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TBR News Media covers everything happening on the North Shore of Suffolk County from Cold Spring Harbor to Wading River.

Maritime Festival brings salty sea dogs to harbor

by TBR Staff - June 13, 2016

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The Boater’s Maritime Festival returned to Port Jefferson on Saturday and Sunday, bringing boats of all shapes and sizes as well as fun harborside activities for kids.

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Three Middle Country teams take top spots

by TBR Staff - June 10, 2016

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A sweet victory for U-11 MC United team, which finished No. 1 in Hershey Cup tournament

MC-Unitedw — The U-11 boys’ soccer team MC United. Photo from Robyn Reitano

Boys’ U-11 MC United

Middle Country is proud of its new 10 and 11-year-old boys’ travel soccer team for taking the first place title in its first out of town tournament on Memorial Day.

After two days of playing four games, the boys beat all their competition except for the local Hershey club team comprised of top players around the area.

Hershey awarded Midlle Country United the second place finalist trophy, but first place ranking and champion title for defeating every team in its bracket.

Despite the oppressive heat, distraction of the park, and some illnesses and injuries on the field, the new team played together as if the boys had been doing it for years.

The sportsmanship and maturity displayed was commendable. Instead of treating it as a vacation, focusing on going to Hershey Park and enjoying hotel facilities, the boys were completely focused on the games. They concerned themselves with proper diet and getting plenty of rest.

The experience fostered the boys’ love of the game. MC United now ranks 12th out of 172 teams in the New York East, 95 out of 1,191 teams in the region and 593 out of 3,873 in the nation. They team, consisting of Anthony Ciulla, Kevin Cosgrove, Michael Cosmo, Eric Crescenzo, Lucas Ferreira, Andrew Ferreira, William Kiernan, Benjamin Mark, Timmy McCarthy, Sean McGuigan, Luke Reitano and Christian Torres, has superseded expectations for a new team.

Girls’ U-11 MC Bandits

The girls’ U11 team, called the Middle Country Bandits, also competed on Memorial Day and took home a first-place finish.

The girls put together four solid games and finished in first-place in the Memorial Day soccer tournament in Manalapan, New Jersey. The girls displayed great determination, teamwork and grit throughout the 90-plus degree heat.

Girls’ U-13 LGN Sting

The LGN Sting girls’ U-13 team also successfully brought home first-place honors from the Manalapan tournament in dramatic fashion.

After controlling much of the possession in the championship game, the Sting still found itself trailing 1-0 in the late stages of the game. The team eventually broke through and evened the score 1-1 with five seconds to play in regulation, and won the championship in a penalty-kick shootout.

Shoreham lacrosse slips in state semis

by TBR Staff - June 10, 2016

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Wildcats can't overcome one-goal deficit as stellar season comes to an end

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By Bill Landon

A one-goal Yorktown advantage proved too much for the Shoreham-Wading River boys’ lacrosse team to overcome, as the Wildcats’ stellar season came to an end with a 7-6 loss in the New York State semifinals Wednesday at Hofstra University.

As he’s done all postseason, junior midfielder Kevin Cutinella helped the team get on the board first, when he dished the ball to senior attack Jason Curran, who fired at the cage seven minutes in. Yorktown evened the scored with 29 seconds left in the opening quarter, but Shoreham retook the lead when eighth-grader Xavier Arline spun in front of the cage and, with an NBA-like jump shot, scored from high above the keeper’s stick to retake the lead. On the ensuing faceoff, Yorktown went the distance to retie the game, to mark the third goal scored in less than 20 seconds.

It was a new game heading into the second stanza, but neither team could pull away with a clear advantage. After a Yorktown goal, Shoreham-Wading River senior midfielder Jon Constant flicked the ball to junior attack Chris Gray, who fired a shot past the goalkeeper to even the score at 3-3 game.

“It’s been a fun ride,” Constant said previously of making it to this point with his team.

Again, Yorktown answered, but the Wildcats countered again, when Curran fed Gray on the cut, and drove his shot into the netting.

With both teams in a stalemate, Curran fed Constant on the cut this time, for a Wildcats lead in the first minute of the second half, but again Yorktown battled, scoring once at the end of the third, and again halfway through the fourth, for a 6-5 advantage.

