• Police arrested a Cutchogue man after he was observed driving erratically and then found to be intoxicated, according to a police report.

Someone called police around 12:35 a.m. Sunday morning to report that a dark-colored Nissan was traveling eastbound on Route 48 near the Soundview Inn “at a high rate of speed and in an erratic manner,” the report stated.

The vehicle passed a police car just east of Moore’s Lane and, as it did so, it flashed its high beams at the officer, police said. The officer pulled the car over on Middleton Road, just south of Route 48.

Brallan Alberto Perez Alarcon, 28, “smelled of an alcoholic beverage, his eyes were red and glasslike, and he failed several field sobriety tests,” according to the police report. He was arrested and transported to headquarters for processing.

Upon further investigation, the report stated, police determined that Mr. Perez Alarcon had also been involved in a road-rage incident.

He was charged with aggravated DWI and unlicensed operation.

• A Brooklyn man was arrested in Mattituck early Saturday morning for DWI and possessing marijuana, police said.

Brendan Toner was allegedly observed failing to signal multiple right-hand turns around 2 a.m. Police pulled him over near the intersection of Marlene Lane and Peconic Bay Boulevard, where he was “found to be intoxicated and in possession of marijuana,” according to a police report.

Mr. Toner was found with an unspecified amount of marijuana as well as five pipes, the report stated. He was arrested and held overnight for morning arraignment.

• An East Marion woman claimed more than $2,000 was fraudulently charged to her PayPal account in a case of identity theft, according to a police report.

The Marion Lane resident called police around 9:30 a.m. Saturday to report that she had been contacted by PayPal asking her to pay $2,716.00, police said. That amount consisted of a $1,549.60 charge on JetBlue made on March 26, a $1,062.39 charge made on US Air on May 21 and a $105 charge made on Love Muse on June 12.

The woman told PayPal that it was not her account and, after the company’s investigation, it was determined she had been fraudulently charged, police said. The charges appear to have been made by a Bronx woman, who used the victim’s Social Security number and identity, police said.

PayPal said it will investigate the matter and prosecute if necessary.

• Someone broke into a Greenport home last week and stole several hundred dollars in cash and a computer, according to a police report.

A First Street resident called police just before 1 p.m. Saturday to report that she returned home to find that “her house had been gone through,” the report stated. She told police the burglary occurred between 4 p.m. last Tuesday and 12:10 p.m. Friday.

The suspect stole $200 cash, a Kindle Fire worth $200 and two $5 glass jars, according to the police report. An investigation is ongoing.

• Someone broke the rear window of a Greenport man’s car last Wednesday, according to a police report.

The Wiggins Street resident told police someone threw a rock at his vehicle between 1 and 8 p.m., cracking the rear window. The damage was listed at $200.

No other information was immediately available, and an investigation will continue.

• A Southold woman called police Friday to report her daughter missing, only to discover that her daughter had been incarcerated in a New Jersey jail, police said.

The Main Road resident called police around 6:45 p.m. Friday saying she had not heard from her daughter in two days, according to a police report. Police sent out a teletype, which came back indicating that her daughter had been incarcerated in New Jersey.

Police contacted the Hudson County Jail, which confirmed the woman was in custody there. The mother was notified, and no further action was taken.

• A Greenport woman called police last Tuesday afternoon to report an ongoing pattern of youths removing rocks from her property and placing them in the roadway, police said.

The Madison Avenue resident told police that youths take small boulders from her property and place them in the road, either during the lunch hours of Greenport High School or after school dismisses for the day.

An officer responded to her residence and observed rocks in the road. The police report listed 49 boulders on the woman’s property.

No suspects have been identified, but the woman requested extra patrols of her area during the hours when the boulders were moved.

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

The Cutchogue Village Green comes alive with holiday spirit! Christmas celebrations begin Saturday, Dec. 5, with the tree-lighting ceremony and “Carols with Carol” from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

North Fork Reform Synagogue and the Cutchogue New Suffolk Historical Council invite you to join them Sunday, Dec. 6, at 4 p.m. to light the menorah on the green. The Hanukkah celebration continues back at the synagogue with personal menorah lighting, singing, sufgayinot (jelly doughnuts) and apple cider. All are welcome! 

Don’t forget: The Carriage House gift shop is open Saturday and Sundays, 1-4 p.m.

The Cutchogue Homemakers invite you to join them for a Bavarian Christmas show and dinner with drinks at the Brownstone Playhouse in New Jersey on Tuesday, Dec. 8. The cost, including transportation with pick-ups in Cutchogue and Riverhead, is $97. Call Mary Pederson at 765-9243 or 516-607-4504 to reserve.

The Cutchogue Holiday House Tour on Saturday, Dec. 5, features five beautifully decorated bed-and-breakfasts, each paired with a vineyard, restaurant or business, where you can enjoy wine tasting, appetizers and desserts. Tickets are $75 each; advance purchase required. Visit sanninovineyard.com or call 735-9024.

Our Lady of Mercy Regional School students decided to use their annual food drive for the North Fork Outreach food pantry as a Jets vs. Giants competition. The Jets won hands down! The students’ Christmas concert is set for Tuesday, Dec. 15, at 6:30 p.m. in the parish hall, located across the street next to the Cutchogue Diner. All are welcome!

