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Victoria Espinoza

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Victoria Espinoza is the editor of the Times of Huntington & Northport. She once broke her elbow trying to eat a cookie.
https://www.victoria-espinoza.com/

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File photo

Something seems fishy this black sea bass fishing season.

Local legislators, fishers and state organizations alike agree that there are issues with how black sea bass fishing is being regulated.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for modifications to what he said are “inflexible” and “outdated” federal regulations for black sea bass fishing, which some North Shore fisherman said are hurting their wallets because they have to wait to fish during this crucial fishing period.

Schumer said at an event in Northport last Wednesday that the bottom feeders are not being fairly managed, and the next permitted fishing period should be allowed to start in June instead of July to put people to work at harvesting the plentiful populations.

“After a slow start to the black sea bass season, mostly due to weather, our Long Island commercial fishers are ready to bounce back and access the plentiful supply of sea bass,” Schumer said at the event. “But instead they might fall flat if the feds and the state don’t throw them a line and let them do what they do best — fish.”

“They might fall flat if the feds and the state don’t throw them a line.” —Chuck Schumer

Three organizations — the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Mid-Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission — jointly manage black sea bass fishing, by determining the quota for sea bass each year. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation then determines the quota distribution through the state and periods throughout the year when fishermen can fish for black sea bass.

The quota this year was set at about 189,000 pounds and the most recent period for sea bass fishing ended on May 31, with the next slated to begin on July 1.

According to the Atlantic States group, “The objectives of [management] are to reduce fishing mortality to assure overfishing does not occur, … promote compatible regulations among states and between federal and state jurisdictions…and to minimize regulations necessary to achieve the stated objectives.”

Kirby Rootes-Murdy, that commission’s senior fishery management plan coordinator, said it works to ensure that the black sea bass population stays at a safe level.

But Schumer said the break in June is only hurting fishermen.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks to fishermen in Northport last week. Photo from Marisa Kaufman
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks to fishermen in Northport last week. Photo from Marisa Kaufman

“Below-average black sea bass catch rates … have made it so the total catch at this point of the season is well below the allowable quota limits,” Schumer said, “which is why it is critical to allow these struggling fishermen to continue catching black sea bass this month.”

Sean Mahar, the DEC director of communications, acknowledged fishing got off to a slow start, and said the DEC is committed to re-opening the season before the July 1 date, as long as it’s accurate that anglers are below quota — the agency is still investigating that.

Through May 21, only one-third of the May quota had been harvested, “with approximately 42,000 pounds [still] available on May 21,” Mahar said in an email.

“However, the harvest rate increased dramatically the last week in May, and the state is still awaiting data from the commercial fishermen and dealers that are required to submit landings and sales reports to DEC to determine the how much of the quota was actually harvested. If there is quota leftover, we will open the season again sooner than July 1.”

Mahar also said the DEC has pressed federal regulators, including the Atlantic States commission, to implement changes to improve fishery in New York, including the system for tabulating bass populations.

“The increasingly restrictive measures demanded of Northeastern states are inequitable and cause great socioeconomic harm to our anglers and related businesses,” DEC Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a statement. Regulatory agencies “must revise their management strategy and not keep New York … at a competitive disadvantage while the black sea bass population continues to grow.”

“It’s a disaster for conservation and the economy.”
—James Schneider

Rootes-Murdy said these decisions on quotas are based on population projections for the species but black sea bass pose a challenge for accurate projections, as they are a hermaphroditic species, meaning they change sex from male to female.

“That aspect makes it difficult to develop a population model around,” Rootes-Murdy said.

North Shore fishermen said the break in the season is hurting their livelihood.

“It’s a disaster for conservation and the economy,” said James Schneider, a boat captain in Huntington. “It’s crushed us.”

Schneider is catching other fish in the meantime and said he has been forced to throw back black sea bass he inadvertently catches. Those die shortly after, he said, further contributing to a loss in potential profits.

Northport fishing captain Stu Paterson said he agreed that he has had to throw back many sea bass during the off-season, as they “are all over the Sound right now.”

He also questioned why Connecticut’s black sea bass season, which opened on May 1 and runs through Dec. 31, allows fishermen to start earlier than in New York, as they share a body of water.

