Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole from an Islandia store in December.
The man pictured above allegedly stole approximately $275 worth of sneakers from Famous Footwear, located at 1770 Veterans Memorial Highway, at 6:48 p.m. on December 20.
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.
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who was involved in a hit-and-run crash in Port Jefferson Station.
A man driving a black Kia, Florida plate RETD20, pulled out of the parking lot at 5145 Route 347 and struck a 2020 Ford SUV traveling eastbound on Route 347 on March 12 at 9:15 p.m. The Kia sustained to the front driver’s side. No one was injured in the crash.
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.
Suffolk County Police arrested a Huntington Station woman on March 13 for allegedly operating a dental practice without a license at a home in Bay Shore.
Third Squad Detectives developed information that Yolany Y. Mejia Carranza was performing dental work without a license at a home on Heckscher Ave. in Bay Shore. Detectives, in conjunction with the Town of Islip Fire Marshal and Building Inspector, executed a search warrant and discovered a fully functioning dentist office at the home.
Mejia Carranza, 55, of Huntington Station, was charged with 3 counts of Unauthorized Practice of a Profession, a class E felony. She is being held at the Fourth Precinct and will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on March 14.
In addition to the Bay Shore location, detectives believe Mejia Carranza was previously operating an illegal dental business at 135 Broadway in Huntington Station.
Anyone with information or who believes they are a victim is asked to contact the Third Squad at 631- 854-8352 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
The exterior of the Calderone Theater. Photo by Aiden Steng
By Aiden Steng
With changing times comes changing communities, but the Town of Smithtown has invested in restoring and revitalizing its cultured past. However, these initiatives have not seen unanimous praise from outside the town’s government.
In December 2024, the Smithtown town board voted unanimously to authorize Town Supervisor Republican Ed Wehrheim to purchase St. James’ Calderone Theater for $900,000. The vote additionally gave Wehrheim the authority to grant a 10-year lease to Celebrate St. James, a local non-profit arts group to renovate the theater.
The interior of the Calderone Theater. Photo by Aiden Steng
Since the sale from Celebrate St. James’ founder and advisor Natalie Weinstein, her organization has been tasked with renovating the theater that is now called the St. James Community Cultural Arts Center.
“Their intention is to do some major renovations on the theater, and that will be paid for by them,” Wehrheim said. “The lease agreement is completed and signed by the board of directors of Celebrate [St. James], so we think it’s going to be a really nice addition to the business district.”
Wehrheim is a former United States Navy veteran who served in Vietnam and has been Smithtown’s town supervisor since 2018. He has overseen recent projects aimed at revitalizing the community’s local business districts.
Such initiatives expected to be pushed for in 2025 by the board include the implementation of LED street lighting in the area, improvements to local parks and roads, the building of a playground and pickle ball court at Callahan’s Beach and an implementation of lofts at the former site of Nassau Suffolk Lumber & Supply Company.
While projects such as the creation of Celebrate Park on the former site of an abandoned bar and the introduction of the new sewer line in St. James have yielded an overhaul in Smithtown’s local community, some are unhappy with the town board’s execution of these plans.
Local Democrat Nick Cipollo, a member of Smithtown Democrats and trained historian, has notably voiced his concerns with the recent execution of the sewer line project.
Save the St. James Historic Calderone Theater sign. Photo by Aiden Steng
“The sewer line that was installed on Lake Avenue in Saint James was installed four years ago and is still not hooked up to a treatment plant,” he said. “The people of Smithtown are paying for this through a bond when this could have been done through grants from the government.”
However, Wehrheim said “that was a $3.9 million project [that] was originally going to be a grant from New York State. Unfortunately, that project began right at the onset of COVID, and the state of New York, like many other government entities, went home.”
Cipollo also said that while he believed the Calderone Theater should be preserved, the process in which the deal was brokered was poor.
“I believe that the Town of Smithtown could have done better,” he said. “The first step was the last step, which was to spend $900,000 to purchase the theater … the Town of Smithtown also could have sought out grants from the county, state, or federal government to save this historical building.”
Cipollo also noted that the town board gave themselves “exorbitant” pay rises in 2022, one of which was a raise of 22 percent for Wehrheim. Cipollo said he would have given the town board pay rises in line with the 3% enjoyed by town employees during that time.
