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Drug bust

At about 4 p.m. on March. 4, in a parking lot outside of Upsky Long Island Hotel in Hauppauge, two 25-year-old men and a 20-year-old man, all from Lindenhurst, as well as a 26-year-old woman from Greenlawn, all seated in a 2005 Ford, were arrested for having heroin in the car, police said. They were charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. At the same time and place, a 26-year-old man from Patchogue and a 23-year-old woman from Rocky Point, seated in a 2012 Honda, were arrested for having heroin in their car, according to police. They were also charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. A 28-year-old woman in a 2015 Chrysler was also arrested at the same time and place. She was charged with fourth-degree criminal facilitation for enabling another person to sell narcotics.

No license, no drive

A 30-year-old man from Holbrook was arrested on March 4 after he was pulled over for driving a 2009 Hyundai on Motor Parkway in Central Islip with a dark cover over the car’s front license plate just before 2 a.m., police said. He was charged with third-degree unlicensed operation of a vehicle when it was determined he was driving without a license.

Parking lot party

On March 4, a 55-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman from Ronkonkoma were arrested while seated in a 2009 Lincoln outside of Kohl’s in Lake Ronkonkoma. Police said there was crack cocaine in plain sight in the car, and pills found on the man, which he did not have a prescription for. The man was charged with two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and the woman was charged with one count of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

You can run, but you can’t hide

At about 10:20 p.m. on March 4, a 21-year-old man from St. James, a 19-year-old man from Brentwood and a 19-year-old man from Nissequogue were approached by Smithtown Park Rangers while parked in a 2011 Nissan Maxima at Short Beach Town Park in Nissequogue. As the Rangers got closer to the vehicle, the driver took off and eventually crashed into a utility pole and flipped the car into the woods on Short Beach Road, police said. The driver and front seat passenger were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital by St. James ambulances and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The rear seat passenger was transported via Nissequogue ambulance to the same hospital but was listed in critical condition. The driver was charged with first-degree driving while under the influence of drugs and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Headlight out, handcuffs on

On Nesconset Highway in Smithtown, at about midnight on March 3, a 24-year-old man from Medford was pulled over by police for driving a 1999 Honda with one headlight out, police said. He was later found to be driving without a license. He was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Lucky to be alive

A 35-year-old man from Dix Hills crashed a 2012 Acura at about 11 p.m. on March 3 while driving on Johnson Avenue in Ronkonkoma, police said. He was charged with driving while intoxicated with a previous conviction in the last 10 years.

Bug bombed

At about 1 a.m. on March 2, an 80-year-old man from Islip was arrested for throwing three 32-ounce cans of indoor fogger, used to kill insects, through a window of a home on Grand Boulevard in Islip, police said. He was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief with the intent to damage property.

Careful who you steal from

At LA Fitness on Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge, an unknown person stole money and credit cards from a 2014 Jeep parked there on March 5, just after noon, police said.

Put a ring on it

Police arrested a 29-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station for grand larceny, for allegedly stealing an engagement ring from a residence and pawning it on Feb. 22. Police arrested him on March 2 on Route 25A in Port Jefferson.

Axe to grind

On March 3, a homeless man allegedly held a metal axe over his head as he advanced toward another man near a home on Old Post Road in Mount Sinai. Police arrested him for menacing at the scene.

ShopWrong

Police arrested a Hampton Bays resident on March 6 around 10:16 p.m. for petit larceny, after the 36-year-old woman allegedly took assorted groceries without paying from ShopRite at College Plaza in Selden. Police arrested her at the scene.

Bracelet blunder

A 18-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station was arrested for criminal possession of stolen property, after police said the man stole a 14-karat gold bracelet from All Island Jewelry & Loan on Middle Country Road in Centereach on Feb. 29 at 11:15 a.m.

Swiper, no swiping!

A Port Jefferson Station resident was arrested on Feb. 29 for driving while ability impaired. Police said the man was driving a 2000 Toyota Camry when he sideswiped a parked car on Joline Road.

