Nassau News: Business Archives

Nassau County Consumers on Increasing Prices at the Grocery Store

By Amanda J. Rhodes
Nassau News Staff Writer

For most shoppers, it's hard to check out at the grocery store and not notice the price increases. In the past six months, everything from bread to bananas and chicken to milk has dramatically risen in price.

Why are prices increasing so quickly and dramatically, and what are Nassau County consumers doing to curb their bill at the check-out counter? Nassau News went out and asked.

Continue reading "Nassau County Consumers on Increasing Prices at the Grocery Store" »

Posted by Jrnl 80B Spring 08 at 01:03 PM | Permalink

LIRR Fares Increase

By Brett Zoeller
Nassau News Staff Writer

On March 1, the MTA (LIRR) increased fares 3 to 4 percent, straining the wallets of commuters already pressed bu fuel and food inflation. While the fare-increase amount ranges from a few dollars to almost $20, depending on which zone a commuter is in, does it make that much of a difference?

Are commuters just skeptical of any increase the MTA (LIRR) issues because of unclear financial updates the entity often provides? Is it just commuters overacting and lashing out because of other cost increases? Train ridership increased 6 percent last year for a total of about 90 million passengers for the year. Is the MTA (LIRR) trying to widen profit margins, or do high passenger volumes call for more maintenance?

The answer to these questions and the future of LIRR expansion on Long Island lie below.

Continue reading "LIRR Fares Increase" »

Posted by Jrnl 80B Spring 08 at 12:04 PM | Permalink

How Consumers Feel About the Economy and Their Money

By Teresa Hansen
Nassau News Staff Writer

The U.S. government says we are in a state of economic emergency. How is this influencing Nassau County consumers' retail spending and are people using their disposable income like before? Nassau News went out and asked.

Continue reading "How Consumers Feel About the Economy and Their Money" »

Posted by Jrnl 80B Spring 08 at 11:58 AM | Permalink

Hempstead Village Mayor Looks to Push New Plan

By Kenneth McCarron
Nassau News Staff Writer

Wayne Hall, the mayor of Hempstead Village, tells Nassau News that he intends to have a new redevelopment plan in place by August 2008.

But many of the problems that were in the last plan, which he withdrew last year, still remain. The controversial plan ran into opposition from community activists on the issue of affordable housing. The mayor says a redevelopment plan is needed to rebuild the Village of Hempstead's tax base. But will the community work with Mayor Hall to accomplish this goal, or will it stop another redevelopment plan?

Continue reading "Hempstead Village Mayor Looks to Push New Plan" »

Posted by Jrnl 80B Spring 08 at 11:52 AM | Permalink

Impact of Subprime Mortgage Crisis in Nassau County

By Jean H. Telfort
Nassau News Staff Writer

As the subprime mortgage crisis escalates nationwide, mortgage defaults in Nassau County increase as well, leading to scores of foreclosures in recent months.

At the onset of this project, there were only 114 homes listed on the foreclosure reports. That number has increased to over 300, nearly a month later.

Reports show that Suffolk and Nassau counties accounted for 33 percent of subprime loans that were made in 2006 in New York. At the same time, Long Island has 30 percent of all subprime loans scheduled to be reset before October 2009. These are alarming statistics with an already declining economy.

Continue reading "Impact of Subprime Mortgage Crisis in Nassau County" »

Posted by Jrnl 80A Spring 08 at 12:00 PM | Permalink

Healthy Eating Habits in Hempstead

By Amanda DeCamp
Nassau News Staff Writer

In the past twenty years, obesity among adults aged 20-74 years old has increased from 15 percent to 32.9 percent in the United States. It’s not a surprise to most that the rate continues to increase rapidly, but not many can answer why.

In Hempstead, where Taco Bell, Popeye’s Fried Chicken and McDonald’s are all within minutes of each other and the median household income is about $50,000, the cause for unhealthiness might be due to an unhealthy budget.

Continue reading "Healthy Eating Habits in Hempstead" »

Posted by News Editor at 03:00 PM | Permalink

Long Island's Rising Electricity Bills: Is There an Alternative?

By Michael Turi
Nassau News Staff Writer

From January 1999 to February 2005, Long Island electricity rates have risen 53 percent. Just what are the alternative energy options amidst rising fossil-fuel prices?

Continue reading "Long Island's Rising Electricity Bills: Is There an Alternative?" »

Posted by News Editor at 03:00 PM | Permalink

Affordable Housing on Long Island: Development Plan or Moving Target?

