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Times of Huntington-Northport

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Out to pasture
On Jan. 22, police arrested two men from Stony Brook and Setauket for assault with intent to cause physical injury. According to police, the men, ages 22 and 23, punched and kicked another man in the head and face on Sheep Pasture Road in Port Jefferson. The victim was taken to John T. Mather Memorial Hospital while the assailants were arrested at the scene, at 3:08 a.m.

Lean on me
An 18-year-old from Coram was arrested for driving while ability impaired on Jan. 21 after she failed to maintain her lane on Route 25A and was veering onto the shoulder. Police stopped her at the corner of Hallock Landing Road in Rocky Point and arrested her.

Criminal helps police
A drunk driver helped police nab him on Jan. 21 when he mistakenly thought he was being pulled over. According to police, as officers were pulling over another vehicle for a traffic stop at the corner of Route 25A and Chestnut Street in Mount Sinai, the 48-year-old DWI suspect, who is from Ovideo, Fla., also pulled over. Police discovered the man was intoxicated and arrested him at the scene, charging him with driving while ability impaired.

Doing lines to jail
On Jan. 22 at 7:05 a.m., police arrested a man from Centereach on two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. According to police, the 32-year-old man was in possession of cocaine.

Bounced behind bars
A 36-year-old woman from Selden was arrested for grand larceny on Jan. 19 after using another person’s checkbook to write several checks to herself between Sept. 2 and Dec. 10. Police said the incident happened at a bank on Nesconset Highway in Port Jefferson Station.

Steal fresh
Between Jan. 20 at 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. the following day, an unidentified person broke into a Subway near Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station and stole the cash register.

Going to the gifts
Police arrested a 50-year-old woman from Bay Shore on Jan. 20 for petit larceny. Police said the woman was in a home improvement store on Middle Country Road in Selden when she took several faucets and falsely returned them for a gift card. The woman received a $475 gift card and left the store without purchasing any items. Police arrested her later the same day.

Make him sweat
On Jan. 18, police arrested a 47-year-old man from East Setauket for petit larceny after he stole two sweaters from a residence on Spyglass Lane. Police didn’t say how the man entered the residence.

Drifting into an arrest
A 21-year-old woman from Smithtown was arrested for driving while ability impaired on Jan. 21. The woman was driving north on Route 25A when police pulled her over for speeding and failing to maintain her lane.

Missing moola
According to police, residents on Old Homestead Road in Port Jefferson reported that money was missing from their home. Police didn’t know how much money was missing but said the incident happened on Jan. 21 at 10 a.m.

Photobombed
On Jan. 23 around 9:30 a.m., someone on Casey Lane in Mount Sinai received inappropriate photos from an unknown person.

Lifting weights, lifting wallets
Someone left their wallet in an unlocked locker at the LA Fitness on Middle Country Road in Centereach. When the victim returned to the locker room for his wallet, it was gone. The incident occurred on Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m.
Sometime on Jan. 21, someone stole a wallet from a student’s backpack in a classroom at Newfield High School.
On Jan. 25 between 4 and 6 p.m., someone stole a wallet from a student’s bag at Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School in Rocky Point.

Trucked away
Between Jan. 23 and Jan. 24, an unidentified person stole a 1993 dump truck near Route 25A in Setauket.

A fabulous steal
According to police, on Jan. 24 around 12:30 p.m., someone entered the Marshalls at Route 347 and Hallock Road in Stony Brook and stole assorted clothing.

Swerving Saturn
A 27-year-old man from Brentwood was arrested for driving his 2002 Saturn while intoxicated at about 4 a.m. on Jan. 22, according to police. The man was driving on Old Willets Path near Route 25 in Smithtown when he was pulled over, police said. He was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Credit card swiped
Police arrested a 34-year-old Riverhead woman in Smithtown on Jan. 22 for stealing a credit card. The woman was charged with fourth degree grand larceny for stealing the credit card from a home in Ronkonkoma between midnight on June 12, and 9:30 a.m. on June 13, according to police.

DMV deception
At approximately 3:40 p.m. on Sept. 25, a 57-year-old man from Brentwood entered the Department of Motor Vehicles in Hauppauge and used a fraudulent social security card, according to police. He was arrested on Jan. 20 in Smithtown and charged with possession of a forged instrument.

