A new form of medical marijuana — a controlled-dose, solid-fill pill — is now available at Columbia Care’s medical marijuana dispensary in Riverhead.

The pills — available to patients with “fine motor control limitations caused by neuropathy,” as well as those with multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and inflammatory bowel disease — are designed to make it easier for patients to receive the correct prescription amount.

“I think it establishes a new paradigm for expectations among patients and doctors,” Nicholas Vita, Columbia Care’s CEO, said in an interview Thursday. “And it allows us to show the world that medical marijuana is a medicine, even to the skeptics, and it can be utilized and administered and dosed in a very precise way.”

The pills are powder based rather than liquid, making them easier for patients and doctors to store and handle, Mr. Vita said. They also don’t run the risk of leakage like a liquid based pill.

Capsules are a subtler alternative to the company’s other two medical marijuana forms — vaporizing pens and sublingual tinctures, which are taken with an eyedropper under the tongue.

“People are more accustomed to seeing people take pills when they get a headache or have any other sort of healthcare issue,” he said.

• See also: New York to allow medical marijuana home deliveries

The pills, which come in three dosages, have been available to patients beginning this week. The goal is to introduce them to other licensed jurisdictions in Arizona, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts and Washington D.C. in 2017.

Mr. Vita said the pill is something Columbia Care developed through its chemistry team over the course of a year at the company’s Rochester facility.

He said the pills will be given as an alternative option to the vaporizing pens and sublingual tinctures, rather than replacing those prescription types completely.

“Our goal is provide patients with the widest variety of alternative formulation and delivery method,” Mr. Vita said. “Every person has their own set of conditions and their own set of symptoms they’re trying to deal with.”

Compared to vaporizing pens, which has a “faster onset of action,” the capsules are believed to have a longer duration life, and could require fewer doses per day and potentially better long-term symptom control, he said.

Columbia Care opened in Riverhead in January, making it the only medical marijuana dispensary in Suffolk County and one of two on Long Island. The company has a total of four dispensaries in New York and nearly 20 across the country, making it both the first and the largest medical marijuana healthcare company to operate dispensaries and cultivation centers across the country.

Photo credit: Paul Squire, file

nsmith@timesreview.com

This past week marked my 12th anniversary as The Suffolk Times’ Cutchogue and New Suffolk columnist. Our community is unique in its demographics, beautiful setting and residents whose compassion is demonstrated in concern for the environment and the need to help others and support our youth. It has been a humbling experience, as well as an honor and a pleasure.

Group for the East End and Lyrical Children present a family nature scavenger hunt Saturday, Oct. 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. throughout the woodlands at Downs Farm Preserve (last hunt begins at 1:30). Picnicking is encouraged. A suggested family donation of $5 is requested. To register, email jkennelly@eastendenvironment.org.

Group for the East End’s next North Fork coastal cleanup is Sunday, Oct. 30, 10 a.m. to noon, at Breakwater Beach in Mattituck. To sign up, email jkennelly@eastendenvironment.org or call 631-765-6450, ext. 215.

Everyone has their strong suits, but keeping track of birthdays and anniversaries is not one of mine. Years ago, I wrote of my shortcoming and Ginny Surozenski has been reminding me ever since of her daughter Allison’s birthday. Happy 25th to Allison on Oct. 25.

If you have a birthday or anniversary you’d like to acknowledge, contact me so we may share the good news. I usually respond, but if I don’t please do so again to confirm I received your information.

Old Town Arts & Crafts Guild’s next fair takes place Saturday, Oct. 22, on the Cutchogue Village Green (rain date: Oct. 23). Don’t miss the chance to find that special something.

Does your child have a poetic flair? North Fork students are invited to submit original poems related to peace and friendship for the 10th annual Poetry for Peace program, sponsored by Congregation Tifereth Israel and North Fork Reform Synagogue. Published poets Billy Hands, LB Thompson and Jerry Matovcik will judge the entries. Winning poets will read their pieces to the community and receive a $25 award. The entry deadline is Friday, Oct. 21. Contact Sylvia (smep2@aol.com or 631-765-6182) or Paula (631-477-1234 or op31@optonline.net) for more information.

Rotary Club of Southold’s annual scallop dinner (with a roasted half-chicken option) is Tuesday, Oct. 25, from noon to 8 p.m. at the Soundview restaurant. Tickets are $25, gratuity not included, from Rotarians or at the door. Takeout is available.

Have a good week!

Contact Cutchogue-New Suffolk columnist Barbara Sheryll at bsheryll@optonline.net or 631-734-5242.

A woman allegedly passed off fake $100 bills to three Greenport businesses Wednesday, buying cheap items and pocketing the change, business owners in the village said.

