Home Village Beacon Record

Candidate quartet runs for local library board

by Giselle Barkley - January 8, 2016

0 246

Three trustee seats up for election next Wednesday

PJLibrary1w — The upcoming budget vote is at the library on Thompson Street. File photo

By Giselle Barkley

Port Jefferson Free Library will soon have a full board of trustees for the first time in a while, after an election on Jan. 13 in which four candidates are running for three seats.

Residents can meet the group at the library on Monday, at 7 p.m., including incumbents Laura Hill Timpanaro and Susan Prechtl-Loper with newcomers Carl Siegel and Joel Rosenthal.

Susan Prechtl-Loper is running for the Port Jefferson library’s board of trustees. Photo from the candidate

The two candidates who win the most votes will secure seats with five-year terms and the third-place finisher will win a seat that carries a two-year term.

The shorter term is available after former Trustee Harriet Martin vacated her seat on the board, leaving a couple of years left on her term.

Hill Timpanaro, the current board president, has been a trustee for the past five years and is seeking re-election. She heads the library’s planning and building committee and has worked on several projects, including securing grants and modernizing the library to keep up with changes in technology.

“The library is moving into a time of change, not only for PJFL but for the libraries in general,” Hill Timpanaro said in an email. “As technology continues to change patrons’ needs we have the opportunity to create a community cornerstone that suits a diverse clientele and becomes [an] anchor for the community.”

Laura Hill Timpanaro is running for the Port Jefferson library’s board of trustees. Photo from the candidate

Hill Timpanaro has lived in Port Jefferson for 15 years. Outside the library, she’s also helped secure funds to build a garden at the Port Jefferson elementary school.

She hopes to continue her work on expanding the library in a new term, especially now that the library has acquired two adjacent properties — a residence on Thompson Street and a business on East Main Street.

Fellow incumbent Prechtl-Loper, the board’s financial officer and a member since 2013, is also seeking re-election, with the goal of further improving the library and its services.

She said the biggest accomplishment for the trustees since she first joined was when the library purchased the Scented Cottage Garden property on East Main Street in May, to help satisfy the library’s parking and general needs.

For Prechtl-Loper, a village resident for more than 20 years and a library member for more than 50, the institution is like home.

Carl Siegel is running for the Port Jefferson library’s board of trustees. Photo from Valerie Schwarz

“I grew up in the library,” she said. “I have really fond memories there.”

Siegel, like the incumbents, is no stranger to the board of trustees. He served from 1994 to 1999 and is hoping to return this year.

During Siegel’s previous tenure, he helped establish the children’s library and an adult reading room, among several other projects. Now that building plans are underway to address a parking shortage and add a room to host live performances, Siegel wants to help execute those projects.

He was an English teacher at the Port Jefferson high school for 23 years before retiring in 1992. Since then, he’s been active in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Stony Brook University, which offers a variety of courses to its older students. He served as its president in 1997.

For Rosenthal, whose has lived in Port Jefferson Village for 50 years, the election is a new phase. While he’s never been a trustee, Rosenthal is aware of the library’s plans for expansion and would like to work with fellow trustees on the projects.

Joel Rosenthal is running for the Port Jefferson library’s board of trustees. Photo from Valerie Schwarz

“With the tremendous changes in technology, [the trustees] should make some informed decisions about the library,” he said in an interview.

Rosenthal is a distinguished professor emeritus of history at Stony Brook University. He was also previously the chair of the history department and took on other administrative roles before partially retiring from the university.

Although Rosenthal said he would prefer the two-year seat to a five-year seat, he would “take what I can get.”

Voting is at the library on Wednesday, Jan. 13, between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Police blotter: Suffolk County incidents and arrests, Christmas to Jan. 3

by TBR Staff - January 7, 2016

0 469

Fire in the hole
A 21-year-old man from Deer Park was arrested on Jan. 2 at 3:30 a.m. after police said he hit a fire hydrant while driving a 2001 Nissan Altima on Commack Road in Dix Hills and fled the scene. He was charged with operating a motor vehicle and leaving the scene with property damage.

He’ll be watching you
Police said a 39-year-old man from West Babylon was sending threatening and stalking emails to someone on West Hills Road in West Hills. He was arrested at the 2nd Precinct on Dec. 29 and charged with fourth-degree stalking at employment.

Crazy stuff on Asylum Avenue
On Jan. 2, a 23-year-old man from Coram was arrested after police said he had marijuana in plain view while sitting in a 2005 Cadillac on Asylum Avenue in Huntington just after 7 p.m. He was charged with third-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

Catching up on some z’s
Police said a 31-year-old man from Harlem was asleep at the wheel in a 2014 Chevy Suburban with the engine running in the HOV lane on the Long Island Expressway at 6:20 a.m. on Jan. 1. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest after refusing to put his hands behind his back.

Story not checking out
A 25-year-old woman from Bay Shore was arrested on Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. at the 2nd Precinct for multiple incidents of forging checks. She was charged with four counts of second-degree possession of forged instruments for using forged checks at multiple Chase banks in Commack, North Babylon and Bay Shore from September through December.

High times
On Dec. 31, a 23-year-old woman from Nesconset was arrested after police said she had suboxone in her possession at 2 p.m. on New York Avenue in Huntington. She was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Un-lawn-ful
A 53-year-old man from Melville was arrested on Dec. 27 after police said he drove on a driveway and front lawn of a residence on Route 25A in Huntington and caused damage. He was charged with criminal mischief with intent to damage property.

Sneaking some sneaks
On Dec. 26, a 25-year-old man from Central Islip was arrested after police said he stole Macy’s gift cards and three pairs of sneakers from Macy’s on Walt Whitman Road in Huntington at noon.

Hit and run
A 17-year-old woman from Commack was arrested on Jan. 3 at 5:20 a.m. after police said she hit a pedestrian while driving a 2011 Nissan on Piave Terrace in Lindenhurst. She was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and first-degree failure to show license or identification.

Razor sharp senses
Police said an unknown person stole razors from a CVS on Main Street in Smithtown on Jan. 2 at 8:20 p.m.

Cocaine bust
On Jan. 2 a 34-year-old man from Patchogue was arrested at 4:15 p.m. after police stopped him on Morewood Drive in Commack for a bench warrant and then discovered he had cocaine in his possession. He was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Charged for cards
Police said a 20-year-old man from Commack stole gift cards from Best Buy in Commack over a two-month period. He was arrested on Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. and charged with petit larceny.

