The high school football playoffs are a different animal because with the playoffs comes the pressure of finality. One loss and it’s all over.

“It’s just a different atmosphere,” Shoreham-Wading River junior Chris Visintin said. “… It could be the last game of the season. You don’t want to let the older guys down as underclassmen.”

Second-seeded SWR didn’t suffer a letdown of any sort Friday night when it beat No. 6 Center Moriches soundly, 54-6, in a Suffolk County Division IV qualifying-round game (essentially a quarterfinal) at Thomas Cutinella Memorial Field.

The defending county champion Wildcats blew the game open with a 35-point second quarter for a 41-0 halftime lead on a frigid night, with temperatures dropping into the low 30s. Xavier Arline ran for four touchdowns, a two-point conversion and 210 yards, David Tedesco scored two TDs and SWR turned three Center Moriches turnovers into TDs (SWR had no turnovers). One of those was a pick-six by Visintin from his free safety position.

All in all, it was the sort of dominating performance that has come to be expected of SWR (8-1) this year.

“Just the way we were clicking all cylinders — offense, defense, special teams,” Arline said. “It really showed that football is a team game. What we did today really showed what we’re about.”

Arline did his thing, scoring on runs of 8, 27, 20 and 10 yards, among his 21 carries before he was replaced at quarterback by Visintin in the second half. The senior now has 1,602 rushing yards and 29 TD runs for the year.

“He’s a dynamic player,” SWR coach Aden Smith said. “I think he’s the best player in the county, so it’s time that he gets the credit that he deserves.”

Playing Center Moriches (5-4) for the second time in 15 days (SWR was a 57-14 winner at Center Moriches on Oct. 25), the Wildcats showed they meant business with their strong second quarter.

The SWR defense even got into the scoring act with Visintin’s interception — his third of the year — returned 65 yards for a score. Anthony Giordano nearly had a pick-six himself, returning his first interception of the year to the Center Moriches 2-yard line, setting up Tedesco’s second TD with one minute and 17 seconds left in the second quarter.

“It’s a great start,” Giordano said. “I mean, 41-nothing at half. We just had the momentum going. The defense made a turnover and the offense capitalized.”

Following Arline’s fourth TD on the first possession of the third quarter, Center Moriches fumbled on the kickoff return. SWR’s Sean Miller came up with the ball and seven plays later Gavin Gregorek scooted in for the score, making it 54-0.

There’s no question that 54 is SWR’s favorite number. It’s the number that was worn by Thomas Cutinella, the late former player SWR’s field is named after. To keep the score at 54, kicker Jake Ekert purposefully missed the extra point, kicking the ball low into the turf.

SWR’s shutout was lost on the third play of the next series when Emond Frazier broke away for a 58-yard TD run.

“The team really rallied together,” Giordano said. “We went out there and we said we were going to play our hardest and we did, and we just looked really good as a unit all around. We were waiting for this. We were prepared for this. We just came out here and played our game.”

Arline said: “I was really proud of the way we came out. Playoffs is a whole other season, so teams are going to come out, try to give us [their] best, but we didn’t take anyone lightly. Everyone had a great mindset. We came in and we did what we had to do.”

SWR will play another home game next Friday night against Babylon (6-3) in a county semifinal. Smith said his players understand the stakes.

“They know what this part of the season is about. It’s win or go home,” he said. “You got to earn the right to play the next week. Everybody wants to play the next week or everybody wants to win their last game, and if you don’t earn the right to win your last game, you’re disappointed. Everybody’s fighting.”

Photo caption: Shoreham-Wading River quarterback Xavier Arline (four TDs, 210 rushing yards) tries to find running room against Center Moriches’ defense. (Credit: Bill Landon)

bliepa@timesreview.com

The post Football: Wildcats clear first playoff hurdle appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

A Riverhead resident was arrested last Thursday for criminal possession of a controlled substance, police reports said.

Kari Reid, 38, was found on East Main Street with a white rock substance resembling crack cocaine and a glass pipe, reports said. Reports stated she was also consuming alcohol in public.

Ms. Reid was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a misdemeanor, and a violation for disobeying open container laws. She was transported to Riverhead Police Department headquarters, where she was processed and released with a ticket.

• Diego Galdamez was arrested last Wednesday evening in Riverhead for harassment and an outstanding arrest warrant, police reports said.

Around 11:50 p.m., Mr. Galdamez, 34, of Riverhead allegedly assisted in punching a man in the face and arm inside his home on Mill Road, reports said. The individual reported swelling and marks to the right side of his face and bruising on his right arm, reports said. Mr. Galdamez was allegedly restrained because he was highly intoxicated and attempting to fight with other residents at the home.

Upon further investigation, police found Mr. Galdamez had an active Riverhead Justice Court bench warrant. He was arrested, charged with harassment, a violation, and processed at Riverhead Police Department headquarters, where he was held for morning arraignment.

• Police investigated three individuals near Railroad Avenue who were suspected to have a weapon on Halloween night, reports said.

Around 4 p.m. last Thursday, an anonymous caller reported that one of the male individuals in the group removed a firearm from his jacket pocket, waved it around, and put it back in his pocket.

When police arrived at the scene, they interviewed and searched the three individuals and did not recover a weapon, reports said. No further action was taken.

• Police responded to a commercial alarm at Long Island National Golf on Northville Turnpike Friday morning, reports said.

An alarm that sounded around 1:13 a.m. indicated multiple zones were unsecure, police reports said.

Upon arrival, police found one set of double doors were unlocked but the premises appeared secure from the inside, reports said. Arrow Security responded to the scene approximately one hour after the alarm sounded. No additional action was taken.

• Police assisted to resolve a dangerous condition on Park Drive near Sound Avenue early Friday morning, reports said.

While on patrol around 12:30 a.m., police reported to a dangerous condition on the road. A large tree, utility pole and wires were down in the roadway. Reports said the officer on duty secured the area until PSEG and the Riverhead Highway Department arrived to remove and correct the condition, reports said. No further action was taken.

• Police responded to a report of an individual illegally hunting on Middle Road in Riverhead Saturday morning, reports said.

Around 11:30 a.m., a caller told police that an unknown individual operating a dark-colored truck exited his vehicle and entered the woods on Middle Road carrying a hunting bow.

Police canvassed the area and were unable to locate the vehicle, police said.

Reports said that the area was a legally posted hunting spot with posted warning signs for bow season. No additional action was taken.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

The post Riverhead Blotter: Woman arrested for possessing crack cocaine appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Recently, the Southold Historical Society curated an exhibit on the lives of enslaved persons in Southold Town, and we read with interest the News-Review editor Steve Wick’s Sept. 9 column “Historical society’s slavery exhibit shines an overdue light.” Mr. Wick praised the exhibit as a starting point for much-needed discussion and expressed a desire for other local groups to pick up the work of acknowledging this painful, but important, history. We at Peconic Community School could not agree more: Discussions about enslavement and the lives of enslaved persons are vital conversations with the potential to activate profound change.

Last winter, I facilitated a unit on enslavement with my class of fifth- and sixth-graders at Peconic Community School. As an entry point into this difficult study we focused on learning the narratives of enslaved persons on Long Island during an integrated studies unit titled “Telling Our Stories.” It was important to us that we bring the stories of enslaved persons to light and honor their lives in the community. We sought out authentic learning experiences and research opportunities that we hoped would connect us most closely to the lives of enslaved persons on the East End.