Rita Winkler, owner of Vines and Branches on Front Street, said a woman and a young child walked into the store about 3:50 p.m. Wendesday and purchased a body care product. The woman handed over a $100 bill and left with the change, Ms. Winkler said.

It wasn’t until Thursday when she went to the bank to deposit the money that Ms. Winkler learned the bill was a fake.

The theft was the first time someone had passed counterfeit money during her six years in business, she said.

Both Ms. Winkler and nearby business owner Rita Wilhelm said two other businesses, Goldsmith’s Toys and Di Angela Leather were also targeted on the same day.

Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley confirmed an active investigation has begun into the suspected counterfeiting and said the department will likely release additional information once the report is finished.

In the meantime, Ms. Wilhelm posted surveillance footage to social media to warn other North Fork business owners in case the counterfeiter strikes again.

“It’s lousy, and it really shouldn’t happen, [especially] running around with a little kid while you’re doing it,” Ms. Winkler said.

psquire@timesreview.com

Surveillance image: Greenport business owners alleged this woman passed a fake $100 bill at Vines and Branches. (Credit: Rita Winkler)

One person was taken to the hospital Thursday night after she crashed her vehicle into a pole on Route 48 in Mattituck, authorities at the scene said.

The woman was driving alone in a Toyota Prius around 5:30 p.m. when her vehicle hit a pole near Elijah’s Lane, Mattituck Fire Department officials said.

The victim was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, officials said.

As of 5:50 p.m., an eastbound lane remained closed during the rescue efforts.

Details about the cause of the crash weren’t immediately available.

psquire@timesreview.com

Photo credit: Paul Squire

A reporter fully aware of the situation but feeling a bit mischievous, asked coach Mike Gunther what his Greenport/Southold high school girls volleyball team had to do to make it into the playoffs.

“Wait until next year,” was Gunther’s quick-witted reply.

Not only has Greenport yet to win a match this season, but sets have been hard to come by. In fact, the only two sets the Clippers won this year came against Port Jefferson on Sept. 20.

So when Greenport found itself holding seven-point leads at 22-15 and 24-17 in the second set against Stony Brook on Thursday, a rare set win sat tantalizingly close, like a volleyball hovering just above the net, waiting to be smacked down for a kill.

Incredibly, Stony Brook rallied, fighting off set point five times before prevailing in the set and going on to take the Suffolk County League VIII match, 25-14, 27-25, 25-19.

That’s the way the season has gone for winless Greenport (0-10, 0-9). The Clippers have one last chance for a win Tuesday when they play at Bishop McGann-Mercy.

The biggest obstacle the Clippers have faced this season is inexperience. They are remarkably short on experience, having entered the season with a mere four years of varsity experience on the roster. That is the result of having graduated 15 players over the past two years.

Three freshmen — setter McKenna Demerest, right-side hitter Elizabeth Jernick and outside hitter/middle hitter Kathryn Kilcommons — played junior high school volleyball just eight months ago.

That inexperience showed time and time again.

Thursday’s contest was a Dig Pink match to raise money for breast cancer research. It was also Greenport’s Senior Day at Richard “Dude” Manwaring Gymnasium. In an appreciative gesture, the team voted to have its five seniors play the entire match. The seniors — captains Paige Asimenios and Vivian Mantzapoulos, Kylee Defrese, Caitlin Macomber and Charis Stoner — started along with Emily Russell.

Wearing pink shirts and black shorts, the Clippers showed their inexperience against Stony Brook (6-4, 6-3), which was led by Lois Ezi (five kills, three service aces) and Samantha Petersen (four aces, one kill, seven assists). Petersen went 16-for-16 serving.

Asimenios had five kills while Demerest picked up six assists.

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Greenport/Southold’s five seniors were presented with flowers and recognized prior to Thursday’s match. From left: Kylee Defrese, Charis Stoner, Paige Asimenios, Caitlyn Macomber and Vivian Mantzapoulos. (Credit: Bob Liepa)

As a child, Susan Hedges loved entertaining people and making them laugh. A former Long Island High School for the Arts student, she hoped to pursue acting after graduation.

Initially, she participated in community theater events at night after working in operations during the day. But as she started a family and put in more time at the office, her time at the theater decreased.

Now, at 48, Ms. Hedges is finally living out her dream of becoming a professional actress.

She’s made multiple appearances as an extra on “Law & Order: SVU” and has now secured a leading role in a new series, “The Humanitarians.”

“I didn’t know how scary it was going to be to pursue my dream and [act] again after so many years,” the Mattituck resident said. “But it felt as if I never left. It’s a great experience.”

Ms. Hedges returned to theater when her daughter, then 5 years old, wanted to audition for North Fork Community Theatre’s 1985 production of “The Sound of Music,” but would do so only if her mom joined her.

