I was in the early stages of a fantasy football draft when I first noticed the code red alert at the top of the television screen: It called for all of Suffolk County to be evacuated.

My first reaction was: “This can’t be true.”

Then, for a moment, I pictured millions of people clogging the Long Island Expressway, driving desperately to safety as I ate pizza in my friend Matt’s living room. 

Then it was my turn to pick and life went on. (I took 2015 NFL rushing leader Adrian Peterson with the fifth pick, by the way.)

The botched alert, which was later corrected to say the evacuation was optional and for Fire Island only, was one of several moments of hysteria and overreaction I witnessed this weekend.

I understand the importance of storm preparedness and the dangers of a hurricane, and I don’t wish to completely downplay the need to be aware of storms. But haven’t we gotten a little carried away with weather events these past couple of years?

As an editor of several weekly newspapers and daily websites, I sometimes question just how deeply we should get into storm coverage. In the old days, when the web wasn’t even a blip on the radar, much of our storm coverage was done days later. A few photos were taken during a weather event and the aftermath was reported when things were safe. That’s changed significantly in recent years, most dramatically during Hurricane Sandy, when we maintained a live blog for our readers, providing 48 hours of continual coverage.

But not every storm demands that type of intense coverage and knowing when to treat it like a big deal and when to downplay it can be a confusing proposition. After all, we’re not exactly meteorologists here. Sometimes, though, we’re forced to report as if we are. Never have I felt more ridiculous than when I walked around Beixedon Estates in Southold with an iPad and microphone during the height of Sandy.

To me, weathermen were always handsome fellas with funny names that you’d occasionally boo because they messed up badly — they were sort of like the New York Mets.

As a kid, it was always Storm Field or Sam Champion giving us the lowdown on the next frightening storm. When I moved to Southern California in my 20s, it was Dallas Raines and Johnny Mountain, men whose names meant they could work in only two industries, the other also based in Los Angeles.

Here at Times Review we often call reporter Paul Squire by his alias, “Stormy Squire,” since he does most of our weather reporting. Sometimes from my office I can hear him and editorial assistant Laura Huber squabbling over conflicting weather reports each of them is getting from different sources. The next day we usually find out who was right. And if what we reported was wrong, our readers know it, too.

This week we ran three updates on Hermine that proved to be largely inaccurate, though all were based on reports from the National Weather Service. On Tuesday, we opted to focus mostly on getting the papers out the door and report only the aftermath of the storm instead of another flawed preview, and the storm actually hit, though to a much lesser degree than originally anticipated.

Sometimes I long for the good old days, when you could leave the weather advances to the guys in sharp suits with impossibly white teeth, but I recognize that, to some degree, the Internet has turned all media people into weather reporters.

That said, I’ll leave you with this one final report for the week. Temperatures are expected to reach the 80s this weekend. There won’t be many more Saturdays like this next one for a while. Load the kids in the car and hit the beach. Or grab an ice cream cone from Magic Fountain. Just get out of the house and away from your computer.

And let me apologize in advance if none of this rings true. Unfortunately, when it comes to the weather, you just can’t believe everything you read.

Caption: Some downed branches in Orient Tuesday — an aftermath that hardly lived up to the hype.

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

It takes about five minutes of performing continuous CPR until a person starts to get tired, said Greenport firefighter Mike Richter. After that, they might not push deep enough or consistently enough, he said.

But a new device purchased by the Greenport Fire Department using donated money from Peconic Landing — which is also now in use by other fire departments on the North Fork — is helping to solve that problem. 

At a public demonstration Friday evening, Greenport Fire Department volunteers showed how they use a LUCAS automatic CPR machine that can autonomously deliver consistent chest compressions, freeing up volunteers to do other life-saving work on the patient.

The device works by snapping into a baseboard that’s positioned under the patient’s chest. A suction-like plunger on the end of a piston then delivers either the 30 chest compressions recommended by the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association or continuous compressions to revive patients who have been intubated, Mr. Richter said.

“The machine’s a little more efficient than what we can do as an individual,” added fire chief Wade Miller.

The ability to leave the compressions to a machine that will never tire can be a game-changer for local first responders, he added. The device can also be left on the patient during transport or at a hospital to continue attempts to restart circulation.

The CPR machine can fit most people, Mr. Richter said, even those who are obese, so long as their chest can fit under the machine.

Fire chief Jeff Weigart said the machine can even be left to operate at a 45-degree angle, making it easier to revive patients as they are being carried down stairs or up steep inclines. The batteries on the device can power 30 minutes of continuous CPR each, and all of the autonomous CPR machines come with two batteries.

Mr. Richter said results so far using the machine have been mixed in Greenport. The machine was able to stabilize one individual so they could be transported to a local hospital, but that patient later died, he said. However, one volunteer said the device had been used by another department and was successful.

One device was purchased using money from the department’s budget, Mr. Richter said. Greenport received another of the devices — which cost $20,000 each — last month using donated money from Peconic Landing’s May Mile, said Darryl Volinski, director of environmental services at Peconic Landing.

