The Suffolk Times Covers, 2013

2 1 O 0 S E F 2 C F A
WWW.SUFFOLKTIMES.COM | NEWS & INFORMATION FOR THE NORTH FORK | THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2013 $1.50
TheSuffolkTimes.
PEOPLE OF THE YEAR
This week we honor
those who make a
difference PAGES 2-6
AFTER NEWTOWN
Local schools weigh
safety issues raised
by shootings PAGE 17
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
After Gustavsons step down,
Times/Review Newsgroup has
new ownership team PAGES 9, 16
TheSuffolkTimes.
BY BETH YOUNG | STAFF WRITER
In their advertisements, the candidates vying for
the 1st District seat in the Suffolk County Legisla-
ture are portrayed as very different men. Republican
Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walters ads show
him taking a sledgehammer to downtown River-
head and vowing to shake up the Legislature. Ads
from his Democratic opponent present Al Krupski
as a farmer and small businessman with a tireless
work ethic.
In front of a packed house at Martha Clara Vine-
yards, Mr. Walter again vowed change during a
Monday night debate sponsored by Times/Review
Newsgroup, while Mr. Krupski touted his ability to
collaborate effectively with other elected ofcials.
The Jan. 15 special election is being held to fill
the nine months left in the term of for-
mer county legislator Ed Romaine, who
vacated his post in November after being
elected Brookhaven Town supervisor. The
1st District runs west from Southold Town
and Shelter Island to Riverhead Town and parts of
eastern Brookhaven.
If Mr. Krupski were to be elected, county Demo-
crats would have a veto-proof majority in the Legis-
lature, which Mr. Walter said would be an unhealthy
outcome. Mr. Krupski pointed out that, as the only
Democrat on the Southold Town Board, he has a
long history of bipartisan cooperation.
Once you get elected, you dont worry about par-
ty. You worry about people, Mr. Krupski
said. I dont buy into Democrat versus
Republican, east versus west. Youre never
going to go anywhere in government if
you toe the party line.
Mr. Walter said politics at higher levels of govern-
ment dont work that way.
Id love to believe thats true, but its not, he said,
adding that county Democrats have strings at-
tached to the $50,000 theyve invested in Mr. Krup-
KRUPSKI & WALTER DEBATE | PAGE 3
Krupski & Walter have at it
Times/Review-sponsored debate comes in advance of Tuesdays election
AN ENTERPRISING
YOUNG FELLOW
Recalling life aboard
WWII warship PAGE 2
WHOS HE?
Town GOP
names a new
chairman PAGE 3
KEEPING AN EYE ON THE KIDS
Substitute steps forward to
provide school security, but at
no charge to the district PAGE 16
KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO
Sunset on the rocks
The last glacier departed thousands of years ago, but the boulders it carried still stand along the Sound shore in Cutchogue. This weeks
unseasonably warm temperatures gave little reminder of the ancient ice sheets that created the North Fork.
Endorsement,
page 8
TheSuffolkTimes.
WRESTLER BITTEN
BUT WINS MATCH
Strange doings in
school gym PAGE 31
RUE THE FLU
Virus makes
itself known in
a big way PAGE 4
REPORT: MARINE PLEADS GUILTY
Southold native court-martialed;
accused of desecrating bodies
of dead Taliban fighters PAGE 20
TIM KELLY PHOTO
Al Krupski didnt have to wait very long Tuesday night to get a congratulatory hug from his wife, Mary.
Krupski
stomps
Walter
Posts largest Suffolk special
election victory in a decade
BY TIM KELLY, BETH YOUNG AND TIM GANNON
STAFF WRITERS
In the days leading up to Tuesdays special
legislative election, several local Democrats
voiced cautious optimism on Councilman Al
Krupskis chances against Riverhead Supervisor
Sean Walter.
Their caution was unnecessary.
Mr. Krupski thoroughly trounced his GOP
rival, winning the county Legislature seat long
held by Ed Romaine by a better than two-to-
one margin. Unofcial results from the Suffolk
County Board of Elections show Mr. Krupski,
52, with 6,561 votes to 3,182 for Mr. Walter, 46.
Thats a split of 67.29 per-
cent to 32.63 percent, the
highest percentage victory
in the last decade for any
special election held in
Suffolk County.
Early results showed Mr.
Krupski, a Peconic farmer,
ahead or even in many
GOP districts, and Demo-
crats cheered with delight
when the numbers showed
Mr. Krupski out-polling the
supervisor in Wading River,
Mr. Walters hometown. Mr. Krupski ended up
claiming all but three election districts in River-
head Town and every district in Southold Town.
At about 10 p.m., only an hour after the polls
closed, Mr. Walter walked in to Democratic
headquarters at the Dark Horse Restaurant on
Riverheads Main Street as Suffolk County Dem-
ocratic Chairman Rich Schaffer was speaking to
congratulate the victor.
Al, congratulations, my friend, the supervi-
sor said as he shook Mr. Krupskis hand. You
stomped me bad. I intend to stay in River-
head, apparently. I wish you the best of luck,
my friend.
Throughout the campaign, and especially dur-
ing the candidates only debate at Martha Clara
Vineyards on Jan. 7, Mr. Walter charged that were
ELECTION | PAGE 24
Al, you are
now the
most popular
elected official
in county
government.
Steve Bellone
TheSuffolkTimes.
BY CARRIE MILLER | STAFF WRITER
As state lawmakers were putting the finishing
touches on stricter gun laws in the wake of last
months Connecticut school shooting, many resi-
dents were working to get their hands on a dwin-
dling stock of rearms and ammunition.
The county sheriffs office, which processes li-
censing applications within the county, has seen
a signicant increase in pistol applications over
this past year, and yesterday in particular, said sher-
iff spokesman Michael Sharkey. Staffers received 20
applications on Tuesday alone, a number that just
a few years ago would have been more typical of an
entire month, he said.
People are trying to stay ahead of the curve,
said Mr. Sharkey. It seems the public got con-
cerned over possible limitations to access.
At the same time, ammunition
is ying off shelves, said Matthew
Daly, a Wal-Mart assistant manag-
er who frequently works the re-
arms counter at the Route 58 store
in Riverhead.
The store only has about 1 or 2 percent of its regular
amount of ammunition left in stock, Mr. Daly said.
Gun owners are also swelling numbers at the
range.
Everyone is worried about the Second Amend-
ment and everyone is worried about restrictions,
said Harry Histand, president of the Calverton Shoot-
ing Range on Nugent Drive. Everyone that shoots at
my range, they are responsible, law-
abiding citizens.
Of the legislation, Mr. Histand
said many gun owners feel it was
rushed too fast. Cuomo should
have waited to align his gun plan
with Obamas plan.
Last Tuesday night about a month after the
Dec. 14 shootings in Newtown, Conn. Gov. An-
GUNS | PAGE 17
Gun bill sparks gun sales
Pistol permit applications also jump after state enacts new weapons limits
END OF AN ERA
Former legislator
Greg Blass reflects
on career PAGES 3, 9
LOST AID
North Fork
schools face
cuts PAGE 16
HOW TO MEASURE SNOW
No, you dont just stick a ruler in
the ground. We explain the real
process PAGE 6
Critics blast Losquadro
PAGE 17
Wind, whitecaps and wetsuits
Windsurfers took advantage of Saturdays gusty winds and unseasonably warm weather to cut across the wind-roiled bay near Mattituck Yacht
Club. That was before the snow fell and temperatures plunged to the lowest levels in two years. Forecasts say more snow may be on the way.
TheSuffolkTimes.
ITS TIME FOR
WINTERFEST
Cool jazz for
cold days PAGE 12
MUCH MORE
THAN ALS PAL
Whos Krupskis
new aide? PAGE 4
TOP COP
True hero
wins a high
honor PAGE 26
A CANINE CONUNDRUM
Law to limit dogs on the beach
draws a huge crowd during
Town Board hearing PAGE 24
School safety
after Sandy Hook
SPECIAL REPORT: What districts, police are doing to protect our children, pages 2-3
Duck Walk is ghting a cross-country duck war.
Though the wineries are on opposite ends of the
country, Duckhorn Wine Company of St. Helena, Ca-
lif., and Long Islands Duck Walk Vineyards have their
feathers rufed over their common denominator: the
image of a duck.
Duckhorn led a complaint against Duck Walk last
month in Napa County Superior Court for breach-
ing a contract formed in 2003 between the compa-
nies, according to the Napa Valley Register website.
That agreement followed lawsuits by the companies
against one another for trademark infringement.
Duckhorn is now accusing Duck Walk of failing to
indicate its Long Island location on the front label of
its bottles, according to Duckhorn attorney Charles
Bunsow of San Francisco. He said agreement viola-
tions can be seen on Duck Walks 2007 cabernet and
2005 merlot labels. Court documents include other
examples from 2008 and 2009 as evidence of viola-
tions.
They do not have the required geographical des-
ignation on them, which is a clear violation of the
settlement agreement they entered into in 2003, Mr.
Bunsow said in an interview with The Suffolk Times.
It couldnt be more obvious. Im shocked they even
say theyre going to contest this.
Representatives for Duck Walk, which has locations
in Southold and Water Mill, say they havent violated
the agreement.
Attorney Steven Schlesinger of Garden City, who
represents Duck Walk, insisted that every bottle has
the geographical location on it.
They cant read, Mr. Schlesinger said. The agree-
ment requires us to put the geographical location on
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms front
label, which is the back label to the consumer.
The original agreement, forged with Dan Duck-
horn, who founded the Duckhorn winery in 1976,
outlined specic circumstances and ways in which
DUCK WAR | PAGE 28
Duck war winging into court
California wine company sues Duck Walk Vineyards, claiming foul use of logo
BY GIANNA VOLPE | STAFF WRITER
SOMEONE COULD
BE VERY HAPPY
$250K lotto ticket
sold locally PAGE 2
NO CHIPS?
Feds say end
junk food in
school PAGE 14
WHO IS IT GOING TO BE?
Democrats unhappy with the
GOP for taking charge of filling
Krupskis Town Board seat PAGE 4
WWW.SUFFOLKTIMES.COM | NEWS & INFORMATION FOR THE NORTH FORK | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013 $1.50
TheSuffolkTimes.
Swingin Caribbean rhythms
Greenport School kicked of Black History Month with performances by the all-female troupe Retumba during Monday assemblies.
The school was able to book the dancers, singers and musicians with support from the Greenport and Oysterponds school districts
and Floyd Memorial Library.
SUFFOLKTI MES. COM | FEBRUARY 1 4, 201 3 | 1
TheSuffolkTimes.
Childrens
Directory
TRAIN STRIKES SUV
Driver suffers only
minor injuries after
Mattituck crash PAGE 34
BLIZZARD CLAIMS A LIFE
Former Southold policeman
suffers fatal heart attack as
hes clearing his sidewalk PAGE 2
BY TIM KELLY | EDITOR
The National Weather Service said the North
Fork could get another two to ve inches of snow
Wednesday night into Thursday morning far be-
low the totals from the blizzard that struck last week.
Even so, the forecast didnt sit well with local of-
cials, who were hoping for a breather before sending
out the plows again.
We dont need another storm right away, said
Greenport Mayor David Nyce
Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley was left with
some less-than-pleasant memories of the blizzard.
These include four-wheel-drive police vehicles get-
ting stuck in the snow for three hours on Friday
night.
I had to use my snowblower just to get to my
truck to get to work, the chief said.
The storm didnt come close to matching Hurri-
cane Sandys destructive power, but the seasons rst
major winter storm did have one thing in common
with the tropical cyclone at the end of October. In
both cases, Southold fared far better than commu-
nities farther west.
The blizzard dumped about 13 inches across
Southold, half of the 26 inches that piled up in Bait-
ing Hollow. Parts of Brookhaven measured over 30
inches, and many local roads in that town remained
unplowed into Tuesday.
Southold police and other ofcials reported no
major storm-related emergencies. The most signi-
cant challenge appeared to be clearing snow-cov-
ered roads clogged with stuck vehicles left by driv-
ers who failed to heed warnings to stay off the roads
during the height of the storm.
Cars were out when they shouldnt have been and
the plows had to plow around them, said Supervi-
sor Scott Russell, who put the town under an emer-
HEADACHE | PAGE 37
A frosty, tire-spinning headache
Town escaped damaging winds & flooding, but clearing roads was a major challenge
PAGES 21-27
TIM KELLY PHOTO
An umbrella offered some, but not much, protection from the driving snow for a man walking through downtown Cutchogue late Friday.
TheSuffolkTimes.
ALL ABOUT BIZ
Inside: Our annual
report on the state
of local commerce
CASH BACK
Fisherman
finally paid
by DEC PAGE 4
HEY! GET YOUR BEER HERE!
New craft brewing businesses
are springing up and following
wine industrys example PAGE 3
BY JENNIFER GUSTAVSON | STAFF WRITER
Anthony Claudio, the special education teacher
red by the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District
nearly four years ago, a decision at the center of a
federal trial last fall, is seeking to return to the class-
room to teach again.
Both Mr. Claudio and the district are awaiting a
federal judges ruling on the request. Mr. Claudio,
50, was awarded $70,000 in back pay Oct. 22 after
an eight-member jury found the school district had
discriminated against him based on his age when it
denied him tenure in 2009. The verdict came after
more than 10 hours of jury deliberation and ve full
days of trial testimony, with board members, school
employees, the plaintiff and Superintendent James
McKenna taking the stand.