Mark your calendar for the Cutchogue Fire Department’s Stuff the Sleigh 5K run on Sunday, Dec. 13. To learn more, visit the CFD website: http://cutchoguefiredept.org. And don’t forget to stop by the department soon to pick up your Christmas tree or wreath. As always, your support is much appreciated. 

Congratulations to the Girl Scouts of Troop 1474: Sidney Brewer, MacKenzie Conroy, Cassidy Czujko, Ariel Elmore, Kaitlin Elmore, Olivia Goerler, Maya Hamilton, Lucy Hasel, Samantha Hildesheim, Emily Nicholson and Cassandra Stevens. After earning Bronze Awards for their project, Books Build Better Lives, helping CAST and Eastern Long Island Hospital, the girls bridged up to Cadettes at Bailie Beach Lodge.

Kudos to the Southold Mothers Club for collecting over 130 pounds of candy during its Halloween candy drive. Most of it went to Christine Kestler, whose son was killed in combat and who continues to collect candy for our troops. The rest went to John’s Place and CAST.

The Southold Mothers Club has accepted a holiday challenge to collect 100 new stuffed animals, which CAST will distribute to local children in need. You can help them reach their goal by donating stuffed animals, or money to purchase them, by Dec. 19. Contact Lisa at tuthill1@aol.com for more details.

Old Town Arts & Crafts Guild has one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone on your list. Stop in, shop and enjoy free refreshments during its holiday open house Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 6, noon to 5 p.m. For information, visit oldtownartsguild.org or call 734-6382.

Congratulations to Matt Ireland on receiving his ring during the ring ceremony at The Citadel military college!

Paul Maffetone’s eyes were opened to Long Island’s heroin problem after he lost his brother Anthony to an overdose in 2012, and he vowed to find a way to make a difference. He established the nonprofit Michael’s HOPE to try and change things through prevention education. But due to the cost of setting up a 501c3 nonprofit in New York State, Paul needs the community’s support to realize this dream. You can help by making a donation at https://www.gofundme.com/michaels_hope.

May your holiday season be filled with love and peace! Happy Hanukkah!

Top photo: Fifteen-year-old Nicholas Berglin of Hampton Bays came in first place at the 2012 Stuff the Sleigh 5K. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder, file)

Contact Cutchogue-New Suffolk columnist Barbara Sheryll at bsheryll@optonline.net or 734-5242.

I’m a big fan of tipping. I feel it’s one small way to give back to folks who could really use the money — and the best way to get better service. 

I am, however, a bit confused by gratuities lately. Who should be tipped? How much should they get? The line on tipping seems more blurred than ever before.

I recently read a piece about Joe’s Crab Shack that said it’s the first major restaurant chain to experiment with a no-tipping policy at some locations (Riverhead is not among them). The idea is that the waitstaff will be paid a higher wage and the customer will realize a bit of savings.

Personally, I’d rather pay 20 percent extra for a waiter or waitress who’s eager to make my meal more enjoyable than a server who’d rather please restaurant management, hoping for a salary increase.

My personal method for calculating tips is to start at 20 percent of the total bill. If I feel the service was below par, I’ll drop it down to the standard 17 percent. If I was wowed, I’ll bump it up to 25 percent. In no case, however, do I ever leave less than $5.

There’s no way restaurants that move to a gratuity-free model are increasing employee salaries enough to offset the larger tips. And while I recognize that some diners are less generous — and so it balances out for the servers — I don’t believe their frugal ways should affect my meal.

One of my all-time favorite scenes in any movie is the opening of “Reservoir Dogs,” when Mr. Pink, played by Steve Buscemi, protests throwing in for a tip at a diner, much to the chagrin of Harvey Keitel’s Mr. White.

“These people bust their [butts],” Mr. White says. “This is a hard job.”

“So’s working at McDonald’s, but you don’t feel the need to tip them, do ya?” responds Mr. Pink. “Why not? They’re servin’ ya food, but no, society says, ‘Don’t tip these guys over here, but tip these guys over here.’ ”

It’s a great scene for several reasons. Not only did it introduce the world to Quentin Tarantino’s unique style of writing dialogue, but it perfectly captured the uncomfortable nature of partnering on a tip with someone less benevolent. It also raises a fairly reasonable question about who should be tipped.

It’s been my experience that the older you get and the more responsibilities you have, the more bewildering it all becomes.

The prevalence of debit cards has made things more uncomfortable than ever when ordering takeout. Almost every eatery has a tip line on the receipt. Am I expected to leave a tip for a $7 sandwich at a deli? I feel like it’s almost worse to write in $1 than to ignore the tip line altogether. Of course, if there’s a tip jar on the counter, I’ll always leave something.

One of the most awkward tipping situations is establishing expectations with a large gratuity. Say the person took good care of you, so you gave them a little extra. Now you’re back, and they’re serving you again. Do you tip the same amount — even if the service isn’t as good as last time?

