NYS Senator Carl Marcellino told members of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce that the state will take over the responsibilities of ownership for the former Oyster Bay Power and Light Company. The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) is in favor of the deal. The senator has been strongly involved with the Western Waterfront from the first $5 million he managed to get from the state which combined with funds from the town, acquired the Jakobson Shipyard. FULL STORY

Tom Reardon, chairman of last year's Oyster Festival, presented the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce with a check for $5,000 at the Feb. 7 meeting at the Homestead Restaurant. It was the first payment of a total $10,000 for the chamber's contribution toward last year's festival. Rotary, which ran the festival, used material originally generated by the chamber to carry on the event. FULL STORY

My wife Shelley-Sue and I are co-captains. Everyone knows this is a mistake! A boat cannot have two captains. But, we both started sailing together, learning together from our first day at the Oyster Bay Sailing School nine years ago. I keep learning by reading everything I can find on sailing; books, magazines, and searching the web. Shelley-Sue loves to read too, but not always about sailing. She says she learns by doing! We started and have stayed equals, although at times one of us is more equal than the other. FULL STORY

On Sunday, Feb. 3, the eighth-grade girls basketball team from St. Gertrude's of Bayville defeated the Long Beach Tri-parish team (39-31) to clinch the Nassau-Suffolk Division "B" CYO Championship for the 2001-2002 season. The game, held at Molloy College, was the fourth game of the playoff series that began on Jan. 20 against Infant Jesus CYO of Port Jefferson. The second round game, held on Jan. 26, was played against Our Lady of Lourdes CYO of Malverne and the "quarter-final" match up against St. Raymond's CYO of East Rockaway, was played on Feb. 2. FULL STORY