BMW booked
A 59-year-old man from Commack was arrested on Jan. 22 for driving his BMW while intoxicated, police said. He was driving east on Motor Parkway in Hauppauge just after 3 a.m. when he was pulled over for driving recklessly, according to police. He was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Skating on grass
Police arrested a 17-year-old man from Hauppauge who was seated in his 2005 Honda outside of The Rinx in Hauppauge just before 10 p.m. on Jan. 22. He was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Hit and ran to jail
At about 9:00 pm on May 12, a 33-year-old man from Central Islip, driving in a 2000 Nissan Maxima on Fifth Avenue in Bay Shore, hit and killed a woman, then fled the scene, according to police. The man was arrested on Jan. 22 in Hauppauge for leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, police said.

Pickpocket punished
A 62-year-old woman from East Patchogue was arrested in Hauppauge and charged with grand larceny for taking more than $50,000 in cash from a woman without permission between May 4 and July 2, police said.

Price-conscious jewel thief
An unknown person stole assorted jewelry from Walmart on Crooked Hill Road in Commack on January 20, police said.

Fighting Irish pub
According to police, two unknown people got into a fight outside Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub on East Main Street in Smithtown in the early hours of Jan. 21.

Punching at the car wash
At about 10 a.m. on Jan. 21, police responded to a fight at Touch of Class Car Wash on Middle Country Road in St. James. One man punched another man, but no medical attention was necessary, police said.

Department store duped
Four unknown women stole assorted merchandise from Macy’s on Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack just before noon on Jan. 21, according to police.

Gas money
At about 7 p.m. on Jan. 22, an unknown person stole cash from a Shell gas station on Commack Road in Commack, police said.

Not playing it straight
On Jan. 22, a 20-year-old woman from Massapequa was arrested after police said she had marijuana in her possession on Straight Path in Dix Hills at 12:15 p.m. She was charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

Trying to ‘shirt’ the law
On Jan. 24, a 20-year-old man from Huntington was arrested at his residence on Delamere Street after police said he grabbed a man by the shirt and hit him in the head with an unknown object at 4:30 p.m. He was charged with second-degree menacing with a weapon.

You’ve got mail
A resident of Blue Sky Court in Huntington reported that his or her mailbox was damaged by an unknown person between 5 and 9 p.m. on Jan. 23.

Fakin’ it
Police said a 55-year-old man from Jericho used a fraudulent New York State driver’s license while at the 2nd Precinct on Jan. 21 at 4 p.m. He was subsequently charged with first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and second-degree possession of a forged instrument.

Riding revoked
A 46-year-old man from Centerport was arrested on Jan. 22 at 10:40 a.m. after police said he said he was driving a 2006 Chevy on Walt Whitman Road with a revoked license. He was charged with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

High tide
A 17-year-old woman from Northport was arrested on Jan. 22 after police said she had marijuana in her possession on Soundview Boat Ramp in Northport at 5:30 p.m. She was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Swerving Lexus
A 63-year-old woman from Dix Hills was arrested on Jan. 23 after police said she was speeding in a 2009 Lexus on Deer Park Avenue in Dix Hills and then swerved across lanes. He was charged with operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of more than .08.

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Katie Reilly fights to maintain possession as she dribbles the ball up the court. Photo from Huntington athletics

Trailing by double digits after watching one of their best players helped off the court, the Huntington girls’ basketball players had to look deep within themselves.

Instead of folding, the Blue Devils staged a remarkable rally to overcome host Smithtown West, 62-56, Tuesday.

Sophomore Alexandra Heuwetter scored 22 points and had six rebounds and five blocks, and senior Katie Reilly had 15 points and six assists to lead Huntington’s comeback.

Anna Gulizio came off the bench and picked up 11 points and four rebounds. Brooke Baade had 10 points, including a pair of three-pointers, and Abby Maichin had four points and three rebounds.

Befuddled by Smithtown West’s press, Huntington (11-2 overall; 9-1 in league play) had trouble bringing the ball up the court early in the game, repeatedly committing turnovers.

Coupled with the loss of senior Taylor Moreno, who hit the court hard just two minutes into the game and was unable to return to play, the Blue Devils struggled during the opening six minutes before closing hard to cut their deficit to 19-15 by the end of the first quarter.

