Life and Relationship Coaching near Hempstead, NY

BAY SHORE, NY — A Hempstead man has been indicted after prosecutors said he stole approximately $82,000 worth of tires from a Bay Shore auto shop where he worked as an assistant service manager.

Milton Blaylock, 27, was charged with second-degree grand larceny, a Class C felony, for carrying out a months-long scheme while employed at Pep Boys in Bay Shore, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.

Prosecutors said the thefts took place between August 2025 and November 2025, during which time Blaylock worked as an assistant service manager at the store.

According to the investigation, Blaylock created approximately 38 orders for fictitious customers, allowing him to obtain new tires through the store’s system. Prosecutors said he then removed the tires from inventory without authorization from the company.

Authorities estimate the total value of the stolen merchandise at approximately $82,000.

Blaylock had been employed by Pep Boys for about three years when the company’s loss prevention team discovered irregularities and reported the suspected theft to law enforcement, prosecutors said.

He was arrested on March 19.

On March 20, Blaylock was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony Senft. He was released under supervised conditions.

Blaylock is scheduled to return to court on April 15. If convicted, he faces a maximum indeterminate sentence of 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Blaylock is being represented by Raymond Baierlein, who was not immediately available for a request to comment on the charges.

“This indictment provides another example of my commitment to pursue retail thefts occurring at our commercial establishments,” Tierney said. “These thefts were made even more egregious as the alleged thief was a trusted employee, who allegedly used his position to line his pockets instead of managing the shop honestly and professionally.”

The town of North Hempstead will be updating its 1989 master plan to tackle economic, environmental and infrastructural challenges.

NORTH HEMPSTEAD, NY. — The Town of North Hempstead announced it would be moving forward in its efforts to update its long-term master plan Wednesday, issuing a request for proposals to fill a consulting role that would help the town government through the planning process.

Town officials said this would be the first update to the North Hempstead’s comprehensive plan since 1989, adding that it would feature a "robust community engagement process” with input from businesses, civic groups and residents of the town. That input, officials said, would help create a “roadmap” that will guide the growth, development, preservation and investment in North Hempstead over the coming decade.

“Believe it or not, it’s been 37 years since the Town last updated its master plan,” Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said. “I first announced this as a priority in my 2022 inaugural address and repeated it in every State of the Town since. But for years, the effort remained stalled until I hired Commissioner Nancy Shahverdi.”

North Hempstead’s department of planning and environmental protection, under Shahverdi’s leadership, has already completed some preliminary research to help the plan develop, reviewing existing policies in North Hempstead and evaluating what topics will be the most important come planning time. That research, town officials said, will provide a solid foundation for whomever the town selects as its consultant.

“The plan will help establish a shared vision for North Hempstead’s future,” Councilman Dennis Walsh said. “Our economy, environmental challenges, and infrastructure needs have changed significantly, making this update more important now than ever.”

Town officials said the new plan would focus on things like commercial corridors, walkability, transit connectivity and climate resilience in the village, as well as parks and public space access, preservation of the character of the town and how North Hempstead can allow aging residents to live their twilight years there in peace.

While town officials said this plan would serve as a guide for North Hempstead’s development, they also said it wouldn’t establish any specific changes to zoning or development. Instead, they said this plan would be a guide to future decisions regarding land use, capital investments and policy decisions. The 1989 plan, they said, might not be sufficient to guide the town’s interests in those areas anymore.

Rescued from a Hempstead parking garage with a neck injury, the young cat is now healing and waiting for a loving home.

HUNTINGTON, NY — Some cats arrive quietly. Some arrive with a story.

And then there is Zipper.

The young male cat — affectionately called “Zippy” by volunteers — is the newest arrival and Grateful Paw Cat Shelter's adoptable pet of the week. Zipper's journey to safety began in a place no cat should have to call home: a parking garage in Hempstead.

Zipper is a striking tiger-and-white cat with unusual markings and “the most beautiful eyes — the color of green sea glass that seems to hold a thousand stories,” shelter volunteers said.

No one knows how long he had been living in the garage or where he had been hiding. His scruffy coat suggested he had been struggling for quite some time, and he carried a painful mystery with him — a serious wound on his neck.

