Blogs 12 Long Island

Nassau County Taxes

By Jill Conway

 

     There was not one Nassau County resident that I spoke with today who actually liked the idea of a property tax hike. Everyone seemed to say that they couldn't afford to give away another penny. And what, they ask, are they getting in return?
     The Nassau County Executive says he hasn't raised taxes in 5 years and never promised he would never raise taxes.
      But many residents I spoke with disagreed, saying he had broken one of his promises. Still, Suozzi says he has never broken a promise and has worked hard to keep costs down.
     The County Executive will release his full budget plan on Friday and we'll hear more about his proposed tax hike then.
       He held a hearing for the State's Commission on Property Tax Relief, yet will officially announce the hike later this week.
     How do you feel about it?   
Here are some links to get more information on the proposed property tax hike in Nassau County and the hearing today.

 

www.nassaucountyny.gov/

 

And you can read previous press releases from the County Executive about tax hikes:

 

www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/CountyExecutive/NewsRelease/2003/09-15-2003.html

 

Thanks for reading this blog!!!

Everyone Talks About The Weatherman

By Norm Dvoskin
Everyone talks about the weatherman, but no one does anything about him. No! That’s not right. It’s "Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it." This line, is usually attributed to Mark Twain....sometimes even to the late comedian-philosopher Will Rogers. Actually it was said originally by Charles Dudley Warner, Connecticut newspaperman, who was an associate of Mark Twain. Warner also said, "Politics make strange bedfellows." He seldom gets credit for that one either.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer. Twain’s most noted novels are The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is also known for his quotations. Many of which have been about the weather:

"Thunder is good, thunder is impressive, but it is lightning that does the work."

"Cold! If the thermometer had been an inch longer we’d all have frozen to death."

"Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get."

"If you don’t like the weather in New England just wait a few minutes."

I have a few of my own weather sayings that I’ll pass along to the readers of this blog:

The best place to stand in a hurricane is in a state that is not having one.

There’s no such thing as bad weather..just inappropriate clothing.

You know you’re not a kid any more when you’re obsessed by your thermostat.

Weather forecasts are seldom wrong.  It's the weather that's wrong. 

I know I’m no Mark Twain, but I’ll bet he couldn’t tell you the differences between sleet, freezing rain and hail.

Mark Twain 1835-1910

Mom, Dad Encourage The Effort

By Michael Coleman

Now that the high schools are back in session that also means the News 12 sports department is back in the high school sports business. Don't forget to check out the RU-U-U-S-SH H (shameless plug, I know).  If you're a parent, then I know that you can't wait to see if the kid is a chip off the ol' block. (dad or mom) But in the event your athletic chip isn't quite what you were, don't hold it against them. Fact is as long as the effort is there, nothing else matters.

         All kids who play sports shouldn't be held to a higher standard by a parent who perhaps was more successful playing high school sports.   If nothing else your offspring will develop a sense of how to finish what you start.  So what if back in your day you won and were recognized as being the best.  That doesn't mean your genes will be passed down to your offspring. 

       What your kid needs is your encouragement and your shoulder, because it'll be tough living up to the expectations others will have of them.  As long as parents play it cool it doesn't matter what happens on the field or court.  Be proud that they're involved.

Do You REALLY Like Each Other?

By Erin Colton

I get a lot of different questions asked of me by viewers. "Do you really like sports?" (Nah… Um, are you kidding me?) "What time do you get into work?" (I sleep at the station, actually.) And, "Is Elizabeth Hashagen really pregnant?" (Yes, she is. And she still looks thinner than me on camera. I don't want to talk about it.)

But the question I get the most is, "Does everyone REALLY like each other?"

My first instinct is to say, well, do you get along with everyone in your family? 

Here at News 12 Long Island, we are a family. Or as close as you can come to one. I like to think of Scott Feldman as the dad, Carol Silva as the mom (she is SUCH a soccer mom) and me as the kid. (Since most of the time I'm running around like a little kid.) But in all seriousness, we are a family here. And act like one as well.

For instance, if you were to sneak a peek into our morning meeting, everyone sits around a big table like it's Thanksgiving dinner. (Feldman, or "Anchor In Charge," of course sitting at the head.) That's where we discuss the stories of the day that we'll cover as a station. But it's like a big family conversation. Everyone gives their input and advice as to how the story should be told. (I mean sometimes there's a brawl or two, but Scott can pretty much break up any fight just by clearing his throat.)

Another example. We eat A LOT here. Sometimes I think the company spends more money on food my salary. Wait, I know they do that. Anyway, everyone gathers in the kitchen or conference room to eat together. Bagels are on Monday, Ice Cream is on Friday and we get breakfast lunch and dinner on every holiday. (Sweet deal, right?) And at first smell of any type of something we can put in our mouths, we go running. But we do it together, as a family. (Until someone steals my Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia, then it's on.)

  Do you ever watch and wonder what we do during commercial breaks? We gossip. (Not about each other, of course.) But we talk, hang out, play music, make fun of other shows err, stations. Sometimes we'll even look at pictures of Rich Hoffman running in some kind of triathlon. (I mean, we gotta like one another to sit through THAT, right?)