Similarly, the owner of my barber shop keeps raising his prices. When I first went there five years ago, a cut cost $12. I’d always give my haircutter, who is not the owner, a $20 bill and tell him to keep the change. The price has risen incrementally to $15 over the years, but I don’t feel like reaching for singles so I now give him less of a tip. Is that wrong?

Last month, I had Optimum come to my house to install cable and move my Internet modem to a different room. The fee for this was less than $45, and when I checked my wallet all I had were $20 bills. Am I supposed to ask for change?

Ultimately, because the installer was at my house for more than an hour and cleaned up a lot of my existing mess of wires, I opted to give him the $20.

Just last week, I had a repairman service my oil burner, but because it was under contract there was no fee. I was working in my home office while he was there. After a while, I forgot he was even in the house. When I went to check on him, he was asleep on a bucket in my oil burner room. He got $4.

I have absolutely no idea what I should have given either of these gentlemen. One of my friends recently asked what he should give the mailman and garbage men at his new house and I couldn’t respond. Where is the handbook for this?

In an attempt to address some of these questions this week, I stumbled on a thrillist.com article about the “11 people you aren’t tipping but should be.”

I recognized that I do tip most of these people, but some were flat-out ridiculous. You’re supposed to tip the DJ at a karaoke bar?

According to that same article, the $20 I gave the cable guy was the correct amount. Rip Van Repairman should have received $10, according to Thrillist.

Fox Business, meanwhile, says my friend should give his mailman $20. The trash collectors should get between $10 and $30 each, according to various sources on mymoneyblog.com.

When it comes to takeout, priceonomics.com says: “Tipping for takeout is not necessary and it’s not being ‘cheap’ if you don’t tip someone who’s already getting paid for doing their job as a cashier. Tipping should only be for service, servers who take your order, serve your food and bring you the bill.”

One of the all-time greatest tips I ever witnessed was when my friend Bill tipped the beer guy at Shea Stadium $20 during the first inning of a Mets game. The man never left our side the rest of the night. I wouldn’t expect that kind of service at a tip-free restaurant.

Photo Credit: Freeimages.com

The author is the executive editor of Times Review Media Group. He can be reached at gparpan@timesreview.com.

Ashley Kristine Schneider, daughter of Ernest and Barbara Schneider of Cutchogue, and Michael Gabriel Rice, son of Michael Rice of Cambridge N.Y., and Suzanne Rice of Rockville Centre, were married Nov. 13.

The ceremony was held at Westbury Manor in Westbury, with the Rev. Thomas Lamothe officiating. Given in marriage by her father, Ashley was attended by Marie Sorrentino as maid of honor, with her sister-in-law Lina Juntunen and cousin Elizabeth Juntunen serving as bridesmaids.

The best man was Michael Rice, father of the groom. The bride’s nephew Ensio Juntunen served as ring bearer.

The couple will reside in Rockville Centre.

Southold School District residents will go to the polls Tuesday, Dec. 8, to cast their ballots on a nearly $9.8 million capital improvement project that includes a turf athletic field, security features and a reconfiguration of classroom spaces.

Specifically, residents will vote on the district’s plan to pay for the construction project by using $2 million in reserves and issuing a $7.76 million bond to fund the rest.

The district’s previous $14 million capital improvement bond, which carries a 20-year term, is scheduled to be paid off in June 2018. That bond was issued in 1998 for construction projects at the elementary school, district auditorium and secondary gymnasium.

The $14 million bond still costs the average homeowner about $200 a year. The new $7.76 million bond proposal is estimated to cost the average homeowner $130 annually, which school officials described as a “$70 reduction” per year for the average household when compared to the previous debt that’s about to be paid off.

Some of the proposed construction projects include a new track and synthetic turf multi-sport athletic field with organic fill, added security features, reconstructed parking areas with bus loops and student drop-off zones, conversion of the existing weight room into a TV production studio and relocation of the weight room to the athletic storage area.

Also included for the high school are a refurbished ROTC classroom, upgraded art room and photo studio and renovated cafeteria dining areas.

At the elementary school, the proposal involves upgrading the library media center and creating flexible learning spaces, among other projects.

If approved, school officials estimate construction will start in 2017 and take about two years to complete. Work is expected to be done over the summer, as well as nights, weekends and school holidays.

Polls are open between 3 and 9 p.m. For more information, visit the district’s website southoldufsd.com and check back here for voting results.

jnuzzo@timesreview.com

Photo: Southold School District. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder, file)

Local interior designers will be ringing in the new year with natural materials, clean lines and warm colors. 

Metal, reclaimed wood and accent colors like gold, gray and dusty rose are expected to reign supreme in 2016, North Fork experts say. Clunky, ornately carved furniture and floral couches now seem to be a thing of the past.

“Even traditional people are going for more clean, sophisticated lines,” said Debbie Gildersleeve, owner of Renee’s in Mattituck. “One thing nobody is buying is the real traditional, ornate furniture.”

More and more, she said, people are opting to mix materials like rustic-looking wood with leather or metal accents in the form of coffee and side tables. Neutral shades, like gray, beige and cream, are also more in demand.

The emphasis, Ms. Gildersleeve said, is on creating a space that isn’t hampered by clutter or a sense of formality.

“People want functional, inviting living spaces,” she said. “That’s what it comes down to.”

