At a sparsely attended public budget hearing on Feb. 24, the Port Washington Library's Board of Trustees presented a draft of the 1999-2000 operating budget. The proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999 and ending June 30, 2000, totaled $4.3 million. FULL STORY

The long-range plans for the three sections of the school district, the high school, middle school and elementary schools have now been determined. Previously, the board decided to build a new middle school and to expand and improve Schreiber to accommodate 1,600 students. At the Feb. 23 BOE work session, the third major component in the plan, the future of the elementary schools, was decided. After deliberating over whether to have four large schools with enrollments of 600-650 students each, or five smaller schools, the board chose the five elementary school scenario. FULL STORY

Brad Van Liew, the only American still competing in the Class II of the Around Alone race, battled vicious weather for the past 48 hours, with raging seas of 30 foot waves and winds topping 70 knots. He filed this report from the Southern Ocean on Feb. 28: "I lived and so did Balance Bar by some miracle! The weather we confronted, that has now eased for a relaxed rounding of the infamous Horn, was the worst I could imagine. The winds were so high that bare poles (with all sails down) was way too much sail area. FULL STORY

On Saturday, Feb. 27, some very important games were played by the third and fourth graders of the Port Washington PAL. These games decided what place each team would end up for the finals. FULL STORY