Port Jefferson officials want to get the word out that residents can sign up to receive local emergency information on their phones and computers.
The Code Red system lets the village send messages to users with a call or a text to a mobile phone, a call to a landline or an email.
Suffolk County has used Code Red for a handful of years, and according to a previous presentation from Florida-based Emergency Communications Network LLC, the village can share community contact information with the county to broaden its database of users — but it still cannot reach Port Jefferson residents who are not among the thousands signed up for Suffolk alerts.
The village is encouraging local residents to sign up for the free notification service, so the public service agencies in the area can reach them in the event of a weather event like a hurricane or a snowstorm, or to inform people about road closures or other emergency information.
A link to sign up for Code Red is on the village’s website, at www.portjeff.com.
According to Dave Williams, the Port Jefferson Fire Department chief and a village deputy fire marshal who is also tasked with improving the village’s response to emergencies, the alerts could target a specific group of people with its messages, such as village employees.
“I think it’s a fantastic safety feature for everyone,” Williams said during the July presentation on the Code Red system.
Other local municipalities use the system, including the Town of Huntington and the Village of Amityville.
The Huntington Arts Council recently announced the winners of its latest exhibit, a self-portrait show titled “I See Me.”
Juried by Lynn Rozzi, director of the Firehouse Plaza Art Gallery at Nassau Community College, the “I See Me” prospectus requested artists to respond to the challenge of sharing their interpretation of questions and statements behind self-portraiture: “Who are you? How do you see yourself? Let everyone in on your personal vision of you. Self-portraits rule the day!” The response, reflected in the exhibition of works, consists of a diverse mix of media including but not limited to oil, digital photo, watercolor, graphite/gouche, ink and pastels.
Participating artists include Anu Annam, Christopher Arvans, Robyn Bellospirito, Mark Belton, David Benson, Pamela Best, Marlene Bezich, Elizabeth Cassidy, Beth Costello, Katherine Criss, Judith Davidson, Jessica Dayan, Emily Eisen, Paul David Elsen, Jessica Faro, Jim Finlayson, Nicole Franz, Susan Geffken Burton, William Grabowski, Donna Grossman, Dan Guido, Kirsten Hadjoglou, Rodee Hansen, Samantha Hernandez, Sofie Hoff, Lori Horowitz, Caroline Isacsson, Kate Kelly, Lauren Miceli, Margaret Minardi, Denis Ponsot, Robin Rosen-O’Leary, Lauren Ruiz, Jim Scovel, Constance Sloggatt Wolf, Jackie Stevens, Janice Sztabnik, Bobbie Turner, Tracy Vaccarino-Guzzardi, Chuck Von Schmidt, Pamela Waldroup, Lois V. Walker, Randy Weisbin and Fahiym Williams.
“‘I See Me’ employs the very interesting and up-to-the-minute concept … The Selfie … with the theme of self-portraits. And it seems to have touched the funny bone of a lot of artists who had a really good time picturing themselves in interesting, psychologically insightful and incredibly artful ways. This is a show not to be missed,” said Linda Louis, a member of the HAC board of directors and exhibition committee.
William Grabowski captured first place for his digital photo, “Past Tense.” Beth Costello garned second place for “No Language Barriers Here,” ink/oil pastel/paper on panels, and third place went to Margaret Minardi for her “Self Portrait,” colored pencil.
Awards of excellence were given to Marlene Bezich for “Under Cover Artist #1,” oil; Donna Grossman for “When One Door Closes,” oil/door panel; Jessica Dayan for “Mirror,” oil/linen; and Mark Belton for his untitled self-portrait, acrylic/canvas.
“I See Me” will be on display in the Main Street Gallery through April 27, 2015. The gallery hours are Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call 631-271-8423 or visit www.huntingtonarts.org.
A Huntington man who admitted to huffing an aerosol cleaner before getting behind the wheel on New Year’s eve in 2013 and broadsiding a 63-year-old Commack woman’s car, killing her, was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison on Friday, according to the Suffolk County DA’s office.
