🌱Lyme Disease In Nassau County + Massapequa Man Sentenced For Fraud

Hello Merrick! Here’s hoping Sunday is a fun day for you. Let’s catch you up with all the news before you head out into your Sunday.

First, today's weather:

Occasional rain and drizzle. High: 47 Low: 41.

Here are the top five stories today in Merrick:

1. Hempstead police are searching for a missing teen. Fifteen-year-old Reuanna Brown Reyes was last seen leaving her home last night. She is a Black female, 180 pounds, 5-foot-3 with brown hair and brown eyes. If you have seen her, the police ask you to let them know. (Twitter)
2. A Massapequa man has been sentenced to prison for defrauding investors. Donald A. Milne, a 57 year old repeat offender, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for taking $3.5 million after telling victims throughout the country that he had developed a fast acting powdered aspirin that could “instantly stop heart attacks and strokes.” Milne had pleaded guilty to an investment fraud case 20 years ago. (Daily Voice)
3. Now’s the time to start thinking about the dangers of ticks in New York as the weather heats up. Biting ticks can cause severe injury to humans and pets as well as other red blooded mammals. Adult ticks and nymphs can transmit such diseases as Lyme’s disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other serious ailments. Ticks are especially active from March to May and again from August to November. (Patch)
4. Baldwin’s very own Raagini Indian restaurant has taken top honors in a Bethpage poll. It has been voted Long Island’s best Indian restaurant. It beat out The Curry Club in Setauket in Suffolk county which had claimed the title for the past seven years. (Daily Voice)
5. Wantagh High School French teacher, Kimberly Vargas-Curatola, is this week’s Teacher of the Week. She was nominated by Brenda Post whose son, Aidan, underwent kidney surgery in January and had to miss months of school. Vargas-Curatola repeatedly reached out to him during his school absence to encourage him, his mom said. Even after Aiden returned to school Vargas-Curatola stayed late with him two days a week to help him catch up. Post said the family has been looking for ways to say thank you to the teacher and they feel blessed that Aidan is in her class. (Patch)

Today in Merrick:

• The Town of Hempstead is holding a S.T.O.P. event behind city hall today at 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. S.T.O.P. stands for stop throwing out pollutants. Items like bleach, paint, oil and batteries need special disposal to prevent the contamination of the ground and water resources. For more details and recommendations for packaging the items for disposal please go here.
• Comedian Lewis Black will be performing at The Paramount, 370 New York Avenue from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Known as the King of Rant, Black’s style includes yelling, finger pointing and comedic rage at life’s absurdities. Tickets can be purchased online here and start at $59.
• Uniondale is playing host to the New York Bridal and Wedding Expo at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, from 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. There will be food to taste, dresses to see and flowers and music to enjoy. Entrance is free with passes printed from the website here or $10 at the door.

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Sunday! See you all tomorrow for your next update.

— Merlin Douglass