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Police blotter: Suffolk County incidents and arrests, Oct. 7-11

by TBR Staff - October 15, 2015

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Caught trespassing
An 18-year-old man from Smithtown was arrested on Oct. 11 after police said he entered a resident’s home without their consent at 4:45 a.m. on Judges Lane in Village of the Branch. He was charged with second-degree criminal trespassing.

The man with the lead pipe
Police said an 18-year-old man from Copiague made threats with a lead pipe to a person on Apple Lane in Commack on Oct. 8. He was arrested at 6:47 p.m. and charged with second-degree menacing with a weapon.

Ay yai yai in the Hyundai
On Oct. 8 police said a 45-year-old man from Yaphank operated a 2012 Hyundai on Ronkonkoma Avenue in Smithtown, hitting a 2015 Ford and then fleeing the scene. He was arrested at 12:20 a.m. and charged with third-degree fleeing from an officer in a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of a crime with property damage.

Sticky fingers at Walmart
A 32-year-old female from Bayshore was arrested after police said she took health items and clothing from Walmart on Crooked Hill Road in Commack on Oct. 9. She was arrested at 12:12 p.m. and charged with petit larceny.

St. James DWI arrest
On Oct. 8 a 43-year-old man from St. James was arrested after police said he was driving drunk. He was driving a 2006 Dodge Charger on Route 111 in Smithtown at 8:30 p.m. and hit a pedestrian. He was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Can’t maintain a lane
Police said a 28-year-old woman from Smithtown was driving drunk at 1:26 a.m. on Oct. 11. She was arrested on Jericho Turnpike in Commack after failing to maintain her lane while driving a 2011 Nissan and swerving into other lanes, according to police. She was charged with driving while intoxicated.

Shattered glass
At Oriental Kitchen on Smithtown Boulevard in Nesconset it was reported that someone smashed the glass front door and stole money at 10:15 p.m. on Oct. 8.

Documents gone
A resident of Tracklot Road in Nissequogue said that someone entered his or her locked 2006 Volvo and stole documents from a bag at 11:45 p.m. on Oct. 9.

Afternoon cocktails
Suffolk County police arrested a 46-year-old woman from Coram for driving while ability impaired. Police said the woman was driving west on Nesconset Highway in Port Jefferson Station on the afternoon of Oct. 9 when she crashed her 2001 Hyundai into another vehicle. Police discovered she was intoxicated and arrested her at the scene.

Rock it out
A 22-year-old woman from Miller Place was arrested for criminal mischief after she caused more than $250 worth of damage to a 2014 Honda. Police said she struck the left side of the car with a rock on Sept. 28 on Long Beach Drive in Sound Beach and was arrested on Oct. 11 on the same street.

Stolen Chevy
On Oct. 10, police arrested a 20-year-old Sound Beach man on Miller Place Road in Miller Place for possession of a stolen car. According to police, the 2014 Chevrolet, which was parked, had been reported stolen.

Busted
A 50-year-old woman from Rocky Point was arrested on Oct. 11 for petit larceny after she entered the Kohl’s on Route 25A in Rocky Point and took a bra without paying. Police arrested the woman at the scene shortly afterward.

Nailed it
A 22-year-old man from Holtsville was charged with petit larceny on Oct. 9, after the man took a nail gun from a business on Pond Path in Centereach. Police arrested the man at the 6th Precinct.

Boosted tech
Police arrested a 23-year-old man from Shirley for petit larceny and criminal mischief after he entered the Walmart at the Centereach Mall on Oct. 8 and stole a Boost Mobile phone and assorted electronics. He also cut the packaging of various store merchandise.

Drinking and swerving
A 23-year-old woman from Rocky Point was arrested on Oct. 9 for driving while ability impaired. She had been driving a 2002 Mitsubishi south on Nicolls Road in Stony Brook when she failed to maintain her lane and was pulled over. Police discovered the woman was intoxicated and arrested her at the scene.

