The Riverhead woman arrested in September for a shooting during a domestic dispute at a Flanders home has been indicted by a grand jury on charges that include attempted murder, online court records show.

Patchita Tennant, 42, is scheduled to be arraigned before Suffolk County Supreme Court Judge John Collins on the upgraded charges next Thursday, Nov. 14. The indictment was handed down last Thursday, Oct. 31.

Ms. Tennant has been accused of shooting her estranged boyfriend, Andrew Silas Mitchell, 46, three times, twice in the chest and once in the arm. She was initially charged with first-degree assault and criminal use of a firearm. The upgraded charges also include one felony count of assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon, records show. All four charges are felonies.

The shooting incident occurred on Thursday, Sept. 5, shortly before 8:20 p.m., when police were called to the home on Pleasure Drive that Ms. Tennant previously shared with Mr. Mitchell. Police were advised to be on the lookout for Ms. Tennant, who was reported to have fled the scene with the couple’s 3-year-old daughter.

The search for Ms. Tennant and the child, which led police to issue a statewide Amber Alert, spanned about 18 hours. The child was located with a family member late the next morning and Ms. Tennant, whose vehicle was found in Middle Island, turned herself in to Southampton police around 3 p.m. that Friday.

At her initial arraignment in Southampton Town Justice Court, Sept. 7, Ms. Tennant’s attorney, Austin Manghan, argued his client was acting in self defense. Mr. Manghan said the gun belonged to Mr. Mitchell and that she wrestled it away before shooting him. He added that the child was not present at the time of the shooting and that Ms. Tennant did not have the gun with her when she fled. He said the gun belonged to Mr. Mitchell.

Investigators examine Ms. Tennant’s car in a Middle Island parking lot. (Credit: Stringer News)

Assistant District Attorney Eric Aboulafia said Ms. Tennant and the couple’s daughter had been at a relative’s house when she realized she might not have enough clothes for her daughter and went alone to the house she owned with Mr. Mitchell to get more.

When she got there, an argument ensued with Mr. Mitchell, whom she accused of having an affair. The prosecutor said Ms. Tennant, who had recently been living in Riverhead, banged on a door and screamed “I’m going to kill you.”

Mr. Mitchell grabbed a .38 caliber handgun and the two wrestled over the gun, which went off, hitting Mr. Mitchell, according to the prosecutor.

Mr. Manghan said Ms. Tennant had never seen the gun before and was unaware that Mr. Mitchell owned it. He added that after Mr. Mitchell was shot, the gun was dropped on the floor and Ms. Tennant fled. He said Mr. Mitchell, who he accused of beating his client during the decade they were together, then tried to shoot her, but the gun had no more bullets. Prosecutors said the gun was not properly registered or licensed.

Ms. Tennant has been free on a $500,000 bond since shortly after her arrest, records show.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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Brought to you by:

My name is Emilie Zaweski and we’re at Farmer’s Kitchen, here in Riverhead. 

Farmer’s Kitchen is a production kitchen. We co-pack for other farmers and we create our own product. Basically, we started that to give value-added products to the farms. We co-pack for about 20 farms and we have about five individual clients that we do that are non-farm.

We are preserving the natural harvest and really having people be in touch with what is in season, what is not in season, and understanding that as well.

My background is in food. I did not grow up on a farm. Actually, I grew up [elsewhere] and I didn’t even know there were farms out here.

My husband, Mark, is a fourth-generation farmer. His great-great grandfather came over from Poland. Potatoes were big then and then everyone had kind of transferred from potatoes to a variety of different vegetables and then from there, speciality crops.

We’ve survived many generations on what we do, how we do it, and farmers are the best stewards of the land.

My job is really managerial. I don’t have to manage Mike, our production manager. He’s very talented; he manages the employees. I, basically, am in charge of everything else. Ordering, all the bookkeeping, the payroll. If I need to go pick up, like we need now, some more jalapeño peppers — any day-to-day operations that need to happen, that’s me. Website, sales, deliveries.

We currently are in 18 Stop & Shop stores, more in Western Suffolk.

We find, over the years, our unique pickled products are a big hit, such as a pickled kimchi, the cowboy candy, which is a pickled jalapeño, which is very sweet and hot at the same time. We have the traditional pickled beets, pickled cauliflower. We grow a lot of cippolini onions on our farm, so we pickle those and that’s a big hit as well. We do have jams. We have mustards.

Farmer’s Kitchen is really created from my love and passion of food, and eating healthy most of the time, but cooking — it’s simple and it’s easy to do and a lot of people don’t know that. My mission is not just showing people that preserving is good and extends the harvest, but even just go to your local farmer and eat their vegetables, whether they’re organic or not organic.

“The Work We Do” is a News-Review multimedia project profiling workers around Riverhead Town. 

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Election Day is Tuesday, but thousands of New Yorkers have already cast their ballots as the state allowed early voting for the first time this year.

Early voting ran for nine days starting Oct. 26. Polls were closed Monday as election workers prepared for regular Election Day on Nov. 5.

Statewide, 256,251 residents voted early, according to preliminary data from the state Board of Elections.

That figure includes 17,012 voters in Suffolk County — just under 2% of the 977,134 registered active voters in the county.

Nassau, the sixth most populated county in the state, attracted the highest overall turnout among early voters with 30,018 residents voting over the nine-day period.

Locally, Southold led in early voting with 1,532 votes cast at the Human Resource Center in Mattituck. Riverhead’s polling place at the Aquebogue Senior Center drew 1,323 voters, according to data collected by the Suffolk County Board of Elections. Those figures do not necessarily reflect how many residents in each town voted early, since Suffolk County residents could vote at any of the 10 polling places, officials said.

Using a new electronic sign-in system via iPad, a voter’s town would display on the screen and their ballot for their town could be printed on-demand.

Around 2 p.m. at the Riverhead Senior Center Friday, nearly 20 people were waiting to check in and feed their ballot into the machine. Among those voters were Frank and Eileen Boccio of Remsenberg. Though they are Southampton residents, they opted to vote early in Riverhead since it was a closer drive than the Southampton Town polling location at the Stony Brook Southampton campus.

Ms. Boccio said she otherwise would not have been able to vote in this year’s election, since she would be babysitting her grandchildren in Nassau County overnight on Election Day.

Though she and her husband feel the state should impose voter ID regulations, they agreed that early voting is a step in the right direction. “The more we can encourage people to show up and vote, the better,” Mr. Boccio said.

Poll workers at both the Riverhead and Southold locations said early voting was off to a strong start and each had a “steady” stream of voters all day Friday.

Voters in both locations praised the measure.