“What we do know is that Zipper was hungry… very hungry,” the shelter said.

The garage manager noticed him wandering through the structure and knew he needed help. Instead of hiding from people, Zipper approached them, looking for attention and hoping someone might share food.

Concerned for his safety, the manager contacted a local rescuer. When a carrier was placed on the ground, Zipper did something remarkable.

“As if he somehow knew this was his chance, he simply walked right in,” the shelter said.

From there, Zipper was taken to a municipal shelter before Grateful Paw stepped in to bring him into its care.

Veterinarians estimate Zipper is between one and two years old. During his neuter surgery, the wound on his neck was carefully examined. It may have been caused by a bite from another animal — possibly a cat or dog — or perhaps an injury from a vehicle while he was surviving outdoors.

Because the wound had been left to heal on its own, it caused some dermatitis, scarring, and patches of alopecia. While the area can still appear red or irritated at times, the shelter says Zipper does not seem overly bothered by it except for the occasional itch.

He has received antibiotics and cortisone to help the healing process, and veterinarians are optimistic that the injury will continue to improve.

Despite everything he has endured, Zipper has shown himself to be a gentle and social cat.

When he first entered the shelter’s cat room, he attempted to introduce himself to the other cats. The residents were not quite ready to welcome him.

“Between the unfamiliar smells of the animal hospital and the lingering scent of an unneutered male, the room erupted in hisses and growls,” the shelter said.

Zipper appeared confused by the reaction, volunteers said, “as if wondering what he had done wrong.” To his credit, he backed away and gave the other cats space.

Now the room has settled into a calmer truce.

Zipper has also discovered his favorite place in the shelter — the top of the cat condos, where he can watch birds and squirrels outside the windows and observe people passing by.

“It makes you wonder if this is something he used to do during his days surviving around that parking garage,” the shelter said.

He has not quite figured out toys yet, but volunteers are confident that with time and patience he will learn to enjoy them.

One thing Zipper has already mastered, however, is eating.

“He has quite the appetite,” the shelter said, noting he can sometimes be found “standing directly on the community wet food plate while simultaneously trying to reach the dry food bowls.”

Volunteers say he is clearly making up for lost meals from his past.

Zipper loves being pet and scratched, and gentle affection seems to make him very happy. However, he is not yet comfortable being picked up.

“For now, Zipper sets the rules, and we respect that,” the shelter said.

He has only been at the shelter for about a week and is still settling in, but volunteers are confident that with time he will continue to relax, make friends and show everyone the wonderful cat they already know he is.

Medically, Zipper is fully vetted. He has tested negative for FeLV and FIV, is parasite-free, vaccinated, neutered, microchipped and already litter-box trained.

His first two years of life remain a mystery.

“But we can only imagine the challenges he faced while trying to survive on his own,” the shelter said. “Now it’s time for a new chapter.”

Zipper can currently be found in the shelter’s Purple Room.

He received his name because the parking garage manager saw him “zipping around the garage, weaving in and out of cars and trucks and racing up and down the ramps.”

Now volunteers hope he will “zip right into someone’s heart — and straight into a loving forever home.”

Those interested in meeting Zipper can call the Grateful Paw Cat Shelter at 631-757-4517, email cats@laphuntington.org, visit the shelter’s Facebook page, or stop by the shelter at 3 Verleye Ave. in East Northport.

The shelter is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., with additional Thursday evening hours from 7 to 9 p.m. by appointment.

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Neighbor News

Taenika Sands-Hendricks trains all ages and contributes to workforce development

This post was contributed by a community member.

Taenika Sands-Hendricks has made it her mission to make swim lessons and water safety training more accessible to underserved communities.

Sands-Hendricks owns My Own Lane Aquatics, and is a member of the New Greater Hempstead Chamber of Commerce. Under its president, Dr. LaShawn Lukes, the Chamber highlights the business profiles of its members -- and their community concerns.

According to Sands-Hendricks, who is Black, too many majority-minority communities have inadequate opportunities for swimming. Long ago, Black people were excluded from public pools through segregation policies that are now illegal. The unfortunate legacy today is a lack of swimming pools in communities of color.

