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News From Around LI, March 31

Nordstrom Rack moving in; parties for seniors.

Here are a few stories you may have missed around Long Island this week:

Nordstrom Rack Moving In to Huntington Station

A new Nordstrom Rack store will take over the space vacated by at the Huntington Shopping Center. The approximately 36,000-square-foot store is expected to open in the fall.

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300 Seniors; Thousands of Stories

Sgt. Jerry Lee landed in France on D-Day Plus 1. Two decades later, Spec. John Fackre was a specialist in war-ravaged South Vietnam. 

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They are comrades "two wars apart" now, said Fackre, 67, of Williston Park. And, they are are more than that. Lee, 87, is an elder at Grace Community Church in Westbury where Fackre now belongs. These days they pray together and have become friends.

They had just attended a "birthday party" for Nassau County's seniors born during the month of March. County Executive 's monthly event at the drew 300 people on Wednesday who danced to swing music and dined on barbecue chicken sandwiches with cole slaw

Republic Airport Issues Noise Alert

As part of the planning for a national bicentennial observance of the War of 1812 on April 1 and 2,  will be hosting two F-18 jets from the US Navy's precision demonstration team.

The Blue Angels will touch down at Republic Airport on Sunday and then take off for a familiarization flight over New York Harbor during Monday.

Their activities are expected to produce the type of noise expected from military aircraft applying full power for takeoff.

South Country Schools Chief Retiring

After a drawn out predicament involving a grade-changing scandal, Joe Cipp Jr. has resigned as school chief of the South Country School District, which includes East Patchogue in its coverage area.

Cipp, the winningest football coach in Suffolk County history, who became the first gridiron coach at Bellport High School in 1976 and graduated from Sachem in 1966, was allegedly involved in a scandal involving former Clippers player Ryan Sloan, who is now playing at Syracuse.

On March 21, the South Country Board of Education voted 5-3 to accept Cipp’s resignation.

Bill Would Rein In DEC Powers

Following the case of a brother and sister who were  after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation took 90 pounds of their fish last July, South Fork Assemblyman Fred Thiele is proposing legislation to put a check on DEC searches.

"Under the current process, the DEC is the police, the prosecutor, the judge, and jury, all before the case ever gets to court." Thiele said. "There is no check on the authority of the DEC. Citizens are entitled to some due process of law under the Constitution."

A DEC spokeswoman said via email on Friday, "We do not comment on proposed legislation."

Kelly Lester was initially charged with a misdemeanor for the alleged sale of shellfish to the public without a permit, but the charge was later dropped to a violation at arraignment. Paul, her brother, was charged with possession of untagged fluke and possession of over the limit fluke, which are violations, not considered a criminal offense under the statute.


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