JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | This Harley Davidson motorcycle nearly crashed into a car that was making a U-Turn in Jamesport Sunday morning.

A Southold motorcyclist was taken to the hospital Sunday morning after nearly crashing into a car making a u-turn in Jamesport, Riverhead Town police said.

John Kassimatis of Southold lost control of his Harley Davidson motorcycle shortly after 11 a.m. while driving along Jamesport Avenue after an unidentified car was making a u-turn, officials said. Police said the driver of the car left the scene of the accident.

Mr. Kassimatis was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center and treated for his injuries, officials said.

No other information was immediately available.

GARRET MEADE PHOTO | Gerry O’Hara of East Rockaway won the Sound to Bay 10K race on Sunday morning in 36 minutes 29.14 seconds.

SOUND TO BAY 10K AND 5K

Maria Pavkovitch had been through the routine before. While her boyfriend played golf at a nearby golf course, she would do some road running. That was the plan again for Sunday morning until the pair noticed a flyer advertising the 14th annual Sound to Bay 10K and 5K.

So, at her boyfriend’s urging, Pavkovitch decided to enter the 10-kilometer race instead and use that as a workout. Her expectations were modest for a race she had not prepared for.

“I didn’t eat the right food last night,” she said. “I didn’t go to sleep at the right time.”

Talk about spur of the moment. Pavkovitch registered for the race only 45 minutes before its scheduled start.

And then she won it!

Pavkovitch, 28, of Union City, N.J., was the leading woman from the beginning of the race, which started at Iron Pier Beach in Northville. She did, however, face a challenge from the runner-up, Kathleen Callahan, at the three-mile mark.

“I’m not one to look back at all, but when I was getting water, I saw her in the corner of my eye,” said Pavkovitch. Pavkovitch said she then told herself, “I guess you got to work now.”

And she did.

The former Rutgers University cross-country and track and field athlete who now runs for the Central Park Track Club in New York City, said the middle of the race is when pain starts to creep in. She said that was the case two years ago when she took third place in the Sound to Bay 10K.

This time, though, she wasn’t giving in to the pain.

She said: “This time I was like: ‘You know what? I’m just going to go for it. It’s going to be over in three miles. I waited around long enough for [the race] to start.’ So, I just wanted to make it worthwhile.”

And she did, turning in a winning time of 39 minutes 23.2 seconds.

“I know I can run faster than this,” Pavkovitch said, noting that her usual 10K time is around 38 minutes. “Today just wasn’t the day for it.”

GARRET MEADE PHOTO | Maria Pavkovitch of Union City, N.J., who signed up for the 10K race only 45 minutes before the scheduled start, was the first female finisher.

She added: “You just never know how you’ll feel when you get out there. You never know what kind of day that you’re having.”

Callahan followed Pavkovitch to the finish line at South Jamesport Beach in 39:51.2. Nadine Moors was third in 41:10.1, Tara Wilson was fourth in 41:49.4 and Kim Ely was fifth in 46:09.4, according to the unofficial results.

On the men’s side, Gerry O’Hara made his debut in the Sound to Bay 10K a winning one. O’Hara, representing the Super Runners Shop team, wanted to set a six-minute pace per mile, and he did better than that, averaging 5:31.1 per mile over the 6.2-mile distance. It added up to a final time of 36:29.1 for the 48-year-old East Rockaway man.

Anthony Galvan, a Riverhead High School senior cross-country runner who is 30 years younger than O’Hara, claimed second place for the second year in a row. Galvan’s time was 37:51.5. Shaun Mara, another Super Runners Shop runner, was third in 37:56.8, with Tommy Pyon (37:58.2) fourth and David Damarest (38:13.5) fifth.

O’Hara said he took the lead about a mile and a half into the race. He said a refreshing breeze helped him, but then again so did the competition. He was being pushed by younger legs behind him. “You have the fear of them coming up on me,” said O’Hara, whose son Patrick and daughter Emily also ran in the event along with teammates on their Kellenberg Memorial High School track and field teams.

O’Hara said he was happy with his victory. He said he had not won a road race in a while, but he is among the top 10 finishers in most of the races he competes in. As he explained it, there really is no secret to success in a road race, and there are no shortcuts. “You got to do the mileage,” he said.

For Galvan, the race was like déjà vu. He had led the first two miles of last year’s race before shin splints forced him to slow down, and he had to settle for second place behind Shawn Fitzgerald of Cutchogue. This time Galvan, who was as far back as in fifth place, said he experienced cramping in his midsection during the second mile.

The race comes a day before Galvan and his Riverhead High School teammates hold their first preseason practice. “I don’t know what the coaches have in store for us,” he said, looking ahead to tomorrow.

The 14th annual Sound to Bay 10K had a little twist to it — and a late start. With the addition of a five-kilometer race, the event produced a record turnout, with 615 runners completing the races. The 10K had 368 finishers.

The race director, Bob Sikora, said that when he saw all the runners who had assembled for the races, his first reaction was, “Whoa! — and no!”

A couple of hundred registrants the morning of the races caught organizers by surprise, delaying the start of the 10K by about a half-hour. Runners like Pavkovitch were anxious to get started as the final buses scrambled to deliver runners to the starting line. “I was already warmed up and then cooled down and warmed up again and then cooled down again,” she said.

