Man Arrested For Boating While Intoxicated Following Crash

Suffolk County Police Dive Team Officer Steve Tarolli recovered the body of missing boater, Christopher Mannino, 39, of West Islip, in the Great South Bay at 1:30 p.m. The operator of the Skater boat who was charged with Boating While Intoxicated has been identified as Brian Andreski, 26, of Dix Hills. Andreski is still in the hospital and was issued a Field Appearance Ticket for a later date. An autopsy will be conducted by the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner to determine the cause of Mannino’s death.

Suffolk County Police today arrested a man for boating while intoxicated following a crash that left one boater missing in the Great South Bay off Captree Island early this morning.

Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau received a distressed call on the radio regarding a boat crash that occurred under the Robert Moses main span bridge at approximately 4:50 a.m. When Marine Bureau units arrived, they found one boat, a 25-foot Skater, overturned and the operator and passenger in the water. The other vessel, a 1967 38-foot Hatteras, with five people on board was damaged during the crash and had started to sink. One person fell into the water during the crash and remains missing. The Marine Bureau received assistance from the Aviation Section, Coast Guard and several fire departments.

The operator of the Skater was arrested and charged with Boating While Intoxicated. The operator and the passenger of the Skater were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The four aboard the Hatteras were not injured. The Marine Bureau Dive Team is continuing to search the waters for the fifth boater.

Third Squad detectives with the assistance from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the crash. Anyone with information is asked to call the Third Squad at 631-854-8352 or Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.

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

Summer Heat - Avoid Heat Stroke

By Chris Biancaniello

With temperatures rocketing, it is important to understand the dangers of heat stroke and the signals your body sends to you. Heat stroke is a type of hyperthermia and is the most severe of heat-related illnesses. While the elderly, children, obese and those with chronic medical conditions may be at higher risk for heat stroke, it can happen to anyone.

Dr. Peter Morelli - Pediatric CardiologistPeter Morelli, MD. ColumbiaDoctors – Pediatric Cardiology, a Pediatric Cardiologist in East Setauket, suffered from Heat Stroke while in medical school during his time in the Air Force. It was August in Alabama with the  temperature in the 90’s and humidity about 90 percent Dr. Morelli was running in a local 10k. He remembers all to well waking up in the local hospital’s emergency room hooked up to an IV and on a respirator suffering from heat stroke.

He has some helpful pointers on how to recognize Heat Stroke, as well as how to avoid it. Heat Stroke occurs when your body’s temperature goes over 106 degrees and body’s organs begin to shut down. Often times you lose consciousness, you can be at risk for kidney failure as well as brain damage.  Heat Stroke is preceded by heat exhaustion; when your body’s core temperature rises, the symptoms are a precursor to heat stroke. Symptoms include, dehydration, nausea, and tiredness. If these symptoms are ignored, Heat Stroke can occur and it can be fatal.

Warning Signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke:

1. “If you feel like you’re not sweating, you may be heading towards heat stroke. If you’re dry, it’s not good.” Sweating is your body’s natural way of cooling you down. Without it your core temperature will rise, which brings us to #2.

2. “Drink before, during, and after exercise. Try and drink a lot and make sure you have salt. You want to replace your sodium you lose when you sweat. That’s why Gatorade and PowerAde have become more popular. Just having some pretzels or salty crackers along with your regular drinking helps. That’s why they used to have salt tablets in the military.”

3. “You lose a lot of heat through your head, if you wear helmets it will keep that heat in. That’s why a lot of football practices right now are without all the pads.”  The more clothing you wear, the more heat is contained. Athletes that play sports like lacrosse and football should be particularly careful because they wear helmets.

4. “As far as activities to do, swimming is a good one if you’re really into endurance sports. Biking is nice as well because you can get the breeze while you’re on your bike, and you can have a water bottle right at your disposal.” While Dr. Morelli would never discourage running, he did say to try and keep it in moderation.

Like most things, the most obvious precautions are the best. Make sure you hydrate, don’t overexert yourself, and if you are doing physical activity; make sure you’re sweating. Weight lifting and running indoors on a treadmill in air conditioning might be a preferable option in the really high heat to outdoor activities, but  try and recognize the signals your body is sending you.

