HALF HOLLOW HILLS Copyright © 2014 Long Islander News
Online at www.LongIslanderNews.com
VOL. 16, ISSUE 47
NEWSPAPER 28 PAGES
THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015 DIX HILLS
FD Spreads Christmas Cheer Photo by Steve Silverman
The Paramount Spotlight
Pablo Francisco, the comedian originating from Tucson, Ariz., is taking his act to The Paramount’s stage on Jan. 10.
Pablo Francisco: A Comedic ‘Formula’ By Andrew Wroblewski awroblewski@longislandergroup.com
When comedian Pablo Francisco is asked how he would describe his standup act to those who have never heard it, he breaks things down into a simple formula made up of television shows. “[My act] is ‘In Living Color’ plus ‘Family Guy’ divided by the square root of ‘Robot Chicken,’” the comedian from
Santa arrived in Dix Hills from the North Pole last week when his sleigh landed at the Dix Hills Fire Department. Fire engines and ambulances escorted Santa on his journey through the streets to spread greetings and candy treats to the kids. Santa and his helpers from the Dix Hills FD Company One are pictured at Station 2 on Carlls Straight Path prior to their journey. Other Dix Hills neighborhoods were visited by Headquarters Company 2 and Station One Company 3. TOWN OF HUNTINGTON
Act To End Veterans’ Homelessness Signed
(Continued on page A21)
By Andrew Wroblewski awroblewski@longislandergroup.com
The Housing Our Homeless Heroes Act, “or a holiday present” for Suffolk County veterans as the act’s author Legislator Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills) said, was signed into law on Dec. 22 – just in time for Christmas. “We’re excited about the timing of the announcement,” Stern said. “It’s an important message to send at an important time of the year when the community comes together.” A four-piece package of legis(Continued on page A18)
On Dec. 22, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone shakes the hand of Legislator Steve Stern after signing the “Housing Our Homeless Heroes Act” into law.
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2014Year In Review Former Star Colt Making Waves In College Long Islander News photo/Andrew Wroblewski
In May, now-former Hills West Colt Francesca Casalino pitches in the Suffolk County championship game.
By Andrew Wroblewski awroblewski@longislandergroup.com
Former Colt Francesca Casalino knows what it feels like to pitch a perfect game, win a Suffolk County championship and be the all-encompassing leader of a team – as she accomplished each of those feats on the softball diamond at Half Hollow Hills High School West in 2014. But as Casalino prepared to step onto the diamond for the first time this fall as a Yale University Bulldog, the college freshman was admittedly nervous. “The first time I came in to pitch, the bases were loaded and there was one out,” she said. “I was thrown right into the fire, but I was trying to get my team out of it.” Despite her nerves, Casalino saw the opportunity as a moment to prove herself to the team – a moment that she would ultimately seize entirely. “I got out of the inning with no hits and no runs allowed,” Casalino said. “I even got a strikeout.” While Casalino said she surprised herself in that moment, it may have come as no surprise to those who have seen her pitch in the past with Hills West. In her senior season in the spring, Casalino led her team to the school’s first-ever Suffolk County championship. With a 20-4 record, 0.65 ERA and 318 strikeouts over
161 innings, it’s safe to say that Casalino played a big part in that accomplishment – not to mention she added 2 no-hitters and a perfect game in that stretch. Now, with her first semester at Yale, in New Haven, Conn., in the books, Casalino has returned home to spend some time with her family. Time to rest, that is, before her first official college season begins in February. “I want to make an impact this year,” she said. “Our coach is looking a lot to the underclassman to take on bigger roles this season and it’s looking like I might be the no. 2 pitcher with Lindsay [Efflandt], a sophomore, ahead of me.” When she’s not pitching, Casalino is hoping to get onto the field – potentially at third base – and into the lineup so that she can help the team even when she’s not on the mound. As far as handling her school work when the season does start, Casalino has that covered, too. “Everyone always asks me, ‘How is it to be a student-athlete?’ and I just say, ‘Look, we’ve been doing it all our lives.’ We’re handling both already so when you get to college it’s the same thing,” she said. “School in the morning, lunch and a workout inbetween, then dinner and homework for the rest of the day… I look forward to it.”
District Closes Pair Of Elementary Schools By Arielle Dollinger adollinger@longislandergroup.com
The Half Hollow Hills School District closed Chestnut Hill and Forest Park elementary schools at the end of the 2013-2014 school year.
As a result of declining enrollment, the Half Hollow Hills community saw the closing of two of its elementary schools in 2014. As of the end of the 2013-2014 school year, Chestnut Hill and Forest Park elementary schools closed its doors to Hills students. District officials attributed the closures to declining enrollment. In July, making official an arrangement that had been months in the making, the Half Hollow Hills Central School District leased part of Chestnut Hill to another school. Alternatives for Children, a Melville-based nonprofit that caters to the specific needs of children with and without special needs, partnered with the district in what Hills Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Facilities Anne Marie Marrone Caliendo called a “symbiotic” relationship.
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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A3
DIX HILLS
Lock Your Car Doors! More thefts from unlocked vehicles By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandergroup.com
Thieves last week picked through another half-dozen unlocked cars parked at Dix Hills homes, all of them parked in the driveway, according to Suffolk County police. The latest rash of incidents comes two weeks after a similar stint in which thieves stole from multiple cars parked at homes throughout the Town of Huntington. Four of the latest reports came in on Dec. 21 after incidents that were suspected to have happened overnight. Sometime after 3 p.m. on Dec. 20, someone went through the glove box and other compartments of a car parked in an Arbor Lane home’s driveway and stole coins, police said. Coins were stolen from a 2003 Mazda parked in a Red Maple Lane in Dix Hills sometime after 8 p.m. on Dec. 20. Cops believe the same suspects stole cash from a 2000 Cadillac and a 2013
BMW parked at another Red Maple Lane home two hours later. And at 2 a.m. Dec. 21, someone emptied the glove box of a 2010 Ford parked in the driveway of a Wolf Hill Road home. The last incident came at 7:10 a.m. that day, when an unlocked 2014 Acura was rifled through by an unknown subject, who police said was wearing a hoodie and other dark clothing. A Long Acre Lane homeowner had similar trouble the next night, when, sometime between 11 p.m. Dec. 22 and the next day, someone stole a cell phone from their unlocked 2013 Mercedes-Benz, which was also parked in the driveway. Police brass urge residents to never leave their cars unlocked and to always take valuables out of their cars. If you do keep items of value inside, they should never be in plain sight. Anyone with details on the rash of Dix Hills incidents can call the Second Precinct at 631-854-8200.
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POLICE REPORT Compiled by Danny Schrafel
Now In Living Color
How ‘Charming’
I don’t know about you, but I am terrible at Send more cards… With email and cell keeping my New Year’s resolutions. I go back phones and texting nowadays, and forth when deciding to make them: On the it would be hard to argue that one hand, what better time to turn over a new the art of mailing cards – and leaf than with the start of a new the art of handwriting! – is beIN THE KNOW year? But then again, what is coming lost, and it makes me WITH AUNT ROSIE stopping me from making betsad. I still love going to the ter choices for myself at any time at all? Isn’t mailbox every day and being May an OK time to decide to start eating surprised by a handwritten enhealthier and working out? Yet despite my back velope containing a letter from a friend amidst a and forth, I always make them before that ball sea of bills, AARP mailers and magazines and drops, and then I ruin them. And every year I coupon books (although I do love coupon vow, this year I’m going to stick to them! And books). In 2015, I would like to send more cards what better way to pressure myself into sticking and letters to friends, old and new – birthday to them than by publishing them in the newspacards, just a quick hello, perhaps a printed photo per for all to see. This way, if any of you run inor two. Smiles at the mailbox! to me, you can say, “Hey, Rosie, how are those resolutions coming along?” That’s right – I am Read more books… I could use some sugwelcoming peer pressure. So, here goes: gestions!
Drink more water… This may be obvious, but it’s very important. My niece told me that I should drink a warm glass of water with a squeeze of lemon every morning to “wake up the organs” and a glass of water before going to bed, so that’s what I’ve been doing for the past week and vow to do for 2015. The water is the morning is not a problem; in fact, I find it helps with my digestion. The water at night, though, is a different story, for the simple fact that I then wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning to go to the bathroom! And then you can imagine the rest of the story… once you’re up, you’re up. I toss and turn for hours and then around 9 a.m. I just give up and get out of bed. But again, I’m told, the water at night is good for the heart, so I will continue doing it and count on an afternoon nap to make up for the lost sleep.
(Aunt Rosie wants to hear from you! If you have comments, ideas, or tips about what’s happening in your neck of the woods, write to me today and let me know the latest. To contact me, drop a line to Aunt Rosie, c/o The Long-Islander, 14 Wall Street, Huntington NY 11743. Or try the e-mail at aunt.rosieli@gmail.com)
QUOTE OF THE WEEK ANDREAS RENTSCH
PICTURE THIS PHOTO BY RUTH FAHLBUSCH
Is there room for one more? The birds keep watch over Huntington village from atop this Wall Street building.
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“From day one when I used my first camera and to this day this is just [still] total magic to me, that we can just capture light and make it visible and the fascination has never left me.” Huntington Artist Explores Questions of Justice, PAGE A9
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Chug! Chug! Chug! A Melville man was arrested by Sixth Precinct officers on Dec. 21 on petit larceny and other charges. Police allege that the man stole a beer keg and was driving a 2002 Nissan Quest with a suspended license.
That’s Not Good For Your Blood Pressure Police were called to a Melville medical practice on a harassment complaint Dec. 22. Police were told that someone called the cops after they claimed that they were threatened after they refused to sign a document.
Smashing! A Huntington Station man was charged with criminal mischief – intentionally damaging property on Dec. 22. Police said that the man, 28, broke and destroyed the glass window panel of a gas station on Walt Whitman Road.
Supermarket Sweep Two people were arrested Dec. 23 on petit larceny charges after they apparently took some liberties with the groceries at Pathmark. The first arrest came at 2:25 p.m., a 64-year woman from Huntington; the second, at 5:11 p.m., was of a 42-yearold Huntington woman.
Unmentionable Greed Victoria’s Secret, the world-renowned purveyor of ladies’ delicates, was struck once again by a thief who made off with dozens of pairs of underwear. Police said the man, at 3:27 p.m. Christmas eve, stuffed 100 pair into his jacket and left the mall without paying.
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Be more positive… I have a bad habit of complaining. And I find that as I grow more mature (my nice way of saying “get old”), I complain more and more. I’m not sure if it is because more things are bothering me or because now that I’m older I just find myself saying what comes to mind out loud without hesitation. So, I’d like to be a more positive person, in both my thoughts, my words and my actions. Words go a long way; let us all use them for good in 2015.
A thief picked their way through two cars parked in the driveway of a Caledonia Road home in Dix Hills Dec. 21. Police said that someone stole clothing and Pandora charms at 9 p.m. from a 2013 Dodge and a 2010 Toyota.
expires
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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A5
2014Year In Review Registration
Challenge Raises $115M
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Signature Premier Properties agents and staff took the ice bucket challenge using a payloader’s bucket to deliver the dousing at its Huntington office, raising over $6,000. The art of the “epic ice bucket challenge” reached Huntington in a big way over the summer. Whether by calling out entire businesses, dousing entire marching bands or employing backhoes and dump trucks to complete the challenge, the tactics grew more elaborate and theatrical as the days went on – and that meant more money for the ALS Foundation. The challenge goes as follows: People record a video of themselves
dumping a bucket of ice water on their heads and post it online. In the video, they challenge friends (or businesses or organizations) to do the same within 24 hours or donate $100 to the ALS Foundation. Many decide to do both. It seemed every day in Huntington – and the nation – another ice bucket video made the rounds. Since July 29, 2014, the ALS Association has received $115 million in donations, the organization reports on its website.
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2014Year In Review Apparent Suicide Attempt Day Before Auction By Arielle Dollinger adollinger@longislandergroup.com
One day before the scheduled bankruptcy auction of his Centerport catering hall, former Thatched Cottage owner Ralph Colamussi was hospitalized following an apparent suicide attempt, sources confirmed. On the morning of Sept. 23, 2014 Suffolk County police received a report of gasoline leaking from a vehicle in a New York Avenue parking lot. Responders found Colamussi unconscious, but alive, in the back of a white work van parked in the municipal parking lot next to Thai USA restaurant. “There was a bunch of debris in the back of the van and the whole back of the van was doused with gasoline,” Huntington Fire Department Chief Robert Berry said in September. “There was gasoline throughout the back of the van, on himself, and then there was an additional probably 10, maybe 12 gallons... in containers [in the back of the van].” Colamussi's apparent suicide attempt was not the first to take place in the Thai USA-adjacent parking lot in 2014. His white van was parked feet away from a makeshift
memorial marking the spot in which police found the burning body of 21year-old Huntington resident Michael Rizzi in April on the night of his apparent suicide. The Sept. 23 incident “could've had a much different outcome,” Berry said at the time. Had there been any fire involved, he said, “there absolutely would've been an explosion... that would've been a very large explosion.” In an August interview, Colamussi told Long Islander News that the catering hall, which he had operated for three decades, was his “home.” When asked what was next for him, he said, “There is no next for me.” “I have nothing, I lost everything in my life,” he said. Colamussi cited the cost of damages from Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy as factors in his January 2014 filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. An attempt to save the business by entering a partnership with Gino Scotto, operator of Westbury Manor catering hall, was unsuccessful. In July, a federal bankruptcy court judge ordered Colamussi to liquidate the Thatched Cottage’s assets to meet outstanding debts. As scheduled, the bankruptcy auction was held Sept. 24, 2014 at the catering hall. Colamussi was not in
First responders tend to an unconscious Ralph Colamussi after an apparent suicide attempt the day before the bankruptcy auction of his catering hall, the Thatched Cottage in Centerport. direct connection with the auction; the case was in the name of Operating Trustee Ken Barnard, who was appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice. The property sold for $4.65 million to Yama Raj, executive director of Bethpage catering hall The Sterling. He and his partners purchased the property with plans to open another catering hall as a separate entity, he said.