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Marisa Vitali, creator of “Grace,” speaks after the screening of the film. Photo by Victoria Espinoza

Community members from all around the Huntington area packed into the John W. Engeman Theater on Tuesday night for a premiere screening of “Grace,” a short film about heroin recovery.

Marisa Vitali, the film’s creator and a Northport native, based the film on her own struggles with drug addiction and rehabilitation.

“I would have never been able to do this without all of you,” Vitali said after receiving a round of applause once the film ended. She shot the motion picture in Northport, primarily at Tim’s Shipwreck Diner, and used members of the community as extras in the film.

During the unveiling, Vitali said she realized that she has been clean for 14 years, four months and four days, to the day.

“I am so grateful,” she said. “I am so grateful I didn’t wake up dope sick today and I am so grateful I didn’t have to use. Everything else is just a blessing on top of that.”

She then spoke to the people in the room who may be currently going through the same challenge or have a loved one who is.

“I’m sure there are people here who are struggling, who don’t know where to go … but I want to let you know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We do recover.”

The event was hosted in partnership with the Northport-East Northport Drug and Alcohol Task Force. Profits from tickets, food and raffle tickets sold at the event went toward the Youth Directions and Alternatives, a nonprofit organization serving communities throughout Huntington by developing services and sobriety programs for youth in the communities.

According to Anthony Fernandino, chair of the task force, the event had raised $7,500 before raffle ticket proceeds were counted.

Fernandino has been working with Vitali for almost four years trying to get the event together and was ecstatic to see it all come together.

“It feels great,” he said before the screening. “We sold out and exceeded our expectations. I’m excited because we have a house full of people that we will be able to educate and bring awareness to this issue.”

Northport Mayor George Doll, who Vitali said was a vital part of making the film, was proud to be a part of the event.

“This is a fantastic thing,” he said. “We have people coming here all the time to do films, but hers was special.”

Northport Police Chief Bill Ricca agreed that it was a unique and important approach to combat addiction.

“From a law enforcement standpoint, we can’t arrest ourselves out of this problem,” he said. “We need the community’s help, we need treatment, prevention, and education.”

After the film, there was a question and answer portion in which audience members asked Vitali about how she first got into drugs, got clean and continues to live a healthy life. Barry Zaks, director of Huntington Drug & Alcohol Counseling Center, also answered questions on how and when parents should start having conversations about drugs with their kids.

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Huntington Manor Fire Department battle the blaze. Photo by Steve Silverman
Firefighters inspect the pickup truck after the fire is put out. Photo by Steve Silverman.
Firefighters inspect the pickup truck after the fire is put out. Photo by Steve Silverman.

By Victoria Espinoza

A Ford pickup truck parked in the St. Anthony’s High School parking lot in Huntington went up in flames on Monday night just before 1:30 a.m.

The Huntington Manor Fire Department responded with two trucks to the scene on Pidgeon Hill Road on June 6, and extinguished the fire under the command of 2nd Assistant Chief Jon Hoffmann.

The pickup truck was parked near school buses, but no other vehicles were damaged.

There were no injuries reported.

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Suffolk County police officers arrested three 16-year-old boys who were riding dirt bikes and an ATV in an allegedly reckless manner in Huntington on Sunday.

Police officer James Garside, of the Suffolk County Police Department’s 2nd Precinct, observed two dirt bikes and an ATV driving recklessly south on Park Avenue at approximately 4:50 p.m. The SCPD said Garside followed the suspects to Berkeley Jackson County Park in Huntington, where they abandoned the vehicles and fled on foot into the woods.

Sgt. Steven Surian established a perimeter and notified the canine section, police said. Officer Paul O’Brien and his dog Argo entered the woods, located all three teens and took them into custody.

Police did not identify the youths.

The three teenagers, all from Huntington Station, were charged with reckless driving and were released on bail to their parents.

The vehicles have been impounded and the teens are scheduled to appear in First District Court in Central Islip on Aug. 1.