Current interior design trends became popular in 2015 and will only become more pervasive next year, said Renee Lisowy, co-owner of Wallace Home Design in Southold.

“We saw gold become more popular, and metals,” she said. “I think that’s going to continue into 2016 because I see the presence of shimmer and shine, or the illusion of those things, in fabrics.”

Pantone, the world’s unofficial authority on color, reports on its website that rose quartz, a light pink hue, and iced coffee, a shade of brown, will both be hot next spring.

“With our culture still surrounded by so much uncertainty, we are continuing to yearn for those softer shades that offer a sense of calm and relaxation,” writes Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

“I’m seeing pink as an accent, which is interesting,” added Ms. Gildersleeve.

Debbie Gildersleeve, owner of Renees in Mattituck, said clients are gravitating toward ‘clean, sophisticated lines’ when decorating their homes — a trend she expects to continue in 2016. (Credit: courtesy photo)

Emily Demarest, an interior designer at Wallace Home Design, said clients are using neutral tones, like creams and beiges, as starting points. These shades work well in the form of couches, armchairs and area rugs. More vibrant colors, meanwhile, can be used in the form of decorative vases, paintings and sculptures.

“You can bring those bolder colors in as accents,” said Ms. Demarest, who suggested people peruse websites like Pinterest for decorating inspiration.

North Fork clients, said Ms. Lisowy, are ahead of the latest fashions.

“When I research the 2016 design trends, the North Fork is already doing it,” she said.

Ms. Lisowy attributes this to the area’s bucolic environment.

“Especially with the transition of second-home owners, you have this urban kind of person who wants to come back to this organic, wholesome lifestyle, which I think is awesome,” she said.

Along the same lines, Ms. Gildersleeve said North Fork clients are also looking for coastal-inspired designs.

“If I wanted to generalize, I’d say our look is casual-beachy,” she said. “We mix things.”

In general, she added, customers aren’t afraid to mix materials or patterns anymore.

“You could put a linen headboard with a mirrored nightstand,” Ms. Gildersleeve said. “I love that.”

Mixing looks, like a metal dining room table and bamboo window treatments, said Ms. Lisowy, provides a nice sense of balance to life’s uncertainties.

“I think we want order,” she said. “Life is so complicated and busy, so the clean and industrial look, coupled with the fabrics and natural fibers, just kind of gives an organized but organic feeling, which I think is comforting and soothing.”

Photo Caption: Neutral-color chairs with gold throw pillows flank a wood-and-glass table at Wallace Home Design. (Credit: Rachel Young)

ryoung@timesreview.com

RACHEL YOUNG PHOTO
Emily Demarest, an interior designer at Wallace Home Design in Southold, goes through fabric swatches. She said warm colors, like cream and gold, are popular right now. (Credit: Rachel Young)

Mark and Mona Osmer of Southold and Wilmington, N.C., are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Megan Elizabeth Osmer to Amir Abyaneh. 

Megan is an accounts manager at the corporate headquarters of MyEyeDr and Amir is an independent optometrist. Megan and Amir reside in Chantilly, Va.

A fall 2016 wedding in Southold is planned.

Many things come with a new year — new resolutions, new opportunities and, for some local produce farmers, new federal guidelines.

On Jan. 26, the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act will officially take effect, establishing “science-based minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing and holding of fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption,” the FDA website reads.

Sandy Menasha, a vegetable/potato specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension, said the new regulations mean farmers will need to keep additional records, have a written farm food safety plan, conduct regular water testing for E. coli and follow regulations regarding planting after laying manure or compost.

A farm food safety plan is a guide to minimizing the potential for produce contamination, and can contain the farm’s policies and practices for keeping products safe.

“Our growers here on Long Island have been doing a great job managing food safety,” said Ms. Menasha. “I think that it’s good to have a rule in place for food safety, but it does add an extra burden to the small farmer.

“Cost is a huge thing, especially for small farmers that we have here on Long Island,” she continued. “Usually, at larger corporate farms, they can hire somebody to be in charge of food safety. Usually at small family farms, the farmer himself is the farmer, the manager, the businessman, the record keeper, the food safety guy — he’s doing everything — so to add one more responsibility is [a lot].”

Chris Laughton, director of knowledge exchange at Farm Credit East, agreed that local farms will be affected by the act, but said many will be exempt.

“If they have average annual gross revenue of less than $500,000 and sell most of their products within 275 miles, then they’re exempt from most of the rules,” he said, stressing that farms have to meet both requirements to be exempt from FSMA.

He added that the majority of the produce has to be sold to qualified end users, which include consumers, restaurants and grocery stores — either within the same state or within the aforementioned 275 miles. Although some local farms will be exempt from these guidelines, Mr. Laughton said some grocery stores are considering requiring farmers to comply with FSMA, even if the FDA exempts them.

The guidelines resulted from a string of food-borne illness outbreaks that occurred across the country in the early 2000s, and were signed into law by President Obama on Jan. 4, 2011, according to the FDA website.

Each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly one in six Americans — approximately 48 million people — contracts a food-borne disease. Of those, 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die.