Notes From KPCA Meeting June 19

By Joe Flynn

Kaitlin Gallagher, KPCA Scholarship winner.The Kings Park Civic Association (KPCA) met on Tuesday, June 19 with a full agenda of items to be discussed.  KPCA acknowledged two 2012 scholarship winners Kaitlin Gallagher and Corey Robert Byrne.

Second item on the agenda was the demolition of buildings at the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center. The demolition is expected to begin in late July.  Mike Rosato, Nissequogue River State Park Foundation chairperson, informed the Association about a June 14^th meeting that took place regarding the demolition. A controlled demolition will allow National Salvage and Service Corporation to contain the asbestos in the 19 buildings scheduled to be demolished.  The Nissequogue River State Park will remain open while demolition takes place although Kings Park Boulevard and Old Dock Rd may close during the demolition of buildings adjacent to the road. Saint Johnland Road is expected to remain open during the demolition.

Director of the Smithtown Library, Robert Lusak, was the speaker for the evening and addressed the status of the Kings Park Branch and the Smithtown Library renovations.

Lusak expressed excitement about the reopening of the libraries, describing that every square inch of the buildings has been given attention, especially the elevators and emergency staircases that were hazardous or just plain broken before. He declared that the question he faces most often is: why do we still need the libraries?

Kings Park Branch of the Smithtown Library“We are the only tax-supported institution that serves all of its constituents,” is his answer. All of Suffolk County’s libraries have been responded to the technological revolution that makes e-books so easy to access; each of Smithtown’s branches will now contain e-book technology, and the staff is trained to use and answer any questions about it. Beyond this, Lusak described the library setting as a “community center,” which can accommodate children’s programs, senior citizen programs, community events, and something for everyone in between.

Mr. Lusak did not specify a date for the reopening of the two buildings, due to the fact that they have already been postponed for several weeks, but he said he expected the project to last for another “two to three weeks.”

The final item for the night pertained to several zoning issues that have been a source of disagreement between the Town of Smithtown and Civic Association officers Sean Lehman and Mike Rosato. There have been concerns that the Santilli Property, behind the driving range on Old Northport Road, would be used for sand mining, these concerns have been put largely at bay thanks to Department of Environmental Conservation monitoring.

More urgent is the dispute over properties west of that development, between Indian Head Road and Pulaski Road. Neighbors have consistently complained of strong odors coming from the properties. The Town is aware that this land is zoned for light industry, but many of the landowners currently engage in heavy industry, such as junk storage and concrete production, for which they are not zoned. Mr. Lehman and others present expressed strong displeasure with the handling tactics of Town Supervisor Pat Vecchio and the Smithtown Planning Department, which have included ignoring the problem for more than 40 years.

This precedent has led to several losses in court when the Town attempted to sue property owners. Lehman rescinded KPCA’s earlier decision to support a “heavy industrial overlay,” which would have permitted existing violations but protected the future of the development. This decision came in light of Planning Director Frank DeRubeis’s definition of some heavy industrial activities, such as asphalt production, as light. Currently, Rosato’s plan is to zone all the properties for light industry, which would terminate the violations should the owners ever decide to sell the land.

Notes From KPCA Meeting June 19

The Kings Park Civic Association acknowledged its 2012 scholarship winners, Kaitlin Gallagher and Corey Robert Byrne. Kaitlin was present at Tuedsay’s meeting.  From a competitive high school class, Kaitlin was chosen because of her contribution to over 20 fund raisers, including the Guide Dog Foundation and Brain Injury foundations, as well as her high level of leadership in the various organizations of which she is a part. Congratulations, Kaitlin and Corey!

By Joe Flynn

Kaitlin Gallagher, KPCA Scholarship winner. The Kings Park Civic Association (KPCA) met on Tuesday, June 19 with a full agenda of items to be discussed.  KPCA acknowledged two 2012 scholarship winners Kaitlin Gallagher and Corey Robert Byrne.

