In a typical year, Boy Scout Troop 94 in Wading River honors one or two boys who earn the prestigious title of Eagle Scout.

This year, that number was five. The latest scouts to achieve the highest rank available were honored last Sunday; an additional seven scouts were awarded Eagle Scout rank in December, according to scoutmaster Frederick Stumm.

“To have 12 in one school year is really phenomenal,” he said. “Especially since our troop is not one of the largest troops in the area. These kids really rallied around one another.”

The five Eagle Scouts recognized Sunday in the dining hall at Schiff Scout Reservation in Wading River were Benjamin Allen, Sean Clahane, Matthew Hanson, Nicholas Mango and Joshua Stumm.

Becoming an Eagle Scout is a multi-year process during which the scout has to attain a number of lower ranks and meet more than 300 requirements. They must also earn 21 Eagle Scout merit badges and do a community service project, according to Mr. Stumm, a hydrologist at the New York Water Science Center in Coram.

For his Eagle Scout project, Joshua refurbished a flag depository box at the Volunteer Firemen’s Museum and field in Ridge.

Matthew built a map kiosk for the Veterans Memorial Trail and bike path at the Enterprise Park at Calverton.

Benjamin restored the Firemen’s Creed monument at the Volunteer Firemen’s Museum in Ridge by building a brick walkway and installing a flagpole behind it.

Sean built an old-fashioned outdoor woodworking classroom at Hallockville Museum Farm in Northville; and Nicholas built tables and chairs for visitors at the Firefighters Museum in Ridge and built checkerboards into the tables so people can play checkers or chess.

tgannon@timesreview.com

Photo caption: From left: Benjamin Allen, Sean Clahane, Matthew Hanson, Nicholas Mango and Joshua Stumm were honored last Sunday for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. (Tim Gannon photo)

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A Riverhead man was arrested Friday in relation to a May 9 shooting in the vicinity of Phillips Avenue Elementary in Riverside, Southampton Town police said.

Roland Miles, 43, was in his vehicle with a 15-year-old youth when he used a handgun to fire shots out the window, police said. A teen suffered mild injuries when he was shot in the foot during the 10 a.m. incident on Brown Street, police said at the time.

At the time of his arrest, which occurred outside the USA Gas Station in Flanders, Mr. Miles was found to be in possession of both crack and powder cocaine. He was charged with reckless endangerment, a felony, misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child, and misdemeanor criminal possession of a controlled substance.

He was arraigned in Southampton Town Justice Court Saturday morning.

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A driving while intoxicated charge against a 77-year-old Riverhead man who hit a 5-year-old boy riding a bicycle on Aug. 4 was dismissed by Riverhead Town Justice Lori Hulse Monday.

The move came at the recommendation of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, which said the evidence in the case doesn’t support the charge.

Meanwhile, the man’s attorney said he is planning to file a federal civil rights lawsuit against the town and the police department over the incident.

On Aug. 4, at about 6:41 p.m., William Downing’s 2003 Chevy Escalade hit a child on a bicycle between Lewis Street and Doris Avenue in Riverhead, according to police, who said the child, whom police did not publicly identify, suffered serious head injuries and was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital.

“I was coming home on Lewis Street, I made a left turn from Lewis onto Doris Avenue, and all at once, the bike came out,” Mr. Downing told reporters Monday. He said he was driving about 10 mph.

“I stopped my truck, I got out and called 911 and said I hit a kid,” he said. He stayed at the scene and waited for police to arrive.

Police asked if he had been drinking, and he said he had drunk a half can of beer.

Mr. Downing was later arrested by police and charged with DWI.

His attorney, Daniel Rodgers, said police at the scene had Mr. Downing submit to a portable breath test, a test that is considered unreliable by prosecutors, but which often lets police know if they should do further tests as to whether a person is intoxicated.

A more accurate breath test is done at the police station using a Breathalyzer machine, and the most accurate test is a blood test, also done at headquarters. The results of blood tests take weeks, Mr. Rodgers said.

Riverhead police administered the portable test to Mr. Downing, which revealed a blood alcohol content reading of .05 percent, which is lower than the .06 BAC needed for a driving while ability impaired charge, which is an infraction. The level for a misdemeanor DWI charge is .08.

Mr. Rodgers said police never asked Mr. Downing to submit to a Breathalyzer test, which would have cleared him immediately. Mr. Downing did submit to a blood test on the night of the accident, and those results came back several weeks later indicating that Mr. Downing’s BAC was .03, lower than the requirement for a DWAI or a DWI charge.

But under state law a DWI arrest can be based on the BAC and on the police officer’s observation.

In this case, Mr. Rodgers said, the charge was based only on the officer’s observation.

Mr. Rodgers questioned why Mr. Downing was treated differently than most people charged with DWI. Police arrested Mr. Downing and kept him in a police lockup until the next morning. They also issued a press release indicating that he was driving drunk and hit a child.

“He had to spend the night in jail knowing that when he got out in the morning, the whole community is going to know that he got drunk and ran over a 5-year-old boy near his house,” Mr. Rodgers said.

Riverhead Town Police Chief David Hegermiller could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Rodgers said police knew they had the portable breath test result that indicated Mr. Downing was not intoxicated or impaired and they locked him up anyway.

Mr. Downing is planning to a file a notice of claim this week against the town and the police department alleging civil rights violations, Mr. Rodgers said.

A notice of claim reserves the right to file a lawsuit against a municipality.

Mr. Rodgers said he has already filed a preservation order, seeking to ensure that police don’t destroy any of the evidence that could be used in the lawsuit.

Mr. Rodgers said it’s his understanding that the injured boy, who lives on the same street as Mr. Downing, has since been released from the hospital.

