PEOPLE OF THE YEAR
Kevin Mann bridges continents for peace, hope and educational enrichment
By Nasrin Zahed
Kevin Mann, president of the Rocky Point Rotary Club, stands at the forefront of a noble mission — to promote peace and...
Healing campuses: Michael J. Winfield Sr.’s mission to end hazing
On college campuses across the nation, where dreams unfurl and ambitions take flight, lurks a hidden shadow — hazing.
A cruel dance of humiliation and...
The Fifth Season’s dynamic duo
By Sofia Levorchick
Since they were teenagers, John and Deborah Urbinati have been immersed in the culinary world, sharing a passion for the restaurant business....
Personal trainer in Smithtown takes it personally
By Steven Zaitz
The silver Honda Accord of personal trainer Stephan Reyes can be seen in the same spot each and every weekday.
No, there isn’t...
Eileen Anders shares her love for horticulture and history with Huntington, Northport
By Julianne Mosher
Penny Ferraro spent her entire adulthood in Port Washington. When her children moved east, the newly widowed Ferraro decided to start a...
Three Village’s Kinney is full of charitable endeavor
Hope Kinney is a familiar face in the Three Village area.
Whether at an event organized by the Rotary Club of Stony Brook, Three Village...
Northport sports mom and volunteer doesn’t let medical diagnosis deter her
A late November day in Western New York saw temperatures drop into the 20s with the wind chill making it feel close to zero.
Leftover...
SBU’s infectious disease team shares best practices, saves lives
Previously invisible to most of the public, the infectious disease team at Stony Brook Medicine took center stage from the beginning of the pandemic...
Chamber VP and hospital PR man presents an excellent face for Port Jeff
Stu Vincent, director of public affairs and public relations at Mather Hospital, has also made a name for himself within the Port Jeff business...
EJ’s PJs: Keeping those in need warm and cozy
The EJ’s PJs pajama drive is an enduring holiday tradition for the Middle Country community. On Saturday, Dec. 10, the program marked its 12th...
Historian’s pastime digs deep into local history
By Julianne Mosher
Living in Port Jefferson for more than half his life, Mark Sternberg always knew the village had a story.
“I grew up here...
Lily Bonacasa: Enriching her community one toy at a time
Deborah and Lily Bonacasa are a mother-and-daughter team who have distributed thousands of toys to needy children over the last three years during the...
Inkles leads the Staller Center with personal touch and vision
The director of the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University, Alan Inkles typically goes the extra mile for his audience, staff...
Holly Fils-Aime: distinguished professor and hardened environmentalist
By Chris Mellides
As a child growing up in New Hampshire, Holly Fils-Aime and her sister would often venture into the wilderness surrounding their rural...
Three Village Historical Society prospers under Irizarry
During the onset of the pandemic, the Three Village Historical Society had a difficult decision regarding laying off employees when they were unable to...
Citizens against cracking: Comsewogue’s hometown heroes who held their community intact
By Aidan Johnson
In an age and political culture defined by partisanship and polarization, the few examples of unity and solidarity give us hope.
This summer,...
Rich Tomitz thinks big for the St. James-Smithtown Little League
Throughout his tenure as president of the St. James-Smithtown Little League, and over the course of his life, Rich Tomitz has always been a...
Head of the Harbor couple make the local community a better place to live
Harlan and Olivia Fischer have been married for nearly 50 years. Even more impressive than the longevity of their marriage is their track record...
A special honor for Steve Englebright, the consummate politician
New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) has held elective office continuously since 1983. Englebright’s long tenure now comes to a close.
In a tight...
Michael Donatelli promotes literacy to underprivileged families
By Karina Gerry
Generous, inspiring, compassionate and dedicated, are just a few of the ways people describe 15-year-old Huntington resident Michael Donatelli.
“Michael just as a...
Attorney and animal advocate Mark Freeley is always ready to help
Mark Freeley is the kind of person who likes to get his hands dirty, especially when it comes to helping people in need.
The longtime...
Local environmentalist takes efforts to a global level
By Donna Newman
At year’s end, TBR News Media honors community members who have shared their time and talents to enhance the place they live...
Sal Pitti serves as bedrock for Port Jeff Station/Terryville civic
If there’s a man around town, then that man’s more than likely to be Sal Pitti.
Whether he’s rolling up in his car to check...
Unsung hero gets things done
By Donna Deedy
Susan Eckert is one of those unsung heroes who works behind the scenes to improve the quality of life for others here...
Leigh Wixson is barking up the right trees at Smithtown Animal Shelter
With the popularity that pets and other animals already feature on social media, one wouldn’t be blamed to think it’s a cinch to get...