By Lindsey Calabrese
Nassau News Staff Writer

A lack of affordable housing directly affects Long Island’s economic growth. Explore the various solutions proposed to alleviate this problem and learn about the organizations formed to attack the issue.

Continue reading "Affordable Housing on Long Island: Development Plan or Moving Target?" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Reinventing Uniondale's A. Holly Patterson Nursing Care Facility

By Dorothy Pumo
Nassau News Staff Writer

An aging goliath of a Nassau County nursing home will be modernized. The surrounding open space around the A. Holly Patterson Nursing Care Facility in Uniondale will be used for new assisted living facilities, senior congregate housing, a new community center, and very likely, a dialysis center and diagnostic treatment facility. An additional four acres will go to neighboring Turtle Hook School. While this is good news for the older residents of Nassau County, an advocate for "work force" or "next generation" housing still sees an unmet need.

Continue reading "Reinventing Uniondale's A. Holly Patterson Nursing Care Facility" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Uniondale's Tax Dilemma

By Drew Biedermann
Nassau News Staff Writer

A debate is ignited over how tax revenues from Charles Wang's proposed "Hub" development might be divided. Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman and Nassau County Tax Assessor Harvey Levinson talk about the possibilities.

Continue reading "Uniondale's Tax Dilemma" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Lighthouse Project and Its Potential Traffic Problems

By Samuel Rubenfeld
Nassau News Staff Writer

The corridor of Hempstead Turnpike along Nassau Coliseum and past Hofstra University is often clogged with traffic. But with the building of the Lighthouse Group development project, the traffic problem could get a lot worse if something isn't done to mitigate potential congestion.

Continue reading "Lighthouse Project and Its Potential Traffic Problems" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Navigating the Dangers of the Southern State Parkway Near Hempstead

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By Melissa DeFrank
Nassau News Staff Writer

According to the New York State Department of Transportation, the worst 5 percent of crash-prone sites on Long Island included three parts of the Southern State Parkway in or near Hempstead.

Continue reading "Navigating the Dangers of the Southern State Parkway Near Hempstead" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Locksmith Scams Sweeping Hempstead and Rest of Nation

By Michael Kohl
Nassau News Staff Writer

Lawmakers of Nassau County are taking steps to regulate the companies who fix your locks and make your house keys. According to the Better Business Bureau, locksmith scams have been sweeping the nation, taking advantage of innocent customers and their wallets.

Continue reading "Locksmith Scams Sweeping Hempstead and Rest of Nation" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Does Housing Discrimination Continue on Long Island?

By Nicholas Martorano
Nassau News Staff Writer

Exploring whether discrimination is still a part of Long Island's housing market, especially in the Hempstead area, Nassau News speaks with an activist and a historian.

Continue reading "Does Housing Discrimination Continue on Long Island?" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

The Draw of Fast Food Chains in Hempstead Village

By Rebecca Weitz
Nassau News Staff Writer

Fast-food restaurants have Hempstead residents flocking to them. The village of Hempstead, consisting of 56,554 residents, keeps eight fast food-chain restaurants in business. Why? Is it because it's simply easier to pick up fast food for a meal than it is to take the time out to make a nutritional, balanced meal? Nassau News talked to some hungry residents.

Continue reading "The Draw of Fast Food Chains in Hempstead Village" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Hempstead's Redevelopment Plans

By Kristina Trnka
Nassau News Staff Writer

The Village of Hempstead, seeking to reinvigorate its core, considered UrbanAmerica for an ambitious $2 billion redevelopment plan, which would have ripped up much of downtown and replace it with 2,500 condominiums, 600,000 square feet of stores and a performing arts hall.

The discussion over the plan was intense, drawing crowds to hearings lasting long into the night and sharply dividing the Village Board. But not everyone was enthusiastic, especially those who feared the flipside of urban renewal -- displacement and gentrification.

Mayor Wayne Hall, the proponent of the plan, couldn't get the village leaders to accept the plan and he withdrew the proposal in late 2007.

Now the community is still evaluating proposals from many development groups and has still yet to decide on a new direction.

Continue reading "Hempstead's Redevelopment Plans" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Thrifty Threads in Hempstead at Josie's

By Stacey Englander
Nassau News Staff Writer

Why is it that many people decide to shop at the thrift store over, say, shopping at Nordstrom’s? Well, it could be because you can get the same quality brands at the thrift store as you can at Nordstrom’s -- for close to nothing. For the same price you pay for one shirt at Nordstrom’s, you can purchase a whole outfit (including shoes) at the thrift store.