But probably the biggest example as to why we're such a big happy family is the way he never make fun of each other. We wouldn't even think of it! Like when someone messes up on camera or says the wrong thing, we don't laugh. (We just immediately put it on to tape so we can play it in front of hundreds of people at the Christmas Party.) And we would never mock each other, EVER. (Why is Scott Feldman so tall? And his voice so freakishly deep? And what is with Doug Geed and his weird obsession with Disney World? Why does he go there so much?) And last but not least we DO NOT compete with each other. Especially not during basketball season in the back parking lot. We play like respectable co-workers. Nobody goes overboard. (Mark, am I allowed to play again?)

So to answer your question, "Does News 12 personalities REALLY like each other?" Sure we do. We treat each other like family. We ARE one big happy family.

But I'll ask you again, how well do you get along with YOUR family?

Disclaimer: The content of this blog may contain over-exaggerated information.

I Miss Mickey

By Doug Geed

   Okay, I'm going to be 50 years old at the end of the year. I have three children and have been a broadcast journalist for 28 years. But I am also an unabashed Disney geek. Yup -- I love Disney World and want to visit as often as I can. And I'm really sad that our latest trip is over.

   Neither my wife or I were lucky enough to go there as kids. It was 1996 when we made our first trip as a family (two kids and a third on the way) and within a minute of driving onto the property we fully understood what all the fuss is about.

    We just came back from family trip number 7 and it was awesome. The first day was a little rough. We flew down when Tropical Storm Fay was hovering over Jacksonville. So I always say, our first ride this trip was Fay! But after she pulled out, we had great weather.

       I've earned quite a reputation here at News 12 as "Mr. Disney" -- but there are also a lot of people here who have been going since childhood and know a lot more than I do. And us Disney geeks can spot each other from a mile away. It's the reaction of people when you tell them you're going -- the eyes widen, the smile broadens and a "I'm so jealous" blurts out -- that's when you know you've found one.

      We try to hit each of the parks a couple times -- once in the daytime, once at night. The new Toy Story attraction at Hollywood Studios (used to be called Disney MGM Studios) is awesome -- just an outstanding event that's worth all the attention it's been getting.

    And there's just something so special about getting on a ride that you've done over and over -- a special feeling like "wow -- we're back." Our morning sports anchor, Erin Colton, is a very close family friend and actually went with us on our trip back in '06. I think she was a little overwhelmed. After our second time getting on "Peter Pan's Flight" or our third time on "It's a Small World" or our 5th time on "Tower of Terror" she was like "We're going on this AGAIN? We just did this the other day!" I mean don't get me wrong, at night we always make sure we have our grown-up fun by the pool and at the cabana bar, but when it's time for the parks, it's time to revert back to our childhood! And in this business, where we see so much of the bad side of life, it is such a relief going to what is rightfully called "the happiest place on earth."

    I have to say, a couple of special attractions for us are both in the Tomorrowland section of Magic Kingdom. One is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, a great place to just sit back and relax. The other is Carousel of Progress. I'm ashamed to say that we didn't try it for years because we simply didn't know what it was. It turns out to be one of Disney's originals -- a favorite of Walt's that he created for the 1964 World's Fair. It is classic Disney and I urge everyone to visit it.

 

                  There were also quite a few Long Islanders when we visited -- quite a few people who recognized me and said hello. That's a great feeling -- to be so far from home yet to share this bond with others. Even a waitress at one of the restaurants (a transplanted Long Islander) stopped by our table to say she misses watching us!

      I'd love to hear from any Disney freaks out there who'd like to compare notes. As you know, a lot of planning goes into a Disney trip and it goes by so quickly. The best therapy for when you get back is to either keep talking about it or start planning another one!

    So let me hear about your family traditions -- favorite rides, restaurants, resorts, places in the park to hide away and relax. For the Geed family, it's unanimous -- our favorite ride is Tower of Terror. Splash Mountain comes in at number two -- and Rock N' Roller Coaster a super A-plus.

 

  Liberty Tree Tavern is a dinner we have never missed. (For those of you who don't know, it's a restaurant in Magic Kingdom set up like an early American Colonial Pub -- and the theme is a Thanksgiving meal that's served every day of the year.

   '50's Prime Time is a must for anyone who remembers the old t-v shows from the 50's and 60's -- Sci-Fi Drive-In is one of the most unique restaurants you'll ever see  -- and Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace are our favorite breakfast spots. And a place that doesn't get a lot of publicity yet we love is Kona Cafe -- one of the restaurants in the great Polynesian resort. Jeesh -- our family even gets excited when we hear the voice of the guy who tells who to stand back from the monorail doors as they're closing. We know that recording by heart!

    Yeah -- this may be a little over the top for many of you. But my guess is, if you've continued reading this entire blog, Disney is a special place for you too. And you totally understand it when I say, "I Miss Mickey." 

 

Attack of the Bamboo

By Shari Einhorn

You just never know in news...today's story is on the invasive bamboo plant.

