Huntington Local

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2007-10-23T12:54:00.000-04:00

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Artist studio tours in Huntington

2007-10-19T14:45:00.000-04:00

Ever want to tour an artist's studio?

The Heckscher Museum and the Arts League of Long Island are holding their fourth annual self-driving tour of artists' studios tomorrow. The five artists who are featured live in Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington and Oyster Bay, and their work includes painting, sculpture, photography and mixed media.

The event runs from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. and tickets must be purchased in advance by calling the museum at 631-351-3250. Tickets are $35 per person, with Heckscher and league members going for $25. Or, you can purchase a car ticket that allows all who fit in your vehicle to attend -- $85 per vehicle, with Heckscher and league members going for $55.

Once you are registered, you will be sent a map and a brief description of the studios to be visited.

Participating artists are John Digby, whose work is as left; Mike Krasowitz; Odlie Montel; Thea Lanzisero Monier-Williams; and Dick Shanley, whose work is above.

The museum itself is closed for renovations.

Pasta party in Centerport

2007-10-19T12:01:00.001-04:00

A pasta party at the Centerport United Methodist Church Saturday night will benefit Habitat for Humanity.

Dinners, featuring baked ziti, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, salads and desserts are scheduled for 5 and 7 p.m., with family entertainment scheduled between meals. The cost is $15 for adults; $5 for children under 12.

The church is at 97 Little Neck Road Centerport.

Huntington's museum challenge

2007-10-19T09:30:00.000-04:00

The Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum is one of the stops.

Are you up to the test? Huntington’s Historic Museum Challenge, tomorrow and Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., takes you on a trip to the town’s beginnings in 1653 with tours at eight area historic sites. These include the Henry Lloyd Manor House, birthplace of the first African-American poet published in the United States, and the Huntington Lighthouse. Visit all eight this weekend and earn a year’s membership in each of the participating historical groups ($250 value) plus a chance at a prize.

Several local restaurants are offering discounts for lunch breaks. Find out where to buy tour maps ($5) and more at museumchallenge.org or call 631-351-3244.
— Judith H. Bernstein

Happening in town this weekend

2007-10-19T07:51:00.001-04:00

Museums across the town hold their challenge this weekend, and artist open up their studios to a tour. We'll have more on those events later in the day, but for now here is a wrap-up of other activities this weekend.

TONIGHT

Commack

Men's Social Club: Lecture, "The Secrets Behind Every Loving Relationship” with buffet lunch, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at Suffolk Y JCC, 74 Hauppauge Rd., $14, 631-462-9800.

Huntington

Music Entertainment: HPL Cafe features singer and guitarist Glen Roethel, 7:30 p.m. at Huntington Library, 338 Main St., free, call to register for open mic (18 and older), 631-427-5165, ext. 242.

Melville

Acoustic Guitarists: Music social, dinner, open mic, 7:30 p.m. at Bertucci's Restaurant, 881 Walt Whitman Rd., $5, reserve, 631-665-3699.

Northport

"Twice Told Tales”: Eerie tales performed, 7:30 p.m. at Northport-East Northport Library, 151 Laurel Ave., free, 631-261-6930.

TOMORROW

Centerport

Folk Music Show: Featuring singer, songwriters and guitarists Marjorie Thompson and Bonnie Lee Panda, 7:30 p.m. at Congregational Church of Huntington, 30 Washington Dr., $10, fmshny.org, 631-661-1278.

John Lennon: A birthday celebration, 7:30 p.m. at Five Towns College, Dix Hills Center for the Performing Arts at Five Towns College, 305 N. Service Rd., $20, $15 senior, 631-656-2148.

Mysteries of Magic: With Scott Interrante, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Dix Hills Center for the Performing Arts at Five Towns College, 305 N. Service Rd., $10, $5 children, 631-656-2148.

Huntington

Book Signing: Tom Perrotta will speak about and sign his book, "The Abstinence Teacher,” which exposes the powerful emotions that run beneath the surface of modern American family life, 8 p.m. at Book Revue, 313 New York Ave., free, 631-271-1442.

Northport

”The Wizard Of Oz”: Musical performance for children and adults, noon at John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., $12, must reserve, engemantheater.com, 631-261-2900.

SUNDAY

Cold Spring Harbor

Egg Stripping: Learn about trout reproduction, 1 and 3 p.m. at Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery and Aquarium, 1660 Route 25A, $5, $3 seniors and those 3-17, free younger than 3, 516-692-6768.

Huntington

Fall Rummage Sale: Gently used clothing for men, women, children and infants, toys, books, shoes and assorted household items, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at Huntington Jewish Center, 510 Park Ave., free admission, 631-427-1089.

Fundraiser: A 5K run-walk, benefits Darfur refugee camps, light social afterward, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington, 109 Browns Rd., $35, $17 younger than 18, 631-427-9547.

Lloyd Neck

Bird Walk for Beginners: Instructional program for the novice adult birder, 2-mile walk, bring binoculars, 2:30-4:15 p.m. at Caumsett State Historic Park, 25 Lloyd Harbor Rd., $3, $6 parking fee, 631-423-1770.

Melville

Slot Car Show and Swap Meet: Buy-sell-trade Aurora HO slot cars and other types, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Hilton Long Island / Huntington, 598 Broadhollow Rd., $5, free admission for children, 203-804-2455.

Northport

Erik's Reptile Adventure: Herpetologist Erik Callendar brings a green iguana, a blue tegu, a mata mata tortoise and other exotic animals to see and touch, 2 p.m., Northport-East Northport Library, 151 Laurel Ave., free, tickets required, 631-261-6930.

Ghosts of Long Island: Kerriann Flanagan Brosky, author of "Ghosts of Long Island: Stories of the Paranormal” and paranormal investigator Joe Giaquinto share tales of Long Island's ghosts, 3:30-5 p.m., Northport Historical Society and Museum, 215 Main St., $3, 631-757-9859.

"Jekyll and Hyde”: Musical thriller based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story, 2 p.m. Sunday, 8 p.m. Thursday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, through Nov. 11, at John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., $55, 631-261-2900.

Navy promotes Dix Hills man

2007-10-18T17:57:00.000-04:00

Navy Seaman Apprentice Kory E. Burnett, son of Eileen H. and Derrick C. Burnett of Dix Hills, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training and was meritoriously promoted to his current rank at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., the Defense Department announced this week.

Burnett is a 2000 graduate of Half Hollow Hills High School West of Dix Hills.

During the eight-week program, Burnett completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.

The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations". This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly "Navy" flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor in today's U.S. Navy.

Click here for a gallery of stories about Long Islanders and spouses in the military.

Arrest in Huntington robbery

2007-10-18T17:55:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Commack

A passenger window on a car on Veterans Memorial Highway was found broken yesterday and the navigation system was stolen.

Dix Hills

The owner of a 1998 Mazda said it was stolen today on Tiana Place.

East Northport

A Burrwood Court resident called police today after she saw some youths making graffiti on her fence.

Elwood

A burglary was discovered yesterday at a house on Godfrey Lane. The police report said entry was made through a bathroom window. The resident said jewelry was taken.

Greenlawn

A resident on Sinclair Drive said his leaf blower was stolen yesterday from his front yard.

Huntington

A man was arrested today on Pidgeon Hill Road and charged with committing a robbery Aug. 3 on Fairground Avenue. The police report said the victim said his cell phone and $400 were taken.

Huntington Station

A woman called police today to report that after her car broke down last week and was towed to a repair shop on West Jericho Turnpike her gas card that was in the car was stolen and used eight times for a total of $300 in charges.

Commack graduate finishes basic training

2007-10-18T13:39:00.000-04:00

Defense Department announcement

Army National Guard Spec. Gino F. Pena has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C., the Defense Department announced yesterday.

He is the son of Roseann Pena of Vermont St., Melville, and nephew of Dianne Rapczyk of Firtree Lane, Huntington Station. Pena graduated in 1993 from Commack High School, and received a master's degree in 1999 from Arizona State University, Tempe.

During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.

Click here for a gallery of stories about Long Islanders and spouses in the military.

Open house at Dix Hills Fire Dept.

2007-10-18T13:05:00.000-04:00

Dix Hills Rescue Squad Paramedic Jim Brangan gives an intubation demonstration to a young visitor during the department's recent annual Open House held during Fire Prevention Week. About 500 visitors were treated to many activities and educational events including fire prevention, personal and home safety, car fire and extrication demonstrations, EMS Rescue Squad, Smokey the Bear, Suffolk Police K-9, New York State Forest Ranger, and the East Northport Fire Department Fire Safety Trailer, which teaches children how to safely escape their house in the event of a fire. Visitors had the opportunity to view all the department's apparatus and ambulances and to see firsthand the equipment that Dix Hills firefighters and EMT's use to protect property and save lives.
-- Photo by Steve Silverman

8 arrested in Huntington Station drug raid

2007-10-18T10:21:00.000-04:00

Suffolk police arrested eight people on drug charges early this morning after executing a search warrant at a home in Huntington Station.

Following "multiple community complaints of drug trafficking" police from the Second Precinct conducted a raid shortly after midnight at 28 Columbia St., which they described as a known drug house location. Crack, marijuana and drug paraphernalia were seized.

Those arrested ranged in age from 15 to 47. At least four are from Huntington Station, two from Wyandanch and one from Manhattan. The hometown of the juvenile was not disclosed.

The juvenile was released to his mother’s custody for a future family court appearance. Three suspects were held overnight for arraignment today at First District Court in Central Islip. Four others were released on station house bail for a future First District Court appearance.

Car hit by pumpkin in East Northport

2007-10-18T09:44:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

East Northport

A car was broken into Tuesday on 6th Avenue and a digital camera was stolen.

Vandals threw a pumpkin at a car Tuesday on Elwood Road and broke a rear window.

Two windows were broken Tuesday on a car parked on Pulaski Road.

Two tires were slashed and a rear window was broken on a van parked at the Lukoil gas station on 4th Street yesterday.

Elwood

A cell phone was stolen Tuesday from a backpack left on the floor of the library on Elwood Road.

Fort Salonga

A car was broken into yesterday on Wayne Coiurt and money was stolen.

Huntington

A woman told police her pocketbook with all her credit cards in it was stolen Tuesday while she was at the YMCA on Park Avenue.

A resident on Oakland Street called police Tuesday after vandals egged her house and car.

Huntington Station

A man on Townhouse Road told police his wallet and cell phone were taken when he was assaulted and robbed Tuesday.

Graffiti was found Tuesday on the Huntington Coach Corp. building on 10th Avenue.

Melville

Two offices were broken into Tuesday at the Huntington Quad and a DVD player and a iPod music player wre stolen from them.

The tires were stolen yesterday from a car on Bagatelle Road.

Low turnout for budget hearing

2007-10-17T15:40:00.000-04:00

By Deborah S. Morris
deborah.morris@newsday.com

Only one person spoke at Tuesday night’s Huntington Town Board meeting during a public hearing on the preliminary operating and capital budgets.

Town Supervisor Frank Petrone said it has been the practice over the past five years to have the budget public hearings moved up one hour to 6 p.m., to give residents enough time to comment.

“In case we have a long session,” Petrone said. “But we never know. We’ve been stuck before where people complained that there wasn’t enough time.”

Public notices for the hearings were published, as required by law, in the September 27 editions of two area weekly newspapers.

The lone speaker, Bill Dowler, who is running for election to the town board in November, said the time change is confusing to the residents who are used to the town board meetings starting at 7 p.m. and contributed the change to the low resident turnout. He also was upset that the public hearings, on the operating and capital budgets, were to be separate but were combined into one.

“This is probably one of the more important issues to residents because it has to do with spending our tax dollars,” Dowler said. “Conveniently the meeting time was changed. It’s ridiculous. They short changed the people who had an opinion to express.”

Petrone said the board will vote on the budget next month. He said that meeting will be held on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m., instead of the previous Tuesday because of Election Day.

The 2008 preliminary budget released by the town maintains the current tax rate in the three major town funds: the General Fund, the Part-Town Fund and the Refuse Fund. In addition, for the second consecutive year, there will be no increase in the Highway Fund tax rate.

The budget of $191,313,577 is $2.5 million more than the 2007 fiscal plan. The increase is largely due to an increase in payroll costs and operating expenses. The average town tax payer who is living in a home assessed at $4,100, will pay $759 per year in taxes for the three major funds, which represents no increase from 2007.

The town’s 2008 capital budget is $13.5 million, a decrease of $3.4 million, and includes funding for several major initiatives and new projects. The Capital Budget also includes $1.2 million for the Veteran’s Community Center at Soundview.

Fundshave also been earmarked for several projects including $600,000 to complete drainage improvements on Round Swamp Road; $500,000 for Economic Development Corp. acquisition of property and Huntington Station Revitalization; $250,000 for road and drainage improvements at Bagatelle Road; $100,000 for the Dix Hills Pool locker rooms and $175,000 for GIS Technology in the Highway Department.

“We’ve talked things out before so people pretty much know [what’s going on] that if there’s anything glaring that’s an issue, we’ll make a modification,” Petrone said. “After it’s voted on, it becomes the adopted budget, then it gets sent to the county where they do the warrant to decide the tax rate.”

Meet the Candidate nights coming up

2007-10-17T15:36:00.000-04:00

By Deborah S. Morris
deborah.morris@newsday.com

The Huntington Chapter of the NAACP will hold a Meet the Candidates night at Bether AME Church, 1841 New York Avenue, Huntington Station, Thursday Oct. 18 at 7:00 p.m.

The Half Hollow Hills Parent Teacher Association will hold a Meet the Candidates night for Babylon and Huntington candidates, at Half Hollow Hills High School East, 50 Vanderbilt Parkway, Dix Hills, Monday Oct. 22 at 7:00 p.m.

Lloyd Harbor trustee resigns

2007-10-17T10:16:00.000-04:00

Lloyd Harbor Village Trustee Christopher Seniuk has resigned from the board for personal reasons, Mayor Leland Hairr announced this week.

Hairr, who made the announcement Monday night at the village board meeting, said Seniuk had served the village for approximately 15 years. “He served first on the environmental review board and then he was on the village planning board,” Hairr said. “And then for the last approximately seven years . . . he has been a trustee of the village.”

Seniuk, who was not present at Monday’s meeting and could not be reached immediately for comment, was last elected in June 2005. The board will appoint a replacement who will serve until June, when a special election will be held to fill the remaining year on Seniuk’s four-year term.

“We usually appoint someone who has experience in village government . . . who has served on other boards,” Hairr said. He added that Seniuk would be honored at the next board meeting in November.

Vanderbilt projector funding approved

2007-10-17T10:15:00.000-04:00

The Suffolk Legislature voted yesterday 17-1 to $1.5 million to begin replacing the 36-year-old star projector at the Vanderbilt Planetarium in Centerport.