Raj and his father, P.L. Raj, both of Bethpage, also own “a few small things” in Ohio, including a restaurant and a motel. In September, the pair and business partner Devon Patel said that they would take over “within a few months.” Colamussi’s neighboring Jellyfish restaurant, which is a separate corporate entity, has been closed since March. - With Danny Schrafel.
Sagamore Psych Center Saved, For Now Long Islander News photo/archives
New York State lawmakers and lobbyists in April 2014 appeared to have reached common ground on the issue of saving Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center in Dix Hills. The center was to be closed, but after community protest, the center will remain open for the rest of the 2014-2015 fiscal year. Sagamore, the only inpatient treatment center for children on Long Island, will continue to offer inpatient services until April 1, 2015, according to Morris Peters, spokesman for the New York State Division of Budget. Under a tentative plan proposed by the legislature, Sagamore was scheduled to close in July 2014 before hundreds of advocates stepped in to intervene in hopes of changing the course of the state’s plan. According to Morris, the state legislature in April 2014 agreed to “include language” in the budget that would keep Sagamore open for one year. The state, he said, will make $4.4 million in new community investments in the area, which will determine the need for necessary inpatient placements rather than out-patient care. The funding, Morris said, will include 54 new “home and community-based services waiver slots” for children that are designed to keep them from “needing psychiatric hospitalization;” an ex-
Rallies like this were a common sight in early 2014 after the state announced plans to close Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center. panded “mobile integration team” to respond to calls from schools and families to provide assessment and consultation off site; “expand and develop respite services” including crisis/respite beds, in-home respite services and an in-home respite team; as well as a new “court evaluation team” to
provide “state-of-the-art” ambulatory court evaluations for children. Jennifer Colon, third vice president of local Civil Service Employment Association (CSEA), said in April that the Save Sagamore advocacy group, which held rallies, testified at state hearings and gathered 7,928 signatures that were sent to the governor’s office, absolutely considers the state’s decision as a “win” for Sagamore supporters. “We did prove that Sagamore is necessary for Long Island and we showed that the community needs Sagamore. All the involvement we had from politicians, the courts and families came forward, and this is really a win because otherwise, we’d be closed in July. The mass community support we needed to do this came forward, and we really pushed for it,” Colon said. On July 10, 2013, the OMH announced a comprehensive plan to close Sagamore and consolidate a total of 24 long-term, in-patient care centers throughout the state into 15 Regional Centers of Excellence (RCE). Under the state’s original plan, the closest in-patient childhood treatment facility for Long Islanders would be 30 miles away, located either in the Bronx or Queens. -Dallojacono
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2014Year In Review No Update In Hunt For Melius’ Shooter Long Islander News photo/archives
By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandergroup.com
Who shot Gary Melius? The attempted murder of the political power broker and Oheka Castle owner in February 2014 made headlines across the world and sent shockwaves felt most strongly here. And as of this week, a police spokesperson said there was no update on the case – and wouldn’t be until Melius’ assailant is in handcuffs. Melius was shot in the head Feb. 24 while seated in his MercedesBenz in the castle’s parking lot by a masked gunman of unknown gender. Police said the bullet passed through Melius’ temple but did not strike his skull, likely sparing him of critical injuries. A family member rushed Melius to the hospital, where he stayed until being released March 4. “I was kidding with someone that he must have catered one of God’s receptions,” friend Gary Lewi, who served as spokesman for the Melius family immediately following the shooting, said. “He’s incredibly lucky.”
Police are still searching for the person who shot Gary Melius, owner of Oheka Castle, on Feb. 24. Melius bought the castle and 23 acres of land for $1.5 million in 1984. When he did, it was 109,000 square feet of devastation – there were no doors, windows, electricity or plumbing. The place was covered in graffiti, the rooms ransacked, and the
building stripped of copper piping by thieves, according to a 2012 Long Islander News report. Nearly 30 years and more than $35 million later, that castle has become both Melius’ home – he lives on the third floor – and a 117-room wedding
and event venue and luxury hotel. In addition to hosting celebrity weddings and social events, Oheka has been used as a location for filming the TV show “Royal Pains,” many movies and the backdrop for Taylor Swift’s latest music video for her single “Blank Space.” Soon after his hospital release, Melius released a video statement, in which he lavished praised upon his family for their support and said he was eager to get back to business as usual. But the attempt on Melius’ life turned a bright spotlight on his business and political dealings in media reports as the hunt for his would-be killer continued. Police have said little about the case during the year. The most information came in late March, when they released a description of the vehicle suspected in the incident, distributing fliers near Breezy Park describing an “older, light-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee four-door SUV” that was “driving in a reckless manner in the area of West 11th Street, Huntington, shortly after the incident.”
Stricter CO Laws After Fatal Accident By D. Schrafel & L. Dallojacono info@longislandergroup.com
A February 2014 carbon monoxide leak at a Huntington Station restaurant left one dead and sparked an onslaught of legislation to prevent future accidents. Steve Nelson, a 55-year-old general manager at Legal Sea Foods, died that Saturday night after a faulty flue pipe in the restaurant’s water heating system caused a massive carbon monoxide leak in the basement. The toxic leak prompted fire department officials to evacuate Legal Sea Foods and two nearby restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory and Panera Bread, all located outside the Walt Whitman Shops. Nearly 30 emergency first responders, police officers and restaurant employees and patrons were hospitalized for carbon monoxide-related injuries. Fire department and town officials at the time said there was no way of knowing how long the carbon monoxide fumes were circulating through the restaurant’s heating system. Huntington Manor Fire Department Chief Fred Steenson Jr. said levels of the colorless, colorless gas
inside the basement were “extremely high,” and on a scale of one to 10 ranked “about a 9.5.” Following the incident, local municipal agencies acted swiftly to establish new standards. The Town of Huntington passed a law requiring carbon monoxide detectors in places of public assembly, defined as spaces designed for the “gathering of 50 or more people” for civic, social or religious functions, recreation, eating and drinking or waiting for transportation. The Northport Village Board also passed a law requiring carbon monoxide detectors in all places of public assembly. And County Executive Steve Bellone and Suffolk legislators approved three laws pertaining to carbon monoxide detection. The Steve Nelson Act requires all county facilities to be equipped with carbon monoxide detectors; another law requires “front-line” county employees, like public health workers, nurses, rescue personnel and police and firefighters, to be equipped with portable detectors. Another piece of legislation created a Commercial Building Carbon Monoxide Task Force. Legal Sea Foods CEO Roger
Steven Nelson, 55, pictured on a plane before a trip several weeks before he died tragically on Feb. 22 after a carbon monoxide leak at Legal Sea Foods in Huntington Station. Berkowitz said Nelson’s death was a “hell of a wake-up call” and that the Boston-based chain would install carbon monoxide detectors in all of its restaurants. According to Nelson’s partner, John Largan, Nelson was a dedicated father of two who poured his heart into all that he did. “Steve was just an amazing, wonderful person. He was extremely
thoughtful all of the time and was always 100-percent attentive to his two sons — it sounds trite, but he was always so full of life; always, always thinking of other people, and that’s why he was so good at what he did. He was like an angel on earth,” Largan said. Legal Sea Foods closed the Walt Whitman Shops location on Sunday after its lease expired.
A8 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015
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Opinion ‘Not the types set up by the printer return their impression, the meaning, the main concern.’
A New Year At the start of the new year, we take Fame induction brought some of the most some time to reflect on the year that has influential achievers of this century to The passed, and look ahead with hope to the Paramount. year approaching. News doesn’t necessarily follow the With this New Year’s Day issue, we calendar, however, and many of the top take a look back at some of the major stories of the year are still ongoing. The news stories and events that shaped the story of a community grappling with proyear 2014. In some ways it was a year like posed development of The Seasons at Elany other, with its share of incidents and wood remains unsettled with a lawsuit accidents. The weather had a still before the courts. Huntingway of making news, sending EDITORIAL ton village’s struggle with us an epic rainstorm that set parking has been an ongoing new single-day rainfall records, and story since the 1980s, though 2014 may snowfalls that were welcomed by school- be noted by future historians as a turning children and cursed by the rest of us. A se- point, even as a substantial number of new ries of fires in Huntington village; the apartments are created in the downtown still-unsolved shooting of Oheka Castle area. Also ongoing, Huntington Station owner Gary Melius; and the heart- revitalization saw progress during 2014. wrenching drama of an apparent suicide While large-scale redevelopment remains attempt by the owner of the Thatched Cot- on the drawing boards, the community tage just before his catering hall was sold began to show signs of a renaissance with in a bankruptcy auction were among the new businesses making Huntington Statop stories. And then there were the ice tion home. And one of the biggest stories bucket challenges. of the year – the outcry following the tragThere were triumphs of accomplish- ic murder of high school student Maggie ment in 2014: Luger Matt Mortensen Rosales – seems to have changed powent to the Olympics, and Chris Algieri lice/community relations for the better. fought one of the world’s greatest boxers We celebrate the new year with hopes on an international stage. And speaking of for continued progress moving forward. the international stage, the world took We wish all of our readers happiness, note when the Long Island Music Hall of health and prosperity in 2015.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
New Year, New OSHA Reporting Requirements DEAR EDITOR: The New Year will be here before we know it! For employers under the federal jurisdiction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that means more than just making resolutions, they
will need to comply with new reporting requirements going into effect Jan. 1, 2015. Employers will now be required to report all work-related fatalities within eight hours and all in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye within 24 hours of finding about the incident. Previously, em-
ployers were required to report all workplace fatalities and when three or more workers were hospitalized in the same incident. There will be three options for employers to report. They will be able to call their nearest area office during normal business hours, call the 24hour OSHA hotline at 1-
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800-321-OSHA (1-800321-6742), or report online. Since announcing the new requirements in September, we’ve been conducting extensive outreach to make sure employers understand what to do when they go into effect. Just last week, we held a live Twitter chat to answer questions. During the chat, we answered over a dozen questions. But we noticed a few that seemed to be on everyone’s mind. So, we decided to share with you a little FAQ: Q: How can an employer confirm the report from an injury has been documented? A: If you do it online, you will receive email confirmation. By phone, you will be speaking directly to OSHA representatives. Q: What is the best URL on the OSHA site to point our branch offices to for details of their obligations to report? A: The best way is to go to:
HALF HOLLOW HILLS
Peter Sloggatt
NEWSPAPER
Associate Publisher/Managing Editor
Serving the communities of: Dix Hills, Melville and the Half Hollow Hills Central School District. Founded in 1996 by James Koutsis Copyright © 2014 by Long Islander News, publishers of The Long-Islander, The Record and Half Hollow Hills Newspaper. Each issue of the The Long-Islander and all contents thereof are copyrighted by Long Islander. None of the contents or articles may be reproduced in any forum or medium without the advance express written permission of the publisher. Infringement hereof is a violation of the Copyright laws.
http://www.osha.gov/record keeping2014 Q: What constitutes formal admittance for care? Surgeries can be either outpatient or inpatient. A: The hospital or clinic determines whether the worker was formally admitted as an in-patient. We also have a variety of additional resources for employers including a dedicated webpage, more FAQs, a Fact Sheet, and a video I recorded to help explain the new requirements. It’s important to remember that these updated reporting requirements are not simply paperwork but have a life-saving purpose: they will help employers and workers prevent future injuries by identifying and eliminating the most serious workplace hazards. I think we can all agree that is something to celebrate in the New Year 2015. DAVID MICHAELS Assistant Secretary of Labor OSHA
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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A9
Life&Style ART
Huntington Artist Explores Questions of Justice By Arielle Dollinger adollinger@longislandergroup.com
The son of a part-time home economics teacher and a prison warden, Huntington-based artist Andreas Rentsch grew up on a prison compound in Switzerland. His most recent work explores questions of justice – a callback, he said, to his first 18 years. “That obviously has shaped not only my life but also my work,” he said. “I was in close contact with many prisoners and that's also where a lot of empathy grew for the human conditions.” As a warden, his father was open to exposing his five children to prisoners, Rentsch said. They “might have done
something wrong, but they're still humans,” he learned through the close proximity to prisoners. Today, Rentsch lives with his wife and their two boys – ages 10 and 13 – in Huntington village. The Stony Brook University photography professor currently has two pieces at the Heckscher Museum of Art, part of the “Modern Alchemy: Experiments in Photography” exhibition, on display until March 15. Rentsch’s four siblings stayed in Switzerland when he moved to the United States in 1989. At 26 years old, having visited America one year earlier and traveling by car to places he had only read about, Rentsch enrolled in (Continued on page A18)
Andreas Rentsch resides in Huntington village and teaches photography at Stony Brook University.
Winter, Your Camera And You Through The Lens By Kevin Armstrong info@longislandernews.com I look forward to winter, photographically speaking. Not that there is anything about numb fingers and toes I find particularly fun; it’s just that winter offers plenty of unique photographic opportunities for those willing to navigate the season’s little inconveniences. Successful winter photography is about learning to embrace the elements rather than avoiding them. Each winter is unique, but there are some constants deserving of any photographers focus. January and February, with the sun low in the sky, offer dramatic directional lighting all day long. No harsh light during mid-day means you can photograph straight through. Snow and ice can transform even the most mundane of scenes. Locations and subjects you never would consider photographing most of the year can be transformed with a fresh blanket of snow or a coating of ice.