Since then, she’s been involved, both on stage and behind the scenes, with many local theater groups, including the Riverhead Faculty and Community Theatre, where she’s an assistant director for the current production of “Catch Me If You Can.”

Although she loves the theater, Ms. Hedges also wanted to pursue opportunities for more character development, which she felt she’d find on the small screen. After seeing a casting call from a company called Central Casting seeking extras for the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black,” she signed up and began doing extra work to get a foot in the door.

Most notably, she’s worked on “Law & Order: SVU,” appearing in squad room scenes, for the past two years.

“It’s a great opportunity to see what the set life is like,” she said, adding that she recently appeared in scenes for the new Netflix series “Friends From College,” which shot last month around Southold and Riverhead. “I watch everyone on set to learn the whole process.”

Recently, she landed her first leading role in the short film “Graveyard Girl.” It was shown at numerous film festivals across the nation — including the Long Island International Film Expo, Ballston Spa Film Festival and Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards — and got Ms. Hedges her first IMDB credit.

In “Graveyard Girl,” she plays the mother of a girl who recently lost someone close to her and is learning to deal with death. The 12-minute film can be viewed for free on its Facebook page.

Even more recently, she finished filming the pilot for “The Humanitarians,” a comedy series about employees at a nonprofit company called Stuff We Don’t Want, or SWEDOW.

“It’s like ‘Parks and Recreation,’” she said. “It has the same antics but in a nonprofit format … I think it’s something with a future because it fills a void and people can relate, because everyone’s worked in an office.”

Ms. Hedges plays Jennifer, who has recently re-entered the work force after a divorce and years as a stay-at-home mom.

Finding a level of success fulfilling her 30-year dream, Ms. Hedges urges others to chase goals they may feel are unobtainable.

“You’re never too old to follow your dream,” she said. “Just go for it and find a way. Otherwise you’ll live your life with what-ifs and that’s not a fun thing.”

nsmith@timesreview.com

Photo: Mattituck resident Susan Hedges recently began pursuing her lifelong dream of acting. Over the past two years, she’s made recurring appearances on ‘Law & Order: SVU’ and is starring in a new series called ‘The Humanitarians.’ (Credit: Nicole Smith) 

Southold High School’s Class of 2020 is selling flags to honor veterans, current service members or ROTC cadets. Flags will be displayed on the school’s Memorial Meadow Field of Flags Nov. 5 through Dec. 8 and will be available for pickup by sponsors Dec. 9.

A standard American flag with a personalized ribbon is available for $25 and a limited number of U.S. military branch flags with personalized ribbons are available for $50. Information such as honoree name, service branch, dates, rank, places and other information may be included on the ribbon.

To purchase, send a check payable to Southold High School by Nov. 1 to C. Imbriano, freshman class advisor, Southold Jr./Sr. High School, P.O. Box 420, Southold, NY 11971 or drop payment off at the school office. Be sure to include information for the personalized ribbon, as well as your phone number and email address.

For more information, email Christine Imbriano, cimbriano@southoldufsd.com.

Quintessentials Bed and Breakfast, located in one of four 19th-century sea captains’ homes in East Marion, recently hit the market.

Longtime owner Sylvia Daley, a finance executive turned innkeeper, is selling the business to focus on her family. The property and business have been listed at $1.2 million.

Built sometime around 1870, the Italianate mansion was home to Captain William Leek and his wife, Angelina, according to Amy Folk of the Southold Historical Society.

The infrastructure has been updated, though much of the original craftsmanship remains. The house features a “treasure trove” of architectural details, according to Douglas Elliman agent Victoria Germaise, including a ribbon of stained oak interwoven in the planks of the wood floors.

Read more on northforker.com

Photo: Quintessentials Bed and Breakfast was recently listed with Douglas Elliman for $1.2 million. (Credit: Douglas Elliman)

Almost 2,500 oysters were consumed this past weekend at the Shelter Island Historical Society’s third annual Oyster Festival. About 250 guests filled up Haven’s Barn on Saturday night to enjoy live music, a raffle, wine and food.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” Nanette Lawrenson, the executive director of the historical society said.

The first event aimed to honor the Shelter Island Oyster Company, which was in operation until the 1960s and played a big role in the Shelter Island economy. Ms. Lawrenson combined that idea with the current day need to replenish oyster beds and keep the waters clean. It grew into an event that draws in hundreds of people each year and helps the historical society balance its operating budget.

Throughout the night guests snacked on food from Sylvester Manor’s organic farm, cheeses and homemade hummus while they walked around the barn and perused an exhibit on the Shelter Island Oyster Company. The event also included representatives from The Nature Conservancy’s Mashomack Preserve, which featured a display on how oysters can filter water and teaching people how to grow their own oysters.