A 2014 CDC Food Safety Progress Report cited a 13 percent increase in campylobacter and a 52 percent increase in vibrio since 2008. Conversely, the report noted a 32 percent reduction in E. coli cases and a 22 percent drop in yersenia. No changes were reported in the rates of salmonella and listeria between 2008 and 2014.

Ms. Menasha emphasized that local food has always been safe, saying, “No food-borne illness outbreak is associated with Long Island farms.”

Although the act officially takes effect Jan. 26 — 60 days after the Nov. 27 Federal Register post date — farms, depending on their size, have between two and four years to come into full compliance with FSMA. The smaller the farm, the more time it is allowed.

The complete FSMA guidelines can be found on the FDA website.

Photo Caption: Peter Tollner shops for tomatoes at Bayview Farms & Market Tuesday (Credit: Nicole Smith).

nsmith@timesreview.com

A Southold man was arrested for false personation after he was questioned by police for sleeping in the North Ferry terminal in Greenport Saturday. 

Richard Kurdt, 46, who has two outstanding warrants in Southold Town, gave police another name when he was confronted by an officer shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday, police said. He and another man had been sleeping inside the ferry terminal and urinating both inside and out of the building, police said.

Mr. Kurdt was charged with false personation and brought to police headquarters for processing. The other man was released and told not to return to the building.

Mr. Kurdt was most recently arrested on a harassment charge in Mattituck this past August.

This is a most interesting world in which we live. Patience seems to be a thing of the past and all things must be bigger and better. The more the merrier, the grander the greater, or so it seems. 

Some drivers today certainly don’t have patience as we watch clueless motorists making U-turns in the middle of Main Street. And don’t get me started on the knuckleheads who can’t wait for the coast to be clear and just pull right out in front of you. #$<\@>&!

Oops! Sorry about that.

Recently I overheard this: “I texted you five minutes ago. Why didn’t you get back to me?” And that word, “texted,” if it is a word, really annoys me.

Long before the Internet, automobile manufacturers would wait until January before introducing next year’s models. “Back in the ’50s car dealers would soap up their windows so you couldn’t see inside the showroom until after New Year’s Day,” said Dick Mullen of Mullen Motors in Southold.

This year you could have been tooling around in a 2016 model in the middle of this past summer.

Not so long ago presidential debates reared their ugly heads just a few weeks before the election. These days we must endure the torture, and that’s torture with a capital “T,” for more than a year before Election Day.

• Read prior Golf Gazette columns here

And in October I drove by a place selling Christmas trees. Do you believe that? Christmas trees in October! So much for patience.

The world of sports has jumped on the more-is-better bandwagon and has become saturated with far too many choices. The ridiculously long seasons are now tripping over each other, and that includes golf.

The Brooklyn Dodgers won the 1955 World Series, beating the New York Yankees on Oct. 4. This year the final game of the World Series was scheduled for Nov. 4.

In 1956 the New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears in the NFL championship game. The contest was held on Dec. 30. This year’s Super Bowl will be played on Feb. 7.

There were six teams in the National Hockey League in 1956, with the Montreal Canadians winning the Stanley Cup on April 11. The NHL now has 30 teams and the Stanley Cup will be decided sometime in mid-June, when the baseball season is in its third month of play.

Not to be outdone, golf has managed to join the antsy pants and pile-it-on brigade.

This year the PGA began the start of the 2016 season in October 2015, shortly after the completion of the Fed Ex Cup Championship, which, by the way, no one quite understands, including some of the players.

Years gone by saw the golf season conclude in October. Fans would then hunker down for a few months, looking forward to the opening event of the season, which was, in those days, the playing of the Bing Crosby Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. This year the PGA will take a whopping three-week hiatus.

Once upon a time there was only a smattering of televised golf events. Today golf fans can watch golf competition from all over the world, including the PGA Tour, the European Tour, the Asian Tour, the LPGA Tour, the Senior Tour and the Web.com Tour. Add to that college golf, the ridiculous reality golf competitions, long-drive competitions, and you have no problem watching golf 24/7 most of the year.

Truth be told, your golf guy watches a lot of golf on television, but when is enough enough?

Of course, this overkill is about the almighty buckeroo; we all know that. But for me, bring back the days of moving the rabbit ears around on my television in hopes of finding a game or two a week on Channel 3 from Hartford or Channel 8 from New Haven.

Better yet, how about the days when I would say good night to my parents, then nestle under my covers with my Emerson transistor radio, the volume turned way down, trying to pick up radio station KDKA from Pittsburgh and catch a few innings of a Pirates game, or KMOX, the St. Louis Cardinals’ station? And WGN, the radio home of the Chicago Cubs, could occasionally be heard on the eastern tip of Long Island.

That, certainly, was a less complicated and simpler time. Give me back the good old days.

Election day for local fire district commissioners is Tuesday, Dec. 8, but only East Marion voters will have a choice of candidates.

The elected commissioners run the fire district, which sets the budget for the fire department.

While fire chiefs are elected by department members only, all registered voters can cast ballots for commissioner.

EAST MARION

Incumbent commissioner Joe Vandernoth is being challenged by Bryan Weingart. Voting will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the firehouse, 9245 Main Road.

