Eye in the Sky: Anton’s Flight Above Long Island’s South Shore

Two Editors Cleared for Take Off With Air National Guard Team

It began with a text from my co-worker and good friend, Rich Forestano, asking, “Want to fly in a fighter jet?”

The day of that particular inquiry was May 11.

Sure enough, fifteen days later – Rich is a man of his word – we flew.

Green Advocate Stephen Solecki Named Salutatorian of C.W. Post Class of 2011

Stephen Solecki, a 2007 Carle Place High School graduate and interdisciplinary studies major with a concentration in environmental science, was recently named salutatorian of the Class of 2011 at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, announced campus Provost Paul Forestell.

Solecki has a perfect 4.0 grade point average and will receive the Association of Parents & Friends of C.W. Post Salutatorian Award for his academic achievements.

Library Hosts ‘Save Your Home’ Seminar May 11

Westbury and Carle Place residents received some valuable information at the “Save Your Home” seminar held May 11 at the Westbury Memorial Public Library. The seminar was led by a four-member panel comprised of experts in home sales, banking, real estate law and mortgage counseling. 

Featured speakers included Ray Nieves, a real estate agent with Century 21 American Homes in Westbury; Oswaldo Pinilla, a certified loan officer with Bank of America; Carol Yopp, program manager with the Long Island Housing Partnership; and Richard Klein, an attorney with the Diamond Law Group.

Westbury Budget Fails; Carle Place, East Meadow Pass

Westbury Superintendent: BOE Will Decide Next Step by June 21

The May 17 board of education and budget votes resulted in two districts, Carle Place and East Meadow, passing their budgets and the other, Westbury, failing for the second straight year. 

Municipalities Meet at CPHS for Carle Place, Mineola Flooding Issue

Five Local Elected Officials Attend CP Civic Association Meeting

Residents from both Carle Place and Mineola poured into the May 11 Carle Place Civic Association meeting in the high school library to discuss the decades-old flooding problem in both areas.

The meeting featured Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Viviana Russell and Supervisor Jon Kaiman, NYS Senator and former Mineola Mayor Jack Martins, Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicollelo and current Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss. Department of public works representatives from both the town and county were also present.

Peter McDonnell, Dedicated Community Activist, Volunteer

For the past decade, Peter McDonnell has been giving back to the community he’s called home most of his life. The Carle Place native and father of two currently serves as president of both the Carle Place Public Library Funding District and the Carle Place Civic Association and is a dedicated volunteer at the Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter.

A graduate of Carle Place High School, McDonnell attended the College of Insurance (now the School of Risk Management and Actuarial Science at St. John’s University), working in corporate accounting for 12 years. After getting married, McDonnell and his wife Laura moved to Coram but in 2001, they moved their family, which includes sons Patrick and Peter Jr., back to Carle Place and into McDonnell’s childhood home.

Westbury Theater Project Partners Honored for Partnership April 26

Firm Named Best Public/Private Partnership of Nassau County Forchelli, Curto, Deegan, Schwartz, Mineo, Cohn & Terrana LLP (the firm) client Lowe Properties was honored by the Long Island Business News for “Best Public/Private Partnership in Nassau of 2010,” for the Westbury Theater project.

Westbury Board Of Education Candidates Forum

Candidates Meet with Community in Question-and-Answer Session

To assist residents in making informed decisions in the upcoming Westbury Board of Education trustee election, the Westbury Parent Teacher Association and the League of Women Voters hosted an open community forum on May 4 at Westbury High School.

Senator Martins, Village of Westbury Get Commitment On Ellison Avenue Bridge

Village of Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro, State Senator Jack M. Martins, chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Local Government, and State Senator Charles Fuschillo, chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Transportation, met recently with Long Island Railroad President Helena Williams and representatives from the New York State Department of Transportation to address the Ellison Avenue Bridge in Westbury, which is badly in need of renovation and rehabilitation. 

Ellison Avenue acts as a major north/south route for traffic. The bridge is a raised roadway that runs over the LIRR tracks. Traffic flow over the bridge is substantial since Ellison Avenue leads to and from both the LIE and Jericho Turnpike, as well as to and from certain major commercial and governmental locations in Mineola and Garden City. 

Westbury’s Westbrook Prep Residential School Celebrates With Ribbon Cutting

Westbrook Preparatory School – New York State’s first residential secondary school for students with Asperger syndrome, high functioning autism and related conditions – marked the opening of its doors on St. Brigid’s Lane with a ribbon cutting on April 28 under rainy skies but with a bright outlook for its future. 

“Westbrook is a program that was long in coming. It was a labor of love for all of you and it meets very real needs,” Gail Nayowith, executive director of SCO Family of Services, an outreach organization that has provided over 100 years of different services to children and families throughout New York State.