The large turnout kept the 40 or so volunteer workers busy.

“Obviously you learn by your mistakes,” Sikora said. “It got off late because we didn’t have enough buses and so on and so forth. There are a few things that have to be worked out to make it run smoother.”

The five-kilometer race was won by Patrick McCabe in 18:42.7. The next four male runners after him were Jacob Rigios (19:28.5), Zack Nicholson (19:58.0), Ken Poliwoda (20:37.5) and Dan Cletaka (20:41.5).

Patricia Alcivar, a professional boxer from Forest Hills, was the first female finisher in 20:38.2. A determined Alcivar managed to hold off second-place Shannen Fuertes (20:42.5) at the finish. Fuertes was followed by Allison Hofmann (20:54.5), Melanie Pfennig (21:45.9) and Jazmine Carrillo (22:15.7).

An unidentified man who had collapsed while running the 5K race was taken by ambulance to Peconic Bay Medical Center and treated for a possible heart attack, according to Riverhead police. No other details were available.

Jennifer Gustavson contributed to this article.

bliepa@timesreview.com

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Animal rights activists have been protesting in front of Puppy Experience in Aquebogue for the past few months.

Motorists driving along Route 25 in Aquebogue Sunday afternoon beeped their car horns in support of a puppy-mill protest organized in front of the pet store Puppy Experience, where several animal rights advocates held signs and handed out pamphlets.

Barbara Dennihy of the Companion Animal Protection Society, a national animal rights organization based in Massachusetts, said her group has been protesting in front of Puppy Experience from 1 to 4 p.m. every weekend for the past few months because it believes the pet store sells puppies obtained from substandard dog-breeding facilities known as “puppy mills.”

“We’re trying to raise awareness that these puppies are coming from puppy mills,” she said. “Most people don’t know the harsh reality about puppy mills.”

About seven people from CAPS came out for Sunday’s protest, which Ms. Dennihy said was also National Dog Day. Some of their signs read: “Free Their Mothers,” “Google Puppy Mill” and “Adopt from a Shelter.”

Ms. Dennihy claims Puppy Experience purchases its puppies through Hunte Corp., a large puppy broker based in Missouri that Ms. Dennihy said purchases puppies from puppy mills . In addition, Ms. Dennihy said Puppy Experience has also done business with Kathy Bauck, a Minnesota-based dog breeder that has been convicted of animal cruelty.

While Ms. Dennihy said an attorney representing Puppy Experience filed a cease and desist order against her organization about three weeks ago, she said her group is still allowed to protest in front of the pet shop as long as protesters remain on the sidewalk.

Ms. Dennihy described her group’s actions as a “silent protest” and said she hopes people will consider adopting animals before visiting a pet store.

“There are so many dogs available for adoption,” Ms. Dennihy said. “There’s no need for puppy mills.”

Puppy Experience employees declined comment.

jennifer@timesreview.com

The U.S. Coast Guard stopped a Riverhead man for boating erratically Sunday evening, only to learn he was intoxicated and his two young children were on board without life vests, Riverhead Town police said.

Vytas Stackevicius, 35, of Goodale Road was stopped by the Coast Guard near Terry’s Creek in Aquebogue shortly after 7 p.m. and was arrested by town police, according to a Riverhead police press release. He was charged with Boating While Intoxicated and cited for having his children, ages 3 and 1, on board without life preservers.

Mr. Stackevicius was held overnight for a Monday morning arraignment, according to police.

His wife and mother were also passengers in the boat but were not charged with any crime, police said.

KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO | One-year-old Lucy Thiede of Southold, and her mom Kristen on the carousel at the Southold Town Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival.

The Southold Town Firefighters Memorial Committee held a fundraising carnival at Strawberry Fields in Mattituck this weekend. All proceeds will benefit the construction of the Southold Town Firefighters Memorial, currently being built in Cochran Park in Peconic.

The carnival, which began on Thursday, ended Sunday night. A fireworks show was held Saturday.

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Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTOS | Three-year-old Sophie Heidemann of Southold delights in a carousel ride as her dad, Mark, looks on.

Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

ne-year-old Lucy Thiede of Southold, and her mom Kristen on the carousel.

Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

Lidia Beralta, 4, of Center Moriches enjoying a ride on a flying elephant.

Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

Colin Heeg, 4, of Mattituck on the flying elephant ride.

Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

Riders whiz by on the Himalaya attraction.

Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

Lianne Stepnoski of Riverhead films her son Gabriel, 8.

Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

Nellie Spackman, 11, of Greenport with Isabelle Pierce, 12, of Katonah.

Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

Taking careful aim at one of the arcade games.

Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

A group of gleeful boys defy gravity.

Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

Two-year-old Emma Roner of Greenport enjoys an ice cream as dad Andrew looks on.

Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

Children finish up a ride on the swings

Volunteer Firefighters Memorial Carnival

Too small to ride, a little girl waits for her sister.

BETH YOUNG FILE PHOTO | A LIPA survey shows the population is down all across Long Island.

There are not as many people on the East End as we thought.

That’s according to the latest LIPA Population survey, which shows the population of every municipality on Long Island declining between 2010 and 2011.

The LIPA population estimates also were adjusted to reflect population estimates in the 2010 Census, according to Mark Gross, LIPA’s Director of Communications.

