Arielle Martinez

5 days ago | newsday.com | Darwin Yanes |Arielle Martinez

As data breaches and other cyber incidents become more common at schools, experts say districts must be well-equipped to defend themselves against threats that could leave children at greater risk of identity theft.

1 month ago | newsday.com | Dandan Zou |Arielle Martinez

More Long Island students attended school consistently last year following an alarming surge in chronic absenteeism — but the absence rate was still higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, a Newsday analysis found. The overall rate of chronic absences for Island schools dropped from 19.4% in 2022-23 to 17.6% in 2023-24, according to state data. Across the region, more than 100 out of the Island’s 124 districts had fewer chronically absent students in 2023-24 than the year prior.

1 month ago | newsday.com | Peter Gill |Arielle Martinez

Amir Porterfield’s mom misses everything about the 15-year-old who loved to bake cupcakes and play football at Copiague High School. "The little jokes, the hugs, the kisses," said Iesha Kyles, 34. "I miss the yelling and the bickering amongst my children — my house is a little quiet these days."Seventeen months ago, Amir stayed late after school to watch a volleyball game, then parted with friends and began walking home.

2 months ago | newsday.com | Olivia Winslow |Arielle Martinez

Long Island posted modest population gains between 2023 and 2024, with the biggest drivers being international migration and births outpacing deaths, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday. Both Nassau and Suffolk counties had population gains in the one-year period from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, of nearly half a percent. Nassau’s 2024 population estimate was 1,392,438, up from 1,386,052 the year before — a gain of 6,386, or 0.46%.

Oct 17, 2024 | newsday.com | Olivia Winslow |Arielle Martinez

Fewer people moved away from New York in 2023 than the year before, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released Thursday, and some analysts suggested the data indicated a modest recovery after thousands of New Yorkers fled the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Year to year changes don't always mean much," Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, said in an interview.