Not just the remote is lost
On Dec. 29 a 22-year-old man from Dix Hills was arrested after police said he stole a television from Walmart on Crooked Hill Road in Commack at 12:20 p.m. He was charged with petit larceny.

Someone else’s plastic
A 29-year-old man from Smithtown was arrested on Dec. 31 after police said he made purchases on a stolen credit card. He was arrested at 11 p.m. at the 4th Precinct and charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a credit card.

To the point
Police said a 25-year-old man from Ronkonkoma was arrested for being in possession of a hypodermic needle inside a 2001 Nissan at 11:20 a.m. on Dec. 30. He was charged with possession of a hypodermic instrument.

Lights out
A 47-year-old man from Commack was arrested on Dec. 25 and charged with first-degree operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs. Police said he was driving a 2002 Ford pickup truck on Joyce Lane at 3 a.m. when they pulled him over for having a light out and then discovered he was driving while on drugs.

Can’t phone home
Police said two cell phones were stolen from Walmart on Crooked Hill Road in Commack on Jan. 3 shortly after noon.

Speeding
On Jan. 2 a 22-year-old woman from Holbrook was arrested on Route 25 in Smithtown at 3 a.m. after police said she was speeding in a 2005 Pontiac and then discovered she was driving while on drugs. She was charged with first-degree operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.

Not quite on target
A 28-year-old woman from Wyandanch was arrested on Jan. 3 at noon for stealing assorted merchandise from Target on Veterans Memorial Highway in Smithtown. She was charged with petit larceny.

Drifting to jail
On Dec. 29, an East Setauket resident was driving a 2006 Jeep west on Route 347 in Port Jefferson Station when he failed to maintain his lane. Police discovered the man was intoxicated and arrested him on the corner of Route 347 and Jayne Boulevard. The 33-year-old was charged with driving while ability impaired. He was previously convicted on similar charges 10 years ago.

Quest for the card thief
A 29-year-old man from Coram was arrested for grand larceny on Dec. 27, after he stole a credit card from an unlocked 2010 Chevrolet. The incident took place on Piedmont Drive in Port Jefferson Station, but police arrested the man on Montclair Street.

Drive away home
Police arrested a 21-year-old Port Jefferson woman on Jan. 2 for unauthorized use of a car. Police said she took a 2003 Lincoln Navigator out of a shared driveway around 4:04 a.m. and was arrested later that day at her Laurita Gate home.

Gimme a break
A man from Miller Place was arrested for criminal mischief on Dec. 29, after police said the 40-year-old broke a glass window to enter a residence on Woodhull Landing Road in Miller Place around 11:25 a.m. The man also allegedly gave the wrong name to officials just prior to his arrest.

Wantagh go to jail
Police arrested a Wantagh man on Jan. 1 for driving while ability impaired in a 2012 Nissan after he got into a crash while going south on Howell Avenue in Centereach. Officials discovered the 28-year-old was intoxicated. Police arrested him at 3:39 a.m., less than 30 minutes after the crash.

Boozy breakfast
On Jan. 1, police arrested a 26-year-old woman from Centereach for driving while ability impaired. Around 8:48 a.m., the woman was driving a 2006 Nissan when she got into a crash near the Sunoco station on Middle Country Road. Police at the scene discovered the woman was intoxicated and arrested her.

An early morning stroll
Police said an 18-year-old Selden man was shouting obscenities on Jan. 1 before trespassing at the 7-Eleven on Middle Country Road in Selden. Police arrested the man for trespassing at the scene.

Party-crashers
On Jan. 1 at 3:30 a.m., a resident living on Christian Avenue in Stony Brook was throwing a party when several unknown, uninvited guests struck and broke the glass front door and window of the home. Police didn’t specify what they used to cause the damage.

Pound it
Police arrested a 23-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station for criminal possession of a weapon at the Centereach Mall on Jan. 1, after they found him in possession of brass knuckles.

King of the road
On Jan. 2, a 52-year-old man from Rocky Point was arrested for driving while ability impaired. According to police, the man was speeding in a 1995 GMC north on Kings Walk and failed to stay to the right on the road.

Stopped and seized
A 20-year-old man from Sound Beach was arrested on Jan. 1 for criminal possession of a controlled substance. Police had made a traffic stop on Madison Street in Rocky Point and discovered the man was in possession of drugs. Police didn’t specify why the man was originally stopped.

The same old steal
On Jan. 2, someone entered the Old Fields Restaurant on Wynn Lane in Port Jefferson and stole an iPod and license from the business.

Toy troubles
According to police, someone entered the Kohl’s in Setauket-East Setauket and concealed a toy set in their bag. The incident happened on Dec. 30 at 9:54 p.m.

Food for the winter
An unidentified person took groceries from a store on Nesconset Highway in Mount Sinai on Dec. 29.

On the fence
On Dec. 28, a resident living on Kingston Road in Mount Sinai reported that someone damaged the house’s PVC fence and fence posts between 11 and 11:20 a.m.

Pumped for pickpocketing
An unknown person broke the passenger window of a 2005 Jeep parked in the LA Fitness parking lot in Port Jefferson Station. Police said a wallet was stolen. The incident happened on Dec. 31 around 6 p.m.

Finance this
Police said an unknown person broke a window at Soloway Agency on Nesconset Highway in Port Jefferson Station on Jan. 1, at 4:25 a.m.

Beauty knows no bounds
On Jan. 2, someone took body spray and hair products from the Walgreens on Middle Country Road in Selden.

Shoreham hoops falls to Hampton Bays

by Desirée Keegan - January 6, 2016

0 1751

Shoreham-Wading-River-girls-basketball-Mackenzie-Zajac-010516_Keeganw — Mackenzie Zajac makes her way to the basket in Shoreham-Wading River's 51-30 loss to Hampton Bays. Photo by Desirée Keegan

The Shoreham-Wading River girls’ basketball team struggled to recover after an 11-0 start by its opponent as the Wildcats fell to Hampton Bays, 51-30, in their first League VI loss Tuesday.

“Being down 11-0 was a problem,” Shoreham-Wading River head coach Adam Lievre said. “We talked a little bit about that before the game — I don’t know if I jinxed us — but we played hard. Offensively, at times, we struggled to score, and against a team that can shoot the ball well from the outside, it’s hard for us to trade missed layups for them to get open threes.”

