A Laurel man was arrested Wednesday night on drunken driving and drug possession charges after his vehicle crashed into a utility pole, according to a Southold police press release.

Richard Bosworth, 51, was driving on Peconic Bay Boulevard around 8:45 p.m. when the crash occurred, police said.

He was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated and unlawful possession of marijuana, officials said.

Mr. Bosworth was held for an arraignment, police said.

The post Cops: Laurel man charged with DWI after vehicle hits utility pole appeared first on Suffolk Times.

An MTA employee was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital after suffering a hand injury while on a “working train” that was clearing snow off the track in Laurel Thursday morning, according to the Mattituck Fire Department.

The accident was reported at about 9:15 a.m. and Laurel Lane was briefly closed to traffic as the Suffolk County Police medevac helicopter transported the victim, Chief James Rugnetta said.

The train, which did not have any passengers, left the area shortly after 10 a.m.

Photo caption: The Suffolk police helicopter landed just off Laurel Lane. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)

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Four candidates are running for two seats up for grabs in this year’s Greenport Village Board election.

Trustees Mary Bess Phillips and Julia Robins will face challengers Paul Kreiling and Lucy Clarke, village officials confirmed Wednesday. Each seat carries a four-year term.

Mr. Kreiling, a 25-year Greenport resident and owner of Easterly Sailing school, said this is his first time running for office and he plans to campaign on protecting the harbor.

“I would like to turn my attention to the actual quality of the water and the accessibility for the locals to our lovely waterfront,” said Mr. Kreiling, adding he’s calling his party the Harbor Party.

While he said the village offers many activities for tourists, he believes more aquaculture activities should be provided for locals, too.

“I believe that if more people saw [Greenport] from the water, they would value the waterfront more and its aquaculture and its history,” he said. “They should appreciate it.”

Mr. Kreiling said he has no particular axe to grind with the current Village Board and he would like to be another set of ears for villagers.

Ms. Phillips, owner of Alice’s Fish Market in Greenport, has served on the board since 2009. She said she’s running for a third term to focus on making it easier for young families to remain in the village.

“We live in a village where there were opportunities for young people to become a part of the community — to raise their children here, to send them to school,” she said. “Over the last couple of years … I have seen the Planning Board and the ZBA struggling with out current code to try to accomplish that.”

“We have this battle between ‘Are we a community or are we a destination?’ and that’s something that we need to come to grips with,” she added.

Ms. Robins, who was first elected in 2013, is a salesperson at Albertson Realty and serves as the Village Board’s liaison to the Greenport Business Improvement District.

In a statement, she said she’s seeking a second term in order to continue the work of planning for the future of the village’s electric generation and capacity.

“Energy and power are going to change dramatically in the next 10 to 20 years with the development of renewables,” she said. “As a small municipal electric company, we can be part of this exciting new opportunity for our ratepayers.”

Ms. Clarke, whose legal name is Mary Louise Given, is a member of the village Planning Board. She could not immediately be reached for comment.

The four candidates have been invited to a debate hosted by The Suffolk Times and SoutholdLOCAL scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, March 13, at Floyd Memorial Library.

kzegers@timesreview.com

File photo: Greenport Village Hall. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch)

The post See who’s running in this year’s Greenport Village Board election appeared first on Suffolk Times.

Listings prepared for Times/Review Newspapers by Suffolk Research Service, dated Jan. 1-7, 2017.

BAITING HOLLOW (11933)

• Esposito, M & K to Reiss, Catherine, 403 Fox Hill Dr (600-11.1-1-75), (R), $453,500

• EZVZ Family Holdings to Bernabeu, Frederic, 2 Cliff Way (600-39-2-26), (R), $950,000

CUTCHOGUE (11935)

• 595 Pequash Ave LLC to Krone Trust, Janet, 595 Pequash Ave (1000-103-7-27.1), (R), $599,000

EAST MARION (11939)

• Orlando, L to Stenson, Aiden, 570 Rabbit Ln (1000-31-18-12), (R), $500,000

FLANDERS (11901)

• Deutsche Bank Nat to EECL Properties LLC, 240 Priscilla Ave (900-122-1-13), (R), $160,000

• Troxell, D & Watts, D to Wilmington Savings Fund, Society FSB, 126 Royal Ave (900-148-2-42), (R), $295,043

• Reeve, L & D to Barrios, Wuilmer, 24 Birch Ave (900-149-2-32.2), (R), $260,000

• Devon, J to Reyes & Coronado, Carlos & Noemi, 432 Maple Ave S (900-167-3-2.5), (R), $400,000

GREENPORT (11944)

• Ferrante, D & D to Quinn, Sheila, 61475 CR 48, #A202 (1000-45.1-2-2), (C), $329,000