St. James resident keeps on volunteering at 90
Volunteerism runs in the blood of one St. James resident.
May Chasteen, 90, has always found time and energy to volunteer. Currently, she is the...
SBU’s President McInnis ‘makes big ideas happen’
From offering insights about higher education to The New York State Senate, to presenting her academic research on slavery to the University Senate, President...
A loyal and knowledgeable deputy, SBU’s Greiman earns president’s praise
It didn’t take long for chief deputy to the president of Stony Brook University, Judith Greiman, to impress her new boss.
When Maurie McInnis was...
Indu Kaur keeps Port Jefferson well fed and welcomed
Soft spoken and modest, Indu Kaur has been quietly helping out her community, all while managing and operating three local businesses — two of...
Huntington councilman-elect serves the community
Even before being elected to Huntington’s Town Board in November, Sal Ferro (R) strived to make his community and the surrounding areas a better...
Stan ‘The Man’ Loucks gets the job done
Port Jefferson Village trustee Stan Loucks puts his all into everything he does.
A resident of Belle Terre for more than 40 years, he has...
Abel Fernandez shows his love for high school and community in Mount Sinai
Think of all the little things that make or break your day.
Were you greeted by a kind man when you came to work that...
Hoffman embraces the Three Village community
George Hoffman is a familiar face from Setauket Harbor to Brookhaven Town Hall. Intending to make a difference in the Three Village area each...
SBU’s Del Poeta finds a clue that may aid the COVID battle
He’s a scientist, dedicated father and husband, businessman, mentor, collaborator, accomplished cook and gracious host. It seems fitting that Dr. Maurizio Del Poeta, a...
It Takes a Team: School Districts Working Together During COVID
Sometimes it takes a village – sometimes it takes a whole district.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, workers in North Shore school districts had to buckle...
Govt Workers Facilitated Communications/Aid During Pandemic’s Height
It would be impossible to commemorate every government worker in a single article, but the massive number of people busting their back in the...
Community Members Go Above and Beyond to Help Others
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, everyday people felt that it was their civic duties to step up and make a difference. Some made masks, some...
Businesses Pivot to Provide Aid During Pandemic
North Shore businesses found themselves turning into chameleons during the pandemic, having to adapt to new hampering COVID-19 regulations and restrictions.
But many of these...
Health Care Services Provided Help at Home for Those Needing it Most
By Kimberly Brown
The responsibilities of home care workers and health aides to support the daily activities of those who are incapable of doing so...
Fur and Friendship: The Stories of Pet Service Workers
By Chris Cumella
Social distancing has been accompanied by a loss of companionship that people yearn to have once again. Fortunately, pet-service workers have committed...
Food Insecurities Increase During Pandemic, But Help Is Available
During the pandemic, helping to feed those with food insecurities came not only from expected organizations such as food banks and church pantries but...
Child Care Services Provided Stability in Children’s Lives During COVID
When the first weeks of the pandemic hit, when everything from restaurants to gyms to playgrounds were being shut down, schools were forced closed...
First Responders, EMTs and Paramedics Help Save Lives
By Iryna Shkurhan
The work of first responders is indispensable to communities across the country, but during an exhausting year like 2020, it was even...
Health Care Workers Become Critical Partners in Viral Battles
They lost patients, sleep and time with their families and yet, through some of the most difficult conditions in over a century, they persevered,...
Hintzes Share Their Talents for the Benefit of the Community
By Donna Newman
Lise and Steve Hintze have been caring, contributing, active members of the Three Villages for more than two decades. They are both...
Ann Pellegrino Turns Heartache into Blessings
By Laura Johanson
Many people face difficulty in their lives — some struggle, many endure — and then there are those that transcend. Ann Pellegrino,...
Holocaust Survivor Instills Moral and Ethical Values in Students
By Leah Chiappino
Holocaust survivor and Smithtown resident Werner Reich first began speaking about his life experiences at Smithtown High School nearly 25 years ago....
Foundation Enhances Life for North Shore Communities
Nissequogue River State Park, located on the grounds of the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center, has been a popular destination for area residents who...
Huntington Community Embraces Charitable Causes
By Daniel Dunaief
They put their money where their heart is. The dedicated volunteers at The Townwide Fund of Huntington contribute to charities that provide...
Communities Focus on Opioid Prevention and Recovery
In 2006, at the age of 21, two young adults in Northport died of an opioid overdose. To honor these lives and help prevent...
Elwood Responds After Bossert Leads with Trust and Respect
The 5-square-mile hamlet of Elwood is known as a tight-knit community with a strong sense of heritage and pride. So, when Kenneth Bossert joined...