Mikayla Dwyer maintains possession with a Hampton Bays defender on her hip in the Wildcats' 51-30 loss on Jan. 5. Photo by Desirée Keegan — Mikayla Dwyer maintains possession with a Hampton Bays defender on her hip in the Wildcats’ 51-30 loss on Jan. 5. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Shoreham-Wading River sophomore guard Mikayla Dwyer put the Wildcats’ first points on the board, and junior forward Lindsey McKenna followed right behind her. Dwyer was fouled heading to the basket after her team forced a turnover, and she sank her first free-throw attempt to cut the deficit, 11-5.

The Baymen went on another tare, this time scoring six straight points, before McKenna scored another field goal. Hampton Bays countered with a field goal of its own, and added a long field goal at the buzzer to bring the score to 22-7.

“Execution is hard,” Lievre said. “We do as much as we can, and sometimes they fall and sometimes they don’t. Tonight was a night where, early on, in the first couple of minutes, they didn’t fall, and it led to a hole that we just couldn’t recover from.”

The hole continued to grow, despite junior guard Jesse Arline coming off the bench to score half of the team’s points in the second stanza, with a long field goal and a three-pointer. At the end of the eight minutes, the Wildcats fell behind 38-17.

“We just need to strategize, but there’s no problem with effort,” Arline said. “We tried really hard and we did a good job. I think movement of the ball was really good. Some of our shots weren’t landing, but you need to play fast against a team like that.”

Lievre said he agreed that despite the loss, he’s never had a problem with his girls giving him their all.

“My girls always play hard until the very end,” he said. “We never have to question effort or intensity, we just have to execute offensively. I never have to worry about them putting everything into a game, because they will — they’ll battle no matter what the score is, good or bad.”

McKenna led the team with six points on the evening, Arline and Dwyer tacked on five apiece, junior forward Maddy Bottari and junior forward Sophie Triandafils finished with four each, junior guard Mackenzie Zajac added three, and junior guard Sam Higgins and junior forward Maria Smith rounded out the scoring with two points and one point, respectively.

Jesse Arline dribbles the ball into Hampton Bays’ zone in the Wildcats' 51-30 loss on Jan. 5. Photo by Desirée Keegan — Jesse Arline dribbles the ball into Hampton Bays’ zone in the Wildcats’ 51-30 loss on Jan. 5. Photo by Desirée Keegan

The Wildcats were off to a 3-0 start in the league before the loss. The head coach said that although the team is halfway to the playoffs wins-wise, they still have some tough competition ahead when they travel to Elwood-John Glenn tomorrow at 4:15 p.m., and then host Mount Sinai on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Arline said her team would recover from the loss and use it to fuel them for their upcoming league matchups.

“We lost, and we’ll take it as a learning experience,” she said. “We’ll put what we’ve learned here into the game ahead. We try to keep a game-to-game mindset, so we’re just worried about the next opponent.”

Lievre also thinks his team will be more prepared moving forward. He liked some of what he saw, and hopes that if his team can execute, they’ll have a better shot of remaining in games against tough opponents.

“There were a lot of good looks and good shots I’d like to repeat again, we’ve just got to hope next time that they fall for us,” he said. “It’s one game; we’ll regroup and move on.”

Josephine Lunde keeps gifts coming all year long

by Giselle Barkley - December 30, 2015

0 446

Lunde-Romaine-Back-to-School-7-2014w — Josephine Lunde poses with Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine during a back-to-school drive. File photo

Josephine Lunde never gives up.

More than a decade ago, Lunde started volunteering with the Town of Brookhaven’s annual Toy Drive. Her need to help Brookhaven residents landed her a full-time position at Brookhaven’s Youth Bureau two years ago, and because of her ongoing efforts to helping others, she has been named one of the 2015 Times Beacon Record Newspapers’ People of the Year.

“She was full time anyway,” said Maria Polack, a secretary to the tax assessor. “She does the work of, like, five men — for real.”

Polack met Lunde 15 years ago when Lunde started volunteering at the Town of Brookhaven. When it comes to helping others, Lunde’s work ethic is second to none. On many occasions, Lunde stayed up all hours of the night into the early morning to work on her many fundraising events. Lunde doesn’t only help organize Brookhaven’s Toy Drive, which helps about 7,000 children around the holidays, she also organizes a variety of events, including food drives, school supply drives, clothing drives, volunteer programs for senior citizens and the prom dress program, to name a few.

Lunde has led the prom program for around three years, according to Diana Weir, commissioner of Brookhaven’s Housing and Human Services department. The event allows girls from families in need to select prom attire, from dresses to purses, shoes and more. Schools allow their students to attend the event by appointment. Lunde started staying after hours to accommodate students and their families who couldn’t get a dress during the program’s daytime hours. Weir said Lunde’s dedication and desire to spend as much time as possible makes the Medford resident more special.

“She will never complain,” Weir said. “She never says boo.”

Josephine Lunde poses with Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine. Photo from Brookhaven Town

While every child who registers for the prom dress program gets special attention, Polack remembers Lunde going above and beyond for one high school student who thought she was too overweight to attend her prom. Lunde didn’t only get her a dress, she organized for the student to get her nails and hair done.

“The determination in Josie is bigger than both of us when she makes up her mind that she’s going to help somebody,” Polack said.

Brookhaven Town Superintendent of Highways Dan Losquadro (R) said Lunde is one who focuses her attention on those in need in the community, especially those who don’t always want to ask for help.

“A lot of those folks that she works with are people who are very proud, and who might not otherwise seek assistance. These things have gotten really expensive,” Losquadro said about Lunde and buying gifts around the holidays.

Lunde’s son Mike said his mother has always been one to help others but, almost to a fault.

“She doesn’t think of herself,” the son said.

When Mike was a child, his mother was a den mother for his Boy Scout troop, and took on other responsibilities when her kids were getting older.

Regardless of her accomplishments, Lunde likes to stay in the background. But whether she’s in the forefront at an event or working behind the scenes, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) said the Town is happy to have her.

“Someone like her really adds to what it means to be a part of a town,” Romaine said. “She’s the heart of Brookhaven because she takes the heart of all the problems and tries to make them better. … We should have more people like her in this world. If we did, it’d be a much better place.”

