Asparagus is slowly making its way into spring at Wells Homestead Acres in Riverhead. It is not ready to be harvested until it reaches a height of at least six to eight inches. (Credit: Carrie Miller)

The lasting effects of a stormy winter have put a damper on the spring growing season, and produce that would otherwise be on farm stand shelves by now has yet to even break through the ground.

April’s end usually marks the beginning of the spring harvest across the North Fork, said Philip Schmitt of Schmitt Family Farms in Riverhead.

But this year, the season has become something of a waiting game.

“We’re hoping by the weekend to get started with some of the winter spinach,” Mr. Schmitt said. “With the rain from late Thursday and the nice weekend, things did jump a little. But we do have a long way to go. If Mother Nature cooperates from here on out we’ll be OK.”

Mr. Schmitt said the harsh winter cost him about 20 percent of his winter spinach crop, as well as some of his parsley — though he did say that there were some benefits to the deep freeze.

“When the ground freezes, it expands, and that helps to aerate the soil a little,” he explained. “It can also help with the pressures of disease and insects. With a winter like we just had, it’s certainly beneficial in that regard.”

Stephanie Gaylor of Invincible Summer Farms, an organic farm in Southold, said she’s about a month behind in both harvesting and planting her next round of crops.

“Everything we do is by soil temperature,” she said “The soil temperature is about 10 to 11 degrees colder than it normally is.”

While she has planted some varieties of tomatoes and peppers known to ripen early, she’s held off on planting other tomatoes.

“I have to wait for things to heat up,” she said, adding that she may consider planting some varieties in mulch to speed up the growing process.

“Even our asparagus came up later than usual,” she said.

Asparagus is the staple spring crop at Wells Homestead Acres in Riverhead, said grower Lyle Wells.

“We started [harvesting] the 15th of April last year, and by the 20th we were picking tremendous amount of asparagus,” he said. “This year it’s very slow growing.”

He started to harvest May 1, explaining that unlike most other vegetables, asparagus grows multiple spears from the same crown, so fields can be picked continuously.

“Instead of picking every 24 to 36 hours like we would otherwise, we’re picking every 72 hours,” he said.

But the upside of the slow start has been a surge in demand, Mr. Wells said, allowing him to sell at a higher price than normal this season.

He said he’s selling asparagus wholesale for between $2 and $2.50 a pound, where $1.50 to $2 tends to be the industry norm, though he’s not expecting those prices to last long.

“The weather seems to be turning this week, so I’m sure the price and supply will level off,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll have a plentiful supply for Mother’s Day so we can fire up the grill and enjoy it.”

cmiller@timesreview.com

The video posted online starts simply, with Oysterponds students standing in front of large containers while the disembodied voice of a teacher explains the instructions, or lack thereof.

“Each group is going to get one tub, and … well … all I’m going to say is that hose is gonna supply water when I turn it on,” the voice says. A hand points to dishwashing liquid and straws. The goal is simple: make the biggest bubble.

The students can use the twine and scissors, or not. They can use the containers, or not. It doesn’t matter how, they just need to make bubbles. So the students get to work, giggling and shouting “Oh my God!” as the bubbles grow in the wind.

When technology teacher Brittany Knote submitted the video into the “Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics FUSE” competition, she didn’t expect the school would make it far.

“There were high schools out there with 1,000 kids in the school,” she said. “And then we have 70.”

But that didn’t matter. On Monday, the contest organizers announced that Oysterponds Elementary School placed third in the competition to get the most views, winning a $1,000 prize. Immediately, the school had an idea: let the kids decide how to spend it.

The students, Ms. Knote said, will get to choose which equipment the school will buy to upgrade the STEM classroom, which already features iPads and a green screen. Ms. Knote said buying a tripod for the iPads and external microphones seems to be the popular choice.

“We budgeted money to embed technology into our programs,” said school Superintendent Richard Malone. “I think you see the evidence that we’re using technology to its fullest as a tool of learning for children.”

***

The Oysterponds school board held a public hearing on the 2014-15 budget before their meeting Tuesday night, emphasizing the need for a capital fund line.

