LI Business News articles from May 2009

LI Business News archives from May 2009

Commentary: Heartland's close-up.
May 1, 2009... Byline: LIBN Staff More than six years ago, developer Gerald Wolkoff unveiled plans for a spectacularly ambitious, mixed-use project on the more than 450 acres that once included Pilgrim State Psychiatric Hospital. The proposal,...

The new look of the uninsured in Long Island.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Claude Solnik Adrian Gordon, a 20-year-old accounting student at Manhattan Community College, woke in North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset after a car accident. Doctors operated and he was later moved to Southside Hospital...

Green cleaning products company in Hicksville grows.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Ambrose Clancy BabyGanics in Hicksville makes plant-based, chemical-free cleaning products for the home. Its founding fathers, Kevin Schwartz and Keith Garber, are two Long Island dads who were concerned about the effects of...

Feds say more Agape World arrests likely.
May 1, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg After appearing in federal court clean shaven and sporting an orange jumpsuit, accused Ponzi schemer Nicholas Cosmo's bail was set at $750,000 Wednesday, an amount his attorney said might be attainable. But...

Commentary: Desperately seeking Anna, a real cut above the rest.
May 1, 2009... Byline: John Kominicki I'm between hair stylists. Anna, the Sicilian woman who has scissor-cut me for the past two years, had an Etna-esque eruption with management and is gone, no one on staff will tell me where. Even a 10-spot to the...

Another salvo in Tall Grass battle in Brookhaven.
May 1, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg The mortgage holders on the Tall Grass golf course are claiming that the developers who currently own the Shoreham course bled it into bankruptcy to avoid paying the $8 million they owe on the property. A...

Valley Stream condos get smart.
May 1, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg A short four-block walk to the train, the new Hawthorne Court condominium project in Valley Stream is a classic example of transit-oriented development. West Hempstead-based Dennis Organization, which is...

N.Y. Senator Charles Schumer is sweet.
May 1, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale Sen. Charles Schumer may have risen through the rough and tumble politics of Brooklyn, but he still has a sweet spot - maple syrup. Schumer fired off a letter to IHOP's chief executive, asking her to carry...

Commentary: Another blogger done with.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II We've always griped about Cablevision's stubbornness when it comes to its sometimes misleading marketing statements. For example, it uses its 2008 win as J.D. Power's best high-speed Internet provider in the...

Suffolk's Chief Deputy Executive Christopher Kent: Canon deal will happen.
May 1, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale Though some builders remain worried over what they argue is the slow pace in the approvals process to get shovels in the ground at Canon's new headquarters in Melville, a top Suffolk County official said the county...

Long Island rep trashes right-wing radio.
May 1, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale Apparently it's not only great minds that think alike. It's also right-wing radio talk show hosts, who are in lock-step agreement that the swine flu scare is really about immigration. "Make no mistake about it:...

NY Court of Appeals: Pioneer Tower Owners Association v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Company et al.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Michael H. Samuels The New York Court of Appeals this week unanimously affirmed the Appellate Division Second Departments decision which upheld the lower court's decision directing State Farm to provide coverage to a condominium...

Long Island skipped on venture capital funding in first quarter.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Laura Glasser Long Island was shut out of venture capital funding in the first quarter, as the national recession left investors holding onto their cash. The nation also saw the lowest venture capital activity on record since...

With moratoriums removed, foreclosures climb back.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Laura Glasser Foreclosures have surged as the nation's largest banks have lifted moratoriums put in place while the Obama administration hashed out its housing plan. The president's Making Home Affordable program requires banks...

Great green hope is realized in one Laurel home.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Jeff Miller Green energy has always had a kind of agnostic aura. Sounds heavenly, but most Americans lacked faith. That persists even now, even as it's become the hottest topic in the land. Even as the American Clean Energy and...

Stony Brook Village retailer gets a makeover, courtesy of the Irish government.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Ambrose Clancy Anne Duffy's business was buzzing recently with light-voiced brogues as half a dozen Irishwomen busily went about tearing the place apart and putting it back together again. Something crashed to the floor up...