The planetarium has determined that people coming for the star show generate about a half million dollars a year in revenue for the museum. A second phase of funding, for $1.4 million, would be necessary in a later year to complete the replacement of the aging projector. Yesterday’s measure was sponsored by Legis. Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor)

The planetarium, at 180 Little Neck Rd., opened in 1971 on the grounds of the Vanderbilt estate. The main feature of the facility is a 60-foot Sky Theater, where the GOTO star projector can display the sun, moon, stars and planets. According to the museum, the projector can show 11,369 stars, the Milky Way and several deep sky objects, allowing the staff to recreate the visible night sky as seen under perfect observing conditions.

What the neighbors are up to

2007-10-17T07:54:00.000-04:00

The town’s Zoning Board of Appeals meets tomorrow at 6 p.m. to discuss the following:

Centerport

Donna Marano seeks to legalize a detached structure (shed) with finished walls and heat to be used as an art studio, east side of McKinley Terrace, west of Centerport Harbor.

East Northport

James Petrosino / Petrosino and Mannibin Architecture, seeks lot-area, lot-width and front- and side-yard variances for first-floor alterations, proposed second floor, roof-over front porch and to legalize shed, west side of West Point Drive, south of Pulaski Road.

Anthony Carrano seeks a special-use permit to convert to a two-family house with office, legalize enclosed porch and decks and parking of commercial equipment and overnight storage requiring site-plan review and setback relief, north side of Brightside Avenue, east of Larkfield Road.

Richard Haufman seeks relief of merger of tax map 050.00 and 051.00 in order to demolish pool and shed on lot 50, build a home on lot 050 and legalize front (long-street side yard) addition CO 063807, too close to property line and legalize deck, southeast corner of Dickinson Avenue and Grant Street.

Huntington

Sally’s Chocolate Llc seeks to utilize municipal parking lot in lieu of on-site parking to utilize premises for a restaurant, north side of Main Street / Route 25A, east of Wall Street.

John Dicke seeks an area variance to legalize an 8-foot by 12-foot detached shed with a rear roof-over on the property line, east side of Blackberry Lane, south of Cherry Place.

Huntington Station

Dennis and Joan Shin seek a use variance to legalize the nonconforming use of property as a multiple-family house (six apartments), north side of West 19th Street, west of New York Avenue.

Melville

RMB Drafting Services, Inc. seeks rear-yard variance to build a two-car, attached garage and requests to legalize shed and deck in conforming location, southeast corner of Breton Avenue and Saxon Street.

2 arrested in Greenlawn burglary

2007-10-16T17:46:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Commack

A car was broken into yesterday on Motor Parkway and a cell phone, laptop computer and the navigation system were stolen.

A resident on Pumpkin Street said vandals threw a pumpkin through his car window today.

Dix Hills

A 1996 Ram 2500 was stolen yesterday on East Jericho Turnpike.

Greenlawn

Two men were arrested yesterday and charged with the burglary of a house on Crown Avenue that police said took place July 2. The police report said a television, video games and a watch were taken.

Huntington

A screen on a front window of a house on Hemlock Avenue was torn off in what police said could have been a attempted burglary yesterday.

Jewelry, money and a camera were all taken yesterday during a burglary at a house on Tuthill Street.

A couple stole baby formula and a bouquet of flowers yesterday from a store on Jericho Turnpike.

Two bicycles were stolen yesterday from a 7-Eleven store on Greenlawn Road and Route 25A.

Huntington Station

Vandals spray painted graffiti on a building on Lowndes Avenue yesterday.

A window was broken on a office trailer on West 11th Street today and a small amount of money and a cell phone were taken.

Graffiti was found today on a fence on Railroad Street.

Lloyd Harbor

A resident on Abbington Drive told police that her pocketbook was stolen today at St. Patrick’s Church on Route 25A in Huntington.

Melville

A woman was arrested today and charged with a DWI on Pinelawn Road.

Learning about Huntington candidates

2007-10-16T16:16:00.000-04:00

By Deborah S. Morris
deborah.morris@newsday.com

The Northport chapter of the AARP will hold a Meet the Candidates night at the East Northport Public Library, 185 Larkfield Road, tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

The Huntington League of Women Voters, co-sponsored by the AAUW and Huntington Chamber of Commerce, will host and moderate a Meet the Candidates Night Tuesday, Oct. 30, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Harborfields Public Library, 31 Broadway, Greenlawn.

Candidates for the 16th and 17th Suffolk County Legislative Districts, Huntington town clerk, receiver of taxes and town board will be present to answer questions from the public. Attendance is free. For more information, call the League at 631-421-5164.

Here is video of candidates at an earlier meet-the-candidates night in Elwood: the town board, town clerk, receiver of taxes, and county legislature.

In Huntington, we cover the waterfront

2007-10-16T14:31:00.000-04:00

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

The Town of Huntington recently extended its contract with Cashin Associates, the Hauppauge-based engineering firm in charge of preparing the town’s local waterfront revitalization plan (LWRP).

As part of the deal, Cashin will receive $8,000 to conduct an environmental review, which the town had originally planned to conduct itself, according to town officials.

“Initially, the town had planned to complete the environmental review in-house,” said town spokesperson Fran Evans, who noted the environmental review would study the potential ecological impacts of the LWRP. “But the Town Board decided it makes more sense for Cashin to handle it, since they are already handling so much of the project.”

The LWRP is the result of 1981 state legislation that encouraged local municipalities to manage development and protect natural resources. The policy of the plan is to cultivate a pattern of development in coastal areas that enhances community character and preserves open space. Huntington’s LWRP excludes the four incorporated villages of Asharoken, Huntington Bay, Lloyd Harbor, and Northport, which are preparing their own plans.

Five months ago, the town butted heads with residents who were confused over a plan to rezone town-owned underwater land from residential to a “Maritime Zoning” classification, which is needed to get final approval from the state to implement the town’s LWRP plan. Local residents were afraid the rezoning would encroach on their deeded land.

According to Evans, the town’s initial contract with Cashin was approved in 2005 for the amount of $60,000. To date, approximately $57,300 of that allotment has been spent. She was unsure of the timeframe of the environmental review.

Lloyd Harbor passes on traffic change

2007-10-16T09:44:00.001-04:00

Trustees Hilary Rolih, Leland Deane, Ralph Alfenito, Mayor Leland Hairr, Trustees Jean Thatcher and William Walsh during last night's vote about the causeway.

By Tim Healy
tim.healy@newsday.com

After a public hearing in which many residents present opposed a proposal to eliminate a passing zone on the West Neck Road/Lloyd Harbor Road causeway, the Lloyd Harbor village board last night decided to retain the passing lane.

The board did vote to reduce the speed limit on the causeway to 35 mpg, from 45, and on an unrelated measure voted to abolish the village police commission and replace it with a police chief.

Twenty-one residents spoke about the causeway proposals, many expressing frustration with the prospect of driving on the lengthy road without the possibility of passing a slow moving vehicle. The passing zone, two-tenths of a mile, is the only place along the road where a car may legally pass another.

Trustee Hilary Rolih, who made the motions to put the speed and passing ordinances up for a vote, said opponents should accept the longer drive. “I’m willing to take the extra five minutes to ensure the safety of our residents.”

The speed limit resolution passed 5-1, with Trustee Ralph Alfenito, at left, casting the opposing vote. He said he had come prepared to support the measure but was swayed by the opposition residents expressed at the hearing. No member of the board would second Rolih’s motion for a vote on the no-passing measure.

The board asked consultants to perform further studies on the road to see if other changes should be considered. For a portion of the original recommendations from Eschbacher VHB engineering, minus the appendix, click here.

Mayor Leland Hairr, when asked if he were surprised by the outcome of the vote on the passing zone, said, “We were very open to see what kind of comments we were going to get from the residents.”

The board also voted to have a police chief run the village’s 12-member department, replacing the police commission. Since 1985, the village police department has been run by a board of police commissioners consisting of two trustees and a chairperson appointed by the mayor, with the approval of the board of trustees.

Hairr said it was not yet determined who would be named to the police chief position. He said the next step was to work with the Suffolk County Civil Service commission to list the position as open.

Police: Good Samaritan assaulted

2007-10-15T17:45:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Commack

A burglary was discovered Friday at a house on Linda Lane. Police said that the thief brought a ladder to gain access to a window of the house.

Jewelry and money were taken Friday during a burglary at a house on Tara Lane.

Graffiti was found yesterday on a fence at a house on Vera Lane.

Dix Hills

A woman was arrested Friday on Bagatelle Road and charged with false personation after she gave the officer a false name.

Police reported Friday that a shoplifter was arrested at the Pathmark store on Old Country Road.

Two front windows were broken Sunday at an empty house on Millet Street.

East Northport

A mailbox was stolen yesterday from a house on Roosevelt Avenue.

A resident on Saratoga Avenue reported a burglary yesterday. The police report said jewelry and money were taken from the master bedroom of the house.

Police reported yesterday that graffiti was found on the handball court at the park on Cedar Road.

Huntington

A man who witnessed a person trying to steal a woman's purse on Broadway and Depew Street was injured Sunday. Police said the good Samaritan grabbed the thief but was then hit and thrown to the ground by the thief, who ran off with the pocketbook.

Huntington Station

A burglary was discovered Friday at an apartment on 1st Avenue. The resident told police his shotgun, cell phone and a game console were stolen.

A car radio was stolen Sunday on Garyley Place.

A resident on Lynch Street reported that his garage was broken into through a back window Sunday and his chainsaw and other tools were stolen.

A car was broken into yesterday on East 17th Street and a computer and the navigation system were stolen.

A man on East 2nd Street said his bicycle was stolen yesterday.

Northport

Police reported that a man was arrested Sunday after he robbed the Metro Mart on Fort Salonga Road. The owner said the man took money from the cash register.

Vandals damaged the west side of the high school building on Elwood Road yesterday.

West Hills

A woman on Forestdale Drive called police Sunday to report that her ring was stolen. She said she had taken the ring off at a nail salon and forgot it. When she returned to the store the ring was gone.

Junior Welfare League helping out

2007-10-15T14:59:00.000-04:00

By Lynn Petry
lynn.petry@newsday.com

The Junior Welfare League of Huntington’s goal is, “to provide assistance to their struggling neighbors, while enabling them to maintain their anonymity, their independence and their dignity.” Recently, with a donation to the Huntington Department of Parks and Recreation they did just that, by giving more than 250 children ages 7-12 a chance to attend Project Play Camp 2007.

Project Play, which started in the mid-70s, is held at one of the schools in the Huntington school district and is run by the Department of Parks and Recreation. Those that are chosen to attend, based on a family income criteria, enjoy an array of activities, including arts and crafts, outdoor events and field trips. The camp runs for 6 weeks and is overseen by Park Director Don McKay and Project Play’s coordinator Margaret Breland, along with other assistant coordinators and counselors. According to McKay, “the camp is trying to enhance the educational component of the experience, to give the children a fun summer, along with some learning tools to prepare them for the upcoming school year.”

The Junior Welfare League of Huntington, which was founded in 1933 by seven women, funded $7,500 of that camp dream and continues to raise funds for other worthy causes, including holiday charities, health care funds, and what they considered their most important operation, “The Lift Fund” which is a one-time, emergency financial boost which provides monies to pay hospital, medical and dental bills, mortgage or rent payments, food, clothing, utility bills and other expenses to an otherwise normally independent family who might be going through an unexpected crisis.

The League raises funds through events and fundraisers year round. This year will conclude with “A Taste of the Town,” hosted by Appliance World in the Village of Huntington on Nov. 3. The event features tastings and samplings of food prepared from local restaurants, along with raffles, live music, wine and beer, this gathering will benefit their Holiday Charities fund which includes “adopting” local families to provide them with the necessary food, clothing and all the trimmings for a happy holiday.

Early next year in February 2008, The League will host their Winter Gala to celebrate their 75th anniversary with a black tie dinner at the Oheka Castle, with proceeds going toward “The Lift Fund.” A Spring Luncheon will be held on March 27 at the Crescent Club and their annual Wine Soiree with food, live music and raffle baskets available for purchase on June 7 at the historic Vanderbilt Mansion. For information on any of these events or how to become a member of the Junior Welfare League of Huntington or for sponsorship information, email The League at jrwelfareleague@yahoo.com. The League depends solely on voluntary support and donations, enabling 100 percent of their proceeds to be returned to the people of Huntington.

Funding for Vanderbilt star projector

2007-10-15T10:01:00.001-04:00

By Tim Healy
tim.healy@newsday.com

The Suffolk County Legislature is to vote tomorrow on a measure to allocate $1.5 million to begin replacing the 36-year-old star projector at the Vanderbilt Planetarium in Centerport.

“The museum is in agreement that the projector is on its last legs,” explained Legis Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor), “and we really have to move forward at this point.” Cooper, sponsor of the bill, said the planetarium had determined that the people coming for the star show generate about a half million dollars a year in revenue for the museum.

A second phase of funding, for $1.4 million, would be necessary in a later year to complete the project.

“It’s been in the budget for a number of years now,” Cooper said, “but frankly the funds got raided this year and got raided last year and they were reallocated for other programs at the museum.” Cooper said he expected the bill pass overwhelmingly.

The planetarium, at 180 Little Neck Rd., opened in 1971 on the grounds of the Vanderbilt estate. The main feature of the facility is a 60-foot Sky Theater, where the GOTO star projector can display the sun, moon, stars and planets. According to the museum, the projector can show 11,369 stars, the Milky Way and several deep sky objects, allowing the staff to recreate the visible night sky as seen under perfect observing conditions.

Immigration in Huntington

2007-10-15T07:50:00.000-04:00

Businesses along Route 110 show the growing influence of the Hispanic community.

Huntington residents have been proud of their community's tolerance and diversity -- nearly 40 percent of students in the school district are minorities. The town created one of LI's first hiring sites. So a recent controversy over the attention two principals paid to Hispanic students and parents has baffled many. For a look at how changing demographics fueled by immigration -- changes being played out across the country -- have affected this community, click here.

In a related story, a controversial redistricting plan to reduce overcrowding has changed racial and ethnic demographics within schools in the district.

Cast a vote: Who should take control on immigration?

Lloyd Harbor schedules hearing on ending police commission

2007-10-14T09:59:00.000-04:00

The village board in Lloyd Harbor meets tomorrow night to hold public hearings on three proposed laws involving public safety – including a measure to change the way the police department is managed.

Since 1985, the village police department has been run by a board of police commissioners consisting of two trustees and a chairperson appointed by the mayor, with the approval of the board of trustees. The measure being discussed tomorrow night would abolish the board of police commissioners and replace it with a police chief who would report to the board of trustees.

The village arranged for a study by Melito & Associates, a management consulting firm with experience in police operations. The study pointed out only 20 out of 388 police departments in the state are managed by a police commission, with Lloyd Harbor being the only such department among the 22 in Suffolk County.

According to the village, the report concluded that by having a police chief the village “is likely to get the most oversight and operational value for its police dollars spent.”