“They don’t take a break,” Mr. Volinski said in honoring the volunteers. “It’s 24 hours and they’re here to protect our residents and our guests that come here at Peconic Landing.”

Photo caption: Volunteers with the Greenport Fire Department demonstrate an automatic CPR machine at Peconic Landing Friday afternoon. (Credit: Paul Squire)

Sergio Montenegro-Ochoa was the type of person who would stop doing what he needed to for himself if someone he cared for needed his help more, his friends and family members said Saturday.

It’s that way he lived his life so unselfishly and how few answers surround his sudden death along Route 48 shortly after midnight Wednesday that have made the young father’s passing hit particularly hard for those who knew him. 

“He died in an instant,” said Alexandra Camacho, whose husband is a relative of Mr. Montenegro-Ochoa. “From there, we just don’t know.” 

Ms. Camacho was among a handful of Mr. Montenegro-Ochoa’s friends, family and co-workers from Crystal Clear Window Cleaning in Mattituck, who visited a roadside memorial erected at the scene of the one-vehicle crash Saturday morning.

Crystal Clear owner Lisa Cifarelli described Mr. Montenegro-Ochoa, 25, as a hard-working man who always had a smile one his face. He and a handful of family members have worked at the company for several years.

“He was like a member of our family,” Ms. Cifarelli said, adding that he leaves behind a wife, Mirna, and two young children, Deibyd and Estefany, who are all currently living in his native Guatemala.

Ms. Cifarelli said there are many questions surrounding Mr. Montenegro-Ochoa’s death in a crash with no witnesses.

Southold police said he was traveling westbound on Route 48 when his vehicle left the roadway and collided with a tree. Ms. Cifarelli added that skidmarks in the center median indicate he swerved left and then right before leaving the roadway.

Neighbors who heard the crash at 12:39 a.m. were the first to arrive at the scene and they found the vehicle obscured in thick brush, using a chainsaw to clear access to the car, Ms. Cifarelli said. They found him breathing initially, but he died before police and ambulance personnel could get to the scene, she said.

Ms. Cifarelli added that Mr. Montenegro-Ochoa was heading home to Southold from his cousin’s house in Greenport when the crash occurred and a head injury from the impact was the likely cause of death. She said some family and friends have surmised Mr. Montenegro-Ochoa might have fallen asleep at the wheel, or perhaps he swerved to avoid striking a deer. Nobody can say for sure.

“That’s the problem,” Ms. Cifarelli said. “It’s tough to get to the bottom of what actually happened.”

Ms. Cifarelli launched a gofundme page to raise $6,000 to send Mr. Montenegro-Ochoa’s body home to his family in Guatemala. The campaign raised nearly $800 in its first 15 hours. 

Asked about the kind of person Mr. Montenegro-Ochoa was, Ms. Camacho said, “He helped a lot of people.”

Ms. Cifarelli said that unselfishness, his love of fishing the North Fork’s waterways and his signature smile are among the things people will remember most about Mr. Montenegro-Ochoa.

“When we saw the photo [used to identify his body], we almost thought it wasn’t him,” she said. “He wasn’t smiling.” 

Captions: (Top) Friends and family pay their respects to Sergio Montenegro-Ochoa (shown in bottom photo) at a roadside memorial on Route 48 in Southold Saturday morning. (Credit: Grant Parpan)

gparpan@timesreview.com

Solutions for storage and safety concerns at the Southold Town Justice Court are likely to come piecemeal, Councilman James Dinizio suggested at Tuesday’s work session.

The Town Board had planned to pay for upgrades at the aging court building by using energy credits from efficiency upgrades at Town Hall. But a recent survey found that those credits wouldn’t come close to covering the cost of a new justice court.

Town engineer Michael Collins outlined three options: replace the existing trailers serving as the Justice Court with more modular units for an estimated $1.5 million; build a brand-new court facility for $3 million; or construct a new Town Hall; or reconfigure the existing building for the courts.

Mr. Collins suggested that the start-from-scratch plan might save money in the long run, but Mr. Dinizio said the town needs “temporary relief” and advocated for the modular units.

“Don’t like the idea of court officers sitting out there in that lobby and us walking back and forth,” he said, describing the current security situation when court is in session. Mr. Dinizio said the town could first install a secondary door for the Justice Court away from the main hallway in Town Hall and then buy or lease modular units to replace the existing court space and buy the town an extra few years to find a long-term solution.

The board did not discuss how to pay for additional modular units.

psquire@timesreview.com

Photo: From left, Town Board members Bob Ghosio and James Dinizio. (Credit: Paul Squire)

During one of the worst tragedies in our nation’s history, hundreds of men and women — firefighters, police officers and volunteers — ran into harm’s way, demonstrating courage that continues to inspire 15 years after 9/11. Many of them are now paying the ultimate price as they fight to overcome an array of illnesses that have been attributed to the toxic air at ground zero. Some have died, serving as a continuous reminder of the horrors that struck our country that Tuesday morning in 2001.

