Marion Carll Farm

By Bruce Ettenberg

Legislators John Kennedy, Jon Cooper and Lynn Nowick have introduced legislation to include the Marion Carll Community Farm in the Suffolk County Farmland Preservation Act. Immediately after their legislation was introduced County Executive Steve Levy introduced an amendment to the Farmland Preservation act that would, in all likelihood rule Marion Carll Farm out of inclusion for preservation. His amendment would make it necessary for a farm to be over 7 acres, have annual sales of at least$ 10,000 dollars and less than 15 % lot coverage (buildings).

There will be a meeting of the 2010 ENVIRONMENT, PLANNING & AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE of the Legislature on Thursday, September 2nd at the Auditorium of the William H. Rogers Legislature Building, 725 Veterans Memorial Highway, Smithtown, New York 11787 at 1:00 PM.  

ARREST OF TWO MEN RESULTS IN SEIZURE OF HANDGUNS AND 100 BAGS OF HEROIN

Charles DesnoyersSuffolk County Police today arrested two men and seized two handguns and approximately 100 bags of heroin during a search warrant this morning.

Suffolk County Police First Squad Neighborhood EnfoJason Cooperrcement/Special Operations Team detectives (NE/SOT) executed a search warrant at 630 South Service Road in Dix Hills at 1:15 a.m. and recovered a 380 cal. Hi-Point semi-automatic handgun, a 9mm Cobray MAC-10 and approximately 100 bags of heroin. Jason Cooper, 29, of that address and Charles Desnoyers, 29 of 1 Cornell Drive, Wheatley Heights, were arrested.

Cooper was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2^nd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 4^th Degree. Desnoyers was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2^nd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7^th Degree. Both will be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip today.

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

Commack School District: Preventing Student Athlete Deaths

By Erica Jackson 

On February 24, 2007 Denver Broncos running back Damien Nash, 24 collapsed and died during a charity basketball game in St. Louis. On October 15, 2005 Atlanta Hawks center Jason Collier, 28, died after experiencing shortness of breath. On May 8, 2005 Western Kentucky basketball player Daniel Rumph, 21, perished after shooting hoops with some friends; and on November 3, 2007, American distance runner Ryan Shay, 28, passed away during the United States Olympic marathon trials in New York City.  All of the athletes shared one thing in common, they all died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a potentially fatal heart condition that often remains undetected until an athlete collapses on a playing field. 

In an effort to prevent such a death among its student athletes, the Commack School District has recently instituted American Heart Association recommendations that ask that all high school and middle school student athletes complete a pre-participation cardiovascular screening. 

“There have been a number of sudden cardiac deaths in the past few years and we decided to create awareness to those potential problems and screen our athletes,” said Jeramy Thode, director of health and physical education for the Commack School District. 

Prior to competing in sports, Thode said students are asked to fill out a short survey related to their family’s and their own cardiovascular health. The survey is to be reviewed and signed by both the student’s parents and doctor. 

“We want to keep our kids safe and prevent any serious problems,” said Thode. 

While the survey is not required to be filled out this year, Thode said it is highly recommended and will be mandatory next year.  So far, however, 200 plus student athletes in the Commack School District have handed in their forms.  There are about 2,000 kids in the district that participate in sports. 

“It appears that people are taking this very seriously,” said Thode. 

As they should:  According to statistics, released by the Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Registry, one in every 100,000 children in the United States under the age of 18 is diagnosed with cardiomyopathy which is a primary heart muscle disorder.  The majority of cases in childhood are diagnosed between 12 to 18 years old.  The risk of sudden death is highest in the young and decreases with increasing age. 

“I applaud the Commack School District’s adoption of the American Heart Association guideline for screening student athletes,” said Thomas Biancaniello, MD, FACC, FAHA, Chief Pediatric Cardiology, and Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine School of Medicine at Stony Brook.  “One important, but overlooked aspect of the pre-participation health evaluation is an adequate medical history and family history. Relying on the student athlete to report symptoms or family history that may disqualify them encourages them to  leaves out critical information which may be important in a good evaluation. That is why it is important to have parents attest to the family history.  Primary care physicians often have this information and their input can add to the thoroughness of the evaluation.” 

According to Dr. Biancaniello, “Key elements that may be the only clue that the student is at risk is a family history of sudden death since hypertrophic cardiomyopathyis inherited.  That means 50 percent of the family members may be afflicted.”  He added, “While fainting is common (15 percent of children faint before they are 18 years old) and chest pain is rarely cardiac related, fainting during physical exertion or chest pain that only occurs with exercise may be clues to the rare conditions that cause sudden death.” 

