he described the suspect to them, Detective Butler said.The officers saw the suspected dealer drive away and followed him, police said. They waited until he committed a traffic violation before they pulled him over, the detective said. That's when they found him in possession of 88 bags of crack-cocaine, with a street value of $880, and 11 bags of heroin worth $110, Detective Butler said.The suspect was charged with two counts each of sale and possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and one count of possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree, according to Detective Butler.

E. coli scare spurs beef recall

A North Lawrence supermarket recalled 158 pounds of ground beef after it tested positive for the potentially deadly E. coli bacteria. The Waldbaum's at Bay Harbour Mall on Rockaway Turnpike was believed to be the only place the suspect meat was sold, and no cases of illness had been reported as of Tuesday, July 11.The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced its findings on Saturday, July 8, and Waldbaum's officials immediately recalled the meat, imploring consumers to return the potentially infected beef.The products recalled were: Master Choice all natural ground beef, 75 percent lean; Master Choice all natural ground chuck, 81 percent lean; Master Choice all natural ground round, 85 percent lean; and Master Choice all natural ground sirloin, 90 percent lean.

Cost overruns at Hewlett House

To get to the bottom of the cost overruns during the conversion of Hewlett House into a breast cancer resource center, the Nassau County Legislature's Government Services Committee interviewed several Hewlett House officials at a special hearing on Thursday, July 6. Bruce Blakeman, chairman of the Hewlett House Council, Geri Barish, executive director of Hewlett House, and Jerry Kessler, president of the Friends for Long Island's Heritage and project contractor, were grilled by the committee during the seven-hour hearing.Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside), committee chairman who defeated Mr. Blakeman in November, 1999 for the Seventh District seat, said the hearing was held to determine why there was so little fiscal oversight on the project. "It seems as though this was a project with no budget," said Legislator Toback, adding, "I'm not looking to blame anyone for this."For the past two years, Hewlett House, a 1750 farmhouse located on East Rockaway Road, has been under restoration by the Friends for Long Island's Heritage, so that 1 in 9, a breast cancer research advocacy group, could move in and use it as a center for women and their families dealing with the disease. The county has paid more than $1.1 million for the project. Additionally, a $375,000 state grant brought the total cost to $1.4 million-and that was still not enough to complete the project. To finish the restoration, State Senator Kemp Hannon (R-16th District) secured an additional $150,000 state grant. The project originally was budgeted for $250,000.

Neighbors rescue boys from fire

Inwood neighbors helped rescue two boys from a fire that broke out in their Bayview Avenue home on July 12.Neighbors rushed to the aid of Brian Bernard, Jr., 17, and his 14-year-old brother, Mike, who were sitting on a ledge of their second-floor bedroom at 597 Bayview Avenue, as smoke billowed out of the home's windows just 10 feet away from the boys.Two men who work in the area and coincidentally are former fire department chiefs rushed to their aid, along with a neighbor who carried a ladder from his company van to place underneath the boys, leading the trapped boys to safety.

Felonies dip

Major crime fell 8 percent in the first six months of 2000 as compared with the same period in 1999. The drop was led by a nearly 62 percent decrease in violent crimes, police said.However, the number of commercial burglaries escalated 150 percent, from six to 15, and residential burglaries jumped 27 percent, from 11 to 14. Police at the Fourth Precinct also said that arrests were up 33 percent. The first six months of 2000 were compared with the first six months of 1999 in the categories of murder, rape, robbery, commercial and residential burglary, assault and auto theft.

Girls Yeshiva opens

The Shulamith School for Girls of Brooklyn submitted an application for a variance with the Town of Hempstead to convert a Masonic Lodge on Irving Place into a Yeshiva for 100 girls, sparking concern from Woodmere business leaders that the proposed school would worsen traffic and parking conditions.The Woodmere Merchants Association led the fight against the conversion, worried that the excessive school buses would exacerbate current conditions. The school was allowed to open in the fall, but not before agreeing to several conditions that would relieve traffic congestion.

Man shot; suspect arrested

A man was shot and wounded outside an Inwood bar on July 20, shortly after the victim had left a Lawrence Avenue bar, police said.The victim, Ronald Barker, 33, of Far Rockaway, had just exited Mr. B with two friends when he was approached by the gunman, who opened fire at them with a 9 mm handgun, police said. The 33-year-old victim was shot in the left arm, police said. The bullet exited the victim's arm and pierced his lower left abdomen before it lodged in his right pelvic bone. The motive for the shooting was not immediately known.A suspect, Jerome Shaw, 19, of Lawrence Avenue, was arrested on Aug. 29 and charged with assault in the shooting of Mr. Barker, police said. He was arrested when Police Officer Christopher Randazzo of the Fourth Precinct observed a vehicle speeding down Rockaway Turnpike. The vehicle was pulled over at Bay Harbour Mall Shopping Center in North Lawrence. The suspect was being held on $175,000 bail, officials said.