JAMESPORT (11947)

• Shimer, J et al by Referee to Deutsche Bank National Tr, 158 8th St (600-90-2-22), (R), $476,934

LAUREL (11948)

• Barakos, P & Fandino, C to Wickham, Thomas, 215 Fourth St (1000-126-7-8.1), (R), $280,000

PECONIC (11958)

• Stern, EG Fam Trust to Grimes, Charles, 4145 Wells Rd (1000-86-2-12.6), (V), $410,000

RIVERHEAD (11901)

• Munfakh Real Estate to Globus Residence Trust, Eileen, 856 Sound Shore Rd (600-8-1-11), (R), $1,500,000

• Finance of America to Villatoro, Roberto, 363 Church Ln (600-46-1-27), (R), $175,000

• Stoneleigh Woods RH to Cascarelli, Alba, Stoneleigh Woods, #4301 (600-82.5-3-45), (R), $451,800

• Stoneleigh Woods RH to Laurino Revocable Trust, Bruna, Stoneleigh Woods, #4302 (600-82.5-3-46), (R), $421,680

• Robinson, C & M to Carfero, Edward, 158 Northern Pkwy (600-107-1-50), (R), $270,000

SHELTER ISLAND (11964)

• Evangelista, P to Shea, Paull, 49 Brander Pkwy (700-22-1-117), (R), $775,000

• Farah, K & Venecia, S to Tesoro Trust, The, 1 Seagull Rd (700-23-2-59), (R), $2,300,000

SOUTHOLD (11971)

• Smith, H by Executor to Perrell, Franklin, 320 Maple Ln (1000-64-1-19), (R), $599,000

• Wassmer, H & A to Flatley, Rory, 570 Jernick Ln (1000-70-3-19), (R), $510,000

• Yanke, E & D to Flood, Michael, 75 Wampum Way (1000-87-2-35), (R), $790,000

WADING RIVER (11792)

• Tetrault, J to Loch, Agnieszka, 2863 N Wading River Rd (600-27-2-10), (R), $325,000

• O’Reilly, M to Vonatzski, Jason, 11 Ravine Rd (600-27-3-88), (R), $285,000

• Schembri & Son Inc to Rosini, Ernesto, 9 Leonard St (600-74-1-8), (R), $410,000

(Key: Tax map numbers = District-Section-Block-Lot; (A) = agriculture; (R) = residential; (V) = vacant property; (C) = commercial; (R&E) = recreation & entertainment; (CS) = community services; (I) = industrial; (PS) = public service; (P) = park land; as determined from assessed values in the current tax rolls.)

The post Real estate transfers appeared first on Suffolk Times.

Concepcion Choy of Riverhead is an immigrant from Guatemala who has lived in the United States for 12 years. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

A social media post early Thursday morning from Aldo’s Coffee in Greenport read: “We are open on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and every other national holiday. Today, we are closed.”

This message was accompanied by a photo of a sign that read “In support of our people and #ADayWithoutImmigrants.”

“A day without immigrants” is a nationwide movement organized through social media encouraging people to boycott work for a day to demonstrate how important the immigrant population is in this country.

“Closing the cafe today speaks for itself,” said Aldo Maiorana, the owner of Aldo’s Coffee, in an email Thursday morning. “As an immigrant [he was born in Sicily and raised in France], I was welcomed into this community and have been fortunate to have a business here for over 30 years. I am very proud to live in a country that was built by immigrants. It is as simple as that.”

Mr. Maiorano is not the only business owner on the East End to stand in solidarity with the movement. About a dozen delis in the Riverhead area also closed their doors on Thursday while several locals attended a march and vigil in Hampton Bays.

Flanders business owner Jennifer Carrera said the local Hispanic deli owners came together Wednesday evening and decided unanimously to all close.

“We said if one [business] wanted to be open then we were all going to be open, but if we all decided to close then no one would open,” she said.

Ms. Carrera, who owns Deli El Quetzal on Flanders Road, added: “It’s important to know that Spanish people can affect the way of life here.”

Armando Llamas runs two family delis in Riverhead on Osborn Avenue and East Main Street.

“We are all Spanish,” he said. “We want to be heard. We’re going to lose money, but we’re doing it for a good cause.”

Miriam Carrera, owner of the express deli by the Riverhead railroad tracks, said she felt good about being closed for the day.

“I think we’re doing the right thing,” she said. Ms. Carrera, a Guatemala native, said the immigrant community is full of hard working people who fear being sent back to their native country.

“We contribute to the country; we should have the opportunity to stay in the country,” she said.

Riverhead school district superintendent Nancy Carney said in an email “many of our immigrant students were absent today.” She did not have an additional comment.

The march in Hampton Bays was organized by SEPA Mujer, an organization that empowers immigrant women and has chapters in Hampton Bays and Riverside.