The bamboo plant is native to China and while it might be good food for a hungry panda bear -- it's not so good for making friends with your neighbors.

You see -- while it looks pretty and does provide a good deal of privacy, it has roots of steel and a very aggressive attitude.  According to the experts, it grows like crazy, is very hard to kill and can spread like wildfire!

In Smithtown, the bamboo landscape between two neighbors is causing a costly and unneighborly problem.  It could actually end up in court!

One homeowner says he's spent thousands of dollars cutting down the bamboo on his property, digging a ditch and installing a bamboo barrier (a super duper heavy duty plastic) that runs the length of his property and goes three feet deep (apparently the roots can go that far down).  He blames his neighbor for not taking care of the plants on his own property.

The neighbor says the bamboo was on both properties when HE bought HIS house 18 years ago.  He blames his neighbor for illegally cutting down plants on private property (for which he called the police) and for making a big deal out of nothing.  He says he has the bamboo under control on his side.

So like so many stories that we do...this one might end up in court...we'll have to wait and see.

Here are some other invasive plants experts urge you NOT TO BUY!

Japanese barberry

Purple loosestrife

Burning bush/Winged euonymus

Norway maple

Chinese silvergrass/Eulalia

For more information on invasive plants and how to get rid of them -- check out the U.S. National Arboretum site.

Shari

The ENDLESS Summer Project!

By Carol Silva

I remember how shocked I was when I first heard that 102-story, historic Empire State Building took 1 year and 45 days to build!  Construction started March 17, 1930. Thirteen-and a half months later they were done. The official opening came on May 1, 1931, when President Hoover pushed a (ceremonial) button in Washington D. C. (Don't tell anyone, but someone up here flipped the real switch and turned on its lights!) They built about 4.5 stories a week! 60,000 tons of pre-formed steel were shipped in from Pennsylvania steel mills - 300 miles away to get the job done. So then why can't they finish the dang Wantagh Parkway bridge to Jones Beach?  

I mean they've been working on it FOREVER! I made good use of the beach this summer. The ocean, the Jones Beach Theatre, night time on the boardwalk. But everytime I traveled down the Wantagh Parkwayto get there, I was frustrated. My tax dollars at work? Why are we still snaking through a construction project that News 12 LI was reporting on in 2003?  I've heard people say it's union problems, non-union problems, material problems. I know this for sure - on a hot summer day, it's a driver's problem. I sure hope it's a straight shot to one of the most beautiful seashores in America - by the time the summer of '09 rolls around.

Moms Refusing Vaccines

By Mary Mucci

Never before have moms been so open about their vaccine choices. That’s the good news, the bad news is that federal health authorities are in bed with the pharmaceutical industry making it difficult for us to get unbiased research on the link between autism and vaccines.

The National Vaccine information Center says yet another study has failed to clear the autism/ MMR link. And while chiropractor neurologist Dr. Mike Gruttadauria (lispectrum.com) has been testing for mitochondrial disorders…no one knows what other metabolic imbalances make children more vulnerable to a bad vaccine reaction.

NVIC President Barbara Loe Fisher makes the case that vaccines are an invasive procedure…and that all other invasive medical treatments require informed consent. Clearly, she says, vaccines should too.

One mother who has raised the battle cry, Rita Palmer (www.MyKidsMyChoice.com), is working with our state representatives who support the notion of a philosophical exemption. That’s needed she says because it’s often difficult to get a religious exemption.

If you’d like to learn more about vaccines and children’s health….go to www.nvic.org.

You can sign up for the free newsletter and stay on top of the latest research.

To Your Health,

Mary Mucci

Barbara Loe Fisher

National Vaccine Information Center

www.nvic.org

email: [email protected]

Phone: 703 938 dpt3

Dr. Mike Gruttadauria

Long Island Spectrum Center, Plainview

www.lispectrum.com

516 470-9525

Rita Palmer, founder

www.MyKidsMyChoice.com

Braving Hanna

By Jill Wagner

The sun is out and I've officially dried off!  I spent Saturday at Smith Point County Park in Shirley reporting on Hanna's descent on Long Island.  And as she drenched the area with pounding, horizontal rain, my photographer Brandon and I had nowhere to hide.  At first, we tried drying off in the truck in the minutes between our live News 12 reports.  But it soon became clear we were fighting a losing battle and decided to embrace it!  As I said on air, the rain was so strong at points, it literally felt like I was standing underneath my bathroom shower.  Only the water wasn't hot, and it was coming down sideways!

Still, the storm didn't pack quite the punch some forecasters feared.  Certainly, Hanna drenched the Island and caused minor flooding.  Areas like Dix Hills had nearly four inches of rain.  She also brought heavy winds that took down trees and put many in the dark (at least temporarily).  But all things considered, Hanna could have been much worse and Long Islanders can breathe easy---For now!

It seems like everyone I spoke to has a story about hurricanes past.  And in turn, an underlying fear of the storms that lurk in our future.  In Shirley, we found Mark Koch cleaning his gutters before Hanna rolled in.  He said Hurricane Gloria ripped the roof right off his house and put it in the middle of the road.  In Mastic Beach, Paul Berschard said that during Hurricane Bob there were white caps on the lawn across from his house, about 50 feet from his front porch.  During Gloria, he was without power for eight days.