The proposed budget line would allow the district to set aside money to spend on upgrades or repairs to district buildings. Those funds would be kept separate from the general monies of the district, and could only be spent with taxpayer approval.

Mr. Malone said the proposition to set up the budget line, which was barely voted down on last year’s budget, needed to pass this year.

“I think we’re in a good spot if we make this move this year,” he told the board.

Neither of the two people in the audience — one a school teacher — asked questions about the budget during the state-required public hearing.

The board had already voted to adopt the budget last month.

psquire@timesreview.com

Goldsmith Inlet. (file photo)

Southold Town commissioned another environmental impact study of the Goldsmith Inlet jetty as a decades-long fight from community members continues.

The Town Board voted during Tuesday night’s regular meeting to expend up to $31,000 from the general fund to pay for the latest environmental review. The study would update a feasibility study on changing the jetty’s configuration conducted by Offshore and Coastal Technologies, Inc. in 2006.

The former board received the results of that study in 2008. It recommended reducing the jetty by a third at a cost of an estimated $1 million. However, the board members at the time took no action.

Tuesday’s vote comes two weeks after more than a dozen residents protested the town’s delayed response to the issues facing Goldsmith Inlet. For decades, community members on both sides of the watershed have battled to protect their respective interests in relation to the inlet’s jetty.

During last month’s meeting the board expected to pay $27,000 for the study, but increased the figure to $31,000 to cover any unforeseen costs, according to Supervisor Scott Russell.

The new study would again likely be conducted by Offshore and Coastal Technologies, Mr. Russell said, although a firm has yet to be named.

He added that the board would address the matter in a timely fashion, but could not provide a timeframe on when, or if any, work would be done at Goldsmith Inlet.

cmurray@timesreview.com

SUNY Oneonta junior Steve Ascher received the SUNYAC Pitcher of the Year award.

Steve Ascher, a 2011 Mattituck graduate, capped off a stellar season for the SUNY Oneonta baseball team with the Don Axtell Pitcher of the Year award, given to the top pitcher in the State University of New York Athletic Conference. 

Ascher, a left-handed pitcher who guided the Tuckers to a Long Island Championship his senior season, finished his junior season with a 6-4 record and a 1.82 ERA. He struck out 82 while walking 20 in 69.1 innings. He allowed 14 earned runs all season and threw the most innings of any Oneonta pitcher.

One of Ascher’s two shutouts this season came against Kean University, which was ranked No. 3 nationally at the time. Opponents hit a measly .193 against Ascher this spring.

At an awards ceremony Tuesday, Ascher was honored at Oneonta’s Athlete of the Year along with soccer player Karly DeSimone.

Ascher has steadily improved in his of his three seasons at Oneonta. As a freshman he appeared in eight games and posted a 2-2 record with a 3.27 ERA. As a sophomore he went 4-4 with a 3.02 ERA.

Southold Drama Club is up for Best Student Choreography for their rendition of ‘Rent.’ (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

Nominees for the 12th Annual Teeny Awards, which showcase the best in local high school theater, were announced Wednesday. Winners will be announced at a formal awards ceremony June 8 at Longwood High School where award-winning broadcaster and producer Bonnie Grice will serve as host.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Student tickets are $10 in advance and $20 at the door.

The nominees for all the North Fork high schools are listed alphabetically by school below:

DRAMA

Best Lead Actress in a Drama

Danielle Allan, McGann-Mercy, “Death of a Salesman”

Best Lead Actor in a Drama

Ian Byrne, McGann-Mercy, “Death of a Salesman”

Patrick O’Brien, McGann-Mercy, “Death of a Salesman”

COMEDY

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Taylor Burgess, Riverhead, “It’s a Wonderful Life”

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Connor Vaccariello, Greenport/Southold Drama, “The 39 Steps”

Best Actress in a Comedy

Maggie Daly, Shoreham Wading River, “You Can’t Take It With You”

Kaitlyn Jehele, Riverhead, “It’s a Wonderful Life”

Colleen Kelly, Mattituck, “13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview”