The jury was asked to consider awarding nancial
compensation, but the question of reinstating Mr.
Claudio was not before them at that time.
Mr. Claudio alleged in his complaint, led soon
after he was terminated, that he had been treated
unfairly and red from the special education de-
partment where 28 of 30 employees were younger
than 30 and female. But the jury didnt find the
school district had discriminated against Mr. Clau-
CLAUDIO | PAGE 23
Claudio wants his job back
Former Mattituck teacher returns to court in his fight against the district
Pumping up the crowd
Cutchogue Fire Department bandleader Tom Roslak encourages parade watchers to dance during the 168th annual Washingtons Day parade in
Greenport on Saturday. See the slide show at sufolktimes.com.
TheSuffolkTimes.
HISTORIC PALACE
IS REGAL AGAIN
Theater restoration
is finally done PAGE 40
A WINNER!
State lottery
mystery is
solved PAGE 2
SANDY STILL CAUSING PAIN
Mattituck beach and Cutchogue
nursery face large and expensive
reconstruction projects PAGE 3
BY GRANT PARPAN, PAUL SQUIRE, TIM KELLY
AND JENNIFER GUSTAVSON | STAFF WRITERS
The search for a Peconic teen miss-
ing since Monday morning went viral
this week, as local appeals to nd her
were shared over social networking
sites across the country and beyond.
Ashley Murray, 16, was last seen at
the time she normally leaves her home
on Spring Lane to catch the school bus,
her mother, Charlotte, said.
She never arrived at school.
You just keep hoping that the game
is up and shell come walking through
the door, Ms. Murray said in an inter-
view Tuesday afternoon.
Ms. Murray learned of her daughters
disappearance after receiving a call from
school ofcials who told her social work-
ers got word from students who had
received texts from Ashley saying she
would kill herself. Her mom later found a
note from her daughter, which she called
a suicide note, saying it made reference
to a watery grave.
This was all thought out and
planned the night before, Ms. Murray
said.
Southold police initially employed
a marine patrol, its canine unit and
a Suffolk County Police helicopter to
perform a physical search Monday
morning, but later focused their inves-
tigation on the possibility that Ashley
may have left the area. They ended the
active local search Monday afternoon
and began to concentrate on examin-
ing phone and computer records and
interviewing close friends and family,
police said.
Police said they have received dozens
of tips from the public and are exploring
a number of leads. The National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children, state
police and the other East End police de-
partments are assisting in the investiga-
tion.
Police did not release an official
missing person report until Wednes-
day morning, more than 50 hours after
Ashleys disappearance. Law enforce-
ment ofcials said Ashleys case does
not t the criteria for an Amber Alert,
since she is not believed to have been
abducted.
That did not stop local residents
from conducting their own searches
and using social media to reach thou-
sands of concerned web surfers from
across the country.
A missing poster created Tuesday
night by the Facebook page Missing,
which has a reach of about 125,000
Facebook users, was already shared
by more than 14,000 people the fol-
lowing morning, with an
additional 1,200 people
liking the poster and
another 1,000 users com-
menting.
Shared in Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada, one
user wrote.
I encourage everyone to pray for this
young girl, said another commenter.
Locally, friends of Ashley created a
Facebook page called Ashley Come
Home, which was already followed by
more than 1,000 Facebook users just
hours after its creation. Users shared
their photos of Ashley on the page,
where they made desperate pleas for
their friend to return safely.
If anyone knows ANYTHING that
could help lead to Ash-
leys safe return please tell
someone as soon as pos-
sible! We need to know as
much as we can so we can
find this beautiful young
lady! the moderator of the
page wrote.
Many of the sophomores classmates
at Southold High School posted that they
were out searching locally for their friend,
who they said was often bullied.
Ashley is 5-foot 4-inches and 140
pounds with reddish-brown hair and
blue eyes, her mother said. She was
last seen wearing red sweatpants
four sizes too big, black boots and a
zip-up sweatshirt with a hood, Char-
lotte Murray said. Police added that
she has a scar on her right wrist and
wears hearing aids in both ears.
She didnt even leave with a win-
ter coat, her mom said, and she left
behind medication she must take for
anemia.
Ashleys mom also said her daugh-
ter has never run away from home
before.
Id like for her to come home, Ms.
Murray said, adding that she hasnt
slept since her daughter went missing
Monday morning.
Ms. Murray said her daughters
phone is turned off or not working.
Southold Superintendent David
Gamberg said the district has been
cooperating with the Southold Police
Department since the investigation
began Monday.
We have deep, deep concerns
about her whereabouts and her safe-
ty, Mr. Gamberg said. Anything and
everything we can do we will do.
He said the district has guidance
counselors and psychologists on hand
to meet with students.
Anyone with information should
contact Southold police at 631-765-
2600. Information will remain con-
dential.
Where is Ashley Murray?
The search for missing Peconic teen has people everywhere concerned
Police used K9 and marine units, as
well as a county helicopter, when
Ashley Murray was rst reported
missing Monday.
UPDATES
suffolktimes.com
WWW.SUFFOLKTIMES.COM | NEWS & INFORMATION FOR THE NORTH FORK | THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2013 $1.50
TheSuffolkTimes.
A RARE GLANCE
INTO HISTORY
Family collection
sold in Orient PAGE 12A
FIELD HAND
Publisher
becomes a
farmer PAGE 3
ITS STILL ABOUT SANDY
Supervisors State of the Town
touches on several topics, but
the storm tops the list PAGE 4
Schools set up support,
add counseling services
Youths coping
with a friends
disappearance
As the search for missing Peconic teen Ashley
Murray continues, local school districts are provid-
ing additional support to help students cope with
the disappearance of the 16-year-old Southold
High School student.
Southold School District Superintendent David
Gamberg said some of Ashleys friends who attend
school in Greenport received suicidal text mes-
sages from her last Monday morning. Those stu-
dents notied their school social worker, he said,
who then contacted a social worker at Southold
High School. Mr. Gamberg said the district then
immediately contacted the Southold Town Police
Department and has been cooperating with police
since the investigation began.
Greenport High School principal Leonard Skug-
gevik said last Thursday the district is incredibly
proud of its students and staffs quick response.
They are currently organizing their ideas to
assist in the search and we are talking with the
Southold Police Department to ensure each idea
will be helpful and not harmful to their investiga-
tion, Mr. Skuggevik said.
In December, Greenport schools hosted Todd
Lauderdale of the national anti-bullying program
Rachels Challenge, which is based on the writ-
ings of 17-year-old Rachel Scott, the rst student
killed during the 1999 Columbine High School
shooting in Colorado.
Following his presentation, Mr. Lauderdale
helped the district form a student group that
pledged to surround themselves with positive role
models and become kinder to their peers espe-
cially special needs, new and picked-on students
in an effort to deter bullying.
In an interview with The Suffolk Times last week,
Mr. Lauderdale said he was pleased with how
Greenport students handled the situation by noti-
fying school ofcials and described Ashleys disap-
pearance as tragic.
These are the very things were trying to combat
and prevent from happening, he said.
Mr. Lauderdale said that while his group pro-
motes proactive anti-bullying steps in schools, it
also encourages students to seek help if they are in
need.
If kids are struggling with suicidal thoughts, de-
pression or feeling isolated, counseling through the
COPING | PAGE 27
JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO
Chelsa Purcell, 22, places a ier under a vehicles windshield wiper in Greenport Thursday.
BY GRANT PARPAN AND JENNIFER GUSTAVSON
| STAFF WRITERS
More than a week after teenager Ashley Murray
was last seen at her house in Peconic, the Southold
Police Department says its working hard to locate
her, though they say less information is pouring in
from the public and the number of places to search
locally is dwindling.
In an interview with The Suffolk Times Tuesday
morning, Police Chief Martin Flatley and Capt. Frank
Kruszewski said the search for the
16-year-old Southold High School stu-
dent has extended beyond the length
of any missing persons investigation in
their time with the department.
[Theres never been one] this long
or drawn out, Chief Flatley said.
Theyre found the same day most of the time.
He said theres no evidence Ashley has contacted
friends and family or visited any social media sites
since she was last seen by her brother shortly after
7 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 25. Ashley, whose mother
said she left a suicide note, was alone with her
brother in the familys house on Spring Lane when
she left at the time she normally leaves for school,
but she never boarded her school bus that morn-
ing, Chief Flatley said.
Nobody has heard from her since.
Her reluctance to contact friends and family has
made this investigation more challenging, Chief
Flatley said. Were hoping shes with someone else
and that shell soon reach out to someone.
Southold Police have partnered in the investiga-
tion with the National Center for Missing and Ex-
ploited Children, the FBI, the Suffolk County Police
Department and the Suffolk County District Attor-
neys office. Chief Flatley said investigators have
looked into leads from as far away as New Jersey and
have also followed reports of possible
Ashley sightings in Water Mill and East
Islip. Police say they also looked into
a possible connection with a 26-year-
old Sag Harbor man who disappeared
last week but was later located in New
York City. So far none of the leads has
checked out, the chief said.
Chief Flatley is still asking that anyone with in-
formation on Ashleys possible whereabouts con-
tact police at 631-765-2600. He said many of the
tips received to date have been from friends in-
forming police of places Ashley liked to hang out.
More than two dozen isolated locations nearby
have been searched thoroughly using police dogs,
he said.
Police still chasing leads on teen last seen on Feb. 25
Still no word on Ashley
ASHLEY | PAGE 17
UPDATES
suffolktimes.com
TheSuffolkTimes.
ASHLEY RETURNS
On Friday, Peconic
teen walked in to
police station PAGE 4
TAKE A RIDE
With our new
50-plus guide
INSERT
FOLLOWING LOSQUADRO
Four of the five GOP Assembly
hopefuls live in Southold; will
Guv set a special election? PAGE 3
The pipes,
the pipes
were callin
Winter weather, whether
frozen or not, was nowhere
in sight Saturday for the
Cutchogue St. Patricks
Day Parade. The 50 or so
marching units included
a solo piper and bands of
pipers performing with
gusto. One little colleen,
decked out in green, found
it all quite interesting.
KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTOS
50
+
0
plu
50
Fun on the
NORTH Fork
SENIORS,
Reinvented!
Age is just a
STATE OF Mind
PLUS
MUCH MORE !
|U8||!N|0 8\ !N| !|M|!/k|\||U N|U!k0U| - 11
TheSuffolkTimes.
LETS SEE ... THATS
13 PRESIDENTS!
Couple marks a very
long marriage PAGE 2
BAD TIMES
Schools face
gaps in their
budgets PAGE 15
WITH A MASK & A HANDGUN
Police continue to investigate
two restaurant armed robberies
within a three-day span PAGE 24
TTKATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO
Frigid fun for a cause
The towns beaches wont open for months yet, but a number of intrepid folk willingly dashed into the bay at Founders Landing in Southold
for Saturdays polar bear plunge. The event raised funds for the Maureens Haven homeless shelter program.
BY CYNDI MURRAY | STAFF WRITER
Tidal currents could produce electrical current if
a Highland, N.Y., company can oat funding for a
$60 million alternative energy initiative that aims to
harness the power of Long Island Sound.
Natural Currents Energy Services is raising money
to conduct preliminary studies to measure the tides
as a potential power source.
The company estimates the east-west Sound tides
owing to the south of Fishers Island and around
Shelter Island have the potential to generate up to
1,000 megawatts of electricity that could feed New
York and New England. (By comparison, the long-
shuttered Shoreham nuclear plant was designed to
produce 800 megawatts of power.) Last year Natural
Currents estimated the cost of the infrastructure re-
quired to tap that energy at $3.5 billion.
The project would consist of two $30 million un-
derwater turbine sites, each designed to generate 5
megawatts of power, one off Orient Point, the other
off Fishers Island. The company has not set a con-
struction timetable.
Natural Currents had led an application with the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to conduct
studies, but that application was canceled in 2009.
Last year, they filed again, seeking permission to
conduct studies in a 17-square-mile area including
Plum Gut between the tip of the North Fork and Plum
Island and in The Race, the four-mile stretch of open
water between Fishers Island and Little Gull Island.
The company has identied 15 federal, state and
Power from under the sea
Company proposes marine turbine generators off Orient Point & Fishers Island
MARINE TURBINE | PAGE 29
TheSuffolkTimes.
MORE STATE AID
IS ON THE WAY
New budget ups
the allotment PAGE 18
FINAL STOP
Steam train
leaving the
Island? PAGE 4
IN MEMORY OF GEORGE
Rotary Club fundraiser honors
key organizer of Legion Hall
rink restoration project PAGE 2
The very contentious and continuing dispute over
how or whether the town should regulate dogs run-
ning free at town beaches and parks is nowhere near
a resolution.
After the two sides squared off during yet another
Town Board hearing on the issue Monday, the board
tabled the most recent rule change and will hold a
new, less formal public forum on the topic.
The board wont be acting to pass this legislation
in its current form, said Supervisor Scott Russell, I
want everybody to be heard. The town needs to do
something and we need to pass something soon.
The subject of this weeks hearing was a revised
code that would prohibit dogs and other domestic
animals in recreation areas, picnic spots, childrens
play areas and athletic elds where signs are posted
saying no dogs are allowed. In addition, no dogs
would be allowed on bathing beaches while life-
guards are on duty and within 50 feet of areas posted
for piping plover and other endangered species. Ex-
emptions would be made for hunting dogs.
