Residents packed the auditorium at Schreiber High School at a special meeting held on Jan. 4 at which the Board of Education adopted the long-range facilities plan. The current estimate for the plan is $86 million (based on gross square footage) and accommodates the projected enrollment of 5,300 students through 2009/10. The proposal includes an option for a swimming pool at Sousa for an additional $4 million. FULL STORY

The community of Port Washington had no trouble coming up with names to nominate as its Millennium Stars; the astonishing number of nominations reflects the fact that there are so many people, from the past and the present, who were instrumental in making this town a finer place to live and contributed so much to that end. FULL STORY

No doubt many readers are following the excellent reports of the America's Cup Trials for the Louis Vuitton Cup in The New York Times. Weekly reports in this column will continue to remind readers of lead America's Cup competitors from our area. Here they are: On AmericaOne, skipper Paul Cayard, Ralf Steitz and Joel Belsky. On Stars and Stripes, Dennis Conner, skipper; Tom Whidden, Chuck Brown and Robby Myles. Additional coverage is available on ESPN2 and on the web. An especially good site is www.louisvuittoncup.com. FULL STORY

Port Washington's Weber Middle School held a Sports Recognition Assembly recently to honor all the middle school students who participated on a team in the fall season. In total, 226 students participated on 10 teams. The evening was also an opportunity to recognize every student-athlete and a time to thank all the parents who have come to each game in large numbers to support their children and Port teams. FULL STORY