* It should be noted that Thomas Biancaniello is married to Patricia Biancaniello, publisher of SmithtownMatters.com. 

Forty-Eight Additional Mosquito Samples Test Positive for

Positive Samples Found in Blydenburgh and Heckscher Parks

Hauppauge, NY – Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) Commissioner James L. Tomarken, MD, MSW, MPH, MBA, FRCPC, FACP, has been notified by the New York State Department of Health that forty-eight additional mosquito samples sent to their laboratory have tested positive for West Nile virus. 

These samples were collected August 18^th, 19^th , and 20^th, in Babylon (6): West Babylon (2) and Deer Park (4); in Islip (6): West Islip, Heckscher State Park, Bay Shore, Brentwood, Holbrook and Ronkonkoma; Brookhaven (16): East Setauket (5), Farmingville (6), Patchogue, Selden, Rocky Point, Port Jefferson Station and Fire Island; Huntington (18): Northport (8), Huntington Station (3), South Huntington (2), Huntington (2), Dix Hills, Greenlawn and Melville; Smithtown (1): Blydenburgh County Park; and Riverhead (1): Jamesport.  This year, a total of 196 mosquito samples, collected from various places in the county, have tested positive for West Nile virus. A total of 101 birds have tested positive in 2010.  Four confirmed cases of West Nile virus in humans have been reported in Suffolk County this year.

Mosquito samples testing positive for West Nile virus have been collected at county and state parks this season.  Evening activities and overnight camping continue to be suspended in some parks.  Therefore, it would be advisable to check with a park’s administration before planning any evening events.  The county will continue to collect samples at parks and will recommend resumption of dusk-to-dawn activities at these facilities when the parks are considered to be safe.

West Nile virus, first detected in Suffolk in 1999 and again each year thereafter through 2010, is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected mosquito.

 To reduce the mosquito population around homes, residents should try to eliminate stagnant water:

• ·        Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-

      holding containers.

• ·        Remove all discarded tires on the property. 
• ·        Make sure roof gutters drain properly, and clean clogged gutters.
• ·        Turn over plastic wading pools and wheelbarrows when not in use.
• ·        Change the water in birdbaths.
• ·        Clean vegetation and debris from the edges of ponds and keep shrubs and

      grass trimmed.

• ·        Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs.
• ·        Drain water from pool covers.

While most people infected with West Nile virus will experience mild or no symptoms, some can develop severe symptoms including: high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. Symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent. Individuals, especially those 50 years of age or older or those with compromised immune systems, who are most at risk, are urged to take precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. 

To avoid mosquito bites, residents are advised to:

• ·        Minimize outdoor activities between dusk and dawn.
• ·       Wear shoes and socks, long pants and long-sleeved shirts when outdoors for long periods of time, or when mosquitoes are more active.
• ·        Use mosquito repellent when outdoors, following label directions carefully.
• ·        Make sure all windows and doors have screens, and all screens are in good repair.

Dead birds found on area properties may indicate the presence of West Nile virus in the area. To report dead birds, or to report mosquito problems or stagnant pools of water, call the West Nile virus hotline in Suffolk County at 631-787-2200 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

For medical questions related to West Nile virus, call 631-853-3055.

For further information on West Nile virus, visit the Department of Health Services’ website at www.suffolkcountyny.gov/health.

Sentencing Wednesday for Queens man guilty of 2008 contract murder of Nesconset attorney

 Darnell Festus  The sentencing of a Queens man convicted of the 2008 contact killing of a Long Island real estate attorney is scheduled for tomorrow in Suffolk County court in Riverhead.   Darnell Festus was to be sentenced August 19.  State Supreme Court Justice C. Randall Hinrichs adjourned the matter because the court received an anonymous letter alleging another person shot James DiMartino to death in the parking lot of a Commack restaurant.   The court granted the adjournment to allow defense counsel to investigate the claims made in the letter.   Festus, 25, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.  He was convicted of first degree murder, second degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.   Codefendant, Ronald Thornton, 39, of Nesconset, was convicted of concocting the murder plot to prevent DiMartino from implicating him in a series of fraudulent mortgage deals.   Thornton is serving a sentence of life without parole.   Justice Hinrichs (fourth floor) will call the court calendar at 9:30 am.

Update on Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 10:36AM by .

Darnell Festus was sentenced to life without parole for the first degree murder conviction and twenty five years to life for the second degree murder conviction.