Steve Brickman of Jamesport, who is featured in this week’s paper, is just one of the men and women for whom rescue efforts at ground zero have resulted in a cancer diagnosis. As we remember the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11, we also salute those who, like Mr. Brickman, continue to suffer for their sacrifice.

Thankfully, Congress got its act together late last year in time to extend the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which will allow an additional 75 years of coverage for the first responders at ground zero. That it took so long is an embarrassment for our government.

The pain felt by the loss of life on 9/11 hit so far and wide, it was difficult to find any place unaffected. In Riverhead and across the North Fork, families struggled to comprehend the deaths of Derrick Washington, a father of three who was a senior communications technician for Verizon; James Christopher Cappers, a father of two and an assistant vice president and private broker with a financial services firm; Kevin Williams, who worked for an investment banking firm and had been set to marry his high school sweetheart Dec. 1, 2001; and Tom Kelly, a New York City fireman who responded to the initial call out of his Brooklyn firehouse, Ladder Company 105.

The world has changed in many ways over the past 15 years, and the threat of terrorism remains strong. But we are comforted to know that in the face of danger, so many are willing to sacrifice themselves to do what they know is right.

On the night of Sept. 10, 2001, Steve Brickman helped his friend Bill Roberts build a deck at his home. When they finished, Mr. Roberts headed to work as a New York City fireman with Ladder 113 and Mr. Brickman spent the night. Early the next day, a clear, bright morning, Mr. Brickman returned to his Sag Harbor home. Just over a year had passed since Mr. Brickman was forced into early retirement as a city fireman — the wounds from fighting countless fires on the front lines had taken their toll — and he filled the time as best he could with handy work.

He fell back to sleep while his wife, Colleen, got ready for work. She rarely turned on the television in the morning, but happened to have it on in the background when the news flashed: American Airlines Flight 11, bound for Los Angeles, had just crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. She couldn’t comprehend exactly what was happening. She woke up her husband, who immediately began to think of all his former colleagues — his brothers — who were about to put their lives in danger.

The terrorist attacks that unfolded and the subsequent collapse of both towers killed nearly 3,000 people, including 343 members of the FDNY. As Mr. Brickman watched the chaos from afar, he was faced with a decision. In his heart, he knew he needed to join the rescue efforts. His wife, fearing the unknown of what could still happen, wished for him to remain home, to stay safe. But she also knew that was unlikely.

“I knew that he was going to go in because that’s what he’d do,” Ms. Brickman said. “He had to be with the people that were affected.”

About 30 hours after the attack, Mr. Brickman arrived in downtown Manhattan to join his former colleagues with Engine 58. For nearly two weeks, often with little sleep, he assisted in bucket brigades and would cram firefighters into his pickup truck to drive them back and forth to the firehouse after their six-hour shifts.

More than a decade after 9/11, Mr. Brickman’s decision to voluntarily join the rescue efforts resulted in a steep consequence. In 2013, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 head and neck cancer and Stage 4 lung cancer. Doctors attribute the diseases to the toxins he inhaled at ground zero.

Top photo caption: Steve Brickman at his Jamesport cottage earlier this week, where he sits underneath a large banner displaying the U.S. flag featuring the names of each 9/11 victim as the 13 stripes. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

•

The flag is displayed on the ceiling in Mr. Brickman’s Jamesport cottage. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

Mr. Brickman’s fascination with firefighting started at a young age. An uncle, John Kopp, started on the job in 1962, the same year Mr. Brickman, now 54, was born. His uncle would tell stories about the job and, while other kids would drift off, he would listen intently. As he grew into his teens, living in Flushing, Queens, he wasn’t a great student and would often find himself in trouble. Joining the fire department gave him a purpose.

At 23, he officially became a member of the FDNY, joining Engine Company 58/Ladder Company 26 in a busy section of East Harlem. The job perfectly suited an adrenaline junkie like Mr. Brickman, he recalled this week in an interview at his Jamesport home, where’s he lived with his wife and two sons since shortly after 9/11.

With the engine company, Mr. Brickman’s job was to put out the fire. Like an athlete who wants the ball in his hands at the crucial moment, Mr. Brickman always wanted to be the fireman on the nozzle.

“You want to be the guy that gets that goal or throws that last pitch,” he said. “Some people are on the job for different reasons than I was. I was there to fight fires.”

It wasn’t a position that came with the glory of pulling victims from harm’s way, but he loved every minute of the job and the camaraderie that formed in his firehouse. He loved to be in the thick of a blaze.

He was trained to be an aggressive firefighter, and in New York City fires are rarely ever fought from the outside. That meant getting inside, oftentimes in unsafe vacant buildings that could have any number of homeless people or squatters inside. The dangers were evident.

