While Democratic Supervisor Jon Kaiman reported in his Jan. 27 State of the Town address that North Hempstead is in "excellent fiscal shape," Republican leaders, specifically, Peter Cavallaro, chairman of the North Hempstead Republican Committee, and Angelo Ferrara, the sole Republican North Hempstead Town Councilman, feel differently. While Kaiman references "continued surpluses, a stable fund balance; increased revenues from sales taxes, permits and fines; and a falling debt burden" in support of the town's good standing, Republicans argue that the town's fiscal status is far from "fine and rosy." FULL STORY

Jan R. Figueira was sworn in on Dec. 8, 2004 as the newest Trustee on the Westbury Memorial Public Library Board. She was appointed by the board to fill the spot vacated in October 2004 by longtime board member Roberta C. Oborne. FULL STORY

Michelle Ritz, a senior at The Wheatley School, recently scored her 500th career point as a member of the varsity girls basketball team. Ritz, who has been a four-year starter, reached this scoring milestone on Jan. 28 in a game against East Rockaway. She is one of the team's co-captains, plays the forward position and has earned All-Division honors for the past two years. When Ritz ends her Wheatley basketball career at the completion of this season, she will have earned a place among the leading scorers in the history of Wheatley girls basketball. To commemorate this outstanding achievement, Ritz was presented with a game ball by her coach, Brian McConaghy, prior to the start of a varsity game on Feb. 8. FULL STORY

In October 2004, over 8,000 walkers participated in the three-mile "Walk to Cure Diabetes," raising approximately $1.2 million, the greatest amount ever raised by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Long Island Chapter. The annual "Walk to Cure Diabetes" is JDRF's largest fund-raising event of the year and is one of the three biggest walks in the world. To celebrate this year's victory, JDRF hosted an awards dinner for the top fund-raisers. FULL STORY