Police Looking For Person Or Persons Who Stole Trailer In Commack

Wanted for Grand Larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the person or people who stole a trailer from a Commack business. 

A 15-foot trailer was stolen from Trailer City, located at 1100 Jericho Turnpike, sometime overnight between November 16 and November 17. The trailer has a value of $8,000.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

D/Sgt. Michael LutzCC# 15-671193  Fourth Squad Detectives CW# 15-381/KM

"Today We Are All Parisians" Commack Students Express Sympathy & Support

French students in Dominick Kosciuk’s classes expressed their sympathy and showed their solidarity with the people of France after the attacks on Paris on November 13, 2015. “My students and I needed to share our grief and show our support.” The classes composed letters of sympathy and delivered them to the French Consulate in New York, along with the attached photo.

Commack High School Principal, Catherine Nolan, was thankful to the students and their teacher for “increasing our students’ sensitivity about this horrific event and for this display of empathy towards humanity.”

Theater Review - "A Christmas Carol"

THEATER REVIEW - A Christmas Carol

Produced by: Theatre Three, Port Jefferson - Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur 

Jeffrey Sanzel as Ebenezer Scrooge

More than the calendar, the weather, or a lot of festive decorations…the Holiday Season on Long Island is appropriately heralded by a single theatrical event that has become an integral part of the venerated celebration itself. That iconic drama offering is, of course, “A Christmas Carol.”

Theatre Three’s 32^nd annual production of the play based on Charles Dickens’s 170-year-old novella…so remarkably adapted for the stage by actor/director/writer Jeffrey Sanzel…opened last Saturday in Port Jefferson, and will run in 24 performances thru December 27^th.

Mr. Sanzel plays the part of miserly old ‘Ebenezer Scrooge,’ and in show business parlance, he ‘owns’ the role, much as Olivier does ‘Richard III’…or Ray Charles owns the song, ‘Georgia’…or Judith Anderson is unmatched as ‘Medea.’

We who are fortunate to know Jeffrey Sanzel personally, realize what a remarkable acting job this kindly and most generous man has turned in over the years. Indeed, it would be a simple matter to harbor a lifelong animosity for the nasty, curmudgeonly skinflint he portrays if one were to leave the theater at intermission, so convincingly stingy is his interpretation of “A Christmas Carol’s” central figure. Prior to his redemption, that is. 

But you can bet your bottom dollar that no one ever has…or ever will…bail out on this incredible show at half-time. Difficult though it might be to imagine, Sanzel’s considerable thespian skills are equaled by his expertise as a director. His insight for stagecraft is nothing short of incredible, and we experience the phenomenon with virtually every turn of phrase, pause, and gesture throughout this breathtaking show.

So stunning and downright spectacular are the special effects of Set Designer Randall Parsons and Lighting Designer Robert W. Henderson, Jr., that we hesitate to describe them in detail. To do so might deprive future audiences of surprises that they would otherwise not see coming. A woman beside me literally yelped when the ghost of ‘Scrooge’s’ partner, ‘Jacob Marley,’ emerged from Hell so convincingly that her mesmerized 6-year-old daughter felt compelled to place a comforting arm around her mother’s shoulders. That, my friends, defines successful application of art to a broad demographic! 

If Sanzel’s ‘Scrooge’ is masterful…and it is…‘The Ghost of Christmas Present’ as played by James D. Schultz is equally so. Extraordinarily, this New York Film Academy-trained actor has gotten better each time I’ve seen him at Theatre Three. It seems there’s no role whose demands are beyond Schultz’s reach. James must be a dream for Sanzel to direct…and vice versa. His precise, resonant delivery is perfectly enhanced by Sound Designer, Ellen Michelmore’s reverberation. And she applies her magic to each of the otherworldly characters with virtuosity, while creating the play’s myriad sound effects.

This play is not a musical (though its theme requires the inclusion of carols beautifully sung). But just to prove that the adroit company can pull off anything asked of them, Choreographer Marquez Catherine Stewart engineers a period wassailing party (The Fezziwigs’ Ball) which is absolutely charming. Nor is the dance merely a gratuitous inclusion. As much as any aspect of the play’s perfectly timed resolution, it signals ‘Scrooge’s’ welcome redemption…as Jeffrey Sanzel outstandingly turns him into the giddy, loveable fellow we’d all wished the old cheapskate to be from the beginning.