The Census figures also found that the population on Long Island was not as great as in LIPA’s previous population estimates, which are issued yearly.

SEE THE FULL REPORT BELOW

In Riverhead Town, which had the greatest percentage growth of any Suffolk County town since 2003, the LIPA estimates for 2011 show the population dropping from 34,191 in its 2010 population estimate to 33,455 in 2011, a number that’s lower than what LIPA estimated in 2007.

The 2010 Census put Riverhead Town’s population at 33,506.

In Southold Town, LIPA’s 2011 population estimate of 21,965 is not only seven percent lower than its 2010 estimate of 23,707, it’s also lower than what LIPA estimated that town’s population at in 2004. The 2010 Census put Southold’s population at 21,968.

In Shelter Island, the LIPA estimate dipped from 2,546 in 2010 to 2,396 in 2011. That number also is lower than LIPA’s 2003 estimate for Shelter Island. The 2010 Census put Shelter Island’s population at 2,392.

And in Southampton Town, the LIPA estimates had the town population dropping from 60,693 in 2010 to 56,800 in 2011, a six percent drop to a number that’s also lower than LIPA’s population estimate for Southampton Town in 2003. The 2010 said Southampton Town had 56,790 people.

The Long Island Regional Planning Board, in a 2011 analysis comparing Census and LIPA figures, estimated that both were caught off guard by the economic downtown.

“In all likelihood, both the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates program and the LIPA annual population survey did not capture the sudden but widespread effect on the region’s housing and immigrant populations of the 2007-2010 economic down turn,” wrote Seth Forman, the chief planner for LIRPC. “That is, an increase in the number of housing vacancies, caused by home foreclosures and the departure of low-skilled, mostly undocumented immigrant laborers from abroad due to job declines, eluded the most commonly used survey and forecasting methods.”

The 2011 LIPA Population survey, released this year, is the company’s most recent. The 2012 survey won’t be released until 2013, Mr. Gross said.

LIPA’s estimates are based on utility records on Jan. 1 of each year, but they also use the most recent Census information to estimate the number of persons per household in a given community.

“We adjust the population per household and the household per meter factors as per the Census every 10 years and that’s why our numbers are close to the census numbers,” Mr. Gross said.

That’s also why the numbers are lower than the 2010 LIPA estimates.

“This a study/estimate, not a Census,” he said of LIPA’s population survey.

tgannon@timesreview.com

LIPA Population Survey 2011

KATHARINE SCHROEDER FILE PHOTO | The Oysterponds School District announced Monday it has postponed its secondary contract vote.

The Oysterponds School District announced Monday that a public referendum scheduled for Sept. 4 to approve a five-year secondary school contract with Greenport has been postponed.

Greenport Board of Education president Heather Wolf said although both school boards have agreed to the contract in principle, the vote is being delayed because the legality of the contract is still being finalized.

“It really is simply a quest to make it as airtight as possible,” she said. “We are both trying to work on a contract that holds water and is equitable to both communities.”

The Oysterponds School District runs a preschool through sixth-grade program for East Marion and Orient residents. The elementary school district sends its secondary students to nearby Greenport schools.

Secondary school tuition is currently determined by the Seneca Falls rate, a state formula that establishes the highest tuition rate a district can charge for nonresident students.

Ms. Wolf said there hasn’t been any discussions to use the Seneca Falls rate to determine tuition for the 2012-2013 school year because both boards are committed to striking a five-year deal in order to continue its long-running agreement, in which East Marion and Orient students move to Greenport for grades 7-12.

As both school boards finalize an agreement, Ms. Wolf said Oysterponds secondary students will continue to attend school at Greenport.

A new date for the public referendum will be announced once a deal is reached.

Subscribers can read more about this story on August 30 in The Suffolk Times or on our E-Paper.

jennifer@timesreview.com

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON FILE PHOTO | Tonight’s Greenport Village Board meeting is at 6 p.m.

The Greenport Village Board is set to vote on wastewater treatment plant and roadwork contract proposals tonight at 6 p.m. during its monthly meeting at the Third Street firehouse.

According to tonight’s agenda, the Village Board will vote on a resolution to extend Dvirka and Bartilucci’s contract from April 1 through the close-out of the village’s wastewater treatment plant project in an amount not to exceed $10,000. The Village Board will also vote on a roadwork contract not to exceed $85,000 with Corazzini Asphalt.

In addition, the Village Board is likely to approve a moratorium on subdivisions as the village finalizes new subdivision legislation.

There are also some resolutions on tonight’s agenda to schedule public meetings.

One is for a final public meeting for Sept. 20 to discuss the village’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. Another is to invite Bob Freeman, director of the state’s Committee on Open Government, to a future village meeting to discuss Freedom of Information and Open Meetings laws.

The Village Board also plans to ratify a couple of resolutions to set the annual Maritime Festival for Sept. 22-23 and approve St. Agnes Church’s request to close Sixth Street between Front and Wiggins streets on Aug. 25 from noon to 3 p.m. for its annual Parish Picnic.

Scroll down to view the complete agenda and check back later for live updates from tonight’s meeting.

jennifer@timesreview.com

Greenport Village Board meeting, Aug. 27, 2012

Hudson City Savings, a New Jersey-based bank that completed a major expansion to the East End in the first half of the last decade, is to be acquired by M&T Bank of Buffalo in a $3.7 billion deal, according to an article posted Monday on the Crain’s New York Business website.