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Beth Atkinson takes a shot for a future project. Photo from Beth Atkinson
Beth Atkinson takes a shot for a future project. Photo from Beth Atkinson
Beth Atkinson takes a shot for a future project. Photo from Beth Atkinson

By Victoria Espinoza

Northport resident Beth Atkinson reignited her love for creating art thanks to some help from a Northport gallery and since then has constantly found inspiration in the village she calls home.

Currently a permanent member of The Firefly Artists, a gallery in the heart of Northport, Atkinson said she has found ideas and support within her community.

Atkinson grew up on the North Shore and moved to the area after she married her husband Brian, a Northport native himself. An art teacher at Hicksville High School for the past 30 years, Atkinson said she went through a period when she lost herself as an artist because she was so focused on supporting her students’ artwork.

“Sometimes [art teachers] let our students’ needs take over our needs,” she said in a phone interview.

Once she got a home for her work at Firefly, she said it was just the push she needed to refocus.

“It’s kept me on it,” she said. “I’m always trying to change my wall. I now set aside time almost every night to carve blocks or work on a collage. Firefly is my year-long motivation.”

Atkinson creates in a variety of genres and media, including jewelry, paintings and sculptures. The Harvard Club of Long Island recently named Atkinson a Distinguished Teacher of 2016, and she was given honorable mention at the Art League of Long Island Member Exhibition in 2015.

A piece of Atkinson’s work inspired by the sunset at Eaton’s Neck. Photo from Beth Atkinson
A piece of Atkinson’s work inspired by the sunset at Eaton’s Neck. Photo from Beth Atkinson

The Northport resident said all the other artists at Firefly mesh well and present a wide range of talents.

Atkinson has taken her newfound energy and paid it forward with an adult summer program she co-chairs at Great Camp Sagamore in the Adirondacks, through the New York State Arts Teacher Association. That camp has a Long Island connection, as it was a former home of the prominent Vanderbilt family.

“It started out to help art educators renew themselves and come up with new ideas for the classroom,” she said. “It also helps art teachers find the artists they were before they were a teacher. You’d be surprised how many art teachers stop making their own art once they start teaching.”

As for the inspiration Atkinson finds in Northport, she said it’s endless.

“When you take the time to stop and look around you … the other day I had to drive to Eaton’s Neck and all of the sudden I see the most incredible sunset over the harbor,” she said. “We live in a great area for inspiration.”

And it is supportive of artists: “I think we’ve got a great opportunity in Northport — Main Street alone has several galleries. There are more art exhibitions on Long Island than you can possibly go to.”

Art runs in the family for much of the Atkinson clan, aside from a daughter Katie who is dancing to her own tune. Her daughter Lauren teaches art in Maryland, and her son Alex is currently taking photography classes at Northport High School. She said she and her son have traveled together to different spots in the area to take photos and find inspiration.

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An employee from Ridgewood Pork Store serves a customer at the Northport Farmers’ Market on Saturday, June 6. Photo by Victoria Espinoza

The Northport Farmers Market’s 2016 season is set to start this Saturday, June 4, from 8 a.m. to noon, and run till mid-November at the Cow Harbor parking lot off Main Street in the village.

The market is open rain or shine.

Fresh strawberries are on display at the Northport Farmers’ Market last year. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
Fresh strawberries are on display at the Northport Farmers’ Market last year. Photo by Victoria Espinoza

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Park rangers would monitor Huntington Station parks to give a greater sense of police presence to the area. Stock photo

After a slew of violent incidents in Huntington Station, town Supervisor Frank Petrone (D) has proposed using park rangers to help monitor the area and improve security.

In the past two months, Suffolk County Police Department has publicly reported two dead bodies found in Huntington and three shootings in the area. Residents have asked officials at town board meetings for resolutions to the safety issue.

According to town spokesman A.J. Carter, the town plans to hire three to four park rangers, who would be recently retired or active but off-duty policemen and have the same powers as peace officers.

Although their jurisdiction specifically would be town parks, Carter said the park rangers would be allowed to intervene if they see activity on the roads or other areas outside the parks.

Huntington Station borders the Froehlich Farm Nature Preserve, where the body of a young woman was found in 2013, and includes the following parks within the neighborhood: Gateway Park on New York Avenue at Lowndes Avenue; Manor Field Park on East 5th Street; Depot Road Park; and Fair Meadows Park on East Pulaski Road and Park Avenue.