“We made a mistake late in the game after a timeout where we didn’t have enough guys on the field,” said Shoreham Wading River head coach Mike Taylor. “I’m not sure how that happened, but someone wasn’t paying attention from the huddle and by the time I subbed a guy from the box it was too late.”

“It’s been a fun ride.”
—Jon Constant

With 1:11 left in regulation, the Wildcats went a man down for a slashing penalty that proved costly. Yorktown capitalized on the advantage to make it a two-goal game for the first time all afternoon.

With 11 seconds left and Shoreham back at full strength, Curran went the distance and buried a shot to draw within one goal with few precious seconds left. With five seconds remaining, the Wildcats ran out of time.

“This is a big-time moment in lacrosse and I think we were nervous at the beginning of the game,” Taylor said. “Yorktown is resilient — they’re methodical, they do several things well and they wear you down — they take advantage of when you make mistakes and every time we made a mistake they capitalized.”

Shoreham-Wading River finished the regular season 14-2 and had a tough postseason schedule leading up to the state semifinal round, picking off Eastport-South Manor, Comsewogue and Sayville for the Suffolk County Class B crown, before defeating Garden City for the Long Island Championship title to finish with an 18-2 record.

“It’s something special,” Taylor said previously of the team’s season. “I wish this could go on forever.”

Yacht has ties to slave trade of 1850s

by TBR Staff - June 10, 2016

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Wanderer-SailPlanw — Wilson Sail Loft’s sail plan of the schooner-yacht Wanderer. Photo from Beverly Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

“Roots,” a new version and a new vision.

This past week the cable channels History, A&E and Lifetime presented a new look at Alex Haley’s 1976 novel, which tells the story of his Mandinka ancestor Kunta Kinte and his descendants. Born in the village of Juffure, West Africa, in 1750, Kunta Kinte and other Mandinka men and women were captured, transported to America and there suffered brutal enslavement. In 1977 “Roots” became an ABC network miniseries watched by millions of viewers. It was a slavery story that many Americans were learning for the first time. Now a new generation of Americans, sadly less informed about our history, can benefit from this new adaptation of Haley’s historical novel.

“Roots,” 2016, benefits from new scholarship giving viewers a broader understanding of the Mandinka culture in which Kunta Kinte grew to manhood, factors that led to a culture of enslavement by the Africans themselves, and the brutal conditions on the British and Americans ships that transported Africans to the Americas. The story continues in America with a more detailed story of the enslaved Africans and less about the white slavers and plantation owners than in the 1977 ABC miniseries.

If you missed the original production last week, you will be able to see it repeated on the cable channels or on the web at https://roots.history.com/. The Web site also includes more details on the show and on the featured characters and actors.

On a more local level, the book, “The Logbooks: Connecticut’s Slave Ships and Human Memory,” by Anne Farrow uses a log book of three voyages, over 20 months in the first half of the 18th century, recorded by a young Connecticut man who went on to captain slave ships and privateers, to tell a much wider and disturbing story.

Farrow’s book connects Dudley Saltonstall, the Connecticut man who kept the log books, to the slaves transported from Africa, then to the African men who enslaved them, to the ships that transported them across the Atlantic, and finally to the men who purchased them to work to death in the Caribbean sugar plantations and rice plantations of America’s southern colonies.

Farrow, a former Connecticut newspaper reporter, feels the early story of African people in America must be told over and over, from the beginning. She believes that it has not yet been absorbed into the family of stories told and retold about America, that the story of injustice and suffering still has not made its way into the national narrative.

Unknown to most Americans is the fact that colonial Connecticut was a major provisioner of British West Indies plantations where slaves were growing and processing sugar and yielding huge profits. In addition, Rhode Island men were at the helm of 90 percent of ships that brought captives to the American south, an estimated 900 ships.

The story of the Connecticut and Long Island Sound men who took part in the slave trade is disturbingly real. It brings into focus the way many of our own prosperous and influential Long Island families made their fortunes. It doesn’t change who they were or who we are, but it provides us with a clearer understanding of the pain and suffering caused by their actions.

In spite of the federal law (1807) prohibiting the importation of slaves from Africa, slaves were still being transported from Africa until the beginning of the American Civil War. On an even more local level is the story of our own East Setauket slave ship, Wanderer.