Kathianne Snaden Shows Commitment to Local Govt
The smaller into the levels of government you get, the less visible an official usually is.
That’s not much of the case with Port Jefferson...
Rising Above Adversity, Firefighter Fights the Good Fight
By Peggy Spellman Hoey
Family has always been important to firefighter Cheyenne Enlund, so it is no coincidence that when she joined the Sound...
Stony Brook Resident, Educator Keeps Three Village History Alive
The Three Village area is filled with history and no one knows this better than educator Donna Smith.
A former four grade teacher at Setauket...
David Prestia Caters and Gives Back to the Community
By Leah Chiappino
For David Prestia, the owner of Bagel Express in Setauket, being part of the Three Village area is more than being a...
Watching over Society’s Most Vulnerable
By Laura Johnson
Guardianship Corp is a pilot program created to serve as a safety net for impoverished, incapacitated adults who are wards of the...
McMorris Family Turns Tragedy into Generosity and Advocacy
Nobody should have had to go through what the McMorris family did.
Yet, there are very few families that could have turned around and offered...
Coram Resident Commits Time Every Day to Helping Other Veterans
On a recent December morning, while many shoppers rushed into the Middle Island Walmart to take care of some holiday shopping, others paused in...
How a King’s Grant is Today Preserving Long Island’s History
Since 1639, the Gardiner family and their descendants have owned a 5-square-mile island in the Atlantic Ocean nestled between Long Island’s North Fork and...
Island’s First Food Bank
On Long Island, 89,030 children go hungry. Who’s counting?
Long Island Cares. Founded in 1980 by the late Grammy Award winning musician and activist Harry...
Stony Brook Medicine Team Saves Lives with Mobile Stroke Units in Suffolk
By Daniel Dunaief
In June, Diana Squitieri of Holbrook wasn’t making sense. Her son Joe noticed that she was also stumbling while her face was...
Rosenhagen Sisters’ Beach Bucket Brigade a Proven Success
Approximately 8 million tons of plastic waste is dumped into the oceans each year, according to the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy. Long Islanders have seen...
Empty Nesters John and Nikki Poulianos Continue Support of Schools
By Julianne Mosher
Although their children graduated from Port Jefferson high school years ago, John and Nikki Poulianos still help out the students whenever they...
Kent Animal Shelter: A Safe Haven for Homeless Animals
In 1969, the Kent Animal Shelter opened its doors in Calverton to Long Island animals with nowhere to call home. From their first day...
Larry Ryan Gives Back to Community, Helps Those with Special Needs
By Julianne Mosher
Larry Ryan of Port Jefferson Station is known to keep busy with different projects and volunteerism, but he stays modest about the...
Enviro Group Continues to Lead Way on Water Conservation
By Peggy Spellman Hoey
Coastal Steward Long Island has a three-pronged plan of attack in an unending, dirty battle — the one all environmentalists have...
Rob Bentivegna Always There to Lend a Hand
Rob Bentivegna, a former firefighter and general handyman for Rocky Point Fire District often goes unnoticed.
Usually a cheerful and magnanimous guy, Bentivegna allows other...
TBR News Media hosts People of the Year Awards Night
The 2018 TBR News Media People of the Year in Brookhaven were honored at the Three Village Inn in Stony Brook on March 24....
Selden resident’s drive for helping others keeps food pantry running
One woman’s passion for helping others has benefited many who are in need.
For the past 15 years, Susan Delgado has headed up the food...
Huntington Station resident offers housing help, aid to Latino community
Generous, warm and intelligent are a few of the adjectives Huntington residents use to describe one Huntington Station resident.
Pilar Moya — also known...
Johnson brings farmers market back to Three Village area
By Susan Risoli
Thanks to Linda Johnson, the Three Village Artisan and Farmers Market has become a place of healthy healing, not only through its...
Scott Posner selflessly serves the St. James community
By Donna Deedy
On a gray, mid-December day, Scott Posner wheeled four cardboard boxes into the gymnasium at St. James Elementary School, just as he...
Interfaith association gets much-needed conversations going
For approximately two decades, clergy members from a variety of faiths have been working together in the Three Village area to bring residents from...
Comsewogue teacher Andrew Harris galvanizes activism
Amanda Perelli
Those who know him say Andrew Harris, a special needs teacher at the Comsewogue High School, is an empathic teacher in the classroom...
Parkland shooting victims families turn tragedy into advocacy
On a holiday to celebrate love in all its forms, two Suffolk County families’ worlds were forever shattered upon hearing their loved ones were...
Huntington father-son duo show their ability to be role models
A Huntington father-son duo show the business world how accepting people’s differences as strengths can form a road map to success.