Don’t sweat it
Police said an unidentified person broke the rear passenger window of a 2011 Infinity parked by LA Fitness on Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station on Oct. 9 and stole a pocket book containing cash and credit cards.

Vive la résistance
On Oct. 9, police arrested a 36-year-old man from Rocky Point for criminal possession of heroin and resisting arrest. Police didn’t specify why officers were called to the man’s residence on Daffodil Road in Rocky Point, but when officers arrived, the man slammed a window on one of the officers before running into the bathroom to dispose of the heroin. When police attempted to arrest the man, he refused to put his hands behind his back or allow police to cuff him.

Shattered glass
An unidentified person shattered the rear window of a 2015 Honda Accord that was parked on East Main Street in Port Jefferson on Oct. 11. Police said nothing was stolen.

On Oct. 11 police said an unknown person damaged the passenger window of a 2012 Honda CR-V. The car had been parked near a residence on Hewlett Drive in Sound Beach.

Egging ’em on
An unidentified person egged a person’s house and 2012 Nissan Rogue that was parked near the residence on Vineyard Way in Mount Sinai on Oct. 9.

It’s MyPhone now
Police said an unknown person stole an iPhone 4 from a 2004 Mercury on Oct. 11 while the car was unlocked and parked at a residence on Tyler Avenue in Miller Place.

Two times the theft
Early in the morning on Oct. 11 an unidentified person took cash and assorted items from a 2014 Jeep and a Chevrolet. Police said the cars were parked on Long Bow Road in East Shoreham at the time of the theft. Police did not say if the cars were locked.

On the hunt for coins
An unknown person entered a 2012 Honda and took coins from the car on Oct. 11. Police said the car was unlocked and parked in the driveway of a residence on Hunters Trail in East Shoreham.

Put it on my tab
On Oct. 9, an unauthorized person used a Centereach resident’s credit card information to purchase items for a substantial amount of money. Police did not say where the suspect acquired the information or how much money was lost.

Boom right in the kisser
Police said a 26-year-old man from Northport punched someone in the face, causing injury at 3 a.m. on Oct. 7. The man was on Green Street in Huntington when the incident occurred, and cops charged him with third-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury.

Wallet woes
Someone reported that an unknown person took a wallet from a 2002 Ford parked on Lantern Street in Greenlawn at 1 a.m. on Oct. 7

On a roll
Police said a 29-year-old man from Corona was driving drunk at 4:10 p.m. in Huntington on Oct. 10. He was driving a 2003 Ford on East Jericho Turnpike when he failed to yield right of way to an approaching vehicle while trying to turn into a parking lot of Anthony’s Discount Tires. He then struck the other vehicle, struck three parked cars in the parking lot he was trying to turn into and the building itself. He was charged with driving while intoxicated.

No sunshine in Malibu
On Oct. 11, an unknown person scratched a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu’s front and side doors at 1:50 p.m. on Park Avenue in Elwood.

Trespassing to pass the time
A 24-year-old man from Huntington Station was arrested on Oct. 10 at 10:50 p.m. after police said he remained in a side yard on Leyden Street in Huntington Station where there was a no trespassing sign. He was charged with trespassing.

Jewelry jam
An unknown person entered a home on Kimber Court in East Northport at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 10 and stole jewelry.

Burglary spree busted
A 17-year-old man from Huntington Station was arrested in Huntington on Oct. 10 at the 2nd Precinct and charged with multiple crimes, according to police. On May 6, cops said he unlawfully entered a home on 1st Avenue in Huntington Station and stole property. On Oct. 5, cops said he entered a home in Sioux Place in Huntington Station and stole jewelry, a gaming system and other items. On Oct. 9 he allegedly entered a house on E. 25 Street in Huntington Station and attempted to take property. He was charged with three accounts of second-degree burglary in a dwelling.

Not what the doctor ordered
An unknown person keyed the car door of a 2015 Nissan Altima on Oct. 11 at 2:00 p.m. at the Huntington Hospital parking lot on Park Avenue.

