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Fall flavors and lots of fun at 8th annual A Taste of Port Jefferson

by Heidi Sutton - October 14, 2015

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Taste-of-Port-Jefferson-w — One of the tables at last year’s event beautifully decorated for the fall. Photo from PJCC

The annual A Taste of Port Jefferson is back and is better than ever. Now in its 8th year, the one-day event will feature food samplings and wine and beer tastings from more than 35 local shops and restaurants.

There are only two requirements — come with an empty stomach and be prepared to feel full from the delicious foods!

Presented by The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, the event, for ages 21 and over, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Port Jefferson Village Center at 101A E. Broadway overlooking beautiful Port Jefferson Harbor.

As in previous years, guests are invited to be judges and vote on Best Food and Drink. “Keeping the event fresh, we also have a new contest this year — voting for favorite dessert. We also have many new vendors, which is very exciting,” said Barbara Ransome, director of operations at the chamber.

Participating businesses will include C’est Cheese, The Village Way, Tommy’s Place, The Fifth Season, The Arden, Ruvo, The Amazing Olive, The Pie Pizzeria Napoletana, Penntara Lao-Thai Catering, Smoke Shack Blues BBQ, Uncle Giuseppe’s, Z-Pita, Messina Market & Catering, Cornecopia Cafe, Pasta Pasta, Costco, Custom Cafe & Deli, Danfords Wave Seafood Kitchen, La Parilla, Port Jeff Lobster House, Schafer’s and Smoke Shack Blues BBQ.

Dessert samplings from A Cake in Time, Chocology Unlimited, La Bonne Boulangerie and Starbucks will also be available. Wine and beer tastings will be offered by Mora’s Fine Wines, the Port Jeff Brewing Co., Vine 2 Vine, Brewology295 and the L.I. Pour House.

Sponsors this year include Long Island Creative Contracting, UnitySEO Solutions, Yelp, Times Beacon Record Newspapers, Arras Agency, Jolie Powell Realty, AXA Advisors, St. Charles Hospital, Live It Up!, Smoke Shack Blues and Port Jefferson Live.

Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 at the door. For further information, call 631-473-1414 or visit www.ATasteofPortJefferson.com.

Mather Hospital expands patient, educational space

by Elana Glowatz - October 14, 2015

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mather-Healing-Garden-w — A view of a healing garden at Mather Hospital’s new pavilion. Photo from the hospital

New facilities at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital aim to reduce infection rates and bring more doctors to the area.

The Port Jefferson hospital recently dedicated its new Arthur & Linda Calace Foundation Pavilion, adding more than 28,400 square feet of space to the north side of the hospital that is being used to house patient rooms as well as medical offices and conference rooms.

According to Mather spokesman Stuart Vincent, there are 35 one-bed rooms in the new pavilion. Rather than using the space to add to the hospital’s 248 beds, beds were moved from existing double rooms into the new pavilion, creating 70 new single-bed patient rooms throughout the hospital.

A view of a patient bedroom at Mather Hospital. Photo from the hospital

Taking away those 35 double rooms and adding the 70 single rooms means “for the first time, the majority of rooms at Mather are now single-bedded, which aids in both patient healing and in reducing the risk of infection spreading among patients,” Vincent said in an email.

The patient rooms in the new pavilion will be used for intermediate care and will each have their own medication cabinet and a computer for managing patient information, according to Vincent. The unit also keeps nurses close to patients, with nursing stations throughout the floor.

Joseph Wisnoski, CFO at Mather, said in a previous statement, “A single-bed patient room is no longer a luxury, but the standard for hospitals across the nation.”

That patient unit is located above two floors of new offices and conference rooms and a 180-seat conference center. When the hospital broke ground on the expansion project two years ago, officials said the office space would be used to combat a shortage of primary care physicians by training more of those professionals — who would then hopefully stay in the area — in a graduate education program that includes seminars and symposia.