According to New York State criminal procedure law, peace officers can make warrantless arrests, use physical force to make an arrest or prevent an escape, carry out warrantless searches with probable cause and issue appearance tickets, among other powers. They can also carry firearms and take away weapons from people who do not have the proper licenses to carry.

All peace officers in New York need to go through a special training program.

Carter said Petrone has spent months researching the idea.

Many other towns on Long Island use systems like this, including Smithtown, which has a park ranger division comprised of “law enforcement personnel” acting as peace officers in town-owned facilities to “enforce town codes, parks rules and regulations, as well as state and federal laws,” according to Smithtown’s website.

Smithtown park rangers work in conjunction with Suffolk police, and Carter said Huntington plans to do the same. Duties for Smithtown rangers include preserving town property, deterring crime, arresting offenders and assisting in searches for missing persons.

“It’s another presence in the community with the ability to make arrests,” Carter said in a phone interview.

The town spokesman also said the money to hire peace officers would be taken from the part of the budget set aside for additional seasonal hires.

As for information on uniforms, salary, shift schedules and more, Carter said the program is still in the works and no other news is available at the moment.

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Paul Lasinski, center, smiles with Harborfields High School Athletic Director John Valente, left, and Principal Rory Manning. Photo from Hansen Lee

Paul Lasinski of Greenlawn has been an athletic trainer and health teacher at Harborfields for nearly 20 years, and in less than two weeks he will walk the halls and fields of the high school for the last time as he prepares to retire.

It was about 18 years ago when Lasinski, or “Ski” as he’s known at school, took the position of athletic trainer. Ever since then, he has been a mainstay of the HF athletic program.

“I try to treat the student-athletes like I would want my child to be treated,” Lasinski said in an interview. “The kids here at Harborfields are really great. If you treat the students well and they know that you’re there for them, they know you’re giving your all for them, then a bond will come.”

Lasinski said he will be moving to South Carolina soon, and his replacement has already started training. Rachel Jersky, currently the athletic trainer at Bayport-Blue Point High School, will take over from him.

Lasinski’s history
• Hofstra athletic trainer in 1976, when men’s hoops first went to NCAA tournament
• Two sons graduated from HHS
• Was athletic trainer at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
• Has been at Harborfields since ’97

“Not having Paul roam the sidelines in his infamous trainer’s cart, or watch him tapes hundreds of ankles throughout the year, will be difficult to get used to,” said John Valente, Harborfields director of health, physical education, athletics, medical and nurse services. “[He] has left his mark on so many that he can never be replaced for who he is and what he has represented to the Harborfields Central School District.”

Lasinski said his favorite moments over the course of his HF career have been the times when he worked closely with the students. He said he was not looking forward to saying goodbye.

“The last week is going to be so difficult for me,” he said. “Being around the kids … and watching them play was such a highlight for me.”

He said one of his favorite memories was when the boys’ basketball team won the New York State championship in 2012. Lasinski was on the bus coming home with the team from Glens Falls when he said members of fire departments in the town reached out to him because they wanted to orchestrate a welcome home ceremony for the boys. He let the head coach know, and they decided to keep it a secret from the boys to surprise them.

“When we pulled around the corner … and the boys saw the sirens and the American flags, it was mayhem. That was a special moment,” he said.

Valente said it’s no secret the athletic director shares a bond with many student athletes.

“Behind this talented professional is a man revered by students, staff, parents and the entire community,” he said in an email. “Paul … gives of himself freely. He has been known to travel to athletes’ homes to check on an injury or provide care. It has always been inspiring and touching to witness the interaction that Paul has with the student athletes. They genuinely love Ski.”

Lucas Woodhouse, point guard of the 2012 team and now a key member of the Stony Brook University basketball roster, said Lasinski was an important piece of the group.

“[He] played a huge part in our team’s success over the years,” Woodhouse said. “He was great to be around, so much that people would go to just hang with him and talk about anything. It was great to have him be a major part of the team every year.”