Huntington football topples previously undefeated Deer Park

by TBR Staff - October 14, 2015

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Doug-Taylor-with-the-ball-for-Huntingtonw — Huntington's Douglas Taylor rushes through traffic. File photo by Darin Reed

The Huntington football team lost little time getting down to business on Sunday afternoon, scoring on the second play from scrimmage and going on to topple previously undefeated Deer Park on its home field, 26-6.

Infinite Tucker gains yards for Huntington. File photo by Darin Reed

Infinite Tucker took the handoff from quarterback Will Wright and scooted 36 yards for the opening touchdown, setting the game’s tone. Tucker scored again on a 1-yard plunge in the second quarter after breaking a long run two plays earlier. A few minutes later, Wright hit Exzayvian Crowell on a slant pattern over the middle and the track star sprinted 68 yards to the corner of the end zone for Huntington’s third touchdown of the first half.

Sandwiched in between the Blue Devils’ second and third touchdowns was a 41-yard touchdown run by Deer Park, which helped keep the Falcons in the game until late in the fourth quarter. Douglas Taylor scored Huntington’s fourth and final touchdown of the day on a 6-yard run.

“We stepped up our level of play today and did a lot of things right,” Huntington head coach Steve Muller said. “Our guys played hard and with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. They had their heads in the game.”

It was a productive day for Tucker, who rushed 13 times for 127 yards. The running back also recorded a team-high 11 tackles. Taylor tallied 50 yards on 11 carries. Wright completed two of four passes for 76 yards.

Huntington quarterback Will Wright passes the ball in a previous contest. File photo by Darin Reed

Huntington’s defense limited Deer Park to just 51 yards of total offense in the second half. Seven Blue Devils made tackles that resulted in a loss for the Falcons. Max Polster had nine tackles on the day, including one for a loss.

Playing a rare Sunday game after a fierce storm postponed Friday night’s contest, the Blue Devils needed a victory badly to stay in the hunt for a postseason berth.

Huntington led at halftime, 20-6 and was never seriously threatened, despite a few ill-timed penalties. The victory improved the Blue Devils’ record to 2-3, while the loss dropped Deer Park to 4-1.

Huntington plays at Centereach on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Blue Devils will look to even their record at 3-3. Centereach (3-2) fell on Saturday to West Islip, 41-0.

“We need a good practice week to get ready for Centereach,” Muller said. “There is always a lot of things to work on. We are looking to improve every aspect of our play.”

Report: Huntington ambulance needs backup

by Victoria Espinoza - October 14, 2015

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Squad says it services highest call volume in town

Huntington-community-first-aid-squad-ambulance_fromHCFASw — Huntington Community First Aid Squad is the subject of a recent study. File photo

A report shows that Huntington Community First Aid Squad is requesting more help from neighboring fire departments than any other ambulance service in Huntington.

According to the report, commissioned by Huntington Town, five volunteer fire departments in the town approached town officials about an increase in requests from the Huntington ambulance squad to respond to calls in the squad’s service area.

HCFAS made more requests for ambulance support than those five departments combined, according to the report.

In a phone interview this week, Alyssa Axelrod, vice president of HCFAS, said that the study is misleading because it does not mention that the squad receives more calls than the five other departments combined.

HCFAS was formed in 1967 as a nonprofit and is the only exclusive volunteer ambulance program in the town. The taxpayers and Huntington Town fund the squad’s operations.

The chiefs at the respective fire departments started noticing an increase in requests starting in 2013, according to the study.

Huntington Town responded to those concerns by hiring Medic Health to assess the operational practices of HCFAS and provide recommendations to reduce the number of requests to neighboring fire departments and ambulance squads.

The study began in June 2014. Consultants worked with the Huntington ambulance squad, representatives of Suffolk County Fire Rescue and Emergency Services and Huntington Town to gather and analyze information.

The study found instances where HCFAS was understaffed during certain shifts.