Wehrheim did not agree with this analysis.
“Those salaries for elected officials were stagnant for a number of years. I think three or four years, maybe,” he said. “I think those increases were put into the budget, and there were public hearings on the budget. So, that is the most transparent way to do that.”
Aidan Steng is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism’s Working Newsroom program for students and local media.
For many local health care workers, the pandemic transitioned from triggering uneasiness about reports of a respiratory illness coming out of China to a significant threat to area residents.
Dr. Susan Donelan, Photo from Stony Brook Medicine/Jeanne Neville
Health care workers were in an all-out scramble to save lives even as information about the disease, its course and treatment, changed.
Five years after the start of a world-altering pandemic, infectious disease experts and emergency medicine specialists shared a range of thoughts about their initial reactions and concerns about this illness as well as insights about lessons learned and readiness to manage through future significant health threats.
Dr. Susan Donelan, Medical Director of Healthcare Epidemiology at Stony Brook Medicine, remembers raising questions about this virus towards late December of 2019. People urged her to go home and have a nice Christmas.
When Hospital CEO Carol Gomes called her on a Sunday and told Donelan she had an hour to get back to her, she recognized the approaching storm.
“I remember saying, ‘It’s a Sunday and she needs me in an hour,’” Donelan recalled. “We’re in it.”
Indeed, over the following months and, as it turned out, years, doctors dealt with numerous unknowns amid a fluid situation that threatened the population and, in particular those who were immunocompromised, had diabetes or respiratory or cardiac issues.
“People forget how bad things were,” said Dr. Gregson Pigott, Commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. “So many people were dying” that hospitals needed to figure out where to put the deceased.
Residents also lined up to get the scarce tests for the presence of the virus and often waited days or longer for a result.
Fluid situation
Health care professionals were reacting to a fluid situation in which best practices in terms of treatment and prevention changed even as the virus was mutating.
“It seems like a blur, going back and thinking about those moments,” said Dr. Jennifer Goebel, emergency room doctor at Huntington Hospital. “It was very surreal, taking care of a disease process you knew nothing about and attempting to be the expert when we were still learning.”
Federal, state and county health officials were unsure of the best guidance for a range of safety measures, including the use of masks.
Additionally, health care experts struggled with the level of contagion based on different environments.
“I don’t think anyone really knew about the continuum that could occur depending on the ambient circumstances,” said Donelan. “I think we probably could have done a better job of letting the public know that our communications would evolve as our knowledge evolved.”
Sharing safety messages
During the worst of the pandemic, health care professionals struggled to share messages that would help people make informed decisions about protecting themselves, their families and their communities.
Dr. Sharon Nachman. Photo frm SBU
“Trust in public health was completely undermined,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital “That hurt all of us.”
Nachman also listened to health care professionals on national TV who were discussing the health crisis. These pundits were sharing information that included far too many inaccessible words and concepts.
“Smart professionals were talking” but people weren’t understanding them, she said.
Additionally, the echo chamber of social media distorted messages, often questioning the developing science and best practices, suggesting conspiracy theories as well as treatments that were either unproven or ineffective.
Having local professionals from area hospitals made a difference on Long Island, Nachman said.
Whenever Nachman went to ShopRite, people who knew she was a part of their community saw her and asked questions.
“When it’s someone local from Northwell, Stony Brook, NYU Winthrop or others, [local communication] really works better,” she said.
Goebel added that she continues to share her medical knowledge not only with patients, but also with family members who have come to the hospital to provide support.
Hospitals, for their part, learned their lesson about stocking personal protective equipment.
“People have learned their lessons” at hospitals, said Pigott. “We need a more adequate stock of PPE.”
Health care provider PTSD
During the worst of the pandemic, one in five doctors who responded to an American Medical Association poll in 2022 said it was likely they would leave their practice within two years.
Dr. Jennifer Goebel. File photo from Northwell Health
“It was so staggering to hear some of these numbers,” said Goebel. Doctors go through over a decade of training. Seeing so many people leave was difficult.
Health care workers struggled, and continue to struggle, with memories and experiences in the midst of a crisis that killed millions around the world.
“I remember going to room nine, intubating a patient and being called to bed 12 and intubating another patient, within a matter of minutes,” said Goebel.
