We know that a number of local establishments have closed, but new businesses are moving in to replace them. Three new arrivals on Jericho Turnpike include two restaurants, the Rio Grande where Chuckles used to be and Nuevo Jacks at the corner of Jericho Turnpike and Willis Avenue. There is also a new party store, Favorita, where Patrician Bridal was before.

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Adam Minsky, son of Jay and Cheryl Minsky of First Street was given a SAT test that was administered to a select group of middle school kids. Adam scored 950, nifty for a 13-year-old.

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Peggy Hannan of Garden City and her daughters Maureen Coscino and Ann Thifault enjoyed lunch at the popular Irish Restaurant Glenerin. Ann is a paralegal with the law office of Jack Martins.

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It was good to see Newsday give full credit to Tom Barrick of Mineola for its historical piece about Mineola in its recent community profiles.

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Bob and Grace McLoughlin of Wilson Boulevard questioned me about the cast on my left leg. Nothing serious just a few injured tendons. All better now.

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Remember those raccoons who were annoying everybody a couple of years ago, seems they are back. My wife chased a big fellow out of our backyard last week.

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Leonard Albuquerque of Wellington Road is always such a friendly fellow to meet around town.

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What an upbeat fellow Joe Mannix is, always looking at the bright side of life. In spite of his stroke two years ago he and Catherine always seem so upbeat. They are residents of Royal Avenue.

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Veteran Newsday reporter Jim O'Neill died a few weeks ago. Jim was one of the best police reporters there ever was. For 34 years he covered and worked with the cops on many great stories. I worked with Jim on the old Franklin Square Bulletin having been hired by Jim's dad John O'Neill who owned the paper. That was the first newspaper job I ever had.

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Met a delightful lady coming out of the Seacrest Diner, Susan Romero. Susan has lived in the village for a long time and is a next door neighbor to our new State Senator Mike Balboni on Shortridge Drive.

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Jim McKenna of Mineola is one of the directors of the Bethpage Restoration Village.

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Corina Weber (Cookie) of Simonson Road enjoys her job in a local Williston Park pub.

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Prior to the election, Joe Galante, the Hometown Party candidate, and Rocco Iannarelli, candidate for trustee in Williston Park held a strategy meeting at The Jericho Diner.

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Pastor Robert Mursch of the Lutheran Church of Our Saviour and John Carway of Mineola are frequent customers of The Jericho Diner. John heads the County Probation Dept.

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A group from our place, Anton Newspapers, bought a lotto ticket and won $906. They just missed by one number winning 40 million. They purchased the ticket from Jaclyns in the East End and it was the third consecutive time they have won something.

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John Cunha of Main Street lost his job when the Nassau Market closed. John will take almost any kind of position he can find; his number is 747-8630.

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Buffy Mahmadoska of Maple Place tells us that her son and daughter Nadzije and Kujtim had a great vacation in Albania.

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Visited the New York Historical Museum on the west side near the Museum of Natural History. They had a fine collection of early newspaper front pages and ads from the turn of the century papers, the World, the Journal and the Sun. The New York World started publishing the first comic strips in history with its popular feature the Yellow Kid. Soon the rival Journal of William Randolph Hearst started its own comic strip. The World and the Journal of Joseph Pulitzer were bitter rivals and their screaming headlines evolved into the term "Yellow Journalism."

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Glad to report that Bill King of Garfield Avenue is recovering from a severe eye infection. Bill is a retired 3rd Precinct commander.