The village is also holding hearings on laws to reduce the speed limit on the West Neck Road/Lloyd Harbor Road causeway to 35 m.p.h. – to match the rest of the village – and to double stripe the road as a no-passing zone. Both measures were prompted by traffic accidents along the causeway.

The hearings are scheduled to start at 8 p.m. at the Lloyd Harbor Elementary School on School Lane.

Married in Dix Hills

2007-10-14T09:34:00.000-04:00

Diane Bilicki and Michael Darragh were married July 14 at St. Matthew’s Church in Dix Hills. The reception was at Chateau Briand in Carle Place.

She is a teacher in Flushing and is the daughter of Kathy and Jay Bilicki of Dix Hills.

The groom is a financial adviser for Axa Advisors in Manhattan and is the son of Pattie Darragh of Shelton, Conn., and Paul Darragh of Southbury, Conn.

The bride earned a master’s in childhood education from Long Island University’s C.W. Post campus. The groom earned a bachelor’s from Southern Connecticut State University. They live in Flushing.

Oh, the people you'll meet

2007-10-13T07:57:00.001-04:00

So far this month on Huntington Local we've been introduced to . . .

Non-profit angels in Northport.

New members of the Arts Council.

Some brainy high school scientists.

A bookshelf worth of local authors.

And candidates for the town board,
town clerk, receiver of taxes, and county legislature.

Candidates in the 16th Legislative district

2007-10-13T07:53:00.001-04:00

In addition to the candidates for town office at the Elwood Middle School Wednesday for the Elwood Taxpayers Association's annual "Meet the Candidate Night," there were two people running for the county legislature.

Steve Stern is the incumbent Democrat who represents the 16th district. Matt Groh is his Republican challenger.

Here are the two-minute summary remarks each candidate made. (If you jump from one video player to another, turn the earlier one off.)

Click here for the introductory remarks by the four candidates for town board, click here for the candidates for town clerk, and click here for receiver of taxes.

Police beat: 9 items, 8 involve cars

2007-10-12T17:30:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Commack

A woman was arrested yesterday on the West Commack Road exit of the LIE and charged with DWI.

The driver-side window was broken yesterday on a car parked on Townline Road.

The navigation system was stolen yesterday from a car on Motor Parkway.

East Northport

A car on Stoothoff Road was damaged by vandals yesterday.

The driver-side window was found broken yesterday on a car on Jasmine Lane.

A window was broken on a door of a building on 5th Avenue today.

A car was broken into yesterday on Beach Hill Drive and jewelry, clothing and a purse were stolen.

Huntington Station

The owner of a 2007 Honda Element said it was stolen yesterday on Lake Road.

Melville

A window was broken on a car today on Broadhollow Road and the navigation system was stolen.

Beyond reading and writing

2007-10-12T16:49:00.000-04:00

What’s new in Huntington schools? Here’s a sampling of stories:

The bands are coming Sunday for the Home Show.

How to get a schedule for school teams.

One teacher’s brief visit from England.

Meet-the-teachers night draws a crowd.

They've spruced up the grounds at Finley.

Taking taxes in Huntington

2007-10-12T13:09:00.000-04:00

Among the 10 candidates present at the Elwood Middle School Wednesday night for the Elwood Taxpayers Association's annual "Meet the Candidate Night" were Ester Bivona, a Democrat who now holds the post of receiver of taxes, and her Republican challenger, Anthony D'Angelis.

Here are the two-minute introductory remarks each candidate was asked to make. The video of D'Angelis is darker because he decided to speak from in front of his chair instead of at the microphone stand. (If you jump from one video player to another, turn the earlier one off.)

Click here for the introductory remarks by the four candidates for town board, and click here for the candidates for town clerk.

Tomorrow we'll post remarks by the candidates for the county legislature's 16th district.

War scenes coming to West Hills

2007-10-12T12:34:00.000-04:00

As Veterans Day approaches, the Walt Whitman Birthplace is preparing an exhibit of the work of George Withers, a war artist overseas during World War II who took pictures of battle scenes.

Withers sent home to his family illustrated letters, watercolors, pen and ink drawings and pencil sketches that will make up the exhibit, according to the birthplace, which is a state historic site and interpretive center. The artist was a magazine illustrator for the Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, The New York Times, Newsweek, and Redbook, among other publications. A member of the Society of Illustrators in New York, his style ranged from photo-realism to abstract art, and his most popular works were whimsical, romantic, and sometimes humorous.

The exhibit opens Saturday, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m., with a reception to follow until 5. Admission is $3 for non-members; WWBA members FREE. The birthplace is at 246 Old Walt Whitman Road, West Hills. For more information, call 631-427-5240 or visit www.waltwhitman.org.

Running for Huntington town clerk

2007-10-12T11:33:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday night, the Elwood Taxpayers Association held its annual "Meet the Candidate Night" at the Elwood Middle School.

Here are the opening comments from the two candidates for town clerk. (If you jump from one video player to another, turn the earlier one off.)

Jim Kelly is the Democratic challenger.

Jo-Ann Raia is the Republican incumbent.

For statements by the four candidates for town board, click here.

Later today we'll post videos of the candidates for receiver of taxes.

Happening in town this weekend

2007-10-12T09:56:00.001-04:00

Youngsters fishing in Cold Spring Harbor during last year's fair.

SATURDAY

Centerport

"Little Red and The Hoods”: "Little Red Riding Hood” told with modern lessons; audience-participation play for youngsters, 4 p.m. at Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Rd., $9, 516-293-0674.

Cold Spring Harbor

Fish Hatchery Fall Fair: Exhibits by environmental groups and conservationists, children's games, fishing for younger than 12, ($2 for 10 minutes), music, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery and Aquarium, 1660 Rte. 25A, $5 adult, $3 3-17 and older than 65, free younger than 3, cshfha.org, 516-692-6768.

Greenlawn

Festival: Buffet, square dancing, caricaturist, face painting, raffles, prizes, auction, benefits Camp Pa-Qu-Tuck for handicapped children, 6 p.m. at Moose Lodge, 631 Pulaski Rd., $35, $15 younger than 12, 631-543-2839.

Huntington

My Sinatra: Featuring Cary Hoffman performing "My Sinatra, The Songs and the Stories,” 8 p.m. at Inter-Media Art Center, 370 New York Ave., $37.50, imactheater.org, 631-549-2787.

SUNDAY

Cold Spring Harbor

Presentation: "Thar She Blows: The Hunt for Oil Then and Now,” by Alexandra Hilgeman, a Girl Scout Gold Award Project, 4:45 p.m. at Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum, 301 Main St. (Route 25A), free, cshwhalingmuseum.org, 631-367-3418.

SPLIA Exhibit: ”Antiques That Speak: Collecting Long Island's Past,” acquisitions including paintings, furniture, Colonial clothing and Civil War swords, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, through Jan. 31, at Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities, Main Street and Shore Road, $1, splia.org, 631-692-4664.

Dix Hills

Fall Festival: Pumpkin patch, vendors, face painting, noon-4 p.m. at Dix Hills United Methodist Church, 400 Deer Park Ave., free, 631-499-2831.

"The Secret Garden”: Musical based on the 1909 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett about an orphaned girl who returns to Britain from India and moves in with her widowed uncle and his ailing son and discovers a garden favored by his former wife, 2 p.m. at Five Towns College, Dix Hills Center for the Performing Arts at Five Towns College, 305 N. Service Rd., $15, $12 seniors / students, dhpac.org, 631-656-2148.

Huntington

Apple Festival: Celebrate the harvest season with family-friendly activities, traditional music and dancing, noon-4 p.m. at Daniel W. Kissam House Museum, 434 Park Ave., free, 631-427-7045, ext. 401.

Art Exhibit: "Symbol and Myth: A Personal Journey,” 1-5 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, through Oct. 28, at Huntington Library, 338 Main St., free, 631-427-5165.

Author Lectures: The Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition presents, "At the Bibliotheque” featuring a different guest speaker for each program, 1:30 p.m. at Huntington Library, 338 Main St., $20 per lecture, hbcac.org, 631-547-1518.

Embracing Our Differences: Exhibit of 39 billboard-size artworks on display through Oct. 31, a project of the Suffolk County Center on the Holocaust, Diversity & Human Understanding at Heckscher Park, 2 Prime Ave. at Route 25A, free, farmingdale.edu, 631-420-2400.

Huntington Station

Art Exhibit: "Romantic Expressionism” features oil paintings by artist Edward Tabachnik at Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site and Interpretive Center, 246 Old Walt Whitman Rd., $4, $3 seniors / college students, free younger than 18, waltwhitman.org, 631-427-5240.

Poet Of The Year Ceremony: Vince Clemente is honored and reads from his works, 3 p.m. at Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site and Interpretive Center, 246 Old Walt Whitman Rd., $3, waltwhitman.org, 631-247-5240.

Recital Series: Pianist Olga Vinokur performs, 2:30 p.m. at South Huntington Library, 145 Pidgeon Hill Rd., free, 631-549-4411.

Northport

"Burying Grounds, Art, History and Genealogy”: Exhibit features tombstones and mourning artifacts, the history of families buried in local cemeteries, mourning customs and the art of tombstone carving, through March, 1-4:30 p.m. at Northport Historical Society and Museum, 215 Main St., $3, northporthistorical.org, 631-757-9859.

"Jekyll and Hyde”: Musical thriller based on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic story, 2 p.m. Sunday, 2 and 8 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, through Nov. 11, at John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., $55, 631-261-2900.

Car break-in in Fort Salonga

2007-10-11T17:50:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Dix Hills

The owner of a Mercedes parked on Euclid Avenue said the car was keyed by vandals yesterday.

East Northport

Two Dyson vacuum cleaners were stolen yesterday from a store on East Jericho Turnpike.

Fort Salonga

A car was broken into today on Beach Hill Drive and items were stolen.

Greenlawn

The owner of Greenlawn Stationery on Broadway told police that he had a film of a woman shoplifting mugs and coin banks yesterday.

Huntington

The owner of a building on West Jericho Turnpike told police it was damaged by vandals yesterday.

Elwood tax group meets the candidates

2007-10-11T16:21:00.000-04:00

Ten candidates were on hand Wednesday night when the Elwood Taxpayers Association held its annual "Meet the Candidate Night" at the Elwood Middle School.

Candidates were given two minutes to make introductory remarks, and then they answered questions from the group for nearly two hours before giving concluding statements.

Here are the opening comments from the four candidates for the Town Board. (If you jump from one video player to another, turn the earlier one off.)

Susan Berland is a Democratic incumbent.

Bill Dowler is a Republican challenger.

Glenda Jackson is an incumbent Democrat.

Deborah Poulos is a challenger on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Tomorrow we'll post video of statements by the candidates for town clerk and receiver of taxes. On Saturday, we plan to post statements by candidates for the county's 16th legislative district.

Study of Internet use in South Huntington

2007-10-11T15:42:00.000-04:00

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

Nearly 100 students and parents from Stimson Middle School will participate in a cyberspace study this fall designed to measure the consistency between parent perception of their children’s Internet usage and the reality.

“No cyber study has looked at parents and kids at the same time,” said Tim Eagen, South Huntington School District’s supervisor of assessment, mathematics and science and a doctoral student at Hofstra University, who is conducting the study as part of a dissertation. “I want to determine if parents really know as much as they think they know about what their child is doing online.”

To start, Eagen said he’s been inviting parents at Stimson’s various evening events to participate. As of last week, he’d secured 50 families, who will begin by completing a confidential survey.

Being a district employee, Eagen said he chose Stimson for “convenience purposes,” while noting that 85 percent of youngsters establish regular online habits by the seventh grade.

“My ultimate goal is to improve student safety, specifically online,” said Eagen, whose project was approved by the superintendent and board of education in late August.

Greenlawn post taking care of flags

2007-10-11T12:42:00.000-04:00

Dennis Madden – vice commander of Post 1244 – “Poppa Joe” Favaloro, Mike Calderone, Rio, Ceasar Santos and Dennis Giunta with the box.

By taking a mailbox headed for recycling and giving it a new mission, American Legion Post 1244 in Greenlawn has made it a little easier to properly dispose of frayed, weathered or soiled American flags.

According to Post 1244’s second vice commander, Dennis Giunta, the post, with Boy Scout Troop 32 of Greenlawn and the Greenlawn Fire Department disposes of discarded flags in a proper ceremony in which the flags are consumed by fire after a service honoring them. It is considered a show of great disrespect to throw a flag out in the trash.

To give people a place to drop off flags, Post Commander Bob Santo, working with Assemb. Andrew Raia (R-Huntington), obtained the mailbox from Postmaster John Juray of the Northport Post Office.

Legionnaire Rob Scarpelli took the mailbox to his Castle Collision shop for an undercoating of automotive white. Then it was transferred to Cycle-Delics of Bay Shore, a motorcycle custom paint and fabrication shop, where “Poppa Joe” Favaloro, Mike Calderone, “Rio” and Ceasar Santos designed and painted the mailbox into a flag collection box. The work at both locations was done for free, and Giunta supervised the operation.

Earlier this month, with approval from Dr. William Swart , superintendent of schools for the Elwood School District,and with the cooperation of Dr. Virginia Cancroft, principal at Harley Avenue School, the Old Glory Deposit Box was placed in the lobby of the school for parents and students to deposit their worn out flags. The box is in the James Boyd Intermediate School now and will move to the Elwood Middle School next week. It will continue to move from school to school about once a week, according to Giunta.

Arrest in Huntington Station theft

2007-10-10T17:58:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Cold Spring Harbor

The front door was reported broken yesterday at the Bank of America on Main Street in what was thought to be a attempt to enter the building.

East Northport

A woman was arrested yesterday and charged with stealing assorted clothing and bedding from the Sears store on East Jericho Turnpike.

Fort Salonga

A resident on Meadow Glen Road said his lawn mower was stolen from his driveway yesterday.

Huntington Station

A man was arrested yesterday and charged with shoplifting at Starbucks on Route 25.

Police reported yesterday that eight blank prescription pads were stolen from a dermatologist's office on Oakwood Road. The doctor told them a pharmacy called her to check when someone tried to use one of them.

A woman called police today from the Big H laundromat to report that her money was stolen from her wallet. A suspect was arrested.

Commack woman dies after house fire

2007-10-10T13:06:00.000-04:00

A woman who was rescued from a burning house in Commack last month has died of her injuries, according to Suffolk police.

Mary E. Feltham, 78, died yesterday. An investigation into the Sept 2. fire is continuing, police said.

Police and the Commack Fire Department responded to the blaze, at 42 Walter Court, Commack, at about 8:36 p.m. After determining that the woman was still in the house, Commack Fire Chief Salvatore Formica entered the home and took her out. She was taken to the University Hospital at Stony Brook by Suffolk County Police helicopter where her condition had been listed as critical.

What was that noise? Go to the videotape.

