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By Elana Glowatz

A hall-of-fame coach will step in as the Port Jefferson school athletic director when longtime leader Deb Ferry leaves in the new year.

Debra Ferry helped establish the lacrosse program at Port Jefferson and has led its other teams to success. File photo
Debra Ferry helped establish the lacrosse program at Port Jefferson and has led its other teams to success. File photo

The board of education appointed Ed Cinelli as interim director of health, physical education and athletics on Dec. 8, about a month after accepting Ferry’s resignation. Cinelli, who was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame in 2014 for his work as an educator and a coach, will fill her spot and help the school district find a permanent replacement.

The incoming director spent 30 years in the Patchogue-Medford school district, serving as the athletic director for more than half of that time. Before taking on that administrative role, while still teaching physical education there, he coached football and track — including a 1982 spring track team that, according to the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame, “was recognized at that time as one of the best track teams in the history of New York.”

He has also served as the executive director of Section XI, the regional organization under the umbrella of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.

“We are very excited to have Mr. Cinelli serve in this position while the search for a new director commences,” Superintendent Ken Bossert said in a statement after the Dec. 8 board meeting. “His vast experience and wealth of knowledge within the areas of health, physical education and athletics will be a great asset to our students, staff and district.”

Until Port Jefferson has a long-term replacement, Cinelli will have a substantial pair of cleats to fill. Ferry, who has been athletic director for nine years, has been credited with establishing the boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams and is known for being anywhere and everywhere the students are playing.

“The kids are sometimes surprised to see her at games, especially making the hike all the way upstate for big playoff competitions, but she was there,” said Rod Cawley, the boys’ cross country and track and field coach. “In my 32 years at Port Jefferson, she’s been our best athletic director. She’s very honest, she’s supportive and she’s fair.”

Cawley said in a previous interview that when the girls’ soccer team won the state title this year for the first time in program history, Ferry was at the final game upstate — and also went to a cross country competition that same weekend.

“I kept busting her chops, telling her I’m not letting her go,” he said with a laugh.

Another coach, Mike Maletta, who heads the wrestling team and has taught in Port Jefferson for 23 years, said that Ferry was always at his squad’s state tournaments.

“You could see her walking around with a camera around her neck, taking pictures,” he said in an earlier interview. “A lot of those pictures make it to the end-of-the-year senior awards banquet and it went above and beyond what a lot of athletic directors do. She was always there supporting our program and those pictures meant a lot.”

Ferry will remain in her role as the Section XI first vice president when she takes the helm of the Half Hollow Hills athletic program, but her other roles within the organization will change because her new, larger district is in a different conference. She said in a previous interview that she will miss the people and the atmosphere at Port Jefferson.

“The intimacy of a small school district and knowing the kids is definitely a benefit,” she said. “The coaches and players make you feel like you’re part of the team.”

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The town’s Chief Fire Marshal Chris Mehrman said small businesses need to think about the fire code with outdoor dining this fall. Photo from Brookhaven Town

Brookhaven Town officials demonstrated the dangers of Christmas tree fires last week, igniting an unwatered tree in a model living room.

The Dec. 9 event was aimed toward raising awareness about proper care for live trees. Before the dry tree went up in flames, officials from the town’s Division of Fire Prevention failed to set a properly watered Christmas tree on fire.

The dry, fiery tree caused damage to the model living room, referred to as a “burn pod.”

“This was a frightening, first-hand look at what could happen if Christmas trees are not sufficiently watered,” Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) said in a statement. “I urge everyone to make sure when purchasing a fresh Christmas tree to keep it properly watered to prevent a fire like we witnessed today.”

Christmas tree lights and Hanukkah candelabra called menorahs can also create fire safety issues. Councilman Dan Panico (R-Manorville) warned residents to “inspect your lights for frayed wires or broken bulbs.”

Christmas trees caused 210 house fires across the country annually between 2009 and 2013, although almost a quarter of those fires were intentional, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Another more than 750 unintentional fires per year were caused by other holiday decorations. The fires result in injury, death and property damage.

“It took only seconds for this fire to develop and consume the burn pod and cause severe damage,” Councilman Neil Foley (R-Blue Point) said in a statement.