Nassau County Administrative Judge Anthony Marano receives due recognition.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Michael H. Samuels Anthony Marano, who is in charge of almost 100 judges and 1,100 court personnel at up to nine facilities all around Nassau County, is receiving the Nassau County Bar Association's prestigious Distinguished...

List: Long IslandI's top M&A law firms.(Company rankings)
May 1, 2009... Byline: LIBN Staff Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman topped LIBN's annual list for mergers and acquisition law, ranked by the number of M&A attorneys. Certilman Balin has 25 such lawyers in its practice, which is based in East Meadow. ...

Stores, gas station sold by Syosset-based Silber Investment.
May 1, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg The boys at Syosset-based Silber Investment Properties keep inking those deals. An 8,800-square-foot CVS Drug Store in Garden City sold for $4.37 million. Adam Silber, Clem Cote, and Anthony Ciafardoni of...

Ones to watch in Long Island health care.
May 1, 2009... Byline: Claude Solnik Dr. Christy Anne Beneri Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Stony Brook University Medical Center Dr. Beneri was brought on board earlier this year to help broaden the department's pediatric infectious disease...

Commentary: Use crisis to be more efficient.
May 3, 2009... Byline: Commentary Gov. David Paterson and the state Legislature have decided to increase taxes state-wide and avoid the opportunity to create a more efficient state government. Developing efficiencies can be a difficult task in any...

Tumminello sets fundraiser in West Hempstead.
May 3, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale The Tom Suozzi-Jay Jacobs show will stay busy over the next few weeks as fundraisers pick up ahead of the summer months. On Tuesday the county Dem leader will join the county executive for a Legis. Dave Mejias...

Commentary: Hiring the right people in today's market.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Deidre Siegel The nation's economic downturn has caused unemployment numbers to rise to levels unseen since the early 1990s. On Long Island we have seen unemployment rates rise to between 7.5 and 8.5 percent. With such a large...

Suffolk County takes Great River space.
May 4, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg The medical assistance division of the Suffolk County's Department of Social Services leased 13,600 square feet at the Sunrise Business Center at 3500 Sunrise Highway in Great River. The county will bring 112...

Schieffer returns to Hofstra University in Long Island.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Bob Schieffer will be coming to Hofstra for the second time this school year, only this time the only people pointing cameras at him will be proud parents. The CBS Face the Nation host will speak at...

Channel 21 unearths green Long Island.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II WLIW channel 21, Long Island's local PBS affiliate, has posted a three-part series on its Web site about going green on Long Island. The series interviews many owners of "green" businesses, as well all...

Long Island Ducks get 10 more years.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II At least one Long Island sports team doesn't have to worry where it will be playing in 10 years. Atlantic League baseball squad The Long Island Duck have signed a 10-year lease extension that will keep it...

Paging N.Y. Gov. Spitzer.
May 4, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale A year ago, Gov. Eliot Spitzer was holed up in a New York City apartment, vanquished from Albany after a prostitution scandal. Now, 51 percent of New Yorkers wish he was governor... at least if their choice was...

Suit filed in Nassau County against Entrepreneur Magazine over Agape World.
May 4, 2009... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Mineola-based attorney Eliot Bloom has filed a $178 million law suit claiming Entrepreneur Magazine induced investors by putting alleged Ponzi schemer Nicholas Cosmo's firm on its list of 100 fastest growing...

N.Y. State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee tout enrollment gains.
May 4, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale The New York State Democratic Senate Campaign Committee on Monday pumped new Board of Election statistics that show the party making major inroads in districts that once leaned heavily Republican. About a week...

Morgo ready to cash in on the Islip Town Board.
May 4, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale James Morgo already has the name recognition. Now he's hoping to bolster his pocketbook as well. Steve Levy's former chief deputy, running for a seat on the Islip Town Board, is holding his first big fundraiser...

Donors discover it's often hard to follow their money.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Claude Solnik The North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System Foundation recently launched a sleek Web site designed to make it easier to donate. But you won't find any financial information about the foundation's use of funds....

Commentary: Natural gas supply is critical to our growth.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Michael White On Long Island, while we are provided electric service by our public authority utility LIPA, natural gas distribution is the responsibility of the private purveyor National Grid. However, neither has control of or...