State Supreme Court Justice John Collins sentenced James Murphy, 20, in Riverhead this morning after what DA spokesman Bob Clifford described in an email as an emotional courtroom scene. Family members of victim Herta Palma attended the sentencing.
Murphy pleaded guilty on Feb. 26 to second-degree manslaughter, second-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He was remanded to the county jail following his February plea.
On the day of the fatal crash, Murphy was driving a Chevy Blazer north on Commack Road when he sideswiped one car and ran a red light at the intersection with Hauppauge Road, according to a Thursday statement from the DA’s office. Murphy’s SUV broadsided the Hyundai sedan Palma was driving. Palma died soon after at Huntington Hospital.
District Attorney Thomas Spota said Murphy told cops at the scene of the crash in 2013, “I was driving the white Blazer. I’m not going to lie to you officer. I just inhaled a can of Dust Off and threw it in the back of my truck.”
He also told officers he took Xanax and smoked hash a couple of days earlier.
Clifford said Murphy told the court today that he made “bad choices.”
Murphy’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment on Friday afternoon.
According to Clifford, Palma’s son, Joe Palma Jr., spoke to the court as well, saying, “As a family we have already been given our sentence. A life sentence of pain and grief from the loss of a mother taken much too soon for no good reason.
“All of our lives have been forever altered. We will never be the same.”
Clifford said Herta Palma’s daughter-in-law, Mary, also spoke, saying that the victim had visited her Commack home that afternoon, reminding the family to be safe on New Year’s Eve. Palma was staying home on New Year’s Eve because she lost a friend years ago in a drunk-driving crash.
“We actually spoke of it, obviously not knowing as she drove away that her life was going to be taken within nine minutes of her leaving my home,” she said, according to Clifford. “As she was pulling away, she was waving with her big smile at me, blowing kisses. … I hold on to that memory every day.”
In his statement, Spota called on the New York State Legislature to include intoxicative inhalants to current statutes that make driving under the influence of a drug illegal.
“It is well-established science that people who abuse inhalants experience intoxication, muscle spasms, a loss of coordination, hallucinations and impaired judgment — and it is also a fact that for many teenagers, inhalants provide a cheap and accessible alternative to alcohol,” he said. “It is time New York State treats inhalants as intoxicating substances so prosecutors can charge offenders with driving while impaired by drugs in the first degree.”
Kings Park Superintendent Timothy Eagen is now president-elect of the New York State ASCD, which helps educators throughout the state maximize educational opportunities.
Timothy Eagen, superintendent of the Kings Park Central School District, was recently elected to the position of president-elect of New York State ASCD.
Eagen served as president of the Long Island affiliate of ASCD for the 2013-2014 school year. This group consists of over 450 members of our local educational community.
Founded in 1943, ASCD, formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, is the global leader in developing and delivering innovative programs, products, and services that empower educators to support the success of each and every learner. ASCD is comprised of over 125,000 members, including superintendents, principals, teachers, professors, and advocates from more than 138 countries. The ASCD community also includes 56 affiliate organizations, including NYSASCD. ASCD’s mission is to foster a “global community dedicated to excellence in learning, teaching, and leading.”
“ASCD is an incredible organization that supports best practices in teaching and learning around the world,” Eagen said. “I am proud to have been selected to lead our state organization and further the mission of ASCD. Long Island, and specifically the Kings Park-Smithtown area, will benefit by having a greater level of advocacy and ‘voice’ in educational matters.”
The Greening of 25A Committee wraps up another successful cleanup event at the Stony Brook Railroad Station last week. Photo from Kara Hahn
By Kara Hahn and Shawn Nuzzo
The Greening of 25A Committee had an absolutely beautiful day for our 2015 spring cleanup at the Stony Brook Railroad Station. The sun was shining and volunteers worked hard to spruce up this important and extremely visible gateway to our community.