“We’re supporting our members,” said Dulce Rojas, a community organizer at SEPA Mujer. “This is something our members wanted and people in the community wanted so we’re going out to support this march for peace and unity.”

Marchers along Main Street in Hampton Bays. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

The march began at the Shell gas station on Main Street and drew a crowd of about 200 or more as protesters and supporters made their way to the Church of St. Rosalie for a vigil.

Marchers from around the East End chanted things like,”No human is illegal,” and “El pueblo unido jamas sera vencido,” which means, “The people united will never be defeated.” Some waved the American flag along with the flags of their countries of origin, including Mexico and Guatemala.

Cencepcion Choy of Riverhead, a SEPA Mujer member, said it was important to be there as an immigrant from Guatemala.

“This is my country,” she said, holding a sign that read “Immigrants make America great.”

“I have a daughter and I don’t want to be discriminated,” she said. “Some people think that just because you’re not from here you don’t deserve anything and why I’m here, to fight for that.”

Riverhead resident Juana Felix said the country is “not all right” for immigrants at this time.

“This country is made by immigrants and that’s why everybody has to be together to make this country like it’s supposed to be,” she said, adding that she felt it is not right not deport people who have children that are U.S. citizens.

Anita Busby of Peconic, who learned about the march while helping out at Saint Agnes Church food pantry, said she felt very strongly that deportation is not the answer. She was out in support of all immigrants, including a friend who is not here legally, but has family members who are.

“Particularly in the manner that it’s being done now,” she said. “I think there should be an easier way for people to become citizens, particularly those who have lived here for a long time, worked here for a long time, their children are citizens, and maybe others in they’re family, and they’re good people.”

Ms. Rojas said the Hispanic community is fearful because of recent Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) raid rumors.

Christopher Worth, an attorney who largely works in immigration law and whose practice recently moved to East Quogue from Riverhead, said he’s learned that people are concerned about their family members being detained and their rights being violated. He said there are a lot of rumors and speculation about how ICE operates.

“Right now it’s important for everyone to stay calm, to focus on preparation, not to get caught up in irrational fear, but we know that there will be increased enforcement,” he said.

He said people should start to know their rights and be prepared in the event that someone is detained, making sure they have documentation that shows they’ve had a continuous residence in the U.S. for a substantial period of time, as well as understand their immigration and criminal histories.

Paola Zuniga-Tellez of Flanders is a member of SEPA Mujer, the group that organized the march in Hampton Bays. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

Another member of SEPA Mujer, Paola Zuniga-Tellez of Flanders, said they have not received backlash for organizing the march and is glad to see they are supported.

“I think people are going to start noticing that immigrants are strong people here,” she said.

Ms. Zuniga-Tellez said the march is a good start toward having a more organized Latino community on the East End.

“The community wants to be a part of something that people can notice,” she said. “We want to educate people who don’t know they have rights so their families can feel safe.”

kzegers@timesreview.com

See more photos below:

Felipe Mendez of Hampton Bays with a sign that reads “More peace, less hate.” (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

A small crowd of protesters appeared across the street from the march. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

People filled the sidewalk, chanting and holding signs. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

Chants were led in both Spanish and English. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

The crowd gathered at St. Rosalie’s Church in Hampton Bays. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

A young marcher by a sign that reads, “Peace united, no more fear.” (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

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There will be plenty of outstanding memories for the members of this year’s Southold/Greenport girls basketball team. There was the playoff-clinching victory over The Stony Brook School last Saturday. The momentous accomplishment of Madison Tabor scoring her 1,000th career point.

And while Thursday night’s game at Pierson/Bridgehampton didn’t end as the Clippers hoped, they can still look back and say they got to enjoy the atmosphere of playoff basketball.

Admittedly, it’s not a place they ever expected to be when the season began. After all, last year’s team won only four games.

For all the accomplishments, there was still the inevitable moment of sadness when it all came to an end inside the loud gym at Pierson High School. Pierson, behind a dominant third quarter, prevailed 60-49 in the Class C outbracket game. The Lady Whalers, the No. 2 seed, advance to play No. 1 Port Jefferson in the county championship game Saturday at Riverhead High School.

Tabor capped her tremendous career with a 20-point game to lead the Clippers. Senior Angelica Klavas was the only other player in double figures with 14. Tabor scored 11 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Clippers tried to fight back.

Pierson senior Nia Dawson led all scorers with 25 points.

The Clippers (10-10) took a three-point lead into halftime, but after some key adjustments from Pierson, the Lady Whalers (14-7) seized control in the third quarter. The Clippers were outscored 18-7 in the third quarter and could never mount a comeback.

joew@timesreview.com

Photo caption: The Southold girls basketball team heads off the court for the final time this season. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

Madison Tabor led the Clippers with 20 points. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)

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Jean Cochran, the only woman ever elected as supervisor of Southold Town and the first woman to serve on the Town Board, died on Thursday. She was 85.

