TIMES HERALD The Village
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S TUM P RE MOVAL L AN D S C AP E /M A S O N W O RK
Stony Brook • old Field • Strong’S neck • Setauket • eaSt Setauket • South Setauket • Poquot t August 20, 2015
Volume 40, No. 25
Stony Brook School grad starts business By rachel SiFord
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Even hedgehogs need to watch their calories. North Shore native Brianna Stiklickas went from being an extreme soccer player with recruitment offers from 40 different colleges to starting her own business to benefit her beloved exotic pet. The 22-yearold college sophomore and The Stony Brook School graduate recently celebrated a successful Kickstarter campaign in which she raised more than $12,000 to boost her new business, Meet Eugene, named after her hedgehog. A severe leg injury forced her to the sidelines, but it was a blessing in disguise as Stiklickas found a new passion: to save Eugene from what his veterinarian diagnosed as severe obesity in the 3-year-old African pygmy hedgehog. “Once I stopped being so heavy-duty with the sports, I really started to get into my academics,” Stiklickas said. “That’s when I first came up with the idea of Meet Eugene, an exotic pet food company.” Her breeder originally said to feed Eugene high-quality cat food, as most hedgehog owners
$1.00
Healthy hedgehog
& Sons Inc.
751–140 6 or 928 –2110
Brianna Stiklickas and her pet, eugene, spend quality time together.
do, but through a lot of research, Stiklickas said she realized that it causes issues like obesity — one of the top health problems in hedgehogs. Hedgehogs typically live about four to six years, but if fed properly and taken care of, can live to up to nine. And with hopes of pushing that
number, Stiklickas started an Instagram account called Meet Eugene months before she even decided to start her own company. All of a sudden, she found herself with 700 followers and counting; thus the name of her company was born. Today she has more than 1,200 followers.
Photo by Rachel Siford
She formulated HealthHog, a grain-free hedgehog food fortified with vitamins and minerals to support the hedgehog’s digestive and immune system, rather than a cat or dog’s. “Just because something is a premium price, doesn’t mean it HeDgeHOg continued on page A8
Poquott picks up pieces after heavy storm By talia amoroSano
In the early morning, on Tuesday, Aug. 4, a surprise extreme weather event literally took the North Shore by storm, leaving floods, fallen trees, and power outages in its wake, and causing Village of Poquott officials to declare a State of Emergency. Nine days later, on Aug. 13, it was clear that effects were still very much being felt in the Three Village area, with uprooted trees and debris lining the roadways up to Poquott Village Hall. There, at 7 p.m., citizens of the vil-
Photo by Talia Amorosano
mayor dee Parrish signs a document at thursday evening’s Poquott Village board meeting at Poquott Village hall.
lage gathered to voice their reactions to board members’ handling of the storm, and to express requests for how the remaining damages should
be handled. A major complaint many meeting attendants shared involved communication between board members and the
public. Residents at the meeting voiced concerns of a lag in response time from Poquott Mayor Dee Parrish and her administration, which one trustee took issue with. “The only way we found out the road had re-opened was to drive down there and look, make a U-turn, and go back.” Trustee Harry Berry said in defense of the accusation. “We heard nothing. First off, there was no power— a lot of people didn’t get their power back until Saturday. There was no Internet, and cellphone coverage was terrible.” POQUOTT continued on page A12