“Every event that we have always has an educational component to it,” Ms. Lawrence said. “But, it’s also a good fun party.”

Employees from Alice’s Fish Market in Greenport were stationed at the back of the barn and spent the night shucking and serving oysters. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

The Greenport Village Board has approved a $315,000 road and sidewalk repaving project around Bay and Central avenues and Carpenter Street.

The roadwork could begin as early as later this month, with the board passing the measure in the hopes of getting the project finished before the weather gets too cold, according to village administrator Paul Pallas.

The project would cover the construction of new curbs between Bay Avenue and Central avenues in downtown Greenport. Crews would also build curbs along Carpenter Street from Park Street to Bay Avenue and Carpenter Street would also be paved.

“We’ve talked about this for a while,” said Mayor George Hubbard Jr.

The project will be paid for using reserves from the village’s general fund, Mr. Hubbard said. Mr. Pallas said the board needed to sign off on roadwork Thursday night because an opening in a vendor’s scheduling could have the contract
done as early as next week. If the board had waited, the roadwork could have stalled, he said.

The Village Board will officially authorize the emergency resolution at its regular meeting next Thursday.

(Photo Credit: Paul Squire)

psquire@timesreview.com

Like ghostly figures from a horror flick, they slowly emerged from the thick fog that had eerily descended upon Dorrie Jackson Memorial Field, making for a rather surreal scene. The dejected looks on the faces of the Greenport/Southold/Mattituck players reflected the pain they undoubtedly felt in their hearts as they quietly trudged by on the rain-soaked field.

The Porters knew they lost a lot more than a high school football game.

With a heartbreaking 8-6 loss to Port Jefferson on Friday night, it appears as if Greenport has said goodbye to its playoff chances. The Porters last reached the postseason in 2013.

What made it particularly painful for the Porters (3-4 in Suffolk County Division IV) was how close they had come (the game was essentially decided by a two-point conversion made and a two-point conversion missed) and self-inflicted damage. When it comes to penalties, the Porters have been pretty good this season — except for Friday night. Entering the game, they had averaged 5.6 penalties per game. On Friday they were whistled for 11 at a cost of 65 yards.

And then there was the physical pain felt by Jake Skrezec. On the sixth play from scrimmage, Skrezec limped off the field after a carry. The Greenport senior appeared to have injured his left knee and never returned to the game. Coach Jack Martilotta said he didn’t know the nature or extent of the injury.

Greenport’s defense, with inspired play by Gage Suglia, Chance Anderson and Keegan Syron, turned in quite an effort, holding Port Jefferson (5-2) to only 118 yards of offense.

But the Royals scored on their first possession, driving 75 yards, the last 30 coming on a 30-yard pass from Jack Collins to a wide open Sean Griffin. Brian Mark’s run after made it 8-0.

Greenport needed a big play and got one when Tashan Lawrence recovered his own onside kick to start the second half, giving the Porters the ball at the Port Jefferson 38-yard line. Greenport advanced to the 15 before fumbling the ball away, though.

No matter, Greenport scored on its next possession. Four runs by Suglia (20 carries, 87 yards) set up Sean Sepenoski’s 14-yard strike to Jordan Fonseca in the end zone. Suglia, however, was stopped short on the two-point attempt.

In the fourth quarter, an eight-play Greenport drive, which included three false-start penalties, ended when Fonseca’s run on a fake punt went for a seven-yard loss.

Greenport got the ball back with 2 minutes, 33 seconds left, but managed to move only 15 yards on eight plays before turning the ball over on downs. Collins then took a knee and it was over — the game and Greenport’s playoff hopes.

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Greenport/Southold/Mattituck’s Jordan Fonseca tries to escape the grasp of Port Jefferson’s Joey Evangelista. (Credit: Garret Meade)

A Cutchogue man was chased by a mugger wielding a knife in Greenport early Sunday, according to a Southold Town police report.

The victim told police he was walking on Washington Avenue when an unknown man approached him and said, “Give me your money,” then brandished a large kitchen knife, police said. The victim “immediately took off running” and was chased by the man about 12:51 a.m., police said. The victim called 911 and police responded to the scene but were unable to located the alleged mugger.

Detectives were notified to investigate the incident. No arrests were made.

• A Cutchogue man was arrested for driving with a suspended license in Tuckahoe last Wednesday.

After Andrew Lepre, 26, was stopped around 11:40 a.m. on County Road 39 for going 62 mph in a 35 mph zone, police learned he had a suspended license, officials said.

He was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor.

• Someone broke into a locked car parked at the Southold Town Recreation Center and stole a wallet from a woman’s purse, according to a police report.