Ms. Cochran, who lived in Southold, served as supervisor from 1996 to 2001, but her accomplishments go well beyond that.

She was the recipient of the North Fork Environmental Council Environmental Achievement Award in 1998, Southold Rotary’s Citizen of the Year and Mattituck Chamber of Commerce’s Award of Appreciation in 1999, among others.

“Jean was the first woman in Southold history elected Supervisor and, to date, the only one,” said Southold Supervisor Scott Russell. “When she left town government, she left Southold a better place.”

Prior to winning the supervisor’s race in November 1995, Ms. Cochran was the first woman ever to serve on the Southold Town Board following her election to that position in 1985. She also served one term as a town trustee prior to being elected to the council seat.

Mr. Russell, who was an assessor when Ms. Cochran was supervisor, said he also ran a few campaigns with her.

“She had a sharp mind, a quick wit and always, always pursued goals that she thought were in the best interest of the Town,” he said. “Jean wasn’t afraid of adversity and always stood her ground. That said, she was flexible to different perspectives.”

During the course of her lifetime, she served as president of the Suffolk County Girl Scouts, she was a Southold school PTA president, a chairperson of Ducks Unlimited Peconic Bay Chapter, a member of the Peconic Bay Estuary executive board, a vice president of the New York State Association of Towns and even a past board member and Honorary Life Member of the Suffolk County Women’s Bowling Association.

Bill Moore, who was elected to a council position in 1995, served on the Town Board with Ms. Cochran for four years. They ran together on the Republican line in 1995.

“She and I grew really close in our time on the board together,” he said in an interview Thursday. “I became part of her family. I still have the campaign ads tucked in the files somewhere.”

He said one of the great accomplishments of Ms. Cochran’s tenure as supervisor was the addition of more parks, such as Strawberry Fields in Mattituck, and the park in Peconic that was named after her: “Jean Cochran Park.”

“She was always making sure we added more parkland,” Mr. Moore said.

In an interview with The Suffolk Times in 2011, Ms. Cochran said: “To me, Southold is farmlands and working people. It’s part of rural America.”

Upzoning Route 48 to reduce the building density was another major accomplishment under Ms. Cochran, Mr. Moore said.

Ms. Cochran was married to Carlisle “Pep” Cochran, who was a town police officer, for 62 years prior to his death in 2013, and they had four children. Her son Carlisle “Ty” Cochran is a retired town police chief.

Funeral arrangements were still pending and will be in the care of DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home on 51400 Main Road in Southold.

Top photo caption: Jean Cochran pictured in 2001. (file photo)

The park in Peconic named in honor of Jean Cochran. (Credit: Nicole Smith)

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Peconic Bay Medical Center is anticipating a spring groundbreaking on its three-story, $60 million expansion, according to PBMC president and CEO Andrew Mitchell.

The Riverhead hospital’s emergency room annex, which has been under construction farther west on Route 58 in the parking lot near Bob’s Discount Furniture, is also expected to open by spring, he said.

Expanding PBMC’s main campus will add about 50,600 square feet to the existing 245,000-square-foot facility, which is now part of the Northwell Health system. Construction is expected to take 18 to 24 months, Mr. Mitchell said.

“We’re very excited about it,” he said. “It’s going to be one of those huge expansions of the campus. This one is poised to make it a regional medical center.”

PBMC’s proposal received final site plan approval from Riverhead Town last week.

A cardiac catheterization lab is expected to be the most competitive new feature, with Southampton Hospital seeking state approval for one. PBMC is also still waiting for approval from the state health department commissioner, although several other state advisory panels have recommended approval, Mr. Mitchell said. The remaining plans should receive more “pro forma” approvals, he said.

When completed, PBMC hopes to offer elective and interventional cardiac catheterization, electric physiology and a larger, more modern 16-bed intensive care unit, Mr. Mitchell said. The new ICU will be tied electronically to the Northwell ICU monitoring station in Syosett, he added.

The emergency department will also be expanded and the hospital’s helipad will be moved to the roof. Mr. Mitchell said the helipad is currently located near the entrance to the emergency room on the ground level, meaning cars and pedestrians can’t be in the area when a helicopter arrives or departs.

Northwell has had its own medical helicopter, called Sky Health, for about two years, he said. It’s stationed at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma and serves all of Northwell’s hospitals, as well as Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut.

Suffolk County Police helicopters often transport patients to the hospital, but they rarely take them from one hospital to another — something Northwell’s helicopter can do, Mr. Mitchell said.

