The Riverhead Town Board is considering moving the county bus stop on Railroad Avenue farther west, in an effort to alleviate the congestion caused by buses picking up and dropping people off in front of the train station.
“This is just a beginning of a conversation,” Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said. “For the past several years, it was part of the Town Board’s desire to move the bus stop away from the train station and that was worked on several years ago, but it was not able.
She said she has been talking with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority about the proposed changes, since the parking spaces belong to the MTA.
A new plan drawn up by assistant town engineer Ernesto Rosini would move the bus stop from its current location in front of the vacant train station to the west end of Railroad Avenue on the north side. There would be two bus stops built there.
The 16 existing perpendicular parking spaces there would be eliminated to make room for the bus stops, which would no longer be stopping in traffic. There also would be two new bus shelters built in this location.
The parking spaces on the south part of Railroad Avenue would be replaced with head-in diagonal parking.
The cost estimate for the project would be $25,916, according to Mr. Rosini.
“So, we’re paying for the upgrade of the MTA park?” Councilman Jim Wooten asked.
“No decision has been made yet,” Ms. Jens-Smith said.
She added the town will also seek financial assistance from Suffolk County, which runs the bus system.
The train station on Railroad Avenue has been vacant since 1972 and efforts to get a tenant there have been unsuccessful, even when the space was offered for free.
“This gets people away from congregating in that area too,” Mr. Wooten said, adding that this might help find a use for the building if there aren’t as many people there.
Board members for the most part supported the idea when it was presented at Thursday’s work session.
“We need to put attention into the train station area,” Councilwoman Catherine Kent said. “It’s an area of concern and it’s also key to our downtown revitalization.
She said “the goal of any revitalization is to use alternative means of transportation and to use trains and buses and do more walking.”
Councilman Tim Hubbard said he likes the concept but want to know where the funding will come from.
Councilwoman Jodi Giglio wanted to know what the ultimate expectation of the project is.
“Do we expect more trains will come, or more buses? Will people visit the train station more and travel by bus? What are the expectations of the expenditure?”
Ms. Jens-Smith said the main expectation is safety.
Riverhead High School principal Charles Regan will no longer be at the high school pending an investigation into a personnel matter, according to Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez.
In a message posted on the district website Tuesday night, Ms. Henriquez said: “This morning, the Riverhead Central School District administratively reassigned” Mr. Regan.
No details on the reason for the reassignment were provided.
“While we understand that there will be questions surrounding this matter, the district is legally prohibited from sharing further details on it,” Ms. Henriquez said. “We appreciate your patience as we perform our due diligence regarding this matter.”
Assistant principal Sean O’Hara will be serving as acting principal, Ms. Henriquez said.
A robocall to parents Tuesday alerted them to the message posted by Ms. Henriquez on the district website.
Mr. Regan earned $187,693 in 2018, according to SeeThroughNY. He replaced David Wicks as high school principal in 2013. Mr. O’Hara than fulfilled Mr. Regan’s position as the assistant high school principal.
Photo caption: Charles Regan pictured at graduation in 2018. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister/file)
The Kiwanis Club of Greater Riverhead honored five local residents during its 18th annual Breakfast of the Stars at Vineyard Caterers in Aquebogue Saturday.
More than 90 people from the Riverhead area have been honored as “Stars” since the inception of the program, which recognizes people “who are quietly supporting the mission of our organization, changing the world one child, one community at a time,” according to the group.
The recipients are role models who give back and set standards for community service, the group said.
This year’s awards had an extra recipient in Harry Wilkinson, a charter member of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Riverhead, who was named Kiwanian of the Year.
A decorated Marine who was wounded in action three times in Vietnam, Mr. Wilkinson also served as master of ceremonies Saturday, where he kept the mood light.
At one point, Dhonna Goodale of Flanders and the RBS Singers had the room dancing in a conga line to the O’Jays’ hit “Love Train.”
The following “Stars” were announced Saturday.
Recipient Lisa Dabrowski with Riverhead councilwomen Catherine Kent (left) and Jodi Giglio. (Credit: Tim Gannon)
Lisa Dabrowski
Ms. Dabrowski is a member of the Friends of the Big Duck, the Mattituck American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and the Polish Hall Ladies Auxiliary. She’s also done acting and singing, as well as remote broadcasts for WLNG radio, sometimes dressed as Annie Oakley riding a Segway, according to Brian “the Cannon” Bannon of WLNG. He said Ms. Dabrowski also has been involved in animal rescue efforts.
John Ribiero, commander of the Mattituck American Legion, said she helped build the post’s membership when she took over as public information officer.
“She knows everybody in Suffolk County,” he said.
Recipient Mary Cooper with Ms. Giglio, Harry Wilkinson, and Ms. Kent. (Credit: Tim Gannon)
Reverend Mary Cooper
The Rev. Cooper is the senior pastor at House of Praise Christian Revival Center in Riverhead and a bishop of three congregations, according to her daughter Marylin Banks Winter.
An Aquebogue native and a graduate of Riverhead High School, she’s worked at Brookhaven National Lab, served on the Riverhead Board of Educations and been a chaplain at the American Military Retiree Association, her daughter said.
She also has a weekly Sunday radio show on WRIV called “Moments of Praise,” which she’s had for 30 years, Ms. Winter said.
She and her late husband, Martin Cooper, have five children, 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
“She is the definition of what a servant is, first to the Lord, then to mankind,” said Sarah Bullock, a member of the church.
Recipient Laurie Downs (second from right) and friend Angela DeVito join the presenters. (Credit: Tim Gannon)
Laurie Downs
Over the years, Laurie Downs has been a parent and member of the Riverhead Parent Teacher Organization, becoming president of its Executive Council in Riverhead schools.
She served on the Riverhead school district’s bond committee when the district was considering expansion in 2010-11 and attended almost every meeting, shooting video so people who couldn’t attend could watch the proceedings on Channel 22, the public access channel, according to friend Angela DeVito.