In 1990, a ceiling collapsed on Mr. Brickman and embers from the fire caused third-degree burns on his left knee. He missed 8 1/2 months of work. In 1999, he became trapped in an apartment while fighting a fire and ran low on oxygen. He was rescued through a window after firefighters cleared branches to make room. He suffered additional burns, one of which required a skin graft on top of a previous skin graft, a rare procedure at the time that ultimately led to his retirement after only 15 years.

“I’d probably still be on the job if I was fortunate enough to still be alive,” he said.

•

A picture of Mr. Brickman from his first year on the job displayed next to his original helmet with Engine 58. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

In January 2013, Mr. Brickman visited an ear, nose and throat specialist after dealing with swallowing issues. Several visits to a dentist the previous summer hadn’t revealed anything. He eventually discovered what felt like an Easter egg behind his left ear. A biopsy revealed the Brickmans’ worst fears.

A PET scan a few days later uncovered more bad news: Mr. Brickman also had lung cancer, typically found in smokers.

Mr. Brickman told the doctors his parents had smoked when he was a kid and he had been a city fireman for 15 years. Those weren’t the culprit, they said. Then he described his time at ground zero.

“They said, ‘That’s it. We’re finding all these weird cancers 10 years and 11 years out,’” he said.

He quickly got into Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where his oncologist discussed his initial diagnosis with a team of specialists on a conference call to determine the best treatment.

“My oncologist said to me, ‘Steven, you’re stumping the great minds of Sloan Kettering,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘Doc, that’s not why I came here. You guys are going to fix me.’ And so far, with Stage 4 lung cancer, most guys don’t live long.”

From the earliest moments when he discovered he had cancer, Mr. Brickman cautioned doctors never to give him a life expectancy. He didn’t want to hear he had six months or a year to live. He planned to fight the disease as best he could, keep up his faith and hope for the best.

He’s undergone a barrage of treatments since his initial diagnosis, from radiation and chemotherapy to a new drug that’s part of a clinical trial designed to specifically target his symptoms. He had always been a fit, strong man and once weighed as much as 240 pounds, he said.

At one point, when his oncologist encouraged him to have a feeding tube during his treatment to keep his weight up, he fought against it. He didn’t want to deal with the added risks and told the doctor he could afford to lose a few pounds.

“You have to advocate for yourself,” he said. “I’m pretty in tune with my body, so I said no.”

The decision appeared to pay off.

After his head and neck chemotherapy and radiation in February and March 2013, Mr. Brickman was informed that part of his left lung would be removed that June. The cisplatin drug used in the initial chemotherapy had also shrunk part of the lung tumor. The surgeon removed the upper lobe of his lung, a surgery that, because the tumor had shrunk, could be done laparoscopically with several small puncture wounds rather than a large incision.

“It was really phenomenal,” he said. “Two days later I walked seven blocks in 100-degree weather and took the Hampton Jitney home.”

Mr. Brickman said he typically feels well, even as the dangers persist. Doctors found three lesions remaining on his lungs that started to grow, which prompted his current treatment plan. The hardest part is the unknown, when any scan he routinely receives every two months could mark the beginning of the end.

“Those regular visits are like, God … here we go again,” he said. “ ‘What are they going to say today?’ ”

His most recent scan came back clean last week, providing a welcome sigh of relief until the inevitable next moment of truth.

The North Fork community came together Sunday morning at Jean Cochran Park in Peconic to remember those lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. 

Scouts and other volunteers placed flags near the 9/11 memorial and local students sang the national anthem and God Bless America as a crowd of people sat solemnly.

At 9:59 a.m. and again at 10:28, Southold Fire Department Chief Jim Rich rang a bell 15 times to commemorate 15 years.

To the editor:

The tiny house movement has gone global but Greenport and other East End towns haven’t embraced this concept — yet. Tiny houses are typically under 500 square feet and are a perfect place for a single person, a recent college graduate or even a small family who wants to live on their own on the East End, finally.

It’s eye-opening to look at how you can live in a smaller place than you might think, while discarding stuff you just don’t really need. There are designers all over the country who build tiny houses and even deliver them, and the price is right — for as little as $25,000 you can have a tiny house built and, typically, put on wheels so you can move it around if needed.

The problem, in Greenport at least, for folks who would like to take advantage of land on their relatives’ property, is that you can’t — not with the way the law is written now. I know because I was considering selling my 600-square-foot house, paying off my mortgage and building a tiny cottage in my mom’s backyard. But when I called the village, I was told you can park a boat in a backyard, but not a house.

All over the country there are tiny-house developments. A developer could, say, buy a piece of property and then make it financially viable by building more tiny houses, rather than 2,000-square-foot houses. Less can be more. You can even try out tiny house living in getaways around the country before you take the plunge.

All in all, I think it’s worth considering. More locals, especially, could stay in and contribute to the area, and, if they wanted to, continue to save for a bigger house down the line.

I hope Mayor Hubbard and Supervisor Russell and all of the officials on the Greenport Village Board and Southold Town Board will take the time to learn more about the tiny house movement and float a trial project somewhere in the area. Offer the homes through a lottery and track the homeowners’ progress.