“It’s a big help,” Elizabeth O’Reilly of East Marion said at the Human Resource Center in Mattituck Friday.

She said she works late and finds it difficult to get to the polls on Election Day.

“This gives me some options,” she said. “It’s nice to have it done.”

In several counties, including Nassau and Suffolk, Sunday, Nov. 3 saw the highest number of early voters throughout the nine days with 5,426 and 3,079 voters, respectively.

Albany, Dutchess, Monroe, Ononaga, Orange, Rockland, Ulster, and Westchester counties and New York City also saw the highest turnout on Sunday.

Co-executive director of the state Board of Elections Robert Brehm said that statewide, the process went smoothly.

“The voters seemed to like the convenience of not having to vote on just the one day,” he said in a statement.

According to the agency’s other co-executive director, Todd Valentine, statewide turnout was approximately 1.9% over the early voting period.

“With nothing to compare it to, we don’t know yet if that is high or low,” he said in a statement, noting that after the election is finalized, officials would meet with local commissioners and stakeholders to review the process ahead of the presidential election in 2020.

The election before a presidential election is traditionally the lowest year for turnout, with 17.33% in 2015 and 19.9% in 2011, according to Mr. Brehm.

“The true test will come in 2020, but I like to think we have laid a good foundation that we can build on,” he said.

New York is the 39th state to offer early voting to residents. It was passed by the State Legislature on Jan. 24, 2019. The legislation required at least one early voting site per county, and one site per 50,000 voters. Lawmakers additionally authorized electronic poll books be used to ensure voters can only vote once.

Advocates of early voting have said the measure will increase overall voter participation and ease lines at polling places on Election Day.

“We think it’s great,” said Debra Gudmundsen of Calverton, who voted Friday with her husband, George.

“It’s long overdue. We’re so progressive here, but New York has these archaic laws,” Mr. Gudmundsen said. “All new systems have their glitches, but it’s great to have the early voting. It should have been done a long time ago.”

In 2020, New York will have 27 days of early voting overall, nine each for the presidential primary, April 28, the state & federal primary, June 23, and the general election, November 3.

tsmith@timesreview.com

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Riverhead Town police are seeking the public’s help to locate a 15-year-old girl who is reportedly missing.

Gabriela Escobar-Garcia is Hispanic, 5-foot-1, 130 pounds with brown eyes, light complexion and she has short hair that is brown and blonde.

She left a residence on Sound Avenue near Osborn Avenue at approximately 9 p.m. Sunday, police said. No foul play is suspected.

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

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It was a gift from the heavens, and that’s not a reference to the on-and-off rain.

Shoreham-Wading River was staring playoff elimination in the face and was a mere 7 minutes and 22 seconds from seeing its season come to an end. Trailing Harborfields, 1-0, in the Suffolk County Class A girls soccer final, SWR was granted a late reprieve. A free kick by SWR’s Gianna Cacciola was knocked around the penalty area as if it was in a giant pinball machine. And then, suddenly, Ashley Borriello found the ball at her feet. “All I know is the ball is right in front of me,” she said. She obligingly knocked it in for the equalizer.

Fortunes can turn quickly in a tight game. Just 2:14 later, Borriello came to SWR’s rescue again, this time with a game-winning header that lifted the Wildcats to a dramatic 2-1 triumph in North Babylon and their third county championship in six years.

“I figured it would be her, honestly, today,” Elizabeth Shields, who assisted on the game-winner, said of Borriello, SWR’s hero of the day. “It’s always Ashley. She finds a way to put it in the back of the net, and that’s her job as a forward, and she does it really well. So, she just came out and did her job in the second half. I’m so proud of my little girl.”

The winning goal was the product of a foul 52 yards away from the Harborfields goal. Shields took the free kick.

“I put the ball down and got so nervous because I just knew that that was kind of it,” Shields told reporters. “I figured there was going to be minimal fouls the rest of the game, so every foul at that point was counting for a whole lot, and my goal was just to hit somebody at the back post and hoping it went in, and Ashley just happened to be there.”

Borriello, a junior striker who might be 5-6, barely got her head to the ball with her back to the goal, but just enough for it to skim off her and inside the right post.

“It was so exciting, and I think it was like almost shocking in a way for me,” she said. “It actually went in.”

Borriello (15 goals, one assist this year) may have been the only person on her team to be surprised that she was the one who ultimately made the difference in crunch time.

“She’s lightning fast,” SWR coach Adrian Gilmore said. “She’s got a nose [for] the goal. She doesn’t care who scores. She just wants the ball in the back of the net, with a win.”

Photos by Daniel De Mato

Second-seeded SWR (14-2-2) looked as if it might be the latest upset victim of No. 8 Harborfields (10-6-2), which had toppled No. 5 Eastport-South Manor and No. 1 Half Hollow Hills West in the previous two rounds.

For the first time this year, SWR conceded a first-half goal. It came with 1:45 left in an otherwise nondescript first half. Both teams were having trouble settling into a possession game and passing rhythm on the new turf field at North Babylon High School. And then Katie Davis met a picture-perfect left-wing cross from Brooke Buda with a picture-perfect header that flew inside the far left goalpost, leaving goalkeeper Alison Devall with no chance. It was the junior’s 11th goal of the year.

Gilmore and assistant coach Brian Ferguson had a halftime talk with the Wildcats. Gilmore recalled: “We kind of said: ‘It’s your game. You dictate it. We’ve kind of given you all the tools. You need to put the ball in the back of the net.’ So I was proud of them for doing that.”

Down a goal, the Wildcats were determined not to get down. They remained determined and focused.

“We’ve came back before and we know we can score goals,” Devall said. “We had 40 more minutes left, and I think being optimistic was the most important part of that, and we did a good job of that, and even if it takes almost 90 minutes to get comfortable, the last five minutes is what matters most and it’s what wins games.”

Not playing the ball to feet can lead to defeat. SWR picked up its game and, as the clock wound down, pushed forward and amped up the pressure on the Tornadoes. “When we’re down, we always know how to get back up,” said SWR midfielder Lakin Ciampo.

Devall made three of her five saves in the final few minutes, including Taylor Sammis’ 44-yard free kick seconds before the end. “I know that the skip was a little scary,” Devall said, “… it just came right to me, and it couldn’t have worked out better that last play.”

Devall added: “I think that we just kept working and we stayed confident and we didn’t give up literally to the last second, and sometimes that’s what it takes. I had confidence in every single person on the field.”

SWR had beaten Harborfields, 3-1, in overtime during the regular season. Gilmore said the Wildcats knew “Harborfields is a great team.”

Much can be said for the Wildcats, too.

“They’re resilient,” Gilmore said of her players. “That second half, the last 10 minutes, they really worked hard. They covered for each other. They battled.”