The students and I visited historic sites of enslavement — museums, exhibits and historical societies. We consulted with historians and record-keepers to access, firsthand, primary texts and original documents, including writings, censuses and manumissions. With the help of people like Wendy Annibell from the Suffolk County Historical Society and Donnamarie Barnes at Sylvester Manor, we came to know the stories of local figures such as Jupiter Hammon, Venture Smith and Ward Lee, and were able to explore the living quarters of former enslaved persons and walk silently through ancient burial grounds. With David Rattray of The East Hampton Star, students had the extraordinary privilege to work with primary documents as part of the Plain Sight Project, which amplifies the narratives of enslaved persons by uncovering and recording as many names and biographical details as possible.

What emerged from our interaction with the materials and places we visited was that, what the students were really seeking, beyond facts or confirmations, was a connection to the people they were discovering. And that connection was formed by their learning. For these students, knowing became a way to care. And the more they cared, the more they wanted to know, and the more they learned, the more they questioned.

We were fortunate to find guides and resources like Ms. Annibell, Ms. Barnes, Mr. Rattray, Sylvester Manor and the “Long Road to Freedom” exhibit at The Long Island Museum, but much of our study was far from easy. Education about enslavement in America has been fraught with fear, misinformation and deep unease. As Mr. Wick pointed out in his column, many historians “did not just overlook the stories of the enslaved people here. They willfully ignored them. They did not fit the script.” When my students went looking for evidence of these stories — trying to gain access to historic legal documents, or trying to determine whether the bodies of the enslaved really were beneath the sign labeling an area a “slaves burial ground” — they were frustrated. Answers were difficult to find. There were roadblocks; omissions, inaccuracies and gaps.

One of the biggest takeaways from the end of our trimester study — in fact, our clearest conclusion — was that we weren’t done. We had to settle with having opened the door to a dark and difficult history. We peered in and came to care deeply, knowing more and wanting more for the people we met there. And then we had to sit with that door open. As it turns out, I think that is the work: to learn, to seek, and then to sit with the door open, and care and keep asking for more.

Three weeks ago, my class of fifth- and sixth-grade students (including four students returning from last year’s study) read a story in Newsday about an alarming history “lesson” at a middle school in Freeport, Long Island, where a teacher instructed her middle-school students to caption photos of enslaved persons and to “make it funny and don’t bore me.” I invited my students to respond in writing, and many wrote letters to the school. What amazed me about their responses was not their outrage at the teacher’s assignment, but the compassion they felt for the school community. They apologized to the students that the teacher had broken their trust and misused her authority. They expressed regret that the kids didn’t have the opportunity to do real learning about enslavement, and they offered resources they had used that they thought might be beneficial to a historically honest study of enslavement and racism. This is the kind of conversation that comes from care.

Last weekend one of my 10-year-old students visited the Lincoln Memorial and heard the park ranger leading the tour repeatedly use the word “slaves.” At the end of the tour, the student asked the ranger if he would consider using the term “enslaved person” because it’s more respectfully accurate. The ranger agreed, my student told me, and he hung around to listen to the start of the next tour using the revised language. This is the kind of change my students are willing to ask for.

What we are seeing at Peconic Community School is that when children are offered the opportunity to approach this difficult subject in a way that honors the lives of enslaved persons and acknowledges the true, and troubling, nature of our relationship to this past, they learn to care. And this care propels the kinds of courageous and compassionate questioning that creates positive change. Students are asking for more, from park rangers, from educators and from their communities. Let’s help them achieve it.

Ms. Timoney is a teacher at Peconic Community School in Aquebogue.

The post Guest Column: Learning and caring can go hand in hand appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

After five years as a community liaison for Riverside Rediscovered — the company seeking to bring businesses with upper-floor apartments around the traffic circle — Siris Barrios is leaving.

She’s moving to Ecuador, where her husband’s family owns a thriving dragon fruit business.

Ms. Barrios, 40, was born in El Salvador but grew up in Los Angeles, where she worked as a community organizer.

But being a community organizer in Los Angeles was like preaching to the choir, she said, because “in California, everyone I organized with were people who agreed with me.”

In Flanders, Riverside and Northampton, the population was more diverse, she said.

“We have Democrats, Republicans, religious people, people who were not religious. We’ve all been able to come together on the one vision, and that’s been the biggest challenge in my life as community organizer,” she said at Monday’s Flanders, Riverside and Northampton Community Association meeting.

The meeting was her last with FRNCA.

“Siris gets an honorary membership in the Flanders, Riverside and Northampton communities,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman. “You really have changed this place and brought the community together in a fundamental way, whether it was fighting for money to widen the traffic circle in Riverside, or trying to get a sense of what the community wanted in terms of its downtown. This area of the community will be forever benefited and changed by your work. So thank you. You will always be welcome back.”

FRNCA president Vince Taldone also thanked Ms. Barrios for her efforts.

“Siris organized people to get out there and reach folks who weren’t easy to reach, and bring them to our FRNCA meetings for public discussions,” he said. “She did door knocking day after day after day to get people’s feelings about what they wanted in their community.”

Ms. Barrios, who is fluent in English and Spanish, served as a bridge to the Latino community.

“You showed me a vision for this community that, growing up here for 35 years, I never saw,” former FRNCA president Ron Fisher told Ms. Barrios.

Mr. Taldone said Ms. Barrios was always a pleasure to work alongside.

“She is welcomed in every office and by every person because she speaks from the heart and she’s genuine and she has no ulterior motive,” he said.

Sean McLean, Renaissance Downtowns co-CEO, said that even though the Riverside sewer district has yet to be created and they haven’t broken ground on any buildings under the new zoning, they’ve been able to keep officials and others positive about the project.

Renaissance Downtowns was chosen by Southampton Town as the “master developer” of Riverside in 2013. Renaissance Downtowns is a for-profit organization, and the only way they will make money in Riverside is by buying and developing land.

Officials agree that the type of development envisioned for Riverside can only happen if the town develops a sewer district for Riverside.

Ms. Barrios said she’ll be back in the summer and vowed to remain active in Riverside, even though she won’t be there physically.

“I’ll be around,” she said. “We can Skype, we can strategize, we can move this project forward. I don’t plan to be disconnected. I can help in whatever way I can from a distance. So I’m not gone.”

Angela Huneault, who had been a part-time assistant community liaison to Ms. Barrios, will now become full time, Mr. McLean said.

Photo caption: Siris Barrios hugs Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman. (Credit: Tim Gannon)

tgannon@timesreview.com

The post Siris Barrios, community liaison for Riverside Rediscovered, steps down appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

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 that date is not a requirement.

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

The post Public hearing on Riverhead Town’s 2020 budget draws little interest appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Previous Shoreham-Wading River High School girls soccer teams may not have had just the right combination of assets the current Wildcats have. The heart. The skill. The defense. The togetherness.

And now the current Wildcats have something none of their predecessors ever had: a Long Island championship.

Elizabeth Shields’ goal one minute and 43 seconds into overtime proved to be the game-winner as SWR rallied for a 2-1 Class A victory over MacArthur and its first Long Island title Saturday at Berner Middle School in Massapequa.

The SWR bench hopped with excitement as the final 10 seconds of the second mandatory 10-minute overtime were counted down. Then, as time expired, the Wildcats raced to goalkeeper Alison Devall and piled on top of each other. Coach Adrian Gilmore and assistant coach Brian Ferguson hugged and then Ferguson delivered an emphatic fist pump.

For the first time in its history, SWR (15-2-2) will play in a state semifinal against Mohonasen or Jamesville-DeWitt Saturday at SUNY/Cortland at 3 p.m.

“My heart’s racing right now,” Shields said. “I’m just so excited to go upstate and being the first Shoreham team to actually get there is just like an insane thought.”

SWR striker Ashley Borriello said, “I don’t even have any words, it was so exciting.”

SWR had been to Long Island finals before, most recently two years ago, only to be disappointed each time. That is, until Saturday.

For the second straight playoff game, SWR overcame a 1-0 deficit, showing its fighting spirit.