Pinkenburg makes Rocky Point robotics real

by TBR Staff - December 30, 2015

0 2905

Rocky-Point-Christopher-Pinkenburg-with-Gear-Headzw — Chris Pinkenburg, far right, poses with some members of his Rocky Point robotics GearHeadz team. Photo from Pinkenburg

By Rachel Siford

Chris Pinkenburg has been trying to get Rocky Point students more interested in math and science. So he created his own robotics club called GearHeadz to do so. Because of this, he has been named a 2015 Times Beacon Record Newspapers Person of the Year.

Pinkenburg, a physicist at Brookhaven National Laboratory, was inspired to create his own robotics club in the Rocky Point school district after attending an educational symposium at BNL. He thought this was the perfect way to get more students involved in engineering. GearHeadz is a privately run FIRST LEGO League team from Rocky Point.

“For years, he was the one who was very vocal about how having robotics in the school is important,” said Bea Ruberto, president of the Sound Beach Civic Association. “Encouraging science and technology is very important for kids.”

Pinkenburg has three children in the Rocky Point school district, all of whom have participated in his robotics club at one point.

Above, the Rocky Point robotics GearHeadz team demonstrates one of their projects. Photo from Chris Pinkenburg

“He is very passionate about education,” Wlodek Guryn, Pinkenburg’s colleague at BNL, said. “He wants children to learn as much as possible in school and give them as many opportunities as possible, which is also why he got involved in the robotics club.”

Pinkenburg started to prod his school district to implement a robotics club into the schools. He eventually formed his own private team that won first place in programming in the qualifiers the first time they competed. After this, a club was introduced to Rocky Point Middle School with Pinkenburg leading it as a mentor. They competed in a worldwide competition in St. Louis, Missouri.

According to Rocky Point Middle School Principal Scott O’Brien, the school was involved with a program associated with BNL that focused on math and science. There were multiple sections of the program, one of which was robotics.

“I had put out a survey looking for feedback about the program and the kids noted that the robotics section was their favorite part, and said they benefited the most from it,” O’Brien said. “We knew we needed to expand it, and, at the same time, Pinkenburg was there and created this club. A lot of kids are very highly interested in robotics. Over 100 students came to the first meeting.”

Each year, teams are presented with a new challenge and must try to develop a solution using robotics. This year’s theme is Trash Trek, which prompts them to explore the world of trash and invent a solution to help minimize trash issues. They must also build and program a LEGO robot to accomplish trash-themed missions on a playing field and show how well they work together as a team.

“The team has been very successful,” Ruberto said. “They won last year’s Long Island Championship and went on to compete in the North American Open Championships against 75 other national and international champions in California.”

As a physicist at BNL, Pinkenburg has been passionate about programming and simulations. One part of robotics is to build the robot itself, which is more engineering-based, but the other big part, which is Pinkenburg’s specialty, requires computing, which helps in programming the robot so it does exactly what it is meant to do.

“He is very pleasant and passionate, and works very hard on computing aspects and simulations of his work,” Guryn said. “He is very dedicated. Physics requires a lot of passion and dedication and he has a lot of both.”

Pinkenburg’s efforts are being spread to the high school, as he starts his FIRST Tech Challenge team, a higher-level team, to continue to spread his love for computing and physics.

LaValle makes lasting impact on North Shore

by Daniel Dunaief - December 30, 2015

0 257

Ken-LaValle-Candidate-Interviews-10_10_2014-084_Donlonw — State Sen. Ken LaValle works with North Shore elected officials and residents to ensure the community, and greater Long Island region, have quality health care. File photo by Barbara Donlon

Quality health care and, to hear state Sen. Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) describe it, home cooking are good for the body, mind, soul and community. That’s the argument the Republican senator has been making for years on behalf of the Stony Brook University medical center and its hospital.

After the university lost out earlier this year on a partnership with Peconic Bay Medical Center, which agreed to team up with North Shore-LIJ Health System, the longtime local senator has continued his unflagging support of Stony Brook, particularly with John T. Mather Memorial Hospital.

“If we think of a wheel, the hub of a wheel, and the local community hospitals are its spokes,” LaValle said, referring to Stony Brook as that hub in the center. “This is my vision and one that I think is good for the people I represent” to allow them to have the “best quality health care” close to home.

For his consistent and long-term efforts to lend the support of his office to an important area institution, and for the passion and dedication he has shown to the residents of the region for close to four decades, LaValle is a Times Beacon Record Newspapers Person of the Year.

Sen. Ken LaValle speaks with a biker as she rests at the Port Jefferson Elks Lodge in Port Jefferson Station in the middle of a 330-mile bicycle trip to support wounded warriors. File photo

Stony Brook officials appreciated LaValle’s work on their behalf and suggested that he played a seminal role in keeping their ongoing relationship with Southampton Hospital on track.

“It took perseverance to continue to push the Southampton relationship with Stony Brook through,” said Reuven Pasternak, the CEO of Stony Brook University Hospital. “He was absolutely critical in keeping those discussions going and seeing them to fruition.”

Pasternak said LaValle also facilitated a connection with Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport.

The senator has been “a big supporter” of that relationship, Pasternak said. “He’s always made himself available to speak to people in Albany.”

LaValle was instrumental in the building of the new Medicine and Research Translation building, a 240,000-square foot facility that is expected to be completed in 2016. Kenneth Kaushansky, the dean of the School of Medicine and the senior vice president of health sciences, said LaValle helped secure critical state financing.

LaValle identified $45 million that was earmarked for a law school at Stony Brook that was never built that he “was able get reallocated,” Kaushansky said. “The state support for MART was hugely dependent on the senator.”

Kaushansky said he and LaValle have regular discussions about any potential issues that arise.

If things aren’t proceeding the way the university would like, LaValle “always volunteers to help put them back on track.”

State Assemblyman Steve Englebright said LaValle deserves recognition for his work on behalf of Stony Brook and all the area hospitals.

“He is firmly supportive of Stony Brook’s role and mission, as well as for all the hospitals in our community,” Englebright (D-Setauket) said.

LaValle suggested his role as chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher Education gives him an opportunity to advocate on behalf of the SBU medical school. His chairmanship provides “a vehicle to be able to work with other people in the state university system and within state agencies,” he said.

The approximately 129 students in each medical school class contribute to area health care while they pursue their education, LaValle said.

“That is one of the very first helping points for the university,” LaValle said. “It’s being able to fulfill the education of their medical students. There are also people doing their clinical work and residencies.”

Sen. Ken LaValle speaks at a public forum on the Common Core. File photo

LaValle is contributing to Stony Brook’s effort to secure a longer-term connection with Mather. He cited numerous such two-way benefits for a potential longer-term alliance.