As the director of wellness in the Emergency Medicine Service Line, Goebel has created new initiatives to help reduce burnout and provide support.
She developed a peer to peer pilot program that started in September in which new physicians, physician’s assistants and nurse practitioners were matched with a more experienced professional from day one.
The effort is designed to help new staff navigate the health system and address any questions or concerns.
“We’re looking to put these processes in place” throughout Northwell, Goebel said.
Remote medicine
While remote medical choices, such as telehealth, predated the pandemic, these options have become increasingly common, particularly for residents who might struggle to get to a medical visit.
“Because people were forced to use it, with practice, they got better at it,” said Pigott.
Many organizations invested more in telehealth, which also reduces the burden on Emergency Departments.
Teleheatlh has its “risks and benefits,” said Goebel, as it can keep patients who might be vulnerable out of an environment where they might otherwise be exposed to other pathogens.
Goebel appreciates the importance of a visit with a doctor, who can differentiate between an ear ache and a potential indication of shingles.
Fortunately, for many people, Covid has become a much more manageable infection.
Pigott contracted Covid in September. He took Paxlovid, which helped knock out the symptoms within three days.
Pigott is also grateful for vaccines, which provided a dramatic reduction in mortality during the worst of the pandemic, particularly for people who are over 65.
The vaccine was “saving lives,” said Pigott. “There was real evidence that these are doing their jobs and are working out.”
Volunteers helped to raise the osprey pole last Sunday.
Photo from Legislator Steve Englebright’s office
Elaine Maas of Four Harbors Audubon Society puts the finishing touches on the nest structure. Photo from Leg. Steve Englebright's office
Volunteers helped to raise the osprey pole last Sunday.
Volunteers helped to raise the osprey pole last Sunday.
Photo from Councilmember Kornreich's office
Volunteers including Elaine Maas and Suffolk County Legislator Steve Englebright helped to raise the osprey pole last Sunday.
Photo from Legislator Steven Englebright’s office
Volunteers helped to raise the osprey pole last Sunday.
Photo from Councilmember Kornreich's office
Volunteers helped to raise the osprey pole last Sunday.
Photo from Legislator Steve Englebright’s office
Volunteers helped to raise the osprey pole last Sunday.
Photo from Legislator Steve Englebright’s office
Volunteers helped to raise the osprey pole last Sunday.
Photo from Legislator Steve Englebright’s office
Volunteers helped to raise the osprey pole last Sunday.
Photo from Legislator Steve Englebright’s office
Sometimes it takes a village.
Suffolk County Legislator Steven Englebright (D-Setauket) and Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) joined members of the Four Harbors Audubon Society (4HAS) and Three Village Dads Foundation for an osprey pole raising at the West Meadow Creek inlet in Stony Brook on March 9.
According to a joint press release from Englebright’s and Kornreich’s office, an osprey pole was recently removed from Suffolk County’s Old Field Farm. Despite successful nests in earlier years, 4HAS members observed in recent years that sporadic activity in the area surrounding the pole was scaring away adult ospreys for long periods, leaving the birds’ eggs or newborn chicks susceptible to predators.
Elaine Maas, 4HAS co-chair of co-Chair Education and Outreach, and John Turner, 4HAS co-chair of Conservation Committee, who both sit on the society’s board, brought the issue to the attention of Englebright. The county legislator reached out to the Suffolk County Parks Department to discuss relocating the pole to a nearby location. Maas and Turner also contacted Kornreich’s office to request using town property abutting the county park for a new pole in an area that is less accessible than the old nest.
On Saturday, March 1, concrete, water and a mixer were delivered to the Brookhaven property. JM Troffa Hardscape, Mason and Building Supply provided the concrete, while K. Dymond Industries lent the use of their equipment. Members of the Three Village Dads Foundation and 4HAS, along with Englebright and Kornreich, were on hand to dig a hole and set a pole sleeve in concrete for the new osprey pole.
Before the preparation for the new pole, the Suffolk County Parks Department removed the old one at Old Field Farm to prevent ospreys from nesting at this nonviable spot.
Volunteers delivered the new 20-foot pole donated by Haig and Jack Seferian of Flagpoles, Inc., and the nest structure built by Elite Home Improvement to the site on Sunday, March 9. Three Village Dads Foundation and 4HAS members and Flagpole, Inc. also donated or paid for additional materials to cement and build the nest structure. The volunteers were again on hand, preparing the nest box for the birds and raising the pole.
