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Before losing the Democratic nod to run for Westchester County executive, Ken Jenkins gave a rousing speech.

He was clear, focused and inspired.

He was part preacher, part politician, and didn’t fumble around for words or speak in circles. In all my years covering county government, it was the best I’ve ever seen Jenkins.

Before a crowd of roughly 2,000 Democrats at the Westchester...

Readers wrote to us this week about the morning after pill, campaign finance reform and Internet sales taxes. Several people took issue with an op-ed we ran on Monday by Destiny Thompson, a Valley Stream South High School senior who was brought to this country illegally at age 2. She is hoping New York passes a version of the DREAM Act, which would help her pay for a college education. Stay tuned...

Mark Wilson is a New York political cartoonist and illustrator who lives in the Adirondacks. He publishes under the pen name Marquil.

MORE CARTOONS: Mark Wilson's cartoon gallery...

Topping the editorial board's agenda for tomorrow: Nassau’s public works commissioner has requested an opinion from the county’s Ethics Board. She gave a $250,000 contract to her sister’s engineering firm and now wants to know whether this was a conflict of interest. We think she should have asked for this opinion before handing out $250,000 in work.

We like the new smartphone app that allows...

To make immigration reform more palatable to those who call it amnesty, there’s a bipartisan proposal being floated in the House of Representatives. Undocumented immigrants would have to plead guilty to a misdemeanor in federal court and serve some time on probation. The editorial board is wary of flooding the court system with this burden. We’re watching the issue to see if it gains support, but...

NBA player Jason Collins of the Washington Wizards announced today that he is gay. The editorial board thinks his public statement will be helpful, because it normalizes the idea that people in all walks of life can be gay -- not just those starring on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” It softens old stereotypes.

The One World Trade Center spire will hit its 1,776-foot destination height very...

The editorial board believes the United States needs to move more aggressively to release terrorism prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, many of whom have been held without charges or trial for 11 years. Holding them without due process is, in a word, un-American. Now, 93 of the 166 suspects are on a hunger strike. The Obama administration must live up to the president’s promise to shutter Guantanamo,...

We didn’t post Up on the Board earlier today, because the editorial board went out to lunch to celebrate our nomination as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Newsday was named on April 15 as one of three finalists for editorial writing, for our coverage after superstorm Sandy.

And over lunch, things changed. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced midday that the Boston Marathon bombers had been...

Self-esteem issues used to be rooted in comparing your body to a supermodel’s, but now that social media dominates our culture, they're more about comparing yourself to your peers. Now, networks upon networks have access to your best and worst candid moments. They might be embarrassing. They might be shameful. They might make you think twice about having a burger for lunch. What could be worse than...