In one graph, the study shows times of the day and days of the week where current staffing levels, which is a minimum of two staffed ambulances, may not be sufficient to cover the community’s demand. The study states that 1 and 5 p.m. are the two times of the day where resources are lacking the most, during six out of the seven days of the week, according to the study. Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m. is the busiest.

Currently the HCFAS services Huntington Town with a minimum of two on-duty ambulance crews based at the station for daytime shifts, and one crew for overnight shifts, according to Axelrod.

The study also highlighted a problem caused by the staff being made up entirely of volunteers.

Commitments from volunteers varied considerably for overnight and daytime coverage, according to the study. The report stated that 17 percent of the planned shifts had an insufficient number of members to staff the desired two ambulances. A chart showed the number of ambulances the HCFAS can field during different shifts based on member commitment. Friday, Saturday and Sunday overnight shifts only have enough member commitments to staff one or fewer ambulances, according to the chart. This is the same for 7 to 11:00 a.m. shifts on Friday and 3 to 7 p.m. shifts on Friday and Saturday.

Although there is no official time for how quickly an ambulance should respond to a call, organizations have given time limits to respond to life-threatening calls.

The Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services said a total response time standard of eight minutes and fifty-nine seconds is expected for life-threatening calls.

In 2014, the HCFAS was able to be on the scene to 62 percent of their calls within eight minutes of the call receipt, 76 percent within 10 minutes and 89 percent within 15 minutes. According to the study, 11 percent of the calls required more than 15 minutes for an ambulance to arrive on the scene.

If an ambulance can’t respond to the scene, mutual aid requests come into play.

Mutual aid requests were designed to allow surrounding departments to assist each other during times of unusual demand for services, like mass casualty situations or disasters. Volunteer-based organizations like HCFAS also resort to mutual aid requests when they are unable to muster sufficient resources to staff an ambulance and respond to a call.

During the first five months of 2015, HCFAS requested mutual aid 41 times compared to 23 times by all the adjacent departments.

The study concludes with eight recommendations for the HCFAS to reduce its mutual aid requests. They include employing dedicated staff to provide coverage for shifts that are too difficult to staff with current volunteer squad members, restructuring the recruitment and orientation process to reduce time investment for prospective members, and more.

It also states Huntington Town should mandate the submission of monthly performance measurements, including response time performance reports and establishing response time expectations.

Axelrod said she believes that there is a misunderstanding about what this study is about.

“We are a busy department,” Axelrod said. “This year we will do 60,000 calls. We’re stripped of our percentage of calls we get in this report. The report doesn’t show that we respond to more calls than the five other departments combined.”

She said this makes the report confusing, but there were helpful discoveries and some recommendations that HCFAS wants to integrate moving forward, according to Axelrod.

She said the squad is changing how it brings in members as it’s currently a lengthy process.

“The process is steeped in caution,” Axelrod said. “We are very careful when we vet people before we let them ride in an ambulance.”

She also said the squad has considered non-volunteers, and has added a line item to their budget for 2016 to add paid personnel. According to Axelrod, the squad’s budget for this year will be cut by 15 percent, so they will have to look into other funds if they want to hire employees.

“The bottom line is we do a great job and these other departments do a great job,” Axelrod said. “But when you take out the number of calls we respond to, it makes us look deficient.”

Suffolk County Republicans blast red light cameras

by Giselle Barkley - October 14, 2015

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GreenLight-Trafficsignal_karpw — Some Suffolk County elected officials are calling the red light safety program a scam. File photo

Five years after red light cameras were installed in Suffolk County, North Shore officials are still examining the program’s effectiveness, as well as its purpose, by asking: Are the cameras a means of enhancing public safety or simply another source of income for the county?

On Tuesday, Oct. 6, Republican Suffolk County Legislators Tom Muratore (Ronkonkoma); Robert Trotta (Fort Salonga); Leslie Kennedy (Nesconset); Tom Cilmi (Bay Shore); Tom Barraga (West Islip) and Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) addressed some of their concerns when they met to discuss potential reforms to the Red Light Safety Program.