If the deal wins regulatory approvals and closes later this year as expected, Hudson City’s tenure as an independent company would end after 144 years. Hudson City, which reports $45 billion in assets and 135 branches, would become part of M&T and, according to Crain’s, triple that bank’s share of the New York-area market. M&T currently operates 725 branches.

Led by CEO Ronald Hermance, who in the late 1980s served as chief financial officer for the former Southold Savings Bank, Hudson City expanded to Long Island close to a decade ago. The bank opened branches in Riverhead, Southold and Greenport. A dispute with the developer of a Main Road, Mattituck branch has left the unfinished building vacant for several years.

The deal may have a familiar ring for Mr. Hermance, who has a vacation home in Southold. He left the North Fork after Southold Savings was taken over by North Fork Bank and Trust, now part of Capital One Bank.

The Greenport Village Board is set to vote on wastewater treatment plant and roadwork contract proposals tonight at 6 p.m. during its monthly meeting at the Third Street firehouse.

According to tonight’s agenda, the Village Board will vote on a resolution to extend Dvirka and Bartilucci’s contract from April 1 through the close-out of the village’s wastewater treatment plant project in an amount not to exceed $10,000. The Village Board will also vote on a roadwork contract not to exceed $85,000 with Corazzini Asphalt.

Click on the blog below to follow along and scroll down to view tonight’s agenda.

jennifer@timesreview.com

Greenport Village Board meeting, Aug. 27, 2012

Martin J. Waters Jr. of Southold, formerly of Flushing, died at home Sept. 3. He was 90.

Born May 23, 1922, in New York City to Martin and Bridget Waters, he was educated at St. Vincent Ferrer High School in Manhattan. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946 and married Mary Maley in Astoria on Nov. 27, 1952.

Mr. Waters worked as a carpenter for the city of New York. He was a member of American Legion Griswold Terry Glover Post 803 in Southold, and enjoyed carpentry and building.

He is survived by his wife; his children, Mary Ann (Robert) Moeller of Rhode Island, Dr. Gerry (Joanne), of Massachusetts, Commander (retired, U.S. Navy) Peter, of Maryland, and Paul S., of New York; and his grandchildren, Allison, Brian, Matthew, Kathleen, Kerri and Jacqueline.

Visiting hours will take place Friday, Sept. 7, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, Sept. 8, at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick R.C. Church in Southold, followed by interment at the church cemetery.

Donations may be made to St. Patrick R.C. Church, 52125 Route 25, Southold, NY 11971 or East End Hospice, 481 Westhampton-Riverhead Road, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978 (eeh.org).

This is a paid notice.

Robert W. “Hoppy” Hopkins of Cutchogue died August 31, 2012, at John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility in Yaphank. He was 63 years old.

He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on April 27, 1949, to Robert and Harriet (Case) Hopkins. After graduating from Shelter Island High School, he served in the U.S. Navy for two years during the Vietnam era. He was honorably discharged as an EN3.

On August 16, 1975, he married Deborah Simms on Shelter Island. For the past 33 years they made their home in Cutchogue.

Hoppy was a member and past commander of the American Legion and a member and ex-chief of the Shelter Island Fire Department. He was also a Suffolk County fire instructor and a veteran’s service officer for the County of Suffolk.

Surviving are his wife, Deborah; a son, Robert W. Hopkins Jr. of Dallas, Texas; a sister, Barbara Reeves of Shelter Island; two nieces, Robin Guetz and Vicki Russ; a nephew, James Reeves; and a cousin, Jane Kelley of New Jersey. He was expecting the arrival of his first grandchild, Hunter Hopkins, in October.

The family will receive friends Tuesday, Sept. 4, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. American Legion and firematic services will be held beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday evening. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 9:30 a.m. at the funeral home. Father Peter DeSanctis will officiate. Interment, with U.S. Navy honors, will be at Calverton National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to East End Hospice or the Shelter Island Fire Department.

This is a paid notice.

GARRET MEADE PHOTO | Shannon Quinn plays for Southold/Greenport’s first doubles team, which went 7-7 and reached the conference tournament last year.

How does Mattituck top the wonderful high school girls tennis season it enjoyed last year?

Of course, there is always room for improvement, but it sure will not be easy. Look at what the Tuckers did in 2011. Not only did they capture their first league championship in four years — coming off a 0-16 season the year before — but their first and only loss came to Half Hollow Hills West in the first round of the Suffolk County Team Tournament. That capped one of the best seasons in team history. Mattituck finished with a glittering 17-1 record.

A near-perfect season.

The Tuckers brought about comparisons with the 1982 Mattituck team that went 18-1, the sole loss coming to Port Jefferson in a county semifinal.

Defending League VIII champion Mattituck was a dominant force last year, outscoring opponents by 117 1/2-14 1/2. The Tuckers won eight matches by 7-0 scores and another eight by 6-1 scores. Every player in Mattituck’s lineup had a winning record.

“It was extraordinary, extraordinary,” said Jim Christy, who is in his 32nd year as Mattituck’s coach.