The National Fire Protection Association has advised people to place trees at least 3 feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, vents or lights, and to make sure it does not block any exits. It is recommended that 1 to 2 inches is cut from the trunk’s base before the tree is set into its stand, the association said, and trees should be watered daily.

For more information, visit the National Fire Protection Association at www.nfpa.org.

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Port Jefferson junior Courtney Lewis scores a game-high 23 points in the Royals' 61-55 win

Miller Place's Milan Hatcher knocks down a layup in the Panthers' 61-55 nonleague loss to Port Jefferson. Photo by Bill Landon
Port Jefferson's Courtney Lewis drives the baseline in the Royals' 61-55 nonleague win over Miller Place on Dec. 12. Photo by Bill Landon
Port Jefferson’s Courtney Lewis drives the baseline in the Royals’ 61-55 nonleague win over Miller Place on Dec. 12. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Behind junior Courtney Lewis’ game-high 23 points, Port Jefferson led most of the way, until late in the third quarter when Miller Place rallied back to take a three-point lead, but the Royals bounced back midway through the fourth, defeating their nonleague challenger on the road Saturday morning, 61-55.

With a roster void of seniors, the Royals played beyond their years as they controlled the tempo of the game, leading 19-10 after the first quarter, and took a 31-25 advantage into the halftime break.

The Panthers closed the gap with two minutes left in the third quarter, when sophomore Ally Tarantino scored a put-back off a rebound to tie the game at 37-37, and senior Milan Hatcher answered next, driving the lane and muscling her way to the rim for the score to put her team out front for the first time in the game, 39-37. Hatcher had a hot hand in the third, scoring 11 of her total 15 points, including a pair of three-pointers. At the end of the stanza, Miller Place held a 40-39 lead.

“I told my players to keep running plays; keep calm, and we had to play good defense because [Port Jefferson has] good shooters,” Hatcher said. “They like to drive and kick out. They’re a good team.”

With 4:09 left in the game, the Panthers clung to a three-point lead, out in front 49-46.

Miller Place's Milan Hatcher knocks down a layup in the Panthers' 61-55 nonleague loss to Port Jefferson. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place’s Milan Hatcher knocks down a layup in the Panthers’ 61-55 nonleague loss to Port Jefferson. Photo by Bill Landon

The free-throw performance was bleak, as both teams left points on the table. With her team leading 50-49, Hatcher went to the stripe shooting two, and missed both.

With just over two minutes left in the contest, still trailing by one, Port Jefferson junior Siobhan Petracca went to the line shooting two, and she too came away empty.

“It was a disappointing loss,” Miller Place senior Jessica Powers said. “We knew exactly what they had. We came up short, which hurt us, and we didn’t play as a team.”

Port Jefferson junior Gillian Kenah, who scored 16 points in the game behind Lewis’ 23, said she was impressed with the Panthers’ offensive effort.

“We played a really solid game — we came out pressing immediately and I think that worked really well for us,” Kenah said. “But they came back at us even after our press, so I applaud them for that.”

Both teams traded baskets, and Lewis went to the line shooting two, hitting the front end but missing the back, to help her team edge ahead 53-51.

Miller Place's Danielle Bamnola goes to the rim in a Dec. 12 nonleague home loss to Port Jefferson, 61-55. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place’s Danielle Bamnola goes to the rim in a Dec. 12 nonleague home loss to Port Jefferson, 61-55. Photo by Bill Landon

“We knew they had some good players, so we had to adjust our defense, but we did well rebounding, which is something we don’t usually do,” Lewis said. “They had two players guarding our best players in a triangle, so we had to adjust to it, to try and break that up.”

At the 1:36 mark, Tarantino, with a dominant performance on the boards, scored on another put-back to tie the game again.

“We expected them to come out strong and they did,” Tarantino said. “We came out a little flat in the first half. Coach told us after the game to keep going up strong [to the rim] and don’t fade away.”

From the 53-53 tie, the game was decided at the foul line, as both teams lost players due to foul trouble.

Port Jefferson freshman Jocelyn Lebron was fouled as she drove the lane with just over a minute left, and scored on her first free-throw attempt. Although she missed the second, Lewis grabbed the rebound for the score to give her team a 56-53 advantage.