Long Island nonprofit donations aren't always big checks.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Claude Solnik Francis J. Leik, executive director of the Long Island Film Festival, found it particularly hard to get hard cash contributions for the festival's 25th anniversary this year. National Grid, Arena Taxi, La Viente,...

Green gold: Golf fundraiser season in L.I. tees off.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Claude Solnik You don't need the U.S. Open to come to town to remind you that Long Island loves golf, and nobody loves it quite as much as the area's nonprofits. Dozens of golf events crowd the calendar, from Long Island Charities'...

How to raise money with a golf outing.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Claude Solnik The best way to organize a golf fundraiser is to hand the event over to people who love the sport, right? Tom King, author of An Insider's Guide to Raising Money with Charity Golf, said that can be a big mistake. ...

Springsteen rocks Nassau Coliseum.
May 5, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale Bruce Springsteen seemed more at home at the Nassau Coliseum than the New York Islanders. Then again, he played in front of a packed house. The music legend called the Coliseum "a great rock and roll hall" and...

Reports: Verizon in L.I. fights back with Wi-Fi.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Cablevision's free Wi-Fi service has been one its best weapons against rival Verizon. And the fact that's it's been accessed more than 1 million times since it's launch last year shows Long Islanders have use...

Stony Brook University officially picks president.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Effective July 1, Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr., Vice Chancellor for Research at Washington University in St. Louis, will be the next president of Stony Brook University, the State University of New York college...

Hope for Former Rep. Rick Lazio, R-Brightwaters?
May 5, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale The Republicans in New York may be in disarray, as officials from all corners of the state call for the dismissal of party boss Joe Mondello. But a Marist poll released yesterday breathed new life into...

Senator Schumer backs Loretta E. Lynch for U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of N.Y.
May 5, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale Sen. Charles Schumer on Tuesday said Loretta E. Lynch should get her job back as the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Lynch held the job from 1999 to 2001, the final two years of the...

Long Island Contractors Association: Building bridges and roads through social networking.
May 5, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg The Long Island Contractors Association has created a place where road rage is welcome. LICA now has its own page on Facebook where drivers and truckers can vent about what's wrong with area highways and...

Commentary: Analysis paralysis.
May 5, 2009... Byline: Martin Cantor Why does it takes so long for economic development to happen on Long Island? It's not that there aren't any projects under consideration; there are enough to create thousands of construction and permanent jobs,...

AvalonBay files Uniondale plans.
May 6, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg Alexandria, VA-based AvalonBay Communities has applied to Hempstead Town for a zoning change to allow a rental complex on 11 acres in Uniondale. The proposal calls for 160 apartments, 44 three-bedroom town...

Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone: State passes buck on MTA bailout.
May 6, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale Add Town of Huntington officials to the list of officials who are hopping mad over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority bailout. Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone said the state failed by not...

L.I. biz owner pleads guilty to conspiracy.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Michael H. Samuels The owner and president of a Ronkonkoma design and manufacturing company has plead guilty to conspiring to allocate a U.S. Navy contract, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday. Thomas J. DeGiralamo of...

LEED system revamped by U.S. Green Building Council and the Green Building Certification Institute.
May 6, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg Green just ain't what it used to be. A brand new certification system for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ratings was just released by the U.S. Green Building Council and the Green Building...

A few locals in Long Island won big at Derby.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II This last weekend's Kentucky Derby was won by a 50-1 long shot, Mine That Bird, and a few local gamblers won big betting on the underdog. The highest winnings, according to Suffolk Off-Track Betting, was...

Commentary: In MTA bailout, Long Island could have done better.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Jerry Kremer By early next week, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will have it's temporary revenue fix and LIRR commuters and local bus riders will have been spared a major hit to their pocketbooks. That's the good news....

Souzzi rocks Farmingdale.
May 6, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale One day after Bruce Springsteen packed the Nassau Coliseum, Tom Suozzi did the same at the Nutty Irishman in Farmingdale, where he swung by county Legis. Dave Mejias' fundraiser to perform "Born to be Wild." ...