Ms. Downs also reported on board matters on WRIV radio before being elected to the school board herself in 2016.
Ms. DeVito said the only time Ms. Downs didn’t attend the meetings was after she suffered a broken neck in a fall.
“She’s been a champion of the open meetings law and transparency,” Ms. DeVito said. “And she’s never skirted the difficult issues, like gang activities, which she organized a forum on in 2003.”
Recipient Allen Smith accepts his award. (Credit: Tim Gannon)
Allen M. Smith
Currently a Riverhead Town Justice, Allen Smith has also served as Riverhead Town supervisor and town attorney. In addition, he’s been an assistant district attorney, a longtime member of the Riverhead Fire Department, a Riverhead Board of Education member and was co-founder of the East End Regional Intervention Court.
Dhonna Goodale of Flanders revealed Saturday that, when she was little, Judge Smith actually saved her from drowning in the ocean at Westhampton Beach.
Attorney Peter Danowski, who served as Riverhead town attorney during his administration, said the judge helped to “professionalize the whole Town Hall process” as supervisor.
“He was a guy that spoke his mind. He cared, and he did what was right for the town,” Mr. Danowski said.
Recipient George ‘Gio’ Woodson. (Credit: Tim Gannon)
George ‘Gio’ Woodson
Mr. Woodson, known as “Gio,” has been Riverhead’s highway superintendent since 2009, but was involved in public service long before that.
After graduating from Riverhead High School in 1979, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served for four years as a police traffic accident investigator. He then returned home and took a job with the town highway department, where he worked his way up to become crew leader after 20 years.
He made his first run for superintendent in 2006, but lost. He ran again in 2008 and was elected.
Mr. Woodson also has been a member of the Riverhead Fire Department for more than 25 years, working his way up to the position of department chief.
“He knows every single pothole and its history,” said Councilwoman Catherine Kent, whose mother was good friends with Mr. Woodson’s mother for many years.
Top caption: The honorees with Congressman Lee Zeldin. (Credit: Tim Gannon)
When the South Jamesport post office closed April 19 due to an odor in the building, it was expected to reopen within a few days.
But more than 10 days later, the tiny post office remains closed.
“We thought we would be able to cut a hole in the floor and extract the source of the odor,” U.S. Postal Service spokesperson Maureen Marion said Tuesday.
“That was not the case. They may have to lift the building,” she said.
The original plan wouldn’t work because the building has no crawl space and they wouldn’t be able to reach the source of the odor, which is believed to be a dead animal or animals under the building, she said.
But in investigating the odor, a second problem has been discovered.
A facilities engineer who was brought recently in to further assess the site discovered that one side of the building is significantly sloped, according to Ms. Marion.
“As far as we could tell, it has nothing to do with the odor issue,” she said. “This has been ongoing, and part of the building is sinking.”
“So now we have two problems,” Ms. Marion said. “The engineer said it is a measurable, noticeable slump and that is a problem. Something is going on, and they’ve got to find out what, and fix it.”
The building on Second Street in South Jamesport was built in 1907 and has 279 mailboxes. It’s only about 430 square feet.
The building is leased, and postal officials are working with the landlord to find and remove the source of the odor, Ms. Marion said. It’s unclear who would pay for the cost of repairs.
“We had expected it would be an unusual but quicker fix,” Ms. Marion said. “We don’t know what kind of animal it is. We had originally though it was a raccoon or some type of larger animal. It’s just one of those things you would think would be simpler than it is.”
The building will remain closed pending further assessment of how to address both problems. No time frame for that has been estimated.
In the meantime, people with post office boxes at South Jamesport can pick up their mail at the Jamesport post office at 1451 Route 25.
“We are certainly not trying to inconvenience our customers, but this is definitely a sanitation issue and nobody should be in there,” Ms. Marion said.
In her years with the postal service, Ms. Marion said there have been cases of animal infestations in postal buildings or situations in which where turkeys or, in Maine, moose, have disrupted mail delivery.
But she couldn’t recall another time a dead animal caused a sanitary issue in a postal service facility.
Riverhead Central School District enrollment has steadily increased over the past 10 years, during which the number of English language learners, or ELL students, has nearly tripled, according to district officials.
An April 16 presentation to the school board by Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez and assistant superintendent Christine Tona, illustrated the growth in enrollment, specifically in the ELL demographic. During the 2009-10 academic year, the district had 4,816 students in grades K-12, including about 503 English language learners. By 2015-16, according to the presentation, total district enrollment had risen to 5,280 students, 21% of whom were ELL.
The New York State Education Department applies the term English language learners to students who are not proficient speakers of English and are developing their English language skills. These students participate in specific English as a second language classes and, as per state requirements, are also integrated into regular classes.
As of this year, district enrollment increased to 5,595 students, with about 27.5% considered ELL.
Based on overall increased enrollment, Ms. Tona told board members, the district included funding for six new high school teachers in this year’s proposed budget. If the budget passes, the district will welcome new teachers in physical education, business, math, science, social studies and Spanish.
“We do have a need,” Ms. Tona said.
Board member Greg Meyer said the enrollment spike is notable on the field, too,
At a wellness committee meeting April 1, Mr. Meyer said Brian Sacks, district director of athletics, health and physical education, anticipates that in three years, Riverhead will be the fifth largest school district in Suffolk County in terms of sports-related programs.
Riverhead is the 14th largest school district based on the most recent data for the current school year. Central Islip is currently the fifth with a high school enrollment of 1,693, according to data from Section XI, the governing body of Suffolk County sports. Riverhead’s high school enrollment number is 1,432.
In the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District, state education department data shows that enrollment has declined slightly in the last decade and that only 1 percent of students are English language learners.
Enrollment there during the 2015-16 academic year totaled 2,313 students, 14 of whom were ELL. Enrollment fell again in 2016-17, to 2,264 students, and last year, to 2,170, according to state figures.