Best Actor in a Comedy

Eric Hughes, Mattituck, “13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview”

Patrick O’Brien, McGann-Mercy, “Laughter on the 23rd Floor”

Jonathan Trioano, Riverhead, “It’s a Wonderful Life”

Eddie Ward, Greenport/Southold Drama, “The 39 Steps”

MUSICAL

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical

Michaella Allperti, Shoreham Wading River, “Carousel”

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical

Matthew Dunning, Shelter Island, “Young Frankenstein”

Sean Mannix, Shoreham Wading River, “Carousel”

Best Actress in a Musical

Allie Lascot, Southold, “Rent”

Best Actor in a Musical

Drew Garrison, Shelter Island, “Young Frankenstein”

Patrick O’Brien, McGann-Mercy, “Aida”

Jon Troiano, Riverhead, “The Wiz”

Outstanding Performer in a Play

Katie Krukowski, Greenport/Southold Drama, “The 39 Steps”

Kimmie Connolly Greenport/Southold Drama, “The 39 Steps”

Erin Plitt, Riverhead, “It’s a Wonderful Life”

Rachel Lohrius, Shoreham Wading River, “You Can’t take It With You”

Outstanding Performer in a Musical 

Kiera Moore, Shoreham Wading River, “Carousel”

Meg Pickerell, Southold, “Rent”

Best Student Choreography 

Southold’s production of Rent: Meg Pickerell for “Out Tonight,” Kimmie Connolly for “Over The Moon,” Morgan Walter for “Cover You” and “Euerusalem Orlandini for “Take Me or Leave Me”

Outstanding ensemble  

1 Acts, Mattituck

Playbill Design

Lily Saeli, Southold, “Rent” and “The 39 Steps”

Hannah Kulp, Rivherhead, “It’s A Wonderful Life”

Aspiring chef Danny Insogna, 18, of Southold took first place in this year’s Long Island High School Culinary Competition, sponsored by Sysco. (Credit: Courtesy)

Aspiring chef Danny Insogna of Southold came back with a vengeance at this year’s Long Island High School Culinary Competition Tuesday afternoon — taking first place and a $4,000 Sysco sponsored scholarship to Suffolk County Community College’s culinary arts program. 

Mr. Insogna, 18, who was also a competitor in last year’s competition, is a student at H.B. Ward Technical Center in Riverhead, and won with his dish of pan-roasted chicken with a mushroom cream sauce, sautéed vegetables and zucchini, and a sweet potato puree.

The contest took place at Suffolk County Community College’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Center in Riverhead.

Similar to the Food Network’s cooking competition show “Chopped,” the students were given a mystery basket full of ingredients — and 90 minutes to turn them into a delectable dish.

College instructors kept a watchful eye on the students from start to finish, judging them on cooking techniques, use of ingredients, cleanliness, presentation, taste and creativity. The secret ingredients: a bone –in chicken, sweet potatoes, green squash and sundried tomatoes.

Aspiring chefs from 13 high schools throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties competed in the competition, while local culinary experts Jerry Dicecco, chef and owner of Jerry and the Mermaid Restaurant and Sean Fountaine, executive chef for Atlantis and the Hyatt Hotel, both of Riverhead, helped judge the competition.

Danny Insogna had 90 minutes to cook his dish.

Describing his dish to the judges.

His dish of pan-roasted chicken with a mushroom cream sauce, sautéed vegetables and zucchini, and a sweet potato puree.

Southold school board member Scott DeSimone, left, with board vice president Judi Fouchet.

And then there were none.

No incumbent school board members are facing a challenge in the five Southold Town school districts this year after Southold Board of Education trustee Scott DeSimone withdrew his petition for candidacy this week. 

When asked by The Suffolk Times to fill out a school board candidate questionnaire, Mr. DeSimone said in an email late Wednesday night that his name will not appear on the ballot when district taxpayers head to the polls May 20.

“Please be advised that I withdrew my candidacy for re-election on May 4, 2014,” Mr. DeSimone’s statement read. He gave no reason for withdrawing his name and he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. DeSimone and fellow board member Scott Latham were to be the only local incumbents facing a challenge from a newcomer this year, after district resident Brian Tobin submitted a petition to run in the two-seat election.