“We settled the game down a bit after a lot of frantic play,” Reilly said. “It was definitely a scary sight to see one of our best players go down. I think it motivated us to win even more.”

Huntington went on an 18-9 second-quarter run to grab a 33-28 halftime lead, but Smithtown West (7-6 overall; 6-4 in the conference) wasn’t quite finished. The Bulls staged a rally of their own to retake the lead, and the teams battled toe-to-toe throughout the third quarter, with the advantage seesawing back and forth.

The Blue Devils led 46-43 entering the final frame before sharp shooting and stifling defense allowed Huntington to go ahead 58-47 as the clock ticked down. But, once again, Smithtown West rallied to close to within three points with little time remaining.

Huntington hit several crucial free throws in the final minute to put the game on ice.

Unlike most game days that see the junior varsity team play first, Huntington and Smithtown West took the court at 4:15 p.m. after many players on both teams had sat through midterm exams earlier in the day.

“We just had a slow start since we played first and were away, but after we got into our groove and started communicating and playing our game,” Baade said. “We were able to come back.”

Huntington will host Centereach on Friday at 6:15 p.m.

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Some question why district’s proposed plan covers less

Northport High School. File photo

After a lengthy battle, Northport-East Northport school district’s security greeters have been offered health care benefits. But the fight may not be over.

Although the district has presented health insurance plans to the nine full-time greeters, some say the plans are expensive and don’t treat them the same as other district employees.

The duties of a greeter, also known as a security monitor, include monitoring who is coming and going from a school building, assisting in late arrivals and early releases and helping parents get forgotten items to the students, among other day-to-day tasks that may arise. The position was established about 10 years ago, according to the district supervisor of security, and the district employs one full-time greeter for each of their six elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.

Under the plans, the district would pay 60 percent of the greeters’ health coverage, according to Diane Smith, the greeter who has led the charge for benefits.

Contracts on the district’s website indicate that it pays 75 percent of superintendent Robert Banzer’s coverage, 82 percent for administrators, 79 percent for teachers and 86 percent for security guards.

Diane Smith has been asking for health care benefits for her and her fellow employees for months. Photo from Smith
Diane Smith has been asking for health care benefits for her and her fellow employees for months. Photo from Smith

Smith said she is grateful the district granted greeters health care coverage —“I’m happy to get that, it’s fabulous to have any kind of a break,” Smith said in an email — but she wants treatment equal to fellow employees, specifically security guards.

When asked about the difference between greeters and security guards, the district said in a statement, “Security guards and security monitors are civil service appointments. Both positions require security certifications and the ongoing completion of security training.”

As is, the employee contribution for the greeters’ proposed insurance on a family plan “will cost us exactly every other entire paycheck,” she said. “How did they come up with that [number]?”

Smith’s salary is $20,000.

According to Smith, the greeters were offered more affordable plans, one of which would have covered 75 percent of health care costs, but they wouldn’t have provided coverage for families. She said in addition to working as a greeter full time, she has been working a second job part time to pay for private health insurance for herself and her two kids.

“Each year the district examines its policies in an effort to further benefit our valued employees,” Banzer said in a statement through the district’s public relations firm, Syntax. “Through prudent budgeting and research with our providers, we are pleased to offer multiple health care coverage options to our greeters. Although the district has not provided this coverage in the past, as it is not required, we felt it was an important step to make this available to them.”

Despite her criticism, Smith expressed gratitude.

“It’s still really good,” she said in a phone interview Monday. “I would not turn it down. It would help my income for sure.”

Smith had a meeting with a district insurance specialist on Wednesday to get some more questions answered and ultimately decide on a plan.

According to her, the greeters must sign up by Feb. 1 to begin getting coverage.

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From left, Nancy Lemenager, Mickey Solis, Alet Taylor and Chris Kipiniak in a scene from ‘God of Carnage’ at the Engeman. Photo by Michael DeCristofaro

By Charles J. Morgan

Four highly skilled Equity members starred equally in Northport’s John W. Engeman Theater’s production of “God of Carnage” that opened Friday, Jan. 21. This tightly written effort was written by Yasmina Reza in French and translated to English by Christopher Hampton. Direction was by Richard T. Dolce, who is also producing artistic director of the Engeman.