PBMC will become a Level III trauma center on March 1 and expects to receive Level II designation in the future, he said. This will enable more trauma patients to be taken to PBMC, rather than Stony Brook University Hospital. Stony Brook is a Level I trauma center — the highest designation — so some patients will still be transported there, he said.

PBMC’s emergency room annex, which is intended to reduce stress on the emergency room at the hospital’s main campus, is a joint venture between Northwell and GoHealth Urgent Care, Mr. Mitchell said. Northwell and GoHealth are also partnering on something similar in Hampton Bays, he said.

tgannon@timesreview.com

Renderings credit: Peconic Bay Medical Center

PBMC exterior.

PBMC interior cath lab.

PBMC interior prep recovery.

PBMC interior reception area.

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The Southold Town Anti-Bias Task Force wants to work with the Greenport Business Improvement District to design stickers that will identify participating businesses as places that do not condone hateful language against any members of the community.

It’s a way for local businesses to let all residents and visitors to the village know they are welcome. It’s a concept that, under ordinary circumstances, no one would have much of a problem with. Except there’s no such thing as ordinary circumstances anymore.

One comment about the online version of this week’s cover story read: “R u kidding me??? OMG.”

“This is ridiculous. Come on people!!!” added another.

One more reader asked if that’s necessary.

Well, apparently so.

The idea emerged from last month’s Synergy Greenport meeting, at which several immigrant residents of the village and others expressed concern for the safety of the Hispanic population in light of the current political climate. What’s so wrong with a business assuring those concerned individuals that they should feel welcome within the confines of that particular store?

We hope the Anti-Bias Task Force and the BID are not discouraged by the remarks of a handful of individuals who are apparently pro-hateful language or are so anti-political correctness that kind gestures toward cultures other than their own cause them to immediately voice their disgust.

Hispanic residents comprise more than a third of the population of the Village of Greenport. If a significant portion of them feel unsafe, it’s the responsibility of community leaders to assure them they have nothing to fear in the place they now call home.

That’s something we should all be able to agree on.

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

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Talk about a single-mindedness of purpose.

The awards ceremony for the Section XI Dr. L. Robert “Doc” Fallot Memorial Championships had just started and some of the Mattituck/Greenport/Southold high school wrestlers were already talking about what was next: the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championships later this month.

Not that the Tuckers didn’t enjoy their fifth straight Suffolk County Division II championship and the crowing of eight individual county champions Sunday night at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, because they did. At the same time, though, they couldn’t help but think ahead.

Asked about Mattituck producing eight county champions who will move on to the state tournament Feb. 24 and 25 at Times Union Center in Albany, one of those champions, senior Tanner Zagarino said, “That’s putting us in the driver’s seat to go upstate, and let’s win that tournament, too.”

Zagarino (220 pounds), a three-time county champion, will be joined in Albany by seven teammates: four-time county champions Jack Bokina (126) and James Hoeg (195), two-time county champ Luke Bokina (120), T.J. Beebe (138), Carmine Vergari (145), Thomas Hoeg (152) and Jake Skrezec (160).

“The season’s not over yet,” James Hoeg said. “I’m still looking forward to the state tournament.”

* Shouldering the load

When Tanner Zagarino took the mat for the 220-pound final Sunday night, he had to contend with a banged up shoulder and the hulking figure of Mount Sinai’s John Parente.

Was it a cause for concern?

Apparently not. Zagarino, wearing a brace on his right shoulder, was in thorough control of the match, defeating Parente, 8-2.

When asked afterward about the shoulder, Zagarino said: “It’s nothing. It’s not going to stop me from winning the state title.”

* A special team

The question was asked time and time again in the aftermath of Mattituck’s triumph Sunday night: What makes this team so special?

“I think it’s a combination of the kids doing a great job, working super hard, the parents being super committed all these years,” coach Cory Dolson said. “It’s a great community of people that we have. It’s really a group effort.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Jake Skrezec, whose arm is raised following his 9-6 victory over Bayport-Blue Point’s Dylan McCarthy in the 160-pound final, is one of eight Mattituck/Greenport/Southold wrestlers headed to the state tournament. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)

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Southold has filled its part-time wildlife manager position.

Craig Jobs, who grew up in Southold, said he has begun reviewing deer management plan paperwork going back to 2008 and wants to create a presentation on the plan to have at the ready. He will also head out into the field to monitor spots where issues with deer have been reported.

In addition, Mr. Jobs will work with Stony Brook University students to conduct a count of the number of deer in the town.

While monitoring how deer affect the town’s environment, Mr. Jobs will also keep an eye on the impacts of other wildlife, including Canada geese and wild turkeys, according to Jeff Standish, Southold Town’s director of public works.

Councilman Bob Ghosio said he was glad the town was able to bring Mr. Jobs on board.

