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Melville’s Al Brandel and most of hisparty with the Lions Club InternationalFoundation were in Haiti for less than anhour before a bus breakdown and securi-ty concerns forced them to turn back.However, what they saw in that shorttime told a great deal about the humani-tarian crisis that has unfolded since the7.1 magnitude quake ravaged the islandnation on Jan. 12.

Brandel took a 3.5-hour flight to the Do-minican Republic on Thursday and re-turned to New York on Saturday. When hearrived in Santo Domingo, he prepared totake a six-hour bus drive from SantoDomingo to Port-au-Prince. At the Hait-ian-Dominican border, he said there werescores of people trying desperately to crossthe border into the Dominican Republic,stopped by a pedestrian gate bolted shutand Jordanian and American Coast Guardsoldiers trying to regulate traffic.

“It’s just a mass of traffic,” Brandel,president of the Lions Club InternationalFoundation, recalled. “It’s like a no man’sland right between the two countries. Thepeople that want to get out of Haiti arejust waiting to escape and they just can’tdo it. It was chaotic, sad, and you’rewatching the people who just have the

clothing on their back and just a knap-sack… people are lining up, hoping it willopen.”

A cinematographer and photographersmade it into Port-au-Prince, where theystayed with a Haitian Lion overnight andcontinued their work during the day, doc-umenting the aftermath.

“It’s pretty much what you’re seeing onTV,” Brandel said. “It’s starting to calmdown a bit, but there’s still a serious needfor food, clothing and medicine.”

Brandel and his group, including hiswife, Winthrop University Hospital’s Dr.

Maureen Murphy, returned to the StatesSaturday after delivering supplies, aid anda boost to the Haitian Lions that survivedthe disaster. So far, the Lions have mobi-lized more than $900,000 in aid for thedevastated region – and more is expected.

The initial delivery to a Port-au-Princewarehouse, which will serve as the Foun-dation’s staging ground, includes medi-cine, hygiene aids, toiletries, food, waterand clothing. Two hundred tents were al-so sent to provide emergency shelter forearthquake victims. Some of the medi-cine was delivered to hospitals and clinics

in desperate need of supplies.Leaders also met with members of the

Haitian Lions clubs, which lost threemembers in the earthquake, at the Hait-ian-Dominican border, where they dis-cussed short-term and long-term goalsand needs. Brandel said the Foundationprovided $30,000 to fill immediateneeds and requests.

“They were thrilled to know peoplewere watching and that they had an or-ganization behind them. It was emotion-al,” he said.

Brandel and his wife will be back inHaiti in about a month, as the Lions pro-vide immediate aid and seek a niche serv-ice to provide. They might help rebuildschools or start constructing eye clinics tofulfill one of the organization’s hallmarkcauses. An eyeglass mission is on the wayto provide second-hand glasses, and thetents will be used to provide temporaryshelter. Calling on experience gained re-sponding to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,the Southeast Asian tsunami and devas-tating Chinese earthquake, a more con-crete plan for long-term services shouldbe in place in several months.

By Danny [email protected]

MELVILLE

Volunteer: ‘It’s Like A No Man’s Land’At Haitian border, Lions Club pres says refugees are attempting to flee ravaged country

A tanker truck explosion killed the driv-er and caused substantial damage, but willonly have limited long-term effects.

Melville Fire Chief Robert Warren con-firmed an accident involving 12,000 gal-lons of gasoline on the Melville side of theNassau-Suffolk County border fueledflames on the Long Island Expressway(LIE) on Saturday morning.

“It’s an exhausting task for the mem-bership. We were on scene for 12 hours,”Warren said.

A tanker truck owned by Maine-basedKittery Transport was headed eastboundalong the LIE, said Suffolk Sheriff ChiefMike Sharkey, near exit 48 in Melville

around 8 a.m. At the same time, a DodgeNeon going the same way was travelingslowly due to apparent mechanical prob-lems. Sharkey said the truck driver triedto avoid a direct hit with the car, butstruck it and lost control. The truckflipped over and burst into flames mo-ments later.

Sharkey identified Marie Medina, ofBayonne, N.J., as the driver of the Neon.Medina, 29, was treated and releasedfrom Nassau County Medical Center forminor injuries.

The driver of the truck, Mujahid Shah,of Brooklyn, was killed on the scene.Sharkey said he did not know what thecause of death was, but an autopsy fromthe Suffolk Medical Examiner and state

By Mike [email protected]

MELVILLE

Tanker Fire Leaves One Man DeadFlames ignite after truck carrying 12,000 gallons of gasoline crashes on LIE

Photo by L

ions C

lubs Intern

ational Foun

dation

Lions Clubs International Foundation Chairperson Al Brandel meets with Dominican andHaitian Lions to discuss long-term earthquake recovery plans.

Photo by Steve Silverm

an

Several thousand gallons of gasoline caught fire during a tanker explosion on the LIE onSaturday morning, killing the driver of the truck.(Continued on page A15)

More photos of Haitirelief effort on A10.

www.LongIslanderNews.comA2 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 28, 2010 Please mention The Long Islander Newspapers when doing business with our advertisers.

www.LongIslanderNews.com THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 28, 2010 • A3Please mention The Long Islander Newspapers when doing business with our advertisers.

Onlookers at the Chai Center lastThursday were told by a member of Is-rael’s governing body that the process ofsecuring peace in the Middle East wouldnot be coming to fruition in the near fu-ture.

Danny Danon, a member of the IsraeliKnesset, spoke at the Chai Center in DixHills hosted by Rabbi Yakov Saachs onJan. 20 in what was billed as a major for-eign policy address.

Danon, a member of the center-rightLikud party, criticized the Obama ad-ministration for applying a double-stan-dard to the Israelis, and argued the ad-ministration is pushing Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu into negotiationswith the Palestinians that will only fur-ther set back Israel’s push for securityand peace. The focus, he argued, shouldnot be on Israeli settlements in the GazaStrip, but on Iran and pushing back

against them.“We have a strong relationship with

the American people,” Danon said. “Wehave a problem with the administra-tion… Iran is not a threat to Israel, but amajor threat, period.”

He said Israeli intelligence discoveredIranian intelligence officials were train-ing Hezbollah terrorists in the rainforestbetween Colombia and Venezuela, draw-ing a number of audible gasps from theaudience.

The faltering peace process is not be-cause of settlements or trading land forpeace, but about having a partner,Danon said. Traditionally, that has beenin the United States, but he argued theyhave been missing under the Obama ad-ministration.

“If it’s lawyers, or a business, when youdon’t have a partner, you don’t discussthe conditions of that arrangement, andtoday we have realized we have no part-ner,” Danon said. “President Obama istrying to force Netanyahu to play wish-

ful thinking.”That lack of partnership, not Israeli

stubbornness, has stalled the peaceprocess, he argued, leaving Israel in aposition where they cannot negotiatesuccessfully. It’s a particular frustrationfor older Israelis, including several menin the audience, who strive to see peacein their lifetime, but Danon said it wasbest to be patient and not give back landin exchange for a quick fix that would beadded to the 16 accords they previouslysigned with the Palestinians.

“I don’t know if you’re into the envi-ronment, but think of the amount of pa-per that was wasted on all the drafts,” hequipped. “I know it is not easy… today[Jan. 20], I had a debate with a manwho said, ‘I am 75 years old, and you aretelling me I will not be able to see theend of the conflict? I want somethingfast.’ If we are honest, we have to tell thepeople of Israel and Jews around theworld we don’t have a solution in the

near future. It is better not to make moremistakes, rather than draft anotheragreement that puts us where we are to-day in Gaza.”

Others in the audience proddedDanon on upcoming threats and how Is-rael could fight Iran and not beswamped by an uprising of Arab nationsin response. Others asked how Jewscould make their case to the rest of theworld.

“We believe you, we’re going to clap toeverything you say. How can we take thisto places where the people need to hearthe other side?” one man asked.

“You can’t win the PR battle when youdon’t stick to the message,” Danon said,attributing the shifting message to beinga democracy. “We need to be moreproactive and [show people] what we donow, with Haiti for example, with theemergency hospital, for example. Weshould focus on that, not just the Pales-tinian issues.”


DIX HILLS

Israeli Official: Peace Will Take TimeDuring speech at Chai Center, foreign lawmaker urges greater focus on Iran

Danny Danon speaks to onlookers at the Chai Center in Dix Hills. He argued Iran was thelargest threat facing Israel today and that greater American support was needed toachieve peace.

The governor’s proposal to reducestate aid to schools could pack a $2.7-million wallop to the Half Hollow HillsSchool District.

Gov. David Paterson’s proposed 2010state budget reduces expenditures onaid to school districts by 5 percent, or$1.1 billion, in attempt to eliminate thestate’s $7.4-billion deficit. If passed asis, Half Hollow Hills stands to lose$2,671,734, or 10.8 percent, of its statefunding, posing a challenge to the yearahead.