The program was written into law in 2009 and installed red light cameras at up to 50 intersections in Suffolk County. The cameras were installed to capture the backs of the drivers’ cars, as opposed to the drivers themselves. Under the program, drivers who run through a red light face a $50 traffic violation but do not receive points against their license.

Prior to the press conference, Muratore said county Republicans were left in the dark regarding details surrounding the program, such as the duration of various lights. While there are three-second and five-second yellow and red lights, Muratore said it was impossible to identify which lights resided where.

Despite this, Muratore said he found the program relatively reasonable. The legislator said he voted in favor of the program, thinking this new technology would help avoid traffic accidents. But what he disagreed with, he said, was the county’s manipulating of administrative fees associated with the program.

“If you’re getting tens of thousands of tickets and you increase the fee by $5.00, you’re getting half a million to a million dollars, maybe more,” Muratore said in an interview. “That’s just money-grabbing right there.”

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) did not respond to requests seeking comment.

After Tuesday’s press conference in Riverhead, Trotta said he thinks the “money-grabbing” surpassed Bellone’s proposal to increase the administrative fee. He said the county has $2 billion worth of debt and claimed the program is nothing but an opportunity to collect money to help offset that.

According to Trotta, if the camera “does not produce 25 tickets in a 16-hour period, then the county has to pay $2,136.”

The money is a fixed monthly fee the county must pay the program’s contractor, Baltimore-based Affiliated Computer Services Inc. According to an amendment to the program, the county must also pay an additional $17.25 for each paid citation generated from such enforcement system.

While public safety is a concern for many county officials, Trotta said he does not think there is a safety issue. Some Suffolk County residents also oppose the cameras, so much so that Stephen Ruth of Centereach used a pole to turn the cameras away from the road at various locations. He was arrested in August for tampering, and some hailed him as a “Red Light Robin Hood.” The defendant called the program “abusive.”

Muratore said the issue is not really people running red lights, but drivers’ timing when turning right on red. He said drivers should not receive a ticket for turning right on red when it is permitted, provided they came to a full stop: “They forget they have to stop and then go. There’s no three second rule or five second rule, it’s a full stop.”

Rocky Point wins homecoming despite late scare

by TBR Staff - October 12, 2015

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Harborfields ties game to end 3rd quarter, Eagles score three touchdowns to pull away, 48-33

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By Bill Landon

The Rocky Point football team pulled out a 48-33 victory in Saturday’s homecoming game, halting a late rally by visiting Harborfields, which tied the game at 27-27 after three quarters of play. The Eagles watched their first-half 27-12 advantage disappear in the third quarter, to make it a new game in the final 12 minutes of play. Rocky Point was able to outscore its opponent with three touchdowns in the final quarter in front of a capacity crowd, to move to 2-3 in Division III.

Rocky Point sophomore running back Peter LaSalla broke free from the line of scrimmage four minutes into the game and jetted down the left sideline for a 60-yard touchdown run and the first score of the game. Although the extra-point attempt failed, the team took an early 6-0 lead.

A minute later, the Tornadoes were unable to convert on downs, and punted the ball away to junior receiver Sean McGovern, who returned the punt 65 yards for the Eagles’ second touchdown of the game.

“We got a big play from Sean on that punt return,” Rocky Point senior quarterback Harrison Lynch said.

McGovern, also the kicker, finished what he started, and split the uprights to help his team break out to a 13-0 lead.

Harborfields answered back when quarterback Cody Cunningham, on a keeper, punched in for the score, but the Eagles blocked the extra-point kick attempt, to trail the Eagles, 13-6.

Lynch and sophomore Damian Rivera shared quarterback duties all afternoon, and Rivera, under center, passed the ball over to Lynch, who broke outside and went the distance for the touchdown. McGovern’s point-after was good, and the Eagles stretched their lead to 20-6.