In all other areas, including beaches, owners
would be required to keep their dogs leashed. The
proposal has provoked backlash from pet owners
and others who view dogs as a vital part of the com-
munity.
A lot of people that live out here live out here for
a reason and thats a lifestyle reason, Lewis Topper
of Mattituck said during the hearing. We dont want
this place to be a place where dog owners cannot
walk their dogs without a leash on them. That would
be like living in a major urban area.
Mr. Russell said the proposed regulations would
actually loosen restrictions at some beaches, per-
haps allowing dog owners to bring leashed dogs to
town beaches at road ends. Town code currently
prohibits dogs on all town-owned beaches at all
times.
Were trying to move the line to allow dog own-
ers and give them access, but to balance these needs
with the other people were hearing from, Mr. Rus-
sell said.
This was the second public hearing on the pro-
posed changes this year. The discussion was mainly
one-sided with most residents favoring a less re-
strictive law.
It seems incongruous to me that here we are try-
ing to extend rights of citizens and visitors to enjoy
DOG CONTROL | PAGE 35
Fur still flies on a doggone fight
Town continues to struggle with dog control policy; will seek additional public input
Summer folk return
After a long ight back from South America, an osprey pair perches atop their nest near Goldsmiths Boat Yard in Southold. Another of the
local sh hawks that scientists tracked along the migration route met a tragic end in Colombia. See story, page 3.
WWW.SUFFOLKTIMES.COM | NEWS & INFORMATION FOR THE NORTH FORK | THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2013 $1.50
TheSuffolkTimes.
STILL SHOCKING A
LONG TIME AFTER
Wickham murders
remembered PAGE 3
ITS RONAN
Why a robot
carries that
name PAGE 2
SCHOOL LOSES ANOTHER
Eight months after supe leaves,
Oysterponds principal say shell
step down at years end PAGE 18
While it may still be too chilly to enjoy a glass of
wine outside, the battle over Vineyard 48 in Cut-
chogue is heating up.
The State Liquor Authority is conducting an in-
vestigation into the business, the source of a long
list of complaints, including loud music and patrons
wandering onto neighboring properties and having
sex in public. Although the town is not a party to the
inquiry, Police Chief Martin Flatley was called to tes-
tify during an administrative hearing about reports
the department has received on the winery.
The chief answered questions from the SLA dur-
ing a March 7 hearing in Mineola and was cross-
examined by Vineyard 48 attorneys in Riverhead on
April 1. Hes scheduled to testify again April 15.
The chief declined to comment on his testimony,
saying the case is still ongoing. Calls to the SLA for
comment were not returned earlier this week.
Town ofcials say the liquor authority could nd
the claims against the winery baseless, impose a
ne or cancel its state farm winery license. The case
is being heard before an administrative law judge,
who will make a non-binding recommendation to
the authority.
The town has long claimed that Vineyard 48,
which plays DJ music to large crowds under a tent
on warm-weather weekends, has moved away from
an agricultural operation to become a de facto
nightclub. The vineyard says that providing music
and outdoor wine tastings is no different from many
other wineries operations.
The vineyard had advertised weekend dance par-
ties until the town obtained a state Supreme Court
injunction last May prohibiting that. During a July
court appearance, the vineyard failed to have the
order lifted.
The town later went after Vineyard 48 over park-
ing, claiming it was violating the site plan approved
by the town Planning Board in 2006, which permits
a limit of 34 parking spaces. On a busy weekend,
though, its not unusual to see dozens of limos in the
vineyard parking lot, in between rows of vines and
VINEYARD 48 | PAGE 32
The case against Vineyard 48
State Liquor Authority investigating complaints against Cutchogue winery
TIM KELLY PHOTO
Making the cut
Its of cially spring, but the weather earlier this week seemed an extended April Fool prank as the sun did little to raise temperatures to more
seasonal levels. This worker at Wickhams Fruit Farm in Cutchogue was bundled up Tuesday morning as he pruned nectarine trees.
A LOCAL GUY IN
THE BIG LEAGUES
He once struck out
Babe Ruth PAGE 2
FLOOD AID
Feds to offer
help to local
farms PAGE 3
A VERY BIG HOLE TO FILL
County exec comes east to
discuss options for closing a
$400 million budget gap PAGE 6
TheSuffolkTimes.
Pesticide
strategy
debated
Can the state prevent further
contamination of our water?
Environmental advocates, farmers, and elect-
ed ofcials stepped up to the microphone one
by one last week, voicing support for or concern
about the state Department of Environmental
Conservations draft strategy to prevent future
pesticide contamination of Long Islands drink-
ing water supplies.
Close to 100 people attended the hearing at
Suffolk County Community Colleges Eastern
Campus in Riverhead last Wednesday night,
April 3.
The new, 122-page proposed strategy calls for
a technical review and advisory committee to re-
view water quality data, so it can weigh factors
such as human health risks and the availability
of effective pesticide alternatives. The commit-
tee would provide the DEC with background in-
formation needed to support future regulatory
action.
The draft strategy also calls for a working
group of stakeholders to make sure those directly
involved in pest management, pesticide use and
water quality on Long Island are broadly repre-
sented.
Since 1996, 117 different pesticide-related
chemicals have been detected in Long Islands
groundwater, according to the DEC.
By 1998 the agency began developing a plan
to prevent further degradation of below-ground
water supplies, culminating with the release of
a draft plan in 2011 that included the possibil-
ity of a zero-tolerance policy on certain pesticide
uses. But the 2011 draft drew great concern from
farmers, who said they would not be able to farm
successfully under such harsh restrictions.
The zero-tolerance provision upset us great-
ly, Joe Gergela, executive director of the Long
Island Farm Bureau, said in an interview about
the 2011 proposed plan, which got scrapped.
We objected to it because in the draft docu-
ment was the notion of zero-tolerance. We had
to interpret what zero meant. To me, zero means
if they found something, its banned.
Taking note of those concerns, in January, the
DEC released its newest proposal to prevent fu-
PESTICIDES | PAGE 36
We have liftoff!
Southold Elementary School student John Baumann launches a water- and air-powered rocket
constructed for a recent class. See story on page 17 and a slide show at sufolktimes.com.
TheSuffolkTimes.
TERRORISM AT
THE MARATHON
Local connections
to the horror PAGE 3
CLOSE CALL
What had a
girl, 7, near
death? PAGE 20
WHICH HOSPITAL IS SAFEST?
East End facilities rank high
in Consumer Reports look at
hospitals across the U.S. PAGE 6
Longtime Islip resident Dave Cogliano and his
family, who have summered on Fire Island for
the past seven years, now have their sights set
on the North Fork for a season of beach bathing
and barbecues.
As of now, the family is looking for houses in
Mattituck or Jamesport.
Rather than figuring out which homes [on
Fire Island] have mold or damage, we decided to
rent on the North Fork, Mr. Cogliano said. Its
beautiful. Its different. I want to check it out.
The Coglianos are not alone.
With Hurricane Sandy having devastated pop-
ular summer spots in the tri-state area, like Fire
Island and several Jersey Shore communities,
those in the local tourism and hospitality indus-
tries are preparing for what could be one of the
busiest summer seasons on record. The North
Forks infrastructure was largely unaffected by
Sandy, in comparison to other locations, and
the pricier Hamptons arent an option for most
middle-income families eager to spend a week,
a month or longer away from home.
By April, most Jersey Shore and Fire Island
rentals have been leased, but ongoing recon-
struction and a sharp drop in the number of
available rentals has taken its toll.
Bob Hilton, executive director of the Jersey
Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau, esti-
mates that more than 50 percent of rentals were
lost during Hurricane Sandy, which struck the
Northeast Oct. 29. Mr. Hilton said some busi-
nesses have since been trying to make the best
TOURISTS | PAGE 33
Waves of tourists heading here?
With other areas hit hard by Sandy, North Fork merchants have high hopes for the season
Tabby on deck
Charlie Ritchie, president and director of the Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum, was living in Beacon, N.Y., several years ago when a stray cat followed
him home. Mr. Ritchie named the cat Iggy and now the cat accompanies him when he comes to Greenport to tend Fire Fighter, the villages new-
est waterfront attraction. See page 2 for a new view of the historic vessel.
TheSuffolkTimes.
QUITE THE SCARE
OUT IN ORIENT
Why did the police
race to ferry? PAGE 4
ITS TIME
Plum Island
future is on
the line PAGE 3
TAXES, BUDGETS, CANDIDATES
With voting set for next month,
school districts finalize budgets,
board of ed elections PAGE 16
North Fork high school students are
not only consuming more alcohol than
most teenagers across the country,
theyre also doing more binge drinking,
a new survey has found.
The North Fork Alliance, a nonprot
community advocacy group in Green-
port, conducted the areas first com-
prehensive survey of teenage drug and
alcohol abuse this fall. More than 1,270
students in grades 7 through 12 from
the Mattituck-Cutchogue, Southold
and Greenport school districts volun-
teered to take the survey. Thats a par-
ticipation rate of 82.5 percent.
The Prevention Needs Assessment
Survey was developed, and the results
tallied, by Bach Harrison, a Salt Lake
City company that provides survey,
research and evaluation
services. It was published
earlier this month.
Laura Jens-Smith, the
alliances program coor-
dinator and a members
of the Mattituck-Cutchogue school
board, told The Suffolk Times last week
that she believes the most startling
discovery was the amount of under-
age binge drinking thats occurring.
According to the report, 53.5 percent
of high school seniors surveyed in Sep-
tember said theyd consumed alcohol
within the past 30 days. When asked if
theyd consumed ve or more alcoholic
beverages in a row within
the past two weeks, 35.5
percent answered yes.
The 2011 national average
for binge drinking among
12th-graders is 21.6 per-
cent, the report states.
The most disturbing statistic is we
are higher than the national average for
alcohol use, Ms. Jens-Smith said of the
studys ndings. Theres a lot of binge
drinking thats going on.
In addition to alcohol use, the survey
asked students if theyd gotten behind
the wheel after consuming alcohol
within the 30-day time frame.
About 3 percent admitted to drinking
and driving and nearly 18 percent said
theyd been in a car with a drunk driver.
Those stats are below the national av-
erage, which shows 9.4 percent of teens
around the country admitting to drunk
driving and 26.7 percent stating theyve
been in a car with a drunk driver.
As for drug and tobacco use within
the 30-day time period, 14.9 percent
TEENS | PAGE 39
Do local kids drink more than others?
Survey of North Fork students puts underage drinking above national average
Wait, thats not a fishing boat
Its rather common to see gulls follow in the wake of a trawler out on the water, but ying behind a Cutchogue farmer as he turns over the soil
in a eld on Depot Lane?
School administrators,
parent groups react.
Page 38
WWW.SUFFOLKTIMES.COM | NEWS & INFORMATION FOR THE NORTH FORK | THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013 $1.50
TheSuffolkTimes.
A SURE SIGN THAT
SPRING IS HERE
Home & Garden
section inside
DOG DAYS
No deal on
a new leash
code PAGE 3
GREENPORT AMONG THE BEST
National magazine places school
in the nations top 10 percent for
test scores, college prep PAGE 15
BY JENNIFER GUSTAVSON AND GRANT PARPAN | STAFF WRITERS
When state lawmakers approved a 2 percent cap
on annual tax levy increases in 2011, they said the
legislation was designed to control school district
spending and ease the burden on taxpayers.
Since then, a Times/Review Newsgroup analysis
has found, spending in most North Fork districts
has increased at a higher rate than during the two
years before the law was passed and the major-
ity of school budgets have proposed tax levy hikes
greater than 2 percent.
School administrators and elected leaders blame
the increases on mandated pension expenses tied to
the downturn in the economy, uctuations in state
aid and facility upgrades.
While state law caps the increase in the tax levy
the total amount school districts can collect from
taxpayers at 2 percent, school districts are al-
lowed to exceed that maximum mandate because
the law exempts some expenses, such as pension
and capital costs. By factoring in those exemptions,
school districts are allowed to raise the tax levy by
more than 2 percent without needing to obtain 60
percent voter approval.
Ten of the 14 budgets proposed in local school
districts in the past two years raised the tax levy by
more than 2 percent. In the two years prior to that,
nine spending plans led to tax hikes above 2 percent.
Five years ago, only three of seven budgets featured
tax hikes in excess of 2 percent.
Former assemblyman Dan Losquadro (R-Shore-
ham), whose district covered the North Fork and
TAX CAP | PAGE 32
Tax cap doesnt quite cap taxes
Big savings promised with the much-touted state law have yet to materialize
Spring planting, shore style
Mike Daniels Jr. plants one of more than 14,000 American beachgrass seedlings added to a sand berm built to replace shoreline destroyed by
superstorm Sandy at Orient Beach State Park Tuesday. As the plants grow, their roots will spread and help hold the sand in place.
HOME&GARDEN
keduci ng your i m
pac I on Ihe envi ronmenI / OuIdoor reIreaIs
/ Gardeni ng wi Ih naIi ve pl anIs / keI i ni shi ng your basem
enI / Com
m
uni I y gar den s a n d m
u c h m
o r e
TheSuffolkTimes.
HEY, YOU WANNA
TAKE ON KRUPSKI?
