Head Of The Harbor Chief Martin Thompson Retires

Gwen & Marty Thompson with an Arline Goldstein original painting

By p.biancaniello

photos by William Garthe, Our Town St James - Click on photos to enlarge

Retirement? Yes. Leaving the area? No. That about sums up the message from Head of the Harbor Chief of Police Martin Thompson. A retirement ceremony in honor of Marty, as most people know him, was held at Village Hall, Head Of The Harbor on Sunday, March 13.

A room full of friends, family, colleagues and politicos showed up to wish Marty well as he heads off into retirement. It was an emotional Chief Thompson who thanked his wife, family and the people he worked with.

Chief Thompson is no stranger to retirement having retired from the Navy and Police Department prior to working for Head of the Harbor. This retirement may be a little different because Thompson is not planning to find a new job somewhere. Truth be told Thompson loved his job, his colleagues and the people who live in the area. It was his decision to retire and it wasn’t because he didn’t want to work anymore. Thompson retired because after thirty years on the force he wants to be a snowbird. “I couldn’t do the job the way I wanted and the way I’ve done it for years if I am a snowbird in Florida.” 

Looking back on his career he marvels at how many things have changed and how many have stayed the same. Thompson is a strong advocate for the use of technology in policing. The use of cameras and computers has made policing more affordable and more efficient. Reports are a big part of police work, but using computers is faster and more efficient thereby freeing up time for policing. This according to Thompson is a very good thing.

Head Of The Harbor Mayor Douglas A. Dahlgard and Marty ThompsonPolicing is one of those things Marty Thompson loves. He is well known for being on the side of the road in his police vehicle on Edgewood Avenue as a reminder to drivers not to speed. He has is no nonsense but always respectful. When asked if he has any interesting stories about pulling people over he laughs and says “no” most people are respectful and apologetic.

So what is the most interesting thing about policing in Head of the Harbor? “I don’t know if it is the most interesting but there have been thousands of people over the years looking for the non-existent Mary’s grave. You can spot them immediately, they don’t know where they are going and they slow down as they drive. I think the story came from some professor but it has lived on.” According to Town Historian Bradley Harris, there was a grave and tombstone in the area that was part of a cemetery that was destroyed. At one time a boy scout attempted to repair the gravestone of a Mary Smith, but when he went to replace it, the remaining cemetary tombstones had been completely destroyed. Without markers the cemetery reverted to its natural habitat. There Thompsons and Lohmannsis some speculation that neighbors didn’t like having a cemetery and visitors and perhaps someone decided that the graveyard didn’t belong there anymore. The irony is that people still drive looking for the cemetry, perhaps more because of legend of Mary’s Grave.

What is Martin Thompson going to do now? His wife Gwen is not worried about him getting bored after 48 years of marriage. She and the couples children and grandchildren are pretty confident that he will keep busy. As for Martin Thompson, he is scheduled for knee surgery. After that he will be enjoying his grandkids if they want to spend time with them and enjoying his hobbies golfing, fishing and hunting. 

In addition to being Head of the Harbor Chief of Police, Thompson is active in the St. James FD, VFW, American Legion, Submarine Veterans, FOP Lodge 53 and Sons of Norway Loyal Lodge in St. James. 

For the Thompsons retirement is what you make of it.

Limo Driver Charged In Horrific MV Crash

DA Tom Spota

By p.biancaniello

Many people have vivid memories of the horrific motor vehicle crash that took the lives of four young women in Cutchogue last July. The incident involved a group of eight women, four from our area, hiring a limo to visit the wineries on the east end.

Almost immediately after leaving a vineyard on Sound Avenue, the limousine in which they were traveling driven by Carlos Pino, was involved in a crash with a pickup truck. The truck was driven by Steven Romeo an east end businessman. Since the tragedy on July 18, 2015 there has been speculation about the cause of the crash: was it a faulty roadway? the pick-up truck driver? or the limousine driver or a combination?

Today District Attorney Thomas Spota, in a press conference at his Hauppauge office, placed the responsiblity for the accident on the limousine driver announcing the indictment of Carlos F. Pino.

DA Spota said, ” The person who is criminally responsible for the crash is Carlos Pino and Carlos Pino alone. Pino failed to take any precaution or action to make sure he could safely enter the westbound traffic lanes; he continued to attempt his U-turn without stopping.  Because of his actions, he failed to see the Jeep Liberty in front of him, or Mr. Romeo’s pickup converging on the intersection.”

