The Village
TIMES HERALD CHARIOT COLLISIO N C E Stony Brook • old Field • Strong’S neck • Setauket • eaSt Setauket • South Setauket • N Poquot TERt We work with January 14, 2016
Volume 40, No. 46
Brookhaven lawmakers sworn in for new terms
Barns’ last hurrah
Exhibit makes final stop in Port Jeff Also inside: celebrating black history, Sandy Hook children’s book review
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SBU dormitory blaze a spark for change
Supervisor Ed Romaine says school must upgrade fire protection system
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all insura nc e c omp ill handle anies all your c laim need s
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91 Gnarle EAST SE d Hollow Rd. TAUKET 6
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By giSelle Barkley
Brookhaven is back in business. Elected officials, their family members and other residents packed into the Town of Brookhaven auditorium in Farmingville on Jan. 7 to witness Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) being sworn into his second full term in office alongside fellow recently elected and re-elected board members, including board newcomer Councilman Michael Loguercio (R-Middle Island) and other town officials. Back in November, Loguercio won the race for the 4th District — a position previously held by former Councilwoman Connie Kepert, a Democrat. Valerie Cartright, the councilwoman from Port Jefferson Station, is now the only Democrat on the seven-member board. Councilwoman Jane Bonner (C-Rocky Point) said last week’s ceremony was a day of celebration that helped validate how residents voted during the 2015 elections. In light of the board’s past work, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) highlighted Romaine’s performance as the supervisor, saying that he has always been one of the fiercest and most passionate advocates
and we w
They solemnly swear Photo by giselle Barkley
Supervisor ed romaine, right, is sworn in as his family watches.
for what he believes in. Although residents saw the supervisor and Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R) officially sworn into their terms on Jan. 7, other elected officials recently elected to the board were officially sworn in at a previous event two days earlier. While several councilmembers
were no strangers to the ceremony, the swearing in process still never gets boring, one lawmaker said. “I’m really excited to get started again,” Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) said before the ceremony. “It was a great first two years — we accomplished a great deal. I’m really looking forward to the next two years.”
Romaine was sworn in last by Judge Judith Pascale. “I pledge to work with my town board to find common purpose,” Romaine said in his speech following his oath. “To address these challenges head on and to make decisions necessary for a prosperous future and one that serves all the residents of this town.”
North Shore’s O’Shea grabs World Cup gold By daniel dunaieF
Everything started turning around for Port Jefferson Station’s Annie O’Shea this past summer. A veteran of the high-speed world of skeleton racing, O’Shea had a reputation for her extraordinary sprinting speed. She just hadn’t been able to put it all together. In skeleton, where racers use the same tracks as bobsled, competitors clad in aerodynamic suits and helmets, sprint at top speed with their hands on their sleds for five seconds, until they dive on top of the sled, steering through
treacherous turns at speeds of over 80 miles per hour by shifting their body weight. “For years, she’s been known for having one of the fastest starts in the world, and then losing that on the way down,” said Tuffy Latour, the head coach of the United States skeleton team. But not anymore. At an International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation World Cup race last week, O’Shea was poised to do something she’d never done on her home track in Lake Placid: collect a medal. Behind the leaders by a O’SHEa continued on page a4
annie o’Shea flaunts her new gold medal.
Photo by Pat Hendrick