No easy feat to find
an opponent PAGE 3
TEENY TIME
These kids
shine on
stage PAGE 21
ITS A PLUM GOOD IDEA
Towns plans for Plum Island
enjoy the support of the
environmental community PAGE 3
The wait for a dredge to clear out the clogged
channel in Mattituck Inlet may soon be over.
In a project 15 years in the making, the Army
Corps of Engineers has agreed to remove close to
100,000 cubic yards of sand from the channel, where
shoals pose a threat to commercial and recreation-
al shermen, and use that material to rebuild the
heavily eroded Sound beach east of the stone jetties
on either side of the inlet.
The work, estimated at $3.4 million, is expected to
begin in October, said Congressman Tim Bishop.
This has been a long time coming, Mr. Bishop
said. Im delighted, absolutely delighted.
The Army Corps approved the project May 3, the
congressman said. Although most Army Corps proj-
ects require local cost sharing, the federal govern-
ment will cover the dredging in full.
Nearby residents and town officials have been
pushing for the project since 1998.
Its the just thing to do, said Doris McGreevy,
who lives with her husband, Peter, in a Soundfront
house east of the inlet. The government created the
problem and is just rectifying it.
The McGreevys said they suspected the project
was about to be approved when they recently spot-
ted vessels from the federal National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration surveying the inlet and
DREDGE | PAGE 40
Finally, the dredge is coming
Army engineers to dig new channel in Mattituck Inlet and address nearby erosion
Winter? What winter?
With the dark and dreary days now in the past, John Buchanan of Greenport took full advantage of sunny Sunday to enjoy the simple pleasure
of walking his dog beneath a canopy of blossoms.
SUFFOLKTI MES. COM | MAY 1 6, 201 3 | 1
TheSuffolkTimes.
A LEGEND RETIRES
Greenport coach
says goodbye after
three decades SPORTS
GOPS PICK
East Marion
man to face
Krupski PAGE 4
TOO MUCH PAPERWORK?
Local farmers say proposed
federal food safety regulations
will overload them PAGE 27
A federal judge has dismissed a civil rights suit
filed against the town by a Brooklyn couple who
had been issued violations for building a masonry
staircase at their Cutchogue vacation home on the
Sound bluff without town approvals in 2006.
The bulk of the couples charges, including that
they were discriminated against because of their
Asian background, were thrown out of court last
year. But the last issue a charge of excessive police
force was dismissed May 1 by U.S. District Court
Judge Joanna Seybert.
With the federal suit resolved, the town will con-
tinue with its code violation case against Hui Hui Yu,
a Brooklyn attorney, and her husband, Cheng Kai Yu,
a retired physician, said assistant town attorney Lori
Hulse. Those proceedings were put on hold while
the federal suit was on the courts calendar.
Town ofcials say the Yus built a granite and ce-
ment block staircase on the Sound bluff at their Dig-
nans Road home without any town approvals, such
as a Town Trustees wetlands permit required for any
construction within 100 feet of water. The couple,
who describe themselves in the suit as Taiwanese
immigrants, also violated town code by erecting a
de facto fence by piling wooden pallets atop a stone
revetment installed at the base of the bluff in the
1980s, town ofcials said. The couple claimed the
state Department of Environmental Conservation
permit for the revetment obviated the need for town
approval.
The structure they placed on the bluff is not to be
built to code and is structurally unsound, Ms. Hulse
said. It doesnt seem like a safe staircase youd want
anyone to use.
The town will seek to have the staircase conform
with the code or be removed, Ms. Hulse added.
Town Trustee Jimmy King, who has been in ofce
for 18 years, said he cannot recall anyone every ap-
plying for permission to install a masonry stairway
to the beach. And with concerns that a non-timber
structure could cause erosion to the bluff, there are
doubts about whether the town would ever approve
such a design.
LAWSUIT | PAGE 36
Southold
cleared
in lawsuit
Court says town didnt act
with malice over beachfront
staircase built in Cutchogue
TIM KELLY PHOTO
A Brooklyn couple ended up in federal court with more than a dozen Southold of cials after construct-
ing a beachfront staircase (seen here in 2012) along Long Island Sound in Cutchogue.
BY JENNIFER GUSTAVSON, CARRIE MILLER, CYNDI MURRAY
AND RACHEL YOUNG | STAFF WRITERS
All five local school budgets were approved by
wide margins Tuesday, but two school board races
took center stage on Election Night.
The Oysterponds School District in Orient is ex-
pected to hold a runoff election this summer be-
tween board president Dorothy-Dean Thomas of
Orient and Betsy Dzenkowski, an East Marion resi-
dent who didnt actively campaign. The two tied for
one of three seats, with 157 votes each.
Meanwhile, in the Mattituck-Cutchogue district,
former school board member Jeff Smith won a new
term as a write-in candidate. But the district has
come under re for refusing to release the number
of votes cast for all other write-in hopefuls.
OYSTERPONDS
In Orient, Ms. Thomas said in an interview
Wednesday that shes excited about the upcoming
runoff election and is still hanging in there like the
Fighting Irish.
All I can do is stand by my record, she said. Ive
never missed a regular board meeting, never ab-
stained from a vote, I always vote yes or no, and Ive
made a serious commitment to the community in
the last three years to create opportunities for com-
munity feedback.
Ms. Dzenkowski wasnt immediately available for
comment by presstime Wednesday.
Orient residents Tom Stevenson and Alison
Lyne were elected to the other two seats vacated
by school board members Deborah Dumont and
Thomas Gray. Mr. Stevenson received 193 votes and
Ms. Lyne, 160.
Two hours before the polls opened, candidate
Charles Squire of Orient withdrew from the elec-
TheSuffolkTimes.
GOP COMMITTEE:
PRICE ISNT RIGHT
Judge dropped from
the fall ticket PAGE 3
LIFESAVER
An off-duty
cop to the
rescue PAGE 3
OBSERVANCES AND MORE
See our listings for a rundown
of Memorial Day events and
holiday weekend happenings
School budgets all fly through
BUDGETS | PAGE 43
They know whos boss
A border collie shows what its breed was bred to do as it herds a group of sheep during the Fleece and Fiber Fair at Hallockville Museum Farm
Saturday. See the slideshow at sufolktimes.com.
But Oysterponds & Mattituck board of education elections bring rather surprising results
TheSuffolkTimes.
HARRIS REACHES
END OF THE ROAD
Highway chief isnt
running again PAGE 4
FED CUTS
Village takes
new look at
Sec. 8 PAGE 16
MEMORABLE MEMORIAL DAY
Southolders honor the spirit of
the holiday with parades and
emotional observances PAGE 3
Compromise seemed hard to come by in Southold
Towns effort to update its dog leash law, but ofcials
took another stab at it during Thursdays code com-
mittee meeting.
This time, they may have succeeded.
After a 20-minute discussion, ofcials suggested
easing the law that currently prohibits dogs on town-
owned beaches at all times. One alternative would
ban dogs from town-owned beaches only from May 1
to Oct. 1 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. A second proposal
would shorten that period to run from only Memorial
Day through Labor Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Supervisor Scott Russell said he favors keeping dogs
off the beach beyond the traditional end of summer.
We are still an active community after Labor Day so
I would want to defer to the board on that, he said.
Under both proposals, dogs would be allowed to
run free on town beaches during the off-season.
The code committee, which includes only a few
Town Board members, instructed town attorney Mar-
tin Finnegan to draw up a draft of the changes to pres-
ent to the full board.
The town would continue to restrict dogs and other
domestic animals at recreation areas, picnic areas,
childrens play areas and athletic elds where signs are
posted saying no dogs are allowed. In addition, exemp-
tions would be made for hunting and service dogs.
Mattituck resident Dan Catullo says the proposed
changes dont go far enough to protect citizens safety.
Southold Town began re-examining its policies last
year after receiving complaints about dogs running
loose on Bailie Beach in Mattituck, near where Mr.
Catullo resides. Mr. Catullo claims he was attacked by
an unleashed dog roaming free on a private section of
the beach outside his home.
Dog owners cant imagine their dogs can do harm,
he said. But they do. I can testify to that. If the town
posted signs that said no unleashed dogs east of this
point and enforced it, Id be OK with that.
Once a new policy is in place the board will work
with the chief of police and bay constables to devel-
op approaches to enforcing the code, the supervisor
said.
Doggone it, that may work
Leash law compromise would allow dogs to run free on beaches in the off-season
Kiddie compassion
Seven-year-old Timmy Holz of Wading River writes an encouraging note to an Oklahoma tornado victim at Saturdays LI for OK fundraiser at
Cochran Park in Peconic. Organizer Katie Coe of Mattituck said the event raised $1,300 and received donations of household goods, several dozen
stufed animals to be given to a childrens organization in Oklahoma and cards like the one Timmy wrote. See the slide show at sufolktimes.com.
WWW.SUFFOLKTIMES.COM | NEWS & INFORMATION FOR THE NORTH FORK | THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 $1.50
TheSuffolkTimes.
THE DISCONTENT
STILL FERMENTS
Town gets earful on
Vineyard 48 PAGE 4
HE SAID YES
Price is on
Democratic
ticket PAGE 3
HISTORIC INN MAY BE HISTORY
Southolds General Wayne Inn
will be sold at auction and
demolition seems likely PAGE 6
Long road
to the top
of the class
Alex Whittle skipped to one of his favorite Green-
port spots Monday a few hours after the rain
stopped, the sun making its rst appearance of the
day above Long Island Sound.
The Dr. Dennis Clair Memorial Park near 67 Steps
beach is a secret sanctuary, mainly because the
nearly half-acre lush green property is hidden be-
hind an area of overgrown vegetation along Sound
Roads east side. But the park is no secret for Alex,
an 18-year-old Greenport High School student who
plans to build benches there for his Eagle Scout
project, to make the place more appealing and in-
viting.
The idea of enhancing opportunities for others to
share positive experiences is near and dear to Alexs
heart because hes grateful for all the help hes re-
ceived from his family, teachers and fellow students
at Greenport schools.
Alex believes his accomplishments which in-
clude top awards for playing solo piano at the New
York State School Music Association festivals, Na-
tional Honor Society accolades, acting in school
plays and being named prom king in 2012
wouldnt have been possible without their support.
It wasnt a walk in the park for this high school se-
nior to achieve these milestones, especially earning
a 97.258 unweighted GPA.
This years Greenport valedictorian has autism.
When asked what advice hed offer other dis-
abled students, he said he could answer in three
words.
Defy the odds, Alex said. What I mean by that
is stand up for yourself. Do what you love and be
friendly.
Alex was diagnosed with autism at age 3, while
in day care at Brookhaven National Labs Child
Development Center in Upton, where his father,
Ed, is a research associate in the biology depart-
ment, working with genetic and protein engi-
neering on plants.
Alexs mother, Linda, who works in law enforce-
ment, described the early diagnosis as critical. The
form of autism Alex has is pervasive developmental
disorder not otherwise specied, known as PDD-
NOS.
Our pediatrician didnt even know that he had
Greenports valedictorian
overcame daunting hurdles
VALEDICTORIAN | PAGE 31
Alex Whittle with his dog, Maggie, in his familys Greenport backyard.
SUFFOLKTI MES. COM | J UNE 1 3, 201 3 | 1
TheSuffolkTimes.
Childrens
Directory
TEACHERS JOBS CUT
School facing tough
decisions forced by
falling enrollment PAGE 17
A WINERY WAR AND MORE
Theres more happening at the
vineyards than the continuing
fight over Vineyard 48 PAGE 3
Almost 30 years ago, Pauline Smith was lost, and
to say her future was uncertain would be an under-
statement.
Abandoned by her husband, the single mom was
left to care for three young children alone while
searching for a career. With few options, Ms. Smith
turned to Head Start, the federal preschool program
for low-income families. It was a decision, she said,
that changed all four of their lives and more.
Before Head Start I was in a bad place, said Ms.
Smith, who not only sent her children to Head Start
but worked her way up from a volunteer position to
become manager of the North Fork Head Start cen-
ter in Southold. Head Start was a place I could go
where I felt like was accomplishing something for
my family and for myself.
Now, its Head Starts future that is uncertain in the
wake of sweeping federal budget cuts that come as
part of whats known in Washington, D.C., as the Se-
quester, which took effect March 1. The Head Start
program, run by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, has seen a 5 percent cut in its fund-
ing, causing centers to layoff employees, shorten se-
mesters or consolidate and close facilities.
Friday was the last day of spring semester classes
at the Southold facility, ending two weeks sooner
than in previous years due to the cuts. The center
will reopen in mid-October, more than a month
later than the typical start to the semester.
Were blessed were still here because we thought
we wouldnt make it past June 1, said Carol Burnett
of Jamesport, a community outreach recruitment
coordinator for Long Island Head Start. Ms. Burnett
had thought the center would close even earlier this
spring.
North Fork Head Start employees have also felt
HEAD START | PAGE 32
Budget cuts hit Head Start hard
Federally supported preschool programs face uncertain future under sequestration
PAGE 19A
More than a handful
Some of the ripe strawberries at Pattys Berries & Bunches in Mattituck Tuesday. Hows the season going so far? See story, page 2.
CARRIE MILLER PHOTO
U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch speaks at a press conference
in Brooklyn Monday announcing the arrest of the owner of
the 7-Eleven stores in Cutchogue and Greenport.