Harborfields, on the longest sustained drive of the afternoon that consumed four minutes off the clock, ended its march across the field with a score, despite a penalty-plagued campaign that included a 15- yard unsportsmanlike conduct call. The extra-point kick attempt failed again, and the Tornadoes settled for a 20-12 deficit with just over two minutes left in the half.

Rocky Point looked to put the game away when Lynch, on a play-action pass, found LaSalla open down the right sideline. The running back gathered it in on a catch-and-run play, and recorded a 46-yard score. With the point after, the Eagles took a 27-12 advantage into the halftime break, but that lead didn’t last for long.

Harborfields moved the chains to open the second half only to cough the ball up four minutes in, as Rocky Point took possession on their own 25-yard line. Unable to capitalize, the Tornadoes were on the move again.

On a play-action pass, Harborfields quarterback Cody Cunningham found wide receiver Christian Mullings in the end zone for the score, and after a successful two-point conversion, made it a one-score game, 27-20.

On Rocky Points’ ensuing possession, the Eagles fumbled and Harborfields recovered the ball on the 34- yard line with less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter. On the second play from scrimmage, the Tornadoes cashed in and tied the game 27-27.

McGovern said he was surprised that Harborfields was able to even the score.

“It was a little bit of a shock, but we knew we could get back in it,” McGovern said. “Harry Lynch led us — he motivated. He sure can play; he’s a baller.”

Moving into the fourth quarter, the Eagles knew they had to finish the game the way they started.

“We just had to keep going, so we started the fourth like it was 0-0,” LaSalla said. “We put up the first two touchdowns [to start the game], so we knew we could do it again.”

The Eagles went to work in the final 12 minutes., and Lynch got the ball moving when he fired deep to the senior running back Paul Dominguez for a touchdown pass, as Rocky Point jumped back out in front, 34-27.

Cunningham looking to retie the game, and dropped back to pass, but had to check down, or look for his secondary receivers, and was blindsided just as he released the ball. Rocky Point junior tight end and defensive back Brendan Heggers found himself under the ill-fated pass, and grabbed possession for the interception.

“We came out a little flat after halftime,” Lynch said, “but we picked it up after that interception, and just got things rolling after that.”

The Eagles wasted no time in cashing in on Harborfield’s miscue, and sophomore running back Alec Rinaldi plowed his way up the middle to find the end zone. McGovern split the pipes once again, and the Eagles surged ahead 41-27 with seven minutes left to play.

Harborfields wouldn’t go quietly, and Cunningham bulled his way up the middle for six points, but the extra-point attempt missed. Rocky Point put the game away with just under two minutes remaining when Rinaldi struck again, and the successful point-after brought the final score to 48-33.

“Harborfields is a tough team,” Lynch said. Opening the fourth quarter, the quarterback said: “We gotta get it done. We’ve just gotta find a way to get it done; it’s as simple as that.”

And the Eagles did.

Rocky Point will hit the road Saturday as the team heads to Miller Place. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

Long Island Fall Festival is big hit in Huntington

by Rohma Abbas - October 12, 2015

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Huntington Town celebrated fall this weekend at the annual Long Island Fall Festival. The event, free to the public, is organized by the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce and spans Friday, Oct. 9 to Monday, Oct. 12. Festivities include a carnival, food courts, entertainment, vendors, animals and more.

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Police: Armed man robbed 7-Eleven three times

by Rohma Abbas - October 12, 2015

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Suffolk County Police nabbed an East Northport man they accused of robbing five North Shore businesses — one more than once — within the last 30 days.

Shaun McNeice, 29, of East Northport, was arrested on Saturday after police said he robbed a Shell gas station on Commack Road in Commack and fled the scene on a bicycle at about 7:35 p.m. The employees at the gas station were not injured, and McNeice was apprehended a short time and found with the proceeds from the robbery, a skull mask and a loaded handgun, cops said.

Police said McNeice is responsible for a string of other robberies, beginning with a 7-Eleven on Jericho Turnpike in East Northport on Sept. 12 at about 11 p.m. Cops said he robbed the same 7-Eleven twice more last month — on Sept. 24 at about 12 a.m. and again on Sept. 30 at about 12:15 a.m.

