Half Hollw Hills Newspaper - December 27, 2012

N E W S P A P E RHALF HOLLOW HILLSCopyright © 2012 Long Islander Newspapers, LLCOnline atwww.LongIslanderNews.com

VOLUME FIFTEEN, ISSUE 42 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2012 2 SECTIONS, 28 PAGES

STANDARDRATEUSPostage

PAIDCRRTSORTHicksville,NY

11801PermitNo.66

I N T H I S W E E K ’ S E D I T I O NGET YOUR COPIES OF THIS EDITION AT

LOCATIONS THROUGHOUTTHE COMMUNITY (see list on page 14)

Register for free digital subscription atHHaallffHHoolllloowwNNeewwss..ccoomm

DIX HILLS

Wrestling With Sandy Hook Shooting TragedyHalf Hollow Hills community comes out to support fundraiser at East-West showdown

Wrestling teams from Half Hollow HillsHigh Schools East and West were sched-uled to compete in a non-league match-upon Dec. 19. To some, the inter-district match was an

opportunity to show support for the DixHills community, but to Hills West HeadCoach Mike Patrovich, it was an opportu-nity to show support for the tragedy-strick-en community of Newtown, Conn.After securing support from both his

team and Hills East Head Coach Bill Dav-ey, Patrovich turned to Board of EducationVice President Frank Grimaldi to secureapproval from administrators, and thefundraiser was on.“None of us can begin to imagine what

these families are going through but wecan do our part to support them in anywaywe can,” Patrovich wrote in an email pub-licizing the fundraiser.Patrovich suggested the school collect

donations at the door and ran a 50/50 raf-fle at the match.Grimaldi said the fundraiser collected

over $500, with even more donationscoming in later in the week.Board of Education Trustee Eric Ger-

ingswald, along with nearly the entireboard of education, came to the match toshow their support for the cause. Ger-ingswald, a Hills West graduate, said thefundraiser hit close to home for him be-cause the aunt of shooting victim and heroVictoria Soto taught four of his nieces andnephews who reside in Connecticut.“The world of education is a small

world. We all experience similar things—what happened at Sandy Hook could havehappened at any school in America andyou have to be there for anyone goingthrough a tragedy like this,” he said.Board of Education President James

Ptucha also attended the match. He saidthe fundraiser was a “tremendous thing todo,” and set a great example for other

By Jacqueline [email protected]

Hills West’s Tyler Grimaldi pins down East’s Maleik Henry during the team’s Sandy Hookfundraiser on Dec. 19. (Continued on page A18)

Half H

ollow Hills photo/Jacquelin

e Birzon

DIX HILLS

Nursery Proposal Scrutinized Neighbors concerned about traffic, parking near Deer Park Ave.

Proponents of a proposal by Tail-gaters Inc., the owners of the Cam-panelli Garden Center, to constructthree new buildings at their DeerPark Avenue nursery said the planwould eliminate on-the-street truckdeliveries and make the propertysafer and more attractive. But neigh-bors argued approving the variancesto allow the project to go forwardwould hurt their quality of life.The proposal, which went before

the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA)Dec. 20, seeks to replace all existingstructures of the property, except forfour 12-foot by 20-foot mulch binsnear the South Service Road, withtwo storage structures, of 3,852square feet and 3,200 square feet onthe east side of the property, and a900-square-foot retail sales center.Vehicles would be stored in the

largest buildings to enhance and se-cure the property, Michael Mc-Carthy, the applicant’s attorney, said.Formal entrances would also allow

the nursery to be gated and fenced toprevent theft and vandalism, whileimproving aesthetics. In the retailcenter, the Garden Center would selldeciduous and evergreen trees andscrubs, perennials and annuals,mulch, topsoil, pottery for indoorsand outdoors, statues, garden tools

and the like. No mulch or compostwould be produced at the site, Mc-Carthy said.“The types of things this board has

always been concerned about [are toensure] that we don’t turn this into acontractor’s yard or create a noxious

IINNSSIIDDEE

PPEERRSSOONN ooff tthhee yyeeaarr

Attorney Michael McCarthy, representing Campanelli Nursery, explains pro-posed renovation plans to the Zoning Board of Appeals. However, neighbors onnearby Talon Way argue the proposal would have a detrimental impact.

Half H

ollow Hills photos/D

anny Schrafel

By Danny [email protected]

(Continued on page A18)

What MadeHeadlines A3-11

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

www.LongIslanderNews.com Please mention The Long Islander Newspapers when doing business with our advertisers.A2 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 27, 2012

BABY FACES QUOTE OF THE WEEKCOACHMIKE PATROVICH

“None of us can begin to imaginewhat these families are goingthrough but we can do our part tosupport them in anyway we can.”

Wrestling With Shooting Tragedy, PAGE A1

Litigate This!

Suffolk police responded to a Huntington law firm onDec. 18 about criminal mischief. The complainant saidsomeone threw a rock through the front window oftheir Elm Street business.

So, Who Started It?

Suffolk police were called to Huntington on Dec. 18about two teenaged females in a fight. Police found twofemales were assaulted by two other females on McKayRoad. One victim was taken to Huntington Hospital fora headache.

Caller Demanding MoneyA Huntington Station resident called Suffolk County

police to report a suspicious call on Dec. 17. The com-plainant said the caller told them their brother was inan accident and demanded money.

iTheftSuffolk police responded to a Melville office complex

on Dec. 17 about a theft. The complainant said an un-known person entered a parked vehicle, making offwith an iPad, iPod and credit cards.

Man Treated At Hospital After AssaultSuffolk police responded to a possible assault in

Huntington on Dec. 16. The complainant got into an al-tercation with a subject, and was attacked by othermalesubjects. He was treated at a local hospital.

Quite A HaulA Dix Hills resident called Suffolk County police on

Dec. 16 to report a theft several days earlier. The com-plainant said a computer case, computer, mouse andchargers were stolen from a 2005 Dodge parked in thedriveway.

Caller: Drunk Man Fighting CustomersA Huntington Station man was arrested by Suffolk

County police after allegedly fighting customers at aHuntington Station convenience store on Dec. 16. Thecomplainant said the 40-year-old was intoxicated andpunched another man in the face. The victim was tak-en to Huntington Hospital and the defendant wascharged with assault.

Shouldn’t You Have Noticed That Earlier?Suffolk police were dispatched to Huntington Station

on Dec. 15 after getting a report of an assault. The com-plainant got into an altercation with a male suspect onNew York Avenue the day before. After going home andshowering, the complainant found a laceration on theirlip and went to Huntington Hospital for stitches toclose the wound.

Next Time, Leave The Windows DownNorthport police arrested a Commack man and a

Smithtown man for unlawful possession of marijuanaon Dec. 15. Police observed a 2002 Saturn with illegal-ly-tinted windows headed westbound on Fort SalongaRoad. The 26-year-old Smithtown man was driving,admitting that a marijuana grinder in the center con-sole was his. He also admitted to owning the marijuanacigarette in the arm rest. The 26-year-old Commackresident admitted a clear bag containing marijuana byhis feet was his. The officer issued both a field appear-ance ticket in lieu of arrest; they are scheduled to returnon Jan. 28.

Last one to leave, turn out the lights… I hopeyour Christmastime was joyful for all, without inci-dent, drama or obvious acts of re-gifting. And obvi-ously, if you’re reading this,the world did not end, becauseI wrote this on Dec. 21 andyou’re reading this now. Itturns out this end-of-days proselytizing is a recur-ring feature of global culture – and especially herein America. And so far, we’re awfully bad at it.There’s a list of hundreds of days the end of theworld was supposed to happen online, and everysingle one has fizzled. So why do we keep buying in-to this rot? Beats the heck out of me. All I know isthat the scientists are saying that you won’t have toworry about the end of Earth’s habitability for quitea while – oh, about 500 million years or so, whenthe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is ex-pected to drop drastically. So live for today and for-get all that silly Armageddon stuff.

But one thing that would have survived…Fruitcake! That time-honored holiday confectionhas become, I guess, what the kids would call a cultclassic. Now, as I say every year, I’m not a fruitcakehater – I want to know how to put it to good use!So if any of you have any clever means of preparing,serving and enjoying fruitcake (and no, building abomb shelter with stacks of it doesn’t count, sweet-ies) let me know and I’ll share it with the gang.

P-U… Ever face this situation? A few days ago,one of the kids in our office had a meal that wasso… aromatic, shall we say, that it got everybody’sattention. And by attention, we don’t mean in agood way. It smelled so…strongly, that about 15 sec-onds in, the boss man asked him to take it in theback and finish up his pungent fish lunch. Whichbrings up a question – if someone has a really, reallystinky meal at work, is it right to ask him to movesomewhere more remote to eat? Weigh in, folks –I’m curious to hear your feedback.

Resolutions… Every year, it’s the same old thing.I make them to break them. Is it my fault? Are my

resolutions just unattain-able? Are things like “eathealthier” and “read more”just too general to really diginto? Maybe that is my prob-lem – I often lack specificityin my resolutions. Well, not

today! I can be specific. This year, instead of saying“eat healthier,” I am going to say, “lay off the wholemilk” (this breaks my heart, because I find thatwhole milk and skim milk are not created equalwhen it comes to coffee, but my stomach just can’ttake the thickness of it anymore). Instead of “readmore,” I am going to say, “Read one book by a localauthor once a month” (Book Revue has that won-derful section, you see, and I think Huntington’sAlyson Richman is where I’ll start). Give it a try.Where will specificity get you?

And until next we meet again… I want tothank you all for your support of our family ofnewspapers in 2012! You are helping us keep WaltWhitman’s legacy alive, and that, my friends, is abeautiful thing. Please accept my best wishes for avery happy, healthy new year filled with prosperityand joy as you’re surrounded by your loved ones.2012 has most certainly not been without its com-plications (here in Huntington, between the Fourthof July boating accident and Superstorm Sandy,there was plenty to be sad about), but it alsoshowed the strength of humanity and people’s abili-ty to rise to the occasion. Here’s to a safer 2013.

(Aunt Rosie wants to hear from you! If you havecomments, ideas, or tips about what’s happening inyour neck of the woods, write to me today and let meknow the latest. To contact me, drop a line to AuntRosie, c/o The Long-Islander, 149 Main Street, Hunt-ington NY 11743. Or try the e-mail [email protected])

IN THEKNOWWITHAUNTROSIE

So Much For ArmageddonPOLICE REPORTCompiled byMike Koehler

Yes!… I want to subscribe toThe Half Hollow Hills Newspaper

NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

PHONE

E-MAIL

Mail to:Long-Islander Newspapers, LLC.

149 Main Street,Huntington, NY 11743

THE HALF HOLLOW HILLSNEWSPAPER

Check One:1 Year � . . . . . . $212 Years � . . . . . . $37

Senior Citizens:1 Year � . . . . $17.502 Years � . . . . . . $31

Please add $10 per subscription, per yearfor addresses off Long Island. Sorry, no refunds.

CREDIT CARD NO.

PaymentMethod � � �

� Check

expires

HALF HOLLOW HILLSNEWSPAPER

Send a photo of your pre-school age childor your favorite pet along with a briefanecdotal background and we’ll considerit for “Baby Faces” or “Pet Faces.” Forbabies, include baby’s full name, date ofbirth, hometown and names of parentsand grandparents. For pets, pleaseinclude the pet’s name, age, hometownand breed, if applicable. Send [email protected] or mail itto: Baby of the Week or Pet of the Week,c/o Long-Islander, 149 Main St.,Huntington, NY 11743. Please include adaytime phone number for verificationpurposes.

The year 2012 did not begin pleas-antly for customers of the Dix HillsWater District.Right after Christmas 2011, col-

iform bacteria contamination was dis-covered in a pair of water samplestaken on Dec. 27 and 28. According tostate law, no more than 5 percent ofsamples collected during any monthcan contain coliform bacteria. DixHills had a total of 6 percent, and re-peat samples for December exceededthe standard.While town officials insisted they

believed the water supply was alwayssafe and that the sampling procedurecaused the positive result, officials dis-infected the system using calciumhypochlorite and implemented a boilwater order, which was lifted NewYear’s Day. The water supply contin-

ued to be treated with chlorine untilthe water district regained a chlorina-tion waiver, which they held from the1950s to 2007 and from 2009 to theend of 2011.Following the incident, there was

plenty of agitation to go around in thewater district. Town officials an-nounced they would fire the vendorthat provided emergency robocallservices because efforts to alert DixHills Water customers of the situationwere thwarted by technical failures.Residents, including Sheila Saks, whoserves on the Dix Hills Water District’sCommunity Advisory Committee,blasted the town’s handling of the in-cident, calling it a “shameful, dis-graceful and unprofessional” failure ofoversight, communication and testing.Residents said they noticed a taste-

able difference in the water sincechlorination began again.

“The water is the same run of the

mill in the other districts. We used tobe the standout because we had a re-freshing taste,” House Beautiful co-President Joel Baden said at the meet-ing. “I would never say the water is un-palatable; it just doesn’t have thebrisk, fresh taste.”In May, the House Beautiful Civic

Association dedicated its annualmeeting to the Dix Hills Water system,a network of 17 wells which provide 33million gallons of water a day to34,350 people in 8,700 homes. At thatmeeting, engineers reinforced the be-lief that it was a “bad sample location”that resulted in the bacteria positive,and that state officials “took it to theextreme” in ordering the boil-waterorder. But Dennis Kelleher of H2Msaid that it would be a fight to get theno-chlorine waiver back.“My hopes are not high we’ll get the

waiver back,” he said, adding that DixHills and Greenlawn had been the on-

ly districts left with allowances to gowithout chlorine. “We think we’ll havea battle on our hands.”Following the communication fail-

ure, House Beautiful began its owncommunity alert system, and the townadopted the CodeRED engine to pow-er its Huntington Alert system.The town began using Emergency

Communications Network’s CodeREDsoftware Sept. 1, and an early test ofthe system to alert residents of aphone collections scam targeting DixHills residents went very well.To sign up for Huntington Alert,

visit http://huntingtonny.gov, click onthe Huntington Alert icon on thehome page and complete the sign-upform. If you don’t have Internet ac-cess, call 631-351-3044. If you are al-ready signed up for Huntington Alert,there’s no need to re-register, unlessyou want to change call options or addinformation.

www.LongIslanderNews.com THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 27, 2012 • A3Please mention The Long Islander Newspapers when doing business with our advertisers.

2012 YEAR IN REVIEW2012 YEAR IN REVIEW

CanonComing IntoFocusLargely seen as an infusion of jobs and

tax dollars, Canon’s international head-quarters in Melville is very close to open-ing for business.2012 saw major progress on the

668,296 square-foot facility, which in-cludes five stories of office buildings andtwo parking garages. Two separate, rec-tangular office buildings are connectedthrough narrow passages and a lobby,flanked by a parking garage on each end.The campus will serve as one of threeglobal headquarters for Canon and theheadquarters for Canon U.S.A.The groundbreaking ceremony oc-

curred in May 2010. Cement was pouredthat fall, and Canon officials tightened thenuts on the firstmetal beamduring a Jan-uary 2011 ceremony.But once the first beam was in place,

the project slid into the background as re-al construction got underway.The first bill County Executive Steve

Bellone signed came in January 2012 as adeal for Canon to be sewered. The agree-ment will permit the company to pay the$15 per gallon of discharge rate presentwhen Canon first bought the land for thefirst phase of the project, and the current$30 per gallon rate for the second phase.County officials boasted that the deal

would provide Suffolk $1,059,285 in rev-enue and not impact rates for residentsalready hooked up.

Four months later, the companyopened its doors to Long Islander News-papers as the first media tour since seri-ous construction began.At that point, nearly all of the structur-

al work was complete. Large glass win-dows had been installed throughout allfive floors and at least half of thewalls hadbeen drywalled.The basement was a one-story maze

of cinderblocks. When completed, itwill house a large data center, HVACequipment and electric substations con-verting power from two LIPA feeds forthe building.The first floor will house a print center,

showroom for various Canon devices,conference rooms, fitness center for em-ployees and cafeteria. The cafeteria willseat about 560 people and have a full, ac-tive kitchen on-premises.Employee workspaces will occupy from

the second floor up. Canon eschewed of-fices in favor of open workspaces withdesks for most employees. Each floorwould have a few offices in the corners ofeach floor. Furniture was expected to be-gin arriving in July and continue until thebuilding is operational.Both parking garages appeared to be

nearly complete. They will house a com-bined 1,600 parking spaces, as well as 12charging stations for electric cars. An ad-ditional 200 spaces will be available onground level for visitors.At the time, the surrounding grounds

were dirt and mud bearing the marks of

heavy construction vehicles. However,Canon officials confirmed landscapingwould be one of the final steps beforeopening. That includes trees, grass andshrubs around the building, a grassycourtyard in the center, ponds with fishout front and a tree-lined earthen bermalong the neighboring house lines.At the time, Canon officials continued

to say the building would be open in thefirst quarter of 2013. Many employeesfrom the Lake Success office would im-mediately make the move, although morewould be hired in the years beyond. Theyalso confirmed that plans allow for a fu-ture 200,000 square feet-extension couldbe added to the west end of the facility.As of Monday afternoon, Canon offi-

cials verified that 90 percent of construc-tion was complete.“We look forward to becoming a full-

time member of the Huntington commu-nity, and were it not for all of the supportwe have received from various levels ofgovernment and the community, thisproject simply would not have been pos-sible,” they said in a statement.The imaging giant also made head-

lines this fall when they asked the Townof Huntington for permission to buildwind turbines on the site. According to aproposed plan filed in July, they wouldhave erected three 35-foot turbines 50-10 feet from the northern property lineand eight 16-foot turbines atop thenorthern parking garage’s (25-30 feettall) northern wall. Canon pulled their

request in October.Company officials have since said they

will evaluate their next steps in theprocess.

DixHillsWater District Faces Bacteria Scare

Alarge amount of construction took placeat Canon’s new international and NorthAmerican headquarters in 2012. The cam-pus is expected to open for business earlynext year.

Where Is Dix Hills’ George Richardson?A Huntington Hospital executive

who disappeared this summer is stillmissing.Vice President of Development

George Richardson, of Dix Hills, wenton vacation with his family to Montaukin late August.In town for an extended weekend,

they checked in together at Hartman’sBriney Breezes Motel, located along At-lantic Ocean beaches.The trip went well during the first

three days, but when the family wentto check out on the fourth day, therewas no sign of Richardson, 50.East Hampton Town Police said the

man regularly went out for earlymorning walks before everyone elsewoke up. In fact, police said family

members last saw him around 1 a.m.Standing 5’6” at 150 pounds with

short gray hair, police said he waswearing glasses and an orange base-ball hat when he left for his walk.Police later referenced a missing

boogie board as a clue. The familybrought four, but only three returnedto Dix Hills.Police officials have not returned re-

peated requests for comment.

GeorgeRichardsonwent on vaca-tion to Montaukin August andnever returned.The investiga-tion is still on-going.

By Mike [email protected]



www.LongIslanderNews.comA4 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 27, 2012 Please mention The Long Islander Newspapers when doing business with our advertisers.