Suffolk Legislature, LIA slam MTA deal.
May 6, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale State Sen. Brian Foley, you're a marked man. One day after he emerged from a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith in favor of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority bailout, the Suffolk County...

Nassau legislator arrested for fraud.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Michael H. Samuels Nassau County Legis. Roger Corbin, D-Westbury, is expected to appear before a federal judge in Central Islip this afternoon after he was arrested by federal authorities and charged with filing false federal tax...

Albany lawmakers pitching health care for all.
May 6, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale Albany lawmakers are prepared to pitch a bill that calls for government-financed universal health insurance in New York. About 2.5 million New Yorkers don't have health insurance, according to the state health...

Out east in Long Island, they want a Trader Joe's.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II A group of East Enders is trying to use social networking to get what it wants... a Trader Joe's grocery store located in Riverhead. The Trader Joe's RIVERHEAD NY Location Request Group, which currently...

Long Island school districts credited.
May 6, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale Only 59 of New York's 700 school districts pierced the 4 percent cap pitched by the New York State Commission on Property Tax Relief, chaired by Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi. On average, school districts...

First National of Long Island earnings soar in first quarter.(Financial report)
May 6, 2009... Byline: Laura Glasser The First National Bank of Long Island said Tuesday first-quarter profit jumped 37 percent year over year on an increase in loans and interest income. The Glen Head-based bank posted profit of $3.93 million, or 54...

Commentary: Wang has more problems than an outdated sports arena.
May 6, 2009... Byline: John Kiernan Last Sunday's front page story in Newsday was very disturbing to many people who have worked hard to promote Long Island as a good place to bring sports events. The story said that the New York Islanders' owner,...

Commentary: One Chrysler holdout from Long Island.
May 6, 2009... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Remember those speculators who President Barack Obama scolded last week for forcing auto maker Chrysler into bankruptcy? But while many stakeholders made sacrifices, some did not. In particular, a group of...

A BluePrint for downstate N.Y.
May 6, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale Gov. David Paterson on Wednesday announced that the state has made available $35 million in Downstate Regional BluePrint grants to finance infrastructure upgrades and downtown redevelopment projects. The money...

Commentary: Long Island is too big to succeed.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Robert A. Scott Too big to fail? Too big to succeed? Right now, our attention nationally is on financial and manufacturing organizations deemed too big to fail because of their magnitude and tentacles. At the same time, we on...

Hempstead educator uses best seller to motivate at-risk students.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Ambrose Clancy When Sade Troutman graduated from high school last June she decided she was finished with education. Her next move was to get a job. I never really liked school, except for math, and I didn't want to go to...

Long Island developer to open posh hotel in Long Beach.
May 7, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg While a hotel on Boardwalk is a Monopoly player's dream, it will soon become a reality for developer Allen Rosenberg. It's in Long Beach, not Atlantic City, but Rosenberg doesn't think his 143-room Allegria...

Long Island lawyers on the lookout for jaded jurors.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Michael H. Samuels With a deep recession and a number of Ponzi schemes plaguing Long Island, attorneys are being extra careful to choose jurors who won't let their personal economic hard times cloud their judgment when awarding...

Commentary: Value-generating industries have become big targets.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Raymond Keating Depending on one's perspective, President Barack Obama either had a nice chat with credit card industry executives or took them to the political woodshed. No matter how it's spun, on April 23, the president made...

Commentary: Vlad the Impaler for governor.
May 7, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale The Elmira Star-Gazette's online headline blares "New Yorkers want Spitzer back, poll says." The Chicago Tribune's Washington blog's take? "Eliot Spitzer: 51 percent for governor." The headlines, along...

Democratic Senate Campaign Committee: Shame on the Republicans.
May 7, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale A bill designed to protect tenants in good standing from getting tossed out of their residence as a result of a foreclosure of the property they rent passed through the state Senate yesterday by a fairly...

Nassau Dems ponder Corbin.
May 7, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale Nassau County Democrats are quietly wondering if Legis. Roger Corbin's political career can survive after he was charged with lying to federal agents about taking money from a developer working on a project in New...

Sysco settles on Central Islip.
May 7, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg The nation's largest food-service company has purchased a 526,000 square foot industrial property on about 46 acres in Central Islip for $30 million, according to a source. Houston-based Systems and Services...