So, yes, Hanna gave us a break.  But as Sam Kille with the Red Cross of Nassau County reminded me--hurricane Season is far from over.  The best thing Long Islanders can do is be prepared.  Here is the link to the Red Cross website, www.redcross.org, with information on all the items you should stock up on before a storm hits.  And a link to the National Hurricane Center website,

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/disaster_prevention.shtml, with a list of things you can do to make your home more secure and able to withstand a stronger storm.

Battling the Bugs

By Lea Tyrrell

We tend to think of mosquitoes as summer pests, and since we see Labor Day as the "end" of summer, you might think the worst is over.  Well, we've actually got another month of summer to go and this is the most active time of the year for mosquitoes.

Those little buggers have been around for more than 30-million years.  They like to munch on mammals and birds, and they have lots of ways of finding us.  Mosquitoes can sense the carbon dioxide we breathe out and the lactic acid in our bodies.   They can see us move, especially if you're wearing clothing that contrasts with your background.   Plus, they can sense heat so our warm bodies lead them right to us.

According to the American Mosquito Control Association, (yes, there is one) mosquitoes cause more human suffering than any other organism.  More than a million people die from mosquito-bourne diseases each year.   Those diseases include Malaria, Yellow Fever, and of most concern to us here on Long Island, West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

The AMCA says the best way to protect yourself against mosquito bites is to remember the three D's - DRAIN, DRESS, DEFEND.

Drain any standing water around your house.  Most mosquitoes don't travel that far from where they breed.   Pour out the water in birdbaths, children's toys in your yard, roof gutters, garbage pails, recycling pails, your pet's water dish - ANYTHING that collects water near your house. 

Dress in light colored clothing that fits loosely.  The AMCA says a lot of the species are attracted to dark clothing, and if your clothes are too tight, mosquitoes can bite right through the material.

Defend yourself by using some kind of mosquito repellent.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using repellents that have ingredients that have been registered with the Environmental Protection Agency - DEET, Picaridin, and Oil of lemon eucalyptus.

If Nassau or Suffolk county decides the situation in our area warrants ground spraying of pesticides, they'll notify residents of when and where they're spraying.  News 12 Long Island will report that information to you as well.  The pesticides most often used for this purpose are Scourge and Anvil.   The debate continues to rage over whether this type of spraying is necessary and whether the pesticides cause harm to the environment.

So while they're still mostly an itchy nuisance, mosquitoes have become a little more threatening to us here in this area over the last several years.  Just to lighten up the topic a little, enjoy the "fun facts" below.  I found them to be quite interesting.  Did you know that women are actually more attractive to mosquitoes than men??

AMCA Mosquito Fun FAQS

• Mosquitoes are known from as far back as the Triassic Period – 400 million years ago. They are known from North America from the Cretaceous – 100 million years ago.
• There are about 2,700 species of mosquito. There are 176 species in the United States.
• The average mosquito weighs about 2.5 milligrams.
• The average mosquito takes in about 5-millionths of a liter of blood during feeding.
• Mosquitoes find hosts by sight (they observe movement); by detecting infra-red radiation emitted by warm bodies; and by chemical signals (mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide and lactic acid, among other chemicals) at distances of 25 to 35 meters.
• Mosquitoes fly an estimated 1 to 1.5 miles per hour.
• Salt marsh mosquitoes can migrate up to 40 miles for a meal.
• Bigger people are often more attractive to mosquitoes because they are larger targets and they produce more mosquito attractants, namely CO2 and lactic acid.
• Active or fidgety people also produce more CO2 and lactic acid.
• Women are usually more attractive to mosquitoes than men because of the difference in hormones produced by the sexes.
• Blondes tend to be more attractive to msoquitoes than brunettes.
• Smelly feet are attractive to mosquitoes – as is Limburger Cheese.
• Dark clothing attracts mosquitoes.
• Movement increased mosquito biting up to 50% in some research tests.
• A full moon increased mosquito activity 500% in one study

A new magic number

By Elizabeth Hashagen

I've always liked the number 7.. I don't know why that is exactly-- It has nothing to do with the 7 dwarfs.... or 7 deadly sins... even the 7 seas (even though I love to travel).

When I head to Yankee stadium I faithfully wear 7 on my back ( Mickey Mantle) but it really just lucked out that such an amazing Yankee wore my number.

But yesterday as I was looking up some other information I found 2 different articles about the number 5-- and I have to admit-- I'm really liking 5 today so I thought I'd pass my new numerical wisdom on to you..

5 the number of additional years you'll live if you play golf.
My parents and Scott Feldman have got to be happy right now
According to a new study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, golfers have 2 healthy advantages over those who don't tee off.
1- They're more social
2- They walk a lot more

I wonder if I get points for my socialization skills-- because if being social was a sport I would be on the cover of sports illustrated instead of Michael Phelps :)

Well at least now I know when I walk the greens with mom and dad ( or Scott who I do play with!) I can make a great case for keeping up the chatter.

