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Suffolk County, welcome to the 21st century.

For the second time this year, the county Legislature has forayed into the wide world of text messaging, this time using the fine art of thumb-tapping for good.

With speedy thumbs come great responsibility. Or something like that.

Legis. Wayne Horsley, the first legislator to have his own blog, announced today that the county’s Crime Stoppers program will be beefed up by adding a “Text a Tip” element to it.

Suffolk’s program is piggy-backing on others already in place in New York City, Boston, Cincinnati, Ohio; Charleston, S.C.; Seattle, Fresno, Calif.; San Diego, Tampa, Fla. and Kansas City, Mo.

Statistics show that text a tip programs have resulted in as much as a 212 percent increase in successful crime prevention tips and led to hit-and-run arrests, illegal gun confiscations and even solved homicide investigations, Horsley said.

Horsley added he hopes the new program can prevent instances such as last week’s 100-student brawl at Hempstead High School from happening again.

“After reading reports of over 100 high schools students engaging in a dangerous brawl it seemed obvious that someone must have known about the impending mêlée, and maybe it could have been prevented,” Horsley said in a statement. “Look, texting is the preferred way of communication among teenagers and young adults so it makes sense that we embrace the role of texting in our policing efforts. Texting a tip to law enforcement is a rapid and silent method of communication that may make tipsters more comfortable when reporting crimes or potential crimes.”

Just don’t do it while driving.

Need action but tired of paying off that counterman at the deli who has a small horse book on the side? Want to take a step up after you discover you’ve become just another clown on the rail yelling your head off for the nag to finish in the money?

Forget Gamblers Anonymous, Hofstra University wants to prevent you from throwing away money a on glue factory candidate and help you actually own a racehorse instead.

The school is offering a two day course called “Racehorse Ownership for the Small Investor” November 15 and 16.  A press release claims that now is the time to get your money together and take a shot — when is it not — because you can buy stake in a thoroughbred for as little as $1,000.

More from the release:

This weekend immersion course is taught by attorney Chris Wittstruck, who examines in detail the benefits and risks of racehorse ownership as an alternative investment vehicle. New York is now able to install video lottery terminals (slots) at racetracks, ensuring a much enhanced purse structure for owners, so the timing couldn’t be better. Racing syndicates (partnerships) for the small investor are being formed at a rapid pace. Topics will include forms of ownership, licensing, acquisition of horses, hiring of professionals, insurance, tax issues, training expenses and related areas. A stake in a racehorse costs much less than generally thought, sometimes as little as $1,000.

Chris Wittstruck is a Long Island-based attorney, a licensed thoroughbred owner in New York State and a standardbred owner licensed by the harness racing commissions in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. He is a member of the United States Trotting Association, the Standardbred Owners Association of New York and the United States Harness Writers Association.

The Suffolk Association of Municipal Employees will hold a rally next week to praise Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer Bill Lindsay and Suffolk Comptroller Joe Sawicki for trying to save the John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility from closing.

County Executive Steve Levy wants to close or sell the Yaphank nursing home to save $15 million annually. He said recently that all of the patients will be taken care of or placed in another facility if the property is closed or sold.

The workers have been protesting Levy’s plans, and Lindsay has proposed finding new management for the nursing home to make it more financially manageable. Sawicki has also been asked to conduct an audit of the nursing home to make sure it is being soundly run.

The rally will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the William H. Rogers Legislature Building, 725 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge.

Recent audits by Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman’s office have found that seven companies who have home health care workers on Long Island violated the county’s Living Wage law.

The audits found a variety of violations by the companies, the most egregious being Louisiana-based Tender Loving Care Health Care owing employees more than $64,000 for underpayment of wages and days off.

The county passed the law in 2006 to ensure that employees of Nassau County contractors earn a living wage. The law sets hourly wages, starting at $9.50 in 2007. The wage is currently set at $12.05 an hour and the law provides for paid time off and health or child care benefits.

The audit also found violations at Westbury-based Long island Care at Home, Hicksville-based Aides at Home, Jamaica-based Allen Health Care Services, Brooklyn-based New York Health Care, White Plains-based Premier Home Health Care and Great Neck-based First Choice Home Care.

All seven agencies responded to the audits stating that they would make payments to their employees or adjust their policies so they are in full compliance with the law.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy pulled out his veto stamp this morning in an attempt to put an end to overspending by the Suffolk County Legislature.

Levy vetoed a $5,000 appropriation, approved by the Legislature, to the Smithtown Alumni Association, because it is not part of a core function to county government.

The appropriation, brought to the Legislature by Legis. John Kennedy, R-Hauppauge, is one of many that legislators bring for approval, no questions asked. They are typically bundled in an omnibus bill that includes several appropriations for several groups from many legislators. In 2008, the bill amounted to $630,000. It is projected for the same amount for next year.

But the Smithtown money was a separate bill, and when Levy saw the appropriation, he asked what it was for and found no follow-up details.

“The question the county executive is asking is where does it all stop,” said Dan Aug, Levy’s spokesman. “Five-thousand dollars here, $3,000 there, another $5,000 here, it all adds up in a time when taxpayers should come first.”

Get out your colored pencils and brush up on your longitude and latitude, it’s time to re-draw some Suffolk County maps.