East Setauket’s Joseph Rowland built the schooner-yacht Wanderer in 1857 for Colonel John D. Johnson, a New York Yacht Club member and a wealthy New Orleans sugar planter. The sails for the Wanderer were made in Port Jefferson in the Wilson Sail Loft.

Johnson sold the Wanderer in 1858 to William Corey, and she reappeared in Port Jefferson where large water tanks were installed. Despite numerous checks by the U.S. Revenue Service the Wanderer was allowed to sail.

Slavers were rigged to outrun the slave squadrons of Great Britain and America, both of which were trying to stop the now illegal slave trade. Wanderer took aboard some 600 people from the west coast of Africa and sailed for America.

On Nov. 28, 1858, she landed 465 Africans on Jekyll Island, Georgia. The ship was seized by federal authorities; however, the Africans, now on Georgia soil, a slave state, were sold at auction.

A walking tour of the maritime and wooden shipbuilding area along Shore Road in East Setauket will be conducted Saturday, June 18, beginning at 3 p.m. from the Brookhaven Town Dock for a tour of the homes and shipyards that built ships that sailed around the world. The tour includes the home of the Wanderer shipbuilder and his story.

Beverly Tyler is the Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society.

Fetch a new best friend at town animal shelter

by TBR Staff - June 10, 2016

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Nunu-dogw — Nunu wants a home outside the town animal shelter. Photo from Brookhaven Town

The town animal shelter is now open every day as part of an effort to get more dogs and cats adopted.

Supervisor Ed Romaine said the expanded hours would make it more convenient for people to visit the shelter in Brookhaven hamlet, which is located on Horseblock Road.

The Brookhaven Town Animal Shelter and Adoption Center is now open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 631-451-6950 or visit www.brookhaven.org/animalshelter.

Infinite Tucker takes gold as track teams excel

by TBR Staff - June 9, 2016

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Infinite-Tucker-soars-in-the-long-jump-Darin-Reedw — Infinite Tucker competes in the long jump. Photo by Darin Reed

The Huntington boys’ and girls’ track and field teams competed in the New York State Track and Field championship qualifier last weekend at Port Jefferson high school. Members of both squads excelled and even broke records, with multiple athletes on the boys’ squad qualifying to compete at the state level next weekend.

Boys’ track and field
In one of the most dominating performances ever, Huntington senior Infinite Tucker qualified for the championships in four different events and won gold medals in each of them.

One of the top high school athletes in the country, Tucker captured gold medals in the 110-meter high hurdles, 400 intermediate hurdles, long jump and the 4×400 relay, to pace the Blue Devils.

Infinite Tucker competes in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the state qualifier. Photo by Darin Reed

Tucker was on top of his game at the Section XI state qualifier, easily winning the long jump last Friday afternoon with a leap of 23 feet, 4.75 inches before sweeping to victory in three other events on Saturday.

The Huntington athlete won the 110 high hurdles in a time of 14.27 seconds; went on to set new school, meet and county marks in the 400 intermediate hurdles when he crossed the finish line in a stunning 51.23 seconds, which was 2.32 ahead of runner-up Spencer Payton of Longwood; and anchored the Blue Devils’ 4×400 relay team, which grabbed first place with a time of 3 minutes, 15.48 seconds, shattering the existing Suffolk record. Huntington finished about two seconds ahead of runner-up Half Hollow Hills West. Kyree Johnson, Lawrence Leake and Shane McGuire ran the first three legs of the race, respectively.

“Infinite’s performance speaks for itself,” said Huntington head coach Ron Wilson. “It was beyond dominating; it was simply amazing. He’s a gifted child who loves to compete and who strives to win every time he’s on the track.”

Johnson and McGuire also qualified for the state championships in their respective events. Johnson set new meet records in the 400 dash on both Friday and Saturday, capturing Saturday’s county final in a blazing fast time of 47.78.

McGuire notched an upset victory in the 800 run, coming out of nowhere to topple several heavily favored runners. The junior ran his fastest time ever in the event, circling the track twice in 1:53.64.

Kenny Charles hurls the discus. Photo by Darin Reed

“Shane and Kyree were just great,” Wilson said. “They came to the meet with one thing in mind: winning. It was an incredible feeling to watch them win Suffolk titles and qualify for the state championships. They’ve both worked so hard and to see that payoff is a wonderful sight.”

