SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - LI Site For Nuclear-Tipped Missiles A Possible Superfund Site

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

A former U.S. Air Force missile base in Westhampton—set up to use nuclear-tipped missiles to shoot out of the sky Soviet bombers feared to be flying over or near Long Island to bomb New York City and other targets—may be designated a high-pollution state Superfund site.

Suffolk Health Commissioner Dr. James Tomarken last month said his agency “was informed…by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that the former BOMARC Missile Base is being considered as a potentially inactive hazardous waste disposal site.” It “will be listed” as a state “Superfund site”—a designation which includes a provision for clean-up—“if it is determined that  hazardous waste disposed on the property poses a significant threat to public health or the environment.”

 “The BOMARC site, which comprises approximately 186 acres, is being investigated as the result of the detection” of several now banned or phased-out chemicals “in samples from both private wells and on-site groundwater monitoring wells,” declared the statement.

If there is chemical contamination at the site it would be far better than what would have happened if the nuclear-tipped missiles had actually been launched from the BOMARC base and exploded—this was the plan—very close by.

In the 1950s, the U.S. feared Soviet bombers might strike major U.S. cities and other targets. The U.S. hatched a scheme to use nuclear-tipped antiaircraft missiles to fire at the Soviet bombers but these were early antiaircraft missiles unable to score direct hits. So, the plan was to have the nuclear warheads on the BOMARC and also Army nuclear-tipped Nike Hercules missiles detonate when the missiles reached a formation of Soviet bombers, blowing the formation apart—although also raining radioactivity down below.

In Suffolk, along with the Air Force BOMARC base in Westhampton, there was an Army nuclear-tipped missile base in Rocky Point at which Nikes Hercules missiles were deployed.

Other BOMARC and Nike Hercules bases were set up all over the U.S.

The nuclear warheads on the BOMARC (BOMARC for Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center) and Nike Hercules missiles had massive power. The nuclear warheads on the BOMARCs had the equivalent of 10 kilotons of TNT. The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima had the power of 13 kilotons. The Nike Hercules warheads ranged up to 30 kilotons. 

How much radioactive fall-out would have descended on the areas where BOMARC and Nike Hercules bases were located depended on the winds and where the detonations of their nuclear warheads happened. The detonations would have occurred not far away for the BOMARC had a range of 250 miles, the Nike Hercules only 100 miles. 

At the BOMARC base on Old Country Road Westhampton there were 56 missiles, each in its own building. The roofs of the buildings would open and the missiles launched. The base was operational “from 1959 until it was decommissioned in 1964,” noted the health department statement, and the site and its buildings “turned over to Suffolk County.” On it today are a “law enforcement shooting range” and “a vehicle training course for emergency responders.” And some of the missile buildings are used by Suffolk government for storage of records.

The former three-missile Nike Hercules base in Rocky Point is on Route 25A just east of William Floyd Parkway. It’s now the site of an Army Reserve Center but the remnants of the missile base remain—a variety of structures and missile silos. The Nike Hercules missiles were positioned underground in the silos. It was operational from 1957 to 1974

The nuclear-tipped missiles are gone at the sites.

I wrote and presented a television program in 2010 for WVVH-TV on the two nuclear-tipped missile bases in Suffolk. I titled it: “Avoiding Nuclear Destruction: By The Skin Of Our Teeth.” You can see the program on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLb_8FuH-8M

I did my “stand-up” in the TV program standing on top of one of the missile silos in Rocky Point. The Army OK’d my exploring and filming at the site. In Westhampton, I was accompanied by the Suffolk public works commissioner. The experience at both was eerie, chilling.  

Last week, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved its “Doomsday Clock” from “two minutes to 100 seconds to midnight.” Said the Bulletin: “The iconic Doomsday Clock symbolizing the gravest perils facing humankind is now closer to midnight than at any point since its creation in 1947….Humanity continues to face two simultaneous dangers—nuclear war and climate change”

Will again apocalyptic destruction be barely avoided—or will it not?

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.    

St. James Man Arrested Charged With Murder

Michael Owen, 27, of St. James, was arrested for the murder of his wife Kelly Owen, 27, South Farmingdale.  Defendant Owen is charged with Murder 2nd Degree.  He will be arraigned on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 at First District Court, Hempstead.

According to police, the homicide occurred at approximately 3:41pm on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 in South Farmingdale.

According to Detectives, Police responded to 14 1st Avenue for a twenty-seven-year-old female not breathing. Upon arrival, Officers located the body and it was determined that the body had expired at the scene and was pronounced by an Ambulance Technician at 3:50pm.  The Medical Examiners Office has determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation.  The victim was identified as Kelly Owen, 27, of South Farmingdale. 

Man Convicted Of Sex Trafficking Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison

(RIVERHEAD, N.Y.) – Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy D. Sini announced that a Bloods gang member was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in prison for conducting a sex trafficking operation in Suffolk County from 2014 to 2018.

