Monday, April 2, 2012
This is the season where local tax preparers earn their stripes. Who do you trust to get you the biggest refund?
With tax season in full swing, and the April 15 deadline for filing your taxes less than two weeks away, locals are surely leaning heavily on their trusted tax preparers to score them the biggest refunds – or the smallest bills. So this week let’s see who reader’s choose most. Readers’ Choice is a new weekly feature where we ask you – our readers – to tell us your top picks on the businesses and local attractions that get your loyalty. Each Monday we’ll list our nominees recommendations. Did we leave your go-to spot off the list? Go ahead and add it in comments. On Friday we’ll tabulate all of the poll votes, comments, recent directory reviews and emails and crown a Reader’s Choice. Please only vote once in the poll, because any attempt …
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Attorney is one of 36 people charged in what authorities call the largest no fault auto insurance fraud scheme.
A Melville attorney is one of three-dozen people charged with scheming to defraud auto insurers out of more than $279 million in accident benefits, according to published reports. In a press conference Tuesday, Federal and New York City investigators told reporters that the 35 defendants including lawyers, doctors and patients who took part in a “medical fraud mill” to fake injuries. Matthew Conroy, 42, of Melville is one of three lawyers facing charges. He is charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and racketeering. If convicted, Conroy and the 35 other defendants face a maximum of 30 to 70 years in prison. According to a Reuters report, doctors were paid off to prescribe unnecessary procedures or…
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
In light of the sad passing of New York Mets catcher Gary Carter on Feb. 16, Patch wants to know who you think the greatest catcher of all-time was, here in New York.
Major League Baseball lost former Met and Expo great Gary Carter earlier in the month. Twenty-one years after he retired, Carter was elected into the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York and many people consider him one of the best catchers of all time. But where do you think “The Kid” ranks among the best New York back stops of all time? Take our poll below and share your thoughts in the comments section as well as to who the best New York catcher is.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Republican 2nd Congressional District candidate Steve Labate responds to ‘spin’ coming out of Israel camp.
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Tuesday, February 28
The battle for New York's 2nd Congressional District has begun and so has the spin coming from the Israel Campaign. According to an email that was sent out by the Israel camp on February 21, it states that I have a "personal problem with Congressman Israel, not just a differing idea of a future America". The absurdity of that comment makes me wonder what exactly Mr. Israel is thinking. As a 20-year Military Veteran and a Field Grade Officer in the Army Reserve, I do consider myself a fighter, but for Congressman Israel to twist my enthusiasm for our upcoming contest as a personal affront to him, is bewildering. The reality is that we hit a nerve and Congressman Israel is attempting to deflect attention away from an abysmal voting record …
Prices are going up and up at the pump - does that dictate how you drive?
You aren't seeing things. Those price stickers at the gas station keep going up, up, up. In just a month, the price per gallon has soared on Long Island by more than a quarter and on Monday, it eclipsed the $4 mark, according to AAA. The average a month ago on Long Island was $3.74. Last year at this time, it stood at $3.62. It could be worse. You could live in California, where the price for a gallon of gas now averages $4.30. What do you think? Does the price of gas affect how you live your life? Do you make an effort to combine errands and trips to save gas, or do you make no adjustments? Take our poll and add your thoughts in the comments.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Bill would, among other things, would allow abortions to be performed after 24 weeks of pregnancy; do you support the bill?
State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers, has introduced a bill in the Senate "to establish one of the most liberal state abortion laws in the country by effectively codifying Roe v. Wade," according to a report in The Huffington Post. The bill would seek to expand the state's 42-year-old abortion law in the event that Roe v. Wade should ever be overturned, according to the report. Among its provisions: What's your take? Do you support more liberal abortion laws in New York? Vote in the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Teens using social media, the 2012 presidential race and the best choice for Internet/TV on Long Island were the topics of discussion this week.
Here's the scoop on what readers were debating on Patch this week. You can click the links to the particular Sound Off to leave a comment on a topic. You can also vote in all of this week's polls at the bottom of this article. Tuesday: Benefits Outweigh Risks for Teens on Social Media Sites? A recent study by an international Christian relief and development organization suggests that teens who spend time on social media sites such a Facebook and Twitter have a better understanding of the needs of others. We asked you if the benefits outweigh the risks for teens using social media. Sixty percent voted no. Wednesday: Verizon or Optimum TV/Internet? They are plenty of Long Island-centric debates, but when it comes to Internet and TV service…
Thursday, February 23, 2012
It's time to check in once again on where your allegiances are when it comes to the 2012 presidential race.
Time to check in once again on the pulse of the community when it comes to next fall's presidential election. On Wednesday, the four Republican candidates debated in Mesa, Arizona, as a prelude to next Tuesday's Arizona primary. Michigan is holding its primary on Feb. 28 as well. As it stands, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are reportedly neck-and-neck in the Republican primary race. To see how much the landscape has changed in just the past few months, let's look at our previous Sound Off poll on the topic. In our October poll asking who the Republicans' best hope was for 2012, Mitt Romney took 42 percent of the vote, Herman Cain had 24 percent and Ron Paul claimed 16 percent of readers' votes. Cain is no longer in the race. Santorum, …
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Help this clueless editor choose a side in one of Long Island's eternal debates: Verizon or Optimum?
Rangers or Islanders? Robert Moses or Jones Beach? They are plenty of Long Island-centric debates, but when it comes to Internet and TV service (OK, and phone, but what's a landline?), the heavyweight battle is between Verizon's FiOS and Cablevision's Optimum. I'm posing this Sound Off today for purely selfish reasons. I'm moving into a new place in a month and from what I can tell, promotional packages for service from both companies are similar in price. So, what I want to know is how they stack up in performance (i.e. Internet speed/reliability, TV channel selection, etc..). Has anyone had experiences with both Verizon and Optimum? Are there pros and cons to each provider? Vote in today's poll below and share thoughts on the topic in …
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
More than half of teens in recent study say social media sites have helped them become more aware of the needs of others; what's your take?
A recent study by an international Christian relief and development organization suggests that teens who spend time on social media sites such a Facebook and Twitter have a better understanding of the needs of others. More than half of teens (55 percent) said that social media sites have made them more aware of the needs of others, acccording to the World Vision study. More than two-thirds of the teens surveyed also agreed that the benefits of social media outweigh the risks. Well, it's one thing to poll teens on their thoughts about Facebook. But let's here from the parents. Do you think the good outweighs the bad when it comes to teens/kids surfing social media sites? Vote in the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments.
Sopia Matthews
5:01 pm on Saturday, March 3, 2012
Yogi, Thurman followed by Posada. You can see where my heart lies! more ›