Kenny Charles qualified for the state finals in discus, finishing second in Suffolk County with a long throw of 162 feet, 2 inches. It was about five feet off the senior’s best, but still far surpassed the state qualifying standard.

Charles is one of Suffolk’s best basketball players, but decided last year to give spring track a try and, in a short period of time, mastered the discus to the point where he will be advancing to the finals.

Girls’ track and field
Being a competitive athlete himself, girls’ track and field head coach Shawn Anderson knows only too well that not everything is going to go right on any given day.

So it was for the Blue Devils, which closed out its season last Saturday at the Suffolk state qualifier.

While he wishes a few more breaks came the Blue Devils’ way, Anderson also feels his athletes gave the team everything they had.

“The state qualifying meet always brings out the heat and the competition,” said Anderson. “Today was no exception.”

Alexandra Koumas leaps over the hurdle at a previous meet. Photo by Darin Reed

Senior Alexandra Koumas set a new school record in the 400 hurdles, breaking a mark she had previously set, when she crossed the finish line in 1:04.83 in the preliminary heat. The athlete went on to finish fourth in the finals and garner All-County honors.

“She went out super aggressive,” Anderson said. “She needed to in order to hang with the top three.”

All in all, Anderson said it was a great way to have the team end its season.

“As always, each year the group of girls that we have continues to impress me and defy even my expectations,” he said. “For the underclassmen, it just makes them hungrier for next year as they look to improve. As for the seniors, it is always bittersweet when the season ends, but we always look to the future to continue the tradition that’s been established and continuously raise the bar. They laid it all on the track and finished with very impressive times — a testament to their hard work over their careers at Huntington.”

Ward Melville advances to state finals

by TBR Staff - June 9, 2016

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After outscoring Section I's Lakeland-Panas 16-6, Patriots will take on Section V's Victor

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By Bill Landon

Looking at the Ward Melville boys’ lacrosse team now, you would never guess that it struggled early in the season.

On Wednesday at Hofstra University, the Patriots scored 16 goals against Section I challenger Lakeland-Panas in the New York State Class A semifinals, to earn them a spot in the championship round Saturday.

“We had our ups and downs this season, which started very quickly,” junior midfielder Dominic Pryor said following the win. “We knew we weren’t doing what we needed to do to play up to our potential, so we had a meeting and we said we have to start playing Ward Melville lacrosse. And that’s what we did tonight.”

Once again, it was junior attack Eddie Munoz who stole the show, scoring five goals in the 16-6 victory. But he too said things started off a little shaky for the Patriots.

“At the beginning of the year, we had trouble finishing,” he said. “That first game against Smithtown West we took 31 shots and scored just one goal, so there’s no excuse for that.”

This time, the team had no problem lighting up the scoreboard.

The Rebels may have hit the the board first, four minutes into the contest, but the Patriots countered with four unanswered goals with less than four minutes left in the opening quarter to take the 4-1 advantage. Pryor, who led the team with six points off a hat trick and three assists, scored twice during that run, while senior attack Chris Grillo found the net off an assist from senior midfielder Owen McAvoy, and senior defender Sean Thornton stretched the net off a feed from Pryor.

“At the beginning of the season you always have the mindset that you’re going to [make it to] states, but early on we weren’t playing at the level,” Grillo said. “As the season progressed we played better and that hope of making it to states became more of a reality.”

Lakeland-Panas countered with two quick goals in the closing minute to cut the deficit to trail by one, and sophomore midfielder Zach Hobbes opened the scoring in the second quarter with a solo shot before a penalty put the Patriots down a player. Lakeland-Panas cashed in on the man advantage to trail 5-4, but Munoz’s stick spoke next when he split the pipes to take a two-goal lead.

“Eddie Munoz comes out and snipes one left, and he’s worked hard at it, and he’s elevated his game,” Negus said.

From there, the Patriots never looked back.

“Our offense works — especially when you’re dodging, you’re banging around the outside because it gets everyone energized and we spread the scoring around,” Munoz said. “Earlier in the season it was tough to find the back of the net, but this game was the best we’ve played all year.”

A loose ball caused a scrum in front of the Rebels’ goalkeeper, and freshman attack Dylan Pallonetti swatted in the ball for a three-goal lead.