Maas and Turner were among the volunteers on March 1 and 9. Maas said the pole was raised just in time as the ospreys, who migrate south to Florida or South American in the winter, usually return to Long Island around St. Patrick’s Day. She added she was “grateful for the widespread community support.”
Kornreich thanked the members of Three Village Dads Foundation and its chairman, David Tracy, as well as 4HAS.
“We were up against a time crunch because the ospreys start nesting in a few weeks, and the Dads really delivered,” Kornreich said. “Thank you to Elaine Maas and John Turner from Four Harbors for bringing this situation to our attention, and we are glad we were able to help connect the dots and find a solution.”
Englebright echoed the sentiments.
“It was good to see the community come together in the interest of protecting these remarkable birds,” the legislator said.
Can you find Rabbi Josh Gray among these Hadassah Ladies? Photo by Donna Newman
By Donna Newman
Three dozen people gathered last week for a meeting of the Sea-Port Chapter of Hadassah — The Women’s Zionist Organization of America. Held at the Comsewogue Public Library, and open to all Suffolk Region members, both North Shore Chaverot (friends) Chapter and Smithtown Chapter were represented, as well as Region Board members.
Sea-Port President Edith Lilie invited Rabbi Josh Gray of Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook to be a guest speaker. Rather than lecture, Rabbi Gray chose to facilitate a discussion on the topic, “Living Jewishly in the Modern World.”
One participant complimented the Reform Rabbi on setting an inclusive tone at the outset, making everyone feel at ease.
“The Rabbi led an engaging and open discussion on what it is to be Jewish, especially since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israeli civilians,” said Heidi Sorkin, a vice president on the Suffolk Board.
“He opened the discussion with a Hebrew prayer, which expresses gratitude for new or special experiences, and that created an atmosphere where Jews from all levels of observance felt comfortable talking about their traditions, beliefs and concerns,” she said.
“What makes you a Jew?” Rabbi Gray asked. And he heard many different responses, among them: birth (it’s genetic), religious affiliation, values and actions, culture, family, choice, commitment to tikkun olam (repairing the world), and Ohr L’Goyim (to be a light unto the nations, part of the Jewish Covenant with the Lord).
With four major branches and other smaller offshoots, being Jewish is a multi-faceted and often diverse endeavor. Jewish people are certainly not a monolith. However, a shared history of persecution and survival connects Jews to each other.
Rabbi Gray shared a disturbing fact. He presented statistics gathered by the Anti-Defamation League that document a massive spike in antisemitic posts on social media — particularly on X — that happened on October 7, 2023, as Hamas’ brutal attack on Israeli civilians progressed — long before Israel responded. What does it mean? he asked.
According to the Pew Research Center, as of 2020, Jews made up 2.4% of the U.S. population, and 0.2% of the world population. It is not surprising that 34% of Americans say they do not know a Jew.
Antisemitism is on the rise in American society and throughout the world. Today’s antisemitism may be fueled by religious anti-Jewish themes, usually unfounded hearsay, not rooted in fact. It can also be racial, deriving from false ideologies; Nazism, white supremacy, etc. And now it is also political — disguised as anti-Zionism: the denial of Jews as a legitimate people; the opinion that Israel has no right to exist.
This being his first opportunity to address the Hadassah community, Rabbi Gray said he did not know what to expect. But by the end of the discussion, he was beaming.
“Being in a room full of Hadassah women,” he said, “who are so willing to share and interact when discussing the particularly challenging subjects of being Jewish in today’s world — and antisemitism — gave me great pride.”
Carole-Ann Gordon noted the different communities present in the audience.
“The attendees were from different Jewish organizations and communities, and the discussion brought us all together to form a new, larger entity,” she said.
“Rabbi Gray gave us suggestions on how we can feel more connected to our Jewish identity,” said Stacy Berman, another Suffolk Board member. “Becoming more involved with Hadassah is one way we can join with other Jewish women who share our ideals.”
The session ended with sustained applause, followed by much conversation among the participants.
