Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. was appointed to the board of directors of Fighting Chance, a Sag Harbor-based nonprofit that provides free professional counseling services to cancer patients and caregivers on the East End.

He will be able to share unique insights as a two-time cancer survivor, having successfully battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma and pancreatic cancer.

“This is known as peer-to-peer counseling, and we see this as an area where Sheriff Toulon can make an exceptionally valuable contribution,” said Duncan Darrow, who founded Fighting Chance in 2002 and serves as its chairman.| read more ››

New York’s 1st Congressional District is perennially considered one of New York’s — and the nation’s — real swing regions. It is a place of contrasts, between hard right and deep blue, between Hamptons wealth and people striving at the poverty line. In its current configuration, it stretches from the easternmost forks of Long Island to the Nassau County line. It includes farmland, town and village centers desperately in need of housing, and miles and miles of pristine yet endangered coast.

With Rep. Lee Zeldin running for governor, CD1 this year is home to an open race and even more potential than usual for a competitive contest, featuring two qualified, experienced candidates.

They are Bridget M. Fleming, a former prosecutor...| read more ››

Steve E. Stern understands the needs of his district and the region. And he's willing to lead on both.

The Dix Hills Democrat rightly spotlights improvements to sewer infrastructure in Huntington Station and the need for a new academic building at Farmingdale State College. He also wants to ease the region's building permitting process and allow small businesses to create tax-deferred savings accounts to store income for future needs.

Aamir Sultan, 55, who works in information technology, paints a dark picture of the district with concerns about crime and gender topping his list. The Dix Hills Republican said he worries about what his district's schools are teaching, especially in terms of gender identity, and wants the state to mandate a...| read more ››

Sen. Chuck Schumer's stature and power has grown with the majority leader title that now precedes his name.

But he hasn't forgotten the communities that brought him to that place, including those on Long Island, and the ones that depend upon him for resources. The state and the region are better off with him in the U.S. Senate's leadership, currently as majority leader and before that minority leader.

It's that mix, combined with a dynamic and engaged presence even after more than four decades in Washington, that has helped Schumer, 71, mostly successfully navigate the choppy waters of a divided U.S. Senate, while always looking for ways to get more for his home state.| read more ››