The alleged theft was reported around noon last Tuesday, Oct. 11, police said. The victim said she didn’t recall seeing anyone else in the parking lot except a Southold Town employee cleaning up a downed tree. Police interviewed the employee, who said he didn’t see anyone else in the area.

Reported stolen were $100 in cash, the wallet itself and four credit cards, police said. Detectives are investigating the incident.

• A leaf blower worth $300 was stolen from a storage shed at Veterans Park in Mattituck last week, according to a police report filed Oct. 10. Police didn’t list additional information about the alleged theft and no arrests were reported.

• A safe containing $1,500 was reported missing from a vehicle in a Mattituck parking lot Oct. 9, police said.

The owner and an employee at a store in Mattituck Plaza reported the safe missing from a 2005 Honda Odyssey about 9:10 a.m. Police interviewed the two and detectives were taking over the investigation. No arrests were reported.

• Someone stole a bicycle while its owner was shopping in Greenport Village last Thursday, Oct. 13, police said.

The victim told police her black Giant hybrid bicycle with a custom leather seat was stolen from outside a local drug store while she was inside about 3:50 p.m., according to a police report. Surveillance footage from the store didn’t provide a view of where the alleged theft occurred, police said. The bicycle wasn’t immediately located, according to the report.

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.

A Southold man who was involved in a motor vehicle crash was arrested for driving while intoxicated early Saturday morning, Southold Town police said.

Theodore Renshaw, 26, was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident after the incident on Route 25 in front of the American Legion at about 12:30 a.m., police said. Several street signs were damaged in the crash and police tracked down the vehicle at Mr. Renshaw’s home, police said.

He was found to be intoxicated and arrested, police said.

Developer Georgia Malone celebrated another addition to downtown Riverhead earlier this month: her newly renovated office building at 20 West Main Street.

Offices inside the building, dubbed 20 West Main, are designed to accommodate satellite or start-up companies that don’t require a lot of space. Most range in size from 150 to 400 square feet.

Improvements made to the structure, built in 1913, have added a modern feel while retaining some of its original details.

“I needed to keep the feeling of an older building,” said Ms. Malone, who purchased the building in 2014.

Although the structure needed to be gutted, Ms. Malone felt it was important to preserve its high ceilings, brick walls and as many floors as possible. Everything else about 20 West Main, however, is new. The former home of Allied Optical Plan now contains 12 small offices with red-framed windows, plus second- and third-floor kitchens and a key fob security system. LED motion-sensor lights have also been added.

The ground floor was divided into two open spaces that measure about 1,000 square feet each and have not yet been renovated. Ms. Malone said the areas could be tailored to a tenant’s liking.

Ms. Malone, who also owns the adjacent 30 West Main building, said each structure has its own feel.

“The units in 20 West Main are larger,” she explained. “I also wanted to provide something light and airy and it’s also very private because it’s smaller, so we attract a different type of tenant.”

A currently unoccupied office space on the third floor of 20 West Main. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

The building is decorated in warm colors, with modern artwork and photography scattered across the second and third floors. Current tenants include a not-for-profit, start-up company, attorney and tidal company.

On the second floor, there is a shared conference room with a TV; each floor has its own kitchen, lounge area and bathrooms. Ms. Malone said it was also important to her to make the entire building handicapped accessible, so she added an elevator and wide bathrooms.

About 8 units remain available for rent at 20 West Main, including a larger office on the third floor that overlooks a garden. It features a kitchen, couch, TV, its own temperature controls and a bathroom with a shower.

Location is what drew Ms. Malone to the buildings.

“The location is the best location in Riverhead,” she said, adding that she likes the way people have clear views of both her properties as they drive down Peconic Avenue.

A larger office with its own kitchen and bathroom on the building’s third floor. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

She also said she thinks the new 20 West Main and 30 West Main fit in well with the downtown business community.

“I like contributing to Riverhead,” she said, adding that she likes the buzz of activity downtown and thinks the town is pro-business because of the tax abatements she received. “I like the community feel here.”

kmassa@timesreview.com

A shared conference room on the second floor. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

It may seem clichéd to say I love reading The Onion, the satirical news website with headlines like “Wall Street Executive Telling Friend How Amazing It Is To See Clinton Live,” but alas it’s true. The hilarious website StuffWhitePeopleLike.com listed The Onion as No. 109 on its list of 136 items, alongside other classics such as “self-aware hip hop references,” “frisbee sports” and “taking a year off.” Consider me guilty.

It’s a running joke that most writers, especially those in the younger demographic, wish they could write for The Onion. Who wouldn’t love penning stories like “Confused Audience Member at Town Hall Debate Asking About City’s New Stoplights.”

What makes a fake news site like The Onion so great is that its stories are easily identifiable as satire and many are laugh-out-loud funny. Satire can be a useful tool to point out the absurd or express a feeling about a topic that can otherwise be difficult to articulate.