The pavilion is Mather’s first expansion in more than a decade, and Vincent said it is the sixth expansion since the hospital opened in 1929. It was named for Arthur and Linda Calace, the primary donors on the project, who raised their family nearby and wanted to give back to the community. The Calaces and other donors combined to cover $5 million of the total construction cost.

Stony Brook sponsors Mather teaching transition

by Phil Corso - October 14, 2015

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SchiavoneResidents2w — Dr. Frederick Schiavone with emergency medicine residents in the Clinical Simulation Center. Photo from Melissa Weir

Stony Brook is sending some fresh faces to one of its neighboring hospitals.

Earlier this month, Stony Brook University Hospital heralded in a new partnership with John T. Mather Hospital that will transition the Port Jefferson facility from a community hospital into an academic teaching hub. But that doesn’t mean Mather will be losing its community-centric feel, hospital officials said.

The partnership began in 2012 when Mather officials started seeking advice from Stony Brook Medicine on how to establish a new graduate medical education program, and quickly evolved into Stony Brook Medicine’s sponsorship of the program. Mather welcomed its first class of 19 residents studying internal medicine in July 2014 and it has been all-systems-go ever since. And if all goes well, Mather said it aspired to reach 100 residents at the end of five years.

“It’s an investment in the future,” said Dr. Joan Faro, chief medical officer at Mather, who works as the site’s designated institutional officer for the graduate medical education team and initially reached out to Stony Brook Medicine to explore the partnership. “Our standards will be as high, or even higher, as they have been as they are passed down, and we are so fortunate to take advantage of [Stony Brook Medicine’s] expertise and guidance.”

Under the new system, Stony Brook’s graduate medical education program reviews Mather’s selections for residency program directors and then Faro sends recommended candidates back to Stony Brook. The candidates are then interviewed and authorized for appointments. When Mather residents graduate, they will receive a Stony Brook University Hospital crest alongside the Mather crest on their graduation certificates.

With Stony Brook Medicine’s help, Mather has instituted its own de facto recruiting system for promising prospects in the medical arena. By inviting residents into Mather, the hospital is not only ingraining its culture into the learners at an early stage, but it is also setting them on a path that could potentially lead to long stays working there, Faro said. And with the recent opening of a new 35-bed facility on the Mather campus, the time could not be better for residents to be learning on-site.

Dr. Frederick Schiavone, vice dean of the graduate medical education program at Stony Brook Medicine, teamed up with Carrie Eckart, executive director of the same program, to help transition Mather into an academic teaching hospital over the past year and said it could not be going more smoothly, as Mather’s staff steps up to new teaching roles.

“It’s a passion,” Schiavone said. “People like to teach, love to teach. It’s built into what being a doctor means. When residents thank us for helping teach them, you couldn’t ask for a better reward.”

One of the benefits of becoming a teaching hospital for Mather, Faro said, is that the staff are required to stay on top of the latest developments in medical education and training, which means that Mather’s patients receive advanced methods of health care delivery. Schiavone said the affiliation was ideal for Stony Brook Medicine as it allows staffers to train residents from the beginning as they are brought up throughout the system.

“We need to reach out to our community,” Schiavone said. “The focus is always to deliver the best health care in Suffolk County. Mather’s success is our success.”

And by putting collaborative patient care at the center of the model of delivering health care, Schiavone said Stony Brook Medicine was benefitting from having more residency spots to dole out.

Having residents under the same roof as Mather’s experienced medical professionals would only raise the level of care the community hospital provides by reinforcing the facility’s standards, Faro said.

Editor’s note: This version of the story was updated to correctly reflect the number of residents Mather has taken in as its inaugural class.

Running backs shine in Comsewogue’s close homecoming game

by TBR Staff - October 13, 2015

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Senior running back Bryan Hurley and sophomore running back Kai Cochrane each run for over 120 yards for the Warriors in the loss

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By Joe Galotti

Coming off back-to-back blowout losses, the Comsewogue football team showed plenty of fight in their homecoming matchup against Hauppauge Saturday, but ultimately came up short on the scoreboard, falling 35-21. Senior running back Bryan Hurley and sophomore running back Kai Cochrane each ran for over 120 yards for the Warriors in the loss.