And they persevered. SWR will bid for its first Long Island title Saturday when it faces MacArthur or Mepham at Berner Middle School in East Massapequa at 11 a.m.

Shields said, “We have a good run going, and I don’t think it’s going to stop.”

Photo caption: From left, Harborfields’ Katie Davis, Shoreham-Wading River’s Graceann Leonard, Lakin Ciampo, Lydia Radonavitch and Ashley Borriello and Harborfields’ Ruby Sember react after Borriello’s second goal, with 5:08 left to play. (Credit: Daniel De Mato)

bliepa@timesreview.com

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Community members unable to attend tonight’s Riverhead capital bond presentation at the high school will have another chance, but they better plan fast.

The school district has scheduled another capital project presentation for Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 6:30 p.m. at Pulaski Street School. The added meeting comes after the elementary school PTOs requested an additional forum following news that a prior meeting was rescheduled to Election Day.

Board of Education and administration members, and representatives from the district’s architectural firm BBS Architects, are expected to continue discussions about the district’s academic needs, overcrowding and spatial issues, and repairs and renovations needed in Riverhead schools.

Tonight’s community forum is still set for 7 p.m. at Riverhead High School’s large group instruction room 133.

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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Riverhead school officials have set the district’s capital bond total at $85.91 million and delayed the vote to February 2020 under a revised proposal announced Tuesday. 

Kevin Walsh of BBS Architects presented the finalized bond proposal at a public work session at Riverhead High School. First pitched in September as a roughly $100 million project, the bond proposal was updated based on continuing feedback from the community, Mr. Walsh said. During October, the bond ranged from $73.5 million to $87.9 million.

Voters can expect to see a second proposition on their ballots in February, for an additional $8.8 million that will mainly refurbish and construct sports facilities on school grounds. The second proposition is dependent on the first and cannot be approved by itself, Mr. Walsh said.

School board president Greg Meyer said February was the latest the vote could be pushed back and still accommodate the student population by September 2023, when enrollment is expected to exceed capacity. The delay also allows for more public forums on the proposal, he said, though dates have yet to be determined.

The district is considering allocating funds from the Cafeteria Capital Reserve to the bond to shave $500,000 from the total.

PROPOSITION 1

A portion of the first proposition will address the need for more space throughout the district.

Pulaski Street School will be reconstructed for $16 million to create 10 more classrooms and one additional gymnasium to accommodate the volume of students, Mr. Walsh said.

The project originally called for dividing all students in grades 5 through 8 between Pulaski Street and Riverhead Middle School — a cheaper option — but continued criticism from parents prompted the district to leave  Pulaski with grades 5 and 6 only.

At Phillips Avenue School and Roanoke Avenue Elementary School, additional classrooms are needed to match expected enrollment. Phillips will get three additional classrooms and Roanoke will get four on the upper balcony. Classroom expansions are not necessary at Riley Avenue or Aquebogue elementary schools Mr. Walsh said.

Plans for the high school remain unchanged since the last presentation. Roughly 24 classrooms will be constructed to meet enrollment standards, Mr. Walsh said. The first proposition also includes roughly $3.3 million for districtwide safety and security upgrades and $19 million for infrastructure changes across all district buildings, Mr. Walsh said.

For $3.98 million, the bond will also construct a new 7,000-square-foot Pupil Personnel Services building, situated next to the current district office.

PROPOSITION 2

The second proposition focuses solely on changes on the grounds of Pulaski Street, the middle school and the high school. If approved, the second proposition would convert McKillop Field to synthetic turf for $2.2 million, construct an eight-lane track at that location for $3 million and improve the varsity baseball field for roughly $1.3 million.

The second proposition would also upgrade the multi-use courts, intended for pickleball and tennis, expand parking at Pulaski Street, construct a fairgrounds entrance and improve the middle school baseball and varsity softball fields.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Several residents said there is not adequate space at the middle school.

Parent Dean Marelli of Calverton, who has a child in school there, said he can’t believe the middle school is not over capacity. He said some of his daughter’s teachers operate from a cart and do not have classrooms.

“How do we consider it at 70 percent capacity?” he asked.

Mr. Walsh said “capacity changes as the buildings are used differently.” Though no construction changes are proposed for some buildings, they can still be reconfigured internally for different use.

Kathy Berezny of Riverhead expressed concern about using the upper balcony space at Roanoke.

“When Roanoke was falling apart and we asked that they fix that mezzanine so the children could enjoy it, it was deemed unsafe. Now I know they’re going to be fixing it, but where are all the records that said nobody could ever go on top of the auditorium at the school?”

Mr. Meyer said he did not recall there being a weight warning at Roanoke. Mr. Walsh stated that regardless of the past, the scope of this project is “conscious of the structural modifications” and ensured its safety.

ENROLLMENT, STATE AID

The district expects to receive aid from the State Education Department on the first proposition, deputy superintendent Sam Schneider said, but not as much on the second. If the project did not receive aid, he said, the offset cost would be much higher for taxpayers.

The “average” home in Riverhead Town has an assessed valuation of roughly $43,000. The proposed bond would add roughly $195 per year to the typical homeowner’s property tax bill, Mr. Schneider said. However, for the second proposition, aid could be minimal.

Enrollment estimates in the presentation were taken from a demographic study conducted by Western Suffolk BOCES.

In 2010, voters rejected a roughly $125 million bond project. Former school board president Ann Cotten-DeGrasse, who sat on the board when a bond revote was passed in 2011, said because it was voted down the total was cut and did not meet enrollment needs.

Former board member Amelia Lantz said she is concerned that the study used for the bond may not meet enrollment needs quickly enough — similar to what happened during the last bond.

“What makes us think we are not going to blow this one out of the water in the same way?” she asked. “We outgrow these before they even come to fruition.”

Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez said state aid can only be obtained if need is reflected in the Western Suffolk BOCES study.

“There’s no way to truly predict the future.” She said. “We had to start somewhere. … If the study does not support it, we will not get it right now.”

Later, Mr. Meyer made a similar comment: “I’d love to say, ‘Lets tack on an extra $30 million and construct more classrooms,’ but we’re bound to the study,” he said. “The bottom line is, the state can turn around and not give us aid on certain things.”

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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Donna King of Shelter Island said she and her husband Wayne couldn’t have asked for a better day as they set out at sunrise Monday from Congdons Creek for Orient Harbor.

The weather was perfect on the official opening for scalloping in state-controlled waters. There was no wind, mild temperatures for November and bright sunshine as they started dredging for the delicious — and for those who work on the water — profitable bivalves.

There was only one downside.

“There were no scallops,” she said.