Often, the everyday news cycle can be a bit depressing. Sometimes we just need to laugh at stories like this: “NSA: ‘Can Somebody Good At Computers Help Us?’ ”

While a site like The Onion serves a purpose, the growing trend of fake news sites that can be easily promoted through social media is cause for alarm. A presidential candidate who consistently screams for people to distrust the media (it’s a lot easier to do that than explain factual stories that present him in a negative light) only adds fuel to the fire. Sure, disregard an investigative piece by The New York Times because it’s the “crooked media,” but please share on Facebook the next clickbait headline from theuspatriot.com or americannews.com.

Fake news falls into three general categories: satire sites like The Onion, sites that post utterly made-up stories masquerading as real news and, most troubling, sites that take real news items and twist the facts to reach an inaccurate conclusion.

The Washington Post ran a story last week detailing how fake news stories continually trend on Facebook. The paper logged every trending story during workdays from Aug. 31 to Sept. 22. The article points out how Facebook scaled back human editors in favor of algorithms that have been far from perfect at separating reality from make-believe. Google announced last Thursday that it will note fact-checks in search results through Google News, an important step in the right direction.

Of course, trending or not, most people will encounter their fair share of bizarre, over-the-top stories in their Facebook news feed based on friends’ shares. Consider this headline from Conservative Tribune: “BREAKING: Massive ISIS Sponsor Gave Bill Clinton Staggering Birthday Gift.” (These types of stories love words in ALL CAPITALS coupled with colorful adjectives.) The basis of the article is an email released through WikiLeaks. It references a 2012 conversation between a Clinton Foundation director of foreign policy and an ambassador from Qatar, the small Middle East nation located on a peninsula near Saudi Arabia. To call Qatar, which is home to a U.S. military base, a “massive ISIS sponsor” appears largely exaggerated. And there’s never a mention of whether Mr. Clinton actually accepted the “staggering birthday gift.” Then again, most people won’t even read past the headline.

A recent story on the website 100PercentFedUp.com begins with this line: “Hillary’s campaign has been working in coordination with the mainstream media for months to hide Donald J. Trump’s popularity with the “everyday Americans.’ ” It goes on to inform readers that “nearly 100,000 Pennsylvania Democrats have switched to Republican since the beginning of the year.” Don’t expect an attribution for that information on the post. Further research on reputable news sites reveals that while the number of registered Democrats has indeed declined and the GOP has gained in the state, Democrats still maintain a “nearly one-million-voter edge over Republicans,” according to philly.com. That doesn’t seem to add up the outlandish headline “#TREXIT: SWING STATE APOCALYPSE” on 100PercentFedUp, which was shared on Facebook more than 3,000 times.

So what has happened? Are people unable to distinguish reputable news sources from bogus ones? Do people simply want to read what they want to hear to further solidify their viewpoint? Do people not care what’s truthful?

I don’t have the answers, but I do know it’s more important than ever for dedicated journalists to continue doing their work amid the growing cloud of misinformation that permeates the web.

In the meantime, I’m off to read The Onion.

The author is the editor of the Riverhead News-Review and The Suffolk Times. He can be reached at 631-354-8049 or joew@timesreview.com.

Negotiations between PSEG and Greenport Village over a proposed underwater cable project on Fifth Street haven’t moved any further along since a public forum last month between the power company and village residents, said Greenport Village Mayor George Hubbard Jr.

But while the village has tried to take the lead on investigating possible environmental impacts instead of PSEG, a frequent critic of the proposal launched into a criticism of the Village Board and the mayor at its meeting Thursday night.

“You’re incompetent or something else is going on,” said Christian McShea, an outspoken Fifth Street resident who has demanded the board find another location for the project.

Under the PSEG plan, an underground electric cable would be run underneath Fifth Street in Greenport and through a 10-inch cable line under Peconic Bay to Shelter Island. The cable will improve service for Shelter Island residents; a power station isn’t possible there since the island’s board banned substations.

Though PSEG has repeatedly stated the project — which is estimated to take about two months — would cause “minimal disruptions” to residents, many on the residential street have called for the village to collect a higher payment from PSEG for the project or have it moved to a new location entirely.

At Thursday’s meeting, village attorney Joseph Prokop said the village applied on Sept. 26 to be the “lead agency” for an environmental review process, believing the Village Board could better oversee concerns about the project. PSEG is building the line to service the Long Island Power Authority, which has also applied to be the lead agency, though Mr. Prokop said the filing was made past the deadline. The village attorney also claimed the LIPA request contained procedural issues and “factual errors.”

The commissioner of the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation will determine lead agency by the end of the month, Mr. Prokop said.