Ward Melville outscored Lakeland-Panas 4-1 in the third quarter. Grillo notched two goals during that spurt for the hat trick, and Pryor added his second before assisting on junior attack Andrew Lockhart’s shot.

Munoz drilled home his hat trick goal early in the final quarter to help the Patriots break out to a 12-5 lead.

“It’s un believable what they’re capable of,” Ward Melville head coach Jay Negus said. “We’re trying new things and it’s working.”

Lakeland-Panas managed one more goal in the game, but the Patriots dominated the final period of play.

Pryor finished with his third goal of the game when he did a spin move just outside the crease and drilled his shot past the keeper, and junior Dylan Krieg scored his first goal of the season with the final goal of the game.

“At the beginning we were forcing some shots and I had to keep telling them ‘it’s not the first thing, it’s the best thing’ and that takes experience and maturity. I’m starting to see that,” Negus said. “They’re buying into the game plan and early in the season we didn’t know our team’s identity. But I’ve seen some flashes of brilliance throughout the playoffs.”

Ward Melville will face Section V’s Victor High School on June 11 at Middletown High School at 4 p.m.

Maritime Festival set to sail into Port Jefferson

by TBR Staff - June 9, 2016

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A pirate gives a young boy a high-five after a treasure hunt during Port Jefferson's annual Boater's Maritime Festival on June 7, 2015. Photo by Bob Savage — A pirate gives a young boy a high-five after a treasure hunt during Port Jefferson’s annual Boater’s Maritime Festival on June 7, 2015. Photo by Bob Savage

In celebration of its rich maritime heritage, the Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson in partnership with the New York Marine Trade Association, will present the 5th Annual Port Jefferson Boater’s Maritime Festival on June 11 and 12 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The festival will take place throughout the entire village and will specifically showcase Port Jefferson Harbor, one of the most popular deep-water harbors on Long Island. Boaters appreciate the prime location with easy access, deep draft local shops, restaurants and entertainment just a short walk from the marina docks.

This two-day festival will host the Port Jeff Boat Show with over 50 boats on display and dozens of fishing vendors at one of the island’s only outdoor shows. Sailing demonstrations will take place on the harbor as well as a regatta planned on Sunday afternoon. Maritime-related attractions, museums and organizations will be present along with free open demos of kayaks, inflatable boats and paddle boards.

New this year and kicking off the weekend is an outdoor Crossfit Throwdown sponsored by Crossfit Hidden Pond Park. Crossfit participants will gather for the Throwdown on the Sound scheduled for Saturday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Jeanne Garant Harborfront Park.

Also debuting this year is Chick-Fil-A’s family-friendly addition to the event … the Eurobungy! Up to three participants can experience the thrill of bungee jumping in this ultimate interactive entertainment feature.

Returning this year is the Paddle Battle Long Island Port Jefferson Race on Saturday, June 11. The 2.5-mile recreational race includes kayak and stand-up paddle boards, each in separate categories. This fun-filled day of races helps raise money for not-for-profit organizations such as United Way of Long Island’s VetsBuild program, the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation and the East End Tourism Alliance. Registration will take place at the Village Center on East Broadway from 10 a.m. to noon.

Saturday night offers After Hours at the festival from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., featuring a Sunset Paddle, live music and food and beverage at the Harbor Bistro.

A paddleboard race takes off in Port Jefferson Harbor during the annual Boater's Maritime Festival on June 6. Photo by Bob Savage — A paddleboard race takes off in Port Jefferson Harbor during the annual Boater’s Maritime Festival on June 6, 2015. Photo by Bob Savage

In addition to exhibitors from the Maritime Explorium, Riverhead Foundation and the Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center, the festival will feature art and photo exhibits, craft vendors and live music.

Sailing demos (from noon to 5 p.m. on both days) and clam eating contest (on June 11 at 2 p.m.) are among the exciting and interactive events taking place at the Port Jefferson Boater’s Maritime Festival along with food and drink at the Harbor Bistro food court offered by local eateries, Fifth Season, C’est Cheese, Gourmet Burger Bistro, LI Pour House and Junior’s Spycoast. Pirate shows and treasure hunts will round out the entertainment for the entire family. Best of all, admission is free!