2007-10-10T07:46:00.000-04:00

The Huntington Lighthouse foghorn is back after a three-year absence, but for a few days it wouldn't stop sounding. It's fixed now, but if you missed it, you can click above for a video report from when the horn was blaring, or here for Bill Bleyer's story from this morning's Newsday.

They're making the Dilly Beans

2007-10-10T07:43:00.000-04:00

Volunteers Heather Tucker, Lori Kepler, Priscilla Jahier, and Carole Witkowski, above, are preparing a specialty called, "Dilly Beans" for the Country Store booth at the Fall Fair scheduled at the Old First Presbyterian Church of Huntington on Saturday, Oct. 27.

Kepler explains:

Dilly beans are like pickles, but they are beans with a brine poured over them. We put them in jars and "can" them. It's sort of old fashioned, but that is why they sell so well. People just don't have the time to make things like "Dilly Beans." By the way they do not have any sugar in them.

Each year volunteers create home baked goods, crafts, and other Country Store items for the fair. Other booths at the fair include: a silent auction, collectibles, books, clothing boutique, toys, white elephant items, vintage linens, jewelry, rummage, silk flower arrangements, and – new this year – a golf shop.

Old First Church is located at 125 Main St., Huntington Village, across from Town Hall. Lunch will be available, featuring homemade chicken salad, homemade clam chowder, and homemade desserts, such as apple pie. The fair runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and proceeds go to local, national, and international charities.

Cops: Forgery charge in East Northport

2007-10-09T17:26:00.001-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Commack

A window was reported broken yesterday on a car on South Ketay Drive and clothing left in the auto was taken.

East Northport

A man was arrested and charged with possession of a forged instrument at the Washington Mutual Bank in the Huntington Square Mall yesterday.

Huntington Station

The owner of a restaurant on Route 25 said vandals broke his windows yesterday.

Three men were arrested yesterday and charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic on Route 25 and Melville Road after they were thrown out of a club in the area.

Melville

A employee at a company on Pinelawn Road called police yesterday after he found pellet gunshot holes in all four windows of his car.

Huntington-area authors among LI writers to be honored

2007-10-09T11:31:00.000-04:00

Oheka Castle in Huntington, subject of a book by Robert King

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

When Melville native Robert King was in high school, he remembers seeing the Oheka Castle in Huntington looming above the trees one day. At the time, it was being held in lieu of back taxes until developer Gary Melius purchased the site and later hired King to document the painstaking restoration of the 109,000-square-foot mansion in 1984.

“The mansion-filled Gold Coast represents the heyday of Long Island,” said King, who had previously written a book on nearby Ferguson’s Castle in Huntington Bay in 1976. “Having grown up on Long Island, I witnessed the decline of the Gold Coast firsthand, but there was so little written about the homes. My goal is to preserve this era so the memory of these architectural masterpieces can live on.”

King isn’t alone in his passion of the pen. Throughout Long Island, there’s a laundry list of Long Islanders who race home every night to sit in a dimly-lit room with a laptop and a drop of inspiration, according to local writer Valentina Janek of West Hempstead.

"There’s a lot of great writers on Long Island that people don’t even know about,” said Janek, president of Profusion, a local public relations agency. “Sure, we might not be household names, but with the right information and motivation anyone can write a book.”

For the last year, Janek – in conjunction with The Friends of the West Hempstead Public Library – has been planning a celebratory reception to honor little-known writers who call Long Island their home. On Thursday, Oct. 18, the event will materialize when 15 authors – and as many as to 300 visitors – come together in an intimate meet-and-greet fundraiser for the West Hempstead Public Library, which unveils its new $10 million facility this week.

The top honoree is King, who’s authored three books on Long Island’s Gold Coast – including “Raising a Fallen Treasure” in 1984 – which tells the restoration story of Oheka. Another local honoree is Kevin Durst of Greenlawn, whose book, “Glitter That was Once Gold,” is a self-proclaimed, 100-page “bathroom read” filled with trivia on Long Island’s Gilded Age.

“My box of photos and clippings got too big, so I decided to put it into book form,” joked Durst, left, a healthcare manager for New York Hospital of Queens, who sells about 25 books a month through the Book Revue in Huntington. “There’s a lot of people writing stuff who aren’t getting recognized, so this event helps raise awareness for Long Island authors.”

The third local honoree is Jim Ryan of Northport, an inspirational speaker whose book, “Simple Happiness,” shows us how everyday can be a new opportunity to experience joy.

“Writers aren’t always taken seriously, and that’s why this reception is so important,” said Janek, who ultimately hopes to expand the event to other Long Island libraries. “Our local authors are a dedicated bunch, and it’s an honor to give them the spotlight.”

Other authors to be honored are Steven H. Post of Farmingdale, Diane Baumann-Corrado of Baldwin, Gerri Harkins of Port Jefferson Station, Lynn Broder of Rockville Centre, Sheila and Letty Sustrin of Deer Park, Tim McHeffey of Center Moriches, and Lori Gershon of Bethpage.

The Long Island Distinctive Authors Reception is slated for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 18. Tickets are $50, and proceeds benefit the West Hempstead Public Library and its programs.

What the neighbors are up to

2007-10-09T10:29:00.000-04:00

Compiled by Lynn Petry

The town's Zoning Board of Appeals meets Thursday at 6 p.m. to consider the following:

Centerport
Northeast Drafting seeks a front-yard variance to build an enclosed front porch, west side of Washington Drive, south of Van Buren Street.

Commack
Public Storage seeks a special-use permit to construct a second, two-story building with each floor having an area of 31,350 square feet and total building area of 62,700 square feet, where not more than one main building on a lot is permitted, floor area greater than 60 percent, south side of Jericho Turnpike, west of Calvert Avenue.

Huntington
Jeffrey Richey seeks a special-use permit in order to receive site-plan approval for use of municipal parking lot in order to convert existing building for office retail space on first floor, two, one-bedroom apartments on second floor and cellar storage, on the east side of New York Avenue, north of Gerard Street.

Huntington Station
Joseph E. Shwereb seeks a front- and side yard variance to remove existing enclosed porch and build a two-story addition and build a front roofed over porch, west of Fernwood Road, north of Foxwood Drive.

Anthony and Suzanne Marrone seek a buffer requirement for parking to build a 26-foot by 38-foot detached garage, northeast corner of Birchwood Drive and Hare Place.

Warren Almquist AIA seeks a special-use permit and parking requirements to legalize the existing U-Haul Center for truck rental and self-storage facility, which has occupied the property without obtaining the required permits since 1978, north side of Jericho Turnpike, east of Homecrest Avenue.

Maximilliano Sanchez seeks a front-yard variance to legalize conversion of front porch to living space and to replace expired building permits for a second-story rear addition and detached shed, south side of East 11th Street, west of First Avenue.

Cops: Burglary, beating in Huntington Station

2007-10-08T16:46:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

...
Centerport

A driver-side window was broken on a car on Ridgefield Street on Saturday.

Dix Hills

The driver-side window was broken on a car on Pineacres Boulevard on Saturday.

Fort Salonga

A resident on Hayes Hill Drive reported that a pair of diamond earrings were missing from her house on Saturday.

Greenlawn

A real estate agent called police to report a burglary at a vacant house on Croley Street on Saturday. The police report said a air conditioning unit had been pushed in to gain entry.

Halesite

The owner of a Volkswagen bug found the rear windshield broken on Saturday.

Huntington

A lawn mower was stolen from a yard on Lafayette Street on Saturday.
A man was arrested on East 12th Street and charged with driving while intoxicated on Saturday.
A 1994 Volvo sedan was stolen on Prime Avenue yesterday.

Huntington Station

A man was arrested on East Carver Street and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and disorderly conduct on Saturday.
The owner of a 2000 Acura told police it was stolen on West Pulaski Road on Saturday.
Police reported yesterday that a homeless man told them he was hit in the head while he was sleeping in the park on East 5th Street. He was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries.
Police reported that a resident on West 10th Street was beaten during a burglary at his house yesterday and was taken to a hospital. The man told them a large amount of money was taken but did not provide any other information.

Melville

A utility shed at a house on Wintergreen Drive was broken into yesterday and tools and a compressor were stolen.
A clerk at a 7-Eleven store on Broadhollow Road said a customer started a argument with him and then hit him on Saturday. The police report did not indicate what caused the fight.
An Old East Neck Road homeowner said his mailbox was stolen yesterday.
An employee at a company on Pinelawn Road called police today after he found pellet gunshot holes in all four windows of his car.

Compiled by Joy Vestal

Cold Spring Harbor Lab selects four local students

2007-10-08T13:55:00.000-04:00

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

Four students from the Town of Huntington are among seven islandwide participating in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s "Partners for the Future" program, which allows them to conduct original biomedical research with a mentor. To participate, students were selected from 1,200 applicants islandwide.

"I’m studying the genome of a model plant called arabidopsis thaliana to see how particular genes can affect the mutations of the plant," said Kristen DePre, 17, a senior at Cold Spring Harbor High School, noting that findings could then apply to human biology.

"I’ll be training rats to respond to different odors, and then see if we can inhibit their choices to gain a better understanding of how the brain works," said Bobby Klein, 17, a senior at Cold Spring Harbor High School. "This is all research that’s never been done."

Other students participating are Madelein Jensen of Huntington High School, Katelyn Melgar of North Shore High School, Daniel Minkin of Portledge School in Locust Valley, Damian Moskal of Glen Cove High School, and Sweta Sanghavi of Floral Park High School.

Town board wraps up first debate

2007-10-05T16:52:00.000-04:00

Deborah S. Morris
deborah.morris@newsday.com

The first debate of the election season for the Huntington town board saw candidates grilled by members of the local chapter of the AARP.

The candidates, incumbents Susan Berland and Glenda Jackson and challengers Bill Dowler and Deborah Poulos, were grilled for about an hour over issues such as illegal apartments, code enforcement, affordable housing and taxes.

Bob Hauslein, 82, a retired worker with the Pall corporation, said he found the debate unsatisfactory because the candidates waffled when responding to his questions about illegal housing.

“The candidates didn’t really answer questions,” said Hauslein from Halesite. “I wanted to know if the code enforcement, in their opinion, is currently adequate. Yes or no, and if it’s not, do they need more inspectors. It was very simple.”

He said he planned to attend more debates, but admitted he was impressed by at least one of the candidates. Mimi Taylor, 74, a lifelong resident of Huntington and a retired bookkeeper, said her number one issue she would like the town board to deal with is taxes.

“I would like to see a reduction in the school tax which they talk about, but honestly I don’t think it’s going to happen in my lifetime,” Taylor said.

She said she was pleased with the questions and the issues that were raised and was particularly intrigued with some of the responses from the town board candidates.

“I had pretty much made up my mind who I was going to vote for for the board,” Taylor said. “But I might change based upon what they said today. I like what they said."

Also on the dais for the debate were Legis. Steven Stern (D-Dix Hills) running for re-election in the 16th legislative district and his Republican, Conservative and Integrity party challenger William Groh; Bobby Cook running to represent the 17th legislative district on the Republican ticket; Incumbent Town Clerk Jo-Ann Raia; Receiver of Taxes Ester Bivona and her Republican and Conservative party opponent Anthony D’Angelis.

The next debate, sponsored by the Elwood Taxpayers Association, is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 10 at the Elwood Middle School at 8 p.m.

Columbus Day Parade set to embark

2007-10-05T13:03:00.000-04:00

By Deborah S. Morris
deborah.morris@newsday.com

The Town of Huntington will host Long Island’s largest Columbus Day Parade on Sunday, Oct. 7. The parade, sponsored by the Order Sons of Italy in America, kicks off at 12:30 and has it’s Grand Marshals New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and John Caracciolo, president of the The Morey Organization. The Parade route will follow Main Street (Route 25A) in Huntington, beginning at the YMCA and Park Avenue and proceeding west to West Neck Road and Gerard Street.

The Huntington Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival will be in full swing once the parade is over. Paradegoers can look forward to food, carnival rides and games as well as a beer and wine tasting tent. Jets and Giant fans should not despair about missing the game. A 60-inch plasma HDTV showing the match up will be featured in the beer and wine tent.

Cops: Bank robbery in East Northport

2007-10-05T09:58:00.000-04:00

East Northport

A burglary was reported at a vacant house on 5th Avenue on Wednesday.
A robbery was reported at the Chase Bank on Larkfield Road on Wednesday. The robber gave a teller a note that said there was a package with a bomb in the bank. After the robbery, the police closed down Larkfield Road for part of the day and they later said the package contained a phony bomb.
A woman on Pulaski Road told police her bicycle was stolen on Wednesday.
A burglary was reported at a vacant house on Derby Avenue on Wednesday. The owner told police he found the door locks broken when he went to the house.

Huntington

A man was arrested and charged with menacing with a weapon on Wall Street on Wednesday. The police report said he threatened another person with a steak knife during a argument.
Both license plates were stolen from a car on Healy Street on Wednesday.

Melville

Residents on Rivendale Court said vandals damaged their cars on Wednesday. The driver-side mirror was broken on one of the autos.
A resident on Green Hills Road called police to report a burglary on Thursday. The man said he found his back door broken and damage in the house.

Compiled by Joy Vestal

L.I. Fall Festival kicks off tomorrow

2007-10-04T15:07:00.000-04:00

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

If you’re planning a visit to the Long Island Fall Festival this weekend, make sure to get a good night’s rest.

This year, the Huntington Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Huntington plan to pack Heckscher Park with a record number of visitors from as far as New Jersey and Connecticut – if the weather cooperates, of course.

"Right now, the forecast is looking good, but I’m still keeping my fingers crossed," said Larry Kushnick, the festival’s chairman, who expects to attract "hundreds of thousands" of people from Oct. 5-8. "Every year, we try to make the festival a little bit better."

In its 14th year, the free-of-charge festival is considered the largest festival on Long Island with several hundred vendors ranging from civic organizations to restaurants to retailers. The event will also contain four stages, a world-class carnival, two international food courts, wine and micro-brew beer tasting, a farmer’s market, and numerous children’s activities.

"By walking around the park just once, people can see hundreds of businesses they normally wouldn’t have seen," said Kushnick. "This festival helps to promote the town, but more importantly it helps local performers and retail stores to attract new customers."

Other events include an autograph session by former New York Jet Marty Lyons, pony rides, and a re-enactment of a revolutionary encampment by the Huntington Militia.

"Our big event is a concert by Deborah Gibson on Saturday night," said Kushnick, noting that previous year’s music acts ranged from the Village People to Nine Days.

"To pull off this festival, it takes a tremendous amount of people working together on everything from securing vendors to obtaining town and health permits," said Kushnick, adding that this year’s top three sponsors are Verizon, Optimum and Home Depot. "This also lets us give back to the community, so I hope everyone enjoys themselves."

For more information on the 2007 Long Island Fall Festival and a schedule of events, visit the official website: http://www.lifallfestival.com/.