Stony Brook can provide services that “will save Mather a lot of money,” LaValle said.

For patients of the two hospitals, the quality and convenience are also a winning combination.

“If someone needs cardiac care, it is a hop, skip and a jump to get that care,” LaValle said. “They don’t have to be helicoptered some place or drive a long time distance.”

Kaushansky appreciated the support from the senator.

“He’s doing everything he can,” Kaushansky said. LaValle has “been a strong proponent of getting us and Mather to work together for the benefit” of the patient population in the area.

Kaushansky cited several other benefits to Mather of an ongoing and deeper connection with Stony Brook, including support for Mather’s stroke center with back-up cerebral artery intervention, and support for their radiology department.

While a deeper connection with Mather would be mutually beneficial for the hospitals, LaValle suggested, it would also create an important level of convenience for patients.

“I have started with the premise that patient care closest to home is the best care for the patient,” LaValle said. “The families can interact and it’s convenient. We are focused in a way to ensure that the quality of health care is at its maximum.”

From the leaders through the rank and file, Stony Brook health care professionals appreciate LaValle’s support.

“If anybody were to ask a person working in the dialysis unit, ‘Of all the politicians in the state of New York, who do you think is the strongest advocate for Stony Brook Medical School and Stony Brook University Hospital?’ most of them would say Ken LaValle,” said Kaushansky.

Pasternak, who considers LaValle a friend, called him sincere in his beliefs.

“It’s not the politics that drives him,” Pasternak said. “It’s his passion for the region and the people in the region.”

Budd, Longo lead fight to keep North Shore off drugs

by Desirée Keegan - December 30, 2015

0 606

Tracey-Budd-Kevin-Norris-w — Tracey Budd poses for a photo with her son Kevin Norris, who died of a heroin overdose in 2012. Photo from Tracey Budd

Tracey Budd’s son died of a heroin overdose in September 2012.

One year later, Budd, of Rocky Point, was asked to speak at the North Shore Youth Council. Since then, she’s ended up on a public service announcement, “Not My Child,” that’s shown in high schools and middle schools along the North Shore, aiding her in becoming an advocate for drug abuse prevention and rehabilitation. She also teamed up with another mother, Debbie Longo, of Miller Place, and the two have become advocates for prevention and rehabilitation along the North Shore.

It is because of their hard work and dedication to this issue on Long Island that they are 2015 Times Beacon Record Newspapers People of the Year.

“I made the decision not to be ashamed of how he passed away,” Budd said about her son. “Just from speaking that one time at North Shore Youth Council, it was so very healing for me, and so many things have come from that and taken me in a direction that I never thought I’d be in, but it seems like it’s my calling.”

Janene Gentile, a drug and alcohol counselor and executive director of the North Shore Youth Council, helped work on that PSA.

“It was very powerful,” she said. “It was walking her through her grief. She has a lot of courage.”

Budd, who is also a member of Families in Support of Treatment, pulled together as much information as she could, and this past October created a Facebook page — North Shore Drug Awareness Advocates — pooling together families from Rocky Point, Miller Place, Mount Sinai and Shoreham-Wading River to spread the word about the rising concern over dangerous drugs, like heroin, growing in popularity across the Island.

“It just seemed that so many people were inboxing me and asking me for help,” she said. “I created the page so we could have a centralized area where we share information, and organize meetings where the group could all meet up. I also organized meetings once a month so we could to teach people about advocacy.”

Having a 12-year-old daughter, Cristina Dimou attended the meetings to begin to gather information on the issue. About one week ago, someone Dimou knows suffered an unexpected overdose, she said. She immediately reached out to Budd asking for guidance.

Debbie Longo speaks at a Dan’s Foundation for Recovery event. Photo from Facebook

“She gave me three phone numbers telling me who to call for what and even gave me websites of rehabilitation centers,” Dimou said about Budd. “She checks up on me every day, asking me if I’m okay and what’s going on. I don’t know her personally, but she had a sense of urgency and a willingness to help. I think that speaks volumes.”

Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) said with Budd’s outspokenness and Longo’s long-standing knowledge of the issue, they’ll be successful in their efforts.

“These women put their energy, their anger, their frustration, their sorrow into something that is helpful to the community,” she said. “I think they’re going to do amazing work.”

Longo has been involved in advocacy across the Island for the last five years, after her son suffered an overdose 10 years ago. Since then, her son has recovered, and currently lives in Del Ray, Florida as a director of marketing for a rehabilitation center called Insight to Recovery.

She said she found sending her son out of state helped him recover, because once he was done with his treatment, he wasn’t going back to seeing the same people he knew when he was using.

But she too has been involved in outreach and drug abuse prevention, aside from being to co-administrator of Budd’s Facebook page.

“I get a call just about every day from a parent saying they have a kid that’s addicted and they don’t know what to do,” she said. “We’re losing kids left and right. We’re losing a generation, is what we’re losing.”

Longo is a part of a 501(c)3 not-for-profit program, Steered Straight, which spreads prevention in schools. Recovered addict Michael DeLeon leads the program.

“You can hear a pin drop in the auditorium, that’s how dynamic of a speaker he is,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many kids come up to us at the end of the program and say, ‘I have a problem.’”

Longo was the chapter coordinator for New York State for a website called The Addict’s Mom, and is currently the head of Before the Petals Fall, Magnolia Addiction Support’s New York chapter. She is a 12-step yoga teacher to recovering addicts, and does post-traumatic stress disorder programs to help those dealing with grief.

After leaving nursing to go into medical marketing for hospitals, Longo said she thought she’d know where to turn when she found out her son was an addict, but said she really didn’t know what to do.

“There was such a bad stigma about addiction that you didn’t want to talk about it — you kind of suffered in silence,” she said. “If I was a nurse and had these contacts and didn’t know what to do, the average mother may have no idea. I’m trying to open the community up to what we have here on the North Shore.”

Tracey Budd holds a picture of her son, Kevin Norris, at a Walk for Hope event. Photo from Tracey Budd

Longo has helped mothers like Sheila “Terry” Littler, of Rocky Point, whose son is a second-time recovering heroin addict. Currently, he is three months sober.

Knowing about treatment and where to get help, because it was something that started for her 13 years ago, Littler reached out to Longo for mental support.

“It was nice to have somebody else that’s gone through it to talk to, to know you’re not alone,” Littler said. “But at the same time, it’s sad that I’m not alone.”

