News

Democrats have candidate for Huntington Town Board

Jun
12
2013

The race for Huntington Town Board has gotten narrower, now that Tracey Edwards, a Verizon executive from Dix Hills, has been chosen to run alongside Councilman Mark Cuthbertson on the Democratic ticket.

The two will face Councilman Mark Mayoka and Commack attorney Josh Price, the Republicans' picks, at the polls in November.

Four candidates, including Edwards, had been vying for the Huntington Democratic Committee nomination just two weeks ago and were gearing up for a primary. The other three contenders were Keith Barrett, president of the Huntington Station Business Improvement District; Ed Perez, a business development consultant; and attorney Ed Nitkewicz.

"The other candidates thought about the possibility of a primary and all that … would entail and decided it...| read more ››

Assembly Passes Legislation to Strengthen Texting-While-Driving Penalties

Jun
11
2013

(New York State – June 2013) To address the dangers of distracted driving and deter texting while driving among young drivers, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver joined with lead sponsor Assemblyman Edward Hennessey to announce Assembly passage of a bill that would strengthen penalties for texting while driving and using a hand-held cell phone. Conviction of doing either of the two would be added to the list of violations for which probationary and junior license holders would have their permit or license suspended for 60 days upon a first conviction (A.7739/Hennessey).

“Distracted driving is a dangerous, prevalent problem that affects every New Yorker and not only threatens, but has taken, far too many lives in recent years,” Silver said. “I applaud...| read more ››

Legislator Calarco Congratulates 6th Grade Brookhaven Lab Science Fair Winner

Jun
10
2013

Suffolk County Legislator Rob Calarco recently recognized the Sixth Grade Winner of the Brookhaven National Laboratory Elementary School Science Fair, Emily Phua of Bayport-Blue Point’s James Wilson Young Middle School. Emily won for her project, “NO TASK LEFT BEHIND: THE EFFECTS OF TASK SWITCHING ON 6th GRADE MATH SCORES.” Based upon her observation that students frequently switch tasks while completing school work, Emily designed an experiment to determine if task switching causes students to be less efficient and accurate. Emily’s hypothesis was that task switching would cause students to be less efficient and accurate when solving math problems.| read more ››

Town OKs $1.5M for Cold Spring Harbor land

Jun
6
2013

The public-private partnership working to buy and preserve 28 acres in Cold Spring Harbor took a step forward this week, after the Huntington Town Board authorized spending up to $1.5 million for its share of the bill.

Huntington, Suffolk County and the Old Westbury-based North Shore Land Alliance want to buy 28 acres of the DeForest Williams estate for about $6 million. Under the current plan, the alliance and town would each pay 25 percent of the property's purchase price and Suffolk would pay the rest.

"This significant coastal woodland property has been on the town's potential acquisition list for many years," Town Supervisor Frank Petrone said in a statement. The land sits above Cold Spring Harbor and consists of...| read more ››

Pat-Med Students Take Top 3 Prizes at BNL Bridge Building Contest; Legislator Calarco Congratulates Builders

Jun
4
2013

      At the June 4 meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature, Legislator Rob Calarco honored the first, second and third place winners in the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s annual Bridge Building Contest – all of whom hail from Patchogue-Medford High School. This is the second consecutive year Pat-Med students have swept the top three spots. Brianna Shortell took first place with a bridge that weighed 20.7 grams and held 89.18 pounds, 1954.17 times its own weight. Michael Grazio placed second with a bridge that weighed 21.01 grams and held 89.83 pounds, 1939.37 times its weight, and third place went to Justin Schulz, whose bridge weighed 14.59 grams and held 60.78 pounds, 1889.61 times its weight. Also on hand was Mr. Richard...| read more ››

Schneiderman: Sex Offender Trailers are Emptied and Padlocked

May
29
2013

"The trailers have been emptied and padlocked."

That's the word Tuesday evening from County Legislator Jay Schneiderman, who's been fighting for more than six years to shut down the two trailers used the Suffolk County department of social services to shelter the county's homeless registered sex offenders within his legislative district.

"It's the end of an era. We did it. This has been a very challenging, long-fought battle," he said.

"They haven't been towed away yet, but I'm told they will be, within a few days, Schneiderman said in a phone interview.

County Executive Steve Bellone, who has said since taking office last year that the trailers were "bad public policy" and vowed to find a...| read more ››

Dems optimistic in Smithtown supervisor race

Smithtown Town Supervisor candidate Steve Snair
May
27
2013

With Republican incumbents facing potentially divisive September primaries, Smithtown Democrats launched a bid last week to regain a seat on the town board.

The board hasn't had a Democrat in four years, but party leaders expressed optimism on May 20 at their nominating convention in Hauppauge. About 40 committee members unanimously endorsed supervisor hopeful Steven Snair and council candidates Adam Halpern and Richard Macellaro.

By contrast, GOP Councilman Robert Creighton, 75, is challenging Republican Supervisor Patrick Vecchio, 82. Creighton won the Conservative endorsement last week, raising the possibility of a three-way race in November if Vecchio wins the Republican primary.

Snair, 31, a little-known Nesconset attorney making his first run for public office, said he believes his party has a...| read more ››

Riverhead Dems Choose Slate

May
24
2013

Declaring that their time has come and promising to bring professionalism and good government to Riverhead Town Hall, Riverhead Democrats vowed to "hit the ground runnning" and get out the vote to defeat the Republican incumbent supervisor and council members in November.

The Democrats last night nominated South Jamesport civic activist Angela DeVito for supervisor and chose as her running mates veteran former assemblyman I. William Bianchi and real estate broker Millie Thomas for town council.

"This is the year," DeVito declared last night, accepting the Democratic committee's nomination in a packed meeting room at the Riverhead VFW post.

"The thing that I learned from the Obama campaign and the Krupski campaign is that we, as Democrats, can win," DeVito...| read more ››

Sex Offender Trailers Shutting by Tuesday

May
24
2013

The East End trailers that have housed homeless sex offenders and sparked community complaints will be shut down by Tuesday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone announced.

Twenty-six men remaining at the Riverside and Westhampton facilities will be moved to motels and homeless shelters throughout the county -- no more than one per location, Bellone said Friday at Riverhead Town Hall, where he received applause from local officials.

"We've overburdened these communities for much longer than any community should have to bear," Bellone said of the trailers that have sat near the Riverhead and Southampton Town border since 2007.

County police and social services leaders have identified more than 30 sites for the 26 homeless offenders, Bellone said, with 20...| read more ››