Photo caption: William Downing, right, with his attorney Daniel Rodgers outside Riverhead Town Justice Court Monday morning. (Credit: Tim Gannon)

tgannon@timesreview.com

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Perry Gershon of East Hampton won the Democratic primary in June for the 1st Congressional District. He’ll challenge Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) in November for his seat in Congress. Mr. Gershon sat down with the editors and reporters of The News-Review ahead of the election to discuss a few of the issues that are a focus in the campaign.

Here is a condensed version of the conversation.

Q: What are you hearing from people and how do you think you are doing?

A: We have tremendous Democratic energy right now in this district at a level that, best I can tell, we haven’t seen since at least 2012 and some may say 2006/2008. It’s a culmination of the Trump administration and people’s general reaction to that and just a feeling of dissatisfaction with [Congressman] Lee Zeldin himself and a lot of the policies that he’s been behind.

Q: Do you hear more things about Zeldin or more things about [President Donald] Trump?

A: At the moment, hearing more things about Zeldin. I’d say in the Democratic primary if you’re trying to bring them out to get people to vote you talk Trump. But I think now the focus is on issues. It’s on health care probably more than anything else … There’s another issue that matters to everyone in Long Island and in the state, really. The Republican tax plan and the loss of state and local/property tax deductions.

Q: When they talk about Zeldin, what’s bothering people that you’re encountering?

A: It’s a combination of extremism, feeling abandoned that he’s become political. I do think Zeldin was elected as a moderate. People thought he represented something and in this last term he’s been anything but that. He’s got one thing in particular in common with Trump, which is governing for one party as opposed to everybody … Zeldin doesn’t hold town halls, he holds mobile town halls and controls who can participate in it. Which is representing your supporters, perhaps, but it’s not hearing the point of view of the district.

Q: Are there issues unique to out here, like fishing or farming or small businesses, that you think he’s really dropped the ball on?

A: Yes. Let’s start with his signature issue, Plum Island. I’m not going to attack his position on Plum Island. I think the right idea is to preserve it and keep it from being developed and ideally to keep it useful as a research facility. And he likes to say that he has gotten Plum Island through the House, numerous times. But he’s not getting anything passed into law. There’s more to being a successful legislator than just passing laws, even if your name is on it.

Q: If the House flips over in November, would you be in favor of seeking impeachment against the president or just more digging into things, like tax returns?

A: I don’t think it’s fair to prejudge any inquiry. There’s a probe going on and it’s a criminal probe of what happened in the election. [Special counsel Robert] Mueller is studying it … So let him finish, let’s see what the results show and then let’s make a decision. It wouldn’t be right, regardless of what I feel, for me to take a position on it today because I don’t know what he’s going to find.

Q: In terms of foreign policy where do you think Zeldin has gone off the rails?

A: I think, in many ways, he’s too rah-rah with President Trump. I’ll start with the recent meeting Trump had with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin … Zeldin was willing to say that, yes, the Russians interfered. But he had no criticism of the president … Iran is another good example. Whether you supported the JCPOA at the time or not it was in place and it was serving as a deterrent … It’s unclear what’s going to happen from here. I’m hopeful. I root for the United States. So I’m hopeful that Trump somehow does cut a better deal … There are lots of ways you can make it better. But why not work on making it better while you’re still in it instead of pulling out?

Q: Mr. Zeldin was very much in favor of moving the American embassy to Jerusalem. How did you feel about that?

A: Like Zeldin, I’m Jewish. I’m a very, very strong supporter of the state of Israel. Congress decided 20-plus years ago that the embassy should be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … The last thing I wanna do is say that I don’t think the embassy belongs in Jerusalem because I think it does. I think the timing and the ceremony could have been handled better. I don’t think you need to incite people. If you’re moving the embassy to Jerusalem, do it quietly.

Q: How do you think Zeldin responded when the separations at the border were taking place?

A: I certainly would have responded differently. I’m very much for comprehensive immigration reform and I’m very much for border security. There was a rally in East Quogue and some people came to me and asked me if I was for abolishing ICE. I’m like absolutely not — ICE is important and it is wrong to take that position. But at the same time you can be pro-ICE and still be for reforming ICE. We should have comprehensive immigration reform and we should have strong and enforceable borders … You don’t separate children from their parents because that creates problems. There are other issues with immigration that are important. You’ve got people who’ve been in this country for a long period of time. You have the DREAMers. And they should have a path to citizenship.

Q: In some circles of the Democratic party now there seems to be a very lefty, socialist view of the direction your party should be taken, on things like health care. Where do you come in on that?

A: You can look at who our Democratic congressmen were historically and they were all moderate and I think that’s what works [in New York One.] I consider myself to be a progressive, but at the same time I also consider myself to be a moderate and strongly pro-business. I have a business background. I’m a capitalist, I’m not a socialist. I think business is the engine that drives America. I think health care is also a right. It’s not a privilege. I’d like to see everybody have universal health care, but I’d do it in steps. Not being penalized for preexisting conditions is probably the most important gain we have. And if that’s under attack I’m going to focus on preserving that.

Q: How do you combat the image that Zeldin’s pushed out there? That you’re a guy from the city, you don’t represent the East End, you’re just parachuting in?

A: I’m certainly not just parachuting in anywhere. I’ve lived here for 20 years. I got married in this district. My wife’s family has been in the Hamptons since the 1970s. I think I have a pretty good, strong connection to New York One. I’ve been a taxpayer for 20 years. But having said all that I really don’t want to respond to it. What I want to talk about is health care. I want to talk about taxes. I want to talk about some of the crazy things he’s for, like concealed carry reciprocity … I want to talk about job creation and how to do that.

Q: How do you combat all the millennials stuck at home or leaving Long Island because they can’t afford to live here?