Mattituck

Incumbent David Haas is running unopposed. Voting runs from 3 to 9 p.m. at the firehouse on Pike Street.

Southold

Incumbent Carlisle Cochran Jr. is seeking re-election. Voting will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Main Road firehouse.

Cutchogue

Incumbent James Fogarty Jr. is unopposed. Voting is set for 3 to 9 p.m. at the firehouse, 260 New Suffolk Road.

Orient

Incumbent Arthur Ruroede is not seeking a new term and Peter Nathanson will run unopposed for commissioner. Voting will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at the firehouse, 23300 Main Road.

tgannon@timesreview.com

Photo: Southold Fire Department. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo, file)

Visitors to the North Fork next year may find new sculptures of wildlife made of untraditional materials — say, a jellyfish with fishing line as tentacles or a sea turtle whose shell is made of green sea glass.

Thanks to a $10,000 grant from the federal government, local environmental advocacy organization Group for the East End will run a series of beach cleanups along the coast of the Long Island Sound, but it will do so with a creative twist.

Rather than simply move all the trash picked up to a separate location, organizers will donate all of the debris to local artisans, who will then make sculptures of wildlife. Those will be displayed in public locations across the North Fork, including the Riverhead Aquarium.

“It’s the ultimate recycling project,” said Aaron Virgin, vice president of Group for the East End. “You’re creating something that can be used for public knowledge and to cross that gap between cleaning something up and throwing it away again.”

The project works on several levels, Mr. Virgin said: cleaning debris off the coast has an immediate positive impact, and donating the debris to local artists gives helps the group “cross-pollinate” with other organizations while promoting creative means of recycling.

And once those sculptures are complete and standing in public places, organizers hope they will serve an educational purpose.

“We want people to become knowledgeable about coastal pollution in the area,” Mr. Virgin said. “If we can showcase the impacts of coastal debris on wildlife in the form of art, we think there is going to be a big paradigm shift.”

The group will run cleanups at five locations across the North Fork: Wildwood State Park in Wading River, Iron Pier Beach in Jamesport, Goldsmith’s Inlet Park in Peconic, Inlet Pond County Park in Greenport and Orient Beach State Park in Orient.

Each beach will see at least two sessions next year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Mr. Virgin hopes to have about 100 volunteers at each cleanup, and he said they will likely begin in April once the weather has stabilized since each storm dumps more debris.

Some volunteers will even be invited to attend animal releases conducted by the Riverhead Foundation.

“We try to make another connection: you helped us with the coastal debris, and now this animal that has been impacted has been released,” Mr. Virgin said.

His organization received its $10,000 grant as part of $1.3 million in federal dollars announced last month through the Long Island Sound Futures Fund, which helps distribute funding to projects aimed at maintaining the health and ecosystem of the Sound’s watershed. The money is pooled from the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The money will be used for cleanup supplies, including reusable burlap bags, art supplies, funding for partner organizations and stipends for some of the artists.

“This is the beginning of something we hope will become an annual thing,” Mr. Virgin said. “This is one of our ways of doing something and getting the word out that these small things can have a big impact.”

Photo caption: Driftwood like this, seen at Orient Beach State Park on Wednesday, will be picked up and recycled into sculptures thanks to a grant given to the Group for the East End. (Credit: Chris Lisinski)

clisinski@timesreview.com

Southold Town set up a $3.5 million bond two years ago to pay for a new highway facility. But that price tag has just gone up. 

The Town Board unanimously agreed to add another $200,000 into the bond after costs for the new building’s heating and air conditioning systems was higher than board members first thought, Supervisor Scott Russell said.

Town officials like former Highway Superintendent Pete Harris — who ran the department at the time of the bond vote — have said the facilities are in dire need of an upgrade. The new workspace will include a storage, welding bay, service bays, a consolidated fueling station and the demolition of the existing fuel storage tanks, according to the bond resolution.

The bond now totals $3.7 million. Of that money, roughly $445,000 will be paid to Diam-N-Blu Mechanical Corp., which won a bid to cover the installation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning at the new barn, according to an approved resolution Tuesday night.

Mr. Russell said crews hope to have the “shell” of the new facility up by winter.

psquire@timesreview.com

Photo caption: The current Southold Town Highway Department building on Peconic Lane. (Credit: Cyndi Murray, file)

For Lenny Lubrano, it’s all about revisiting his first love.

That’s not to say he doesn’t love pizza, because he does. But it was baking that first caught his eye many years ago, and it’s baking he’ll be doing once again. 

Next door to his Jamesport pizza shop, Lenny’s Pizza and Italian Cuisine, Mr. Lubrano is scheduled to open Lenny’s Bagels, Bakery and Café on Feb. 1.

“What I’m bringing back is very Old World things our ancestors brought to this country,” he said. “Today we call it ‘organic’ or ‘wholesome,’ but it’s how we cooked and baked many years ago.”

Read more on northforker.com.

Photo: Lenny Lubrano inside his renovated Jamesport pizzeria. He’s planning to open a bakery next door. (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)

Stella A. Dybalski of Jamesport died at her home Dec. 3, 2015. She was 91 years old. 

She was born Jan. 24, 1924 in New Suffolk to Victor and Jennie (Slivonick) Smolenski.