The holiday season gives winter its big start; colorful lights, family gatherings and decorations are all on display for your lens. If you like to take portraits, then winter offers you unique opportunities; jackets, scarfs, mittens and hats are all colorful and make great props. Winter portraits keep photographer and subject working together since the elements require cooperation to expedite the process. The increased attention becomes evident in the final images – I find my hitto-miss ratio of winter portraits to be much better than the rest of the year. If sunsets and sunrises are your favorite, then winter is a winner here also. The middle latitudes get the best sunsets during the winter months. The low angle of the sun and the relatively clean, crisp, cold air offer ideal conditions for the shades and hues needed for a dramatic sunset. Plus in the winter, sunsets are over by 6 p.m. the latest. Sunrises can be just as vibrant, however, just before the sun rises. There are significant perils that you need to be prepared for if you intend on getting good results. The first and most famous of winter’s perils is cold. Cold brings us the beautiful ice formations that coat the smallest of nature’s creations to entire harbors. It also brings numb fingers, quickly
drained batteries, and slippery footing. Keeping yourself warm and dry is important to good images; if your time outdoors is cut short so is your creativity. Keeping your equipment warm and dry requires some planning. Do your best to keep your camera away from your body when not in use since your body creates moisture even in the cold. Extra batteries are a must since the cold will drain them quickly. Keep a dry towel handy, as it can be used to dry the camera and keep it warm. Try and keep your fingers off the front of lens and never blow on your lens to clean it, the moisture will freeze on the glass. When returning indoors, make sure that you allow the camera to warm slowly; if you jump from a long period of time in the cold directly into a warm car or house, condensation will form on the inside of the lens. Winter’s other big menace is moisture, in all its forms, most notably as snow and ice. Most cameras made today are sufficiently weather sealed. Still, there are precautions you need to take in a wet environment. The dry towel will help here. Make sure to be vigilant about patting moisture off your camera (and lens if necessary). A small paintbrush can also be used to brush snowflakes off your equipment,
Photo by Kevin Armstrong
PHOTOGRAPHY
A fresh blanket of snow can make for wonderful photos. preventing the streaking of moisture on your lens. Several manufactures make weather sleeves for many of the popular camera models. If you will be using a tripod, try to add some padding to the top parts of the legs. This will prevent you from having to keep your hands glued to the cold metal. It is not as widely known, but the cold can have an adverse effect on your memory cards, so bring extras. A well-organized camera bag, along with keeping your equipment dry and warm, will also allow you to work more efficiently. The elements do not favor the unprepared photographer, but for those who do the prep work, the rewards can be gratifying.
A10 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015
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BUSINESS ‘Sparkk’ Inspiration To Get In Shape Spotlight On
Huntington Businesses By Arielle Dollinger adollinger@longislandergroup.com
When she worked for an outsource management company, Kristina Andersen’s job “was essentially to open businesses for other people.” As of Nov. 1, 2014 Andersen runs her own business with her body-building fiancé Frank Fontana. The couple opened Huntington Station boutique fitness studio Sparkk Fitness in an effort to build a business that would fill a gap in the group fitness market. “We really wanted to do something in the health and fitness field because it’s a passion of both of ours, and we really sat down and thought about
Sparkk Fitness offers one-hour fitness classes, capped at 14 students each. what we felt was missing from group fitness,” Andersen said. In order to see results, she said, the combination of weights and cardio is important; but so is a program with planned workouts and goals. Classes at Sparkk Fitness are 60 minutes long. Some feature 30 minutes of indoor cycling and 30 minutes
of strength training. “The Classic” is designed to be “your traditional spin and muscle-building toning class,” Andersen explained. The “Conditioning Treatment” class is a high-intensity interval training class designed to boost metabolism and allow for postworkout calorie burn. “Spark Strength,” a muscle-building class, is
15 minutes of cycling and 45 minutes of heavy lifting. “The only way to really transform your body, and to see the results and the changes you want, is to do cardio and weights, not just one or the other,” Andersen said. Classes are capped at 14 students – an effort, she said, to give participants the results that they would get with a personal trainer. Instructors will modify workouts for individual participants based on level of experience. For first-timers, instructors will make the necessary modifications. For those at the “elite athlete level,” instructors will enhance the workout. “We wanted to keep the classes very small so that we don’t lose that personal connection,” Andersen said. Like a gym, the facility has a full locker room and showers. The gym is lit by colored LED lights – a decision that Andersen said allows people to focus on their own individual workouts. (Continued on page A18)
What To Ask At Your Portfolio Review Meeting By Peter Klein info@longislandergroup.com
Many clients and investors often wonder what happens after they begin a relationship with a wealth manager. Of course, during the proposal process, communication is frequent and catered to the investor’s specific situation—but what happens once they sign up? What should they expect? Well, communication for sure— that’s goes without saying—but what investors really want to know is what should they be asking at a portfolio review meeting in order to gain the most insights on their portfolio and wealth management plan. Although the first thing on my agenda is always a review of the client’s specific circumstances and financial pictures (Has there been any meaningful changes? Anything that the advisor should know about?), let’s start off with performance, for it is probably the first thing on the investor’s mind. So to answer the question, “How am I doin’?”, the adviser should walk his client through a well-defined process that starts with relative performance (no,
that doesn’t have anything to do with your cousin, but rather how your performance compares with a benchmark). You are not going to want to compare your portfolio to a “full variety” of market benchmarks, for that will likely muddy the waters too much. What you want to do is compare your performance to a benchmark crafted to your portfolio's holdings and style. Note: Returns should always be shown net of fees and as a time weighted return calculation, adjusting for inflows and outflows of capital over the period – and of course, total returns, income plus growth. So that is step 1 – but why do investors care about relative performance? Shouldn’t they care about absolute performance instead? Probably, but the investment industry is more focused on relative performance (we at Klein Wealth Management show both). If the benchmark is down 10 percent and your portfolio is down 3 percent, are you happy? Maybe. You figure it could be worse, but will a -3 percent return get you to your goals? Can you send your kids to college on a -3 percent return or retire in 10 years? You see my point. It is important to show
both relative and absolute returns. Next we want to ask about your asset allocation – how your assets are divided up – and the returns on each “sleeve” of the allocation matrix. Advisers should be able to break down for you the returns on each asset class and sub-asset class (i.e. large cap growth, small cap value, international fixed income, etc.). Then we want to drill down on each holding in the portfolio to see how much return is it bringing to the proverbial table. This is called attribution analysis – looking at each position and seeing where the gains and losses are coming from. This is helpful because you don’t want all of your return coming from one or two positions. You would prefer to see a series of returns; it shows that the adviser’s process is sound and working rather than simply getting lucky. If the adviser has passed along the management of the portfolio to a manager (“managed account”) or has many mutual funds in the portfolio rather than stewarding the capital him or herself (typically more cost effective), the investor should be asking about style fidelity. In other words, we invested with this manag-
er (and paying an additional fee to) to add diversity to the portfolio by investing in large cap value stocks and it has done well – but when we peel back the onion we find substantial positions in Telsa Motors and Amazon (far from value stocks). This should give the seasoned investor some pause, for it is not what you hired the manager to do. Finally we want to look at tax effects of the portfolio (of course this is not necessary in tax-deferred retirement accounts or tax-exempt charitable foundations), for at the end of the day it’s what you keep, after taxes, that matters. Tax efficiency is an important mandate and your adviser should take it seriously, so buying a mutual fund with an imbedded capital gain in November is not such a good idea. Keeping taxes front and center is a hallmark of a good adviser. Peter J. Klein, CFA is managing director and partner of Melvillebased Klein Wealth Management/HighTower Advisors where he and his team help create legacies for generations to come. His articles appear regularly in Long Islander News’ Business Section.
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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A11
2014Year In Review Celebrity Moments
Huntington Draws Hollywood
Ed Sheeran English singersongwriter Ed Sheeran played an unscheduled concert at The Paramount in July 2014, surprising fans by announcing the plan on his official Twitter account three hours prior to the show. Paramount spokesman Adam Ellis told Long Islander News in July that “at least 700, 800 people” were turned away. “I’m sat at The Paramount venue in Huntington. I’ve decided I wanna play a gig tonight,” the Tweet reads. “It’s such a lovely venue I couldn’t resist, so…” Earlier that day, he played private listening parties for WBLI and WALK radio in the Founder’s Room, Ellis said, and decided that he wanted to play a show. Concert tickets were sold for $20 to 1,555 people. The line started to form about half an hour after Sheeran’s Twitter announcement, according to Ellis, Sheeran, 23, initially gained international recognition for his song, “The A-Team,” off of debut album “+(Plus).”
Joan Rivers Joan Rivers visited Huntington in July 2014, signing copies of her book and then performing standup at The Paramount on two consecutive nights. The book, “Diary of a Mad Diva,” is Rivers’ 12th. Some attended both the book signing and the standup performance on July 31, going straight from one to the other. “I’m going to see her right after this,” said fan Nikki Gigliotti, of Oceanside, shortly after meeting Rivers at the signing. “It was very, very much worth [making the trip to Huntington]… I love her… [Meeting her] was really fun; she was really nice.” Her visit turned out to be historic in many ways, as the comedy icon died in September.
Oheka Castle’s iconic staircase is featured in Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” video.
‘Blank Space’ Oheka Castle served as the backdrop for Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” music video. The castle hosted Swift for one day in September as she and her crew shot parts of the video. “It was certainly a surprise to have had Oheka showcased so well,” said Oheka Castle Marketing and Design Director Nancy Melius. “We have a lot of photo shoots that come here, film and photo shoots, and many times… the shoots are very close-up to the architecture, so you don’t really see the whole grand scheme of the gardens.” The grand staircase became one of Swift’s props. The library’s chestnut-colored walls surrounded Swift and her co-star as they rode bicycles past cushioned chairs and couches of mauve and burnt sienna. The castle’s gardens were the view from Swift’s window.
‘The Nest’ A quiet Dix Hills street not far from the library and the high school was dressed as Florida when Nest Film Productions LLC filmed on Astro Place during the summer of 2014. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler star in “The Nest,” the story of sisters who want to throw one last big party before their parents sell their childhood home. The home is one of two Dix Hills houses featured in the film, one on Astro Place and the other on Etna Lane.
“This is one of the most exciting things to happen on our street,” said Caasi Harris, who has been living on Astro Place for almost a decade and a half. “They seem to have put in lots of palm trees and Spanish moss on all the trees.” Along with palm trees and Spanish moss, the film crew brought in colorful mailboxes during shooting – one shaped like a manatee, one dressed as a flamingo, one with painted palm trees.
‘Good Friday’ Director Dan Stone, a Centerport native, called cast members and extras to Greenlawn Park for the shooting of a project called “Good Friday.” The feature-length film tells the story of an estranged father and son who make their way back to each other. Stone and his cast and crew shot scenes at several Town of Huntington locations, including the Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium in Centerport, Northport Mayor George Doll’s house and Makinajian Poultry Farm.
‘No More Mr. Nice Guy’ Behind a set of deep brown doors on Vanderbilt Parkway lives Carl Weber, a Dix Hills resident, New York Times bestselling author of 23 novels and owner of a publishing company and a production company. Weber and his business partner, Walter Nixon, filmed parts of “No More Mr. Nice Guy” this fall in Dix Hills, Wyandanch and Wheat-
ley Heights. After finishing filming on Long Island in October, Weber and Nixon were to film the second half of the project in Los Angeles. Employing three “Movie Movers” trailers, Weber and Nixon took to Vanderbilt Parkway in recent weeks, down the road from Weber’s house. “It’s familiarity,” Weber said. “And the idea of filming close to home… You should’ve seen the kids in Wyandanch and Wheatley Heights.” As “all their favorite AfricanAmerican stars” – Christian Keyes, Miguel A. Nunez, Jr., Valarie Pettiford, Roger Guenveur Smith and Lamman Rucker, among others – exited their trailers, Weber said, the children watching reacted. “The whole neighborhood was losing their minds,” he said. “It’s almost like giving back to an extent because… they saw that people can do things from their own community.”
‘Louder Than Bombs’ The football field, lockers and library are among the areas of Cold Spring Harbor High School that moviegoers may notice on the big screen this coming year, thanks to an agreement between the school district and Laika Productions, LLC. “Louder Than Bombs,” a film starring Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne and Isabelle Hupport, features the high school grounds. The “business arrangement,” as Superintendent Judith Wilansky described it, meant an extra $25,000 for the school – $5,000 for each of five scheduled shooting days – and some CSH screen time. Shooting took place in September, in hours during which students were not in school. The film’s cast and crew spent five days of a 38-day movie shoot at the high school. Those choosing shooting locations chose the high school for its “beautiful campus,” said producer Joshua Astrachan the day filming wrapped in October. “It’s been a happy place for us to shoot, it’ll be a happy place for us to finish,” Astrachan said. “We really have loved working in this location.”
