At the North Shore Board of Education meeting on Monday Jan. 6, it was announced that the finalists for the position of school superintendent would be introduced to the community by the beginning of February. Preliminary budget discussions will also begin in February with an overview at the Feb.10 meeting. General staffing will be discussed on Feb. 25, and special projects, including the district's five-year building plan will be on the March 1 agenda. FULL STORY

When nominations for the 45th annual Grammy awards were announced on Tuesday Jan. 7, Glen Cove's own Ashanti garnered five, being only one of eight artists to earn that number. She received nods for Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (Foolish), Best Contemporary R&B Album (Ashanti), and two separate nominations in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category (What's Luv? with Fat Joe and Always On Time with Ja Rule). FULL STORY

The eighth-grade girls St. Hyacinth CYO basketball team, coached by Fran Graziose, ended their season undefeated. The first place finish was spearheaded by the outstanding defensive and offensive play of Allie Sydor, who was also the team's season high scorer. FULL STORY