Governor-Elect Eliot Spitzer has announced the appointment of Senator Michael Balboni to be Deputy Secretary for Public Safety, the senior security and law enforcement official in his new administration. FULL STORY

Senior Vice President of State Bank of Long Island Robert Valli, for the last 20 years, has been rounding up friends and bank members and traveling to the AHRC Day Care facility in Brookville to entertain the many clients who look forward, with great glee, to the event. FULL STORY

Since the Victorian days of Currier and Ives' drawings, ice skating socials have been synonymous with winter celebrations. In New Hyde Park, the timeless tradition is reborn every holiday season at Iceland Skating Rink, 3345 Hillside Avenue, New Hyde Park. And in keeping with the true spirit of the season, the Nassau County-landmark ice arena is not content to merely provide its patrons with fun and frivolity; the rink's management makes sure that it helps the community in its efforts to reach out with hope and generosity to support a host of worthy causes. Iceland will lead into the New Year as this year's final collection site for Island Harvest's "Turkey and Trimmings" 2006 campaign; the rink has extended its canned goods collections through Jan. 1; (www.islandharvest.org) Iceland will be open on New Year's Day. Patrons who donated to the food bins in the lobby will receive an Iceland VIP card, worth up to $10 off in future admissions. For more information on donating, the holiday skating schedule, or special events, visit www.icelandi.com FULL STORY