First-time LI home buyers closer to ‘American Dream’

Nassau County in conjunction with the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development will assist first-time home buyers on Long Island.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano announced May 1 the renewal of the Down Payment Assistance Program hosted by the Long Island Housing Partnership (LIHP), who is acting as an agent for the Nassau County Office of Community Development. Funds for the program, which can be used for down payments or closing cost assistance toward a primary residence, are provided by the U.S. Department... Read More

Long Islanders offer tips to avoid technology theft on trains and subways

LIR Photo by Stephanie Vacchio

Seasoned Long Islanders who commute to New York City offered fellow passengers some tips for keeping safe in the wake of a dramatic rise in technology theft on trains and subways. The NYPD released a report in April detailing a 44 percent rise in technology-related thefts on New York City subways and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) trains over the course of the past 12 months. “It’s... Read More

Long Island gas prices drift down under $4 a gallon

Gas prices on Long Island have continued to drop over the past few weeks. Drivers can finally breathe a sigh of relief–for now as over the past seven days, prices have dropped a total of five cents and gas is averaging at $3.89 a gallon. There was a sharp decline in gas prices of five cents over the past seven days, pushing down the Long Island average under $4 a gallon. (Photo... Read More

LIRR plans pilot program of payment with smartphones

LIRR passengers will have the opportunity to pay for tickets using their smartphones during the LIRR's pilot program.

The Port Washington line of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) will soon be testing a new payment technology that allows commuters to pay for their tickets with their smartphones. The smartphone payment experiment uses near field communication technology, which is standard for smartphones. Though the experiment is not dealing with real fares for now, it will be tested as an alternative... Read More

Student leads social media effort to lift ban on gay men as blood donors

Michael Heroux's petition on Change.org. It has received over 1,200 signatures to date.

A petition to change the current blood donation regulations that prohibit gay men from donating blood is gaining steam at the local level. Michael Heroux, a freshman pre-medicine student at Hofstra University, has acquired over 1,200 signatures on his petition created on Change.org. Heroux has been using Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter to promote his petition. The petition is being... Read More