CYNDI MURRAY PHOTO
The four stars of the critically acclaimed HBO series Girls on the Greenport harborfront Tuesday morning. From
left: Zosia Mamet, Jemima Kirke, Lena Dunham and Allison Williams. They were fiming a scene for an episode set
on the North Fork.
TheSuffolkTimes.
EVENTS LAW BACK
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Public hearing set
for July 16 PAGE 3
BERRY NICE
Photos from
Strawberry
Festival PAGE 18
SEE YA LATER, ALLIGATOR
After days of searching, DEC
finds and euthanizes gator
spotted in Peconic River PAGE 6
BY GRANT PARPAN, CYNDI MURRAY
AND CLAIRE LEADEN | STAFF WRITERS
Theyre among the most popular female enter-
tainers in the world today.
One, a spunky 27-year-old writer, claimed a best
actress Golden Globe award this year for
her work on the popular HBO series she
created herself.
The other, a Grammy Award-winning
chart-topper of the same age, was listed
by Forbes Magazine as one of the 100
most powerful women in the world.
Lena Dunham and Lady Gaga are two inuential,
young, feminist entertainers and they both spent
part of this week on the North Fork.
Oh, yes. Music legend Billy Joel, Sports Illustrated
swimsuit cover girl Kate Upton and Golden Globe-
nominated actress Cameron Diaz were here, too.
This may not be the Hamptons, but it felt like it
for star-struck fans who spotted their favorite en-
tertainers this week at restaurants and lming loca-
tions in their hometown.
The star-studded week actually began to develop
last summer, when Ms. Dunham spent a weekend
at the North Fork home of a Girls direc-
tor, two of the shows producers said.
She really liked the North Fork, so she
thought, Lets shoot an episode here,
executive producer Ilene Landress said.
Were really thrilled to be out here. Its
gorgeous.
After scouting trips to the area this spring, the
Girls crew, with part-time local resident Jesse
Peretz behind the camera, lmed for parts of the
past two weeks at a waterfront home in East Mar-
ion, dockside at Claudios restaurant and at The
Feds seize
two local
7-Elevens
Cutchogue & Greenport
franchisee is arrested
for targeting immigrants
BY PAUL SQUIRE, CARRIE MILLER, CYNDI MURRAY
AND GRANT PARPAN | STAFF WRITERS
The Greenport and Cutchogue 7-Eleven stores,
along with several others across Long Island, were
seized by federal agents Monday morning as part of
a nationwide immigration and identity theft inves-
tigation in which nine people were indicted in two
separate indictments, according to the U.S. Attor-
neys ofce.
The eight men and one woman accused in the
scheme conspired to steal the identities of more
than 20 citizens, then hired dozens of illegal immi-
grants to work at 14 7-Eleven locations on Long Is-
land and in Virginia, federal ofcials said. Six of the
accused are naturalized U.S. citizens.
Eight of the defendants were arrested and ar-
raigned Monday, while one man remains at large.
The accused gave the illegal immigrants false
names to dodge authorities, stole portions of their
wages and forced them to live in housing the defen-
dants owned, according to the indictments. During
the scheme, the defendants allegedly generated
Star-studded week felt like a trip south of Peconic Bay
Its not the Hamptons.
We swear its not
7-ELEVEN | PAGE 27
STAR-STUDDED | PAGE 29
PHOTOS
FROM THE SET
northforker.com
TheSuffolkTimes.
LETS HEAR IT FOR
THE CLASS OF 2013
Inside: Our special
graduation section
SECLUDED
Report: Put
homes on
Plum I. PAGE 22
7-ELEVEN WORKERS IN LIMBO
After immigration sweep on
North Fork, former employees
futures are still in doubt PAGE 26
Sprinting into summer
When the last day of school is literally a day at the beach, of course the kids will have smiling faces. Their books packed away, Hayley Lake and Macken-
zie Conroy, both students at Cutchogue East Elementary School, made the most of the PTAs last-day-of-school celebration at the town beach in New
Sufolk. Can you surf on the North Fork? Where are Southolds public beaches? See our introduction to summer 2013 on pages 2 and 3.
WWW.SUFFOLKTIMES.COM | NEWS & INFORMATION FOR THE NORTH FORK | THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2013 $1.50
TheSuffolkTimes.
WATERFRONT,
AND THEN SOME
Orient lighthouse
for sale again PAGE 25
JUBILEE
Cherry crop
will soon be
gone PAGE 3
A MATCH MADE IN UNIFORM
Mattituck couple chosen as
the latest winners of a free
wedding at Peconic Landing PAGE 6
Vineyard 48s owner and his attorney stood be-
fore the Southold Town Planning Board Monday
and claimed that the business is no different from
other North Fork wineries and has become a target
of unfair criticism.
The town has become a bully, said attorney Pat
Moore of Southold, who was joined at the meeting
by vineyard owner Matthew Metz.
But neighboring residents who have complained
for years of blaring music and the rowdy behavior
of vineyard customers that includes having sex in
public in their yards, werent buying it.
Monday marked the second public hearing on
the vineyards proposed amended site plan, which
would create an overflow lot with 100 additional
parking spaces.
The revised plan also includes construction of a
40-by-100-foot outdoor pavilion adjoining the tast-
ing room. The pavilion would provide extra seating
and picnic tables, allowing for 276 occupants in ad-
dition to the 251 currently permitted.
Residents neighboring Vineyard 48 believe the
board should not consider the amended site plan,
given that the State Liquor Authority is investigating
the business. The SLA began looking into the vine-
yard in April following a laundry list of complaints,
including loud music and patrons allegedly wander-
ing onto neighboring properties and having sex in
public.
I dont understand how doubling the occupancy
of this vineyard will make the problem better, said
Horse Shoe Lane resident Denise Lademann.
Last month, a few days after the rst public hear-
ing on the issue, town ofcials said the winery had
erected four tents without seeking the required per-
mits a direct violation of town code.
Ms. Moore disagreed.
Tent is not the right term, they are canopies, she
said. Canopies have no sides. Ms. Moore added
that under New York State law the vineyard is within
its legal right to place tents or canopies on the prem-
ises.
VINEYARD | PAGE 41
Vineyard to town: Youre a bully
Owner, attorney for Vineyard 48 defend business practices at public hearing
Put it on my bill
When a large herring gull stops in for a bite at a Greenport waterfront eatery, is it safe to assume that the orders to go?
TheSuffolkTimes.
FIRST FISHERS ISLE,
NOW WATER MILL
Are there coyotes
on this fork? PAGE 3
SET FREE
Sea turtle
rescued off
Orient PAGE 3
UH, THATS NOT AN EGG
Unexploded ordnance found
during bird count on ruins of
old Gardiners Bay fort PAGE 25
Suffolk Countys boating safety law, which says
power vessel operators must earn safety certicates
before taking the helm, is set to take effect in No-
vember. But if Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs a similar
bill passed by state lawmakers before their session
ended in June, Suffolks law will never leave the
dock.
Thats because the pending state law, which is far
less restrictive than the county measure, would su-
persede Suffolks version.
But even if the governor vetoes the bill, existing
state law already overrides the countys control over
young boaters.
Befuddled? Youre not alone.
Theres a lot of confusion out there, said Gail
Kulp, executive director of the Sea Tow Foundation,
the education arm of the Southold on-the-water
boating services company. Weve been elding a
lot of questions.
So has Jeff Strong, president of Strongs Marine in
Mattituck and Southampton.
Its a complete, crazy mess right now, he said.
Thats partly because the governor has given no
hint as to his intentions for the bill, the East Ends
state representatives said this week, which leaves
boaters wondering which rules will be in effect a
year from now. The county and state bills do not
cover the current boating season.
First District state Senator Kenneth LaValle (R-
Port Jefferson), who supported the measure that
made it through the Senate and Assembly, said he
anticipates the governors approval.
When you have counties involved already on a
very high-prole matter thats got peoples attention,
Id expect the governor to sign it, the senator said.
You dont throw a person the keys to a car without
lessons. Educating people on boating safety makes
good sense.
Assemblyman Fred Thiele (I-Sag Harbor), who
represents Shelter Island and the South Fork, said
he favored an alternative bill that failed.
That version would have required all boaters to be
safety certied within two years. The measure that
made it to the governors desk requires such certi-
cation only for boat operators born after 1996.
I voted for the bill, but it turned out to be a bit
of a disappointment, said Mr. Thiele, currently the
East Ends only Assembly member. The First Dis-
trict Assembly seat covering Brookhaven and the
North Fork has been vacant since Republican Dan
Losquadro left to become Brookhaven highway su-
perintendent in the spring.
Its an extremely watered down version of the
original, said Mr. Thiele. I would have liked to see
the bill have broader applicability. It could have
been more comprehensive and inclusive.
The Suffolk County bill now in doubt requires res-
BOAT SAFETY | PAGE 30
Confusion reigns over boat safety
State bill awaiting governors pen would supersede county law; current state law does as well
TIM KELLY PHOTO
Questions linger on whether the state or county will regulate power boats, such as this one pulling a skier in Cutchogue Harbor Tuesday, and who
might be afected.
SHES ON CAMERA
ON THE VINEYARD
Cutchogue woman
on ABC show PAGE 2
JUST KEEP IT
Bishop: Stop
sale of Plum
Island PAGE 4
AN EVENTFUL HEARING ON
NEW TOWN EVENTS LAW
Town Board get an earful on
code affecting wineries PAGE 3
TheSuffolkTimes.
Court backs
FAA rules on
copter flights
Town: More restrictions
needed to curtail noise
BY MICHAEL WHITE | STAFF WRITER
A federal court has rejected a challenge by heli-
copter pilots that would have overturned FAA rules
requiring they y a mile off Long Islands North Shore
during trips between New York City and the Hamp-
tons, although Southold Towns supervisor says the
FAA needs to do more.
The pilots, represented by Helicopter Association
International Inc., have been ghting Federal Avia-
tion Administration rules enacted last year after the
agency found residents emphatically agreed that
helicopter overflights during the summer months
are unbearable and negatively impact their quality
of life, according to a decision issued Friday by the
U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D.C.
The helicopter association had argued, among oth-
er points, that the FAA lacked the authority to change
air trafc patterns solely for reducing the impact of
aircraft noise on residents and had exceeded its con-
gressional limits of authority. The court disagreed.
Although the noise-related provisions [the heli-
copter association] cites refer to discrete areas, for
example, to noise reduction in or near airports, nei-
ther their substance nor their structure suggest that
Congress intended to narrow its broad authorization
to the FAA to regulate the use of navigable airspace,
much less to restrict the FAAs capacity to manage air-
craft noise to these limited contexts, reads the three-
judge panels decision, written by Circuit Court Judge
Judith Rogers.
The judges also agreed the FAA had the authority
to act out of concern for safety on the ground below
ight paths.
The 2012 rules came after years of complaints
along the North Fork and Shelter Island about the
noise made by helicopters taking well-heeled passen-
gers back and forth to the South Shore over homes,
sometimes at low altitudes.
The concern caught the attention of Senator
Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other local and federal
lawmakers who lobbied on behalf of residents for the
changes.
I fought hard to make sure the FAA would regu-
late helicopter noise in residential neighborhoods
on Long Island, and despite the helicopter operators
ght to overturn these rules, the Court of Appeals has
struck a blow for peace and quiet, Mr. Schumer said
Monday. This news is afrmation that the FAA has
both the authority and reasonable expectation to
protect Long Islanders from the incessant and often
HELICOPTER | PAGE 29
TIM KELLY PHOTO
Thats one way to beat the heat
One of the benefits of living in a coastal community is access to the water when temperatures soar. June Barker, 3 1/2,
and Sandra Canselier of Mattituck took full advantage of that at the town beach in New Suffolk Monday afternoon.
How hot did it get? See story on page 3.
TheSuffolkTimes.
MORE ARE SICK
DUE TO TICKS
Not with common
illnesses PAGE 6
GIVE HELP
FD event for
a volunteer
in need PAGE 2
HER LIFE AFTER THE BOSTON
MARATHON BOMBINGS
Greenport native & Boston EMT
doesnt like the spotlight PAGE 4
The Peconic Baykeeper is taking legal action
against the state parks department and Department
of Environmental Conservation, saying they havent
done enough to address sewage discharge pollution
wreaking havoc on the bay waters theyre charged
with protecting.
Last Tuesday, Peconic Baykeeper president Kevin
McAllister announced his intent to sue the state
parks department in federal court for failing to have
sewage discharge permits for five state-operated
facilities, including Wildwood State Park in Wading
River. The advocacy group also led a separate suit
in state court against the state DEC May 30.
The discharge permit program is intended to con-
trol water pollutants like nitrogen, which feeds
bay-harming algal blooms by regulating sources
of pollutant discharge into U.S. waters, according to
the federal Environmental Protection Agency web-
site.
Wildwood on a hot July day, those parking lots
are going to be lled, Mr. McAllister said. Some
1,000 toilet ushes a day are going into groundwa-
ter, going to bays.
He said that Wildwood and other state parks are
examples of areas where wastewater discharge is
not being adequately addressed, by virtue of the ab-
sence of any kind of permits.
Permits became mandatory following the pas-
sage of the federal Clean Water Act in 1972, which
requires facilities discharging pollutants into U.S.
waters to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) permit.
In New York, the state DEC regulates permits and
discharging pollutants without a permit is illegal,
according to the EPA website.