When her son relapsed after being four and a half years sober, she reached out to Budd.

“It takes a lot of guts to come out in the open and do this and help people,” she said. “There are a lot of hurting people out there.”

She recently reached out to Longo about a friend of her son, who is a drug user, and the two were calling each other back and forth to find ways to overcome addiction.

“She cared to take the time to help me,” she said. “She spent a whole day doing that with me — that’s dedication right there.”

With the contacts Longo’s made with support centers and prevention agencies and Budd’s relationship with the county after creating the PSA, the two are teaming up to use their resources to form a coalition based on the Facebook page. It was also have the same name.

It’s in its early stages, but the hope is to help spread awareness about prevention through schools. As part of a coalition, Budd said, you can also apply for grants, which she hopes will help fund the spread of their advocacy.

“I felt Tracey was on the same path that I was on,” Longo said. “She is as tenacious as I am in what we’re trying to do.”

Longo said that she and Budd are trying to be vigilantes and have started Narcan training classes, like ones they’ve previously hosted in Miller Place and East Setauket, to continue to help fight the Island’s drug addiction problem. Narcan is a medication that stops opioid overdoses.

“I think together we’re a good team,” Budd said. “To me, you have a choice. You can either dig your head in the sand and be embarrassed that your child is an addict, or you can be proactive and say, ‘Enough of this, let’s help each other.’ When you speak to another parent that’s going through it, there’s a bond that you automatically create. In a way, I feel like my son is right there with me, helping these families. It’s very important to me, and I’m never going to stop doing it.”

County sheriff reduces return rate of inmates

by TBR Staff - December 30, 2015

0 359

Task-Force-Picture-w — Vincent DeMarco, center, poses for a photo with some members of the Youth Re-entry Task Force during a regular bi-monthly meeting. Photo from Kristin MacKay

By Clayton Collier

Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent DeMarco has worked diligently over the last nine years, going above and beyond what’s asked of his position.

His creation and development of the Youth Re-Entry Task Force, a program created to rehabilitate youth inmates, among his other initiatives, has earned him the distinction of a 2015 Times Beacon Record Newspapers Person of the Year.

“The sheriff has truly changed the culture of corrections in Suffolk County, and has put particular emphasis on rehabilitation of incarcerated youth,” said Kristin MacKay, director of public relations for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. “He has been at the forefront of the fight to eliminate state mandates for new county jail construction, which saved the county’s taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Though you wouldn’t know it from speaking with him, DeMarco did not initially intend to go into law enforcement. A Ronkonkoma native, DeMarco went to St. John’s University, graduating with a degree in economics in 1991.

“I always had an interest in law enforcement,” DeMarco said. “But I didn’t think it was going to be my career.”

After two years working in the financial industry in New York City, DeMarco transitioned into law enforcement, becoming a deputy sheriff for Suffolk County in 1994. He took to the job quickly.

Sheriff Vincent DeMarco is reducing the rate of recidivism in county jails. Photo from Kristin MacKay

“I think I have the best job in the world, I really do,” he said. “I love coming to work every day. I love what I do.”

DeMarco became Suffolk County sheriff in 2006, the first uniformed member of the office to be elected sheriff, and one of the youngest sheriffs ever elected in Suffolk County. From the beginning of his tenure, DeMarco said he has made working with youth inmates a priority. In 2011, DeMarco began assembling the partners needed for an undertaking like the Youth Re-Entry Task Force.

“We needed partners on the outside in order to make this a success,” DeMarco said. “We needed housing. … We also had to find not-for-profits that were willing to come into the correctional facilities and do some counseling: drug counseling, anger management, life skill counseling, vocational counseling, all types of stuff to fill our program, so when they leave the facilities they actually have the tools to succeed instead of just warehousing them in a correctional facility where you’re not giving them any tools and they’re going to fail.”

Among the most essential resources DeMarco and his administration found was housing for youths at Hope House Ministries in Port Jefferson and Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch in Riverhead.

Thaddaeus Hill, executive director of Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch — created and named in memory of his older brother — said the program has seen great success, highlighted by the 50 percent drop in recidivism among youths who go through.

“Sheriff DeMarco has pioneered programs that few in this country have had the courage to take on,” Hill said. “He looks at the big picture beyond the walls of his jail and that has allowed him to make a significant impact on the lives of many young people on Long Island.”

Another key component was Eastern Suffolk BOCES to incorporate education into the program. Barbara Egloff, divisional administrator for Eastern Suffolk BOCES and Oversight of the Jail Education Program and Career, Technical and Adult Education, said DeMarco has effectively used the strengths of all of his partnerships to make the program a success.

“It is inspiring to work with Sheriff DeMarco,” Egloff said. “He has instilled the importance of effective collaboration to all who have the opportunity to work with him.”

Suffolk County Court Judge Fernando Camacho, who heads the County’s Felony Youth Part, a program created in conjunction with Sheriff DeMarco, said it is rare to come across a sheriff so dedicated to creating better lives for his inmates after they have served their time.

“I’ve worked in criminal justice my entire professional career, over 30 years, and I’ve worked with a lot of individuals running correctional facilities, and I can honestly say I’ve run across somebody who’s actually bringing in social workers and service providers into his jail to help young people to identify what the issues are, and to try to come up with solutions,” Camacho said.

Camacho said it is important to work with youth inmates to improve their situations upon leaving the jail.

“Rather than putting them upstate for three years and forgetting about them, we’re actually thinking about it in a different way,” Camacho said. “Let’s see if we can figure out why this kid got in trouble, and let’s see if we can put a plan in place that’s going to give this kid an opportunity to break out of the cycle and get back on track.”

As DeMarco explains, the program’s numbers speak for themselves.

“Nationally, the average inmate has an 83 percent chance of returning,” DeMarco said. “The kids that come through our program have a 23 percent chance of coming back; that’s a big difference.”

Overall, the program contributes to lowering the number of inmates in county jails, allowing DeMarco to prevent the costly undertaking of additional facilities.

“It doesn’t cost us any more to provide these services to the youth in this facility, but the return we get is that they don’t come back to the facility and we lower the jail population.”

In the future, DeMarco hopes to expand for additional age groups. The more people he can help, he said, the better.

“If someone winds up touching the criminal justice system and they wind up in this facility, and we can find out the underlying reason why this crime was committed,” he said, “we can change that and change their behavior when they get out, we’ve increased public safety, and that’s the goal.”