Tragedy On The WaterA traditionally high point of the sum-mer season became one of the year’s dark-est hours when a boat filled with Fourthof July revelers capsized in Oyster BayHarbor off of Lloyd Neck, killing threechildren on board.Twelve-year-old David Aureliano ofKings Park, his cousin, 11-year-old HarlieTreanor of Huntington Station, andHuntington’s Victoria Gaines, a familyfriend who was days away from turning 8years old, died in the tragedy.Nassau County Police Department In-spector Kenneth Lack said as many as 27adults and children were on the vesselwhen it capsized as they were returning toHuntington Harbor in heavy traffic aftera fireworks display at the Dolan family’sOyster Bay complex. The first calls re-porting the vessel had capsized betweenCenter Island and Lloyd Neck came inaround 10 p.m. July 4.All were thrown overboard except thethree children, who were in the cabin.Civilian good Samaritans hauled victimsinto their boats and to land for treatmentuntil rescue personnel arrived on thescene. Adults on the boat who werethrown overboard scrambled to free thethree children trapped in the cabin, as didprofessional divers.Lack said investigators considered fourmain factors in their investigation: thepossibility of vessel overcrowding, wakesthrown off by other boats in the crowdedchannel, the impact of a thunderstorm

that occurred shortly before the boat cap-sized, or mechanical failure.After the children were laid to rest, Vic-toria’s parents, Lisa and Paul Gaines, setout to strengthen local and state boatinglaws. At a state hearing Aug. 8, led byState Senator Carl Marcellino (R-Syos-set,) the Gaines family urged lawmakersto adopt “Victoria’s Law,” a package thatwould require occupancy limits to beposted on all pleasure boats; create a boatoperating license and security require-ments in congested waterways.“Please make this happen so we canmake our waterways safer so somethinglike this never happens again,” PaulGaines said after the hearing, chokingback tears as he and his wife tightlyclutched framed pictures of their daugh-ter in their hands. “I cannot stand thethought of the loss of my daughter’s lifebeing in vain.”Already, there has been movement tothat end. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumerhas taken up the challenge of reformingfederal law to require occupancy limits tobe posted on all pleasure boats, regardlessof size. At the local level, Legislators SteveStern (D-Dix Hills,) Lynne Nowick (R-Smithtown) and Thomas Barraga (R-West Islip) won passage of legislation thatrequires operators of pleasure vessels reg-istered in Suffolk County to have passed aboating safety course and have proof oftaking that course in their boat.After the legislation was signed inmid-October, Paul Gaines said the fami-ly has been working closely with StateSenators Charles Fuschillo (R-Merrick)

and Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) to require all stateboaters to earn a safety certificate beforeoperating a powerboat.Within six months of Fuschillo’s pro-posal being enacted, all boaters under 18would be required to have a boating safe-ty certificate. After a year, all boaters whowere not registered boat owners when thelaw became effective would be included,and after two years, all boaters would berequired to have a safety certificate. Writ-ten tests in lieu of classes would be offeredfor experienced boaters. Anybody seekingto register, re-register or have a boattransferred to them will also be requiredto have a boating safety certificate.In addition to seeking reforms to localand state laws, Lisa Gaines has immersedherself in charitable andmemorial efforts.

She is spearheading fundraising efforts tobuild a memorial playground at Washing-ton Primary School, with a fundraiser atNeraki in Huntington scheduled for Jan.27. During their Dec. 18 town boardmeet-ing, Huntington officials also gave the go-ahead to establish Victoria’s Garden,which will include a bronze statue andseveral plantings, at Heckscher Park’splayground. The mother was putting thefinishing touches on launching the Victo-ria’s Love Children’s Foundation, a chil-dren’s charity powered by the credo,“Turning Pain Into Promise.”“I am suffering so badly that I need todo something,” Lisa Gaines said earlierthis month. “I needed to make somethingpositive come from this horrible pain…Now I can help on a much larger scale tomake an impact.”

Lisa Gaines holds her head earlier this summer as she listens to testimony during a hearingabout boating safety. Her daughter, Victoria Gaines – her picture stands on the table – wasone of three children killed in a horrific Fourth of July boating disaster, along with 12-year-old David Aureliano and 11-year-old Harlie Treanor.


2012 YEAR IN REVIEW2012 YEAR IN REVIEWSuperstorm Sandy Rattles East CoastSuperstorm Sandy assaulted the eastern coastline onOct. 29, at her worst leaving up to 90 percent of Long Is-land Power Authority customers in the dark and withoutheat. Nearly two months later, some Huntington resi-dents are still grappling with the aftermath.Sandy tragically took the life of Lloyd Harbor residentand father JohnMiller, 39, whowas loading his family in-to his car to bring them to a neighbor’s home when a treefell, killing him on impact.Residents reported up to two weeks of power outages,with some out for nearly 20 days in the Dix Hills area.Communities island-wide slammed LIPA’s response tooutages, and CEO Michael Hervey resigned. GovernorAndrew Cuomo made an example of East Northport res-ident and former Director of Emergency ManagementSteven Kuhr, who was released of his duties after allega-tions he abused his authority by sending workers to re-move a tree from his property.While there were no other fatalities in the town, resi-dents were exposed to trying living conditions, faced withcold temperatures and a nor’easter on Nov. 7 that coveredfelled trees with snow. Town Hall, the Huntington Li-brary, Walt Whitman High School—which at the heightof the storm took in 160 residents as aRedCross shelter—and other community hubs transformed into multi-usecharging and warming stations for powerless residents.To add insult to injury, a gasoline shortage lasting ap-proximately three weeks further disturbed the sensationof normalcy residents yearned for after the storm. Gasstations in the areawere either completely devoid of gaso-line or had fuel but no electricity to pump it from the un-derground tanks. Gov. Cuomo implemented an odd/evengas rationing system, in which residents were assignedspecific days to wait on gas lines, for a one week periodthat ended Nov. 16.Public school districts in the Town of Huntington

closed up to eight days, and some for longer, in light of thestorm and the nor’easter. To make up for lost time, alleight districts in the town elected to cancel their Februarybreak to meet the required 180 days of instruction.Local businesses were also impacted by the disaster,and those with a stake in the food industry faced difficultchallenges. Many food shops lost their frozen productsand were forced to dispose of items that went bad, whileothers prepared for the storm and transported items outof the main freezer and created makeshift, generator-rundevices that kept food at safe temperatures. Other foodbusiness owners found creative ways to attract business,some turning to headlamps and gas stoves to make coffeeand simple meals to accommodate hungry customers.Some retail businesses said they experienced a huge lagin business the month after the storm. Earlier this monthBeltrami owner Ben Youdim said that business wasmuchslower than previous years, and began doubling seasonaldiscounts on items to attract shoppers. Just three weeks

later on Dec. 21, Youdim reported business was booming,so much so that one day they were unable to assist thehigh volume of customers that were pouring in the door.The Town of Huntington, however, was largely sparedthe same destruction seen in places like the Rockaways,Long Beach, and the Jersey Shore, where homes literallywashed away.Volunteers fromacross the country have tak-en up residence in these places to help continue to buildback parts of Long Island, New York and New Jersey.Tree debris can still be found littered on some streets inthe town. As of Dec. 18, Highway Superintendent BillNaughton said storm cleanup will continue to the end ofthe month. A process that Naughton hoped to completeby Dec. 21 has since been revised, as Naughton estimatesthe Town will collect over 500,000 cubic yards of debrisby the time pickup is complete. The superintendent saidhis office underestimated the amount of waste, and saiddebris was seven times greater than the mess caused byHurricane Irene.

Long gas lines and trees leaning on homes were common sights after Superstorm Sandy rocked Huntington on Oct. 29.



MID ATLANTICTREE SERVICE

Residential • CommercialLet Us Help You Clean Up From Hurricane Sandy

Damage FromHurricane Sandy

CALL US!

Direct Billing with Insurance when available

Licensed & InsuredReferences AvailableCall Us First516-519-2935757-897-TREE

• Tree Removal• Land Clearing• Stump Grinding

• Quality Workmanship• Pruning• Cranework

No JobToo BigOr Small

2012 YEAR IN REVIEW2012 YEAR IN REVIEWBAPS Land SwapNearing CompletionFor aproposal that has been in theworks

for over a decade, the land-swapping dealthat will bring Sweet Hollow Park tofruition and create 261 units of seniorhousing and aHindu temple to 18 acres onDeshon Drive in Melville made greatstrides in 2012.The Huntington Town Board got the

process started in March, when the ap-proved $1.325-million to buy the 8.3-acreMeyers Farm parcel, located near OldCountry and Round Swamp Roads, fromthe Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushot-tam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) sectof Hinduism, land they purchased in2003 to build a temple. However, civicleaders, the town and theBAPS later agreeto find an alternate site for the temple sothe Meyers Farm parcel could be pre-served as parkland.Then, in mid-June, the Huntington

Town Board approved a zone change fromI-1 Industrial to R3MGarden Apartmentson the 18-acre parcel in mid-June andtransferred 5 acres of development rightsfrom Meyers Farm to 25 Deshon Drive.That will permit the BAPS temple to bebuilt on 5 acres, while allowing DeshonPartners to construct The Club at Melvilleon the remaining 13 acres at full R3Mdensity, or 14.5 units per acre. TheMeyersFarm property, now stripped of develop-ment rights, becomes Sweet Hollow Park.Supporters of the proposal argued the

complex plan would accomplish threegoals – affordable housing for seniors,parkland for an underserved Melvilleneighborhood and a new home for a pa-tient religious institution.“This is a win,” said Alissa Taff, presi-

dent of the Civic Association of SweetHollow, in mid-May “We’re gaining af-fordable senior housing… and it will pre-serve 8.3 acres of very precious parklandin a very wise manner so it can be enjoyedby not only the Sweet Hollow area but allof Huntington.”But critics, most notably Councilman

Gene Cook, argued the plan would resultin transferring development rights pur-

chased by the town to a private developer,thereby subsidizing a developer with tax-payer dollars and allowing them to “down-zone” a portion of Melville.“I have so many issues with it,” he said

in May. “It’s not the right thing for Hunt-ington.”But now, the proposal appears to be in

the home stretch. Huntington’s PlanningBoard approved site plans for The Club atMelville during their Nov. 28meeting, set-ting the stage for a series of transactionsthat will result in the Town owning Mey-ers Farm and the BAPS owning 5 acres atDeshon Drive.The units will range in size from 900

to 1,200 square feet, with the majorityaround the 1,200 square-foot mark. Themost affordable units will cost about$212,000, while the middle tier is to beapproximately $318,000 and the top tier$365,000. Per a covenant attached tothe property, the units must remain af-fordable.Civic leaders and town officials joined

the BAPS in blessing the site of the newhouse of worship on Deshon Drive. An-thony Aloisio, the town’s planning direc-tor, said the BAPS are working on a finalplan. And Deshon Partners attorney Mor-ton Weber said he expects groundbreak-ing in the early spring.

Hundreds packed Town Hall in mid-May to weigh in on a zone change that would allow a proposed senior community on Deshon Drive inMelville, pictured in an aerial rendering, inset. The proposal also opens the door to a new temple for the BAPS and a town park at MeyersFarm.



2012 YEAR IN REVIEW2012 YEAR IN REVIEWAHero’s Home Is TransformedThe Huntington home of U.S. Marine Corps Cap-

tain James Byler, a Huntington High School grad whowas gravely wounded during the war in Afghanistan,transformed in the middle months of 2012, as a na-tional organization dedicated to making woundedwarriors’ homes handicapped-accessible worked theirmagic.Byler was nearly killed in October 2010 in the

Northern Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Whileleading his platoon patrol, he lost both legs and fin-gers on each hand after stepping on an IED.Building Homes For Heroes, Councilman Mark

Mayoka, town officials and the community officiallykicked off construction March 31 with a ground-breaking ceremony in bitterly cold, wet conditions.About five and a half months later, renovations,

powered by nearly $300,000 in cash and donations,were complete. This time, the sun was shining, andthe neighbors were back in force to welcome theyoung soldier, now 27, home.“We say to you, Captain James Byler: God bless you,

and welcome home!” his pastor, Rev. David Aldridgeof Huntington’s Central Presbyterian Church, saidSept. 15.

The goal was to create an atmosphere of serenity atthe home, and, as Congressman Steve Israel said, par-aphrasing former British Prime Minister LloydGeorge, make Huntington a fit place for heroes tocome home to. But as the community unveiled theirsign of immense gratitude to Byler, he returned the

favor in equal measure.“I’m a product of you. I’m a product of my commu-

nity,” he said. “Thank you for raising me, thank you forwelcoming me home, and thank you for continuing tobe the wonderful people you are. It is a beautiful life– I am lucky. It’s a wonderful life.”


U.S. Marine Corps Captain James Byler, his mother, Janet, dad, Phil, and Col. Willy Buhl stand at attention during a parademinutes before his home, overhauled by volunteers led by Building Homes For Heroes, is dedicated Sept. 15.

Target Takes Over Undeveloped Lowe’s LandRetail chain pays $33.25 million for 18 acres

Residents found out this year that aTarget store is in the works for JerichoTurnpike at the site of the former Hunt-ington Townhouse.Lowe’s Home Improvements spent

$35 million to purchase the formerHuntington Townhouse. After investingtwo years and untold moneys razing thebuilding and preparing the site, the cor-poration pulled the plug in 2012.Lowe’s sold the 18-acre property on

East Jericho Turnpike to Target this fall.Suffolk County records show Target paid$33.25 million, which included$133,000 in county taxes.Lowe’s stopped construction on Oct.

26, 2011 after a study completed earlierthat month prompted corporate to aban-

don several proposed stores. Targetclosed on the land in late September andLowe’s contractor, Racanelli Construc-tion Group, vacated in early October.The home improvement chain pur-

chased the land in June 2008 with inten-tions of demolishing the 148,000 square-foot Townhouse to make way for a103,000 square-foot store and 26,500square-foot garden center.Demolition crews razed the catering

hall installed retaining walls, completedenvironmental cleanup and partially lev-eled the ground last summer before thehome improvement chain killed the proj-ect last year. The store had previouslybeen scheduled to open in 2012 and cre-ate 125 new jobs.Target’s plans were being reviewed the

town’s Planning Department.Lowe’s sold this 18 acres of Huntington Station land to Target for $33.25 million, almost $2million less what they paid for it before razing the Huntington Townhouse and leveling theground.


Huntington Lighthouse Celebrates CentennialIn May, Huntington Lighthouse

Preservation Society President PamSetchell said, “It’s going to be a goodyear.” And right she was.The Lighthouse turned 100 this year

on June 16 and the organization cele-brated the centennial with a bash on theharbor. In September, they continued theparty with their biggest-ever LighthouseMusic Fest on Labor Day weekend, andkicked off the holidays with their thirdannual lighted boat parade in Hunting-ton Harbor.Each event contributes to ensuring the

lighthouse remains standing tall foryears to come, because the dollars raisedget the lighthouse ever closer to a majormilestone. The preservation societykicked off the year with great news fromNew York State in May, learning they

would be eligible for a $250,000 match-ing grant from the Department of Parksand Historic Preservation. If they wereable to raise $250,000 within a certainperiod of time, they’d receive the samefrom the state.So far, they’re off to a great start,

pulling in about $100,000 of the quar-ter-million target by year’s end, and theyhave about a year left before theirfundraising deadline. Once they reachtheir target, the combined funds are to bededicated to repairing the lighthouse’sailing riprap, the large granite boulderswhich protect the beacon’s foundation.If you’re still wondering how to cele-

brate the century mark for a lighthouse,Setchell has an idea – for 2,500 closefriends to send $100 to the HuntingtonLighthouse Preservation Society. Thatalone, she explains, would cover theterms of the grant and ensure the riprapis repaired.

Save Huntington’s Lighthouse Founder Janis Harrington embraces Pam Setchell, presidentof what became the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society, June 16, during the bea-con’s 100th anniversary celebration.


www.LongIslanderNews.com THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 27, 2012 •A7Please mention The Long Islander Newspapers when doing business with our advertisers.

DA: Boyfriend Pulled Fast OneOnCopsSay he begged Sophia Anderson to take DWI blame after he drove through house

After a red Mercedes-Benz convert-ible dragging a 30-foot tree and a lamp-post crashed through the Huntingtonhome of two sisters in their 90s, Brook-lyn’s Sophia Anderson was arrested May28, accused of drunk driving.But on Sept. 19, prosecutors shiftedthe blame for the spectacular, destruc-tive crash to her ex-boyfriend, settingthe stage for one of the most bizarrecriminal cases of the year.Following an independent investiga-tion by the Suffolk County DA’s office,prosecutors indicted Anderson’s then-boyfriend Daniel Sajewski, and accusedhim of driving through the house andconvincing Anderson to lie to cops andsay she was the driver. DWI chargesagainst Anderson were dropped, but shestill faced prosecution, accused of lyingto police.“The defendant said to Sophia An-

derson, ‘You have to do this for me. Youhave to say you were driving. I can’t af-ford to get into any more trouble,’” Dis-trict Attorney Thomas Spota said at thetime. “The defendant’s worries and con-cerns… that particular evening that hecouldn’t afford to get into any moretrouble turned out to be just the oppo-site.”

Before the crash, Spota said, Ander-son, Sajewski and friends were drinkingheavily and using cocaine at Sajewski’sparents’ home until 4 a.m., when they

ran out of beer. The crash happenedwhen the couple was on the way backfrom the Halesite 7-Eleven with morebeer, Spota said. Sajewski allegedly

pleaded with Anderson to tell police shedrove the red convertible, top-down,through the home of 96-year-old HelenIndiere and her 94-year-old sister, Vir-ginia Bennert.In the days following the crash, An-derson’s attorney urged prosecutors totake another look. When Indiere ques-tioned Sajewski as to who was driving,Spota said he pointed at Anderson. Butduring the independent probe, prosecu-tors said the story that Anderson wasthe driver quickly unraveled, thanks tophysical evidence, medical examina-tions at Huntington Hospital, eyewit-ness account and DNA samples.About 10 days after the accident,Sajewski and Anderson were in Brook-lyn with friends, and the friends saidSajewski admitted to driving. Everytime the two met, Sajewski would friskAnderson for recording devices and takethe batteries out of her cell phone, Spotaalleged.Anderson was indicted on charges ofobstructing governmental administra-tion and conspiracy, both misde-meanors. She is cooperating with theDA’s office and has agreed to testifyagainst Sajewski, Spota said. She alsomoved back in with her parents, her at-torney, John Loturco said, got a new joband entered treatment for alcoholabuse.

The drunken car crash that destroyed this Huntingtonhome in mid-May took a surprise twist in September when cops arrested Daniel Sajewski,inset left, accusing him of convincing his girlfriend, Sophia Anderson, inset right, lie tocops.


Photo

bySteve

Silverman




David Deutsch, ‘AMND’ InspirationDavid Deutsch, a Northport-EastNorthport School District biology teacherwho, after being diagnosed with ALS-LouGehrig’s Disease, became an inspirationalfigure in the fight against the disease,died Jan. 25. He was 43.Deutsch gave up teaching in February2005, but about a year before that, agroup of Northport High School studentsorganized Hoops for ALS, a basketballtournament that raised $25,000 for re-search. Students later expanded theirfundraising efforts and created nonprofitA Midwinter Night’s Dream (AMND).They held their first gala at Oheka Castlein January 2005. Since then, the charityhas raised more than $2.5 million.“He was the foundation of AMND. Thestudents still visited him every year.There’s an outpouring of support. Therewere thousands of students Davidtouched,” said Don Strasser, the North-port High School Chemistry teacher whoalso serves as the nonprofit’s CEO.“Everyone always tells you not to ‘sweatthe small stuff,’ but the largest lesson Ilearned from Dave was to remember notto ignore the small stuff. To pay attentionto the details of life and more important-ly, to appreciate them,” Alyssa Knudsen,AMND’s director of social media, added.