“I’m looking forward to working with him and him working with us, helping us move forward with the problems that we have,” Mr. Ghosio said.

kzegers@timesreview.com

Photo: Craig Jobs at Southold Town Hall on Tuesday. (Credit: Kelly Zegers)

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A Riverhead man’s red Honda Accord was scratched with a key in the parking lot of the Southold 7-Eleven last Thursday, according to a police report.

A security camera was facing where the vandalism occurred, but the camera was out of service at the time, the report states. The damage was estimated at $500, police said. Detectives are still investigating the incident.

• A 31-year-old Southold man was charged with shoplifting two cans of apple-flavored beer from a Mattituck convenience store Tuesday afternoon, according to a police press release.

Kyle VanDuzer allegedly took two cans of Redd’s Apple Ale from the 7-Eleven on Main Road, police said. He was arrested and charged with petit larceny, a misdemeanor, according to the press release. Police said Mr. VanDuzer was released on bail with a future court date.

• An Orient couple told police that they have been receiving anonymous threats from an unknown male caller, according to a police report filed last Thursday. Additional information about the incidents were not made available by police.

• An Orient man called the police last Sunday afternoon after an SUV reportedly pulled into his driveway “at a high rate of speed,” two people got out and began looking around his barn. The man confronted the two people — a man and a woman — and they left, according to a police report.

A police officer found the couple headed west and pulled them over. The pair said they were looking for a venue for their upcoming October wedding and were looking to rent the man’s barn after seeing an advertisement online. No arrests were made, police said.

• According to police reports, officers responded to eight instances of downed wires or fallen tree limbs and branches due to the winter storm that struck last Thursday. The reports do not state any injuries due to the hazardous road conditions.

• A police officer came to the aid of a Peconic woman after her son’s car ran out of gas during last Thursday’s snowstorm.

The woman called police about 5 p.m. when her son’s car became stranded while pulling into her driveway, according to a police report. The woman said she was worried a snowplow would hit the car and said that AAA refused to come help.

According to the police report, the police officer filled up a gas can and brought it back to the family, who were able to move the car out of the street.

• A man called the police after he saw a group of five youths he said were “being rowdy” and appeared to be intoxicated near a convenience store in Mattituck just after midnight last Thursday.

Police investigated and found the group of young men, but reported no signs of them causing trouble. The group told the officer they were walking to a friend’s house in Mattituck.

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Gary Lillis always seemed to be playing pranks on others.

During Tom Taylor’s first year teaching at Greenport High School, for instance, Mr. Lillis convinced him the building’s business office was handing out free turkeys to teachers for Thanksgiving.

“I believed him and I went down to the office,” Mr. Taylor recalled Tuesday. “Once down there, I got nothing. They laughed at me — of course they did.”

It was one of the first memories that came to mind when Mr. Taylor was asked about Mr. Lillis, a Greenport native who died Feb. 3. He was 69.

“He was a true friend of mine and a great, great teacher,” Mr. Taylor said. “He was one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met … He loved to have fun.”

Mr. Lillis taught seventh- and eighth-grade science and health for more than three decades in the Greenport School District. He was also a longtime driver’s education instructor for the Greenport and Southold school districts and coached junior high baseball and softball in both districts, said his daughter, Rebecca.

Although Ms. Lillis never had her father as a coach while growing up, he sat on the sidelines and offered advice two years ago when she began coaching softball in Greenport School, where she also coaches field hockey. Today, she’s coaching girls whose parents were mentored by her dad.

As a teacher, she said, her father made sure to instill important life lessons in his students, like always being kind, genuinely good and patient with others.

“He was a very kind and generous person,” Ms. Lillis said. “I don’t think he ever had a bad word to say about anyone. I never heard him say anything bad about anybody.”

In addition to teaching, her father loved his alma mater, Clemson University — so much so that he owned a second home in South Carolina.

In fact, she said, one family tradition entailed traveling to Clemson for football games. In his later years, as his health declined, Mr. Lillis still made an effort to attend every game.

“That was something that he loved more than anything else, the Clemson Tigers,” Ms. Lillis said. “I said this at the funeral: [The Tigers] won the national champs game this year. It was a gift to the most loyal fan, their win at the national game.”

Mr. Lillis’ oldest son, Gary Jr., lives near Clemson, while his two other children, Daniel and Ms. Lillis, reside on the North Fork. Mr. Lillis is also survived by three — soon to be five — grandchildren.

“I’ll miss his smile and his kindness toward others,” his daughter said. “He was pretty much my best friend, so I’ll miss my best friend. I know his legacy definitely lives on between the three of us. He has lots of grandchildren and he left a legacy with his students, so he’ll always be around us in that aspect. But I think I’ll miss my father’s kind, caring soul the most.”