According to police, McNeice hit another 7-Eleven, also on Jericho Turnpike on Oct. 2 at about 12:40 a.m., a Speedway on Jericho Turnpike in Commack on Oct. 4 at 4:45 a.m. and Finnians Pub on Jericho Turnpike in Elwood on Oct. 5 at about 10:45 p.m.

The man was charged with seven counts of first-degree robbery, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and resisting arrest.

He was held at the 2^nd Precinct and was arraigned in 1^st District Court in Central Islip on Oct. 11. He was held in lieu of $50,000 cash or $100,000 bail bond, according to online court records.

Attempts to reach McNeice were unsuccessful. A call to McNiece’s residence went unanswered on Monday morning, and attorney information wasn’t available.

Firefighters rescue stranded HS football coaches

by Elana Glowatz - October 12, 2015

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coach-lift-rescue-2w — Two Smithtown High School East coaches were trapped in a bucket truck during a homecoming football game. Photo by Steve Silverman

Two Smithtown High School East football coaches got stuck 30 feet in the air on Saturday when their hydraulic lift malfunctioned during a homecoming game.

Dix Hills firefighter Jacquelyn Stio helps coach Tim Kopiske to safety after the Smithtown High School East football coach got stuck in a malfunctioning bucket truck at a homecoming game. Photo by Steve Silverman

The Dix Hills Fire Department came to the rescue that afternoon on the turf of the coaches’ rival, Half Hollow Hills High School East, where they were suspended in a truck’s bucket, according to Steve Silverman, a spokesman for the Town of Huntington Fire Chiefs’ Council. The volunteer firefighters brought their 75-foot ladder truck to get the coaches down, as well as other fire engines, three ambulances and first responder and paramedic units.

Personnel from the Dix Hills Rescue Squad were already on the scene with an ambulance, as they were standing by during the first football game of the season.

Silverman said the rescue was a brother-sister effort: firefighter Matt Stio climbed up and helped coach Tyler O’Neill onto the ladder and down to safety, and then sister Jacquelyn Stio scaled the ladder to do the same for coach Tim Kopiske.

The entire operation was quick, Silverman said. It was just three minutes before the firefighters were on the scene, and the coaches were brought back down to terra firma within another 15 minutes.

No one was injured.

Crab Meadow Golf Course celebrates the big 5-0

by Victoria Espinoza - October 12, 2015

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Crab-Meadow-Golf-Course_SHEKIAN-(30)w — File photo

The Crab Meadow Golf Course is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month.

The town-owned golf course in Northport hosts between 42,000 and 45,000 rounds annually, according to Don McKay, director of parks and recreation for Huntington Town.

“The playing conditions here are outstanding,” McKay said in a phone interview. “There is a very dedicated staff and I think one of the best features of this course is that you have a view of the Long Island Sound from 16 of the 18 holes on the golf course. The views are stupendous.”

McKay has been researching the history of the golf course since its beginnings in the 1920s.

Originally, Crab Meadow Golf Course was part of the Northport Country Club, which was established in the 1920s. McKay believes that world-renowned golf architect Devereux Emmet designed the original course in 1921, and that the membership then was approximately 125 people. The Northport Country Club was abandoned in the 1940s, according to McKay, and he speculates it had to do with the Great Depression.

Then in the 1960s, with Huntington Town Supervisor Robert J. Flynn, the Crab Meadow Golf Course began to develop.

“I say it all the time, if it weren’t for Flynn, we would never have the golf course today, along with many other municipal parks in Huntington,” McKay said. “His vision for Huntington was extraordinary.”

McKay said that in 1961, a $2.5 million bond was put up to vote to Huntington residents to fund a townwide park program. Included in that plan was use of the Crab Meadow property to create a new golf course. The referendum failed, but Flynn did not give up. He got more groups to back his plan, including the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce, and was able to get the bond approved the following year in 1962.