However, Mr. McShea was deeply critical of the village’s decisions, saying the Village Board should have forced LIPA to back off with the dispute; if they refused, he said, the village should have threatened to shut down the project.

“That’s not how the laws work,” Mr. Hubbard replied. “There’s a procedure that has to be followed.”

During an earlier exchange, Mr. McShea also claimed Mr. Hubbard, who has a business on Shelter Island, should recuse himself from the negotiations because of a “conflict of interest.” It was a line of attack previously implied at earlier Village Board meetings about the topic, though critics at the time publicly denounced it.

That wasn’t the case on Thursday night, and Mr. McShea warned the pushback would get worse.

“This is going to get a lot uglier if it doesn’t go away,” Mr. McShea said. “Make it go away.”

Photo caption: Fifth Street resident Christian McShea speaks during Thursday night’s village meeting. (Credit: Paul Squire)

psquire@timesreview.com

The Greenport Village Board election will be held on March 21, 2017 with two seats up for grabs. Both incumbents, Mary Bess Phillips and Julia Robins, said they plan to run for re-election.

Ms. Phillips said her decision to seek re-election was made after a family discussion and that she had proposals she wanted to see “followed through” and other ideas she wanted implemented.

The election will be held at Greenport Fire Department headquarters on Third Street from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., said village clerk Sylvia Pirillo. Voter registration will be held on March 9 and 11.

Ms. Pirillo said nominating petitions to be included on the village’s general election ballot can be filed beginning on Feb. 7, 2017 with a deadline one week later on Feb. 14.

Photo caption: Mary Bess Phillips, left, and Julia Robins. (Credit: Paul Squire)

A wet and gloomy morning did not stop dozens of racers from coming out to Main Street in downtown Riverhead for the 19th annual Run for the Ridley.

The 5-kilometer race, organized by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, aims to raise money for the foundation to go toward its turtle rescues and care during the winter months.

“It’s an opportunity for the public to come enjoy themselves, as well as speak to our volunteers and staff and learn about endangered species and help support the program and the work that we do,” said Kimberly Durham, a marine biologist and rescue program director at the foundation.

She said their hope was to raise around $30,000, but also to raise awareness of the issue of finding sea turtles on the beaches during the winter months. The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is one that is commonly found in the area and is also an endangered species.

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Ms. Durham said a lot of times a turtle can appear dead when someone finds it washed ashore. The cold stunned turtle can often be nursed back to health at the Long Island Aquarium by raising its body temperature.

“The families who find the turtles like this are always amazed when we call them and tell them we brought it back and it’s healthy,” Ms. Durham said.

The money raised from the race goes toward different medical supplies needed to do this kind of work. She said during the winter they usually get around 40 to 50 turtles that they keep in their care until the water gets warm enough for them to go back.

What Ms. Durham said is nice about the race is the variety of people it attracts. The race begins on Main Street, then runners go through the residential neighborhood streets and finish on McDermott Avenue by the aquarium’s back entrance.

Runners check their times and enjoy refreshments after the 5K Saturday morning. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

Autumn Marble, 15, of Manorville ran the race with her Husky, Ice. She said they run it every year.

“He can run another 10 miles,” she joked.

Autumn said she’s a big animal lover and that’s why she enjoys this race.

“It’s a good thing for them to do for the animals,” she said.

Devyn Fogel, 12, of Woodbury has been a frequent precipitant in the 5K. This year she did a little something different by putting a team together as part of her Bat Mitzvah project. “Team Devyn” was noticeable running through the streets with their bright blue shirts with a white turtle on the front.

“I love turtles, so I started this run when I was nine and I’ve done it ever since,” Devyn said.

Her father, Mark, added that his daughter has been following turtles since she was a little girl and he’s proud she was able to get a team together and raise money for something that is important to her.

“It’s a great event. It gets bigger each year,” he said. “People like Devyn who bring teams out here help others to learn about [the cause] every year.”

After the racers cross the finish line they gather back at the aquarium for bagels, raffles, awards and a fan-favorite: clam chowder courtesy of Jerry and the Mermaid, an event sponsor.

Ms. Durham said she happy to have so many sponsors and to have the support from the community to put the race on every year and keep the foundation doing the work it finds so valuable.

“It’s rewarding to get the opportunity to make a difference for an endangered species,” Ms. Durham said. “But also being able to share this story with the public, getting to spread the word and giving back to the environment we live in and the animals that share it.”

kmassa@timesreview.com

Al Krupski is a man of the land of Long Island — a fourth-generation farmer. He’s a champion of open space and farmland preservation. And he well understands the importance of the water table below the land’s surface — the sole source aquifer on which Long Islanders (and Shelter Islanders, too) depend as their only potable water supply.