The county Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services, state Department of Environmental Conservation and Federal Emergency Management Agency are hosting three meetings next month seeking input about updating flood maps.

FEMA is updating Suffolk’s flood maps for the first time in 29 years and is hoping to gain feedback from property owners before making the changes official.

Flood zone designations are likely to effect insurance requirements on certain properties throughout the county.

To be prepared for the meetings, FEMA and the state have developed a Web sitefor property owners to identify prospective changes in flood hazard designation at individual properties. Residents also should review the official Suffolk County Flood Insurance Rate Map and Flood Insurance Study before attending any meetings.

The meetings will be held:

• Nov. 12 4 to 8 p.m. at Babylon Town Hall Annex
• Nov. 12 4 to 8 p.m. at Levitas Center Concert Hall, Southampton
• Nov. 14 4 to 8 p.m. at Brookhaven Town Hall Auditorium

Venture capital investments dropped on Long Island in the third quarter, along with the rest of the nation, but investment activity on the Island is still ahead of last year’s pace.

Only one local company, Westhampton-based Demdex Inc., which operates an online demographic data exchange, received venture dollars in the quarter, according to the MoneyTree Survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers. That’s down from three companies that got investments in the second quarter and two in the third quarter 2007.

Demdex received $1.5 million, bringing total VC investment dollars to $8.75 million on the Island so far this year. That’s almost double the $4.76 million the Island netted in 2007.

Venture capital investments dropped 7 percent on a year-over-year basis to $7.1 billion nationally, according to the report.

In the entire New York metropolitan area, however, investments surged 21 percent year over year to $546 million.

The biotech industry got the most investment dollars in the nation in the third quarter, with $1.35 billion invested, but software remained on top in the number of investment deals, with 214 companies receiving funding.

From the release:

“While overall venture investing hasn’t yet been impacted by the turmoil in the financial markets, as evidenced by the $7 billion plus invested in Q3, we do expect to see a dip in investing over the next several quarters,” said Bob Sturm, head of PricewaterhouseCopper’s venture capital practice on Long Island. “We also do not expect venture funding to dry up. Venture capitalists have slugged through difficult economic times before and this one should be no different.  They are long-term investors and won’t jump ship just because the times are tough.  They may tighten their belts and those of their portfolio companies but they still have money in their coffers and will continue to make investments.”

“The financial crisis in October was not reflected in the third quarter venture capital investment levels,” said Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association.  “We will be watching the mix of first time vs. follow-on rounds closely in the coming months for any notable decline.  If venture backed companies can’t exit due to continued poor market conditions, venture firms will have to commit additional time and unplanned follow-on rounds of financing to those existing portfolio companies, which will channel resources away from new deals.  During the next year, venture capital investment levels will be driven significantly by the clean tech sector, which will continue to grow despite economic woes and could become the top investment sector for the venture capital industry by 2012.”

The latest poll by Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies has revealed that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has taken the lead among suburban residents.

Obama and vice presidential nominee Joe Biden now lead the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin 47 percent to 39 percent in the suburbs.

Last month, the numbers were reversed with McCain/Palin leading Obama/Biden 48 percent to 42 percent.

The poll is based on phone interviews with 1,503 adults 18 and over living in the continental United States conducted from Oct. 22 to Oct. 26. Of those, 1,000 were conducted with adults in the suburbs.

In addition to the overall numbers, the poll found that Obama opened a wider lead among those with a negative view of their personal finances. Last month, Obama led 50 percent to 40 percent. This month, the margin is more than 30 points, 58 percent to 22 percent, in Obama’s favor.

Obama also leads by 10 points in the overall national poll, 48 percent to 38 percent, and Obama reversed another McCain lead from last month, now leading among suburban independents 45 percent to 37 percent. Last month, McCain held a 46 percent to 38 percent lead among the same group.

While early voting is not available in New York, the poll found that one in nine suburbanites already voted and about one in four plan to vote before Nov. 4.

“Against the backdrop of growing economic pain in suburbia, Barack Obama has surged past John McCain among suburban ’swing’ voters who usually decide national elections,” said Lawrence Levy, executive director of the National Center, in a statement. “McCain needs the suburbs if he is to mount a comeback in the final week of the campaign.”

Suffolk County successfully did what few New York municipalities were able to do as of late.

The county yesterday was able to complete the sale of $85 million in short-term notes and $88 million in long-term bonds.

The county received a satisfactory interest rate of 4.95 percent from Prager Sealy & Co. Counties must borrow money twice a year to pay for their programs and services. The money is paid back when revenues come in from property and mortgage taxes, Comptroller Joe Sawicki said.

“Our notes once again received the highest ratings from Moody’s, S&P and Fitch and our bond ratings were confirmed at Aa3, AA and AA-, so we knew that if investors were looking to buy municipal bonds, they would bid on our debt,” Sawicki said.

The county’s bond sale was the largest by a local jurisdiction in the state since the financial crisis began last month.

“When critics wonder why we concern ourselves with controlling spending and tightly protecting reserves, the answer is that this is why we do what we do,” County Executive Steve Levy said. “Given the economic uncertainty of the past six weeks, anything could have happened in the bond sale but I am pleased that we earned the confidence of the investment community in these times.”