Elizabeth Shields on the attack. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Shields snapped a 1-1 tie, capping a sequence in which SWR carved into the MacArthur defense. It started with Gianna Cacciola cutting the ball across the penalty area. Borriello collected the ball near the left endline, drawing defensive attention. From there she dropped a pass back for Shields, who tucked it into an unguarded net.

Shields said, “It was just keeping up that pressure in the attacking third and just keeping the ball on their half and not letting any stupid mistakes happen, and I think we pulled that off pretty well.”

A nice passing buildup also led to SWR’s first goal, by Lakin Ciampo 6:40 into the second half. Olivia Deroches passed to Cacciola, who found Ciampo before she turned on the ball and fired.

MacArthur (15-2-2), a Long Island champion in 2011, had struck first through Kara DeBlaiso at 15:08. Tara Sweeney’s left-wing service found DeBlaiso in a dangerous position for a 1-0 lead. Devall was apparently kicked in the face on the play and after being looked at was required by rule to be substituted for. Shields headed into goal momentarily. After the ensuing kickoff, MacArthur, in a sportsmanlike gesture, purposefully kicked the ball out of bounds so Shields could quickly return to goal.

Ashley Borriello moves around Mary-Kate Sweeney. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

“Just that relentlessness, never giving up, the believing,” Gilmore said, “You can see it just in the way that they played. They don’t give up. It’s easy to be up and stay up. It’s hard to come back, especially in a high-level game.”

SWR held a 14-1 shots advantage in the second half, but was unable to pull in front before overtime.

Overtime is nothing new to SWR. “We’ve been in overtime situations before,” said Cacciola.

Overtime has proven to be their time. They are 3-0-2 in overtime games this year.

Devall made three of her five saves in overtime, including a nice sprawling effort, pushing aside Madison Hnis’ nasty 25-yard free kick.

But SWR’s defense of sweeper Maddy Joannou, outside backs Alexa Constant and Sara Hobbes and stopper Brooke Langella held tough. Defense has been a staple for SWR. The Wildcats have conceded only nine goals this year (two in the playoffs) while scoring 40.

“We’re always working hard,” Borriello said. “I think on the field, even when we are down one-zero, I think that we are all still confident that we can still put the ball in the back of the net.”

The Class A Long Island champions. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

For Borriello, the day was extra special. Her 16th birthday just happened to be on the biggest day in the history of SWR girls soccer.

“It’s her best birthday ever,” said Joannou.

And not a bad day for the Wildcats as a whole as they are headed to Cortland next.

“I was just so excited and relieved that we finished it out, and we finished it out strong,” said Shields.

What was that final countdown like for Gilmore?

“It just felt so good,” she said. “I’m in the [school] gym all the time. I look at those banners and we laugh. I’m like, ‘I need an LIC [Long Island championship]. I need an LIC.’ The Shoreham banner has been blank for girls soccer for Long Island championships.”

Not for much longer.

Photo caption: The Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats celebrate after Elizabeth Shields’ goal 1:43 into overtime gave them a 2-1 lead over MacArthur in the Long Island Class A final at Berner Middle School in Massapequa. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

bliepa@timesreview.com

The post Girls Soccer: SWR finds its first LI championship in overtime appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Southampton Town police arrested Jhesica Pimentel-Mena, 27, of Riverhead for driving with a suspended license following a traffic stop on Flanders Road last Thursday around 11:47 p.m.

Police said she was driving a 2007 Mazda and was pulled over after coming to an abrupt stop in the lane of travel without signaling.

Further investigation revealed her license had been suspended twice for failure to answer a summons in Riverhead Town Justice Court.

She was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor, and a vehicle and traffic violation, reports said.

• A Flanders man called police last Thursday to report that an unknown person rummaged through his Ford pickup truck overnight and stole approximately $20 in loose change.

• Police responded to a Laurel Avenue home last Tuesday morning after a homeowner reported that their house had been hit with pink paintballs overnight. Police told the homeowner to report any further suspicious activity and also advised that it might be beneficial to install video surveillance at the residence.

• Ferrer Lozano, 31, of Riverhead was arrested and charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle following a traffic stop near Firehouse Lane in Flanders last Tuesday around 1:23 p.m.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

The post Southampton Blotter: Driver with suspended license arrested appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Local military families and residents gathered at the Suffolk County Historical Society in Riverhead Monday morning to celebrate veterans and honor the lives and legacies of the fallen.

Over 30 people attended the ceremony this Veteran’s Day, including a number of standard-bearers, and former and current servicemen and women.

Riverhead Councilwoman Catherine Kent spoke at the event, thanking “those who work tirelessly to watch over our veterans.”

“Let us remember and honor all of our veterans for what they have done to build a more peaceful future for us and generations to come,” she said. “If we show how much we love our country by honoring our veterans, then we can also show how much we love our country by loving our neighbors as ourselves. May God bless all who served and still do, and may God bless America.”

Councilwoman Catherine Kent addresses the group. (Credit: Mahreen Khan)

Following Ms. Kent’s words, co-chair of the Riverhead Combined Veterans Committee Mike Pankowski had a sergeant prepare the traditional three-volley salute, where three signals are fired into the air, followed by the sounding of the “Taps” bugle call.

The site is home to the granite memorial for World War I that honors the Riverhead men who served during WWI.

Following the ceremony, everyone was invited to enjoy light refreshments at the American Legion in Riverhead. The Suffolk County Historical Society is opening a newly interpreted permanent exhibit Nov. 13, called “Long Island in Conflict,” which “offers examples of uniforms, weapons, medals and other objects from our permanent collection, honoring Long Island’s contribution to our country’s defense,” according to a press release.

See more photos below by Mahreen Khan:

mkhan@timesreview.com

The post Honoring veterans at annual ceremony in Riverhead: Photos appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

For our final Times Review Talks event of 2019, we’ll be focusing on Riverhead in 2029.

“Riverhead: What Will It Look Like 10 Years from Now,” is set for noon this Wednesday, Nov. 13, at The Vineyards at Aquebogue. Topics expected to be discussed include the future of downtown development, Route 58, housing, Peconic Bay Medical Center, the EPCAL sale, the upcoming school bond vote and the revitalization of neighboring Riverside.

RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW

Riverhead councilwomen Jodi Giglio and Catherine Kent, Richmond Realty’s Ike Israel, Peconic Bay Medical Center deputy executive director Amy Loeb and Sean McLean of Mpact Collective and the Riverside redevelopment efforts are among the confirmed panelists. Town Supervisor-elect Yvette Aguiar has also been invited. Representatives of the Riverhead School District, whose taxpayers will soon be asked to consider an $87.9 million facilities bond, declined to participate in the event.

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. Times Review Media Group, which publishes both The Suffolk Times and Riverhead News-Review, held six previous events this year and is currently planning more talks for 2020.

Audience members are invited to ask questions during the 90-minute events. The $30 ticket price ($20 for Times Review subscribers) includes lunch. Space is limited, so we recommend purchasing your tickets in advance at bit.ly/TRTalks_November.

This month’s lead sponsors are Peconic Bay Medical Center, Richmond Realty and ULC Robotics. Additional sponsors are Riverhead Ford Lincoln, Riverhead Buick GMC, Suffolk Security Systems, Advantage Title and Riverhead Chamber of Commerce.

The post Last call for Times Review Talks on the future of Riverhead appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Southold Town police are investigating a Sunday evening boating accident that occurred in the area of James Creek in Mattituck that claimed the life of a 27-year old Riverhead woman.

A 39-foot Cobalt struck a bulkhead approximately 200 feet to the west of the entrance to James Creek, which is just east of Veteran’s Beach, police said. The four people on board the vessel sustained serious injuries to varying degrees as a result of the impact. Two victims were transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center by fire department ambulance and two were airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital.