Currently, this is the first time since 1990 that there are no contested races on any district ballot in Southold Town, and it’s the first time in at least 45 years that just one newcomer’s name will appear on all local ballots.

But that could all change. State law mandates that if any candidate withdraws his name at any period later than 15 days before the election, the time for filing nominating petitions for such office shall be extended to within seven days of the election.

In a notice published Tuesday on the Board of Education page of Southold’s website, the district set 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 13 as the new deadline for potential candidates to submit a petition.

District administrators could not be reached for comment late Wednesday night.

Here is the Suffolk Times Service Directory for May 8, 2014. If you are interested in placing an ad, please call Karen, 631-354-8029 or email kcullen@timesreview.com.

Suffolk Times Service Directory: May 8, 2014

Southold School District Superintendent David Gamberg. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson, file)

To the editor:

Southold School District Superintendent David Gamberg has been an outspoken critic of the Common Core Learning Standards implementation and its testing requirements. So his expressed desire to apply “common sense” to education is not surprising.

But hey, it’s common sense to put things back where you found them. But why, then, are shopping carts all over the parking lot at the end of a market day? 

It’s common sense to observe the rules of the road and drive safely, yet we need traffic light cameras.

Perhaps “common sense” is not so common to many of us. It is by observing carefully and measuring that we learn and improve.

Engage children in the natural world? Absolutely. But not just a seed in a cup on a classroom window sill, or a little school garden plot: rather, a visit to community garden plots, a community agricultural facility, hydroponics and greenhouses—modern gardening/agriculture.

Not just the past, but the future, too.

Mr. Gamberg does not deal with particular objections to the curriculum, but he says emphatically: “No set of secret and highly secure tests designed to promote or destroy schools and teachers will accomplish this. It is common sense.” Decoded, this says, “We won’t be able to ‘teach to the test,’ as we previously did, and we may be exposed as ineffective as a result!”

Is Mr. Gamberg an educational leader — his job — or a teacher’s union/PTA leader? Sunday’s Newsday reported other “educational leaders” succeeded in delaying the implantation of the new edTPA, the new test for college graduates who want to be certified in teaching.

Can those catering to the fears and emotional responses of teachers, would-be teachers, teachers of teachers, and parents provide better educational outcomes and life preparation for our students?

Gunther Geiss, Southold

Local sports agent Brian McLaughlin, left, at the ESPN Super Bowl Party this February with client Steve Beauharnais, a linebacker for the New England Patriots. (Credit: Courtesy photo)

You’ll have to forgive Brian McLaughlin if he’s been a little distracted lately.

The East Marion native recently became the second name in the new title of his father Kevin’s Southold law office, McLaughlin & McLaughlin. He’s also in the process of moving to a new apartment in Greenport.

But it’s a three-day event taking place this weekend at Radio City Music Hall that has the 2004 Greenport High School graduate really scrambling: the 2014 NFL Draft.

Mr. McLaughlin, 28, is one of approximately 1,000 people who can call themselves certified NFL agents. His two-man agency, Symmetry, is representing a pair of prospects who hope to be selected in this year’s draft, which starts today, Thursday, and concludes Saturday.

“It’s a very busy time for us,” he said in a telephone interview Monday, just as his other extension began to ring. Between meetings on Tuesday, a Wednesday NFLPA showcase in New York City to which one of Symmetry’s clients was invited, and the three-day draft itself, sleep will have to be put on the back burner.

This season, Mr. McLaughlin and Symmetry president Mook Williams are representing Boise State center Matt Paradis and Murray State wide receiver Walter Powell, both of whom are well-regarded enough to have received invites to the NFL Scouting Combine. Paradis is the 12th-ranked center and Powell is the 46th-ranked wide receiver in the draft, according to ESPN.com.

This is the third NFL draft for Symmetry, which was formed while Mr. McLaughlin was still attending law school at Suffolk University in Boston. He had no designs on becoming a sports agent when he enrolled in law school, but taking sports law classes sparked his interest in the career path. He met Mr. Williams while interning for another NFL agent and they launched the agency in 2012.

