Continuing with tradition, here are the Syosset-Jericho Tribune's top stories of 2007, as selected by the editor. They are listed here in no particular order. Due to space constraints, not all information can be included in this list. We encourage residents to write or e-mail in their top stories of the year. E-mail D.Nash@antonnews.com or send comments to the Syosset-Jericho Tribune at 132 East Second Street, Mineola, NY 11501.

Syosset High School started the year off right when they hosted a walk-a-thon to benefit The Maurer Foundation in-school breast health literacy programs. Students, faculty, parents and community members joined together to participate and heighten awareness about breast health education and the importance of early detection. Participants donned pink and walked once around the school to the triumphant sounds of the marching band. Dr. Virginia Maurer, founder and medical advisor of The Maurer Foundation, also participated in the walk and was onsite afterward to meet students and thank them for their support.

Also in the beginning of the year, three Syosset High School seniors were named semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Competition. Samuel Breidbart, Jimmy Hom and Jenessa Malin each received a $1,000 college scholarship in recognition of their original research and an additional $1,000 for each student was granted to Syosset High School.

In the music department, four Syosset High School students received the highest honor awarded by NYSSMA, the New York State School Music Association, and performed in the All Eastern Ensembles at the Music Educators National Conference (MENC). The students were accompanied by Syosset High School music teacher Dr. Barry White, David Dolgon and Melissa Reale. Three of the students - Minkee Sung, a junior, and Wol Sol Choi and Erin Steigerwald, who are seniors, will be performing in the All Eastern Symphony Orchestra. Andrew Lelin, also a senior, sang in the All Eastern Mixed Chorus.

The elementary schools received equipment in April thanks to Nassau County Legislator Judy Jacobs and fellow majority lawmakers after they approved an intermunicipal agreement to assist the school district with the purchase of the equipment. The cost of the equipment was $203,000 and each school received $29,000 worth.

Syosset High School's varsity lacrosse team captured the Nassau County Class A championship, defeating Farmingdale in an exciting playoff game at Hofstra University. With a score of 7 to 3, the Syosset team claimed its rightful place as champions, after having gone into the game as the first seeded team with a season record of 15 wins and two losses.

Syosset residents passed the budget in 2007 and celebrated graduation with a graduating class where 99 percent of the class will be attending college. The class has a remarkable record of accomplishment, and in total, has been awarded more than $15 million in academic-earned scholarships, not based on financial need.

Angela Park, was named the valedictorian and Jimmy Hom was the salutatorian.

Syosset Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carole G. Hankin was named a winner of the New York State Alliance for Arts Education School Superintendent Recognition Award for 2007. This award is presented each year to a superintendent who has demonstrated outstanding support and commitment to high-quality arts education programs.

Syosset started the 2007-2008 school year in the same fashion they have in the past and look forward to continuing success.

In March, the Perseus Development Corporation released a survey and Jericho Public Schools was named to "Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America." This survey, open to all schools in the United States, is supported by a partnership of leading organizations in the fields of music and education: the American Music Conference, the National School Boards Association, The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, The Metropolitan Opera Guild, Music for All, NAMM, The International Music Products Association, National Guild of Community School of the Arts, the Music Teachers National Association, the Yamaha Corporation of America and VH-1 Save the Music.

The Jericho Educational Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization whose goal is to support and enrich the school and community by identifying, facilitating, and funding projects that will enhance the standard of educational excellence in the Jericho School District, presented its first gift to the Jericho Board of Education in April. The JEF provided the school district with the necessary funds to refurbish the high school little theater. The project includes new woodworking, curtains, carpeting and painting.

The Jericho School District was the subject of an audit by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office. The audit examined the internal controls of the Jericho School District over cash receipts and disbursements, administrative expenses, claims processing and vehicle fuel inventories for the period of July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2006. The audit found "several weaknesses in district controls over cash receipts and disbursements," according to the report, but found no misuse of funds.

School Board president Barbara Krieger explained that since 2006, many recommendations that were made by the comptroller's office had already been put in place by the district, but were not reflected in the report.

Jericho residents passed the budget and celebrated graduation with co-valedictorians Samantha Ellner and Qi Yu and salutatorian Brienne Kugler. All three were graduates of 2007 and they all addressed their classmates at graduation.

Jericho started the 2007-2008 school year with high school senior Adam Fields being announced as a regional finalist in the prestigious Siemens science competition. He represented Jericho at the Middle States Regional Fair in November at Carnegie Mellon. Finalists are guaranteed at least $1,000 for participating in one of six regional judgings.

Jong Pil Lee, a resident of Syosset, and a distinguished service professor of mathematics at SUNY College at Old Westbury, was honored this year as a Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Alberta, from which he earned his Ph.D. in 1970.

A group of 16 volunteers, sponsored by the United Methodist Church in Woodbury went on a weeklong trip to Biloxi, MS where they helped rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The team worked on two homes, doing everything from carpentry and plumbing to spackling and painting. A great way to spend a vacation.

Dr. Stanley Greenberg, a retired dentist and a freelancer writer living in Jericho, has been writing a weekly column for the Syosset-Jericho Tribune for the last 10 years and has had over 500 columns published. He has had many conversations with readers and received a lot of feedback, which inspired him to compile his favorite columns and publish them in a book. That book was released in 2007.

