It’s no secret that citizens opposed to the policies of President Donald Trump and others in Washington are stealing pages from the Tea Party playbook.

As values of that movement, which took root in 2009 and carried through the 2010 mid-term elections, are now showing up in the White House following Mr. Trump’s inauguration, detractors of the president and his supporters have begun to organize in a way very similar to what we saw in 2009.

The Women’s March on Washington (and other cities) is a grand example of this effort, but we’re talking specifically about a more grass-roots approach that is taking shape locally.

Since East End Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) returned to the capital for the 2017 session, a group of local residents has been seeking face time with him, meeting with his district director first at the congressman’s Riverhead office and then at a crowded meeting at Riverhead Free Library last week.

On Tuesday, many of those same constituents took a new approach, marching from the courthouse off Griffing Avenue to Mr. Zeldin’s West Main Street office. There, they demanded that he agree to host a town hall meeting — yes, the same type of meeting his predecessor, Tim Bishop, hosted at the height of local Tea Party efforts in 2009.

Mr. Zeldin should absolutely host such a meeting — if not because these particular residents are demanding one, then because these are the sort of forums all local representatives should host. Especially elected federal officials who cast their votes far from their home districts.

When Mr. Bishop hosted a series of town halls in 2009 — most notably one centered on health care reform — he did so knowing there would be widespread opposition to the proposed Affordable Care Act. The meeting was quite raucous, with a capacity crowd of 900 at Sachem East High School in Farmingville and another 500 protesters outside. We estimated at the time, based on cheers and jeers, that the crowd leaned slightly against what would become known as Obamacare.

Yet Mr. Bishop appeared that night, answering the many fiery questions thrown his way and keeping his composure as best he could despite some very obnoxious behavior from the audience.

Mr. Zeldin, who was first elected to the New York State Senate in 2010 on the heels of the Tea Party movement, should face the same level of scrutiny, particularly regarding his views on health care reform, immigration and myriad other issues facing the Republican-led Congress in Washington today.

The residents calling for the town hall meeting should also expect that they might be outnumbered, just as Mr. Bishop’s supporters were in 2009.

A town hall meeting would be loud and ugly and might not do much to change people’s minds on any issues. In other words, it’s not exactly democracy at its finest, but it is democracy.

Photo caption: Demonstrators chanted, ‘Where’s Lee Zeldin?’ as they marched to his office in downtown Riverhead Tuesday. A spokesperson for the congressman said he’s maintained a busy public schedule. (Credit: Grant Parpan)

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The Mattituck Musical Theater Company presents “The Drowsy Chaperone” on Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. at the Mattituck High School auditorium. Opening night had originally been scheduled for Thursday but was postponed due to the blizzard.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12 and will be available at the door.

Top photo caption: Ryan Buchholz (left) and Eric Momente rehearse a number from ‘The Drowsy Chaperone.’ (Credit: Jeremy Garretson) 

See more photos from the show below by Jeremy Garretson:

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A Southampton pest control business owner was issued a stop-work order after he began cutting down trees on his Mattituck property last month.

In a Jan. 30 interview, John Bennett said he had been trying to access the property, located across from McDonald’s on Main Road, so surveyors and architects could examine it when he was ticketed by a town police officer who told him he couldn’t park on the road’s shoulder.

Because the vacant 1.04-acre property is covered in trees, Mr. Bennett said he went to the town’s building department, where an employee reportedly gave him permission to clear some of them to create room for parking.

Town attorney Bill Duffy, however, said the building department denies ever doing so.

“When we went to the building department, they said they did not authorize it,” Mr. Duffy said last week. He noted that Mr. Bennett has not filed a site plan for the property, meaning no building permits could have been issued.

Landscaping crews were clearing trees at the site Jan. 27 but were stopped by a town code enforcement officer who had received a complaint from a neighboring business.

Mr. Bennett said he had the right to clear enough trees to park his vehicles on the lot, which he hopes to turn into office space or a storage facility.

“I just don’t understand how you can buy a property, pay taxes and not be able to go on the land,” he said. He added that he was about to file site plans for the property but hadn’t done so as of Tuesday afternoon.

Mr. Bennett, who purchased the property last year, was in a previous dispute with the town over a sign that was placed on the property that the town claimed was against town code. He has worked on the North Fork for 25 years through his pest control business but said he’s becoming frustrated by the run-ins with the town over his Main Road lot.

“At this point I might just sell the lot,” he said. “It’s been aggravating.”

According to Mr. Duffy, the town attorney’s office plans to discuss the tree-clearing incident in more depth with Mr. Bennett soon, as the town wants to give him “the benefit of the doubt.”

However, neither Mr. Bennett nor Mr. Duffy responded to numerous calls seeking comment about the outcome of that discussion or what the next steps might be.

Photo caption: Work crews begin clearing a section of woods on Main Road in Mattituck late last month. Later that same day Southold Town ordered the work stopped, claiming the property owner did not have the proper permits. (Credit: Paul Squire)

psquire@timesreview.com

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Steve Amaral barely slept before arriving at work Tuesday morning. As co-owner and executive chef of North Fork Chocolate Company in Aquebogue, he said there’s no busier time than the lead-in to Valentine’s Day.