“I thought we did very well in handling the pressure from their defense,” Lebron said. “They were what we expected, but we did well on our rebounding and our defensive pressure.”

Lewis tacked on another field goal to help push her team further ahead, 58-53. The junior scored 12 points in the final quarter.

“We missed a lot of foul shots today — we’re much better at the foul line,” Port Jefferson head coach Ed Duddy said.

Port Jefferson's Jocelyn Lebron drives to the basket and scores in the Royals' Dec. 12 61-55 victory over Miller Place. Photo by Bill Landon
Port Jefferson’s Jocelyn Lebron drives to the basket and scores in the Royals’ Dec. 12 61-55 victory over Miller Place. Photo by Bill Landon

Miller Place senior Danielle Bamnola cut the Panthers’ deficit to four with her foul-line appearance with 28 seconds left, but Port Jefferson’s soccer sensation, junior Jillian Colucci, went to the line shooting two and nailed both to maintain the six-point lead, 60-54.

Bamnola and Petracca traded points at the foul line next, to bring the final score to 61-55.

“They’re very talented with a good fast break, and that group has been together since the eighth grade,” Miller Place head coach Joe Read said. “We’ve held our opponent to 30 points a game this season and today we gave up 50, and that goes to the team aspect of it. We’re playing like individuals, especially defensively.”

Read added that despite the loss, he was happy with his team’s skill level against his opponent.

“I’m not upset with how my girls played today, other than they didn’t play as a team, and that to me was the difference,” he said. “If they can play together, they’re capable of great things.”

Miller Place will host League VI challenger Hampton Bays on Tuesday at 4 p.m., while Port Jefferson will host Mount Sinai on Thursday, in a nonleague game scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.

This version corrects the class level of Siobhan Petracca, the total point count of Gillian Kenah, and the date of Port Jefferson’s next game.

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Police on hunt for three other suspects

File photo

A victim had facial injuries after being threatened with a knife early Sunday morning, during a robbery for which police said they have only arrested one of the four assailants.

According to the Suffolk County Police Department, officers have arrested a homeless man in connection with the Coram crime, but are still searching for the other three suspects.

The incident began at about 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, when police said the four robbers, one of whom was armed with a knife, confronted the male victim on Middle Country Road, between Fife Drive and Erna Drive. Those suspects assaulted him, police said, and threatened him with the knife while stealing his leather coat and two diamond earrings.

The victim was treated for facial injuries at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson and has since been released, police said.

A homeless man, 25-year-old Armad Johnson, was arrested the same day and charged with first-degree robbery, but police are still looking for the other three Johnson was allegedly working with.

Attorney information for Johnson was not immediately available and he could not be reached for comment.

Anyone with information about the unknown suspects in the armed robbery is asked to contact detectives at the SCPD’s 6th Squad at 631-854-8652, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-220-TIPS.

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A view of the front entrance to Huntington Hospital on Park Avenue in Huntington. File photo

Hospitals across the North Shore and the country have been adapting to an entirely new set of medical codes over the last two months, completely changing the system in which a patient’s diagnosis is detailed.

As of October, all hospitals across the United States switched to the ICD-10 system, which allows for more than 14,000 different codes and permits the tracking of many new diagnoses. ICD-10, an international medical classification system by the World Health Organization, requires more specificity than the previous code system. Doctors at North Shore facilities said they agreed that although it’s time-consuming and has slowed productivity, it is more beneficial to patients in the end.

Dr. Michael Grosso, chairman of medicine at Huntington Hospital said these new codes should help make it easier for symptoms of various diseases to be tracked.

According to Gross, preparation for the new code started two years ago with a required education program for all physicians that described what all the new codes meant.

“Physicians are being called upon to provide more specificity and detail,” Grosso said in a phone interview. He described the codes as a “vast extension” to what the hospital was previously using and said it should “improve the quality of medical records and increase the amount of information that researchers can obtain and make for the best care for patients.”

Grosso also said that understanding and learning the codes was an important first step, but ongoing feedback on how the codes are being adopted is equally important. A feedback program has been created at each hospital.

John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson. File photo
John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson. File photo

John Ruth, director of revenue integrity and interim chief compliance officer at Stony Brook University Hospital, said Stony Brook used outside resource companies with online courses to teach the new code to their physicians and coding staff.