“This is a dangerous individual who victimized dozens of women for his own personal gain,” District Attorney Sini said. “Investigating and prosecuting human traffickers is a top priority of my administration, and this sentence sends a clear message that these predators will be held accountable. Assistant District Attorneys Amanda Scheier, Elizabeth Moran and Veronica McMahon did an outstanding job bringing this defendant to justice and ensuring that he received the maximum prison sentence for his crimes.”

Abiodun “Abi” Adeleke, 33, of Kings Park, was convicted by a jury on Dec. 17, 2019, of two counts of Sex Trafficking as a class B violent felony; three counts of Sex Trafficking as a class B felony; Promoting Prostitution in the Third Degree, a class D felony; and Assault in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor.

Adeleke was sentenced yesterday by Suffolk County Court Judge Timothy Mazzei to the maximum sentence of 25 years in prison with 20 years of post-release supervision.

An investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department’s Human Trafficking Investigations Unit and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office’s Human Trafficking Team revealed evidence that from January 2014 through August 2018, Adeleke was engaged in a sex trafficking operation throughout Suffolk County. The investigation revealed evidence of several individuals believed to be victims of Adeleke, however the jury trial pertained to his conduct with respect to two separate victims.

Adeleke kept victims under his control by way of providing them with narcotic drugs; using threats and physical acts of violence; and creating purported debts that the victims had to pay off by working for him. Adeleke forced his victims to perform prostitution at various local hotels and motels.

The investigation also revealed that on one occasion, Adeleke provided heroin to one of his victims that caused her to suffer a non-fatal overdose.

Adeleke was arrested by Suffolk County Police on Aug. 31, 2018, at the Holiday Inn, located at 215 Sunnyside Blvd. in Plainview.

Opening statements in the trial took place on Dec. 2, 2019. The jury deliberated for approximately one day before returning a verdict of guilty on all counts on Dec. 17, 2019.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Amanda Scheier, Elizabeth Moran and Veronica McMahon, of the Enhanced Prosecution Bureau.

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - Senator Kenneth LaValle "The Educator" Not Running In 2020

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

The thing about State Senator Kenneth LaValle, who just announced he will not be running for re-election, is that above all he is an educator. He has been a senator since 1977— indeed he is the longest serving member of the New York State Senate. Later in life he obtained a law degree. But it was Mr. LaValle’s experience in education that led him into a prominent role in government. 

Leon Giuffreda in 1966 took office as a state senator for the same district Mr. LaValle has represented, the lst S.D., which includes most of Brookhaven and all of the five East End towns. Mr. Giuffreda had a real estate and insurance business where he lived, in Centereach.

Mr. LaValle was a fifth-grade teacher and subsequently an administrator in the Middle Country School District. He has a master’s degree in education from SUNY New Paltz.

Mr. Giuffreda, a Republican, became chairman of the Senate Education Committee and Mr. LaValle of Port Jefferson, a GOPer too, became his aide and executive director of the committee. There was a family connection: Mr. LaValle’s uncle, his father’s brother, was married to Mr. Giuffreda’s sister.

It was in this period—way back more than 50 years ago—that as a journalist I got to know Mr. LaValle.

Mr. Giuffreda had a great interest in education. And Mr. LaValle knew the nuts and bolts of what education is about. I got to see this close up when Mr. LaValle, a senator then, was also an adjunct professor at Dowling College and invited me to be his guest speaker in his class on government. It was obvious that his relationship with his students was warm and supportive. 

That kind of warmth colored Mr. LaValle’s tenure—why even in years of Democratic election advances in Brookhaven Town, where most of the district’s population is located, and even with the expansion of Stony Brook University and its demographics altering the political affiliation of communities in northern Brookhaven Town, the popular Mr. LaValle stood strong.

The Democratic Party threw some of its best at Mr. LaValle. In 1980, Robert Gottlieb, a former assistant Suffolk County district attorney with a law office in Commack and who now is a highly prominent Manhattan-based trial lawyer, ran against him—and lost. In 1990, television and radio personality Sherrye Henry of East Hampton took Mr. LaValle on—and lost. In 2012, Bridget Fleming of Noyac, now a Suffolk County legislator and is seeking to run for Congress, took him on and got a strong vote. But she, too, lost.

At 80, Mr. LaValle could go on and on in the Senate, but he has decided to “pass the torch.” 