Our appreciation goes out to all the civic and community volunteers: Councilwoman Cartright, Jennifer Martin, Gretchen Oldrin-Mones, Herb Mones, Paul Willoughby, Jesse Davenport, Makenzie Gazura, Graham Ball, Alyssa Turano, Zach Baum, Charles Tramontana, Donald Amodeo and Elizabeth Zamarelli. Special thanks to the Long Island Rail Road, Frank Turano and Ron Gerry for lending us garden tools, along with other supplies and equipment that made the event possible.
Special thanks to the Three Village Chamber of Commerce and their volunteers David Woods and Bruce Reisman for opening up their office in the beautiful station house and to chamber member David Prestia of Bagel Express for the tasty bagels and coffee.
This year, we had an extremely large, contingent of undergraduate volunteers from Stony Brook University — more than 50 students participated, and thank you to Emily Resnick and Joy Pawirosetiko of Commuter Student Services and Off-Campus Living for help with recruiting the student participants.
Once again, we also had volunteers from Ward Melville High School Key Club — thank you to Kyra Durko, Ashley Donovan, Gianna Forni, Ben Sullivan, Jack Kiessel, Shannon Dalton, Josie Wiltse, Alyssa Abesamis and Dylan Buzzanca.
Thank you to the Town of Brookhaven Wildlife and Ecology Center for donating flowers.
As always we could not hold the clean up without the support of Town of Brookhaven Superintendent of Highways Dan Losquadro and his highway crew, who truly make our event possible.
Thank you to everyone involved, we could not have done it without you.
Legislator Kara Hahn represents the 5th District in the Suffolk County Legislature and Shawn Nuzzo is president of the Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook.
I read with interest the recent opinion article by Comsewogue school board trustee Ali Gordon (Team up to starve New York’s testing machine, March 12). I applaud her efforts. She explains how the governor tied his latest education policy to our state budget, a game where no one wins.
As an occasional contributor to this paper, I share thoughts on the organics of life: water conservation and wildlife, civic engagement, writing love letters, and about my daughter preparing for college — all untidy ventures. But being a student is untidy. Educating children is an organic experience; a hands-on, creative occupation. Our teachers tend to our children all day long. Not unlike rangers, they patrol for danger. Like gardeners, they employ means by which to rid the soil of invasive species. Ms. Gordon has shed light on the parasites.
Education’s root word, “educe,” means bring forth or draw out. It is untidy business. As adults, we know children grow at their own pace. A few bloom early, boldly. Some reach for help; others need coaxing. Some never extend themselves. Having tools and space helps to “bring forth” the students, and adequate funding is necessary for this organic endeavor. Forcing children to take poorly-worded standardized tests doesn’t help. Linking teachers’ employment and the health of school district to the results of any test should be actionable.
Whatever nutritive or non-nutritive fuel contributes to children’s abilities during the day, it is the work of the educators to draw out. They know children have learning challenges that are unrelated to curriculum or tests. I think we all know some come to school on empty stomachs. We know some have family trauma. Many lack confidence. Some are angry and conflicted. Some are bullied and, during math, plan how to get on the bus without being confronted. Some at school are ill and unfocused. Some are dreamers engaged in internal dialogs instead of listening. Others are preoccupied about professional sports teams, because that’s the focus of a parent. We know some whose first languages are not English, who risk their lives to cross the U.S. border to connect with a parent living in our districts. Education is fraught with immeasurable obstacles.
But let me see — in the words of Joe Pesci in “My Cousin Vinny” — what else can we pile on? The tax cap! Which could lead to budget cuts to academics, requiring placement of more and more of our budding children into a single classroom. Do it five periods a day. Do it 180 days a year. Force educators and administrators to douse children with tests created by businessmen who have an eye on their ledgers and the charter school lobby, who are literally banking on our students failing the test. It is unconscionable.
Yet our teachers were predominately evaluated effective or highly effective last year in a New York State Education Department-approved evaluation process.
We need to demand participation in state policy through open legislative debate. We need to opt out of the Common Core-linked standardized tests so our teachers can get back to the organic pursuit of education.
The Huntington Public Library’s Huntington Station branch. File photo
On Tuesday, April 21, voters in the Huntington Public Library district will be asked to approve an $8.9 million budget to fund operations at the Huntington and Huntington Station branches.