“It’s a significant hit to our districtand all districts in the Long Islandarea,” said Victor Manuel, Hills’ assis-

tant superintendent of finance and fa-cilities.

The proposed reductions would leavepre-school funding fully intact, Manuelsaid, but would cause reductions to avariety of the district’s other programsand services. He said state aid makes upa large portion of Hills’ revenue, secondonly to property taxes, which combinedfund 95 percent of the annual budget.

“We’re having very similar but moreintense conversations than last yearabout what the district offers in pro-grams and services across all areas,” theassistant superintendent said. “We’regoing to have to make some reductions.”

Manuel expressed further concernsabout other policy changes containedwithin the budget. He said the governor

had put on the table an idea to shift thecost of pre-school education to individ-ual districts, currently funded by thecounty and state, thus turning it intoanother “unfunded mandate,” and theelimination of STAR rebate program forhomes assessed at over $1.5 million.

Paterson issued a statement on Jan.19 supporting the state aid reductionsbased on New York State’s high pupilspending rate of $15,546 per student, 61percent above national average, and cit-ing that districts statewide have re-served funds totaling over $1.5 billion.

“The governor has done everything hecan over the past two years not to touchthe legislature’s rainy day fund. Nowthey’re asking schools to deplete theirreserves that they use to prevent a prop-

erty tax hike,” said Assemblyman An-drew Raia (R – E. Northport), statingthe reduction was disproportionate onLong Island.

Superintendents across the Town ofHuntington expressed similar upsetwith the governor’s proposed budgetand hoped legislatures will attempt toalter it before the April 1 deadline.

“We have tempered our thoughts. Wehave gone so far backward that we’rehappy to take less of a reduction, wherein former years we were fighting formore state aid,” said Harborfields Su-perintendent Frank Carasiti.

Half Hollow Hills is expected to pres-ent its preliminary 2010-2011 budget atits Board of Education meeting onMarch 8.

HALF HOLLOW HILLS

Hills Could Lose $2.7M In State AidGuv’s 2010 state budget reduces funding by 5 percent, will hit local school districts harderBy Sara-Megan [email protected]

Half H

ollow H

ills photos/Dan

ny Schrafel

Danny Danon, a member of the Israeli Knesset, with the Chai Center’s Rabbi Yakov Saachs.

“If it’s lawyers, or a business,

when you don’t have a partner,

you don’t discussthe conditions of

that arrangement,and today we

have realized wehave no partner.”

Israeli Official: Peace Will Take Time, PAGE A3

www.LongIslanderNews.com Please mention The Long Islander Newspapers when doing business with our advertisers.A4 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 28, 2010

BABY FACES QUOTE OF THE WEEKDANNY DANON

Woman Has Heart Palpitations

Suffolk police rushed to a Dix Hills home beforedawn on Jan. 24 when a woman had heart palpita-tions. The Dix Hills Fire Department took the 29-year-old resident to Huntington Hospital.

So Close, Yet No Heat For You

A Huntington woman called Suffolk County policeto report an oil company filling up the wrong tank.She told police the oil delivery came for her house onJan. 24, but they filled a tank that is no longer in use.She wanted to document the incident before takingthe company to civil court.

Baby Cuts Lip In Fall

Suffolk police rushed to a Huntington Stationhome on Jan. 24 when a 9-month-old baby fell withhis mother in the kitchen. The Huntington Commu-nity First Aid Squad took both to Huntington Hos-pital, he had a cut on his bottom lip.

Was There Any Money Before?

A Dix Hills man contacted Suffolk County policeabout a pink Coach bag on Jan. 23. He told police hefound the bag on his neighbor’s property with nowallet or money inside. The bag and personal itemsinside were invoiced at the Second Precinct, al-though police soon identified the owner and re-turned the property.

Sounds Like A Joyride

A Dix Hills man told Suffolk County police his2003 sedan was missing, but likely in use by his 17-year-old son on Jan. 22. He did not want to reportthe vehicle as stolen or being used in an unautho-rized manner at this time. The incident was report-ed for informational purposes only.

Money For Nothing?

A Dix Hills man called Suffolk County police onJan. 22 about a troubling eBay auction. He told po-lice he sold a fountain pen online, only to have thebuyer send an empty box back when she claimed tohave returned it. He did not refund the money, andcontacted police to report the incident as eBay re-quested.

10-Year-Old Getting Porn Messages

A Huntington Station woman called SuffolkCounty police after finding pornographic text mes-sages on her 10-year-old daughter’s cell phone onJan. 22. One of the messages appeared to be a chainletter with two additional pictures, one of a sex act.Police could not determine if the sender knew the re-ceiver was a minor, and could not establish a crime.Police advised the complainant to talk with herdaughter about these texts and contact them againwith any new information.

If It Quacks Like A Duck…

A Huntington Station deli employee called SuffolkCounty police on Jan. 22 about a man selling stolenelectronics out of a gray van. Police found the vanalong West Jericho Turnpike and noticed the subjectwas repackaging electronics and selling them. It isunknown if they were stolen.

Send a photo of your pre-school agechild along with a brief anecdotalbackground and we’ll consider it for“Baby Faces.” Include baby’s fullname, date of birth, hometown andnames of parents and grandpar-ents. Send to: Baby of the Week, c/oLong-Islander, 149 Main St.,Huntington, NY 11743. Pleaseinclude a daytime phone numberfor verification purposes.

It’s time to… dust off my figure skates. The yearssure do go by quickly. Seems like just yesterday wewere cheering Sarah Hughes toward Olympic gold inthe figure skating competi-tion, and here we are gettingready to start anotherOlympiad in Vancouver. Istarted doing a bit of catch-up with in the figureskating, so I can tell you who my favorites are there,but I sure don’t know who’s who in slalom, or down-hill, or speed skating. And then there’s curling tothrow into the mix.

Speaking of curling… I have friends who consid-er curling an Olympic sport but it’s something that’sdone with a curling iron and not an iron weight anda broom. What’s that sport about anyhow? I can un-derstand the evolution of figure skating. It startedwith skaters competing to see who could skate mostprecisely by doing things like figure eights. Now it’sall about athletic jumps and spins – and unofficiallythe costumes. Likewise, the biathlon is totally logi-cal; it involves hunting on skis. But curling, not onlyhas it never evolved, for the life of me I can’t figureout how tossing a weight down-ice while your team-mate smoothes the path with a broom got started inthe first place.

Skate fest… I told you I was watching figureskating on the TV. It was not a competition, but anexhibition, and as part of it NBC managed to bringin every American who had ever won gold in thesport. There were 12 in all, and I have memories ofmost of their competitions. It was a nice touch to theexhibition, though I couldn’t help thinking to myself,thank goodness Tonya Harding didn’t win.

Fave holiday… I know it seems like every time aholiday rolls around I declare it to be my favorite.Well, regardless of anything I’ve said in the past,Valentine’s Day really, really is my all time favoriteholiday. Anything that involves chocolates and

hearts and lace is the bees knees in my book. Just re-member one thing: Aunt Rosie doesn’t like coconutcreams.

I wonder… I heard thisweek that Walmart is layingoff people from its Sam’s Clubdivision. I’d like to think it’sthat Buy Local campaign kick-

ing in. Maybe it really does start here!

Unidentified Flying Trash… I was driving upDeer Park Avenue through Dix Hills last week whenan orange garbage truck appeared in front of me.Without warning, two objects jumped out the top ofthe truck, got caught by the wind and finally landedon the road. It looked like a paper plate and latexglove, but I’ll only admit to a quick glance. Regard-less of what it was, I’m surprised that this doesn’thappen more often. Then again, this looked morelike a box on wheels than a traditional garbagetruck, and if that’s the case, then who knows what itwas really hauling!

Concerns D-Awning… Northport toy store Ein-stein’s Attic appears ready to open the doors at itsnew location within days. The old store looked emp-ty from the outside and the new store had a closedsign in the window with stock on the shelves. In themeantime, awnings remained in front of both loca-tions. I can understand needing to attract customersand identify yourself, but what happens with the sec-ond set once the move is done? In this awful econo-my, wouldn’t you avoid unnecessary duplicates tosave money?

(Aunt Rosie wants to hear from you! If you have com-ments, ideas, or tips about what’s happening in yourneck of the woods, write to me today and let me knowthe latest. To contact me, drop a line to Aunt Rosie, c/oThe Long-Islander, 149 Main Street, Huntington NY11743. Or try the e-mail at [email protected])

IN THE KNOWWITH AUNT ROSIE

Olympic FeverPOLICE REPORTCompiled by Mike Koehler

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Don’t be alarmed if someone knockson your door this spring.