Cops: iPhone, digital camera and vacuum stolen

2007-10-03T16:50:00.000-04:00

Commack

A resident on Cutchogue Lane reported that his van was damaged by vandals on Monday.
Security personnel at the Costco store on Garet Place called police to report that a man was caught stealing a Kodak digital camera valued at $189 on Monday.

Dix Hills

A man was arrested on Old Brook Road and charged with menacing on Monday.
A contractor at a work site on Lamplight Lane told police that tools were stolen on Tuesday.

East Northport

A Dyson vacuum cleaner worth $120 was stolen at the Bed Bath & Beyond store on Jericho Turnpike on Monday.
A rear window and mirror were broken on a car parked on Vernon Valley Road on Monday.

Huntington

A attempted burglary was reported at a store on Route 25 on Monday. The police said a back door was pried open but the building was not entered.
Vandals spray painted a green Nissan Frontier SUV with white paint in the Long Island Rail Road parking lot on Monday.
An iPhone was stolen from the Apple store in the Walt Whitman Mall on Tuesday.

Huntington Station

The wheels and rims were stolen from a car on West 10th Street on Monday.
A computer was stolen from the basement office of a house on West 11th Street during a burglary on Tuesday.
A man was caught stealing beer from the King Kullen store on East Jericho Turnpike on Tuesday.

Melville

A resident on Adriatic Drive said her car was damaged by vandals on Tuesday.
Newsday reported that the gold Pultizer Prize medals that the paper had won during the years were stolen from their safe in the building on 235 Pinelawn Road.
A man was seen stealing a pair of sneakers from the Marshalls store on Route 110 on Tuesday. Security personnel chased him but he got away.

South Huntington

An Equinox was vandalized on New York Avenue on Monday.

West Hills

Two men were caught and arrested for burglary at a store on Jericho Turnpike and Paumonak Drive on Monday, after the owner called police telling them he heard noises and saw two men in the store. The police report said the two entered the building through a second-floor window and took money.

Compiled by Joy Vestal

Arts Council welcomes new board members

2007-10-03T12:24:00.001-04:00

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

The Huntington Arts Council announced the addition of two new board members last week: Kenneth H. Baer of Dix Hills and Patrick Zerbo of Cold Spring Harbor. The two were selected based on leadership and fundraising skills, council officials said.

"[Their] innovative abilities will be greatly appreciated," said Diana J. Cherryholmes, the council’s executive director. "We look forward to working with them and expanding our fundraising efforts to have a greater overall impact on the cultural life of Long Island."

Baer is currently vice president of investments at Baer Financial Group-UBS Financial Services in Melville. He’s previously served on several boards in an executive capacity.

Meanwhile, Zerbo is director of sales for J. D’Addario & Company in Farmingdale, which designs, manufactures and markets musical strings, drumheads and other accessories.

"His communications skills will be a huge help to us, especially because of his interest in reaching more young people through our Arts in Education program," said
Cherryholmes.

In other news, the Arts Council recently commenced its third silent art auction, "L’Art pour L’Art – A Silent Affair," which features work from council artist members in oil, pastel, watercolor, photography and sculpture. Proceeds will help fund council programs at the Main Street Petite Gallery in Huntington and the Art-trium Gallery in Melville.

Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday until Nov. 2. For more information, visit the Huntington Arts Council’s website at huntingtonarts.org.

Photos: Kenneth H. Baer and Patrick Zerbo (left-to-right) and Webster Stokeley's "Joanne With Flowers" painting on display as part of the silent auction.

Northport Angels earn their wings

2007-10-02T16:45:00.000-04:00

By Lynn Petry
lynn.petry@newsday.com

Angels have been found in many religions, and now they’ve been spotted in Northport.

Long time friends, Luke Kennedy and Michael Pellegrino, have formed the Northport Angels Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises money for local families in need. Recently, they raised funds to help a local family battle cancer. Their venue was the Great Cow Harbor 10-Kilometer Run held in September.

Along with contributions from more than 100 runners and the sale of t-shirts, they raised $5,000 that went directly to 9-year-old Alec Campo of East Northport, who suffers from a bone cancer called Osteosarcoma. The two young men heard about Alec and his illness through Luke’s younger brother and they immediately decided to reach out and help him and his family.

Raising money for those in need is not new for Kennedy, who ran in the New York City Marathon last year to raise money for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. This year, on Nov. 4, he’ll be running in the New York City Marathon to raise money not only for Sloan-Kettering, but for Alec and the Angels Foundation. After that, Pellegrino and Kennedy plan on raising money during the holidays with local food and toy drives.

The reception that the Angels have gotten from others has been overwelming.

“Everyone knows someone who has cancer, in their family’s circle, a friend’s friend, a neighbor, everyone. We’ve just decided to do something about it,” says Pellegrino, who won’t be running the race on Nov. 4, but cheering from the sidelines. "We want people to contact us if they’re in need, that’s why we’re doing this.”

All the information on the Northport Angel Foundation and their fundraisers is posted on their website: http://www.northportangels.com/.

Pictured above: William Smith and Michael Pellegrino of the Northport Angels were awarded town proclamations for their 10K run last month.

Methods to avoid home foreclosure

2007-10-02T12:38:00.000-04:00

By Deborah Morris
deborah.morris@newsday.com

The Community Development Corporation of Long Island will hold a free seminar on how to avoid home foreclosure in Huntington. Hosted by Councilwomen Glenda Jackson, the seminar, Hope For Homeowners: Taking Positive Steps to Avoid Foreclosure, will cover pertinent methods to avoid the foreclosure of your house, as well as discuss options in the event of such a situation. The event takes place Monday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. in the town board room. To RSVP, call Susannah Mrazek at 631-351-3270.

Commack teacher on expedition in Nova Scotia

2007-10-02T12:33:00.000-04:00

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Robert Minott, a fifth-grade teacher at Burr Intermediate School in Commack, received an Earthwatch Educator fellowship allowing him to track mammals in Nova Scotia this month. He was the award’s only New York recipient, according to Earthwatch Institute.

"This is the perfect opportunity to use 21st-century technology to bring the far reaches of the world into the classroom," said Minott, who received $5,000 as part of the fellowship.

During the expedition, Minott and two Chicago educators will assist a field researcher in setting camera traps, walking transects and observing the behaviors of raccoons, porcupines and other animals to determine how human activity can impact temperate ecosystems. He'll also communicate with students worldwide through the Earthwatch web site and blog.

"My school and classes around the world have been following this expedition," said Minott, who noted the district could apply the Earthwatch material to its curriculum. "My school’s principal is at the forefront of supporting this type of classroom education."

Cops: Wallet taken at gunpoint in Huntington

2007-10-01T18:08:00.000-04:00

Commack

A contractor told police there was ongoing vandalism at his job site on Scholar Lane. He said he found work signs and safety lights broken Friday.

A windshield was broken Friday on a car parked on the corner of Hayrick and Scholar Lanes.

A van in the Home Depot parking lot on Crooked Hill Road was broken into Saturday and money, the radio and tools were stolen.

A woman was caught shoplifting Saturday at the Kohl’s store on Crooked Hill Road. The security personnel at the store told police she took Burberry perfume, a blouse, a vest and sneakers.

Tools were stolen from a van at the Costco store on Garet Place Saturday.

A woman told police her money was taken from her wallet Sunday at the Hamlet Golf and Country Club on Clubhouse Drive.

Security personnel at the Target store on Henry Street said they caught a man stealing two Tru Tech televisions valued at $600 yesterday.

Dix Hills

A woman was arrested Friday on Route 231 and charged with driving with a revoked license and giving a police officer the wrong name and other information.

The front windshield was broken yesterday on a car on Stratford Avenue.

East Northport

A man was arrested yesterday on Baylor Place and charged with criminal contempt and disobeying a court order.

Greenlawn

A Kirkland Drive resident reported Friday that vandals damaged her fence.

A house being built on Kirkland Drive was broken into Friday and copper piping was stolen.

A landscaper’s trailer was broken into Friday on Broadway and a chain saw, rope and a rake were stolen.

A burglary was reported yesterday at a house on Frazer Drive. The police report said entry was made through the garage.

A safe with jewelry and a 42-inch television were taken during a burglary at a house on Hofstra Drive yesterday.

Huntington

A man on Woodhull Road told police his wallet was taken when he was robbed at gunpoint Friday.

A Dunlop Road resident told police yesterday that a large group of youths was knocking over the mailboxes on his street.

A man was arrested and charged with robbery yesterday on Woodull Road. The police report said he robbed a person at gunpoint and took $60.

A side window was broken on a car yesterday on Brooks Avenue.

A sign was found broken yesterday on the Huntington Jewish Center property on Park Avenue.

Huntington Station

A motorist called police from the intersection of Lowndes and New York Avenue Saturday to report that a group of youths were throwing rocks at the passing cars.

A burglary was discovered yesterday at the Oakwood Country Deli on Oakwood Road. The police report said entry was made through a vent on the side of the building that set off the burglar alarm. Cigarettes and some small change were taken.

A man on New York Avenue told police he was robbed yesterday by three men.

A man said he was assaulted and robbed yesterday on Fairgrounds Avenue and East 6th Street.

Melville

A resident on Old Bridge Court said a window was pried open in a attempt to enter his house Friday.

A woman was arrested and charged with a DWI yesterday at the exit of Northern State Parkway and Pinelawn Road.

West Hills

The owner of a 2005 BMW said it was stolen Saturday on Equestrian Court.

Raising funds for breast cancer

2007-10-01T17:16:00.001-04:00

Linda Behrman, a student at Katharine Gibbs School, was on campus during a Gibbs flea market last month to help raise funds in the name of classmate and breast cancer patient Lee Scheeler. Behrman, who represented the Huntington chapter of the Breast Cancer Coalition at the flea market, raised $120 and plans to organize a special Breast Cancer Awareness Day in this month at Gibbs’ Melville campus. She is from North Merrick.

3 veterans with books on tap in Huntington

2007-10-01T16:22:00.000-04:00

In partnership with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, three soldiers who served in Iraq will be speaking about and signing their books about their tours of duty on Thursday, Oct. 11, at Book Revue in Huntington.

IAVA Executive Director 1st Lieutenant Paul Rieckhoff will speak about and sign his book “Chasing Ghosts – Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective.” Army Specialist Colby Buzzell will speak about and sign his book, “My War: Killing Time in Iraq,” and Sergeant Jason Christopher Hartley will speak about and sign his book, “Just Another Soldier.”

Each book is an account of the war in Iraq given by the soldiers who served there.

Band show at Walt Whitman

2007-10-01T16:17:00.000-04:00

Music fans, take note. Walt Whitman High School's Wildcats marching band is hosting its home show Saturday Oct.13.

The competition, featuring field bands from 10 schools, starts at 6 p.m. and wraps up at 8:30 p.m. The competition will take place at the school, 301 West Hills Road, Huntington Station

The Whitman band director is Daniel Vecchiano. For more information about the band, visit waltwhitmanmarchingband.org .

'Team Giovinco' raises $6,000 in a walk

2007-10-01T13:04:00.000-04:00

Stephanie Giovinco of Northport, front and center in hat, sits surrounded by family and friends from "Team Giovinco" after they raised $6,000 sunday for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation at a walk in Old Westbury.

Stephanie, who is 11, was diagnosed in July with type 1 diabetes, and her mother, Yvonne, and father Frank, a lieutenant in the East Northport Fire Department, led the group in the three-mile rundraising walk at SUNY College at Old Westbury.

For a previous story on Stephanie and the walk, click here.

The week so far . . .

2007-09-29T10:04:00.000-04:00

The gloves came off in town races.
A family signed up in force for daughter.
We could almost taste the pickle festival.
A rock violinist is headed for high school.
And Tiki Barber drew a crowd downtown.

Ever find one of those little green things?

2007-09-29T09:45:00.000-04:00

Minor mystery solved -- sort of.

Eva Browne, the head of the Asharoken Conservation Board, who led a beach cleaning effort this month along the north shore of the town of Huntington, mentioned that many of the volunteers, as in past years, reported finding small, green objects a little less than two inches long.

For example, a new volunteer this year – William Berg, a dentist who heard Browne speak at the Northport Rotary – cleaned Makamah Beach and found 10 of the brushes. It was the first time that beach was cleaned under the program, part of a statewide effort, because no one had previously volunteered in that area.

Others found larger numbers along Sound beaches in Asharoken. One family reported finding 80 of them, for example, and close to 250 were reported overall, according to Browne. She had shown them to someone from the American Littoral Society, who identified them as something used to clean pipes at a power plant.

Diana Parisi of KeySpan said this week that about 14,000 of the little pipe cleaners are forced through condenser pipes at the utility’s Northport power plant every night for 110 nights during the warm months from May to September. They clean algae out of the pipes, helping the plant to run more efficiently.

“Our goal is that we don’t want these to escape into the environment.” Parisi said, adding that the utility does everything it can to collect – and reuse – the cleaners. She also said that 14,000 trips a night for 110 nights gives the brushes more than 1.5 million chances to escape.

And she also raised the Connecticut question.

"I’m not trying to say that they’re not ours, because I did say that we do use those green brushes,” Parisi said, “but there are other power plants along the Long Island Sound. That could potentially be from them too.”

Meanwhile, Browne had a final tally from the cleanup, which occurred over a few weekends: 251 volunteers of all ages collected and recorded 2,343 pounds of garbage.

To read past stories about the cleanup, click here and here.

What the neighbors are up to

2007-09-29T09:38:00.001-04:00

Compiled by Lynn Petry
lynn.petry@newsday.com

The Huntington Town Zoning Board of Appeals meets Thursday at 6 p.m. to consider the following applications:

East Northport

Linda Silvestri seeks a rear-yard variance to remove existing roofed-over patio and build a rear addition to enlarge kitchen, dining room and bathroom and attached deck, southwest corner of Selden and Cedar Hill drives.

Greenlawn

John Condon Realty Inc. seeks a rear-yard variance to legalize garage addition and legalize gazebo and deck, southwest corner of Kipling Drive and Frost Lane.

Michael T. Matassa seeks a use variance in order to convert a house to an accessory apartment legal for non-resident and conditional accessory apartment upon the approval of Suffolk County Health Department.

Huntington

James Galtieri seeks front- and rear-yard variances to legalize a one-story addition in the rear and build a front roofed-over porch to existing single-family house, east side of Anondale Drive, northeast of West Pulaski Road.

Thomas Abbate seeks a special-use permit and parking variance to expand existing restaurant with an 896-square-foot party room, west side of Wall Street, south of Southdown Road.

Michael E. and Deborah Ferranti seek a front-yard variance and relief of merger to legalize front-yard setback for existing letter in lieu of house, demolish masonry building and build a new single-family house. New lot to be conforming in all respects, east side of Virginia Avenue, south of Canyon Street.

Huntington Station

David and Stacey Elar seek a front-yard variance to legalize a front porch conversion, finish basement, replace building permit No. 983425 to build deck with awning and legalize shed, south side of East 25th Street, west of Homecrest Avenue.