A: You have to invest in yourself first. What Zeldin and the Republicans got behind is just a general tax cut to everybody. Their feeling is if you cut taxes the wealth will trickle down. Well, it doesn’t trickle down here in Long Island. But if you invest in what you have then you can make yourselves better. If we can invest in our plans and our infrastructure businesses will want to open here and they’ll be able to offer a higher paying jobs which will work for younger people. There are other things we need to do. Student debt is an absolute killer for young people. And I think we need a federal program that alleviates that burden and alleviates it not just for the people in school today but for the people who are shackled by their student debt.

Q: Just briefly, what’s your background?

A: I graduated Yale in 1984. I was a molecular biochemistry and biophysics major. I went to medical school for 2 1/2 years and in 1987 I left because I realized I was living in my parents’ shadow. My mom is a very famous researcher: she developed the chickenpox vaccine. My dad is also a very famous neurobiologist. So in January of ’87 I left and opened a sports bar. I ran it for 3 1/2 years and then sold it. I moved out to California and went to business school at Berkley and came back in 1993 and got involved in a startup real estate lending business.

Photo caption: Perry Gershon pictured in June after winning the Democratic primary. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

nsmith@timesreview.com

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Change is in the air these days with the Shoreham-Wading River High School football team. Sure, it’s a new era, the post-Matt Millheiser era. Yet, even with new players, a new coach and a new offense, one thing remains the same: a winning mentality.

The Wildcats still expect to win games. They expect the same results. They expect to go to the Long Island Class IV championship game and they expect to win that game, too.

That hasn’t changed.

“The same standard every year,” said D.J. Brown, who plays wide receiver and linebacker.

And it’s a high standard.

Prior to last year, Shoreham won three straight Long Island Class IV championships (and two Rutgers Trophies, which go to the most outstanding team in Suffolk County, regardless of class). Last year the Wildcats lost to Miller Place in the Suffolk Division IV semifinals, capping a 7-3 season. Later, Millheiser stepped down as the team’s coach after eight years, during which the team went 61-22.

Winning can become a habit, and so it is with Shoreham, which continually seems to pump out athletes like a factory. New coach Aden Smith takes over a team that is seeded second in Division IV.

Can the Wildcats continue to live up to high expectations and maintain their winning tradition?

“I think so,” guard/defensive tackle Jack Logan said after Friday morning’s practice. “If we work hard enough, put the work in, we can get it. If we put the work in, get the work right, become a family, we can be pretty good.”

Team bonding is part of the process. “I think that’s definitely the most important thing,” said guard/defensive end Liam Mahoney.

Xavier Arline, the team’s standout quarterback, agrees. Talking about the value of togetherness, he said: “This year we have a bunch of guys that will sacrifice who they are right now for what the team has to become. That’s the most important thing in any team, any sport. You know, you can put all the Xs and Os together and have all the athletes in the world, but if you don’t have that, that togetherness and that bond, then nothing will work.”

Joe Puckey, a center/defensive tackle, watched as his older brothers, Jimmy and Bobby, played on Long Island champion Shoreham teams. “They talk to me all the time about how to get it done,” he said. “I’ve seen them do it before. I just want to do it again.”

To help in that regard, Shoreham apparently plans to unveil a new, fast-paced offense. Mum’s the word about the offense, though.

Asked if spectators will notice a different playing style on the field, Brown answered curtly, “We’ll see.”

Mahoney said, “We’re still honoring the other legacies, but I know we’re definitely putting our own touch on it this year, a different offense, a different way to work.”

And yet, some things never change. Count Shoreham’s appetite for winning among them.

Said Arline, “Things aren’t going to change here as long as this program exists.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Jeffrey Lachenmeyer (left) and Dylan Blanco collide during a blocking drill at Shoreham-Wading River’s practice Friday morning. (Credit: Bob Liepa)

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My name is Sean Roche. I’m the owner of Platinum Window Tinting in Riverhead, New York.

I’ve owned this business for about nine years now.

I got into the business from BOCES while I was at Riverhead High School, and my teacher got me an internship in the window tinting business at the end of my 12th grade year.

The main services that we offer are obviously window tinting. We also do paint protection, ceramic coating with Ceramic Pro and remote starts mainly in the winter time.

An average day for me is, I come in, clean up the shop a little but if needed and I’m ready for the first appointment. If I know what my customers are going to get, I pre-cut the patterns for the tints. All the appointments are scheduled back to back, so I pretty much don’t stop working from the time that I get here.

The first day of that internship I actually got the job and I worked with that company for about two years.

Once I built a reputation and I was very well known in Riverhead, I ended up stop working for the company I had the internship with and was hired, and I mainly worked out of here.

Sean Roche of Platinum Window Tinting. (Rachel Siford photo)

The main thing that I like the most about owning my own business and running it as well is the person to person interaction with the customers.

When someone submits a quote request, or they leave a voicemail and I call them back it’s very personal because I’m the owner and I’m also the only worker here.So when they want something done, I can personally talk to them and then when they come in . they’re talking to the same person and the same person is doing the work. So there’s no worry about quality at all.

I love seeing the customer happy when the job is done. Window tinting and detailing is like an art. So when I put so much time into someone’s car, seeing the customers’ reaction when it’s done is the best part.

“The Work We Do” is a News-Review multimedia project profiling workers around Riverhead Town. It is made possible by Peconic Landing in Greenport. See more photos on Instagram @riverheadnewsreview. 

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Some of the players on the Shoreham-Wading River High School girls soccer team are a superstitious lot. Trying to get them to talk about the likelihood of them winning a Long Island championship may be more difficult than trying to push a soccer ball past them.

Good luck.

