Port residents first experienced delight, then confusion and dismay as they read the Sunday, August 15th Newsday cover story about Long Island's soaring home prices. Declaring that "home prices shot upward last year in nearly every Long Island community - from the glamorous North Shore Gold Coast to some of the Island's least affluent neighborhoods," the newspaper's computer study determined that the median price of a LI home rose by nearly 6 percent, with Nassau home prices growing "at twice the rate of those in Suffolk." Before Port homeowners could cheer, however, Newsday's statistical tables showed only an .8 percent rise in home values in Port Washington, based on a comparison of 1997 and 1998 data. This was particularly disconcerting as neighboring communities, including Manhasset, Great Neck, and Roslyn, showed much higher increases, even double-digit ones. How do Newsday's findings reconcile with what appear to be very healthy home values in Port Washington? FULL STORY

A problem with new home construction in the Town of North Hempstead has resulted in the decision to overhaul the town's building code. According to the town's planning commissioner, Michael Levine, the town's attention was drawn to the problem last year when residents in the Allenwood section of Great Neck complained to the town that a number of builders were demolishing older homes and replacing them with much larger ones which frequently dwarfed the surrounding homes. The solution for Allenwood was to upzone the area from Residence B to Residence A. At present a house in a Residence B area requires a lot minimum of 6000 square feet while Residence A calls for a lot of 8500 square feet. Residence C permits building on 5000 square feet. FULL STORY

Performance was reported 8/19. Here are the "perpetuals." Only those available to all entrants (not just MBYC members) are reported here. Qualifications are abbreviated. FULL STORY

Aug. 21 was the date of the final Town Dock Snapper Derby for boys and girls under 16 in this 20th century. Looking back over 50 years of these contests, what was to be expected? Always, a crowd of boys and girls trying their luck and skills, with many family members in support. FULL STORY