The U.S. Census Bureau is hiring em-ployees for the 2010 Census, some ofwhom will be visiting homes to updateaddress lists.

According to the Bureau, all employeesmust present a photo ID badge, as well asprovide you with a letter from the direc-tor or contacts for a supervisor if re-

quested. They may also carry a laptop orhand-held computer bearing the Bu-reau’s insignia.

Census questionnaires will be mailedby March, and employees will return tothe streets beginning in April to visithomes that did not return a question-naire.

-KOEHLER

Knocking On Doors TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

For a second consecutive year, stateparks funding is back in the financialcrosshairs, and park advocates warn thatdrastic cuts would force several to close.

If Gov. David Paterson gets his way,funding for state parks would plummetanother 20 percent. He announced his2010 budget proposal on Jan. 20.

Advocates for the state parks systemsaid such a cut would decimate the pro-gram and stunt economic recovery espe-cially on Long Island and upstate, wherethere are more parks. On Long Island,$410 million in economic activity andnearly 4,000 non-park jobs are tied tothe state parks program. State parks gen-erate $5 on every dollar invested in themfor the local economy, according to sta-tistics.

“I’m fairly sure that will entail someparks closing,” said Shawn McConnell,director of the State Campaign for Parks,said. “Probably a lot of parks. Unfortu-nately, though, [the state has] not re-leased a plan, so we don’t know whatparks will be closed.”

Three state parks – Caumsett StatePark in Lloyd Harbor, the Walt WhitmanBirthplace in Huntington Station andCold Spring Harbor State Park – fallwithin Town of Huntington borders.Birthplace Executive Director CynthiaShor said parks are especially importantduring a recession because they providearts and culture at nominal cost.

“In these economic times, now morethan ever, the public facilities, be theystate parks, museums, or other arts or-ganizations are absorbing much of theleisure activities of people,” Shor said.

Dan Keefe, spokesman for the NewYork State Department of Parks, Recre-ation and Historic Sites, agreed that thecuts would be devastating if they passed,but did not know which parks would behit hardest, or even closed.

“That’s what we’re looking at rightnow,” he said. “At this point, there will bea serious impact… last year, 100 parkssaw closures or shortened seasons andprograms that were cut,” he said.

In addition to Paterson’s proposed cutsto state parks, he is also calling for a 5percent cut to school aid, delayed welfareallowance increases and slowed Medi-caid spending growth. Tax loopholes andrestructuring the STAR tax rebate pro-gram are additional targets for savings.

Various taxes and fees would also goup, too – Paterson is trying to revive sev-eral proposals from his 2009 budget thatwere shot down in subsequent negotia-tions. In his 2010 budget, cigarette taxes

would increase by $2.75 per pack, mak-ing the state levy on smokes just shy of 19cents for every cigarette. The governor al-so proposed allowing the sale of wine insupermarkets, more strenuous taxing ofcigarettes on Native American reserva-tions and cracking down on speeding inhighway work zones to raise nearly $1billion in new revenue. A one penny-per-ounce tax on soft drinks is also being pro-posed – another encore from 2009.

A tax on soft drinks is a proposal thatAssemblyman Andrew Raia said gover-nors have been trying to pass in one formor another since 1991 without any suc-cess. He expects it to fail again.

“That’s something that parents need toget more involved with… ultimately it’sgoing to be kids paying this tax and fund-ing the state budget,” he said.

Kurt Moore, a manager at Liquor Plazain Huntington Station, said selling winein supermarkets is unacceptable. Whilethe state’s coffers would benefit from aninflux of franchise fees paid by supermar-kets that want to get into the wine busi-ness, he said the move would hurt busi-ness, especially for mom-and-pop liquorstores, and provide new avenues for un-derage drinking.

“You go into a supermarket now, youcan buy beer,” he said. “ They have theirclassmates selling them the beer on theweekends; you’d have them selling themwine, too.”

Assemblymen James Conte and Raiasaid allowing supermarkets to sell winewould put liquor stores out of business.

“Until we can find a way to compensatethem by buying them out or letting themdo other things to come up with a betterbusiness plan so they can continue tomake money, I am still in opposition toit,” Conte said.

“It’s going to be all the mass-producedwines that will be sold in the supermarketsand all you’re going to do is hurt local busi-nesses, local families and local wine pro-ducers from Long Island,” Raia said.

Raia said the painful budget from Pa-terson was a good start, however headded that cigarette taxes are beingtreated as a recurring source of income asopposed to a smoking-cessation tool. Heclaimed the tax would disproportionate-ly impact poorer New Yorkers. Conte ar-gued the state should focus more oncracking down on illicit cigarette salesbefore raising taxes and increasing theincentives to dodge cigarette taxes.

“The problem that I have with the gov-ernor’s proposed budget – I kind of likenit to Groundhog Day. We’ve seen this actbefore and the question is, which gover-nor are we going to see when the legisla-ture finally adopts a budget?” Raia asked.


TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

Will Budget Harm Parks?Governor proposes 20 percent cut alongside new soda tax and cigarette tax hike


A Ray Court home went up in flamesearlier this month.

The Melville Fire Department battledthe house fire on Jan. 9. Led by ChiefRobert Warren, about 40 firefighters bat-tled the blaze with an aggressive interiorattack and search for occupants.

They had the fire under control within ahalf hour. Though the fire caused extensivedamage to the rear of the home, no injurieswere reported, fire officials said.

Three engines, a quint ladder, heavy res-cue, three ambulances, first responder andfire police units were at the scene. The DixHills Fire Department assisted with an ad-ditional engine for a Rapid InterventionTeam at the scene, as the HuntingtonManor and Plainview fire departmentsprovided standby coverage for Melville.

The Suffolk Police Arson Squad andTown of Huntington Fire Marshal are in-vestigating.

MELVILLE

Firefighters Battle Flames

On this world tour, the last stop isMelville.

Those who think they have what ittakes to be a Guitar Hero champion areinvited to the Walt Whitman Mall on Sat-urday for a competition sponsored by theMelville Lions. The event kicks off Jan.30, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Center Court.

“This is the first time that the MelvilleLions are having this event and we’rehoping that we have a good turnout,” saidLions chairman Richard Hoffman. “Wewanted to think outside the box.”

Contestants in the video game show-down will compete for the highest overallscore in three division/skill levels: medi-um, hard and expert. Winners will re-ceive an electric guitar complete withamplifier, donated by Sam Ash, as well astrophies and T-shirts to all winners andrunners-up. The contest entry fee is $17.

Hoffman said the Lions are gettingparticipation requests from 8 year oldsright up to parents.

“It’s a nice family thing to do on a Sat-

urday,” he said.The Melville Lions has been serving the

Huntington area since 1953, aiding the lessfortunate in the community. Funds raisedduring the event will benefit local charitiesincluding Suffolk Diabetes EducationFoundation for Juvenile Diabetes, the Si-mon Youth Foundation and VacationCamp for the Blind, among others.

“We are so pleased to be part of thisfundraising opportunity to benefit suchworthy local charities through theMelville Lions Club,” said Nancy Gilbert,Walt Whitman Mall’s director of mallmarketing and business develop-ment. “This event will inspire young peo-ple make a difference in their local com-munities, and have fun while doing it.”

A playoff round may take place on Sun-day. For event information or to register,visit the Melville Lions Club table at theWalt Whitman Mall or the organization’swebsite, www.melvillelions.org.

- DALLOJACONO

MELVILLE

Lions Making HeroesVideo game contest to benefit local charities

Photo by Steve Silverm

an

Melville firemen work to extinguish a house fire on Ray Court.


HUNTINGTON STATION

Homeless Men Still In The WoodsSome return to site of former tent village after future AvalonBay site cleared by work crew

Just two weeks after a woodedHuntington Station property on East 5thStreet was cleared and the homeless menliving there were ordered to leave, evi-dence is emerging that some havereturned.

Local television cameras capturedvideo of a charcoal campground-style fireburning last Tuesday, and several menwere seen walking around the propertylast Wednesday.

Contractors hired by the propertyowner last week tore down a tent villagein which as many as 30 people hadreportedly been living for several years.

Some of the men who find steady workhave been able to acquire more stable liv-ing arrangements. But, others like Jose, aSalvadoran immigrant who declined togive his last name, say they still call thewoods home. Jose has lived in the woodsfor six months; he’s been out of work foreight months. Jose said that officials gavethe men about a day’s notice before thetent city was dismantled. He claimed helost almost all of his belongings when theproperty was cleared.

A number of men at the Huntingtonday laborer hiring site on Depot RoadWednesday said they knew of men stillliving in the woods off of East 5th Street.