Kelley Blanchard, 27, of Riverhead suffered life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead at Peconic Bay Medical Center, police said.

The Mattituck fire department and Cutchogue FD responded, as did officers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The damaged bulkhead pictured Monday afternoon. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)

Police named the other individuals involved in the incident as: Frank Distefano, 48, of East Northport; Nick Soullas, 41, of Jamesport; Megan Blanchard, 29, of New Suffolk. Megan, who is listed in fair condition at Stony Brook University Hospital, and Kelley Blanchard are sisters. Mr. Distefano is also listed in fair condition Monday, according to a Stony Brook hospital spokesperson.

Southold police said Monday morning that Mr. Distefano, a partner in the Michelangelo’s pizza franchises where the late Ms. Blanchard worked as a manager, was charged with boating while intoxicated, a misdemeanor. He was issued an appearance ticket and is expected to be arraigned later this month, police said. The release also said the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office is assisting with the investigation. Mr. Distefano is the owner of the boat, police said.

Additional charges are expected and the investigation is ongoing, police said.

The incident occurred at about 9:17 p.m., police said. The boat was approximately 150 feet off shore when the first officers arrived on scene. All of the people were onboard after the initial crash and did not need to be rescued from the water, police said.

Police said the damage to the boat and bulkhead indicate “the collision occurred at significant speed.”

At 11 a.m. Monday, police still had the private road that leads to the homes where the boat struck the bulkhead blocked off. An officer said it was still an active crime scene.

New York State police also assisted in the investigation and the U.S. Coast Guard also monitored, police said.

Police said additional details will be released as they become available.

Top photo caption: Investigators at the scene Monday morning. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

The damaged boat. (Credit: Stringer News)

Photo caption: Investigators at the scene Sunday evening. (Credit: Stringer News)

The post Update: Additional charges expected after fatal boating crash appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

A highly intoxicated Thomas Murphy turned down multiple offers for a ride home from a sober friend on the afternoon he drove into a group of Boy Scouts in Manorville — killing one of them and severely injuring another — prosecutors told jurors Tuesday during opening arguments in the case against the Holbrook man. 

But a defense lawyer questioned the integrity of that friend and witness, and cautioned jurors that they should be prepared for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office to omit certain facts that hurt their case.

The opening statements, delivered in front of an overflowing crowd of more than 100 audience members, set the expectation for the testimony and legal strategy that will follow in a highly publicized trial that could last through the end of the year.

Mr. Murphy, 60, and wearing a grey suit, blue shirt and beige tie, observed from the defense table, just a few feet from Alisa McMorris, who asked a reporter to switch seats with her so she could watch the trial of the man accused of driving drunk and killing her 12-year-old son Andrew from the first row of Judge Fernando Camacho’s courtroom in Riverside. Ms. McMorris, wearing a red shirt and scarf, like many of her family’s supporters who filled the courtroom, clutched a package of tissues as she listened to prosecutors describe in graphic detail the manner in which her son died on Sept. 30, 2018.

“Andrew McMorris was the last [of four Scouts] struck by Mr. Murphy,” said assistant district attorney Raymond Varuolo, who delivered the prosecution’s 30-minute opening remarks on behalf of the three lawyers trying the case.

“The defendant’s SUV struck Andrew’s 100-pound frame … his small body flew in the air and he was vaulted and launched, his body spun around and he landed face down in the grass and the dirt,” Mr. Varuolo said. “In a split second, children saw their friends tossed around like rag dolls.”

Mr. Varuolo suggested the crash could have been avoided if Mr. Murphy made better decisions earlier that day, as he and three longtime friends played a round of golf at the nearby Swan Lake Golf Club, with three of them drinking from a bottle of vodka one of them had packed. The men teed off around 8:30 a.m., Mr. Varuolo said, and by the third hole they were drinking. By the sixth hole, Mr. Murphy stopped playing golf and continued to drink from his cart, Mr. Varuolo said. He alleged Mr. Murphy had not eaten that day.

After the round of golf ended, Mr. Murphy’s friend, Steven Meola, who Mr. Varuolo said does not drink but had a suspended license for unpaid parking tickets, offered several times to drive Mr. Murphy home, fearing his friend could not drive safely.

“He knocked on the window and offered to drive,” the prosecutor said. “[Mr. Murphy] waved him off. He told him he was fine. Mr. Meola would try a second time … the defendant this time responded by locking the doors of the car and rolling up the window. He said, ‘Go get a ride with [fellow friend] Ray [O’Brien]. That was the moment that changed everything. From that point on, Mr. Murphy’s conduct was shockingly reckless.”

Mr. Varuolo said Mr. Murphy’s first words after the crash were “Oh [expletive], I’m in trouble.”

The incident occurred in front of 20 David Terry Road, just 1.7 miles from the golf course, where Andrew was among a group of Scouts who had embarked that morning on a 20-mile hike that began at Shoreham-Wading River High School. He was walking single file in a pack of six Scouts from Troop 161 in Shoreham and several adult supervisors, including his father John, who Mr. Varuolo said watched as his son — his legs mangled and his neck and spine internally severed — lay injured on the side of the road. He later died at Stony Brook University Hospital.

Defense attorney Steven Politi, in a 45-minute response to the prosecution’s opening remarks, laid partial responsibility on the parents supervising the Scouts that afternoon and denied his client ever crossed over the white line and left the roadway when the crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m.

“We contend that the boys, unfortunately, were poorly supervised and were in the roadway when the accident occurred,” he said.

Mr. Politi also doubted the Scouts were hiking “military style single file,” saying they were already 11 miles into the hike, some were wearing earbuds and he believed they would have been tired and distracted at that point. He also said the manner in which they were struck suggests they were more spread out and that they were not hiking in the order they were assigned by their supervisors.

Mr. Politi repeatedly told jurors that while the burden in a criminal case lies with the District Attorney’s responsibility to prove a defendant’s guilt, he’ll be forced throughout the trial to say the things prosecutors won’t.

“I’m going to get you the truth,” he said.

On Tuesday, Mr. Politi questioned lead investigator Genevieve Vesely’s relationship with the other two injured boys, Thomas and Dennis Lane, siblings who live next door to the Suffolk County police detective. He said Ms. Vesely also has sons who were involved with Troop 161 and he said jurors should wonder why she did not hand the case off to another investigator.

Mr. Politi also disputed the claim that his client did not eat on the day of the crash and said prosecutors failed to disclose in their opening arguments certain details from that afternoon, like Mr. Murphy’s performance in a roadside sobriety test and the fact that investigators did not record his statements given at the 7th precinct.

It was there that police officer Daniel Brecht, who is expected to testify Wednesday, secured a warrant to draw blood from Mr. Murphy, who prosecutors said declined to submit to a breath test three times in the first two hours after the crash. The blood test showed a blood alcohol content of .13 nearly four hours after the crash, Mr. Varuolo said, adding that a toxicologist will testify during trial that Mr. Murphy’s likely BAC was .19, more than twice the legal limit, at the moment of impact.

Following opening statements, jurors heard audio from five separate 911 calls from the scene and testimony from the trial’s first witness, a dispatcher working that afternoon. The rapid series of calls were made within one minute of each other. In the fifth call, made by Scout leader Bob Dougherty, children could be heard screaming in pain in the background.

“You better not go nowhere,” Mr. Dougherty could be heard yelling to Mr. Murphy after the dispatcher asked if the driver remained on scene.

Anthony Higgins, 12, a Scout and classmate of Andrew’s at Prodell Middle School in Shoreham was the second witness to testify Tuesday. He recalled Andrew hiking single file in front of him as they walked away from the road around a jeep parked on the side of the street when he saw Mr. Murphy’s SUV come around the bend and “plow” into the group.