Ruth said that a new code system was necessary, as the previous system, ICD-9, was created by WHO in the 1970s. He called ICD-10 a natural progression.

“There are a lot more codes for specific organ systems, muscles, muscle tendons and nerves than were required with ICD-9,” he said in a phone interview.

Ruth also said that ICD-9 was mostly comprised of three- and four-digit codes, and ICD-10 is up to seven digits in length, which makes the new coding more challenging but more valuable.

“If a patient has PTSD, we can assign a code from where he got it from, not just that he has it, which is important for planning his future and ongoing care,” Ruth said.

Stacie Colonna, associate director of inpatient coding at Stony Brook University Hospital, said there has been approximately a 30 percent decrease in staff productivity with the changeover to ICD-10 and a shortage of trained staff.

“I get 10 questions a day just from internal staff,” Colonna said. But she also noted that staff frequently asked daily questions about the old system as well. She said she expects productivity to improve in the near future.

At John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, Chief Medical Information Officer Dr. Joseph Ng said the staff went through web training, too. One-on-one training was also available if a clinician requested it.

Ng agreed specificity is both the pro and con of ICD-10. “Because it’s so specific, it really allows clinicians to hone in on what’s really going on with patients and be able to communicate better with one another,” Ng said in an email. “But because it’s so specific, sometimes it’s hard to find the right code, especially when it comes to procedures. The codes are not all inclusive.”

Looking forward, Grosso said the new system had a lot to offer for hospitals across the country because of the amount of information people could potentially learn from it.

“A number of private and government parties will benefit from the ability to look at more detailed hospital data,” Grosso said.

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Heroin rides shotgun

A 38-year-old woman from East Setauket was arrested on Dec. 5 for criminal possession of a controlled substance. Police said officials pulled the woman over between Main Street and Dayton Avenue in Port Jefferson Station for an unknown reason, then discovered she was in possession of heroin. The drug was on the front passenger seat of the woman’s 2005 Ford. Police arrested her at the scene.

It’s not my asphalt

On Dec. 3, police arrested a 19-year-old man from Port Jefferson for robbery and criminal mischief, after police said he threw someone to the ground and stole their wallet near the Pax Christi Hospitality Center on Oakland Avenue in Port Jefferson. The man also threw a piece of asphalt at the building and broke one of its windows. Police arrested the man on Linden Place.

Heads and tails

Police arrested a 38-year-old man from Mount Sinai on Dec. 6 for driving while ability impaired while going east on Route 25A in Mount Sinai. Police pulled the man over because his Volkswagen Jetta’s headlights and taillights weren’t working. Officials discovered the man was under the influence and arrested him at the scene.

A 54-year-old man from Centereach was arrested on Dec. 5 for driving while ability impaired in a 1992 Buick on Rustic Road in Centereach. Police pulled the man over around 12:42 a.m. because the car’s taillights weren’t working. They discovered he was intoxicated and arrested him.

Wrangling a suspect

On Dec. 5, a 41-year-old man from Centereach was arrested for leaving the scene of a car crash. The man was driving a Jeep Wrangler east on Old Town Road in East Setauket when he crashed into a 2006 Acura around 8:05 p.m. Police arrested the man minutes later at his residence on Gnarled Hollow Road. Police said the man failed to stop, causing the crash, but it was unclear if that was at a stop sign or at a traffic light.

Desperate Housewives, cont.

Police arrested a 17-year-old male from Selden for assault with a weapon on Dec. 6, a day after he struck someone with a glass bottle. Police didn’t say what caused the altercation but said the victim was transported to the Stony Brook University Hospital. The teenaged assailant was arrested the following day at his residence on Wisteria Lane in Lake Grove.

College crash

A 56-year-old woman from Selden was arrested for leaving the scene of a crash on Dec. 5, after driving a 2004 Nissan on College Road in Selden and crashing into another car. Police found the woman after she fled and arrested her at the 6th Precinct.

If I had a Nicolls …

Police arrested a 31-year-old woman from Islip on Dec. 4 for driving while ability impaired on Nicolls Road in Stony Brook. Police pulled her over when she failed to stay in her lane and arrested her after discovering she was under the influence.

Que Linda!