Continue reading "Thrifty Threads in Hempstead at Josie's" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Nassau Coliseum Redevelopment Project

By Joe Esposito
Nassau News Staff Writer

Nassau Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum and the 77-acre piece of land it sits on is about to revamp Hempstead and Uniondale’s future image, as well as Long Island in general.

Continue reading "Nassau Coliseum Redevelopment Project" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

Coliseum Area to Receive Makeover

By Timothy Baysinger
Nassau News Staff Writer

Nassau County has taken the first steps to transform Long Island to a tourist attraction, rather than a place from where Manhattan workers commute.

Continue reading "Coliseum Area to Receive Makeover" »

Posted by News Editor at 02:59 PM | Permalink

The Hookah Experience Comes to Uniondale

By Jill Freeman
Nassau News Staff Writer

Picture this: colorful drapery’s hung along the walls, a large room with couches and tables, the air mixed with the relaxing scents of pineapple and green tea, and a bar with no alcohol. Those four main ingredients make the recipe for a hookah bar.

Continue reading "The Hookah Experience Comes to Uniondale" »

Posted by News Editor at 11:29 AM | Permalink

Diversity on Front Street

Click and drag your cursor within the frame to view the three restaurants in Uniondale profiled in this article. (Jessica Burgos photos).

By Jessica Burgos and Amanda Chamberlain
Nassau News Staff Writers

Walking down Front Street in Uniondale, it’s hard not to notice the diversity on the streets from the people you see to the restaurants that are located on the sidewalks. From right to left you see restaurants with cuisines that range from West Indian\Jamaican to Salvadorian to delicatessens that serve potato salad and hamburgers.

Continue reading "Diversity on Front Street" »

Posted by News Editor at 05:45 PM | Permalink

A Master of Hair in Hempstead

By Stephen Cooney
Nassau News Staff Writer

At the age of 12, when most boys are still playing with their friends, watching television, or playing, James Smith was beginning to become a barber.

Continue reading "A Master of Hair in Hempstead" »

Posted by News Editor at 10:10 AM | Permalink

‘Blighted’ Elmont Intersection May Be Demolished

By A.F. Sienko
Nassau News Staff Writer

The Town of Hempstead is set to declare a central intersection in Elmont "blighted," potentially transforming the area as part of an urban renewal plan, government officials said.

Continue reading "‘Blighted’ Elmont Intersection May Be Demolished" »

Posted by News Editor at 09:14 AM | Permalink

When Small Businesses Soar

Maggie Biunno
Staff Writer

The 23.7 square miles of the Big Apple may provide an overload of variety to tourists and locals. At just 4.2 square miles, the village of Hempstead, 25 miles east of New York City, provides residents and surrounding communities a chance to indulge in endless opportunities without leaving Long Island.

Continue reading "When Small Businesses Soar" »

Posted by News Editor at 09:25 PM | Permalink

Nassau News

A Community Journalism project by the School of Communication at Hofstra University

April 12, 2008

Nassau County Consumers on Increasing Prices at the Grocery Store

LIRR Fares Increase

How Consumers Feel About the Economy and Their Money

Hempstead Village Mayor Looks to Push New Plan

April 11, 2008

Impact of Subprime Mortgage Crisis in Nassau County

January 16, 2008

Healthy Eating Habits in Hempstead

Long Island's Rising Electricity Bills: Is There an Alternative?

Affordable Housing on Long Island: Development Plan or Moving Target?

Reinventing Uniondale's A. Holly Patterson Nursing Care Facility

Uniondale's Tax Dilemma

Lighthouse Project and Its Potential Traffic Problems

Navigating the Dangers of the Southern State Parkway Near Hempstead

Locksmith Scams Sweeping Hempstead and Rest of Nation

Does Housing Discrimination Continue on Long Island?

The Draw of Fast Food Chains in Hempstead Village

Hempstead's Redevelopment Plans

Thrifty Threads in Hempstead at Josie's

Nassau Coliseum Redevelopment Project

Coliseum Area to Receive Makeover

December 31, 2007

The Hookah Experience Comes to Uniondale

December 10, 2007

Diversity on Front Street

December 07, 2007

A Master of Hair in Hempstead

November 01, 2007

‘Blighted’ Elmont Intersection May Be Demolished

May 13, 2007

When Small Businesses Soar