It is the dead of the night in the wintertime. Snow has softly begun to fall. Suddenly an emergency beeper gives a shrill ring and instantly Katrin Nashelsky leaps out of bed, and begins a dash to Cuttermill Road to the Vigilant Hook and Ladder Fire Department and within minutes is speeding in the ambulance to the home of a man showing symptoms of a heart attack. Treatment will begin before he even gets to the emergency room at North Shore University Hospital and those minutes of care will make a difference to his chance of recovery. Ms. Nashelsky drives home in the predawn hours reliving the emergency with the indescribably good feeling that comes from being there to help someone in need, using all her skill, training and experience to make a difference in a life or death matter. She does not mind having left the comforts of home to set off to the Vigilant Fire Department's headquarters; she does not mind the disrupted sleep nor does she mind the fact that she is unpaid. To her, it is the most exciting and rewarding volunteer job she can imagine. It is in her blood. FULL STORY

The Great Neck Public Schools' teachers now have a new contract that will grant salary increases to bring the school district salaries more in line with competitive school districts. At the board of education's July 1 meeting, the board approved a three-year contract with the Great Neck Teachers Association. FULL STORY

The 11th Annual Temple Beth-El Golf Outing is set for Monday, Aug. 18 at 10 a.m. at the Glen Head Country Club. FULL STORY

The GHI Hamlet Jr. Tennis Challenge winners are tentatively scheduled to take the court against some of the world's best men's players on the evening of Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 18-19. For the last six years, boys and girls winners of the GHI Hamlet Jr. Tennis Challenge have had the chance to step on the same court and experience the thrill of a lifetime, exchanging ground strokes with some of the elite professionals. FULL STORY