🌱 Man Tries To Kill Parents On Christmas Morning + LI COVID

Hey, neighbors! It's me again, your host of the Merrick Daily.

First, today's weather:

A shower in the afternoon. High: 38 Low: 38.

Here are the top three stories today in Merrick:

1. A 29-year-old man was arrested for trying to kill his parents in Hewlett Harbor on Christmas morning. A 64-year-old woman was shot in the head and a 65-year-old man was shot in the back on Seawane Drive around 10 a.m. The couple survived and the son was arrested in New Jersey. (News 12)
2. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office has reported that Long Island has a COVID-19 positivity rate of 13.05 percent, the highest rate in New York. On Thursday, more than 8,200 new infections were reported in Nassau and Suffolk. (News 12)
3. French bulldogs are the most-stolen dog breeds. Two recent publicized cases of French bulldogs being dognapped on Long Island ended with the dogs being recovered but according to statistics only 10 percent of 2 million dogs that are stolen per year in the U.S. are found. (Subscription: Newsday)

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Today in Merrick:

• Drumming for Adults, Freeport Memorial Library, 7 p.m.

From my notebook:

• A family in New Hyde Park found a creative solution for Christmas gatherings during a COVID-19 surge. Crista LaRock of New Hyde Park recorded a video from the family's Christmas Eve dinner table with her sister wrapped in a plastic bubble. (ABC 7 News)
• Long Beach officials have reached a settlement with a developer who filed a $131 million lawsuit against the city which could lead to construction of two 13 and a half story apartment buildings. (LI Herald)
• Looking for something to do with the kids on school break? Hicksville's Celebrations in the Kitchen offers a selection of holiday cake, cookie, cupcake, cookie house and gingerbread house decorating kits. (Subscription: Newsday)

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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow with another update!

— Jackie