A Wading River man who works for the Town of Brookhaven’s Highway Department was arrested for allegedly stealing more than 500 gallons of diesel fuel from a town facility over a nearly four-year period, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini.
The fuel was allegedly used for a heater in the garage of his house, the DA said.
Daniel Curtin, 50, has been an employee for Brookhaven Town for approximately 29 years. He was arrested Monday and charged with two felonies. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment the same day.
“We will not tolerate the theft of public funds or government property for someone’s own personal use,” Mr. Sini said in a statement announcing the arrest.
The stolen fuel has a value of $1,023.50.
Mr. Curtin is employed as a foreman and was issued a 2012 Ford pick-up truck by the town to be used for official business and for transportation to and from work. He was permitted to obtain unleaded gasoline for the truck at various town fuel facilities. His duties and responsibilities did not require him any use of diesel fuel, the DA said.
He allegedly stole a total of 510.4 gallons of diesel fuel from town facilities on 75 separate occasions between Aug. 8, 2015 and Jan. 2, 2019.
Brookhaven officials referred the case to the DA’s office.
Mr. Curtin’s attorney, Steven Wilutis of Miller Place, said he arranged for Mr. Curtin to voluntarily surrender.
“Right now my client maintains his innocence,” Mr. Wilutis said. “We are going to conference the case with the DA and the judge and see if we can resolve this matter short of trial.”
Mr. Curtin is facing charges of fourth-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree grand larceny as a public corruption offense and official misconduct, a misdemeanor.
If convicted of the top charge, he faces a maximum sentence of two and one-third to seven years in prison, officials said.
He was arraigned Monday by Suffolk County District Court Judge Gaetan Lozito and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court June 18.
UPDATE (Wednesday, May 1): Det. Sgt. Ed Frost of the Riverhead Town Police Department said Wednesday that the Riverhead Central School District filed a report to police related to the high school principal.
“The school district made a report to us and that’s all I am at liberty to discuss right now,” he said.
The report is not something that could be made public at this point, he said.
Original Story: Riverhead High School principal Charles Regan will no longer be at the high school pending an investigation into a personnel matter, according to Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez.
In a message posted on the district website Tuesday night, Ms. Henriquez said: “This morning, the Riverhead Central School District administratively reassigned” Mr. Regan.
No details on the reason for the reassignment were provided.
“While we understand that there will be questions surrounding this matter, the district is legally prohibited from sharing further details on it,” Ms. Henriquez said. “We appreciate your patience as we perform our due diligence regarding this matter.”
Assistant principal Sean O’Hara will be serving as acting principal, Ms. Henriquez said.
A robocall to parents Tuesday alerted them to the message posted by Ms. Henriquez on the district website.
Mr. Regan, 48, of Quogue earned $187,693 in 2018, according to SeeThroughNY. He replaced David Wicks as high school principal in 2013 when Mr. Wicks became the district’s assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. Mr. O’Hara then filled Mr. Regan’s position as the assistant high school principal.
Mr. Regan had been assistant principal since 2006 and had previously worked in the Eastport-South Manor Central School District.
Photo caption: Charles Regan pictured at graduation in 2018. (Credit: Madison Fender/file)
Hurricane Belle hit, and she really packed a punch.
That would be Belle Smith, of course, the supreme talented midfielder for the Westhampton Beach Hurricanes girls lacrosse team.
Wednesday was PAL Day at Westhampton Beach High School’s Carl Hansen Memorial Field, but it might as well have been Belle Smith Day. Before the Suffolk County Division II game against Shoreham-Wading River, Smith was surprised by the presentation of a framed action photo of herself and public recognition for becoming the first Westhampton Beach player to reach the career 300-point mark.
Smith then went on to fire in six goals and assist on four others in a 15-5 demolition of SWR. The junior midfielder, Westhampton Beach’s first All-American and a Boston College commit, extended her career school records to 332 points and 105 assists. She has also scored 227 career goals.
“She’s a tremendous player,” SWR coach Brittany Davis said. “I think she works hard and she has earned every single accolade she’s ever received.”
The result leaves SWR (7-6, 5-6) in a bind. With three regular-season games remaining, the Wildcats have no margin for error against visiting Hampton Bays Thursday, visiting Port Jefferson next Wednesday and at Rocky Point May 10. Rocky Point will present the greatest challenge.
“It gets real and I think it gets real for the girls because you can instill the idea that we’re playing every single game like it’s our last,” Davis said. “We have to sweep the last three games. Rocky Point will be the most important one, so I’m just hoping to keep everyone healthy, keep them on track, keep them hungry all the way up till then.”
Of course, Smith didn’t do SWR any favors with her extraordinary performance. She had four goals and three assists by halftime as Westhampton Beach (10-3, 8-3) built a commanding 9-1 lead.
“She’s a really good player, definitely talented, very diverse,” SWR midfielder Isabella Meli said. “She can score, she can feed.”
Davis took note of Smith’s passing ability.
“Additionally she’s a great feeder, so that allows everyone underneath her to really step up and do what they need to do,” Davis said. “I would say between Belle Smith and Kasey Choma [of Eastport-South Manor], those two are two of the better players I’ve seen in a while. They don’t get frustrated and put their head down when they get face guarded. They do everything. They’re getting open even when they’re face guarded, which is a hard thing to do and when they do get the ball, they’re still being unselfish with the ball and feeding it. Belle is a tremendous player.”
More milestones were observed. Westhampton Beach sophomores Maureen Duffy and Giana Murphy both surpassed 100 career points. Duffy picked up three goals and one assist while Murphy bagged two goals and two assists. Hollie Schleicher scored twice, Toni Cashman had one goal and two assists and Anna McCarthy added a goal and an assist. SWR struggled to find the back of the net as Taylor Gallarello made five first-half saves.