And here's the oher reason to love the number 5...
5 bucks-- all it takes to buy happiness.
Ok ok I laughed too.. I was looking for the rest of the zeroes.
But there is a catch here ... according to a recent study in the journal Science..
You need to spend it on someone else! (maybe a few packs of gum, some lotto tickets, ice cream.. man there's not a ton I can think of that really only costs $5)
But the study found that the small gift of generosity brings more joy into your life than buying something you want for yourself.
So I guess we need to take a friend out for a smoothie.
I love doing this by the way-- I'm addicted to fruit shakes at the moment and love getting Elisa to jump on board with my obsession.  Come to think of it the 2 of us fight over who gets to pay .. so maybe this is our little bit of $5 happiness. :)

Free WiFi!

By Andrew Ehinger

The internet has become an enormous part of our daily lives. Ask just about anyone and they'll tell you they're on the net at least once a day. If you're like me you're connected via BlackBerry or laptop computer just about 24 hours a day. Oh well, that's the life of a journalist. But getting my laptop computer on-line seems to be getting harder now a days. That's unless you are willing to pay for the privilege.

It use to be that coffee shops and other businesses would offer free internet access to entice customers to buy something in the shop. Well, there are still some of those places around (thanks Panera Bread and Au Bon Pain), but lots of businesses have become pay as you go. Try at just about any major airport or hotel and it's a daily charge from $3 to 20 bucks. So it was refreshing news that Cablevision has launched it's Optimum WiFi service.

Full disclosure here - I work for Cablevision since it is the parent company of News 12 Long Island, but as I went around Long Island today, most people were pretty pleased that the service went live today. Optimum WiFi is an exclusive Free service for Optimum Online customers only. Company officials tell me it will not be offering Pay-as-You-Go access like other WiFi services--it's just "extra value" for being an Optimum Online customer.

You gotta tip your hat to Cablevision for investing millions in the service. Long Island lawmakers had previously tried to start an island wide WiFi service. However, that plan seems to have fizzled. Certain places however have made it work. Downtown Glen Cove has offered free WiFi for a couple years now.

Now I'm told Cablevision's vision of WiFi won't just be limited to Long Island.  It wants to expand the service to areas across the Tri-State over the next year. So, as more and more portable electronics like MP3 players, cell phones, laptops and video games accept WiFi signals, I'm sure Optimum WiFi will become a very popular service.

My Summer "Stay-Cation"

By Drew Scott

I had a blast this summer with my wife and my grandchildren Ellison, Hallie, Mackenzie, Priscilla, and Isabelle!

This summer with gas at nearly $4 a gallon, rather than packing all the gang into the car and driving to Orlando or Amish country in Pennsylvania, I decided it was more cost effective to vacation at nearby Cupsogue beach in Westhampton and take day trips to the Outlet Malls or go to the Polish Town street fair or the Scottish Games at Old Westbury Gardens! Here we made a ginger-bread house at home.

Some have dubbed this the "stay-cation". 

We've got so many free or low cost attractions here on Long Island, I haven't even missed going out of state this summer! Think about it, Splish-Splash and Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead are great... Adventureland in Farmingdale is always a real hoot...  The Children's Museum in Garden City was fun. We had a ball watching the Jones Beach air show featuring the Blue Angels precision flight team! And the list of fun places to visit goes on and on.

We also saved some cash by packing lunches and drinks, and we avoided traffic jams by going AFTER rush hour and waiting until after the evening rush to go home.    

So all told, according to my auto mechanic, I saved at least 2,000 miles on my aging SUV and held onto  more than $500 in gasoline savings by not going off the island. How about that!

I think I'll use the extra savings to buy a brand new HDTV, but don't tell my grandkids.

Mosquito Spraying in Nassau County

By Andrew Ehinger

It was not what county officials expected. An end of summer spike in mosquito pools containing the West Nile Virus. But there it was--49 pools testing positive for the virus. Now Nassau will begin spraying from the air and ground in the areas where the mosquitoes were discovered. Click here for the areas to be sprayed.

The county says it's not taking any chances this time around and was given the OK from the state to begin the application of Scourge (Resmethrin) by air and on the ground. There has been lots of debate on the safety of Scourge, but health officials say it's benefit outweighs its downsides if used properly. In fact, they tell me the concentration is so diluted that only a third of a teaspoon is used per acre from the air.

Still the county recommends staying indoors during the Ariel and ground applications, to bring in children's outdoor toys or pet food dishes that may be exposed to the spray, and set air-conditioners to re-circulate.
 

Where Am I?

By Bill Korbel

It's not true that men never ask for directions. I know I have a few times.  Yes, most of us may be hesitant to stop and ask how to get someplace, but that's not because we hate to admit we don't know where we are or where we are going. Not at all.  It's because we hate to stop at all for any reason short of taking a potty break.  Now, thanks to GPS navigation this is no longer even a question. 

