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Yearly Archives: 2024

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File photo

Suffolk County Police arrested a man on Jan. 14  for the murder of Kristine Costantino, who was shot
to death inside her home on Artist Lake Drive in Middle Island on December 31, 2023.

Following an investigation by Homicide Squad detectives, Detrich Emanuel was arrested on 144th
Street in the Bronx and charged with Murder 2nd Degree. Emanuel, 30, who is undomiciled, will be held overnight at the Sixth Precinct and arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on January 15.

Below is the original press release

Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are investigating a shooting that killed a woman in
Middle Island on Dec. 31.

Seventh Precinct police officers responded to a shooting inside 208 Artist Lake Drive at 11:27 a.m. Upon
arrival, officers determined Kristine Costantino had been shot. Costantino, 40, a resident of the home, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on the shooting to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-
6392 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

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Doris Koster
Doris Koster. Photo courtesy Koster Family

Prepared by the Koster Family

Doris Koster, 95, of St. Augustine, Florida, formerly of the Three Village area, died on Nov. 21 in her home. She was born on July 11, 1928, in Bay Shore to Jesse and Margaret Tillett. 

In 1946, Doris graduated from Sayville High School and soon after married Alfons Koster in 1947. Aside from raising their seven children, Doris was quite creative. She often wrote short stories about her life and subjects that interested her. Her watercolors and beautiful handmade quilts were cherished gifts for friends and family. 

Doris researched her ancestry years before genealogy became popular and was able to trace her father’s family in North Carolina back to the 1600s. In the 1970s, she volunteered at a women’s crisis center in Port Jefferson. In her eventual home in St. Augustine, Doris was an active volunteer at her local library. Doris and her husband loved to travel. In their early years they traveled throughout Europe and after retirement they toured the United States in their RV. 

Doris is survived by her daughters Peggy and Terry; son Peter; granddaughter Jessica; and grandson Kyle. Doris was preceded in death by her son Cary in 1978; husband Alfons in 1999; son Robert in 1999; son David in 2018; and daughter Babette Koster in 2021.

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From left, Shoreham-Wading River High School’s student government adviser Maryanne Agius, students Everett McClintock, Harrison Zeller, David Formisano, Shawn Engman, Sophia Minnion, Aliana Kurz and Ashley Militz and adviser Brittany Davis. Photo courtesy of the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District

Members of Shoreham-Wading River High School’s student government shared their ongoing efforts at a recent board of education meeting. The students work year-round with advisers Maryanne Agius and Brittany Davis to represent, advocate and empower their peers through creative ideas, leadership and resources to unify and enhance the high school community.

Students Shawn Engman, David Formisano, Aliana Kurz, Everett McClintock, Ashley Militz, Sophia Minnion and Harrison Zeller shared highlights and video clips from the to-date elections, Homecoming theme and floats, dances, fall pep rally, spirit days and fundraisers.

Board of education president, Thomas Sheridan, commended the advisers and student leaders for the school spirit and camaraderie they help to create throughout the high school and community. 

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Health Outreach Bus

Emma Clark Library, 120 Main St., Setauket welcomes the Catholic Health Mobile Outreach Bus to its parking lot on Thursday, Jan. 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Last screening begins at 1:45 p.m.) Registered nurses will provide blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, and glucose screenings, along with patient education and referrals as needed. They will also offer free flu vaccinations. No appointments are necessary, there are no fees, and insurance is not required. Questions? Email [email protected] or call 631-941-4080.