“We dug ourselves a hole with turnovers in the first half,” Comsewogue head coach Sean Tremblay said. “We battled back into the fourth quarter, but some untimely penalties and poor third and fourth down defense really cost us.”

The Warriors also lost starting junior defensive end Andy Suarez for the season in the game, after he suffered a broken leg in the third quarter. Suarez marks the fifth starter Comsewogue has seen go down with a season-ending injury this year.

“We’ve been playing with a lot of guys that at the beginning of the season weren’t starters,” Tremblay said. “But to the kids’ credit, they’re still fighting.”

After falling behind early in their previous two games, the Warriors did the same against the Eagles. Hauppauge opened the game’s scoring in the first quarter with a 5-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Thomas Balcom to wide receiver Dominic Paresi. In the second quarter, Balcom and Paresi connected in the end zone again, this time, on a 10-yard reception.

Hurley got Comsewogue back in the game with a 1-yard rushing touchdown, cutting the Eagles lead to just 14-7 at the halftime break.

“All eleven guys [on offense] played their hearts out on every play,” he said. “Our line was able to get a great push, and when our backs weren’t running the ball, we blocked for each other.”

After a scoreless third quarter, Hauppauge’s star running back, Marcus Bisono, began to take over the game. The senior delivered a 15-yard and 10-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The running backs for the Warriors also stepped up in the final 12 minutes of the game. Hurley and Cochrane each registered a touchdown run as Comsewogue trailed by just seven points late in the contest.

But, the duo of Balcom and Paresi would come up big again for the Eagles. Balcom delivered a 60-yard touchdown pass to his wideout, a play that would secure the win for Hauppauge.

While the Warriors defense as a whole struggled to contain the Eagles, Tremblay said senior defensive back Austin Haynia was a standout in the game. The senior defended two passes, and came up with several key tackles. Tremblay also liked what he saw from Suarez, before he exited the game.

On the flip side of the ball, Comsewogue’s head coach was very pleased with what his team was able to do on the ground.

“If there’s any silver lining to losing the game, it’s that we ran the ball very well,” Tremblay said. “I was happy offensively.”

Cochrane agreed.

“The offensive line did a great job getting off the ball quickly and creating holes so our backs could make the right cuts and get first downs,” he added.

The Warriors’ fan base showed their passion for the team on Saturday. Even with Comsewogue entering its homecoming weekend without a win, the school’s supporters created an exciting atmosphere for the game.

“The community is fantastic; they always come out and support,” Tremblay said. “With us entering the game at 0-4, it would have been easy for them just to stay home, or just do the parade and go home. But, they all came to the game and cheered us on till the very end.”

Even at 0-5 in Division III, the season is far from over for the Warriors. Entering as the No. 7 seed will help Comsewogue’s standing come playoff time, and if the team is able to win at Harborfields next week, and come away with a win in one of its final two games against highly ranked and undefeated Sayville and East Islip, a postseason berth would still be a possibility.

Brookhaven animal shelter gets spooky

by TBR Staff - October 12, 2015

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Figgy-w — Figgy is one of the dogs up for adoption at the animal shelter. Photo from Brookhaven Town

Residents who visit the Brookhaven Town Animal Shelter on Oct. 17 can adopt a dog or a cat for free, as part of a Halloween-themed “Barktoberfest” event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The family-friendly event also includes music, games and face painting.

While dog adoptions at the shelter typically cost $137 and cat adoptions cost $125, those fees will be waived. All animals have been spayed or neutered and microchipped, and received their vaccinations and licenses. They have also been tested for heartworm and fleas.

The shelter is located at 300 Horseblock Road in Brookhaven. For more information, call 631-451-6950 or visit www.brookhaven.org/animalshelter.