“It was hectic flying around the country while trying to finish up school,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “But we knew that if we were going to start this agency up, there wasn’t time to waste.”

Mr. McLaughlin describes Symmetry as a full-service agency that handles contract negotiations — something he considers a personal strength — and public relations for its clients. He considers his youth an advantage in the highly competitive world of sports management and points to his comfort with social media, which he uses to market his clients, as an example.

His age also helps him relate to the college-aged athlete better than some older agents, he said.

“It wasn’t eons ago that I was in college,” he said. “So I know a little bit about what these guys are going through.”

Symmetry currently represents seven NFL players, including two who were selected through the NFL draft: linebackers J.T. Thomas of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Steve Beauharnais of the New England Patriots.

Mr. McLaughlin said that whether drafted or signed through free agency, both Powell and Paradis will get a shot with an NFL team this season. Powell has even been courted by the New York Jets, who worked him out last month.

“If a guy doesn’t get picked, the phone just keeps ringing,” he said. “After the draft, you get a call from 20 or more teams competing to sign players.”

Since the NFL invites only 30 players to attend the draft in person, Mr. McLaughlin will not ride the Long Island Rail Road into New York City for the draft. Instead, he’ll watch on TV and work the phones from his Southold office.

Taking into consideration that NFL agents are paid on commission, he’ll have a lot riding on where his players end up this weekend. That’s a big reason he also has a traditional local law practice.

“It helps me bring in a bit more stable income,” he said of his day job. “Being an agent doesn’t draw a steady salary, but it can also be extremely rewarding.”

gparpan@timesreview.com

(Credit: freeimages.com)

Twenty-seven elected school board members represent residents of the five local districts.

They are charged with setting student performance standards, ratifying costly collective bargaining agreements and hiring well-paid superintendents.

The budgets they adopt make up about two-thirds of your overall tax bill.

Even though school board members are unpaid, they hold prestigious positions within their communities. Yet it appears few residents want that responsibility anymore.

Among school board members currently in office townwide, only seven were elected in contested races. Four times in the past three years, local school boards had more open seats than candidates on the ballot. This year, there are no races.

Why is this happening?

Editor’s Note: A version of this story published in Thursday’s issue of The Suffolk Times stated that three candidates were vying for two open seats in Southold. We have since learned incumbent Scott DeSimone withdrew his name from the race this week.

In 2005, Mattituck-Cutchogue School District voters had more school board candidates to choose from than at any other point in the past three decades.

One resident who submitted a petition to run for the Board of Education that year called the district clerk soon after all petitions were due and asked to have his name removed from the ballot. By state law, any withdrawal automatically triggers a 15-day extension during which more residents can throw their hats into the ring.

When voters headed to the polls that year they had a choice of seven candidates for two open seats.

Five of those candidates were challengers, one of whom was elected that night.

But when those same two seats are filled again this year, voters will have no choice.

No district resident is challenging those incumbents this year — and it’s unlikely anyone will wage a successful write-in campaign.

A dearth of candidates to choose from is a theme across school districts within Southold Town this year, as it has been since 2010, the last year there was a contested school board race in more than one local district.

An analysis of Suffolk Times coverage of the past 45 school district elections shows that the decrease in candidates in recent years is virtually unprecedented.

Since the Mattituck-Laurel merger in 1997, there has been only one other time when school board elections across all five local districts featured just one or fewer contested races. It has now happened four years in a row.

“People are living very busy lives,” said Southold Superintendent David Gamberg, whose district features the only newcomer on the ballot, but only two candidates are vying for the two open seats. “The pressures people are under to manage time and the commitments they have to make for family and work … It’s a tough assignment to take on voluntarily.”

Mr. Gamberg, who’s been Southold superintendent for six years and was an assistant superintendent in the Patchogue-Medford district the previous four years, said he couldn’t pinpoint the direct cause of the current trend, but believes the 2 percent property tax levy cap, enacted in 2011, may be playing a role. He said some residents might wonder whether they’re capable of meeting the needs of all stakeholders — including taxpayers, students and families — under the pressure of preparing budgets that comply with the cap.