Shoreham has never won a Long Island title, which is rather amazing in itself, considering the caliber of players and teams it has produced over the years. Last year, Shoreham reached the Long Island Class A final for the second time in four years and lost to North Shore, 1-0, on an own goal in overtime. It was Shoreham’s only loss in an 18-1-1 season.

So close.

Three-time All-State goalkeeper Lydia Kessel (Vermont) is the only starter from that team who has graduated. All 10 starting field-position players are back, and Shoreham looks poised to make another strong run.

“We don’t say it because we’re very superstitious, but it’s always on our minds, winning a Long Island championship,” Emma Kirkpatrick, an All-Conference senior forward, said after Tuesday morning’s practice. “That’s a huge goal of ours and I would love to graduate with a Long Island championship.”

Shoreham seems to have the weapons. Nicky Constant, an All-County senior forward, was the League VI Player of the Year and one of the top scorers in Suffolk County with 29 goals and 14 assists last year. All-Conference senior midfielder Frankie Lilly put up nine goals and nine assists while Kirkpatrick tallied nine goals and six assists.

As for goalkeeper, that position looks to be in capable hands, whether they be of junior Alison Devall, MVP of the Brookhaven Summer League championship game that Shoreham won, or sophomore Abby Wing.

“We’re returning a lot of players from last year and they were very strong last year,” said Lilly, a former cross-country runner who will play next year for NCAA Division III Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. She said: “Everyone’s stronger, everyone’s faster. Everyone knows the game better and we know each other better, and I think that will show on the field, and I think that will help us go further. I could see us doing really great things.”

Coach Adrian Gilmore and her assistant, Brian Ferguson, have plenty of talent on their hands. “I definitely think that this year is a year that we could find ourselves back in the Long Island championship with a chance to win,” said Gilmore, who has coached the team since 2011.

Over the past five years, Shoreham has a 59-7-7 record, with two county titles and four league championships.

That first Long Island crown, however, still eludes them.

Constant, who verbally committed to Vermont in March, said, “We’ve been so unlucky, but I feel like this year we have a great chance of making it there again and hopefully winning.”

Gilmore said, “I’m hoping that this year is our year.” She continued: “For the past five years I’ve been really lucky that the teams have always come out and they’ve always played good soccer and they’ve always played hard for me, and I think that is what kind of takes us to the next level. You have to have effort and talent, and you have to be hungry. They have to want it. They have to believe that they can achieve it.”

Do the Wildcats believe this is their year to finally break that Long Island barrier?

Kirkpatrick took a deep breath before answering, “I don’t want to jinx it because we’re so superstitious, but I have a good feeling.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Senior forward Emma Kirkpatrick, one of Shoreham-Wading River’s 10 returning starting field players, during practice Tuesday morning. (Credit: Bob Liepa)

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A Riverhead Town police officer chased a suspect who pulled out a handgun and fired a shot into the roadway in Calverton Sunday night.

The officer, while on a routine patrol, came upon a group of approximately 20 people in the road at the corner of Kay Road and Calverton Court at about 8:10 p.m. and it appeared the people were about to engage in a fight, according to Riverhead Town police. A man in the group then pulled out the handgun and pointed it toward the group before firing into the ground, police said.

The officer activated his overhead lights and people in the group began to disperse. The officer chased the suspect behind a home on Kay Road where he lost sight of him, police said. Additional officers responded to the area, including a K-9 unit, to search for the suspect, who ended up eluding custody.

No injuries were reported.

The incident remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call police at 631-727-4500.

Photo credit: Google Maps

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Jamesport Vineyards finally received approval for an outdoor pizza oven and bistro Thursday at the Riverhead Planning Board meeting.

The town issued a violation to the business after it built the pizza oven in 2012 without permits from Riverhead Town or the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.

“We’ve been working with the health department and the town to ensure that we continue to do what we’ve been doing there,” applicant Ron Goerler Jr. said. “Looking forward, it’s really to solidify the future for the next generation.”

The approval allows for a 49-seat bistro, which is considered an accessory use to the pre-existing tasting room, which is also an accessory use, on the north side of Main Road in Jamesport. The applicants, Ron Goerler Sr. and Ron Goerler Jr., want to commingle the two uses in the existing building.

The town’s master plan included a bistro as a special permit use in the Rural Corridor when it was adopted in 2004, but it was unclear if it was meant to be a separate use or commingled with other uses as the applicants propose.

Mr. Goerler added that the winery would only be open until 10 p.m. at the latest.

“We want to be able to take the business where it’s a full experience for somebody to come to the winery, taste the wine, taste the food and relax and enjoy themselves,” Mr. Goerler said. “I think the days of just tasting wine, in my opinion, are over.”

Jamesport Vineyards also received approval to expand its gravel parking lot and install new pole-mounted lighting fixtures on the 4.2-acre site.

The main winery building on the property was built with town building permits and received a certificate of occupancy in 1993.

rsiford@timesreview.com 

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Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Riverhead Town police are seeking the public’s help to identify the individuals who stole a forklift and other equipment from a Riverhead farm earlier this month.

A Datsun forklift, Husqvarna chainsaw, two Northstar pressure washers, a Schumacher battery charger, three Schumacher jump packs and a Remington pole saw were reportedly stolen from Anderson Farms at 375 Middle Road. The thefts occurred between Aug. 11 and Aug. 12.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information can submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS or by texting SCPD and a message to “CRIMES” (274637). Emails can also be submitted to www.tipsubmit.com.

Photo caption: A similar forklift to the one reported stolen.

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Riverhead Kmart is closing its doors in November, according to a list released Wednesday by Sears Holdings, which owns both Sears and Kmart. 

The Riverhead location was the only New York Kmart on the list, which included a total of 13 Kmart and 33 Sears stores across the country. The only Sears to close on Long Island is in New Hyde Park, according to the list.