The Greenlawn resident said he has enjoyed his time as a health teacher and said the most important part of teaching high schoolers is maintaining an open conversation, whether the topic is drugs, nutrition or sexual activity.

“You have to talk about it [with the students],” he said. “You really have to tell them what’s going on and make them aware of the choices they could make and how they affect them.”

Lasinski drives his golf cart around the grounds at Harborfields. Photo from Hansen Lee
Lasinski drives his golf cart around the grounds at Harborfields. Photo from Hansen Lee

As an athletic trainer, Lasinski would be looking over nearly 300 student athletes each day during the busier sports seasons.

“Thank God they don’t all get injured at once,” Lasinski joked.

He said a Saturday in the fall could have him working up to 12 hours, between soccer games in the morning and then football games in the later afternoon.

“You need to have a good wife,” he said of his wife Bonnie, who was a support system when he would work extra hours at the school. “She spent a lot of Saturdays without me, but she knows it’s what I love. This is what I do best. This keeps me young.”

And his efforts did not go unnoticed across the district. Valente said Lasinski has gone above and beyond his work responsibilities throughout his years of service.

“Paul works many hours and never looks at his watch,” he said. “It is not uncommon for him to be treating students as early as 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning, and then work over 10 hours throughout the day being at all of the contests.”

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Junior firefighters work a fire hose. File photo by Victoria Espinoza

By Victoria Espinoza

Stop drop and enroll in Dix Hills’ first-ever junior fire academy, a one-week summer program designed to introduce children between the ages of 12 and 14 to the volunteer fire service.

Commissioner Todd Cohen said the program will give kids an understanding of how the fire department works and what it means to be a volunteer there.

“Our academy will be tailored for the community,” he said in a statement. “We’re working hard to not only provide the kids with valuable knowledge and hands-on skills, but also to give them a fun week. This program gives youngsters a unique set of skills. There’s nothing else like it on Long Island — it’s truly one of a kind.”

Kids who attend the academy will learn fire safety, CPR, first aid, leadership and respect, as well as receive a Heartsaver certification card from the American Heart Association. There will also be limited hands-on training for hose-handling and rescue techniques. Kids will be taken on field trips to the Yaphank Fire Academy, the Suffolk County EMS call center, the Islip airport fire rescue department and more. Firefighters from the Dix Hills Fire Department will run the program.

Councilwoman Susan Berland (D), a Dix Hills resident, said she was excited to partner the town parks department with the fire department to launch the program.

“It’s a great opportunity for kids to learn all they can about the department,” she said. “It is our hope that this program will inspire students to join the fire department and instill in them a sense of volunteerism and responsibility. It promises to be a fun and rewarding experience for all involved. This is the first of its kind on Long Island.”

According to a press release, the idea began 15 years ago at the Cold Spring Fire Department in Putnam County. The academy grew immensely popular and, as a result, has been replicated throughout the country. Cohen and Todd Baker, a Dix Hills firefighter, are working with the originators of Cold Spring’s program to successfully duplicate it in Dix Hills.

The academy runs from Aug. 15 to 19, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dix Hills Fire Department Headquarters at 115 East Deer Park Road. Registration opens on June 3.

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File photo

Homicide Squad detectives are investigating the murder of a man who was found in Huntington early Wednesday morning.

Suffolk County Police Department 2nd Precinct officers responded to Clinton Avenue at 3:17 a.m. after a 911 caller reported that a man was unconscious and covered in blood. When officers arrived, they found Bay Shore resident Edwin Rivera, 39, lying on the ground next to his 2015 Mercedes.

Rivera was transported by Huntington Community First Aid Squad to Huntington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His death has been ruled criminal and an autopsy will be performed by the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner to determine the cause.

Rivera’s is the second dead body found in Huntington this week. Early Sunday morning, May 22, officers found the body of 33-year-old William Sarcenolima, who lives in Huntington Station, partially in the roadway on West Hills Road in Huntington Station. Sarcenolima was pronounced dead at Huntington Hospital. His body was then transported to the Suffolk County medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. Police have not yet announced a cause of death, but said at the time the body was found that Sarcenolima may have been a victim of violence.

Anyone with information is asked to call Homicide Squad detectives at 631-852-6392 or call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

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