Police blotter: Suffolk County incidents and arrests through Oct. 4

by TBR Staff - October 8, 2015

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iSad about iPad

A residence on Woodbury Road in Cold Spring Harbor reported that an unknown person entered a locked vehicle and stole an iPad from the car on Sept. 30 at 9 a.m.

Drug bust

A 30-year-old man from East Northport was arrested after police said he had pills on him with no prescription and marijuana on Sept. 30. He was arrested on Curtis Path in East Northport at 4 p.m. and charged with seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Time to get a new watch

A resident of Eatons Neck Road in Eatons Neck said an unknown person stole a watch from inside his or her vehicle at 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 29.

Cuffed for a controlled substance

On Sept. 30 a 45-year-old man from East Northport was arrested for having heroin in his possession, according to police. He was arrested at 11:35 a.m. near Larkfield Road and Clay Pitts Road and charged with seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Trying to rock out

A resident of Grover Lane in East Northport said someone threw a rock at a windowpane at the front of their house at 8:35 a.m. on Oct .4

Off the chain

Police said a 31-year-old woman from Huntington Station grabbed a chain off another woman’s neck on Broadway in Huntington Station at 3:45 a.m. on Oct. 4. She was charged with fourth degree grand larceny.

Finders keepers

Someone said they lost their wallet at Walt Whitman Road in Huntington on Oct. 1, and between 1 and 5 p.m. someone used their credit card inside their wallet to buy items at numerous stores in the mall.

A pair of thieves

Two 27-year-old women from Hollis were arrested in Huntington Station on Oct. 3 after police said they stole a sweater, scarf, pants, four belts and two pairs of sunglasses from Lord & Taylor on Walt Whitman Road at 1:55 p.m. They were both charged with petit larceny.

High tide at the beach

On Sept. 30 a 22-year-old man from Huntington Station was arrested in Huntington after police said he had marijuana on him. He was arrested at Gold Star Beach Park on Browns Road at 7:25 p.m. and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Crack is whack

A 26-year-old female from Huntington Station was arrested after police said she had crack cocaine in her possession. She was arrested on Railroad Street and Mckay Road in Huntington Station at 1:50 p.m. on Oct. 3 and charged with seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Car meets brick column

A woman was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze on Oct. 1 at 1:48 a.m. on Jericho Turnpike near Terry Road in Smithtown when her vehicle left the roadway, struck a brick light column in front of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church on East Main Street, overturned and hit a tree. The victim was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital with serious injuries.

Cold crime

An unknown person stole a jacket and bottled water from a Target on Henry Street in Commack on Oct. 1 at 11:40 a.m.

Day drunk

A 33-year-old man from Coram was arrested on Oct. 3 after police said he was driving drunk. At 12:07 p.m. he was driving on Main Street and Elliot Place in Smithtown in a 2007 Nissan Murano when he was involved in a car crash. According to police, he then fled the scene and refused to show his license when arrested. He was charged with a DWI, first degree leaving the accident and failure to show license.

Someone’s gotta loose

Someone parked their 2002 Honda Accord on Locust Street in Nesconset and then said an unknown person broke into the car and stole the owner’s wallet, lottery ticket and credit card between 5 p.m. on Sept. 30 and 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 1.

Stop in the name of the law

On Oct. 1 a 61-year-old woman from Kings Park was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. Police said she was driving a gray Toyota in an erratic manner on Edgewood Road and Nissequogue River Road in Smithtown at 9:28 p.m. She was accelerating, slowing and stopping for no apparent reason before police pulled her over.

Tire trouble

At Key Food on Indian Head Road in Kings Park, someone damaged four tires of a 2003 Chevrolet Astro at 11:20 p.m. on Oct. 2.

Sit ‘n’ Bit

At Sit ‘n’ Sip Inn on 296 Maple Ave. in Smithtown on Sept. 30, a 25-year-old woman from Smithtown was arrested after police said she bit a man on his forehead and left arm at 5:40 p.m. The man needed medical treatment, and she was charged with assault with intent to cause physical injury.