“[Andrew] went up in the sky and came down sprawled on the ground, I was stunned for a second, didn’t think it was real,” said Anthony, who at 11 years old was the youngest member of the group that day. “I started crying and ran to find my [dad] at the back of the line.”

Anthony testified that he didn’t observe any Scouts wearing earbuds or on their cell phones as Mr. Politi had suggested. He also said the Scouts were not assigned any particular hiking order.

Testimony in the case will continue Wednesday and Thursday before reconvening next week. Mr. Varuolo said each of the men Mr. Murphy was golfing with that day will testify along with more Scouts, investigators and medical and scientific experts.

Among the evidence prosecutors are expected to present at trial are text messages Mr. Murphy sent to his wife — who was present Tuesday along with their daughters — following the crash and videos he shot on the golf course, which Mr. Varuolo said will show him slurring his speech about an hour before the crash.

Mr. Murphy is facing a top charge of aggravated vehicular homicide, which carries a maximum sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.

Speaking to a pack of more than a dozen media members outside the courtroom Tuesday, Ms. McMorris said “today begins an awful, awful journey into reliving this nightmare over and over.”

She declined to answer specific questions, asking instead for prayers for Andrew’s fellow scouts and their families.

Caption: Defense attorney Steven Politi outside the courtroom Tuesday. (Credit: Tara Smith)

gparpan@timesreview.com

The post Prosecutors: Murphy turned down ride from sober friend moments before fatal crash appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

John Blake of Brookhaven, a “lifetime member” of the Patchogue Fire Department, picked up his brand new car from Riverhead Buick GMC on Friday. He had won it at a dealership-sponsored golf fundraiser at West Sayville Golf Course back in July.

“I’ve been doing these golf outings, sponsoring them, for probably close to 20 years and we do about 15 a year,” said Tom Williams, general manager of Riverhead Buick GMC, on Friday. “This is the first time we ever had a contestant get a hole-in-one, so it’s exciting for us to actually deliver a car.”

The July 8 charity event was designed to raise funds for the Patchogue Fire Department and its volunteers. A total $15,000 was raised. Mr. Williams estimated this being about the seventh such fundraiser for the fire department.

“We all pay to go to [the] golf outings, they raise money and some people win cars,” Mr. Williams said, laughing.

As an incentive to attract golfers and keep the event light, the dealership supplies the car on a 36-month lease, insuring and covering the cost of the vehicle. The caveat? The winner must successfully nail a hole-in-one.

“We always have people get close; we’ve had them within half an inch,” he said, “but this is the first time we’ve ever given away a car.”

While Mr. Williams has only been handling the event for the last 20 years, he said he suspects it has been going on longer. Past fundraisers have focused on rotary clubs, schools and the Association of Marina Industries.

As for John Blake, the lucky winner, he said he’s been golfing for 35 years — not often, but a good amount.

“I walk up to the hole and my buddy that’s playing with me, he says, ‘JB, what are you gonna do when you get the hole-in-one and the car?’ ” Mr Blake said at the dealership Friday. “I looked at [the car] and I go, ‘Oh, I’m gonna give it to my step-son Bradley.’ Just like that, I walked up, teed up the ball and didn’t even take a practice swing — just hit the ball right into the hole.”

Mr. Blake, a retired New York City firefighter of 26 years, has volunteered for the Patchogue Fire Department for the past 40.

His step-son, he said, is soon getting married at Yosemite National Park in California, and is in need of a car.

“It’s being shipped out Friday,” Mr. Blake said. “It just was a perfect shot, you know.”

This was Mr. Blake’s first-ever hole-in-one and it happened to win him a GMC Terrain.

“It’s just something the dealership does to help support the community and the organizations within the community,” Mr. Williams said. “It’s exciting for us.”

Photo caption: John Blake, right, pictured with Tom Williams, general manager of Riverhead Buick GMC. (Credit: Mahreen Khan)

mkhan@timesreview.com

The post Winner of hole-in-one contest receives new car from Riverhead dealership appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Christina Yakaboski didn’t have to break her back to qualify for the upcoming New York State girls cross-country championships. She had already done that — break her back, that is.

Yakaboski didn’t go through her usual training regimen this past summer. After feeling some back pain, the Riverhead High School senior went to see a doctor and was in for quite a surprise.

“It turned out that I had fractured my back like years ago, I think playing soccer,” she said. “So, we wanted to just take some precautions and just make sure I was resting because my plan now is to run for another four years, so I wanted to make sure I could do that and just live healthy later on, so I was willing to kind of sacrifice this season.”

Yakaboski didn’t begin training until late August and although she has run in all of Riverhead’s races, she has sort of eased her way into the season. Then, one day last week, she told her coach, Justin Cobis: “I feel good. I feel back, ready to go.”

And how.

Yakaboski salvaged her season in the Section XI Championships Friday. She turned in her fastest time of the year at Sunken Meadow State Park — 19 minutes, 47.45 seconds — good enough for fourth place in Class A and a ticket to her first state meet. She will run Saturday in the state championships at SUNY/Plattsburgh.

It had to be doubly gratifying for Yakaboski, who had missed qualifying for last year’s state meet by one place and a mere 1.86 seconds.

“I’m very excited,” she said. “I definitely feel like I deserve that. I feel, last year, that was definitely a possibility for me and I just didn’t [qualify]. I feel that I should have, so I definitely was not going to let it go this time.”

Yakaboski and all the other runners had to contend with frigid, windy conditions. The temperature was 37 degrees at the start of the meet, with a wind-chill factor making it feel as if it was in the 20s. But Yakaboski said her days playing soccer outdoors in the winter had prepared her for the conditions.

What was her game plan for the race?

“Usually I do have a plan, I do have a very specific plan,” she said, “but on the [starting] line today, I was like, ‘I think I’m just going to wing it,’ and that’s what I did, basically. I knew I had to stay at the top, but I just wanted to kind of have fun.”

When Yakaboski saw the leaders set a pace early on that was a little too slow for her liking, she moved in front. “I think over the years I definitely developed a lot more confidence when I race, so I feel like I definitely tapped into that today and wasn’t afraid to lead for a little bit, so I’m definitely proud of myself for that,” she said. “I wasn’t leaving anything to chance.”

Cobis said Yakaboski led for two miles of the 3.2-mile race. “She ran a very smart race, so she put herself in a perfect spot,” he said. “She knows she doesn’t have the strongest kick, so she gave herself a lead enough at the end where she could hold on.”

Commack senior Fiona McLoughlin was first in 19:40.57, with Deer Park sophomore Gianna Marquez (19:46.64) and Lindenhurst senior Veronica Szygalowicz (19:47.05) grabbing the next two spots.

Yakaboski crossed the finish line with her second-fastest time ever on the course. Last year she clocked 19:45.18.

“It’s her best race ever,” Cobis said. “Whether it’s her best time or not, it’s her best race.”

Yakaboski is the first Riverhead girl to qualify for a state meet since Katie Skinner in 2009, said Cobis.

Another Riverhead senior, Megan Kielbasa, who had a splendid season, finished 18th in 20:37.76. She was later followed by teammates Linda Pomiranceva (21st in 20:44.33), Lauren Matyka (58th in 21:43.34), Emma Conroy (59th in 21:43.68), Madison Kelly (79th in 22:25.27) and Kristina DeRaveniere (95th in 22:51.93).

Riverhead finished fourth in the team scoring with 137 points. Ward Melville was first with 73.

How much does qualifying for the state meet mean to Yakaboski?

“Definitely a lot,” she said. “I came in as a freshman. I had no idea what I was doing. That was my first year running cross country, and to end my senior season going to the state meet is probably [my] best moment [in] cross country.”