Garrett Hall, Save-OnHardware Manager

Garrett J. Hall, the longtime managerof Huntington’s Save-OnHardware and amajor figure in the Huntington ManorFire Department, died Jan. 26 at homewith his family by his side. He was 77.Born in Brooklyn, he was raised andeducated there before moving to Mineo-la. He later moved to Huntington, wherehe was the manager of Save-On Hard-ware for more than 40 years. He workedwith his father-in-law, Harry Bifulco,who owned the store for more than 50years.Hall, known by friends as Garry, joinedthe Mineola Fire Department as a youngman. When he moved to Huntington, hejoined the Huntington Manor Fire De-partment, andwas an active, proudmem-ber for 45 years. He was their treasure formore than 30 years and a member ofHose Company No. 1.

Adam Pomper,St. Anthony’s

GradAdam Pomper,a 2011 St. Antho-ny’s High Schoolgraduate andlacrosse player atLoyola UniversityMaryland, died

suddenly on June 12. He was just 18.“Adam was a kind a generous soul whodespite his short years had a wisdom thatonly adults can have,” said Brother GaryCregan, principal of the Catholic highschool in South Huntington.The Huntington native played lacrossefor the Friars and was an attackman onthe Loyola men’s lacrosse team.

Noel Mohammed, BelovedMail Carrier

Every Saturday morning, Huntington’sNoel Mohammed would visit Pulitzer &Panetta Cre-ative Studio onGibson Avenueon his mail de-livery route.Usually hewould drop offthe mail duringa teenagers artgroup, and overtime, the girlsdeveloped whatbecame a tradi-tional greetingfor him.“Every Satur-day, he’d come in, and they’d sing him the‘Blue’s Clues’ mail song,” studio co-direc-tor Susan Panetta said.The Saturday morning ritual andmany other similar routines along hisHuntington mail route came to a violentend in the early morning hours of June16 when Mohammed, 44, was stabbed todeath. His stepson, Matthew Hubrins, isthe accused killer.Describing his slain brother as a “gen-tleman” and a “man of God,” his brother,Chad, said Noel was a minister and elderat Visions Torches of Life Ministry inWyandanch, the community in which hegrew up. In addition to his spiritual devo-tion, Noel was an “insanely huge baseballfan” who also played the sport.Huntington Postmaster Patricia Biful-co remembered Mohammed, whoworked as a mail carrier for 18 years, as agreat guy who always went the extra mile,was always smiling and always had a kindword for whomever he encountered.

Vaughan Spilsbury,Community Advocate

In the midst ofthe Great Depres-sion, VaughanSpilsbury’s parentscared for the needystricken by theGreat Depressionwhen they knockedon their door. Itwas a lesson, herfamily and friendssaid, that she car-ried throughoutthe rest of her life,and by doing so, in-

spired others to follow her lead.Spilsbury, of Huntington Bay, died July2. She was 82.She was on the board of directors for 47years at the Family Service League andserved in nearly every available role. Sheand her family were deeply involved withSt. John’s Church in Huntington, andSpilsbury was a founding member of theTownwide Fund of Huntington, an early

figure in Leadership Huntington, and in-volved with the Huntington Choral Soci-ety, Huntington Interfaith Homeless Ini-tiative and countless other organizations.She was also elected to the HuntingtonBay Village Board as a trustee and later,the mayor.“My cousin said, ‘Vaughan was the epit-ome of a great mother and a fabulouscommunity leader,’” her son, Ford Spils-bury, said after her death. “She was onewho believed that her home was open toall and that she would do whatever shecould to make people’s lives better priorto meeting her.”

John McCuskerJohn McCusker, a longtime Hunting-ton Bay resident who built a presence inboth the financial and philanthropicworlds of Long Island, died July 5 at theage of 73.McCusker built a successful financialcareer and devoted himself to communi-ty service and his family in Huntington.In 1968, they moved to Huntingtonwhere together they started a family andbecame deeply involved in the communi-ty. In 1975, he began to earnestly pursue alifelong commitment to community serv-ice when he joined the Family serviceLeague Suffolk County board and laterbecame treasurer. In 1979, McCuskerjoined the board of Huntington Hospital,where he was an active member for therest of his life and chaired the board from1990-1993.McCusker was also elected to servethree terms on the Huntington Bay Vil-lage Board, where he earned respect forhis gentlemanly ways, fairness and finan-cial acumen.

Arthur Goldstein, Veteran AttorneyHuntington’s Arthur Goldstein becamea community fixture, and not justthrough his expertise in the courtroom.Friends recall a man who exuded kind-ness, class and civility, which he parlayedinto philanthropy and community ac-tivism with a focus on the underserved.Goldstein, of Huntington, died Aug.20. He was 79.After becoming the Town Attorney in1968, he went into private practice in1970 on West Carver Street in Hunting-ton. Remembering his father as a vision-ary, Ron recalled how Arthur joined twoothermen and launched the Gurwin Jew-ish Rehabilitation Center in Commack,which has grown to serve hundreds ofresidents. Later, he was instrumental inhelping secure funding to launch theDolan Family Health Center.“He didn’t just didn’t sit back and letother people do it,” Ron said. “He was onthe forefront of doing things.”

John “Jay” Walsh,Hospice House Pioneer

John “Jay” Walsh, a longtime North-port attorney and Greenlawn residentwho was instrumental in the creation ofthe Visiting Nurse Service HospiceHouse, died July 31. He was 78.Born on Main Street in Northport inJanuary 1934, Walsh moved to Green-lawn in the mid-1960s, his son-in-lawJohn Rieger said. Focusing on real estatelaw, he built a successful law practice inhis boyhood hometown of Northport andpracticed law for 30 years. His familyagreed his crowning achievement in com-

munity service was bringing the VisitingNurse Services Hospice House in EastNorthport, the first free-standing hospiceoutside a hospital, to fruition.He was an active, sober member of Al-coholics Anonymous for nearly 41 yearswho reached out to recovering alcoholicsfrom all walks of life, became an EMTwith the Greenlawn Fire Department atage 70 and was the athletic booster-in-chief for his 10 grandchildren.

Jim Conte, Huntington StationAssemblyman

Assemblyman Jim Conte, who repre-sented Huntington Station in the NewYork State Assembly for nearly a quartercentury, died Oct. 16 at Mt. Sinai Hospi-tal in Manhattan after battling T-celllymphoma. He was 53 years old.“He was just a tremendous advocate forhis constituents,” Huntington GOP chairToni Tepe, whom Conte succeeded in theNew York Assembly in 1988. “He was atrue family man and a friend to all whoknew him.”A lifetime resident of Huntington Sta-tion, Conte was a Huntington HighSchool graduate who later earned hisbachelor’s degree from SUNY StonyBrook in economics and political science.He interned with then-State SenatorJames Lack in the mid-1980s beforeworking with Senator Martin Knorr,then-Assemblywoman Rettaliata-Tepeand Suffolk County, as a liaison betweenthe county and state.Conte won a special election in March1988 to complete Tepe’s term after shewas elected Supervisor. But during thatcampaign, Conte fell ill and was hospital-ized with a kidney ailment; his first trans-plant followed the next year. What thepublic did not learn at the time, his broth-er said, is how grave his condition was,but he bounced back, survived the healthscare and won the election.During his life, Conte, who receivedtwo kidney transplants, was one of theleading advocates for organ and tissuedonation programs. He authored sever-al laws to promote increased organ do-nation in the state and helped create aGift of Life Trust Fund and a statewideorgan donor registry. Governor GeorgePataki appointed him in 1997 to serve onthe New York State Transplant Council,and Conte also served on the boards ofseveral not-for-profits promoting organdonation.“Above all else, Jimwill be rememberedfor his kindness and genuine concern forthe well-being of others, and with hispassing, our state has lost a true publicservant and a man of integrity and char-acter,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

In Memoriam

David Deutsch, with students at the charitygala his battle against ALS helped inspireeight years ago.

Adam Pomper

Noel Mohammed

Vaughan Spilsbury

Jim Conte

PERSON

of theYear

BBuussiinneessssmmaann aanndd CCoommmmuunniittyy AAddvvooccaatteeMMMMiiiikkkkeeee DDDDeeeeLLLLuuuuiiiisssseeee

LI 2 • DECEMBER 27, 2012 • LONG ISLANDER LIFE

CCeelleebbrraattiinngg AA MMaarrkkeettiinngg WWiizzaarrdd

The official newspaper of the Town of Huntington; Half Hollow HillsSchool District; Harborfields Public Library District; South

Huntington Water District; Cold Spring Harbor School District;Greenlawn Water District; South Huntington School District; Villageof Lloyd Harbor; nd the Centerport, Cold Spring Harbor, Dix Hills,

East Northport, Greenlawn, Halesite, Huntington, Huntington Manorand Melville Fire Districts.

Copyright © 2012 by Long Islander Newspapers, publishers of The Long-Islander, The Record andHalf Hollow Hills Newspaper. Each issue of the The Long-Islander and all contents thereof arecopyrighted by Long Islander, LLC. None of the contents or articles may be reproduced in anyforum or medium without the advance express written permission of the publisher. Infringementhereof is a violation of the Copyright laws.

149 Main Street, Huntington, New York 11743

631.427.7000newspapers

Luann DallojaconoEditor

Mike KoehlerDanny Schrafel

Jacqueline BirzonReporters

Ian BlancoDan ConroyProduction/

Art Department

Marnie OrtizOffice / LegalsSusan Mandel

Advertising DirectorLarry StahlMichele Caro

Account Executives

Michael SchenklerPublisher

Peter SloggattAssociate Publisher/Managing Editor

Mike DeLuise has made a ca-reer of promoting others. It’s timewe turned the tables.The business community

knows Mike well for his activerole as president of the MelvilleChamber of Commerce. At thechamber, he is known for his con-stant attention to members andthe economic health of the busi-ness community. He brought a career’s worth of

experience to the Melville Cham-ber, having previously worked inmarketing and development posi-tions in higher education and be-fore that as a partner in an adver-tising and marketing firm.Join us in this tribute to Mike –

Long Islander Newspapers’ Personof the Year and the subject of ourcover story in Long Islander LIfe,a monthly section included as asupplement to our community-based weekly newspapers: TheLong-Islander, The Record and theHalf Hollow Hills Newspaper.

www.h2m.com

H2M congratulates Mike DeLuise onbeing named “Person of the Year”!

celebrating 80 years of building communities

being named “Patulates Mik

Ye DeLuise on

164 Main Street, Huntington, NY 11743

To learn more about your Chamber of Commerce, call 631-423-6100 or go to

www.HuntingtonChamber.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FRIEND

MIKE DE LUISELONG ISLANDER NEWSPAPERS’PERSON OF THE YEAR - 2012

LONG ISLANDER LIFE • DECEMBER 27, 2012 • LI 3

If he had followed his first passion inlife, you probably wouldn’t be callingMike DeLuise “chairman.” You might begreeting him as “Father.”“All my young years, I thought I was go-

ing to be a priest,” he said.Born in Brooklyn in 1950, DeLuise was

educated in the Catholic school system.From an early age, he was determined tomake a difference in some way.DeLuise studied at the Cathedral

Preparatory Seminary in Brooklyn, knowninformally as “Cathedral College,” forthree years before deciding the priesthoodwas not for him. Ultimately, he earned hisundergraduate degree at New York Uni-versity, graduating in January 1971.“[It] was a completely different world,

but it was cool,” he said. “I was going toNYU in the end of the 1960s… Therewere the demonstrations, the Weathermenwere blowing up buildings. It was livingthrough history.”At NYU, he took odd jobs to pay the

bills, driving a truck for a drycleaner,working for a printer and the like. During

his junior year at NYU,while he was attempting tomap out his future – and naildown one job – he took apart-time gig in 1970 withThe Blaine ThompsonAgency, a firm that handledpromotions for Broadwayproductions. When he grad-uated a year later, he took afull-time job with theagency and put in the hardwork to blaze his own path.“I was a young guy, and I

would do anything,” he said.“So they gave me the ac-counts nobody else want-ed… The accounts that I gotwere the NewYork Philhar-monic, the Joffrey Ballet,the American Museum of Natural Historyand a lot of the off-Broadway shows.”With hard work to prove his worth at the

vaunted agency, DeLuise began to see re-sults. The accounts that nobody wantedproved to be diamonds in the rough, andsowed the seeds to build his network.“What happens to an off-Broadway

show? A producer does an off-Broadway

show, and he ends up be-coming a Broadway produc-er,” DeLuise explains.“Within a few years, I had –and they just handed me allthis stuff – I started to de-velop relationships with allthese people.”Among those accounts

was Ticketron. As he pre-pared to work on the ac-count, another of his trade-mark behavioral traits sethimself up very well for anew opportunity.“I went in and said, ‘Tell

me all about it,’” he said. “Itreally wasn’t a computer-ized ticketing company – itwas made to look that way.

They said, ‘Nah, you don’t understand.The technology’s not there – it’s not goingto work.’”Shortly thereafter, he met leaders of the

Shubert Organization, and DeLuise set outto craft a truly computerized ticketing pro-gram. He originally planned to sell it to theLeague of New York Theaters, but whenthey passed on it, Bernie Jacobs, president

of the Shubert Organization at the time,tasked DeLuise with the job.DeLuise quit Blaine Thompson to start

his own firm, DeLuise, Hirschman & Hol-ley, in 1976. While providing marketingservices for his clients, he also spent thenext two years developing the ShubertTicketing System. The idea was to make itfaster to sell tickets, but easier, cleaner andsimpler to track. The company is now anationwide network, and sold nearly 12million tickets, totaling over $1 billion, in2006.“It was so much easier to buy a ticket,”

he said. “We cut out scalping… It basical-ly took the ability to steal away, and itworked very well.”By the mid-1980s, though, DeLuise was

looking for a new adventure in his career.At the time, he was working with DavidMerrick, the producer of Broadway’s“42nd Street.”“He was a very difficult guy to work

with. He had a lot of emotional problems.A brilliant man,” he said. “But he was avery big client, and the responsibility ofchasing him and all his craziness, we fi-nally couldn’t put up with anymore andgot out of the business.”

As a young man, MikeDeLuise, in an undated pho-tograph, studied for thepriesthood for three years atthe Cathedral PreparatorySeminary in Brooklyn.

Vision In His Early Career MovesBy Danny [email protected]

After stepping away from entertainmentmarketing in the mid-1980s, MikeDeLuise was trying to figure out his nextstep when he was offered a job as directorof Public Relations for Hofstra University.He took the job, but admitted he expectedit to be a transitional period at the time.“I was an entertainment person. I had

this inflated ego about the things I did. Itwas very showy,” he said. “I said, ‘I’m justgoing to do this for a while.’”“A while” turned out be nearly two

decades leading the public relations de-partment at Hofstra University. In 1990, hewas elevated to assistant vice president,and in 1999 a vice president after leavingthe University for a year and a half. Later,he completed his career in higher educa-tion with a six-year stint as the vice presi-dent for Development and ExternalAffairsat Dowling College.“It was the best job I ever had,” he said

of Hofstra University.DeLuise said he hit it off quickly with

then-President James Shuart, who, besidesbeing a college president, was “a brilliantguy when it came to marketing – the wayI thought of marketing.”“No matter what you call it, you need a

holistic approach. It’s not just the ad youput in the paper or your logo… It’s a cul-ture that goes right to the core of an or-ganization,” he said.To that end, under DeLuise’s direction,

the university took efforts to revitalizecampus culture with weekend activities,the Hofstra Pride marketing campaign andselective placement of published adver-tisements. The campus replaced chain-linkfencing around its Uniondale campus withestate fencing to make the property moreinviting and attractive. Hofstra was one ofthe first universities to partner with MTV,and C-SPAN left the halls of Congress forthe first time to cover a Presidential con-ference at Hofstra.It was not just good for the students, but

good business sense, DeLuise explained.“What we realized at the college was,

we were crazy if we didn’t worry about re-taining our students and keeping thedropout rate as low as you can and thetransfer rate as low as you can,” he ex-plained. “If you’re going to my college –for me to get someone like you is very ex-pensive. To keep you happy is not that ex-pensive.”Amidst his public relations career, he al-

so made time to advise a sorority.Anita El-lis, now the director of Off-Campus Livingand Commuter Student Services at Hofs-tra, met DeLuise in 1986 right after hestarted his new job.“I’ll never forget his first office. It was

in the basement of Weller. Mike DeLuisewas one of those people that really reachedout to students,” she said. “He made an ef-fort to get to know students, and that’swhen I decided he should be someone thatneeds to get involved with my sorority.”DeLuise came to the late-night meetings

with cookies baked by his daughters. Ellisand DeLuise have been friends ever since,and DeLuise said that’s been the case with

about 70 to 80 of the ladies he met advis-ing the sorority.“A lot of them, over the years, besides

going to their weddings or meeting theirkids when they are born, I helped them ca-reer-wise by giving a little bit of advice,”he said. “And in return, as I get to be anolder man, they give me the advice that Ineed. It’s a win-win for everybody.”During his tenure, the campus also

gained international attention for its seriesof Presidential conferences. Previously,Hofstra had focused on FDR, Harry Tru-man and Dwight D. Eisenhower, but theHofstra series continued to living presi-dents, including Richard Nixon, GeraldFord, Ronald Reagan, George Bush andBill Clinton.It was a magical time for history buffs,

all pulled together on a shoestring budget.“The conferences we did then – it was a

different time. Now, very often, if you doone of those things, everybody who’s aspeaker wants to get paid or whatever,”DeLuise said. “We almost had no budgetto do our conferences at Hofstra, and theygot international publicity.”

Other heads of state made their mark onthe Hofstra stage as well. Baroness Mar-garet Thatcher’s record as British PrimeMinister was examined during a confer-ence in 2000, and was highlighted by a de-bate with Congressman Peter King on thetopic of Northern Ireland.“We called Peter King and said, ‘We’re

doing this conference. Would you like todo it?’ He said, ‘What do you mean? I’mnot a fan.’ I said, ‘How would you like tobe on a panel with Margaret Thatcher andtalk about Northern Ireland?’” DeLuise re-called.While recording history, the series made

some of its own, too – for Watergate buffsand students alike.“For the Nixon conference, H.R. Halde-

man and John Erlichman hadn’t seen eachother in years. This was the first time theywere coming together, and everybodywanted to interview them,” DeLuise said.“We worked it out so the only interviewswere being done by students, so the Timemagazine reporter had to watch the stu-dents interview Erlichman. It was great forthe students, and we never lost focus onour real job.”

DeLuise, with former British Prime MinisterBaroness Margaret Thatcher, in 2000.