Caught off-guardrail

On March 5, a Stony Brook resident was driving a 2000 Toyota Camry on Route 25A in Setauket when she crashed her car. According to police, the 28-year-old woman struck a guardrail before hitting several trees along the road. Police arrested the woman for driving while ability impaired at the scene, around 2:08 a.m.

People, stop driving impaired!

Police charged a 45-year-old man with driving while ability impaired on March 4. The Lake Grove resident was driving a 2008 Jeep when an officer allegedly saw him speeding on Route 25A. Police pulled over the man on the corner of Route 25A and Hawkins Road in Stony Brook and arrested him at the scene.

Planted into jail cell

A 31-year-old man from Port Jefferson Station was arrested on March 2 after allegedly loitering on Garden Road in Rocky Point. According to police, authorities discovered he was in possession of cocaine and arrested him at the scene for loitering and unlawful use of controlled substances.

Breakfast of champions

On the morning of March 2, police charged a 36-year-old man from Rocky Point with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. The man was driving a black Toyota Camry on Route 25A in Port Jefferson Station when an officer pulled him over. Police allegedly discovered the man to be in possession of heroin and prescription medication, as well as hypodermic needles.

Emancipating cash

On March 3 around 8 p.m., someone broke the rear window of a residence on Lincoln Avenue in Port Jefferson Station and stole cash from inside.

No photos, please

Police said a man took photos of a female couple on March 4 at Grumpy Jack’s Sports Bar & Grill on Oakland Avenue in Port Jefferson. When the man refused to delete the photos, one of the women hit him in the head with a bottle. The couple fled and the man refused medical attention.

Crazy thief

Between March 3 and 4, according to police, someone pried open the rear door of the Crazy Beans coffee establishment on Route 25A in Miller Place and stole a safe containing money.

Stop that shopping

Police said a woman left her purse in a shopping cart after shopping at Stop & Shop on Pond Path in South Setauket on March 6 and drove off. The purse was stolen before she returned to the store. Police said several credit cards were used.

Rather safe than sorry

Between Feb. 29 and March 4, someone broke into a residence on Magnolia Drive in Selden and stole money from an unlocked safe.

A little housekeeping

Around 1:45 p.m. on March 6, someone stole two blenders and a vacuum from Walmart on Nesconset Highway in East Setauket.

Thief is on fire

Police said sometime between March 1 and March 2, someone stole a Kindle Fire and coins from a car parked on Strathmore Gate Drive in Stony Brook.

Sound Beach slasher

Someone slashed the tires of a 2014 Hyundai Elantra that was parked outside a residence on Blue Point Road in Sound Beach on the night of March 2.

I will avenge you!

Around 11 p.m. on March 2, an unknown person damaged the rear window of a 2008 Dodge Avenger parked near Route 25A in Rocky Point.

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‘Linear Leaves,’ watercolor and Sharpie by Jackson Normandin, Rocky Point Middle School, grade 6

Through May 1, the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook will present its student art exhibition, Colors of Long Island: Student Expressions sponsored by Astoria Bank. This annual exhibit affords an opportunity for hundreds of students from across Long Island to display their artwork in a museum setting.

‘Marie Antoinette,’ acrylic on canvas panel by Geraldine Luglio, Miller Place High School, grade 11
‘Marie Antoinette,’ acrylic on canvas panel by Geraldine Luglio, Miller Place High School, grade 11

The museum is proud to include more than 300 works from 135 public and private schools across Long Island. Art teachers from grades K through 12 were asked to submit up to three pieces, either created individually or by groups. Traditionally, the theme, Colors of Long Island, allows for many creative interpretations. While some students refer to Long Island’s landscapes, others prefer to focus on the cultural diversity that makes Long Island so colorful. The varying interpretations of this theme will be portrayed through all types of media, including watercolors, sculptures, quilts, drawings, oil pastels, photographs and computer graphics.