The company called the 46 stores unprofitable in its statement on the closings.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to streamline Sears Holdings’ operations, strengthen our capital position and focus on our best stores, this week the company informed associates at 46 unprofitable stores that we will be closing these stores in November 2018,” the statement read. It continued to state that “eligible employees will receive severance” and be given the opportunity to apply for employment at other Sears and Kmart locations.

The nearest Kmart stores are in Bridgehampton and Farmingville, according to the company website. Bohemia, West Babylon and Huntington are the only other remaining Suffolk County locations.

Riverhead Sears closed in 2006 after more than 50 years in business, according to past reports.

Riverheadlocal reported last January that the Kmart building had already been listed for rent by its Manhattan landlord “just in case.”

The local Kmart joins several other big box retailers to shudder along Route 58 in recent years, including the nearby Walmart, which moved to a location farther west on the corridor. OfficeMax and Sports Authority are among the others with no reported new tenant in place.

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There will be no proposition on the November ballot asking Riverhead Town residents if they want to extend the term of the town supervisor from two years to four years.

In a vote that was split along political party lines, the Riverhead Town Board voted 3-2 against putting such a measure on the November ballot.

Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith and Councilwoman Catherine Kent, both Democrats, supported having the referendum.

Ms. Kent said she’s always supported a four-year term for supervisor.

“It allows more time to get things done,” she said.

Ms. Jens-Smith has said it allows for more continuity, and that it’s difficult to do long-term planning with a two-year term.

Councilmembers Jim Wooten, Tim Hubbard and Jodi Giglio, all Republicans, voted against the referendum.

Mr. Wooten and Mr. Hubbard both said they actually support a four-year term for supervisor, but oppose the referendum because town voters have overwhelmingly opposed it in the past.

The most recent was in 2016, when former supervisor Sean Walter, a Republican, unsuccessfully pushed for the four-year term, which was rejected by 64 percent of the voters in a referendum that year.

A similar proposal was voted down by residents in both 2005 and 2007, when then-supervisor Phil Cardinale, a Democrat, backed the change.

Mr. Wooten said town Democratic leader Marge Acevedo made good points in an Oct. 27, 2016 opinion column in the News-Review opposing the four-year term, when Mr. Walter proposed it.

Ellen Hoil of Riverhead spoke at Tuesday’s public hearing. (Credit: Tim Gannon)

Ms. Giglio also pointed out that voters rejected the four-year term by 64 percent in 2016. She said if she thought the supervisor was doing a good job, she’d “probably support it.”

The board also held a public hearing on the four-year term proposal Tuesday, prior to the vote.

Kathy Berezny, a former school board member, said officials knew what the term was when they ran, and voters have made their opinion clear on the issue in the past. She opposed the measure.

Ellen Hoil of Riverhead, an attorney and member of the town Democratic committee, supported the change, saying that with a two-year term, a supervisor has to immediately work on getting reelected once they take office.

“Two years is in no one’s best interest,” she said.

Linda Prizer, who is president of the Northville Beach Civic Association, supported the change. She said a lot of new residents have moved into the area since 2016.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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Joining the Riverhead Fire Department was Bill Sanok’s way of putting down roots.

Mr. Sanok, then 28, arrived on the East End in 1968 after serving in the military and bouncing between jobs with Cornell Cooperative Extension in the Finger Lakes and Nassau County. 

“I figured I’ve got to settle down and do something with people outside of my job,” he said Monday.

Last week, the department honored Mr. Sanok at the firehouse for 50 years of service.

For his dedication to the fire department and additional community involvement as a member of the Riverhead Rotary and Gift of Life organization, Mr. Sanok received several proclamations last Tuesday from Riverhead Town, Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski (D-Cutchogue), state Sen. Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) and the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York.

He was joined by his wife, Maureen, their daughter and two grandchildren during the ceremony.

(It’s not the only milestone he’s celebrating. Next June, he and Maureen will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.)

Mr. Sanok credits members of department and his family for their support. 

“When you first join an organization, you have no idea,” where you’ll fit in, he said. “But when you like the people, it makes the job so much easier.”

He also recognizes that it must not have always been easy on his wife. 

“It’s a sacrifice for the whole family,” he said.

Though they live in Mattituck now, Mr. Sanok says he feels a loyalty to the Riverhead Fire Department.

A native of Goshen, N.Y., Mr. Sanok grew up on a family farm that he intended to return to. Curiously, a muck fire on the farm would sidetrack those plans. “When I was in the service, we had a dry year and a lot of the muck soil caught on fire,” he said. The fire left the farmland unusable, so he took what he thought would be a “temporary” job with Cornell Cooperative Extension. 

In Riverhead, life came together. 

“It was a good fit for me,” he said, drawing similarities between Riverhead and the farming community where he grew up, also composed largely of Polish immigrants.

Mr. Sanok, now 78, served as a first-responder until he turned 68 and is still involved with the department’s fire and police patrol company and as its public information officer, a position created in the wake of 9/11.

“One of the things we realized was that you have to keep the media involved,” Mr. Sanok said. He was chosen for the job because he felt comfortable with the media, often speaking to reporters on behalf of Cornell before he retired in 2003.

Plus, he said, fire chiefs get busy. “He doesn’t have time, and the last one he wants to talk to is someone outside of fire service,” Mr. Sanok said.

Ever since, Mr. Sanok has been a go-to source for reporters on the scene.

“I enjoy talking to reporters. I learned early on that [reporters] want to do a good job. Most of them don’t want to stir up the pot. They do want to do a good job, they want their readers to get something that’s honest, that they can defend,” he said.

