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By Mike White 🇺🇸 Oct. 30, 2025

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☕ Good morning, Long Island!

🎃 Tomorrow is Halloween. Has anyone noticed how tame the kids have gotten over the years? No more eggs and shaving cream.

Have teens become boring? Yes. But who wants to get egged? Yes. They are losing out on Halloween night memories. No. I prefer our better-behaved kids we have today.

🍣 This Sunday marks the start of Long Island Restaurant Week. The eight days of foodie fun runs from Nov. 2 through Nov. 9. Full details​

✍🏼 Feel free to respond to this email with feedback!

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MEET OUR SUPPORTERS

We’re proud to partner with Drew Patrick Spa, a sanctuary for beauty, wellness, and calm. From facials to full-body rejuvenation, Drew Patrick in Bay Shore helps Long Islanders look and feel their best.

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First, a new hope for Lake Ronkonkoma as officials announce lakekeepers

🛶 Long Island’s largest lake is finally getting a cleanup. A new team of lakekeepers is diving in to help restore Lake Ronkonkoma to its former glory. Locals say it’s the fresh start that the lake’s needed for generations.

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Second, Patchogue breaks ground on $160M Carriage House apartments

🏗️ The Carriage House will feature 262 rental units across two buildings totaling 455,000 square feet on more than four acres along W. Main Street.

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Third, after 30 years, Outback Steakhouse in Merrick calls it a day

🥩 GLI was the first to report this week that Outback Steakhouse dished up its last ribeye and Aussie Cheese Fries Sunday in Merrick, after three decades. Workers told us the other LI locations are not in danger.

🥖🍲 The Panera Bread in Lake Ronkonkoma has also closed.

🍿 However, a Chipotle Mexican Grill is moving into the old movie-house corner in Long Beach. So there's that.

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More headlines to highlight

🥅 A local kid who grew up rooting for the New York Islanders has made his NHL debut, earning two assists and embodying the Long Island dream.

👜 Nordstrom Rack is opening its third Suffolk location today at Smith Haven Plaza in Lake Grove — joining Trader Joe’s, Ulta and Shake Shack.

🌾 Massapequa honored its Hollywood roots with a new marker for Fred Stone — the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz on Broadway.

🎸 The Stray Cats have cancelled their entire tour as frontman Brian Setzer, also a Massapequa native, battles a "serious illness."

They were supposed to perform next week at Westbury Music Fair.

🦉A beloved barn owl named Nebula has gone missing from the Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown, prompting a community-wide search.

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Markets merge in Lake Grove to create Time Warp Relic superstore

Two popular vintage-collectible markets on Middle Country Road have merged into one mega destination: Time Warp Relic Warehouse, now a “Mecca for toys on Long Island.” Read all about it!​

Greater Babylon coverage is funded in part by The Argyle Theatre, where Broadway comes to Babylon. Click here for tickets to Annie.