Evidence of the previous tent commu-nity – the thick branches used to shapethe tents and the twine used to tie it all

together – remains as of last week, exceptnow the branches are cut up and sit inpiles. The men’s belongings – jackets,clothing, furniture and even children’stoys, are still heaped in piles off of thewooded area’s paths.

Karen Boorshtein, president and CEOof Family Service League, said her organ-ization continues to arrange overnightshelter and other services for those menwho seek it. On a busy night, about 30people take advantage of the Huntington

Interfaith Homeless Initiative that putsup homeless in area churches overnight,and as many as 10 come from the ManorField area. When the cold weather sub-sides, she said she doesn’t want people tolose sight of the plight of the homeless.

“It’s an ongoing problem for SuffolkCounty and Long Island,” she said.“Homelessness is a problem 365 days ofthe year but we don’t seem to zero in onit during the summer months.”

Meanwhile, Town officials say it is theproperty owner’s decision on whether ornot to take further action to move the men.

“It’s up to the owner to decide whetherhe wants to press charges,” Townspokesman A.J. Carter said. “Our concernsare that people not be living in illegal andunsafe conditions and structures.”


Half H

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ills photos/Dan

ny Schrafel

Remnants of a former tent community in the East 5th Street woods were still in pileslast week. However, several of the homeless men driven out appear to have returned.

Personal belongings remain in the woodseven after the tent village was destroyed.

Cars Only, Please

DEAR EDITOR:Thanks for your article about

how crowded Commack Road iswith some 600 heavy dieseltrucks using it every day andnight. Yes, we residents want awider Commack Road, but notfor trucks.

We live here. We want Com-mack Road not for trucks butfor our use. We hate these noisy,smelly 18-wheeler tractor trailerloads. In fact, we want no trucksor trailers on Commack Road atall. Let’s get rid of them andhave Commack Road for ourcars only.

Ban all trucks from CommackRoad and let’s have a congress-man’s written promise of this.

Meanwhile a skeleton lurks.Gov. Paterson, who in the caseof Commack Road is muchmore powerful than Steve Israel,has another vision. The gover-nor wants to build a huge pol-luting plant where trucks meettrains just off of Commack Roadon the former Pilgrim Stateproperty that by law is a naturalpreserve called Edgewood OakBrush Plains.

Paterson can’t legally build inEdgewood, but he seems to beillegally dirtying his hands any-way as he has done before. Hewants to build a huge, highlypolluting facility, which he callsLITRIM, short for Long IslandTruck-Train Inter-Modal facility.

Here, 600-plus trucks a daywould be spewing diesel fumesand soot day and night into ourhomes.

Governor, we support the ideaof a string of truck-train inter-modals along Route 495, espe-cially in the pine barrens andagricultural areas alongside theLong Island Expressway. Whatwe do not support is one hugeintermodal that is surroundedby a quarter-million people,north, south, east and west inthe Towns of Huntington,Smithtown, Islip and Babylon.

Governor, you would be send-ing polluted air and water to ru-in the health of some 250,000people including thousands ofbabies and elders.

What is the right solution?Let’s use the large amount of va-cant land in eastern Suffolk tobuild a lot of small LITRIMsthat would serve many localcommunities well. A lot of thatland is already county property.You will be popular with thosecommunities for bringing themnew jobs. Governor, call a pressconference to announce youropposition to one big LITRIM,and your support of many smallones.

OK, let’s widen CommackRoad, but let’s make sure weresidents, and not the governor,get the use of it.

GEORGE PETTENGILLDix Hills

Open Hearts

DEAR EDITOR:As a local dog-owning resident

residing in the area surroundingCoindre Hall, I do not under-stand what all the fuss is about.Why is this park so controver-sial? I have been visiting thisplace for nine years and havenever seen a dog fight, out-of-control dogs or a dog biting ahuman. It seems that the dogsthat are allowed off leash in thishuge field are more balanced, so-cialized, and less anxious thendogs that are not allowed thefreedom to play in this manner.

Large Field Socialization is aknown method to increase thebalance of dogs, even with ag-gression. Having no boundarieswith the ability to flee, engage,move in curved patterns, chooseto interact or not to, gives dogschoice without frustration. Dogsare not by nature fighters withintheir own species. They arepeacekeepers. Having no leashwith an anxious owner on theother end either pulling them,commanding, yelling at or drag-ging them allows them to makedecisions on their own withoutanxiety. The field at Coindre Hallis the right size to allow them todo just this. Dogs off of a leashdo not bark excessively. I amthere almost daily and see no ex-cessive barking whatsoever.

Dog owners in Huntingtonvillage pay very high taxes. The

total amount of taxes paid ex-ceeds the dollar amount of rev-enue that is received by the fewhomes abutting the field. Andnot all of these homes complain,I am sure. Why isn’t the towntrying to find a real solution tothis problem? Sending police-men to issue fines does nothingbut take them away from dealingwith real crimes. There has beena rash of car break-ins in thearea as well as a crime commit-ted on Glen-Na Little Trail thatinvolved a gunshot that wound-ed a dog very seriously.

Why is Alex McKay pushingto ban dogs from Coindre Hall?Because of a few residents?What is the real reason? Whoare his supporters?

I would like to see an end tothis controversy. With all the realproblems facing us today, this isnot where we should be puttingour efforts. As more of the publicbecome dog owners, as we findthat the benefits of pet ownershipare real, I feel it is time to listen toour voice. Pet owners are usuallyput on the defensive, and are notthe complainers so their voice isnot as loud and as annoying.

The majority are law-abiding,responsible citizens, who carevery much about the quality oflife of animals. This caring atti-tude also extends to people. Iwould venture to say that peoplethat open their hearts to animalshave open hearts.

LESLIE BERLINERHuntington

No Easy Solution

DEAR EDITOR:With the recent declaration

by the Environmental Protec-tion Agency that greenhousegases are dangerous pollutants,municipalities and businessesthroughout the country arefaced with the challenge of re-ducing the emissions and fuelconsumption of their fleet vehi-cles.

There is no simple solutionwhen it comes to improving fueleconomy and reducing emis-sions of fleet and transit vehi-cles. This is especially true todaywhen there are limited re-sources available to address amultitude of complex issues.

It makes economic and envi-ronmental sense to investigatethe benefits of retrofitting beforespending hundreds of millionsof dollars on new hybrid vehi-cles. The realized reduction infuel consumption and addedyears of useful life provide eco-nomic advantages, while reduc-ing harmful emissions from arenewable source of energy isenvironmentally sound.

Conducting a thorough vehi-cle asset analysis and having acomprehensive, executable planin place are the best ways toconserve energy and maximizereturn on investment.

SAM JONESPresident

Recaptured Energy Technologies

www.LongIslanderNews.com Please mention The Long Islander Newspapers when doing business with our advertisers.A8 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 28, 2010

Opinion‘Not the types set up by the printer return their impression, the meaning, the main concern.’

We knew what was coming. The questionwas, how much?

Gov. David Paterson has released hisbudget proposal for the year ahead and it is-n’t pretty. New York State is facing a stag-gering deficit – $7 billion, according to cur-rent projections – so this budget brings a lotof pain.

You can’t blame the governorfor the global economic crisis andthe banking meltdown, but theyare the reason the state’s financial picture isso dire. Revenue on which the state dependssimply hasn’t come in. And since you can’tspend what you don’t have, there are cuts.Severe cuts.

Locally, the most significant cuts are in ed-ucation spending. Many were surprised,

thinking that the governor would cut deeper.Unfortunately, there are still significant cutsto school districts across the board. That’sgoing to affect property taxes, and to keep taxincreases minimal, districts are going to haveto look carefully at their spending.

Everyone realizes that these are extraordi-nary times, and unfortunately, many re-

member all too well the impact ofsimilar cuts in the early 1990s. Itwon’t be easy, and many will be

unhappy. What’s most important for ourstate officials to keep in mind is that thespending cuts be equitable, and that subur-ban districts don’t get saddled with greaterhits than the city schools. We’re all in this to-gether and unfairly allocating resources willonly foster divisiveness.

State Cuts Must Be Fair

EDITORIAL

Send letters to: The Editor, Half Hollow Hills Newspaper, 149 Main Street, Huntington, New York 11743or e-mail us [email protected]

149 Main Street, Huntington, New York 11743631.427.7000

Serving the communities of: Dix Hills, Melvilleand the Half Hollow Hills Central School District.

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Copyright © 2010 by Long Islander Newspapers, publishers of The Long-Islander, The Record, NorthportJournal and Half Hollow Hills Newspaper. Each issue of the The Half Hollow Hills Newspaper and all con-tents thereof are copyrighted by Long Islander, LLC. None of the contents or articles may be reproducedin any forum or medium without the advance express written permission of the publisher. Infringementhereof is a violation of the Copyright laws.