Fleet closes 2 branches

An $11 million program to upgrade service at Fleet Bank closed branches in Inwood and Cedarhurst, leaving customers without full banking services and only ATMs.Fleet closed branches at 165 Sheridan Boulevard in Inwood and 134 Grove Street in Cedarhurst. But the walk-up ATMs will still be made available in those areas. A total of seven branches have been closed in Nassau County to upgrade customer access. As part of the plan, $11 million has been reinvested into the renovations of receiver branches such as the one at 400 Central Ave. in Lawrence. The Inwood and Cedarhurst branches were no longer needed because they are located within 1.2 miles of another Fleet branch, bank officials said.

AUGUST

Residents blast recycling company

Members of the Inwood Civic Association expressed anger with New York Depot, an Inwood recycling company that has created a neighborhood eyesore and potential health hazard, residents said..Residents have accused the company of creating a neighborhood blight by accumulating a large pile of soil at the entrance to its property, located just off the Nassau Expressway. The largest pile, which was 60 feet high at one point, must be decreased to 30 feet, according to state officials. It has been decreased to about 40 feet thus far. New York Depot, which has been in business since 1999 without town approval, applied for the variance to operate last year, a request that was denied by the town of Hempstead Building Department. The company, which insists it does not need a variance to operate, will appeal the decision during a hearing before the town's Board of Zoning Appeals on Jan. 31, 2001.

Edwards closes

The Edwards supermarket chain announced that it was shutting down all of its stores. The Edwards on Burnside Avenue in Inwood was converted into a Stop & Shop, a food chain that took over many of the Edwards' stores. The Edwards in Hewlett was closed on Aug. 26.According to a spokesperson for Stop & Shop, these were small stores on short-term leases that were not economically viable. The Hewlett store's closing upset many shoppers who said they found it very convenient to shop there.

Duo charged in scam

Two Lawrence residents were named in a 173-count indictment against the defunct brokerage firm of D.H. Blair & Co., Inc. in which they faced a top charge that carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.A Manhattan grand jury indicted Alan Stahler and Kalman Renov, former vice chairmen of D.H. Blair, stating that the pair "engaged in and supervised the frauds perpetuated by the criminal enterprise."Both are sons-in-law of former D.H. Blair owner and fellow Lawrence resident, J. Morton Davis, who heads the Wall St.-based D.H. Blair Investment Banking, which was spun off from the brokerage firm in 1992. Officials said the Investment Banking firm was not part of the investigation.According to the indictment, a 56-year-old disabled Colorado man allegedly lost about $150,000 from a disability settlement upon which he relied to pay for medicine and other living expenses. "He was given false price predictions and so-called 'insider' information which did not pan out," the indictment charged. Attorneys for both men vehemently denied the charges.

Youth services restored

Nassau County restored $3.6 million for youth services, providing hope to some non-profit agencies of staying afloat after suffering debilitating county cuts earlier in the year.Officials were waiting to see how the cutbacks would play out in the Five Towns. Late in 1999, several local agencies were informed of massive losses in their funding by County Executive Thomas Gulotta, who ordered the cuts to plug the county's $200 million budget hole.

Sen. Lieberman choice applauded

Local religious leaders and Democratic Party leaders applauded the selection of U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman for vice presidential candidate.Sen. Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew from Connecticut, was officially introduced as Vice President Al Gore's running mate at a Nashville rally, a choice that was applauded by Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside), as well as the Orthodox Union, which called it "a significant step for the American political process."Jonathan Cronin/Herald

Vandals toppled tombstones at Trinity-St. John's Episcopal Church in Hewlett.