But the Tuckers graduated eight players from last year’s team, including Erica Bundrick, the singles player who went 21-4 as a senior and is now a member of the Saint Michael’s College (Vt.) team.

If there is one point Christy wants to drive home to his players, it is that every team point is equal, regardless of whether it is provided by the first singles player, the fourth singles player or the third doubles team. Anyone can be a hero on any given day.

“You need every girl to understand that their point matters, their play matters,” he said.

Although Mattituck has undergone significant change since last fall, the likely four starting singles players — junior Molly Kowalski, senior Kate Freudenberg, junior Kyra Martin and senior Caitlin Penny — were all in the lineup last year. Kowalski and Freudenberg formed an all-league first doubles team last year, posting a 15-3 record. Martin, playing third singles, registered a 17-1 record, and the fourth singles player, Penny, went 11-1.

“We’re going to be very competitive in singles this year,” Christy said. “All four of these girls will get to balls. You have to hit a good shot to hit a winner because they cover the court really well. Now it comes down to: Can they keep the consistency that they displayed last year?”

GARRET MEADE PHOTO | Molly Kowalski, a junior, is one of Mattituck’s top singles players.

Mattituck has something else, Christy said, that is not to be glossed over: mental toughness from its four singles starters. He said they know how to win.

“We don’t have someone of the ability of Erica, but we’re going to keep the ball in play and be mentally tough,” he said. “It will be interesting to watch. You’re not going to find four girls who are mentally as strong. They just hang in there.”

It appears as if two freshmen, Anna Kowalski and Courtney Penny, both of whom have older sisters on the team, will play first doubles.

The rest of the lineup remains to be sorted out. Nine juniors are under consideration: Melissa Hickox, Mally Fogarty, Autumn Harris, Christine Bieber, Erin Miller, Sydney Goy, Emily Ciamarcone, Cydne Piscatello and Alex Solwinska.

How will Tuckers fit in the league this year?

Christy answered, “We’re going to be in the upper half, I know that.”

The coach said that it is in the formation of the doubles teams where the fun, strategic part of the game comes in for a coach.

Doubles will be a big part of Southold/Greenport’s plans this year. The Clippers (6-8 in 2011) have good experience at doubles and have devoted a lot of time during preseason practice to doubles strategy and ball placement.

A good season is anticipated from the first doubles team of juniors Jessica Rizzo and Shannon Quinn. They went 7-7 last year and played in the conference tournament.

“I think that we’re going to see some really nice matches from them this year,” said fifth-year coach Allison Krupski.

With five players from last year having graduated, including first singles player Sarah Stromski (SUNY/Brockport) and third singles player Lizzie Anderson, some adjustments have to be made. Alexandra Small, a junior, will move up from second singles to first singles, with the No. 2 singles spot going to junior Victoria Piechnik, who played fourth singles last year.

“Alexandra has great ground strokes,” Krupski said. “She’s a good player. She has some finesse. She’s going to have a tough season ahead of her, though. She has some great competitive spirit.”

Two other players who will figure in the lineup somewhere are Shannon Smith and Abby Scharadin. Smith played second and third doubles last year. Scharadin, who was pulled up from the junior varsity team last season, can play singles or doubles.

Emily Hyatt and Jamie Grigonis are singles candidates. Caroline Metz is a doubles player.

“I think that my doubles [players] are going to do really well,” Krupski said, “and I think once my singles get adjusted, I think they’re going to do really well, too.”

Krupski said the junior varsity team has been dropped, and the varsity team is carrying 14 players, not a single senior among them.

“I think it’s going to be a good rebuilding season,” Krupski said. She said her players are “extremely charismatic, really, really funny and very intelligent girls so they make teaching new drills and skills very easy.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

Harold David Hansen was a great raconteur who had a funny story about every phase of life. Father to three children and grandfather to nine, he was predeceased by his first wife, June Platt Hansen, and his second wife, Roberta Ashley Hansen.

As a child in a Brooklyn elementary school, he contracted polio and spent two years in a public hospital that he loved because all the parents pooled their butter and chocolate wartime rations to make brownies for the ward. After his release, he returned to school and promptly skipped two grades because he had been able to cover so much material with a hospital tutor.

He continued to be an excellent student in high school and his teachers sent him to a speech therapist – not to improve his speech, but to get rid of his Brooklyn accent. Once, when he was driving around Brooklyn Heights with his grandchildren, he pointed out a fancy apartment building where he would kiss his girlfriend on the elevator – which he had learned to make stop between floors. After high school, he worked and attended night school at Pace University, where he majored in English.

After his graduation in 1953, he married June Platt, also of Brooklyn, and had twins, David and Valerie, in 1958. As a young married man, he started a series of office jobs that eventually led him to his lifelong profession of public relations. In the early 1960s, when the prime minister of newly independent Kenya visited the United States, Harold persuaded him to pose on a tractor and the photo made the front page of the New York Times (of the first edition; it was removed by the second edition). At this time Harold, with his business partner Van der Veer Varner, founded their own public relations firm, Attention, Inc. They soon bought the rights to publish a public relations directory listing media contacts, entitled New York Publicity Outlets, that still exists today. A native of Louisville, Van was a true fan of horse racing, and he and Harold spent many happy days at Belmont and Aqueduct and sometimes visited tracks in Baltimore, Saratoga and England as well.