The museum will recognize the achievements of these talented students at two receptions scheduled for March 13 from noon to 4 p.m. and April 3 from 2 to 4 p.m. Parents, teachers, students and the general public are invited to attend. 

Located at 1200 Route 25A, the Long Island Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate dedicated to American history and art as it relates to Long Island. The museum is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.  For additional information call 631-751-0066 or visit www.longislandmuseum.org.

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Ward Melville’s Christian Araneo captured his second straight New York State championship title on Feb. 27 in Albany. Photo from Three Village Central School District
Ward Melville’s Christian Araneo captured his second straight New York State championship title on Feb. 27 in Albany. Photo from Three Village Central School District
Ward Melville’s Christian Araneo captured his second straight New York State championship title on Feb. 27 in Albany. Photo from Three Village Central School District

Ward Melville wrestler Christian Araneo captured his second straight win at the New York State wrestling championship on Feb. 27 in Albany.

Competing in the 195-pound weight class, the 6-foot-4-inch Araneo proved to be a tough competitor throughout the championship.

With his technical fall when he reached 16-0 at the 4:57 mark of his matchup against Arlington’s Tanner Nielsen, it was on to the quarterfinals.

Araneo’s takedown of Baldwinsville’s Alex Bowen just 15 seconds into their bout put him ahead 2-0, and the tone was set for him to win the match with a 7-1 decision.

He went on to edge Mike DiNardo of Mahopac, 3-1, to win the title and improve to a perfect 42-0 on the season.

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File photo

A dispatcher in training for the Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services helped deliver a baby over the phone on Wednesday morning.

According to a press release from the FRES, a man who had been on the way to the hospital called 911 shortly before 10 a.m. to report that his wife was in labor but the baby’s delivery could not wait. He had pulled their vehicle to the side of Nesconset Highway in East Setauket, in front of the Walmart.

Dispatcher Joseph Pucci answered the call. FRES said he verified the couple’s location and that the woman was 36 weeks pregnant, about to deliver for the fourth time. He gave instructions to the 38-year-old woman’s husband, and the couple delivered a baby boy within three minutes.

Pucci, who FRES said has been training for the past five months, instructed the father on how to check the baby’s breathing, keep the infant warm and use a shoelace to tie off his umbilical cord. Then he stayed on the line until Suffolk County police and Setauket Fire Department personnel arrived on the scene.

According to FRES, both the mother and the baby seemed healthy and were transported to Stony Brook University Hospital.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone commended the dispatcher-in-training for his work later on Wednesday.

“Thanks to the knowledgeable response from emergency service dispatcher Joseph Pucci, a baby boy was delivered safely this morning,” he said. “Good training and clear thinking helped this couple and their baby just as it was needed. Congratulations to this family on their newest arrival.”

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The author poses with Tyler Christopher, aka Prince Nikolas Cassadine, of ‘General Hospital.’ Photo by Rebecca Budig

By Kerri Glynn

“5 … 4 … 3 …”

Time to move. Walk through the beaded curtain. Pause by the table. Chat with the bearded man. Exit downstage.

But wait! What’s my motivation?  Who is this man? My husband? Lover? Business partner? What was I doing here in Las Vegas — so far from Port Charles?

I was a cast member on “General Hospital.” Okay. I was an extra. But I’d dreamt about this for 39 years and it was finally happening.

Rewind to November 17, 1981. I was one of 30 million people who watched the wedding of “General Hospital’s”  Luke and Laura. I was directing a high school production of “Barefoot in the Park” and my stage manager brought in a small, portable TV — the kind with rabbit ears — and we halted our rehearsal to watch the nuptials. It was the highest rated hour in American soap opera history, and the super couple ended up on the cover of People and Newsweek magazines. They were credited with taking daytime out of the closet so people were no longer ashamed to say “I watch a soap opera.”

I was never ashamed.