Jen Zwilling, a resident of Brookville and a junior at Jericho High School, is founder of the TSA's National Youth Ambassador Program, which sends students with Tourette's Syndrome to other schools to talk about their condition. The program was founded by Zwilling with help from her older sister Amanda and younger brother Eric. She was honored many times this year for her continued efforts.

Zachary Tannenbaum started a fundraising effort to collect gently used warm-ups and jerseys to those less fortunate and donated them to the Ice hockey in Harlem Youth Program.

Residents for a More Beautiful Syosset remained active in the community with its members taking the spotlight. Laura Schultz was named a Women of Distinction in the area of community and civic affairs. Laura is one of the founders of Residents for a More Beautiful Syosset. Through the organization, she manages projects for pedestrian and traffic safety, beautification and downtown revitalization. She is a member of the town's steering committee for the Syosset Downtown Revitalization and Redevelopment Plan, the Friends of Syosset Public Library, the Jericho-Syosset-Woodbury Child Care Partnership and the Syosset Chamber of Commerce. She has also worked with the county to help improve the Jackson Avenue corridor from Jericho Turnpike to the downtown area. Schultz can often be seen at town board meetings, making sure the voice of her community is heard.

Lorraine Donlon, known as the founding mother of Residents for a More Beautiful Syosset, was named a finalist in the Martha Stewart Living Dreamers into Doers Contest. More than 1,000 dreamers entered the competition celebrating women who have turned their passions into businesses and philanthropic programs, hobbies into careers, and aspirations into realities.

In January, Residents showed their support as they celebrated the grand opening of the renovated Syosset Public Library. The standing-room-only crowd listened as Judy Lockman, library director, welcomed them and thanked them for their patience throughout the construction process. When the library originally opened in 1970, it was designed to house 90,000 books and in 2001, there were over 250,000. In January, after getting off the school bus from HB Thompson Middle School on Tuesday, two boys, ages 12 and 13, made a gruesome discovery - they found their parents shot to death in their Syosset home. Jaspal and Geeta Singh were found dead in their home. The investigation is still ongoing and no arrests have been made. The local athletic teams had another successful year in 2007. The Jericho Athletic Association, Syosset Baseball Association, SYAC, Syosset Woodbury Yankees, Long Island Running Club, Syosset Midget Black football team, Jericho Youth Football League, U-11 Syosset Dynamite and the Syosset Thunder are just some of the local success stories!

The Syosset Chamber of Commerce held its many popular events this year with the most exciting being the Holiday Lighting event in December to kick off the holiday season for all local residents.

Also, an installation dinner was held for the new officers and directors. Awards were presented to Danielle DelGrosso - The Spirit of Syosset Award; Eileen Gentilcore - Community Service Award; Kevin Allison - Outstanding Committee Leadership Award; Michael Biggiani - Presidential Leadership Award; Thomas Dunn - Director of the Year Award and Tricia Shannon - Chamber Person of the Year Award.

On February 15, a fire destroyed the rectory at St. Bede's Episcopal Church in Syosset, which was established in 1953.

The rectory, which was originally built in 1967, was lost as well as most, if not all, of Father William Parker's personal belongings as the rectory was the priest's home for the last seven years. Fr. Parker was luckily not at home at the time the fire broke out. He had just left about an hour prior to the fire to attend a course out of town.

In May, a Muttontown couple was arrested by federal agents on charges of keeping two Indonesian women as slaves in their home.

In August, the couple, Mahender and Varsha Sabhnani, were released on over $4 million bail. Their release was granted after they met a long list of requirements set by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Platt and their home was turned into a virtual jail with the couple paying all expenses - a fee which is due in addition to the bail they paid.

In December, a jury found Mehender Sabhnani and his wife Varsha Sabhnani guilty on all 12 counts, including forced labor and harboring aliens.

At a bail hearing on in late December, Judge Arthur Spatt ordered Varsha Sabhnani to jail and decided that Mehender Sabhnani could return to house arrest until their March 28 sentencing.

A year in review story wouldn't be complete without the fight over the former Cerro Wire property being included.

In June, the Cerro Wire Coalition held a meeting to unveil its plans for alternate development on the 39-acre Cerro Wire Site in Syosset. The land is owned by the Taubman Company, which submitted plans to build an 860,000-square foot mall. The Taubman Company maintained that it is not interested in selling the land.

The alternate development plan that the Cerro Wire Coalition unveiled, in hopes that Taubman would partner with the Lennar Corporation and Roseland Property Company who would joint venture the alternate development project, calls for a smart growth, mixed-use development involving condo-styled housing, a Marriott hotel, and a small component of office and retail for the 39-acre site.

Also in June, State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey A. Spinner rendered a decision regarding the fate of the proposed mall sending the application back to the Town of Oyster Bay to consider two points - the specific reasons that they turned down the application for a special use permit to build the proposed 860,000-square foot mall and also the court asked the town to consider a scaled-back version of the mall at 750,000 square feet. The town had 90 days to take action.

In September, a 34-page document specifying the reasons and justifications for the Town Board's SEQRA findings statement and zoning decision in denying the application for a special use permit was unanimously accepted by the board and given to the judge.

The case is still in litigation.

We, at the Syosset-Jericho Tribune, wish you all a wonderful 2008.