An unknown person slashed a tire of a 1997 Lincoln that was parked on Linda Street in Port Jefferson Station. Police said the incident happened between Dec. 5 at 10 p.m. and Dec. 6 around 6 a.m.

Cutting

On Dec. 6, a 39-year-old man from Port Jefferson was arrested for harassment. The man was standing on Main Street in Port Jefferson and had a machete in his pants. Police said the man pointed the machete toward his own throat and made a cutting motion.

Thief fresh

An unidentified person walked into the Subway on Route 25A in Miller Place with a small black handgun and demanded money from the cash register. The incident happened on Dec. 4 around 8:19 a.m.

On Dec. 3, someone stole a yellow skateboard in front of the Subway on Route 25A in Shoreham.

Two chains

An unidentified person stole two bikes and a chain saw from a residence on Farmingdale Road in Sound Beach between Dec. 4 at noon and Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. The items were located in a storage shed near the house.

Just kickin’ it

On Dec. 4, several unknown people kicked a hole in the fence of a residence on Model Court in Sound Beach.

Out of gas

Police arrested a 25-year-old man from Rocky Point on Dec. 6 around 9:55 p.m. According to police, the man entered a BP gas station in August armed with a small handgun and demanded money from the cash register. Police finally arrested the man on Dogwood Road in Rocky Point.

Cracking the Walnut

An unknown person stole cash and removed a locked safe from a residence on Walnut Drive in East Shoreham on Dec. 3.

Meet me upstairs

Police said an unknown person broke the upstairs window of a residence on Park Hill Drive in Selden on Dec. 6.

For your convenience

An unidentified man and woman entered the CVS Pharmacy on Middle Country Road in Selden and stole beauty supplies, medical supplies and other items from the store. Police said the incident happened on Dec. 6.

Common sprinkler’s trick

An unknown man entered Old Navy on Jericho Turnpike in Commack sometime between 9:30 p.m. and 6:15 a.m. on Oct. 25 through a common sprinkler room. It is unknown if the man fled with any items. Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Second Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man, who was seen wearing a black hoodie.

Trying to stay fresh

A 46-year-old man and a 25-year-old man both from Farmingville were arrested on Dec. 5 at 6:50 p.m. for stealing air fresheners and red hair dye from Costco on Garet Place in Commack, according to police. They were charged with petit larceny.

Smack in Commack

On Dec. 4 an 18-year-old man from Dix Hills was arrested after police said he had a large amount of cocaine and prescription drugs without a prescription in his possession on Commack Road in Commack at midnight. He was charged with three accounts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Prepare for beat down

Police said a 25-year-old man from Dix Hills stole two pairs of Beats headphones from Target on Henry Street in Commack at 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 3. He was charged with petit larceny.

To infinity and — nope

A 44-year-old man from Commack was arrested on Dec. 3 at 6:10 p.m. after police said he was in possession of heroin and was driving a 1994 Infiniti on Carlton Avenue in Commack with a suspended license. He was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

We didn’t start the fire

On Dec. 6 a 30-year-old man from St. James was arrested at 6 p.m. on Privet Court in Smithtown after police said he threatened to physically harm someone and burn their house down. He was charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration.

Ladies don’t get in her Mercedes

A 49-year-old woman from Smithtown was arrested in Huntington Station on Dec. 3 at 6:40 p.m. after police said she was involved in a crash while driving a 2000 Mercedes and discovered she was on drugs. She was charged with first-degree operation of a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.

Driving on the high road

On Dec. 6 a 26-year-old man from Islandia was arrested on Larkfield Road and Daly Road in Commack at 8:12 p.m. after police said he was driving a 2009 Pontiac while on drugs. He was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs.

The lady in the Mercedes

A 49-year-old woman from Smithtown was arrested in Huntington Station on Dec. 3 at 6:40 p.m. after police said she was involved in a crash while driving a 2000 Mercedes. Police discovered she was on drugs and charged her with first-degree operation of a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.

Not in prime position

A 22-year-old man from East Northport was arrested at the corner of Prime Avenue and Mill Lane in Huntington at about 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 6 after police said he was in possession of marijuana and prescription medication without a prescription. He was charged with two accounts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.