It’s thinking outside the box. What we’ve tried so far has had limited success. How about trying something new?

Think big. Go tiny!

Chrystle Fiedler, Greenport

Photo credit: flickr.com/Tammy Strobel

A Mattituck man was arrested on a felony DWI charge Saturday after he was caught speeding in Laurel, according to a Southold Town police press release.

Justin Wadelton, 29, was pulled over by police around 9 p.m. on Peconic Bay Boulevard and found to be intoxicated, officials said.

During the investigation, police found Mr. Wadelton had been previously convicted of DWI, officials said.

In 2010, he was charged with DWI following an accident on Route 25 in Cutchogue after his car struck a utility pole and landed on its side, according to a report. He later pleaded guilty to DWI and had his license revoked for six months and fined $1,000, a previous report states.

On Saturday, Mr. Wadelton was charged with DWI and speeding and held for an arraignment, police said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed legislation requiring all school districts to test their water sources for lead.

The law, which took effect Wednesday, requires schools serving students in pre-K through fifth grade to collect testing samples from each water source by Sept. 30, according to a press released issued this week by the governor’s office.

Buildings with students in grades 6-12 have until Oct. 31 to collect the water samples, which will be tested by the department of health.

Districts must then report those findings to their local health departments within one business day. A letter must also be sent to staff and parents within 10 business days explaining those test results. In addition, districts are required to post the water testing findings on their websites within six weeks.

Schools that have performed water testing and remediation since Jan. 1, 2015, aren’t required to retest their water sources by the current deadlines. However, all school districts will now be required to collect samples every five years.

Before this legislation, schools in New York State weren’t required to test drinking water for lead. Instead, testing was voluntary and administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Greenport and Southold school district officials announced last month that traces of lead have been detected in water from some of their buildings’ drinking fountains and sinks.

Those water sources in both districts have since been replaced, school officials have said.

Greenport officials said 66 drinking water sources in the district’s school building were tested in June and 19 were found to contain levels of lead that exceeded Environmental Protection Agency standards.

Two days later, Southold announced that nine of its 144 taps also contained lead levels above the EPA’s standard.

Mattituck-Cutchogue and Oysterponds school district officials have said their water sources tested negative for lead.

A national discussion about water quality — specifically lead levels — arose in the wake of the water crisis in Flint, Mich., and local school districts began looking internally, testing their own water for the hazardous metal.

The EPA states that ingesting lead can be detrimental to both children and adults, although it’s significantly more harmful to children. According to the EPA website, the standard for safe lead levels in water is less than 15 parts per billion.

nsmith@timesreview.com

Photo: Gov. Andrew Cuomo. (Credit: File)

With five laps remaining in the NASCAR Modified feature at Riverhead Raceway on Saturday, three-time champion Howie Brode of East Islip seemed content with a runner-up finish to Ken Darch of Riverhead. However, a late-race caution on Lap 36 for a minor spin changed the complexion of the race. Brode powered his way to the outside on the double-file restart to take the lead with three laps remaining and go on to collect his 20th career victory.

“I was happy riding second to Kenny,” Brode said. “He’s come a long way this year, but when we got that last yellow and I got the run to the outside I knew the race was mine.”

Brode’s season has been full of misfortune. “It’s been a rough year and my team deserves this one,” he said.

Darch took second. Shawn Solomito of Center Moriches crossed the line third to take a commanding 41-point lead over Dave Brigati of Calverton in the standings. Brigati was fourth while rookie John Baker of Brookhaven completed the top five.

Not only did Chris Turbush of Wading River post his fifth Late Model win of the year in a 25-lap main event, but he also put himself back into contention for the championship in the process. He moved to within five points of championship leader David Roys of Coram, who dropped out of the race. Eric Zeh of Selden was second and Kyle Ellwood of Riverhead third.

Tom Ferrara of Patchogue won his first Figure Eight race of 2016, taking a 15-lap victory for his 10th career triumph. Gary Fritz Jr, of Mastic Beach was second, with defending champion Tom Rogers Jr. of Riverhead third. Ken Hyde Jr. of Mastic Beach has essentially clinched the championship, taking a 21-point lead over Roger Maynor into the final race of the season Saturday.

Tommy Walkowiak of Ridge continues to make up for lost time, winning his third Blunderbust race of the year in just his seventh start. It was the 60th career victory for Walkowiak, who underwent leg surgery in early May. But it was Jack Handley Jr. of Medford, who clinched his long-awaited first career championship with a runner-up finish in the 20-lapper. The 2015 champion, Tom Pickerell of Huntington, was third.

Handley crossed the line first in a 20-lap Super Pro Truck race, but was disqualified for having unapproved shocks. That gave Owen Grennan of Glen Cove his second win of 2016. Championship contenders Brigati and son-in-law Roger Turbush of Riverhead, were second and third.