Mr. McAllister said SUNY/Stony Brooks South-
ampton campus run by the state and home to the
East Ends premier water quality research program
also lacks the required permit.
They are here to identify and save the bays, when
their own campus is not committed to clean water
from wastewater discharges, he said.
He added that the water quality researchers do
not deserve the blame but SUNY/Stony Brook
Southampton should be setting the standard for
BAYKEEPER | PAGE 27
Baykeeper sues state over water
Charge DEC, parks department with failing to regulate wastewater contamination sources
Arni Olafur, 2, and Konrad Bjartur, 7, on vacation from Reykjavik, Iceland, get their rst look at a Long Island Sound sunset last week.
WWW.SUFFOLKTIMES.COM | NEWS & INFORMATION FOR THE NORTH FORK | THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013 $1.50
TheSuffolkTimes.
LOOK AT THE FILE
ONE MORE TIME
Call to re-examine
Flight 800 PAGE 2
NEW NAME
GOP makes
change to
ticket PAGE 4
KRUPSKIS NEW APPROACH
Legislator revises his bill to
strengthen the countys land
preservation program PAGE 6
No amount of protest from the agricultural com-
munity or even a Town Board member could prevent
the adoption of Southolds new special event law
Tuesday night.
After a half-hour of contentious debate, the board
approved the bill, which winery owners and represen-
tatives of the Long Island Wine Council greeted, they
said, with tremendous disappointment.
The vote was 5 to 1 in favor, with Councilman Chris
Talbot providing the only opposition.
There are changes that need to be made and Im
not supporting it, he said. The wine industry has
grown this area. So many people come out here and
spend their money. We are reaping all the benets of
these wineries and farms and for government, a Re-
publican government, to throw another hurdle in the
way of these businesses that are struggling to survive
... I just have to say no to this law.
The vote comes two weeks after a public hearing,
during which speakers offered numerous amend-
ments to a policy they said unfairly burdens business-
es with fees and penalties for holding large events.
Opponents of the bill said they were blindsided by
the boards decision to vote without the inclusion of
their comments.
We are so close on this and all of a sudden were
here for the enactment tonight, said Chris Baiz, own-
er of The Old Field Vineyard in Southold. I would just
like to see one more code committee meeting just so
we can reconcile what was said two weeks ago with
what is on the paper today.
The boards vote concludes a years-long debate
that often put the town at odds with the agricultural
EVENTS | PAGE 27
Special event rules are now law
Over objections from wineries, town revises code on non-farm use of agricultural lands
Pachyderm powerwash
Unable to get to the beach, the Cole Bros. Circus elephants cooled down between performances at the Greenport Polo Grounds during last
months heat wave with a shower courtesy of Greenport Fire Department. Lulu seems to enjoy the wetdown she gets from Bob Lehmann of
the Eagle Hose Company.
Beau Pollock, 20, of Greenport is a regular at the skate park that opened in the village 15 years ago. But these days
volunteers and village officials are wondering just how much the public wants the facility, considering that it has been
allowed to fall into disrepair.
THE CHAMPS
Ospreys take home
Hamptons Baseball
League title SPORTS
HE WON
Claudio to
get his job
back PAGE 3
AND THEN THEY ENROLLED
Greenport trustees signed up
for health benefits despite what
they said during campaign PAGE 3
TheSuffolkTimes.
The contents of a tiny brief published in a
weekly newspaper more than 130 years ago
has archaeologists and environmentalists
calling for a closer look beneath the surface of
Plum Island.
The article, published in a July 1879 issue of
The Long Islander newspaper of Huntington,
announced the discovery of a woolly mam-
moth skeleton on the island, indicating that it
could contain other prehistoric remains dating
as far back as the Paleo-Indian era.
The 19th-century discovery came to the at-
tention of local environmentalists only recently,
when they noticed one particular sentence in a
500-page draft environmental impact study of
the island, released by the federal General Ser-
vices Administration
this past October.
That sentence
reads: The discovery
of a mammoth skel-
eton on the west side
of Plum Island sug-
gests that the island
could contain pre-
historic remains.
This may be one
of the most remark-
abl e statements
about the possible
presence of archeo-
logical remains that I have personally encoun-
tered over the last 20 years of reviewing devel-
opment proposals, said Bob DeLuca, president
and CEO of Group for the East End.
The mammoth skeleton, which archaeologists
say would have to be more than 10,000 years old,
was found in July 1879 beneath a 50-foot sand
dune that extended 150 feet along an area known
as Brothers Beach, near the existing light station
on the west end of the island, according to GSA
public affairs ofcer Patrick Sclafani.
The bones were revealed by wind and erosion
and unearthed by a group of men who spotted
them, according to the Long Islander article.
The amateur excavation produced a mam-
moth skull and over seven feet of backbone. At
least one leg of the skeleton was also present,
MAMMOTH | PAGE 26
When the Greenport Skate Park
was built in 1998, it was touted as
an innovative creative outlet in a
town with few ways for youths to
express themselves.
The 20,000-square-foot facility
was considered state-of-the-art,
boasting a concrete street course
and wooden ramps of various siz-
es. The villages $200,000 invest-
ment seemed to be paying off in
2000, when an article published in
Transworld Skateboarding maga-
zine hailed the facilitys design as
the standard upon which all skate
parks should be modeled.
Thats difficult for some of to-
days skaters to believe.
After 15 years, graffiti now
spells out obscene messages and
anti-Semitic symbols dot the park.
Holes the size of volleyballs have
eaten through the ramps and trash
litters the ground beneath them.
Its dangerous to be there, said
Michelle Bendik, co-organizer of
the Greenport Skate Park Festival,
which will take place at the park
this weekend.
Along with her husband, John,
Ms. Bendik launched the annual
event five years ago in an effort
to restore the park to its former
glory. But it has proven to be an
uphill battle.
We peaked the second year of
the festival, she said. Its not a
priority for the village. The com-
munity needs to want it and they
dont seem to want it anymore.
Because its unsupervised and has
a reputation as a place where kids
go to fool around, there is no re-
spect or ownership.
Village administrator David
Abatelli said the biggest reason
the park has fallen into disrepair
is that no maintenance plan was
in place when the park opened in
1998. The small amount budgeted
for its upkeep goes primarily to-
ward the cost of insurance and
weekly garbage pickup, he said.
The kids are lucky its still
there and that we havent taken
it down, Mr. Abatelli said this
week. Most of the people that
use it dont treat it right.
Mr. Abatelli admits that the fes-
tival motivates the village to do a
more thorough cleanup of the skate
park the day before the event.
Its frustrating to send someone
SKATE PARK | PAGE 23
15 years after it opened, Greenport facility needs cleaning up
Forgotten skate park
A mammoth
discovery on
Plum Island
Revelation of 1879 findings
has environmentalists calling
for feds to take closer look
Greenport Skate Park Festival
Saturday, Aug. 10
10:30 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Moores Lane, Greenport
Skater registration: $10
This may be one of
the most remarkable
statements about the
possible presence of
archeological remains
that I have personally
encountered.
Bob DeLuca
TheSuffolkTimes.
FAILING GRADES
New state standards
lead to dramatic dip in
local test scores PAGE 4
A SUMMER ON THE FARM
Local college students spend
their summer laboring at
Sang Lee Farms PAGE 13
Childrens
Directory
PAGE 19A
RACHEL YOUNG PHOTO
Tom Spurge on the platform at the Ronkonkoma train station, where he makes the first of two transfers when he commutes from Greenport to Penn Station for his job in Manhattan.
They drink lots of coffee, crash into deer and spend hours away from home. Is it worth it?
Life on
the rails
PAGES 2-3
SUFFOLKTI MES. COM | AUGUST 22, 201 3 | 1
TheSuffolkTimes.
THEY DANCED THE
NIGHT AWAY
4,500 people attend
charity show PAGE 16
SHOCKER
Electric bills
going up in
village PAGE 22
OH ... THAT PLUM ISLAND
Southold Historical Society says
mammoth bones were actually
discovered in Massachusetts PAGE 3
BY PAUL SQUIRE | STAFF WRITER
James Parker Wickham and his younger brother John
were working in the barn at their familys Cutchogue
farm when the re siren went off a few minutes before
noon on a Saturday in April 1930.
The Cutchogue Fire Department was a edgling com-
pany then, founded just two years earlier, and the siren
was a new addition to the departments building, just
west of the Wickham farm.
It was the rst time the two young men, both volun-
teer reghters, had heard the alarm, John Wickham
would recall later in an interview for the book Heaven
and Earth: The Last Farmers of the North Fork.
I said, You drive, and Parker said, No, you drive,
Mr. Wickham said decades later. It happened to be my
car. And I drove.
The Wickhams rushed to Johns LaSalle Roadster and
took off. In those early days, reghters didnt drive to
headquarters and board a truck to reach the scene of a
re. Instead, theyd hop into their
own cars and drive to the blaze
themselves, while one of the re-
fighters picked up the truck to
meet them there.
Parker and John tore down Main
Road, falling into line behind a re
truck and a worker from their farm
as they all raced to the scene.
It would be 23-year-old James
Parker Wickhams last call.
Over the decades, Mr. Wickhams death that day faded

from memory. The story of his tragic accident became
nothing more than whispers in the re department, a
rumor told second-hand about the only reghter in the
departments history who ever died in the line of duty.
Eventually, as comrades who served with him passed
away or moved on, even his name was forgotten.
But this October, more than 80 years later, Mr. Wick-
ham will be honored for his sacrice by New York State.
His name will join more than 2,300 others etched on the
New York State Fallen Fireghters Memorial wall in Al-
bany, dedicated to reghters who died while serving
their communities.
Its nice that hes nally being recognized, said Peter
Zwerlein of Cutchogue, a former chief of the department
and the current treasurer of the re district, who helped
rediscover Mr. Wickhams death. Its righting a wrong, if
you want to put it that way.
Mr. Zwerlein and Arthur Brewer, an ex-chief and
chairman of the departments board of re commission-
ers, rst began looking into the death last year, when the
Southold Town Fire Chiefs Council pitched the idea for a
memorial honoring local reghters who died on call.
FIREMAN | PAGE 32
A once-forgotten fireman
The only Cutchogue volunteer ever
killed in the line of duty finally
remembered nearly 85 years later
Cutchogue re of cials Peter Zwerlein (left) and Arthur Brewer at the reghter memorial
at Cochran Park in Peconic. The memorial includes the name of James Parker Wickham, a
Cutchogue reman who died on his way to the scene of a re in April 1930.
Its nice that
hes finally being
recognized.
Its righting a
wrong.
Peter Zwerlein
TheSuffolkTimes.
FLAGPOLE IN LIMBO
Southold man looking for
new home for 46-foot
beam PAGE 22
STILL NO WORD
NYPA says it hasnt
ruled on Greenport
electric hike PAGE 6
ZONING APPROVED
FOR PLUM ISLAND
Town officials say move will
protect the future of town PAGE 6
The shared future
of North Fork schoolsPage 4
WWW.SUFFOLKTIMES.COM | NEWS & INFORMATION FOR THE NORTH FORK | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 $1.50
TheSuffolkTimes.
LIVING HEALTHY
Paddleboard yoga
featured in annual
magazine INSERT
PLUM GUY
Plum Island
director
profiled PAGE 3
GENERAL WAYNE PURCHASED
Supervisor says new owner plans
to demolish former inn, preserve
property as open space PAGE 4
Lying in bed Aug. 24, wearing earplugs to block
out the noise, Jessica Kerr of Island View Lane in
Greenport was trying to sleep.
About 100 feet from her bedroom window, con-
tractors operating heavy drilling machinery under
motorized spotlights were entering the nal phase
of a $9 million Long Island Power Authority project
to install a new electrical distribution cable from
Greenport to Shelter Island. They had been working
for 32 hours straight.
There were spotlights, vibration and noise, Ms.
Kerr said. Then it got quiet.
Its been quiet ever since.
The project, which began in April and was origi-
nally scheduled to be completed by Memorial Day,
was later extended through August and is now on
hold. The upgrade required drilling a nearly mile-
long hole about 90 feet below the bays bottom. The
hole would be tted with pipes to protect three ca-
bles that would eventually be threaded through.
The work stopped when a piece of the drill rig
broke off in the pipeline.
The drill rig experienced a break while pulling
the new conduit [pipe] through the hole, said Mark
Gross, a spokesman for LIPA. The piece broke off
in there, and its not like you can just go in there and
pull it out.
Now, about two weeks after the work was stopped,
the broken piece of machinery remains buried,
stuck about 500 feet from Greenports shore as LIPA
ofcials work with the contractor, Bortech Company
Inc., on a new course of action.
Weve asked [Bortech] to submit plans to us in
writing on how they plan to go about xing this is-
sue and nishing the project, Mr. Gross said.
It is yet another snag in a project residents
on Island View Lane have been fighting for five
months.
About six residents met with Nick Lizanich, LIPAs
vice president of transmission and distribution op-
erations, and other LIPA officials to discuss con-
cerns.
LIPA | PAGE 27
Life after the noise stopped
Following months of drilling, Greenport residents await word on stalled $9 million LIPA project
HEALTH
fitness A
N
D
2013
nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
PADDLEBOARD
YOGA
Its a Zen thing

IS IT
GLUTEN FREE?