On a gleaming geometrical set with little depth and one, little used exit, the four characters — two sets of parents — meet to discuss in a calm, adult, logical manner the fact that the son of one of the couples had clobbered the other’s son with a stick, knocking out two of his teeth. The concessive discussion gradually escalates into a full-scale riot of threats, name-calling, replete with blistering vulgarities, physical assaults and, amid slugs of Puerto Rican rum and (let’s admit it), a technically pointedly directed vomiting scene right down stage center! At the height of it husband goes after wife to make it an eight-way free-for-all.

Chris Kipiniak and Alet Taylor play the first couple, Alan and Annette. The “offended” pair are played by Nancy Lemenager and Mickey Solis as Veronica and Michael. The two couples are equally combative, each with their own strategies.

But what are the strategies? Reza wants to bring out the inner rage that is in us all exemplified by the four battlers. They appear to be happily married upper-middle-class types, but this is a veneer. The furnaces of hate, vindictiveness and self-righteousness not too gradually come to the surface, shattering the patina of class politeness and sociability. This tsunami of ill will is made out to be what is truly natural, all else being a glaze of neighborliness under which lies not a madeleine but deadly nightshade.

It is a compelling play as a vehicle for getting inside the head and heart of the audience. And this it accomplishes piercingly. The intra and the inter of family squabbling is not exactly the story line. Reza uses more than a scalpel to surgically excise and reveal to the light the inner workings of the human psyche … she wields a meat cleaver.

If it would be productive to prescind from criticizing the show and talk about the acting, let’s proceed with vigor! The quartet performed as a theatrical exemplar. Kipiniak as Alan, an attorney, is wrapped up in one thing only … his cellphone. Taylor, as his wife Annette, starts off as a loving monument to marriage and motherhood. Lemenager as Veronica and Solis as Michael have careers; she an art loving crusader for the unfortunates of Darfur, he a toilet bowl salesman. All deserve high praise for their acting skills especially in the manner in which they gradually get at each others’ throats. This invaluable skill even prevented the whole thing from degenerating unto pie-in-the-face slapstick.

Your scribe would not say that Dolce had an easy task in this no-intermission show. He had to infuse real life into all four, and to block them accordingly, a result he achieved masterfully not only with aplomb but with art.   

The John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport will present “God of Carnage” through March 6. Tickets range from $59 to $64. For more information, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

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Members of the 2nd Precicnt pose after they receive awards. Photo by Dana E. Richter

To one group in Huntington Station, it seems that relations between the 2nd Precinct and residents have greatly improved in 2015.

Huntington Matters Neighborhood Watch, an organization that aims to unite citizens and law enforcement to deter crime, awarded several members of the 2nd Precinct this week for their work bettering the relationship between them and community members in Huntington.

Huntington Matters was first formed in response to multiple homicides that took place in Huntington Station over the past two years, including one incident involving Maggie Rosales, an 18-year-old girl who was stabbed to death on Lynch Street.

“A murder here and there became the norm,” said Rob Rockelein, a member of Huntington Matters. “We’re trying to bridge the gap between the average homeowner and town government, and keep a finger on the pulse of what people are worried about.”

Rockelein said the precinct has stepped up as of late and opened up the dialogue within the community since the horrific homicides that started his group.

“They have made a lot of progress,” Rockelein said. “We feel these officers went above and beyond their duties. There is a very transparent relationship now, which is the way it should be. There is no such thing as a bad question from the public.”

Rockelein also said he appreciates the way that multiple departments respond to incidents in Huntington Station and come to the 2nd Precinct meetings as much as possible.

Matt Harris, another member of Huntington Matters, said he agreed with Rockelein.

Harris said he was particularly proud of the Suffolk County Police Department 2nd Precinct Explorer Post 201, which was awarded in recognition of their first assisted arrest.

“They’ve been really making an effort to accommodate our requests,” Harris said in a phone interview.

Harris said the explorer group prevented someone from driving while intoxicated during a spring clean up in town last April. Huntington Matters honored members Harris Wilner, Michael Sullivan and Angel Villitoro.

Inspector Chris Hatton was one of the recipients, receiving an award for community accessibility, and Rockelein said he has been “ultra responsive and very accessible” since he took over from Inspector Edward Brady in July. Brady was also awarded that night for community response.