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Senior Juliana Mahan scores two of her team high 16 points against Center Moriches. Photo by Bill Landon
Sophomore Jocelyn Kavanaugh lays up for the Wildcats in a home game against Center Moriches. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River junior Brooke Andresen battles in the paint for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River’s Brooke Andresen shoots for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Senior Juliana Mahan scores from down low at home against Center Moriches. Photo by Bill Landon
Sophomore Kady Keegan scores for the Wildcats in a home game against Center Moriches. Photo by Bill Landon
Alyssa Bell “drives” the baseline in a home game against Center Moriches. Photo by Bill Landon
Alyssa Bell banks two for the Wildcats in a home game against Center Moriches. Photo by Bill Landon
Haylie Abrams fights for the rebound in a home game against Center Moriches. Photo by Bill Landon
Shoreham-Wading River sophomore Leslie Jablonski scores for the Wildcats. Photo by Bill Landon
Grayce Kitchen banks two for the Wildcats at home against Center Moriches. Photo by Bill Landon
Alyssa Bell scores for the Wildcats at home against Center Moriches. Photo by Bill Landon
Haylie Abrams scores for the Wildcats at home against Center Moriches. Photo by Bill Landon

Just past the halfway point in the season Shoreham-Wading River, the 2023 Suffolk County class A champions, find themselves in the middle of the pack in their division. The Wildcats (5-5), having lost to Mount Sinai three days earlier, were hungry to get back to their winning ways when they hosted Center Moriches (1-8), making short work of the Red Devils winning 58-35 in the League VI matchup Jan 8.

Senior Juliana Mahan led the way for the Wildcats doing what she’s done all season battling in the paint netting eight layups/putbacks for 16 points. Grayce Kitchen, a junior, netted 11 points and Kady Keegan, the sophomore, banked eight. Kitchen had a 3-pointer as did freshman teammate Stamatia Almiroudis.

The Wildcats next two games will be their litmus test with a road game at Elwood-John Glenn on Tuesday, Jan 16, followed by a home game against Hampton Bays Jan. 20. Game times are 5:15 p.m. and noon respectively.

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Ward Melville senior Grace Balocca banks two for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon
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Ward Melville senior Emily Shields fights for the rebound in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville sophomore Jaclyn Engel shoots two in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville’s Julia Dank shoots in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville sophomore Jaclyn Engel scores in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Julia Dank shoots from the top of the key for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville sophomore Kaitlyn McNeil shoots in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Addison Dellaporta goes to the rim for the Patriots in a league I matchup against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior Emma Silverman scores in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville sophomore Kaitlyn McNeil goes to the rim in a road game against Central Islip. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior Grace Balocca drives the lane for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon
Addison Dellaporta lays up for two for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon
Ward Melville senior Grace Balocca banks two for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon
Addison Dellaporta lays up for two for the Patriots. Photo by Bill Landon

Ward Melville rattled off six wins in a row to open their ’23-’24 season but were tripped up in a nonleague road game against Shoreham-Wading River, falling to the League VI Wildcats, 39-35, Dec. 29. 

The Patriots, reeling from that loss, pummeled Central Islip on the road in a league matchup defeating the Musketeers, 58-28, in the Jan. 4 contest. 

Ward Melville senior Emma Silverman led the offensive attack with a 3-pointer and four from the floor for 11 points. Senior Grace Balocca netted eight points as did Addison Dellaporta, and teammates Julia Dank, Jaclyn Engel and Kaitlyn McNeil each scored seven points apiece.

The win kept the Patriots atop the League I leaderboard, consolidated by a 43-34 victory against Longwood Jan. 6. 

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Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone speaks during a press event. Photo from Bellone’s Flickr page

As the new year progresses, the Suffolk County government is facing a plethora of changes, with the biggest arguably being the transition of county executive from Steve Bellone (D) to Ed Romaine (R).

Romaine, who served as the Town of Brookhaven supervisor for over 10 years after winning a special election in 2012, won the race for county executive over Dave Calone (D) with 57% of the vote. The former town supervisor was sworn into office on New Year’s Day, marking the first time a Republican will serve as Suffolk County executive in 20 years.

Steve Bellone served as county Executive from 2012 to 2023. Due to being term limited, Bellone could not seek reelection this year. [See “Bellone signs bill to strengthen term limits in Suffolk County,” TBR News Media website, July 14, 2022.]