Mark Cronin and his...
Janet Godfrey and Operation Veronica support the troops overseas
Nearly every Friday at St. Anthony Padua R.C. Church in Rocky Point a number of women are hunched over boxes, twine and packing slips.
Though...
SBU’s Heather Lynch performs pioneering penguin research
By Daniel Dunaief
Heather Lynch is thrilled that she’s in the first class of scientists chosen as a recipient of the National Geographic AI for...
Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. works with the community
By Anthony Frasca
In a ceremony this past January at the Van Nostrand Theater on the Brentwood campus of Suffolk County Community College, Gov. Andrew...
Gina Mingoia sings and plays to serve community
By David Luces
For 20-year-old Gina Mingoia, Shoreham resident and local musician, her selfless attitude, her willingness to extend a helping hand and her music...
Robert Misseri puts his best ‘paw’ forward for veterans
By John Grimaldi
One way to show appreciation for U.S. veterans’ service to our country is to ensure they receive the support and services they...
Celebrate St. James brings its community together
By Susan Risoli
The St. James of the past was a gracious world, where locals were joined by artists and celebrities summering in the prosperous...
Person of the Year 2018: Gloria Rocchio and WMHO carry on the Melvilles’ legacy
By Donna Deedy
An old, darkened portrait of George Washington hangs on the wood-paneled wall behind her desk. Abraham Lincoln’s words are inscribed on an...
Theatre Three employee Brian Hoerger is always there when needed
By Daniel Dunaief
Brian Hoerger saw the doors bowing inward. A deluge of about 4 inches of rain in an hour or so in Port...
North Shore Boy Scouts help community, help each other
By Melissa Arnold
All across Long Island, as Boy Scout troops gather for regular meetings, they reaffirm their commitment to the organization’s oath and law....
Angeline Judex, Long Island Explorium showcase STEAM in Port Jeff
By Kyle Barr
[email protected]
At a glance, the Long Island Explorium building looks like an old-school log cabin compared to the great glass facade of the...
TBR News Media honors 2017 Brookhaven ‘People of the Year’
The 2017 TBR News Media People of the Year were honored at the Three Village Inn in Stony Brook March 11. The 2017 honorees...
Coram resident Frank Rivera fights for sarcoidosis patient advocacy
By Jennifer Sloat
He has been called an angel, the personification of goodness and strength, a champion of the underrepresented and an inspiration. Frank Rivera...
Huntington resident fights for the rights of man’s best friend
A Huntington woman has taken to heart that Earth was made for all to enjoy, big and small, including man’s favorite four-legged friends.
Ginny Munger...
Sorrentino gives back from Huntington to Harvey victims
By Sara-Megan Walsh
When a Huntington business owner gave away 30 turkeys out of the back of a pickup truck on Thanksgiving eve nearly a...
Gersh Academy founder dedicated to helping kids
It takes a special person to take care of a child with special needs. Huntington resident Kevin Gersh has proven all it takes is...
Bontempi helps others connect in Huntington
By Kyle Barr
There are qualities that allow a person to excel no matter what they are doing or put their mind to. Huntington residents...
Vanderbilt’s volunteers help museum put best foot forward
One of Suffolk County’s museums leads by example in knowing the value of the proverb many hands make light work.
The Vanderbilt Museum, Mansion &...
Rocky Point gym owner shapes up community
By Kevin Redding
A Rocky Point fitness club owner is determined to get people in shape — inside the gym and beyond it.
Since 1989, North...
Kennedys put people first as public servants
Nesconset resident Leslie Kennedy stepped into Giorgio’s of Nesconset Pizzeria & Restaurant Dec. 15, but not to grab a bite to eat. She had...
Suffolk County residents provide outreach to special needs community
By Jill Webb
Out of the 366,574 children residing in Suffolk Country, 2,445 of those children live with autism, according to a report in a...
Community group in Brookhaven working to build bridges
By Daniel Dunaief
Tom Lyon, Mark Jackett and Susan Perretti, among many others, don’t have all the answers. In fact, they are filled with difficult...
Grant writer an expert in finding money for Port Jeff Village
Though the hills might not be saturated with valuable nuggets like the gold rush days of old, hidden money exists for municipalities in the...
Keeping an eye on Setauket Harbor and beyond
By Anthony Frasca
When he noticed there were issues with the cleanliness of Setauket Harbor, Charles Lefkowitz took matters into his own hands. A founding...
Huntington business helps Haiti after Hurricane Matthew
By Jill Webb
A Huntington resident with a passion for cooking opened her doors to help the people of her native Haiti, and in reaching...
