Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman Announces Massive Gang Takedown Leading To 35 Arrests

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder announced that an operation targeting local gang activity has now led to the arrest of 35 dangerous criminals.

The arrests linked to this initiative began on April 15. Police utilized three separate search warrants to seize illegal narcotics from multiple locations and 10 illegal firearms. Nassau County Police Department officials say 15 of the 35 arrested individuals were known members of the Bloods, the Crips, MS-13, and the Zoe Pound gangs. One of the arrested individuals was also an illegal migrant who will be charged with multiple felonies and deported.

County Executive Blakeman commended all the members of the NCPD who helped make the operation a success.

“I want to commend everybody who was involved in this effort on the part of our police department. We are taking the fight to the gangs. If you want to operate in Nassau County, we are going to come after you with every asset that we have. We will not tolerate lawlessness in our county. That is why we are the safest county in America,” he stated.

Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder noted that local police were very careful to implement raids in a way that minimized risks to local residents. That included waiting for children to board buses and leave the area before moving in on residences where the arrests were made.

“When you bring gang violence to Nassau County, we answer,” Ryder said. “We are on a push to bring violence to its lowest levels in the history of this department and the history of this county.” n

Albany Democrats Have Once Again Shown How Little Regard They Have for Affordability in New York

By Assemblyman Ari Brown (R-Cedarhurst)

Bill A9462 may sound technical, but its impact is very real for anyone building a new home or building in this state. Under long-standing New York utility practice, commonly known as the 100-foot rule, if a new home or building is located within 100 feet of an existing gas main, the utility is generally required to provide natural gas service without forcing the customer to absorb major extension costs. That rule has long helped make natural gas available and affordable for homeowners, developers, and businesses across New York.

This bill delays that obligation by another year, meaning someone constructing a new home or building may now face uncertainty, delays, and significantly higher costs before gaining access to gas service.

That matters because natural gas remains one of the few realistic tools many New Yorkers have to control energy expenses.

Albany Democrats continue pretending families and builders can simply absorb whatever cost comes next. They speak endlessly about affordability while steadily eliminating affordable choices.

And this is not simply about electric costs. Electric heat remains expensive in many situations, especially during peak winter demand, but oil is also costly. For many households, particularly during cold winters, heating oil bills become a major burden. Families already face impossible decisions between paying for heat, buying groceries, covering taxes, and keeping up with insurance.

Natural gas has often been the most practical middle ground—reliable, available, and in many cases more affordable than either electric or oil.

Yet Albany Democrats continue making access to that option harder.

What makes this vote especially revealing is that even many Democrats could not support it. The bill passed 80 to 67, which means 67 Assembly members voted no—including Democrats who clearly recognized how misguided this policy is.

That should send a message.

Even members of the majority understood what Albany leadership refuses to admit: affordability has become a crisis, and New Yorkers are tired of policies that ignore practical reality.

For years, Albany Democrats have advanced energy policy driven more by ideology than common sense. They continue imposing mandates before infrastructure is ready, before alternatives are affordable, and before families have any realistic path to adjust.

Electric infrastructure remains incomplete. Grid reliability remains a serious concern. Oil remains expensive. Yet Albany Democrats continue restricting one of the few affordable options still available for a new home or building.

And New Yorkers should understand exactly where this leads: each delay, each restriction, each new barrier moves the state one step closer to making natural gas harder to obtain altogether.

The same lawmakers who claim to champion working families repeatedly support policies that increase monthly costs.

And every one of those costs eventually lands in the same place—on the kitchen table, next to mortgage bills, school taxes, insurance premiums, and grocery receipts.

That is why so many New Yorkers no longer believe Albany understands what ordinary life costs.

Because when the government delays access to affordable energy while offering no affordable replacement, it is not helping people.

It is making life harder.

And New Yorkers know exactly who is responsible. n

Supervisor Ferretti Announces Native Plant and Tree Giveaway to Celebrate Earth Day

Though Hempstead Town’s wetlands and coastal geography are renowned for their many recreational uses, they also play a vital role in the health and vitality of marine life, plants, soil, and the overall environment. As the nation celebrates Earth Day, Supervisor John Ferretti and the Hempstead Town Board are reaffirming their commitment to preserving our region’s precious ecosystem. In collaboration with the Nassau County Soil & Water Conservation District—as well as Long Island Native Plant Initiative, Bartlett Tree Experts, Friends of Hempstead Plains, and Dropseed Native Landscapers—the Town invites neighbors to a Native Plant and Tree Giveaway at the Hempstead Plains Preserve on Friday, April 24, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Utilization of plants and trees that are native to our area provide a host of ecological benefits, which include stabilizing soil, reducing erosion, supporting local wildlife, and the mitigation of invasive species. They also thrive naturally in our soils, reducing the need for pesticides which are harmful for waterways and threaten our drinking water.

“Native plantings are essential to preserving the natural ecosystem that is shared by residents, animals, marine life, and plants throughout the region,” said Supervisor Ferretti. “Hempstead Town invites neighbors to join us in this mission to preserve our environment, and we encourage them to celebrate Earth Day by participating in the Native Plant and Tree Giveaway on April 24.”

Native plants that are available to residents include Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), American Plum (Prunus americana), Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), and many others.

Supervisor Ferretti and the Hempstead Town Board are also taking proactive steps to support the restoration of natural areas through the mitigation of invasive species, particularly at Lido West Town Park. The Town facility plays a vital role in the region’s natural ecosystem—particularly as a protected nesting beach for the endangered Piping Plover and other birds—so it is imperative that the area is maintained for wildlife, storm protection, and recreation. The Town has secured grant funding to support the project.

To secure your native plants or for more information about the project, please visit https://tinyurl.com/p66pu6re.