Presidents And Pride Bloom At HofstraBy Danny [email protected]

Hofstra University’s series of Presidential Conferences brought many living former headsof state to the college campus, including Bill and Hillary Clinton in 2005, pictured with MikeDeLuise

As its president, Mike DeLuise is theface of the Melville Chamber of Com-merce. But he’s also a familiar face inHuntington Station.DeLuise is a member of the Huntington

StationAction Coalition NOW, a communi-ty-based organization to improve and pro-mote the beleaguered neighborhood.“It’s everyone from people who work for

the town to people who work in communityservice. You’re dealing with real estate,you’re dealing with community groups,you’re dealing with police. You’re dealingwith everyone who has an investment in thecommunity,” he said.Making progress one step at a time,

DeLuise expects Huntington Station willemerge as a culturally diverse, well-edu-cated and business-friendly community.When Huntington Supervisor Frank

Petrone formed the coalition in 2011, hetapped DeLuise and town spokesman A.J.Carter to chair the Coalition AwarenessCommittee.“He has a good pulse not only on people,

but on how to get things done,” Petrone saidof DeLuise.Both the supervisor and his spokesman

raved about DeLuise’s extensive back-ground in communications and public rela-

tions. He began as an account executivemanaging advertising for museums, theaterand musicians, and spent nine years as pres-ident of his own marketing firm, 17 yearssupervising communications at HofstraUniversity and six years overseeing com-munications at Dowling College. While atHofstra, he helped launch the Chamber in2001.“I think the chamber is fortunate to have

him and the Town of Huntington is fortunateto have Mike,” Petrone said.Carter said their job with Action NOW is

both to keep the 130 people involved withall nine subcommittees up to date and to letthe public know what the neighborhood hasto offer.“One of the missions of theAction Coali-

tion is not only to do good things, but to tellpeople about it,” the town spokesman said.DeLuise described the job as sharing “the

good news of what’s going on with every-one in the community.”Emphasizing the grassroots level, their

subcommittee has looked into creating pre-sentationsAction NOW can display at com-munity gatherings, a video “travelogue”showing off the best parts of HuntingtonStation and a virally disseminated video fea-turing community members singing differ-ent parts of the same song.Carter said he and his co-chair talk fre-

quently, although Superstorm Sandy im-

pacted their monthly subcommitteemeetings.Sandy also delayed their latest efforts.

The brainchild of DeLuise, Action NOW islooking to begin tours of Huntington Sta-tion. These tours, DeLuise said, show offthe different facets of the neighborhoodand its potential. They were originally slat-ed to start this fall; they should now beginthis spring.“What we’re hoping to do in the com-

munity are tours of Huntington Station toshow you what it was like and what it’s likenow and what it will be in the future,”DeLuise said.The chamber president has also used

Huntington Station for his chamber busi-ness, Carter said, including having meetingsin the neighboring community.“It helps me as the president of the

Melville Chamber if Huntington Stationdoes well,” DeLuise said.

DeLuise: Station Makes Chamber StrongerBy Mike [email protected]


Mike DeLuise’s role in the MelvilleChamber of Commerce started with alunch meeting about traffic on Route 110.That meeting set the stage for an organiza-tion entering its 12th year advocating forMelville and its neighboring communities.Back in the early 2000s, Jim Tsunis Sr.’s

Nickel’s restaurant was hurting, as wasneighboring Cirella’s, DeLuise explained,because the traffic on 110 was such that ittook too long to get there. They first met atNickel’s, then headed down to the SweetHollow Diner to discuss the problem.“Whenever we had lunch, he always had

some kind of an idea,” DeLuise said. “Heowned Nickel’s, which is now the Rose-wood Inn. He said, ‘Look at the traffic on110. What can we do to take care of this?’He thought I would call somebody, and hehad this plan of how you could rework thetraffic.”At first, he did, and reached out to the

Huntington Township Chamber of Com-merce. At the time, the Huntington Cham-ber, then led by Dennis Sneden, was in aperiod with its sights set on becoming anislandwide business partnership.“So we started calling around.We called

Albany, told them the story and said, ‘Whatdo we do?’” DeLuise recalled.The suggestion came fromAlbany – start

your own chamber because nobody’s cov-ering that area anyway. DeLuise recalledbeing told that he was “crazy” to take onsuch a thing. But Huntington SupervisorFrank Petrone, who first met DeLuise inthe mid-1990s through Hofstra University,saw an immediate synergy and a need.“I was looking to build the 110 corridor,”

Petrone said. “There was an immediatematch. I saw an immediate need for thechamber. He founded the chamber, and hebuilt it.”

Ted Macaluso, one of the original mem-bers of the Melville Chamber and the or-ganization’s executive director, said theiroriginal goal was to have a presence forbusinesses of all sizes.“It slowly came to fruition over those

first couple of years, and thanks to Mike’shelp, sitting at a diner with a bunch of peo-ple and getting this word out that we needsomething here as a presence, kind ofkicked it off there,” Macaluso said.

“The whole idea was to get some of thatconstruction down on 110 started,”DeLuise said. “It took a long time. Wemight have helped initiate it, but that wasthe reason.”Along the way, they had a hand in some

major regional accomplishments, like the re-opening of the RepublicAirport train stationand the repeal of the MTA commuter tax.“My feeling is as a team, we might be at

the beginning of it, but we stayed back and

let everybody else take the credit,”DeLuise said.By staying volunteer-driven and nonpar-

tisan, the Melville Chamber can be the“loud voice and the squeaky wheel” with-out fear of reprisal.“By being a volunteer, I don’t have any

elected official I owe my soul to,” he said.‘I don’t have any company that says, ‘Ifyou don’t do this…’”Now, the chamber has set its sights on

improving north-south transportationalong the 110 corridor, an effort in whichthey are teaming with Petrone and BabylonSupervisor Richard Schaffer.“We want to do more,” he said.Members, like attorney Leslie Tayne,

whose law firm has been part of thechamber for about a year, said DeLuise’sinterest in each member’s business is amajor draw.“He made time to come meet with me,

talk to me, learn what the business’ goalsare. He took the time to come here andlearn about the business and me as this per-son in the community,” she said.“When we had our official grand open-

ing in this office, Mike attended,” addedCraig Levy, of Community National Bank.“Basically, anything he could do to help,he’s the first one to help.”DeLuise also has a knack for pulling

people together who can benefit fromknowing each other.“From the first time I met him, he was

fascinating. Mike is just one of those peo-ple – there’s no one he doesn’t know,” PaulAnthony, the sales manager forWALK Ra-dio, said. “He’s a networking guru… withMike, it’s not six degrees of separation. It’susually one or two.”His attention and thoughtful approach

has helped develop deep affection for thelongtime chairman.“I think the world of Mike. It’s an honor

to know him,” Levy said.

Melville Chamber President Mike DeLuise, left asks former Suffolk County Economic Devel-opment Commissioner Yves Michel a question during a meeting in 2011. Sitting next to himis Melville Chamber Director Ted Macaluso and Chairman Mark Catapano; DeLuise andMacaluso go back to the formation of the Chamber.

Bringing About The Birth Of A ChamberBy Danny [email protected]

Mike, Congratulations ona Job Well Done

Jerome Hehir, CPATreasurer, Melville Chamber Of Commerce


CongratulationsMike

On Being Named2012

“PersonOf

The Year”The honor is

certainly well deserved!

David Gustin

Mike DeluiseLong Islander Newspapers

Person Of The Yearfor 2012

NY metro’s fastest growingcommercial community bank!

Community National Bankcongratulates

It is difficult to describe a man who hasgenuinely and selflessly devoted his life tothe betterment of others. Those who knowhim well describe Mike DeLuise – hus-band, father, friend and mentor – as astrong, creative, hardworking and compas-sionate individual whose positive approachto life set the stage for a lifetime ofachievements through implementingchange.

His wife,Victoria, describes her husbandas someone who talks the talk and walksthe walk. After 41 years of marriage, shesaid her husband is someone who contin-ues to evolve and grow as a person.

“He’s always evolving,” she said. “He’snot someone who stays set in their ways.He’s always coming up with new ideas,trying new things and going outside of hiscomfort zone.”

She described DeLuise’s passion forphotography as one of his main creativeoutlets, and that his creative side was al-ways an inspiration to his daughtersgrowing up.

Childhood friend Vincent Martusciello,who met DeLuise during high school, saidhis friend’s fun-loving attitude and gener-ous spirit set the groundwork for their life-long friendship. Martusciello has fondmemories of spending time at the DeLuisehome when the boys were in school, andsaid DeLuise’s parents were exceptionallywarm and inviting towards their guests.

Chris Bryan, lifelong friend andDeLuise’s best man at his wedding, alsoremembers the DeLuise home as a placewhere he was always treated well. Bryandescribed DeLuise as an “honest” personwho “has always been a mover and a shak-er.” He said DeLuise is not only generouswith his resources, but is also generouswith his talents and his time.

Danielle and Nicole, DeLuise’s daugh-ters, can certainly attest to their father’sall-encompassing generosity both whenthey were growing up and in the presentday.

Danielle, his oldest daughter, saidthroughout her life her father has alwaysbeen an incredible mentor. She recallshaving talks with her father when she wasyounger, and the solace he provided bysimply listening to her problems and re-sponding with learned insight. Daniellenoted that her father never simplypreached to her; rather, he demonstratedrespect for her by sharing his own experi-ences and stories during difficult times inhis life.

While she was a student at Hofstra andher father an employee, Danielle said it as-tounded her how many of her peers turnedto her father for advice during turbulenttimes in their life.

When asked to describe her father inthree words, Danielle replied “[He’s] amentor, funny, and strong, [but my] mydad’s really an entire afternoon conversa-tion over coffee.”

DeLuise’s younger daughter, Nicole,said her father is one of the hardest work-ers she knows. Growing up, she recalledher father teaching her the life lesson of“all you need is enough.” Nicole said thatlesson became her mantra, carrying it withher throughout her adult life.

“I remember [even as a child] that whenhe thinks something is funny, [hearing] hisgenuine laugh is one of the best feelings inthe world. I almost look away [from what

we are watching] and just look at him. It’ssometimes more enjoyable just seeing himlaugh,” she said.

Town of Huntington spokesman A.J.Carter described his friend and colleagueas “innovative, creative and caring,” andsaid DeLuise’s devotion to the MelvilleChamber of Commerce epitomizes hisdedication to his community. Carter notedthat DeLuise’s expansion of the chamberbeyond the confines of Melville and intoHuntington Station exhibits his mission tohelp as many people as possible.

During his 34 years of residency in theDix Hills area, DeLuise has become closefriends with several of his neighbors.

Bert Anania, a neighbor, describedDeLuise as a “wonderful neighbor, a fam-ily man and an overall great person.”

Neighbor and close friend Michael Shersaid DeLuise is a “fantastic, authentic per-son,” who never fails to offer his help toanyone who needs it. Sher recalled a timewhen DeLuise invited him to a MelvilleChamber of Commerce event, and for thefirst time saw his neighbor – this down toearth, humble man – assume his role as the“mayor” of the town.

“It was amazing. He was bringing peo-ple together and helping them solve theirproblems. I just sat there and watched; itwas like he’s the mayor! But he’s just aregular guy, a special guy with specialqualities that people gravitate to,” he said.

The President At HomeBy Jacqueline [email protected]

This photo of the DeLuise family was takenby Barbara Bush's photographer whenNicole, Victoria, Mike and Danielle visitedtheir home at the Naval Observatory whenGeroge Bush was vice president.

Mike and his daughters, Danielle andNicole.

The year 2012 brought another year offine dining to the Long-Islander Foodies,and we noticed that everyone really triedto find their niche by doing something dif-ferent. We tried some new places, visitedold favorites, and successfully packed onthe pounds when the food called for it.Now we review with you the highlightsfrom a year of munching.

Huntington SocialFor a nod to where Americans got their

illicit cocktails from 1920-1933, look nofurther than Huntington Social (330 NewYork Ave., Huntington village, 631-923-2442, www.huntingtonsocial.com), whichtips its hat to the legendary speakeasy.

Huntington Social’s menu features sea-sonal American fare by award-winningchef Christopher Lee. Our favorites in-clude: Apple Chestnut Ravioli ($12), theHuntington SocialAged Burger ($18) withwhite cheddar, thick-cut smoked baconand a citrus-infused “special sauce,” andmelt-in-your-mouth Pork Tenderloin($27). The feast continues with a decadentdessert selection. The bar works its magictoo with themed drinks.

50 Years For The ClubhouseFor 50 years, The Clubhouse in Hunt-

ington has been the place for steaks. Own-er Jeffrey Bies has been the proprietor ofThe Clubhouse (320 East Jericho Turn-pike, Huntington, 631-423-1155,www.clubhousesteaks.com) for nearly 30years. His parents, John and Geraldine,opened The Clubhouse in 1962.

The wine list has been a regular on

“Wine Spectator’s” Award of Excellencesince the mid-2000s, and in 2005, TheClubhouse was named one of the coun-try’s Wine-Friendliest Restaurants.

Chef Charlie Labartino whips up somegolden dishes. Our favorites include: theLobster Claw Cocktail ($18) served witha Cajun remoulade; Bacon-Wrapped SeaScallops ($13); any of their steaks, andGeraldine’s pecan pie.

Two Blondes And Their StoveWhen you eat breakfast at Dena Fen-

za’s Two Blondes and a Stove (28 ClintonAve., Huntington village, 631-673-1300,

www.twoblondesandastove.com), you’llprobably feel like you want to kick offyour shoes when you sit down. Then youremember it’s not your kitchen.

Chef Michael Hansen’s meals are alltummy-warming good. Our favorites fromthe year include Italian Pancakes ($9.95)with strawberry lemon marmalade be-tween each one; and Pesca Frenchie($10.25), Challah French toast encrustedwith amaretto cookie crumbs. Omeletsround out the breakfast menu, which isserved all day. Lunch offers an array ofsimple and satisfying wraps, salads andsoups. Cooking classes are also offered.

XO: A Love Affair With CreativityJason Kitton, the owner of XO Restau-

rant, Wine and Chocolate Lounge on WallStreet, and Executive chef ChristopherLano impressed us when they opened Feb.29 with their innovative NewAmerican cui-sine at XO (69 Wall St., Huntington village,631-549-7074, www.xowinebar.com).

Over the year, we’ve come to know afew favorites: Crisp Pulled PorkDumplings ($10), Tender Grilled SkirtSteak ($24), and juicy Chilean Sea Bass($30). And oh yes, the chocolate cocktailsand homemade truffles.

Making Friends At The Whale’s TaleThe Whale’s Tale (Rear of Britannia

Marina, 81 Fort Salonga Road, Northport,631-651-8844, www.whalestalenpt.com)is a delight, whether you’re sitting by thewater or having a drink in the bar that nev-er feels crowded – even when it is.


2012: A Year Of Innovative DiningTheFoodie

S E C T I O N

The Clubhouse is the “place for steaks” fora reason. Owner Jeffrey Bies shows us apair of prime cuts – he’s holding a LongBone Colorado Rib Eye, next to a classicPorterhouse.

Itlain Pancakes at Two Blondes and a Stoveare fluffy, light and full of zest with straw-berry-lemon marmalade in between eachlayer of the stack.

(Continued on page LI 7)


The Foodies do 2012The seafood-heavy menu is affordable

– the regular menu entrees top out at $17.We love: the Bang-Bang Shrimp

($8.95), Bucket O’Mussels ($9.95), Surfand Turf tacos ($8.25), Northport ShellfishStew ($16.95), and anything from theFresh Grill section.

Porto Fino’s Village CornerSince establishing themselves on the

corner of NewYork Avenue, the owners ofPorto Fino Ristorante (395 NewYorkAve.,Huntington, 631-673-1200, http://portofi-nohuntington.com), have made a name forthemselves offering casual family diningwith an extensive menu of Italian classics,gourmet pizza and pizettes, panini, andclassic entrees.

Our favorites included: Mussels Man-dolino ($11.95); Veal Portofino ($18.95),a blend of veal medallions sautéed insweet marsala and wine sauce; wholeBranzino; and anything from the wood-burning oven.

Marry The Night At La NotteThe crescent moon is shining bright

for La Notte Ristorante (15 New St.,Huntington village, 631-683-5595,www.lanotteristorante.com).

Owner Joseph Competiello, an East

Northport resident, teamed up with Exec-utive Chef Joseph Cacace, to pair old-world favorites and Nuvo Italian cuisine.

Having opened late in 2012 in Hunt-ington village, our favorites so far in-clude: the addictive Potato & ZucchiniChips ($10), Parmigiano “Sformata”($10); Strozzapreti with Lamb Ragu($18); and tender Pan-Roasted DoublePork Chop ($27).

Jellyfish Blooms On The HarborIt felt like we were waiting forever for

Ralph Colamussi’s restaurant to open, andnow that is has, we are swimming in food-ie happiness at Jellyish (441 E. Main St.,Centerport, 631-262-0300, www.eatatjel-lyfish.com).

Dine at the “Jelly Bar” for clams andoysters, sushi and old-fashioned sodafountain beverages. Or for a more formalsetting, dine in theVeranda.Anywhere yougo, the detail in the design is extraordinary.

When it comes to sushi, we suggest:Strawberry Heaven ($10), a classic spicycrab roll with sweet strawberries and man-go puree; Kiss of Fire ($14) and LobsterRoll ($31). For entrees: Simply GrilledNew York Strip ($38) is melt-in-your-mouth tender; Wild Striped Bass ($27)and Lobster Cantonese & Pork Belly($34).

(Continued from page LI 6)

WHAT ARE YOU DOING… New Year’s Eve?There no shortage of options in this town,from a quick bite on your way to a party toover-the-top elegant. They don’t call us thedining capital of Long Island for nothing, af-ter all. For that over-the-top experience,Prime – An American Kitchen and Bar (117New York Ave., Huntington 631-385-1515restaurantprime.com) serves its regularmenu up until late-night seatings after 9 p.m.when you can enjoy a four-course prix-fixedinner for $125 per person. DJ after 10 p.m.with dancing and champagne toast at mid-night included.

CELEBRITIES LIKE CHEESE: Gosh, it was astar-studded week at Ideal Cheese (278 MainSt., Huntington village 631-923-3434 ide-alcheesehuntington.com). First Long Island’sfavorite television psychic Theresa Caputostopped in while filming an episode in townand declared herself to be a huge fan of theircheeses. Then actor Jeffrey Tambor (ArrestedDevelopment) dropped in as well.

HE’LL MAKE YOU HAPPY: Last time we spokeof Jimmy’s Happy Sushi (340A West JerichoTurnpike, Huntington) we published thewrong number for his restaurant. And that’s ashame – Jimmy Yeh and his staff are wizardswith sushi, and we feel bad that we made itharder for you to discover that. Hopefully,many of you who tried the wrong numberwent to Google and found Jimmy, but forthose of you who didn’t – call him at 631-923-3777. His impressive menu boasted A-to-Znamed rolls – and then some – crafted withfresh, delicious ingredients, some of themunique, to boot. He’s sure to have somethingsweet, spicy or savory to make any palate veryhappy indeed. He’s great for on the go or din-ing in alike, so be sure to check him out whenyou’re in his neck of the woods.