N E W S P A P E RHALF HOLLOW HILLS

Michael SchenklerPublisher

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Production/Art Department

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Account Executives

Letters to the editor are welcomed by Long Islander Newspapers. We reservethe right to edit in the interest of space and clarity. All letters must be hand-signed and they must include an address and daytime telephone number forverification. Personal attacks and letters considered in poor taste will not beprinted. We cannot publish every letter we receive due to space limitations.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Sal Mangano, owner of ManganoFuneral Home, recently announced thathis firm has been selected to become anexclusive Certified Veterans & FamilyMemorial Care Provider (VFMC) for DixHills, Deer Park, North Babylon,Babylon, Bay Shore, West Islip and sur-rounding communities.

VFMC providers are family-ownedand operated, selected for upholding ahigh level of business standards andintegrity while providing affordable pro-fessional service. The staff at ManganoFuneral Home work closely with all vet-erans service organizations and localHospices.

Mangano Funeral Home in Deer Parkhas also become an official drop off sitefor Cell Phones for Soldiers to helptroops stay connected with their families,as well as an Old Glory Collection Center.The mission is to collect old, tattered,unusable flags to be retired in a dignifiedmanner in accordance with the U.S. FlagCode.

Mangano Funeral Home is located at1701 Deer Park Ave., Deer Park.

A staff member of the Alcott Groupwas recently honored by Melville-basedLeukemia & Lymphoma Society, LongIsland chapter, in recognition of her per-sonal fundraising on behalf of the organ-ization.

One of New York State’s most promi-nent Professional EmployerOrganizations, the Alcott Group’sHuman Resources Assistant StaceyBailey received a “Bright Light”Certificate at a recent luncheon. Baileyraised $1,050 as a participant in theSociety’s Team In Training “Light theNight” walk, which took place at theAtlantis Aquarium in Riverhead. Bailey,along with other members of the AlcottTeam, solicited sponsors for their indi-vidual walks. In total, the Alcott teamraised $3,500 in donations.

For Bailey, raising funds for TheLeukemia & Lymphoma Society, whosemission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma,Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and

improve the quality of life of patients andtheir families, has been a decade-longactivity inspired by her mother, the lateHelen Smagala, who had non-Hodgkinslymphoma. She passed away in 1994 dueto complications from a septic infection.

“When I learned that Alcott was form-ing a Light the Night team, I thought itwas a perfect way to acknowledge the15th anniversary of my mother’s passing,”Bailey said. “The organization is atremendous resource to individuals withvarious blood cancers and has beeninstrumental in significant research anddevelopment strides, as well as in provid-ing support to patients and their fami-lies.”

In addition to participating on Alcott’s

Light the Night team walk, Bailey saidshe has been raising funds to donate toThe Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as away of paying respect to friends and fam-ily members when they have passedaway. She also conducted numerousfundraising letter campaigns on behalf ofthe organization and annually supportsother team members with their fundrais-er campaigns.

Bailey, a 12-year Human Resourcesveteran who joined Alcott in 2004, holdsa Bachelor of Fine Arts from Long IslandUniversity, C.W. Post College. She andher husband, Tom, have two sons, 8-year-old Thomas and 4-year-old Aidan.Both her husband and older son joinedher in the Light the Night Walk.

People In The News Compiled by Luann Dallojacono

TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

Tips For Going Green

Sometimes the best way to gogreen is to go paperless.

The Huntington School District,for example, is moving forward witha paperless communication initiativethat will save money, improve effi-ciency and effectiveness and be envi-ronmentally friendly, school officialsclaimed.

Letters will soon be on their way toparents offering them an opportunityto receive certain types of districtcommunications via e-mail. Theitems are currently mailed or carriedhome by students in hard copy form.

The district is also making avail-able a “parent portal” that will allowparents of secondary grade level stu-dents to view their child’s daily atten-dance, progress reports and reportcards online.

The program will be convenient forparents, school officials said, and willalso save taxpayer dollars by reducingthe need for postage, paper, en-velopes and the cost of the personnel.

Stacey Bailey with Katie Stockhammer,campaign director for The Leukemia &Lymphoma Society, Long Island Chapter.

Navy men carry a wounded Haitian on a stretcher to be treated.

TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

Huntington Heeds Call For Haiti ReliefResidents respond to humanitarian crisis abroad offering time, help and supplies


Hills West graduate Andrew Jahier, in purple gloves, squatting, attends to a pa-tient in Haiti with fellow members of the USS Higgins crew. The Navy destroyerwas the first vessel to anchor off the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

A soldier comforts one of the younger victims ofthe earthquake.

An American soldier in full camouflage gently cra-dles a child in Haiti and carries them to safety.

Lions Clubs International Foundation Chairperson Al Brandel, of Melville, and hiswife, Dr. Maureen Murphy, meet with volunteers preparing to bring aid to victimsof the Haiti earthquake.

Lions volunteers deliver supplies, including medicine and water, to Haiti earth-quake victims.

Photo/L

ions C

lub Intern

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dationP

hoto/Lion

s Club In

ternation

al Foundation

Photos/U

.S. Navy


Huntington Hospital nursing assis-tant Guilla Julien returned to Haiti forher annual New Year’s trip just in timefor the earthquake to strike.

Julien and her husband, Joseph,make the trip every year to Petionville,home to generations of her family.Typically they go with the intention ofcooking enough joumou – a pumpkinsoup symbolizing Haiti’s independence– for the entire village.

But on the afternoon of Jan. 12, justone day before the couple was to returnto America, the magnitude 7.0 earth-quake struck near the Port-au-Princesuburb. Julien recalled being thrownout of her chair before her husbandcarried the nursing assistant out of thehome they had been visiting.

Free of physical injury, Julien and herhusband spent four days on the streetsof Haiti. Homes were reduced to rubbleand dead bodies lay in the streets, shesaid, while the injured could not findmedical care and children went hungryand thirsty.

“There is no food. Everyone had tosleep in the street,” Julien said. “Youcould hear people yelling ‘save me.’”

In the meantime, back inHuntington, the couple’s three chil-dren, Gregory, 32, Stanley, 29, andCody, 19, anxiously waited to make con-tact with their parents for nine hoursafter the earthquake struck.

“I felt helpless,” Stanley said. “Wewere watching news reports of thedamage, seeing the growing death tolls,and not knowing if our parents wereokay.”

Back in Haiti, the couple finallysecured seats on a cargo plane headedfor Miami on Jan. 16. They caught anAmerican Airlines flight back to NewYork, where co-workers welcomedJulien with roses and balloons.

But with the horrors of what hismother witnessed fresh in her mind,Stanley said the family intends to trav-el back to Haiti as soon as possible toassist with the relief effort.

“We want to hand out food and water,or help with translating, or do whatev-er we can,” he said, encouraging othersto lend a hand. “If you can’t give a mil-lion dollars, give a dollar. If you can’tgive a dollar, give a can of soup. Thisisn’t a Haitian crisis, it is a humanitari-an crisis.”

Flanked by her sons Cody and Stanley, Huntington Hospi-tal nursing assistant Guilla Julien is safe at home afterbeing in Haiti the day the catastrophic earthquake struck.

TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

Huntington CoupleEscapes From HaitiHospital worker comes home, family anxious toreturn to aid effort for earthquake-torn areaBy Mike [email protected]

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If you can’t give a dollar, give a can of soup. This isn’t

a Haitian Crisis, it is a humanitarian crisis.”

— STANLEY JULIEN


French horn players raised their bellsin triumphant five-part harmony aspart of a record-breaking ensemble.

Students from across Suffolk Countygathered at Commack Middle Schoolon Jan. 15 in an attempt to break theGuinness World Record for the LargestHorn Ensemble on Suffolk County Mu-sic Education Association’s (SCMEA)“Day of Horn.” The 264 horn playersfilled the stage, playing simultaneouslyfor an unofficial world record.

“Right now I’d rather enjoy the mo-ment and worry about the documenta-tion next week,” said Commack musicteacher Alan Orloff, organizer of theevent.

Students from South Huntington’sStimson Middle School and Half Hol-low Hills’ West Hollow Middle Schooljoined in playing four songs, includingthe “Can-Can” and “Auld Lang Syne.”The performance was photographedand videotaped with horn players com-pleting extensive paperwork supportedby witness affidavits to verify their par-ticipation.

“It brings attention to an instrumentthat can otherwise get lost in a group.It’s been a huge undertaking,” said Col-lette Galante, a music teacher fromHalf Hollow Hills.

Orloff said he started SCMEA’s “Dayof Horn” as an educational event tobring together French horn students asa group, learn more about their instru-ments and experience playing in a largegroup of all ages.

“It’s a very difficult instrument tostart out on. A lot of youngsters are em-barrassed to continue, other kids areplaying songs and they are still strug-gling to play notes. I’m trying to makehorn more acceptable to the kids tryingto play it,” he said.