Church cemetery vandalized

Church leaders and police expressed outrage after discovering that 26 tombstones were knocked down and damaged in the cemetery on the grounds of Trinity-St. John's Episcopal Church in Hewlett, authorities said.The tombstones-some dating to the 1700s and 1800s-were overturned by vandals sometime between 1:30 P.M. on Saturday, Aug. 12, and 6 A.M. on Sunday, Aug. 13, police said. The caretaker for the cemetery discovered the vandalism and immediately reported it to police, officials said. The vandalism caused $2,000 in damages, police said. But the sentimental value and the emotional pain suffered by families of the deceased could not be measured in dollars and cents, said Eleanor Bryan, a church bookkeeper."It's terrible, just terrible," she said. "Some of the tombstones here date back to the early inhabitants of the area. I don't know if you can put a price on this. It is really a shame. I hope whoever did it is punished."She added that buried in the Hewlett cemetery are original settlers such as the Hewletts, Lawrences and Herricks, as well as the Browers and Stevensons. It has not been revealed which tombstones were actually knocked over.

A.G. rules in favor of A.B.

After two months of eager anticipation, the Village of Atlantic Beach finally received word from State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who ruled on Monday that it was legal for Nassau County to grant the village zoning powers.It was then turned over to County Executive Thomas Gulotta, who vetoed a bill in late June that would have granted the village its own zoning. In rendering his decision, Mr. Gulotta said he did not believe the county had the power to give Atlantic Beach its own zoning authority. At the time, he said his final decision would be based upon the opinion of the State Attorney General and not on the merits of the bill. The current county charter states that villages incorporated after 1936 must have their zoning issues handled by the nearest town, which for Atlantic Beach is the Town of Hempstead. Atlantic Beach was incorporated in June of 1962 and the bill passed by the county legislature amends the county charter to state that villages incorporated after January, 1963 may rule over their own zoning.

Town approves Yeshiva

The Town of Hempstead's Board of Zoning Appeals approved a variance on Thursday, Aug. 10, for a proposed Yeshiva for girls at the site of an old Masonic Lodge, at 140 Irving Place, despite serious concerns voiced by Woodmere residents at a public hearing a day earlier. Residents and merchants were in an uproar over plans for the new Hebrew school, fearing greater traffic problems on the street. The school was scheduled to open on Sept. 11 of this year, after school officials made modifications to the interior of the building.On Wednesday, Aug. 9, representatives of the Shulamith School for Girls in Brooklyn and residents of Woodmere gathered at Hempstead Town Hall for a hearing on the proposed school. School officials were originally seeking two variances, one for running a private religious school for girls, in nursery school, kindergarten, and first and second grades, with a total 100-student capacity. The other was for a waiver of the required number of off-street parking spots so that a school bus delivering students would have enough room to drop them off and turn around. The second variance request was dropped, because during negotiations with the residents at the hearing, Shulamith school administrators agreed to have vans transport the students and designated two spaces in the parking lot for the buses to drop off students and turn around.

Man charged with sodomizing girl, 5

Inwood neighbors expressed shock when a 39-year-old man was charged with sodomizing a five-year-old neighbor entrusted to his care, officials said.Eduardo Larin of Mott Avenue was arrested on Aug. 18, charged with sodomy in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a child.The alleged incident occurred on July 14 when Mr. Larin allegedly sodomized the girl while baby-sitting for her in the bedroom of his home.The young girl told her mother about the incident on Aug. 3. Detectives interviewed the suspect, who reportedly admitted committing the act and was then arrested, detectives said.

Beating victim proposes music school

Jermaine Ewell, who was nearly beaten to death by a mob on the Atlantic Beach boardwalk in June 1991, proposed to open a music and art school in the Five Towns to help local youth develop their talents and to help keep them out of trouble.Mr. Ewell said he hoped to reach out to the private and public sector, as well as members of the music industry, for financial support for the project. He said he wanted to give back to a community that helped him through the most difficult time of his life, when a group of five attacked him with a baseball bat on the boardwalk. Following the attack, he was in a coma and underwent intensive rehabilitation. During his recovery, he received much support from the community.

SEPTEMBER

Senior residence delayed

The proposed construction of an assisted living facility in North Woodmere was pushed back until Spring 2001 after the Town of Hempstead asked developers to address residents' concerns. During an emotionally-charged meeting of the North Woodmere Civic Association on Thursday, Aug. 24, residents expressed outrage, stating that the association did a poor job of informing the community about the proposed facility. Janette Pellegrini/Herald

Thieves used a blow torch to burn a hole in a safe at Wood-Hew Travel on Central Avenue in Woodmere.
Safe crackers kidnap worker

Detectives were searching for a group of safe crackers who kidnapped a 73-year-old Valley Stream maintenance man in Lynbrook and drove him to a travel agency in Woodmere, where he was forced to shut the alarm and open the door, authorities said. The kidnappers then used a blow torch to open a safe in the travel agency and grabbed "a considerable amount" of cash before taking a smaller safe with them, officials said. The total haul was not immediately known, said Detective Sergeant James Tilton of the Fifth Squad in Lynbrook.The incident began at 8:10 A.M. on Sunday, Sept. 3, when the victim was leaving a real estate office, at 317 Merrick Road in Lynbrook, after he was finished cleaning the office, police said. The victim runs his own maintenance business and was about to return to his Valley Stream home when he was abducted by four or five males and taken to Wood-Hew Travel on Central Avenue in Woodmere, where the kidnappers looted the safe, detectives said.