Photo caption: Gary Lillis, a longtime science and health teacher, died Feb. 3. (Credit: Courtesy photo)

nsmith@timesreview.com

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A Greenport man was arrested on a drunken driving charge Friday night after crashing his vehicle on First Street, according to a Southold police press release issued Saturday.

Francis Dupre, 61, was driving around 10 p.m. when the crash occurred, police said.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated and held for an arraignment, officials said.

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There was a welcoming addition to the 172nd annual Washington’s Birthday parade in Greenport Village on Saturday: unseasonably warm weather.

Temperatures were in the 50s as the Greenport Fire Department’s annual parade marched down Front Street under sunny skies.

“It was an excellent turnout and you couldn’t ask for a better day,” Greenport Fire Department Chief Wayne Miller said, adding that the last few years they were hit with snow and temperatures below 30 degrees. “Ever since I can remember, this celebration has been going on and they’ve never canceled a parade.”

The parade began around 1 p.m. and concluded with free refreshments at the firehouse.

Greenport Village Mayor George Hubbard Jr. said the fire department has been preparing for the last couple of days and cooked nearly 80 gallons of chowder.

“We want everybody to just come enjoy the day,” he said. “We really enjoy coming together as a group and seeing the whole community come out during the winter when there’s not a lot to do. This is a fun event to have in February.”

kmassa@timesreview.com

Scroll down for photos.

Sophia and Brendan Boyle of Southold, ages 5 and 7, had a lot of fun dressing up Saturday for Greenport Fire Department’s annual Washington’s Birthday parade. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

Greenport Fire Department members and village trustees welcoming marchers at the end of the parade. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

(Credit: Krysten Massa)

(Credit: Krysten Massa)

David Mann and his dog, Henry, in Mitchell Park. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

(Credit: Krysten Massa)

The Cutchogue Fire Department. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

(Credit: Krysten Massa)

(Credit: Krysten Massa)

The North Fork NJROTC. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

The Southold Fire Department. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

Greenport Fire Department members serving hot dogs and chowder. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

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To illustrate just how widespread littering along Long Island’s coastline can be, marine biologist Rob DiGiovanni likes to recall the time he cleaned up a beach in Hampton Bays.

Mr. DiGiovanni, who lives in Westhampton Beach, picked up pounds of garbage that day, hoping his efforts would help keep nearby wildlife safe. He thought he was doing a good job, leaving the beach five pounds of trash lighter, but when he returned to the site the following day he and a few others were able to haul away even more litter.

So this past summer, he founded the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society with the goal of making marine conservation more of a grassroots movement.

“Our mission is to promote marine conservation through action,” said Mr. DiGiovanni, the organization’s chief scientist. “What we realized over the years was that although many people understand that animals might wash up or there’s changes in our environment, they don’t usually walk away with an action item that says, ‘What can I do to help?’ ”

The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, which has around 20 volunteers, hopes to engage the community through programs at schools, libraries or chambers of commerce to get locals talking about how they can make an impact in their own backyard. The group also wants to hear what the public thinks of marine conservation, said Mr. DiGiovanni, former director and senior biologist at the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.

“We don’t learn without listening,” he said.

Next month, the society plans to hold training sessions, for which dates will be announced on amseas.org, for new volunteers about conducting beach cleanups and preparing them for monitoring. The plan is to have volunteers “adopt” a beach and report sightings of living and deceased marine creatures that wash ashore, such as the sea turtles suffering from hypothermia that are known to appear along the coastline in the fall and winter.

Along with the Riverhead Foundation, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society is authorized to respond to live large whale strandings in the region. It also performs marine mammal and sea turtle necropsies, collecting data on strandings and wildlife health.

Mr. DiGiovanni said he hopes to see 100 new volunteers participate in beach cleanups by the end of the year. That would ensure more coverage along the island he said, which is the end goal.

“We have a lot of coastline around Long Island and we have the ability to monitor a lot of coastline,” he said.

Photo caption: Former Riverhead Foundation director Rob DiGiovanni (center) releasing a seal in 2015. (Credit: Nicole Smith, file)

kzegers@timesreview.com

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The Town Board is considering adopting a weight limit for vehicles traveling on Peconic Bay Boulevard.

Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter reached out to Mr. Russell after discussing the idea at a recent work session because the road runs through both towns.

Riverhead’s proposed legislation would ban vehicles weighing more than eight tons, or 16,000 pounds, between Meetinghouse Creek Road and Laurel Lane.

Mr. Russell said Peconic Bay Boulevard is becoming an alternate route for people trying to avoid traffic on Main Road in both towns, including heavier trucks that the road is not designed to handle.