The event unexpectedly drew 159young musicians in 2006, and more than250 attended the next year. Orloff said herealized how large the ensemble hadgrown and spent the next two years try-ing to reach Guinness to make an offi-cially sanctioned attempt at the record.

“I told him, ‘Let’s make it official andinvite Guinness to join us and achievemore recognition,’” said Paul Infante,director of fine and applied arts forCommack School District.

Despite this year’s attempt, Orloffsaid the focus and highlight of the fes-tivity remains on the bonds formed be-tween experienced musicians and thosestarting the French horn, forming afamily that grew just a bit larger thisyear.

By Sara-Megan [email protected]

TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

French Horn Ensemble Breaks World Record264 horn players gathered on Commack Middle School stage in Guinness attempt

Photos by B

renda L

entsch

Commack Middle School’s auditorium stage overflowed as 264 French horn players gathered to perform on Jan. 15 in an effort to break theGuiness World Record for “Largest Horn Ensemble.”

Experienced French horn players satalongside younger students in the ensem-ble to help them find note pitches andplay their parts.

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Tierney Ryan has always hada thing for jazz music. It’s beenher favorite since she startedtaking voice lessons at age 10.

“The first type of music I gotinto singing was jazz,” she said.“It’s definitely the freedom ofit. There are so many songs outthere and they’re all reallygood.”

Ryan, a Five Towns Collegesenior, is preparing to pay trib-ute to one of the genre’s giants– Billie Holiday – at the DixHills Performing Arts Centeron Jan. 31. About 20 Holidaynumbers will be making it intoher performance, including“Willow Weep for Me,” “LadySings the Blues” and “Fine andMellow.”

“I always knew about [Holi-day] from listening to jazz,and I started studying herwhen I did the last Billie Holi-day concert at Five Towns,” shesaid.

Sandy Hinden, executive di-rector of the performing artscenter, said Holiday remainsone of the most influentialchart-topping songwriters inthe world.

“Her soulful singing styleand ability to communicatethrough song won the heartsof many listeners, young andold,” he said.

Holiday, who was known as“Lady Day” to her contempo-rary fans, had an enormousimpact on American pop andjazz music, with hits like “GodBless the Child” and “Don’tExplain,” both of which shewrote. Holiday died when shewas 44, yet enjoyed a prolificcareer. Her posthumouslypublished autobiography, “La-dy Sings the Blues”, was released in 1959, named forher hit song, which she alsowrote.

Ryan’s formal training be-gan following a fateful walkthrough the Broadway Mallwith her father.

“There was an acting groupsinging on a stage,” the LongIsland native recalled. “My dadasked if I would ever want todo that, and I said yes.”

After asking her father“week after week,” she signed

up for lessons and was on herway. She sang in the GirlScouts and school chorus, butnever realized the extent of hertalents until taking solo les-sons.

When she was a teenager,she sang at the Crescent BeachClub in Bayville. Alreadyworking there as a waitress,she made a connection withtheir piano player, RobertLepley, and became theirsinger.

Ryan has been singing jazzprofessionally for four years atsupper clubs, cafes and com-munity events, and has ap-peared with a number of ac-claimed jazz musicians. Whennot appearing as a soloist,Ryan performs in a seasonalfemale a cappella group calledthe Jingle Belles.

In addition to her singinggigs, Ryan studied Jazz im-provisation at Nassau Com-munity College before arrivingat Five Towns, where she stud-ies music education with aconcentration in vocal studies.She is currently student teach-ing and is preparing for hersenior recital.

For more information, callthe box office 631-656-2148 orvisit www.dhpac.org.


MUSIC

Dix Hills Spotlights Jazz LegendFive Towns senior Tierney Ryan to pay homage to Billie Holiday with solo performance

Photo by D

arlene W

ard

Tierney Ryan will pay tribute tolegendary jazz singer BillieHoliday in song on Jan. 31 atthe Dix Hills Performing ArtsCenter.


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The listings on this page contain open house events conducted by brokers licensed in New York. If you are a broker and would like to get your listings on this page, please contact Associate Publisher Peter Sloggatt at (631) 427-7000, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

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6K gallons of gas burnpolice’s investigation may provide someanswers in the months to come.

Shah, 57, is survived by his wife andtwo children. A man who answered thephone at Kittery Transport refused tocomment on the crash until receiving po-lice reports, but said the employee wasvery loyal and level-headed.

While sheriff ’s deputies cordoned offentrance ramps and all eight lanes,Melville firefighters were the first re-sponders to the scene. But with flamesspewing from the tanker, they wouldn’tbe alone for long. About 125 firefightersand support personnel from the Hunt-ington Manor, Hicksville Haz-Mat, EastFarmingdale, Halesite, Dix Hills, Green-lawn, Syosset, Farmingdale, Bethpage,Plainview, Long Island MacArthur Air-port, Republic Airport, Centerport, ColdSpring Harbor and East Northport firedepartments, along with the CommackAmbulance Squad, arrived at the scene ormanned other firehouses.

Firefighters quickly began sprayingfoam on the flames, with the assistance ofa MacArthur Airport Crash Truck. Foam,Warren explained, is far more effectivethan water when dealing with gasoline.

“The foam suppresses the fumes andthe gasoline is going to float on the wa-ter,” he said.

They should know; the Melville FireDepartment was called on in 2008 totangle with another tanker fire on theLong Island Expressway. Last time thefire spawned in Dix Hills around exit 50.

“We have handled calls like this be-fore,” Warren said.

But about 15 minutes into the battle, anew hazard posed a risk to rescuers. A largeINFORM sign typically operated by theDepartment of Transportation (DOT) tocommunicate traffic conditions camecrashing down across all eight lanes whenmetal supports collapsed in the heat.

Thankfully nobody was injured by thesign. Warren said there were no visual oraudible clues that the sign would buckle,but firefighters avoided the sign due tothe presence of excessive heat and possi-ble damage it could cause.

“We’re very fortunate that the signcame down very quickly into the fire andprevented much more serious injuries,”the chief said.

Firefighters knocked out the flameswithin 90 minutes. However, gasoline wasstill on the road. First responders limitedthe flow with dikes around storm drains,although the fuel was still finding its wayonto service roads and catch basins. A De-partment of Environmental Conservation

(DEC)-hired contractor uprighted thetanker and pumped out the remaining fuelanother seven hours later.

One thousand gallons remained in thetank, DEC spokesman Bill Fonda said,adding that an estimated 6,000 wereburned off while another 5,000 spilledinto storm drains. Several thousand gal-lons of water were sprayed down thedrains to flush the gasoline out.

“We started working as soon as the firewas put out. They are concentrating onthe drainage system, which is concrete-lined,” Fonda said, adding that it limitsthe path the contaminated water cantake. “They’re going to know where thecontaminated product will be.”

The drainage system directs all waterfrom that area to a recharge basin – alarge hole in the ground designed to sat-urate the ground with rainfall – alongRound Swamp Road in Nassau County.Contractors flushed out the storm drainstwice on Saturday and Sunday, whichDEC officials believe removed most ofthe gasoline. They’ve also been placingabsorbent pads in the basin to soak upcontaminated water, and 120 cubic yardsof contaminated soil were excavated.

“They’re still monitoring the situationtoday, but with the rain, they’ll have to re-assess it,” Fonda said, adding that crewsworking through Saturday night likelyprevented substantial contamination. “Ifthey can work on a spill immediately af-ter it happens, it lessens the environmen-tal exposure.”

They were joined by DOT workersmilling and filling a 200-foot section ofthe LIE that melted in the heat. DOTspokeswoman Pat Audinot confirmed theeastbound lanes were re-opened around4:30 a.m. Sunday morning; the west-bound lanes opened around 6 p.m. afterdebris was removed. There is no indica-tion when the sign will be replaced.

“Our crews worked really hard,” Au-dinot said. “They did a great job.”

(Continued from page A1)


Firemen fight to extinguish flames at the crash site.

Photos by Steve Silverm

an

Smoke rises from the site of the tanker ex-plosion.

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“God almighty, I thought you were or-dinary!”

Stanley Gardner can’t hide his surprisewhen his seemingly average neighbor di-vulges a secret confession: John Smithhas two wives, two lives and one bigproblem when a situation threatens toexpose him.

Scheduled for a month-long engage-ment at the John W. Engeman Theater atNorthport, “Run For Your Wife” is aBritish play about a bigamist set in the1980s. The farce crosses cultural linesand caters to all audiences. Even the song“Love and Marriage,” which begins play-ing as the lights come up, crosses gener-ational lines; it was also the theme for the1980s TV show “Married… With Chil-dren.”