A12 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015
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2014Year In Review Looking Back At Algieri’s Best Year Yet By Andrew Wroblewski awroblewski@longislandergroup.com
When looking back at Chris Algieri’s 2014, it might be easy to focus on his most recent bout against future boxing hall of famer, Manny Pacquiao. Algieri, a Greenlawn native, was defeated, but it far from summarizes how his year went. For Algieri, 2014 was a year of learning, growing and success. The boxer went from Huntington’s Paramount to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and even to Macau, China where he faced Pacquiao on the national stage of the Venetian Macao. “Every step of the way has been a learning experience,” Algieri said after the Pacquiao fight. That first step in 2014 was taken at The Paramount – a venue not unfamiliar to Algieri – where he faced Emmanuel Taylor, a native of Edgewood Arsenal, Md., on Feb. 14. Heading in, Algieri had posted a professional boxing record of 17-0, including eight knockouts; Taylor was 17-1 with 12 knockouts to his name. Using his signature style – consisting of quick movements and a sharp jab – Algieri dominated and won by unanimous decision 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93. After a few months off, Algieri once again got into the ring in June –
2014 was a big year for Greenlawn boxer Chris Algieri, who won the World Boxing Organization’s junior welterweight title in June at the Barclays Center. but this time on an even bigger stage: the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Facing one of the World Boxing Organization’s (WBO) most promising champions in Ruslan Provodnikov, Algieri fought for the WBO’s junior welterweight championship. Despite critics leaning more towards Provodnikov’s camp than Algieri’s for the result, the 30-year-old came out swinging. After a lopsided first round – where Algieri was actually
knocked down twice – the Greenlawn native bounced back in a big way to arguably out-box Provodnikov in every facet. For his efforts, Algieri was rewarded with a split decision and his first professional boxing championship belt. Living the life of a champion, Algieri paid off his student loans (thanks to his $100,000 in earnings from the Provodnikov fight), made public appearances and prepared for his next
venture, one that he hoped would be against a world-known name. That name ultimately ended up being Pacquiao, and after months of deliberation, Algieri landed him. On Nov. 23, with millions of people watching him all around the world, Algieri got into the ring with one of the most decorated champions of all time. While the results weren’t pretty – Algieri lost by unanimous decision – the St. Anthony’s High School graduate held his own. He fought until the end, got up whenever he was knocked down and battled to his best efforts. His reward? Time off. Algieri returned home days later to spend time with his family and friends – all of whom, he said, were more than supportive of him. Looking forward, Algieri hopes to get into the ring as soon as possible, he said, so to “get back in the win column.” While his next fight is still yet to be determined, Algieri does have another battle underway. The WBO, based out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has threatened to strip Algieri of his junior welterweight title. As to the exact reason why, that remains unclear, Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing – Algieri’s promoter – said. However, negotiations to settle the matter are underway.
Luger Puts Huntington In Olympic Spotlight By A. Dollinger & L. Dallojacono info@longislandergroup.com
The boxer from Greenlawn wasn’t the only one who put Huntington into a global spotlight in 2014. Let’s not forget about Huntington Station native Matt Mortensen, 29, who represented the United States in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in February. Mortensen, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, represented his country in a different uniform as a member of the U.S. luge team. The military engineer competed alongside fellow Army athlete Sgt. Preston Griffall in the first doubles run. As it turns out, fewer than 3 seconds was all it took to distinguish the winners from the rest of the pack, as Mortensen and Griffall finished in 14th out of 19 teams. The pair completed their two runs down the frozen track in 1:41.703, missing the first-
place time by 2.770 seconds. The Olympic experience was a dream come true for Mortensen. He told Long Islander News that making it to the Olympics is a dream he’s chased for half his life and was honored to have the opportunity to represent the Army and his country in the international event. Mortensen fell in love with the sport of ice luging when he was just 11 years old, according to the National Guard Bureau of the Department of Defense. The St. Dominic’s High School graduate said he remembers developing an affinity for the elusive sport when he was a child, when his father worked for a company that sponsored the U.S. luge team. A dream realized, Mortensen accompanied his father on a trip for luge team tryouts and has nursed his passion for the sport ever since. Though he lives in Lake Placid, N.Y., the sergeant, a member of the
1156th Engineer Company based in Kingston, N.Y., returns to Huntington often. “There’s nothing quite like being home,” he told Long Islander News in March, on his first trip home after five months away. “It’s always a better experience when you come back home after being away for such a long period of time.” Post-Olympics, Mortensen had a decision to make. “They call this the transition year, because it’s the year that a lot of athletes decide whether or not they’re going to be competing in the next Olympics,” Mortensen said last week. “It’s another big commitment to the sport… [the older you get] it’s a harder decision to make.” He has decided that he will continue to compete. He has also made another military commitment, having re-signed a military contract that means he will be in the army for at
2014 Olympian Matt Mortensen, a Huntington Station native, has decided to continue competing in preparation for the next Olympic games. least another fours. He has also taken on a new doubles teammate – his former teammate decided to take a year off – and the two are ranked seventh internationally. Mortensen’s life right now involves “lots of wheels turning at once,” he said, as he is also a business communication student at DeVry University.
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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A13
2014Year In Review Violent Summer Leads To Public Outrage By Arielle Dollinger adollinger@longislandergroup.com
Huntington Station saw a violent summer in 2014. A June 28 stabbing left Huntington Station resident Luis Ramos-Rodriguez, 38, fatally wounded on the ground behind Melissa Restaurant on New York Avenue. Huntington Station resident Larry Collins was found wounded on the front lawn of his home on July 5 and was later pronounced dead. During the same month, Daniel Carbajal, 25, was fatally shot outside of a Huntington Station residence. But the violent act that would ignite fiery community response and incite increased police presence in the area did not come until summer had turned to fall. On Oct. 12, Walt Whitman High School student Maggie Rosales, 18, was found lifeless and face-down on Lynch Street. She was found just before 11:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene. In court later that month, Assistant District Attorney Raphael Pearl would reveal that her throat had been slit twice. Rosales’ murder was at the time the fourth unsolved Huntington Station murder over a one-year period. Suspect Adam Saalfied, 21, was arrested in the Rosales case on Oct. 29. The other three cases – the murder of Ramos-Rodriguez's, the fatal shooting of Carbajal, and the discovery of the body of 23year-old Sarah Strobel in the woods of Froelich Farm preserve last October – remain unsolved. Rosales’ death led to community outcry for area safety improvements. “We need to take back our town,” said Mary Beth
The murder of Maggie Rosales, inset, for which suspect Adam Saalfield, of Huntington Station, has been arrested, was a breaking point in 2014 for many Huntington residents after a string of violent crime. Steenson Kraese, who helped to organize a march in Rosales’ honor before the Oct. 21 town board meeting. “It starts today.” Citizen vigilante group The Guardian Angels, led by Curtis Sliwa, attended the march and vowed to come back to Huntington Station to continue the volunteer gang-and-violence-fighting efforts they started in 2010, after a rash of violent crimes led to the closing of the Jack Abrams School, which has since re-opened. “We will never forget; we will never forgive; we will be with you, side by side,” Sliwa said in
October. The Angels have since returned to the area and continue to patrol. Jessica Benitez, who said she was a close friend of Rosales, spoke at the October march of her own fear. “I am afraid to walk out of my house, afraid that something would happen; afraid that something would happen to those whom I care about,” Benitez said. Rosales’ father, Cesar Rosales, said that night that he thought the number of people who attended his daughter's funeral and the march and town board meeting was a result of an epiphany in the community. The community started recognizing that there are people dying on the streets, he said. Police arrested Huntington Station resident Saalfield on second-degree murder charges. According to Pearl at the Oct. 30 indictment, surveillance footage shows a man approaching Rosales from behind, grabbing her and putting a knife to her throat. After a struggle between the two, Pearl said, the man is seen slicing Rosales’ throat twice. The video shows the man fleeing the scene, leaving behind a blood trail, Pearl said, which led to Saalfield’s home. The case was “atypical of the homicide prosecution,” defense attorney John LoTurco said Oct. 30. “Most homicides, there are full confessions – video-taped confessions,” LoTurco said. “Adam was interrogated and he denied any involvement, any knowledge of it and any relationship with the victim.” According to LoTurco, Saalfield's DNA matched DNA at the scene where Rosales’ body was found. LoTurco said in October that he planned to have the (Continued on page A18)
Fires Devastate Buildings Around Town By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandergroup.com
A series of spectacularly destructive fires wracked Huntington township in 2014, cutting a swath of destruction and heartache at every turn. The blazes of note began in East Northport Jan. 3, when, just shortly after a major snowstorm coated the area, a blaze at 376 Larkfield Road destroyed the building there, displacing five apartments and several businesses. Then on March 1, disaster struck at 425 Main St. in Huntington village, where a blaze gutted the mixed-use building there, displacing businesses in that building as well as neighboring spots like Red restaurant and Fad, a toy store. The town’s Zoning Board of Appeals on Oct. 30 approved a plan to raze the building and replace it with a new structure containing businesses on the first floor and 10
apartments on the second and third floors above. Meanwhile, neighboring Fad and Red have reopened; the restaurant did so on Dec. 16 after undergoing an extensive renovation. The fire bug remained in Huntington village, though. On May 14, a 100-year-old building at 328 Main St., containing a Lemon Tree hair salon, Osaka Japanese restaurant and other businesses, burned in an earlymorning blaze. The businesses quickly relocated; Osaka re-opened at new space on Wall Street on Dec. 13. As of Friday, town spokesman A.J. Carter said an application to repair the fire damage was filed about a month ago, but said “there is no indication that the permit has been issued.” The Huntington village fires continued at Black & Blue Seafood Chophouse caught on May 17; it reopened six weeks later following a renovation of its own. A small fire in an apartment building on Wall Street
A crowd gathers across the street from 30 Prospect St. in Huntington village Saturday, where firefighters extinguish a blaze at approximately 4 p.m. Inset, firefighters douse flames shooting out of the building’s cupola. gave neighboring Café Buenos Aires a scare, and, on Aug. 16, the headquarters of Waldorf Risk Solutions on Prospect Street suffered a blaze. Po-
lice suspect the last blaze was started in a storage container behind the building, which then spread rapidly throughout the building.
A14 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015
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A Year Of Dining By The Foodies foodies@longislandergroup.com
Vegan mac n’ cheese, combined with grain sausage and black truffle oil, is drizzled with sriracha sauce and topped with roasted jalapeno at The Purple Elephant.
Shigeki Uchiyama, left, and Hiroki Tanii at Be-Ju Sashimi & Sake Bar. BeJu Sushi and Sashimi If you like sushi – real sushi – then you have to get to Be-Ju. It’s that simple. Tom Schaudel, a local celebrity chef with an impressive track record, opened the upscale sushi, sashimi and sake bar in November 2013 inside his glistening Melville restaurant, Jewel (400 Broad Hollow Road, Melville, 631-755-0555). The atmosphere is much like the food – sophisticated, upscale, classy and pure. It is more Tokyo than trendy; gone are the days of neon blue lighting and sushi rolls so drenched in sauce you can’t even taste the fish anymore. Some of our favorites include: warm eel ($12) in a sticky soy sauce, atop egg custard and a thin pineapple slice; tuna and salmon tataki ($14$18); “Asian Penicillin” soup ($9) with shredded chicken, coconut and green curry; Lapsang Suchong Tea Smoked Salmon ($14), served in a little glass jar; and any and all sashimi ($9-$16). Desserts are tops. Try the lychee crème brulee for a little something different.
The Purple Elephant At Northport’s Purple Elephant Market Café (81B West Fort Salonga Road, Northport, 631-651-5002), in its third season, every menu item is free of GMOs, antibiotics and hormones. The Vegan Mac Attack ($17) is incredible and confusing to the non-vegan, who is probably not entirely sure what the non-cheese is made of but will accept it because it tastes so good. The vegan mac n’ cheese is combined with grain sausage and black truffle oil, drizzled with sriracha sauce and topped with roasted jalapeno. The Vegan “Burnt Ends” Quesadilla ($16) is sweet and savory, made with “chicken” and vegan cheese, served with avocado and pico de gallo. For meat eaters, among the many options are the chili and meatballs, each made with grass-fed beef. The chili has a spicy kick to it, but it is not overwhelming. Its meat component is balanced by brown rice and scallions. The family-run establishment is run by David Intonato and his wife, Erin. Their daughter, Yvonne, works there as well. Nisen One Ten The Nisen Group has brought its eclectic and exuberant brand of Japanese cuisine and hospitality west to Melville. Co-owners Tom Lam, Jason Levy, David Peskin and Robert Beer opened in March 2014 their third location at the former home of Barolo on Route 110.
Bistro 44’s lobster over spinach ravioli.
Salmon carpaccio at Nisen One Ten.
Some of our favorites include: Spicy Lobster Seafood Miso Soup ($10); O-Toro Sashimi Nisen Style ($20), served on a series of precisely arranged spoons; the fabulous King Salmon Carpaccio ($18), bathed in an intense lemon Yuzu sauce and crowned with dry miso and cilantro; and Oyster Yaki ($14), an array of sautéed fried oysters served in a garlic butter sauce. Like any other Nisen location, the sushi bar is hummin’ and churning out eye-popping creations.
spinach ravioli ($25). The Bistro 44 Kobe Burger ($18.75) is served on a brioche bun with bleu cheese, applewood bacon, frizzed onions and shredded lettuce. Desserts are tops. If a tea party were to take the form of a tiny cake, it would look something like the Raspberry Lemon Drop ($9).