Nicole Garcia of Shoreham-Wading River races in the Class B championship. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Shoreham-Wading River senior Nicole Garcia will also make her first appearance in the state meet. Garcia was fourth in Class B in 20:14.78.

“This is like my dream and I’ve been pushing for this for two years,” she said.

Also racing for SWR were Emily Cook (17th in 22:06.67), India McKay (27th in 22:47.54), Elenora Undrus (35th in 23:20.37), Colleen Ohrtman (45th in 24:30.08), Isadora Petretti (47th in 24:41.03) and Kelly Logan (49th in 25:11.20).

As with the other runners, Garcia had to battle a nasty headwind down the homestretch. She said: “I just had to fight the wind … I could feel the wind pushing me back. I was just trying to get through it.”

A place in the state meet was waiting for her at the finish line.

“Oh, I had to make it,” she said. “It was my only chance this year.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Riverhead senior Christina Yakaboski, who learned this summer that she had fractured her back years ago, qualified for her first state meet with her fourth-place finish in Class A at the Section XI Championships. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

The post Girls Cross Country: Yakaboski earns place in state meet appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

On the showroom floor at Riverhead Nissan, Kelley Blanchard would “zip around” in her high heels. Next month would have marked her one-year anniversary as a sales and leasing consultant at the Riverhead dealership, where her smile would light up the room.

Whether it was at Michelangelo Pizzeria in Mattituck, where she was a longtime manager, or in her newest role at the dealership, Kelley was known for her energy and her larger-than-life personality.

Staffers at the dealership referred to her as their “little-big sister” because of the way she looked out for younger co-workers, said general sales manager Francois Wall.

“We were the family away from her family,” he said.

Kelley, who grew up in Southold and currently lived in Riverhead, died Sunday night in a boating crash in Mattituck. She was 27.

Her sister Megan, 29, was also injured in the crash and is expected to recover.

“Kelley was very loud and outgoing,” said Claire Vega, an aunt of the sisters. “She just put herself out there. She was nice to everybody. And funny. She had so much fun with anything she was doing.”

Ms. Vega said the sisters were “best friends” who did everything together.

Natalie Zappola, a close friend of Kelley’s since they met in eighth-grade gym class, said Kelley and Megan were “soul mates.”

Ms. Zappola said she made a promise to Kelley to look after her sister.

“That would be her biggest worry right now,” she said. “All I keep hearing is, ‘Take care of Megan.’ ”

Ms. Zappola said Kelley’s life had begun to take off in the last year, as she began a new job, and she was excited to advance her career.

Service Information

The family will receive friends Sunday, Nov. 17 from noon-4 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 18, at Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Mattituck. The Rite of Commital will be private.

No matter where she was in her life, she always found the time to take care of the people closest to her. She was a loyal friend who made sure everyone close to her knew how much they meant.

“She always put everybody else before herself,” Ms. Zappola said.

Kelley turned 27 on Oct. 26. The next night she celebrated her birthday with family and friends with a night out in Riverhead. Ms. Zappola said she met the group after they had dinner and they hung out the rest of the night and ate breakfast the next morning.

The pictures they took during that birthday celebration were the last of them together, she said.

“She’s one of the greatest people I’ve ever known in my life,” Ms. Zappola said. “She’s truly an irreplaceable person.”

Sisters Kelley (right) and Megan Blanchard. (Courtesy photo)

Kelley graduated from Southold High School in 2010. Ms. Zappola said they met at a time when Kelley lived up-island and was attending the Sachem School District.

Ms. Vega said she grew up just a few houses from her nieces in Southold and they spent every day together as kids because they were close in age. They would have sleepovers, ride bikes and go to the beach.

“They were like my best friends growing up,” she said.

From an early age, Kelley and Megan both loved Halloween. The proximity of Kelley’s birthday to the holiday made it all the more fun.

“They were the Halloween queens,” Ms. Zappola said.

Mr. Wall, who hired Kelley at Riverhead Nissan, said she was eager to try something new. Right away, he said, her “bright” and “energetic” personality stood out to him.

“There are certain things in sales that you can’t teach. I can teach you how to sell a car … but I can’t teach you energy,” he said. “She came to work and customers loved her. Everyone that met her was instantly drawn to her.”

Fellow sales manager Tommy Maiorini of Deer Park said when Kelley was hired, she was excited to join the sales team and loved coming to work.

“She literally came to work to work,” Mr. Maiorini said. “She was excited to jump in front of customers, excited to help them out. Every time she came into the store, she’d smile and light up the room.”

Mr. Maiorini, who has worked at the Riverhead dealership for a year and has been in the business for 14 years, said the sales team is a tight-knit group of roughly 10 employees, so they were all close to Kelley.

“We definitely lost a good one here,” he said.

The relationship Kelley formed with her co-workers prompted general manager Vinny Purrazzella and sales and leasing consultant Mario Gonzalez to create an online fundraiser.

The GoFundMe page created Monday, “For Kelley Blanchard”, had already raised over $4,000 as of Wednesday afternoon. The page states that funds will go to her family. A separate GoFundMe page has raised more than $5,500.

GoFundMe works to merge the funds in situations where multiple pages are created following a tragedy.

Sales and leasing consultant Peter Agudo of Holtsville started at Riverhead Nissan in February and was trained by Kelley.

“She was always funny, wacky, and spoke her mind,” he said. “I don’t know where she got it, but she was always talking about cheese and wine.”

Mr. Agudo said Kelley inspired him to be himself.

“Don’t take anything for granted,” he said. “Just be yourself. Just do you.”

joew@timesreview.com

The post Kelley Blanchard, 27, remembered as vibrant woman who always helped others appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Just because he had qualified for the past two New York State boys cross-country championships didn’t mean that the third time was a breeze for Adam Zelin. Actually, it was anything but that.

With some 1,000 meters to go in Friday’s Class B race in the Section XI Championships, Zelin needed to pass a runner in order to squeeze into a qualifying spot for the upcoming state meet. The Shoreham-Wading River senior did just that before finishing in eighth place.

“I really went for it today,” he said.

Shortly after the race at Sunken Meadow State Park, Zelin received word from his coach, Bob Szymanski, that he was in. He had booked a place for himself in the state championships to be run Saturday at SUNY/Plattsburgh.

“It’s definitely making my [senior] season a real memorable one,” Zelin said. “It’s just crazy how much I progressed [since] sophomore year. Each year I’ve gone to states and I keep getting better times here.”

Zelin completed the 5,000-meter course in 17 minutes, 27.87 seconds, about eight seconds faster than he had ever run before at Sunken Meadow. (Miller Place senior Tom Cirrito took first in 16:16.89).

The cold, windy conditions didn’t sit well with Zelin, but he ran with every part of his body covered except his face and neck. He still had to run against a wall of wind down the final stretch to the finish line.

“If there’s no wind, you can live with the cold,” Szymanski said. “I liked running in 30-degree weather with no wind, but when you run in this kind of weather, this can psych you out.”

Zelin said the key to his success is simple: hard work.

“If I wasn’t working as hard, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he said. “During workouts, I always keep that mindset, and I’m always trying my hardest.”

The rough weather almost seemed to help the Riverhead runners, five of whom ran the course faster than they ever had before. Freshman Graeme Olsen (47th in Class A in 17:59.94), junior Gabe Burns (60th in 18:24.27), junior Matthew Yakaboski (94th in 19:13.79), junior Pedro Arruda (104th in 19:27.69), senior Brian Noone (116th in 19:39.39) and sophomore Patrick Rowland (128th in 19:55.81) ran for the Blue Waves.

Smithtown senior Michael Danzi was first in 16:28.43.

Olsen, who has broken a number of Riverhead freshman records, beat his previous best time on the course by about 30 seconds. “It’s state quals, so I thought I’d just put it all out there and just leave everything behind and just run the best race that I could,” he said.