Climbing in your windows

A resident of Washington Avenue in St. James reported that someone entered their home through a garage window on Oct. 2 between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and stole assorted jewelry.

Armed robbery

At a 7-Eleven on Jericho Turnpike in Commack on Oct. 2 at 12:40 a.m. an unknown person entered and displayed a handgun. They then demanded cash and fled the store.

Targeted for theft

Two females entered a Target on Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack on Oct. 1 at 8:45 p.m. and stole assorted clothing.

On the Pathmark to jail

On Oct. 4, police arrested a 37-year-old woman from East Setauket for petit larceny at the Pathmark on Nesconset Highway in Port Jefferson Station, after she allegedly stole beauty and cooking supplies.

Gunnin’ for goods

Police arrested four people between the ages of 17 and 21 for armed robbery on Oct. 1, shortly after they approached an unidentified man on Dewey Street in Port Jefferson Station, pulled out a gun and stole cash and marijuana from the victim. Police didn’t specify which of the suspects was holding a weapon but said they were arrested on Olympia Street, the next block over.

Getting comfy

A 32-year-old woman from Mount Sinai was arrested on Oct. 1 for petit larceny after she allegedly stole a comforter set from the Kohl’s on Nesconset Highway in East Setauket 10 days earlier.

A sleepy surprise

Shortly after midnight on Oct. 4, police arrested a 34-year-old man from Centereach for criminal trespassing on Mark Tree Road in Centereach. Police said the man entered someone’s home and slept in a bedroom, but the man didn’t break into the home, and it was unclear if the man knew the homeowner.

Third time was not the charm

Police arrested a 40-year-old man from Miller Place on Oct. 3 for operating a vehicle with a suspended license. Police said the man was driving a 1999 Toyota when he was pulled over on Miller Place Road. The man’s license had been suspended three times in the past.

A 49-year-old man from Centereach was arrested on Oct. 4 for operating a vehicle with a suspended license. Police said the man was driving a 2015 Ford Fiesta down Holiday Park Drive in Centereach around 2:18 a.m. and was pulled over and arrested at the scene shortly afterward. They said the man had his license suspended three times in the past.

Wrecked windows

Police said a 17-year-old man from Syosset was arrested for criminal mischief on Oct. 3. According to police, the man smashed the back window of a 2002 Nissan Silvia on Ruland Road and of a 2012 Honda Civic on Mallard Avenue, both on Aug. 10 in Selden. Police arrested the man at the 6th Precinct.

Shore thing

Between Oct. 1 at 10 p.m. and Oct. 2 at 1 p.m., an unidentified person stole credit cards and identification from a 2011 Toyota. Police said the car was parked on Shore Road in Mount Sinai.

Police said an unidentified person stole house keys and an insurance card from a 2002 Cadillac between Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. and Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. The car was unlocked and was parked in a driveway on Shore Road in Mount Sinai.

A sweet steal

Someone broke into the back entrance of Sweet and Savory on Main Street in Port Jefferson on Oct. 3, stealing money from the cash register.

Mailbox madness

An unidentified person smashed a mailbox on Westchester Drive in Sound Beach.

On Oct. 3 around 10:37 p.m., police said someone struck a mailbox on Patricia Lane in South Setauket with a metal rod.

Suits him

On the afternoon of Oct. 4, two unidentified people got into a verbal dispute. Police said one of the individuals entered the residence of the other and stole assorted men’s clothing. Police were unsure when the dispute occurred in relation to the theft.

Rosy robber

On Rosewood Road in Rocky Point, an unknown person stole a purse containing a woman’s license and checks from a car on Oct. 1.

Rock on Branch

A woman reported that an unidentified person threw a rock at her garage door and damaged it on Oct. 4 on Branch Lane in East Setauket.

Out of step

Police said an unknown person entered the backyard of a residence on Tudor Road in Centereach on Oct. 2, stole a 10-foot fiberglass step ladder and fled.

Tailgates and tools

Police said a 2011 Dodge Ram was parked in a driveway on Hawkins Road in Selden on Oct. 1 when someone stole the tailgate from the truck, as well as a drill, a separate drill set and a table saw from the bed of the truck.