Ting Ting restaurant owner Yu Mei Zheng says her restaurant is “basically a melting pot of everything” when it comes to Asian fusion, combining trendy American ingredients with more traditional Japanese sushi style in an effort to create what Zheng calls “modern Asian” cuisine. At Ting Restaurant (92 East Main St., Huntington, 631-425-7788, Tingrestaurant.com), there are cheese and truffle oil; the menu includes a Mini Burger Bento ($14) and an Oven Roasted New Zealand Rack of Lamb ($29). There are appetizers like Tuna Pizza and Wonton Sushi Tacos, as well as lavish sushi rolls. Some of our favorites include the Sex on the Beach ($14), shrimp tempura with spicy tuna, white tuna, avocado, tobiko, spicy mayo and eel sauce; the Playboy ($13), spicy salmon, peppered white tuna, avocado, crunchies, toboki, Thai chili and wasabi mayo sauce; and the Spicy Girl ($14), spicy tuna topped with spicy yellowtail and wasabi tobiko. Bistro 44 Northport’s Bistro 44 (44 Main St., Northport, 631-262-9744, Bistro44.net), under new ownership as of May 2014, is set to remain the haven it has been. Co-owner Al Mott, who has been a player in the Northport restaurant scene for 14 years, said that he and his partners will maintain the “European feel” that its past owners established. The food matches his description. There is the housemade pan-fried mozzarella ($10), Bistro Baked Clams ($11.50), and lobster over
Osteria Da Nino On tap at Huntington’s Osteria Da Nino (292 Main St., Huntington village, 631-425-0820, http://osteriadanino.com) are six whites, six reds and four beers. Owned by Nino Antuzzi, Osteria Da Nino’s rustic Italian scene featurea a rotating selection of 12 small-production wines thanks to a new tap system installed in June 2014. But the food is what really brings you in. Some of our favorites include: Arancini ($8) rice balls; Zucchine Fritte ($8); Paglia e Fieno ($16) pasta; and Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli ($16). Char Grille The owners of Doppio Artisan Bistro opened a second Huntington restaurant this summer. With its green-black marble-esque floors and wooden accents, Huntington village’s Char Grille (26 Clinton Ave., Huntington. 631-923-3400) brought to the area both chargrilled meat and a Manhattan-style meeting place. Before it was Char, the space on Clinton Avenue was BlonDee’s Bistro & Bar. Twenty-somethings Frank Bono, Tom Pescuma and Louis Barresi kept an eye on the restaurant as owners of neighboring Doppio. According to Bono, the three had planned to open a new restaurant if the space ever became available. “We go out to eat a lot, my partner Tom and I, around Huntington; and we knew what was missing,” Bono said. “We’re always looking for a place like this.” The steaks are prime and grassfed; the chef came from Blackstone Steakhouse in Melville. But the “American grille” name gives the (Continued on page A15)
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A year of dining (Continued from page A14)
restaurant flexibility in what it can serve, Bono said. The Mac & Cheese ($16), made with three cheeses, bone marrow and pork belly, is as close to perfect as is possible. There are sliders ($14), plated in groups of three, and regular-sized beef burgers as well as bison burger and chicken breast options. Sur Argentinian Steakhouse Sur Argentinian Steakhouse (314 New York Avenue, Huntington, 11743. 631-470-6300) came to Huntington in Febrary 2014 after the departure of Canterbury Ales. “An authentic Argentinian place,” as co-owner Juan Reartes described it, Sur is a place where diners can find the same sort of meal Reartes said they could get in Argentina – a “big piece of meat,” Chimichurri sauce, a glass of wine. Some of our favorites include: the Pollo Provolone, sauteed chicken breast decorated with provolone cheese and spinach ($24); and Canelones Mixtos ($19), corn, spinach and ricotta cheese in a tomato and béchamel sauce, rolled into two crepes. Sur offers a $10 lunch special Monday through Saturday, from 12-4 p.m., with such menu items as garlic shrimp with pasta, an 11-oz. shell steak, grilled salmon and ravioli. Black & Blue Seafood Chophouse After a May 2014 fire forced the restaurant’s closure for repairs, Huntington’s Black & Blue Seafood Chophouse (65 Wall St., Huntington, 631-385-9255) reopened in June with a renovated interior and the same menu. “Our base is meat and fish, but we have pasta dishes, we can do vegetarian dishes, we do a lot of glutenfree stuff,” said owner Lou Aloe. Try: the Crispy Thai Style Calamari ($11); Lobster Crusted Atlantic Salmon ($26); and the Pan Roasted 10 oz. Filet Mignon ($36), which shares a plate with whipped potatoes and tempura asparagus, in a shallow sea of Bordeaux Sauce. Though known for its seafood and steaks, the restaurant’s dessert menu is particularly strong. There is an item on the dessert menu labeled “Party In A Glass” ($14). If the menu listing were completely accurate, it would read, “gelato, marshmallows, berries and cookies, buried in whipped cream, served in a fishbowl and likely to induce wistful regret.”
Massa’s Coal-Fired Brick Oven Pizza Massa’s Coal-Fired Brick Oven Pizza (345 Main Street, Huntington, 631-923-FIRE (3473), www.massaspizzeria.com) came to Huntington Village in February and offers a menu that is its own take on the traditional, meant to provide patrons with pizza reminiscent of the coal-fired concoctions of Italy. Among the selection of Starters at Massa’s is the Garlic Bread,
Known simply as the “No. 3,” this specialty Massa’s pizza is topped with fresh mozzarella, scallions, scamorza cheese, truffle oil and pancetta. described on the menu as “round like our pizza.” A lighter, lessgreasy version of the normally-oily appetizer, the garlic bread at Massa’s is a flavorful option for those who prefer not to get their hands dirty. The round shape is convenient, allowing eaters to pick up slices by the crust and avoid mess. Specialty pies at Massa’s are available in medium or large sizes. The “No. 3” ($24/$28) is a standout – a white pizza with fresh mozzarella, scallions, scamorza cheese (a mozzarella-like cheese, but with a stronger taste), truffle oil and pancetta, it is the sort of specialty pie that truly seems like a specialty. The “No. 6” ($20/$22) combines marinara sauce and caramelized onion, sans cheese. Though not as seemingly indulgent as the No. 3, the No. 6 is unique and the marinara tastes of fresh tomatoes. The Chicken Parmigiano ($13.75) – baked in a coal oven, as noted on the menu – is topped with fresh mozzarella and served with pasta. On the dessert menu are the familiar: cannolis, tartufo, etc. And then there are the fresh: the Spumoni Truffle with dark chocolate-covered vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and pistachio ice cream around a cherry and almond center; the Cookies & Cream Truffle; the Nutella Pizza.
THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A15
Side Dish www.facebook.com/dinehuntington
DINEHUNTINGTON .COM MONDAY BLUES: Blue cheese, that is.
Wash away the start of week blues with a three-course prix-fixe meal at Ideal Cheese & Wine Café (308 Main St., Huntington, 631-923-3434 http://idealcheeseandwinecafe.com) from 5-9 p.m. every Monday and Tuesday. Starters include: tomato soup, kale Caesar salad, pulled pork sliders, cheese n’ mac croquettes, or the Monger’s Choice cheeseboard. Entrees: Classic Cheese n’ Mac, lasagna, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Beer & Cheddar Burger made with Berger Meats exclusive blend of ground Seared salmon is on the short rib, brisket and 80/20 chop, miMonday/Tuesday prix-fixe menu at ni-meatloaf, seared salmon, and Ideal Cheese & Wine Café. teriyaki skirt steak. Dessert: cheesecake, Cinnamon Apple Cigar a la Brothers Bakery and Addeo Bakery. mode, homemade bread pudding. TAKE-OUT TUESDAYS: “Take-Out $24.95 per person. Tuesdays” at The Purple Elephant in ARTHUR AVENUE: The market at Mas- Northport (81B Fort Salonga Road) cali (277 Larkfield Road, East North- mean 20-percent off of cash purchasport 631-757-5687 www.mascali- es after 4 p.m. Located in the Britanrestaurant.com) now carries special- nia Yachting Center, the restaurant is ties from the Bronx’s Arthur Avenue. vegetarian and vegan friendly but alSpots represented include Madonia so caters to omnivores.
A16 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015
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2014Year In Review Gerard Street Parking Lot Gets A Makeover By Arielle Dollinger adollinger@longislandergroup.com
Huntington village addressed in part its arguably perennial parking problem in 2014, experimenting with free valet parking on weekends, raising metered parking rates and tearing up the Gerard Street municipal lot in a two-phase reconstruction project. Weeks after the Town of Huntington began to offer free valet parking on weekends in the municipal lot on New Street – an experiment that has since ended – and months after the raising of parking meter fees, construction that would last five months began on the Gerard Street lot. The months-long reconstruction project – a “major parking lot rehabilitation project,” as Town Supervisor Frank Petrone called it – concluded in December 2014, and the entire lot was open for parking for the last few weeks of the holiday shopping season. The project made such improvements as resurfacing, installing a bioswale drainage system and adding spaces, town officials said. “It [the parking lot] has not been redone since practically it was built in the 1950s,” town spokesman A.J. Carter said at the start of construction, noting that there were “safety issues” in the lot. Reconstruction came in two phases. Phase one closed about two-thirds of the spaces form July to mid-October. Phase two closed off the remaining third until last month.
Phase one began almost a week early following what Carter said was a miscommunication between the Town of Huntington and its contractor. Merchants whose businesses border the parking lot were concerned at the start of the project and relieved at its conclusion. The Gerard Street lot, located across from the post office, provides parking for several of Huntington’s Main Street businesses with entrances facing the lot, including Rookies Sports Club, Panera Bread and Massa’s Pizzeria. Rookie’s Sports Club “lost a lot of money” during the project, General Manager Deanna Bradshaw said. “It’s been five months and we’re just thrilled to see it open,” she said in December. “Hopefully our customers will come back.” The larger patio constructed adjacent to the parking lot, she said, may be used by several establishments for outdoor dining in the spring. Steve Stone at neighboring business Title Boxing was outspoken throughout the construction project, working with town officials to address merchant concerns. But now, the chain link fence is gone and the pavement is smooth. “I guess it’s true that miracles do happen during Christmas,” Stone said when phase two ended. But some of the damage, he said, is permanent. “We’re never ever going to be able to recoup [the business we lost in the past six months],” he said.
A New Way To Recycle In Town With the new year comes a new way to recycle in the Town of Huntington. That’s because late last year, the town board agreed that, starting in 2015, the town will switch to single-stream recycling. That means instead of putting out paper one week and plastic, metal and glass the other, residents can unload all of their recyclables at once and in one container. Huntington is one of the latest municipalities to use Green
Stream’s single-stream recycling plant, located in Yaphank. The goal, town officials said, is to increase the amount of recycling – largely by making it simpler to do. Brookhaven town was the first to go single-stream and has reported a nearly 25 percent increase in the volume of recycling. Similarly, in Northport, the village there has also decided to go single-stream in 2015. For Huntington residents, the first single-stream recycling pickup day is Wednesday, Jan. 7.
Before
After The Gerard Street lot, before its major overhaul top, and after, bottom.
More Money In The Meter
A car is ticketed on Wall Street in Huntington for an expired meter. One of the biggest changes for Huntington village this year came at the parking meters, where a quarter no longer buys you an hour of parking time. The Huntington Town Board in March doubled and even quadruple current meter prices, charging 50 cents per hour on “secondary” streets and $1 per hour for parking on “prime” streets, including West Main Street and New York Avenue. Metered hours switched to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. instead of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The fee increase came with new munimeter machines on prime
streets, which accept credit cards, and a perceived increase in enforcement of parking codes. On the plus side, each metered parking space allows a car to park for a maximum of three hours, up from the prior two-hour limit. However, the fee increases coupled with the months-long closure of portions of the Gerard Street that began in July put residents and merchants on edge. Pushback calmed after the town made accommodations for a 25-cent option to buy 15 minutes of parking on prime streets.
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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A17
2014Year In Review Ethics Questions Linger At Town Hall By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandergroup.com
For Huntington Town Councilman Mark Cuthbertson, the fall of 2014 might have been among the most challenging months of his 17-year tenure on the town board. Amidst an Oct. 5 investigative report by Newsday into the business dealings of Oheka Castle owner Gary Melius, Cuthbertson, an attorney, was shown to have worked with Melius on a series of court-appointed foreclosure receiverships but failed to disclose the tangential relationship before voting on a resolution to re-
zone Melius’ property. Cuthbertson has maintained that the relationship is both legally and ethically proper. His stance was supported by the town’s own Board of Ethics and Financial Disclosure, which ruled on Oct. 20 that no technical ethics violation had occurred. They did, however, recommend he disclose similar relationships in the future. The flap over Cuthbertson and receiverships has refocused town officials’ spotlight on issues of ethics in town government. The town board on Nov. 6 approved two resolutions calling for outside analysis. One, sponsored by Council-
man Gene Cook, called Howard Glickstein, the for the U.S. Attorney for dean emeritus of Touro the Eastern District of Law School, to review New York to lead a probe the existing code and of actions by the town recommend revisions. and ethics boards. A secThe proposed ethics ond, offered by Councilcode revisions should woman Susan Berland, be ready for public inasks the New York State put ahead of the annuComptroller’s office for al Ethics Board meetguidance and recoming, which is usually mendations for future reheld in March. Those Councilman Mark forms. revisions will incorpoCuthbertson And Supervisor Frank rate any potential recPetrone has tapped ommendations by eiCouncilwoman Tracey Edwards to ther the state comptroller or U.S. Atwork with ethics board chairman torney, town officials have said.
