NASSAU COUNTY CRIMINAL LAWYERS

Every Wednesday on East Meadow Patch, we feature a picture taken in the community. You, our lovely readers, have a couple of days to guess where it was taken.

Submit your guesses about where the picture was taken. If no one has come close to guessing the location by the middle of the time frame, we'll post a clue. The winner will get bragging rights and some special Patch swag!

Entrants must be in compliance with the official Patch rules for this contest.

Each contestant must respond in our comments section below and the first person to enter the correct answer will win a prize! The deadline is Saturday at midnight!

Supervisor Kate Murray and Councilman Gary Hudes traveled to East Meadow High School to honor the Jets’ 2011 Nassau County Championship football team and superstar running back Robbie Healy who won the prestigious “Thorp Award,” as the county’s best player. 

Joined by team members, coaches and school officials, Murray and Hudes unveiled large commemorative signs that will be installed on school grounds to salute the team’s remarkable season.

“This was one of the most exciting high school football season’s in recent memory and East Meadow prevailed in the always tough and competitive Conference I,” Murray said.  “After a great regular season, the Jets marched through the playoffs, winning one thrilling game after another, all the way to the Long Island title game. The team’s final reward came with their selection as winners of the Rutgers Cup presented to the best team in Nassau County.”

“Among a roster of talented players, running back Robbie Healy was truly heroic last season,” Hudes added. “He was a worthy recipient of the Thorp Award presented to the county’s top player and our township welcomes the opportunity to honor one of the greatest seasons ever turned in by a high school player.”

The county championship was East Meadow’s first since 2006 and the titanic battle with Floyd High School for the Long Island Championship will long be remembered as one of the classic games in scholastic history.

“Along with all of the players, congratulations must be extended to a dedicated coaching staff, led by head coach Vinny Mascia,” Murray said. “This was a season everyone in the school and the community can be immensely proud of and we join the chorus of admirers with our best wishes.”

Just a couple of weeks after Jeff Whitman underwent a successful heart transplant at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, the East Meadow native is close to heading back home.

Whitman, a graduate of East Meadow High School in 1984, has suffered repeated medical setbacks. He has been affected by heart ailments since childbirth, and he eventually needed a pacemaker.

It was when the battery needed to be changed on Whitman's pacemaker that another problem arose. During the procedure, Whitman's heart was punctured and the operation had to be suspended.

But that's not all.

Since 2005, Whitman's life has been a series of complications. He suffers from Cardiomyopathy and Congenital Heart Disease. In the past three years, Whitman lost his father, his wife to colon cancer, and most recently his mother.

He was confined to Manor Care Rehab Facility in Yardley, PA, but he recently relocated back to East Meadow when doctors told him that he'd have a better chance of getting a new heart in New York.

"Denise Pascalis Just spoke with Dr. Delasandro," Patricia Kutil said to Patch in a Facebook message on Feb. 8. "The surgery was a little tedious. Lots of scar tissue, but all went well. Jeff has a new heart!"

"I saw Jeff today at Montefiore," Pascalis, who opened up her home to Whitman, posted in a Facebook group dedicated to Whitman on Friday. "He is doing great!"

Whitman is still at Montefiore Medical Center and, once he's released, which may be this week, he will continue to go back for check-ups with doctors. He will remain in Pascalis' home for the time being.

"I am in awe of this medical miracle," she added. "He is doing so well!"

Want to send messages of encouragement to Jeff? Tell us in the comments.

On Monday, Patch sought nominees for the best chicken wings in all of East Meadow.

While we came up with an initial list, thanks to our readers we now have a few more places in the running for the Patch title for East Meadow's Best Chicken Wings.

Voting is open until 9 a.m. Friday. Ties will be broken by whichever business has the most positive comments in the section below. We will announce the winner at noon Friday.

So be sure to vote for your favorite place to chow down on some wings. And don't forget to tell us in the comments below why.

1. Jeff Whitman, who has been battling heart problems for year, finally had successful heart surgery and is close to returning to East Meadow. To read the full story, check back with East Meadow Patch later today.
2. Doug Mills, the owner of Printing Emporium, is dedicated to making Merrick the best town it can be. To read more about Merrick's "Main Man," click here.
3. This week, Paige Kaplan is Bellmore's Whiz Kid! Kaplan is a first time varsity swimmer and is a member of the relay team that placed first in the Nassau County Championships in the 200 yard freestyle relay. To see more about Kaplan's accomplishments, click here.
4. Looking for something to do? Why not check out Bingo at Temple Israel of South Merrick tonight at 7 p.m. The cost is $5 per person.
5. Are you eating out tonight? Looking for a good place to go? Check out the directory for Bellmore, Merrick and East Meadow for a full selection to choose from!

North Jerusalem Road was closed down for 30 minutes after a small fire broke out in a residence at the Roxboro Court intersection just after 8:30 p.m Tuesday night.

According to North Bellmore Fire Department Chief Eddie Kraus, there was "a little bit of fire" in the laundry room of the home, although firefighters contained it immediately.

Four people were home at the time of alarm and self-evacuated. There were no injuries, Kraus added.

