Joseph Ostapiuk

John Ferretti defeats Joseph Scianablo in Hempstead supervisor race Ten supervisor seats were up for grabs across LI, along with a slew of council positions and a mayoral post.

How did things shake out for Long Island’s town supervisor races?

Here’s what we have after last night ⬇️
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Candleworks in Bethpage empowers workers with disabilities The Bethpage nonprofit runs Candleworks and RewearAble, providing jobs for people with disabilities.

For a non-election read: I spent a morning at @ACLD1's Bethpage campus to learn more about their business initiatives -- RewearAble and Candleworks -- that employ individuals with disabilities.

My latest for @newsday.bsky.social ⤵️
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Park cleanup extracts 460 pounds of toxins in Bethpage An earlier cleanup phase used the technology to remove 1,500 pounds of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

The second phase of thermal remediation at Bethpage Community Park extracted 460 pounds of contamination from the ground deep beneath the former Grumman Aerospace dumping ground, state officials announced today.

My latest for @newsday.bsky.social ⬇️
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Demolition of Budget Inn Motel site in Massapequa moves a step closer as Oyster Bay Town seeks to buy it Last year, a judge ordered the site demolished after Oyster Bay sued the property owners over town code violations. More recently, the owners sought to delay that process.

Oyster Bay Town clears hurdle for demolition of Budget Inn Motel site, seeks to buy it.

Via @newsday.bsky.social ⬇️
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Oyster Bay mosque expansion settlement reached after legal battle Oyster Bay agrees to a reduced expansion of Masjid Al-Baqi mosque, ending a lengthy legal dispute before a federal court trial.

NEW: The Oyster Bay town board authorized a settlement Tuesday night that allows for a lesser expansion of the Masjid Al-Baqi mosque in Bethpage, ending a monthslong legal battle as it neared the eve of a federal court trial.

Via @newsday.bsky.social
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Law firm bills town $387G to defend mosque case, records show The Town of Oyster Bay recently hired a second law firm to help with the case at a rate of $1,200 per hour.

The Town of Oyster Bay has racked up $387,000 in outside legal fees defending a federal lawsuit over denying a mosque's expansion plan in Bethpage, records obtained by Newsday show.

That total is expected to rise.

My latest for @newsday.bsky.social.
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

This story has been updated throughout the day from an earlier version that previewed the rally. The last rally was held in the rain. The preview photo just hasn’t updated in the link yet.

'No Kings' rallies protesting Trump planned today across Long Island, U.S. The events are part of a national protest day that organizers hope will bring out big crowds to voice opposition to the administration.

We have @newsday.bsky.social reporters at “No Kings” protests across Long Island.

I’m on scene in Garden City.

Follow along here ⬇️
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Oyster Bay seeks to delay mosque trial The trial is scheduled for Oct. 27 in federal court.

Lawyers for a Bethpage mosque are opposing Oyster Bay's request to delay the start of a trial over the town's decision to deny the house of worship's expansion plans.

Here's the latest on the case, via @newsday.bsky.social ⤵️
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

'Off to college': Oysters, grown slightly, head to harbors Volunteers are working to place the mollusks in safe harbors as part of a plan to replenish their dwindling numbers.

I spent some time with volunteers working to help restore Oyster populations on Long Island's North Shore.

My latest for @newsday.bsky.social
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Queens church to sell Brookville lot at issue in lawsuit Brookville officials say they will drop their lawsuit against the church if the sale goes through.

A Queens-based church cited numerous times for illegally treating a 2-acre Brookville property as a garbage dump has entered into negotiations to sell the property.

My latest for @newsday.bsky.social
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Town hires surveyor to mark boundary at Stillwell Woods Park Without a formal boundary, environmentalists say a developer could encroach on nearly 300 acres of open space.

Oyster Bay has hired a surveyor to mark the boundaries at Stillwell Woods Park and Preserve in Syosset, a nearly 300-acre property the town is set to take control of following state approvals.

Via @newsday.bsky.social
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Long Island town and city governments have seen the cost of covering health insurance skyrocket.

Here’s an analysis of the latest numbers, for @newsday.bsky.social
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Ryder Cup painter Elaine Thompson learned on crayons and TV Thompson, 82 of Bohemia, has been commissioned to paint a commemorative piece for the 2025 Ryder Cup.

Elaine Thompson, a Bohemia-based painter, was selected as one of the artists to create commemorative posters for this year's Ryder Cup at Bethpage State Park.

I spoke with her about her process and decades of experience painting Long Island's courses.
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Hundreds at Jones Beach honor those lost to overdoses at 10th John Brower Jr. walk against heroin The annual 5K walk raises about $15,000 for Outreach, a Queens-based nonprofit that offers addiction treatment services in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

I met Jody and John Brower Sr. Yesterday. Their son, John Jr., died 11 years ago from a fatal overdose.

They made a foundation in his name, and hundreds walked — for the 10th year — to spread awareness and raise money in the battle against addiction.
www.newsday.com/news/health/...