Well, almost none. “We left at 6:30 [a.m.] and got back at 2:30 [p.m.] and didn’t get half a bushel, or half a wire basket,” Ms. King said.

There were boats coming and going at Orient she added, but “people were getting 11 or 12 scallops. They’re just not there.”

That was the consensus for all those who went out scalloping across the East End this week and at the markets they sell to.

At both Braun Seafood Co. in Cutchogue and Southold Fish Market no scallops had been delivered by mid-afternoon. When they finally received some inventory, Braun was selling them for $30 per pound. By mid-afternoon Tuesday, the market had just one bushel crews had opened.

Braun owner Ken Homan said he heard some baymen were bringing home so few scallops they were selling to neighbors instead of markets.

Because bay scallops live for just 18 to 22 months and reproduce only once, they are particularly susceptible to population fluctuations and the harvests have always been cyclical. Environmental factors are in the mix to determine whether it’s feast or famine for baymen looking for a good catch.

Bay scallops were nearly driven to extinction due to “brown tide” algal blooms that affected bay waters from 1985 to 1987 and again in 1995. The collapse of the scallop population in the late 1980s was a calamity that brought the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the baymen together in agreement that scalloping season had to be changed to maximize the chances for scallops to spawn.

But those environmental factors, such as runoff from fertilizers and antiquated septic systems, have hurt the fishery during some recent years.

Charlie Manwaring, owner of Southold Fish Market, said those down years have economic consequences for the baymen, markets and local restaurants.

“It just hurts everything,” he said. “You don’t realize how big that one season is.”

Veteran Shelter Island bayman Skip Tuttle described opening day with one word: “awful.” He, along with Ms. King, blamed fertilizer runoff used on waterfront lawns, among other factors, including the change over the years in water temperatures.

“The water’s been so warm,” Ms. King said.

Many baymen didn’t go out for scallops Monday, and John Kotula of Shelter Island was one of them.

“From what I heard, and by my own reconnaissance, I didn’t think it was worth it,” Mr. Kotula said. “On top of it, I had some mechanical problems.”

If his research and other signs showed a good crop of scallops to be harvested, would he have found a way to get out on the water?

“Yes,” Mr. Kotula said.

Caption: Baymen Ed Clark and Rollie Clark leaving from Congdons Creek Monday morning for scallops. (Credit: Beverlea Walz)

With reporting from Kate Nalepinski and Steve Wick.

The post Slim pickings on opening days of scallop season appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Yvette Aguiar celebrates her victory Tuesday night. (Credit: John Griffin)

In her first run for public office, Republican Yvette Aguiar was elected as Riverhead Town supervisor, defeating incumbent Democrat Laura Jens-Smith.

It was a clean sweep for the GOP, as incumbent Councilman Tim Hubbard and newcomer Frank Beyrodt were also elected to the Town Board.

Unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections show Ms. Aguiar received 54 percent of the votes. Ms. Jens-Smith, who gathered with supporters at Dark Horse Restaurant, conceded shortly after 10:30 p.m.

Ms. Jens-Smith’s tenure as supervisor will end after just one two-year term. She was elected in 2017 and became the first woman to serve as supervisor in Riverhead Town.

Ms. Aguiar, 60, a retired New York Police Department sergeant, made the town’s handling of illegal and overcrowded housing a key campaign issue that resonated with voters.

“I knocked on over 11,000 homes,” Ms. Aguiar said. “I spoke to everyone, I heard everyone loud and clear. We wave the flag, we gave a message and the people have decided that they have chosen me to lead for the next two years. … We’re going to move forward for Riverhead and I’m going to work for my entire community.”

Mr. Hubbard, who was elected to his second full term, was the top vote getter among the council candidates with 29.78% of the votes.

“People voted with their hearts as we ran with our hearts,” Mr. Hubbard said. “So I’m really happy with the outcome and I’m even more happy to come to work on Jan. 1 of 2020 to get this town going in the right direction.”

Mr. Beyrodt narrowly missed winning a spot on the Town Board in 2017 when he finished 128 votes behind Catherine Kent. This time, he garnered 27.6% of the votes to be elected.

“I’m absolutely flabbergasted,” he said. “I think this is bigger and better than I thought it was going to be. And I’m so happy that the people of the town Riverhead had faith in me and I will carry out the job of councilman with the fullest.”

GOP winners Yvette Aguiar, Tim Hubbard and Frank Beyrodt pose for photos during the celebration. (Credit: John Griffin)

In Ms. Jens-Smith’s concession speech, she thanked her supporters and said they had been working hard to make Riverhead a better place.

“We were hoping that they would give us two more years, give me two more years and the team that I’m standing up here with, two more years to be able to keep moving what we had started moving forward. Unfortunately, that is not where we’re at. And so we move on.”

Ms. Jens-Smith, Ms. Kent and some other Democrats stopped by the Republican headquarters to shake Ms. Aguilar’s hand and congratulate her at around 11 pm.

Ms. Tucci finished in third for the Town Board race. She described her first run for public office as “an incredible journey.” She said she would be committed to continue working to help the community.

“I’m not going to be going away,” she said. “I’ve been serving my community for 10 years. And we’ll just be doing so, a little bit harder, from the private sector.”

The Republicans will continue to maintain a majority on the Town Board as now the only Democrat is Ms. Kent.

Republican Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said this election “really concerned” her so she “went out and worked hard for our candidates.”

“I’m happy to see Riverhead remain a strong Republican town and denounce what’s happened on the state level,” she said.

Laura Jens-Smith, right, thanks her supporters as she stands alongside assessor candidate Tara Taylor, left, and council candidate Diane Tucci. (Credit: Mahreen Khan)

Incumbent assessor Mason Haas and Meredith Lipinsky, both Republicans, were both elected.

Lori Hulse ran unopposed for Town justice and received 6,575 votes. Laurie Zaneski ran unopposed for tax receiver and received 6,557 votes. Diane Wilhelm ran unopposed for town clerk and received 5,524 votes.

There are about 250 absentee ballots between the two main parties, according to Republican leader Tammy Robinkoff.

In Southampton Town, incumbent supervisor Jay Schneiderman, a Democrat, easily won reelection with 55 percent of the votes in a three-way race.

County Legislator Al Krupski (D-Cutchogue) received 66 percent of the vote to win reelection in the 1st District. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone won a third term, defeating Republican John Kennedy. Mr. Bellone earned 55% of the votes.