Antos Takes Grand Enduro. Defending Grand Enduro champion Dave Antos of Riverhead won a 75-lap Grand Enduro feature event Sunday afternoon, Kevin Nowak of Medford was second, with Brian McCormack of Holbrook third.

David Kubiak was a Long Island Ducks fan when he was a kid and attended a number of games. He recalls sitting atop the dugouts at Bethpage Ballpark with friends, searching for autographs, with Quackers in hand. Quackers are noisemaking devices shaped like a duck’s bill that making quacking sounds.

“That was the first thing I wanted was one of those things,” Kubiak said. “Now I hate them.”

One good reason for that may be that Kubiak is now a starting pitcher for the Bridgeport Bluefish. When the Connecticut team played the Ducks in a four-game Atlantic League series last week, it amount to a homecoming for Kubiak, who lives in Southold and pitched for Southold High School. Last Wednesday was a day for Kubiak to look forward to, as he got the starting assignment for the first game of a doubleheader.

For one night at least, Kubiak’s friends couldn’t be Ducks fans. Kubiak had served notice with a Facebook posting two days before the game. With tongue in cheek, he wrote, “If I see you with a duck bill noise maker we are no longer friends.”

Then Kubiak went out and made some noise of his own. He turned in a solid performance, picking up the win in a 3-2 victory.

With family and friends looking on and a spring in his step, Kubiak (7-4) struck out the first batter he faced and looked sharp from that point on. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound righthander allowed six hits, struck out eight and did not issue a walk in the six innings he pitched. He threw 65 of his 92 pitches for strikes, making good use of his fastball to stay ahead in the count.

“It’s nice to finally get these guys,” Kubiak, who is 1-2 against the Ducks this season, said following his second playing appearance in Bethpage Park. “It’s always nice to play home.”

Kubiak’s ERA is 3.42 with the Bluefish. He has 91 strikeouts this season against 28 walks, allowing 79 hits in 89 1/3 innings.

Kubiak, 27, was a member of the Bluefish before the New York Yankees bought his contract in May. He put up a 1.42 ERA in three relief appearances with the Double-A Trenton Thunder before a shuffling of rosters sent him to Tampa for extended spring training. Kubiak said the Yankees told him he could play rookie ball, but he declined and asked for his release. He returned to the Bluefish in early July, but his dream of one day playing major league baseball hasn’t faded.

“I’m just trying to keep my head down and grind,” he said. “There’s no immediate satisfaction in this business.”

Kubiak could take satisfaction in his strong outing against the Ducks.

In one of his few missteps of the evening, Kubiak fielded an Anthony Vega bunt in the fourth inning and threw the ball past first baseman Sean Burroughs. It was scored a hit and an error by Kubiak. The next batter, Fehlandt Lentini, singled, making it 1-0. Later in the inning, though, Kubiak made a nice fielding play that may have saved him a run, gloving a chopper and then charging at the runner at second base, Lentini, who was tagged out.

The Bluefish didn’t trail for long. In the fifth, RBI doubles by Wellington Dotel and Jose Cuevas and an RBI single by Geraldo Valentin put Bridgeport ahead, 3-1.

The Ducks threatened in the sixth. After Kubiak fanned the first two batters, Delta Cleary Jr. sprayed a single, stole second base and came home when Lew Ford took a curveball for a double that dropped inside the leftfield line. Following a visit to the mound by Bluefish manager Luis Rodriguez, and with the potential tying run on second, Kubiak recorded a big strikeout of Cody Puckett, the last batter he faced.

Kubiak said that when Rodriguez came out to the mound, “I made sure I stared at him the whole time so he wasn’t pulling me or anything.”

Rodriguez said Kubiak had a “great start” and has been helping the team. The manager continually reminds the pitcher not to try to strike everyone out in order to keep his pitch count down.

“You need to save bullets,” he said. “The last couple of starts he tried to strike out everybody. That’s not what this game’s all about. Let those guys swing the bat. You have [eight] guys out there, they can help you. Don’t try to be the hero. So, he did a really good job.”

Of his family and friends, Kubiak said: “When they’re here and I can do well in front of them … it’s just really pretty cool.”

Then he added: “As long as they don’t have those stupid Quacker things.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: David Kubiak of Southold, pitching for the Bridgeport Bluefish, allowed two runs and six hits, striking out eight over six innings in a 3-2 win over the Long Island Ducks at Bethpage Ballpark. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell and North Fork Legislator Al Krupski and a representative from the Suffolk County Water Authority will take part in a forum Tuesday night to talk about the importance of water conservation.

“The conservation of the underground aquifer system that provides 100 percent of our drinking water is not only a top environmental priority, but a financial and quality of life one as well,” the town wrote in a flyer about the meeting.

The East End remains in a “moderate drought” as of Thursday, according to the latest data from the National Drought Mitigation Center.

In July, the state Department of Environmental Conservation issued the state’s first drought watch in 14 years and encouraged residents to cut back on water usage.

Tuesday’s meeting, called “It’s Your Water Supply. Use It Wisely,” will be held at Southold Town Hall on Main Road in Southold at 7 p.m.