“It definitely keeps us really busy,” he said. “During a busy season, we’ll do about 60 or 70 hours a week.”

This weekend, Amaral and his team of chocolatiers will make about 10,000 bonbons in preparation for the holiday, which falls on a Tuesday this year. They include heart-shaped milk chocolate truffles filled with strawberry preserves, an assortment of heart- and rose-shaped chocolate pops and “be mine” chocolates. Naturally, orders will be placed in red heart-shaped boxes.

This weekend, the business’ chocolate will be enjoyed at local wineries including Laurel Lake Vineyards, Clovis Point Wines, Waters Crest Winery and Palmer Vineyards, where wine and chocolate pairings are all scheduled. Similarly, Long Ireland Beer Company in Riverhead will host a chocolate and beer pairing event.

Once February is over, Amaral and his fellow employees will be able to relax somewhat until Easter, when they’ll create hundreds of chocolate bunnies. In the meantime, the company will continue to host fondue nights every Friday through the end of the month.

Steve Amaral of North Fork Chocolate Co. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

Its products will also be featured March 8 at Oheka Castle in Huntington at a Wine & Chocolate Party for Long Island Uncorked, a new website dedicated to providing information about area wineries.

North Fork Chocolate Company, which moved to its location on Main Road in Aquebogue two years ago, creates handcrafted, artisanal chocolate four days a week in a building situated behind the main business. Amaral’s workspace includes an Italian-made faucet that continuously spews out chocolate, heating and cooling it automatically.

The company doesn’t use preservatives and most ingredients are sourced from other local businesses. For example, the fruit in their heart-shaped chocolates comes from down the road at Bayview Farms & Market in Aquebogue; local wine and beer are also used in some confections.

“Supporting the community and keeping it all right here on Long Island, especially on the East End, is really important,” Amaral said.

A longtime chef, Amaral has traveled the world, experiencing the culinary world from myriad perspectives. His position with North Fork Chocolate Company is his “retirement,” he said.

And while he eats only dark chocolate, he loves working with all varieties.

“My favorite part of my job is that I get to be creative every day,” he said.

Trays of North Fork Chocolate Co. bon bons made Pellegrini Vineyards merlot. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

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Expectant mother Dina Raddatz woke up at her home in Southold early Thursday morning feeling a little strange. Her son wasn’t due for three weeks.

“The next thing I know, she says her water broke and she says we have to go to the hospital,” her husband, Brandon, recalled Friday. The baby apparently didn’t want to wait until his March 2 due date.

A crew of Southold Fire Department first responders were in the area when the couple called 911 and helped deliver Silas William Raddatz — weighing 5 pounds, 8 ounces — in the ambulance on the way to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead.

“We are very grateful,” said Ms. Raddatz, who gave birth on Main Road in Mattituck around 3:30 a.m.

The ambulance crew that helped bring baby Silas into the world was on its way back to the firehouse from Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport after transporting a man in cardiac arrest. The first responders tried CPR and a defibrillator. The patient didn’t survive, fire officials said.

“One dies and then one is born an hour later,” Southold Fire Department assistant chief Peggy Killian said. “It was sad and happy at the same time.”

Fire chief Jim Rich, who responded to both emergencies, said he’s proud of his crew.

“You have a tough, very bad call and you have what I would say is a pretty rewarding call,” he said.

First responders carried Ms. Raddatz out of the house and into the waiting ambulance. As they loaded her in, Mr. Raddatz leaned in and kissed his wife. The fire chief, who said he’s often seen family members kiss loved ones goodbye, said it was heartening to see that happy moment.

Mr. Raddatz followed behind in his car as she was taken to the hospital. Ms. Raddatz said she was especially grateful to Michelle Salmon, a former classmate from Southold High School who — in a twist of fate — was one of the EMTs who helped deliver the baby.

Ms. Raddatz’s mother, Marijo Smith of Astoria, said she started driving out to the East End as soon as she got the call.

“I couldn’t even get on to the Grand Central [Parkway] yet and they were sending me photos of the baby,” she exclaimed. “It’s a day we’ll never forget.”

The couple and their newborn, who is their first child, were still in the hospital Friday morning, having made it into the hospital a few hours before Thursday’s blizzard.

Silas Raddatz is only the eighth baby in Southold Fire Department’s history to be born on the way to the hospital, fire officials said. Mr. Rich credited the teamwork of the crew who handled the labor call.

“In my opinion, doing something like this is a team event,” he said. “Someone had to take care of the baby. Someone had to take care of the mom.”

The Raddatz family were glad it was the Southold crew that helped them in their time of need.

“They’re a phenomenal group of people,” Ms. Smith said.

psquire@timesreview.com

Photo credit: Brandon Raddatz

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Brian H. Conway of Southold died suddenly at home Feb. 9. He was 48.