The following numbers are the unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

SUPERVISOR

22 of 22 districts

Laura Jens-Smith (D,I,WF): 3,741 votes

Yvette Aguiar (R,C): 4,437 votes

TOWN BOARD

22 of 22 districts

Tim Hubbard (R,C): 4,691 votes

Frank Beyrodt (R,C): 4,352 votes

Diane Tucci (D,I,WF: 3,451 votes

Pat Snyder (D,I,WF): 2,973 votes

William Van Helmond (L): 268 votes

ASSESSOR

22 of 22 districts

Mason Haas (R,C): 4,723 votes

Meredith Lipinsky (R,C): 4,471 votes

Tara Taylor (D,I,WF): 3,133 votes

Jaraby Thomas (D,I): 2,664 votes

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Podcast brought to you by:

News-Review sports editor Bob Liepa and editor Joe Werkmeister joined host Grant Parpan to talk about Riverhead football’s surprising season and to preview Friday night’s playoff matchup at Longwood High School in this week’s episode of Closer Look.

Riverhead has earned the No. 6 seed in the Division I football playoffs and they team will travel to face the No. 3 Lions.

Kickoff between the two 6-2 teams is set for 6 p.m. Friday night. While the forecast for the game in Middle Island says it will be played in freezing weather, the Blue Waves are fired up.

“I’m super excited,” senior running back Albert Daniels said following the team’s regular season finale Friday. “First time in playoffs after three-year drought. It’s a great feeling, especially in Division I.”

Daniels carried the ball 31 times and gained 194 yards last week. He scored on runs of 1, 35, 2 and 7.

He and his Riverhead teammates will be vying for the program’s first playoff win since defeating Deer Park in the first round in 2014.

Riverhead coach Leif Shay said heading to the playoffs brings back the spirit that Riverhead football has always been known for.

“The community backs these kids and it’s an exciting time,” he said. “They’ll ring the bell and all those traditions come back to life.”

The postseason matchup pits them against a neighboring school in Longwood that they haven’t played yet.

“It’s going to be a helluva game,” Daniels said.

The post Podcast Preview: Riverhead football heads to Longwood for playoff showdown appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Riverhead school officials have set the district’s capital bond total at $85.91 million and delayed the vote to February 2020 under a revised proposal announced Tuesday. 

Kevin Walsh of BBS Architects presented the finalized bond proposal at a public work session at Riverhead High School. First pitched in September as a roughly $100 million project, the bond proposal was updated based on continuing feedback from the community, Mr. Walsh said. During October, the bond ranged from $73.5 million to $87.9 million.

Voters can expect to see a second proposition on their ballots in February, for an additional $8.8 million that will mainly refurbish and construct sports facilities on school grounds. The second proposition is dependent on the first and cannot be approved by itself, Mr. Walsh said.

School board president Greg Meyer said February was the latest the vote could be pushed back and still accommodate the student population by September 2023, when enrollment is expected to exceed capacity. The delay also allows for more public forums on the proposal, he said, though dates have yet to be determined.

The district is considering allocating funds from the Cafeteria Capital Reserve to the bond to shave $500,000 from the total.

PROPOSITION 1

A portion of the first proposition will address the need for more space throughout the district.

Pulaski Street School will be reconstructed for $16 million to create 10 more classrooms and one additional gymnasium to accommodate the volume of students, Mr. Walsh said.

The project originally called for dividing all students in grades 5 through 8 between Pulaski Street and Riverhead Middle School — a cheaper option — but continued criticism from parents prompted the district to leave  Pulaski with grades 5 and 6 only.

At Phillips Avenue School and Roanoke Avenue Elementary School, additional classrooms are needed to match expected enrollment. Phillips will get three additional classrooms and Roanoke will get four on the upper balcony. Classroom expansions are not necessary at Riley Avenue or Aquebogue elementary schools Mr. Walsh said.

Plans for the high school remain unchanged since the last presentation. Roughly 24 classrooms will be constructed to meet enrollment standards, Mr. Walsh said. The first proposition also includes roughly $3.3 million for districtwide safety and security upgrades and $19 million for infrastructure changes across all district buildings, Mr. Walsh said.

For $3.98 million, the bond will also construct a new 7,000-square-foot Pupil Personnel Services building, situated next to the current district office.

PROPOSITION 2

The second proposition focuses solely on changes on the grounds of Pulaski Street, the middle school and the high school. If approved, the second proposition would convert McKillop Field to synthetic turf for $2.2 million, construct an eight-lane track at that location for $3 million and improve the varsity baseball field for roughly $1.3 million.

The second proposition would also upgrade the multi-use courts, intended for pickleball and tennis, expand parking at Pulaski Street, construct a fairgrounds entrance and improve the middle school baseball and varsity softball fields.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Several residents said there is not adequate space at the middle school.

Parent Dean Marelli of Calverton, who has a child in school there, said he can’t believe the middle school is not over capacity. He said some of his daughter’s teachers operate from a cart and do not have classrooms.

“How do we consider it at 70 percent capacity?” he asked.

Mr. Walsh said “capacity changes as the buildings are used differently.” Though no construction changes are proposed for some buildings, they can still be reconfigured internally for different use.

Kathy Berezny of Riverhead expressed concern about using the upper balcony space at Roanoke.

“When Roanoke was falling apart and we asked that they fix that mezzanine so the children could enjoy it, it was deemed unsafe. Now I know they’re going to be fixing it, but where are all the records that said nobody could ever go on top of the auditorium at the school?”

Mr. Meyer said he did not recall there being a weight warning at Roanoke. Mr. Walsh stated that regardless of the past, the scope of this project is “conscious of the structural modifications” and ensured its safety.

ENROLLMENT, STATE AID

The district expects to receive aid from the State Education Department on the first proposition, deputy superintendent Sam Schneider said, but not as much on the second. If the project did not receive aid, he said, the offset cost would be much higher for taxpayers.

The “average” home in Riverhead Town has an assessed valuation of roughly $43,000. The proposed bond would add roughly $195 per year to the typical homeowner’s property tax bill, Mr. Schneider said. However, for the second proposition, aid could be minimal.

Enrollment estimates in the presentation were taken from a demographic study conducted by Western Suffolk BOCES.

In 2010, voters rejected a roughly $125 million bond project. Former school board president Ann Cotten-DeGrasse, who sat on the board when a bond revote was passed in 2011, said because it was voted down the total was cut and did not meet enrollment needs.

Former board member Amelia Lantz said she is concerned that the study used for the bond may not meet enrollment needs quickly enough — similar to what happened during the last bond.

“What makes us think we are not going to blow this one out of the water in the same way?” she asked. “We outgrow these before they even come to fruition.”

Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez said state aid can only be obtained if need is reflected in the Western Suffolk BOCES study.

“There’s no way to truly predict the future.” She said. “We had to start somewhere. … If the study does not support it, we will not get it right now.”