Robert J. Flynn Jr. said his father’s greatest pride was knowing how many people enjoyed the town parks and Crab Meadow Golf Course.

“He believed in the importance of recreation,” Flynn said. “His vision was to establish a municipal park program that would last for decades to come.”

According to McKay, once the town made the purchase of the land, the municipality began to restore the course and alter the layout a bit.

William F. Mitchell designed the current course, which officially opened in 1965. It’s an 18-hole course that is 6,574 yards by 5,658 yards and open to the public. There are social clubs at the course, including clubs for men, women and seniors, that anyone is welcome to join. “The club members are the MVPs of the course,” McKay said. There is also a restaurant, concession stand, locker rooms and a pro golf store.

Maureen Lieb worked at the golf course at its inception in the 1960s. She started working for the town in 1964, immediately after she graduated from Suffolk County Community College.

“When the golf course was opening, they asked if I would want to work there,” Lieb said in a phone interview. “It was between being a meter maid or working on the golf course. There wasn’t any question.” She started as a cashier and eventually became the manager.

Lieb said she worked out of a trailer when she first started working for the golf course, because it took another year after the course was opened for the club to be built.

“I always loved my job,” Lieb said. “I was very lucky. I enjoyed the residents the most that came to golf. They were so nice and I’ve actually kept in touch with some I met when I first started working there.” She retired in December 1993.

The Huntington Town Board authorized a special one-day reduced tournament green fee of $25 at the course on Oct. 21, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. The day will also feature reduced fees for golf carts, driving range and food.

Northport-East Northport considers sign language course

by Victoria Espinoza - October 9, 2015

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Northport-BOE-Oct-8-2015_02w — Members of the Northport-East Northport school board discuss creating an ASL course during an Oct. 8 school board meeting. Photo by Victoria Espinoza

The Northport-East Northport school board mulled adding American Sign Language to the district’s curriculum at a meeting on Thursday.

Currently no such course is offered at Northport-East Northport.

“ASL is something I find really interesting, and many other students do too,” Emily Faltings, a student at Northport High School said. “I think it’s very important we involve it in our district. Why don’t we have it?”

Many audience members agreed that it’s important for the district to add a sign language course.

“It’s not just for special needs kids who have hearing loss,” Cathy Josephson, a Northport resident said. “It’s also for people who want to communicate with them.”

Josephson said that she has brought the issue to the board’s attention for the last six years, and that she hopes members actually follow through this time.

Matthew Nelson, assistant superintendent for instruction and administration, said the reason the course hasn’t been offered is because the district can never get enough students to fill a full class. Trustee Jennifer Thompson wondered if this was because students aren’t getting enough exposure to the different language choices at a young age.

“I don’t know if there is a chance for students to recognize what other languages they could take,” Thompson said. “Maybe there could be more of a discussion about what other languages students could take and are interested in.”

Board President Andrew Rapiejko said that it sounds like no one on the board is opposed the idea, and that the real challenge is figuring out how to publicize the course.

Superintendent Robert Banzer wondered where school officials would begin.

“Do we start this at the high school level?” Banzer said. “What would be the entry point? These are questions we can definitely look into.” Banzer also said the district could look into offering an ASL course at the middle school instead.

Trustee Regina Pisacani said language teachers in the district inform potential students of their course. She said the teachers from the middle school visit fifth grade classes and give presentations to the students about the language classes they teach.

“I think a lot of the students choices are influenced by the exposure of the teachers coming into their classroom,” Pisacani said. She said she thought that would be a good approach in publicizing an ASL course.

Trustee Lori McCue said that maybe ASL could be added to the elementary schools’ after-school programs, and many audience members cheered for the idea.

“That’s an obvious solution,” Rachel Friedman, a Northport resident said. “This is not something that should wait until high school. I think the best suggestion is to start it as an after-school program and then they can make that choice to continue in seventh or eighth grade.”

The board agreed that it would look into these options. No other decisions were made.

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