North Fork eateries
answer demand

LEADING
THE WAY
Medical technology
and education
CARRIE MILLER PHOTO
Greenport homeowners Celia Swing (from left), Jessica Kerr and Giovanni Patan beside piles of equipment and materials from the Long Island
Power Authority pipeline project to Shelter Island. The residents met with LIPA of cials Friday to discuss its future.
TheSuffolkTimes.
THE FESTIVAL
RETURNS
Plenty of changes
at Maritime INSERT
HES A HERO
Lifeguard
saves boy in
pool PAGE 4
THREE YEARS LATER
Greenport man who survived
fatal crash in 2010 dies from
injuries PAGE 6
2013
Maritime
Festival
Greenport
NEWYORK
Sept. 20-22
2013
CARRIE MILLER PHOTO
Matt DeMaula is one of only a handful of North Fork lobstermen who still sh in Long Island Sound. Last weeks closure marked the rst time
Sound waters have been closed to lobster shing for an extended period of time.
A third-generation lobsterman,
Matt DeMaula has patrolled Long Is-
land Sound alongside his father and
uncles for more than two decades.
When he thinks back to his early
days in the profession, the Mattituck
native can recall some remarkable fall
seasons.
We used to call them Septembers
to remember, Mr. DeMaula said as he
prepared to take the last of his lobster
traps out of the Sound Friday. Well
never have another one of those.
On Sunday, the state Department of
Environmental Conservation closed
Sound waters to lobster harvesting
through Nov. 28, following a decision
made last February by the Atlantic
States Marine Fisheries
Commission, which regu-
lates Southern New Eng-
land area fisheries. The
move marks the first time
in the sherys history that
the state is shutting down
harvesting in the Sound.
The commissions goal
is to decrease lobster land-
ings by 10 percent annually,
helping to rebuild the Sounds de-
pleted lobster population, according
to the DEC.
They should have done it 20 years
ago, said lobsterman and Southold
Town Trustee Jimmy King. He has
been lobster shing out of
Mattituck Inlet for more
than 50 years and is a for-
mer president of the Long
Island Lobstermens Asso-
ciation.
A combination of rising
water temperatures, low
dissolved oxygen, pesticide
runoff and nitrogen load-
ing proved too much for the
crustaceans, causing an extreme die-
off in 1999, said Emerson Hasbrouck,
senior marine environmental issues
educator at Cornell Cooperative Ex-
tension of Suffolk County.
[The lobster] simply havent recov-
ered since, Mr. King said.
Both Mr. Hasbrouck and Mr. King
said the decline was driven by the
environmental impacts rather than
pressure from overshing the Sound.
At the industrys height in 1996, lob-
stermen landed 9.4 million pounds of
lobster from Sound waters, equaling
$32.9 million in revenue, according
to state DEC data. That year the state
DEC issued 932 resident commercial
lobster permits.
By 2012, lobstermen caught just
LOBSTERMEN | PAGE 28
They once were lobstermen
Locals reflect on dying industry as Long Island Sound closes to fall lobster harvesting
Today, you
simply couldnt
make it as a
lobsterman.
Trustee Jimmy King

OH, LORDY
Dog remembered
as Greenport
treasure PAGE 11
HARVEST
Grapes are
being picked
already PAGE 24
BISHOP INVESTIGATION
Ethics report finds congressman
may have violated federal
campaign finance rules PAGE 18
EAST END SWEPT BY HURRICANE
75 YEARS LATER
A Suffolk Times Special Report
Remembering the L.I. Express hurricane of 1938 page 2

Experts weigh in on storms to come page 4
How businesses are faring one year after Sandy page 16
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TheSuffolkTimes.
CANT STOP THE
PORTERS
Football team starts
season 2-0 SPORTS
APPROVED
Village passes
new rental
law PAGE 8
A DWINDLING LABOR FORCE
Farmers say several factors are
driving immigrants away, and they
see little hope in reform PAGE 3
BY GRANT PARPAN
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
When Gypsy first arrived at North
Shore Horse Rescue in Baiting Hollow,
she didnt trust a soul.
The 24-year-old paint mare had
been abandoned at a Southold board-
ing barn and then taken in by a lo-
cal pet store owner, who ultimately
turned her over to the Sound Avenue
rescue farm.
Easily rattled and scarred from ne-
glect, Gypsy had refused to work with
any humans. But Louise Abitbol, a
social worker who provides equine-
assisted therapy at the farm, knew the
perfect person to help break in the
horse.
Standing in the center
of the ring, Loretta Law-
lor waited patiently as
Gypsy slowly approached
her for the first time.
The 26-year-old from
Southold had been clean-
ing, feeding and walking
horses at the farm under the guidance
of Ms. Abitbol since earlier this year.
Ms. Lawlor dropped to one knee as
Gypsy walked toward her. The skit-
tish mare circled around her, snifng.
Then the horse lowered her head and
dropped it right on the
young womans shoul-
der.
Just as Ms. Abitbol had
suspected, Gypsy and
Loretta Lawlor instantly
bonded thanks to a com-
mon thread that joined
them theyre both vi-
sually impaired.
Susan Lawlor had always wanted to

visit New York City on St. Patricks Day,
but she never imagined it would be to
take her baby girl to an oncologist.
Before Loretta was due for her six-
month checkup, Susan had noticed a
bright spot in both her eyes.
It was a silvery reection that looks
like a cats eye at night, the mother
recalled.
She took Loretta to a pediatric oph-
thalmologist in Port Jefferson, who
referred her to the New York City phy-
sician.
March 17, 1988, is the day Susan
HORSE | PAGE 33
A blind womans best friend
The tale of a pediatric eye cancer survivors unique bond with a rescue horse
CARRIE MILLER PHOTO
Loretta Lawlor with Gypsy at North Shore Horse Rescue at Gold Rush Farms in Baiting Hollow. Ms. Lawlor, 26, of Southold was born with retinoblastoma, which has left her legally blind.
Gypsy, a 24-year-old paint mare that had been abandoned at a barn in Southold, is blind in one eye.
When they walk
together, they walk
as if theyre sighted.
Louise Abitbol
SUFFOLKTI MES. COM | OCTOBER 3, 201 3 | 1
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TheSuffolkTimes.
CANT STOP THE
PORTERS
Football winning
streak at 3 SPORTS
MAP
Of county
dredging
sites PAGE 23
CAN HE TRUMP ZONING?
Trump wants to build golf course
on Plum Island, but supervisor
says law wont allow it PAGE 22
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THE DEER POPULATION HAS BECOME SOUTHOLDS NO. 1 CONCERN
The top
priority
pages 2-10
IS FISHERS ISLAND
UNDER-POLICED?
Town, school officials
say it is PAGE 4
HES OUT
Greenport
Village official
resigns PAGE 20
A HOMETOWN HERO
Southold lifeguard will be
honored by N.Y. Islanders
this month PAGE 19
TheSuffolkTimes.
BY TIM GANNON
STAFF WRITER
A walk on the beach sounds peace-
ful. But in Southold Town, where
property lines have been a bone
of contention between beachfront
home owners and
people passing
by on the shore,
its now become
a political issue as
well.
It started out
as an issue that
was somewhat
minor about a de-
cade ago but now,
this seems to re-
sult in conict on
a much more reg-
ular basis, said
Southold Town
Supervisor Scott
Russell. Its a big
issue, and its a growing issue.
Last week, the full slate of Demo-
crats running for town offices, cur-
rently all held by Republicans, pur-
chased an advertisement in The
Suffolk Times claiming that some
people want to take away Southold-
ers right to walk along local beaches
and questioning if the present town
government has been doing enough
to protect those rights.
Nobody likes one-party rule, the
ad states, alluding to Southolds all-
Republican Town Board and Board
of Trustees. Protect your basic rights
from drifting away.
Were just reacting to the num-
ber of complaints there have been
from property owners who feel that
the public walking in front of their
property is a violation of their prop-
erty rights, and I think the confusion
stems from the interpretation of the
BY JOSEPH PINCIARO
MANAGING EDITOR
After a farmland preservation bill
that sounded the alarm of some envi-
ronmental groups was pulled earlier
this summer, Suffolk County Legis-
lator Al Krupski believes he has the
support for an altered version to help
sustain the countys depleted drink-
ing water protection purse.
An original draft of the bill called
for splitting the spending of drink-
ing water protection funds 50-50 be-
tween farmland and open space, as
the countys land preservation pur-
chases currently dont distinguish be-
tween the buying of one or the other.
Farmland, Mr. Krupski (D-Cu-
tchogue) stated in a Suffolk Times
opinion piece over the summer, is
critically important and food pro-
duction must not be trivialized as so
few things are produced in this coun-
try.
At the time, he said, 95 percent of
the countys land preservation dol-
lars spent through the Drinking Wa-
ter Protection Fund a 0.25 percent
sales tax that Suffolk County voters
approved in 1987 to tax themselves
went toward open space preservation
as opposed to farmland.
But environmentalists argued that
pursuant to the original 1987 referen-
dum, the proposed changes were out
of line since voters OKd the original
program rsthand, and amending it
would require another vote.
Mr. Krupskis amended bill
which was tabled at last weeks Envi-
ronment, Planning and Agriculture
Committee meeting makes no
mention of setting aside a certain per-
centage of land purchases for open
space or farmland. It does, however,
set a certain threshold that parcels
must meet in order to be appraised
by the county, a step necessary before
legislators vote on buying them up.
KRUPSKI | PAGE 39
Legislator gathering support after making changes to stalled plan
Krupski closing in on
altered farmland bill
People dont
understand
what the
actual mean
high water
mark is, and
they dont
know where
it is.
Geoffrey Wells
BARBARAELLEN KOCH PHOTO
Farmer Will Lee (driving tractor) and Jon Macros clear out a field of tomato beds at Sang Lee Farms in Peconic Monday afternoon.
County leaders could amend their policy on farmland purchases as dollars dwindle in a fund reserved for land preservation.
Waterfront property
lines have become a
campaign issue in town
Its no
walk on
the beach
BEACH | PAGE 38
TheSuffolkTimes.
GONE STREAKING
Greenport football
remains unbeaten
at five wins SPORTS
THE ISSUES
Southold
candidates
debate PAGE 3
HOW THEY FOUND HER
Greenport woman participates
in cross-country adventure to
find missing girl PAGE 8
BY CYNDI MURRAY
STAFF WRITER
The Blue Inn in East Marion is hoping to open its
restaurant to outside guests but the people who live
closest to the motel say they arent happy
about that plan.
Blue Inn owner Sam Glass, an attorney
from Huntington, has requested a special
exception from the Southold Town Zon-
ing Board of Appeals to expand service at
the current restaurant to outside guests.
Currently, the Blue Inn is permitted to
serve food and drinks only to guests of the year-
round motel.
Under the new plan, Mr. Glass is proposing to open
the restaurant to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and
Sundays from June 1 through Labor Day. No outdoor
music would be played after 9 p.m. and the bar would
close at 11 p.m., according to the application. Small
events would also be permitted until 9
p.m., under the proposal.
Its a plan that does not sit well with
members of the East Marion Civic Asso-
ciation.
Our priority is to maintain East Marion
as a quiet and peaceful hamlet, said civic
vice president Anne Murray. The town
needs to be careful when weighing [the needs of the]
business and community.
Civic association members said the new plan is
reminiscent of concerns they had about the motel
under its previous ownership, when the restaurant
was open to the public. In a letter sent to the ZBA,
civic members said the motel functioned like an ille-
gally constructed outdoor nightclub under the pre-
vious owner, who sold the motel to Mr. Glass more
than two years ago.
The letter goes on to recount instances of drunk-
en guests arguing and wandering into neighboring
yards.
It was a torturous time for East Marion, Ms. Mur-
ray said.
The civic associations concerns about the motel
BLUE INN | PAGE 35
Neighbors turn blue over plans
The Blue Inn wants to open its restaurant to the public year round, much to civic groups dismay
Pumpkins in the picture
John Edelman of Manhattan photographs his family at Krupskis Pumpkin Farm in Peconic Saturday. For a guide to pumpkin-picking spots on
the North Fork, see page 2. Also check out managing editor Joseph Pinciaros column on agritourism and our roads, see page 11.
It was a
torturous time
for East Marion.
Anne Murray
SUFFOLKTI MES. COM | OCTOBER 24, 201 3 | 1
HEALTH CARE
REFORM FORUM
Industry pros weigh
in on changes PAGE 32
BOND VOTE
Mattituck
track vote
Tuesday PAGE 2
PARTY TIME IN GREENPORT?
Village hears new proposal to
launch party boat service out of
Mitchell Park Marina PAGE 22
TheSuffolkTimes.
Still stuck
waiting
on FEMA
One year after Sandy hit,
Southold Town still owed
$2 million in federal aid
BY PAUL SQUIRE
STAFF WRITER
One year after Hurricane Sandy swept across
the North Fork, knocking down trees and power
lines, ooding downtown Greenport and caus-
ing damage to town beaches and roadways,
Southold Town ofcials said this week they are
still waiting for roughly $2 million in federal
funds after months of red tape, employee turn-
over and mistakes by the state have held up the
towns money.
Town ofcials said the delays have pushed back
repair projects across town, including $600,000
in road reinforcement and more than $1 million
in repairs to the Fishers Island airport.
The delays are a setback, really a hardship for
the town, said Supervisor
Scott Russell. [Were] hav-
ing to duplicate everything
we did. It was kind of like a
double whammy.