“They have so much talent,” said Davis.
Meli scored three goals from seven shots. The other SWR goals came from Amanda Padrazo and Catherine Erb.
“I knew this game was going to be tough,” SWR’s Jenna Lesiwicz said. She continued, “Our defense was just not ready for the quick feet that their team had with the cuts and popping in and out.”
Lesiwicz was moved from midfield to defense to fill in for regular starting defender Summer Steimel, who served a one-game suspension for a red card. “That definitely put us in a bind,” Davis said, adding, “We really, really hurt a little bit without Summer.”
Now the Wildcats must feel a sense of urgency. If they want to take their season into the playoffs, they must win out.
“It’s going to be tough,” said Lesiwicz, who along with Nicolette Constant and Meli are the team’s only seniors. “… We’re going to need to win the next three and I think our hardest game is going to be against Rocky Point. It’s going to be a pretty big game, I think.”
Said Meli: “We have the potential to do it. We are a playoff team and we just need to prove ourselves that we can get there.”
Photo caption: Shoreham-Wading River’s Jenna Lesiwicz (7) and Catherine Erb (3) keep a close watch on Westhampton Beach’s Belle Smith. (Credit: Bob Liepa)
A proposed pilot program to allow alcohol and live music at Riverhead Town’s South Jamesport Beach for 14 weekends this summer is officially dead.
The Town Board decided last Thursday not to proceed with the proposal and called off a public forum on the issue that had been scheduled for Tuesday night.
Board members said the feedback they received via emails and letters from residents was almost entirely opposed to the idea.
Councilman Tim Hubbard said that boaters who docked at the town’s East Creek marina and residents who use the beach had suggested various improvements, starting with the concession stand, which needs about $100,000 in upgrades and can currently serve only ice cream and packaged food.
Town parks superintendent Ray Coyne brought up the idea of allowing local beer and wines, and cooked food from local food trucks, on Friday and Saturday nights for a 14-week period.
Mr. Hubbard said “99 percent” of the emails he received objected to that idea.
He and Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said going ahead with the forum was a “moot point” and would be wasting people’s time, since the decision had already been made.
With the spread of tick-borne illnesses reaching epidemic proportions on Long Island, more than 60 residents attended a forum last Wednesday to discuss the public health crisis and the measures being taken to safeguard the community. “Grappling with Ticks” was the third in a series of 10 panel discussions on newsworthy topics affecting Southold and Riverhead towns hosted by Times Review Media Group.
Content director Grant Parpan, who moderated the event, called the discussion “essential” prior to introducing the panel: Stony Brook University researcher Jorge Benach; Dr. Anna-Marie Wellins of the Medical Advisory Panel of the Regional Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital; Jeff Standish, Southold Town’s director of public works; Craig Jobes, environmental analyst for Southold Town; April Boitano, president of Tick Wise Education Inc; and Jennifer Petrocelli, general manager of The Preston House & Hotel, who suffers from Lyme disease and advocates for awareness and treatment.
The multi-layered, two-hour conversation zeroed in on three main talking points: health and epidemiology, hunting and the role of deer in the spread of tick-borne infections, and actionable advice for protection against disease.
The owner of the Suffolk Theater is proposing to build a five-story expansion onto the rear of the building that would have 2,970 square feet of retail on the first floor and 28 market-rate apartments on the top four levels.
The apartments would consist of 17 studio apartments and 11 one-bedroom units.
“Right now the theater is only open two days a week,” said theater owner Bob Castaldi, who said no business can survive like that.
The goal of the expansion is to create a larger backstage and green room and allow the theater to become a performing arts center that could house concerts, plays, movies and other presentations.
Some acts won’t without a proper green room, Mr. Castaldi said.
The apartments and retail would provide a revenue stream that would enable the theater to stay afloat, he added.
Although Mr. Castaldi has proposed making the theater a non-profit, he said it is still a for-profit venture, though not necessarily a successful one.
“I’m non-profit,” he joked.
Despite this, he said the theater has become known to visitors, who will often stay at local hotels when they come from other areas to see a show at the Suffolk Theater.
A rendering of the front of the theater under the proposal.
Vic Prusinowski, a consultant for Suffolk Theater and a former town councilman, said it was always the plan to expand the back of the theater.
“Stage one was to get the building operating,” he said. “This was a full restoration … Bob and his wife [Diane] spent the money to restore the buildings.”
The Suffolk Theater was first opened in 1933 and had fallen into disrepair by the 1990s, when the town first acquired it. Unable to restore it, the town sold it to Mr. Castaldi, who specializes in historic renovations.
The Suffolk Theater is one of several downtown properties on which a multi-story apartment complex is being considered. Peconic Crossing, Summerwind and Woolworth Apartments are already built, and apartments are being considered by developer Ray Castronovo on McDermott Avenue; by a company called G2D Development on the site of the former Subway story on East Main Street; and by Metro Group on the former Sears property.
A 116-unit apartment and retail complex called Riverview Lofts is under construction on East Main Street.
The Suffolk Theater building would need site plan approval from the Town Board as well as a special permit, since it would exceed the maximum building lot coverage of 80 percent.
One problem town officials have with the proposal is a lack of parking.
Mr. Castaldi said his building is located within the town’s public parking district — where property owners pay a special tax to use the parking lots — and where businesses aren’t required to provide parking.
Town planning aide Greg Bergman acknowledged that in his report on the application, but said that “if the applicant were required to provide parking, they would need a total of 71 parking stalls — 42 for the apartments, 12 for the retail and 17 for the theater.
Suffolk Theater’s application only provides three new stalls, which are all designated handicapped.
“In addition to the lack of parking provided on-site, the execution of this site plan will require the town-owned parking lot directly to the north to be reconfigured, which will result in additional lost parking and would exacerbate the existing stresses to the parking district,” Mr. Bergman said.
A rendering of the rear of the proposal.