The audience is immediately intro-duced to the women in John Smith’s life:pouty, shapely blond wife Barbara andthe more conservative wife Mary, bothunknowingly in love with the same cab-driving man. Audra Wahhab returns tothe Engeman stage after appearing in“The Odd Couple” last season to playBarbara, while Broadway actress LauraShoop takes on the role of Mary.

The play is set simultaneously in theWimbledon flat of John and Mary and inthe Streatham flat of John and Barbara.Scenic Designer Court Watson, who alsodid Engeman’s “The Foreigner” and “Lit-tle Shop of Horrors,” makes clever use of

inverse color schemes and separate doorsto make it clear in which apartment theaction is occurring. No detail is missed,from the vibrant yellow and blue wall dé-cor to the blue-and-yellow-makes-greensofa in the middle, shared by both flats.

John’s life is turned upside down whenhe is hospitalized after being muggedand his two addresses surface, sparkingquestions from police in both towns. Theonly way to maintain his sham is to enlistthe help of his friend Stanley. Though atfirst fascinated by John’s setup, Stanleyquickly finds himself in outrageous situ-ations as he helps maintain the farce.

John Patrick Hayden, who plays John,and David Rossmer, who plays Stanley,are a well-matched pair. Rossmer comesout with abounding energy and main-tains it throughout the play; his twisted

facial expressions in the second half arephysical comedy at its best. His characteris balanced by Hayden’s relativelystraightforward play of John, who buildsand builds as the farce reaches its pinna-cle. In fact, it is the initially subdued na-ture of Hayden’s John that makes him be-lievable.

John Little of Engeman’s “LittleWomen” returns to play the detective ofStreatham while Broadway actor DougStender plays the detective from Wim-bledon. Broadway veteran Stuart Mar-land plays the so-flamboyant-you-can’t-help-but-laugh gay neighbor upstairs,while Matthew Naclerio of Engeman’s“Oliver!” and “The Foreigner” makes abrief appearance as the newspaper re-porter.

The actors utilize every inch of the

small stage, especially when several areon at the same time but are supposed tobe in different apartments. What couldresult in a confused audience as well as ablocking disaster instead gives audiencemembers the feeling they are “in theknow” about simultaneous situations asthe actors glide past each other flawless-ly. It is a credit to Director BT McNicholl,who also did Engeman’s “Lend Me aTenor” and “The Odd Couple.” McNichollis also the resident director of TonyAward-winner “Billy Elliot.”

Despite a somewhat slow start, theplay picks up quickly and the jokes thathit, hit hard. Showing through Feb. 21,tickets are $50. Call 631-261-2900 or vis-it www.engemantheater.com for more in-formation. The theater is located at 250Main St. in Northport.

THEATER

Nothing Ordinary About This ‘John Smith’Engeman’s ‘Run For Your Wife’ puts British farce on stage for American audience

In Engeman’s “Run For Your Wife,” a cab driver finds himself in the middle of chaos as hissecret of having two wives teeters on the brink of exposure.

The audience is quickly brought into theworld of John Smith’s two loves, pouty wifeBarbara, played by Audra Wahhab, and con-servative wife Mary, played by Laura Shoop.

By Luann & [email protected]

It was a full house as the HuntingtonTownship Chamber of Commerceopened the new year with a premier busi-ness networking event.

The “Meet the Media” NetworkingBreakfast took place on Jan. 21 at theHilton Long Island/Huntington. In addi-tion to the standard pre-event network-ing and relationship building, the fea-tured media program added value formembers by providing newsworthy in-formation and entertainment as well asvital information for local businesses andcommunities.

The strategic panel of journalists andreporters from Long Island’s most influ-ential media outlets included: Frank Elt-man, Associated Press; Greg Cergol,WNBC-TV; Mona Rivera, 1010 WINS;Doug Geed, News 12; Carol Pack, LINews Tonight; Holli Haerr, Fios 1; PeterSloggatt, Long Islander Newspapers;

Tim Bolger, Long Island Press; DavidWinzelberg, LI Business News, and VicLatino, La Fiesta/Party 105 Radio. Thelively program was moderated by JoyeBrown from Newsday.

“It was an incredible event with a greatturn out from both members and non-members looking to find out more aboutthe Chamber,” said Chamber ChairmanRobert Bontempi. “The panelists areamong the best in the media world andtouched upon several issues that are notonly affecting all Long Islanders but, mil-lions of Americans. This event is a won-derful forum for the public to interact di-rectly with the press.”

The panelists discussed significantnews events and how it impacts Long Is-land and local communities. Topics in-cluded economic hardships, environ-mental issues, the most important storiesand the most under reported news of

2009, how the media has changed in thepast year, and the advent of social net-working and what it means for the futureof Long Island businesses. After an in-depth discussion, the panelists respond-ed to a number of questions from the au-dience.

This program was made possiblethrough the generosity of Chamber spon-sors: Adelphi University; BAE Systems;Capital One Bank; Community NationalBank; CyberKnife Of Long Island (NorthShore Radiation Group); Farrell Fritz,P.C.; Home Depot; JVKellyGroup;Newsday; Nightingale PR; North ShoreFinancial Group; Park Shore CountryDay Camp; ServPro of North Huntingtonand Verizon Communications.

MELVILLE

Media Experts Join Huntington Chamber

Panelists at the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce Meet the Media NetworkingBreakfast. Pictured from left, are: Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce Chairman Robert Bon-

tempi; Peter Sloggatt, Long Islander Newspapers; Greg Cergol, WNBC-TV; Vic Latino, La Fi-esta/Party 105 Radio; Frank Eltman, Associated Press; Mona Rivera, 1010 WINS; JoyeBrown, Newsday; Holli Haerr, Fios; Carol Pack, LI News Tonight; Tim Bolger, Long IslandPress; David Winzelberg, LI Business News; and Doug Geed, News 12.

Huntington Township Chamber of Com-merce Chairman Robert Bontempi address-es the audience at the Meet the Media Net-working Breakfast.

What started as a chance meeting at anetworking group for pet professionalsis growing into a side project thatthreatens to demand more attentionthan a cute puppy.

Created by social worker JenniferDevine and veterinarian MichaelSelmer, Caring4Pets bridges the gapbetween their careers and provides aunique service – non-medical care forpets and a watchful eye for households.

“I don’t think anyone’s discussing itbecause there’s not a plan or awarenessof it. What I’d love to see happen is thatwhen a social worker is talking withsomeone who has been admitted, theyask if they have pets at home,” Devinesaid.

A licensed master social worker spe-cializing in geriatric care employed byCaring For People and a Huntingtonresident, Devine also has more than adozen years of experience as a profes-sional pet-sitter.

Selmer, on the other hand, has ownedAdvanced Animal Care in HuntingtonStation for 15 years. In 2007, he createdthe Mobile Care Unit to help pets whentheir owners couldn’t get the animals tohis office. What he found was that somepeople ignored their own health mal-adies to care for their pets.

“While I was there, I ran into somesituations where someone would haveto be rushed to the hospital, and theywouldn’t leave the bus because of a cator other pet,” Selmer said.

Enter Caring4Pets. The new businessprovides sitters that can walk, feed andgroom pets while owners are away. If anoperation caused the absence and the hos-pital approves, the sitters can also bringthe pets bedside for a visit. Employees alsocollect mail, water plants, throw outexpired food and fill the refrigerator intime for the client’s return.

Clients initiate contact by reachingout to the company. A Caring4Pets staffmember will meet with the customer,create an assessment and come up witha plan. While sometimes it is as simpleas feeding the cat and cleaning its litterbox, Devine said often there’s more to it.

“I went into a senior’s home for anassessment and one of the issues for thiswoman was that she got into a car tobring [her cat] to the vet to get its nailsclipped. Because she wasn’t balanced,the cat got frightened and ran away,” shesaid, adding that the feline returnedand now Selmer clips its nails in thehome. “Now she’s comfortable with uscoming in to talk about her.”

And that was the original idea, bothowners said. Caring4Pets accepts any-body as clients and was created to helpboth senior citizens and their pets.

“I wanted to put them togetherbecause I think there’s a need for it,”Devine said.

Despite opening in September,Selmer said they are just beginning tomarket themselves and look for newclients. They currently have staff in the

Town of Huntington and south shore ofNassau County. Another social workercould be hired in the very near future towork out of Patchogue. Anyone lookingto use Caring4Pets’ services is asked tocall 631-697-5995. The business is cur-rently based out of Selmer’s office.

TOWN OF HUNTINGTON

Barking Up The Right TreeSide business fills niche tending to people and pets in their home


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Michael Selmer with Bea Denno and her dog, Raider, in a Long Island senior living facility,the primary demographic for Caring4Pets.

Selmer’s Mobile Car Unit is sometimes used for Caring4Pets calls as well.

By Mike [email protected]

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Around 100,000 children acrossLong Island receive food assistancefrom pantries or soup kitchens eachyear; almost 1,000 of them are home-less.