Town officials said they
collected data like employ-
ee hours, contractor esti-
mates and labor costs to
ll out project worksheets
detailed documents
explaining why the town
needed funding for everything from employee
overtime to repair costs.
The worksheets would then be completed by
state contractors, who would pass them along
to the New York State Ofce of Emergency Man-
agement. The state was supposed to review the
worksheets and give them to the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency for nal approval.
Funds from FEMA would then be distributed
through the state.
But consultants in the state ofce incorrectly
lled in details on some of the worksheets, forc-
ing the town to resubmit its data, town ofcials
said. Town accountants were the rst to notice
the discrepancies in the worksheets, said Lloyd
Reisenberg, the towns network systems admin-
FEMA | PAGE 39
GARRET MEADE PHOTO
League champs
Mattituck goalkeepers Ben Knowles (pictured) and Stephen Ostrowski combined to shut out
rival Center Moriches, 5-0, last Wednesday to clinch the League VII title. The Tuckers (12-2) will
next play in the Class B seminals on Wednesday, Oct. 30. See game coverage in Sports.
We have a
lot of work
thats left to be
done, but were
waiting.
Scott Russell
TheSuffolkTimes.
MATTITUCK GETS
ITS TRACK
Voters approve
bond 2-1 PAGE 22
A SAMPLE
See the ballot
before casting
a vote PAGE 38
FILMING ON THE NORTH FORK
Pilot for proposed reality series
centers on Fork & Anchor
owners PAGE 33
Southold voters guide
Coverage and endorsements pages 2-19
SUFFOLKTI MES. COM | NOVEMBER 7, 201 3 | 1
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TheSuffolkTimes.
VOLLEYBALL
CHAMPIONS
Mattituck girls win
county title SPORTS
STICKUPS
Two robberies
reported in
town PAGE 4
INSIDE THE AGREEMENT
Details emerge on how much
Greenport Village is paying to
remove utilities director PAGE 6
BY GRANT PARPAN, CYNDI MURRAY
AND CARRIE MILLER
STAFF WRITERS
Speaking with The Suffolk Times
shortly after the Southold Town
Republican Committee opted not
to endorse senior judge Bill Price,
GOP chairman Peter McGreevy said
it was time to make a change.
While no one doubts that [ Judge
Price] has served this town well,
he said in May, the committee
thought it was time for a change
and acted upon that.
The voting public disagreed.
Mr. Price, 62, still a registered Re-
publican but running on the Dem-
ocratic ticket, won overwhelmingly
Tuesday, capturing 60 percent of
the vote in his highly anticipated
race against Mattituck attorney Bill
Goggins.
It feels great to have the people
of Southold put me back in office,
said Mr. Price, of Greenport, who
was first elected to his seat in 1981.
It feels good. I was hoping for that.
I was thankful that the Democrats
asked me to run for them so the
people of Southold could choose
who could be judge.
When it comes time for him to
be sworn in for his ninth term as
PRICE | PAGE 30
Price is still right for Southold
But GOP sweeps remaining 11 town elections
CARRIE MILLER PHOTO
Longtime incumbent Town Justice Bill Price was elected to a ninth term Tuesday, making him the only candidate on the Democratic ticket to win a Southold Town seat this year.
Town Board member Jim Dinizio, with wife Joan, was elected to his first full term.
SALUTE TO VETS
Photos from Veterans
Day ceremony at
American Legion PAGE 2
BUSTED
Robbery
suspect
caught PAGE 4
GREENPORT GOES SOLAR
School district now features
100 percent solar electricity
in building PAGE 3
TheSuffolkTimes.
Inside the
Peconic
Landing
expansion
GARRET MEADE PHOTO
Headed back to states
Mattituck teammates Emilie Reimer and Lisa Angell, both junior outside hitters, celebrate the
volleyball teams Long Island Championship Sunday. The team will now compete in the state
final four Saturday at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Coverage in Sports.
Assessor says project would
generate $500K in tax revenues
BY CYNDI MURRAY
STAFF WRITER
Peconic Landing plans to break ground on
its $45 million expansion project in July, pend-
ing site plan approval from the Southold Town
Planning Board.
The Greenport life-care retirement commu-
nity received Zoning Board of Appeals approv-
al last month for a new three-story apartment
wing that will include more than 75 units. ZBA
approval was necessary because town code lim-
its buildings to two stories and a basement.
Town planning director Heather Lanza says
she expects Peconic Landing to come before the
Planning Board this
month and a public
hearing on the propos-
al will likely be sched-
uled for December.
The proposal
which would add 46
senior apartments, 16
private skilled nursing
accommodations and
a 16-suite memory
care facility for se-
niors with cognitive
impairment is the largest expansion in Pe-
conic Landings 11-year history.
Currently, Peconic Landings 144-acre Sound-
front campus comprises 250 residential units, 26
assisted living apartments and 44 skilled nurs-
ing accommodations. While pricing for the new
units has not been nalized, Peconic Landing
sales manager Laurelle Cassone said existing
one-bedroom units range between $252,000 and
$355,000 depending on amenities and square
footage.
With the waiting list for these apartments
continuing to stretch, Ms. Cassone said the new
facility is needed to meet the demand.
We had a demand for these apartments since
before we built the original apartments, she
said. There is a huge need for this on the East
End.
EXPANSION | PAGE 27
We had a
demand for
these apartments
since before we
built the original
apartments.
Laurelle Cassone
TheSuffolkTimes.
HOLIDAY GUIDE
Find great local
gift ideas for your
loved ones INSERT
APPROVED
Russell gets
raise in 2014
budget PAGE 4
THE HAPPIEST MAN IN GREENPORT
Meet the man behind the
heartwarming story of The
Harry Project PAGES 2-3
BY JENNIFER GUSTAVSON
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
When you ask Greenport and Southold school
officials how their recently announced shared-
superintendent plan came about, most
will say it evolved organically.
Theyll tell you its because Green-
port Superintendent Michael Co-
manda and his Southold counterpart,
David Gamberg, have worked well
together over the years, pooling resources and
developing multiple shared-service agreements,
from AP courses to theatrical performances.
Come this summer, when Mr. Comanda
retires after working in Greenport for nearly a
dozen years, Mr. Gamberg is expected to take
his place. But he wont be working just for
Greenport; hell serve as the head of both school
districts a move state officials are calling a
first for Long Island K-12 school districts.
Mr. Comanda, 54, who will continue as a
part-time superintendent in the New
Suffolk elementary school district,
said he believes the Gamberg move is
a win-win for taxpayers and Green-
port families.
After having a positive experience
in Greenport and New Suffolk, and knowing
I was preparing to retire, I approached David
on the idea of the shared superintendent, Mr.
Comanda said.
Mr. Gamberg, 51, said he remembers sitting
in his ofce with Mr. Comanda, when his friend
oated the idea.
I remember hearing that and asking myself
in my head, Are you serious? Mr. Gamberg
recalled. That I remember. I couldnt tell you the
day. I couldnt tell you the month, but I remember
there was that initial, Im going to put something
out there. What do you think?
On Friday, the Greenport and Southold school
boards announced in a joint press release that
theyve reached an agreement and that Mr. Gam-
berg will serve both districts under a two-year
contract beginning July 2014.
Under the deal, the release reads, the districts
would share Mr. Gambergs salary equally and he
will have dual reporting lines to both boards.
Other details, including salary, are still being
SUPERINTENDENT | PAGE 29
Two districts, one superintendent
Southold school chief David Gamberg now expected to also oversee Greenport for next two years
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTOS
The Southold and Greenport school districts have agreed to share a superintendent next school year a first for K-12 districts on Long Island. David Gamberg (right) will continue to
serve as Southolds superintendent when he replaces retiring Greenport Superintendent Michael Comanda next summer.
It is a dream
option for us.
Heather Wolf
HOLIDAY
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NORTH FORK GIFT GUIDE
What do you want for Christmas?
Festivities on the North Fork and Shelter Island | Healthy Holidays | NYE Sparkling Wine Cocktails
HOLIDAY
2013
TheSuffolkTimes.
MCKENNA TO
RETIRE IN JULY
Local districts talk
next steps PAGES 2-3
WANTED
Searching for
new lacrosse
coach PAGE 4
ARREST MADE IN BRAWL
Greenport man charged in
assault following parking lot
fight that spilled into ER PAGE 6
Fireboat
is leaving
Greenport
County says it never signed
of on mooring oating
museum at railroad dock
BY CYNDI MURRAY
STAFF WRITER
When the fireboat Fire Fighter docked in
Greenport this past February it was hoped that
it could become a permanent xture in the mar-
itime community a oating museum where
youngsters could learn about the vessels rich
history battling res in New York City.
But less than 10 months later, the former
FDNY ship appears headed back toward New
York City.
The Village of Greenport received a letter from
the county attorneys ofce late last month stat-
ing that the decommissioned fireboat turned
nonprofit museum would need to vacate the
railroad dock within three weeks, or the county
would take further action.
Suffolk County officials
say they are now pursu-
ing all means available
to remove the ship from
its mooring at the county-
owned railroad dock. The
ultimatum comes several
months after a group of
local shermen and other
village residents com-
plained to village ofcials that the railroad dock
is intended exclusively for commercial shing
purposes and therefore should not host Fire
Fighter.
With time running out to remove the boat
from the railroad dock, Fire Fighter museum
president Charlie Ritchie is scrambling to nd
another deepwater dock to moor the 134-foot
vessel.
We were looking to private mooring in Ster-
ling Harbor, but it doesnt look like that is going
to work, he said. Now were looking closer to
New York City. We just know we have to get out
as soon as possible.
Mr. Ritchie said the move alone could cost
the nonprot more than $800 in fuel costs and
would set back the restoration of the ship.
FIREBOAT | PAGE 32
The fireboat Fire Fighter, a floating museum that came to Greenport in February, appears to be headed back toward New
York City. The decomissioned FDNY vessel is being ordered out of the village by Suffolk County officials.
We just know
we have to get
out as soon as
possible.
Charlie Ritchie
EXCUSE ME,
MR. ASSEMBLYMAN
Deer message being
sent to Albany PAGE 4
THE LIST
DEC listing
contaminated
sites PAGE 16
BEHIND BARS
Greenport woman who
embezzled $430,000 from
employer gets one year PAGE 28
WWW.SUFFOLKTIMES.COM | NEWS & INFORMATION FOR THE NORTH FORK | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013 $1.50
TheSuffolkTimes.
CARRIE MILLER PHOTO
Parents and teachers at last weeks Common Core forum with state education commissioner John King. The event, held at Eastport-South Manor High
School in Manorville, was hosted by state Senator Ken LaValle.
Angry to the Core
East End teachers, parents take concerns to state education commissioner
pages 2-3
LOCAL MODEL
GETS NOTICED
Mattituck kid in
music video PAGE 4
RESULTS
Who won
your fire
election PAGE 16
HE WROTE THE BOOK
Local teenager helped pen
childrens book about young girl
killed in historic bombing PAGE 15
TheSuffolkTimes.
Fifty years ago this week, construction
began on a jetty at Goldsmith Inlet.
It was expected to keep the inlet open
and prevent erosion.
IT HAS NOT.
Pages 2-3
SPECI AL REPORT
G
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P
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P
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A DIFFERENT SORT
OF RENT
Southold to stage
popular play PAGE 3
AUDIT
New Suffolk
ripped by
state PAGE 3
ANOTHER ELECTRIC HIKE
Greenport residents see their
bills increase again, this time
without notice PAGE 4
TheSuffolkTimes.
State puts
a cork in
troubled
winery
Thats not Santa
Eighteen-month-old Madison Scotto of Southold, who was eagerly anticipating a face-to-face with Santa, had a change
of heart at Southold Town Hall last Saturday. See a list of local Christmas services on page 5A.
Vineyard 48 has liquor license
revoked one day after being
dealt major setback by town
BY RACHEL YOUNG, PAUL SQUIRE, CYNDI MURRAY AND
JOSEPH PINCIARO
STAFF WRITERS
After years of complaints from local residents,
a back-and-forth with town leaders and even a
lawsuit led against it on the towns behalf, Vine-
yard 48 had its liquor license revoked by the State
Liquor Authority on Tuesday.
The embattled location was one of over 100
sites on Tuesdays SLA meeting agenda.
Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley and four
neighbors of Vineyard 48 testied before the SLA
Board during its meeting at the authoritys ofce
in Harlem.
After hearing testimony from the chief and
residents, the board sustained six of the eight
charges against the vineyard. It was not immedi-
ately clear which charges had been dropped.
Commissioner Jeanique Green thanked resi-
dents for testifying, saying their stories gave me
a good image ... [of ] whats actually occurred at
this location. She said the disruption of resi-
dents quality of life and safety caused by Vine-
yard 48 played a large role in the boards deci-
sion, and she took offense at a comment by the
business attorney that the SLA doesnt enforce
quality of life concerns as strongly within the
New York City limits.
You should have peace and quiet in your
own place, whether it be 300 square feet or three
acres, she said.
SLA board chairman Dennis Rosen recognized
that the number of complaints about Vineyard
48 had dropped this year but said he believed the
better behavior was due only to the level of scru-
tiny the vineyard was under.
It sort of reminds me of when my kids were
little and Id teach them that morality is doing the
VINEYARD | PAGE 35

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