On Oct. 18, 1953, she married Bruno Dybalski who predeceased her Dec. 2, 1992.

Also predeceased by her siblings, Mary Orlowski, Bertha Sledjeski, a twin sister, Carolyn Duhnowsky, and Jessie Krupski; Ms. Dybalski is survived by nieces, nephews and friends.

The family received visitors Dec. 6 at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. The Liturgy of Christian Burial was celebrated Dec. 7 at Our Lady of Ostrabrama R.C. Church in Cutchogue. Interment took place at Sacred Heart R.C. Cemetery in Cutchogue.

Memorial donations to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, New York 11978 would be appreciated.

This is a paid notice. 

Lifelong Greenport resident Kenneth E. White Jr. died Dec. 6 at his home. He was 73. 

He was born Oct. 24, 1942, in Greenport to Edith (Kruk) and Kenneth White and graduated from Greenport High School in 1960.

On May 21, 1989, he married Jerri (née Burt) at Greenport Methodist Church in a ceremony performed by Jerri’s brother, Steve Burt.

Mr. White served for many years with local fire departments. He was a 40-year member of Greenport Fire Department, where he was firefighter of the year in 1996 and served as ex-warden, houseman for 10 years and chief from 2011 to 2012. During Mr. White’s service in Greenport, he was the chairman of fire prevention and was the main sponsor involved with Cole Bros. Circus, working to obtain funds for fire prevention. He also served as houseman/radio dispatcher for Cutchogue Fire Department and from 1989 to 1993, was a member of Shelter Island Fire Department.

He was an EMT for Shelter Island Red Cross Ambulance. a past Greenport school board member and a member of East End Seaport Museum and Maritime Museum.

Family members said he loved cooking, catering, parties, volunteering, fireworks, the circus and carnivals.

Predeceased by his son, Devin, Feb. 9, Mr. White is survived by his wife of 26 1/2 years, Jerri; his stepdaughter, Jennifer Curtin; his daughters, Donna Dunne, Cheryl Shepherd and Augusta White; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

The family will receive visitors Wednesday, Dec. 9, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport, where service will take place at 3:30 p.m., officiated by Father Richard Hoerning. A 11 a.m. funeral mass will take place Thursday, Dec. 10, at St. Agnes R.C. Church in Greenport, officiated by Father Tom. Interment will follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Cutchogue.

Memorial donations may be made to Greenport Fire Department or East End Seaport and Maritime Museum.

With the Mattituck High School girls basketball team, it’s a case of good news-bad news.

The good news is that the Tuckers have nine returning players, all of whom started at least one game. That shows they have game experience. The bad news is that it also shows that players didn’t retain starting positions last season. 

The good news this season is that the Tuckers have a good mix of athletes, depth to work with, and are faster and more aggressive than they were last season, according to their coach, Steve Van Dood. The bad news?

“Not one girl played organized basketball in the offseason,” said Van Dood.

With players playing other sports, the Tuckers didn’t have a summer league team for the first time since Van Dood took over as the coach. He is entering his 10th season with a 99-91 record.

Last season the Tuckers (10-10) reached the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years. For the second year in a row, they were eliminated by Hampton Bays, this time in a Suffolk County Class B semifinal.

Mattituck’s two all-conference players, Katie Hoeg and Liz Dwyer, are back. Hoeg, a senior, averaged 13 points and 11 rebounds per game last season. Dwyer, a sophomore, was good for 15.1 points per game. Both can play either forward or guard.

In addition to Hoeg, the Tuckers have three other seniors — guards Briana Perino and Phurlamu Sherpa and forward Courtney Penny.

Varsity experience is also offered by point guard Mackenzie Daly, forward/guard Chelsea Marlborough, forward Alex Beebe and guard Alya Ayoub.

The team’s newcomers are forward Corinne Reda, guard Emily Mowdy and guard Jane DiGregorio.

“We have all athletes,” Van Dood said. He continued: “I think we should be running for the [league] championship. We beat every team in the league last year that we’re playing.”

For all the scoring ability of Dwyer and Hoeg, Van Dood said it is critical that the Tuckers get points from other players, too.

Photo Caption: Mattituck sophomore Liz Dwyer returns for the Tuckers this season. (Credit: Garret Meade, file)

Southold/Greenport’s all-conference junior guard, Madison Tabor, and her teammates are playing for a new coach, Chris Golden. (Credit: Garret Meade, file)

Welcome back, Chris Golden.

Golden had coached the combined Southold/Greenport team for one season in the late 1990s, and then he coached a separate Greenport team for another five years or so.

Now Golden is back with the Clippers, replacing the retired Howie Geismar.

“I love it. I’m real excited,” Golden said. “The rules have changed. The big thing is there is a lot of rule changes, which is fine. It’s more in line with the NCAA.”

As far as coaching the sport, he said, “Basketball is still basketball.”

Geismar left Golden with players to work with. The Clippers (9-8), a playoff team last season, have Madison Tabor, an all-conference junior guard, and three other returning starters in junior guard Toni Esposito, junior small forward Angelica Klavas and sophomore forward Grace Syron. Klavas was the League VIII rookie of the year last season.