I have used GPS as the main navigation system in airplanes for nearly 10 years but only recently have I started using that technology in a car and I never cease to be amazed at how well it works.  The accuracy is phenomenal.  Of course it does have some quirks.  The voice in my device has trouble pronouncing some street and highway names.  It completely mumbles it's way through Sagtikos Parkway, and for some reason it thinks Sunrise Highway is Powmia highway.  I know some sections are called POW-MIA highway but it should be pronounced P. O. W. M. I. A.,  not powmia.  I also get a kick out of ignoring a turn and making the GPS come up with a new route.  It may be my imagination, but I swear the voice giving directions starts to get a bit testy every time it says "recalculating".  I fully expect that one day it will simply say: " You idiot!.  I told you to turn on Camp Avenue but no, you had to turn on Park.  So now you figure out how to get out of this mess.  I give up".

Of course it only gets better.  I just bought a new cell phone and guess what.  It has a built in navigation system.  It's slower and not quite as clever picking routes, but the female voice is very pleasant and never seems to mind when I make a wrong turn.  Maybe it just likes me better.

Bill Korbel

Getting to see the Action

By Elizabeth Hashagen

I've done quite a few stories with Nassau County Police...a high angle rope rescue that had me dangling from the East Meadow water tower, an underwater search and rescue where I got to suit up and jump in to see what it's like to search for explosives, and my heart will never let me forget hiding in a small house and seeing just how fast Nassau's K-9 can find me (and just how scary those dogs can be!).

But I have to admit I never knew there was any type of "Tactical AMT's"
I first learned of their existence after covering a bank robbery a few months ago.
We were live on the air with Chopper 12 and reporters on the scene brining you the latest information as East Meadow schools were in lock down and so too was NUMC.
It was a warm day--most kids were out of school but I remember there were 2 regents exams going on, and there was a concern for those students.
But unknown to us at the time was a concern for some members of Nassau's SWAT team.
They were all geared up and searching tunnels for the suspects-
But the heat was factor--and the AMT's needed to begin a rest work cycle so the SWAT team could go the distance in their hunt for the gunman.
And these AMT's weren't  in their ambulance waiting to be called.
They too had put on protective gear and were side by side with the SWAT team.
The only way you would know there's a difference (umm.. OK, besides the gun) is that the AMT's wear green instead of the traditional black.
When I spoke to Chris Pieloch, an ambulance medical technician assigned to the 2nd precinct, he explained that the tactical AMT's
train with the Bureau of Special Operations on all types of situations--including active school shooter scenarios. Here I am in the picture with Chris Pieloch and Michael Mannarino.  Both Ambulance medical Technicians decided to go the extra mile and train to become Tach AMT's.
And the training between SWAT and these tactical AMT's is important.
Pieloch explained: "That way when the real situation happens you have an idea what to do and what to expect. You don't have time to think. That's when your training is going to take over - that you can't take the extra time to think about what you're doing you have to know what your next step is going to be before you have to take it."
This time we got to see that training in action.
The planning...
The timing ...
The execution...
It all comes down to team work and knowing how to handle these serious scenarios.  It could be the difference between life or death.

Nassau's "Wall of Shame"

By Sean Bergin

     As a broadcast journalist I often have to leave information out of a story that can not adequately be explored within the constraints of a typical 90 second news package.   Thankfully I have this space to include some interesting information that I come across in course of covering a given subject.  The Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi  began an anti-drunk driving campaign after Police Officer Kevin Baribault was very badly hurt by an alleged drunk driver back in May.  Suozzi began releasing the mug shots of those arrested for DWI to the media in the hopes that publicly shaming them might act as a deterrent.  Critics say the "Wall of Shame" does not appear to be working.  The Nassau Police have arrested more than 1,000 people on DWI charges since the campaign began.  That's almost 200 MORE arrests than they made last year!  The penalties for driving drunk are severe but people continue to drive drunk.  Commissioner Mulvey told me today that many of those people arrested for DWI are repeat offenders.  This assessment is backed up by the AAA.  They  did a study back in 2003 that found that more than half of all drunk driving arrests involve repeat offenders.   Are these people just selfish risk takers with no concern for others?  Perhaps some, but a more likely  explanation is that these repeat offenders are suffering from alcoholism.  The alcoholic in denial does is not concerned with safety.  That's why so many of them die in car accidents, drownings and other mishaps.  Now there are those who will argue that alcoholism is a public health issue and these people should be referred to mandatory substance abuse treatment.  What happens when this doesn't work?  Unfortunately many of these folks don't "sober-up"  until they find themselves staring at the wall of a prison cell.  Tragically,they often end up in the prison system only after they have done serious harm to others, allegedly as in the case of Officer Kenneth Baribault.  Below I've included some links.

http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-driving-statistics.html

http://www.amazon.com/Under-Influence-Guide-Realities-Alcoholism/dp/0553274872

http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/drunk

We're having a baby!

By Elisa DiStefano

We're having a baby! Okay-- so technically, I'm not-- but my colleague and dear friend Elizabeth Hashagen is!  I am so excited! The stork has been making a lot of stops at News 12 Long Island this summer. Many adorable babies have been born!