As Housing Battles End, A New One Emerges By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandergroup.com
2014 was the year when three contentious battles over housing came to a close, but also the year a fourth – a heated battle of a luxury senior housing development at the former Oak Tree Dairy property in Elwood – came to a head and ended up in court. The year began with a long-awaited resolution to a nearly 13-year legal battle over affordable housing tied to The Greens at Half Hollow. On Feb. 20, the Huntington Town Board and the Huntington branch of the NAACP signed off on a settlement to develop a 117-home, limited-equity co-op community on eight acres of Ruland Road’s north side, a community which would become known as the Highland Green Residences. The town agreed to clear the way for 72 one-bedroom, 39 twobedroom and six three-bedroom limited equity co-op units. Rental buildings for AvalonBay Communities’ Huntington Station development of 379 homes, which was built following a heated debate and an unsuccessful Article 78 lawsuit filed by a local civic association, is just about finished as the new year begins. After raffling off the right to rent affordable units this spring, the developer celebrated a grand-opening for the rental homes in September and tapped Beechwood Organization to build 76 townhouses which will be sold. Meanwhile, Melville, The Club at
The Club at Melville, a 261-home affordable, 55-and-over senior community (rendering pictured) broke ground and raffled off opportunities to buy homes at the 25 Deshon Drive parcel in 2014. Pictured are some of the lottery winners. Melville, a 261-home affordable, 55-and-over senior community, broke ground and raffled off opportunities to buy homes at the 25 Deshon Drive parcel in Melville. A BAPS mandir is also under construction on 5 acres of the 18-acre parcel; The Club is being built on the balance of the land. The project is an outgrowth of a complex – and
at-times controversial – land-swap proposal which, by transferring development rights 25 Deshon Drive, allowed for the creation of Sweet Hollow Park on Old Country Road as well as the mandir and the senior community. While three controversial projects reached the promised land in 2014, the town’s decision in August to ap-
prove a fourth – Engel Burman Group’s Seasons at Elwood, a 256unit age-restricted senior community for the 37-acre Oak Tree Dairy property on Elwood Road – was challenged in court when members of Preserving Elwood Now (PEN) filed an Article 78 lawsuit hoping to upend the zone change. The suit remains pending.
A18 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015
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‘Housing Our Homeless Heroes’ act signed (Continued from page A1)
lation, the act aims to end veterans’ homelessness in Suffolk County. It was announced on Aug. 4, 2014 with support from several politicians, including Town of Huntington Supervisor Frank Petrone. “This act once again reaffirms our very strong commitment to the veterans of Suffolk County,” Stern, chairman for the county’s Veterans & Seniors Committee, said. “From recognizing a need, to pursuing it, this shows the veterans – many of whom struggle in Suffolk County – that we’ll do all that we can to ensure they have a place that they can call home.” With the act now official, it will aim to do just that through its four parts. The first establishes a web portal on the county’s website to help former members of the U.S. Armed Forces access vital services in government and the nonprofit sector. The final three pieces work in
their separate ways to: maximize access to available housing for veterans, end housing discrimination against veterans and their families, and appoint a veterans service officer to the Suffolk County Department of Social Services. “This is an innovative, timely combination of several different aspects that I strongly believe will serve as a
meaningful model for New York State and the rest of the nation,” Stern said. With 700 veterans across Long Island alone facing homelessness, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Stern hopes to see other initiatives formed “to ensure all of our veterans and their families have a place to call home.”
But while the act was signed into law days before Christmas, and Stern hoped it’d serve as that perfect present for veterans, he stressed that this isn’t a once-and-done movement. “This is an important message [ending veterans’ homelessness] to send not just during the holiday time,” he said “but throughout the entire year.”
Teen’s murder galvanizes community (Continued from page A13)
test results and DNA collection method analyzed. “The defense is he wasn’t there, he doesn’t know her, he has no motive whatsoever,” LoTurco said. “Adam lives in that area… so there could be incidental DNA mixed in with the victim, or, I don’t know if their DNA results are accurate.” Saalfield lives on Leyden Street, several houses away from the Rosales’
residence. The killing prompted many residents to voice concerns about violence in the Station. Huntington resident Greg Wagner wrote in a letter to the editor of this newspaper that he has “stood in front of the town board and urged them to make our town safer.” “Is this just ‘Station violence’ that we have grown immune to?” he asks. “What if this happened in Huntington
Bay? Do you think we would get the same feeble response we get now?” In the months since Rosales' death, police presence in Huntington Station has increased. The Town of Huntington announced last week that Councilwoman Susan Berland's push for improved lighting on Depot Road would mean an immediate start to a project that will replace 40 Watt bulbs in the street's lighting fixtures with bulbs of 80 Watts.
Huntington artist explores questions of justice (Continued from page A9)
classes at the International Center of Photography in Manhattan. He would later win a green card and the clearance to stay permanently. “This is where I built a life and relationships and where I feel comfortable, so this is my new home,” he said. “I left because I found Switzerland too boring, but... with time, you start to appreciate your roots.” When he returns to Switzerland for visits now, he said, he has a greater appreciation for the place in which he grew up, which he has realized is not so bad. “Sometimes we have to leave to realize that,” he said. Rentsch lived in New York City from 1989 until 2003, when he and his family moved to Huntington. They knew of the Heckscher, he noted. “One reason why we moved here
was also we liked the cultural aspect of Huntington,” he said. “We wanted still culture and being exposed to culture and a progressive town.” Rentsch's recent works look more like drawings than photographs, he acknowledged, which is a result of his practice of “experimental photography” – a term used to describe the “Modern Alchemy” exhibition and the general practice of creating images through the photographic process combined with other processes. “When you look at the show, you know, a lot of work looks very painterly, looks like drawings,” he said. “There's definitely a whole alternative way of how we can use the medium.” The mixing of mediums in art is not quite uncommon today, Rentsch said. “I think also sort of the barriers [and] disconnect between different
mediums has sort of evaporated in contemporary art,” he said. “A lot of artists now sort of take from other mediums and they incorporate them.” Jia Yao, a former student of Rentsch’s at Stony Brook, called Rentsch his “professor, mentor and friend.” “The thing I like about him is his passion for his art,” Yao said of Rentsch, who also does commercial photography work. “After all those years of learning and doing wedding photography, he still loves it. I have seen how stressful wedding photography and other artists struggle, but Andreas still has the creativity to create new projects, even be a professor to influence others.” One of the pieces Rentsch has at the Heckscher right now “possesses a very close aesthetic to maybe paint-
ing and drawing,” depicting two outlined figures with no faces. The second piece is a video – 2,600 still images that are used in continuation to create a film. "Photography has a very, very rich tradition of, you know, exploration of the medium, of trying to find alternative ways of expressing ourselves and using the different techniques," he said. Rentsch has been taking photographs since childhood. He was “always drawing,” he said, and processed his first roll of black-and-white film when he was around 12 years old. “To me, it’s just magic... just how we can capture light,” he said. “From day one when I used my first camera and to this day this is just [still] total magic to me, that we can just capture light and make it visible and the fascination has never left me.”
Gym sparks a fire for fitness in its clients (Continued from page A10)
“[It] lets you kind of lose yourself in the workout and the music… plus, everybody looks really good in those colored lights, too,” she said. “We’ve really tried to create an environment where you’re able to obtain great results and in an environment that’s safe and makes you feel good about the process.” In a general sense, the process often intimidates beginners, Andersen said
– those who are not experienced weight lifters are often self-conscious when working out in a gym with longtime lifters. “They think everyone is looking at them,” she said. “The reality is, unless you’re doing something dangerous, no one is looking at you. But most people think they are, especially in the beginning.” Under the colored LED lights, Andersen said, that concern more easily
dissipates. Pricing at Sparkk Fitness is not a concern for first-time visitors. The first class is free. After the first class, single sessions cost $20 and packages for classes in quantities like four and eight are available for $59 and $99, respectively. Unlimited classes cost $129 a month, and the arrangement allows people to attend class every day or even twice a day. So far, Andersen has seen her clients
realizing results, she said. One member, who had prior workout experience, lost 10 pounds in her first month. Others have noticed that they have visibly lost inches, she said.
Sparkk Fitness 631-683-4946 135 W Jericho Tpk, Huntington Station www.sparkkfitness.com
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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A19
Spreading Sunshine Photo by Steve Silverman
Victoria Plumitallo, center, with her parents Mike and Hope and volunteers at the Sunshine Toy Drive at the Dix Hills Fire Department. The eighth annual Sunshine Toy Drive was a huge success this year, due to the many generous contributions and dedicated work by volunteers. The toy drive for the needy was the idea of 16-year-old Victoria Plumitallo of Dix Hills, who began the drive eight years ago with the assistance of her parents, Mike and Hope Plumitallo. Derived from her nickname “Sunshine,” Victoria’s idea to help the less fortunate grew into Sunshine Toy Drive, hosted by the Dix Hills Fire Department. The firehouse was
turned into a toy store, where children and their families were assigned a personal shopper to help them select gifts which were wrapped by volunteers. Well over 1,000 children were assisted by the drive this season. Organizers thanked the Dix Hills, Melville, Greenlawn, and Huntington Manor fire departments, Park Shore Day Camp, Duffy and Duffy Law firm, Bob Elliott, Crown Advertising, Half Hollow Hills School District and Spuntino's Restaurant for their support and generosity.
Gift Certificates Available
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A20 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015
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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A21
OPEN HOUSES
Want to get your open houses listed? Get your listings for free on this page every week in Long Islander News papers. Call Associate Publisher Peter Sloggatt at 631-427-7000 or send an e-mail to psloggatt@longislandergroup.com. Town Huntington Dix Hills Dix Hills Dix Hills Melville Dix Hills
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Broker Coldwell Banker Residential Gem Star Properties Inc Douglas Elliman Real Estate Coldwell Banker Residential Douglas Elliman Real Estate Coldwell Banker Residential
Phone 631-673-6800 631-662-9571 516-354-6500 631-673-4444 631-549-4400 631-673-4444
Historic season for St. Anthony’s soccer teams (Continued from page A26)
of his career – he retired after the season – and one that made him the third-most winningest coach in New York State girls soccer history. Sophomores Sabrina Cristodero and Lexi Aschettino; juniors Miranda Ozimek, Francesca Venezia and Kayla Arestivo; and senior Nicola Venezia were the goal scorers for St. Anthony’s in the championship game. Goalkeeper Kelly DiGregorio, a senior, was only tasked with making one save in securing the win. “This season was just a pleasure to watch,” Buckley said. “I just think it’s incredible how both teams and players got along so well together – they truly were a team.” Buckley also commended both Buonaiuto and Prutting for their work in guiding their teams as coaches who “both believe soccer is a player’s sport” and demonstrated that by never being over-
The 2014 St. Anthony’s High School boys varsity soccer team ly outspoken during a game, but instead taking the time to correct their players on the sidelines and during practice.
“I’m looking forward to next season and seeing the kids once again giving 100 percent of their effort [for St. Anthony’s],” Buckley said.
Pablo Francisco brings comedic ‘formula’ to stage (Continued from page A1)
Tucson, Ariz. said. “It’s just comedy that you don’t take seriously, but that sometimes you need to think deeply about.” Best known for his vocal impressions of celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gary Busey, the 40-year-old has been making audiences laugh since 1994. He will bring his formula to The Paramount’s stage on Jan. 10. “I’ve been to Long Island a few times and I’m just really looking forward to it,” Francisco said. “I love the vibe of everybody in New York; it all mixes in together so perfectly.” While Francisco has now delivered his show all across the United
States, in the early 1990s he actually delivered something a bit different before his career in comedy took off. “I was delivering a pizza to this comedy club and I just really dug the vibe in there as soon as I walked in,” he said. “They brought me on stage, I performed and it was great. Then, after I got fired from Dominos, the club gave me a call.” From there Francisco worked his way up the comedy ranks. After a stint with “Mad TV” – a former sketch comedy television show – Francisco earned his biggest break in 2000 when his standup act was broadcasted as an episode of “Comedy Central Presents,” the network’s
long-running series that sports a different comedian in each of its halfhour long episodes. With influences like fellow comedians Joe Rogan, Carlos Mencia and the late Richard Pryor inspiring his act, Francisco’s act took off. Now, he cites his comedy as “observational” and something that’s not afraid to “make fun of everybody” while keeping it all “in good taste.” “[I’m] trying to take the bricks off everybody’s shoulders,” he said. More than 20 years since he first got that start, Francisco said performing still hasn’t gotten old for him. “I get excited every time I’m up on stage… but it’s not nervousness, it’s
eagerness,” he said. “I’m making a living at this and I want to let people know that your hobby can become your career.” Along with Francisco, Steve Kramer will also make his way to The Paramount for the Jan. 10 show. Similar to Francisco in that he’s best known for his ability to parody celebrities, Kramer has been performing since 1998 and will open for Francisco. “I’m excited about bringing him in,” Francisco said. Tickets are available from $30$55 and can be purchased from www.paramountny.com or from the box office at 370 New York Ave. in Huntington.
A22 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015
THURSDAY Senior Advocates
Suffolk County Office for the Aging Senior Advocates meet with interested and needy seniors ages 60 and over this winter at the following locations in the Town of Huntington: Huntington Library, 338 Main St, Huntington: Mondays, Jan. 12 and March 9, 10 a.m.-noon; Huntington Senior Nutrition Center, 423 Park Ave., Huntington: Wednesdays, Jan. 28, Feb. 25 and March 25, 8:3011:30 a.m.; Paumanack Village I & II, 650 Paumanack Village Drive, Greenlawn: Tuesdays, Jan. 27, 10 a.m.12:30 p.m. and Feb. 24 and March 24, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Paumanack Village V & VI, 100 Adriatic Drive, Melville: Thursdays, Jan. 22, Feb. 26 and March 26, 8:30-11:30 a.m.; and South Huntington Library, 145 Pidgeon Hill Road, Huntington Station: Thursday, Feb. 19, 10-11:30 a.m. Advocates assist with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP – formerly known as food stamps), Medicare Savings Program and Heating Emergency Assistance Program (HEAP) applications. 631-853-8200.
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Calendar O M M U N I T Y
Power Breakfast
Join business professionals at BNI Executive Referral Exchange’s breakfast networking meeting every Wednesday, 7-8:30 a.m. at the Dix Hills Diner, 1800 Jericho Turnpike, Dix Hills. 631-4627446.