Shoreham scout solidifies Tom Cutinella’s legacy

by Desirée Keegan - December 28, 2015

0 315

SWR-Tom-Cutinella-memorial-layoutw — A memorial will rest on the pre-existing hill on the new Tom Cutinella Memorial Field. Photo from Ryan Ledda

Shoreham-Wading River High School’s “Tommy Tough” slogan is not only changing the culture of the Wildcats football team — it’s changing the community.

When Tom Cutinella passed away from an on-field collision last year, sophomore Ryan Ledda was right in the middle of thinking about what he should do for his Eagle Scout project. Ledda didn’t know Tom, but his sister Gabriella did, and after seeing how the loss affected her, coupled with what he saw during a Clemson University football game, his memorial idea was born.

“Before each game, the Clemson team comes onto the field touching a memorial called Howard’s Rock, and I figured I could do something similar to that,” Ryan Ledda said. “That the team could come out and touch the memorial for good luck before each home game. My goal is that everyone in the school could be connected to Tom without him being there. So no one will forget him.”

First, Ledda presented the idea to high school Principal Dan Holtzman, before going to the board of education.

“I thought it was an impressive one,” Holtzman said. “It was well-received by the board of education and they gave Ryan the go-ahead. I think it is a meaningful and thoughtful project and one that I hope encourages students at all grade levels to engage in community-oriented projects.”

Ryan Ledda, whose Eagle Scout project will raise money to fund a memorial in Tom Cutinella’s name. Photo from Ryan Ledda

The proposal was a 4- by 20-foot retaining wall on a pre-existing hill on the field that would have a concrete base with pavers stacked on top. In the middle will be a pedestal with a bronze bust of Cutinella. The bronze piece will be life size.

“I thought it was a very big project — I was very nervous,” Ledda’s mother Jennifer Ledda said. “I myself didn’t know the Cutinellas, but after Ryan went to the board and got approval I met Mrs. Cutinella. I found out how the boy was outstanding in every aspect of what he does. It reminded me of all of the kids who do good.”

According to Ryan Ledda, the project is estimated to cost $30,000-$40,000. The approval was quick by the board, but the approval by Boy Scout Troop 161 in Shoreham took longer.

“You need to fill out a long application and they send it back with improvements and revisions,” he said. “But they thought it was a great idea. A lot of the Eagle board members knew Tom’s family so they wanted to help out. Once they heard how much it was going to cost they got a little freaked out, but I told them how I was going to raise money and how important it was because of how Tom affected the community.”

To help fund the project, bricks are being sold that can be engraved, to rest atop the base. Smaller bricks cost $125, while larger ones cost $250.

“Those who went to school with him will always remember him, but kids to come that didn’t know him might not, so hopefully this can help them honor Tom,” Ledda said.

The sophomore created a website where the bricks can be purchased, and he handed out flyers in front of the school that were donated by a local printing company. To purchase a brick, go to www.bricksrus.com/order/bsatroop161. There is also a GoFundMe account raising funds for the base of the memorial and bronze statue.

The goal is to reach $20,000. Currently, 34 people have donated a combined $3,271 in the last month. Fourteen of those people have donated $54 or $154, representing Cutinella’s jersey No. 54. To donate to this project, go to www.gofundme.com/tomcmemorial.

For Shoreham-Wading River varsity football coach Matt Millheiser, he thinks all projects done in Cutinella’s name have been beneficial for the community.

“Outside of football, you see so many projects and so many things done — whether it’s a run or a blood drive or this Eagle Scout project — that are done in Tom’s name, he said. “It really shows the impact he had as a person and some of the good things that are being done by his friends and family and even people that didn’t know him, in the things they do throughout their lives. I think it is part of his long-standing effect.”

As for the memorial, the head coach knows it will only add to the field.

“I think it’s a great, worthy cause and idea — they’re all good things to remember their friend and brother who was lost,” Millheiser said. “‘Tommy Tough’ kind of changed the culture of Shoreham-Wading River football and the way the kids viewed how they went to work, how they practiced and how they prepared and how they carried themselves, and it really speaks to his legacy.”

Police blotter: Suffolk County incidents and arrests, Dec. 13-19

by TBR Staff - December 23, 2015

0 216

Curbing a DWAI
Police arrested a 20-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station for driving while ability impaired on Dec. 15, after they saw him drive over a curb on Wilson Avenue and pulled him over.

Hitting the trifecta
A 31-year-old Medford man was arrested for driving while ability impaired on Dec. 17 after he failed to maintain his lane and struck a grassy median while speeding on Lincoln Drive in Rocky Point. Police said the man was going 70 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone in a 1998 GMC.

Wanted woman
On Dec. 16, police collared a Wading River woman who had five warrants out for her arrest. At the time officers found her on Babylon Drive in Sound Beach, the 26-year-old was also allegedly in possession of a controlled substance, and was charged with that crime.

That sucks
Police arrested a 28-year-old man from Lake Grove for petit larceny on Dec. 16, right after he stole two vacuums from a store at the Centereach Mall.

Hand-to-hand-to-cuffs
Police observed a woman in a hand-to-hand drug transaction on Route 25A in Selden on Dec. 18, and stopped the 55-year-old before she could pull away in her 2002 Cadillac. Officers found heroin in her possession and arrested her for criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Caffeine fiend
On Dec. 18, a 69-year-old man from Centereach was arrested for petit larceny. According to police, the man entered the Shoprite on College Road in Selden on Sept. 15 and took a Keurig Coffee Maker worth around $190.

Vroom vroom to jail
Police arrested a 29-year-old Ronkonkoma man on Dec. 13 for driving while ability impaired, after the suspect failed to maintain his lane while driving a 2008 Volkswagen south on Nicolls Road in Stony Brook. Police said the man was speeding, at 62 miles per hour.

Unwarranted steal
A 27-year-old woman from Port Jefferson Station was arrested for petit larceny on Dec. 18, after stealing assorted costume jewelry, clothing and other items from a store on Route 347 in Setauket-East Setauket. According to police, there were already two unrelated warrants out for the woman’s arrest.

Cashing in
Between Dec. 13 and Dec. 15, an unknown person withdrew more than $200 cash from a bank without the Port Jefferson Station cardholder’s permission.

That’s a big dog
On Dec. 19, an unknown person entered the Walmart on Nesconset Highway in Setauket-East Setauket and stole a television and a dog bed. Police said the person may have used the dog bed to conceal the TV.