Through FEMA, Mr. Sanok received PIO training that covers the importance of communicating during and after an incident and how to brief news outlets effectively. With a training session coming up in October, he’s hoping to get some younger members interested in PIO.

“I tell them, you can’t jump at guesses” when talking to reporters, he said.

Ex-chief Kevin Brooks worked alongside Mr. Sanok in his eight years moving up the ranks. “It’s always great working with Bill,” he said, despite disagreements. “We can sit in here and argue and argue and argue, but when the whistle blows, it’s not about us anymore. It’s about the people we’re helping.” 

Two events stand out most to Mr. Sanok over a 50-year career with the fire department. The first is the massive 1995 Sunrise Fire. “I still remember the day. I knew we were going to be busy,” he said, recalling chasing the fires in the August heat.

The second happened just last year, while he was teaching a fire safety course at Roanoke Avenue Elementary School. He was teaching fourth-graders how to react in emergency situations and shared the story of a young girl whose 911 call in 2015 helped save a life after a fire broke out in a first-floor apartment on Middle Road in Riverhead.

That girl, Jenifer Ponce, was a student in the classroom. 

“She called in and reported the fire just the way we teach it,” Mr. Sanok said. 

Jenifer was later honored by the fire department for her heroic act. 

“It’s satisfying when people appreciate what you do,” Mr. Sanok said. “Those little things mean so much.”

Photo caption: Bill Sanok  has served for 50 years in the Riverhead Fire Department. (Tara Smith photo) 

tsmith@timesreview.com

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Three men were arrested and several more remain at large after a robbery in Riverhead Tuesday afternoon, according to a Riverhead police press release.

Terrance T. Latimore Jr. of Riverhead, 21, Taiquon T. Trent of Westhampton Beach, 19, and Terrance T. Trent of Westhampton Beach, 22, have all been charged in the Fanning Street robbery, police said.

A 24-year-old Hampton Bays man called police around 4:47 p.m., reporting that he was the victim of a robbery. The victim said he was confronted by a group of black males while he was hanging out at a friend’s house, according to police. He told officers that he was repeatedly struck by a number of individuals while one of the participants displayed a handgun and demanded that he give them all his money, police said.

The suspects forcibly removed cash and a cell phone from the victim before fleeing the area in one or more vehicles and, a short time later, a vehicle matching the description given by the victim was located on East Main Street in Riverhead and several of the occupants were identified as being involved in the robbery and taken into custody, police said.

The three suspects were each charged with first-degree robbery.

Several individuals involved in the incident remain at large and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

Anyone with information related to the matter is asked to contact Riverhead police at 631-727-4500.

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Mike Yacubich’s chances of getting on the Sept. 13 Republican primary ballot took another hit Monday when state Supreme Court Judge John Leo ruled against him and in support of the Suffolk County Board of Election’s earlier ruling knocking him off the ballot.

But Mr. Yacubich, an accountant, former Shoreham-Wading River school board member and current Rocky Point fire chief, plans to keep fighting and has decided to appeal the decision to the state’s Appellate Division, according to his attorney, Gary Donoyan. 

Mr. Yacubich, 52, had gone to state Supreme Court to try and overturn the Board of Elections’ decision earlier this month to remove him from the primary ballot based on invalid petitions. The primary would pit him against incumbent Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo.

The BOE’s decision was based on the fact that his petitions were filed under the informal name “Mike Yacubich.”

The BOE found that a Michael B. Yacubich — the candidate — and a Michael V. Yacubich, his son, were both registered to vote at the same Shoreham address.

For that reason, the BOE ruled that it could not be clearly determined by signers of the petition which Michael Yacubich was the candidate.

Mr. Yacubich testified that he is known as Mike in the community. But the judge wrote that Mr. Yacubich didn’t present any witnesses to say there was no confusion on the name issue.

Judge Leo said the witnesses Mr. Yacubich called in his defense merely “lent support to the premise that confusion existed.”

Nick LaLota, the Republican commissioner at the Board of Elections, testified that having the candidate go by “Mike” on his petitions causes confusion when there are two Michaels at the same voting address.

“The BOE’s finding as to the invalidity of the designating petitions is presumptively correct,” Judge Leo wrote in his decision. “The burden of providing the validity or invalidity is on the person who questions the actions of the BOE in rejecting or accepting the petition.”

Mr. Yacubich said he collected about 850 signatures, far more than the 500 needed to get on the ballot.

Mr. Palumbo, 47, of New Suffolk, was elected to the Assembly in a special election in 2013. He also has the Conservative and Independence party nominations on the November general election ballot.

Rona Smith of Greenport, 73, is on the November ballot on the Democratic line.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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Citing impacts on traffic and town resources, the Riverhead Town Board is considering a code change that would reshape how special event applications are handled.

During a work session Thursday, board members reviewed a record of special event permits issued over the last five years. Town Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith was struck by the number of events in August and upcoming in September.

“Every single weekend we have an event,” she said, looking at a September calendar, with several planned for the same day and another three events not included. “These are our big traffic times.”

She added that the proliferation of events could potentially add traffic to already crowded roads like Sound Avenue.

“It has a cumulative effect,” Ms. Jens-Smith said of special events, which require town resources to review applications and in most cases, an additional police presence.

Riverhead Town code defines special events as “any form of entertainment eight weeks duration or less, open to the public with or without an admission fee and held on a one-time or occasional basis, which may include but not be limited to, for example, carnivals, circuses, fairs, bazaars and outdoor shows, horse shows or exhibitions, concerts, road rallies and parades,” that draw more than 100 people.

Board members were also trying to deduce who has been paying special event fees and who has not.

“It’d probably be easier to list the ones that pay,” said Riverhead Town Police Chief David Hegermiller. Currently, nonprofit organizations do not pay any special event fees.