For a full schedule of events and more information, visit www.portjeff.com/featured-events.

Police blotter: Suffolk County incidents and arrests through June 5

by TBR Staff - June 9, 2016

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Shouldn’t be that EZ

A 27-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station stole several diamond rings from a display case at EZ Cash Pawn & Jewelry on Brentwood Road in Brentwood at about 2 p.m. on June 3, police said. He was arrested at about 8 p.m. in Port Jefferson Station and charged with third-degree grand larceny.

Drill-bit taker

On April 30 at about 10 a.m., a 36-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station took a Milwaukee hammer drill and a Klein Tools auger bit from a home on North Country Road in Miller Place, according to police. He was arrested on June 3 in Miller Place and charged with petit larceny.

Bulls-eye

At Target on Pond Path in South Setauket at about 8 p.m. on June 3, a 39-year-old man from Medford stole 96 items, police said. He was arrested and charged with petit larceny.

Who needs a license?

A 51-year-old man from Mount Sinai was driving a 2015 Ford on Nesconset Highway at about 4 p.m. on June 2 when he was pulled over, according to police. He was driving with a suspended license. He was arrested and charged with first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Police said his license was revoked on 11 other occasions.

Money laundry

On March 8 at about 7:30 p.m., a 34-year-old woman from Farmingville stole a wallet containing cash from a table at Fun Wash Coin Laundries on Middle Country Road in Centereach, according to police. She was arrested on June 5 in Selden and charged with petit larceny.

Hit-and-run

At about midnight on June 3, a 29-year-old man from Coram was driving a 2010 Toyota on Route 112 in Coram when he hit a pedestrian and did not stop, police said. He was later arrested in Selden and found to be driving without a required interlock device, which prevents drunk driving. He was charged with leaving the scene of an incident causing serious injury and use of a vehicle without an interlock device.

Heroin Hyundai

A 21-year-old man from Selden who possessed heroin was in the driver’s seat of a 2003 Hyundai near the corner of Magnolia Drive and Pine Street in Selden at about 4 p.m. on June 2, according to police. He was arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Brand new car bashed

On North Titmus Drive in Mastic on May 27 at about 6:30 p.m., a 50-year-old man driving a 2003 Toyota crashed into a 2016 Ford and left the scene without stopping, according to police. He was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an incident with property damage.

Should have gone for Blu-ray

At about 10 p.m. on May 12, a 29-year-old woman from East Moriches stole DVDs, a DVD player and assorted makeup from Kmart on North Ocean Avenue in Farmingville, police said. She was arrested on June 1 in Selden and charged with petit larceny.

Caught red-handed

A 19-year-old man from Mastic Beach was in possession of a 2004 Honda all-terrain vehicle that had previously been reported stolen at about 7 p.m. on June 1 from a home on Judith Drive in Coram, according to police. He was arrested and charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.

Greedy beaver

An employee at Eager Beaver Car Wash on Route 347 in Port Jefferson Station stole more than $3,000 in cash from the business between Sept. 17 and April 8, police said. The 24-year-old woman from Mount Sinai was arrested in Selden on June 1 and charged with third-degree grand larceny.

Surprised it still runs

Someone stole a 1991 Toyota from the driveway of a home on Ruland Road in Selden at about midnight on June 5, according to police.

Fresh paint job

A 2003 Chevrolet was spray-painted by an unknown person while it was parked in the road in front of a home on Balin Avenue in Centereach at about 12:30 a.m. on June 5, police said.

Residents weep over stolen tree

A weeping sequoia tree was stolen from the property of a home on Chelsea Drive in Mount Sinai at about 2 p.m. on June 5, according to police.

Rise and shine and high

A 26-year-old woman from Nesconset was arrested on June 4 after police said she had heroin on her while on Roosevelt Avenue in Ronkonkoma at 10:25 a.m. She was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Charged for not charging

On June 2, a 19-year-old man from Brentwood was arrested after police said he failed to charge customers for various items while working at Walmart on Crooked Hill Road in Commack. He was charged with three counts of petit larceny.

Lotion theft

Police said a 71-year-old man from Dix Hills stole tanning lotion from Kohl’s on Crooked Hill Road in Commack on June 2. He was arrested and charged with petit larceny.

