Budget Cuts Force Changes In Popular Program

Undaunted, Boys and Girls Club

Peer Tutoring Program thrives

The budget may have been slashed, but the enthusiasm remains strong for the Peer Tutoring Program at the Hicksville Boys and Girls Club.

The club was humming late one recent Thursday afternoon with tutoring sessions underway in quiet upstairs offices away from the happy noise of the first floor lounge where students played games, read or relaxed after school.

Is It Safe To Cross The Street In Hicksville?

Pedestrian deaths may have residents

thinking twice about traveling on foot

Though Hicksville is home to some of Nassau County’s most desirable shopping destinations, the trip may literally cost you more than an arm and a leg.

“There are places I recommend never crossing, like where the roads run together between IKEA and Sears. It is impossible for someone on foot – it’s a nightmare,” said John O’Brien, whose four children are between 9 and 15 years old.

Have Vows – Will Travel

Hicksville’s Rev. Rudy takes romance on the road

Time was when a church wedding was the only thing to do, but times have changed and now saying “I do” offers a palette as rich as the imagination.

Enter Rudy Tufaro, a minister in the nondenominational Universal Life Church. In an interview at the Hicksville Starbucks on a recent Friday afternoon, the 54-year-old reverend with a background in business spoke with the peaceful demeanor of a man who has found his calling.

Name That Movie

Aimee Pitta, HHS class of 1982, titles movies in Hollywood

Hicksville High alum Aimee Pitta calls herself lucky.

The class of 1982 grad, who attended Nassau Community College for two years before enrolling at SUNY Oswego, was an aspiring writer after college when she was offered a job with a movie company in California.

“I’ve been in film marketing for the past 25 years and I work on writing and producing trailers and TV spots for movies. I also have a little niche job where I title films. I’ve titled It’s Complicated, No Strings Attached, the new Barbara Streisand movie, The Guilt Trip, Mirror Mirror with Julia Roberts and The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Anniston,” said Pitta.

The Year In Review

Anton Newspapers looks back on the

most memorable moments of 2012

St. Ignatius Loyola’s Last Days

On Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012, families and friends of Catholic schools across Long Island braved the freezing temperatures and icy conditions to rally in protest of the closings announced by the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

The schools that closed their doors in June 2012 were: Farmingdale: Saint John Baptist de La Salle Regional School, Franklin Square: Saint Catherine of Sienna School, Hicksville: Saint Ignatius Loyola School, North Merrick: Sacred Heart School, Lindenhurst: Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and Sayville: Prince of Peace Regional School.

Redistricting: Cut Hicksville In Two?

GOP proposal would separate Hicksville

into different legislative districts

Hicksville might be torn in two. The hamlet will be divided between two legislative districts under a redistricting proposal from the Republican appointees to Nassau County’s Temporary Districting Advisory Committee. And with the GOP holding a majority of the county legislature, this proposal could become law.

“When you’re dividing communities, there’s less of a voice,” said Bonnie Garone, a commission member appointed by Democrats.

The issue of redistricting county legislative districts has been a controversial political issue going back to the 2011 elections, when Democrats went to court to stop Republicans from adopting lines drawn by the GOP.

Breakfast Of Champions: Eating With Eli

Hicksville residents eat, chat with

two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – especially when New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is going to be sitting down at the table with you.

Hicksville’s Gerard Gagliano and his wife, Barbara, recently had the opportunity to eat alongside the two-time Super Bowl champ and MVP at MetLife Stadium after winning a Dunkin’ Donuts contest on Facebook.

The Hicksville Illustrated News caught up with Gerard regarding his experience.

Remember This Titan

Holy Trinity baseball coach Robert Malandro

named sport’s top coach in NYS

Robert Malandro’s coaching awards are almost as numerous as the number of years he has spent coaching the Holy Trinity boys baseball team.

With a quarter-century worth of experience and five Catholic League Championships, Malandro has been paving the way for successful high school baseball players for more than two decades. Humble, enthusiastic and dedicated are only a few words that adequately describe the five-time NSCHSAA Coach of the Year.

After playing baseball all around the country with the Nassau County Police Department, Malandro found coaching to be the next natural step after his retirement. A Hicksville resident himself, Malandro began coaching baseball at Holy Trinity in 1989 after answering an ad in a local paper.

HFD Holiday Open House Draws Large Crowd

Fire safety, rides with Santa highlight

annual family friendly event

The Hicksville Fire Department’s 2nd Annual Holiday Fire Safety Open House on Dec. 2 called attention to the many fire and emergency issues that our community faces every year.

Malfunctioning smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, food on the stove fires and overloaded electrical circuits are only some of the dangers posed in local Hicksville homes.

Two Decades Of Riding, Healing At HorseAbility

Unique facility at SUNY Old Westbury
pairs horses and those with special needs

This year, HorseAbility, Long Island’s center for equine facilitated programs, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, helping those with special needs since 1993.

Kathleen Kilcommons McGowan founded HorseAbility in 1993 when she lent her horse to a friend who was also a physical therapist. Her friend used hippotherapy, which helps with motor disabilities by promoting motor-planning abilities, mobilizing the hips and lower spine and stimulating the central nervous system.  All of this is done in the presence of a horse.