PANERA GIVES BACK: Panera Bread’s PinkRibbon Bagel campaign raised more than$30,000 this year to benefit several localbreast cancer organizations. During BreastCancer Awareness Month, Panera bakershand twisted thousands of cherry vanillabagels into the iconic “pink ribbon” shape toraise funds for prevention and a cure.Among the beneficiaries of funds raisedwere Prevention is the Cure, which seeks toincrease awareness of environmental linksto cancer and promote a precautionaryhealth model; the Breast Cancer ResearchProgram at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratorywhere innovative breast cancer research isbeing performed; and Adelphi Breast Can-cer Hotline & Support Program whose goalis to educate, support, empower and advo-cate for breast cancer patients. Panera Bread– which ias soon to open a Huntington Vil-lage location – recently presented each ofthe groups with a check for nearly $8,500 tohelp advance their work, and a check for$5,200 was also given to Gilda’s Club NewYork City which creates welcoming com-munities of free support for everyone livingwith cancer.

Side DishBy [email protected]

DINE HUNTINGTON.COM

Long Island Psychic Theresa Caputo withIdeal Cheese’s Chris Binetti.


During the earlier stages of his publicrelations career, Mike DeLuise had plen-ty of encounters with some of the biggeststars in the world in the realms of Broad-way and popular music. One stint withstardom included doing promotions forStevieWonder, who was at the peak of hispowers in the mid-1970s and had just re-leased “Songs In The Key Of Life.”DeLuise also recalled the day he re-

ceived a phone call from Colonel Parker,Elvis Presley’s manager, and worked withBilly Joel – a “really good guy” – at Hof-stra University.“There are so many times I said, ‘Why

am I here?’ – You pinch yourself everyday,” he said.But during his tenure at The Blaine

Thompson Agency in the mid-1970s, oneperson he worked particularly closelywith was legendary crooner Tony Ben-nett. Any time Bennett performed at Lin-coln Center or Carnegie Hall, DeLuisewould handle his promotions.

Two stories about his time workingwith Bennett immediately jumped tomind.“He owed us $5,000, $10,000 for the ad-

vertising he was doing,” DeLuise said. “Hesaid, ‘I’m going to be at Carnegie Hall.Why don’t you come backstage and I’llgive you the check before the concert?’”In a three-piece suit and holding an at-

taché case, DeLuise went to the back-stage door through the phalanx of police,and doors kept opening for him. Policeofficers opened door after door for him,much to his amazement.“Next thing I know, he’s just finished

rehearsing ‘I Left My Heart in San Fran-cisco,’ and he looks and goes, ‘Mike?How the hell did you get here?’ He hadthe check in his pocket – you talk aboutthose days before security – and I walkedright out.”When Bennett was appearing in New

York City, DeLuise said the singer fa-vored promotional posters on construc-tion sites, so the young promoter got intouch with John Moran, who quicklywent to work. Moran also knew where

Bennett lived on the Upper East Side, andtold DeLuise to print three oversizedposters, which he planned to post on aconstruction site opposite his building.The next morning, DeLuise’s phone

rang at the office. It was Tony Bennett.The singer asked what DeLuise was doing– having his morning coffee at the office.“You’re going to have it at my house,”

Bennett replied. “Come on up.”DeLuise hopped into a cab and went up

to Bennett’s apartment, where he re-ceived a brash, enthusiastic greeting.“You’re a genius!” DeLuise recalled

being told. “I said, ‘What did I do?’ Hesaid, ‘Come in here.’ As I walk throughhis apartment, he had a room that was fullof all his paintings – all over the place. Ilook out the window, and there’s this gi-ant poster.”After Bennett asked if he liked his art-

work – he paints under his birth name,Anthony Benedetto – DeLuise pointedout one in particular, wondering if hemight leave his apartment with it.“Oh my God – that’s my mother. That’s

the only one you can’t have,” Bennett told

DeLuise. “It’s the only one you can’thave.”“But he never offered to give me an-

other one,” DeLuise added.Asked by Bennett if there was anything

else he needed, DeLuise asked for a glassof scotch, which the singer brought outon a short, leaded glass. Then, he askedfor a telephone.“So I dialed. It picked up and I went,

‘Ma, I’m in Tony Bennett’s apartment. Hegrabs the phone from me and he goes,‘Ma, it’s Tony Bennett,’” DeLuise said.Mother DeLuise was not convinced.“And my mother said, ‘Michael, quit

sh*tting me.”Finishing his story, DeLuise laughed

and threw his hands up.“God’s honest truth!” he exclaims.

A Morning With Tony BennettBy Danny [email protected]

Mike DeLuise’s holistic approach tomarketing and public relations centers oncore values of equality and teamwork –which he credits his father, Charles, withinstilling in him at a young age.Charles DeLuise, a U.S. Army veteran

of World War II who was wounded dur-ing the Battle of the Bulge, shared a bit ofwisdom with his son when the precociouslad told him one day that he wanted tohave all the money in the world.“Mike, if you had all the money in the

world, who would buy something fromyou?” DeLuise recalled being told.That message shapes how his son, now

61, views the world.“You can’t be the only survivor – but

it’s almost that what we set ourselves upto be,” he said.Guided by that light, he’s not shy about

sharing his frustration with the currentstate of affairs. Although he’s been in-volved in many successful things in thelast 40 years, he wouldn’t dare take pri-mary credit. He explains that he isn’t abeliever in being too proud of oneself,and he doesn’t mind standing back andhelping out.“I consider it a team that made it work.

That’s where I think they’re missingthings now – you have to be the No. 1company, the No. 1 family,” he said.“Parents today, their kid has to be the No.1 student, and the other problem is thatwe don’t take responsibility except ifsomebody wins.”Melville Chamber Executive Director

Ted Macaluso said DeLuise is one of thevery few people who doesn’t take any ac-colades.“It’s all about everybody else except

for him. That’s what I love about theguy,” Macaluso added.Hard work is essential, and DeLuise

cites the example of his niece, Jessica Mas-sa, who wrote a book called “The Gaggle”

and launched a website on dating in themodern world. She did her homework andprepared well, her uncle said, but that does-n’t seem to be the norm.“Today, everybody wants to be a reality

star. They’re not willing to put in the time.They think they’re going to turn the cam-era on, and in 15 minutes, they’re going towin the lottery and be the No. 1 star inAmerica,” DeLuise said. “You need to put

a foundation together and make it work.”Most of the legwork for that foundation

comes from simple rules.“I guarantee if you follow the rules –

and they’re all basic rules – it’ll happen,”he said. “You’re going through a gauntlet,and you have to be able to get around thatstuff to get to the other side… If you’regoing to sit there and let yourself be hitall the time, you’re going to fail.You have

to stand up and make it to the other side,and there are right ways to do that.”And being nice, he stressed, is not a

shortcoming.“Am I thick-headed? Maybe. But,

people tend to say, ‘he’s a nice guy’[about people] and look at that as aweakness. I don’t think so,” DeLuisesaid. “What good does it do for me todestroy you?”

Mike DeLuise argues there are simple steps toward success in life – ones that Colin Powell likely followed en route to becoming a general –work hard, plan ahead, take personal responsibility and embrace success as a team, not an individual.

The DeLuise Way: It’s All About UsBy Danny [email protected]


Looking ahead to the future of theMelville Chamber of Commerce, MikeDeLuise believes they have a challengethat it, and its community, must meet inorder to thrive.

“We’re called a chamber of commerce,but in our neighborhood, we need some-thing that’s a little bit different,” he said.

The Melville Chamber enjoys strongrepresentation amongst the area’s lawfirms and banking institutions, and gov-ernment officials have been “really goodabout working with us,” DeLuise said.And the overall membership is unique be-cause it ranges from huge multinationalcorporations like Canon, to the small,mom-and-pop bagel shop with a handfulof employees.

Those disparate forces must meld, heargued, for the chamber to speak in onevoice to bring change to the community.

“With some of the bigger companies,we need involvement and participation inthe chamber from some of the senior-lev-el people. We need an intermingling ofsome of the young executives to make itall happen,” DeLuise said. “We need tomake changes – whether it’s public trans-portation, environmental, or making thearea look better. It can’t be political. Ithas to be that the community itself speaksas a voice.”

Even though some of the largerMelville-based businesses might feelthey don’t belong in a local chamber – es-pecially those that are based elsewhere –DeLuise said their input is vital, too – and

they are truly local.“Their employees work here, they live

here – they have to make a positivechange in their community,” he said.

To spur that dialogue and consensusbuilding, he suggested a return of some-thing called the “no-name committee,”which were monthly gatherings hosted by

former Long Island Business News own-er Paul Townsend. DeLuise was a partic-ipant, and he said those meetings were in-valuable brainstorming and networkingopportunities.

“The no-name committee was a bunchof people I have no right to even be near– they were the senior people at Grum-man, the senior people at North ShoreHospital, the senior people at some of thebanks,” DeLuise said. “And once amonth, we would get together for aDutch treat, and they would talk – talkabout what we could do to make Long Is-land a better place. And that’s what weneed to do.”

For a group like that, it’s more than amonthly coffee klatch – it’s a chance tosow the seeds of progress.

“It’s sitting around and making a posi-tive difference and some change, and notworrying about, ‘Is this politically cor-rect, what we have to do?’ It’s doingwhat’s right, and that’s, I think, the chal-lenge we have – how do we get those peo-ple to participate in this?” DeLuise said.“I wish I could get a company like HenrySchein involved with us. They could real-ly add so much to the community.”

To make that happen, all must feel wel-come and be able to benefit from being apart of the chamber.

“We need to make sure everybody feelsall-inclusive and that it’s not just some-thing that’s out there to build a wallaround us,” DeLuise said. “There’s nowalls – anybody from any other chamber,whether it’s on Long Island or beyond –comes and says we need help, we’re go-ing to try to help them.”

Two Brooklynites together: Mike and Vicky DeLuise with U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. Thewell-connected Mike DeLuise says he will continue to bring parties together through theMelville Chamber.

Overcoming Melville’s Unique ChallengeBy Danny [email protected]

We congratulate Mike DeLuiseon his selection as

Long Islander Newspapers2012 Person of The Year

Long Island445 Broad Hollow RoadMelville, NY 11747Tel: 631-393-6220

Manhattan245 Park Avenue, 24th FloorNew York, NY 10167Tel: 212-922-9545

www.hba-law.comAttorney Advertiseing

Congratulates our Friend and Colleague,Mike Deluise

PresidentMelville Chamber of Commerce

On His Achievement as

Person of the Year 2012.

Our business community and Long Island atlarge have benefited tremendously from his

many contributions and continued commitmentto the region’s economic development.

Jerry S. SiegelJASB Management Inc.

(Jointly Achieving Successful Business)516-364-1116, Ext. 21

www.jasbmanagement.com

Vigil For Sandy Hook VictimsAn interfaith “BYOC” (bring your own candle)vigil to spread light, love and awareness for thechildren, families, schools, emergency serviceproviders and all of the Newtown, Conn. com-munity will be held: Thursday, Dec. 27, 4 p.m.in the Huntington Town Hall Board Room, 100Main St., Huntington, and move to the frontlawn for candle lighting. Reverend Moore of St.John's Episcopal Church in Sandy Hook plansto attend. Call Michael Raspantini at 631-988-4669 with any questions.

Holiday Lights FestivalThe 2nd annual Newsday Holiday LightsFestival is every weekend (Fri.-Sun.) throughDec. 30, 6-10 p.m., 235 Pinelawn Road,Melville. Visitors can enjoy more than 1,200feet of illuminated holiday light displaysincluding 58 brand new exhibits, as well ascarnival games, crafts, photos with Santa,and full-size ice skating rink. Presented byBethpage Federal Credit Union and Lord &Taylor. $4-$8 ($1 of which goes to Newsday’sHelp-A-Family campaign). Visit www.beth-pagefcu.com/community/events.aspx.

Live MusicLive local bands take over Finley's of GreeneStreet, 43 Greene St., Huntington, everySaturday night at 11 p.m. Join in the fun andfood!

Red Is For PassionLove the color red and enjoy living it up? TheRed Hat women are looking for new memberswho enjoy going places and making newfriends. Their motto: Fun, Frolic andFriendship. 631-271-6470 [email protected].

See The LightTown Clerk Jo-Ann Raia has organized anexhibit of Huntington Lighthouse artifactsand memorabilia to celebrate its centennialanniversary of The Huntington Lighthouse.The display includes correspondencebetween the Lighthouse Establishment andLighthouse Keeper Robert McGlone, and anoriginal painting of the lighthouse, which willbe auctioned. On display in the Town Halllobby, 100 Main St, Huntington, Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Friday,8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. www.huntingtonlight-house.org. 631-421-1985.

New Year’s Day Polar SwimWhat better way to ring in the New Year thanwith a cool dip in Northport Bay? Join BoyScout Troop 410 and the Northport FireDepartment Smokeaters on Jan. 1, 2013 atnoon at Northport Village’s Steers Beach onEaton’sNeck Road (next to Asharoken Beach)to celebrate the New Year and help raisemoney for the Northport Food Pantry.Swimmers are invited to collect as many spon-sors as possible, at $5 each. www.t410north-portny.org. Hot cocoa and snacks byCopenhagen Bakery. Heaters and fuel byLewisy Heating.

Free Help For VetsEvery Tuesday from 12-4 p.m. is “MilitaryAppreciation Tuesdays,” when Long IslandCares specifically assists veterans, militarypersonnel and their families at the Hauppaugeand Freeport emergency pantries.Appointments can be made by [email protected].

Power BreakfastJoin business professionals at BNI ExecutiveReferral Exchange’s breakfast networkingmeeting every Wednesday, 7-8:30 a.m. at theDix Hills Diner, 1800 Jericho Turnpike, DixHills. 631-462-7446.

Cold Spring Harbor Library95 Harbor Road, Cold Spring Harbor. 631-692-6820. cshlibrary.org.• On display through Jan. 31 in the art galleryis the work of the Cold Spring Harbor SchoolDistrict’s adult ed art class.

• Kids can enjoy snack and a movie, “Ice Age4: Continental Drift” on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2-3:45 p.m.

Commack Public Library18 Hauppauge Road, Commack. 631-499-0888. commack.suffolk.lib.ny.us.• Students in grades 6-12 can enjoy dinnerand a movie, “Men In Black 3,” onThursday, Dec. 27, 6-8 p.m.

• Long Island Blood Services hosts a blooddrive on Friday, Jan. 4, noon-6 p.m.Supplies are needed desperately afterSandy. 1-800-933-2566. Free pair of glovesand scarf for all donors.

Deer Park Public Library44 Lake Ave., Deer Park. 631-586-3000.deerparklibrary.org.• Chef Charlie returns to do a program espe-cially for kids on Thursday, Dec. 27, 7 p.m.

• Children can make a New Year's noisemak-er on Saturday, Dec. 29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Elwood Public Library3027 Jericho Turnpike, Elwood. 631-499-3722. www.elwoodlibrary.org.• During regular operating hours, ProjectHope Crisis Counselors from the FamilyService League will be on hand throughSaturday, Dec. 29 to provide free, confiden-tial services which include: public educa-tion, crisis counseling, and referrals to any-one who was impacted by SuperstormSandy.

Half Hollow Hills Community LibraryDix Hills: 55 Vanderbilt Parkway. 631-421-4530; Melville: 510 Sweet Hollow Road. 631-421-4535. hhhlibrary.org.• The library is forming a Chamber MusicEnsemble led by Mr. Stanley Stock, retiredmusic teacher and is looking for musicians.For more information and to register, call631-498-1229.

• Kids in grades 1 and up can make a one-of-a-kind snowglobe on Friday, Dec. 28, 10:30a.m.

Harborfields Public Library31 Broadway, Greenlawn. 631-757-4200. har-borfieldslibrary.org.• Stop by the gallery this month to see thequilts handcrafted by members of theHuntington Quilters Guild.

• Students in grades 6-12 can enjoy pizzaand a screening of “The AmazingSpiderman” on Friday, Dec. 28, 1 p.m.

Huntington Public LibraryMain Branch: 338 Main St., Huntington. 631-427-5165. Station Branch: 1335 New YorkAve., Huntington Station. 631-421-5053.www.thehuntingtonlibrary.org.• “New Paintings” by William Pardue at theMain Art Gallery wanders over a range ofthemes, styles, and mediums. On displaythrough Dec. 29.

• Carlos Manjares explains the process ofbecoming a citizen, prepares you for the citi-zenship interview and reviews U.S. historyand government for the examination onThursday, Dec. 27, 6:30 p.m. at the Stationbranch.

Northport-East Northport Public LibraryNorthport: 151 Laurel Ave. 631-261-6930. EastNorthport: 185 Larkfield Road. 631-261-2313.www.nenpl.org.• On display in the East Northport gallery,“Masks in the Sea of Faces” by former Long-Islander graphic artist Sheauwei Pidd showsoff her love of colors and mood, as well asmovement.

• Catch Disney’s “Brave” on Friday, Dec. 28,1:30 p.m. in Northport.

South Huntington Public Library145 Pidgeon Hill Road, Huntington Station.631-549-4411. www.shpl.info.• Young adults can create melting snowmenout of buttercream, fondant and assortedcandy decorations on Thursday, Dec. 27,3:30 p.m.

• Representatives from Project Hope at FamilyService League will be on hand in the librarylobby through Dec. 30 to provide information,referrals and educational materials to peopleof all ages who have been affected bySuperstorm Sandy.

T

Cinema Arts Centre423 Park Ave., Huntington. www.cinemaarts-centre.org. 631-423-7611.• Catch opera on the big screen. ShowingThursday, Dec. 27 at noon, “La Traviata” is afascinating production of Giuseppe Verdi’sthrilling adaptation of the Dumas novel “LaDame Aux Camellias.” Showing Saturday,Dec. 29 at noon, “The Merry Widow” is adazzling new production of Franz Lehar’sclassic operetta about a wealthy widow andher countrymen’s attempt to keep her moneyin the principality by finding her the right hus-band. Each showing is $10 members/$15public.

Dix Hills Performing Arts CenterFive Towns College, 305 N. Service Road, DixHills. Box Office: 631-656-2148.www.dhpac.org.• After the winter break, the Wild Women ofComedy return Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m., featuringcomic duo MEL & EL, and comediennes

Vanessa Hollingshead and Jessica Kirson.

John W. Engeman Theater At Northport350 Main St., Northport. www.johnwenge-mantheater.com. 631-261-2900.• Celebrate the holiday season with a thrillingnew twist on the holiday classic “A ChristmasCarol.” Michael Wilson’s adaptation is a cre-ative re-telling of Dickens’ classic tale ofEbenezer Scrooge. Sponsored by NorthShore LIJ and running through Jan. 6. $65.

• Christmas has been cancelled! Or at least, itwill be if Santa can't find a way to guide hissleigh through a fierce blizzard. Fortunatelyfor him, there's “Rudolph the Red-NosedReindeer,” showing as part of the YouthTheater Series, Nov. 24-Jan. 6 on weekendsand special dates. $15.

The Minstrel Players of NorthportAt Houghton Hall - Trinity Episcopal Church,130 Main St., Northport Village. 631-732-2926.www.minstrelplayers.org.• Submissions are now being accepted for “ItHappened One Act” play festival. Deadline isJan. 15, 2013. Visit the website for moreinformation.