Later, Mr. Meyer made a similar comment: “I’d love to say, ‘Lets tack on an extra $30 million and construct more classrooms,’ but we’re bound to the study,” he said. “The bottom line is, the state can turn around and not give us aid on certain things.”

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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Officials have long said that plans for the redevelopment of Riverside are dependent on Southampton Town building a sewer system.

But now, officials say the owners of one of the properties being sought as part of that system are refusing to even discuss selling their property, potentially delaying the development of the new sewer district by years.

“As you may remember, the sewer district was supposed to go to a public hearing about five months ago,” said Vince Taldone, president of the Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association, at Monday’s meeting. “We were targeting around June, but you haven’t heard anything. The problem is, everything is ready to go except one property in the way.”

The FRNCA board voted Monday to ask the Southampton Town Board to consider and possibly initiate the use of eminent domain, also called condemnation, as a means of acquiring the property.

“They are holding up possibly hundreds of millions of dollars of development because they are not ready to talk,” Mr. Taldone said.

The letter cited three specific properties, comprising 40.6 acres, which are owned by Susan E. Schumejda, John Schumejda Jr. and Susan Schumejda, according to town records.

Susan E. Schumejda did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Under eminent domain, a condemnation judge would rule as to whether the property has a greater public purpose, and if it does, the land would be turned over to, in this case, the town. The courts would later determine the price to be paid for the land by comparing appraisals and other information supplied by both sides.

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman was at the FRNCA meeting but left before the sewer district discussion.

“I thought we had all the land we needed,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “This is the first I’m hearing of this.”

He declined comment on the condemnation issue.

While the sewage plant is being planned for south side of Flanders Road, in what was once part of the Flanders Drive, the area in question is on the north side of Flanders Road near Kirk Avenue, and is being envisioned as a drainage site where the sewer effluent that would be cleaned by the sewage treatment system could be filtered back into the ground.

Officials said that dredge spoil was deposited on much of this property back in the 1950s and remains there today. It’s likely that at least some of this material would have to be removed, according to Sean McLean, CEO of Renaissance Downtowns, which was chosen by Southampton Town in 2013 as the “master developer” for Riverside.

“It’s not like the property owners are seeking too much or too little for the land,” Mr. Taldone said. “They simply won’t discuss it.”

A condemnation procedure would require a public hearing, he said.

The sewer district project would improve the property, he said, because it would restore the wetlands and remove decades-old dredge spoil that can’t be built on.

The project also would be much better for the environment because it would prevent homes from having cesspools along the river, Mr. McLean said.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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“How many more days do I have diabetes?”

It’s a question 5-year-old Miller Sumwalt, who has Type 1 diabetes, has asked his parents numerous times.

“We tell him that this is something you have,” his mother, Janel Sumwalt, said. “And, hopefully, there is going to be a cure, and we’re looking for a cure.”

Miller was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease where the pancreas produces little or no insulin, when he was age 3. He wears a sensor and a pump that his parents monitor throughout the day.

“It’s a constant worry,” Jeff Sumwalt said of his son’s condition.

Sometimes, Miller’s sensor goes off in the middle of the night when his blood sugar hits a low point, which prompts his parents to wake up and give him a snack, Ms. Sumwalt said, who previously took a leave from work to take care of her son.

But none of the complications have stopped Miller from functioning like any other kid: He stays active by playing soccer with older kids and loves to fish with his family at South Jamesport Beach.

“We always joke that he’s like the mayor,” Ms. Sumwalt said. “He knows so many people and is loved by so many people.”

Last month, the Aquebogue family raised over $6,000 for Type 1 diabetes research through JDRF One Walk, a national march dedicated to raising money for juvenile diabetes research.

Miller’s parents and siblings, Ava Lily and Griffin, registered for the Oct. 19 walk at Heckscher State Park in East Islip. Ms. Sumwalt said the decision was made “on a whim” in mid-September.

As information about the walk spread, “more and more friends wanted to join the walk,” she said.

Over 70 friends, family and community members walked with “Miller’s Marlins,” named after Miller’s love for fishing. Family friend and graphic designer Meredith Kennedy created matching shirts for the participants and was later awarded first place by JDRF for her design.

Mr. Sumwalt said his son “felt like a celebrity for the day” after he was asked to cut the ribbon to initiate the race. Mr. Sumwalt said he’s grateful for the outpouring of support.

“Everyone always asks about Miller and I think everybody said we’ll be back next year,” he said. “I can see this being even bigger next year and we’ll participate from years to come.”

Ms. Sumwalt said her son is a “rock star” that serves as an inspiration to all their family and friends.

“We’re so proud of what he goes through every day, and he doesn’t even think anything of it,” she said.

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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A plan to build an automated car wash on Route 58 and Pulaski Street ran into some opposition from some neighbors and competitors at a public hearing before the Riverhead Town Board Wednesday.

Patrick Marron, who owns Riverhead Auto Wash and Detailing, located east of the Roanoke Avenue traffic circle, said there are already four car washes on Route 58.

“Four car washes in 1.8-miles is quite enough,” he said.

He disputed the notion from the applicant, 1535 Old Country Rd, LLC, that there are only three nearby car washes. He said a car wash is also located at Apple Honda. The applicant argued that car wash is not open to the public.

The applicant proposes to demolish a single-family residence and barn and construct an 3,809-square-foot automated car wash with a 240-square-foot control office. The plans call for an unmanned kiosk pay stations at the three queuing lines for vehicles, vacuum stations, a paved parking lot, a dumpster enclosure, a loading area, two curb cuts on Pulaski Street, and cross access to the property to Riverhead Bay Motors, which is east of the site.

The proposal requires a special permit from the Town Board and a site plan approval from the town Planning Board.

The proposed car wash would have an entrance/exit from Pulaski Street, from the Pulaski Street extension that connects with Route 58, and from a cross access agreement with Riverhead Bay Motors to the east of the proposed car wash, which would enable cars to go between the two sites without having to go on Route 58.

Walter Dunn, a traffic engineer for the applicant, said the proposal will have no major impact on traffic and will add only 2 to 3.5% more cars per hour.

Charles Cuddy, an attorney representing the applicant, said that the special permit requires 18 conditions be met, and economics is not one of them. He said this car wash differs from others on Route 58 because it is completely automated.

A number of speakers from Riverhead Bay Motors, which is located east of the proposed car wash, raised objections to the proposed cross access road between the car wash and the car dealer.

Martin Finnegan, an attorney representing Riverhead Bay Motors’ property owner, called Riverhead Pooh LLC, acknowledged that they agreed to the cross access as a condition of their own site plan approval several years ago, but he stressed that the cross access would only be “if it was deemed necessary.”