“I think school boards are trying to manage budgets in tight times and develop the kind of robust educational programs they want to see for children,” he said. “That’s hard today when you’re put into a position where you have to make tough decisions.”

Some current school board members agree with Mr. Gamberg that residents not wanting to be in the hotseat during budget time could be behind the disinterest. Others believe residents are happy with their districts’ general direction and don’t feel a need for change.

Ahh, to live in May 1984 again.

Reagan was president. Swale won the Kentucky Derby. Video stores were opening all over the East End. 

Our Throwback Thursday is an advertisement for the grand opening of Southold Video,  Jamesport Bike and Video and Southside Video in Southampton, published in The Suffolk Times 30 years ago this week.

The ad encourages folks to sign up for a lifetime membership for just $100. It also offers the service of renting home video equipment, complete with technicians.

Front Row Video in Southold, the last indie video store on the North Fork, closed in February 2010.

The Southold Town Board wants to keep candy tossing at parades in check. (File photo)

For safety’s sake, Southold Town is making it clear that there is no candy throwing allowed parades.

Before approving two requests from nonprofit organizations Tuesday to use town roads for summer parades the Southold Town Board took care to remind people that candy and beads can not be tossed on streets during the events.

The reminder of the clause in the permits comes in response to concerned parents who’ve been worried their children could be hurt while running into the street to grab treats.

“It’s become a real concern,” Councilman Bill Ruland said prior to voting on applications for the Orient Fire Department’s Memorial Day and the New Suffolk Civic Association’s 4th of July parade.

The parades were approved after the candy provision was reiterated.

cmurray@timesreview.com

MATT ROHDE PHOTO | An osprey-like view from Matt Rhode’s second installment of a video project.

South Ferry Captain Matt Rohde has completed another of his beautiful videos of Shelter Island as part of his “Osprey Project.”

Captain Rohde uses a “quad copter” with a GoPro Hero 3 camera attached. He remotely guides the copter as it records video and he does all editing himself plus synchs music to make the incredible art works celebrating the beauty and mystery of Shelter Island.

Check it out:

Privacy, tranquility and sunsets  await at this $7.5 million Soundfront home in Peconic. This 12.7 acre homestead abuts  70 acres of preserved land. The home features a pool, gourmet kitchen and wraparound mahogany deck.

View the listing on northforker.com.

Police executed a search warrant at a home on Riley Avenue in Mattituck Thursday. (Credit: Good Maps image)

Two men were nabbed in Mattituck on felony drug charges Thursday as part of an ongoing East End Drugs Task Force investigation, according to a Southold Town police press release.

Colegedo Mokus, 18, of Mattituck, Nigel Ortiz, 21, of Selden, were arrested at a home on Riley Avenue after Southold Town police and the East End Drug Task Force executed a search warrant shortly after 2 p.m., officials said.

The East End Drug Task Force — a multi-jurisdictional investigative unit that include detectives from several departments and agencies on town, county and state levels — initiated a three month investigation after it received complaints from neighboring residents about drug deals taking place at the home, police said.

More than eight ounces of marijuana, scales and money was recovered at the scene during the search, officials said.

The Suffolk County Police Emergency Services Unit and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit also assisted during the search, police said.

Mr. Mokus and Mr. Ortiz were both charged with third-degree criminal possession of marijuana, officials said.

Southold’s Dylan Clausen slides into third base safely while Greenport’s Keegan Syron covers the bag. (Credit: Garret Meade)

FIRST SETTLERS 12, PORTERS 0

Those were raindrops, not teardrops, falling from the gray sky on Thursday afternoon. The ominous clouds rolling overhead added a sense of gloom to the closing of a dismal season that both the Southold and Greenport high school baseball teams might be inclined to cry about.

Both teams were in the same boat, really. With no titles to play for and the playoffs out of the question, the mood was light in this battle for third place in Suffolk County League IX.