Tilles Center For The Performing ArtsLIU Post Campus, 720 Northern Blvd.,Brookville. www.tillescenter.org. 516-299-3100.• The Cashore Marionettes brings the celebra-tion of life for which master puppeteerJoseph Cashore is renowned to Tilles CenterSunday, Jan. 6, 2 p.m., with “Simple Gifts.”

Art League of Long Island107 East Deer Park Road, Dix Hills. Galleryhours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays; 11 a.m.-4 p.m.weekends. 631-462-5400.www.ArtLeagueLI.net.• On display through Dec. 29 in the JeanieTengelsen Gallery is the Members Exhibition,Part Two, featuring over 130 pieces of paint-ings, drawings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry,mixed media, and photography.

Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor. Openseven days a week, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturdayand Sundays until 6 p.m.: $6 adults; $4 chil-dren 3-12 and seniors over 65; members andchildren under 3 are free. 516-692-6768.www.cshfha.org• Features New York State's largest collectionof freshwater fish, reptiles and amphibianshoused in two aquarium buildings and eightoutdoor ponds.

• Help celebrate the hatching of the baby trouton Sunday, Jan. 6, 2 p.m.

Heckscher Museum Of Art2 Prime Ave., Huntington. Museum hours:Wednesday - Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., firstFridays from 4-8:30 p.m., Saturday andSunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission $6-8/adults, $4-6/seniors, and $4-5/children; mem-bers and children under 10 free. 631-351-3250.• “Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and20th Centuries” explores the various realistmovements. On display through March 24.

• “Modernizing America: Artists of the ArmoryShow” focuses on American artists who par-ticipated in the Armory Show and exploresthe impact of European Modernism onAmerican art in the early years of the 20thcentury. On display through April 14.

Holocaust Memorial And Tolerance CenterWelwyn Preserve. 100 Crescent Beach Road,Glen Cove. Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.Sat.-Sun.: noon-4 p.m. 516-571-8040 ext. 100.www.holocaust-nassau.org.• The new permanent exhibit explains the1920s increase of intolerance, the reductionof human rights, and the lack of interventionthat enabled the persecution and massmurder of millions of Jews and others: peo-ple with disabilities, Roma and Sinti(Gypsies), Jehovah’s Witnesses, gays andPolish intelligentsia.

• An exhibit of photographs and artifacts hon-oring Abdol-Hossein Sardari, the Iranianenvoy stationed in Paris who rescued thou-sands of Jews from the Nazis, is on displaythrough December.

Huntington Arts CouncilMain Street Petite Gallery: 213 Main St.,Huntington. Gallery hours: Monday - Friday 9a.m.-5 p.m.; Art in the Art-trium: 25 MelvillePark Road, Melville. Gallery Hours: Monday -Friday 7 a.m.-7 p.m. 631-271-8423.www.huntingtonarts.org.

MUSEUMS & EXHIBITS

THEATER and FILM

AT THE LIBRARIES

WEDNESDAY

TUESDAY

MONDAY

SUNDAY

SATURDAY

FRIDAY

THURSDAY CalendarO M M U N I T Y

Concerts with a Touchof TheaterRidotto, Concerts with a Touch of

Theater, presents Bulgarian-American pianist Nadejda Vlaevaperforming works by Saint-Saens,Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and Liadov onSunday, Jan. 6, 4 p.m. at TheHuntington Jewish Center, 510 ParkAve., Huntington. www.ridotto.org.631-385-0373. $10 students/$18seniors/$20 adults.

(Continued on page LI 11)


• “Bold,” featuring artists that grab the viewerwith their unique and striking artwork at theArt-Trium, runs through Feb. 25.

• “Still Life” is now on display in the maingallery.

LaMantia Gallery127 Main St., Northport Village. 631-754-8414.www.lamantiagallery.com.• Robert Finale presents captivating land-scapes and Richard Johnson displays exqui-site paintings of the human face and form.

9 East Contemporary Art9 East Carver St., Huntington. Gallery hours: Wed.-Sat., 3-8 p.m. or by appointment. 631-662-9459.• To celebrate the first anniversary of thegallery, the exhibit “99: A Collection Of OriginalSmall Works” on view through Jan. 20.

Northport Historical Society Museum215 Main St., Northport. Museum hours:Tuesday - Sunday, 1-4:30 p.m. 631-757-9859.www.northporthistorical.org.• “50 Years Of Preserving and CelebratingNorthport's History” honors the society'sfounders and their concerns and activities.

Ripe Art Gallery67 Broadway, Greenlawn. 631-807-5296.Gallery hours: Tuesday - Thursday 11 a.m.-6p.m., Friday 2-9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.www.ripeartgal.com.• Women’s clothing store Rexer-Parkes pres-ents a special showing of paintings by RipeArt Gallery artist Maxine Jurow titled “BlackVelvet” through February 2013. 35 GerardSt., Huntington.

SPLIAHeadquarters: 161 Main St., Cold SpringHarbor. Joseph Lloyd Manor House: LloydLane and Lloyd Harbor Road, Lloyd Neck.631-692-4664. www.splia.org.• SPLIA presents “Rescuing the AmericanTownscape from its Own Recent History,” alecture by author James Howard Kunstler atCold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s GraceAuditorium, One Bungtown Road (off of 25A),on Sunday, Jan. 6, 3 p.m. $20. SPLIA willalso be presenting its Howard SherwoodAward for exceptional achievement in preser-vation. Reservations required.

Suffolk Y JCC74 Hauppauge Road, Commack. 631-462-9800, ext. 140. Tuesday 1-4 p.m. Admission:$5 per person, $18 per family. Special groupprograms available. www.suffolkyjcc.org.• The Alan & Helene Rosenberg JewishDiscovery Museum provides hands-onexhibits and programs for children 3-13 yearsold and their families, classes and camps.Now on exhibit: The Alef Bet of Being aMensch. “Zye a mensch” is a Yiddish sayingthat means “be a decent, responsible, caringperson,” infusing both the best blessing andthe best that an educator can wish for hisstudents.

Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium180 Little Neck Road, Centerport. Museumhours: Tuesday-Friday, 12-4 p.m., Saturdays,Sundays and holidays, 12-5 p.m.; closedMondays except for holiday weeks. Groundsadmission: $7 adults, $6 seniors, students,and $3 children under 12. Museum tour, add$5 per person. 631-854-5555. www.vanderbilt-museum.org.• Twilight Tours of the Vanderbilt are beingoffered through Friday, Dec. 28, 7-9 p.m.

• The Arena Players Repertory Theatre willpresent “Cheating Cheaters” by JohnPatrick from Dec. 28-Jan. 20 at the muse-um's Carriage House Theatre. On Dec. 31,the Players will offer a special, reserved-seat New Year's Eve performance and cel-ebration. See the show at 9 p.m. andenjoy wine, champagne, coffee anddessert. $50 per person, $75 per couple.Call 516-293-0674.

The Paramount370 New York Ave., Huntington. 631-673-7300.www.paramountny.com. All shows begin at 8p.m. unless otherwise noted.• Grateful Dead tribute band Dark StarOrchestra rings in 2013 with shows on Dec.30 and 31.

• Tickets now on sale for the Saturday, Jan. 19concert “A Diva, A Comedian & Broadway forthe Children of Huntington Station.”

RidottoConcerts with a Touch of Theater.at The Huntington Jewish Center, 510 ParkAve., Huntington. www.ridotto.org. 631-385-0373• Bulgarian-American pianist Nadejda Vlaevaperforms works by Saint-Saens,Rachmaninoff, Liszt, and Liadov on Sunday,Jan. 6, 4 p.m. $10 students/$18 seniors/$20adults.

Comfort-A-FamilySuffolk County Legislator Steve Stern, IslandHarvest, veterans organizations homelessadvocates are collecting new or gently usedcomforters. Donations for “Comfort-A-Family”can be dropped off at 1842 East JerichoTurnpike, Huntington, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. untilJan. 15. 631-854-5100.

Help After SandyTouro Law Center has opened a legal hotlineat 631-761-7198 that is staffed Monday-Friday9-6 by law students and attorneys from the barassociations. Bilingual and Spanish-speakinglawyers are available thanks to the HispanicBar Assn.

Emergency Home Repair ProgramAre you “underwater” on your mortgage butmaking payments on time? Do you need anemergency repair on your home, but can’t geta home equity loan because you are underwa-ter? You could eligible for up to $5,000 foremergency home repairs if your income doesnot exceed 120 percent of the HUD medianincome for Long Island ($129,000 for a familyof four). Apply to the Emergency Home RepairProgram. Call Susan at Housing Help Inc.,631-754-0373.

Be A Friend Of The BayFriends of the Bay is in need of volunteers whocan help convert water quality data, which iscurrently kept in an excel sheet, into aMicrosoft Access database. Assistance is alsoneeded with ArcView GIS, to configure maps ofthe watershed. Call 516-922-6666 or [email protected].

Be A Host FamilyHuntington Sanctuary is seeking families orindividual adults to become Host Homes,which provide temporary shelter to youthbetween ages 12-17 who are experiencing afamily crisis. Contact Jennifer Petti at 631-271-2183 for more information.

Helping Furry FriendsLittle Shelter Animal Rescue and AdoptionCenter is looking for volunteers who want tomake a difference in the lives of animals. Freetraining provided. Visit www.littleshelter.com orcall 631-368-8770 ext. 204.

Walt Whitman BirthplaceIf you are interested in literature or history, theWalt Whitman Birthplace has fascinating andrewarding part-time volunteer positions avail-able. Free training provided. 631-427-5420ext.114.

Friends At HomeLooking to earn some community servicehours while changing a life? As part of theFriends@Home program, a project of TheAriella's Friendship Circle at the Chai Center inDix Hills, visit a child with special needs in anenvironment they are most comfortable: their

own homes. Together, bake cookies, playgames, create arts and crafts, read books andmore. Contact Nati or Sara at 631-351-8672 [email protected]

Helping Runaway KidsShare your ideas and opinions on howHuntington Sanctuary, a program of theHuntington Youth Bureau, can help youth ages12-21 who run away or who are at risk of run-ning away. The group’s advisory board meetsone Thursday a month at 6 p.m. Call 631-271-2183.

Eyes For The BlindSuffolk County’s Helen Keller Services is look-ing for volunteers to visit blind who are home-bound to socialize and aid in reading mail, pos-sibly provide transportation. 631-424-0022.

Help American Red CrossThe American Red Cross is a humanitarianorganization that provides relief to victims ofdisaster and helps people prevent, prepare for,and respond to emergencies. The SuffolkCounty Chapter is looking for volunteers toassist in emergency shelters, at fires and natu-ral disasters, with veterans, at communityevents or at the office. Free trainings provided.631-924-6700 ext 212.

Seeking Volunteer AdvocatesThe Family Service League’s OmbudserviceProgram of Suffolk County is seeking volun-teers to train as advocates for nursing home,adult home and assisted living facility resi-dents to help insure they receive quality careand their rights are protected. 631-427-3700ext. 240.

Time For Meals On WheelsMeals On Wheels of Huntington is in need ofmen and women to be volunteers, who work inteams, delivering midday meals to shut-ins.Two hours required, one day a week.Substitutes also needed to fill in when regulardrivers are unavailable. There is also a press-ing need for nurses who can volunteer toscreen potential clients. Times are flexible.631-271-5150.

Nursing/Rehab Center Needs HelpOur Lady of Consolation, a 450-bed nursingand rehabilitative care center located at 111Beach Drive in West Islip, is seeking compas-sionate individuals willing to volunteer theirtime as transporters, Eucharistic Ministers,office assistants, recreational therapy assis-tants and spiritual care companions.Volunteers needed seven days a week, daysand evenings. Age 14 and older only. 631-587-1600, ext. 8223 or 8228.

Be A Day Care ProviderLittle Flower Day Care Network is recruiting forthose interested in becoming registered NewYork State Child Day Car providers. Must be18 years or older. Call 631-929-600 ext. 1239to arrange for an appointment in your homewith a day care social worker.

Voice For The ChildrenParents for Megan’s Law and the CrimeVictims Center are seeking volunteers to assistwith general office duties during daytime hours.Candidates should be positive, energetic andprofessional with good communication skills.Resume and three references required. 631-689-2672 or fax resume to 631-751-1695.

A Loving TouchThe Hospice Care Network is seeking licensedmassage therapists who are passionate andcommitted to making a difference for their newcomplementary therapy program, which willprovide services at Franklin Medical Center inValley Stream, Peninsula Hospital Center inFar Rockaway and the Hospice Inn in Melville.

Two-day training course provided by the organ-ization. [email protected] 516-832-7100.

Thrifty Hands NeededHuntington Hospital Auxiliary’s CommunityThrift Shop needs volunteers for merchan-dise pricing and floor work on Monday after-noons, Tuesday and Thursday mornings.631-271-3143.

Seniors Helping OthersThe Retired Senior Volunteer Program offers vol-unteer opportunities throughout Suffolk Countyranging from tour guides and soup kitchens tohospitals and mentoring for energized adults55+. Training, travel reimbursement and liabilityinsurance are included. 631-979-0754.

Alcoholics AnonymousWith their first meeting in Huntington openingin the late 1940s, Alcoholics Anonymous is afellowship of men and women who share theirexperience, strength and hope so that theymay stay sober and help others to recoverfrom alcoholism. Call (631) 654-1150 from 9a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.-Sat., or visit http://www.suf-folkny-aa.org for information and a meeting list.

Narcotics AnonymousNarcotics Anonymous is a fellowship of menand women who meet regularly and share theirexperience, strength and hope to stay cleanand help others seeking recovery from addic-tion. Meeting list at http://sasna.org, or call631-689-NANA (6262).

Overeaters AnonymousHeld every Monday, 10 a.m.-noon, at St.Elizabeth’s Church, 167 Wolf Hill Road,Melville, an Overeaters Anonymous (OA)group meets in the adjacent building, LivingWaters Spiritual Center, in the downstairsmeeting hall. Free babysitting available. 631-271-4455; 631-475-5965 for additional meet-ings in OA’s Suffolk region.

Nicotine AnonymousTrying to quit smoking, dipping or chewingtobacco? You don't have to do it alone. NicotineAnonymous – Ann’s Hope, a 12-step programof recovery from nicotine addiction, meetsevery Wednesday, 7:30-8:30 p.m. at HuntingtonHospital. New members welcome at any time,but meetings on the third Wednesday of eachmonth feature a special welcome.

Eating Disorders Support GroupHuntington Hospital hosts a confidential, pro-fessionally-led support group open to peoplewith eating disorders, their families and friendson the first Sunday of each month, 10-11:30a.m. in the One-South Conference Room.

Sociable SinglesThe Singles Division of the Y JCC hosts week-ly discussions for singles over the age of 55 onthe first and third Thursdays of each month, 3-5 p.m. Free for members, $4 for non-members.631-462-9800.

Jewish DatingThe Dix Hills Chai Center is offering to helpJewish singles who are tired of Internet datingand the bar scene find their soul mates. In apersonalized and confidential environment,thoughtful matches will be arranged. Visitwww.thechaicenter.com or call 631-351-8672.

Women In TransitionExperiencing a loss or life-changing event?Meet other women and discover your innerresilience. Group meeting Thursdays from 7-8:30 p.m. in Centerport. 631-242-6133.

Women’s Cancer Support GroupThe Suffolk Y JCC, located at 74 HauppaugeRoad, Commack, is offering an ongoing sup-port group for women dealing with the traumaof breast and ovarian cancer. The group meetson the second and fourth Wednesday of everymonth at 7:15 p.m. Crisis counseling available.Free. 631-462-9800, ext. 129.

SOCIAL/SUPPORT/12-STEP GROUPS

AID & ASSISTANCE

DONATIONS WELCOME

VOLUNTEERING

MUSIC & DANCE

Send us your listingsSubmissions must be in by 5 p.m.10 days prior to publication date.Send to Community Calendar

at 149 Main Street,Huntington, NY 11743,

or e-mail [email protected]

New Year’s Day Polar SwimWhat better way to ring in the New Year than with a

cool dip in Northport Bay? Join Boy Scout Troop 410and the Northport Fire Department Smokeaters on Jan.1, 2013 at noon at Northport Village’s Steers Beach onEaton’s Neck Road (next to Asharoken Beach) to cele-brate the New Year and help raise money for theNorthport Food Pantry. Swimmers are invited to collectas many sponsors as possible, at $5 each.www.t410northportny.org.Hot cocoa and snacks by Copenhagen Bakery. Heaters

and fuel by Lewisy Heating.

(Continued from page LI 10)



Congratulates

Mike Deluise

A Community Treasure

Long Islander NewspapersPerson of the Year - 2012



NewFaces Emerge In A Turbulent Political YearNew players on the political scene have

made their mark in 2012 and beyond af-ter a political season that was paused sev-eral times by tragedy and devastation.

Moderately New District LinesEarlier in the year, state officials pon-

dered – and quickly tossed, under threatof a veto by Governor Andrew Cuomo –dramatically redrawn Assembly districts,which was ultimately scrapped in favor ofmoderately altered maps reflecting thepopulation’s southern and eastern creep.

Quiet State ElectionsWhile few state officials serving Hunt-

ington faced a serious challenge this elec-tion, the 10th LD was the most seriouslycontested. In March, Assemblyman JimConte was preparing for a campaignagainst Huntington Station attorney JoeDujmic, in the 10th Assembly District.But on July 16, Conte bowed out of therace, citing growing health concerns. Hehad been battling T-cell lymphoma sincethe spring, and decided to leave politicsto focus on his health. Chad Lupinacci,an attorney, professor and South Hunt-ington school board trustee, stepped in torun for Conte’s seat. Conte succumbed tocancer on Oct. 16, 2012, at age 53.

Just weeks later, the campaign cyclewas again paused by Superstorm Sandy,which blanketed the area with devasta-tion. But on Election Day, the 10th LDseat remained Republican, afterLupinacci secured a comfortable 10-point victory that the Huntington GOPdedicated to Conte’s memory.

Financial Factors On Town LevelAt the town level,moneywas often amo-

tivating factor for conflict. Early in the year,the town board sputtered out of the gate inefforts to restore deep cuts to arts and hu-man services organizations.While arts cutswere restored in January to 90 percent ofthe previous year’s allocation, human serv-ices organizations had to wait until Febru-ary. The 2013 budget proposal was high-lighted by conflict over a proposal to raisepermit fees at the Huntington train sta-tion’s parking garage by $550 a year and$25 in all other lots. Ultimately, that pro-posal was rolled back to just a $25, across-the-board permit fee increase, paired withincreased fines and plans to restructure thetown’s parking fee structure.Midyear, conflict reared its head again,

as efforts to refinance $24-million in mu-nicipal bonds issued from 2002-2005were temporarily halted when Council-men Gene Cook and Mark Mayoka ab-stained from a vote. The plan, which wasoriginally estimated to save the town

about $700,000 in interest payments, didnearly three times as well and resulted ina $2-million savings.

Cook ClashesCook, the first Independence party

member ever to serve on that board,quickly made waves in 2012. After clash-ing with Supervisor Frank Petrone overthen-Comptroller Tracy Yogman’s depar-ture, the town board agreed to formallyrequest a state audit of the town’s booksbe performed in mid-April. By June, thestate announced such an audit wouldtake place, and is currently underway.

