That Westbury Taco Bell Just Got a Bedtime

The controversial Taco Bell on Old Country Road in Westbury is now closing at 10 p.m. instead of 2 a.m., after the village Board of Trustees finally put their foot down. The restaurant has to meet the terms of its special use permit before it can stay open late again, Long Island Press — Business reported following what was apparently a much calmer public hearing than previous meetings on the topic.

This is actually a compromise — many fast food chains in Nassau County suburbs close between 10-11 p.m. on weeknights anyway, so Westbury is essentially forcing Taco Bell to follow the same schedule as most of its neighbors. The 2 a.m. closing time had drawn complaints from residents about late-night noise and activity.

For anyone who relied on those late-night Crunchwrap runs, this is probably temporary. Once Taco Bell sorts out whatever permit issues the village has flagged, those 1 a.m. fourth meals could be back on the menu.

Long Island's Top Business Voice Is Moving On

Matt Cohen is stepping down as president and CEO of the Long Island Association after nearly five years running the region's most powerful business lobbying group, as Long Island Press — Business reported Monday.

Cohen spent 15 years total with the LIA, which means he worked his way up through the organization before taking the top job. That's significant — the LIA isn't just any trade group. It's the voice that gets heard when Albany or DC makes decisions about Long Island's economy, from transportation funding to tax policy.

The timing is interesting. With a new presidential administration settling in and New York's budget season in full swing, Cohen's departure leaves the region's business community looking for new leadership just when major infrastructure and economic development decisions are being made. The LIA hasn't announced a replacement yet, but whoever steps in will inherit Cohen's relationships with everyone from Hempstead supervisors to congressional representatives.

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⚡ Nassau Safety Watch

• 5 Adults, 2 Dogs Displaced In Baldwin Fire, Fire Marshal Says - Patch. Five adults and two dogs displaced after house fire in Baldwin, fire marshal reports no injuries.
• Valley Stream Residents Hospitalized After Carbon Monoxide Exposure: Police - Patch. Valley Stream residents hospitalized after carbon monoxide exposure in their home, police say.
• Massapequa High School Lockout Lifted, District Officials Say - Patch. Massapequa High School lifted security lockout after brief precautionary measure, district confirms.

Your Concussion Could Be Diagnosed in 30 Minutes Instead of Hours

North Shore University Hospital just became the first in New York to use a revolutionary blood test that can tell emergency room doctors whether you actually have a concussion — in about 30 minutes flat. The Abbott i-STAT Alinity test looks for specific proteins in your blood that spike after brain injury, as Long Island Press — Business reported.

This matters because concussion diagnosis has traditionally been a frustrating guessing game of symptoms and expensive brain scans that can take hours. Now doctors can know quickly whether that bump on the head from your weekend softball game or your kid's soccer collision actually damaged brain tissue. The faster diagnosis means faster treatment decisions and potentially avoiding unnecessary radiation from CT scans.

For a hospital system that sees everything from Hempstead High football injuries to Garden City fender-benders, having this technology first in the state puts our local emergency care ahead of the curve.

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Your Tax Payment From 2020 Just Showed Up (Seriously)

A Plainview couple mailed their school tax payment to Oyster Bay in December 2020 — six days before the deadline. The town finally received it last week. Five years later.

Valerie and her husband had to pay nearly $400 in late fees back then, plus interest, because as far as the town knew, they'd simply blown off their tax bill. Now Oyster Bay is refunding the whole thing after the mystery envelope materialized in their mailroom, as Long Island Press — Business reported.

For context: the U.S. Postal Service's own standard is that 96% of first-class mail should arrive within three days. This payment took roughly 1,826 days. Even during the height of pandemic mail delays in 2020-2021, most missing tax payments turned up within months, not half a decade. Where this envelope spent five years remains a complete mystery.

The Great Neck Sweet Tooth Apocalypse Is Real

Remember when Great Neck Peninsula actually had places to satisfy a sugar craving? As Long Island Press — Business reported, the area's dessert scene has basically vanished. Bruce's Bakery on Middle Neck Road — the place that made those legendary layered cakes for decades — is gone. The frozen yogurt chains that popped up everywhere in the 2010s? Also mostly gone.

This isn't just nostalgia talking. It's part of a bigger shift hitting suburban retail everywhere: rising rents, changing habits, and the reality that most people now grab their sweet fix at the grocery store or order delivery. Great Neck's dessert drought mirrors what's happening in strip malls across Nassau County, where small specialty shops are getting squeezed out by higher costs and lower foot traffic.

The few remaining spots are holding on, but if you've been wondering why your weekend dessert run feels a lot more limited these days — now you know.

Hofstra's Mollica Just Had the Game of His Life

Whatever you were doing this weekend, you probably weren't having as good a day as Hofstra's Mollica, who just torched UMBC in what Hofstra University Athletics called a career performance. The result? He just earned CAA Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors.

For those keeping track at home, this is the kind of breakout moment that can change a college athlete's trajectory. The Pride are building something solid this season, and performances like this are exactly why Hofstra basketball has been gaining momentum in the CAA.

Not bad for a Monday morning in Hempstead — while most of us were dealing with weekend recovery, our local university was busy collecting conference honors.

⚡ Before You Go

• Potholes plague New York roads and highways after harsh winter - PIX11. Harsh winter leaves Long Island roads plagued with potholes, driving up repair costs for motorists.
• 11 Prison Staff Hospitalized After Illness, Days After Similar Case At Another NY Facility - MSN. Eleven prison staff hospitalized after mysterious illness at New York correctional facility.
• 2026 North Hempstead Polar Plunge raises over $86,000 - LI Press. North Hempstead Polar Plunge raised over $86,000 for local charities in annual winter fundraiser.
• Major Pileup on the Long Island Expressway Causes Severe Commuter Delays - Yonkers Times. Major pileup on Long Island Expressway causes severe delays during morning commute.

🗣️ Rumor Mill

We cannot confirm any of this.

• Why do Ram truck drivers often bully sedan cars?. Reddit user asks why Ram truck drivers seem to consistently bully sedan cars with tailgating and aggressive driving. The answers might surprise you.
• Anyone know what is up with this empty land in Bellport? Based on the tax lot viewer, it seems to be zoned and even plotted for residential, but I can't find any information about why it is empty.. Long Islander spots mysterious empty residential land in Bellport that's zoned and plotted but never developed. Tax records show the lots exist, but nobody knows why they're sitting vacant.
• 5 Corners. Ronkonkoma's infamous Five Corners intersection is getting mysterious clearing work on two corners. Pre-pandemic talk of closing Gatelot Avenue resurfaces, but official plans remain unclear.