The other returners are the team’s only senior, guard Raeann Berry, and junior center Jamie Molnar.

“The first impression is a good impression,” Golden said. “I’m happy with what I see.”

Golden said it will be important for his players to make the right decisions on the court.

“I’m really hoping that they develop their basketball IQ,” he said. “The thing about basketball is you can only script it so much. I don’t want to have to script out A through G. As a matter of fact, I can’t. I can do A through C. They have to rely on their instincts.”

Golden said he was also excited to have Skip Gehring, a respected coach, as an assistant coach.

“The program is in a very good spot because Skip, he has a wealth of knowledge that he will pass on,” Golden said. “That was like icing on the cake to have a real knowledgeable guy who can easily be a head coach.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

The Southold Town Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing to discuss The Heritage at Cutchogue’s site plan application now that the developer has submitted a complete environmental study of the 124-unit proposal.

Town planner Mark Terry had deemed the 55-and-over community development’s draft environmental study, known as DEIS, as “inadequate for public review” in September and said the report failed to address soil contamination and traffic concerns.

During Monday’s work session, Mr. Terry announced the DEIS is complete since those issues are now addressed in the report. The Planning Board later voted in favor of setting a Jan. 11 public hearing to discuss the proposal’s site plan and a State Environmental Quality Review Act determination, known as SEQRA, for the project.

Town planning director Heather Lanza said after Monday’s meeting that the DEIS will be posted on the town’s website Tuesday morning for public review.

The Planning Board’s decision comes one month after the Suffolk County Planning Commission found The Heritage at Cutchogue’s site plan application was “incomplete” because it didn’t have enough information to determine what the project’s regional impact could be since the town was still reviewing the proposal and the DEIS hadn’t been completed.

The commission has jurisdiction over the proposed site plan because the property is within 500 feet of an agricultural district and state lands. The development has been proposed for a nearly 46-acre wooded lot on Schoolhouse Road off Main Road in Cutchogue and includes a community center, outdoor swimming pool and tennis court.

The latest version of the plan came nearly a year after the developer, Jeffrey Rimland, and the town reached an agreement following a 2009 lawsuit filed by Mr. Rimland that claimed the town “acted with malice” to hinder the development by changing the zoning for the site.

The town has since agreed it wouldn’t change the property’s zoning or allowable uses until the proposal goes through the Planning Board’s evaluation. In addition, Mr. Rimland agreed to reduce the number of housing units and designate a portion of the parcel as open space.

Throughout the review process of the application, residents and environmentalists have said they believe the development would harm nearby waters, as well as the area’s quality of life.

The public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 11 at 4:30 p.m.

jnuzzo@timesreview.com

Photo: Southold Town Planning Board member Pierce Rafferty (left) and town planner Mark Terry reading a resolution at Monday’s meeting. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)

A Riverhead man was charged with felony driving under the influence of drugs after crashing in Mattituck late Monday, injuring himself and a passenger, Southold Town police said.

According to a police report, 22-year-old Joshua Odell was the driver in a single-car accident at the intersection of Main Road and New Suffolk Avenue in Mattituck about 8:20 p.m. Police arrived on scene to find a female passenger from the car unconscious outside the vehicle with Mr. Odell “hovering over her,” according to the report.

Police said Mr. Odell admitted to an officer that he had used PCP and marijuana before driving the vehicle. He was charged with felony DWAI and felony aggravated unlicensed driving before being taken to Eastern Long Island Hospital for treatment of his injuries. He was ultimately released into police custody, according to the report.

The female passenger was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead for treatment of “unknown injuries,” police said.

Southold School District residents will go to the polls Tuesday, Dec. 8, to cast their ballots on a nearly $9.8 million capital improvement project that includes a turf athletic field, security features and a reconfiguration of classroom spaces.

Specifically, residents will vote on the district’s plan to pay for the construction project by using $2 million in reserves and issuing a $7.76 million bond to fund the rest.

The district’s previous $14 million capital improvement bond, which carries a 20-year term, is scheduled to be paid off in June 2018. That bond was issued in 1998 for construction projects at the elementary school, district auditorium and secondary gymnasium.

The $14 million bond still costs the average homeowner about $200 a year. The new $7.76 million bond proposal is estimated to cost the average homeowner $130 annually, which school officials described as a “$70 reduction” per year for the average household when compared to the previous debt that’s about to be paid off.

Some of the proposed construction projects include a new track and synthetic turf multi-sport athletic field with organic fill, added security features, reconstructed parking areas with bus loops and student drop-off zones, conversion of the existing weight room into a TV production studio and relocation of the weight room to the athletic storage area.

Also included for the high school are a refurbished ROTC classroom, upgraded art room and photo studio and renovated cafeteria dining areas.

At the elementary school, the proposal involves upgrading the library media center and creating flexible learning spaces, among other projects.

If approved, school officials estimate construction will start in 2017 and take about two years to complete. Work is expected to be done over the summer, as well as nights, weekends and school holidays.

Polls are open between 3 and 9 p.m. For more information, visit the district’s website southoldufsd.com and check back here for voting results.

jnuzzo@timesreview.com

Photo: Southold School District. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder, file)