“It’s nice to be recognized,” Hatton said in a phone interview. “We’re really happy to have this partnership and we feel like we’ve been very responsive to their needs.”

Rockelein said that everything is moving in the right direction in regard to the communication and that everyone involved is rising to the occasion and working together.

“Crime is definitely down in Huntington and the 2nd Precinct area in general,” Hatton said. “We now have the opportunity to focus on quality of life issues going forward.”

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Jim Polansky file photo by Rohma Abbas

New federal and state education rules are trickling down to the local level, and Huntington school district is figuring out how to adapt.

In a presentation to the school board Monday night, Superintendent Jim Polansky led a discussion about the state’s changes to the Common Core curriculum and the new federal Every Student Succeeds Act and what they mean for the district going forward.

President Barack Obama (D) signed the act in December 2015, to succeed Republican President George W. Bush’s controversial No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. The new act emphasizes college- and career-readiness and shifts more responsibility on testing from the federal level to the states.

“Board members asked me what implications this holds for New York,” Polansky said. “I’m not sure. New York is right now in a position where things have to be addressed in a manner that this act dictates, and we’ll be watching very carefully as to exactly what happens here.”

Although No Child Left Behind and more recently Common Core have been controversial with educators and parents, board trustee Emily Rogan said she doesn’t want the original spirit of the 2002 act to be forgotten.

“One of the things that was really positive about No Child Left Behind was that it drew the spotlight onto where there were true achievement gaps, in terms of parity in education,” Rogan said during the presentation. “I think it’s important that we recognize that. I think there were kids that were being completely ignored. I’m not saying here at Huntington — I’m saying across the nation. There were kids that were just falling through the cracks, literally.”

On the lower level, as some of the kinks in the curriculum get worked out, Common Core will be an option for states to use as a “challenging academic standard,” but not a requirement, Polansky said.

A task force assembled by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) back in December recently released a report that called for, among other things, a moratorium on using standardized test scores as a means to evaluate students, teachers and administrators.

Polansky expressed concerns, however, about the state simply casting Common Core aside.

“I will tell you that whether you agree or disagree with the Common Core standards in their basic form, the district has spent quite a bit of time, effort, money and professional development in making this transition,” Polansky said. “I think there will be a lot of argument in terms of just throwing them in the garbage, because of all of the work that has been done.”

School board vice president Jennifer Hebert voiced a similar sentiment.

“It’s such a stark contrast to what’s been going on over the last seven years,” Hebert said. “After all of the money that’s been spent on Common Core [and] they’re going to just up and abandon it?”

A major criticism of Common Core was an apparent lack of involvement from educators in establishing testing standards, Polansky said. That does not appear to be a problem with Obama’s federal act.

No Child Left Behind policies will remain in place at least until July 1. According to the U.S. Department of Education’s website, the department will work with states and school districts to begin implementing the new law over the next few weeks.

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Northport High School students practice their interview skills with exectuives from local businesses during an event thrown by the Northport High School Academy of Finance. Photo from Bob Levy

Northport High School Academy of Finance students put their interview skills to the test this month at a mock interview event where they received feedback from local executives.

About 35 administrators from Long Island companies including Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., KPMG accounting firm, Douglas Elliman, and MetLife Premier Client Group all gave students advice on what they should be communicating in an interview, how to act professional and how to dress, according to a press release.

“Our students took all the necessary preparations for this interviewing event,” Allison Schwabish, coordinator of the school’s Academy of Finance, said in statement. “We impressed on them that in order to get the internships that they will be applying for as a part of our program they will need to polish their interviewing skills.”

Schwabish said the 80 students who participated in the event on Jan. 14 went through a series of “speed interviews” where they worked on not only interview skills, but networking skills.

“This mock interview event was the perfect taste of precisely what we will face when conducting interviews in the business world, which is something that will definitely aid use in our future endeavors,” senior Emilie Reynolds said in an email.

Jake Sackstein, a fellow senior student, echoed Reynold’s sentiments.

“A year ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed about comfortably partaking in an interview, but now personal business interactions like this come as second nature,” he said. “It showed me how valuable the program is to me and I will continue to draw strength from it in the future.”

Northport High Schools’ Academy of Finance is a part of NAF, formerly known as the National Academy Foundation, a network of career-themed academies for high school students that includes multiple industries such as hospitality and tourism, engineering and the health science industry.