The family will receive visitors Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 2 to 7 p.m. at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold. The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, at St. Patrick’s R.C. Church in Southold, officiated by Father John Barrett. Interment will follow at the church cemetery.

Memorial donations to Southold Fire Department or North Fork Animal Welfare League would be appreciated.

A complete obituary will follow.

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Some residents awoke Friday morning and enjoyed a picturesque winter wonderland. Others sighed as they put on their boots and grabbed a shovel.

Here are some photos taken after the snowflakes fell. Share your storm photos by emailing them to editor@timesreview.com.

Top photo: The Hatzinikolauo family’s dog, Riley, on a nearly 8-foot snowman in front of their home on Sigsbee Road in Mattituck. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)

Scroll down for more photos by Kelly Zegers.

Grady Moore and A.J. Yarusso, both 6, at Sandy Pond Golf Course in Riverhead.

Garrett Moore of Riverhead pulls his son, Grady, off Sandy Pond Gold Course after a few runs down the hill.

Dylan Pallentia, 7, tries to catch his brother, Alexander, 5, as he flies down the hill near Marratooka Lake in Mattituck.

Picking up speed in Mattituck.

Michael Tellez and Dylan Pallentia, both 7, take a turn down the slope.

Michael and Daya Tellez as they come to a stop at the bottom of the hill.

Alejandra, 8, and Elizabeth Puluc, 17, are all smiles as they speed downhill.

Daya and Sharlie Tellez brave the cold weather and hit the slope.

Ryan Harned, 8, catches some air off a jump.

Bracing for impact.

Tyler Malkush, 7, takes a rare moment when the hill is clear to try out his snowboard.

Anna Mudd, 7, of Southold. (Credit: Pat Mudd)

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Being of a certain age, I still like to buy the print editions of English-language newspapers when traveling abroad. And I’ve been able to get them, even in countries like China and Myanmar (Burma), where press freedom is severely restricted. But in Moscow two years ago, there was an unwelcome surprise.

The hotel where my wife and I were staying, a Marriott near Red Square frequented by Western tourists, couldn’t obtain American or British papers for its guests. So, I set off on foot to determine whether nearby hotels catering to a similar clientele carried them; they didn’t. Nor did any of the sidewalk kiosks in the area that were crammed with periodicals — just not English-language ones.

This was disturbing. I knew Russia under President Vladimir Putin wasn’t an open society, but until then I hadn’t realized just how closed it was.

Which brings us to Donald Trump.

Our new president not only unabashedly admires Mr. Putin, whom he has called “very smart” and “very much of a leader,” but he clearly shares the Kremlin strongman’s contempt for a robust and aggressive free press, without which democracy cannot flourish.

Let’s look for a moment at Russia.

It ranks an abysmal 148th on the World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders, which says that since Mr. Putin’s return to the Kremlin in 2012, leading independent news outlets have either been brought under state control or throttled out of existence. (No wonder Mr. Putin notched a lofty 82 percent approval rating among Russians that Mr. Trump cited admiringly last year.)

It seems inconceivable that the United States would ever fall as far as Russia, where at least 34 journalists have been murdered since 2000, according to Punditfact, a non-profit, U.S.-based research organization. But Mr. Trump has raised hectoring and intimidation of our press to a level Mr. Putin would applaud.

During his campaign, Mr. Trump, who assailed reporters from major U.S. news organizations as “slime,” “crooked” and “the lowest form of humanity,” pledged that, if elected, he “would open up our libel laws” so that “we can sue [media outlets] and win money.”

The broadsides against journalists have continued since Mr. Trump became president. The day after his inauguration he called them “among the most dishonest human beings on earth.” Days later, his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, declared that the media should “keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while.”

In other words, he’s asking the press not to do its job — holding the powerful to account. This is how a descent into an authoritarian state begins.

Media watchdogs are alarmed.

“To those who say let’s wait and see, or maybe it won’t be as bad as you think, or stay hopeful, I’m having none of it,” the Washington Post’s media columnist, Margaret Sullivan, wrote recently. “Journalists are in for the fight of their lives.”

Underscoring the tension between the press and the president was Mr. Trump’s Jan. 11 news conference, where he refused to take a question from CNN’s senior White House correspondent, telling him, “You are fake news!”

What Mr. Trump, in his sinister fashion, was doing was conflating an entirely appropriate report by CNN on the existence of salacious but unverified allegations against him in classified material presented to him and Barack Obama — allegations the network rightly didn’t divulge — with the subsequent ill-considered publication of them by the digital media company BuzzFeed.

Referring to Mr. Trump’s putdown of the CNN reporter, Brian Steinberg, an editor at Variety wrote: “A refusal to take questions from a particular media outlet suggests the Trump administration might try to freeze out any outlet that raises issues not to its liking.” Scary.

Of course, Mr. Trump has other potential weapons to wield against news organizations he dislikes besides ignoring their reporters’ questions.