“It made sense to me personally, because I think it’s a problem both towns have,” he said. “But more importantly, if we don’t [adopt it] then the heavier trucks are going to go up and down our side streets. They’re still going to use a bypass.”

The board will seek advice from the town’s transportation commission before putting the weight limit to a vote.

kzegers@timesreview.com

Photo credit: Jen Nuzzo

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Based on what I’m seeing daily in the mainstream media (and in some of our recent Super Bowl ads) it appears that it has now become racist/xenophobic (if not downright evil) to deny illegal immigrants U.S. residence — including most of the benefits of citizenship. So, having spent the first 30 years of my life on the U.S./Mexican border (El Paso/Juarez), I thought I’d share a couple of my hometown observations.

One of the first things one used to notice when crossing into Juarez (I say “used to” because very few El Pasoans now risk that very short drive) is that besides the poverty, all the homes have bars on all their windows. All of them.

Another was the pervasive culture of the “mordida” – the bite. Rare was the Juarez official — from traffic cops on up — who couldn’t be bribed, and such a culture pretty much guarantees highly dysfunctional government. Both of these observations could be blamed on the poverty, but there is a “chicken or egg” question here: Does the poverty create the culture or does the culture create the poverty? Quien sabe?

Either way, there seems to be a glaring dichotomy between how pleasant and hardworking our local illegal immigrants are and what disasters their countries of origin are. Those nations all seem to be crime-ridden, poverty-stricken, gang/cartel-infested and ruled by inept, corrupt governments. This Latin American commonality begs a question in my politically incorrect mind: Isn’t there a distinct possibility — if millions upon millions of illegal immigrants continue crossing the border — that these same cultural dysfunctions will begin to manifest themselves here? Along that line, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick of Texas stated this week that between 2008 and 2012 Texas “arrested 147,000 people identified as hardened criminals who were here illegally. They were charged with over 440,000 crimes.”

Here in Greenport, at this point in time, there seems to be no question that the immigrant community is a blessing in many ways, and I’m not for deporting anyone except criminals. But I am certain that if the “left” continues to indulge in its naïve fantasy that “open borders” are good for America, and leftist judges and politicians continue to make it impossible to control the border, we are going to regret it — deeply.

Sanctuary cities are not only in blatant defiance of federal law — no less wrong than 1960s southerners defying school integration — but are a disturbing example of a powerful and dangerous current now flowing through the left: that it is not our elected representatives who will determine what is legal or illegal, but rather it is one’s own compassion, one’s personal sentiments, that will make that determination.

The roots of this lawlessness are those two mean-spirited children of the late 1960s: “Political Correctness” and his twin sister “Identity Politics.” Their mischief, besides dividing America into separate tribes (often via activist judicial fiat), also tends to be quite harsh on dissenters, at best labeling them “haters,” and at worst attempting to destroy their livelihoods/careers.

Years ago I ran across a Peanuts cartoon strip with four panels. The first shows Lucy standing in a light sprinkle, smiling. The second has Lucy standing in a slightly heavier rain, saying “Happiness is feeling the wind and rain in your hair.” The third panel has Lucy standing in a heavy rain, looking unhappy. The last panel has her standing in a deluge, looking miserable, and saying “sort of.” So, perhaps it’s all simply a matter of degree. Too much of many good things — alcohol, sun, water, etc. — can kill you.

I’ll close with this quote from the Manhattan Institute’s Theodore Dalrymple: “Societies fall apart when (among other causes) their ruling elites become persuaded that generosity of spirit and broad-mindedness are the only true virtues, even if they result in paralysis in the face of disorder, with all the accompanying miseries of those who suffer it.”

P.S. Before any over-zealous readers rush to brand me as a hater, I’d like to mention that both my children are married to Hispanics and I consequently have several Hispanic grandchildren — all, I’m happy to say, descended from a long line of legal immigrants.

Photo caption: Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley speaks at event titled Synergy Greenport late last month. (Credit: Krysten Massa)

Hugh Prestwood is an award-winning songwriter from Greenport.

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An unlicensed Cutchogue man was arrested on felony charges Saturday morning after he crashed his pickup truck into road signs and a guardrail in Riverside, Southampton police said.

Police received a 911 call shortly before 10:50 a.m. about an erratic driver traveling in a 1999 Ford pickup truck on County Road 104 near Ludlam Avenue, officials said.

Officers located the pickup truck driven by 35-year-old Travis Thompson, police said.

He was charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs and first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, both felonies, police said.

Mr. Thompson was also charged with second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, circumvention of an ignition interlock device, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and second-degree criminal contempt, all misdemeanors, as well as multiple traffic infractions, including leaving the scene of an accident, police said.

He was arraigned Sunday in Southampton Town Justice Court and transported to the Suffolk County correctional facility in lieu of $5,000 bail, police said.

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