        Elizabeth is due next month-- followed by our friends, executive producer Kelly and editor Valerie. Expecting three babies really makes this place so much more fun! It really feels like we are all having a baby-- or three! When I see the moms- to- be I can't help but smile. Plus, now more people want to have snacks with me! I am currently brushing up on my babysitting skills and lobbying for the "Cool Aunt" title.          

This morning I was lucky to sit next to Beth at the anchor desk. The baby was kicking! I don't know how she can concentrate with that little guy or girl bouncing around in there! In fact, I don't know how she does all that she does regularly-- let alone 8 months pregnant!

She still teaches her step classes, has a lot of responsibilities here at News 12, and has a full social schedule! She can throw one amazing BBQ! And I wonder why Baby is so active-- I guess like mother, like daughter or son! (Elizabeth's husband is also full of energy-- and is fantastic too!) I can't wait to find out if it's a baby girl or boy... but I am not looking forward to her going on maternity leave because I'll miss her!

People always ask what the best part of my job is... the truth is, it's the people that I am so blessed to work with every day. If it looks like we are having fun, we are! It's so rare to have such a supportive group of colleagues, especially in this business. It's also rare to work with people who are so passionate about what they do.

Speaking of being passionate, I recently received this.

Recognize her?

This was sent to me by Westbury native Jean Esther. Jean graduated from The Nassau BOCES Cultural Arts Center. He went on to study art at the University of Hartford for one semester. He couldn't stay because although he was on a partial scholarship, he could not afford tuition.

Jean was discouraged, but didn't give up his dream. He kept on drawing and today he teaches at the Google Works Center for the Arts in PA and has his own art service. He says it's a dream come true. Thanks for the portrait and for sharing your story, Jean! Hope to have you back on Long Island real soon!

The Interview

by Scott Feldman

It was September 22, 1987. Delaware's Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was chairing the nationally broadcast Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings on Judge Robert H. Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court. But there was another controversy brewing, aside from Ronald Reagan's hotly debated selection of Bork. The 44-year-old Biden was running for the Democratic Presidential nomination. And it had just been revealed by the New York Times and the Des Moines Register that Biden had lifted, without attribution, sizable portions of a speech by British Labor Party leader, Neil Kinnock. It was also reported that he had done much the same thing with speeches of Robert F. Kennedy and Hubert H. Humphrey. And had been discplined as a first-year law student involving a law review article.

Well, as you can imagine, everybody in the media wanted to get to Biden. But, while he was in the Bork hearings, he was off limits. At the time, I was a Capitol Hill and White House correspondent for TV stations around the country. Our Charleston, S.C. CBS affiliate wanted an interview with the state's senior Senator, 84 year old Strom Thurmond. He was the committee's ranking Republican and its former chairman. My photographer and I were told to meet Thurmond in a side hallway. When the committee took a break, Thurmond appeared as promised. And just as we finished our interview, Joe Biden appeared. He was headed to the men's room. Out of ear shot of a Capitol Hill police officer, I told my cameraman to stall. Pretend as if something was wrong with the gear . Biden walked out of the rest room within a few feet of me. "Senator Biden, I asked, do you have a quick second?" I posed the question everybody had been clamoring to ask him for the past 10 days. "Are you staying in the race, or not?" He spoke to me for at least five minutes and ended by saying he was headed home(on the train to Wilmington) to talk things over with his family. I raced back to my bureau. The interview was fed to ABC, NBC, CBS. And the Biden scoop led their evening news.

Fast forward to Thursday, two days later. "I made some mistakes," said Biden. At a packed news conference,  with his wife, Jill, at his side, Biden dropped out of the race for President. As reported that day in the New York Times, he told everyone in the room, "there will be other Presidential campaigns, and I'll be there, out front." And twenty one years later, so he is. As Barack Obama's running mate. The 2008 election for the White House, just 9 weeks from today.    

Hurricane Gustav

By Andrew Ehinger

It was about 3 years ago when the nation sat glued to our television screens watching the disaster unfold right before its eyes. A major American city under siege by Mother Nature. Hurricane Katrina roared ashore in and around New Orleans. The destruction was horrific, the loss of life unacceptable. Can it happen again with Gustav?

I believe the country and the Gulf Coast region has learned its lesson. We're certainly seeing that now as Long Islanders and other American's rushed to the region BEFORE the storm hit. Credit also has to be given to state officials who are taking the storm seriously and evacuated areas much earlier than before. Will it work? Well Gustav at the moment (Monday 9-1-2008 at 5pm) seems to not be carrying the punch that Katrina did. But that doesn't mean there wont be loss of life and property damage.

Hurricanes are nothing to laugh at. I've covered about  8 of them in my career as a journalist. Some bigger than others, but all had the potential for serious damage and loss of life. Which is why Long Island has a lot to worry about if one ever heads our way - again.

A Case of Summer Flew

By Norm Dvoskin

Summer Holidays are weird. We usually spend Independence Day socializing with a lot of people and Labor Day not working. Celebrating Labor Day by not working is like celebrating Arbor Day by paving your backyard.