Student John Charles Unser said he appreciated the opportunity to work with so many prominent businesses.

“I was able to interview with Fortune 500 companies such as KPMG and Ameriprise Financial Services,” he said in an email. Unser said he was asked many difficult questions but was “able to provide appropriate examples and answer with professionalism.”

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Mathew McCauley mugshot from SCPD

A man arrested yesterday allegedly burglarized a bagel store and then biked away from the scene of the crime.

The Suffolk County Police Department said the man burgled Mayfair Bagels on Jericho Turnpike in Commack at about 4:45 a.m. on Monday before fleeing on a bicycle. Officers from the 4th Precinct responded to an alarm at the bagel business and found their suspect in the area shortly afterward.

Police arrested a Lake Ronkonkoma resident, Mathew McCauley, in connected with the incident. The 51-year-old was charged with third-degree burglary, as well as a parole violation.

Attorney information for McCauley was not immediately available. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.

According to police, detectives are investigating whether the suspect could have been involved in other recent burglaries in Commack.

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Sister, Sister
A 20 year-old woman from Trumbull, Conn. was arrested on Jan. 17 just before 6:30 a.m. after police said she parked her 2002 BMW on the Northern State Parkway in Commack in the right lane of travel and then discovered she was drunk. At the 4th Precinct she gave her sister’s name instead of her own and had prescription pills in her possession without a prescription. She was charged with second-degree forgery of a public record, seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and driving while intoxicated.

Oh no-se
On Jan. 17, a 19-year-old woman from Brentwood was arrested after police said she punched a woman in the face and fractured her nose on Garet Place in Commack at 8:05 p.m. She was charged with third degree assault with intent to cause physical injury.

Can’t focus
Police said a 27-year-old man from East Setauket was driving drunk on Jan. 16 at 2:30 a.m. He was originally pulled over while speeding and failing to maintain inside his lane while driving a 2012 Ford Focus on Route 25 in Smithtown when police said they discovered he was driving drunk. He was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Crook on Crooked Hill
Police said a 30-year-old woman from Brentwood was driving a 2003 Lincoln Navigator with a suspended license on Crooked Hill Road in Commack on Jan. 17. She was arrested at 10:45 a.m. and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

Trying to dodge the law
A 34-year-old man from Kings Park was arrested on Jan. 15 at 3:10 a.m. after police pulled him over for failing to signal when he was making a left onto Enfield Lane in Kings Park while driving a 1998 Dodge pickup truck. Once he was pulled over, police said he was driving drunk and charged him with driving while intoxicated.

Suspicious activity
On Jan. 17, a 20-year-old woman from Commack was arrested at 3:30 a.m. after police said she was driving suspiciously in front of a business on Indian Head Road in Commack that was recently burglarized, and then realized she was driving drunk. She was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated.

Not very family like
At Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace on Route 111 in Smithtown on Jan. 14 at 3:30 p.m., police said an unknown person stole property from an unlocked 2010 Dodge Ram including an iPod, change, a pocketknife and prescription medication.

Take care
On Jan. 14 at 9 p.m., police said an unknown person stole personal care items from CVS on Smithtown Boulevard in Nesconset and then fled the scene.

Polo pocketed
An unknown person stole men’s Ralph Lauren Polo clothing from Macy’s on Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack on Jan. 15 at 12:12 p.m.

Not a sign of the crook
Police said an unknown person damaged a business sign at St. James Island Health Care on Lake Avenue in St. James on Jan. 14 at 7:19 p.m.

Naptime
Police arrested a 39-year-old man from Medford on Jan. 15 for driving while ability impaired in a 2011 Chevrolet, after officers found him parked on the shoulder of Route 25A in Mount Sinai with the engine running. Officers discovered the man was intoxicated and arrested him.

A phone-y check
On Jan. 11, police arrested a 28-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station for criminal possession of stolen property. He allegedly stole an iPhone 6 from the GameStop on Nesconset Highway on Sept. 26. Police said the man also deposited a stolen check into his account at the Teacher’s Federal Credit Union bank on Sept. 28. Authorities arrested the man at his residence.

What a fake
A 42-year-old man from Port Jefferson was arrested on Jan. 15 for using a forged license, after he was pulled over on Terryville Road. A police spokesperson didn’t specify what caused the traffic stop.