“This cross access is of critical concern to the dealership,” Mr. Finnegan said. He suggested that traffic looking to get to Lowe’s or to Chipotle use the existing entrance on Pulaski Street.

Anthony Maura, the general manager of Riverhead Bay Motors, said that since Chipotle opened, “a lot of traffic goes through our parking lot, and rather fast.” He said he’s concerned that someone will get hit.

Al Carrabis of Blue Point, who said he’s hoping to be one of the operators of the new car wash if its approved, said he owns 26 car washes, from Hampton Bays to Staten Island.

The average person only goes to a car wash two times a year, he said.

“This won’t be competition for [Mr. Marron],” he said.

Riverhead Auto Wash and Detail is a full-service car wash with detail service, whereas the car wash being proposed is fully automatic where the driver remains in their car.

Mr. Carrabis also disagreed that Apple Honda’s car wash is open to the public. He said he was turned away become his car wasn’t being serviced.

Mr. Carrabis said the Mobil station was recently purchased by Bolla Oil, which he said doesn’t do car washes.

But Phil Hayes of Bolla Oil said they have “no plans to eliminate the car wash,” and that they plan on investing in it and upgrading it.

Another speaker, Joe Zaremba, said he lives on Pulaski Street and says that part of the traffic problem is that Riverhead Bay Motors’ car transport trucks are parking on the curb on Pulaski Street to unload cars.

Mr. Mauro said he didn’t think the trucks could fit on their lot.

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio asked him to back the trucks into their lots to unload vehicles. She said public streets should not be used for unloading cars.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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As Fred Ligon shared photos of himself serving abroad in Afghanistan, he encouraged students at Roanoke Avenue Elementary School to try on his camouflage uniform and helmet — complete with a night-vision monocle.

Mr. Ligon, who works as a Riverhead High School security guard, joined the Marine Corps at 17 and then went into the Air Force, where he spent the majority of his career serving with the Military Police.

“How did you eat when you were there?” a student from Hope Kaufmann’s class asked him.

“Here, I’ll show you,” Mr. Ligon said, as he picked up an MRE or meal, ready-to-eat bag and passed it around the room.

Mr. Ligon was one of three veterans who discussed their experience in the armed forces with third-grade students Friday morning in honor of Veterans Day. Veterans Brian Mooney and Barry Gilmore also spoke to the students at Roanoke. Additional lessons were held at Aquebogue Elementary School in the afternoon.

Mr. Gilmore, who served in the Army from 1966-1968 during the Vietnam War, explained that while he was out in the field, he had to surround himself with sandbags before falling asleep as a precaution.

During his nine months overseas, he was wounded in action at his base camp and later discharged. He received a Purple Heart for his service, which he showed to students.

“I was rudely awakened in the morning by the enemies dropping rockets on us,” he said. “When they explode, it’s a lot of metal fragments called shrapnel are released. It could have been worse, but I was hit.”

Mr. Gilmore, the father-in-law of Gary Karlson, who helped bring the veteran visitation to fruition about three years ago, said he visited the classroom to make sure students remember the efforts of veterans.

“I just feel it’s important for the kids not to forget veterans, what they did and why they observe the freedom that they have today,” Mr. Gilmore said.

Mr. Mooney also served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He completed 25 years with the military and four years with the National Guard.

The veteran said he returned to Roanoke for the third consecutive year to remind students that veterans fought for their freedom.

“Freedom is not free without somebody standing up to protect them and to insure that they have the right to have the opportunity to go to school without anybody bothering them,” Mr. Mooney said. “That’s what’s great about America — at least we have a chance to show these children that they have the opportunity to grow up free.”

Top photo caption: Barry Gilmore shows students photos Friday morning. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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Friday night’s playoff opener between Riverhead and Longwood could have been billed as the battle of elite running backs.

On one side, the sixth-seeded Blue Waves featured Albert Daniels, who came into the game with 21 touchdowns and a Suffolk County-leading 1,550 rushing yards, according to Newsday stats.

On the other side, the third-seeded Lions featured Anele Nwanyanwu, a 224-pound bruising back who is a likely candidate for the Hansen Award as the top player in the county.

On a frigid night that felt more like late November when the Long Island championship games are played, it was Nwanyanwu and the Lions who emerged on top.

Nwanyanwu’s touchdown late in the second quarter at Longwood High School was all the Lions would need in a 20-0 victory. The senior carried the ball 27 times and gained 165 yards, single-handedly outgaining the entire Blue Waves offense.

The Blue Waves (6-3) couldn’t generate any openings for Daniels to operate and the senior was limited to a season-low 34 yards on 19 carries.

Longwood (7-2) dominated at the line of scrimmage and its defensive line overwhelmed Riverhead.

“They were more physical then us up front,” Riverhead coach Leif Shay said. “That’s what I was worried about in [Division] I.”

The Lions feature four players on their roster above 300 pounds. That’s a lot of size to contend with.

Senior Chris Alvarado, at 6-1, 245, and junior Kory Stevenson, at 6-1, 303, both caused problems for the Blue Waves.

Riverhead ended the game with just three first downs.

Still, the Blue Waves were hanging around late, thanks to a formidable effort on defense. For as tough as Nwanyanwu was, the Blue Waves made him earn his yards.

Longwood led 7-0 at halftime and opened the third quarter with a 16-play drive that ate up nearly the entire quarter. Junior Fernando Rodriguez capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to make it a 14-0 game.

Nwanyanwu’s season has been remarkable for Longwood and a bit of an oddity, considering how it started. Nwanyanwu, who’s a standout linebacker on defense, said he had never been a running back until this season. He started the year as a tight end.

In Week 3, the coaches challenged him to take on running back duties. A week earlier, the Lions were shut out against Sachem East in one of their two losses on the season.

“I’m very new, very raw,” Nwanyanwu said. “Each game I get more acquitted to it. It’s new, I like it.”

Shay said he thought Nwanyanwu and Daniels are equal players, but the line play was the difference Friday night.

“He’s tough to bring down,” Shay said of Nwanyanwu.

Christian Doroski returns a punt. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Nwanyanwu ran with patience and he has the strength to bounce off defenders and a quick burst to elude tacklers.

With the temperature around 34 degrees at kickoff, Nwanyanwu knew he’d be in for a heavy workload as the passing game likely wasn’t going to be a huge factor.

“It was a ground and pound game,” he said. “So I had to get my mind right for the carries.”

It was a defensive battle throughout the first half and the Lions finally gained some momentum after a Riverhead turnover. The Lions recovered a fumble on a passing play to give themselves a short field with 5 minutes left in the second quarter.

On fourth-and-4 from the 8-yard line, Nwanyanwu broke through the left side and found the end zone.