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. on March 13 announced the arrest of Nicholas Mulligan of Farmingville for an illegal speed contest. On March 12, at approximately 11:50 p.m., Sheriff’s Deputies stopped a vehicle on the Service Road of the Long Island Expressway in Farmingville for speeding—traveling at approximately 90 mph while racing another vehicle.
Mulligan, 20, was also driving with a suspended license and had an active warrant for Reckless Driving. He was immediately placed under arrest and charged with Engaging in an Unlawful Speed Contest, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle, and the execution of the active warrant for Reckless Driving. Additionally, Mulligan’s vehicle was impounded due to its involvement in the illegal speed contest.
Sheriff Toulon commended the deputies for their swift response. “Street racing is not only illegal but incredibly dangerous, putting both participants and drivers at risk. Our deputies remain vigilant in stopping reckless drivers and ensuring the safety of Suffolk County’s roadways. If you engage in illegal racing, you will be caught and held accountable,” he said.
The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office urges all drivers to obey traffic laws and report any observed reckless or dangerous driving behavior.
Luca Restaurant in Stony Brook Village. The Hamptons Wedding Photography
The Stony Brook Village Center is excited to announce the much-anticipated reopening of Luca Restaurant, 93 Main Street, Stony Brook on Thursday, March 13 at 5 p.m. for dinner service. After temporarily closing in late January due to a fire, Luca is ready to welcome guests back for dinner and lunch with an exceptional dining experience and new spring menu items curated by Chef Luke.
To celebrate its reopening, Luca will offer dinner service on the following schedule:
● Thursday: 5:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
● Friday & Saturday: 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
● Sunday: 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Regular hours will resume on Wednesday, March 19, including lunch service Wednesday – Sunday from 12:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
For full hours, menus and reservations, visit lucaitalian.com or call (631) 675-0435.
Suffolk County reported its first case of measles in a child since 2017 this week, as an unvaccinated person under five years old contracted the infectious disease.
Suffolk County health officials are working with the New York State Department of Health and Northwell Health and are taking steps to prevent the spread of the disease.
The case of measles in Suffolk County is the third in the state and comes as Texas has had over 200 confirmed reports of measles since January, with 29 hospitalizations, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
“Measles can be very serious,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a statement. “It’s much more than just a rash as complications can include pneumonia and inflammation of the brain, and often results in hospitalization.”
Officials indicated that residents could have been exposed to the person with measles at the pediatric emergency department at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens from March 3rd to March 4th.
Patients who visited an inpatient child on the Medicine 3 unit from March 3rd to March 6th also could have had exposure.
The Cohen Children’s Medical Center, which is run by Northwell Health, is reaching out to patients who were at the center during the time of exposure. The Center has also identified patients who are high risk and may require timely treatment.
“As we follow this case and closely monitor potential exposures, we strongly encourage all residents to protect their health and the health of our youngest and most vulnerable residents by ensuring they are on time and up to date their measles vaccines and all recommended and lifesaving immunizations.” said Dr. Gregson Pigott, Suffolk County Commissioner of Health Services, said in a statement.
The incubation period for measles, which is spread by coughing or sneezing into the air, is 21 days, with symptoms that can include high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. The best way to prevent measles, according to health officials, is to get the MMR vaccine. One dose is 93 percent effective at preventing measles, while two doses are about 97 percent effective.
Doctors recommend that residents receive their first dose at 12 to 15 months of age and the second at four to six years of age.
Measles during pregnancy increases the risk of early labor, miscarriage, and low birth weight infants.
Separately, area officials found two dead raccoons tested that positive for rabies in Amityville and North Amityville on March 4th and January 28th, respectively.
These are the first confirmed cases of rabid raccoons in the county since 2009
These animals had no known contact with humans or animals.
“We have over 1.5 million residents [in Suffolk County] and it’s not good to have raccoons running around with rabies,” said Pigott. These animals can get in a fight and can transmit the rabies virus to other animals or to humans.
Left untreated, rabies, which has early symptoms including irritability, headache, fever and itchiness at the site of exposure, can be lethal.
People can contract rabies if they are exposed to saliva or nervous tissue of a rabid animal through a bite.
Pigott urged pet owners to ensure their animals are vaccinated for rabies. He also suggested that people take safety measures when they are out among animals. He asks those living in Huntington, Islip, Smithtown or Babylon to contact the Department of Health Services if they encounter a dead raccoon.
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