I mentioned to a friend that Labor Day comes early this year. "It’s on Monday, September 1^st." He said, "How could that be? Isn’t Labor Day always the first Monday after the first Tuesday?" I think he was a little mixed up. Of course he was thinking Election Day which is in November and is always the first Tuesday after the first Monday. Is all this confusing? Anyhow, Labor Day is a Federal Holiday and has been celebrated on the first Monday of September since the 1880s. Our government created these three day weekends because they couldn’t cram all the rotten weather into just two days.

The strongest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States occurred on Labor Day September 2^nd 1935. This unnamed storm hit the Florida Keys with estimated winds of 200 miles per hour. It was the first of three category 5 hurricanes that struck this country in the 20^th century. We’ve never had a hurricane hit Long Island on Labor Day, but in 1996, hurricane Edouard moved off just to our East with winds of 100 mph. High tides and surf caused coastal flooding and the beaches were closed to swimmers during the Labor Day Weekend. On Labor Day September 7, 1998, an F2 tornado hit Lynbrook with strong winds, heavy rain and hail. There were 170,000 power outages and Lynbrook was declared "In a state of Emergency."

Traditionally Labor Day is considered by most Americans to be the unofficial end of summer. The official end of summer, this year is September 22^nd while the financial end of summer, for me, was around the middle of August 9, (just kidding).

Labor Day is a sad time. The days are getting shorter, people return from vacation and the kids are headed back to school. For me it’s a special time of year, I usually get rid of all my, "How hot was it" jokes. Everything must go.

Many Long Islanders enjoy Labor Day with a picnic or a barbecue. My favorite thing is to drive to the mall and watch them put up Christmas decorations.

The Music School

By Holli Haerr

Photojournalist Brandon Klein and I were lucky enough to meet 19-year-old Brittany Maier and her mother, Tammy, for a story on a music school for special needs kids Tammy is creating in Dix Hills. It was an experience I'll never forget.

Hopefully, you'll hear the music and be just as amazed as I was.

Brittany is 19 and is a prodigious savant, which means her talents are extraordinary. She's blind, autistic and mentally challenge, but somehow her mind opens up with music. Brittany can play anything she hears on the piano, and even composes her own songs. In fact, the first song you hear in the report is one of the songs she composed called "Song for Mama."

Another interesting note, when Brittany listens to DVDs of concerts, she's not just learning the music. Her mom says she learns how to do things like say "Thank You Very Much" at the end of the songs when she gives concerts. Here's a picture of her multi-tasking: listening to a DVD and eating lunch.

I also wanted to show you a couple of additional pictures of the music school campus.

To the left is a barn that will become an amphitheater. On the right is a room that will become one of the classrooms when a house on the music school campus is renovated.

I hope to come back someday when it's fully running, see the improvements and check in on 11-year-old Leanne Haddock, who played the piano so beautifully during her lesson with teacher Deborah Vacarro. (And didn't even seem nervous at all with a News 12 camera right there.)

Hopefully, we'll also be able to see 8-year-old Cassie Bongiorno, who wasn't comfortable enough in her new surroundings (yet) to play for us. But, her mom says she can play tunes she hears on a keyboard, just like Brittany did when she was a child. I can't wait to come back for that!

For more information on the music school, their fundraiser in October or Brittany's upcoming concert at Carnegie Hall, you can find their websites by clicking here and here.

Thanks for reading.

A Healthy No-Calorie Sweetener

By Mary Mucci

I hardly ever eat sugar.  I read "Sugar Blues" {William Duffy} years ago about how aging sugar is…and I've been cutting back over the years. Just yesterday, I had some and I didn't feel well afterwards.  Just a couple of cookies and I was sluggish and a little bloated.  But I don't have any such concerns about stevia. It's now my only sweetener. That wasn't always the case.  The brand I used to buy tasted bitter.  Now, most brands have managed to take out the bitter component.  My favorite is Now because it contains a blood sugar regulator which also helps with dieting.

For years stevia was hard to get.  It was sold only as a dietary supplement. That means while anyone can use it anyway they like, in desserts as well as coffee, manufacturers couldn't use it in anything.  So naturally, only health food nuts like myself knew about it.

That's about to change.  Coke will soon be selling a new diet soda sweetened with an extract of stevia.  The extract will also be on store shelves, it's called Truvia.  Hopefully, in the process of extracting the sweet component the manufacturer won't adulterate it with a chemical.

So why another diet drink?  Well there have been so many lawsuits from the other chemical sweeteners that the soft drink companies have been looking for an alternative.

Wonder why stevia has never been approved for use in food?  Well we can only speculate: that the diet food industry wanted to control the use of stevia until they had a patentable version of it that they could use.

Stevia is available in all health food stores, natural food supermarkets and a few places one wouldn't expect like Value Drugs in Huntington.

It would make sense for the FDA to finally give their blessing to stevia .  That doesn't mean it will happen. Still you don't have to wait… I'm glad I didn't.

Stay well,

Mary Mucci

Contact:

Lauren Grossman,

Value Drugs Nutrition

631 427 2919