Not only was it the last game of the season for the teams, but it was Chris Golden’s final game as Greenport’s coach. Before the game, Golden announced that he will not return to the Porters next season so that he can devote more time to coaching soccer and his family. He also said, apparently half-kiddingly, that the brutal spring weather has taken a toll on him as he approaches his 50th birthday.

Some oddities accompanied Golden’s final game. Although it was a Greenport home game, the contest was moved to Southold High School since Greenport’s field was unplayable because of puddles caused by rain earlier in the day. But the game was played on Southold’s junior high school field, which First Settlers coach Mike Carver said was in better shape than the varsity field.

The junior high school field used to be the varsity field, and Carver’s teams had won many games on it in years past. On Thursday the First Settlers won another one, 12-0, to sweep the season-ending, three-game series.

Anthony Fedele, a senior right-hander, pitched a five-hitter with 10 strikeouts. He received 13 hits worth of support from Southold bats.

Shayne Johnson drove in three runs on 3-for-4 hitting. He also scored three runs and stole a base. Four other First Settlers — Fedele, Alex Poliwoda, Anthony Esposito and Timmy Stankiewicz — chipped in two hits apiece. Fedele and Poliwoda knocked in two runs each.

The First Settlers (4-11, 4-8) came out hitting. They put up 10 runs and 10 hits in the first three innings.

Fedele was cruising as well. The light drizzle through the first half of the game didn’t seem to bother him. During that time, the only hit he surrendered was a lined single by Greenport’s leadoff batter, Timmy Stevens, in the first inning.

Fedele had a three-hitter going before the Porters (4-10, 3-9) produced infield singles by Eddie Rogers and Ryan Weingart in the sixth.

Stevens and Christian Angelson handled the pitching for the Porters through the first three innings. Then Golden handed the ball to Weingart, a senior center fielder who made his first pitching appearance a memorable one. Golden said he had intended to have Weingart pitch for only one inning, but the righty did well enough that he let him finish the game. Weingart allowed three hits and one earned run over the four innings he worked, earning praise from his coach. Weingart also had a pair of hits and stole two bases.

Because the game was moved from Greenport, a pregame ceremony to honor Greenport’s former athletic director, Robbie Costantini, was cancelled. The Greenport field is named after him.

bliepa@timesreview.com

This time of year, you begin to see former Mattituck students around town, home after a semester of college — or two or three or four. Welcome home to each of you.

I had the pleasure of catching up with Alex Macari at the vineyard the other day. She was glowing with the news that she’d spent Easter in Italy, where she was served a delicious meal preparedby a very familiar chef — her son Eddie. Eddie is living outside Parma and working to hone his cooking skills. As I always say, our kids do incredible things!

Mattituck High School continues to acknowledge and celebrate some of our greatest assets — our kids — by honoring them at a “Breakfast of Champions.” This month’s honorees are Sophia Borzilleri, Nicole L’Hommedieu, Jacey Lengyel, Emilie Reimer, Wyatt Malave, Christopher Dwyer, Dylan Holmes, Ghana Haas, Hayley Berry and Nicholas Chylinski. Congratulations!

The Aiello family has something to celebrate this week. Artie Aiello was born on Mother’s Day 71 years ago and celebrates his birthday on May 9. The following week granddaughter Talia Aiello will turn 14. Happy birthday!

Thomas Reilly is marking a major milestone today, May 8, when he turns 96. Congratulations!

Mattituck Fire Department Fire Police Squad No. 865 officers participated April 23 in a mandatory state recertification course at the Suffolk County Fire Academy in Terryville. Topics included fire tactical operations, crowd control, safety equipment and clothing as well as current state law pertaining to the fire service. Capt. John Sawicki, Richard Fraker, Barney Harris, Leonard Llewellyn, Richard Simicich and Robert Neudeck attended.

Many May babies will celebrate their special days in the next two weeks. Happy birthday wishes go to Eamon Deegan, Sherri Kelly, Hannah Baglivi, Lainie Dubinsky, Fred Hansen, Denise Cheshire, Amanda Barney, John Boucher, Sierra Roces, Mike Shanahan, Colleen Shanahan, Courtney Italia, Brady Ulmet Jr., James McDonald, Kevin Litchhult, Chris Rehm, Dennis Case, Tim DeMey, Liam Finnegan, Julie Krudop, Steve Cook and Ned Baker.