During his farewell speech Dec. 21, Bellone thanked members of his staff and administration and recounted various achievements, including the handling of superstorms, confronting corruption in the county’s law enforcement and more.

“When we came into office, we faced the greatest financial crisis in history, more than $500 million accumulated deficit,” Bellone said during his speech. “And after years of making the difficult but necessary choices, we will leave office with this county in the best financial condition in its history, with more than $1 billion in reserves,” he said, thanking the budget office.

Bellone discussed his administration’s handling of Suffolk County’s water quality crisis, saying, “With an amazing water quality team, we created innovative programs, brought stakeholders together and developed an advanced blueprint for solving the water quality crisis over the next generation,” while giving special thanks to Deputy Suffolk County Executive Peter Scully and Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning Commissioner Sarah Lansdale. 

Bellone was not immune from criticism on both sides of the aisle. Suffolk County Democratic Committee Chairman and Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer was critical of Bellone throughout his tenure as executive.

“As the curtain falls on Bellone’s 12-year term, Suffolk County is left grappling with the consequences of a legacy marked by broken promises, ineffective leadership and a failure to address critical issues facing Suffolk County,” Schaffer said in a statement.

“The time for accountability and a reevaluation of priorities in Suffolk County’s leadership is long overdue,” he added. Additionally, Schaffer is hopeful that Romaine will meet the county’s priorities and needs “based on his past experience and accomplishments.”

Not everyone shared Schaffer’s sentiments. Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai), who on Dec. 31 completed her final term as the county’s legislator for District 6, reflected on Bellone’s time as executive, saying that working with Bellone had “been incredibly productive for the residents here in Suffolk County.”

One major issue on which Anker praised Bellone’s leadership was the opioid crisis. Suffolk was the first county in New York to sue opioid manufacturers and distributors, which resulted in settlements that will have the county receiving around $200 million over two decades to help address the ongoing crisis.

“That was Steve’s leadership in providing direction and in a positive way trying to get through this incredibly challenging time of this addiction epidemic,” Anker said.

Bellone has yet to announce any future plans in his political career.

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Prepared by Sucato Family

Vincent Francis Sucato, son of Natale Joseph Sucato and Rose Marie Manfredo Sucato, died on Dec. 30 at the age of 84. 

Vincent attended local schools in Poughkeepsie and received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees, summa cum laude, at the State University of New York at Albany. He triple-majored in history, Latin and English and was certified to teach all three at the high school level. 

Vincent was a Latin scholar and received a Fulbright scholarship to study in Italy. He devoted his career to teaching, primarily Latin and AP English, across Suffolk County, including for many years at Ward Melville, where the students acknowledged their deep appreciation of his teaching by dedicating their yearbook to him on three occasions.

Those who knew “Vinnie” enjoyed his irreverent sense of humor and appreciated his generosity and concern for others. In the 1990s he volunteered with the Long Island Association for AIDS Care and for several years spent quality time with patients on the AIDS wards at Stony Brook University Hospital.

In his retirement years, he shared his home in East Setauket with longtime friend Harry Conroy, who survives him. He was predeceased by his brother Natale Jr. and his sister Rose Marie. He is also survived by his brother and sister-in-law David and Dorothy Sucato as well as his nieces Gina and Carolyn and their children.

 At Vincent’s request, there were no services.

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As we usher in the new year with hope and optimism, it is disheartening to shed light on an incident that occurred in the heart of our community. A distressing episode unfolded where a local business, under the guise of addressing an alleged violation, nearly fell victim to a scam that asked for money to be electronically sent to the imposter.

This incident serves as a stark reminder that despite our tight-knit community, scams can find their way into our lives, preying on our trust and familiarity. It is imperative that we, as a community, stay vigilant and informed to protect ourselves and our neighbors from falling victim to such deceitful tactics.

First and foremost, it is essential to note that our local authorities are working diligently to investigate this incident, though we must also be proactive in safeguarding our community.

In an era where technology connects us in unprecedented ways, it has also paved the way for scammers to exploit our sense of trust. We must exercise caution and skepticism, especially when faced with unexpected requests for money or personal information.