Highway Super SkirmishCook also played a role in mid-Au-

gust negotiations with Highway Super-intendent William Naughton and Su-pervisor Frank Petrone that led to aproposal that would have asked votersto deecide whether the Highway Super-intendent’s position should remainelected, or be appointed by the Hunt-ington Town Board, being scuttled.Days after numerous elected HighwaySuperintendents from across Long Is-land joined Huntington residents inblasting the proposal on Aug. 14,Naughton and Petrone agreed after anAug. 17 meeting they would work to-gether to save up to $3 million by shar-ing services, facilities and technology

without cutting blue-collar labor.

Town Attorney DepartsAnd Huntington Town Attorney John

Leo learned he would be trading in hisspot on the Town Board dais for a seat onthe bench of the State Supreme Court.Leo was one of six candidates who earned14-year terms on the State SupremeCourt’s 10th District bench. At the time,Leo credited the victory to tireless cam-paigning, excellent ballot positioning – hewas right next to the winningObama/Biden line – and strong turnoutin Democratic strongholds. He’ll join for-mer Town Councilman William Rebolinion that bench in January.

With 2012 in the books, much is atstake in the New Year, especially in localpolitics. Each of the town’s three SuffolkCounty Legislature seats will be up. Inthe first split-ticket incumbent racesince 2005, two town board seats, cur-rently held by Democrat Mark Cuth-bertson and Republican Mark Mayoka,are up, as is Supervisor Frank Petrone’sseat. Whichever party wins two of thosethree seats will retain – or gain – controlof the Huntington Town Board. And theHighway Superintendent’s post will beup for grabs once again, a race townboard watchers are keeping a close eyeon with expectations of fireworks.


MajorMilestones For Huntington StationFor years, community activists, town officials and

civic organizations have advocated for improvements tothe Huntington Station area. In 2012, residents beganto see the materialization of changes to the downtownphysical landscape, including the installation of StationSports, a pedestrian plaza, and the opening of Renais-sance Downtown’s New York Avenue office, along withtheir Source the Station outreach initiative.Station Sports, owned and operated by private devel-

oper Brad Rosen, opened its doors in January, with theoutdoor portion, which includes a mini golf and battingarea, opening in March. During his first year in Hunt-ington Station, Rosen said the summer was his busiesttime, mostly attracting crowds from out of town for chil-dren’s birthday parties. He found business during thewinter months was relatively slow, and said once he ob-serves trends this winter he will consider making Sta-tion Sports a seasonal operation, closing in mid-No-vember and re-opening mid-March.“So far I’m very happy with the results and we’re look-

ing forward to next year. We’re bringing people in wholive outside the Station, which is what the whole thingwas about,” Rosen said.Huntington Station also witnessed the development

of a pedestrian plaza between Olive and Henry Streetsoff Route 110, just north of the train station. Presentedearlier this year, the town first removed asphalt and con-crete from the 17,000 square-foot area to allow for theinstallation of concrete sidewalks and began installingpaved walkways and decorative street lighting fromOlive Street to Pulaski Road.While the project was interrupted by Superstorm

Sandy, Special Assistant to Supervisor Frank Petrone forEconomic Development Joan Cergol said the plaza issubstantially complete. Steve Haber, the landscape ar-chitect for the plaza, said workers are finishing up ma-sonry work, have paved the driveway and are complet-ing speed tables, or raised bumps in the road that willserve as pedestrian walkways.Landscaping will occur in early spring, and four large

sculptural limestone benches will be installed by crane.The benches, designed and sculpted by Colorado-basedartist Madeline Weiner, are community-inspired and

will be installed after landscaping is complete, Habersaid. The benches, titled “Generations,” follows a story-telling theme that pays tribute to Huntington Station’smusical heritage, Cergol said. The special assistant not-ed the importance of civic spaces relative to downtownredevelopment.“It’s going to be a signature piece for Huntington Sta-

tion because we really don’t have anything like this any-where in the town,” Cergol said.“It will be like a centerpiece,” Haber added.In late spring, private developer Renaissance Down-

towns signed an agreement with the town to be the Sta-tion’s master developer. VP of Development and Plan-ning Ryan Porter said the organization kicked off theircrowd-sourced placemaking campaign, a unique grass-roots effort to include local stakeholders in the develop-ment process, in June.In mid-July, the developer strengthened its physical

presence in the community with the grand opening oftheir 1266 New York Ave. office, home to their Sourcethe Station outreach initiative. Within only six monthsof opening, Renaissance’s outreach program attracted amembership of over 500 residents, said outreach liaisonErika Forland.

Through member meet-ups and speaking with civicorganizations, Porter said Renaissance has reachedsome “critical goals in a very short period of time,” re-ceiving enough feedback to commission feasibility stud-ies for four public retail destinations including a bookshop, café and performance space, a railroad station re-tail cluster, a fresh fruit and veggie stand and a restau-rant row; one public destination idea, “The Centre atHuntington Station;” and two potential downtown liv-ing ideas, including attainably priced homes for youngpeople and apartments/condos above storefronts. Thedeveloper assesses feedback through the number ofvotes or “likes” an idea on the Source the Station websitereceives.Forland said Renaissance will allow members to con-

tinue to vote for an additional retail destination, whichneeds over 50 “likes,” and an additional public destina-tion, which requires a minimum of 75, early next year.Porter said that from an outreach standpoint, the

process over the last 6-9 months—even with setbacksfrom Sandy—could not have gone any better.“I was extremely impressed with the efforts and pas-

sion of the Source the Station membership to stillachieve such an important campaign accomplishment,”he said. “We’re pretty excited about the passion we har-nessed.”Renaissance will present development strategies by

the first quarter of 2013 and continue conducting a gen-eral analysis of revitalization opportunities throughoutthe Huntington Station corridor. Porter said the devel-oper has until April to present ideas for submission tothe town board, and noted Source the Station’s presencewill continue to be a force of change in the community.Other accomplishments in 2012 for Huntington Sta-

tion included improvements to Gateway Park, theHuntington Station Rain Garden, phase two ofstreetscaping, improvements to the Housing Authority,improvements toWhitman Village and the winter farm-ers’ market beingmoved to Jack Abrams. Cergol said thetown is eyeing 1345 New York Ave., the closed marketnext to the Station library branch, as potential space fora dollar store.“There’s been a lot of activity from all quarters of the

community, and with all that activity and attention toHuntington Station everybody’s getting very enthusias-tic and excited,” she said.

The sculpture circle with seat wall portion of the HuntingtonStation pedestrian plaza, between Olive and Henry Streetsoff of Route 110, is shown mid-construction. The project isslated for completion by Spring 2013 after landscaping andbenches are installed.

Photo

bySteve

Haber


Getting The HelpYou Need

DEAR EDITOR:It’s been about six weeks

since Superstorm Sandy hit ourcommunity, and we are just be-ginning the long recoveryprocess. As home and smallbusiness owners continue to as-sess their damages and rebuild,it is vital that federal agenciesinvolved with the recovery haveboots on the ground.That’s why I asked the Small

Business Administration (SBA)and the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA)to send Disaster Relief teams toNorthport this past Tuesday.The event attracted over 30people and enabled businessowners and home owners aliketo get direct answers from theagencies in charge. Many werealso given follow up contacts, tomake sure they received guid-ance throughout the recoveryprocess, instead of being de-railed by busy signals and redtape. I’m grateful to the SBAand FEMA, not only for an-swering the call for help – butfor going beyond the news cov-erage and showing up on LongIsland to see for themselves.During the storm I visited

Northport’s Village Hall, and Iknow that it was one of theharder hit areas in my district.In order to ensure that North-port and other communities getthe help they need, electedleaders from all levels of gov-ernment need to work hand inhand with the SBA and FEMA.I want to thank the Town ofHuntington, the Northport Vil-lage Board of Trustees, MayorDoll, and Asharoken MayorGreg Letica, for their assistancein ensuring that every North-port resident who suffered dur-ing Sandy has the resourcesthey need to make a full recov-ery. I look forward to continu-ing to partner with local gov-ernments and federal agenciesin the efforts to rebuild North-port and all of New York.If you or someone you know

was affected by Sandy and isnot receiving the help theyneed, please call my district of-fice at 631-951-2210.

STEVE ISRAELMember of Congress

Why I SupportThe Seasons

DEAR EDITOR:I read with consternation the

letter sent by the three men,James Cameron, Tom Van DeMerlen and Richard Ward, co-founders of another NIMBYgroup called Preserving ElwoodNow. It seems that they areconcerned about having seniorsliving in their backyard butwere fine having a factory there.Excuse me if I see somethingelse behind their concerns.I have been a resident in the

Elwood School District for 43years and my three children allwent through the schools andgraduated from John Glenn.They all three went on to finecolleges and now have good ca-reers. I would like to see ourschool district continue thistrend.Every year those of us who

had children in school wouldkeep trying to get a library inour district to no avail. Wewould lose year in and year outand one year when we managedto get it on the ballot the budgetwas voted down. We had to joina library in another district soour children could do researchfor their various papers. We fi-nally did get a library when thestate stepped in and said it wasillegal to pay to join a public li-brary. It seems that there is anelement in our district that onlyknows one word: NO.

The Elwood School Districtis very small and has no indus-try to help pay the school taxes.Last year many courses had tobe cut for lack of funds. Ourstudents are the ones who suf-fer when it comes time to applyto colleges when their tran-scripts are not as filled as theneighboring schools. I see theSeasons at Elwood [communi-ty] as a way of increasing ourrevenue without adding newstudents as seniors do not at-tend public schools, at least tomy knowledge anyway.Now, because of the demo-

graphics all across Long Island,housing has become a hugeproblem, not only for our adultchildren who cannot afford tolive in our community but alsofor the seniors who have lived inthe Huntington area and wantto remain but cannot maintaintheir homes, which have becometoo large for them. These menstated that Seasons will encour-age seniors to sell their homes inorder to move into the complexthereby selling their homes toyoung families with childrenwho will then go to our schools.First of all, Elwood, as I said,

is a tiny district and havingmore children would be a bless-ing. Secondly, these same sen-iors who would be looking tomove into the Seasons wouldstill be selling their homes butwould be looking elsewhere andas a result there still would bemore children for our schools.The difference would be thatthese seniors would be stayingin our community with theirdollars going to our merchants,restaurants, etc. Their tax dol-lars would benefit our commu-nity as well. In my experienceseniors, and by the way 55-year-old people are hardly “old” by

today's standards, are goodneighbors, they don't makenoise, they are respectful ofproperty, they drive carefullyand they have more disposableincome than younger people.The comparison to Orchard

Park is a huge stretch. If Or-chard Park had been condo-miniums and no movie theaterI think it might have been ap-proved. That was for rentalsonly, included a movie theaterand planned on having two ex-its onto Manor Road a twolane country road that clearlywould have had to have beenexpanded and who knows howmany houses would have beencondemned to make room. Al-so, that project was an opencommunity and so more chil-dren would be going to ourschools, which I am coming tofind out is a terrible thing ac-cording to these men, andwould not have brought in thetax dollars Elwood so sorelyneeds.One thing is certain: Oak

Tree Dairy is going to sell, andif this project is rejected wewill probably just have moreone-family homes with morechildren and less tax moneyflowing into our community.Elwood needs the money tokeep our schools going andproviding the excellent educa-tion it has always. It is clear tome that those in our communi-ty that are against Seasons arebeing short sighted. Everyonegets old, and they will too. Ifthey so love this area then theymight want to stay in a smallerplace when they get to be sen-iors. If Seasons is here thenthey will have that opportunity.

BARRY REISSElwood

www.LongIslanderNews.com Please mention The Long Islander Newspapers when doing business with our advertisers.A10 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • DECEMBER 27, 2012

Opinion‘Not the types set up by the printer return their impression, the meaning, the main concern.’

In this final issue of the year, we take a lookat some of the top stories and events of theyear. Every year has its high points and lowsones, and some years simply are more mem-orable than others. It’s the lessons that welearn over the course of the year that are im-portant.Lessons learned from the events of this

year? Life is precious, evenmore so when it istaken from the young, who have so manyyears ahead of them.We learned that first from the trag-

ic Fourth of July accident in whichthree young children drowned whena boat crowded with children and adults cap-sized as they returned from a night enjoyingfireworks. We were reminded just last weekwhen, to the horror of the world, a gunmanmowed down 20 children and a half dozenadults on a rampage through the SandyHookElementary School in Newtown, Conn.

If there is any good to come of the appallingevents, it will come because they have openeddiscussions that could achieve meaningfulgun control in this country.Reflecting on the events of 2012, we cannot

ignore the devastation brought by Super-storm Sandy. As damaging as it was, Hunt-ington Township was largely spared from thekindof damage that is going to continue to af-fect some of the island’s South Shore commu-nities for years to come. We were reminded,

however, that there is much tobe grateful for no matter howbad things get. Even after 10

days without power, one had only to think ofthose in other communities who had losttheir homes entirely.With lessons learned, we look ahead to

2013 with renewed gratitude and respect.Let’s not squander the lessons learned thisyear: time is short, life is precious.

Lessons For Tomorrow

EDITORIAL

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Send letters to:The Editor, Half HollowHills Newspaper,149Main Street,Huntington, NewYork 11743or e-mail us [email protected]

149 Main Street, Huntington, New York 11743631.427.7000

Serving the communities of: Dix Hills, Melvilleand the Half Hollow Hills Central School District.

Founded in 1996 by James Koutsis

Copyright © 2012 by Long Islander Newspapers, publishers of The Long-Islander, The Record, NorthportJournal and Half Hollow Hills Newspaper. Each issue of the The Half Hollow Hills Newspaper and all con-tents thereof are copyrighted by Long Islander, LLC. None of the contents or articles may be reproducedin any forum or medium without the advance express written permission of the publisher. Infringementhereof is a violation of the Copyright laws.

N E W S P A P E RHALF HOLLOW HILLS

Michael SchenklerPublisher

Peter SloggattAssociate Publisher/Managing Editor

Luann DallojaconoEditor

Mike KoehlerDanny Schrafel

Jacqueline BirzonReporters

Ian BlancoDan ConroyProduction/Art Department

Marnie OrtizOffice / Legals

Susan MandelAdvertising Director

Michele CaroLarry Stahl

Account Executives


Life&StyleNEW YEAR’S EVE

Rock In 2013With Dark Star OrchestraNeed something fun to do this New Year’s Eve, just

four days from now?Look no further than The Paramount theater in Hunt-

ington village. Join Grateful Dead cover band Dark StarOrchestra (DSO) to rock in 2013 with a guaranteed nightof good music and a good time.For the past 15 years, DSO has captivated fans across

the globewith their ability to recreate theGrateful Dead’ssound, set lists and concerts. Each DSO concert is mod-eled after an original Grateful Dead set list, althoughevery fourth concert the band composes a set list of theirown.DSO guitarist and Long Island native Jeff Mattson

said he is eager to be part of the local music scene onceagain. DSO has previously performed at The Paramount,as well as at the Westbury Music Festival.“DSO has a loyal Long Island fan base,” said Mattson.

“Rob, the keyboarder, is also from Long Island, so we’reboth always excited to play our hometowns.”According to Mattson, DSO expects New Year’s Eve to

be a unique, memorable concert for both the band andaudience. However, the band is keeping the set list forboth the Dec. 30 and 31 concerts a secret.Mattson encourages both those who have never heard

the Grateful Dead and full-fledged Dead Heads alike toattend the New Year’s Eve concert and get a taste of the

DSO experience.“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Mattson. “I’m

proud of my band, and happy to play for my friends,”

Tickets for both performances are $48 apiece and canbe purchased online at www.paramountny.com or at thetheater’s box office at (631) 673-7300.

Grateful Dead cover band Dark Star Orchestra is coming back to The Paramount, this time for a New Year’s Eve and NewYear’s Eve eve show.

By Hannah [email protected]

ART/HISTORY

HeckscherOpensSelect Pieces ToHighest BidderAuction of cannons, Native American artifacts part of ongoing collection refinement

The Heckscher Museum will be backon the auction block soon, offering a pairof ceremonial cannons and a collection ofNative American artifacts to the highestbidder.TheHuntington Town Board approved

the sale during its Dec. 18 meeting, andalso cleared the Heckscher to lend along-stored mineral collection to StonyBrook University. Because the items weredonated to the museum prior to 1954,prior to the formation of the nonprofitcorporation that currently oversees theHeckscher Museum’s collection, thetown owns the items and has final sayover their sale or loan.These sales would be the second and

third such sales, respectively, that themuseum has done since reaccredidation.The first, an Egyptian painted votivelinen dating back to around 1200-1300B.C., sold for $782,500 at auction in Juneof this year.While the cannons have some value, it’s

not to the level of the Egyptian artifactswhich blew through an $80,000-$120,000 appraisal. Anecdotally speak-ing of the Native American collection,“we’re talking hundreds of dollars peritem,” Museum Director Michael Schantzsaid. If the cannon auction goes well, theycould net up to $20,000 as a pair.“These are not extraordinary pieces at

all. There are collectors who collect justabout everything, so these things do have

value, but the value is not like the Egypt-ian piece we sold,” he said.All money netted at auction will be put

aside for the Town of Huntington to pur-chase art for the museum’s permanentcollection.Schantz said the items slated to be

deaccessioned have not been used indecades, and harken back to the muse-um’s heyday as a “European cabinet,”which, in museum speak, is “very often avery idiosyncratic collection collected byone individual,” he said. The NativeAmerican collection, he said, includes ar-rows, paint pots, some moccasins and abeaded belt, for instance.Schantz said the auction of the Native

American artifacts and ceremonial can-nons are in line with recommendationsmade by the American Alliance of Muse-ums during the Heckscher reaccredida-tion process to “identify and deal with thenon-art and ethnographic objects” instorage.“Those items were on display in glass

cases throughout the museum. But thatceased to be the case many, many yearsago, and since then, the institution hasbeen more focused in its mission,” hesaid. “From a best practices standpointand simply from a good housekeepingstandpoint… the Alliance’s recommenda-tion is we really need to look at the itemsbeing stored and not being used becausethey are consuming space that we coulduse for the fine arts collection.”With space at a premium in costly, cli-

mate-controlled storage facilities, freeing

up space for pieces more in line with theirmission would be “terrific,” he said. Butpulling collections together – the NativeAmerican selection, for instance – can bea challenge. The Native American selec-tion, he noted, are “so digested in the stor-age hall that we’re piecemeal findingthese things that have been stored.”“It’s an extraordinarily tedious, labori-

ous process to place these items movethem out of our possession,” he said. “Ifyou actually consider the square footage,these things are costing us money, yetwe’re not using them and we don’t intendto use them.”

At the same meeting, the town alsogave its blessing for the long-term loan ofthe town-ownedmineral collection to theDepartment of Geosciences at StonyBrook University. It too has been unusedfor decades, but could be put to good useby Stony Brook, which boasts a top EarthScience program.“They could be used and used for pub-

lic use at the University. We are notequipped to do that. There are a thou-sand little specimens down there,”Schantz said. “They’ll be used for educa-tional purposes for the first time in 50years or so.”

As the Heckscher Museum of Art continues to refocus its collection, a pair of ceremonialcannons and their Native American artifacts will both be going on the auction block.