AT THE LIBRARIES Cold Spring Harbor Library
95 Harbor Road, Cold Spring Harbor. 631-692-6820. cshlibrary.org. • Tonito Valderram’s exhibit “Flight of Higher Learning” features two birds in flight, soaring in the upstairs stairwell of the library. Made from recycled bamboo blinds and rice paper, Valderrama’s work expresses the complex relationships between humankind and nature. On display through Jan. 15, 2015. • Beginner/Intermediate Knitting meets Wednesdays, Jan. 7-Feb. 11, with sessions from 10-11:30 a.m. and 7-8:30 p.m. Learn to knit, improve your technique, or get help with a current project. In-person registration must be accompanied by a $120 check.
Commack Public Library
FRIDAY Dance For A Cure
A gala dance at the Crest Hollow Country Club on Jan. 16, 8 p.m. will raise funds for The Christina Renna Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting childhood cancer research and furthering awareness and education. The night includes music by Bay Big Band, dancing, open bar, raffles and a silent auction. $75. For more information and journal sponsorships, call Phil Renna at 631-225-2074 or email crf4acure@verizon.net. www.crf4acure.org.
SATURDAY Live Music
Live local bands take over Finley's of Greene Street, 43 Greene St., Huntington, every Saturday night at 11 p.m. Join in the fun and food!
Folk Music Society Showcases Members
The Folk Music Society of Huntington will showcase some of its musically inclined members in a special concert set for Saturday, Jan. 3 at the Congregational Church of Huntington, 30 Washington Drive (off Route 25A), Centerport. Performers include: Acoustic Apple (Gary Schoenberger and Stephen Angliss), Shawn Cullinane, Lois Morton, Rocket and the Launchers (Ken Korb, Lora Kendall and Suzanne Ernst), Alan Short, Roger Silverberg, Nick Vermitsky and Wild Ginger (Candace Baranello, Caren Jacobs and Maureen Keelty). Unlike most of the organization’s concerts, this one, which is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m., will not be preceded by an open mic.
SUNDAY Find Your Center
Find inner peace in an ongoing weekly
Ridotto Concert Ring in the New Year on Sunday, Jan. 4, 4 p.m. with a New Year’s concert hosted by Ridotto. Two stars of the international stage, pianist Michael Brown and violinist Elena Urioste, a BBC New Generation artist, and soloist with the Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic, perform an eclectic program that includes the Sonata for violin and piano by Elgar and “Porgy and Bess” (arr. Heifetz) by Gershwin. The show is at the Huntington Jewish Center, 510 Park Ave., Huntington. $10 (students), $18 (members), $20 (seniors), $25 (adults). Reservations recommended: 631-385-0373 or Ridotto@optonline.net. class for beginners and newcomers every Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Dipamkara Meditation Center, 282 New York Ave., Huntington. 631-549-1000. www.MeditationOnLongisland.org.
MONDAY
Monday from 7-9 p.m. at the Syosset Hospital starting Jan. 5. Contact Susan Palmer at 917-838-7436 to register.
TUESDAY Free Mommy And Me Class
Experience the easy-to-do, flowing movement practice of Tai Chi Chih, which offers surprising health benefits, at ThePlaceOfBeing, Cold Spring Harbor, Monday, Jan. 5, 10-11 am. Free and open to all. Registration needed: 631745-2546.
Sing! Stretch! Dance! Play! Enjoy a funfilled class that includes parachute play and bubble play and meet other Jewish moms at The Chai Center in Dix Hills. The free class takes place Tuesdays at 10 a.m. For children ages 6-36 months. Pre-registration required by phone or online: 631-351-8672. www.thechaicenter.com.
Argentine Tango Classes
Free Help For Vets
Tai Chi Chih Demonstration
Experience the subtle communication between partners as you learn the passionate dance known as the tango. Come dressed to impress (but be comfortable) for classes at a new time on Saturdays, 2-4 p.m. at Spirit of Huntington Art Center, 2 Melville Road North, Huntington Station. 631-470-9620 or email noconintended@gmail.com. Suggested donation: $15 per person/$25 per couple.
Coping With Mental Illness
The Melville-based National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, NAMI, hosts a free, 12week program for family members who are coping with loved ones with severe mental illness. The class is held every
Every Tuesday from 12-4 p.m. is “Military Appreciation Tuesdays,” when Long Island Cares specifically assists veterans, military personnel and their families at the Huntington Station, Hauppauge and Freeport emergency pantries. Appointments can be made by contacting jrosati@licares.org.
MONDAY Open Mic Night
Play your heart out at an acoustic open mic night every Wednesday at Caffe Portofino, 249 Main St., Northport, 7-10 p.m. www.facebook.com/cafportopenmic. Original songs only.
18 Hauppauge Road, Commack. 631499-0888. commack.suffolk.lib.ny.us. • Enjoy a friendly game of bridge or mah-jongg in the Community Room every Friday, from 1-5:30 p.m.
Deer Park Public Library
44 Lake Ave., Deer Park. 631-586-3000. deerparklibrary.org. • Through a grant from New York State, the library offers Google Nexus 7 tablets for borrowing. Browse the web, download a book, play games and more with just a touch of your finger. Tablets can be checked out for two weeks on an adult Deer Park library card. • Until Jan. 2, the library has borrowed a Makerbot 3D printer from the library system. Explore the possibilities!
Elwood Public Library
3027 Jericho Turnpike, Elwood. 631499-3722. www.elwoodlibrary.org. • Watch the library’s weekly Friday afternoon movie at 1 p.m.
Half Hollow Hills Community Library
Dix Hills: 55 Vanderbilt Parkway. 631421-4530; Melville: 510 Sweet Hollow Road. 631-421-4535. hhhlibrary.org. • 3D printing is here! Watch the MakerBot in action for 50 cents of printing for each 30 minutes. For more information, call the Adult Reference Desk.
Harborfields Public Library
31 Broadway, Greenlawn. 631-757-4200. harborfieldslibrary.org. • Come to the Children's Room through Jan. 3 and become a holiday detective. Find all of the hidden holiday symbols and receive a special prize!
Huntington Public Library
Main Branch: 338 Main St., Huntington. 631-427-5165. Station Branch: 1335 New York Ave., Huntington Station. 631421-5053. www.thehuntingtonlibrary.org.
(Continued on page A23)
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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A23 Sundays at 2 p.m.
• Op-Ed Fridays are weekly at the main branch. Stop by from 2-5 p.m. and discuss your thoughts on a changing world. Registration is required and light refreshments will be served. • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Certified Clinical Meditation teacher Liza Johnson's Wisdom of the Dream, a four-session workshop, begins Saturday, Jan. 10 at 10:30 a.m. and continues on Jan. 24, Feb. 7 and Feb. 21. $20. All are welcome.
(Continued from page A22)
Argentine Tango Classes The Dix Hills Performing Arts Center will present “The Wonderful Irish Music and Wit of Ed Ryan,” Sunday, Oct. 5th at 2 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $30. The Long Island singer/songwriter and multiinstrumentalist has been described as "an unusual blend of unbridled cynic and hopeless romantic," and is a man whose powerful voice and sharp wit have made him a popular favorite in and out of the music scene.
Northport-East Northport Public Library
Northport: 151 Laurel Ave. 631-2616930. East Northport: 185 Larkfield Road. 631-261-2313. www.nenpl.org. • Learn how to use the Apple App Store to find the apps that are most useful for your lifestyle and find out how to search for free apps. Bring your iPad or iPhone or just come and listen Wednesday, Jan. 7, 7-9 p.m.
South Huntington Public Library
145 Pidgeon Hill Road, Huntington Station. 631-549-4411. www.shpl.info. • If you will be seeking a state driver's permit, practice for the written test with a free, online resource offered through the South Huntington Public Library. Budding drivers can take any of 11 practice tests for a driver's permit.
THEATER & FILM Cinema Arts Centre
423 Park Ave., Huntington. www.cinemaartscentre.org. 631-423-7611. • The “Stop Motion Claymation Workshop for Kids” will be held Saturdays, Jan. 10, 17, 24 and 31, 9 a.m.-noon. Taught by animator Timothy Peterson.
John W. Engeman Theater At Northport
350 Main St., Northport. www.johnwengemantheater.com. 631-261-2900. • The iconic holiday classic “A Christmas Story – The Musical” plays through Jan. 4. • Join Frosty and his friend Jenny, as they try to save Chillsville from the evil Ethel Pierpot's plan to melt all the snow – including Frosty! “Frosty” plays Saturdays at 11 a.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m., through Jan. 4. Tickets are $15.
AUDITIONS/SUBMISSIONS Northport Symphony Orchestra
The Northport Symphony Orchestra seeks new members in all sections. Repertoire ranges from Baroque through classical and romantic to early 20th century. Music Director Richard Hyman is an award-winning music educator and composer. Rehearsals are on Wednesdays from 7:30-9 p.m. usually at East Northport Middle School. Email info@northportorchestra.org to arrange an audition. Website: northportorchestra.org.
MUSEUMS/EXHIBITS Art League of Long Island
Walt Whitman Birthplace
246 Old Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station. Hours: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. Admission: $6 adults, $5 seniors, $4 students, and children under 5 are free. 631-427-5240. www.waltwhitman.org. • Schedule at a time convenient for your group for high tea and transport yourself back in time as your group experiences High Tea in a private gathering house at the Birthplace. $25/person. 631-427-5240, ext. 120. teaparty@waltwhitman.org.
MUSIC & DANCE 107 East Deer Park Road, Dix Hills. Gallery hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. weekends. 631-462-5400. www.ArtLeagueLI.net. • Paintings, drawings, collage, photography, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, and fiber arts, all handcrafted by student and professional artists will be shown in two parts to accommodate the display of more than 200 works of art. Part Two is on display through Jan. 4.
Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery
1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor. Open seven days a week, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sundays until 6 p.m.: $6 adults; $4 children 3-12 and seniors over 65; members and children under 3 are free. 516-692-6768. www.cshfha.org. • Build a bird feeder on Friday, Jan. 2, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum
279 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor. 631-367-3418. www.cshwhalingmuseum.org. • The year-long exhibit “Sea Ink: American Sailors and Tattoo Art” explores the culture and significance of nautical tattoos and their historical origins from sailors’ lives at sea. The exhibit features an array of tattoo artifacts, antique machines, early inking tools and Sailor Jerry flash art.
Heckscher Museum Of Art
2 Prime Ave., Huntington. Museum hours: Wednesday - Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., first Fridays from 4-8:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission $6-8/adults, $46/seniors, and $4-5/children; members and children under 10 free. 631-3513250. • The museum presents “Modern Alchemy: Experiments in Photography,” on view through March 15.
Holocaust Memorial And Tolerance Center
Welwyn Preserve. 100 Crescent Beach Road, Glen Cove. Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sat.-Sun.: noon-4 p.m. 516-571-8040 ext. 100. www.holocaustnassau.org. • The permanent exhibit explains the 1930s increase of intolerance, the reduction of human rights, and the lack of intervention that enabled the persecution and mass murder of millions of Jews and others: people with disabili-
ties, Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), Jehovah’s Witnesses, gays and Polish intelligentsia.
Huntington Arts Council
Main Street Petite Gallery: 213 Main St., Huntington. Gallery hours: Monday Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Art in the Art-trium: 25 Melville Park Road, Melville. Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-7 p.m. 631-271-8423. www.huntingtonarts.org. • The annual juried still life show “Inanimate” shows through Jan. 5.
Huntington Historical Society
Main office/library: 209 Main St., Huntington. Museums: Conklin Barn, 2 High St.; Kissam House/Museum Shop, 434 Park Ave.; Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Building, 228 Main St. 631427-7045, ext. 401. www.huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org. • Exhibit “The Times They Were AChanging – 1960s & Huntington’s Response” on display at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Building.
Northport Historical Society Museum
215 Main St., Northport. Museum hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 1-4:30 p.m. 631-7579859. www.northporthistorical.org. • “Window Shopping Through Time” is a recreation of 10 stores that were located on Main Street and Woodbine Avenue spanning about 100 years, from the 1880s’ Morris City Grocery with their fresh produce and dry goods to the 1980s 5&10 with their ribbon and toys.
Ripe Art Gallery
1028 Park Ave., Huntington. TuesdayThursday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday, 2-8 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. www.ripeartgal.com. 631-239-1805. • The gallery hosts a juried photography competition titled “What Is A Portrait,” curated by Ruben Natal-San Miguel. Showing through Jan. 17.
Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium
180 Little Neck Road, Centerport. Museum hours through April 15: Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, 12-4 p.m. Grounds admission: $7 adults, $6 students with ID and seniors 62 and older, and $3 children 12 and under. Mansion tour, add $5 per person. 631854-5555. www.vanderbiltmuseum.org. • The planetarium’s new show, “Black Holes: Journey into the Unknown,” has regular showings on Tuesdays and
The Paramount
370 New York Ave., Huntington. 631673-7300. www.paramountny.com. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. • The Paramount Comedy Series presents Frank Caliendo Saturday, Jan. 3. Tickets: $29.50-$62.50. • Yacht Rock Revue hits the stage Friday, Jan. 9. Tickets: $15-$40.
Ridotto Concerts
• Ring in the New Year on Sunday, Jan. 4, 4 p.m. with a New Year’s concert hosted by Ridotto. Two stars of the international stage, pianist Michael Brown and violinist Elena Urioste, perform an eclectic program that includes the Sonata for violin and piano by Elgar and “Porgy and Bess” (arr.Heifetz) by Gershwin. The show is at the Huntington Jewish Center, 510 Park Ave., Huntington. $10 (students), $18 (members), $20 (seniors), $25 (adults). Reservations recommended: 631-385-0373 or Ridotto@optonline.net.
VOLUNTEERING Cosmetologists Wanted
Hospice Care Network is seeking New York State-licensed cosmetologists to provide 2-4 haircuts per month for community members facing life-limiting illnesses. Download an application at www.hospicecarenetwork.org or call 516224-6423.
