Yearly Archives: 2024

Stuffin’ Muffins

Food is foremost on the minds of Thanksgiving guests. While food is a big deal on just about every holiday, the meal really takes center stage on Thanksgiving. Although turkey can be a delicious main course, many Thanksgiving diners might admit they anticipate the side dishes more than the turkey. Potatoes, soups, salads and dinner rolls are all competing for space on the Thanksgiving table and can be equally tasty. However, perhaps no side dish is more synonymous with Thanksgiving than stuffing.

Though stuffing is sometimes cooked inside the turkey, others prefer to prepare it in a casserole dish. There’s no shortage of ways to prepare stuffing, and adventurous types might enjoy this recipe for “Stuffin’ Muffins” courtesy of “Lord Honey Traditional Southern Recipes With a Country Bling Twist” (Pelican Publishing) by Chef Jason Smith. In this recipe, stuffing is baked in muffin tins for the perfect portion you can sink your teeth right into.

Stuffin’ Muffins

YIELD: Makes 1 dozen

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound breakfast sausage

2 medium onions, diced

2 cups diced fresh baby portobello mushrooms

1⁄2 cup butter

8 cups crumbled cornbread

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage

1 teaspoon onion powder

1⁄2 cup shaved or grated parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1 ⁄4 cups chicken or veggie broth or stock

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 12-hole muffin tin. In a large skillet, crumble the sausage and cook until halfway done. Add the onions, mushrooms and butter. Cook until tender. In a large mixing bowl, combine the crumbled cornbread and the sausage mixture. Add salt and pepper. Add the sage, onion powder, parmesan cheese, eggs, and broth. Mix with hands until all ingredients are moist but hold together. Using a 3-ounce ice cream scoop, place 12 balls into the prepared muffin tin and pat tops flat. Bake for 30 minutes.

Special Olympics Polar Plunge at Cedar Beach in Mt. Sinai in 2023. Photo by Bill Landon

Hundreds of brave Special Olympics New York supporters are expected to participate in the 15th annual Polar Plunge: Freezin’ for a Reason at Cedar Beach, 244 Hrbor Beach Road, Mount Sinai on Saturday, Nov. 23, running into the freezing waters of the Long Island Sound to raise funds and awareness for local Special Olympics athletes and programming. 

Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. and the plunge will take place at 11:30 a.m.

Hosted by the Town of Brookhaven, last year’s event attracted 650 plungers and raised $140,000 for Special Olympics New York. 

The Polar Plunge is one of the most popular, profitable, and exciting fundraisers for Special Olympics New York. Participants raise money by asking friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances for donations. 

At a recent Brookhaven Town Board Meeting, Councilwoman Jane Bonner introduced New York Special Olympics athlete Matt Schuster and Director of Development, Alexis Dawson who talked about the annual Polar Plunge and encouraged people to participate and pledge a donation. 

Councilwoman Bonner presented Schuster and Dawson with a proclamation declaring September 28 as Special Olympics Day in the Town of Brookhaven. Schuster also spoke about what it takes to compete and succeed as a Special Olympics athlete, explaining that they train for weeks and months to prepare for local, regional and statewide competition. 

Athletes are supported by more than 5,000 coaches and 4,300 volunteers and are never charged to participate in the programs. It costs $400 to support training and competition for one athlete for one sports season. They rely solely on donations to pay the cost. 

For more information, to register or to donate, please visit www.specialolympics.org. For additional information, call 631-386-8038.

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Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole merchandise from a Commack store in September.

A man allegedly stole three Dyson vacuums from Target, located at 98 Veterans Memorial Highway, on September 29. The merchandise was valued at approximately $1900.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.

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Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fifth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly used a stolen credit card in Bellport in November.

A man allegedly used a stolen credit card at Sunoco Gas Station, located at 1741 Montauk Highway, on November 7 at approximately 11 p.m. The credit card was stolen from a vehicle parked on Hagerman Avenue in East Patchogue earlier that day.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. All calls, text messages and emails will be kept confidential.

Photo courtesy Long Island Cares

Long Island Cares, PSEG Long Island and the Suffolk County Veteran Service Agency are teaming up to make Thanksgiving a bit more special for Suffolk County veterans.

On Thursday, Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Suffolk County veterans can claim a free turkey and Thanksgiving basket at a Drive Through event scheduled at the H. Lee Dennison Building, at 100 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge.

Veterans must show identification confirming their Veteran status & Suffolk County residency. Pre-Registration is required by clicking here.

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Police car. Stock photo
The Suffolk County Police Street Takeover Task shut down an attempted street takeover in Ronkonkoma on Nov. 16.

Over 40 vehicles were involved in a street takeover in the parking lot of the Ronkonkoma Long Island Railroad station. Two pick-up trucks were doing donuts around other vehicles and bystanders at approximately 10:15 p.m.

The Street Takeover Task Force as well as Criminal Intelligence officers from all seven Suffolk County Police Department precincts descended on the parking lot blocking all exits. The driver one of the pick- up trucks, Michael Watson, 19, of Ronkonkoma, was cited for Performing a Side Show and Engaging in Stunt Behavior. He was also issued three additional traffic tickets. His 2002 Dodge Ram was impounded.

Jason Merino, 24, of Medford, was arrested and charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation 1st Degree under Angelica’s Law for driving with 35 suspensions on 9 dates. He will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip at a later date. His vehicle, a 2006 Honda sedan was impounded.