The budget is an increase over this year’s spending plan of about $113,000 and will not exceed a state cap on property tax levy increases. The money will go toward library programs, services, materials and increasing Sunday and Friday evening hours to align closely with the school year, the library’s website said.
It will also go toward replacing the heating and cooling units at the Main Street branch in Huntington and installing LED lighting and interior space renovations there, library Director Joanne Adam said.
“I feel pretty good because I feel like we definitely were able to stay within the tax cap,” she said of her first budget with the branch. “I feel like we’re still offering a lot of good programs and services to our patrons while being able to do that.”
Residents will also be asked to vote for library board trustees next week. Three candidates are running for two seats on the board. Incumbent Harriet Spitzer is up for reelection and is running for another term, according to the library’s website. Candidates Yvette K. Stone and Pat McKenna-Bausch are also running for the seat.
The vote will take place on Tuesday, April 21, between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m., at the main building
Suffolk County police caught up to the Miller Place man who allegedly robbed a Rocky Point bank on April 14, but the man didn’t go down without a fight.
Max Schneider, 26, was arrested on April 16 in Huntington at approximately 5:45 p.m., after the Suffolk County Police Department’s Pattern Crime Unit and Larceny Task Force detectives spotted him pulling into the parking lot of the Walt Whitman Mall, according to police.
Schneider allegedly attempted to escape detectives, but in the process collided his 2012 Honda Civic with two police vehicles.
Officials allege he is the man who entered the Capital One bank on Route 25A in Rocky Point shortly after 9 a.m. on April 14 and gave a teller a note demanding money. Police said he then fled on foot with an unknown amount of money.
Police arrested and charged Schneider with third-degree robbery; criminal mischief; reckless endangerment; and violation of a parole warrant.
Attorney information for the defendant was not immediately available.
According to online New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision records, Schneider was convicted of third-degree robbery in 2013.
Schneider will be arraigned in Suffolk County District Court in Central Islip on April 17.
Supervisor Ed Romaine and Councilwoman Jane Bonner speak against PSEG Long Island's proposed rate increase. Photo by Erika Karp
Brookhaven officials announced Thursday that the town is seeking permission from the New York State Public Service Commission to intervene on PSEG Long Island’s pending application to the commission for a rate increase.
At a press conference, Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) and councilmembers Jane Bonner (C-Rocky Point), Dan Panico (R-Manorville) and Neil Foley (R-Blue Point) expressed their concerns about the increase in the delivery charge portion of customers’ bills — a nearly 4 percent bump each year for three years — set to kick in next year. The officials said they believe PSEG Long Island hasn’t adequately justified the increase, which would have a “devastating impact,” on Long Island residents.
“We want to make sure that our voices are heard — the ratepayers in Brookhaven Town are heard,” Romaine said.
By legally intervening, according to attorney Rob Calica, of Garden City-based law firm Rosenberg Calica & Birney LLP, town officials would have access to filings and documents that are otherwise not public.
“If the town doesn’t intervene, it’s a commenter,” said Calica, who the town retained to handle the matter. “The comment period is closed. If the town doesn’t intervene, the records that are unavailable for public review remain unavailable. If the town intervenes, it elevates its status from commenter to a party.”
The utility stated in its proposal that it would invest in maintaining and modernizing the electric system; enhancing technology for managing customer accounts; improving infrastructure to better prepare for and respond to storms; and improving system reliability.
The town joins Suffolk County Comptroller John M. Kennedy Jr., who asked to act as an intervener in an April 10 letter to the New York State Department of Public Service, the department which contains the commission.
According to PSEG Long Island’s application, the three-year increase will amount to an approximate $221 million increase in revenues.
In his letter, Kennedy called it questionable to give “that excessive amount of money” to a “quasi-governmental entity that is supposed to be a leader in management performance, yet decides to increase the average residential customer’s bills when its own employees live and work on Long Island.”