It wouldn’t be out of character for him to try to harass companies for advertising on a network he finds offensive or for underwriting journalism on public radio or television that gets under his notoriously thin skin. And don’t even think about the economic damage he could do to the beleaguered newspaper industry.

The irony in Mr. Trump’s flinging his baseless “fake news” charge at CNN is breathtaking, since he’s a master at spreading falsehoods himself.

Recall his promotion of the notion that Mr. Obama may have been born abroad and thus was an illegitimate president, his assertion that “thousands” of terrorist sympathizers in New Jersey cheered when the twin towers crumbled on 9/11 and his announcement in January 2016 that “Donald Trump gave $1 million” of his own money to veterans causes that month when, in fact, he didn’t do so until last May, after a newspaper reporter made inquiries.

This is why we need a free and unfettered press now more than ever. Moscow is no model.

The author lives in Orient.

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A Southold man was arrested after he was caught driving with a woman who had an order of protection against him, according to a Southold Town police report.

Robert Detrick Jr., 26, was pulled over on Route 48 about 7:35 a.m. last Tuesday for an expired inspection, according to the report. A check with the Department of Motor Vehicles also found Mr. Detrick’s license had been revoked and that he was supposed to have an ignition interlock device in his car due to a prior conviction, police said.

Traveling in the passenger seat was a woman who had an active stay-away order against Mr. Detrick. He was arrested and charged with criminal contempt, according to the police report.

• A local man allegedly threatened to kill a woman and then himself in a private Facebook message to another person, according to a police report filed by the supposed target.

The woman was told about the conversation in a text message on Sunday night, according to a police report. The man had allegedly threatened to harm the woman while “in an intoxicated state,” police said.

Investigators went to the man’s house, but could not locate him. No arrests were reported in the incident report.

• A thief took $1,200 from a Mattituck woman’s bank account this week, according to a police report.

The fraudster apparently gained access to the victim’s Capital One bank account and stole the money, police said. The woman has already canceled her accounts and has opened an investigation with the bank, according to the report filed Saturday.

Police advised the victim to monitor her personal information for more signs of fraud and local detectives were notified of the theft.

• Someone stole more than $1,300 from Greenport Harbor Brewing Company in Peconic last Tuesday night, according to a police report.

The burglar took the cash from the Main Road building sometime during the night, the report states. The theft was discovered the following morning, police said.

Detectives are investigating the burglary, according to a police report.

• Two wooden planters — in the shape of a crab and a turtle — were pilfered from a New Suffolk property last Tuesday night, police said.

The planters, taken from the victim’s front and rear yards, were valued at $100, according to a police report. A town police officer checked the area but was unable to locate the stolen planters.

• A fight on Facebook led to a real-life altercation at the Southold 7-Eleven last week, according to a police report.

An Aquebogue woman was reportedly standing at the counter of the store last Tuesday night when a female attacker “came up behind her, grabbed her hair and punched her in the head,” according to the report.

The victim pursued harassment charges against the assailant, who was charged with a violation and taken to police headquarters after a civilian arrest.

• A group of young people showed up at a Mattituck home Saturday night thinking a boy was having a party there, according to a police report.

A brother at the house said the kids had thought the boy — who wasn’t home — was throwing a bash and were gathering in the street, the report states. Police drove to the house and told the youths to leave; the young people dispersed without any trouble, police said.

• Someone dented a Mattituck woman’s car with what appears to have been a pellet gun, according to a police report filed Saturday afternoon.

The woman said the dent on the passenger side door was caused while she was parked at a house on North Bayview Road in Southold, according to the report. The victim said she didn’t notice the damage until 11 a.m. Saturday, police said.

• A tractor trailer was reportedly driving “all over the road” on Main Road early Friday morning, according to a tip sent to police by an anonymous motorist.

An officer located the truck about 6:20 a.m. and observed the vehicle crossing over the double yellow line in the road, according to a police report. The officer pulled the driver over and interviewed him.

The truck driver said he was “tired and did not stop for his coffee” that morning, according to the report. The man was not intoxicated and was issued a traffic ticket, police said.

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.

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The moment Calverton resident Chris Padden said two words, “Go find,” Keli, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois, barked and bounded into the brush off Parkers Road, not far from Grumman Memorial Park, sniffing as she went.

That exchange has become second nature for Mr. Padden, 43, who has spent the last 15 years training dogs like Keli to detect the human scent and aid in search and rescue missions across the tri-state area. He’s a member of Long Island Search and Rescue, a nonprofit that provides trained search dog teams for official agencies, and has trained three of his own dogs for search missions over the years.

“She will find anybody and everybody out there,” said Mr. Padden, who’s also a member of the Riverhead Volunteer Fire Department.

As soon as they arrive at a scene and step into their bright orange vests, the search dogs know they are there to work.

“When she puts that vest on it’s a different situation,” he said as Keli sniffed around excitedly a few yards away. “Vest on and vest off is two different worlds for her.”