He estimates the plan would lead to a loss of at least 18 parking spaces.
“The proposed use of the building seems to be excessive given the site of the parcel and the potential impacts to the parking district,” Mr. Bergman said.
Mr. Castaldi said there isn’t any room for additional parking.
Mr. Prusinowski pointed out that the town is considering a plan by planner and architect Martin Sendlewski that would reconfigure the “Second Street” parking and remove concrete aisles in order to create an additional 67 parking spaces. The town received a $74,925 county grant for that last October.
Councilwoman Catherine Kent said the theater “is a jewel,” but that she’s concerned with the parking and with the look of the proposed building.
“For me, the building is not in keeping with the character of the area,” she said.
Mr. Prusinowski said the developers hope to make changes to the plan based on the town’s suggestions, and they will go before the town’s landmarks preservation committee and the architectural review board for advice.
Riverhead Town police and Suffolk County Crime Stoppers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate two men who allegedly stole clothing from a Tanger Outlet store in April.
Two men stole approximately $4,700 worth of clothing from Barney’s New York Outlet on April 10 around 3 p.m., according to police.
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.
Anyone with information can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS, texting “SCPD” and a message to “CRIMES” (274637) or by email at www.tipsubmit.com.
The parents of Andrew McMorris vowed to continue fighting for justice for their son, who was killed last September by an alleged drunken driver, as the case now heads to trial.
Faced with a deadline to accept a plea deal, the driver charged with striking five Boy Scouts, Thomas Murphy, 60, of Holbrook, instead opted for a trial at Thursday’s court appearance in Central Islip.
“This is the road that’s been chosen for us and we’re ready to walk it,” said Andrew’s mother, Alisa.
The case will now move to a pre-trial hearing set for June 4.
Mr. Murphy appeared before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho for what turned out to be a brief court appearance.
The parents of Andrew McMorris vowed to continue fighting for justice for their son, who was killed last September by an alleged drunken driver, as the case now heads to trial.
Faced with a deadline to plead guilty, the driver charged with striking five Boy Scouts, Thomas Murphy, 60, of Holbrook, instead opted for a trial at Thursday’s court appearance in Central Islip.
“This is the road that’s been chosen for us and we’re ready to walk it,” said Andrew’s mother, Alisa.
The case will now move to a pretrial hearing set for June 4.
Mr. Murphy appeared before Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho for what turned out to be a brief court appearance, lasting barely a minute.
Judge Camacho had urged Mr. Murphy to plead guilty to spare Andrew’s family from additional pain and suffering by recounting the events at trial. And Mr. Murphy had said in several statements since his arrest that he planned to accept responsibility for the tragedy.
After Mr. Murphy left the courtroom, assistant district attorney Brendan Ahern addressed the large group there to support the McMorris family and Troop 161, many of whom carried photos of Andrew.
“Today we reach a fork in the road,” he said. “There is no plea. That’s OK. We told you all along that if you look up here and to my left, you have a team that’s been preparing since day one that if this case needed to be tried, we would try it, we would try it correctly and secure justice.”
Prosecutors did not offer Mr. Murphy a plea deal, where he could plead guilty to lesser charges, a spokesperson for District Attorney Timothy Sini confirmed. Mr. Murphy’s choice was to plead guilty to the full indictment or face a trial.
Mr. Sini spoke briefly about the case Thursday afternoon.
“We made it clear that we were going to seek the maximum sentence if the defendant pleaded guilty to the indictment,” Mr. Sini said. “He went back on his promise that he was going to accept responsibility for his crime and that he was going to spare the family, the Boy Scout community and all of the victims’ loved ones and supporters the trauma of going to trial.”
If convicted of the top charge, he faces a maximum sentence of eight and one-third to 25 years in prison, the DA said when he was indicted.
Andrew’s father John said Thursday the family is focused on healing, strength and justice.
What happened on Sept. 30 was 100 percent avoidable,” he said. “[Mr. Murphy] drank all day, he got into the vehicle and he crashed into five boys. That was 100 percent avoidable.”
Andrew, 12, was killed Sept. 30 while on a hike with fellow scouts in Manorville. Four other boys were injured in the crash. Mr. Murphy is facing a top charge of aggravated vehicular homicide. He remains free on bond after pleading not guilty. Mr. Murphy and his attorney, Steven McCarthy Jr., left the courthouse once the brief proceeding ended, passing the TV cameras set up outside the courtroom without giving comment.
At the prior court appearance in March, Mr. McCarthy read a statement on behalf of his client saying: “I ask respectfully that those who come to court allow myself and my family the time to fully evaluate my case and my role in this tragic accident.”
Andrew McMorris.
Mr. Ahern told the courtroom that he was sorry the case now must head to trial, but his team is prepared.
“We’re going to do it shoulder to shoulder,” he said. “We’re going to do it to secure justice.”
Ms. McMorris remembered her son as an “honorable, wonderful little boy.”
“I have been without him for 215 days, more than seven months,” she said. “He’s missed Thanksgiving, he missed Christmas, he missed his birthday.”
Thomas Murphy inside First District Court in Central Islip on Thursday. (Credit: James Carbone/Newsday).
Mr. McMorris continued: “He’ll never have the chance to grow up, to graduate high school, college. He’ll never have the chance to be a pilot he always dreamed of being. He’ll never have a family of his own and we’re going to fight for Andrew and all the boys that were affected by this horrible tragedy.”
They then thanked all the supporters who have attended each court appearance.
“Justice will be served,” Ms. McMorris said. “I am not fearful.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version described Mr. Murphy’s action as declining a plea deal. Prosecutors did not offer a plea deal. His choice was to plead guilty to the full indictment or face a trial. He opted for trial.