Second on the agenda was the demolition of buildings at the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center. The demolition is expected to begin in late July.  Mike Rosato, Nissequogue River State Park Foundation chairperson, informed the Association about a June 14^th meeting that took place regarding the demolition. A controlled demolition will allow National Salvage and Service Corporation to contain the asbestos in the 19 buildings scheduled to be demolished.  The Nissequogue River State Park will remain open while demolition takes place although Kings Park Boulevard and Old Dock Rd may close during the demolition of buildings adjacent to the road. Saint Johnland Road is expected to remain open during the demolition. Click here

Paul Graf - Smithtown Elementary's Principal Retires

By Chris Biancaniello

“I cannot forget from where it is that I come from. I cannot forget the people who love me and I can be myself here in this small town and people let me be just what I want to be.” John Mellancamp

Paul GrafPaul Graf has been the principal of Smithtown Elementary for almost 25 years, and now at the age of 60 he has decided to retire. He has been an almost iconic fixture to the students of Smithtown Elementary during their six years of schooling at the school. He plays songs on his guitar for birthdays and from time to time can even be spotted gliding down the halls on his scooter.

Mr. Graf is the quintessential elementary school principal, he’s eccentric and not afraid to do things that would be out of most people’s comfort zone. What else can you say about a man that dresses up as the Cat in the Hat every year, face paint and all? Beloved by his students and faculty, Mr. Graf’s time at Smithtown Elementary will not soon be forgotten.

He sat with Smithtown Matters to answer a few questions about the job, retirement, and what the future holds.

SM: Does it feel weird to be interviewed by a former student?

PG: Not at all, it’s a pleasure to see you again.

SM: Tell me a little bit about how you got to this point.

PG: I began my career as a BOCES teacher at what was at the time called “learning adjustment”. It was a failed experiment we called “Seton Hall”, where they put together all the kids from BOCES 2. At the time any child ages 5-21 with disabilities was put into this one building. It was insane. So I got out of there in one year and moved to the fourth grade. I taught fourth grade at Comsewogue Schools in Port Jeff Station for three years.

From there I moved towards teaching special education students. I was a special ed. teacher and taught students who had learning disabilities in the late 70’s and early 80’s. I spent my summers teaching kids who were skilled in theatre. I’ve been employed in the district here since 1987. I was also at Comsewogue as an assistant principal in 84-85 and I went from there to my first principal’s job at Terryville Elementary School. I took that job knowing the school was going to close, it was just a matter of gaining one year’s experience. I sent out one magical application in the spring of 1987 and Smithtown said “yes”, and here we sit!

SM: So 25 years?

PG: Just about.

SM: What are your plans going to be after retirement?

PG: I need a little time to rest reflect and then see what the universe has in store for me. I truly believe there is God and I think God is guiding me. I leave myself open to that kind of guidance.

SM: What are you going to miss most?

PG: The children. You know, in the school I can smile at any child and they smile back at me. In the community people are so fearful of strangers looking at their kids (laughs) that I have to be careful. But I will miss smiling at children.

SM: What are you going to miss the least?

PG: Discipline- discipline on school busses. It takes a lot of work to figure out what happened in there.

SM: What ultimately led to your decision to retire?

PG: I’m going to be 60 this summer and 38 years is plenty. And how many years do you get in life you know? I hope I get a good 20 years to go explore the world and I want to embrace that.

SM: Any particular travel plans?

PG: Oh yeah. I plan to be in Africa by next February or March, probably in the south like Tanzania.

SM: What are you expecting your last day to be like here?

PG: No different than any other day. I’ll take care of the kids, makes sure they have all the paperwork they need to be on their busses. Make sure they get home safe. My last day with children I expect it to be no different than any other day. But, I have a lot of cleaning up to do. I’m still working! I have to finish a number of things. I have to tie up school for Mrs. Lavery.

SM: That’s who’s coming in next?

PG: Yes, Janine Lavery from Nesconset, a really fine lady, and a great sense of humor very well rounded in literacy and elementary education. Very well grounded person.

SM: What is your favorite memory?