"They called it in and they were vigilant," Kraus said. "They did the right thing."

First Precinct officers blocked traffic between Sterling Street and Midvale Avenue while firefighters secured the scene. Motorists were guided to nearby side streets.

This is a breaking news story, and Patch will provide more information as it's made available.

Sinusitis, an inflammation of normally air filled spaces within the skull, is a common condition in both children and adults.

When the normally sterile sinuses become inflamed, the drainage passages become clogged, bacteria proliferate, and symptoms ensue. Traditionally, antibiotic therapy is the treatment of choice for sinusitis. However, the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association adds to a growing body of evidence, which questions the necessity of this therapy in all patients.

Sinusitis is classically associated with a number of symptoms — fever, headache, facial tenderness, toothache, nasal discharge and congestion. The initiating event is often a viral upper respiratory tract infection or an allergy, which causes the blocked drainage pathway. The subsequent infection may be caused by either a virus or bacteria.  Whereas viral infections are not affected by antibiotics, it has been thought that the situation is different with bacteria, hence the traditional therapy with antibiotics.

The study referred to above, reported by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine, looked at 166 adults with facial or tooth tenderness and thick nasal discharge. All patients received acetaminophen for pain or fever, cough medicine and decongestant therapy. Half received the antibiotic amoxicillin and half received an identical placebo pill. Patients were contacted by phone three, seven, 10 and 28 days into treatment. Overall, the two patient groups had similar outcomes, with the conclusion being that amoxicillin had no effect on the underlying condition.

Given that up to 20 percent of antibiotic prescriptions in the United States are written for sinus and upper respiratory tract infections, this study has important implications. Perhaps, as has been suggested, patients get better irregardless of antibiotics, and not because of them.

It is important to note that some physicians have raised concerns about the conclusions. Rarely, sinus infections can spread to the surrounding or deeper tissues, even leading to serious complications such as brain abscesses. However, there are certain populations more at risk of these serious complications, particularly patients with altered immune systems or prior sinus surgery.  Patients with diabetes, HIV infection, cystic fibrosis or active pregnancy should be approached differently, as should patients with other medical conditions such as heart, lung, kidney and liver disease.

The important lesson here is that in sinusitis, as with other infections, antibiotics are not a magic cure all.  They have side effects, and overuse in the community will lead to bacterial resistance and danger to all of us by virtue of the emergence of “super bugs” (such as MRSA). Having a trusted primary care physician to evaluate your symptoms, put your concerns in perspective with your overall health profile, and to discuss the best treatment plan for you is always better than saying “infection equals antibiotic therapy”.

After four years of hard work in school, as well as training for football and wrestling, Evan Pantofel has had quite the career at East Meadow High School.

Pantofel, 18, has spent the last four years dedicating his athletic prowess to the football and wrestling programs. In football, Pantofel is a linebacker, and he helped guide East Meadow to a Nassau County Championship victory last season.

"It was awesome because we were working for it for four years," Pantofel said. "Everything we worked for came true."

That wasn't Pantofel's only taste of glory, as on Feb. 11, he found himself in the finals at the Nassau County wrestling championship. After falling behind 5-0, Pantofel battled back, as he pancaked Plainedge’s Dan Spurgeon to tie the score at 5-5. With 15 seconds left, however, Spurgeon was able to elude Pantofel's grasp to secure the deciding point.

The All-County wrestler was awarded second place after finishing fifth in the tournament one year ago. He said the hard work instilled in him at East Meadow High School was vital to his success.

"It really teaches you a lot of lessons because of all the hard work we put into everything," Pantofel said. "We work year-round for everything we do."

Pantofel admitted that it's a lot to maintain good grades along with pre-school and post-school athletic commitments, but he said he has no complaints about anything when it comes to his high school career.

"I really couldn’t have asked for a better high school experience," he said. "From the people I worked hard with, to my friends and teammates, I really had a perfect high school career."

Pantofel is still undecided about his future. He said it's likely that his football career is over, but he is being recruited to wrestle by both SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Cortland, both of which he is considering. Pantofel is leaning towards studying accounting, he said.

What did you think of Evan Pantofel's athletic career at East Meadow High School? Tell us in the comments.

A Bethpage man was arrested for two burglaries in Bethpage and also for allegedly stealing two chimney caps off of homes in East Meadow.

According to police, on Feb. 3, Robert Fornal Jr., 41, entered a residence on 10th street in Bethpage by prying open the side door. He then allegedly stole jewelry and pawned it at NY Gold Buyers in Jamaica.

Police say Fornal Jr. struck in Bethpage again on Feb. 7, when he allegedly kicked a Meade Avenue home’s rear door in and removed jewelry from that residence as well.

Additionally, police said that Fornal Jr. was responsible for stealing two chimney caps off homes on Woods Avenue and Cypress Avenue in East Meadow on Jan. 28.

On Monday, Bureau of Special Operations Police Officers located Fornal Jr. and arrested him at the Great Neck railroad station. He is charged with two counts of second-degree burglary and two counts of second-degree petit larceny. His arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 21.

This is a breaking news story, and Patch will provide more information as it’s made available.