He knows the shoreline, too, as a member for two decades, including 14 years as president, of the Southold Town Board of Trustees, with jurisdiction over the town’s coast and waters fronting it.

Mr. Krupski is now a Suffolk County legislator and in that position has been bringing up issues not raised frequently enough in these parts.

He is concerned about the main way treated sewage is dealt with — pumped out into the ocean and Long Island Sound. This reduces freshwater from the aquifer and also opens the way for salt water intrusion, he warns. He advocates recharge of treated effluent back into the aquifer.

This is something that was heard over and over again in the 1960s and 70s as Suffolk County embarked on building the Southwest Sewer District with a design based on sending 30 million gallons a day of sewage through an outfall pipe into the Atlantic. Now Suffolk County government in projects being advanced by County Executive Steve Bellone would substantially add to the area covered by the Southwest Sewer District — and send yet even more millions of gallons daily out into the ocean.

As to the shoreline, Mr. Krupski challenges the notion of “armoring” the coast — placing hard structures on it hoping they will fend off an angry sea during storms. This is a prime strategy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its most recent such undertaking is a $14.6 million project of armoring the coast in Montauk with “geotubes.”

And, meanwhile, the Corps is getting set to revive its more than half-century-old Fire Island Inlet to Montauk Point plan — now priced at $1.2 billion — originally predicated on constructing rock jetties or “groins” along the south shore oceanfront.

Mr. Krupski stresses how armoring of the coast causes erosion on the adjacent shore.

Years ago, there was great criticism of the Corps of Engineers constructing groins along the Westhampton shore — that, indeed, did enormous damage to the coast down-drift resulting in a lawsuit and an $80 million settlement with those affected (which, like the groins, was paid with taxpayer dollars.)

Last month, Mr. Krupski testified at a public hearing on “Water Quality and Contamination” of the New York State Senate and Assembly Committees on Health and Environmental Conservation held in Hauppauge.

He called on the state to “ramp up funding for land preservation” emphasizing that “if you limit development, you limit the amount of nitrogen and other contaminants entering our ground and surface waters … To do that effectively in Suffolk County we will need support in the form of funding from New York State.”

There are “not only issues of water quality but of quantity as well,” he continued. He spoke of how now “much” of the effluent from sewage treatment plants is sent into the ocean and Sound. “We are pulling water out of the aquifer, but we are not putting anything back into it and this can increase the risk of salt water intrusion into Long Island’s sole source of drinking water. Over time, this can dramatically change the dynamics of groundwater flow,” he said.

And, he said, “there needs to be a serious discussion” about coastal erosion and how to deal with it recognizing how it has been “exacerbated” by climate change, sea level rise and more frequent and intense storms.

“The relatively minor Tropical Storm Hermine caused significant damage to the recent and already costly downtown Montauk armoring project,” he testified. “We need to have the difficult conversation about whether we are going to continue to harden our shoreline, which can lead to numerous unintended and costly ramifications, or develop a sustainable public policy for shoreline management.”

In his personal as well as governmental life, Mr. Krupski has thought outside the box. He was recollecting the other day about when he was in high school and began raising pumpkins on the family farm in Cutchogue, which had stuck with potatoes. The farm soon ended potato dependence and today grows a wide diversity of produce.

After his long stint on the South-old Trustees, he served on the Southold Town Board, was deputy town supervisor, and became a county legislator in 2013 representing a district that encompasses Riverhead and Southold Towns.

On the sewage issue, he’s delighted that the Riverhead Sewage Treatment Plant last month, after a $24 million upgrade, began sending treated effluent on to the adjoining county golf course instead of into Flanders Bay, as was the practice for years. “The microbiology of the soil is pretty aggressive and will render the effluent harmless,” explained Mr. Krupski, who has a degree in plant science from the University of Delaware. The change “really sets an example.”

Al Krupski — a Suffolk public official most deserving of being listened to.

Mr. Krupski stresses how armoring of the coast causes erosion on the adjacent shore.

Karl Grossman is a veteran journalist and professor and a member of the Press Club of Long Island’s Journalism Hall of Fame. His Suffolk Closeup column is syndicated in newspapers across the county.

Even on a rainy afternoon, there’s plenty of beauty to capture at Palmer Vineyards in Riverhead. 

The Sound Avenue property, with rows of grapes stretching almost to the Sound itself, was established as a vineyard in 1983.

Palmer has over 90 planted acres that yield more than 20 varietals and produce in excess of 10,000 cases per year.

When we stopped by the vineyard during Friday’s rainfall, we were pleased to find some cabernet grapes still waiting to be harvested for the season.

One minute on the North Fork is a series of six, 10-second clips filmed in one general area over a one-hour period. It will appear each Sunday on northforker.com.

One minute on the North Fork: New Suffolk