PG: Oh god. There’s no one memory. There is something that struck me. I remember when I first got here, and it was in December or January, they had a school student concert and Gale Hershkowitz was the music teacher. She had the children sing to me “Consider Yourself” from Oliver. When I see that vision in my head it’s in Kodachrome. It’s not a vision that’s in sepia. It’s in Kodacolor. The reds and yellows were highlighted in ways that were just unreal. I remember being the room; I remember it being wintertime. I remember girls with bows in their hair like plaid bows and boys in their white shirts and everybody singing that song. Then the other one is the blue-skied days. Blue skies on the days of the ragamuffin parade, you know think about it, hundreds of parents come to see their kids and I’ll never forget just juggling pumpkins against the blue sky.

SM: What made you stick with being principal of Smithtown Elementary?

PG: My ego told me to go be the assistant superintendant or superintendant, but my brain made me ask why. What could be more powerful than having an impact on teaching and learning in an institution? For those reasons I made the choices to stay as an elementary school principal and make deep change in this wonderful suburban country school.

SM: If you could give one piece of advice to Mrs. Lavery what would it be?

PG: Smile at children. A Chinese paper cutter used to come to the school. He was a cultural arts guy. Here’s what he told me, he once sat me down and he said, “You need to be more happy. When children look at you, you’re the face of god. You need to smile at children.” It was great advice. You know, who knows what these kids have been up against that morning. Some kids have great parents, they get their stuff together and they’re on their way. Other kids might have had a rough ride. Parents are so busy between their responsibilities so that they can make a life for their child, given all those pressures kids are under a lot of pressures so the least I can do is smile.

SM: What’s different about being a principal today, from the day you started.

PG: The level of accountability is much higher. Tests are starting in grade three now. State tests and now the level of accountability; three times a year we are expecting a lot out of children and teachers.

SM: Has that made things tougher on you?

PG: I wouldn’t say tougher. It has made things tougher on teachers. We have to manage a lot of testing now. That is one thing we are very conscious of, the Testing calendar, and managing all the aspects of the testing calendar.

SM: What about from an administrative perspective. Has it been different working with all the different administrations?

PG: I’ve always worked hard to have a good relationship with my bosses because you know they’re just trying to do their jobs too. I’ve always worked to be cooperative and instructive and helped them know how they can serve the best interest in their schools. And that’s the best way to go about it. Your success is the boss’s success; the boss’s success is your success.

SM: What’s different about the kids over the years?

PG: The thing I’m most concerned about is self-preservation. I think that our students now are highly insulated. I think back to myself at the age of eight. I lived in Brooklyn, I would ride the train, and I would ride the subway! At the age of eight I would ride the subway with a friend who was nine to go to John Jay High School to go swimming in the summer. I had a lot of freedom and the children, and again they’re wonderful kids but I think they’re highly insulated. There are reasons for that of course. But, I think that kids have to explore the natural world and I think that children need to have a stronger sense of self-preservation. I mean I climbed trees; I climbed fences, and now kids trip on the sidewalk these days (laughs).

SM: What are you going to do with the famous scooter that you ride around the halls?

PG: (laughs) I think I have to give the scooter to Mrs. Lavery. Maybe she won’t ride it with her high heels on. Principal gets the scooter. One last thing, I have a quote I want to share with you. One of the songs I sing is called “Small Town” by John Mellancamp. There is a great line in it, “I cannot forget from where it is that I come from. I cannot forget the people who love me and I can be myself here in this small town and people let me be just what I want to be.”

SM: Why is this particular quote relevant to you?

PG: This is a small town and one of the things we do really well here at this school is give access to parents to enter into the lives of their children, and I think that’s really important. The reason we would have events over the years was so that parents could better understand the work of their children. I’m going to miss this like crazy. I come in I drive one hundred miles per hour to get here every day. But, at the same time its time to move on.

SM: Are you going to visit?

PG: We’ll see. It’s going be hard to stay away.

Mr. Graf’s final day with the students will be this Thursday, June 21^st. His replacement, Mrs. Lavery will certainly have some big shoes to fill.