Some dogs are trained to pick up the human scent in general, while others are given a specific smell to track, often from a piece of the missing person’s clothing. The dog handlers follow the lead of the agency they are called to help and can assist in setting up search areas.

Long Island Search and Rescue, on average, is called to help on about 10 searches each year, in situations that might involve missing hikers or hunters or Alzheimer’s or dementia patients who wander from safety, Mr. Padden said. Their efforts were requested in 2014 when an elderly Riverside woman was reported missing. Her body was found after a two-day search.

“No matter which we find, it’s always that sense of relief that we found what we were looking for,” he said. “So one way or another, it’s a closure to the family.”

The search and rescue organization is one extension of Mr. Padden’s focus on and passion for volunteering and emergency management.

“Ever since I could remember, if I saw something bad I wanted to run in instead of out,” he said. He submitted his fire department application the same day he moved to Riverhead about four years ago. He is currently working toward a Ph.D. in public safety and has a master’s degree in emergency management and homeland security. In addition, he recently started a wholesale grocery business.

Keli runs through the brush, trying to pick up a scent. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

Riverhead Fire Department Chief Kevin Brooks said Mr. Padden, who is part of the department’s Ever-Ready Engine Company, is an active member.

“He’s probably one of the busiest at furthering his education in the fire service,” Chief Brooks said. “He’s always taking additional courses.”

The search and rescue volunteers often take time off from their regular jobs to travel to the search locations and pay their own way to get there, Mr. Padden said. Training for the volunteers is intense; Mr. Padden said it’s just as thorough as fire and EMS preparation. Handlers are taught to endure long searches in the wilderness and, like detectives, learn to recognize possible clues such as broken branches, all while remaining alert to when their dogs need a break, he said.

New York Department of Environmental Conservation forest ranger Bryan Gallagher sees the Long Island Search and Rescue team monthly during training sessions held in Ridge and has observed firsthand how in tune the handlers are with their dogs.

“They know their dogs very well,” said Mr. Gallagher, who is based on Shelter Island. “A lot of hours and a lot of time goes into working with their dogs.”

For the dogs, obedience training is key. Mr. Padden recalled training his first search dog, Kodiak, to jump over obstacles. Once, after arriving at a scene on the New Jersey side of the Palisades Parkway, Kodiak sped to the edge of the road, ready to jump over a brick wall that was a few feet high. The problem was that there was a sheer drop down to the Hudson River on the other side. Mr. Padden quickly yelled, “Sit!” and Kodiak stopped, perched atop the wall.

The dogs are also trained to associate human scents with a reward.

“Their noses are incredible,” Mr. Padden said. To give an idea of just how sensitive they are, he said, imagine walking into a house where someone is making chicken soup. A human could smell it and know it’s soup, but a dog can discern each individual ingredient by its scent, right down to the water, he said.

Mr. Padden is clear to distinguish the dogs he trains as working dogs and says he forms a strong bond with them through their work. For Keli, the end goal is a toy or a treat, given as a reward and an incentive for her effort.

“Why would she want to do the job if … she [thinks] it’s waiting for her in the living room?” he said.

The dogs get a sense of happiness and togetherness when they make a find or when they’re working, he said, adding that for him, volunteering is part of his mind-set.

Top photo caption: Chris Padden and his dog, Keli, have helped on search-and-rescue missions around Long Island and in surrounding states. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

kzegers@timesreview.com

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If this was going to be Ryan Shuford’s final game in his high school basketball career, he and his Mattituck teammates made sure they were not going to look back and doubt themselves.

The Tuckers did just about everything they could to beat Babylon Saturday, everything but win the game.

With a Suffolk County Class B Tournament place on the line, they dropped an excruciating 58-52 League VII decision to Babylon in Mattituck.

The result meant the Tuckers’ nine seniors played the final game of their high school careers on Senior Day despite playing their hearts out.

Had the Tuckers (8-12, 4-6) won, they would have qualified for the playoffs.

“Coming into the game, we knew it was going to be our last home game in here, so I could prepare myself for that,” said Shuford, who scored 10 of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter. “We didn’t know whether or not our season was going to continue.

“Now it’s finally hitting me that we’re going to play competitive basketball for the last time in this gym and it [stinks]. It’s sad.”

It was a difficult ending for everyone, including coach Paul Ellwood.

“I told the kids I would be upset tonight, but I’m not upset at them,” he said. “I’m upset that the season ended. I don’t get to spend any more time with them because they’re great kids. Our kids executed our game plan tremendously at both ends of the floor.”

The Tuckers also showed much resilience, coming back from deficits on three occasions.

After Babylon (12-6, 7-2) grabbed a 16-7 first-period advantage, Mattituck outscored the Panthers 20-13 in the second quarter to close the gap to 29-27 by halftime.

The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair as the Tuckers took the lead twice, the last time on Joe Mele’s basket with 2 minutes and 9 seconds remaining. The Panthers then rattled off nine consecutive points over the final 1:52, with Aidan LaRock scoring seven of his game-high 18 points to enter the final period with a 44-36 lead.