I’ve been watching “General Hospital” on and off since 1967. Sometimes I didn’t see it for weeks, sometimes months, even years. But I’d catch up on holidays and summer vacations, and it was pretty easy to do. So many of the same characters remained; so many story lines were recapped script after script. And there was always the Soap Opera Digest magazine to grab and peruse while waiting for my turn at the supermarket counter.

As an English teacher and Vassar graduate, many of my colleagues were shocked to hear me admit my devotion to the show. Why, I wondered? What did Charles Dickens write that couldn’t be classified as soap opera? For that matter, how different is “Downtown Abbey”? The Crawleys just have a bigger house, better clothes and cooler accents.

But I never imagined the day would come when I would join the cast of my favorite show, and it was the star of that early production of “Barefoot in the Park” who made it happen. My former student is now a writer/actor and good friend of the executive producer of “General Hospital.” When he heard I was visiting LA, he asked if I could be an extra on the soap. The answer was yes and my adventure began.

A week before filming, I was contacted by the casting coordinator. Would I be a patient being wheeled down the hospital hall? Or a barfly at the Metrocourt Hotel, swilling a dirty martini? When I was told  I’d play a guest at an upscale Las Vegas hotel, I was intrigued. A Las Vegas hotel? “General Hospital” takes place in Port Charles, New York. Which characters would be visiting Las Vegas? And what would they be doing there?

I received a list of instructions — everything from a confidentiality clause (in other words, I couldn’t share any knowledge of the plot before the episode was aired) to my wardrobe instructions. Since I don’t tweet and still carry a flip phone, the first instruction was easy to follow. The second was a little harder, but it earned me a $10 wardrobe allowance.

I was due at Prospect Studios in Los Angeles at 2 in the afternoon. Most of the cast had arrived at 7 that morning and wouldn’t leave till 7 that night. After getting my ID badge from the guard, I proceeded to the stage manager’s desk to sign in. Then on to the Business Office with my passport to fill out a W-4. I was going to get paid for this? How cool was that!

The studio has seven sound stages and “Grey’s Anatomy” is another of the shows filmed there. The space was huge and held multiple sets. I could walk past the hospital chapel and the Floating Rib to the Quartermaine mansion. I recognized each one.

The other four extras were sitting in the Green Room where we’d wait for our call. Our names were Hotel Staffer and Guests 1-4. The others were professional actors, struggling to book commercials and dreaming of their big breaks. One of them had punched Luke out in an earlier episode, another had sat at Laura’s table at the Nutcracker Ball. Who would I be acting with? Fifty three scenes were being shot that day, and the characters included Scottie, Franco, Nina, Dante — you’ll recognize all these names if you, too, watch the show. (But don’t admit it.)

Then HE walked in — Tyler Christopher, “Prince Nikolas Cassadine,” the character I’d named my favorite cat after. He’s been on the show for 20 years and I’d long had a crush on him. There he was in the flesh … holding his script and getting a cup of coffee with the rest of us. I got up the courage to do it — to introduce myself and tell him about the cat and he laughed. We talked about his long lost love, “Emily” and how I longed to have her dug up and returned to him. It could happen. Characters have been revived even after they had been shot, drowned, frozen and had their major organs given to other characters. He was joined by his co-star, Rebecca Budig, aka “Hayden,” but formerly “Greenlee” from “All My Children.” She was just as nice and welcoming as Tyler. They promised me a picture after the taping.

So, it was sit and wait, and watch the monitors as other scenes were being filmed in the building. There were two directors working that day and multiple cast members. My 10 scenes would be set in the Las Vegas hotel where Nikolas and Hayden were getting married. I couldn’t have been more excited than if I’d won that Mega Powerball.

So many things surprised me that day — the size of the crew, the speed at which each scene was taped, the actors’ voices that seemed to whisper on set but be clear as a bell on video. People may mock soap opera scripts and actors, but everyone was a consummate professional. An average television series has 13 to 22 episodes, some a half hour, some a whole hour. “General Hospital” shoots about 286 one-hour episodes a year.