Photo/H

eckscherMuseum

ofArt



P U Z Z L EP U Z Z L E P A G EP A G EWHAT THEY ALL HAVEPREMIER CROSSWORD / By Frank A. Longo

CRYPTOQUIP

Today’s Cryptoquip clue: O equals T

E C L P D V S A P O Z G C

T L K O O C G O S

N C O U K A S E L U B

T K G V L C D ’ R

A K O K Y U O K S G

U Y U K G R O V U R B K S G

C N K O S L T K G O S Z L :

“ S R Z C R U G G U . ”

Answer toMOVINGTENPINS

ANSWER TO LASTWEEK’S CRYPTOQUIP

Published December 20, 2012

NEW CRYPTOQUIP BOOKS 3 & 4! Send $3.50for one book or $6.00 for both (check/m.o.) toCryptoquip Classics Books 3 and 4, P.O. Box536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475

©2012 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Publ ished December 20, 2012

©2012 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

IF A PLAINTIFF DECIDES TO

DECREASE THE AMOUNT HE’S

SUING FOR, I SUPPOSE THAT’S

LITIGATION MITIGATION.


TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

Bite Into Something Sweet

There are three bakeries in downtownNorthport, plus several other stores thatsell baked goods. But to Jesse Gerlitz,there is no competition in town.Gerlitz is part of the family that owns

Quintessential Cookies, and he sees themas one of a kind.“I don’t consider anything the compe-

tition. We’re our own type of bakery. Theother type of bakeries do their ownthings. It’s different products,” the man-ager said, adding that he’s even offered tohelp other bakeries should they need it.“You have to support local business.”As its name may imply, Quintessential

Cookies doesn’t churn out loaves ofbread, bake dozens of cakes or mass pro-duce pies. They like smaller sweet treats.The list includes brownies, cupcakes,

pecan bars, quick bread, and of course,cookies.Some of their specialties are photo or

logo cookies and cupcakes. Bakery staffcan take a photograph, company logo orother image and place that on top of abaked good. Running $2.50-$3.75 percookie or cupcake, Gerlitz admitted itmay be a little pricey, but makes a nicegift.“We can take cake orders, but it’s not

really our specialty,” he added.For a while, decorated cookies were the

store’s top seller. Quintessential only dec-orates by hand and uses royal icing,which Gerlitz said looks nicer than buttercream and dries harder. Each 3.5-inchcookie runs $3-$4.50.“We can do a decorated cookie for any

occasion,” the manager said.But more recently, cake pops have tak-

en over as the No. 1 seller. A small pieceof cake on a stick, dipped in chocolate

and topped with a little something extralike sprinkles, they sell for $1.50-$4.While the Northport shop sells plenty ofbasic cake pops, they also offer a weddingvariety – two-tiered wedding cake on astick. Gerlitz said customers frequentlythink they stole the idea from Starbucks.But the manager said QuintessentialCookies introduced them first, when theyopened in 2010.“That was one of the new products we

brought along with us,” he said.Quintessential Cookies originally

opened in the early 2000s, Gerlitz said,before his family acquired the business.Hailing fromWestchester, the family sawit as a business and opportunity, whileGerlitz, unemployed and fresh out ofschool with a sports management degree,needed a job.“The next thing you know, I graduated

and there’s nothing out there. Now I’mone of the owners of a bakery,” he said.When the family took over, the manag-

er said, they renovated the store and ex-panded into new products. They also ex-panded their market.Quintessential Cookies shipped prod-

uct throughout New York State whenGerlitz started. Now, he said, they getcalls from as far as Texas, Washingtonstate and California. Their new 800number doesn’t stop ringing with ordersfrom across the country.“We ship a lot out west and down

south,” Gerlitz said.Orders being shipped to other parts of

the country are wrapped tightly. Basedon the distance, they’re either shippedovernight or 2-3 day priority. Either way,

the manager said their preservative-freeproducts arrive fresh for several days.“We want to be known throughout the

country. Our goal is to expand one dayinto another store. We just want to getour name out there. We’ve been doing alot more local advertising. We’ve beentrying to do a little here and there, adver-tising outside of New York,” Gerlitz said.However, the bakery does draw a fair

amount of local business. Quintessentialsees substantial walk-in traffic during thewarmermonths and gets extra customersbefore, during and after shows at theneighboring John W. Engeman Theater.

Quintessential Cookies co-owner and man-ager Jesse Gerlitz takes a moment from theholiday rush to pose in his shop.

Quintessential Cookies256 Main St., Northport

631-262-0633www.qcookies.com

Spotlight On

HuntingtonBusinesses

Spotlight On


Half

Hollow

Hills

photo/Mike

Koehler

Neighbors on nurseryuse for the neighbors,” McCarthy said,adding that the property has been a nurs-ery since the early 1950s.Paved ingress and egress driveways

feeding into MacNiece Place would facil-itate counterclockwise circulation of traf-fic on the property and allow for on-sitedeliveries, traffic consultant WayneMuller, of RMS Engineering, said. Cur-rently, deliveries are made roadside on a4-foot gravel strip alongMacNiece, whichMuller said is “not necessarily the mostdesirable situation.”While supporters argued the concept

would improve the property and mitigatetruck impacts, residents on Talon Way, aside street off ofMacNiece, raised concerns.Since the property changed hands in

2011, Talon Way resident Joseph Miklossaid activity there has increased to thedetriment of the neighborhood.“There are trucks delivering stock –

trees, bushes, shrubs – all the time. Whenthey do so, they virtually close down Mac-Niece because there’s no place to put thetrucks,” he said.

Mikloswas one of several neighborswhocomplained about cars parking in front ofTalon Way homes for extended periods,and said he expected parking to continueto overflow on TalonWay during peak sea-sons. Responding to a question from Zon-ing Board Trustee Carol Gaughran,Miklossaid he was skeptical that tractor-trailerswould be able to make a clean left-handturn fromMacNiece into the nursery.Other residents said trucks with stock

have parked on Talon Way and crossedMacNiece in forklifts to make deliveries totheCampanelli property. But nursery own-er John Campanelli said they do not allowdeliveries from TalonWay, and anyone do-ing that has possibly mistaken their nurs-ery for Angel Plants, which is located southof the Campanelli nursery.“I unload the trucks, my son unloads the

trucks. I don’t want myself or my son try-ing to get acrossMacNiece in a forklift or apayloader. It’s not safe,” he said.Chairman Christopher Modelewski and

the ZBA tabled the application pending re-ceipt of site plan revisions to clarify thefunctioning of the exit driveway.

(Continued from page A1)

Wrestling for Conn.schools in the country to follow.Trustee Betty DeSabto said the event

was “wonderful” and said she attended theevent to show support for her district.Davey said the community turnout was

much larger than most games, and he wasimpressed by the continuing generosity ofcommunity members in the wake of Su-perstorm Sandy.“It was really nice to see people from

our community contributing to help outduring the tragic incident that occurred,”Davey said.Hills East came out victorious in that

match, defeating West 51-30. East estab-lished a sizeable lead in the beginning ofthe night, with wrestlers in lower weightclasses scoring points and setting the stagefor a T-Birds victory.Eighth-grader Philip Spadafora and

junior Chris Martinez defeated theirHills West counterparts in the 99 poundweight class. In the 106 pound weightclass, sophomore Jack Scurti pinneddown his opponent with 45 seconds left inthe third period. JuniorMichael Macchiacame through for East with a big win, pin-ning down West’s returning league cham-pion Austin Rutella in overtime. At 126pounds, Chris Krause lost to the Colts’potential All-County wrestler Chris Reil-ly. All-State Hills West wrestler TylerGrimaldi defeated East’s All-Countywrestler Maleik Henry 12-3, a matchDavey described as a “real struggle.”“Everybody kind of did their job and

didn’t give up big team points. It was anall-around effort by the entire lineup,” hesaid. “West has been pretty overpoweringover East [recently] so it was nice to seesome support from the East side of town.”

(Continued from page A1)


HOW TO GET YOURHALF HOLLOW HILLS

NEWSPAPER1. FREE DigitalSubscriptionSign up to get the newspaper to read on yourcomputer or smartphone by going towww.HalfHollowNews.com.. An e-reader version or PDF format will be delivered to your inbox weekly.

2. Subscribe forHome DeliveryGet the print version delivered to your home at acost of just $21 a year. Use the coupon inside thispaper; sign up at ww.HalfHollowNews.com;or call with your credit card: 663311--442277--77000000..

Pick up your FREE copy at these and other locations throughout the community

3. Pick up yourFREE copyFREE copies will be at locations that you visit regularly --libraries, supermarkets, drug stores, banks, fitness centersand other retail outlets throughout the community.

COMMACK ROADAmerican Community Bank 100 Commack Rd, CommackANC Food 134 Commack Rd, CommackThe Everything Bagel 217 Commack Rd, CommackDeli Beer Smoke 223 Commack Rd, Commack

JERICHO TURNPIKECommack Lucille Roberts 6534 Jericho Tpke, CommackNew York Sports Club 6136 Jericho Tpke, CommackThe Cutting Edge Hair Design 6065 Jericho Tpke, CommackMozzarello’s Pizza 1957 E Jericho Tpke, East NorthportStop & Shop 3126 Jericho Tpke, East NorthportBagel Boss 1941 Jericho Tkpe, CommackDix Hills Diner 1800 E jericho Tpke, Dix HillsThe Critic’s Choice Deli 1153A E Jericho Tpke, Huntington StationStop & Shop 1100 E Jericho Tpke, Huntington StationDesi Bazar 905 E Jericho Tpke, Huntington StationBrooklyn Pizza 881 E Jericho Tpke, Huntington StationRuby Salon 822 East Jericho Tpke, Huntington StationDunkin’ Donuts 795 East Jericho Tpke, Huntington StationRoy’s Deli 669 East Jericho Tpke, Huntington StationGolden Coach Diner 350 W Jericho Tpke, Huntington StationBagel USA 573 W. Jericho Tpke, Huntington Station

DEER PARK AVENUEDix Hills Fire Department 580 Deer Park Ave, Dix HillsBethpage Fed’l Credit Union 1350-35 Deer Park Ave, North Babylon

Nelly’s Deli Grocery 1737 Deer Park Ave, Deer ParkGigi’s VIP 1747 Deer Park Ave, Deer ParkDeer Park Nails Inc 1749 Deer Park Ave, Deer ParkTony’s Pizza 1829 Deer Park Ave, Deer ParkDeer Hills Delicatessen 2122 Deer Park Ave, Deer ParkPark Avenue Barbers 2150 Deer Park Ave, Deer Park

OLD COUNTRY ROAD/SWEET HOLLOW ROADDix Hills Hot Bagels 703 Old Country Road, Dix HillsHalf Hollow Hills Library 510 Sweet Hollow Road, Melville

ROUTE 110/BROADHOLLOW ROADDeli Beer Cigar Walt Whitman Road, Huntington StationDunkin Donuts 281 Walt Whitman Rd, Huntington StationBerry Healthy Cafe 350 Walt Whitman Rd, Huntington StationMarios Pizza 1 Schwab Rd #17, MelvilleInternational Haircutters 439 Walt Whitman Rd, MelvilleBethpage Fed’l Credit Union 722 Walt Whitman Road, MelvilleRoast 827 Walt Whitman Rd, Melville

PIDGEON HILL RDSouth Huntington Library 145 Pidgeon Hill Road, Huntington Station

HAUPPAUGE RDCommack Public Library 18 Happauge Rd, CommackVANDERBILT PKYHalf Hollow Hills Library 55 Vanderbilt Pky, Dix Hills


AIRLINES ARE HIRING –Trainfor hands on Aviation Career.FAA approved program.Financial aid if qualified -Jobplacement assistance. CALLAviation Institute ofMaintenance 866-296-7093

Driver- $0.01 increase permile after 6 months. Chooseyour hometime. $0.03Quarterly Bonus. Requires 3monthsrecent experience. 800-414-9569 www.driveknight.com

EMPLOYMENT

C L A S S I F I E D SC L A S S I F I E D SDEADLINE is Friday at 2 p.m. All Categories TELEPHONE: (631) 427-7000, FAX: (631) 427-5820 HOURS: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

THE LONG-ISLANDER • THE RECORD • NORTHPORT JOURNAL • HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER

HOME SERVICES GENERAL

LEGAL

LOST POWER OF ATTORNEYLast in The Hand of Theodore G. Boushell and

Sen. B. SmithPlease send all legislation again to

Kevin DonnellyPO Box 708 Npt NY 11768

AdoptionADOPT: 3+1=Happiness.Looking to adopt another littlemiracle and make our littleLucy a big sister. ContactRobin &Neil @ 866-303-0668,http://www.rnladopt.info/.

AdoptionADOPT: Kindergarten teacherlongs to give your preciousbaby endless love, securehome, large extended family,bright future. Expenses paid,private, legal. Jenny 1-866-751-3377

buying/ selllingBUYING/SELLING: gold, goldcoins, sterling silver, silvercoins, diamonds, fine watches(Rolex, Cartier, Patek,Phillippe), paintings, furs,estates. Call for appointment917-696-2024 JAY

Home ImprovementHAS YOUR BUILDING SHIFT-ED OR SETTLED? ContactWoodford Brothers Inc, for

straightening, leveling, foun-dationand wood frame repairs at 1-800-OLD-BARN. www.wood-fordbros.com.Suffolk Cty~License #41959-H NassauCty~ License #H18G7160000

Land WantedLAND and FARMS WANTED.Serious cash buyer seeksinvestment property, 200 acresand up, with or withoutmineral rights. Brokers wel-come. For immediate confi-dential response, call 607-563-8875 ext.13 or [email protected].

MiscellaneousATTEND COLLEGE ONLINEfrom home. *Medical,*Business, *Criminal Justice,*Hospitality, Job placementassistance. Computer avail-able. Financial Aid if qualified.SCHEV Authorized. Call 888-201-8657www.CenturaOnline.com

Wanted to BuyWanted: Will Pay up to $15.00 for High School Yearbooks1900-2012.Any School/Any State. www.yearbookusa.com

or 214-514-1040

WantedNEED HOLIDAY CASH?? Buying ALL Gold & Silver COINS for

CASH!!. Also Stamps, Paper Money, Entire Collections.Travel to your home. Call Marc 1-800-959-3419

WANTED

REAL ESTATEOut of State Real EstateSebastian, Florida Affordablecustom factory constructedhomes $45,900+, Friendlycommunity,No Real Estate or State

Income Taxes ,minutes toAtlantic Ocean. 772-581-0080, www.beach-cove.com.Limitedseasonal rentals

REAL ESTATE CLOSINGS $975.00 Expd Attorney. Free Buy/SellGuide. TRAFFIC TICKETS/CRIMINALRichard H. Lovell, P.C., 10748 Cross Bay, Ozone Park, NY 11417718 835-9300. [email protected]

HELP WANTED

ADVERTISINGWORKS

CALL631-427-7000

To place YOURclassified ad

$600 & UpFor BIG junk cars, trucks & vans.

Less for small ones$12 PER HUNDRED FOR COMPLETE

CARS DELIVERED9 CENTS PER TIN

11 CENTS PER CAST.RATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

WE BUY COPPER • BRASS • ALUMINUM& ANYTHING METAL CERTIFIED SCALE

HESH THE WRECK631-420-1111516-645-9063Please mention this ad

Just two weeks into league play, theHalf Hollow Hills West boys varsity bas-ketball team (2-0) remains an undefeat-ed force on the court.Attributing their success to “good

chemistry,” Coach Bill Mitaritonna saidthe team’s strength comes from the play-

ers’ competitive drive and dedication tothe sport. Prior to entering league play,the team held five scrimmages to preparethem for the season, and their leaguerecord demonstrates that practice timeserved them well.After their Dec. 13 win (56-50) against

Bellport, the Colts put their Hauppaugeopponents down on Dec. 20 winning 59-50.Captain Jamir Blackman demon-

strated excellent offensive play, scoring31 points for Hills West. The second-highest scorers of the game were co-cap-tains Terry Harris and MarcusSolomon. Harris, a starting point guardwhom Mitaritonna described earlier inthe season as an unselfish player, demon-strated his ability to share the ball duringgame time, scoring 9 points and assistingwith 8 rebounds. Solomon also scored 9points, but no rebounds. Junior forwardRoss Greenfield scored 4 points, as didsenior Steven Gurin, who just came offof an injury this season.The undefeated team is slated to play a

non-league game against Brentwood onDec. 28, with tip-off set for noon. TheColts will tip off the New Year on Jan. 3at West Babylon, with game time sched-uled for 5:45 p.m.


HillSPORTSBOYS BASKETBALL

Undefeated Hills West Riding High

The Half Hollow Hills Eastgirls basketball team has estab-lished its presence in the ranksof League II, winning their firstleague game of the season byscoring twice as many points astheir opponent.Before the Lady T-Birds took

flight in their first league win,they faced a tough non-leagueloss at Whitman on Dec. 18.Whitman has proven to be achallenging competitor inLeague II this winter, comingout of their game against Hills 6-1 overall and 2-0 in their league.Hills lost to Whitman 31-47.The Lady T-Birds faced off at

home on Dec. 20 against CentralIslip and established a clear leadfrom the get-go, leading 22-0.TheMusketeers scored onemea-ger point on net during the sec-ond period, while Hills main-tained a 31-point lead until thethird period. Islip fought backbut not hard enough, and Hillstook home their first league win53-25.

Julia Gnieser led the teamwith 17 points and KristenMcKenzie scored 10 points andhad 13 rebounds throughout thegame. Mischa Rivers camethrough with 6 points on net and3 rebounds, andDanielle Lulleyscored 5 points for Hills.Hills East, now 1-2 in their

league and 3-3 overall, enters atwo-day tournament on Dec. 27and 29 at Northport, with tip-offset for 3 p.m. and 10 a.m., re-spectively. Their next leaguegame of the season and firstgame of the New Year is set forJan. 3 at Connetquot, starting at6 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

T-BirdsSoar IntoVictoryBy Jacqueline [email protected]

Junior Ross Greenfield takes a foul shot during a scrimmage earlier this season.


BASEBALL

Colt To Play Ball With FordhamHalf Hollow Hills High

School West senior LukeStampfl signed a Letterof Intent for FordhamUniversity recently. This6’3” student athlete willbe playing baseball for theDivision I Rams.Stampfl has amassed

many athletic titlesthroughout his highschool career as a batter,pitcher and shortstop. Hebroke the record for thebest batting average (.513)in Hills West history, wastwice-named All-League,and in his junior year, wastitled All-County, won theSilver Slugger Award forbeing the best hitter inSuffolk County, andearned the title of TeamMVP. Sophomore year, hewas the recipient of theCoaches Award.As a High Honor Roll

student, Stampfl is amember of National Hon-or Society and BusinessHonor Society. Other ex-tra-curricular activitiesinclude Future BusinessLeaders of America, Ath-letes Helping Athletes,and Varsity Club.

At Half Hollow Hills High School West, Luke Stampfl signs his Letter of Intent to play baseball at FordhamUniversity, surrounded by his parents, and standing left to right: Athletic Director Joseph Pennacchio, Var-sity Head Baseball Coach Tom Migliozzi, and Guidance Counselor Lisa Kesten.

Photo

byFelice

Kristall

Half Hollw Hills Newspaper - December 27, 2012

Documents

Transcript of Half Hollw Hills Newspaper - December 27, 2012