Top caption: The McMorris family speaks with the media outside the courtroom Thursday. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)
After mussels collected from Meetinghouse Creek in Riverhead tested positive for a marine biotoxin, the Suffolk County Health Department issued a warning to avoid harvesting and eating shellfish and carnivorous gastropods in both Meetinghouse Creek and Terry Creek until further notice.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced a temporary ban in the creeks due to the presence of marine biotoxins in shellfish and the potential presence of biotoxins in carnivorous gastropods, which feed on shellfish.
“Though Terry Creek and Meetinghouse Creek were already uncertified year-round for the harvest of shellfish, including oysters, clams, mussels and scallops, due to bacteriological concerns, this new ban prohibits harvesting of three gastropods: whelks, conchs, and moon snails, which had until present been allowed for harvest,” said James Tomarken, the Suffolk County Health Commissioner. “Our concern is for the health of the public.”
The contaminated mussels collected from Meetinghouse Creek tested positive for saxitoxin, which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning. Symptoms of PSP depend on the amount of toxin ingested and can progress from tingling of the lips and tongue to numbness of the face, neck and limbs, loss of muscular control followed by difficulty breathing. Anyone experiencing those symptoms should seek medical care.
Anthony Grazio, 54, was among 30 individuals and nine corporations charged in a 130-count indictment in an alleged conspiracy to illegally dispose of solid waste at 24 locations on Long Island, according to District Attorney Timothy Sini.
Mr. Grazio pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of second-degree criminal mischief and two counts of third-degree endangering public health, safety or environment, all felonies. He also pleaded guilty to a pair of misdemeanors: fifth-degree conspiracy and operating a solid waste management facility without a permit.
Prosecutors previously said the victims of the scheme — including property owners in Calverton, Baiting Hollow, Flanders and Greenport — had responded to advertisements for “free screened clean fill” on places like Craigslist. But ultimately the victims were left with solid waste that often contained toxic and acutely hazardous materials like arsenic, lead and mercury, prosecutors alleged.
“As I’ve stated before, we are facing an epidemic of environmental crimes in Suffolk County,” Mr. Sini said. “This case was a great first step forward in ending those crimes. The plea today, and Grazio’s pending prison sentence, will send a strong message to polluters that crime does not pay.”
Mr. Grazio is scheduled to be sentenced by Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Timothy Mazzei on July 15. He faces a sentence of two to four years in prison and a restitution judgement order of $500,000.
Prosecutors said that between January and July 2018, Mr. Grazio would act as a dirt broker by arranging for locations where trucking companies could illegally dispose of solid waste. He also solicited homeowners over the phone and in person for locations to use for dumping.
On May 14, 2018, Mr. Grazio sent a text message to Thomas St. Clair, 51, of Saint James, instructing him to dump material at a residential location on Flanders Road in Riverside. On May 29, Cesar Ivan Bermeo, 33, of Queens coordinated for three Kris Trucking Corp trucks to each dump a load of material containing solid waste at the Flanders Road site.
The indictment says $1,500 worth of damage was done to the property.
A residential site on Landing Lane in Greenport also received a delivery of material from Durante Brothers that was delivered by Mr. Melgar. That delivery included solid waste and caused $1,500 worth of damage, according to the indictment.
The Caboose Pub in Riverhead has lost its ability to sell alcohol after having its liquor license revoked by the New York State Liquor Authority last month.
The action comes after the pub, located at 131 Railroad Ave., faced scrutiny for a number of unruly incidents, including shooting and slashing incidents last year.
“The SLA Board voted to cancel this license at a full board meeting on April 10,” SLA spokesman Bill Crowley wrote in an email Thursday. “The cancelation order went into effect on April 19.”
On Dec. 12 of last year, the SLA charged DGG Corp., which holds the license and owns the building, with four violations based on Riverhead Town police referrals. A public hearing was held two weeks later.
The charges were as follows:
• On May 12, 2018, the licensee, DGG Corp, “suffered or permitted the licensed premises to become disorderly in violation of” the alcoholic beverage control law.
The licensee of DGG Corp is Daniel Gilligan of Hampton Bays, who is also the landlord, according to the SLA. Mr. Gilligan did not respond to a message seeking comment this week.
• On or before Dec. 10, 2018, “the occurrence of noise, disturbance, misconduct or disorder” in the pub or its surroundings, “has resulted in (the pub) becoming a focal point of police attention; all cause for revocation, cancellation or suspense of the license” in accordance with SLA rules.
• On or before Sept. 29, 2018, “the occurrence of noise, disturbance, misconduct or disorder” in the pub and its surroundings “adversely affects or tends to affect the protection, health, welfare, safety or repose of the inhabitants of the area,” which the SLA said was cause for revocation, cancellation or suspense of the license” in accordance with SLA rules.
• On or before Dec. 10, 2018, there had been a “sustained and continuing pattern or noise, disturbance, misconduct or disorder on or about the premises.”
Riverhead police reported that a man was slashed with a knife Dec. 3at the Caboose, and that an early-morning shooting outside the bar Sept. 29 left a man and a woman seriously injured. An 18-year-old Calverton man was arrested in connection to that shooting in October. The incident occurred after a verbal argument escalated, police had said.
The premises has had a number of violent incidents over the years, according to police, including a 1996 incident when the bar was known as Danny’s Den and a Riverhead man who was bartending was stabbed to death in the early morning hours after closing the bar. The killer in that incident has never been found.
Neither the Caboose Pub nor David Gilligan of DGG Corp. were immediately available for comment.
Robin Greenidge laughed when asked from whom his son Ethan inherited the massive size that will lift him into the National Football League.
“Not my side of the family,” he said. “We’re tall, but not that tall.”
The credit, he said, goes to his wife, Xann’s, side of the family. At 6-foot-4, 335 pounds, Ethan resembles his grandfather Ray.
“A lot of the people on his side of the family are small giants,” Ethan’s father said.
As a sophomore at Riverhead High School, Ethan Greenidge went through a growth spurt, shooting from 5-10 to his current height. He became a beast on the offensive and defensive lines for the Blue Waves, earning a scholarship to Villanova University, where he’s thrived for the past four years.