This is the first time in more than 20 years that Long Island’s utility provider has had to submit a rate plan to the Department of Public Service, as required by the LIPA Reform Act of 2013, which also put the Long Island Power Authority under the management of private company PSEG Long Island. The department assigned administrative law judges to hear the case, on which Long Island residents commented at public hearings held throughout March.
Brookhaven officials and Kennedy said they also took issue with the fact that the utility’s proposed increase does not have to follow any cap that other public institutions, like governments and school districts, have to abide by, referring to the state’s tax levy increase cap. Romaine said PSEG Long Island should have to comply with and be held to higher standards.
“They are a public authority no different than the Town of Brookhaven,” he said.
In an email, Jeff Weir, PSEG Long Island’s director of communications, said the organization is proud to have the most transparent rate proceeding that local customers have ever seen.
“We believe the modest increase that we are seeking in our filing will allow us to continue to create a more resilient, modern and customer-responsive electric utility,” Weir stated. “We welcome the opportunity to continue to have constructive, open dialogue regarding our request.”
Washington, D.C., trip ties pieces of nation’s past to North Shore, including famed Culper Spy Ring
A panda enjoys bamboo at the National Zoo. Photo from Beverly Tyler
By Beverly C. Tyler
What do spy codes, a Setauket officer’s saber, cherry blossoms, pandas and a postal museum have in common?
This past weekend my family, including eight grandchildren, traveled to Washington, D.C. to visit our nation’s capital together and discover new things. The trip began with a visit to the National Cryptologic Museum about 30 minutes north of Washington.
Here, the story of the secret world of intelligence is detailed with interactive displays and cipher technology from the 16th century to today. One section details the activity of spies during the Revolutionary War, especially General Washington’s Culper Spy Ring, and allows visitors, especially children, to “Create Your Own Secret Cipher,” “Hidden Message,” “Invisible Ink Secrets” and “Make a Secret Code with a Dictionary.”
There is also a “CrypoKids Challenge,” with messages to decode throughout the museum. There is, of course, much more to see here, including captured German and Japanese code machines.
Cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. Photo from Beverly Tyler
The recently renovated Smithsonian National History Museum along the National Mall includes the exhibit “The Price of Freedom: Americans at War.”
Covering the period from the French and Indian War to the present, “exploring ways in which wars have been defining episodes in American history,” the exhibit includes a stunning array of artifacts, including a dragoon saber belonging to our own Major Benjamin Tallmadge, General Washington’s chief of intelligence and son of the Setauket Presbyterian Church minister.
A late spring provided an April 11 blooming for the cherry trees around the Tidal Basin at the Jefferson Memorial. More than one million people attended the cherry blossom festival in Washington, D.C., however we all went to the National Zoo to watch the pandas play and eat bamboo. A great choice considering the crowds and we did get wonderful pictures of the blossoms the day before.
We spent one morning at the National Postal Museum across the street from Union Station. This may be the best museum in D.C.; it is definitely the most interactive Smithsonian museum.
Visitors can sort mail in a postal train car, ride in a postal truck, select routes to deliver mail across the country and follow a new mail route from New York City to Boston in the 17th century, which became the Boston Post Road decades later. Other activities include letters written home during the many wars and conflicts of the past three centuries and the opportunity to follow these letters as they travel from place to place.
In one simulation of a post office, people come up to the postal window and interact with the clerk. One young girl came up to the window and asked that the Christmas list she was carrying be sent to Santa at the South Pole.
The clerk responded that Santa was actually at the North Pole. The young girl said, “Oh, that’s all right, this is my brother’s list.”
There are many other wonderful stories in the postal museum, including poignant letters written home during the Civil War. There are also real stories about mail fraud, letter bombs and how the security system of the United States Post Office Department dealt with crime.
And not to ignore the Hollywood approach, there are stories about all the movies made about every postal subject from the Pony Express to prohibition.
All in all, it was an experience for visitors of all ages.
In four days, we also visited the Natural History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, and walked around the Washington monument and Lincoln Memorial. All the Smithsonian museums belong to all Americans and admission is free.
Beverly Tyler is the Three Village Historical Society historian.
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