At the press conference Spota thanked the NYS DOT’s expert accident reconstructionists who worked for five hours recreating the scene. The team used replacement vehicles which, with the exception of color, were identical to the vehicles involved in the accident.

DA Spota said the investigation turned up five additional witnesses who were present on the roadway the day of the crash. This led to a thorough understanding of what happened. 

exhibit showing obstructed viewAccording to the DA the limousine driver left the vineyard without waiting for a Jeep Liberty to turn off the road, even though the Jeep was obstructing his view, Pino did not stop or wait until he could see oncoming traffic. He just pulled out. Because of the presence of the Jeep, Mr. Romeo in the pick-up truck could not have seen the limo until he was about 200 feet from the limo. The investigation showed that Romeo tried to stop, but at 55 mph it would have been impossible. 

Spota said,”Mr Romeo had only 200 feet to react to the hazard he saw, and stop his vehicle. Traveling at 55 mph, it would have take 1.6 seconds to perceive the limo in his path, to realize he must apply his brakes, and then to begin braking. This would leave Romeo with even less distance, 129 feet, to avoid a crash - impossible for him to do.”

Calling it unavoidable, Spota acknowledged that Mr. Romeo had been drinking prior to the incident. “A perfectly sober Steven Romeo could not avoid this crash. An intoxicated Steven Romeo could not avoid this crash. It was simply unavoidable from Romeo’s perspective.”

The law, according to Spota requires that there be a link between intoxication and the crash.The DA also said that Mr. Romeo will be charged. “Here - because the crash was unavoidable, there is no such link and the grand jury did not indict him for Vehicular Manslaughter or Criminally Negligent Homicide.”

Carlo Pino was charged with four counts of criminally megligent homicide, four counts of assault, failure to yield the right of way, reckless driving.

Steven Romeo was charged with DWI  and driving while ability impaired by alcohol.

At the arraignment in State Supreme Court in Central Islip - 

Pino, Carlos F. (Limo driver) – Pleaded not guilty to four charges of criminally negligent homicide, four counts of assault, failure to yield the right of way, reckless driving, turning at an intersection, failure to yield the right of way, failing to stay in a designated lane, and failing to file a required report upon an accident.   Cash bail set at $50,000, Bond is $100,000.  Next court date 4/19/16.

and

Romeo, Steven (Pickup truck driver) – Pleaded not guilty to two counts of driving while intoxicated and one charge of driving while ability impaired by alcohol.  Defendant released on his own recognizance.  Next court date is 4/26/16.

Theater Review - "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum"

THEATER REVIEW - “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”

Produced by: The Star Playhouse - Commack - Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur 

In this rollicking farce set in ancient Rome, a slave named Pseudolus wishes to gain his freedom at any cost … and what happens in his two-hour pursuit of that end, you simply will not believe. Nor should you, because ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum’ is the sort of show whose plot never was intended to be taken seriously.

As the musical’s opening number announces ten minutes into the play: 

“…Pantaloons and tunics! Courtesans and eunuchs! Funerals and chases! Baritones and basses!Panderers! Philanderers! Cupidity! Timidity! This time it all turns out all right … Tragedy tomorrow, Comedy tonight!”

And the big, talented cast of this Stephen Sondheim extravaganza (fifteen named characters, all of them spot-on) never fails to deliver on that initial promise. If anything, many of the punch lines and sight gags come at us so swiftly, and often in such rapid-fire combination, that it’s sometimes difficult to appreciate all the one-liners fully.

‘Forum’ opened on Broadway starring Zero Mostel in early 1962, and closed in August of ’64 after no fewer than 964 performances and a Tony Award for Best Musical! The hysterically convoluted plot plainly demonstrated the lasting power of its witticisms when it was revived in 1972 with Phil Silvers in the lead (Pseudolus), and again starring Nathan Lane in 1996. 

Every actor who has opened in the role of Pseudolus on Broadway (Zero Mostel, Phil Silvers, and Nathan Lane) has won a Best Leading Actor Tony Award for his performance. If that isn’t a first on The Great White Way (and probably a unique achievement to boot), this reviewer would be astonished.

Many regional theaters the world over, like The Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada, Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, and most recently, the splendid Star Playhouse in Commack, have mounted award-winning versions of ‘Forum.’There is simply no questioning the show’s international appeal.