Not the right time for a shot

A 24-year-old man from Smithtown was arrested on June 1 after police said he shot a BB gun at a house on Carmel Road in Commack. He was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment.

Far from a king

On June 1, a 41-year-old man from Lake Ronkonkoma was arrested after police said he stole property from King Kullen on Ronkonkoma Avenue and had Suboxone in his possession. He was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and petit larceny.

I think he skipped a step

Police said a 45-year-old man from Brentwood placed items in a shopping cart while at Walmart on Veterans Highway in Islandia on April 10 and walked out of the store without paying. He was arrested at the 4th Precinct on May 31 and charged with petit larceny.

CVS fans

A 24-year-old woman from Lake Ronkonkoma was arrested on May 31 at the 4th Precinct, after police said she stole markers and glue from CVS Pharmacy in Nesconset on April 19, and then stole miscellaneous items from a CVS Pharmacy on Middle Country Road in Selden. She was charged with two counts of petit larceny.

On May 31, a 28-year-old man from Nesconset was arrested after police said he stole miscellaneous items from CVS Pharmacy in Selden and had a warrant out for him for a probation violation. He was charged with petit larceny.

Nightmare on Elm Street

Police said a 25-year-old man from Hauppauge stole a wallet from an unlocked vehicle parked on Elm Street in Commack on May 31. He was arrested and charged with fourth-degree grand larceny.

Crooked thief on Crooked Hill

On May 30, a 29-year-old man from Babylon was arrested after police said he stole clothing from Kohl’s on Crooked Hill Road in Commack. He was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny.

You’ve got no mail (box)

Police said an unknown person damaged a mailbox at a residence on Pine Avenue in Ronkonkoma on June 3.

Sad shed

On May 29, an unknown person stole a generator and a leaf blower from a shed at a residential property on Florida Avenue in Commack, according to police.

In danger of paper cuts

An unknown person entered a building on Motor Parkway in Hauppauge on June 4 and tossed papers around, police said.

Santa in the off-season?

Police said two unknown men and two unknown women entered a Banana Republic in the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove on April 10 and stole $2,900 worth of men’s clothing. According to police, one of the men is elderly with white hair, a white beard and a white mustache.

Money is ‘still’ the mother’s milk of politics

by TBR Staff - June 9, 2016

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If there is but one positive to come out of the contentious primary season for both the Democratic and Republican nominations for U.S. president, it has been a spotlight on the issue of money in politics.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) made “political contributions from the millionaire and billionaire class” a cornerstone target of his campaign, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been forced to respond to her clocking in millions of dollars in compensation for speeches she had given to Wall Street bankers and others while not holding public office. On the Republican side, presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump made it a public point of pride that he was not accepting money from other corporate bigwigs, but instead was self-funded or relying on small grassroots contributions.

Clearly, the electorate is sensitive to big money’s influence on politics. Ask anybody on the street if they feel that gigantic chunks of money are perverting American democracy and, chances are, they will agree with you. And here we are.

New York State watchdogs stood in front of the Smithtown office of state Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport) on Tuesday to make some noise over his stance on the Senate Republican Campaign and Housekeeping committees accepting some $16 million in contributions, thanks to a loophole in campaign finance law that allows limited liability companies to use a much higher contribution limit than corporations do. With the clock ticking before the legislative session comes to a close on June 16, groups like MoveOn.org and Common Cause New York called on Flanagan and his Republican colleagues who control the Senate to bring a bill to a vote that would close that loophole.

Flanagan did not speak at the press conference, but he did say in a statement that the legislation to close the loophole was a “red herring,” and instead said the state had bigger fish to fry if it was serious about addressing campaign finance reform, like addressing straw donors, for example.

We agree that this LLC loophole is not the end-all solution to campaign finance reform, but it is certainly a piece of it.

There is no doubt about the influence money has on elections and, later on, the votes of those who are elected. Perhaps the problem is so deeply rooted that holding press conferences like the one on Tuesday ends up being more like preaching to the choir than anything else. Some may go into office wanting to remain completely independent, but find that difficult under the pressure of the way our campaign contribution system works.

Whatever it may be, though, We the People have to find ways to unite with bigger numbers behind a common cause if we expect our elected leaders to rehabilitate their addiction to political money.

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