Nearby: Couple Together 65 Years Dies Hours Apart

This story was posted by Joe Dowd; it was written and reported by Patch staffers.

Here's a roundup of the latest news from nearby Long Island communities Click on the links to see the full stories:

Couple Dies Hours Apart; Spent 65 Years Together

A former Huntington Station couple who spent 65 years together died Saturday, 10 hours apart.

Samuel Robert Lewis, 87, and Viola Rosalie Lewis, 82, will be buried in a joint service Friday.

Viola Lewis "had stopped eating" the day her husband's health began to deteriorate last week, her eldest son, Sam Jr. said Thursday.
"They had made a vow to each other never to put each other in a home," he said.  But "Mother was suffering from Alzheimer's and my father wasn't in the best of health. We had to put her in a home two years ago. He felt he broke his vows to her." The decision, he said, affected his father's health.

Teen Filmmakers Capture's Long Beach Spirit

For teen filmmakers Brenda Cespedes and Erick Urquilla, the person who shined in "The Spirt of Long Beach," their documentary on the South Shore city slammed by Hurricane Sandy, was a 10-year-old named Winona. 

“You could hear the innocence in her voice and you could really feel what she was feeling during the storm,” said Brenda of the girl who gave them a tour of her gutted West End home.

Erick has a brother around Winona’s age and he imagined how his sibling might react in her situation. “It really hit me,” said the Uniondale resident.

Both students are enrolled at Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts (LIHSA) and were the primary filmmakers of the 25-minute documentary that, according to its billing, captures stories of residents in the storm-ravaged community, notably their resilience and efforts to help each other recover.

Islanders to Play Rangers at Yankee Stadium

Before Brooklyn, there will be the Bronx.

The National Hockey League on Wednesday said the New York Islanders will play the rival New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium on Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m.

The game will be part of the league's 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series. 

"Our fan-base is one of the most passionate in the NHL," said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow in a press release. "I look forward to seeing a strong contingent of the orange and blue in the stands at Yankee Stadium."

Online Guide to 'Pick a Park'

Want options for the great outdoors?

PickaPark.org features nearly 700 town, county, state and national parks throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. The information can be searched by zip code or by specific family-friendly amenities recommended by parents. 
The Early Years Institute, a regional nonprofit organization based in Plainview, launched the family-friendly website to assist parents in selecting the best recreation options for their kids.

Making a Difference; Sam Kille and the American Red Cross

Red Cross Regional Communications Director Sam Kille has his hands full. The former U.S. Marine and police dispatcher has now been working since 2011 as the man responsible for public relations and overall communications strategies for the American Red Cross' work in the Greater New York region. In this responsibility-filled position, Kille oversees the organization's media relations and serves as a spokesperson for various events and in times of crisis, and also handles their social media efforts. He previously served as the public relations director Nassau County, first joining the Red Cross in 2007.

After 37 Years in Farmingdale, Whirlin'Disc to Close

When Vicki and Steve Blitenthal opened Whirlin'Disc in 1975, there was a full-blown revival of do-wop music underway in the New York of Sha-Na-Na and Disco.

It was the perfect time to build a business built on nostalgia, and for parts of four decades, the sounds of the past could be heard coming from the narrow store at 230 Main Street, chocked full of vinyl 33's and 45's.
On Thursday, Vicki Blitenthal said the time for hhas come to close up. Her husband died in March and the yearning for nostalgia appears to be passing.

"It's all downloading now," she said. "We're going to go to mail order. You just don't need a brick-and-mortar store any more."