Community Corner

Nearby: HBO Films Julia Roberts Flick, Common Core Reactions

Stories making headlines nearby this week.

The Riverhead Foundation on Saturday will be releasing a one-year-old Harbor seal at Iron Pier Beach in Jamesport. The seal, who the foundation named Penny, was rescued near the Sands Beach Club in Atlantic Beach after a concerned citizen called the Riverhead Foundation’s Rescue Hotline. Click here to read the full story.

'Park on Patch' Coming to New Hyde Park

Find out what's happening in Five Townswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Village of New Hyde Park has announced that American Express and Patch.com are sponsoring free parking in select areas of downtown New Hyde Park on Nov. 30 for Small Business Saturday. Click here to read the full story.

RVC Sup: Common Core 'Insanity' Must Stop

Find out what's happening in Five Townswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The superintendent of Rockville Centre schools warned that “we can’t lose a generation of kids” by allowing the “insanity” of New York’s implementation of Common Core to continue. Dr. William Johnson, long an opponent of the new standardized tests and state implementation of the federal standards, continued to rail on the state education department’s decision to introduce modules into the classroom. Click here to read the full story.

Lawrence Teachers Rail Against Common Core

The head of the Lawrence teachers’ union railed against the district’s implementation of Common Core Standards, arguing they are turning the heads of classrooms into “robotic Stepford teachers.” The new federal standards provide a framework that sets benchmarks for what students should know at each grade level. Each school district chooses how to implement the standards, but all students are still subjected to more rigorous standardized tests. Click here to read the full story.

HBO Films Julia Roberts Flick in Garden City

Film crews have set up shop on the Cathedral of the Incarnation property to shoot a scene for the upcoming movie, "The Normal Heart" starring Matt Bomer, Mark Ruffalo, Alec Baldwin and Julia Roberts, Patch has confirmed. The film, due to premiere sometime in 2014, is about a gay activist who attempts to raise HIV/AIDS awareness during the early 1980s. It is directed by Ryan Murphy and written by Larry Kramer, based on his own 1985play of the same name. Click here to read the full story.

Mineola Middle School Named Apple Distinguished School

The Mineola Middle School has been named an Apple Distinguished School for the 2013-14 school year. Only 87 schools in the nation have been selected for the award, which is reserved for those that have demonstrated Apple’s highest vision of a successful 21st-century learning environment. This award was given due to the district’s initiative to enhanced learning for students through iPads for home and school use. Click here to read the full story.

Malverne Firefighter Killed in Hunting Accident

Malverne firefighter and Franklin Square resident Charles Bruce was killed in an upstate hunting accident Saturday after a friend mistook him for a deer, the NY Daily News reported. Bruce, 52, was shot in the woods in the Town of Westford, Otsego County, according to state police. Click here to read the full story.

Long Beach Native Abruptly Relieved as Stony Brook A.D.

Stony Brook Samuel L. Stanley announced the move in an email sent to the campus community, which read:

“I am writing to inform you that Jim Fiore is leaving Stony Brook University. Senior Associate Athletic Director, Donna Woodruff will serve as Interim Athletic Director as we commence a national search to identify a new Athletic Director.” Click here to read the full story.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here