Northport

Jack and JoEllen McCarthy seek a side-yard variance to build wood entry deck with open carport below, family room and basement rear patio with second-story roofed deck above, to legalize detached oversized garage with storage above shed, in-ground pool, removal of decks, converted garage and basement, east side of Rinaldo Road, north of Woodycrest Drive.

Police: Copper pipes stolen in Greenlawn

2007-09-28T17:37:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Commack

A passenger side window was broken on a car today in a parking lot on Commack Road. A purse with credit cards and checkbook and a iPod were stolen.

Greenlawn

A contractor building a house on Kirkland Drive told police today that copper piping was stolen from the site.

Huntington

Security personnel at the K-Mart store on New York Avenue told police they caught a man shoplifting yesterday. The man had stolen hot dogs and tuna fish but gave them back and left the store without any charges being filed.

Huntington Station

A man was arrested yesterday on Columbia Street and charged with violating an order of protection.

A resident on Lenox Road told police yesterday that vandals have damaged his fence numerous times over the summer.

South Huntington

Two women and a man who had small children with them were seen shoplifting yesterday at the Sunglass Hut at the Walt Whitman Mall.

What's up in Huntington schools

2007-09-28T15:48:00.000-04:00

Huntington schools remained active places this week. Here’s a just a taste of the announcements they put out:

The Highsteppers (above) danced away with more awards.
Students got ready for Homecoming tomorrow.
Huntington boys soccer: Goooooaaaalll.
The Blue Devils got three new coaches.
High school students soaked up the local history.

For more about the schools, visit hufsd.edu.

Town gets $50,000 LIPA grant

2007-09-28T15:40:00.000-04:00

By Deborah S. Morris
deborah.morris@newsday.com

The town of Huntington received a $50,000 grant from the Long Island Power Authority for research of Long Island Sound.

The grant is being provided in conjunction with the $100 million Northport-to-Norwalk cable project sponsored by LIPA and Connecticut Light and Power. The project will replace the electric transmission cable system that links Northport with Norwalk, Connecticut.

Huntington Town Supervisor Frank Petrone said the funds will be used to continue the town’s efforts in complying with the Environmental Protection Agency. In 2002, an EPA directive required operators of small, separate municipal storm sewer systems to develop practices to control polluted storm water runoff. This involves sampling runoff from major outfall pipes to determine which are the most significant contributors of coli form.

“Since high coli form counts can result in closures of public beaches and restrictions on shell fishing, it can have very negative social and economic impacts in an area like Huntington,” Petrone said. “This study will complement our ongoing efforts to improve water quality in Huntington Harbor while providing valuable information.”

Work on the cable project began earlier this month when seven fluid-insulated lines were taken out of service. The removal of those cables is scheduled to begin next month. Those cables will be replaced with three state-of-the-art solid core cables that can transmit 300 megawatts of electricity between Long Island and Connecticut.

Installation and testing of the new cables is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. The new cables will help strengthen the reliability of the electric grid on both sides of the sound, according to LIPA.

A debate challenge in town board races

2007-09-28T14:34:00.000-04:00

By Deborah S. Morris
deborah.morris@newsday.com

The Republican and Conservative party candidates for the Huntington Town Board have issued a debate challenge to their Democratic opponents.

Deborah Poulos and Bill Dowler said they want to have a debate in every hamlet and village in the town in an effort to ensure that voters are well informed and have a clear understanding about where the candidates for Town Board stand.

“Debates are healthy and provide voters with critical information about where public officials stand on the issues that matter most to them,” said Poulos, a first time candidate.

“If our current board members truly support open and honest government, there is no better way of demonstrating this then by participating in these debates. I anxiously await Ms. Berland and Ms. Jackson’s response and I’m sure they will agree to it,” Poulos said.

Bill Dowler, running for the second time, said, “I look forward to an open process and putting forth my positions and platform.”

Poulos is calling on Berland and Jackson to pledge their commitment to attend debates in the following hamlets and villages: East Northport/Fort Salonga, Greenlawn/Centerport, Melville/West Hills/Deer Park, Dix Hills, Huntington, Huntington Station, Halesite, the Village of Northport, the Village of Ashroken, the Village of Huntington Bay and the Village of Lloyd Harbor.

Councilwoman Susan Berland said there are currently six scheduled debates. “I have no problem debating them any place, any time or at any venue,” Berland said. “But I'd like to know which part of the town is not being represented by these debates. Whatever part of the town they think isn’t being represented I would be more than happy to join them there.”

The first candidates debate is scheduled for Oct. 3 at the Huntington Public Library on Main Street at noon.

Commack native flying high in Air Force

2007-09-28T13:51:00.000-04:00

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

Only six-and-a-half years ago, 1st Lt. Brian R. Regulinski was strolling the halls of Commack High School, preparing for his first semester at Pennsylvania State University.

But today, things are a lot different for the outgoing 24-year-old Commack native. After earning his bachelor’s degree in 2005, Regulinski decided to join the U.S. Air Force, where he’s already risen to the position of an executive officer in one of the largest units responsible for training pilots and aircrews for wartime: Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas.

More notably, he directs the Joint Air Ground Operations Group’s $1 million budget.

“Next year, it’ll become $4 million,” joked Regulinski, noting that Nellis trains combat air and ground forces using more than 1,200 F-15, F-16, F-22 and A-10 aircraft. “It can be challenging at times, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easy. I’m enjoying it.”

According to Regulinski, the base’s training exercises are entitled “Green Flag,” with Green Flag West in Nellis and Green Flag East at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. At Green Flag West, the mission is to provide air support to ground forces deployed to the National Training Center at California-based Fort Irwin, while Barksdale base provides the same support for the Joint Readiness Training Center at Louisiana-based Fort Polk.

Both bases prepare aircrew for the types of missions they’ll support during war.

“My biggest responsibility is keeping my boss out of trouble and making sure his schedule runs smoothly everyday,” said Regulinski, whose commander frequently travels to Barksdale and Fort Irwin. “I also get to meet a lot of dignitaries who come to visit. Looking back, I’ve met so many interesting people I can’t even pick one who stands out.”

In addition to his budgetary responsibilities, Regulinski also supervises the group’s personnel and computer program and a quarterly awards program, among other things. His ultimate goal is to become a squadron commander, which could take another 10 years.

“My mom isn’t happy about me being here, and she always jokes that she’s going to write a letter to President Bush if I get deployed,” said Regulinski. “But the military is very career broadening if you’re not sure what you want in life. I’m happy I enlisted.”

In his spare time, he said he enjoys riding his motorcycle or hiking Mt. Charleston, which is northwest of Las Vegas. He also talks twice a week with his family in Commack.

“Of course, I miss Long Island, but Nellis is a beautiful base and a great place,” said Regulinski, whose wife lives at Nellis. “I’m looking forward to what the future brings.”

Click here for a gallery stories about Long Islanders and spouses in the military.

Northport family in walk for daughter

2007-09-28T11:47:00.000-04:00

When the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation fundraising walk kicks off Sunday at SUNY College at Old Westbury, the Giovinco family of Northport – who are new to the cause – will be out in force.

In July, Stephanie Giovinco, 11, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, requiring that she have insulin injections every day. Her mother, Yvonne, and her father Frank, a lieutenant in the East Northport Fire Department, will be leading Team Giovinco in the three mile walk with 17 registered walkers so far – a number expected to grow by Sunday. Organizers expect a total of 5,000 walkers at the Old Westbury event.

As of this morning, the family has raised close to $700 in connection with the Sunday event. Frank Giovinco says his daughter has raised $5,000.

In addition to the Old Westbury walk, the foundation has a 12-kilometer walk starting at New York City’s Battery Park, also at 10 a.m. A total of a half-million people are expected to participate in 200 walks across the country this year with a goal of raising $90 million to help fund research for a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications.

To see how the Giovinco family fundraising is going and to get information about donating, go to their page at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. Donations can also be made by mail to Stephanie Giovinco, 2 Amy Court, Northport, N.Y. 11768

New principals in Northport district

2007-09-28T08:28:00.000-04:00

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

The Northport-East Northport School District has named two new principals: Jeffrey Haubrich at the Pulaski Road School and Michael Genovese as interim principal at Norwood Avenue School. Genovese’s contract is for one year.

“I hope to stay longer than that,’’ said Genovese, left, who was assistant principal at Northport High School. “Residents can expect consistency from me. I like to run a tight ship.’’

Genovese hopes to continue the school’s ongoing balanced literacy initiative and the district’s anti-bullying project, a focal point for Marylou McDermott since she took over the superintendent’s post last year.

“My goal is to maximize the good things we already have,’’ Genovese said.

Haubrich, left, previously was an assistant principal in the Half Hollow Hills School District.

Cops: Burglar shot at in Lloyd Harbor

2007-09-27T18:30:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Cold Spring Harbor

A burglary was reported yesterday at a house on Woodbury Road. The police report said entry was made through a basement window. The homeowner said jewelry was stolen.

Fort Salonga

A laptop computer, iPod and jewelry were taken during a burglary yesterday at a house on Russell Court.

Greenlawn

A rear window was found broken yesterday on a car on Brooklyn Avenue.

A man was arrested yesterday on Little Plains Road and charged with leaving the scene of a accident and failing to show his license and insurance papers.

Huntington Station

A West 21st Street resident said items were stolen from his yard yesterday.

A man was arrested yesterday on Pulaski and Depot Roads and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and false personation. The police report said the man gave the wrong name, address and date of birth to a police officer when he was stopped.

Lloyd Harbor

A resident on Soundcrest Drive reported a burglary yesterday. Police said the resident heard a noise, came downstairs to investigate and found a strange man in the house. The intruder shot at the occupant and the bullet grazed his left arm. The resident then ran into the master bedroom and got his father’s gun and shot at the burglar. The police report did not indicate if the intruder was shot. The resident himself did not require any medical attention.

Melville

The navigation unit was stolen yesterday form a car on Pinelawn Road.

Suspicious truck at East Northport school

2007-09-27T13:13:00.000-04:00

Marylou McDermott, the superintendent of schools in the Northport-East Northport district, issued an alert to parents yesterday after an incident involving a suspicious truck at the Pulaski Road Elementary School.

The alert, posted on the school's Web site, began:

At around 1:00 p.m. this afternoon, several fourth grade girls at Pulaski Road School were approached by someone in a teal blue pickup truck with Virginia plates. This person tried to engage the girls in conversation, and then drove away. The Principal at Pulaski immediately notified the Second Precinct and filed a report. Because it was within minutes of dismissal time, there was not enough time to send this letter home today. A letter will be sent home tomorrow. All principals and security were promptly informed about the situation.

McDermott went on to point out that the school has a safety education program in which students are given “specific suggestions for responding to incidents like this," including not talking to strangers.

To see the full alert, go to the district site.

The school is located at 623 Ninth Avenue in East Northport.

Greenlawn set for pickle festival

2007-09-27T12:25:00.000-04:00

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

If you like pickles, then why not try some pickle-flavored popcorn? Or a garlic dill? Or how about some half-sour pickles sold the old-fashioned way right out of the barrel?

And that’s just the beginning. The pickle-serving styles are endless at the 2007 Pickle Festival hosted by the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association this weekend. The finger-licking event, which is in its 28th year, is ready to welcome some 2,000 residents to the John Gardiner Farm at the corner of Park Avenue and Little Plains Road, Greenlawn, for a variety of jams, jellies and pickled products.

“It’s amazing how many people love pickles,” said Deanne Rathke, executive director of the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association. “This is our way of paying tribute to Greenlawn’s early pickle industry, which had a big impact on building up the village.”

For the second straight year, the festival takes place at the historic Gardiner Farm, which is fitting since Alexander Gardiner is considered to be Greenlawn’s “Pickle Pioneer,” Rathke said. In the late 1800s, Gardiner proposed that local farmers try growing pickles, while building processing plants and establishing a freight depot along the railroad tracks.

The local pickle industry boomed until a white pickle blight struck in the 1920s, Rathke said. Some 80 years later, the farm was donated to the historical association when Gardiner’s grandson passed away in 2003. The festival was moved to the farm in 2006.

“The original farmhouse was built in the 1750s,” said Rathke, noting that little has changed since the 1860s, except for the addition of a bay window and central heat in 1910. “The house remains without bathroom facilities and with running water only in the kitchen.”

During the festival, part of the three-acre farm will be transformed into a corn maze, with hayrides also available for those wishing to tour the grounds. Farm-fresh pumpkins and other produce will also be offered, along with homemade cakes, cookies, and pies. Glen Cove-based Allen Pickleworks, Inc. will be supplying the thousands of pickles.

“Up until five years ago, we would actually can and jar all the pickles ourselves,” said Rathke of the historical association. “Not anymore. It’s a time-consuming process.”

The Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association’s 2007 Pickle Festival is slated for 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday at the John Gardiner Farm, 900 Park Avenue, Greenlawn. Donations are $2 for adults and free for children under 12. Everyone donating receives a Heinz pickle pin. For more information, call the historical association at 631-754-1180.

Greenlawn farmhouse with a past

2007-09-27T11:01:00.000-04:00

Association Trustee Joanne McNamara, Executive Deanne Rathke, Town Councilwoman Glenda Jackson and Association President Russ Vollmer after ribbon cutting.

A Greenlawn farmhouse built in the 1750s and made famous by a double murder in 1842 has been restored and will soon be open to the public.

Officials held a ribbon cutting Sunday at The John Gardiner Farm House at the corner of Park Avenue and Little Plains Road. The house was given to the Greenlawn-Centerport Historical Association by John Gardiner, the last owner of the farm. The association has been restoring the house, which had fallen into disrepair.

The house will be open to the public first as part the “Museum Challenge” weekend on Oct. 20-21, when the town’s historic organizations are opening eight historic sites. Participants who visiting the eight sites over that weekend, all of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will receive a one year family membership in each of the organizations. For a previous story on the challenge, click here.

Association officials have not yet established a schedule for the house but expect it to be open to the public periodically after the Museum Challenge weekend.

The house became famous in the 19th Century when the couple living there, Alexander and Rebecca Smith, was found murdered in the front parlor. A recent immigrant from Germany who was working as a farmhand was convicted of the crime and hanged. The house is also well-known for what seem to be perpetually blooming geraniums in the window, according to the association.

For photos and more information about the house, visit www.gcha.info.

Suffolk DA funds Asharoken PD computers

2007-09-27T09:46:00.000-04:00

Asharoken Police Officer Alex Rubino uses one of the new mobile computers installed in two of the department's patrol cars.

Asharoken police have been given two mobile computers to use in their patrol cars, providing them greater access to criminal and motor vehicle information and better communications with county and neighboring police departments.

The computers were paid for and installed with more than $20,000 in asset forfeiture funds turned over by Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas J. Spota. According to the Asharoken police, the DA’s office has, over the years, provided essential equipment to Asharoken police, including radios and defibrillators.