When my scene was called, the primary actors walked on set with their scripts in hand. The director told them where to stand and when to move. Then two of us extras were brought in. We were given our instructions. On the count of 3, we entered through the curtain. Chatted. Left. I’ll nail it next time, I thought. I’ll create my own back story. I’ll look for the cameras. I’ll …

“Taping scene 39.”

What?

“5, 4, 3 …”

We enter again. We chat. We leave.

“That’s a take.”

Four times I was called to the set. I sat and pretended to check my iPhone. I crossed the lobby with a blond girl. My daughter? Four hours later, we were thanked and asked to leave. The others did. But Rebecca Budig (bless her heart) remembered the promise and found “Nikolas” for my picture. She even took it.

As I left the studio, I looked at all the photos on the walls — pictures of cast members. The original cast — Dr. Hardy and Nurse Jessie Brewer, the Quartermaine family … and Luke and Laura’s wedding portrait. My life had come full circle. The boy I was directing would grow into a man who made my dream come true. Three weeks later I got to see myself on TV — on my favorite show — with my favorite soap star. And two weeks after that, I received a check in the mail for $260. I’d been paid for two days work because my fourth scene appeared the following day.

I’m not ashamed to say it. I LOVE that show. 

Kerri Glynn is a retired English teacher who has lived in Setauket with her husband Tim for many years. Today she is a writer and tutor as well as the director of education for the Frank Melville Memorial Park.

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File photo

By Kevin Redding

“We have a problem, and that problem is heroin. It’s a harsh reality.”

Setauket Fire Commissioner Jay Gardiner spoke at length about the heroin and opiate addiction issue that has swept Suffolk County at a Three Village Civic Association meeting at the Emma S. Clark Library on Monday night.

As guest speaker, Gardiner addressed the importance of having a dialogue with teens and children about the dangerous consequences of these specific drugs and staying on top of how much medication people consume to avoid overdoses. Gardiner also said it was important that residents recognize why heroin has become so prevalent.

According to Gardiner, the county’s affluence plays a large factor.

“Among the most common hard drugs, including methamphetamine and crack, heroin is the most expensive,” Gardiner said. “Out on the South Shore and other areas on Long Island that have different financial demographics, cheap drugs like methamphetamine and crack are much more obtainable while heroin isn’t. High schoolers and college students in Suffolk County, whose ages make up the majority of users, might have an ability to buy the more expensive drug.”

In the United States, drug overdose deaths have exceeded car crashes as the number one cause of injury death, according to U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Two Americans die of drug overdoses every hour and 2,500 youths aged between 12 and 17 abuse prescription drugs for the first time every day. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioids — a class of drugs that include prescription pain medications and heroin — were involved in 28,648 deaths nationwide in 2014.

Gardiner admitted that he can’t lecture on how to control every North Shore kid’s behavior, however, and steered his presentation less on how to prevent the drug use and more on how to recognize when somebody is experiencing an overdose and being able to take the appropriate steps to save their lives. He specifically focused on using the anti-opiate overdose antidote Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan.

Gardiner said he knows of hundreds of cases just last year in which Narcan saved someone’s life from overdose in Suffolk County, and said that number is growing exponentially.

“We use this atomizing medication Narcan when the person we see is not responding,” said Gardiner, who demonstrated how to exert the intranasal spray into each of the patient’s nostrils. “You will revive these patients, if you’re fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time, in minutes. We use the nose because it’s a large area where it will be absorbed to the bloodstream and remove the opiate effects in that bloodstream quickly.”

As Gardiner explained in his presentation, it’s nearly impossible to find an IV on a patient who has just overdosed because the veins are often badly sclerosed, as indicated by track marks all over the arm. On top of a quick and effective route for absorption, by using the nose as an entry, there’s a much lower risk of exposure to blood.

Because Narcan is also effective against more commonly taken opiate drugs, pain reducers like morphine, oxycodone and fentanyl, older people especially should be aware of how it’s used in a worst case scenario where too many pills are taken to subside an excruciating pain, and an overdose occurs.