It is incumbent upon each of us to be the first line of defense against scams in our community. If you receive a call claiming to be from the police or any other authoritative figure, take a moment to verify their identity. Call the official number of your local precinct or the relevant agency to confirm the legitimacy of the request.

This incident serves as a wake-up call for us to be proactive in educating ourselves and our neighbors about potential scams. Spread the word, check in on local businesses and encourage everyone to report any suspicious activity. Together, we can build a shield of awareness that safeguards our community from falling prey to such malicious schemes.

As we navigate the challenges of the digital age, let us fortify our community against those who seek to exploit our trust. By standing together and staying informed, we can ensure that our community remains a haven of safety, trust and resilience.

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Photo by Raymond Janis

Keep those letters coming

Congratulations to my fellow 2023 letter to the editor writers. Surveys reveal that “Letters to the Editor” is one of the most widely read and popular sections of any newspaper. Most newspapers will print letters submitted by any writer regardless of where they live so long as the topic is relevant to readers.

It helps to have a snappy introduction, good hook, be timely, precise and to have an interesting or different viewpoint to increase your odds of being published. Many papers welcome letters commenting on their own editorials, articles or previously published letters to the editor.

I continue to be grateful that the Times of Huntington-Northport, Times of Middle Country, Port Times Record, Village Beacon Record, Times of Smithtown and Village Times Herald along with other newspapers afford both me and my fellow letter writers the opportunity to express our views, as well as differing opinions on issues of the day.

Please join me along with your neighbors in reading the Times of Huntington-Northport and all other sister TBR newspapers. Patronize their advertisers — they provide the revenues necessary to keep them in business. This helps pay to provide space for your favorite or not-so-favorite letter writers.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

Wouldn’t you prevent cancer if you could? You can. January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. The Cancer Prevention in Action program at Stony Brook Cancer Center wants to share how you can prevent cervical cancer for yourself and your loved ones.

There are two things you can do to significantly reduce your cervical cancer risk: regular cervical cancer screenings and getting the HPV vaccine. Most cervical cancers are caused by the human papillomavirus. Being vaccinated against HPV would prevent most cervical cancers. The HPV vaccine is recommended for children beginning at age 9 and can be given to young adults through age 26. This vaccine can prevent about 90% of HPV-related cancers from occurring later in life, including cancers of the mouth, throat, anus, vulva and vagina, and penis.

Regular cervical cancer screenings can also help you prevent cancer. Cervical cancer screening tests can find the cells that lead to cancer before it starts. These cells can then be removed. Screening also helps to find cancer early when it may be easier to treat. Cervical cancer screening is recommended from age 21 to 65.

The CPiA program at Stony Brook Cancer Center works to increase HPV vaccination and help reduce cancer rates on Long Island. CPiA educates health care providers, community organizations, parents and young adults about the benefits of the HPV vaccine. 

To learn more about cervical cancer prevention and the HPV vaccine, go to takeactionagainstcancer.com or contact us at 631-444-4263 or [email protected].  

The best time to take action against cancer is before it starts.

Cancer Prevention in Action

Stony Brook University

Inspirational family stories

My wife and I wondered how we could leave our children and grandchildren with a record of some of the history and genealogy we have collected over the years and make it interesting as well.

This Christmas, we gave each of our children and grandchildren a book of short stories about our families. The 85-page book we finished in early December is titled “Grandpa Swallowed His False Teeth and Grandma Got Run Over by a Cow.” These two stories plus many others, some going back more than 10 generations, are included. We worked diligently over the past year to pull stories together and to edit and correct the book until we were satisfied with its content. We also included many pictures to go along with the text. Some of the stories are parts of articles I have written in The Three Village Herald and The Village Times Herald over the past 40-plus years. 

We hope this may inspire you to write down some of your family stories and possibly even share them with readers of TBR newspapers.

Beverly C. Tyler

East Setauket

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