So, what happens when the No. 11 seed (Greenport/Southold/Mattituck) plays the No. 10 seed (Bishop McGann-Mercy) in Suffolk County Division IV?

A blowout, of course.

Greenport not only won Friday night in Riverhead, but won big, 40-0. Who saw that coming?

“I wasn’t expecting to blow them out like this, but this is definitely what we needed,” Greenport junior Jordan Fonseca said. “We just need to keep rolling from here.”

The Porters held a 28-0 lead in the fourth quarter by the time a number of junior varsity players were inserted into the game. One of them, freshman quarterback Ahkee Anderson, ran for a touchdown and threw for another, his first TDs at the varsity level.

It was Anderson’s 44-yard scoring pass to Brandon Clark with 4 minutes, 1 second left — Greenport’s only pass of the night — that Mercy assistant coach Mike Quick apparently objected to, walking onto the field to have words with Greenport coach Jack Martilotta.

After the game, Martilotta said he thought Anderson was going to run on the play in question and was surprised to see him throw the ball.

“I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful,” Martilotta said. “I wasn’t trying to run up the score.”

Later, both Martilotta and Quick were talking, smiling and hugging.

The heat is on

Not only was Friday a day in which the temperature reached the 90s, but the humidity was brutal, especially for football players wearing helmets and pads. All of that mixed together, along with annoying flying insects, made it feel as if the Greenport-Mercy game was being played in a swamp.

The start of the game, originally scheduled for 6 p.m., was pushed back a half-hour because of a modified heat alert. The teams were given water breaks, but it was still tough on the players.

“The heat was definitely a factor tonight,” Greenport senior Keegan Syron said. “It made everything hard.”

Good showing by ‘D’

Both teams had quarterbacks make their first varsity starts — Greenport junior Sean Sepenoski and Mercy sophomore Ryan Razzano. Razzano (7-for-11, 73 yards, one interception) was taken out of the game for Max Beyrodt in the second quarter to undergo the concussion protocol, but later returned.

Greenport’s defense limited Mercy to 126 yards of offense. Thirteen Mercy plays went for negative yardage as Porters defenders crashed through the line.

“I think our defense has always been our strongest point, and it was tonight, too,” Keegan Syron said. “We allowed no points tonight, as you can see, and it’s just the defense. It really held the team together.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

Donald E. Ritter

Donald E. Ritter of Greenport, 83, passed away suddenly Sept. 9, 2016.

Don served in the U.S. Army during the Korean war. He served for 21 years on the Suffolk County Police Department.

Upon retiring, he started The Quality Car Service and enjoyed providing service for many people on eastern Long Island for over 25 years.

Don was a gentleman and truly an exceptional person in many ways. He had a love for classical piano music and reading historical novels. He will be dearly missed by all who loved him.

Don is survived by his five sons, Mike (Julie), Donald T. (Carol), John (Todd), Matt and James; four daughters, Virginia Martinsen, Jackie Melucci (Remo), Kris Jacobi (Michael) and Beth Reed; his former wife, Arlene Ritter, and special friend, Jan Healy; 13 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Carol.

The family wishes to thank the Southold Police Department and many friends for their help and support.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 17, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport.

This is a paid notice. 

Bruce P. Figurniak of Cutchogue died at Sept. 12 at Stony Brook Medicine. He was 64.

Bruce was born in Riverhead, Dec. 6, 1951, to Stanley B. and Helen C. (née Gregor) Figurniak and grew up in a great neighborhood in South Jamesport. He was a graduate of Mercy High School and graduated from Iona College in 1973.

On June 11, 1988, he married the former Rita DeCarle at Our Lady of Ostrabrama R.C. Church in Cutchogue.

For 37 years, he worked in New York State Courts, retiring as a senior court officer and forming many friendships during his career. He would have celebrated his anniversary with the courts on Friday, Sept. 16.

Bruce was a real people person who enjoyed attending sporting events, going to Riverhead Raceway with his son, Christian and golfing. He also enjoyed traveling, especially to the New York Yankee spring training camp every year with his family. Bruce liked the New York Giants football team but loved the New York Yankees and was a huge fan of his son’s baseball teams.

Bruce also enjoyed gardening.

Surviving are his wife Rita Figurniak; son, Christian, of Cutchogue; brother and sister-in-law Jim and Kerry Figurniak of Baiting Hollow and brothers-and sisters-in-law Joe and Cathy DeCarle of Monroe, Conn., Vinny and Bette DeCarle of Aquebogue and Jim and Sandy DeCarle of New Hyde Park and many beloved nieces and nephews.

The family will receive visitors on Thursday, Sept. 15, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Mattituck, officiated by Monsignor Joseph W. Staudt. Interment will follow at Sacred Heart R.C. Cemetery in Cutchogue.

Memorial donations to the American Liver Foundation, 39 Broadway, Suite 2700, New York, NY 10006 would be appreciated.

This is a paid notice. 