Move to void bond vote

A petition was filed to dismiss the results of the June 20 vote approving a $22.6 million bond issue to rehabilitate the school buildings in Hewlett-Woodmere because of alleged questionable practices used to turn out the vote.Corinne Boni, president of the Citizens Committee of Hewlett-Woodmere, filed the appeal because she claimed the letter sent by District 14 union leaders instructing staff members to phone parents of students from school urging them to vote on the improvement plan was impermissible.The state education commissioner rejected the petition in his five-page ruling on Thursday, Nov. 9, saying that the challenge was without merit.

Airplane noise relief on the way

An agreement went into effect on Sept. 1, which called for the rotation in the use of runways at Kennedy Airport in an effort to reduce jet noise between the hours of 11 P.M. and 7 A.M. The agreement was struck between JFK's Tower, New York TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control) and TVASNAC (Town-Village Aircraft Safety and Noise Abatement Committee), a group comprising local community leaders seeking ways to reduce noise produced by overhead jets departing from and arriving at JFK.Board members of TVASNAC and community members are skeptical, though, that the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will honor the agreement because previous agreements with the airport have not been upheld.

Double-decker parking pushed

Plans were submitted to build a double-decker parking lot after Woodmere merchants pleaded for more parking for their shopping district.Architects drew up plans to construct a deck on top of a current municipal lot on the south side of Central Avenue between Franklin Place and Irving Place. If approved, the project will increase the number of spaces from 85 to about 170.

Gang member arrested after chase

A reputed member of the Latin Kings street gang who was on parole for robbery was nabbed by police on Sunday, Sept. 24, after he allegedly stole adult magazines from a Lawrence delicatessen and led police on a brief chase, which ended when he slammed a stolen van into a parked car in Far Rockaway, officials said.One police officer was injured when he chased the suspect, Santiago Chase, 31, of Far Rockaway, on foot and wrestled with him, officials said.

OCTOBER

HAFTR students join rally for peace

Nearly 700 students of the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School and HAFTR Middle School joined forces in a rally of nearly 20,000 people in front of the United Nations building in Manhattan on Thursday, Oct. 12 , to peacefully protest the outbreak of violence in the Middle East.The event, called the "Solidarity with Israel Rally," was sponsored by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Many politicians and other notable persons showed up at the rally, including Senator Hillary Clinton, Governor George Pataki and Elie Weisel, Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor. A student at HAFTR said the rally showed great unity among the Jewish people.

Students fare well on state tests

Results from the state-wide fourth grade mathematics and eighth grade math and English Language Arts tests were released. Students in Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence School Districts performed well on the revised state tests that were administered last winter for its second year.Students are graded on a scale of 1-4. Levels 1 and 2 indicate the need for academic intervention, and Levels 3 and 4 indicate satisfactory or excellent performance, meeting state standards.Of the eight-graders at Hewlett-Woodmere District, 79 percent met state standards in math and 71 percent in ELA. In addition, 86 percent of fourth-graders in District 14 scored a 3 or 4 on the state math test. In Lawrence, 84 percent of fourth-grade students scored at levels 3 or 4; 53 percent of eighth-graders met state standards on the math test, and 51 percent on the ELA test.

Man, cops in 11-hour standoff

Aldo Vennari of Cedarhurst fired five shots from a .38-caliber revolver through the front door and roof of his home on Oct. 6. He barricaded himself in his house, at 440 5th Avenue in Cedarhurst, and held police at bay for 11 hours before surrendering.After a tense standoff with police that began at 11:55 A.M., and intense negotiations with a hostage negotiating team by telephone, Mr. Vennari, who had been in his house threatening to kill himself, surrendered at 10:35 P.M. There were no injuries reported.