Not-so-sweet surprise
A Sound Beach woman was arrested for criminal mischief on Jan. 17. According to police, the woman smashed a window of a 1991 Chevrolet Corvette on Honey Lane in Mount Sinai.

Manipulative suspect
Police arrested a man from Centereach for burglary on Jan. 16, after the 34-year-old man manipulated a garage door at the Meineke on Middle Country Road in Coram before breaking into the store and taking money from the cash register. He was collared at the scene.

Greeted at the garage
On Jan. 13, a woman was opening the garage at her residence on Ledgewood Circle in Setauket-East Setauket when someone tried to steal her backpack, purse and sorority bag. Police said the suspect dragged the woman before fleeing with her bags, which contained cash and a driver’s license.

Cash and cocoa
An unknown person smashed a window of Margaret’s Florist on Route 25A in Miller Place on Jan. 16. Police said the suspect stole assorted gourmet chocolates and money from the business.

More stealing, more doing
On Jan. 13, a 26-year-old man from Bohemia was arrested for one count each of petit larceny, criminal mischief and grand larceny. Police said the man stole a drill from the Home Depot in Independence Plaza in Selden that day. Officers also discovered the man was in possession of prescription medication that wasn’t prescribed to him. According to police, the man was involved in a previous theft — he allegedly stole rings and paintings on Dec. 11 from a residence on Cleveland Street in Selden.

Scam scare
Police said a woman received a call from an unknown person saying that her husband was involved in an accident and that they would hurt him if she didn’t send them money. The woman didn’t send money to the unknown caller. She received the call on Jan. 12 on Nesconset Highway in Stony Brook.

Energized and arrested
Police arrested a man from Centereach on Jan. 17 for petit larceny. The 44-year-old man had entered the Walmart in the Centereach Mall and took two knives, multipurpose tools and several energy drinks. Police arrested the man at the scene at 12:45 p.m.

St. James speeder
A 19-year-old man from St. James was arrested for driving while ability impaired after driving a 1999 Chevrolet south on Pond Path in Setauket at 55 miles per hour, in a 30-mile-per-hour zone. Officers discovered the man was intoxicated and arrested him at the scene.

Ninja-like thief
On Jan. 15, police arrested a man for criminal possession of stolen property, a 2013 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle. The motorcycle was parked in the victim’s driveway on Van Buren Street in Rocky Point on Nov. 17 when the man allegedly stole it. Police arrested the suspect at his residence.

Privately pocketed
On Jan. 17, an unknown person stole a woman’s pocket book at a private catering event at Schafer’s restaurant in Port Jefferson.

Powerful criminal
Police said an unidentified person damaged a 6-foot chain and a 20-foot fence at North Shore Power Lawn Equipment in Mount Sinai. The incident happened on Jan. 17 at 8:45 p.m.

Not the best friendship
On Jan. 14, someone stole a driver’s coat from a Lindy’s Taxi cab. Police said the woman’s coat contained money and was stolen on Friendship Drive in Rocky Point.

Smoked Samaritan
According to police, on Jan. 17 someone tried to break up a fight at a hookah bar on Middle Country Road in Selden when he was stabbed. Police said he was taken to  Brookhaven Memorial Hospital.

Into the Woods
A 55-year-old man from Manorville was arrested on Jan. 16 at midnight after police said he entered a home on Woods End Road in Dix Hills without permission. He was charged with third degree criminal trespassing in an enclosed property.

Two puppies to go
Police arrested a 17-year-old woman from Syosset on Jan. 14 at 11 a.m. after they said she stole two puppies from Selmer’s Pet Land on Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station. She was charged with third degree grand larceny.

High times
An 18-year-old man from Huntington was arrested on Jan. 15 at 8:25 p.m. on the corner of Lawn Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Greenlawn after police said he had Xanax in his possession without a prescription. He was charged with seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Pricked by the law
On Jan. 16, a 27-year-old man from Deer Park was arrested on Old Brook Road in Dix Hills after police said he had heroin and a hypodermic needle on him. He was charged with seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Coat crook
Multiple coats were stolen from Bloomingdales on Walt Whitman Road in Huntington on Jan. 15 at 10:20 a.m., according to police.