In hot water
An unidentified person stole three faucets from the Lowe’s Home Improvement store on Nesconset Highway in Stony Brook on Dec. 18.

Taking it to-go
On Dec. 18, three unknown men with guns entered the Peking Chinese Kitchen on Middle Country Road in Selden as someone was closing the restaurant. The men demanded money but the suspects fled empty-handed.

Visa revoked
On Dec. 19, someone stole a jacket, a wallet and a person’s visa from a car in the Starbucks parking lot on Middle Country Road in Selden.

Rock on Tree
According to police, an unidentified person threw a large rock at a 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer and damaged the car. Police didn’t specify where the car was damaged but said the incident happened some time between Dec. 18 and Dec. 19 on Tree Road in Centereach.

Tired of theft
An unknown person gained entry to the Mavis Discount Tire on Route 25A in Mount Sinai and stole money from the register before fleeing the store. The incident happened on Dec. 14 around 8:25 p.m.

Smashed
On Dec. 19, someone smashed the back window of a 2009 Honda outside a residence on Deepdale Drive in Rocky Point.

Police are in purse-uit
An unidentified person stole someone’s bag from the Walmart at the Centereach Mall on Dec. 19. Police said the victim put the bag down and walked away. When they returned, the bag was gone. According to police, the bag contained money and an ATM card.

Lest we forget the Lexus
On Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. police said an unknown person stole a 2015 Lexus parked on Jericho Turnpike in Elwood.

Climbing in your windows
Police said an unknown person entered a 2015 Jeep with a window open in the parking lot of Eastern Athletic Club on Jericho Turnpike in Dix Hills on Dec. 18 at midnight and stole an iPad and credit cards.
On Dec. 18 a 50-year-old man from Wyandanch was arrested for a previous incident that occurred sometime between June 17 and 18. Police said he broke through a window at a residence on May Street in Huntington Station and stole electronics. He was charged with second-degree burglary.

Painted love
On Dec. 19 an 18-year-old man from Huntington was arrested for multiple graffiti incidents. According to police, he spray painted several vehicles parked on Stewart Avenue in Huntington and a wall on the exterior of a Payless Shoe store on New York Avenue in Huntington on Nov. 26 and 27 around midnight. He was charged with making graffiti.

Honda hijacked
A 22-year-old from East Northport was arrested on Dec. 16 after police said he took a 1998 Honda without permission at 2:30 a.m. and then hit a pole with the car while driving on Cuba Hill Road in Huntington and then fled the scene. He was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle without the owner’s consent.

If only it was a candy cane
An 18-year-old man and a 19-year-old man from Huntington were arrested on Dec. 19 at 3 a.m. after police said they hit a man in the head with a cane and stole his money on Fairview Street in Huntington and then tried to flee the scene. When searched, the men were discovered to have gravity knives and marijuana in their possession. They were charged with resisting arrest, unlawful possession of marijuana, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree robbery with use of a dangerous instrument.

Jag at the Jag Salon
At Jag Salon on Wall Street in Huntington on Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. an unknown person entered the business through an unlocked window and stole money.

Taken: Tools edition
Police said a 38-year-old man from Holbrook stole assorted power tools from Home Depot in East Islip at 1:15 p.m. on Dec. 17. He was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny valuing property of more than $1,000.

Minor problem
A 45-year-old man from Commack was arrested on Dec. 18 after police said he sold beer to a minor at a food market on Laurel Road in East Northport at 7:30 p.m. He was charged with first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child.

Gone in a blink of an eye
On Dec.19 at noon at Blink Fitness on Broadhollow Road in Elwood police said an unknown person stole a wallet with credit cards inside of it from an unlocked locker inside the gym.

Dry cleaners cleaned out
On Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. an unknown person broke a window of Parkmore Dry Cleaning on New York Avenue in Huntington and stole money.

Of-fenced taken
A 16-year-old from Holbrook was arrested on Dec. 19 at 10:40 p.m. after police said he was trespassing on the property of United Fence and Guard Rail Corporation in Ronkonkoma and damaged the windows of five vehicles. He was charged with third-degree criminal mischief valued at more than $250 and first-degree criminal trespassing.

Dissed on Craigslist
Police said a resident of Mount Pleasant Road in Smithtown reported that on Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. someone used counterfeit money to pay for a transaction done through Craigslist.

Blurred lines
On Dec. 19 a 29-year-old man from East Setauket was arrested at 2 a.m. after police pulled him over for making an illegal left turn while driving a 2002 Chevy on East Main Street and then discovering he was driving drunk. He was charged with driving while intoxicated within 10 years of being convicted for a previous DWI.

Illegal use of legal papers
A woman reported to police that an unknown man followed her into her driveway on Roderick Court in Commack on Dec. 17 at 2:35 p.m. and threw legal papers in her face and ran off.

On tree down on Acorn Road
Police said a 51-year-old man from St. James crashed a 2014 Lexus into a tree while driving on North Country Road and Acorn Road at 10:50 p.m. on Dec. 17 and then discovered he was drunk. He was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated within 10 years of being convicted for a previous DWI.

Tool stealing stools
Police said a 38-year-old man from Holbrook stole assorted power tools from Home Depot in East Islip at 1:15 p.m. on Dec. 17. He was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny valuing property of more than $1,000.

Minor mistake
A 45-year-old man from Commack was arrested on Dec. 18 after police said he sold beer to a minor at a food market on Laurel Road in East Northport at 7:30 p.m. He was charged with first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child.

Don’t phone home
Police said a man called on Dec. 19 at 1:49 p.m. to report that an ex-tenant from a residence on Karen Place in Commack was calling continuously and threatening the man.

This stinks
On Dec. 17 at 5:30 p.m. an unknown person stole assorted cologne and perfumes from Ulta Beauty on Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack.

Kohl’s woes
An unknown person stole assorted clothing and jewelry from Kohl’s on Crooked Hill Road in Commack on Dec. 18 at 1:42 p.m.

The Doors
On Dec. 18 at 7 a.m. an unknown person entered a residence through a back door on Harned Road in Commack and stole assorted jewelry and a television.

Retired tires
On Dec. 17 at 1:20 p.m. an unknown person slashed two tires of a 1989 Acura parked in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven on Lake Avenue in St. James.

Prev 1...482483484...516 Next

Page 483 of 516