Again, Mattituck rallied and came within 46-54 on Tyler Seifert’s foul shot with 3:20 remaining in the fourth period before Babylon took advantage of some sloppy passing and turned steals into layups by Jeffrey Espinal (game-high 18 points) within a 20-second span to enjoy a 50-45 margin with 2:49 left.

The Tuckers came back once again to tie it at 50-all with 1:48 remaining on Seifert’s driving basket and Shuford’s trey.

But Espinal sealed their fate, sinking a triple with 1:17 to play and converting a steal with 58 seconds left for a 55-50 lead.

“I thought it was a great high school game,” Ellwood said. “It was the best game of the year, so it was nice to play the best game in the last one of the season. If it was a little better, we would have extended the season. But it didn’t happen.”

Besides Seifert (12 points), Shuford and Mele, Mattituck’s six other seniors who played their last game included Dale Stonemetz, Matt Mauceri, Alex Burns, Brendan Kent, Ryan McCaffery and Carter Montgomery.

Photo caption: One of Mattituck’s nine seniors, Tyler Seifert, takes the ball to the basket while Babylon’s Gregg Forstner tries to stop him. (Credit: Daniel De Mato)

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Timothy Mahood and Kelly Brush.

James and Nancy Brush of Cutchogue have announced the engagement of their daughter, Kelly, to Timothy Mahood, son of Cameron and Monica Mahood of Rochester, N.Y.

Kelly graduated from Mattituck High School. The couple met at and graduated from SUNY/Geneseo. Kelly holds a Master of Business Administration degree and is employed at Leviton Manufacturing in Melville. Timothy, a CPA, is employed at Apollo Global Management in Manhattan.

The couple will marry Sept. 9, 2017, at Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Mattituck.

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As constituents in Congressman Lee Zeldin’s district, I am writing on behalf of the Riverhead Town Democratic Committee to voice our opposition to the Jan. 27 executive order that bans immigrants and refugees from seven countries. At the very least, this ban is un-American and defies the values that our country was built upon. We are a nation of immigrants.

This ban puts our nation and our military at a security risk and causes global imbalance. At a Jan. 31 meeting at Riverhead Free Library, 87 of Mr. Zeldin’s constituents met with his district manager, Mark Woolley. Concerned citizens cited that the ban actually makes them feel “less safe.” Is this what you want for the people in your district?

The order was implemented in an incompetent fashion that caused chaos and confusion across our country. There were concerns brought up at the Jan. 31 gathering as to whether or not Mr. Zeldin had intervened on behalf of detainees from his district, such as Vahideh Rasekhi, a Stony Brook University doctoral student and Iranian national who was detained for more than 24 hours.

The 9/11 attack on America has been cited in discussion of this executive order, yet none of the 9/11 or post-9/11 terrorists came from the countries included in the executive order.

It has been alleged that President Barack Obama took a similar action in 2011 out of concern for terrorism, but this is not true. The Obama administration conducted a review in 2011 of the vetting procedures applied to citizens of a single country (Iraq) and then changed the visa waiver program by saying that citizens of those allied countries who travel to Iraq, Syria, Iran and Sudan, and later Libya, Yemen and Somalia, after March 2011 were not eligible for a visa waiver. This was by no means a ban.

The vetting process in our country is already stringent and can take up to two years to complete. Many at the Jan. 31 meeting in Riverhead asked Mr. Woolley why refugees who had already gone through this process were detained.

This executive order is unconstitutional and illegal. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 banned all discrimination against immigrants on the basis of national origin, replacing the old prejudicial system.

As a group of extremely concerned citizens, we ask that Mr. Zeldin do everything in his power to stop this ban, as it is his responsibility to represent our district. This ban is not in accordance with the very principles that our nation was founded upon. Our first president, George Washington, wrote that “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respected Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions, whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges.”

Top photo: (Credit: Misha Popovikj/flickr.com)

Marge Acevedo is chair of the Riverhead Town Democratic Committee.

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UPDATE: The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Watch for Monday. Potential gusts of 60 mph can be expected with steady winds of 25-35 mph, which can blow down tree limbs and power lines.

The watch is in effect from Monday morning through the afternoon, the NWS said.

Original Story: It won’t be anywhere as extreme as Thursday’s blizzard, but more winter weather is headed for the East End.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory Saturday afternoon that goes in effect at 2 a.m. Sunday. The advisory runs through noon Sunday. The advisory says snow, sleet and freezing rain is expected. Snow accumulation is only expected to be about an inch, the NWS said, adding that there could be “up to a few hundredths of an inch of ice.” Wind gusts are expected to reach as high as 33 mph.

The weather could make for hazardous travel conditions, the NWS said.

There’s a 20 percent chance of snow on Monday as well with winds of 23 to 34 mph and gusts as high as 50. Sunny skies should return for Tuesday with a high temperature of 38.

Thursday’s blizzard dumped more than 10 inches of snow on the East End.