Some board members think that should change.

“Regardless of if you’ve been doing it forever or not, it’s still the town’s time and town’s employees,” Ms. Jens-Smith said. Councilman Tim Hubbard agreed that everyone should pay a fee, but proposed a reduced rate for nonprofits.

The supervisor proposed a $150 fee for local nonprofit organizations, $350 fee for short form events involving less than 1,000 spectators, $650 for long form applications involving over 1,000 attendees and $2,700 for events expected to draw over 5,000 people.

According to Chief Hegermiller, the report does not include parade permits issued, which currently have no fee.

“The Memorial Day parade, that’s a big event for me. A lot of manpower involved,” he said.

The current permit application requires that the applicant name what, if any, groups, organizations or charities will benefit from event proceeds and also states “if an applicant is requesting a special event permit that was held the previous year, verification must be submitted from those charities listed on the previous application.”

Ms. Jens-Smith said she would like to see that enforced.

“I think we should start saying that you cannot reschedule for the following year if you haven’t complied with that, because we haven’t been getting that,” she said. “You want to know that it’s going to charity and not all going to their administration fees.”

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio disagreed.

“I think we should strike that from the code,” she said. “I really don’t care where not-for-profits spend their money,” adding that reviewing their financial information would be taxing on town employees.

Limited town resources, especially in the fall, is a key issue for the board.

Ms. Jens-Smith suggested limiting event permits issued and extending the issuing period from the current 40-days to ensure better preparedness.

“It doesn’t give the town enough time to make these decisions,” she said, adding that 40 days out, many organizers are already advertising and promoting the event.

It could also help the town look at over-scheduling of events, which town attorney paralegal Laura Calamita pointed out is already codified. The town code states that if one or more events are scheduled for the same date that are within a half-mile radius of each other, the Town Board will determine if there are adequate resources for all these events, and can deny permits if the impacts cannot be mitigated.

Ms. Calamita also said that event organizers waiting for approval to serve food and alcohol can also slow things down.

With that in mind, the board agreed to potentially requiring applications six months in advance for events expected to draw over 1,000, 120 days for crowds between 750 and 1,000 people and any event requiring food and beverage permits. All other events with over 100 people would be 60 days.

Ms. Giglio thought the discussion was productive.

“I think we brought up some good points,” she said, adding that the code change should be drafted and brought back to a future work session. “Notification should go out to all the people that file chapter 90s on a regular basis to let them know about a public hearing,” she said, though a date has not been set.

Photo caption: The 2018 Polish Town Fair. (Credit: Elizabeth Wagner)

tsmith@timesreview.com

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The Long Island Blues & Roots Festival planned for Sept. 8 and 9 at the Long Island Sports Park in Calverton has been postponed until 2019, according to its website.

Tickets for the two-day festival went on sale in April and its organizers promised over a dozen performances by blues and rock artists, craft beer, art and food vendors.

The event website had also been advertising on-site tent and RV camping during the festival.

LISP owner Dean Del Prete declined to comment when reached by the News-Review.

A special-event permit had been submitted to Riverhead Town but the application never went before the Town Board or the Planning Board. The proposal would have required county approvals in order to have overnight camping.

Mr. Del Prete has held numerous events at the LISP, located on the former Calverton Links golf course, including a Mexican folklore and bull riding event; an event featuring the world’s biggest bounce house; along with footraces, golf and paintball events.

He had been applying for special-event permits to host those activities at the 82-acre site until the Town Board suggested he seek site plan approval for the entire site, indicating the type of events he would regularly host there.

At a meeting in May, LISP was granted preliminary site-plan approval to operate a multipurpose sports park and event site. Final site-plan approval was given in June with the conditions that parking be limited to 193 vehicles and that no food service take place at the existing restaurant and clubhouse on the property.

The Planning Board determined that any event expected to attract more than 193 cars would need a special-event permit.

Additionally, the board decided that a certificate of occupancy would not be issued until the planning staff performs a site inspection to verify the location of a fence delineating the wetlands on site and damaged sections of a chain-link fence along Edwards Avenue were repaired.

Mr. Del Prete returned before the Planning Board in August to discuss amendments to those conditions.

Riverhead had been home to a blues festival, which started in 1998 and was run by downtown’s Business Improvement District. The event lost steam in 2012 and was eventually canceled the following two years.

tsmith@timesreview.com

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Riverhead Town officials Thursday reviewed a site plan for Michelangelo Pizzeria, set to open on East Main Street this fall.

In January, northforker reported that the popular pizzeria and restaurant would move into the former The Riverhead Project and Sonoma Grill building at 300 East Main Street. The restaurant is affiliated with locations in Southold, Mattituck and Eastport.

“We are pleased to expand the Michelangelo’s brand into Riverhead,” owner Dean Spitaleri Thursday evening said. “We look forward to providing great food with friendly service in this historic community.”

According to town planner Greg Bergman, the applicant is seeking to renovate the façade of the existing building and improve landscaping, lighting and signage on the one-acre parcel.

Michelangelo’s will be the third tenant to lease the space, a former bank, since it was renovated into a restaurant in 2011.

Since the building falls in a historic district, the Landmarks Preservation Commission reviewed the application and recommended that the existing exterior marble work be refurbished, Mr. Bergman said. They also recommended that an overhang on the east side of the building be kept.

“It’s a nice drop-off location for people to be sheltered while they’re waiting for someone else to park the car, if it’s raining,” Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said during the work session. Mr. Spitaleri said he’s planning to add some marble accents on that fixture as well. “I don’t think we’re going to cover that, we’ll just decorate it nice,” he told the town board.

On Wednesday, the Architectural Review Board reviewed the application and found no variance would be required for a proposed neon sign in the entryway, Mr. Bergman said.