The recession of the early 1970s prompted a move to Connecticut and the creation of a new company, PR Plus, also co-owned with Van Varner, which focused on media directories. Harold remained in northwest Connecticut until his retirement, where, as a Democrat, he served two terms as town selectman in Sherman and one as state senator in Hartford. He introduced the legislation for mandatory deposits on bottles that was passed after he left the state Senate. His campaign for a second state Senate term failed. Undaunted, he continued to run multiple times, always unsuccessfully, for U.S. Congress in the heavily Republican northwest corner of the state, often going to events in his beloved Bentley Silver Cloud, which he had imported from Britain.

In 1980, after the death of his first wife, he married Roberta Ashley, an editor at Cosmopolitan. Initially living with her daughter Robin, Harold and Bobbie commuted between New York and New Milford until 2002, when they moved to Peconic Landing. In retirement, Harold found much to do: running Monday movie night, playing bridge several times a week, helping to get the Metropolitan Opera to simulcast at Peconic Landing, serving as a member of the Eastern Long Island Hospital board and an elected member of the Peconic Landing cooperative board, and visiting Bobbie every day after she moved to the Shores Care Center.

He loved to take visiting family members to local restaurants in Greenport, drink two martinis, tell funny stories and tease grandchildren about their relations with the opposite sex. The year that his companion Scott Reutershan gave him singing lessons for his birthday, he placed a spoon in his mouth (that was the technique that he had learned) and started singing in the loudest voice possible – to the stunned amazement of everyone at the Porto Bello restaurant that evening.

A first stroke in mid-April 2012 was followed by a far more severe one in July. From his bed or wheelchair, a weaker Harold continued to host family members and friends. On the last Sunday he was alive, a delightfully sunny and cool day, he sat outside the front door of the Shores with his grandchildren, who were commenting on his wonderful tan. Laughing, he explained that when he was “courting” Scott he went to a tanning salon once a week for two years.

That joy in all of life’s pleasures was classic Harold, and that is how we will remember him. In the coming months, a memorial will be held in the library at Peconic Landing. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to Peconic Landing Community Fund, 1500 Brecknock Road, Greenport, NY 11944-3116.

This is a paid notice.

RIVERHEAD RACEWAY

After posting no less than six runner-up finishes, Ted Christopher of Plainville, Conn., finally hit victory lane on Saturday night at Riverhead Raceway. Christopher picked up his first NASCAR Whelen All-American Series victory of the season and fourth of his career, taking first in a 35-lap event.

“I really love racing here at Riverhead,” Christopher said. “It’s a fun place.”

Howie Brode of East Islip trimmed 12 points off Shawn Solomito’s division lead with his runner-up finish. Going into the final race of the year, Brode sits 12 points behind Solomito. Justin Bonsignore of West Islip, who won a week earlier, was third. Eddie Brunnhoelzl III of Levittown and John Fortin Sr. of Holtsville completed the top five. Shawn Solomito of Islip was eighth.

In other races:

Mike Bologna, the defending Late Model champion, scored his ninth career win and in the process virtually clinched the 2012 championship. Bologna, who started the race seventh, holds a 30-point lead over the No. 2 driver, Shawn Patrick, going into the last race of the season. Scott Kulesa of Georgetown, Mass., was second and Chris LaSpisa of Shirley took third.

Taking full advantage of her pole starting position, Erin Dumicich of East Quogue rebounded from some recent motor issues to score her second Super Pro Truck win of 2012. Dumicich notched her third career win while Chris Turbush of Riverhead came in second. His brother, Roger Turbush of Riverhead, was third. Division leader Chris Turbush leads Roger Turbush by two points going into the points finale.

With one points race to go, Kyle Ellwood of Riverhead, with his fourth-place finish, clinched the Legend Race Car championship. It is the 17-year-old driver’s first career championship.

For the second week in a row, Chris Young of Calverton left his dorm room at Purdue University in Indiana to catch a flight home for the 20-lap Legend Race Car feature, and once again he prevailed, scoring his fifth win of the year. It was Young’s 10th win over the past two seasons. Paul Dodorico of Miller Place was second. Kevin Nowak of Medford placed third.

The Four-Cylinder Demolition Derby boiled down to a duel between father and son. Andrew Fowler of Wantagh outlasted his father, Rich, to score the victory and clinch the division championship.

ZALESKI, NELSON ROLL Greg Zaleski of Jamesport scored his second Grand Enduro win of the year on Sunday afternoon. Don Nelson of Rocky Point topped the Four/Six-Cylinder Truck Enduro for his first win of 2012.

Zaleski passed into the lead on the ninth lap of the 50-lap race before pulling away from the field for a comfortable victory. James Charrier of Shirley was second, with Steve Mastro of Port Jefferson third.

The 50-lap Four/Six-Cylinder Truck Enduro saw Nelson take the lead on Lap 5 and make his way around lapped trucks for the victory. Robin Vollmoeller of Riverhead made a late-race move to claim second place. Third went to Ben Gregor of Bridgehampton.

Two Eight-Cylinder Enduro races were contested. The first, a 75-lap affair, went to veteran Dominic Ranieri of Northport, who moved one step closer to the championship. The second one went 50 laps, with Dege Russell of Rocky Point overtaking Anthony Pizzo of Lake Ronkonkoma for the win.