Officer charged in rape

A Nassau County police officer who had been assigned to the Fourth Precinct for three months was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 7, and charged with the rape and sodomy of a 30-year-old woman in a park in North Woodmere after he had made a traffic stop of the car in which she was riding, officials said.Police Officer Jay Seifert, 30, was charged with rape in the first degree and sodomy in the first degree and official misconduct, investigators said. Nassau County Police Commissioner William Willett immediately suspended Officer Seifert without pay, pending an Internal Affairs Unit investigation, authorities said. He was later fired from his job.

A.B. responds to Gulotta with a lawsuit

The board of trustees of the Village of Atlantic Beach filed a lawsuit against County Executive Thomas Gulotta to ensure the future of a bill that would give the village power to rule over its own zoning. For a second time in the past four months, Mr. Gulotta vetoed a bill giving the village say over its own zoning. The board wants to prove in court that it is legal for the Nassau Legislature to amend the county charter. Section 1607 of the charter states that any village incorporated after 1936 must have its zoning ruled by the nearest town; for Atlantic Beach, that would be the Town of Hempstead. The amendment Atlantic Beach seeks would change the incorporation date to 1963. The bill was passed by the county legislature twice and given approval by State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. But Mr. Gulotta wouldn't budge.

Woman harasses judge

A former psychologist from Atlantic Beach faced jail time after she was convicted of harassing a Suffolk County judge. Bonnee Linden, 55, dated Judge Leonard Silverman, 69, in the mid-1980s. Ms. Linden was convicted for making harassing phone calls to the judge's chambers in 1997. According to Judge Silverman, Ms. Linden kept calling him because he was the one who ended the relationship and she would not accept the break-up. Her sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 10, 2001.

New inspector for 4th Precinct

Inspector Frank Matzen, commander of the Fourth Precinct, announced he was retiring at the end of the year. He was replaced by Inspector George Gudmundsen.Inspector Matzen started his career walking a foot post in Inwood in 1967 and worked his way up to commander in 1992. Inspector Gudmundsen spent the last three and a half years at the police academy.

Gunman given 20-to-life for murder

A 22-year-old man was sentenced to a prison term of 20 years to life in the July 1999 shooting death of an Oceanside man, whose body was found in his car, parked on a quiet, tree-lined street in Hewlett.The triggerman, John Aufiero of Olive Court in Rockville Centre, was sentenced by Nassau County Court Judge Donald DeRiggi on Thursday, Oct. 26. He was convicted in the murder of Jonathan Kane, 23, of Silver Lane in Oceanside. An accomplice, Joseph Duncan, 23, of North Franklin St. in East Rockaway, was convicted of robbery in the first degree and was sentenced to nine years in prison on Dec. 21.Police said the two men intended to rob the victim of drugs but when he showed up with less drugs than expected, he was shot and killed on an East Rockaway street, authorities said. The body was then driven to Willard Drive and Warwick Road in Hewlett, where it was found inside the victim's red 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

NOVEMBER

Tragic death of HHS student

Hewlett High School sophomore Adam Barsel died tragically on Saturday night, Oct. 28, moving the school community into deep sorrow and grief. Adam, a Woodmere resident, and five friends were on their way to a camp reunion in Great Neck when, police said, the 2000 Dodge mini-van they were riding in on Cross Island Parkway in Bayside, Queens, veered out of control, struck a guardrail and flipped over several times. Adam was killed, another HHS student was hospitalized, and the other occupants suffered various minor injuries.Immediately following Adam's death, the high school set into motion its crisis-intervention team to comfort students. Joyce Bisso, principal, said, "The Hewlett High School family, as well as the community at large, has responded to the crisis with an outpouring of love, caring and concern for all families involved."

Boy nabbed in holy-day bias attack

A month after a 41-year old Lawrence man was the victim of an alleged anti-Semitic attack on Yom Kippur - the holiest day of the year for Jews - a 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged in the incident.Ronald Edelstein was walking home from services at Congregation Beth Sholom at about 2 P.M. on Monday, Oct. 9, when he was confronted by three boys on bicycles. One youth, identified as William Jakubowski of Cedarhurst, allegedly punched Mr. Edelstein in the shoulder and uttered anti-Semitic slurs at him, detectives said. The teenager was arrested on Thursday, Nov. 9, and charged with aggravated harassment, police said. Two 14 year-old boys who were with the suspect were not charged.

District 14 faces drug problem

Drug and alcohol abuse by District 14 children was the topic of a Nov. 15 town hall meeting in Hewlett High School, which was attended by nearly 600 parents. The meeting was a forum that featured speakers and a panel that addressed questions from concerned parents. Panelists included students, parents, school faculty and administrators as well as representatives from Tempo Group and the police department.A follow-up meeting was held on Nov. 28, to discuss strategies and solutions to the substance abuse problem in the community.