According to Mr. Bergman, parking was one potential issue he discovered while looking over the plans. “At all the entrances to the parking lot and also peppered along Main Street, there are signs which advertise this parking lot as Maple Avenue municipal parking lot,” he said.

A lease agreement had been in effect from July 2011 through Dec. 2015 between the town and the property owner, Chris Pia. Though that agreement has expired, many visitors use the 43-space parking lot as a municipal lot downtown.

Ms. Giglio suggested Mr. Spitaleri put up private parking signs to alleviate crowding, which Councilman Tim Hubbard anticipates it will worsen. “It’s going to be a bigger issue once the apartments come to fruition,” Mr. Hubbard said, adding that a rear structure formerly used for the bank drive-up window could potentially be removed to add spots.

Mr. Spitaleri said he plans to use that for storage.

The current 43 parking spaces will allow for a 129-seat restaurant without seeking variances, Mr. Bergman said. Along with an outdoor seating area proposed, the final number of seats would have to be included in the final plans to get approval.

The site plan is also proposing to remove non-compliant building mounted lighting, make the Main Street entrance one-way and add arborvitae and flowers on the property.

Mr. Spitaleri is also hoping to construct a walkway on the west side of the property in order to utilize the front entrance.

Dumpster placement would also need to be identified in the final site plan. Town code mandates that dumpsters be enclosed in six-foot fencing. Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith suggested Mr. Spitaleri go with stockade over chain-link fencing. “It just hides [the dumpster] a little bit better,” she said.

Pending final site plan approval, Mr. Spitaleri is planning a November opening.

tsmith@timesreview.com 

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The Shoreham man who has been fighting to remain in the running for the Sept. 13 Republican primary is back on the ballot.

The state Appellate Division Second Judicial Department ruled in favor of Mike Yacubich Friday, according to his lawyer Gary Donoyan. The Appellate Division overruled a state Supreme Court judge who upheld a Suffolk Board of Elections ruling knocking Mr. Yacubich off the ballot.

“As of now, Mike Yacubich is on the ballot,” Mr. Donoyan said in an email.

Mr. Yacubich, an accountant, Rocky Point fire chief and former Shoreham-Wading River school board member, submitted petitions to wage a Republican primary challenge against incumbent Assemblyman Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk).

The Board of Elections’ decision earlier this month to remove him from the primary ballot based on invalid petitions. Mr. Yacubich’s nominating petitions were under the heading, “Mike Yacubich.” The BOE found that a Michael B. Yacubich — the candidate — and a Michael V. Yacubich, his son, were both registered to vote at the same Shoreham address and that voters would not know which one was the candidate.

Mr. Yacubich, 52, appealed the ruling at the state Supreme Court, but Judge John Leo agreed with the BOE and left Mr. Yacubich off the ballot.

He then challenged Judge Leo’s decision before the Appellate Division.

On Friday, the four appellate judges wrote:

“There was no proof that Yacubich intended to confuse voters, or that any voters were confused as to his identity.”

Mr. Yacubich’s son is 25 years old, and while still registered to vote at Mr. Yacubich’s home address, he hasn’t lived there since May 2016 and now lives in California, the judges wrote.

They continued:

“Yacubich also offered the testimony of several witnesses who carried his petition, knew him as “Mike,” and were not confused as to the identity of the person seeking public office. Witnesses testified that they were present with Yacubich while he was collecting signatures. Two subscribing witnesses testified that they had campaign fliers with them as signatures were collected and used them to identify the candidate to potential petition signers.”

The appellate judges said the Board of Elections exceeded its authority when it invalidated the designating petition on the ground that it could not identify which registered voter was the candidate.

“The Board lacked the authority to rule on the objection based upon its perception that the petition was confusing because of the candidate’s name, which should have been raised through a judicial proceeding to invalidate.”

The three registered Republicans who brought the challenges to Mr. Yacubich’s petitions could seek to challenge the appellate ruling, but they would need to appeal to the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court.

“(And) only if they get permission from that court first,” Mr. Donoyan said. “That is almost always denied.”

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Mosquito samples taken in Southold, Jamesport and Aquebogue tested positive for West Nile virus, according to the Suffolk County Health Department. The samples — collected between Aug. 13 and Aug. 19 — were among 18 to test positive across Suffolk County.

“The confirmation of West Nile virus in mosquito samples or birds indicates the presence of West Nile virus in the area,” said Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. James Tomarken. “While there is no cause for alarm, we advise residents to cooperate with us in our efforts to reduce the exposure to the virus, which can be debilitating to humans.”

Other samples to test positive were located in: West Babylon (1), North Babylon (1), Islip (1), Port Jefferson Station (1) Huntington (1), Bridgehampton (4), and East Hampton (1).

To date, the county has reported 89 mosquito samples and nine birds have tested positive for West Nile Virus. There are no human cases of West Nile virus in Suffolk County.

West Nile virus, first detected in birds and mosquito samples in Suffolk County in 1999 and again each year thereafter, is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito. No humans or horses have tested positive for West Nile virus in Suffolk this year.

According to Dr. Tomarken, most people infected with West Nile virus will experience mild or no symptoms, but some can develop severe symptoms including high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. The symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent. Individuals, especially those 50 years of age or older, or those with compromised immune systems, who are most at risk, are urged to take precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

Dead birds may indicate the presence of West Nile virus in the area. To report dead birds, call the Public Health Information Line in Suffolk County at 631-852-5999 from 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Residents are encouraged to take a photograph of any bird in question.

To report mosquito problems or stagnant pools of water, call the Department of Public Works’ Vector Control Division at 631-852-4270.

For further information on West Nile virus, visit the Department of Health Services’ website.

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