Steve Trimboli of Freeport crossed the line first in a hotly contested Four/Six-Cylinder Car Enduro, but was later found to have unapproved rear suspension parts/adjustments. Following a lengthy discussion, Trimboli was disqualified, and Ed Fontana of Wading River was declared the race winner.

George Gatling Long, 62, of Rangeley, Maine, formerly of Greenport, Long Island, N.Y., sadly passed away Wednesday, August 29, 2012, at Androscoggin Hospice House in Auburn, surrounded by his loving family and great friends.

He was born May 18, 1950, in Greenport, a son of Robert Jennings and Winifred (Gatling) Long.

George was a most unique and effective professional nurse and was director of the Farmington Memorial Hospital Emergency Department for nine years. Prior to that he was the OR, ED, and SDS manager with Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport for many years.

George enjoyed everything. His ability to be a true friend and mentor and his keen intuitiveness are what made him such a special man. He always had an open heart.

His positivity was like no other. George loved people and life.

Surviving are his wife and soulmate, Maryellen; his three sons, Mark, Michael and Brian, whom he loved dearly; grandchildren Kasey and Mark; as well as brothers Bill and Dave. Always at his side: Lady Sage of Sandy River, “Our little Girl.”

The void of this loss will impact so many. In the words of a dear friend, “George, P.S., You can’t take over Heaven but I know you’ll try.”

Rarer than rare, he was a one-in-a-million man.

Honoring George’s wishes a “celebration” of his life will be planned for a later date when we can raise a glass in true George style.

Contributions in George’s memory may be made to Androscoggin Hospice House: The Hospice House of Androscoggin, 236 Stetson Road. Auburn, ME 04210. Arrangements are in the care of Wiles Funeral Home, Cremation Service & Remembrance Center, 137 Farmington Falls Road, Farmington, Maine.

Words of condolence and tribute may be shared with George’s family and friends on his tribute wall at wilesrc.com.

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Former Mattituck resident Virginia A. Koch of Bainbridge, N.Y., died Tuesday, August 28, 2012, at the NYS Veterans Home in Oxford, N.Y. She was 93.

She was predeceased by her husband, George J. Koch, and is survived by her four children, Virginia and Robert Matthews of Bainbridge, Patricia and Thomas Wilson of North Carolina, Georgia and Robert Bingmann of Florida and Thomas and Helen Koch of Mattituck. Also surviving are 14 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and 16 great-great-grandchildren; her sister, Marion Pierce of Washington; her brother, George Augustine of Greenport; and several nieces and nephews.

Private funeral services were held at Osterhoudt-Madden Funeral Home in Harpursville, N.Y. Burial will be at Calverton National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Online condolences may be made at omaddenfh.com.

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Longtime Greenport resident Veronica Barbara Bellefountaine died Sept. 4 at her home in Wanchese, N.C., where she had resided for the past eight years. She was 89.

Born May 17, 1923, in Southold to Alexandra (Rokus) and Constantine Polywoda, she was educated through high school and was a homemaker for most of her adult life. She loved gardening and especially her family, they said.

Predeceased by her husband, Edward Leonard Bellefountaine, and her son, Bruce, she is survived by her daughter, Karen (Willie) Etheridge of Wanchese; her brother, Frankie (Mary) Polywoda of Farmingdale; her grandchildren, Tracey (Dickie) Campbell and Willie (Becky) Etheridge IV; and her great-grandchildren, Joe, John and Chance Campbell, Haven Etheridge and Willie Etheridge V.

Visiting hours will take place Wednesday, Sept. 5, at Twiford Funeral Home in Manteo, N.C., and Friday, Sept. 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport. A funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday, Sept. 8, at 10 a.m. at St. Agnes R.C. Church in Greenport, followed by interment at the church cemetery.

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GARRET MEADE PHOTO | Lauren Guja, left, is a senior striker for Mattituck, which will play the Dutch style of “total football” under new coach Pete Hansen.

The great Johan Cruyff and the Netherlands national team that he played for revolutionized soccer in the 1970s with the system of “total football” that the Dutch employed. It’s a fluid system designed to make a team fully committed to offense when it has the ball and fully committed to defending when it doesn’t.

Pete Hansen, the new coach of the Mattituck High School girls soccer team, is an aficionado of Dutch soccer. Guess what style of soccer the Tuckers will be playing this season?

“Total football” is coming to Mattituck.

“It’s entertaining,” Hansen said. “It’s fun to watch.”

Hansen has taken over the Tuckers from Ed Barbante, who was fired earlier this year after going 68-27-14 (.624) during his six years as Mattituck’s coach. This is Hansen’s first varsity girls soccer coaching job, although he has coached varsity boys for Horace Mann in the Bronx (as an assistant), Copiague and Riverhead. He utilized the Dutch style the past two years as the Mattituck boys junior varsity coach.

The Tuckers (9-7-1 last season) hope their new system, which will operate out of either a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2 formation, will help them clear the hurdle they have faced in recent years — Center Moriches.

Mattituck and Center Moriches have met in the past two Suffolk County Class B finals. Last November, on the strength of two second-half goals by Alexis Parlato, Center Moriches collected its third straight county title with a 2-0 win over Mattituck. It was the third year in a row in which Center Moriches bounced Mattituck out of the playoffs. The Tuckers last won a county crown in 2008.