Theater theft

Between Oct. 1 at 9:15 p.m. and midnight on Oct. 2, someone shattered the front driver’s side window of a 2013 GMC Denali while it was parked in the Loews Theater lot in Stony Brook. The unidentified person stole a camera, cash and assorted Michael Kors merchandise from the car.

Port Jefferson smokes hookah shops, tattoo parlors

by Elana Glowatz - October 7, 2015

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hookah-city_glowatzw — Port Jefferson shops such as Hookah City on Main Street, above, sell hookahs. Photo by Elana Glowatz

Taking a stand against what some see as troubling business activity and the undesirable type of people it attracts, the Port Jefferson Village Board of Trustees approved a law Monday night that effectively bans new hookah-selling shops and tattoo parlors.

Residents and village officials have been vocal lately about the abundance of shops on Main Street selling hookahs and products related to the smoking apparatuses, with some saying the stores attract a criminal element and sell unhealthy products. More than a year after a similar yet simpler proposal was abandoned, the board has amended its zoning code to restrict those businesses, as well as tattoo parlors and adult establishments like topless bars, to the Light Industrial I-2 District.

The village’s four current hookah shops will not be shuttered under the new law because they represent preexisting uses, but the measure all but bans future hookah shops, hookah parlors, tattoo parlors and adult businesses, as there are only two properties in the entire village in the I-2 zoning district — on Columbia Street — and both are already occupied.

Board members approved the law at their Monday meeting with a 3-2 vote, with Trustees Bruce Miller and Bruce D’Abramo in opposition.

D’Abramo was the most vocal opponent of the proposal’s previous iteration, which would have simply banned hookah parlors — lounges where people can smoke tobacco products using a hookah. He repeated a stance at the meeting that he held through that last proposal as well as through discussion about the new law: that the government should let the free market regulate legally operating businesses.

“I believe that the marketplace cannot support four of these places in the village,” he said. “I think it will serve only to make our code book thicker and therefore dilute its effectiveness. … I believe the marketplace will do the same thing that it did when we had a yogurt place across the street from another yogurt place. … And it closed.”

Although there were more calls from residents opposed to the village interfering with the market the first time around — with some even comparing hookah establishments to the village’s numerous bars that are allowed to operate — D’Abramo did not receive as much resident support recently.

Over the last few board meetings, concerned parents and neighbors have called upon the village to take action against hookah-selling shops, citing fears that they will sell paraphernalia and dangerous substances to underage patrons and attract loiterers and drug dealers. Resident Nancy Cerullo said Monday she is concerned about “the culture that it is bringing.”

When residents asked about banning the shops outright, officials pointed out that would be unconstitutional, but said they could restrict the locations where they operate.

“As long as you allow it to be somewhere,” Mayor Margot Garant said.

With the discussion of the law dominated by comments about hookah shops, Barbara Sabatino, a resident, business owner and planning board member, questioned whether tattoo parlors should be lumped in with those establishments in the new restrictions. She noted that tattoos are becoming more mainstream, particularly among young adults.

The Board of Trustees narrowly voted to approve the law moments after closing the public hearing.

Ban on microbeads passes Suffolk County Legislature

by Phil Corso - October 7, 2015

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Kara-Hahn-microbeads-presserw — Legislator Kara Hahn speaks about the harmful effects of microbeads on Tuesday. Photo from Hahn’s office

A push in the Suffolk County Legislature to ban the sale of personal care products containing microbeads was met with unanimous approval on Tuesday, as state and federal lawmakers are also signing on to the cause.

Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) celebrated the unanimous vote on Tuesday for legislation crafted with the goal of washing the county free of the tiny, potentially hazardous plastic particles linked to several issues affecting waterways. She stood alongside environmental experts at the county Legislature building in Riverhead, referring to the new ban as a means of keeping Long Island and its surrounding waterways safe.