On issues as a state senator, Mr. LaValle has been involved in so many.  He was a co-sponsor with then Assemblyman, now State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, of the landmark Pine Barrens Preservation Act which has preserved 100,000 acres in Suffolk County. He has been a leader in pushing for accessible higher education not only as long-time chair of the State Senate’s Higher Education Committee but as a member of the New York State Commission on Higher Education and also the National Council of State Legislatures’ Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education. He was the Senate sponsor of the legislation that established the Long Island Power Authority and was a key to stopping LILCO’s Shoreham nuclear power plant from going into operation. He was a leading figure in the creation of the East End Hospital Alliance. He was responsible for legislation providing disabled citizens with greater access to educational opportunities. He had a great role in helping Stony Brook University grow; the sports stadium at the school is named after him. He has been active on initiatives aimed at helping senior citizens. He and State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. of Sag Harbor were the legislative foundation for the Community Preservation Act which has been vital in keeping the East End green. The two—who through the years have worked closely together—joined after Southampton College was shut down to have SUNY take over the campus and for it to become Stony Brook Southampton. 

 Mr. LaValle’s accomplishments go on and on.

 Extremely proud of his Italian heritage, he has long been involved with the Center for Italian American Studies at Stony Brook University. He received the title “Cavaliere al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” from the government of Italy for his work in promoting cultural exchanges between the United States and Italy.

Assemblyman Steven Engbright of Setauket, part of whose district is in the lst S.D., although a Democrat has no reservation in describing Mr. LaValle as “a great legislator.”

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.    

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - DuWayne Gregory Leaves The Legislature And A Legacy

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

This was the last week for DuWayne Gregory as a Suffolk County legislator. Until the start of this year, he had been presiding officer of the legislature, first elected to the post in 2014 by his fellow legislators. 

But because of term limits, Mr. Gregory, a Democrat from Copiague, chose to give up his legislative seat as of January 15 to become a member of the Babylon Town board. He was re-elected to the seat this past November. It would have been his sixth two-year term, the maximum for county legislators as set in a 1993 countywide referendum. 

There are positives and negatives to term limits. The positive is they provide new blood as for people in elected office. The negative is they eliminate some good officeholders. The latter is the case with Mr. Gregory.

As he explained, he “looked around” to see what elected governmental position he might transition to at the end of his last term. There seemed to be no county or state spots. So, he decided to take an appointment to the town board position held by Jackie Gordon. Also a Democrat, she stepped down to campaign for the Congressional seat held by Republican Peter King, who is retiring. He said “if this door closed” he was “not sure when the next opportunity” might arrive.

As presiding officer of the legislature—considered the Number 2 post in Suffolk County government after county executive—Mr. Gregory has been in one of the highest positions held by an African-American in Suffolk history. 

Rob Colarco of Patchogue was elected to replace him as presiding officer at the legislature’s organizational meeting as 2020 began. Mr. Colarco, a Democrat from Patchogue, had been deputy presiding officer beginning in 2016. In his acceptance speech, he praised Mr. Gregory for having “deftly led this body.” 

Mr. Gregory, in a statement about his departure, said: “Certain experiences become a part of who you are at your core. They change you, shape you, and prepare you for what’s coming next. And you carry them with you forever. My time on the Suffolk County Legislature is one of those experiences. I have spent the past 11 years here, first as a legislative aide and then as a legislator…as well as the presiding officer. I have loved every minute of my county service, but it is time for me to move on…I am grateful and excited for this opportunity in Babylon to continue serving the public in a place I know and love. In many ways, this new adventure is like going home. I got my start in government by working for the Town of Babylon in constituent services.”

In an interview, Mr. Gregory recounted how “I grew up in Central Islip, graduated Central Islip High School in 1987, went to North Carolina Wesleyan College and was in the ROTC.” He joined the Army after graduation, rising to the rank of first lieutenant. Then he returned to Suffolk and became special assistant for constituent services in Babylon. He moved on to other town positions, to the legislative aide spot, and in 2008 ran for the Suffolk Legislature.

As an African-American in Suffolk, he has encountered racism. He told of “walking home from high school and a man sitting on his porch called me the n-word” and ordered his dog to attack young Gregory, who was bitten. Or the time in constituent services “I got a phone call from a woman in West Babylon who complained, ‘This black family moved on to my street. What can the town do about it?” He emphasized to the woman, “’Ma’m, people have a right to live.’ She thought the town had a responsibility to discriminate against black people.”

As leader of the Suffolk Legislature, he had many accomplishments. Among them: creating a Next Generation Advisory Council “to get input from millennials,” establishing a Suffolk County Land Bank to spur clean-ups and put blighted property back on the tax rolls, “video-streaming of legislative committee meetings” to provide “more transparency,” forming a Superstorm Sandy Review Committee to review “progress” after the storm and identify “what work needs to be one,” establishing a Youth Anti-Bullying Task Force “made up of high school students,” forming a Marine Industry Revitalization Advisory Council “to protect and promote Suffolk’s $1.6-billion marine industry.” And there was more.

So importantly, Mr. Gregory made sure the legislature was independent of the county executive. “I believe in the institution of legislature as a separate branch of government and not subservient to the administration. We have to stay strong with that.” And, “on more than one occasion,” he noted, “I pushed back against the [county] executive.”

He will be missed on the county level.

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.