Through a combination of hard work, skill and smarts, the Flanders native will now get a chance to compete at the ultimate level. Saturday night, shortly after the conclusion of the NFL draft, Greenidge sifted through several offers and decided to sign with the New Orleans Saints. As an undrafted free agent, Greenidge will get a shot at earning a roster spot with the Saints, one of the top teams in the league last year.
“It’s definitely sinking in right now,” Greenidge said Monday during a phone interview from Villanova, where he’s finishing his final classes before graduation later this month. “It’s crazy.”
Greenidge will report to a rookie minicamp at some point in the next week or two and begin the process of trying to become a professional football player. While he didn’t hear his name called among the 240 picks in last week’s three-day draft, he had several teams vying for the chance to sign him once the draft concluded. He weighed the options with his agent to determine which team would give him the best chance at earning a roster spot and they settled on the Saints.
He said he was “anxious and excited” as the process unfolded Saturday with the final four rounds of the draft.
“After a while, I found when all the dust settled who really wanted me,” he said. “It was an exciting feeling for me and my family.”
He watched the draft from a dorm room at Villanova, huddled with a few teammates and family members. On Sunday he made a quick ride home to celebrate some more before returning to school.
“There was like 12 of us packed in there [Saturday] just watching the countdown to see how it went,” Robin Greenidge said.
As the draft unfolded, Ethan Greenidge heard from several teams that expressed interest in signing him as a free agent, which reduced the stress of wondering if he would be drafted. He knew the free agency option would be there. And the odds of landing a final roster spot don’t change much whether you’re a seventh-round draft pick or an undrafted free agent.
Ethan Greenidge returns an interception 45 yards for a touchdown against East Islip in 2014. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)
“Everything right now is almost surreal,” Robin Greenidge said. “We’re still kind of wrapping our heads around it. A kid playing high school football at Riverhead. Typically, you think of someone coming out of Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, these big colleges.”
That Ethan Greenidge will have a shot at the NFL comes as no surprise to Mark Ferrante, his coach at Villanova. He said Greenidge was a “godsend” to the program and someone who contributed on the field from the moment he arrived as a 17-year-old.
Had circumstances been different, Greenidge would still have one more year at Villanova and another 12 months to grow stronger before pursuing the NFL. Players on the offensive line typically redshirt as freshmen, meaning they don’t play their first year but still maintain four years of eligibility.
Riverhead players in NFL
James Hill, Class of 1993
Played 10 games as tight end for Seattle in 2000.
Scott Mersereau, Class of 1983
Played 102 games from 1987 to 1993 with the New York Jets. He was a defensive tackle and defensive end.
Ted Wegert, Class of 1951
Played 26 games from 1955 to 1960, mostly with Philadelphia. He was a halfback.
Ed Danowski, Class of 1930
Played 71 games with the New York Giants as quarterback and halfback. He was the first Giants quarterback to win two NFL championships.
Offensive line and quarterback are two positions that often require extra development for athletes to adjust from high school to college.
“He was able to handle some things early on that maybe some other freshmen aren’t able to handle mentally and physically,” Ferrante said. “So it gave him the opportunity to go out there and play early in his career.”
Jake Prus, a senior lineman during Greenidge’s freshman season, had missed some playing time to donate bone marrow to save the life of a man suffering from a blood disease. His sacrifice opened the door for Greenidge to become a starter in his first year . He hadn’t even turned 18 when the season began.
Most players who get drafted are 22 or 23, but Greenidge will begin his journey toward the NFL at just 21. Ferrante said Greenidge’s best years are still ahead of him as he continues to mature physically. And he believes his young age could be a benefit as teams look at him and wonder what he can become by age 23.
So what did NFL teams see in him now?
“No. 1, he has really good size,” Ferrante said. “He’s just a really good athlete. Take the size into account, but also the agility, lateral movement. He’s really good on his feet for a guy who’s 335 pounds.”
Ethan Greenidge with his brother, Jaron (from left); parents, Robin and Xann; and sister, Tori. (Courtesy photo)
Greenidge is also able to play multiple positions on the offensive line.
He said he’s not sure where exactly the Saints will try to position him.
What the Saints will get in Greenidge is a player who is a student of the game, Ferrante said. He described him as someone who watches more film and does more self-study than anyone they’ve had in the program.
“He’s someone who’s going to do the extras,” the coach said. “The things we say to him is keep doing the things that made you get to this point now.”
Greenidge played in 43 games during his four-year career at Villanova. He was a two-time selection to the CAA Football All-Conference Team. This past season he was first team all-CAA, starting 10 games.
He said he learned so much as a player during his time at Villanova. He also said the support he received from his family and friends has been overwhelming.
“It means a lot to them,” he said. “I was happy I could bring that little light into their life.”
If Greenidge doesn’t land on the Saints’ 53-man roster in late August, Ferrante believes he’ll have a strong chance of earning a spot on the practice squad.
“He’s athletic and big and smart enough to make a roster at some point,” he said.
Greenidge not only excelled in football at Riverhead, he also played basketball and threw the shot put and discus in the spring track and field season. He threw the shot put just over 50 feet as a junior in 2014. He was a two-way player at Riverhead in football, also excelling on the defensive line, and played for the Blue Waves’ county championship teams in 2012 and 2013.
“We are very proud of him and I know he will represent the Riverhead football family in the most positive way,” said Riverhead varsity coach Leif Shay.
Greenidge becomes the first Riverhead graduate to get a shot at the NFL since Miguel Maysonet, the talented running back who played at Stony Brook University. Maysonet signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles shortly after the 2013 NFL draft ended. He bounced around several teams from 2013 to 2015 and played in preseason games, but never made it onto a team’s final roster.