Darcy, Santino victorious

Republican Jim Darcy defeated Democrat Eleanor Sciglibaglio for the new Third District seat on the Hempstead Town Council while Republican Tony Santino beat back efforts by Democrat Jerry Lamonica in a bid for the Fourth Councilmatic District seat. In other races, incumbent Democrat Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy handily won reelection to a third term in the Fourth Congressional District, beating Republican challenger Greg Becker.Eight-term incumbent State Senator Dean Skelos, a Republican, easily defeated Democrat Ed Oppenheimer for the Ninth Senate District seat.Six-term Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) coasted to a victory over Republican Peter McDonald for the 20th Assembly District seat.

Football star arrested, then cleared

Robert Mammone, 17, a Hewlett High School senior fullback, was arrested and charged with assaulting an opposing player, whose arm was broken, during an October game against Mepham High School in Bellmore.Mr. Mammone turned himself in to detectives at the First Squad on Friday, Nov. 24, and was charged with assault in the third degree, a misdemeanor, for an incident against Brendan Wright, a senior linebacker and wide receiver at Mepham. Police reviewed a videotape of the game and based the assault charge on that, a police spokesperson said. The third-degree assault charge was dropped during a conference in District Court in Hempstead on Monday, Dec. 18.

Carjackers force boy from SUV

Detectives were searching for two carjackers who threatened to shoot an 11-year-old North Woodmere boy who was sitting inside his parents' sports-utility vehicle in the parking lot behind a produce shop in Lawrence, where his parents were shopping.Investigators said the boy was confronted by two men at 7 P.M. on Wednesday, Nov. 29. One man knocked on the window and when the boy rolled down the window, the man threatened to shoot him unless he got out of the car. The boy complied with his demands, and a second man then jumped into the driver's seat as the first man leaped into the passenger side, officials said. The boy was uninjured.

DECEMBER

Cops aim to put clamps on Grinches

In a bid to put the brakes on Grinches who were out to steal holiday cheer from shoppers and storekeepers, Fourth Precinct police stepped up patrols in all major area shopping centers during the holiday season.In a new tactic, two teams of two officers apiece were deployed at retail areas to help deter holiday crime. This allowed the units to move quickly from the Five Towns to Oceanside or to East Rockaway, wherever they were needed most.

HBP couple robbed

A 71-year-old man and his 69-year-old wife were robbed in their garage on Cedar Avenue in Hewlett Bay Park. The robber escaped with $3,500 in cash and a substantial amount in jewelry, including two watches, a necklace and a diamond wedding band, officials said.The couple pulled into their garage at 7:40 P.M. on Dec. 9, when a man followed them in and demanded money and jewelry. The robber pushed the male victim against the wall and took his cash and jewelry before grabbing the same from the victim's wife. The robber then escaped. The man was taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital, where he was treated for shock.

Spiritual leader loses battle with cancer

Less than a year into his spiritual leadership of Long Island Catholics, Bishop James T. McHugh lost his battle with cancer on Sunday, Dec. 10. Surrounded by family and friends, the bishop died in his Rockville Centre home. He was 68 years old.Bishop McHugh came to Rockville Centre in February 1999 as a coadjutor bishop, with the understanding that he would succeed Bishop John R. McGann upon the latter's retirement. The torch was passed on Jan. 4, 2000. Bishop McHugh was the third bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, which serves 1.4 million Catholics.

Con man at work in Lawrence

A con artist was reported to be working the Lawrence area. At least two residents on Briarwood Crossing were victimized by a man claiming to be collecting money for an AIDS Walk-a-thon he said was sponsored by the Gay Men's Health Crisis. Police were investigating.

A.B. trustee resigns after DWI arrest

Days after he was arrested and charged with drunk-driving, James Gary Connors, deputy mayor and trustee of the Village of Atlantic Beach, handed in his resignation.On Friday, Dec. 1, Mr. Connors said that he was driving his pick-up truck around 8 P.M. when he clipped another car. Police were called and he was charged with driving while intoxicated, officials said. His license was immediately suspended, officials said.On Dec. 8 he appeared in court and the suspension on his license was lifted. He is to appear in court on Feb. 6, 2001, to face his DWI charge. After the arrest, Mr. Connors resigned from the board.John McCrystal was named as the new trustee and trustee Janice Goorland assumed the position of deputy mayor.