No smiles on Broadway

Police said a 27-year-old man from Wheatley Heights had marijuana in his possession at midnight on Broadway Road in Greenlawn, on Dec. 6. He was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

Liberty is caught

On Dec. 3, a 58-year-old man from Dix Hills was arrested at the 2nd Precinct for an incident on Nov. 19 at 10:35 p.m., where police said he was driving a 2011 Jeep Liberty on New York Avenue in Huntington when he side swiped another vehicle and then fled the scene. He was charged with operating a motor vehicle and leaving the scene with property damage.

Wallet woes

Police said a 32-year-old man from Huntington stole a wallet from someone inside Christopher’s in Huntington on July 19 at 11:15 p.m. He was arrested on Dec. 2 at the corner of New York Avenue and Main Street and charged with fourth-degree grand larceny involving a credit card.

A 25-year-old from Bayville was arrested on Dec. 4 at 11:10 p.m. at Acacia Restaurant on New York Avenue in Huntington for stealing someone’s wallet. He was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny.

Not nice in the Nissan

On Dec. 2, a 37-year-old man from Huntington Station was arrested after police said he was driving a 1998 Nissan on New York Avenue in Huntington Station at 3:40 p.m. with a suspended license. He was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

Corner drugs

Police said a 22-year-old man from East Northport had marijuana in his possession on Mckay Road and Columbia Street in Huntington Station at 12:15 a.m on Dec. 6. He was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

Driving on the high road

On Dec. 6, a 26-year-old man from Islandia was arrested on Larkfield Road and Daly Road in Commack at 8:12 p.m., after police said he was driving a 2009 Pontiac while on drugs. He was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs.

Not BB-ing nice to the windows

On Dec. 4, at about 10 p.m., someone reported that a window of his or her home on West Neck Road in Huntington was shot with a BB gun.

Close but no cigar

An unknown person broke into a home on Browning Drive in Greenlawn on Dec. 5 at 9:30 a.m. but did not steal anything.

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Wrestler Dave Otunga films a scene at the Long Island Pour House in Port Jefferson Station for ‘What Happened Last Night.’ Photo by Giselle Barkley

What really did happen last night?

That’s what audiences will figure out in writer and director Candice Cain’s film “What Happened Last Night,” an independent film that puts a spin on and takes a comedic approach to breakups, new flames, friends and college life. The film retraces the steps of a group of college students after a fraternity party and opens with main characters Sarah and Danny, played by Alix Kermes and Clayton Snyder.

Brookhaven resident Cain brought her cast and crew to Long Island on Nov. 28 and started filming a bar scene at the Long Island Pour House in Port Jefferson Station. Although the film focuses on college students, actress Rebecca Boughton said there’s something for everyone, whether in high school, college or adulthood.

“It’s just very relatable because it’s a story about relationships,” Boughton said. “It’s about coming of age and figuring out who you are and what you want to do with your life.”

Boughton plays Laila, a pretentious advisor for the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. While Boughton is a member of the sorority in real life, that’s not the only thing that attracted her to the film. She and the cast agree that Cain’s script has natural dialogue, making the interaction between characters realistic.

“You know she comes from a theater background,” actor Jake Thomas said. “It’s a very long script, but it does flow very quickly because the dialogue just jumps from one thing to another.”

Like many of the cast, Thomas is no stranger to the stage. As a kid, he played alongside Hilary Duff as Lizzie McGuire’s little brother Matt on the 2001 Disney television series of the same name. Thomas is making an appearance in Cain’s film as Dave, the main character’s ex-boyfriend. Snyder, who played Ethan Craft on the same Disney Channel show, recommended the production to Thomas.

Cain wrote the story in three days, when she was a 19-year-old George Washington University student. The idea came about after she woke up at a friend’s place after attending a party the night before. Cain was sick during the party and took Nyquil before attending, and her friend allowed her to stay overnight after alcohol spilled on Cain and soaked her clothing. She woke up to the smell of bacon but couldn’t immediately remember where she was.

“I started thinking to myself, ‘What if there was someone in bed with me and I woke up? How would I have reacted?’” Cain recalled.

The writer and director performed her story at her university’s theater, acting as Sarah. Two decades later, this past April, Cain found the script in her basement.

“Everyone who’s been in a relationship knows that breakups suck,” Kermes said. “They’re hard especially in college when you start thinking about your future.”

