News

Long Island witness to civil rights history, Lillie Crowder, still fighting for equality

Mar
25
2024

Lillie Crowder is a living archive — a witness and participant in the Civil Rights Movement and an educating force for those who choose to listen.

Her ranch-style home in Middle Island, where accolades and awards for activism line the walls, serves as evidence.

The certificates and other shows of appreciation are a testament to Crowder's life, from her civil rights-era activism in her native South Carolina to her efforts to increase racial and gender representation in politics on Long Island, to helping to design and modernize New York City schools.

“From Jim Crow to now ... it's been quite a trek," she said.

WHAT TO KNOW
Lillie Crowder, 86, one of the few Black women in...| read more ››

Calone: Suffolk needs to take the lead in finding housing options

Mar
2
2023

The cost of housing is among the most crucial issues facing Long Island’s future, and it is an issue I have personally worked to address. As chair of the Suffolk County Planning Commission, I eliminated red tape and helped to get shovels in the ground for housing developments. Now, I have serious concerns about an Albany-centric, one size fits all plan to increase housing options, but I am confident that we can address our housing needs if we employ a Suffolk-centric approach.

We need more housing options to allow working families to thrive, young people to stay, and seniors to comfortably retire in Suffolk County. However, the existing piecemeal approval processes have left us with too little housing which, due to simple supply and demand, costs too much. With a median home price of $545,000 and few rental units available in Suffolk County, our young people are compelled to move away. This exodus imperils our future and places Long Island businesses at a competitive disadvantage when needed workers cannot afford to live here.

The housing crisis has grown over decades and needs to be addressed with urgency. However, the proposed solutions from Albany don’t make sense for Long Island, and Suffolk County in particular.| read more ››

Breaking barriers: Southold's first Black councilman reflects on his service

Feb
16
2023

A wall in a hallway of Southold Town Hall has photos of famous local African Americans who contributed to the community.

Councilman Brian Mealy said that one year into his historic tenure as the first Black member of the town's board, he still is humbled when he looks at the photos of those trailblazers who came before him.

Born and raised in Southold, Mealy, 46, a clerk at Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport, took an oath of office in January 2022 for a four-year term on the board.

Before his election, Mealy served on several local bodies, including the Mattituck-Cutchogue Board of Education. In 2018, the town’s Anti-Bias Task Force recognized him with the Helen Wright Prince Award for community service.| read more ››

County Legislator Al Krupski Announces Bid for Southold Town Supervisor

Feb
15
2023

Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski said this week that he will run for Southold Town supervisor in the November election.

Mr. Krupski (D-Peconic) has long been whispered as a public figure destined for the top job in Town Hall, and he made it official this week. His announcement comes in the final year of Supervisor Scott Russell’s term in office. Mr. Russell, who has served as supervisor since 2005, has said for months he would not run for reelection.

Over Mr. Krupski’s years in public office, he has been one of the strongest voices for preservation of open space — particularly farmland — and has been a strong advocate for the health and well-being of the Peconic Bay estuary.

“I live in this town and I think it’s a great place to live,” Mr. Krupski said in an interview Monday. “I’m very familiar with its workings and its people, and I want to keep it that way, so it will be the same for my grandchildren.”| read more ››

Dave Calone Raises $100K In Camp Kickoff For Suffolk County Executive

Jan
6
2023

STONY BROOK, NY — Former prosecutor and business leader Dave Calone kicked off his campaign for Suffolk County Executive on Thursday night at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge, surrounded by a group of over 250 supporters, who raised $100,000, his camp said.

Calone, a Setauket resident, chairs the county's Planning Commission.

He is running to succeed County Executive Steve Bellone, who is term-limited, in November.

The fundfraiser was sponsored by the Suffolk County Democratic party, which was joined by labor unions, business people, and Calone supporters from across the political spectrum, according to the campaign.

Calone said he was "overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support."

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Suffolk Correction Officer Who Survived 6-Month Battle with COVID-19 to be Presented with Retirement Shield

Jan
5
2023

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon, Jr. and immediate family will be in attendance as Retired Correction Officer Timothy Heaton receives his Retired Shield on Thursday, January 5 at 11:00 AM at the Yaphank Correctional Facility's Alan Croce Lineup Room.

Officer Heaton served the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office for 25 years until a nearly six-month battle with COVID-19 which he miraculously recovered from last Spring.

Officer Heaton was hospitalized with severe COVID complications in September 2021 and spent over 160 days in the hospital, finally being released in March 2022.

During his battle with COVID he passed many milestones including his retirement from the Suffolk Sheriff’s Office and becoming a grandfather.

His family, including his granddaughter, will be in attendance for the shield presentation.| read more ››

Democrat Calone Sees a Path to Suffolk County Exec

Jan
5
2023

Back to the polls
Dave Calone is getting his ducks in a row for his Suffolk County executive bid — including Democratic Party chairman Rich Schaffer.

The venture capitalist and former prosecutor is holding a kickoff event Thursday night in Hauppauge, sponsored by Schaffer as well as the county legislature’s Democratic caucus, and the Democratic chairs of Suffolk’s towns, according to a Calone news release.

Calone was unsuccessful in his Democratic primary bid for the 1st Congressional District in 2016, but he appears to be doing everything possible to become the party’s nominee in November this time. That includes a solid campaign war chest — his account had a closing balance of $938,941.09 for the July periodic filing, the most recent available. And now Schaffer is on board, too.| read more ››

Suffolk sheriff's office to be hub for national intelligence center, Toulon tells 52 new corrections officer graduates

Dec
15
2022

The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office will serve as the hub of a nationwide effort by law enforcement to gather and share intelligence from jails and prisons, Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. announced Thursday at a graduation ceremony for 52 new corrections officers.

Details about the hub, set to open in January as the Correction Intelligence Center, or CIC, will be released early next year, officials said. During an address to the officers and others gathered at Suffolk Community College, Toulon said the CIC will allow law enforcement across the country to "vigorously work to combat crimes in our communities.”

Separately, Toulon told the new correction officers, representing one of the most diverse classes in the history of the agency, that they were joining a team dedicated to not only solving or preventing crime, but also rehabilitating inmates.| read more ››

52 Children Receive Holiday Gifts, Thanks To Suffolk Recruits

Dec
14
2022

BRENTWOOD, NY — An annual project for Suffolk County Sheriff’s correction officer recruit class has brought smiles to more than 50 children.

As part of their curriculum,52 recruits collected and delivered toys and winter coats to Long Island Head Start in Brentwood, a non-profit organization that supports children’s growth and development in a positive learning environment.

In addition, the recruits donated enough presents for 52 children who are served by the organization. These presents include educational and fun toys and warm winter coats for boys and girls aged 2 to 5.| read more ››

Marker Honors Booker T. Washington for His Time in Huntington

Nov
11
2022

A marker honoring Booker T. Washngton went up in Huntington Monday, honoring the educator and civil rights leader who once lived in Huntington.

The marker was placed outside Finley’s of Green Street, which sits on a lot where Washington had owned a house in 1914-15 as an investment property. He also had a summer home in Northport. Washington. who was born into slavery in 1856, died in 1915.

The ceremony to unveil the marker drew law enforcement officials, including Suffolk police commissioner Rodney K. Harrison, Suffolk sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. and District Attorney Ray Tierney, as well as town councilmen Dr. David Bennardo and Gene Cook, and Town Supervisor Ed Smyth, representatives of the South Huntington school district, and town historian Robert Hughes.| read more ››