Be A Museum Docent
The Huntington Historical Society is currently seeking volunteers to train to become Museum Docents at the historic David Conklin Farmhouse Museum. The museum is located at 2 High St. in Huntington village and is a fascinating interpretation of the Colonial, Federal and Victorian time periods. No experience required – an interest in local history is a plus. Training is provided. Call 631-427-7045 ext 403.
Send us your listings Submissions must be in by 5 p.m. 10 days prior to publication date. Send to Community Calendar at 14 Wall Street, Huntington, NY 11743, or e-mail to info@longislandergroup.com
A24 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015
William Kelly
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2014Year In Review Year In Memoriam
With a cigar in hand and a glimmer in his eye, former Asharoken Mayor William H. Kelly was a steadfast decision maker for 26 years in the small village on the water. Kelly, who died April 6, 2014, was 73. The man who earned Asharoken Village the nickname of being “small but powerful,” Kelly was elected as mayor in 1982; Kelly was the longest-serving mayor in the village’s history. Born in Kingston, N.Y., Kelly went to college at Villanova University and graduate school at Georgetown University where he received his master’s degree in economics. In 1976, Kelly founded a private business where he served as CEO and president. A lifelong Kiwanian, Kelly began his involvement in the educational service club in his hometown of Kingston, and was a member of the Northport-East Northport Kiwanis Club and adviser to the South Huntington School District Key Club.
Former boxer from Huntington, Charlie Gumbs
ty – known for both her smile and her ever-present camera – Kristall was best known as Half Hollow Hills’ most prolific shutterbug, capturing events ranging from special classroom events and letter of intent signings to sports games and graduations. Half Hollow Hills Board of Education Vice President Frank Grimaldi, a close friend of Kristall, said she was “everywhere” and her presence, camera in tow, became a part of the Hills community’s fiber. Kristall graduated from Newhouse at Syracuse University after studying advertising, English and photography. She went on to lead the marketing team of the retail chain Saks Fifth Avenue. After 12 years on the job, Kristall and her husband, Richard, learned she was pregnant with twins, and she resigned after their birth to be a full-time mom. Once her kids started school, she was back in advertising, working part time for Lord & Taylor and later becoming the school district photographer.
Annuziato. Wherever he went, Sforza Sr., also referred to by many as the “mayor of Huntington Station,” ensured his shoe repair shop was a hub for the community – a place for debating politics over coffee and bagels in the morning; a place for cops to warm up in the winter and get a shoeshine. He was also renowned for his generous spirit; during World War II, the shop, filled with photos of Huntington’s fighting men, became a virtual shrine to the men overseas and a place to get updates about their efforts.
High School and went on to become an undefeated middle- and lightRosalind Joel heavyweight boxer in the United Rosalind Nyman Joel, longtime States Armed Forces and a two-time Huntington Bay resident and mother Golden Glove champion. to singer Billy Joel, died July 13, While he boxed, he always held 2014. She was 92. down a full-time job. In addition to From a young age, Joel said his selling cars, he transported blood for mother was a champion of his musical the Greater New York Blood Bank education, joking that she made him and worked in construction as take lessons after she got sick of heara tin knocker. In Huntington, ing him bang away at the piano as a he volunteered as an usher for little boy, playing what he later called St. Patrick’s Church during 5 “the thunder song.” p.m. Mass and enjoyed hangAlfred Sforza, Sr. Born in Brooklyn on Feb. 15, 1922, ing out in his lounge, listening Alfred Sforza, Sr., whose career Rosalind Joel met her husband, to jazz music. Howard, in 1942 during a stuAsked in 2011 why he quit spanning nearly 80 years in Judy Martin dent musical production at the The year 2014 saw the Emmy award-win- fighting in the 1960s, he the shoe repair business earned him the nickname City College of New York. He grinned and quipped, “I’m too death of Emmy award- ning journalist “Freddie the Shoemaker” was a German immigrant pretty.” winning journalist Judy Judy Martin and established him as a whose family had escaped Nazi Martin, who was found larger-than-life link to Germany in 1939. World War II dead in her Huntington home in FebDomenico DeVito Huntington Station’s brightinterrupted their courtship, but ruary. She was 49. Domenico DeVito, a popular after Howard’s service in the According to a report published on Melville barber, died tragically in a est years, died Jan. 26, 2014 after a brief battle with pan- Alfred Sforza Sr., U.S. Army, they married in News 12 Long Island’s website, she house fire Jan. 4, 2014. He was 91. had been appearing on News 12 since An Italian immigrant, he was a bar- creatic cancer. He was 99. “Freddie the Shoe- 1946. Their son, Billy, was Sforza Sr. was born July maker” born in May 1949; later, they 1988, having also done work for ber for many years before he took his adopted Judy, daughter of RosNPR, CNBC and Forbes. A classical- talents to Five Barbers, owner Sergio 13, 1914 in Brooklyn. His ly-trained singer, she also worked Pinkhasov said, and described Devi- first introduction to Huntington Sta- alind’s late sister Muriel. “My mother was the one who paid with the Huntington Arts Council. to as a very nice man with a large fol- tion was through frequent summertime visits to his sister’s home. But for the piano lessons. My dad didn’t Martin also wrote a blog about work- lowing at Five Barbers. when his brother-in-law Mike Aurricreally push me because he wasn’t life balance. DeVito was killed on the first floor chio died suddenly in February 1934, around,” Billy Joel told Alec Baldwin of his New York Avenue home on Jan. 4 when it was engulfed in flames however, his sister asked him to come during a 2010 interview. “I would Charlie Gumbs Charlie Gumbs, a Huntington fix- – by a cause that, at the time, was still to Huntington Station to run his shoe- have been quite happy not to take pirepair business. ano lessons at all. [But] every week, ture who shined in the spotlight of the undetermined. A month later, Freddie’s even after they’d split up, my mother Devito, a great-grandfamiddleweight boxing scene in the Shoe Repair was born at was the one who pushed me to take 1950s and 1960s, died Jan. 4, 2014. ther, was living alone, taking 1157 New York Ave. Later, the piano lessons.” care of himself and still drivHe was 84. when the building was sold, The end result turned out to be one A Huntington Station resident, ing his car to work, he moved a few doors down of the most enduring libraries of popGumbs left his imprint throughout Pinkhasov said. to 1169 New York Ave., ular music. town thanks to his boxing career and where he remained through Rosalind Joel was a fixture in the contributions to the Huntington Felice Kristall 1966. Then, urban renewal Huntington community. Knights of Columbus. Longtime Half Hollow resulted in the leveling Huntington Arts Council Executive Gumbs, a Huntington native, na- Hills School District photogtive grew up on Woodhull Road with rapher, Felice Kristall, died Felice Kristall, long- much of Huntington Sta- Director Diana Cherryholmes recalled tion, and he relocated his that Rosalind Joel enjoyed the Long his parents, two brothers and one sis- April 19, 2014. She was 59. time Half Hollow shop to 308 New York Ave. Island Philharmonic, the Huntington ter in the home his father built in A beloved fixture in the Hills School District in Huntington village, Community Band, thrift shopping and 1927. He graduated from Huntington Half Hollow Hills communi- photographer where he shared space with garage sales.
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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A25
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A26 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015
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2014Year In Review St. Anthony’s Soccer Program Has Historic Season By Andrew Wroblewski awroblewski@longislandergroup.com
When it comes to 2014 accomplishments on the soccer pitch, St. Anthony’s High School is the bee’s knees. Both the boys and girls teams were crowned New York State champions. Both teams were state champions in the same season for just the second time in school history. For the boys, the Friars repeated as state champs. Boys Head Coach Gene Buonaiuto earned his 400th career win. And the girls’ head coach, Dave Prutting, won his 21st state title and retired with a record of 437-46-19 over a 27-year career. “Tremendous… without a doubt one of the best years the school has ever had [for soccer],” Donal Buckley, St. Anthony’s athletic director, said. “We’ve had individual teams do well before, but for both teams to be ranked nationally and recognized, it was just a pleasure to watch this season.” For Buonaiuto, the 2014 team will most be remembered for its ability to truly play as a team. “So many kids contributed,” he said, “It was really a team effort.” The boys team (12-3-1) finished its season with a 4-2 win over Fordham Prep on Nov. 8 at Adelphi University in Garden City. Not only did the win
The 2014 St. Anthony’s High School girls varsity soccer team give St. Anthony’s its second-straight Catholic High School Athletic Association state championship, but it gave Buonaiuto his 400th career win as a Friar. Junior Zuberi Symister supplied the game-winning goal for the Friars in the championship game. Senior captains TJ Butzke, Beau Hornberger and Jake Giuffrida were a few of the biggest contribu-
tors, the 19-year-head coach said. As for the girls, the Friars (18-0-1) ended their season with a win over Christ the King at Owl Hollow Fields on State Island on Nov. 10 – a 6-0 win that sealed a state championship of their own. Not to be outdone by Buonaiuto, Prutting went out with a bang as the championship win was the final (Continued on page A21)
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THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015 • A27
HillSPORTS BOYS BASKETBALL
By Andrew Wroblewski awroblewski@longislandergroup.com
Head coach of the Half Hollow Hills High School West boys basketball team, Bill Mitaritonna has already said that he’s planning for the Colts to be playing well into March of the New Year, perhaps for a state championship. However, before that, the boys had to get through December – and they did it with near perfection. “All of the things we had hoped would work out right are going right… especially chemistry,” Mitaritonna, who helped the Colts to a 4-0 record in December as of press time Friday, said. “The kids have great chemistry on offense and defense; they’re really unselfish players. We haven’t shot well at times but our defense has been great and that’s what’s gotten us off to a 4-0 start.” To start the year, the Colts faced
three of last year’s top four seeds in the Suffolk County Class AA playoff bracket: No. 2 Deer Park (2-1), No. 3 Half Hollow Hills East (2-3) and No. 4 North Babylon (1-3). A test for the 2015 playoffs, Mitaritonna said, the Colts passed with flying colors as they won each of the three contests by 6 or more points. “I’m glad we’re playing such good teams… We’re trying to play the best teams possible,” the 15-year head coach said. Mitaritonna contributed the successful start to the 2014-2015 season to Colts like Richard Altenord, who is averaging 11.5 points per game and is “one of our most consistent scorers,” the coach said. Along with Altenord, guards Devin Williams, Josh Koval and Curtis Weingard have handled distribution as they’re managing their assist-toturnover rations masterfully to allow their teammates opportunities to succeed.
“As far as being successful in the playoffs, it’s all about getting a high seed, and you do that by winning the league. You win the league by getting through teams like North Babylon and Copiague [3-0],” Mitaritonna said. The Colts have already proven they can beat the Bulldogs of North Babylon, a fellow competitor in League III, and look toward Tuesday when they’ll get their first crack at Copiague when they make the trip for a 4 p.m. tip off. In the meantime, the Colts were enjoying their break from league play on Friday by working on some fundamentals before a tournament on Saturday that took them to Baldwin Senior High School where they faced Holy Trinity High School – one of last season’s Catholic High School Athletic Association finalists. “We’re trying to get our game to a higher level,” Mitaritonna said.
Long Islander News photos/Andrew Wroblewski
Colts Storm To Perfect Start Of Hoops Season
Curtis Weingard, a senior guard for Hills West, tries his luck at a 3-pointer during a December scrimmage against Cold Spring Harbor.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
With Offense Developing, Thunderbirds Stressing Defense By Andrew Wroblewski awroblewski@longislandergroup.com
To say that the Half Hollow High School East girls basketball team is still developing would be fair. Head Coach Adam Cirnigliaro is in his first year as a head coach – he was formerly an assistant coach for the Northport boys basketball team – and the Thunderbirds as a whole roster just six seniors. The rest of the bunch, including eighth-grader Sophia Tawil, are young and learning a new offense, Cirnigliaro said. “Our seniors and juniors have had to adapt to new roles early on than what they were accustomed to last season,” he said. But what’s scary, despite that development still being a work in progress, is how good the Thunderbirds already are. Behind stellar play from senior Kristen McKenzie – who was averaging 20 points per game in League II as of press time Friday – the Thunderbirds are off to a 2-0 start in league play.
Thunderbirds’ Head Coach Adam Cirnigliaro, center, talks strategy with the girls of the Hills East girls basketball team during a scrimmage in December. “She’s been incredible,” Cirnigliaro said. “At first she was a little hesitant to take over the role of being the player that everyone is trying to take away from us, but she’s done it.” Averaging 12 rebounds and 4 blocks per game and shooting over 50 percent from the field along with the points, McKenzie, a former AllConference player, has stepped into
her fourth year on the varsity squad as a leader. “When you have a girl like Kristen it just gives everyone else so much more confidence,” Cirnigliaro said. Tawil is one of those girls that’s benefited from that confidence as she’s had to overcome the hurdle of playing against girls that may be up to four years older than her. But she’s succeeded, Cirnigliaro said.
“She a competitor, an athlete,” he said, “and she’s just focused on basketball.” Along with those two, senior Aliyah Minor had her biggest game of the season on Dec. 16 in the Thunderbirds’ most recent win. The Thunderbirds, who hosted Bay Shore, were victorious 60-46 – aided, in part, by Minor’s 12 points and 7 rebounds. Enjoying the winter break as of Friday, the Thunderbirds were scheduled to travel to Northport High School on Monday and Tuesday for the annual Suffolk Shootout. “Right now, most specifically, we’re working on cleaning up our offense,” Cirnigliaro said. “There’s a lot of timing involved with making this offense work so it’s going to take some time. But we’ve been watching film and I already see the potential.” Now, Hills East (3-1) prepares for league play to start back up on Saturday with a trip back to Northport (3-1), which is scheduled to tip off at 12 p.m.
A28 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 1, 2015
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