“There is no place for plastics in our vulnerable bays and waterways,” said Hahn, chair of the Legislature’s Environment Committee and author of the bill. “Microbeads have been found in our precious Long Island Sound, and my legislation will protect our environment, protect our health and protect our fishing and tourism industries.”

Microbeads, which are usually between one and five millimeters in diameter, are typically not filtered out by most wastewater treatment systems. This poses the risk of the tiny beads making their way into surface waters, picking up toxins as they flow from one source to the next. Because of their tiny size, the toxin-laden particles can sometimes be mistaken for food by small fish and other aquatic species.

But it does not end there.

Once the aquatic life consumes the potentially harmful microbeads, they could then make their way into larger living organisms and eventually into the human food supply.

The county legislation said that manufacturers of several personal care products have added the small plastic beads to their facial scrubs, body washes, toothpaste products and select soaps and shampoos over the past 10 years. Now that it has passed, Hahn’s law will go into effect Jan. 1, 2018, and prohibit the sale of any personal care products that contain microbeads in Suffolk County.

Six months before that deadline, Hahn said the Department of Health Services will begin informing retailers selling products that contain microbeads of the new regulations, and enforcement will come through random inspections of at least 10 retailers per quarter in 2018. Anyone who violates the law will be subject to a civil fine of up to $500 for a first offense, a fine of up to $750 for a second offense and a fine of up to $1,000 for all subsequent violations.

Microbead legislation has been gaining traction beyond the Suffolk County level over the past year, with elected officials on both the state and federal levels stepping up to promote the ban of such products. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman visited Long Island over the summer to announce the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, a bipartisan federal bill that would also ban cosmetics containing the plastic pellets.

Gillibrand’s bill had sponsors and co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle, most of them from the Midwest, according to a press release from the senator’s office. It is similar to a New York state-level bill of the same name, which is Schneiderman’s effort to prohibit the sale and distribution of products containing microbeads.

Fall down the rabbit hole at Theatre Three

by Heidi Sutton - October 6, 2015

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Theatre-Three-ALICE'S-WONDERLAND-ADVENTURES!--The-Companyw — The entire cast of ‘Alice’s Wonderland Adventures!’ Photo by Peter Lanscombe, Theatre Three Productions, Inc.

Lewis Carroll’s beloved classic may be more than 150 years old, but “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass” still resonate with children and adults alike. Now Theatre Three’s creative geniuses Tim Peierls and Jeffrey Sanzel have written a brand new Alice-inspired children’s musical — “Alice’s Wonderland Adventures!” — that opened last Saturday. All the familiar characters are here, from the White Rabbit to the Mad Hatter, to the Queen of Hearts to the beloved Cheshire Cat. Throw in an appearance from Humpty Dumpty and Dorothy Gale, add a quick game of Wheel of Fortune for good measure, and you’ve got yourself a hit show.

Sanzel as director leads a talented group of seven adult actors, all of whom play multiple roles, through a delightful and clever production perfect for younger audiences. Seasoned actors Jenna Kavaler, Amanda Geraci, Hans Paul Hendrickson, Andrew Gasparini and Steve Uihlein are all outstanding, as are newcomers Mary Ortiz and Melanie Acampora, making their children’s theater in-house debut.

In the first act we meet Addison Carroll (Kavaler), an actress who is nervous that she will forget her lines as Alice in “Alice in Wonderland.” In a dream sequence, she finds herself transported to a magical land where the White Rabbit accidently takes her script. Addison spends the rest of the show chasing after the harried hare, trying to get it back. Along the way, accompanied by the Cheshire Cat, she has a tea party with the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Dormouse; plays croquet with the Queen of Hearts, who enjoys shouting, “Off with their heads!” a bit too much; and visits with Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Addison’s adventures help her gain confidence and she awakens from her nap, ready to take on the world.

Sanzel knows his target audience well. Every scene is full of song and dance, fast-paced and short. Riddles and jokes run rampant throughout the production: “Why do flowers work in the kitchen? Because you can’t make tarts without flour!”