The computers are also expected to provide a vital link in the growing homeland security network that seeks to connect all law enforcement agencies, according to the police.

Photo by Steve Silverman / Asharoken Police Department

Cops: Laptops taken in Dix Hills

2007-09-26T17:55:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Dix Hills

A 2005 Ram 1500 truck was broken into today on Chongo Place and an American Express card and laptop computer were stolen.

A car was broken into today on Corsa Street and a laptop computer and other items were stolen.

Huntington

A woman was arrested yesterday on Davis Street and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance.

A man was arrested today on Front Drive and charged with a burglary that police reported was committed in a house in Lindenhurst.

Melville

A woman reported yesterday that the body and wheels on her Toyota was spray painted with obscene graffiti while it was parked on Route 110.

South Huntington

A Miata in a parking lot on Walt Whitman Road was sprayed with paint by vandals yesterday. The police said the owner was able to wash off the graffiti in the lot.

Panel to study underage drinking

2007-09-26T16:46:00.001-04:00

A countywide task force to study underage drinking has been formed, according to Leg. Steve Stern (D-Huntington), and it has scheduled three public hearings in coming months, including one in Dix Hills.

The 10-person task form has representatives from the Suffolk County Police Department, the County Probation and Health Services departments, the County’s STOP-DWI Program, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Students Against Drunk Driving.

Stern’s legislation, adopted June 26, has created a working task force that will study issues facing adolescents such as exposure to alcohol, peer pressure, the risk of carrying out or being a victim of physical or sexual assault or even death from injuries as a result of underage drinking.

“Several municipalities in New York State have undertaken aggressive campaigns to curb underage drinking and Suffolk County needs to do the same,” Stern said in a statement issued from the Legislature’s office of presiding supervisor. “Suffolk County must develop an effective strategy to combat underage drinking which, at a minimum, should include law enforcement and educational components. Too many families and too many communities continue to experience the pain of loss and injuries to loved ones as a consequence of underage drinking.”

The task force will hold its first public hearing on Thursday, Oct. 4 at the Suffolk County Legislature, William H. Rogers Building in Hauppauge from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. A second hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 14 at the Half Hollow Hills High School East Lecture Hall, 50 Vanderbilt Pkwy., Dix Hills from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with a final hearing to be scheduled in December.

The task force will expire in January and submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the county Legislature and the county executive.

The members besides Stern, who will serve as chairman, are:

Maria Perez-Lent, coordinator, Suffolk County STOP DWI

Officer Andrea Neubauer, Suffolk County Probation Dept.

Fran Greenspan, Nassau-Suffolk School Boards

Deena Cohen, President LI Chapter MADD

Olivia Fishetti and Emily Hemendinger, SADD

Jacquelyn Best, Suffolk County Health Services

Capt. Thomas Palmieri, Suffolk County Police Dept.

Mary Silberstein, director, Pederson-Krag Center (medical expert)

Kym Laube, director, Human Understanding Growth Seminars "HUGS" (alcohol abuse prevention)

Huntington OKs $1.6M for bridge repair

2007-09-26T11:34:00.001-04:00

The Huntington Town Board last night approved entering into a contract with RB Conway and Sons of Bay Shore for the reconstruction of the Mill Dam Causeway for $1.6 million.

The causeway, which crosses Mill Pond between the Little Neck peninsula and Huntington Beach, was closed to vehicle traffic late last month when it was deemed unsafe by the town's highway superintendent. It is expected to be closed for several months.

The board also held several hearings on proposed local laws, including one to ban private helicopters from landing in the town, and one to allow the town to designate a home as possibly containing an illegal apartment if the building has two entrances or two doorbells. That measure, if adopted, would let the town qualify for a Suffolk County program that provides funds to combat illegal housing.

Votes on both measures are pending.

Jo-Ann Raia, the town clerk, delivered copies of the town's proposed operating and capital budgets. Public hearings on the two documents are scheduled for Oct. 16.

East Northport street renamed for Marine

2007-09-26T09:54:00.000-04:00

The Huntington Town Board last night voted to rename Madsen Lane to "Cpl Christopher G. Scherer Way/Masden Lane," in honor of an East Northport man who enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 17 and was killed July 21 in Iraq, three months into his deployment there.

Scherer, a corporal who turned 21 in June, died from wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, according to the Defense Department. A Northport High School graduate, he was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion.

The street is east of Lexington Court, north of 10th Avenue and south of the Long Island Rail Road tracks.

East Northport seaman finishes basic

2007-09-26T09:31:00.000-04:00

Defense Department announcement

Navy Seaman Apprentice James P. Darcy, Jr, son of Mary Ann and James P. Darcy of East Northport, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill., the Defense Department announced yesterday.

Darcy is a 2004 graduate of St. Pius High School of Melville.

During the eight-week program, Darcy completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.

The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations". This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor.

Click here for a gallery stories about Long Islanders and spouses in the military.

Cops: Car torched in S. Huntington

2007-09-25T17:49:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Cold Spring Harbor
The glass panes in a wooden door were broken yesterday at the Goddess Gourmet shop on Main Street.

Commack
Two cars on Commack Road were reported damaged yesterday and the catalytic converters were stolen from them.

Dix Hills
A 1995 Honda Civic was reported damaged yesterday on Old Brook Road.

East Northport
A New York City parking permit was stolen yesterday from a car on Meadowrue Lane.

A pellet gunshot broke the rear windshield on a unmarked law enforcement car on Cornflower Avenue today.

Fort Salonga
A burglary was discovered yesterday at the Bottle Bargains liquor store on Fort Salonga Road. The police report said electronic items and paperwork were stolen.

Greenlawn
A window was found broken yesterday on a car on Darrow Lane.

Huntington Station
Two cars at the Daytop Village Foundation on New York Avenue were damaged by vandals yesterday

The driver-side window was broken on a 2002 Jeep on Colorado Place today and a wallet with money and credit cards was stolen along with a cell phone.

The owner of a 1995 Honda Civic told police the car was set on fire today on Nordel Lane and Stepar Place.

Melville
A employee in the office of Nussbaum, Yates, Burg and Klein on Broadhollow Road said her wallet with credit cards, checks and cash was stolen from her cubicle yesterday.

A laptop computer was stolen yesterday from a table in the restaurant of the Marriott Hotel on Walt Whitman Road.

South Huntington
The doors and passenger seats were stripped from a car and the stereo was stolen yesterday on Dix Hills Road.

Police reported that a car was set on fire today on Iceland Drive.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra violinist ready to rock Huntington students

2007-09-25T14:01:00.000-04:00

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

Ten years ago, Juilliard-trained violinist Mark Wood says that high school teachers never would’ve allowed him near their students.

“I was too radical for most teachers,” admitted Wood, a Port Washington resident and founding member of the symphonic-rock group Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 1996. “But there’s a new breed of teachers today. We’re facing a resurgence in music education.”

Next week, the resurgence hits Huntington Public Schools, when Wood performs with 150 of the district’s middle and high school students as part “Electrify Your Strings,” a program that transforms students into a full-fledged rock orchestra. As part of the effort, Wood will accompany students to perform music by Led Zeppelin, Cream and The Beatles.

He’ll also rehearse with the teens in a workshop for acoustic and electric strings that will teach them techniques for improvisation, composition and personal expression.

“A lot of kids play in garage bands and know these tunes, so it’s exciting for them,” said Lisa Leonardi, orchestra director at Huntington High School, who met Wood at an American String Teachers Association event earlier this year and was eager to book him. “I must say, the kids have been practicing hard. They’re more excited than I’ve ever seen.”

So far this year, Wood’s school program has visited sold-out audiences in Dix Hills, Levittown and Patchogue, with a concert at Deer Park High School slated for next month.

The most interesting part of the 10-song classic rock concert, according to Leonardi, are the improvisational opportunities, which is something most students haven’t done before.

“Improvising requires a good concept of harmony and chord structure,” she said.

Wood agreed, but noted that – from a technical aspect – rock music might be simpler for students to play than traditional classic compositions.

“It’s more about expression,” he said. “Some rock musicians might not even know the actual chord progressions they’re playing, but they’re really connecting with people. Through this program, I want to continue a classical repertoire, but mix American elements. When you think about it, American music has impacted the world greatly in recent decades, and the fact that it hasn’t been integrated into classical music is something I want to change.”

During his career, Wood has studied under Leonard Bernstein, while working with musicians such as Celine Dion, Lenny Kravitz, Billy Joel and Everclear. He’s also the owner and operator of Wood Violins, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electric violins.

The “Electrify Your Strings” concert is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 at Huntington High School. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for children, and can be obtained by calling the high school’s music office at 631-673-2053.

Tracing roots at Huntington lecture

2007-09-25T11:50:00.000-04:00

By Lynn Petry
lynn.petry@newsday.com

Want to find out more about your family tree?

As part of their fall lineup of events, the Huntington Historical Society presents a free genealogy lecture at 7 tomorrow night at the Huntington Library, 338 Main St. with guest speaker Dorothy Dougherty, Public Programs Specialist at the National Archives and Records Administration, Northeast Region, New York City.

"Family History Research Within the Custom House Records of the National Archives-New York," features an in-depth discussion that helps you trace your family's background. Ms. Dougherty highlights actual paper records including ship logs, rather than computer or website information, to help you get started on your journey.

According to Arthur Sniffin, program coordinator at the society, "It's critical that people go back to the original primary sources, like birth, marriage and death records or ship logs to make sure that the historic information they are gathering is accurate."

The genealogy workshops sponsored by the society, have been providing technical help to families searching for their ancestry since the mid 1970s. Their next workshop, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 31, features Stephen P. Morse speaking on "One Step Web Pages: A Potpourri of Genealogical Search Tools," at the South Huntington Public Library on Pidgeon Hill Road.

Also, the Society's Resource Center and Archives, at 209 Main St. in Huntington, contains family histories and more than 250,000 photographs focused on the Town of Huntington. Hours are 1-4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and by appointment. There is a $4 entry fee to the center; for information call 631-427-7045, ext. 401. A monthly genealogy workshop newsletter is also available for $10, for folks who become members of the Society.

Huntington board considers helicopter ban

2007-09-25T10:52:00.000-04:00

The Huntington Town Board meets tonight to consider banning many helicopters from landing in the town.

The board will hold a hearing on the “motorized aircraft” ordinance, which was described by an official as preemptive, since private helicopters are not now landing in the town and no one has applied for permission to do so.

The board is also scheduled to:

Amend its regulations on accessory apartments in order to qualify for a Suffolk County program that provides funds to combat illegal housing. The measure would add having two doors or two doorbells to the list of indicators of accessory apartments.

Authorize the supervisor to execute a contract with RB Conway & Sons for reconstruction of the Mill Dam Causeway in Centerport.

Schedule public hearings for Oct. 16 on the town’s operating and capital budgets.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at town hall. For a full preliminary agenda, click here.

Tiki Barber scores big in Huntington

2007-09-25T07:54:00.000-04:00

“Great!”

That’s what 9-year-old Dwzia Etete of Huntington and his mother, Zeze, above, answered simultaneously last night when asked what it was like to meet former New York Giant running back Tiki Barber.

They were among the more than 200 people who came to a book store in Huntington to meet Barber and get him to sign his new book, “Tiki: My Life and the Game Beyond.” When asked to elaborate, Dwzia said “Great, awesome, amazing.”

Barber began at 7 p.m. signing books and greeting fans, many of them youngsters wearing football jerseys with his number, 21. By 8:30 the line still stretched through the store, The Book Revue, and down New York Avenue to Main Street.

Brianna Cuiffo, 10, and Alec Forys, 11, with Barber, center

Brandon Kalten and Joey Guastafeste, both 12 and from Cold Spring Harbor, after the signing

Police: $6,000 theft in Huntington Station

2007-09-24T17:15:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Commack

An attendant at the Alex Petroleum station on Commack Road said a man drove off Friday without paying for his gas. The attendant gave police the license plate number of the car.

A resident on Cottonwood Drive said two tires were slashed on his car Saturday.

Dix Hills

Savings bonds, jewelry and personal papers were taken during a burglary yesterday at a house on Livingston Place. The police said entry was made through a sliding glass door in the back of the house.

Elwood

A Thadford Street resident said a car drove across her front lawn Saturday and damaged it.

Greenlawn

On yesterday two men were seen trying to break into a coin operated vacuum outside a laundromat on Broadway. The police said they broke the padlock but were unable to get the change out of the machine.

Huntington

A dumpster was reported stolen Friday behind a building on Route 110.

The doors were reported stolen off a Jeep yesterday that the owner said she had not used in a year but kept in her backyard on Wendover Drive. She said the doors that were stolen only fit the CJF Jeep model.

Vandals broke a side-view mirror on a car on Sheridan Street yesterday.

Huntington Station

The steering column was found damaged yesterday on a car parked on New York Avenue.

A garage was broken into today on West 19th Street and two bicycles, a table saw and power planer were stolen. The homeowner placed a value of over $6,000 on these items that were taken.

Melville

The owner of a 2008 Chevrolet said someone splashed gray paint all over the car yesterday in a parking lot on Walt Whitman Road.

Town to honor man after accident

2007-09-24T11:34:00.001-04:00

The town council will honor a Huntington man tomorrow night for stopping a driver who struck a 5-year-old boy and then fled earlier this month.

Dan Frazier, 23, will be given a proclamation by Councilwoman Glenda Jackson at 7 p.m., just before the council meets.

Police gave the following account of the incident that put Frazier in the spotlight:

On Thursday, Sept. 13, at about 6:40 p.m., Irma Ramirez, 37, of 371 Hancock St., Brentwood, was driving a 2000 Ford van north on Washington Avenue in Brentwood. Near the intersection of White Street, her vehicle struck Freddy Argueta, 5, of Brentwood, who was crossing the street with his mother. The vehicle then left the scene. Frazier witnessed the incident and chased and confronted Ramirez a short distance away. Ramirez struck Frazier’s vehicle and left again, and Frazier was finally able to corner Ramirez at Arlington Road and Standish road in Brentwood, where he held her for police. Argueta was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital and admitted for his injuries.

Ramirez said after the accident that she fled because Frazier confronted her. “I did not see the boy before he hit the windshield,” Ramirez told Newsday. “I am so sorry this happened.”

Ramirez was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injury, leaving the scene of an incident and endangering the welfare of a child. She was released on bail and is scheduled to appear at First District Court at a later date.

“He’s a perpetual Good Samaritan,” explained Susannah Mrazek, a council legislative aide. “A few years back he had pulled two dogs off of a woman who was being attacked, and basically hit one of the dogs with a baseball bat in order to get it off. So he seems to run into these cases, which a lot of people would run away from, and he’s right there.

Group prepares to run Northport farm

2007-09-24T10:02:00.000-04:00

By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com

With a joint purchase by Suffolk County and the Town of Huntington being finalized, the 117-year-old Lewis Oliver Dairy in Northport will soon be facing some minor changes. Namely, the nonprofit group Friends of the Farm will assume full-time caretaker duties.