Shawn Nuzzo, president of the Three Village Civic Association who brought Gardiner in to speak, says that despite the war on drugs in our country being a failure socially and medically, normal everyday people can make a difference now.

“It’s like having a fire extinguisher in your house,” said Nuzzo. “It’s not gonna fix faulty wiring, but it’s good to have it there if you need it. It’s so important that people learn how to use antidotes like this. People need to learn how to use a fire extinguisher and they need to learn how to use Narcan.”

Earlier this month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that pharmacies across New York State would be providing Narcan to its customers without prescription, making it an extremely convenient and important addition to every resident’s medicine cabinet.

“Addiction’s an illness,” Gardiner said. “If you’re a diabetic, you carry insulin. If you’re bipolar, you have drugs to treat bipolar illness. We can’t treat addiction with drugs but we can certainly have these things around in case of an emergency because it is an illness and it’s so important to have this in your home. We can’t cure the addiction, but we can save the life even if it’s only temporarily.”

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Steven Matz winds up. Photo by Clayton Collier

Steven Matz became the first member of the Mets’ young rotation to take the mound in a Florida Grapefruit League game Monday against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter.

The former Ward Melville star breezed through the first two innings before allowing a run in the third.

He walked two during his three-
inning stint and struck out the side in the second on only 12 pitches.

Matz was battling against Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright, who walked three in two scoreless innings, gave up two hits and struck out two.

The Mets chose to delay their rotation a week in an effort to make sure each pitcher was strong for their first spring-training start, which will be a scheduled three innings this year rather than the typical two. As a result, the Mets hope to be sharper at an earlier date, and Matz looked that way, with a responsive curveball and a fastball in the mid-90s.

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Jeff Carlson outlines budget figures. Photo by Andrea Moore Paldy

As school districts begin to move into budget-planning season, the Three Village board will be making decisions with one less board member.

Susanne Mendelson, a trustee since 2010, resigned Wednesday night, saying she wanted to focus on her master’s program in speech language pathology. Her term expires at the end of June.

As far as the budget goes, the forecast looks good and will include staff increases. Jeff Carlson, assistant superintendent for business services, told school board members that there will be no reductions to programs and services in a bid to meet the cap on the tax levy increase.

While the cap for the 2016-17 year is 2.41 percent, state aid will increase by $4.4 million, Carlson said. Of that increase, $2.9 million is building aid that is tied to the district’s construction bond, which was passed in 2014. Carlson said that the final number on state aid usually increases with the approved state budget.

Even so, New York school districts are still losing aid to the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA), a measure that deducts money from aid packages to fund the state’s budget. Though the State Senate has voted to eliminate the GEA, the Assembly has yet to vote on the bill. Three Village expects to lose $2.3 million to the GEA for the coming school year. This is down from last year’s $3.3 million. Since the inception of the GEA, the district has lost $34.7 million in aid, which is about $2,576 for the average taxpayer, Carlson said.

He said the plan for next school year includes decreasing dependency on the assigned fund balance, money left over from the previous year and used as revenue to balance the current budget. Currently, $2 million is being used from the fund balance, a decrease from the previous year. Carlson explained that by decreasing the sum allocated from the assigned fund balance, the district will save more money to handle budgetary issues that might arise due to “tax cap issues.”

At the end of the 2015 fiscal year, the district had $17.4 million in its unassigned fund balance — a “rainy day” fund for emergencies — and restricted funds — money designated for specific uses such as workers compensation and unemployment insurance funds.

The continued decline in enrollment at the elementary level — the district anticipates 110 to 120 fewer students — means that 3.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching positions will be reassigned to math academic intervention services (AIS), based on need, at the five elementary schools, Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich said.

The secondary level will see an increase of 1.6 FTE positions to rebuild the business department and put back courses such as virtual enterprises and web design. Those “reflect 21st century learning,” Pedisich said. There will also be a .4 increase for American Sign Language.