This being a state qualifying meet, the stakes were high.

“You feel the intensity overall,” said Burns, who also posted his best time at Sunken Meadow. “You can hear it in people’s voices as you run by them. You can see it in all the coaches around, rooting on the runners because you never know what’s going to happen in this race.”

Riverhead coach Matt Yakaboski, who will return six of his top seven runners next year, said: “They had nothing to lose … I said, ‘Go out and have fun.’

“I’m just really proud of the whole team. From where we started at the beginning of the season to where we finished was a dramatic drop [in times].”

Photo caption: Shoreham-Wading River senior Adam Zelin qualified for his third straight state meet, finishing eighth in Class B at the Section XI Championships. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

bliepa@timesreview.com

The post Boys Cross Country: Zelin qualifies for his third state meet appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Riverhead Town officials held a press conference Tuesday to encourage residents to attend a forum Thursday on the “pattern book” planned for downtown Riverhead.

“Community input is such an important aspect to development in our downtown,” Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said.

And what’s a pattern book?

“A pattern book is really an understanding of how shapes and forms of buildings should emerge, based on the other qualities that you have in a given location,” said Janice Scherer of Baiting Hollow, co-chair of Riverhead’s downtown revitalization committee as well as a planner for Southampton Town.

She said the pattern book designs an area around a feature, such as the river or the main street, and relies on public input as well as previous planning studies.

“It’s important that members of the community feel that they have a say in how the community should evolve in the future,” Ms. Scherer said.

In August, the Town Board hired Urban Design Associates of Pittsburgh to develop the pattern book for $174,530. The vote was split, with Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith and council members Catherine Kent and Jim Wooten voting yes, and council members Tim Hubbard and Jodi Giglio voting no.

Mr. Hubbard said the town’s Architectural Review Board and Landmarks Preservation Commission are more qualified to make recommendations for downtown, and Ms. Giglio said the money would be better spent buying and demolishing the former Swezey’s building and turning that area into a town square.

Jeff Murphree, the town’s building and planning administrator, said “the two numbers that are dictating your downtown are building height in terms of number of stories and building height in terms of feet. Those two numbers are absolutely critical in terms of how big a building can be, but it doesn’t address the whole planning process from a comprehensive, sustainable point of view.”

The town has considered reducing the maximum height for buildings downtown, although that has run into opposition from some property owners who said they were planning to build at those heights.

“We can build as many buildings as we want, but it’s not necessarily going to revitalize downtown unless we have mixed-use to those buildings,” Ms. Jens-Smith said. “We need stores on the main level, we need walkability, we need a downtown that’s attractive to the community and inviting.”

The community forum on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 6:30 p.m. will be held at the town’s senior center at 60 Shade Tree Lane in Aquebogue.

There will be a short presentation at the outset by UDA, after which participants will break into smaller groups to discuss the future of downtown.

The pattern book is expected to be complete in six months, Ms. Jens-Smith said.

It will be in done in three steps: community outreach, development strategies and implementation strategies, officials said.

Photo caption: Jeff Murphree at Tuesday’s press conference. (Credit: Tim Gannon)

tgannon@timesreview.com

The post Officials urge residents to attend forum on downtown Riverhead appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

The Riverhead woman accused in September of shooting her estranged boyfriend was angry he wouldn’t marry her and she threatened to kill him and herself moments before firing the gun, a prosecutor alleged at her arraignment in Suffolk County Court Thursday.

Patchita Tennant, 42, pleaded not guilty before Suffolk County Supreme Court Judge John Collins on upgraded charges that include a top count of attempted murder for the Sept. 5 incident involving Andrew “Silas” Mitchell inside the home they once shared on Pleasure Drive in Flanders.

“[Mr. Mitchell] was in the master bathroom of their home shaving when Ms. Tennant kicked open the bathroom door and indicated to him, ‘You aren’t going to marry me, I’m going to kill you and then kill myself,'” Assistant District Attorney Eric Aboulafia said during the arraignment. “She proceeded to make good on that threat and shot Mr. Mitchell [three times].”

Mr. Aboulafia said Mr. Mitchell remained at Stony Brook University Hospital for eight days following the incident and had a three-hour surgery to save his life. He said Mr. Mitchell later had part of his lung removed due to injuries from the shooting, which included taking two shots to the chest and one to an arm.

Ms. Tennant, who was surrounded in court by more than a dozen supporters, remains free on the $500,000 bond she initially posted in town court, though Judge Collins cautioned that she must resolve passport issues. A non-citizen, Ms. Tennant had been living in the U.S. under an expired passport, the judge said. She has since applied for a renewal and Judge Collins said that must be immediately turned over to the court.

In addition to the attempted murder charge, she is facing felony charges of first-degree assault, criminal use of a firearm and assault with intent to cause physical injury with a weapon.

The shooting incident occurred that Thursday evening shortly before 8:20 p.m., when police were called to the home and 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.

Mr. Aboulafia previously 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.

Mr. Manghan also previously said Ms. Tennant had never seen the .38 caliber gun before and was unaware that Mr. Mitchell owned it. He said Mr. Mitchell, who he accused of beating his client during the decade they were together, tried to shoot Ms. Tennant after he was shot, but the gun had no more bullets.

Mr. Manghan did not raise those allegations again Tuesday.

Ms. Tennant is due back in court for a conference on Thursday, Dec. 12.

Caption: Ms. Tennant and Mr. Manghan outside the courtroom Thursday. (Credit: T.E. McMorrow/Press pool photo)

gparpan@timesreview.com

The post Riverhead woman pleads not guilty to attempted murder in Flanders shooting appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Longtime Riverhead High School teacher and assistant varsity football coach Edward Grassman has been reassigned within the district following a personnel matter, district officials confirmed Tuesday. 

Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez said in an email that Mr. Grassman was removed from his teaching and coaching duties Oct. 30. He currently works in the district’s Pupil Personnel Services office.

The superintendent did not provide any information regarding the reason for his reassignment.

“As this is an active personnel investigation. The district cannot comment any further,” Dr. Henriquez said.

Head football coach Leif Shay said Tuesday that Mr. Grassman, the offensive coordinator, missed the last two games because of the reassignment. That included last Friday’s playoff game against Longwood and the regular season finale against Walt Whitman on Nov. 1.

Mr. Grassman earns $141,564, according to SeeThroughNY.

He could not be reached for comment this week.

knalepinski@timesreview.com

The post Riverhead teacher, assistant football coach placed on reassignment appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

A key prosecution witness came under intense scrutiny from the defense during cross examination Thursday on the third day of the trial of Thomas Murphy, the Holbrook man accused of killing a Wading River boy in an alleged drunken driving crash in Manorville last year.

Steven Meola, 58, of Queens, a longtime friend of Mr. Murphy’s who testified Wednesday that he had seen the defendant drinking while they golfed earlier that day and was concerned about him driving, took the stand for nearly three hours again Thursday. Defense attorney Steven Politi attempted to call into question his character and reliability as a witness in the case before Acting Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho.

Mr. Politi grilled Mr. Meola on everything from the size of the bottle of vodka brought by another friend to Swan Lake Golf Club on Sept. 30, 2018, to the amount of alcohol his friends consumed that day and even his personal posts on Facebook. Taking an often combative approach, Mr. Politi scrutinized Mr. Meola’s questionable behavior online and thirst for attention as he attempted to show that Mr. Meola and Mr. Murphy aren’t as close as he says.

“You knew that [Mr. Murphy] thought you were a perverted, disgusting animal, correct?” Mr. Politi asked at one point.

“No,” Mr. Meola began to answer before prosecutors objected to the question.

Mr. Meola testified that he and Mr. Murphy had never hung out alone and was unable to name any of Mr. Murphy’s three daughters by name.