In sum: To refer to Theatre Three’s “A Christmas Carol” as ‘Broadway on Main Street’ is to compliment Broadway.

For tickets, contact the box office at: 631-928-9100       Group sales: 631: 928-9202

________________________________________________________________________

Award-winning writer, Jeb Ladouceur is the author of eleven novels, and his theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. His newest book, THE GHOSTWRITERS, explores the bizarre relationship between Harper Lee and Truman Capote. Ladouceur’s website is www.JebsBooks.com

Say NO To Suffolk County Resolution 1659-2015

By p.biancaniello

Suffolk County Legislator Lindsay has introduced Resolution No. 1659-2015 establishing the Suffolk County Regional Planning Alliance Program. For the time being the resolution has been tabled. For people who have been following this resolution tabling is not enough. Earlier this month Kings Park activist and Vice President of the Kings Park Civic Association Linda Allocco Henninger appeared before the Environmental, Planning and Agriculture Committee to express her concerns about the resolution. Mincing no words Henninger said, “This resolution is an unwarranted intrusion into the zoning powers of our towns, If adopted, this resolution will allow Suffolk County the power to usurp local zoning.We believe it would equal nothing more than a power grab on the part of the County.”

Ms. Henninger is not alone in her opposition. Smithtown Town Supervisor Patrick R. Vecchio sent a simple one line statement to Legislators Trotta and Kennedy, “The Town of Smithtown is opposed to resolution #1659-2015.” Legislator Trotta says he also opposes the resolution and doesn’t believe there is support for it in the Legislature.

According to Town Planning Director David Flynn  “The proposed law would not be in the best interests of the Town of Smithtown.  The proposed law states that priority for County funding shall be given to certain projects, but none of the projects are in the Town of Smithtown. (projects mentioned are the Ronkonkoma Hub, Heartland Town Square, downtown Huntington Station, Wyandanch Village and Riverside) This means that funding for sewers and county highways in the Town will become more difficult to obtain. 

Furthermore, none of the projects benefit Smithtown, and in fact they compete against the Town’s economic base.  Increasing commercial floor area near the Town’s borders is bound to make commercial property in Smithtown less valuable.  In essence the County’s proposal is to use Smithtown’s property taxes to subsidize the the Town’s competition.  

In addition, the law will have an detrimental effect on the Town’s zoning. It is likely that in order for Smithtown to get a share of County funding, the Town will be pressured to change its zoning to permit development that the Town would not otherwise determine is good planning.”

Henninger was the only speaker at the committee meeting commenting on this resolution. She has been following this legislation since it was proposed because, according to Henninger,  it is important to Kings Park. At the meeting Henninger expressed her dissatisfaction with section 1001-8 of the legislation “and any other development that, because of its character, magnitude, or location will have a substantial effect upon the health, safety, welfare, economy or environment of Suffolk County or upon more than one unit of local government and which has been so designated as a project of regional signigicance by the Long Island Regional Planning Council or the Suffolk County Planning Commission.” This section according to Henninger allows the Long Island Regional Planning Council or the Suffolk County Planning Commission to decide what projects in our communities are significant, again, taking that power and right away from local governments.

What can be done to make this resolution more palatable? Dave Flynn stated, “I would request the County not adopt this law, but rather to allow the County Executive and the County Legislature continue using the current process of deciding where to spend County resources. Your capital programming process is comprehensive and fair.  This system has worked well since the County’s current form of government was created 55 years ago.  The process has resulted in a desirable and efficient place to live and work.” 

Body Found At Kings Park Bluff 911 Report Of Vehicle Entering The Water

Police presence at the BluffSuffolk County Police responded to a 911 call reporting a car going into the water at the Kings Park Bluff Friday around 11pm. 

Police carrying the remains to be transported to the morgueEarly Saturday morning police retrieved a body located near the reported incident. The body is that of an adult male. The identification of the male has not been released. 

Photos courtesy of Linda Allocco Henninger