“Even in white families, 40 percent of children can’t swim,” Sands-Hendricks said. “That statistic rises to 65-70 percent of Black or Native American children and 45 percent for Hispanic children. Drowning is a leading cause of death in these cohorts.”

Sands-Hendricks is using her years of experience as a lifeguard and water safety instructor to change those numbers. Five years ago, she opened her own enterprise, My Own Lane Aquatics.

Every Sunday, she instructs aspiring swimmers ages 5 through adult at the Arvilla E. Nolan Swimming Pool of Adelphi University. Her clientele includes disabled and autistic customers.

So far, she has taught 35 adults and more than 300 children to swim. She partners with New York City schools and with organizations in Nassau County like the Uniondale PAL.

She herself worked as a lifeguard in the Hempstead Village Parks and Recreation Department from her teens to her early twenties. The job paid well, and because her employer was a public institution, she started saving for retirement at age 18. As an adult, she undertook advanced certifications in water safety and built her career.

Today, she’s taking steps to pass along what she has gained.

“Once kids know how to swim, we can get them to the point of lifeguard certification,” Sands-Hendricks explained. “They could have multiple certifications by their junior year of high school and go into their senior year working. That’s why I want to go into workforce development, especially in Hempstead, Roosevelt, Uniondale, Lakeview, and Malverne, where the kids need to know that lifeguard work is not out of reach.”

In pursuit of her vision, she has already awarded more than 30 American Red Cross lifeguard and water safety certifications.

The courses Sands-Hendricks teaches do require money. She does pro bono work when she can. But she also wins grants.

“I just won the Intuit Quickbooks grant for $20,000 to promote my second April Pool’s Day free swim clinic on April 12,” she said. “It will include CPR. I’m also seeking grants to fund my Lane Leader Initiative, so those who cannot afford the lifeguard certification can still earn it.”

The April 12 April Pool’s Day clinic will take place at Adelphi University.

Those interested in contacting My Own Lane Aquatics can visit MyOwnLaneAquatics.com, email taenika@myownlaneaquatics.com, or call (516) 216-9601.

"Swimming is more than a skill,” Sands-Hendricks said. “It is safety. It is confidence. It is opportunity.”

VALLEY STREAM, NY. — Nassau County could be in line for a second Brazilian steakhouse once construction is complete at Green Acres Mall, as the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency approved a trio of leases for prospective tenants at the mall Tuesday. Among the tenants given the green light was Fogo De Chao.

Expanding into the U.S. in 1997, the steakhouse chain operates 60 stateside locations, including one in Garden City and one in Huntington. The Green Acres location would be its third on Long Island, with additional restaurants in Western Queens and Manhattan.

“Our investment in Green Acres Mall and the adjacent Green Acres Commons, demonstrates the attraction of these shopping centers to attract a diverse range of high-quality national tenants,” IDA President Fred Parola said. “Our investment in Green Acres continues to generate dividends for the residents of the Town of Hempstead in the form of new business, increased employment, and the generation of new sales tax revenues.”

Investment is hardly a new word for Green Acres, which announced a $100 million renovation and expansion effort last year that would bring almost 400,000 square feet of new retail space to the mall. That effort has already been complimented by new tenants like Old Navy and Sunglass Hut.

Wednesday, Parola told Patch that there wasn't a set date for the steakhouse to open in the mall. The IDA did announce that the location would occupy 7,551 feet of commercial space in Green Acres Commons and employ 85 people.

Also announced Wednesday was the approval of a lease for Wonder Food Hall, which currently operates in Port Jefferson and Melville, to bring its business to Green Acres. Wonder, under the same ownership as meal kit service Blue Apron and food delivery app GrubHub, uses a shared kitchen to make food for a number of storefronts in its locations, offering fast-casual options to diners across a variety of cuisines. The Wonder Food Hall space, the IDA said, would fill between 35 and 40 jobs, occupying 2,748 square feet of space.

Finally, King Jewelers jewelry and watch-repair kiosk had a lease approved for a 150-foot space that'll keep one person on staff full-time and four people staffed part-time.