Losing the value
Police said an unknown person left her cell phone on the counter at Value Drugs in Huntington on Jan. 16 at 3:15 p.m. and when she went back to retrieve it, the cell phone was gone.

Bad deal for DVDs
On Jan. 16, a 22-year-old man from Rosedale was arrested after police said he assaulted a woman while entering her property on Lenox Road in Huntington Station. Once he was arrested, police found marijuana in his possession as well as 22 counterfeit DVDs. He was arrested at 4:45 p.m. and charged with third degree trademark counterfeiting, third degree assault with intent to cause physical injury and unlawful possession of marijuana.

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Councilwoman Susan Berland first tried to limit leaf blowers two years ago. File photo

There was a strong desire for change blowing into town hall during a Huntington Town Board meeting on Jan. 12.

More than a dozen residents spoke out asking the board to reconsider a limit on gas-powered leaf blowers, citing the health problems the blowers can cause. But board members are divided about taking action.

“Lots of people have asthma in Huntington and gas leaf blowers make it worse,” Donald Payne, a Centerport resident said at the meeting. “The particles they release stay in the air for hours.”

Payne also brought up the fact that the town could be losing money by continuing to invest in gas-powered leaf blowers.

“When you pay someone to rake or sweep, most of that money stays on Long Island,” he said. “If you buy gasoline, most of that money leaves Long Island.”

Peter Calcandy, a Halesite resident, said he was concerned with the noise disturbance these blowers continue to have on the community.

“The daily noise from gas-powered leaf blowers that occur nine months out of the year seven days a week and up to 12 hours a day has eroded this wonderful lifestyle,” he said at the meeting.

Bonnie Sager, a Huntington resident, said that residents are not asking for a ban, but merely a restriction during June, July and August.

“There are no leaves in the summer and all gas leaf blowers do is create more emissions and unreasonable levels of noise,” she said at the meeting.

Sager said the town should make the switch to lithium battery blowers, which do not use gasoline, have batteries that can last several years, are recyclable and are much quieter.

She is part of Citizens Appeal for Leafblower Moderation, an organization that wants Heckscher State Park to be used as a model for a green zone, which is an area maintained with zero emission lawn-care equipment. CALM’s goal is to limit the use of commercial gas leaf blowers during the summertime and educate the public about the health hazards gas blowers have.

More than 700 residents have signed a petition asking the town’s board to limit the use of these blowers during the summer months, but this is not the first time this issue has come to the board.

In May 2014, Councilwoman Susan Berland (D) drafted legislation to limit the use of leaf blowers. However, there was not enough support from the board to pass the bill.

Supervisor Frank Petrone (D) said at the meeting last Tuesday that this idea was left open-ended in 2014 because he felt the board needed more information and added that the issue needed to be tackled gradually.

“One of the issues at the time was the fact that it must be, one, phased in or, two, there has to be an educational promotional program that will bring people to an understanding and, number three, there has to be an explanation of the various forms of technology,” he said. “Until then, it’s a project that’s very difficult to examine and implement without doing a full-fledged program.”

He said the town had success when they used an educational program for limiting grass clippings a few years back. The program included teaching residents about mowing fewer times a week and using a specific type of blade to reduce the impact of clippings. Petrone said it was highly successful.

“This is the direction we have to go with,” Petrone said. “We said we would be willing to examine a program and that offer still sits there from my point of view.”

He also said the program would have to focus on educating landscapers and giving them proper direction.

Berland said at the meeting that she is still “absolutely in favor of this,” and that her challenge is convincing the rest of the board to agree.

In a phone interview, she said she would be open to starting with just banning the blowers on Saturdays and Sundays and then working their way up to the entire summer.

Berland said she thinks enforcing this would not be too difficult, because if any resident sees a gas-powered leaf blower in use when it shouldn’t be, they need only take down the name of the landscaping truck or residence and report it to code enforcement.

Some of her fellow councilmembers disagree.

“I think it would be very difficult to enforce,” Councilman Mark Cuthbertson (D) said in a phone interview. “It could be a significant hardship on business. We would need to see if it’s even feasible for our workforce.”

Councilman Gene Cook (I) said he thinks banning the leaf blowers for the summer months would be too much of an abrupt change, but he is open to learning more about the alternatives and seeing if there is a possible way to enforce change.

“I think we would need a slower method to get people used to the idea,” he said in a phone interview.

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