Some of the news from around Long Island this week.
D.A. Says Hardware Store Bilked LIPA
The owner of a Farmingdale hardware store has been charged with stealing more than $40,000 from the Long Island Power Authority by submitting hundreds of fraudulent rebates for compact fluorescent light bulbs that didn’t exist and over-reporting advertising costs. Thomas Schuman, 44, of St. James, was charged Thursday by D.A. investigators with two counts of grand larceny and seven counts of offering a false instrument for filing, said Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice.
Chabad of Hewlett to Unveil Scroll
A Torah scroll that Five Towns residents helped write will be unveiled this Sunday at the Chabad of Hewlett. "This is an historic event of unity and joy," said Rabbi Nochem Tenenboim. "On Sunday, we celebrate this momentous occasion of the completion at our new and expanded Chabad House on Franklin Avenue."
Port Washington Schools Look for New Revenue Sources
As the Port Washington School District works on the 2013-14 budget in a struggling economy and in the face of state mandates, the school board is looking at creating new sources of revenue. “As we go forward in tax cap challenge environment, we need to come up with a large amount of money from other sources than tax receipts,” said Alan Baer, a school board member. Possibilities to consider include advertising around the turf field and naming rights, Baer said. Other ideas include approaching “graduates of Schreiber who have gone on to do wonderful, prosperous things,” and corporations that donate equipment, Baer noted.
Huntington Station Residents Talk Revitalization
About two dozen residents joined together Thursday night to consider ideas that would revitalize the Route 110 corridor in Huntington Station. Source the Station, working with Renaissance Downtowns, the Plainview company hired by the Town of Huntington to plan the revitalization, is collecting ideas on its website. The underlying idea is to involve local residents who can suggest projects and then and vote on which ones Renaissance should pursue with feasibility studies.
LIRR Development Could Boost Farmingdale
The planned second rail line between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma could mean much more to downtown Farmingdale than merely better train service to and from Penn Station. An assembly of Long Island Rail Road and local officials convened at the historic Farmingdale train station Thursday to discuss how the area could become a hub of business and residential development