Top photo caption: Ethan Greenidge played four years at Villanova. (Credit: Villanova Athletics)
Riverhead’s Landmark’s Preservation Commission is hoping to take a second try at getting Main Road in Jamesport and Aquebogue named as part of a national historic district.
“We’ve lost five historic buildings since starting on this project seven years ago,” said Richard Wines, the chair of Riverhead Town’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The most recent was a nearly 150-year-old house on Main Road in Aquebogue that was demolished in early March, he said during a presentation at Thursday’s Riverhead Town Board work session.
Back in 2014, an effort was made to get Main Road designated as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
That proposal, launched in 2012, covered Aquebogue, Jamesport and Laurel and stretched from Route 105 on the west, to a part of Laurel on the east that extended into Southold Town.
The commission reluctantly voted to withdraw the application.
The majority of property owners within the portion in Southold Town were opposed to the designation, as were many in the Riverhead Town portion. Mr. Wines, who had been the main advocated for the district, reluctantly urged the rest of the Riverhead commission to withdrawn the proposal.
The Riverhead Landmarks Preservation Commission suggested Thursday to revive the Main Road plan.
Peter Lucas, a member of the Riverhead commission, said that the designation would bring tax credits to everyone who lives on Main Road.
“The real benefit here is that everyone who lives on the North Fork has a little more protection for maintaining the character that Main Road has,” he said.
“I think that last time, there was just a lot of misinformation,” said Councilman Jim Wooten.
“There was mostly misinformation,” Mr. Wines said.
Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said people were saying that there would be restrictions on homes in a national historic district.
“If you access the credits, then there are restrictions,” she said. “But if you don’t want to use them, you can do whatever you want with your house and property.”
Among the benefits of being in a National Register Historic District are that income-producing resources qualify for 40% federal/state restoration tax credits, and homeowners qualify for 20% state tax credits for restoring their home, according to Mr. Wines.
Being in the National Register also supports real estate values, and brings prestige and recognition, creates jobs and promotes tourism, among other things, Mr. Wines said.
“One of the hurdles last time was that the state Historic Preservation Office wanted to include some of the farms and structures in Southold Town,” Ms. Giglio said.
The current proposal also stretches into part of Southold Town.
Mr. Wines said he has already been meeting with the Southold Town Historic Preservation Board and the Mattituck Laurel Civic Association about the proposed Main Road historic corridor.
If the proposal moves forward, it won’t begin until 2020, with a public information meeting around May 2020 and a state Review Board meeting in July, Mr. Wines estimates.
In 2014, there were 354 parcels included in the proposed historic district — including 42 in Southold Town — which needed to be the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Designations before being named to National Register.
But Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said the majority of the property owners in the portion of the proposed district in his town opposed the measure, and that if one town were opposed, the whole proposal failed.
Many of the homeowners within the proposed district feared it would lead to additional restrictions on their property, despite Mr. Wines’ insurance to the contrary.
Riverhead Little League officially kicked off the 2019 season with its opening day ceremonies Saturday morning at Stotzky Park. Players on all the baseball and softball teams were introduced at Bob Burns Field.
Little League president Jeremy Savio spoke about the community atmosphere the league represents.
“If you look out in the field, we have over 300 kids from 4 to 13 years old and they all have one thing in common,” he said. “They all have Riverhead on the front of their chest. You’re not going to to get that anywhere else but here at Riverhead Little League.”
The season technically already began a few days earlier with the first set of games. The season began a bit later than normal due to the late Easter this year.
During the ceremony, the Little League honored last year’s World Series all-star team that won the District 36 and Section 4 championships. Each of the players and coaches were introduced one-by-one as the current Little Leaguers lined the infield.
Last year’s World Series championships team.
The manager of the team, Mike Mowdy, was also honored with a plaque. He had served as vice president of the league.
“He’s coached a couple teams that won a few games,” Mr. Savio joked. “He’s done a great job.”
Also honored with a plaque were board members Brian and Marie Buday.
“They’ve done a lot of work,” Mr. Savio said. “Brian worked at the at concession stand. All the great flyers you see were done by Marie. She set up all our softball teams for years.”
The effects of climate change
are already upon us.
High
tides have been routinely higher and storms — named and unnamed — have funneled
massive amounts of water between the two forks at higher levels on a more
regular basis, pushing it up into narrow creeks and onto land.
There
are places in our area where higher tides have pushed sand, beach gravel and
shell material into critical wetland habitats, threatening to choke them. In
one spot on the north shore of East Marion, the Grayson storm of January 2018
sliced down the embankment in front of one property, scooped out more than
37,000 cubic yards of sand and gravel and deposited it in Long Island Sound.
We’ll discuss the effects of climate change,
including what it means to the health of our bays and creeks, at our next Times
Review Talks event at The Vineyards at Aquebogue on Wednesday, May 22 from
11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Panelists include Kevin McAllister of Defend H20, Mark Haubner of North Fork Environmental Council, Southold Town Trustee John Bredemeyer, Joyce Novack of Peconic Estuary Program, Bridg Hunt of North Ferry and Marie Beninati of Beninati Real Estate and Southold VOICE. The discussion will be moderated by Times Review Media Group content director Grant Parpan.
Times Review Talks are panel discussions
mostly on issues our communities are facing with the people who best understand
the concerns and, in some cases, are in a position to make a difference.
Upcoming talks are expected to cover the topics of the future of Riverhead,
school enrollment in Southold Town and more.
The two-hour events will be held monthly. The
$30 ticket price ($20 for Times Review subscribers) includes lunch. Space is
limited, so we recommend purchasing your tickets in advance at
This month’s sponsors are Eastern Long Island
Hospital, Suffolk Security Systems, Riverhead Ford Lincoln and Riverhead Buick
GMC and the North Fork Chamber of Commerce.
To learn more about becoming a sponsor of
Times Review Talks, contact Sonja Reinholt Derr at 631-354-8050 or sderr@timesreview.com.