Mr. Politi showed the jury a handful of memes Mr. Meola admitted to posting on social media, which the attorney described as racist, sexually explicit and offensive to women. He asked Mr. Meola, who testified that he is unemployed and had a revoked driver’s license, on several occasions if he was ever banned from Facebook.

“You’re banned because of the horrible, offensive, perverted, disgusting, disgraceful and depraved things that you post on Facebook, right?” Mr. Politi asked.

“No,” Mr. Meola replied. “Just stuff that goes against the community standards.”

“You don’t fit into this community right, Mr. Meola?” Mr. Politi shot back, prompting Judge Camacho to intervene.

“Stop, stop,” the judge said. “Let’s not go there.”

Mr. Politi also produced several explicit text messages between Mr. Meola and an unidentified woman. In one exchange she asks if he’s the star witness for the DA.

“…yes i am. me and my other 2 friends who were with us,” he responded

During redirect questioning, Assistant District Attorney Brendan Ahearn brought the focus back to the events of Sept. 30, when Mr. Murphy crashed his car into a pack of Boy Scouts, killing 12-year-old Andrew McMorris and severely injuring his friend Thomas Lane. Mr. Ahearn asked a series of questions that pointed out how despite having a relationship with Mr. Murphy and having never before met any of the victims or their families, Mr. Meola was in the witness box testifying against someone he considered a friend. The line of questioning appeared to be designed to dismiss some of the details Mr. Politi asked Mr. Meola to recall as unimportant compared to what he saw as he rode as a passenger one car behind Mr. Murphy on David Terry Road that afternoon.

“When you said [earlier] you couldn’t sleep for a month, why?” Mr Ahearn asked Mr. Meola.

“I kept reliving that moment of the accident in my head and I’d just wake up in a cold sweat,” the witness responded.

“Had you ever seen children in the condition that you found 12-year-old Andrew McMorris?” the prosecutor continued.

“No, sir,” Mr. Meola said.

“Can you get that image out of your head?” Mr. Ahearn followed.

“Never,” he responded as he began to cry.

Outside of the courtroom Thursday, Andrew’s mother, Alisa McMorris, said all she can hear during the testimony is reminders of the accident.

“My baby screamed when he was hit and flailed his arms and landed,” she said in her brief remarks to reporters. “So when they say it happened so fast, it was enough for my baby to feel pain, scream in horror and then land.”

She then placed her hand over her heart and walked away.

Prosecutors have said a blood test of Mr. Murphy taken nearly four hours after the crash showed a blood alcohol content of .13. A toxicologist is expected to testify during trial that Mr. Murphy’s likely BAC was .19, more than twice the legal limit, at the moment of impact.

Mr. Murphy, 60, is facing a top charge of aggravated vehicular homicide, which carries a maximum sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.

Judge Camacho said that scheduling conflicts will prevent testimony from continuing before Tuesday. The trial is expected to last several more weeks.

Caption: Thomas Murphy leaves the courthouse in Riverside Thursday surrounded by family and other supporters. (Credit: Grant Parpan)

tsmith@timesreview.com

The post Defense calls into question the character of key witness in Murphy trial appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

A third lawsuit has now been filed against the Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch in Riverhead by a former resident claiming that the ranch allowed him to be physically and sexually abused by older boys as a result of poor supervision.

John Gubitosi filed the latest lawsuit against the ranch on Thursday, Nov. 14.

Similar lawsuits have been filed on Nov. 6 by John Joseph Barci and on Sept. 20 by Andres Alexander Ramos.

All three lawsuits are being brought by the same law firm, Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz of Manhattan, and all three are filed under New York State’s Child Victims Act, according to Regina Calcaterra, the lead attorney on the three cases.

The latest lawsuit is posted on the law firm’s website, and a press release was also posted online.

“The allegations of each complaint sets forth an environment of limited to no supervisor, which allows the older residents to sexually, physically and emotionally abuse (Mr. Ramos, Mr. Barci and Mr. Gubitosi),” the release says.

It claims that the ranch knew about the abuse and launched “an orchestrated effort to distort the truth and cover up brutal sexual attacks.”

The ranch was founded in 1976 by Fern and Jerrell Hill and began operation in 1980 with the objective of using “Christ-centered values” to help reform “dependent, neglected and abused” boys.

Mr. Gubitosi lived at the Ranch from October to December 1994, when he was 15. The house he lived at on the ranch was the same one where Mr. Ramos lived from January to June 1995, when he was 12.

Mr. Gubitosi’s lawsuit says that on his first night at the ranch, several other residents held a blanket over his face and body while laughing and beating him with heavy objects.

When he reported it to a house parent employed by the ranch, he was told “Oh, that was a blanket party. Man up. Go back to bed. I’ll handle it.”

In all three cases, the lawsuits are being filed now, years after the alleged events happened, because the CVA, which was approved in February to permit the revival of child sexual abuse cases that were previously barred by statutes of limitations.

Under the CVA, child sex abuse victims have a one-year window of time, from August 2019 through August 2020, to pursue civil cases against people alleged to have committed child sexual abuse in the past.

The lawsuit says that during the two months Mr. Gubitosi lived on the ranch, “he was repeatedly and viciously victimized by the teenage residents of the ranch. The abuse was enabled by (the ranch’s) negligence and allowed to continue because of their callous apathy to (Mr. Gubitosi’s) reports and cries for help.”

The lawsuit says that the ranch’s “de facto policy of virtually no supervision after ‘lights out’ made it so that (Mr. Gubitosi) was repeated beaten by other teenage boys in his residence.” It said the ranch’s “inadequate supervisor meant that, despite multiple staff members residing under the very same roof, these regular beatings escalated to sexual abuse at the hands of the older residents.”

Mr. Gubitosi reported the physical and sexual abuse to ranch employees but was forced to do so in front of other residents whom he had accused of assaulting him, according to the lawsuit. After several attempts to run away from the ranch, Mr. Gubitosi went to his grandmother’s house and refused to return to the ranch, the lawsuit said.

The ranch, at this time in 1994, was in the midst of $750,000 fundraising campaign “and knew that if (Mr. Gubitosi’s assaults were publicized, this would negatively affect their fundraising attempts,” the suit claims.

Mr. Barci’s lawsuit is similar to those filed by Mr. Ramos and Mr. Gubitosi, although Mr. Barci lived at the Ranch in 1981 when he was 12.

Mr. Barci alleges that he was placed in a house with older, larger residents who routinely beat him and sexually assaulted him while at the ranch.

One case cited in Mr. Barci’s lawsuit alleges that a 17-year-old resident locked him in a barn with a horse and threw rocks at the horse in an attempt to get it to kick out in anger.

The lawsuit says Mr. Barci detailed instances of sexual abuse by the 17-year-old to the house parents, who ignored and dismissed them, saying that he had been “dreaming,” and calling him a liar.

The ranch’s “negligence and inadequate supervision created a culture of lawlessness, resulting in [Mr. Barci] being physically, emotionally and sexually abused by the older residents at the ranch,” Mr. Barci’s lawsuit says.

John Denby, the attorney for Timothy Hill’s Children Ranch on the Barci case, said they feel “the case is very defensible.”

“It’s based on unfounded allegations from many, many years ago,” he said.

Mr. Denby, who also represented the ranch on the Ramos case, said Friday that he is “probably” going to represent them on the Gubitosi case, but that he has not read the lawsuit yet. He said he recommended that the ranch send calls for comment to him, but that the lawsuit only was filed a day earlier.

The lawsuits do not specify what types of damages are being sought by the three men. In addition to the ranch, a number of former employees also are named as defendants.

tgannon@timesreview.com

The post Two more lawsuits alleging abuse filed against Timothy Hill Children’s Ranch appeared first on Riverhead News Review.