Fate led us to The Wave of Long Island, "Rockaway's Newspaper Since 1893," and we have lauded it ever since. Sometimes our praise has been fanciful, as with our Pulitzer Prize nominations for the hideous editorial cartoons of Robert Sarnoff. And there's as much happy-clappy stuff in The Wave as in any other neighborhood tab. But Rockaway is a fascinating place neglected by both the city and its media, and The Wave diligently reports its stories, from "Shooting Incidents Rip Rockaway" to "New Diner Management Hopes to Erase Nightmare Beginning." The paper's stories on local politics also fascinate ("[Council candidate] Jacques Leandre is a civil attorney with ties to the Nation of Islam and the Rosedale Jets youth football league"). Coverage of the area's numerous local homicides is exemplary—specifically, The Wave's stories on the investigation that freed Kareem Bellamy after 14 years for a murder he didn't commit would do honor to any city paper. "Rockaway Irregular" conservative columnist Stuart W. Mirsky makes more sense than David Brooks and Ross Douthat put together, and the letters to the editor are often sublime ("You are beautiful black people but you are showing too much breast and backside"). And it's only 35 cents for a paper copy.