Wang, Lighthouse still on

Charles Wang has not made up his mind yet - as many expected would be the case after Nassau County abused the October 3 deadline he set for the Lighthouse Project.

He released a statement yesterday that explained his current situation with the project. The statement came as a result from an article that appeared in the less than glamorous Long Island Press about Wang's plan to abandon the project altogether.

“Yesterday’s report on the Lighthouse Project which appeared in the Long Island Press is untrue. There are no plans to abandon this project which is so vital to the future of Nassau County and Long Island as a whole," he said. "As far as the status of the Lighthouse project, we have submitted to The Town of Hempstead and Supervisor Kate Murray all the studies and required documents. A lease has been negotiated. Supervisor Murray and the Town Board need to make a decision on the zoning."

Furthermore, Wang said, "Long Island stands in this defining moment waiting for an answer. Yes or no. Moving forward, we will not discuss any meetings in the media. Any reports of meetings should be considered untrue. My heart is still on Long Island. I love Long Island. This is where the Islanders belong. Let's play hockey."

This soap opera song and dance will continue some more - let's up the ending is more happy than dramatic.

Lighthouse zoning hearing same day as KC game

Is it a coincidence? I think not. After waiting over 25 days for the Town of Hempstead to schedule a date for the Lighthouse zoning hearing, Town Supervisor Kate Murray finally chose Tuesday, September 22 as the day. It will consist of three sessions (9:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.). They will be held at Hofstra's Adams Playhouse in the middle of campus.

The catch? September 22 is also the day the Islanders are scheduled to play their pre-season game in Kansas City - also a city rumored to want an NHL team. Thank you very much Ms. Murray for pissing Islanders nation off, once again. If this Lighthouse proposal does not go through, don't expect Ms. Murray's political career to advance any further than it already has. While it's commendable that she is the first woman to serve as Town of Hempstead Supervisor, let's hope for her sake that she gains another re-election when this term is up. Only the vote will tell.

There is also a "yes or no" time stamp scheduled for October 3, for which the team needs an answer about the project. That's also opening night for the Islanders, who host the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

(Photo courtesy LighthouseLI.com)