Community Corner

Week in Review

Merrick celebrates Independence Day; armed robber strikes at Mobil station; little league team slugs its way into the district finals...

Last week in Merrick can be summed up in three words: American, hot, baseball. 

To start, we'll tackle the first word to catch you up on any news you may have missed:

On Sunday, aka Fourth of July, Patch was at the Merrick gazebo to watch a re-enactment of the reading of the Declaration of Independence.  The event, put on by the Merrick Historical Society, drew dozens of residents who came to remember the true meaning of the day.

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

On Monday, Melissa O'Connor, in her Living Green and Healthy in Merrick column, offered tips on how to convert to a vegetarian lifestyle.  Patch was also on the scene of a Monday night fire in North Merrick, where snapped power lines caused a small blaze at a home on Putnam Avenue. 

On Tuesday, we're on to our second word of the week, hot.  And the word hot probably does not convey just how hot it was on Tuesday.  Temperatures eclipsed 100 degrees in Merrick, with a weather station at Fayette School recording a high of 104 degrees.  Most residents wisely stayed close to their air conditioners and pools Tuesday. The county as well as the Town of Hempstead opened up cooling centers for those who needed relief from the heat.

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

Also on Tuesday, we had the news of an armed robbery at the Mobil gas station on Merrick Road. Police are still searching for the robber, who displayed a handgun and took off with cash and cigarettes. 

On Wednesday, reporter Drew Moss spoke with local seafood suppliers and restaurants to see how they have been affected by the oil spill in the Gulf.  Temperatures on Wednesday also climbed near 100 degrees and reporter Vanessa Canner checked in with Merrick pet stores and veterinarians to get their tips on how to keep our furry-legged friends cool.

In sports news, we published the names of all of the Merrick residents who completed the four-mile Bellmore Striders Independence Day Run over the weekend.  And then we reach the final theme of the week, everyone's summer favorite in Merrick: little league baseball.  We has coverage of the 10-year-olds from North Bellmore-North Merrick putting up two six-run rallies en route to a 13-2 victory over Merrick in the district tournament. 

On Thursday, reporter Judy Lee Sweeney checked back in with The Vine-Wine Bar, which opened in May and has already made its mark on the Merrick social scene.  In a testament to the bar's popularity, that story quickly became the 'most read' on Patch. 

Reporter Rick Karas, who we've given a break from sword fighting and dancing, covered the rare–rare as in it's been 47 years–rabbinical change at Congregation Ohav Sholom, where Rabbi Ira Ebbin is taking over for Rabbi Jeremiah Wohlberg.  We also had your Merrick Crime Report, which included a violent robbery at the Merrick Mall and several instances of vandalism to cars and homes around town.

On Friday, we were back on the diamond as Jonah Zeitlin and Josh Duren combined for a complete game shutout to lead Merrick past North Bellmore-North Merrick and into the district finals.  Chef Robert Kass showed teens how to make a perfect omelet at a cooking class at the Merrick Library. We also had news of a local charity, the Heather on Earth Music Foundation, which is if it receives the highest number of votes on Facebook.

On Saturday, we had news of the arrest of a second teenager in connection with the armed robbery of two Merrick teens who were walking around town on July 2.  Reporter Brian Croce also had the story of how one Merrick business lent a hand at the recent Extreme Makeover home build in East Setauket.

Saturday also marked Merrick Patch's seven-month anniversary of delivering up-to-the-minute news about your hometown.  We hope you've enjoyed what you've seen so far, but we are always looking for ways to improve, so send us your suggestions and tips to ryan@patch.com (please do not tell us how much you hate Lebron James, though–we already know and we hate him too). 

We are also on the hunt for a few more columnists who can deliver pieces on the issues and topics that matter most to Merokeans.  Until then, stay cool, Merrick.


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