Big name stars like Amber Rose and WWE wrestler David Otunga, who’s engaged to singer Jennifer Hudson, will also appear in the film, which hits theaters next year. Otunga heard about the film through his agent and took on the role of Tiny, a large bartender who comes to the rescue of Sarah’s friend Mindy, played by Diana Durango.

“I’m really happy to be able to support independent films,” Otunga said. “I feel like these are so much fun because it’s truly about the art. It’s not super-huge budgets and everything, but we make it work and make such an awesome looking project and it’s really cool to be a part of that.”

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Comsewogue sophomore Victoria Blaney shoots while Rocky Point's Madison Hrysko defends. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Comsewogue sophomore Nora Gabel makes a play. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue sophomore Nora Gabel makes a play. Photo by Bill Landon

Behind Nora Gabel’s 23 points and eight steals, the Comsewogue girls’ basketball team led coast to coast in Tuesday’s League V opener on the road at Rocky Point, turning a 9-4 lead after one quarter to a 43-22 victory.

Comsewogue controlled the tempo from tipoff, dominated the time of possession and hit the scoreboard over and over.

By halftime, the Warriors battled their way up to a 20-8 lead, but Comsewogue head coach Joe Caltagirone said he knew Rocky Point would be athletic, despite not knowing how they’d be offensively.

“They put a little ball pressure on us and they contested all of our shots,” Caltagirone said of Rocky Point, adding he was pleased with how his team played defensive. “Offensively, I think we have a little ways to go to get to where I want to be this season.”

Despite several turnovers in the first half, the Warriors got their rhythm in the second as the team found the rim. Gabel, a sophomore guard, lit up the scoreboard for Comsewogue with 11 points, which included a pair of three-pointers. Rocky Point senior forward Julia Jauhiainen scored all of her five points in the third quarter, as her team trailed 33-13.

With 5:52 left in the game, Comsewogue worked to unwind the clock, and the teams traded points as time expired.

Gabel, who nailed three treys on the evening, said that she was surprised by the margin of victory.

Comsewogue freshman Julianna Watson goes up for a layup. Photo by Bill Landon
Comsewogue freshman Julianna Watson goes up for a layup. Photo by Bill Landon

“In the huddle before the game, I said we have to be hungrier than they were,” Gabel said. “So we went out there and played our hardest and we left it all out on the court.”

Following Gabel for the Warriors was junior guard Megan Turner with seven points, and forwards Sam Collins, a junior, and Victoria Blaney, a sophomore, chipped in four points apiece.

“They’re a strong team, but I don’t think we played up to our standards,” Turner said. “Defensively we’re strong, but our offense needs a little work.”

Rocky Point senior guard Michaela Peacock and junior center Allyson Greenstein matched Jauhiainen with five points each.

Rocky Point head coach Scott Lindsay said Comsewogue is always a tough team to play because they’re physical and have two strong guards.

“They play a strong defense up top, which caused a little problem when they started pressing,” Lindsay said. “With our second group, I was really impressed with how they were moving the ball. We’re improving from game to game — they played hard the whole way and I think we’re building on something here.”

Comsewogue will host Harborfields in its first home game of the season on Thursday. A 5:45 p.m. tipoff is scheduled.

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A new sidewalk runs along Highlands Boulevard in upper Port Jefferson. Photo by Elana Glowatz

They blazed the path and now they’re going to light the way.

With a new sidewalk already paved along Highlands Boulevard, keeping pedestrians out of the road, Port Jefferson officials are now working on installing streetlights on the route.

A new sidewalk runs along Highlands Boulevard in upper Port Jefferson. Photo by Elana Glowatz
A new sidewalk runs along Highlands Boulevard in upper Port Jefferson. Photo by Elana Glowatz

The village board of trustees on Monday approved spending $28,000 for Flushing-based Welsbach Electric Corp. to put in eight decorative streetlight poles and light fixtures along the winding sidewalk, between the entrance to the Highlands condominiums and Oakland Avenue in uptown Port Jefferson.

That dollar figure is higher than an original $17,000 cost approved in August. Mayor Margot Garant explained at Monday’s board meeting that the village needs more lighting than initially expected.