Centre Island appoints Walter Roll as new mayor Lawrence Schmidlapp, who led the village since 2009, died in August at age 80.

Centre Island officials appointed Deputy Mayor Walter Roll Tuesday to fill the vacancy left by the death of longtime Mayor Lawrence Schmidlapp.

Roll held a moment of silence "for our departed friend, Larry, who we will miss very much."

For @newsday.bsky.social ⤵️
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Bethpage dispute over heavy metal contamination intensifies The company said it has "long been on top of hexavalent chromium" and its remediation will be addressed in the final cleanup plan.

Link here:
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Today’s @newsday.bsky.social P1: The Town of Oyster Bay added concerns over the hexavalent chromium to its lawsuit against Northrop Grumman, alleging the company hid the extent of the toxic metal for years.

A deep dive into the court filings and the legal battle ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Couples marry, renew vows at Heckscher Museum amid LGBTQ+ exhibition The ceremonies come amid the final days of an ongoing exhibition, "All of Me with All of You: LGBTQ+ Art Out of the Collection."

I spent this morning with couples getting married for the first time or renewing their vows.

The ceremonies, held at Heckscher Museum, looked to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision recognizing the right of same-sex marriage.
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Glen Cove golf course sprinkler system overhaul approved Glen Cove City Council approves a $2.2 million overhaul of the golf course's sprinkler system, improving efficiency and reducing maintenance needs.

Glen Cove's golf course to get $2.2M sprinkler system upgrade.

My latest for @newsday.bsky.social ⬇️
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Town of Oyster Bay backs out of pact on planned mosque expansion in Bethpage The town's decision fractures a deal to pay the mosque's legal fees, green light the new Masjid Al-Baqi mosque and amend town code, among other concessions.

NEW: Less than two weeks after Oyster Bay agreed to settle a federal lawsuit with Muslims on Long Island, the town backed out of the pact at the 11th hour.

Via @newsday.bsky.social
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Glen Cove police crackdown on illegal electric vehicles Glen Cove Police Department intensifies efforts to curb illegal electric vehicles, focusing on safety and enforcement with new training for officers.

The Glen Cove Police Department plans to ramp up its enforcement of illegal electric vehicles that officials say are dangerous to motorists and pedestrians.
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Hurricane Erin veers away, but rip currents remain off Long Island waters While Erin was downgraded to Category 1, large waves and rip currents continue to batter Long Island beaches.

Hurricane Erin will continue to bring dangerous rip currents and some coastal flooding to Long Island Friday.

Here's the latest on the system and its impact, for @newsday.bsky.social
www.newsday.com/news/weather...

Oyster Bay agrees to approve mosque expansion, pay $3.95M The lawsuit stemmed from the town's denial of plans to expand the Masjid Al-Baqi mosque on Central Avenue in Bethpage.

NEW: The Town of Oyster Bay has agreed to approve an expansion plan for the Masjid Al-Baqi mosque in Bethpage and pay $3.95 million in attorney's fees and costs to settle a federal lawsuit over the denial of the mosque's expansion plans.

www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Oyster Bay hires ex-union leader as new inspector general There has been no full-time inspector general since 2023, when Brian Noone resigned amid an ethics scandal.

NEW: The Town of Oyster Bay hired John Wighaus as its next inspector general, tapping a former president of the Nassau's police detectives union to fill a job that's been vacant for more than two years.
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Court sides with Oyster Bay in shellfish case A judge said Oyster Bay had no obligation to renew its shellfish lease with Frank M. Flower & Sons.

Oyster Bay had no obligation to renew its lease with the company that had exclusive rights to harvest shellfish in two harbors spanning 1,400 acres, a state judge has ruled.
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Did Oyster Bay invent a grandmother to deny a mosque? The town says no. Lawyers for the mosque say the town invented a grandmother whose comments were cited in a letter denying its expansion plan.

Did Oyster Bay invent a grandmother to deny a mosque? The town says no.

Strap in for this one. My latest for @newsday.bsky.social
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Glen Cove Hospital generator fire causes no serious damage A generator fire at Glen Cove Hospital's emergency room was quickly controlled, causing no serious damage or impact to patients, officials confirmed.

A fire in the ceiling of Glen Cove Hospital's emergency room forced 11 people to be moved to another area of the facility, officials said.
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Navy to open treatment plant to tackle Grumman plume With a new plant coming online in September, the Navy will redeploy interim systems to address contamination hot spots.

The U.S. Navy is set to open a new treatment plant that is expected to help contain the extensive Grumman groundwater plume slowly moving south in Nassau County.

My latest for @newsday.bsky.social
www.newsday.com/long-island/...

Glen Cove to collect 1.5% sales tax directly Glen Cove is changing the way the revenue is collected, but the current sales tax rate of 8.625% won't increase.

The Glen Cove City Council passed a measure to "pre-empt" the county sales tax.

What does that mean? How will it affect property owners? How does the city plan to use the new revenue stream?

All in here, for @newsday.bsky.social ⏬
www.newsday.com/long-island/...