Police car stock photo

Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that seriously injured a motorcyclist in Centereach on Nov. 17.

Christopher Borrero was driving a Nissan Sentra southbound on Ronkonkoma Boulevard when the vehicle attempted to make a left turn onto Middle Country Road and collided with a motorcycle traveling westbound on Middle Country Road at approximately 10:25 a.m.

The motorcyclist, Anthony Russo, 23, of Selden, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital in serious condition. Borrero, 32, of Medford, was not injured.

The motorcycle and Nissan were impounded for a safety check. Anyone with information about this crash is asked to call the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.

Board of Education meetings are typically held at William J. Brosnan School. Photo credit GoogleMaps

By Peter Sloniewsky

The Northport-East Northport Union Free School District Board of Education met Nov. 7 at the William J. Brosnan Building to outline goals and review new proposals aimed at enriching student life and academic pathways.

Opening the public session, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Dana Boshnack introduced a series of new course proposals designed to expand student opportunities. Among these were four career/technical education pathways: animation, photography, video/digital film and digital art. She also proposed an advanced engineering “capstone” course for seniors developed in partnership with Project Lead the Way and Rochester Institute of Technology. New social studies options including Humanity in Crisis and Modern Media Savvy aim to address global issues and media literacy skills essential in today’s world.

Following the course proposals, Boshnack and Assistant Superintendent for Special Education and Student Support Services Louis Bonadonna provided a “comprehensive review” of student performance and improvement strategies. They outlined a framework for setting board priorities based on student success indicators and announced teams dedicated to supporting school improvement efforts. Their analysis included math and reading benchmarks tracked by the iReady program, state-standardized testing data for grades 3-8 and New York State Regents Exams. Collectively, the data confirmed that the district is effectively meeting state performance standards.

To conclude the meeting, the board addressed a state regionalization proposal. In New York, regionalization promotes collaboration among local superintendents to identify district strengths and needs with the goal of establishing advocacy priorities for state aid. This approach encourages resource sharing among districts, especially in areas with limited access to educational funding.

The Northport-East Northport BOE will meet again Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. with a public comment period at 7 p.m. at the William J. Brosnan Building.

There are three different property tax exemptions available to veterans. METRO photo

By Britt Burner, Esq.

Britt Burner Esq.

While a trust technically becomes the owner of your home when you sign a deed transferring ownership to a grantor trust, rest assured that you will still receive the same real estate tax exemptions and/or benefits that you received when your home was owned in your individual name. Both revocable trusts and irrevocable Medicaid asset protection trusts fall under this category of “grantor trusts.”

Many New York residents depend on property tax exemptions/credits to make ends meet. Prime examples of this are the New York State School Tax Relief Program (STAR) and the Enhanced School Tax Relief (E-STAR). The basic STAR program does not have an age requirement, but the property must be the primary residence of at least one owner. Additionally, all owners and their spouses who live on the property must not have an income of more than $250,000 combined.

The Enhanced School Tax Relief (E-STAR) requires that the property must be the primary residence of at least one owner who is 65 or older by the end of the calendar year in which the exemption begins. Surviving spouses may be eligible to retain the Enhanced STAR benefit. For 2025, the combined incomes of all owners (residents and non-residents), and any owner’s spouse who resides at the property must be limited to $107,300 or less to receive the Enhanced STAR benefit.

There are other exemptions available to senior citizens depending on where they reside. Local governments and school districts in New York State can opt to grant a reduction on the amount of property taxes paid by qualifying senior citizens.

Regardless of a homeowner’s age or income, there are also exemptions available to veterans and those who are disabled. There are three different property tax exemptions available to veterans who have served in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Local governments and school districts may also lower the property tax of eligible disabled homeowners by providing a partial exemption for their legal residence. Those municipalities that opt to offer the exemption also set an income limit.

Knowing that the property tax benefits will be preserved in a Revocable Trust or a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust can ease the concerns about engaging in this type of planning. Transferring your house to one of these trusts will prevent your estate from going into probate at your death. Probate is the Court process of validating your Last Will and Testament. The process can take time and delay the distribution of your estate. Beyond probate avoidance, depending on the type of trust you create, it may also provide the additional benefit of protecting the property from being counted as an asset for Medicaid eligibility. 

While the concept of transferring your house can feel complicated and the word “irrevocable” seems daunting, there is much that can be gained from this type of planning without the loss of valuable benefits.

Britt Burner, Esq. is a Partner at Burner Prudenti Law, P.C. focusing her practice areas on Estate Planning and Elder Law. Burner Prudenti Law, P.C. serves clients from New York City to the east end of Long Island with offices located in East Setauket, Westhampton Beach, Manhattan and East Hampton.

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File photo

Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian in Melville on Nov. 15.

Maxwell Morris was driving a 2003 Toyota sedan northbound in the left lane on Broadhollow Road, between Spagnoli Road and Ruland Road, when the vehicle struck a pedestrian who was crossing the roadway eastbound at 8:28 p.m.

The pedestrian, who has not yet been identified by police, was transported to Nassau University Medical Center of East Meadow, where he was pronounced dead. Morris, 23, of Huntington Station, was not injured.

The Toyota was impounded for a safety check. Anyone with information on this crash is asked to call the Second Squad at 631-854-8252.