Brianne Ledda

Hers, New York

Reporter at Newsday

business reporter @newsday • send me an email 📬✨ [email protected]

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Articles

Long Islanders embrace 'buy now, pay later' despite risks

3 weeks ago | newsday.com | Brianne Ledda

For Jissell Garcia, 36, "buy now, pay later" platforms have proved a handy payment method when shopping for clothes. The Copiague resident, speaking outside her local Target, said it's a way to avoid incurring interest on her credit cards. For Garcia, who said she is always on time with her payments, the finance option has been a positive experience.
New dog hotel on Long Island among spots that pamper pooches

1 month ago | newsday.com | Brianne Ledda

When Jeff Bloom, 58, pulled up to Barkgata in Farmingdale recently, he was hoping to find a groomer for Leo, his 11-year-old dog. Many locations turned him down, the Melville resident said, because Leo — who sat calmly in a blue stroller while Bloom talked — has three legs and a spinal injury after an accident five years ago. Barkgata, a luxury dog hotel, daycare and spa, does not style fur, but owner Bianca Caras, 27, still took Leo in the back for a quick nail trim.
Long Islanders save, earn cash with clothing resale apps

1 month ago | newsday.com | Brianne Ledda

Elyse Strober, of Merrick, has earned $6,000 in the past two years from a favorite hobby, selling old clothes on Poshmark. The 41-year-old tax accountant said she uses the digital marketplace to both buy and sell secondhand clothes for her sons, who are 7 and 3 years old. She stores shorts and shirts the kids have grown out of andjeans and blouses from her own closetin clear labeled boxes in her basement. “I felt like I was hoarding things just because I felt bad throwing them away,” Strober said.
High cost of living on Long Island adds to financial burden of divorce, experts say

1 month ago | newsday.com | Brianne Ledda

When Crystal Walker divorced her husband in 2019, she moved from a four-bedroom house with her four kids to a two-bedroom apartment. The divorce put a strain on her finances, making it more difficult for the social worker and newly single mother to survive on a $53,000 salary at the time.
High cost of living on Long Island adds to financial burden of divorce, experts say

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Brianne Ledda

10 hours agoA pint-sized Hamptons abode is having a very large impact on the housing market after being listed for the extraordinary price of $2.2 million—despite offering just 1,100 square feet of living space on a 0.1-acre lot. The quaint, robin's-egg blue cottage looks like something from a storybook …
End of de minimis trade loophole could hit Shein, Temu shoppers hard

1 month ago | newsday.com | Victor Ocasio |Brianne Ledda

Juliana Mello, a regular online shopper who buys products from fast fashion website Shein roughly once a month, is already noticing increasing prices from the China-based retailer. Earrings that might have cost between $3 and $5 cost $20, said Mello, 48, of Farmingville. She's also seen the price of a sideboard buffet cabinet she purchased for her kitchen for around $150 rise to around $300, before the product was discontinued.
Zach Yadegari, 18, of Roslyn, builds AI-based calorie tracker worth millions

2 months ago | newsday.com | Brianne Ledda

At 18, Roslyn High senior Zachary Yadegari is more than a high-performing student with a 4.0 GPA. He is also the founder of an artificial intelligence-based app worth multimillions. The teen co-created the calorie tracking app, Cal AI, which has 3.3 million downloads to date, and a projected annual revenue of $30 million.
Healing center credited with pioneering sector in Patchogue closes

2 months ago | newsday.com | Brianne Ledda

In March 2014, Dawn Schultzer found herself in a parking lot on her lunch break. As she stared at the sky, contemplating the shape of her life, she realized she had a new dream. The accountant of 20 years quit her job the following month to open Tranquility Within, a holistic healing center in downtown Patchogue that permanently closed its doors on Feb. 16. Schultzer died of cancer in 2020, just a few years after opening, but the business lived on thanks to the efforts of family and staff.
West Islip residents sue hospital over construction damage

2 months ago | newsday.com | Brianne Ledda

Brian Branigan felt his house shake so hard March 10, 2023, that he believed he had experienced an earthquake. “I thought the house was going to get knocked down,” said Branigan, 54, who was in his West Islip home with his son, who was 7 at the time. Soon he got calls from neighbors: “Did you feel that?" he recalled them saying.
Full career parity for women still nearly 50 years away, report shows

2 months ago | newsday.com | Brianne Ledda

In February 2023, Katie Schnepp became the first permanent state park ranger on Long Island, one of relatively few women in the program. For a year, Schnepp, 48, coordinated the hiring, training and deployment of dozens of seasonal park rangers in 12 state parks across Nassau and Suffolk counties.