Photo caption: Railroad overpass in Southold around 8 a.m. Thursday. (Credit: Grant Parpan)

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A Greenport man who presented police with a forged license was arrested on multiple charges, including a felony, following a traffic stop in Southold Saturday afternoon, according to police.

Kareem Austin, 27, was driving westbound on Main Road when he was stopped by police at about 12:16 p.m. In addition to presenting police a forged license, Mr. Austin was found to be in possession of a controlled substance, police said. A press release did not indicate the substance allegedly found.

Mr. Austin was charged with second-degree forgery, second-degree possession of a forged instrument, both felonies, second-degree criminal impersonation, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.

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The accolades, awards, honors and championships keep piling up for the Mattituck/Greenport/Southold high school wrestling team. But what the Tuckers accomplished Sunday night may prove to be the crowning achievement of their dynasty.

To sum it up, Mattituck coach Cory Dolson used a single word: “Amazing.”

That would be appropriate. What the Tuckers did in the Section XI Dr. L. Robert “Doc” Fallot Memorial Championships at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood was amazing. Just look at the numbers: Eleven finalists. Eight Suffolk County champions. A team total of 356 points.

It all added up to Mattituck’s fifth straight Division II title, which Dolson believes is the most any Suffolk Division II team has won.

Among Mattituck’s champions were junior Jack Bokina and senior James Hoeg, who both picked up their fourth county titles. Mattituck senior Tanner Zagarino claimed his third county championship and Mattituck junior Luke Bokina was presented with the Most Outstanding Wrestler award after grabbing his second county title.

Mattituck’s eight county champions earned automatic berths into the state championships that will be wrestled Feb. 24 and 25 at Times Union Center in Albany.

Luke Bokina was the first Mattituck wrestler to hit the mat for the 120-pound final, perhaps the most exciting bout in the Division II finals. It was an exhausting affair that saw Bokina triumph, 4-1 over Center Moriches junior Donald Wood, on a move in the final eight seconds. Bokina, who has a 141-32 career record, was trailing by 1-0 and in a desperate situation when he pulled off the thrilling finish. In the dying seconds, Bokina scored two points from a takedown and another two on back points.

The 126-pound final was an all-Mattituck affair between two juniors. Jack Bokina, Luke’s twin brother and a two-time all-state wrestler with a 156-34 career record, was in control in his bout against teammate Justin Lake. Bokina won on a major decision, 14-1.

Mattituck senior T.J. Beebe had his arm raised as a champion, too, following his hard-earned 5-3 victory over Mount Sinai junior Michael Zarif at 138 pounds. Beebe’s career record is 151-39.

More Mattituck champions followed.

Senior Carmine Vergari (27-8), a powerful wrestler at 145 pounds, had his way against Port Jefferson junior Joey Evangelista, methodically producing a 4-0 decision.

Senior Thomas Hoeg pinned his opponent at 152 pounds, Bayport-Blue Point senior Chris Behan, at 4:35.

Another senior, Jake Skrezec, scored a 9-6 win over Bayport junior Dylan McCarthy for the 160-pound title.

James Hoeg was his dominant self, with a technical fall against Mount Sinai junior Jake Craston. The bout was stopped after 1:47 when Hoeg built a 15-0 lead.

Zagarino, wearing a black brace on his ailing right shoulder, did not let it prevent him from wearing down Mount Sinai sophomore John Parente, 8-2, for the title at 220. Zagarino (36-2) scored all his points on takedowns.

A tight 182-pound final was decided by a third-period escape by Mount Sinai senior Michael Sabella, a 3-2 winner over Mattituck senior Gage Suglia.

Mattituck senior Chance Anderson, wrestling at 285, dropped a 3-0 decision to Mount Sinai senior Robert Christ. The match was scoreless until Christ earned a third-period point on an escape. Christ then scored a takedown in the final seconds.

With its 356 points, Mattituck finished well above second-place Mount Sinai (261 1/2).

In a word, it was amazing.

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: The Mattituck/Greenport/Southold high school wrestling team earned its fifth straight Suffolk County Division II championship with the aid of eight individual champions Sunday night. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

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A state Supreme Court Justice has dismissed a Greenport woman’s lawsuit seeking to overturn a 2016 Southold Town Zoning Board of Appeals ruling related to the short-term rental law. The court rejected her claim that renting her home for fewer than 14 days should be permitted as a grandfathered use.

Lisa Cradit of Greenport had gone before the ZBA last year to argue that a home she owns on Sound Road in Greenport should not fall under the town’s 2015 law banning residential rentals of fewer than 14 days on the grounds that she had been renting the home in that manner since 2014.

As a result, Ms. Cradit contends that the use is permitted by state law, which allows uses to continue if they existed before approval of an ordinance or zone change disallowing them.

In a decision rendered last Thursday, however, state Supreme Court Justice Arthur Pitts acknowledged that a use that existed prior to a new zoning ordinance can continue only if that use was legal when it was initiated.

He said the argument that the use is permitted because there was nothing in the code prohibiting it is “without merit,” because the town code specifies that “any use not permitted by this chapter shall be deemed to be prohibited.”