“We had originally contemplated putting three Dickens lanterns in,” she told the trustees, referring to the antique-style streetlights the village uses. But the “village lanterns are not known for their best illumination. So if we were to light [it] properly, it would need one Dickens lantern every 50 feet.”

However, the bumped-up expense, which will come out of the village’s surplus if the public works department budget cannot cover it, does not represent the entire lighting cost for the stretch of sidewalk. That price tag would have been “more than we have in the budget,” Trustee Larry LaPointe said.

Instead the village will put in the eight streetlights, 150 feet apart, according to Garant. “Just to give it some light at this point in time, and then we can fill in as we continue to go.”

The streetlights will use LED bulbs.

The new roughly 0.2-mile sidewalk on Highlands Boulevard has been in the works for a while, with the idea first coming up a few years ago, when residents coordinated an effort to petition the government to preserve the village-owned grassy area along the road. It was discussed as a safety issue because pedestrians had to walk in the street to get from the condos to the uptown business district.

Board members approved a parkland designation for the 6-acre grassy parcel earlier this year, a move that limits the land’s future use or development. Village officials have discussed the possibility of adding benches or walking paths there, but have expressed a desire to keep the park’s use passive.

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People at an anti-drug forum stay afterward to learn how to use the anti-overdose medication Narcan. Above, someone practices spraying into a dummy’s nostrils. Photo by Elana Glowatz

The Suffolk County Police Department handed out dozens of overdose rescue kits in the Port Jefferson high school on Monday night, at the conclusion of a crowded drug abuse prevention forum geared toward educating parents.

“We have to double-down on prevention,” said Tim Sini, a deputy county commissioner for public safety who has recently been nominated for police commissioner.

People at an anti-drug forum stay afterward to learn how to use the anti-overdose medication Narcan. Above, Jim Laffey assembles a syringe. Photo by Elana Glowatz
People at an anti-drug forum stay afterward to learn how to use the anti-overdose medication Narcan. Above, Jim Laffey assembles a syringe. Photo by Elana Glowatz

He and other officials from the police department, medical examiner’s office and community spoke at the forum to inform parents about the dangers of drug abuse, including how kids get introduced to and hooked on drugs in the first place. Much of the discussion focused on opioid drugs, which include heroin as well as prescription painkillers like Vicodin and Percocet, and on the lifesaving Narcan, an anti-overdose medication that blocks opioid receptors in the brain and can stop an overdose of those types of drugs.

According to Dr. Scott Coyne, the SCPD’s chief surgeon and medical director, in the three years since Suffolk officers have been trained to administer Narcan — the well-known brand name for naloxone — they have used it successfully 435 times.

Attendees who stayed after the forum were able to register in the police department’s public Narcan program and receive a kit with two doses of the medication, which can be sprayed into an overdose victim’s nostrils.

Narcan training classes are coming up
Want to learn how to use Narcan, the medication that stops an opioid overdose in its tracks? Training courses are taking place across Suffolk County over the next couple of months, including in Port Jefferson and in neighboring Centereach.

Narcan, the brand name of naloxone, blocks receptors in the brain to stop overdoses of drugs like heroin, Vicodin, Percocet, OxyContin or Demerol, among others. It can be administered through a nasal spray and will not cause harm if mistakenly given to someone who is not suffering an opioid overdose.

The local training sessions meet state health requirements, according to the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, and will teach trainees to recognize opioid overdoses, to administer Narcan and to take other steps until emergency medical personnel arrive on the scene. All participants will receive a certificate of completion and an emergency kit that includes Narcan.

The first course will be held on Monday, Dec. 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the county’s Office of Health Education in Hauppauge, at 725 Veterans Highway, Building C928. RSVP to 631-853-4017 or [email protected].

In Centereach, a course will take place on Friday, Jan. 15, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Middle Country library at 101 Eastwood Blvd. RSVP before Jan. 11 at [email protected] or at 631-585-9393 ext. 213.

Later that month, Hope House Ministries will host another Narcan training session in its facility at 1 High St. in Port Jefferson, in the Sister Aimee Room. That event, held in conjunction with the Port Jefferson ambulance company, will take place on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 10 a.m. Call 631-928-2377 for more information or register at https://pjvac.enrollware.com/enroll?id=952865.

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