I have seldom seen a musical comedy where the laugh lines are so evenly distributed among so many actors. This, of course makes for pleasing theater, but it also obviously must have created a special set of problems for the Director, Jim Redding (who also designed the lighting). Also, Sound Technician (Brian Robbins) and Choreographer, Leia DePalo must have been equally challenged. They certainly acquitted themselves well in this slick production. One was put in mind of a non-stop jocular ping-pong game where zingers followed one another with lightning speed, and rim-shot effect.

As mentioned, the lead in this Shevelove and Gelbart play clearly belongs to Glen Ames (as Pseudolus, essentially the narrator). No two ways about it, the actor is a thoroughgoing professional, and he’s got the stage credits to prove it. Ames has played everyone from Nathan Detroit in ‘Guys and Dolls’ to Iago in ‘Othello.’ 

But any critic would be remiss if they did not single out Amanda Cataldo (Domina) for special mention. One can easily envision Cataldo as she must have interpreted Bloody Mary in ‘South Pacific.’ She’s got a beautiful voice … but when Amanda turns shrewish, look out! Those pipes can make Ethel Merman sound like a choir boy!

So, then, kudos to Ames and Cataldo … and to the entire ‘Forum’ cast and crew. Also, thanks to my high school Latin teacher, the late Morris Diamond, without whose tutelage I might not have sufficiently appreciated the names of Erronius, Tintinabula, Vibrata (hmmm) … et al.

Sadly, prospective attendees will have but one more opportunity to see ‘Forum’ … Saturday night, March 19. Call 631-462-9800 X 136

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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 the late Harper Lee and Truman Capote. Ladouceur’s website is www.JebsBooks.com

Anna Throne-Holst Wants To Be Congresswoman In CD 1

Anna Throne-Holst talks to Democrats in Smithtown Saturday, March 12,2016

by p.biancaniello

Democrat Anna Throne-Holst came to Smithtown Saturday, March 12 to talk to Democrats and ask for their support in replacing Congressman Lee Zeldin in November. Ms. Throne-Holst, former supervisor of the Town of Southampton, gave a presentation to a group of Democrats who were eager to learn about her background and to learn more about her platform.

Democrats were not disappointed. Ms. Throne-Holst spoke about her accomplishments as the supervisor in the east end town of Southampton. She spoke of inheriting a budget that had serious deficits, had been mismanaged and a bond rating that had been downgraded. Ms. Throne-Holst corrected the situation by bringing in auditors to identify and to determine the extent of the problem. She then worked with town board members, all of whom were Republicans, to adopt changes that resulted in Southampton receiving a triple A bond rating . A message that Ms. Throne-Holst emphasized is her ability to get repeatedly elected in a Republican town and her willingness to work across political lines to get results.

Ms. Throne-Holst is a single mother of four adult children. A co-founder of the Hayground School in the Hamptons and the former director of the Bridgehampton Child Care Center. She is passionate about providing education and economic opportunities to children and families.

Throne-Holst spent a great deal of time talking about opportunity being the core of American values and said she would work to find  a solution to immigration concerns. Throne-Holst stated “Donald Trump’s proposal to build a wall around the border would bankrupt our nation.” She addressed environmental issues and spoke of her effort bringing the New York State Clean Water and Technology Center to Stony Brook University. The programs developed by the center will help protect Long Island’s drinking water.

One of her prioities is to bring federal money to Long Island, a responsibility that Throne-Holst believes is paramount to LI’s future and something that Lee Zeldin has not accomplished.

Before Anna Throne-Holst gets to face Zeldin she must win the June 28th Democratic Primary. Ms. Throne-Holst stated that her record working in the non-profit field and her experience in government make her the most qualified to take on Zeldin. Speaking of her primary opponent, David Calone, she mentioned that he is a former member of the LIPA Board which supported building a Caithness II power plant which would have been very costly for rate payers.

Kings Park Man Seriously Injured In Crash At Sunken Meadow Rd/Kohr Rd Intersection

Michael PowellSuffolk County Police today arrested a Northport man for driving while intoxicated following a crash that seriously injured his passenger.

Michael Powell was driving a 2002 Subaru westbound on Sunken Meadow Road when he lost control of his vehicle, east of the intersection of Kohr Road, and struck a tree at 3:09 a.m.

Dennis Clancy, 24, of Kings Park, Powell’s front seat passenger, was transported via Suffolk County Police Helicopter to Stony Brook University Hospital where he is listed in serious condition.

Powell, 28, was charged with Driving While Intoxicated and is scheduled to be arraigned today at First District Court in Central Islip.

Powell’s vehicle was impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing. Detectives are asking anyone who may have witnessed this incident to contact the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452.

A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.