“We’re becoming more of a managing entity,” said Pam Veitch of Northport, president of Friends of the Farm, which formed in 1996 after learning that the owner, John Cobb, Jr., could no longer afford to care for the animals. “We’re extremely excited, but nervous at the same time. It’s a big project. We’re looking for all the help we can get.”

Located on Burt Avenue, the farm includes a barn, farmhouse and an array of animals including three sheep, three goats, two cows, six rabbits, one pig, two peacocks and a horde of ducks and geese. Earlier this year, the county temporarily stalled the purchase when a survey determined the property was 1,476-square-feet less than originally reported. Eventually, Councilman Stuart Besen was able to convince Cobb to lower his selling price.

Early last month, the Suffolk County Legislature agreed to split the $1.6 million cost with the town. As part of the deal, the 24-member Friends of the Farm will serve as the animals’ caretaker, which can require $1,000 a month for feed such as hay, grain and corn.

“I think we all have different reasons for being involved in Friends of the Farm,” said Veitch, noting the farm has shrunk from 50 acres to under two since the early 1900s. “For me, it’s mostly about the historical preservation of what Northport used to be. We’re one of the village’s oldest farms now. Decades ago, there were cows everywhere.”

To raise funds, Veitch holds a number of fundraisers such as an annual barn dance, which attracts up to 200 people each spring. The group also hosts holiday hayride events and Christmas caroling, which is offered to the community for free, according to Veitch.

For support, the Red Cross provides helping hands as part of community service.

“Pam is preserving something very special to many people in this community,” Besen said recently. “The Lewis Oliver farm has been in this town for more than 100 years, and I am personally amazed by the work of Pam and her group.”

Councilwoman Glenda Jackson agreed, calling the group’s task “enormous.”

“I’m trying to get Cornell Cooperative Extension to help when we are caretakers,” said Veitch. “Friends is a very passionate group, but we don’t have as much farm experience as other people. We’re always welcoming new members. The more faces, the better.”

Friends of the Farm meets at Lewis Oliver Farm the first Monday of every month at 7 p.m. Meetings are open to everyone. For more information on Friends of the Farm, visit their website at friendsofthefarmnorthport.org.

Volunteers clean Northport-area beaches

2007-09-24T09:32:00.000-04:00

Members of Cub Scout Pack 52 at the cleanup.

We asked Eva Browne, the head of the Asharoken Conservation Board, to let us know how yesterday's beach cleanup went. The event is part of a state effort to clean up the shoreline this month and document the kinds of trash found in the sand. Here is her report:

The International Coastal Cleanup in the Northport area was a huge success. We topped last years number of volunteers and we are still counting. Not all the forms have been returned yet. The 186 volunteers included Northport, East Northport, Centerport and Kings Park residents.
The following groups worked together Harborfields HS Honor Society,Centerport Garden Club,Northport Rotary Club,Eatonsneck Homemakers,Cub Scout Pack 42,Brownie Troop 1706,Weeblo Scouts and Cub Scout Pack 52.
A fabulous luncheon was donated by Auntie A's,Copenhagen Bakery,Crossroads Cafe,Maroni Cuisine,Nocello,Northport Harbor Deli,Pumpernickels Restaurant,Robkes Country Inn and the Ritz Cafe of Northport.I'll have the total weight of the garbage collected locally in a few days.
Thank you to all for a successful event.

Brownie Troop 1706 with bags of trash they picked up yesterday.

The week so far . . .

2007-09-22T09:29:00.000-04:00

We met a new adult ed chief.
We were invited to clean the beach.
We heard the rebate checks are coming.
We riffed on John Coltrane’s house.
We learned about a free flight for some veterans.
And we saw a new source of dinner on the horizon.

Police beat: Wheels stolen in Greenlawn

2007-09-21T18:33:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Commack

A man stole two cell phones today from behind a counter at the CVS store on Commack Road.

Greenlawn

The wheels and rims were stolen from a car in the owner’s driveway on North Lane yesterday.

Huntington

A burglary was discovered today at Tip Top Cleaners on Gerard Street. The police report said a glass door was broken to gain entry and money was taken.

Huntington Station

A resident on West 10th Street told police that someone broke into her apartment yesterday.

Security personnel at the Macy’s in the Walt Whitman Mall called police yesterday to report that a mother and daughter that were caught shoplifting in the store were causing a disturbance.

A man who broken into Artie’s Deli on East 17th Street was arrested and charged with burglary today. The owner of the deli said money and electronic equipment were stolen.

Police reported yesterday that a woman was assaulted and robbed of her pocketbook with money and jewelry in it by another woman on Longley Place. The assailant was arrested today.

Melville

A driver-side car window was broken yesterday on a car at the Huntington Hills Hospice on the South Service Road and a electronic system was stolen.

A man was stopped and arrested today and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle on Sweet Hollow Road.

Dream Dinners coming to East Northport

2007-09-21T15:08:00.000-04:00

Meals being made at an already-open Dream Dinners franchise.

By Deborah S. Morris
deborah.morris@newsday.com

The question, “What’s for dinner?” may never be the same again for East Northport residents thanks to an innovative meal assembly store opening soon.

The Dream Dinners franchise is coming to the Blue Ribbon Plaza at 3028 Jericho Turnpike thanks to residents Mindy Rogers and Betsy Hall. The store offers a new way to answer the age old question and helps to eliminate the stress of daily menu planning, grocery shopping, prep-work and clean-up by moving the process out of home kitchens into specially equipped retail outlets.

“We’re already getting a great response from the local community and are very excited to be bringing this valuable service to East Northport,” Rogers said.
Dream Dinners works by letting customers preview a monthly menu online, select a menu and then attend a meal assembly session at a local Dream Dinners retail location.

At that session consumers rotate among refrigerated recipe stations, scooping cut and prepped uncooked ingredients into the provided baking pans or zip-top freezer bags. The uncooked dinners are taken home and placed in the freezer to be enjoyed in the weeks ahead. The whole process takes two hours and averages $260 for 12, 6-serving dinners, or around $3.60 per serving.

A grand opening will be held Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The East Northport Dream Dinners will be the first meal-assembly store to open in the local area.

Attendees at the East Northport grand opening will have an opportunity to win a chest freezer with a session sign up, as well as the opportunity to receive a free marinated steak dinner. In addition, for each customer who signs up for a session, a donation will be made to Have-a-Heart Children’s Cancer Society to assist families going through the difficult and costly process of treatment for their child.
For more information call 631-486-6214.

What's happening at Huntington schools

2007-09-21T10:44:00.000-04:00

There’s a lot going on in the Huntington school district now that the students are settled in. Here’s just a sampling of announcements from the administration this week:

CSI Huntington (they’re not calling it that).

High school's Parent-Teacher-Student Association meets Tuesday.

A senior does biomedical research at Cold Spring Harbor labs.

Blue Devils marching band starts off on a high note.

Biology becomes “Living Environment.”

The rules for going to the dance.

Woodhull leads in elementary enrollment.

Photos from Meet the Teacher night at Southdown.

Arts-in-education program shapes up.

Pop quiz for adult ed chief in Huntington

2007-09-21T07:45:00.001-04:00

By Tim Healy
tim.healy@newsday.com

Kenneth A. Card, the principal of the Woodhull Intermediate School, has been named director of the Huntington school district’s adult and continuing education program. He is a May 2006 graduate of Dowling College’s doctoral program in educational administration, leadership and technology and he has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from Stony Brook. Before coming to Huntington, he was an assistant principal at Oldfield Middle School in the Harborfields district. There are details below about signing up for classes, but first we asked him some quick questions:

Q. Do you have any changes planned yet in terms of programs?
A. Not really, because I got appointed late in August and I really have to scramble quickly to try to get it together for the fall, but in the spring I hope to add many more choices for the residents in Huntington, looking at programs from working on the Internet to maybe programs geared toward citizenship for some of the people who live in our community who might be pursuing citizenship. More things that are creative and fun for the community residents . . . We’re also looking at programs related to real estate – how to be a wise consumer of refinancing your home mortgage – because I think that’s really important, given the current climate we’re in.

Q. What’s the most popular course now?
A. At this moment, I would have to say the dancing. There’s a ballroom dancing course that’s offered and I think that’s been pretty consistent over the past couple of years. I also think that our sports programs … indoor soccer has been widely attended by many of the district residents … Hopefully we’ll be able to build on those.

Q. What’s your most unusual course?
A. Probably creating travel books . . . It’s pretty unusual, but pretty creative.

Q. You’re the principal at the intermediate school, and now you’re going to be dealing with adults. Do you have any sense yet of which kind of students are easier to deal with?
A. Well, I think they are a different population … I think adult ed/continuing ed people are doing it for their own enrichment and enjoyment. And kids are pretty much mandated – it’s something they have to do, but we hope that once they get here, they see that there are many other things that they can do, that really are rewarding in terms of being with their peers and learning together with their peers and working with teachers to build knowledge. So I think they are two different groups and I really don’t think you can compare them.

How to find out and sign up
The Huntington School District’s adult education program will hold fall semester registration from Monday to Wednesday in the Huntington High School lobby from 7-9 p.m. Regular course fees are $15 for resident senior citizens (whenever space is available, except for those classes marked special fee or limited), $50 for other district residents and $65 for those living outside the district. Fees can vary based on the specific course and the duration of the class. (One day seminars can run as little as $16 for residents.) Classes begin the week of Oct. 1.

Information on fall courses can be found on the district’s Web site. If you need more information, contact Card at 673-2010 or e-mail him at adulted@hufsd.edu. And they're accepting ideas for new courses or proposals to teach a class.

What the neighbors are up to

2007-09-21T07:33:00.000-04:00

Compiled by Lynn Petry

The town’s Zoning Board of Appeals meets Thursday at 6 p.m. to consider the following applications:

Commack

Angela Cipriani seeks front-yard variance to legalize front wood porch and legalize conversion of rear open porch to an enclosed heated porch, west side of Larry Drive, south of Rosalie Place.

Richard Punturo seeks to legalize a 12-foot by 10-foot storage shed, 8-foot by 7-foot gazebo, both in front of the main house, and legalize decks attached to rear of house, northwest corner of Galleine Street and Burton Lane.

Dix Hills

Thomas Raneri seeks side-yard variance to build a second-story addition, new portico, two dormers and interior alteration and legalize conversion of detached two-car carport to attached two-car garage by an enclosed breezeway and legalize front porch, west side of Westminster Avenue, north of Ormonde Street.

All Island Permits seeks long-street side-yard variance to build a front roofed-over porch, southwest corner of Broadoak Lane and Woodsend Road.

East Northport

Vincent Mercuries / All Island Permits seeks front- and long-street side yard variances to build first- and second-story additions with proposed front portico and masonry steps with planter in long-street side-yard and to replace expired permit for addition and garage conversion, southeast corner of Cedar Road.

Raffaele Petruzzellis seeks a side-yard variance to legalize a cellar entrance, west side of Larkfield Road, south of Cedar Road.

Huntington Station

Huntington Indoor Tennis Inc. seeks to build an addition of 8,092-square-foot for additional tennis court requiring rear-yard relief, relaxation of buffers, interpretation from zoning board of appeals and parking relief, south side of Broadway across from Highview Avenue.

Melville

Anthony Branchinelli / Route 110 Associates, Llc, received parking relief (Zoning Board of Appeals 18947) to apply to Planning Board for site-plan approval to demolish existing 2800-square-foot restaurant and build 4,550-square-foot structure, as per Department of Transportation, applicant now requires relief for two additional parking spaces.

Huntington Marine completes training

2007-09-20T18:48:00.000-04:00

Marine Corps Pfc. Victor Y. Kim, son of Choon Hwa and Woon Tae Kim of Huntington, recently completed the Electro-Optical Ordnance Repairer Course, the Defense Department announced today.

During the 20-week course at the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., students receive training on inspection and maintenance of electro-optical equipment used in tanks, howitzers, light armored vehicles, guided missile systems, lasers, night vision equipment and survey instruments. Students also receive instructions in electrical theory, electronics, digital and analog circuits, schematic analysis, precision soldering, and test diagnostic troubleshooting.

Kim is a 2005 graduate of Benjamin N. Cardozo High School of Bayside, and joined the Marine Corps in September 2006.

Police beat: Dix Hills robbery arrest

2007-09-20T18:14:00.000-04:00

By Joy Vestal

Commack

A car was broken into yesterday in a parking lot on Motor Parkway and a briefcase was stolen.

Police reported that a woman was arrested and charged with grand larceny involving the use of a credit card at the Hamlet County Club.

Dix Hills

A man was arrested yesterday on Elliott Avenue and charged with robbery and displaying a firearm. The police report did not indicate what type of firearm was used.

East Northport

The driver-side window was broken yesterday on a car on Dickinson Avenue and the navigation system was stolen.

Elwood

A man was seen stealing video games from the Circuit City store on Jericho Turnpike yesterday. The store security people gave police a description of his car but they didn’t get the license plate number.

Huntington

A theft was reported yesterday at the Citgo gas station on East Jericho Turnpike. The owner said cars were broken into and parts were stolen.

A man was arrested yesterday at Routes 25 and 110 and charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.

A burglary was discovered today at a deli on East 17th Street. The owner told police money was taken.

A man broke a window today in the back door of the Depot Laundry on Depot Road.

Pool safety measure passes unanimously

2007-09-20T13:13:00.001-04:00

The Suffolk County Legislature today unanimously approved creation of an annual "Be Pool Smart" public education campaign to promote pool safety.

The vote follows the drowning death of a 3-year-old Mastic Beach boy in his family's backyard pool earlier this month and the drowning of a 4-year-old Commack girl who was found in her family's pool last month.

The measure, sponsored by Majority Leader Jon Cooper (D-Huntington), above, is designed to inform the public about pool safety steps, include proper fencing, pool alarms and door exit alarms, as well as safety covers when pools are not in use. The campaign will emphasize that none of these steps is a substitute for constant adult supervision.

The cornerstone of the campaign will be an annual poster contest for elementary school students in Suffolk County. The winning poster will be featured on the front cover of a pool safety pamphlet that will be printed each year by the Department of Health and Human Services and that will be distributed free to schools, public libraries, pool supply stores and other locations.

Services for driver in Greenlawn crash

2007-09-20T12:58:00.000-04:00

An East Northport man who lost control of his car and hit a pole in Greenlawn last week has died of his injuries.

A wake for Kyle D. Herman, 20, begins today at Nolan & Taylor-Howe Funeral Home, 5 Laurel Avenue, Northport. His funeral will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Centerport United Methodist Church.

He was driving a 1994 Saturn east on Wells Road in Greenlawn around 12:15 a.m. on Sept. 14 when he lost control of the vehicle, police said at the time. The car then struck a utility pole on the south side of the roadway, in front of 99 Wells Rd. He was taken by police helicopter to the Stony Brook University Medical Center, where he died Monday.