Busy week? No worries. Patch highlighted the top stories of the week so you can catch up on all of the local news. This week, the top stories are:

3. Bellmore-Merrick Central High School Preps for Budget Season: The Bellmore-Merrick CHSD is preparing to cut about $2 million from the proposed 2012-13 budget to meet the new tax cap regulations. 

2. Team of Brothers Opens Bellmore Ice Cream Shop: Tommy Gies and his brothers, Bobby and Ronnie, of Merrick, celebrated the grand opening of their Hershey's Ice Cream shop at 305-309 Bedford Ave. on Jan. 28. The store was full of patrons indulging in an array of ice cream flavors on its opening day.

1. Merrick School Community Kicks off Superintendent Search: Communication, enthusiasm and a firm grasp on budgets were top of mind for those community members that came out to meet with Dr. Charles Fowler, president of School Leadership, the company that will be heading the search for Merrick's new superintendent. The new person will replace Dr. Rainer Melucci, who was with the school district for nine years.