Mark your calendars for May 20 and exercise your right to vote on the school budget.

Sunday is Mother’s Day! All you mothers — who think you can do it all and feel frustrated when you cannot, who wipe tears and runny noses, cheer for your kids when they win and comfort them when they lose, bake cakes in the shape of dinosaurs and Dora, pack up the boxes for college and send money when they call, applaud at concerts and dance recitals and ultimately fulfill a job description that changes from moment to moment and never ends — have earned the right to pamper yourself! No one does a more important job than you. Happy Mother’s Day!

Contact Mattituck-Laurel columnist Pat Arslanian at Pat5543782@aol.com.

There are eight open houses scheduled on the North Fork this weekend with prices ranging from $389,000 to $749,000.

Get a sneak peek at the listings on northforker.com.

There were two audience members at Tuesday night’s Oysterponds school board meeting in Orient. Most Board of Education meetings on the North Fork have low turnouts. (Credit: Paul Squire, file)

The past two springs we’ve published an editorial on the declining number of candidates running for local school boards. Each time, we speculated that the property tax levy cap has likely dissuaded newcomers from pursuing open seats.

Many of the school board members we spoke to this week agreed with that theory, while also suggesting other factors, including fear of holding such a large responsibility in a small community and general satisfaction with how the districts are being run. 

While experience can be a desirable quality in a school board member, the disinterest most community members seem to display toward participating in their school district’s decision-making process troubles us. It’s not just that there are so few candidates to choose from each election, it’s also that school board meetings are so sparsely attended the rest of the year. Since school taxes make up such a large portion — close to two-thirds — of the average homeowner’s property tax bill, this apparent indifference could have devastating consequences if not scrutinized closely enough by the community.

As we prepared this week’s school board piece, we discussed ways school and state officials could generate more interest in our Boards of Education and get more names on the ballot. Here are three possible solutions.

Make the meetings more accessible

The Southold Town Board announced this week that it’s taking its show on the road, hosting meetings in various venues outside Town Hall. How come school boards never do that?

Holding every meeting at our schools creates an inner circle that’s not reflective of our community as a whole. Parents and other community members who frequent the school are more likely to attend those meetings than residents without school-aged children. If school boards occasionally held meetings at community centers, firehouses and churches, for example, they might generate better turnout.

Offer a tax exemption for board service

Before tossing this newspaper in your fireplace over the thought of more tax breaks, consider this: Board of Education members manage the budget that impacts your total tax bill more than any other spending plan. Don’t you want the best and brightest in control come budget season?

Offering school board members a property tax exemption or a stipend — similar to the relief many first responders, veterans and clergy receive— could inspire more qualified candidates to throw their hats in the ring.

School board members put in countless hours to serve their communities. Perhaps it’s time we compensate them for that sacrifice.

How much to offer? Leave it up to each district to decide what’s palatable to the community through a referendum.

Let’s see who’s running sooner

We often hear from people that if they’d known an incumbent wasn’t running or that a certain newcomer was submitting petitions for a school board seat, they would have launched their own campaign.

The way the process works now, the public often has no idea who is up for school board until after the 30-day petition deadline passes — after candidates have put in all the work of gathering signatures. What if the law were changed to create a second, earlier deadline for the declaration of intent to run? This way, someone who’s on the fence could decide to commit or pass based on who else is running.

Keep the deadline for submitting petitions at 30 days before the election, but also have a soft declaration deadline two weeks earlier and then let the public know who’s considering a run. While incumbents and challengers would still have time to make their candidacies official, it could give the public a clearer idea of who’s pursuing the open seats.

With more timely information about the competition, potential school board newcomers who are unsure about running when the first deadline passes might an opportunity that inspires them to run.

These suggestions could make the difference for our school districts between continually uncontested races and elections in which taxpayers have a true choice.