But they are not alone. Choirs from 10Huntington congregations joined togeth-er at St. Hugh of Lincoln R.C. Church onJan. 17 in song and prayer to raise aware-ness about the growing problem througha Martin Luther King-inspired service.

About 500 people attended the event,including four children’s choirs. Althoughparticipants were only asked to donateone non-perishable food item, St. Hugh’sOutreach Director Fran Leek confirmedthey collected 1,000 cans.

“This food pantry feeds about 500 peo-ple a month. It was a great donation forus,” Leek said. “The program was verywell received.”

However, Long Island Jobs withJustice Community [JWJ-LI] OutreachCoordinator Richard Koubek said theevent was designed to inspire more thancharity.

“What we are doing with this MartinLuther King service is saying that worksof charity are not enough,” Koubek said.

The participants ranged fromChristians to Buddhists, all trying to helpthe children. They aspired to achieveMartin Luther King Jr.’s dream of helpingthose in need – hence the event’s title of“‘We Must Speak’...Putting Children First.”

“We are using Dr. King’s dream of anAmerica without poverty,” JWJ-LI ExecutiveDirector Charlene Obernauer said.

JWJ-LI joined with many other chil-dren’s advocacy and anti-poverty groupsto sponsor the event. That list includedEvery Child Matters on Long Island, TheChild Care Council of Nassau and SuffolkCounties, and Mobilized InterfaithCoalition Against Hunger.

This was actually the fourth consecu-tive year that Huntington’s congregationscollaborated to help a Long Island cause.This time they elected to help the impov-erished children on Long Island.

“This year we chose to emphasize chil-dren because poor people are most vul-nerable, especially poor children,”Obernauer said, adding “especially withthe economic crisis we are experiencing.”

Though Long Island is one of the 10wealthiest regions in America, 20 percentof Long Island residents struggle eachmonth to provide their families with thebasic necessities, according to JWJ-LI.

“We are rallying people of faith to take

political actions to address these in jus-tices,” said Koubek, “and asking people tosend their representatives to supportpublic policies that get at the root ofpoverty, such as an increase in fundingchild care.”

The most recent source of informationabout Long Island poverty is the 2009Adelphi University “Vital Signs” study,

although Island Harvest/LI Cares will bereleasing a more updated study on hungeron Feb. 3.

“Seventy-five thousand children underthe age of 6 cannot get into licensed andregulated child care centers because thereare not enough government subsidies tohelp their parents pay the child care fees,”Koubek said.

MUSIC

Voices Raised For A ‘Note’-Worthy CauseLocal congregations gather to raise awareness of poor children on Long Island.

A group of young singers wait for their turn to raise poverty awareness through song.

Children from Joshua Baptist Cathedral Youth Choir in Huntington take the stage for their set.

The Gathering of Light, Multifaith Spiritual Fellowship Choir hold up Dr. Martin Luther King-inspired signs during the service.

By Zoe [email protected]

Choirs from 10 Huntington congregations joined together at St. Hugh of Lincoln R.C. Churchon Jan. 17 in song and prayer through a Martin Luther King-inspired serviceBoth children and adult choirs joined in the service.

Photos by B

rent E

ysler

The only page to turn for complete coverage of the: HALF HOLLOW HILLS EAST THUNDERBIRDS and HALF HOLLOW HILLS WEST COLTS

HillSPORTSwww.LongIslanderNews.comA20 • THE HALF HOLLOW HILLS NEWSPAPER • JANUARY 28, 2010 Please mention The Long Islander Newspapers when doing business with our advertisers.

Lacrosse players from across LongIsland flocked to Half Hollow Hills onSunday to get a leg up in the pre-seasonwith world-class advice from theirnational idols.

Hills Youth Lacrosse hosted clinicstaught by four members of U.S. Women’sWorld Cup Training team at Hills EastHigh School on Jan. 24. Over 150 femaleyouth and high school lacrosse playershad the opportunity to get one-on-onetraining and advice from their sportsidols.

“This is a hugely empowering event forall of these girls from fourth grade toninth grade, to even those in 12th grade,”said Trisha Dean, organizer of the event.

The league was chosen as one of 12sites across the nation to host the U.S.Women’s National 2009-2010 clinics,and was further selected as one of fourlocations to host an advanced high schoollevel clinic. The sessions gave athletes ageneral overview of the game, with focuson basics of passing, catching and stickwork, said clinician Whitney Douthett, amember of the 2009 Gold Medal win-ning U.S. World Cup Team.

“It’s a great honor for us to be hereplaying with these kids, they are thefuture of our sport,” said Jennifer Russell,who plays defense for University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill and is a memberof the U.S. Developmental Program.

Members of the Hills Youth Lacrosse

fourth-grade girls team including LindsayDean, Samantha Leva, Sophia Russo,Dana Schlackman and Kelly Sullivaneagerly collected autographs while talkingabout their new moves, including abehind-the-back pass and the “Twizzler.”

“For parents of the younger girls, it’sabout having their daughters exposed toworld-class talent, who serve as great rolemodels for these girls,” said RichMakover, director of Hills Youth

Lacrosse’s girl program. “For the oldergirls, I think they want to speak to themand learn how to follow in their footsteps.This is both a skill-building and network-ing opportunity.”

Nichole Doran, a ninth-grader at HillsEast who plays attack, held the advice ofU.S. team members Douthett, Russell,Hilary Bown and Colleen Olsen in highrespect.

“One of them started playing at my age,

and now she’s on Team USA which makesit even better, to think I could do thesame one day,” Doran said.

Russell, who didn’t start playinglacrosse until she was in eighth-grade,said she had one piece of advice for thoseathletes who aspire to play at the nation-al level.

“It takes a lot of hard work and dedica-tion, but if you commit to it you can do it,”she said.


LACROSSE

Pros Securing Future Of Their Sport Women’s World Cup team spends one-on-one time with Hills players

The Thunderbirds narrowly missedclinching their first league victory,which evaded their grasp in a heatedgame that was still undecided withless than 10 seconds on the clock.

The Half Hollow Hills East girls bas-ketball team traveled to East Islip totake on the Redmen on Jan. 21. Theclock worked against the Thunderbirdsin the close game, ticking down as EastIslip claimed the lead and hung onto itfor the final 40 seconds to win 55-53.

Coach Yvan Garcia said he was notdisappointed by the loss. The girlsplayed an exciting game, giving ittheir all on the court, he said, and thatwas what mattered most.

From the moment the first quarterstarted, a battle for control ensued asaction bounced back-and-forth fromone side of the court to the other. TheRedmen, spurred on by the cheering

of the home crowd, took an early 5-point lead.

The Thunderbirds came back with avengeance in the second quarter, per-haps remembering their early season39-36 loss to East Islip on Dec. 17. Hills’offense proved a force to be reckonedwith, outscoring their opponents by 7points. The aggressive play put theThunderbirds in the lead at the half forthe third time this season, 21-19.

Senior Maureen Pollet opened thethird quarter with a nothing-but-net3-pointer. This opened the door forthe Thunderbirds to take control ofthe court, holding a narrow lead formost of the third.

It was late in the third quarter whenHills East began to run into troublewith fouls, as the Redmen took a 38-37 lead via free throws.

Hills sophomore Tara Wirth scoreda quick 2-pointer seconds into thefourth quarter to reclaim the lead.Baskets made by sophomore point

guard Gabby Diamandis and juniorBria Green were quickly off set by theRedmen’s fast offense. Tension rosewhen the score was tied at 45, as seniorcaptain Kelsey Cunningham racedback to stop an offensive break with asingle hand, coming up with two hugeblocks. A 3-pointer by Green put Hillsahead 53-50 with one minute left.

East Islip fought off defeat by scor-ing twice and sinking a series of freethrows to take a 55-53 lead. Garciacalled a time out to gather theThunderbirds for one last attempt, asthey had possession with 9.2 secondsleft, but the shot bounced harmlesslyoff the backboard.

Diamandis and Green led theThunderbirds’ offense with 16 pointsapiece.

The loss puts Hills East 0-7 inLeague III with six games remaining.The Thunderbirds will look for theirfirst win today when they take onNewfield at 4 p.m.


GIRLS BASKETBALL>> EAST ISLIP 55, HILLS EAST 53

Thunderbirds Seconds Away From VictoryTeam unable to close 2-point gap in the final minute, leading to heart-breaking loss

U.S. National Woman’s World Cup Training team member Colleen Olsen helped local high school players perfect their games at Hills East inone of four national advanced clinics held last Sunday.

Half H

ollow H

ills photo/Sara-Megan

Walsh

Senior Janel Gardner goes up for a slam-dunk againstthe East Islip Redman on Jan. 21.

the half hollow hills newspaper

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