Sarah Palin is coming to Long Island.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Former Republican vice presidential candidate, Alaska governor and Tina Fey impersonator (we kid) Sarah Palin is headed to Saint James. Palin, who has remained a media target since Sen. John McCain's loss...

Suffolk County Democrat Ginny Fields, renegade.
May 7, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale The sharply divided state Senate voted in favor of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority bailout along party lines, but in the Assembly a group of 17 Democrats turned on the party and voted against the measure....

Commentary: Free choice, LIE style.
May 7, 2009... Byline: David Reich-Hale If you're driving under the Waverly Avenue overpass Friday at 10 a.m., look up, local union leaders have a message for you. The Communications Workers of America Local 1108, along with other regional unions,...

Long Islanders on the Move: May 8, 2009.
May 7, 2009... Byline: Bernadette Starzee Accounting Marks Paneth & Shron in Woodbury welcomed Daniel Kesner as a partner in its family office and business management group. Kesner was most recently managing director of Starr & Co. in New York. ...

Commentary: Saving the real estate market.
May 8, 2009... Byline: LIBN Staff In the next few weeks, some of the foreclosure moratoriums designed to keep people in homes will expire. That threat comes as the latest statistics show the Long Island real estate market continues to struggle. The...

Commentary: There's a reason I learned everything the hard way.
May 8, 2009... Byline: John Kominicki My dad always said you should do what you can and hire someone else to do the rest. His problem was he had too much confidence and too little money. Take the time he decided to build a fallout shelter under our...

Long Island Nonprofit Briefs: May 8, 2009.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Bernadette Starzee Breast cancer support program gets its funding back The Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program had $294,000 in state funding restored under the 2009/10 budget, which was approved in...

Ones to Watch: Long Island Nonprofits.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Claude Solnik Dr. Sharon Deans Director Planned Parenthood of Nassau County A board certified obstetrician/gynecologist, Dr. Deans in March joined the Hempstead-based group's board of directors. She served from 1992 to 1993 as...

Getting to know Little Flower Children and Family Services of N.Y.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Kenneth Cerini Concerned about the welfare of neighborhood children, a group of parishioners from Brooklyn began a summer camp on the North Shore of Long Island 80 years ago. As the depression of 1929 worsened, the camp evolved...

Long Island's historic aerospace industry finds new frontiers.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Ambrose Clancy When he was 10 he looked at the night skies over Elmont and wanted to get closer to them. By the time he was a freshman at Sewanhaka High School, Anthony Pirera, son of a stay-at-home mom and a contractor dad,...

Commentary: Long Island: An Island of flight history.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Ambrose Clancy Long Island's energy and innovation powered some of the greatest triumphs of the 20th century, and they're all on display at a gleaming facility in Garden City and a grittily authentic building in Farmingdale. ...

Commentary: First be a person and the profits will follow.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Jeff Miller It's easy to think of people who were in the right place at a good time. Willie Mays in center field at the Polo Grounds on Sept. 29, 1954. Ron Turcotte aboard Secretariat at Belmont on June 9, 1973. Anyone riding...

Despite foreclosures, Long Island home prices still too high.
May 8, 2009... Byline: Laura Glasser Across the country, many first-time homebuyers are realizing the American dream, thanks to a record number of foreclosures selling at deep discounts. But on Long Island, and in much of the Northeast, the deals...

Shoppers Village in West Hempstead to re-open.
May 8, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg Shopper's Village, the popular vendors market in West Hempstead, opens its doors May 15th after a 15-year hiatus. A grand opening ceremony won't be held until the 180-seat food court opens in early summer....

New York DOT's parkway planning meeting.
May 8, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg The Long Island region of the state Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting May 12 to begin creating a management plan for select parkways designated under its Scenic Byways Program. Specific...

Roundtable dissects Taubman mall quest in Syosset.(Discussion)
May 8, 2009... Byline: David Winzelberg A panel of experts met this morning to look at ways to kick-start Taubman Centers's proposal to build a mall in Syosset. That plan remains in legal limbo after years of court battles. The group was led by...