Salem Katsh, an attorney for Ms. Cradit, said his client hasn’t decided whether she will appeal the court ruling, but if she does, “I’m sure the appellate division will reverse this ruling. This is one of the strongest cases I’ve ever litigated.”

“The ruling doesn’t surprise me,” Southold Supervisor Scott Russell said in an email. “I said from the beginning, the law is fair and defensible. The town has a right to adopt code that regulates land use especially when commercial uses like short-term rentals start operating in residential communities. We had an obligation to address it on behalf of homeowners. We did.”

The ZBA last year rejected that contention, pointing out that the section of town code dealing with uses that existed before a code change only allow uses that were “legally existing on the effective date” of the new law.

The ZBA’s ruling stated that the town code “prohibits any use not expressly permitted.” It said short-term rentals “are not, and have never been, permitted uses” in the property’s R-40 zoning district.

Ms. Cradit went to court last fall seeking to overturn the ZBA ruling, pointing out that, prior to 2015, there had never been any law in Southold Town “expressly prohibiting, regulating, or even mentioning the subject of single-family home rentals.”

tgannon@timesreview.com

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Our video journalist Krysten Massa took a ride around Shelter Island on Wednesday, Feb. 8, one day before the area was blanketed with about a foot of snow.

Temperatures reached an unusual 60 degrees that day, though it was still windy at the shore.

Massa visited Wades Beach, Menantic Creek and drove along North Ferry Road.

Enjoy!

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The Mattituck wrestling team will send eight wrestlers into the New York State Championships in two weeks by virtue of all their victories Sunday night in the Section XI Championships.

The Tuckers had two wrestlers record their fourth county titles: junior Jack Bokina and senior James Hoeg. Junior Luke Bokina was presented with the Most Outstanding Wrestler award.

The state championships will be held at Times Union Center in Albany Feb. 24 and 25. Read more about the Tuckers’ fifth straight county championship here. Scroll below for more photos by Robert O’Rourk.

Top photo caption: Jack Bokina defeated teammate Justin Lake in the 126-pound finals. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Jack Bokina defeats teammate Justin Lake. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Jake Skrezec defeats Dylan McCarthy of Bayport-Blue Point at 160. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Thomas Hoeg defeated Chris Behan at 152. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

TJ Beebe defeated Mike Zarif at 138. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Jack Bokina, left, defeated teammate Justin Lake. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Luke Bokina defeats Donald Wood of Center Moriches at 120. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

The team poses after the championship. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Jake Skrezec was the winner against Dylan McCarthy. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Tanner Zagarino defeated John Parente at 220. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

Tanner Zagarino defeated John Parente at 220. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

James Hoeg won the 195-pound title. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

James Hoeg defeated Jake Croston at 195. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

The post See more photos from Mattituck wrestling’s county championship appeared first on Suffolk Times.

Greenport Village businesses will soon be able to make it clear they are part of a campaign to promote respect and civility in the community.

Southold’s Anti-Bias Task Force is moving along with plans to design and distribute stickers businesses can display on their storefronts to identify them as places that do not condone hateful language against any members of the community. The idea emerged from Synergy Greenport, a meeting last month between village residents and police officials that drew a crowd of nearly 100. A major talking point during the discussion was the safety of immigrants on the North Fork.

At the task force’s monthly meeting on Monday, co-chair Sonia Spar said business owners had expressed concern about incidents in which people were made to feel unwelcome in Greenport, so she and Southold government liaison officer Denis Noncarrow met with Greenport Business Improvement District president Rich Vandenburgh, co-owner of Greenport Harbor Brewing Co., who showed interest in the initiative.

Mr. Vandenburgh said a few things were pointed out at the Synergy meeting that he thought were valid.

“There are a lot of businesses that rely upon our immigrant population to keep them afloat and for me that really resonates,” he said. “For whatever reason, the apparent lack of tolerance that seems to be more prevalent now than I think it ever has been is really disappointing and discouraging.”

He said the stickers, which will likely carry a message along the lines of “Bias-free zone,” are a creative, clear and overt way for businesses to let people know they will not accept hateful language or divisive attitudes.

“That’s a reminder that we all have to remember that we need to be tolerant,” Mr. Vandenburgh said. “Respectful, law-abiding? Yes, but we also have to be tolerant of the different cultures that live and work among us, and if there’s a tangible way to demonstrate unity in the Business Improvement District that adopts that philosophy, certainly the BID wants to promote that as well.”

The task force is currently developing a design for the stickers and will work on expanding the idea throughout the entire town, Ms. Spar said.

kzegers@timesreview.com

Photo: Southold Town Anti-Bias Task Force co-chair Sonia Spar, left, at Monday’s meeting. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

Related Coverage:

• ‘Sanctuary city’ the big topic at Southold Anti-Bias Task Force event

• Video: Greenport residents meet with police, elected officials at ‘Synergy’ event

• Editorial: An event that gives us hope

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