This is the year to drive for five, and yet the Mattituck High School girls cross-country team isn’t focusing on that just yet. The Tuckers don’t dwell on the past, which may partially explain their success.

Mattituck (5-1 last year) won its fourth straight Suffolk County Class C team title last year and with it came the right to compete as a team in the state championships.

“It is nice, but we don’t even talk about it,” coach Julie Milliman said of the county title run. “Every year is a new year.”

This new year looks promising, indeed. Milliman couldn’t identify a major difference between last year’s team and this year’s crew, which includes five of the 2015 team’s top seven runners.

Leading the pack is senior Melanie Pfennig, who is in her fifth year on the team. Pfennig was the winner of the Suffolk Class C race last year in 20 minutes, 22.65 seconds on Sunken Meadow State Park’s five-kilometer course. Seven Tuckers were among the top 12 finishers. In the state meet, Pfennig was ninth in 19:36.9 at Monroe-Woodbury High School. Mattituck ranked seventh in the team scoring.

“She’s just a worker,” Milliman said. “I can’t think of one day in five years that she hasn’t come to practice and worked her hardest. She sets a positive tone for the rest of the team. She just keeps getting better. There hasn’t been a year where she hasn’t, so I can’t imagine her not getting faster this year.”

Following in Pfennig’s footsteps, literally and figuratively, is Payton Maddaloni, who impressed in her first varsity season last year as an eighth-grader. Maddaloni was fourth in the county meet in 21:54.79 and 56th in the state meet in 21:44.9.

“She’s literally on [Pfennig’s] heels already, and that’s just good for everybody,” Milliman said. “She doesn’t really know her own strength yet as a runner. She’ll go out guns blazing and never quit and she ends up finishing races 20 seconds behind Mel.”

Pfennig and Maddaloni, both All-League runners, are joined by senior Sascha Rosin, junior Meg Dinizio and sophomore Maddie Schmidt, who all ran in the state meet. Eighth-grader Kylie Conroy is also expected to be a scorer.

So, what are the chances of five county crowns in a row?

“We’ve set some high goals for ourselves and hopefully we can achieve them,” Milliman said, “but I like what I see so far.”

Southold (1-5) takes only five runners into the season, but it’s what coach Karl Himmelmann sees in them that he finds encouraging.

“They’re small in numbers, but are huge in dedication,” he said. “They are a wonderful group of girls. They work very, very hard.”

Senior Julia McAllister, freshman Emily Newman and senior Jheimy Ugana are returners. The two newcomers are junior Ashley Hilary and senior Julia Mele. Greenport senior Emily Villareal will run with the team as an independent.

“I can’t say enough about what a dedicated and supportive group of girls they are,” Himmelmann said. “It’s a wonderful team to be able to coach.”

Photo caption: Mattituck junior Melanie Pfennig, pictured last November. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk, file)

bliepa@timesreview.com

Sergio Montenegro Ochoa of Southold died Sept. 7. He was 25 and was born Aug. 11, 1991. 

Family members said he enjoyed fishing, horses, and that he always had a smile on his face and would do anything to make people happy.

Mr. Ochoa is survived by his wife, Mirna; his daughter, Estefany; son, Deibyd; five sisters, one brother and his parents.

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist the family at gofundme.com/sergiomontenegro.

Howard H. Jewett of Mattituck and formerly of Manorville died at Acadia Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation Sept. 12, 2016. He was 98.

He was born Dec. 16, 1917, in Ames, Iowa to Albert and Sophie (Halsey) Jewett.

On Dec. 2, 1945, he married the former Margaret Luella Johnston. They lived in Queens, West Islip, East Moriches and Manorville before moving to the North Fork in 1999.

Mr. Jewett had been a foreman in plant engineering for Brookhaven National Lab.

Family members said he and his wife loved to travel in their motor home and have visited destinations throughout the south and west. His other passion was basket weaving.

Predeceased by his wife Margaret in 2002, he leaves his children, Susan J. and her husband Walter H. Shaffer of Mattituck and Howard J. Jewett of Brookfield, N.Y.

The family will receive visitor Friday, Sept. 16, from 1 to 1:30 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck, with funeral services following at 1:30 p.m. Interment with U.S. Navy honors will follow at Calverton National Cemetery.

Memorial donations to the Katinka House, c/o Southold Town Senior Services, PO Box 85, Mattituck, NY 11952 would be appreciated.

This is a paid notice. 

Frederick Schaeffler III of Southold died Sept. 12 at Kanas Center for Hospice Care in Quiogue at the age of 87.
The family will receive visitors Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold. Southold American Legion services will be held at 3:30 p.m. Funeral services will take place during the evening hours, officiated by the Rev. Bob Griffin. The funeral procession will leave the funeral home at 10 a.m.  Thursday, Sept. 15 for interment with U.S. Navy honors at Calverton National Cemetery.

Memorial donations to the Kanas Center for Hospice Care would be appreciated.

A complete obituary will follow.