Fourth down conversions were huge for Longwood throughout the game.

Albert Daniels is surrounded by Longwood players. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

The Blue Waves committed three turnovers, putting themselves in a tough position against a strong opponent.

“We hurt ourselves in the first half,” Shay said. “The penalties hurt us in the first half, the fumbles hurt us. We didn’t play well today.”

Longwood added its final score with 3:39 left in the fourth quarter when quarterback Noah Rattmer ran up the middle for 12 yards on a fourth-and-1 play.

The Lions advance to play No. 2 Sachem East next Friday in the semifinals.

The Blue Waves tried what they could to find a spark on offense. Christopher Dorr started at quarterback and Shay switched at points to use senior David Squires, who began the season as the starter. Squires completed one pass to Isaiah Barbieri for 29 yards.

Either way, the Blue Waves couldn’t sustain any drives.

Shay said he reminded his players in the final huddle that they had a great season.

“I told the guys right now you’re upset. Tomorrow you’re going to wake up and realize you had a great season. You went to [Division] I and won six games and nobody thought you were going to win any.”

Notes:

Riverhead senior Tyreek Earl Parker was taken by ambulance to a local hospital after sustaining an injury early in the fourth quarter. Parker was hit in the head while playing defense and complained of neck pains. He was immediately surrounded by medical personnel on site and an ambulance with the Middle Island Fire Department was already at the game. Shay said he was transported for precautionary reasons. Riverhead fans chanted Parker’s name and the senior gave a thumbs up to the crowd as he was lifted into the ambulance.

Top photo caption: Longwood senior Anele Nwanyanwu eludes Riverhead’s Christian Campbell. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

joew@timesreview.com

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While budget issues such as code enforcement levels may have been a hot topic before the election, only one person spoke at Riverhead Town’s 2020 budget hearing Wednesday, the day after Election Day.

The budget hearing has traditionally been held the day after Election Day, although there is no requirement that it be.

Councilman Tim Hubbard said he still plans to propose including $135,000 in funding taken from a capital improvement fund to add another code enforcement officer (in addition to the one proposed by the supervisor) and a new part-time code enforcement clerk and a new part-time paralegal to enable the town to take more code enforcement cases to State Supreme Court, which carries greater penalties than town justice court.

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said the Town Board plans to add $30,000 to the Riverhead Ambulance District budget so they can staff the Jamesport ambulance barn during peak times to provide better coverage of the eastern part of town.

Keith Lewin, the president of the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corp’s board of directors, was the only member of the public to speak at the hearing.

The corps is under a contract for service with the Riverhead Ambulance District, which is a tax district overseen by the Town Board.

Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith, who lost her bid for reelection on Tuesday, and Councilman Jim Wooten, whose term ends at the end of this year, were not present for the hearing Wednesday.

Ms. Jens-Smith’s tentative budget, released on Sept. 30, called for a spending increase of 1.17%; a tax levy increase of 2.5% and a tax rate increase of 2.58% for the three taxing districts paid into by all town taxpayers.

For a home assessed at $50,000 — which equates to a market value of $408,858 — the increase amounts to an additional $71.55 in town taxes for those three districts.

While spending in those three districts comes to $59.7 million, overall spending, including special districts that are not paid into by all town residents comes to $100.3 million.

Under state law, the Town Board must adopt a final budget by Nov. 20, or else the supervisor’s budget, plus any changes made by resolution, automatically becomes the adopted budget.

In recent years, the Town Board has not made any changes to the supervisor’s budget and has simply let it become the final budget automatically.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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Two men were arrested Thursday for a robbery on Third Street in Riverhead, town police said in a press release.

Victorino Reynosa, 31, of Sag Harbor and Wilber Estuardo Garrido Veliz, 31, of Riverhead are accused of showing a 32-year-old man a knife, striking him in the head and stealing a cell phone and cash before leaving the area by foot.

Police said the two men matched a description given by the victim, who lives on Third Street, according to police.

Both suspects were charged with first-degree robbery. Mr. Reynosa was also charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

They are expected to be arraigned Friday morning.

The post Two men charged with robbery on Third Street in Riverhead appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

The Town of Riverhead has scheduled its annual shotgun hunting lottery for next month.

The lottery will take place on Wednesday, December 4 at 6 p.m. at Riverhead Town Hall. It’s open to Town of Riverhead residents and real property owners only; all participants must show proper photo identification and all hunting documentation at the lottery.

Hunters must be in attendance in order to secure a hunting date and location.

Riverhead’s shotgun hunting season will run from Jan. 5 through Jan. 31, 2020

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As Fred Ligon shared photos of himself serving abroad in Afghanistan, he encouraged students at Roanoke Avenue Elementary School to try on his camouflage uniform and helmet — complete with a night-vision monocle.

Mr. Ligon, who works as a Riverhead High School security guard, joined the Marine Corps at 17 and then went into the Air Force, where he spent the majority of his career serving with the Military Police.

“How did you eat when you were there?” a student from Hope Kaufmann’s class asked him.

“Here, I’ll show you,” Mr. Ligon said, as he picked up an MRE or meal, ready-to-eat bag and passed it around the room.

Mr. Ligon was one of three veterans who discussed their experience in the armed forces with third-grade students Friday morning in honor of Veterans Day. Veterans Brian Mooney and Barry Gilmore also spoke to the students at Roanoke. Additional lessons were held at Aquebogue Elementary School in the afternoon.

Mr. Gilmore, who served in the Army from 1966-1968 during the Vietnam War, explained that while he was out in the field, he had to surround himself with sandbags before falling asleep as a precaution.

During his nine months overseas, he was wounded in action at his base camp and later discharged. He received a Purple Heart for his service, which he showed to students.

“I was rudely awakened in the morning by the enemies dropping rockets on us,” he said. “When they explode, it’s a lot of metal fragments called shrapnel are released. It could have been worse, but I was hit.”

Mr. Gilmore, the father-in-law of Gary Karlson, who helped bring the veteran visitation to fruition about three years ago, said he visited the classroom to make sure students remember the efforts of veterans.

“I just feel it’s important for the kids not to forget veterans, what they did and why they observe the freedom that they have today,” Mr. Gilmore said.

Mr. Mooney also served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He completed 25 years with the military and four years with the National Guard.

The veteran said he returned to Roanoke for the third consecutive year to remind students that veterans fought for their freedom.

“Freedom is not free without somebody standing up to protect them and to insure that they have the right to have the opportunity to go to school without anybody bothering them,” Mr. Mooney said. “That’s what’s great about America — at least we have a chance to show these children that they have the opportunity to grow up free.”

Top photo caption: Barry Gilmore shows students photos Friday morning. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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