The 12 original musical numbers by Peierls, accompanied by Steve McCoy on piano, are the heart of the show. Hendrickson is outstanding in his solos, “We’re All a Little Mad Here” and “The Tweedle’s Song,” in which he impressively performs both Tweedle roles, making his solo a duet. Geraci shines in “So Much to Do,” and the entire company’s “Wonderland Within You” is the perfect finale.

The actors utilize the set from the evening show, “Sweeney Todd,” but that’s OK because the costumes and puppets are so colorful and fun, a set is not even necessary. From the caterpillar with his six arms to the long red robe of the Queen of Hearts, costume designer Teresa Matteson has done an excellent job. It is the 13 puppets, however, designed and constructed by the brilliant Tazukie Fearon, that steal the spotlight. From the moment they make an appearance, the children are mesmerized. This is live theater at its best. Meet the cast in the lobby after the show.

Five-year-old Josephine Cunniffe, of Stony Brook, who said she loved the show, enjoyed the performance with her grandparents. Her favorite character was the White Rabbit.

Ashley Kenter, who’s been coming to Theatre Three since she was a little girl, said her favorite characters were “Alice … and the bunny” and her favorite scenes were when the Cheshire Cat told knock-knock jokes. The 10-year-old, who was having her birthday party at the theater, said she decided to celebrate the milestone at Theatre Three “because there is a lot of room here and they have a lot of good shows.” Her favorite show of all time is “Barnaby Saves Christmas,” which by coincidence is the theater’s next children’s show, from Nov. 27 to Dec. 26.

Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson, will present “Alice’s Wonderland Adventures!” through Oct. 24. Tickets are $10. For more information, call the box office at 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Brookhaven budget proposal won’t add pressure to wallets

by Elana Glowatz - October 6, 2015

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Funding would increase for snow removal, environment

Romaine-Budget-2015_01_barkleyw — Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine. File photo by Erika Karp

By Giselle Barkley & Elana Glowatz

Brookhaven Town won’t ask for more money from residents next year, according to Supervisor Ed Romaine’s 2016 budget proposal.

Romaine (R) revealed his nearly $281 million budget plan at a meeting on Oct. 1, touting its benefits of complying with the state-imposed limit on property tax increases and putting more funding toward snow removal as the winter season approaches.

Crafting the budget was a challenge given the tight limit on how much the property tax levy could increase, according to Romaine — the state’s limit was 0.73 percent this year. Despite that, “I support the tax cap because I understand what the tax burden is on the taxpayers of this town,” Romaine said during a meeting with the press last week. “I’m trying to do my best to limit that tax burden while providing needed services and that’s crucial, and our five-year plan reflects that.”

According to the budget proposal, the town’s property tax levy will not see a net increase in 2016, holding taxes steady for many residents. Romaine was able to maintain the levy because of the amount of money the town will save from satisfying debts. Some of the money that would have gone toward those debt payments was used instead to fund increases in other budget lines. When money from the town’s debt reserve fund is excluded, the budget proposal actually reduces overall spending more than $800,000.

“That’s come from careful management of capital projects and the elimination of pipeline debt,” Finance Commissioner Tamara Wright said during the meeting.

Just as there were cuts in the budget, there were also additions. Romaine proposed bringing the highway department’s snow removal budget up to $5.2 million — a budget line the supervisor and the town board have been adding to since the massive February 2013 storm, frequently dubbed Nemo, that buried Long Island under three feet of dense snow. That removal budget has doubled in the last few years.

“I hope that someday we will have a less snowy winter,” Romaine said.

Town officials hope any leftover snow removal money will be deposited into a reserve account, to be used in an emergency winter weather situation.

The supervisor’s proposal also increases spending on environmental protection and funding for public safety staff, code enforcement and internal auditors, among others.

Romaine’s proposed capital budget totals $62.2 million, a reduction of about 2.4 percent from the current year. The capital funds will go toward local projects like long-awaited athletic fields in Selden and road and drainage improvements.

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