Additionally, the district plans to add computer science instruction and writing centers at both junior highs. Pedisich said the approximately 60-student decline will mean that existing staff can cover the new programs. The writing center at the high school will get additional staff, a .4 FTE increase. The district will also bring in a technology lead and a special education mentor/behavioral consultant.  Neither of those positions will require additional staffing.

Other staffing changes include a floating nurse — one FTE — an assistant director of facilities, and an addition of 2 FTEs for clerical staff.

Carlson explained that improvements to buildings and property are excluded from the tax cap so that they don’t compete with educational programs. Proposed projects for the next school budget year include reconfiguring the Setauket Elementary School bus loop for better traffic flow, adding air conditioners to the elementary school auditoriums and junior high cafeterias and a generator at W.S. Mount Elementary School.

The budget is set to be adopted on April 13 and the hearing is scheduled for May 4. The public will vote on the budget and select a replacement for Mendelson on May 17.

Mendelson read her resignation letter early in the meeting.

“I have always valued public education and have worked enthusiastically to help ensure that the students of today and tomorrow will have at least — if not more than — what my peers and I were privileged to experience here in Three Village,” she said as she read her letter.

“I must lead by example, and make my own education paramount at this time.”

Mendelson, who has a son in junior high, promised to remain involved with the district as both a parent and a member of the community.

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A plane that crash-landed in Hauppauge was still at the scene a few days later. Photo by Greg Pereira

By Phil Corso & Elana Glowatz

For the second time in the last couple of weeks, a plane with engine problems made an emergency landing on the North Shore.

The Suffolk County Police Department said a passenger plane flying into Republic Airport in Farmingdale on Saturday afternoon experienced engine failure while flying at 2,000 feet. The pilot, who was with his daughter and returning from visiting colleges, deployed the plane’s parachute at 1,500 feet before crash-landing at an industrial park in Hauppauge.

According to police, after the plane landed just feet from a building on Marcus Boulevard, the pilot pulled his passenger out of the plane. Police said both father and daughter refused medical attention.

The crash-landing happened exactly two weeks after another in Suffolk County, which occurred when a small plane carrying four people experienced engine trouble and went down in Setauket Harbor near Poquott. That incident did not end as safely.

The Piper PA-28, which had taken off from Fitchburg, Mass., and was heading for Republic Airport in Farmingdale, went down on the night of Feb. 20. All four people exited the plane into the water, police said, but only three were rescued. Authorities are still searching for the fourth passenger, 23-year-old Queens man Gerson Salmon-Negron.

The county police said its marine bureau has been out on the water daily, weather permitting, during daylight hours in search of the man both via the surface on boats and using side scan sonar to scan the floor of the water.

At the time the plane was having engine trouble, a student pilot identified as 25-year-old Bronx resident Austricio Ramirez was flying it and turned over the controls to his instructor, 36-year-old Queens resident Nelson Gomez.

Wady Perez, a 25-year-old from Queens, was identified as the other man rescued from the water that night.

Suffolk police were receiving help from the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. Coast Guard, local fire departments and the town harbormaster in the rescue, missing person search and investigation in that February incident.

In a report released this week, the NTSP said that aircraft reported low amounts of fuel and had been operated for about five hours since its tank was last filled. The report said the plane’s engine “sputtered” as it approached the Port Jefferson area, spurring the flight instructor to turn on the electric fuel pump and instructing his student pilot to switch the fuel selector to the plane’s left fuel tank as it flew at around 2,000 feet. The sputtering stopped, but started up again about three minutes later, the NTSB said, and then lost power.

That was when the pilot instructor took control of the plane and tried heading to the shoreline, where he believed the plane could safely land, the NTSB report said. But the pilot was unable to see the shoreline due to the darkness and could only guess where the shoreline began by the lights inside of nearby houses, the report said.