Mattituck lost a four-year player to graduation in Liz Lasota, who led the team with 15 goals last season. But the Tuckers may have a potent strike force in senior strikers Lauren Guja and Alex Berkoski.

The senior-laden team has over a dozen 12th-graders. Among them are left back Shannon Gatz, center midfielder Nicole Murphy, stopper Anna Goeller, right midfielder Maryanne Fitzgerald, striker/defender Lindsay Taylor, center midfielder Amanda Gatz (Shannon’s cousin), and goalkeepers Melissa Siegfried and Stephanie Reisenberg.

Nikki Zurawski, a sophomore sweeper, and Kyle Freudenberg, a junior right back, will help fortify the defense.

Asked about Center Moriches, Hansen said: “I’m not really worried about other people. A lot of teams are going to throw stuff at us, but it’s going to come down to how we play.”

“The girls are definitely very united,” he continued. “There’s a very good feeling around the practice camp. We’re ready to go. I think a lot of teams are going to play catch-up with us.”

Hansen said his team has the talent and the depth to succeed. And the games the Tuckers play in, he said, shouldn’t be boring.

“There’s not going to be a lot of zero-zero games, I tell you that,” he said. “Winning is fun and playing attacking football is fun. I will not attack with one player. Our attack starts with our goalie.”

Such talk would undoubtedly bring a smile to Johan Cruyff’s face.

One year removed from a two-win season in which it did not have the benefit of a junior varsity team, Southold/Greenport made substantial progress last year, falling one win shy of a playoff berth.

“It’s a tremendous step for the program,” second-year coach Katy Smith said. “I was very proud of last season. I thought that they did a great job.”

And although Smith wouldn’t label this as a rebuilding season, the Clippers remain a young team, with a number of sophomores expected to be brought up from the reconstituted junior varsity team. Even so, Smith said the next step, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2009, is within the team’s reach.

GARRET MEADE FILE PHOTO | Justina Babcock, an all-conference center midfielder, is one of Southold/Greenport’s leading players.

Southold/Greenport has three leading players from three areas of the field giving the team a push. Justina Babcock, a junior center midfielder, was an all-conference player last year. “I think she is someone who everyone looks up to on the team,” said Smith.

Playing in front of her is senior striker Jessica Carr, an all-league player. “She’s very skilled and can beat a lot of defenders,” said Smith.

Another all-league selection, sophomore Isabelle Simon, is the sweeper. “Isabelle is probably the rock of our defense,” Smith said. “She understands her position completely.”

Meanwhile, junior winger Cindy Van Bourgondien and her cousin, sophomore center midfielder Megan Van Bourgondien, were starters last year along with sophomore striker Juliane Van Gorden. Megan Van Bourgondien, however, is not immediately available to play, having sustained a concussion while playing for another team. Smith said she is not sure when Megan Van Bourgondien will be back on the field.

Another varsity veteran, senior Shanice Strickland, can play goalkeeper or defender. Willow Sutton, a sophomore striker/winger, is new to the team.

The varsity and junior varsity teams had not been split up by Friday morning, leaving Smith with a number of personnel decisions to make. She said she is more comfortable, however, knowing what to expect this year and what her players are capable of doing.

bliepa@timesreview.com

Most of the more than 135 Shelter Island homeowners who lost service  after an unknown vandal severed a cable in hopes of swiping valuable copper last Wednesday night had seen their service restored by Tuesday, according to Verizon officials.

The phone company could not say exactly how many customers were affected, said spokesman John Bonomowho noted that 138 customers contacted the company to complain, but others never reported the problem because neighbors had told them the company was working on the problem.

The outage occurred last Wednesday night when the Verizon line that crosses underwater to Shelter Island was cut above ground east of the town beach at the end of Sixth Street in Greenport. The line connects many landline phones on Shelter Island to Verizon’s main lines.

Even though the line has been repaired, Mr. Bonomo said a few customers still might have problems making calls, with some getting wrong numbers. “That can be corrected easily,” he said, “but it entails our crews identifying each line from the central office and cross-boxes or terminals located on the island.”

As for the cost of the repairs, there was no dollar tally yet, he said, but the company incurred expenses for employee overtime as work continued around the clock in 12-hour shifts. In addition, there will be the cost of materials involved in fixing the cable.

Having to deploy workers to the cable site meant they weren’t available for other jobs, Mr. Bonomo said.

The repairs were time-consuming because the damaged cord contained bundled wire pairs that had to be identified and linked, according to Verizon splicer Tom Meyer, who worked on the job over the weekend.

“We’ll be working all day and night until this is resolved,” he said as he worked Saturday morning. “The police are aware of the situation.”

Southold Town police declined to comment on the incident this week.

Shelter Island Supervisor James Dougherty called it “unacceptable” that it would take so many days to resolve the problem. He said town should consider using two phone providers for landlines in the future, so there is redundancy in the case of an emergency with one.

Verizon placed posters near where the wire was cut indicating that anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of someone who intentionally damaged the cable could receive a reward of up to $50,000.

Gianna Volpe contributed reporting to this story.

jlane@timesreview.com