He held the plane off of the water for as long as he could before touching down and instructing everyone to grab a life vest and exit the plane, the NTSB said. Neither the student pilot nor the passengers, however, were wearing life vests when they exited the plane, the report said. Emergency personnel were on the scene within minutes and rescued three of the four men.

The airplane floated in the water for about five minutes before sinking nose-first to the bottom of the harbor, the NTSB said.

Divers with the Suffolk County Police Department plunge into Setauket Harbor after a plane crash-landed on Feb. 20. Photo from Margo Arceri
Divers with the Suffolk County Police Department plunge into Setauket Harbor after a plane crash-landed on Feb. 20. Photo from Margo Arceri

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Ken Rogers makes his way down a residential street as he gets his body ready for a big walk later this spring. Photo by Giselle Barkley

Ken Rogers of Stony Brook couldn’t walk for the first four years of his life. But this year, he’s walking for a cause — all the way to Brooklyn.

Rogers, whose cerebral palsy affected his ability to walk in his youth, is training to walk 50 miles on May 19 from his Stony Brook residence to Canarsie Pier in his hometown. While the three-day walk will help raise money for the American Cancer Society, Rogers is also walking to honor his high school friend, Russell Donovan, who lost his battle with cancer last February. Donovan lived in Wading River at the time.

“We did everything together,” said Rogers, 64, about Donovan and long-time friend Eddie Troise.

The trio started smoking cigarettes at 15 years old because it “was the cool thing to do in the 60s,” according to Rogers. But he said he believed the bad habit contributed to Donovan’s condition. Donovan, of Wading River, was diagnosed with prostate cancer around 2010, before it spread to his lungs. Troise and Rogers suffered from their own health complications over the years. Around five years ago Troise suffered a major stroke. Rogers was also diagnosed with and treated for prostate cancer.

Although Rogers is currently healthy, he wants to raise awareness about the drawbacks of smoking tobacco and hopes residents will donate for his cause.

“It’s one of the hardest things to break … because it takes a lot of determination,” said Rogers about quitting smoking, which he did around 30 years ago, after his son was born.

Over the past months, he’s raised 15 percent of his $1,200 goal. He hopes to reach his goal before he treks to Canarsie Pier, a place he, Donovan and Troise frequented in their youth.

Ken Rogers makes his way down a residential street as he gets his body ready for a big walk later this spring. Photo by Giselle Barkley
Ken Rogers makes his way down a residential street as he gets his body ready for a big walk later this spring. Photo by Giselle Barkley

Bonnie Schulz is one of many residents who donated to support Rogers’ cause. The two met around 14 years ago through Setauket Presbyterian Church. Schulz learned of the 50-mile walk when Rogers presented the idea last fall for the church’s Peace & Justice Committee.

“I thought it was very admirable and that he’s very passionate about [his cause],” Schulz said.

Rogers walks between six and 12 miles daily. Depending on the weather, he hopes to walk from his residence to Sayville this coming weekend to help him further prepare for May.

Karen Carroll is one of a few people who showed interest in joining Rogers for his three-day walk. An avid walker herself, she said she was interested because the walk spans a few days.

Carroll met Rogers at the church around a decade ago. According to Carroll, Rogers isn’t a stranger to giving back to his community. Several years ago he helped establish a community garden at the church for all residence in the area.

“He’s a really integral part of the church,” said Carroll about Rogers and his commitment to the church. “He’s just a good hearted helpful man.”

Although Carroll hasn’t donated yet, she added she’d simply donate because of who Rogers is and not only because of his cause.

His projects even surprise his wife, Arlene. The couple met in school when they were 15 years old. The duo started dating three years later.

“He’s had a lot of [health] battles,” she said. “[But] he overcame that; he overcame prostate cancer. He keeps going. He just keeps a-lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.”

For Rogers, trudging on is simply in his nature.

“They told my parents I had cerebral palsy and I’d probably never walk,” Rogers said. “But I am walking today.”

And nothing is getting in his way.

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